Our 2014/2015 Reading Lists

2014-2015 Reading Lists

What We Are Reading

The following is the list of books my children read last year.  This is actually a short list.  We didn't read as much as we have in the past.  For my older girls, they are reading books with higher reading levels at a slower pace.  My second grader also had this issue, and we are fine with less books at a slower pace.  We have also stopped using only literature-based curriculum, mixing things up with more eclectic resources.  Yes, I still love literature and assign many books, but I also have discovered that a couple of my daughters enjoy watching documentaries and learning that way.  Mixing things up a bit has helped keep my daughters from feeling bored or stuck in a rut.  We also added piano lessons last year, which took some time away from book learning, but is still just as important.

*All read alouds will be marked with an asterix (*) .

Jasmine (Grade 11)

1. Emma's Secret - Veda Boyd Jones
2. Florence Nightingale - Laura E. Richards
3. Nellie The Brave: The Cherokee Trail of Tears - Veda Boyd Jones
4. Properties of Matter - Debbie & Richard Lawrence
5.  God's Smuggler - Brother Andrew
6. Meg follows a Dream: The Fight For Freedom - Norma Jean Lutz
7.  God Came Near - Max Lucado
8.  Misty of Chincoteague - Maguerite Henry
9. Shipwrecked! - Rhoda Blumberg
10. The Cereal Tycoon - Joe Musser
11. Maureen the Detective - Veda Boyd Jones
12. Elise the Actress - Norma Jean Lutz
13. Janie's Freedom - Callie Smith Grant
14.  Rachel and the Riot - Susan Martins Miller
15. Emily Makes a Difference - JoAnne A. Grote
16.  Daria Solves a Mystery - Norma Jean Lutz
17. Seaman - Gail Langer Karwoski
18.  Betsy's River Adventure - Veda Boyd Jones
19. Grace and the Bully - Norma Jean Lutz
20. Only the Names Remain - Alex W. Bealer
21. The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed - Heather Vogel Frederick
22. Emma's Secret - Veda Boyd Jones
23. Florence Nightingale - Laura E. Richards
24. Nellie the Brave - Veda Boyd Jones
25. Gabriel's Horses - Alison Hart
26. With Daring Faith - Rebecca Davis
27.  George Washington Carver - David Collins
28.  Safely Home - Randy Alcorn
29. Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
30. China: The Hidden Miracle - Ross Paterson & Elisabeth Farrell
31. Properties of Atoms and Molecules - Debbie and Richard Lawrence
32. Exploring the World of Chemistry - John Hudson Tiner
33. Little Pilgrim's Progress - Helen L. Taylor
34. Eric Liddell - Janet and Geoff Benge
35. Hearts and Hands: Chronicles of the Awakening Church - Mindy & Brandon Winthrow
36. Maria Takes a Stand - Norma Jean Lutz
37. Exploring the World of Chemistry - John Hudson Tiner

Laura (Grade 9)

1.  Emma's Secret - Veda Boyd Jones2. Florence Nightingale - Laura E. Richards
2. Nellie The Brave: The Cherokee Trail of Tears - Veda Boyd Jones
3. Florence Nightingale - Laura E. Richards
4.  Meg follows a Dream: The Fight For Freedom - Norma Jean Lutz
5.  God's Smuggler - Brother Andrew
6.  God Came Near - Max Lucado
7. Misty of Chincoteague - Maguerite Henry
8. Shipwrecked! - Rhoda Blumberg
9.  The Cereal Tycoon - Joe Musser
10.  Maureen the Detective - Veda Boyd Jones
11. Elise the Actress - Norma Jean Lutz
12. Janie's Freedom - Callie Smith Grant
13. Rachel and the Riot - Susan Martins Miller
14.  Emily Makes a Difference - JoAnne A. Grote
15.  Daria Solves a Mystery - Norma Jean Lutz
16. Seaman - Gail Langer Karwoski
17. Betsy's River Adventure - Veda Boyd Jones
18. Grace and the Bully - Norma Jean Lutz
19. Only the Names Remain - Alex W. Bealer
20. The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed - Heather Vogel Frederick
21. Emma's Secret - Veda Boyd Jones
22. Florence Nightingale - Laura E. Richards
23.  Nellie the Brave - Veda Boyd Jones
24. Gabriel's Horses - Alison Hart
25. With Daring Faith - Rebecca Davis
26. George Washington Carver - David Collins
27.  Safely Home - Randy Alcorn
28. The World of Plants - Debbie and Richard Lawrence
29. Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
30.  China: The Hidden Miracle - Ross Paterson & Elisabeth Farrell
31. Little Pilgrim's Progress - Helen L. Taylor
32. Eric Liddell - Janet and Geoff Benge
33. Maria Takes a Stand - Norma Jean Lutz
34. The World of Animals - Debbie and Richard Lawrence
35. Hearts and Hands: Chronicles of the Awakening Church - Mindy & Brandon Winthrow

