Stepping Heavenward

He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
Psalm 40:2

History Woes....
Sep. 23, 2008

We have dramatically altered our plan to use the Winter Promise History Curricula. After using it for five weeks, we have come to the conclusion that it is blatantly revisionist in its approach to American history.  Basically, what we have learned so far is that all Native Americans were wonderful peaceful people, and all explorers and colonists were horrible, greedy people who murdered the Native Americans when they didn't convert to Christianity.  Argh!  I really thought I had done my homework on this curricula! I researched and researched, but obviously not enough. This is super frustrating. I have never spent this much on any subject ever! I culled through the books, salvaged what I could, and put the rest up for sale on E-Bay.  Is it wrong to hope that someone else thinks it is the perfect curricula for them?

For this week and next, I've put together a plan combining: A First Book in American History and The Landing of the Pilgrims. I'm not sure what we're going to do after that. My tentative plan is to continue using the First Book in American History as a spine, and adding in other books along the way. Now, I just have to figure out what those other books are....

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Category: Homeschooling

A Nation Hypnotized by the Arts of the Spell Binders
Sep. 2, 2008

With all of the political propaganda flying around our country, I am reminded of Dorothy Sayer's wonderful speech The Lost Tools of Learning:

Has it ever struck you as odd, or unfortunate, that today, when the proportion of literacy throughout Western Europe is higher than it has ever been, people should have become susceptible to the influence of advertisement and mass propaganda to an extent hitherto unheard of and unimagined? Do you put this down to the mere mechanical fact that the press and the radio and so on have made propaganda much easier to distribute over a wide area? Or do you sometimes have an uneasy suspicion that the product of modern educational methods is less good than he or she might be at disentangling fact from opinion and the proven from the plausible?

Have you ever, in listening to a debate among adult and presumably responsible people, been fretted by the extraordinary inability of the average debater to speak to the question, or to meet and refute the arguments of speakers on the other side? Or have you ever pondered upon the extremely high incidence of irrelevant matter which crops up at committee meetings, and upon the very great rarity of persons capable of acting as chairmen of committees? And when you think of this, and think that most of our public affairs are settled by debates and committees, have you ever felt a certain sinking of the heart?

Have you ever followed a discussion in the newspapers or elsewhere and noticed how frequently writers fail to define the terms they use? Or how often, if one man does define his terms, another will assume in his reply that he was using the terms in precisely the opposite sense to that in which he has already defined them? Have you ever been faintly troubled by the amount of slipshod syntax going about? And, if so, are you troubled because it is inelegant or because it may lead to dangerous misunderstanding?
...
Is not the great defect of our education today--a defect traceable through all the disquieting symptoms of trouble that I have mentioned--that although we often succeed in teaching our pupils "subjects," we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think: they learn everything, except the art of learning.
...
For we let our young men and women go out unarmed, in a day when armor was never so necessary. By teaching them all to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and the radio, we have made certain that no aversion to reading shall secure them from the incessant battery of words, words, words. They do not know what the words mean; they do not know how to ward them off or blunt their edge or fling them back; they are a prey to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intellects. We who were scandalized in 1940 when men were sent to fight armored tanks with rifles, are not scandalized when young men and women are sent into the world to fight massed propaganda with a smattering of "subjects"; and when whole classes and whole nations become hypnotized by the arts of the spell binder, we have the impudence to be astonished. We dole out lip-service to the importance of education--lip- service and, just occasionally, a little grant of money; we postpone the school-leaving age, and plan to build bigger and better schools; the teachers slave conscientiously in and out of school hours; and yet, as I believe, all this devoted effort is largely frustrated, because we have lost the tools of learning, and in their absence can only make a botched and piecemeal job of it.

Yes! This is why we are classical Christian homeschoolers.

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Category: Homeschooling

Free Grade Book Template
Sep. 1, 2008

For the past two years I have only kept track of test scores. I knew when I started this year that I wanted to have some sort of grade book to record daily grades and test grades. The problem was that all of the grade books out there are designed for classroom use with 30 or so students! Here's the one that I came up with for our use. It is set up for quarters with each subject in the far left column. It would be super easy to modify this by swapping out your own subjects. Obviously, each child has their own. We have used this for the past two weeks, and it seems to be working really well.

grade book page one

grade book page two

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Category: Homeschooling

Contented Domesticity
Aug. 27, 2008

Surprisingly, I have been getting more done around the house since we started school rather than less. I wonder why that is.  I've been baking my own bread again for the first time in years.  The boys have really encouraged me in this by their repeated praises and declaration that homemade is way better than store bought bread!  :-)

We also have harvested lots from the garden, which is encouraging after losing all of the broccoli and cauliflower plants last month.  We pulled the onions and half of the potatoes last week. The tomatoes and cucumbers are producing prolifically and we're still watching the carrots, peppers and watermelon  ripen up.   I've had fun making bread and butter pickles and also canning tomatoes by myself for the first time! I told my mom last night that I feel like a real mom now, LOL!

