i heart faces – Yellow!

This is the first time i’ve used the new format to add photos – hope it works!

this week’s theme on i heart faces is “yellow ” which immediately made me think of this picture of my sweet little guy, Ulysses…

Homeschool Planning

Yes!  This time of year is generally when i finish all my planning for the next year, print out “to order” sheets, in order of when i will need them, and then relax and enjoy the summer.

We’ve got about three more weeks of curriculum, and then we’ll just pick off subjects that need a little longer, and as soon as it’s warm enough, we’ll be done!  It’s been a good year, but my oh my, a busy year…

I am finding the planning aspect really a LOT of work this year compared to the last year, but i’m not sure if it’s the planning per se (five different grades next year, plus two preschoolers) or if it’s just me being antsy…

I thought i’d share what i do, and hopefully some of my homeschooling friends can rescue me if there’s an easier way.

First, i have a sheet for each subject, and a sheet for each child.

The children’s sheets list all the subjects they will take, with space for extras at the bottom…  I am filling in the gaps that i do know – for instance, i know our history spine curriculum will be Tapestry of Grace Year 2, redesigned.  Some of the math curricula i already own and i’m planning to use again…

But there are a lot of subjects i’m just not sure about this time around.  I’ve been using Teaching Textbooks for the past two years, but we’ve had a lot of trouble with our laptop this year, which resulted in a pain in the butt in terms of keeping track of their scores (which should be super easy!) and I’ve heard that they are very much behind grade level.  So i’m considering if i want to keep using them, and just have my seventh grades do TT8, or if i want to switch to something else, like Saxon Math or Life of Fred, or even an online delivery option for my oldest…

The subject pages are for me to brainstorm all the options i have within that subject.  But i think i will take a little more time, and keep those lists by the computer for a week or two – i know there is a great grammar resource i’ve been hearing about, and the title just won’t come to me (and i probably saved a link somewhere… where?)…  I also need to go shopping in my own library – i may have found a great high school science resource for next year and saved myself a few hundred dollars…

Last, i am using my subject pages to tentatively fill in the blanks on my individual children’s sheets.  And then pray, and rearrange as necessary…

I do feel that every year God has put exactly what i needed in my lap, to get me where i needed to be as a mom and as a homeschool teacher to my little ones – but when one is making up a “block schedule” in order to make a way to squeeze everything in, i do tend to feel like i’m organizing the life out of homeschool…

The block schedule is in hourly increments, and only lists *my* focus, as a mom and as a homeschooler.  For instance, the block from 11-12 is always “prep lunch” – the block after lunch is “Bible/memory” – the first block of the day is “little ones one on one” which also includes the preschool curriculum “Little Hands to Heaven”, and there are a few subjects i’m planning to do only twice a week with the children (including science/history, a second language (French?  Latin?  or something new this year?), and music focus (either lessons or a group session – two hours of my one on one time should be enough, combined with their own practice times)…

One of the local homeschool facilitators is very big on “not bringing school home”.  Whatever that means.  I’m not importing desks, but i sure am importing some of the scheduling ideas, because they work with a big crew …

So, planning is consuming me today – and i’m open for feedback/ideas

Here are some my possibilities – if anyone has any experience with them?

_ Life of Fred (math books)

- Art of Problem Solving (math)

-Easy Grammar

- It’s Time for Chemistry (science)

-Apologia science courses

- Saxon with DVDs (DIVE)

- Alpha Omega Language Arts as a grammar/language supplement?

- online writing coaching programs?

help!  The world is wide open, but i’m late getting my plan solidified

My Jewels are all right here…

On a list i’m on, my friend Terry asked us, during Mother’s Day Week , to write about our children.. and here’s what i wrote… (warning – it’s long!)

Mother’s Day Week… oh, i like that!  My birthday is the 14th, too – so my littles are making me books for “mother’s day/your birthday” – i asked them to write the story, illustrate it (in color!), bind it – yeah, it’s a little bossy – but they like getting me something and i’d rather have this than perfume or chocolate …

Wyatt – his name means “Little warrior, son of my right hand, farmer”…  So far the first two have given me real reason to believe that there is power in naming a child – he is 14 this year, and growing into a fun friend.  Our relationship is changing in a really comfortable way, and I love his honesty, his intellectual curiosity, his kind heart and love for his little siblings…

Haven – her name means “a safe place, fruitful, her father is joy” and again, she lives up to those names.  She is 11 this year, and is inches away from being as tall as me, with feet that are much larger – she is going to be a tall girl, i think!  She is very artistic, loves music, loves creating, loves nurturing.  She is the one who will come and give me fashion advice, or ideas for a craft, and i love how she gets me past the initial yes into the actual project