Megan  (Grade 2)

1.  My Giant Bunny - Russell Ginns and Jonathan Maier
2. How Do We Get There From Here? - Margaret Crocker
3. This Book is Broken - Jonathan Maier
4. Louis Braille, The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind - Margaret Davidson*
5. Smart Shark - Michelle Knudsen
6.  Louis Braille: The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind - Margaret Davidson*
7.  The Early Reader's Bible - V. Gilbert Beers
8.  Stories of the Pilgrims - Margaret B. Pumphrey*
9.  Amelia Earhart, Young Air Pioneer - Jane Moore Howe*
10. Hidden Treasure (Abeka Book) - Laurel Hicks
11. Summer Fun with Ace and Christi by Grace Whitehart
12. Sarah Whitcher's Story - Elizabeth Yates
13. If You Lived When There Was Slavery in America - Anne Kamma
14. I Wonder (CLP) - Ruth K. Hobbs
15. Open Doors (Abeka Book) - Ullin W. Leavell and Mary Louise Frieble
16. Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 2 - Julia McNair Wright

First Piano Recital

The girls (pictured here with a friend) had their very first piano recital on Monday.

They played at the local Care Center (Nursing Home).  It was such fun!

I was taking video.  My mom was taking photos.  Unfortunately her camera messed up and we didn't get any pictures of Megan playing.

The girls all did great, despite nervousness.  It was a great first experience!

Our Creation Museum Trip

It was, by far, the BEST field trip we've ever taken!  Kim and Caleb, my oldest daughter and son-in-law, asked us to help with a youth trip to the Creation Museum.  We were honored and excited.

We drove down to the Kentucky museum the night before and spent the night in a hotel.  We were able to get to the museum early and enjoyed the entire day! 

The museum is amazing.  The displays are thought provoking.  I've been using materials in our homeschool for years backed by the Creation Museum or from a young earth perspective, but still learned a lot. 

It was fascinating and still fun.  There was no way to see all the displays and read all the materials with those displays in one day.  I tried to see the main points and enjoy time with my family and the rest of the youth.  It was also Jasmine's birthday.  The day was made extra special when she got to go on a camel ride!

I have a lot of respect for Ken Ham and the Creation Museum.  So many attack the man and the museum because of his young earth views.  And... I get it.  A young Earth view backed by science that has a different starting point and a different reasoning behind it is frustrating for evolutionists, atheists, and even certain Christians that seem to think the Bible couldn't possibly be literal.  

I doubt I'll change anyone's mind by posting about our little trip.  I teach my children about evolution and creationism, as I believe it is narrow-minded to only teach one way.  My children will be presented with evolutionary ideas and messages for the rest of their lives.  Since I desire their faith to be theirs and not mine, I believe they should not be ignorant of ideas counter to my beliefs. 

Ken Ham takes the abuse doled out to him quite patiently.  He responds when needed, but takes the name-calling and hateful remarks and articles with a lot of grace.  He knows he won't convince the world.  His aim seems to be to provide the Creation Museum, as well as materials and more research, into the field of Creationism and Young Earth Science for those that believe this way or have genuine questions. 

We had a great time and hope to go back!  

A Broken Printer Sparks Creativity

My printer is broken.

This has caused all sorts of dilemmas as I suddenly couldn't print all the wonderful things I have been printing.  With limited funds at the moment, I am stuck making do.  

Our homeschool has been revolutionized this year with the discovery of notebooking.  We've used notebooking before, but for some reason, this year it "clicked" in my heart.  Suddenly, ideas began flowing as I planned.  The workbooks that my children despised became for me what they should have been... tools to use occasionally instead of a curriculum.  The few workbooks I have stuck with are usually cut apart and certain parts glued into the notebooking pages.  The rest I toss. (We still use a couple workbooks as is, such as Explode the Code and CLE Bible.)

I was printing out pre-made notebooking pages and putting them into three-ringed binders after the girls completed them.  However, with my printer on the fritz, that option isn't convenient.  After a few minutes of panic and stress, I realized I had a few composition notebooks.  I ran to the store, and was blessed to discover they were still on sale for back-to-school.  I grabbed a handful more. The fresh blank pages were a bit intimidating at first, but soon I was able to come up with ideas.  (The internet is a wonderful resource; Pinterest, an encyclopedia of creative ideas.)