The bread and butter pickles are *so* good! Here's the recipe I followed from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook:

Bread and Butter Pickles

Prepare 6 cups thin-sliced cucumbers

Peel and slice 1 pound white onions

Seed and thinly slice 1 green pepper

Mix well. Add 1/4 cup salt

Cover and let stand 3 hours.

Mix
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 cups mild cider vinegar
Bring slowly to the boiling point and boil 5 minutes.

Drain the vegetables thoroughly in a colander, rinsing well with cold water. Add them to the hot syrup and heat slowly to just below the boiling point, stirring occasionally. Makes 4 pints.

Jacob still isn't potty trained. He's doing better, but not quite there yet. Sigh.

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Category: Homekeeping

First Week of School
Aug. 20, 2008

Our first week of school is going fantastically well! We are enjoying all of our curricula choices so far and that is a good sign. I know that in my first and second years homeschooling, I would buy something thinking it would work for us, and then realize how much I hated it when I actually started using it. Bob Jones K4 Bible anyone??? LOL!

Here are the schedules we are working off of for this week:

Noah's Daily Planner 1st grade

John's Daily Planner 3rd Grade

Our morning subjects are in the green. We start at 8:30, have a snack around 9:30-10:00ish and finish up typically 11:00-11:30ish. Then we break for lunch. We start back with the blue subjects at 1:00 and finish for the day by 2:30.

One of the most frequent questions that I am asked about homeschooling is, "What do you do with Jacob?" I usually reply that we lock him in the basement. It is much more challenging homeschooling with a 3 year old than a newborn! ;-)

But, seriously, for the most part we fit him in along with whatever we're doing. Right now, when we sit down in the morning, he sits at the table with us and works on a few sheets from his Kumon workbooks. We love these workbooks! He has the My First Book Of Tracing and the My Book of Coloring right now. We are going through those at a rate of 4+ sheets per day, so I just put an order in with Rod and Staff for the preschool books that we used with Noah.  I remember Noah really enjoying the cutting/pasting/coloring/matching from those, and I am hoping that Jacob will like them just as much.

After the fun of workbooks wears off, I usually hand him a double handful of some manipulative from the Saxon Math homeschool kit. His favorites right now in there are the tangrams, teddy bear counters, and the pattern blocks. He will play with these contentedly for a long time. At 11:00, I rely on that old stand-by Sesame Street. :-) This allows me to occupy him while I'm finishing up with the boys/correcting morning work/switching laundry/checking e-mail & Facebook (LOL!)/and making lunch. After lunch, he takes his afternoon nap -- usually from 1:00-3:00, so he misses all of the afternoon excitement.

On the subject of Jacob, I am having the darndest time potty training him. We have been actively trying for about three weeks now after two aborted attempts six and four months ago. Gosh, I've done this before. Twice! I can't figure out what is going on. He's almost 3 1/2, so it really is time. Sigh. We have some good days, but mostly not-good-at-all days. Today has been a good day (!), and I am hopeful that it will stay that way. (Fingers double crossed!) But, feel free to shoot your best potty-training boys tips my way, if you have time to share.

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Category: Homeschooling

Beautiful Song
Jul. 24, 2008

Wow. You have to hear her sing.
Confitebor tibi Domine in toto corde meo,  I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in consilio justorum et congregatione. in the council of justice and the assembly.
   
Magna opera Domini: Great [are] the works of the Lord:
exquisita in omnes voluntates ejus. [they are] sought out in all his goodwill.
   
Confessio et magnificentia opus ejus, his work [is] confession and grandeur,
et justitia ejus manet in sæculum sæculi. and his justice remains forever.
   
Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum, His miracles were made into legends,
misericors et miserator Dominus, the merciful and gracious Lord,
escam dedit timentibus se. he gave food to those who fear him.
   
Memor erit in sæculum testamenti sui; The memory of his promise will be forever;
virtutem operum suorum the goodness of his works
annuntiabit populo suo, he will announce to his people,
ut det illis hereditatem Gentium; thus let him give that heritage of the Gentiles;
opera manuum ejus veritas et judicium. the works of his hands [are] truth and justice.
   
Fidelia omnia mandata ejus; All faith [is] entrusted to him;
confirmata in sæculum sæculi, and established forever,
facta in veritate et æquitate. made in truth and equity.
   