Silas – we named him after the prophet and evangelist who travelled with Paul – his name means “from the woods, dextrous, red haired”… Hm… the middle one is true:) – Silas at nine is still my soft hearted one – he is just a little more sensitive, very easily entreated, silly, but also easily overstimulated.  He cares passionately about justice in our home and i’m hoping that will translate into a passion for justice in the big world, when he gets out there…  The red haired name probably has to do with his fiery protestations when wrongs are happening… but Russell was actually my grandma’s brother’s name, and he was an example in his life of faithfulness, cheerfulness and a happy marriage.

fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
majestic as the stars in procession?

(this was our first unassisted homebirth …)

Mielle – her names mean “sweet one, doubly consecrated to God”  We were blessed with her after losing a little baby we named Charis, the Greek word for Grace.  It was gracious of God to give her to us – the verse we chose for Charis was Colossians 1:27 “²⁷To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” It was such a sweet consolation to be blessed right away with Mielle after we lost Charis, and so comforting to still be nursing Ulysses, too.  God knew what i needed.

Mimi is two, talks up a storm, loves her big brothers and sisters, is probably a little bit spoiled, loves helping or taking messages.   She is cuddly and affectionate, very very girly – more than her sisters were even, and is a joy to everyone in our house…

the verses we chose for her were:

Psalm 19:9-10 (King James Version)

⁹The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

and

Those of steadfast mind,

you keep in peace,

in peace because they trust in you.

trust in the Lord forever,

for in the Lord God

you have an everlasting rock.  (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Library Conference – 1 of 3 – Juvenilia Press

I’ve decided to blog the library conference in three posts.

First of all, why blog it at all?  Well, i was thinking i’d go and learn a lot about libraries, hang out at JPL, and just be around a bunch of other people who like books.  Can’t be that bad, can it, homeschoolers?

Actually, the librarian tribe is remarkably like the homeschooling tribe…

And amid all the funky glasses, twinsets and buns, there were a lot of great sessions, all of which were directly usable by me, the homeschool mom.

I thought i’d share what i discovered there, and hope that some of the information will make you smile, too…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first session i went to was with Juliet McMaster, professor emerita at the University of Alberta.  It was titled "Jane Austen, the Child Writer, and Juvenilia Press".

This university prof sat at the front of the room, and read from her notes, occasionally changing the powerpoint slide behind her, and as she did i began to see a great idea…

What had happened, was that she was making books at home with her children and other children from the neighbourhood.  Being who she was (a prof of literature) – she had them write, illustrate, bind, edit, annotate and design – the whole shebang, from start to finish.

What a great homeschool project, i thought.  But wait, it gets better!

She was speaking with another woman who was doing her dissertation on Lady Montague, and who had found a previously unpublished manuscript she had written as a child.  And the idea for a publishing company dedicated to literature by children (not just "for" children) was born.  For what other genre, she asked, was defined solely by the intended audience?

I came home with three selections to entice my littles to write and take pride in what they write…

Jane Austen’s "the Beautifull Cassandra"  (written when she was 13)

Opal Whiteley’s"Peter Paul Rubens and Other Friendly Folk" (a diary by a 6 year old Oregonian)

and

Dick Doyle’s Journal (written when he was around 15, and beautifully illustrated by him in the same style that he later illustrated for Punch magazine).

What a treat to read these books by children, and gain a fresh appreciation for the beauty of their vision, and their pure joy in living!

here is a link to the press:

http://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/juvenilia/

The press also includes children in all stages of bringing these editions out, so it becomes literature by children, produced by children, and of interest to children as well!

Now if only i can badger Dr. McMaster into creating a manual for homeschoolers who would like to set up a similar project.  I can see children in a town using their local archives to find stories written by children in the past, and producing documents the whole town would be proud to have in their archives…

83 Cents by Joey Podlubny

This Saturday i drove down to the Jasper Park Lodge with my library board friends, and took in the Alberta Library Association’s conference.

While we were all sitting in the car, a book was being passed around (imagine that – Library board members reading?) – the book was written by my fellow board member’s son, Joey Podlubny.

What a beautiful, heart rending book.  Street life in Calgary captured in black and white with a whole lot of compassion and tenderness.

This is a book that you could share with your children, to discuss the issue of homelessness, or to explain who are these people you are serving at the homeless shelter, the soup kitchen, the second hand shop…

Go and look!

http://www.joeypodlubny.com/Site/83%20cents.html