My older girls have gone from consumers to producers!  They are writing and narrating and learning and RETAINING! Both are very unique in their style.  Laura is my writer.  She puts in images if I request, but she processes information by writing.  I'm encouraging creativity and attempts at visual images, whether she prints something off the internet or creates it herself.  I believe that touching as many senses as possible aids tremendously in learning. Laura is an amazing writer, however, filling notebooks with stories and poems.  I like encouraging her. She paints quite well, so I'm considering using her painting skills in her education.

Jasmine would rather draw.  I have to encourage her to write more.  She is improving with practice.  Her drawing is awesome!  She is very visual and has a photographic memory for images.  I'm using that in her learning.  In LD classes in public school, I secretly think she is a genius that learns very differently than she has been taught. 

My youngest is constantly drawing and coloring.  I mean NON-STOP!  I'm out of display room.  With notebooking, I can add many of her masterpieces.  In fact, she loves to draw pictures based on the poetry and stories we are reading.  

I've added nature study for all of my children, and the results have been impressive.  Each girl is learning so much!  Notebooking what they are learning is fun! 

I even added a math notebook for Megan.  We are using a couple different resources, including Life of Fred.  Megan, who hates math, begs for Life of Fred.  She keeps disappearing into her bedroom with the Life of Fred books to "study". I added a notebook to combine our resources together, give her one place to answer the Life of Fred questions, and to practice concepts.  So far, it's working beautifully! (I am planning a Life of Fred review soon.)

Our learning this year is so different from before, and we love it!  Notebooking has been a key factor in changing our little one-room schoolhouse.  I get so excited about tapping into each of my children's hidden talents.

The Lost Art of Writing

Writing... It's apparent to me and many others that we are short-changing our children by neglecting the teaching of this skill.  The very act of putting pen or pencil to paper activates the brain in a way that just can't be duplicated by typing notes with a keyboard.

Megan's Poetry page

http://www.sott.net/article/284961-Writing-by-hand-benefits-the-brain-The-lowdown-on-longhand

I came across this article (above), though I have seen a few over the years. I am amazed at how simple things that are  time-tested work amazingly and efficiently in helping children learn.  We are utilizing more copywork, narrations, drawing, and notebooking in our homeschool. I can't even describe how much the children retain from using these methods.  Even the high school girls are loving these methods.  They easily tire of the same ole read the chapter, answer the questions take a test, repeat.  This is not true education.  My children stash the information in their short-term memory then quickly forget it all once the test is completed.  Writing things out, keeping notebooks or journals of work, boosts learning.

And yet, in public school, these skills are being lost.  Instead of keeping notebooks or writing, children type their notes.  Everything is transitioning from paper and books to iPads and computers. And while I enjoy technology, I keep reading articles about how the older methods work successfully, activating the brain in ways science never fully realized until, ironically, technology developed to such a degree as to measure the activation.  We now can run tests that show which areas of the brain light up after writing in cursive, that lay dormant after typing the same thing.  The act of writing stimulates the brain.  

I have no plans to switch methods of teaching.  We use our computer for a couple subjects.  Math is computer-based for my older girls, but they also fill up paper figuring their answers by hand. 

If your child is struggling in school, try going back to some of the older methods is learning.  They weren't replaced by better... Just newer.

Trains and A Bygone Era

We went on our first field trip of the year! We headed over to a place called the Whistle Stop.  If you like trains, this is THE place to visit!  It houses the Monon Connection Museum and the Whistle Stop restaurant.  We ate lunch at the restaurant, which has a nice diner-type atmosphere.  

Lunch at the Whistle Stop

Inside the Whistle Stop Restaurant and Monon Connection Museum is an amazing collection of memorabilia from bygone eras.  There is even some beautiful paintings, indoor toy trains, and old lanterns.  I loved looking at all the "cool old stuff", as my daughters call it.  

Some of the beautiful artifacts inside and outside the Whistle Stop.

One of the painting inside the restaurant.

Jasmine, Laura, and Megan

The best part of the Whistle Stop is outside.  A collection of train memorabilia isn't complete without REAL old trains, train cars, signs, farm equipment, and other odds and ends.  The train cars are all on tracks portions.  It is so neat to walk through!

Some photos of our adventures with the trains!

The artifacts were so neat to see up close.

Laura, Jasmine, and Megan checking out a box car.

It was a unique day, to get to check out all the different trains up close.  We don't get the chance to take many field trips.  When we go, we enjoy every second.  Hopefully we'll be able to do more field trips now that we have moved and my husband is switching his employment.

Jasmine and Megan

There was so much to see!

Yes, Laura has her head in a cast-iron stove.

Megan is so tiny next to the big engine!

Jasmine, in an old phone booth.