Redemptionem misit Dominus populo suo; The Lord sent redemption to his people.
mandavit in æternum testamentum suum. he commanded his covenant forever.
   
Sanctum, et terribile nomen ejus; Holy and frightful [is] his name;
initium sapientiæ timor Domini. fear of the Lord [is] the beginning of wisdom.
   
Intellectus bonus omnibus facientibus eum; A good understanding to all of them who act;
laudatio ejus manet in sæculum sæculi. the praise of him endures forever.
   
Gloria Patri, et Filio, Glory to the Father and the Son
et Spiritui Sancto. and the Holy Spirit.
Sicut erat in principio, As it was in the beginning,
et nunc et semper, and [is] now and always,
et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. and [will be] forever. Amen.

 

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Category: Christian Walk

On the Reading of Old Books
Jul. 23, 2008

"There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very last thing he thinks of doing is to take a translation of Plato off the library shelf and read the Symposium. He would rather read some dreary modern book ten times as long, all about "isms" and influences and only once in twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said. The error is rather an amiable one, for it springs from humility. The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.

This mistaken preference for the modern books and this shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology  ...  Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet. A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it.  It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all of its hidden implications (often unsuspected by the author himself) have to be brought to light. Often it cannot be fully understood without the knowledge of a good many other modern books. If you join at eleven o'clock a conversation which began at eight you will often not see the real bearing of what is said. Remarks which seem to you very ordinary will produce laughter or irritation and you will not see why—the reason, of course, being that the earlier stages of the conversation have given them a special point. In the same way sentences in a modern book which look quite ordinary may be directed at some other book; in this way you may be led to accept what you would have indignantly rejected if you knew its real significance."

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Category: Christian Walk

Wordless Wednesday
Jul. 23, 2008

100_0124

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Category: Miscellaneous

Curricula for 2008-2009
Jul. 16, 2008

Here is an overview of our curricula for this upcoming year:

Together:
Bible & Catechism

History
History: Winter Promise: American Story 1 Updated.

Chemistry
Science: NOEO Science: Chemistry I: Bubbly, Sticky, Bouncy and Icky!

John:
John's Curricula
Math: Singapore Math 4a & 4b; Saxon Math 65
Spelling: Rod and Staff: Spelling Grade 4
Grammar: Rod and Staff: Building with Diligence: English 4
Penmanship: Rod and Staff: "Penmanship for Christian Writing" Gr. 4
Memorization: Year Three Memorization
Reading: Sonlight: Readers 3 Advanced Package - Five Day
Latin: Classical Academic Press: Latin for Children Primer B

Noah:
Noah's Curricula
Math: Singapore Math: 2a & 2b; Horizons 3
Spelling: Rod and Staff: Spelling Grade 2
Grammar: Rod & Staff: Preparing to Build: English 2
Penmanship: Zaner Bloser: Handwriting 2 M
Poetry: First Year Poetry Memorization
Reading: Sonlight: Readers 3 Regular Package - Five-Day
Latin: Classical Academic Press: Song School Latin


Next on my homeschool to-do list? Figuring out which subjects demand my complete attention and  which subjects are mostly independent or require only a little supervision for each child. Then, I can create a workable schedule for each child that allows me to work  one-on-one with one while the other is working on independent work.

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Category: Homeschooling

Memorization
Jul. 16, 2008

With our new school year just around the corner, I'm getting in to planning mode. {grin}

For our memorization time, Noah will be memorizing our First Year Poetry Memorization poems.

We've switched gears for memorization with John this year -- most of the things he'll be memorizing relate to what he and Noah will be studying in History this year.

1) The Books of the Bible
2) The Mayflower Compact
3) American Wars from Colonial Times to 1850
4) Opening to the Declaration of Independence
5) Preamble and Outline of the US Constitution
6) The Bill of Rights
7) The 50 States
8) The First Twenty American Presidents
Rather than memorize one piece a week (like he's done in the past & like Noah will be doing), John will be working on one piece a month. I think this list is a little ambitious, but completely do-able. As it is, it is only enough material to get us through March, so even if a few pieces take us longer, we'll have three months of wiggle room.

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Category: Homeschooling






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Hi ... I'm Heather! I have been married for ten years and am a stay at home homeschooling mom to three boys. My blog title is taken from the book 'Stepping Heavenward' by Elizabeth Prentiss. We live in the wonderful state of Wisconsin.


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Summer Reading

I'm Reading Now:
- Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt
- First We Have Coffee
- Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II

Recently Finished:
- The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
- The Great Gain of Godliness
- The Odyssey
- The End Times Made Simple: How Could Everybody Be So Wrong about Biblical Prophecy
- The Chosen
- The Good Earth
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