The old phone booth was kind of a bonus. Standing outside the restaurant, it was the first things the children wanted to check out, even before we ate lunch!

Laura in the passenger car.

It was tough, at some points, to get pictures of children that were moving so fast. I had to tell them to stand still for a moment several times.

Megan

Ready, Set, Start Over

After a rough start, I am starting our school year over.  Not every subject is a wash or needs a reboot, but a few need a clean slate.  A couple others just need a different approach or a little jazzing up.  Luckily, I homeschool.  If something needs to change, I'm not bound to things that aren't working for me.  As embarrassing as it is to admit, I really messed up the beginning of our year.  All I can do is claim temporary insanity due to stress.  We moved.  I  spent a summer with a very sick daughter in the ICU.  Life threw us obstacles that led to me ordering things that, had I been truly thinking clearly, I would have known were not the right choices for us.

English is one of those subjects where I did well in school.  I received great grades.  I loved reading.  Though grammar was a bit of a pain, I managed to excel because I loved to write.

Teaching grammar is a whole different ball game from when I was the student, but my older girls seem to know their grammar fairly well.  They can diagram a sentence perfectly.  However, I have noticed that those awesome grammar skills don't always carry over into their writing.  It makes me a bit sad because one of my daughters is an excellent writer.  She loves writing stories, filling up notebooks with chapter after chapter of her imagination taking her on adventures.  This year, I discovered she is an amazing poet too.  A simple assignment turned into days of her writing poetry that was deep and thought provoking.

I knew that they didn't really need any more drilling in grammar.  They needed help to improve using that grammar effectively in their writing.  So, in the third week of school, I stopped their "traditional" English lessons.  I went back to what I had used a few years earlier, Queen's Language Lessons.

A few years ago I was trying my hand at some Charlotte Mason work.  I was working with my daughter on a history study on Benjamin Franklin that I had purchased through Queen's Homeschool Supplies.  It was a unique way to learn, and I was a little unsure if it was for us.  However, I was curious about the gentle way Queen's Homeschool stated that they taught Language Arts.  I used it for one glorious year, and then switched to the program that the curriculum I was using recommended.  I regret that, because my daughter loved that program so much!  We had used Language Lessons for the Elementary Child, and I still remember my daughter laughing at coming up with an acrostic for her name as a lesson.  She ended up coming up with acrostics for every member of our home!  Talk about creativity!

I stayed with mostly Charlotte Mason techniques until I got permission to homeschool my step-daughter.  Then, I switched back to more traditional with children so that they were all doing similar curriculum.  Another Big Mistake!  By the end of one semester, I had switched to Charlotte Mason for the younger two.  By the following school year, I began using a lot of Charlotte Mason techniques with the step-daughter.  The results were mostly good, though it was a huge adjustment for her.  Since then, I've been eclectic in my approach.  But when I drifted to more traditional materials, I could see my children were losing the love they had of learning.  It was become drudgery for them.  Even if my children do all the pages in their workbooks  and get correct answers, I find their retention rate suffers.  I don't mind an occasional workbook, but I've learned my children need creativity and a mixture of activities to keep their motivation in high gear.

This has become quite obvious with my littlest pupil.  At seven, Megan is a bundle of energy that is smart, and easily bored.  I cut almost all of the busy work and workbooks out except her Explode the Code and Literature and Creative Writing.  Instead, I am replacing them with things that make her eyes sparkle.  Even math is going to be changed up from workbook drill and kill to math games, living math, Life of Fred, and some flashcards.  I am using Heart of Dakota for history, poetry (though the Language Lessons also has poetry), Bible, Storytime, and Reading.  I love the Emerging Readers that Megan is reading through!  Heart of Dakota is also Charlotte Mason based.

I am most excited that my second grader and I are beginning our first nature study this week as we read through Little House on the Prairie!

My older children will be using Misty of Chincoteague for a nature study, in addition to their chemistry work.  I started them off with an easier book because neither of them have much nature study experience.  For history, as an add-on to our US History study, I have added the book and history study, Streams to the River, River to the Sea.  I have approached history gently, with lots of living books and movies.  I wanted to inspire a love of history, especially in my oldest.  She was in public school for most of her education and developed an intense dislike for history due to how it was taught. Slowly, she has begun to find history more interesting as she has read stories and biographies instead of dry texts.

I am excited about our journey this year, though a couple of weeks ago I was in a very different place.  I have been refreshed.  I took some time to reevaluate and pray.  Last Spring, when I ordered curriculum, I was getting ready to move and was very stressed.  I ordered what I thought would work so that I wouldn't have to worry about it later.  Well... some of the materials will work.  Others, not so much.  Oh well, I can sell it.  I'm not going to stress and leave myself all upset.  The only thing to do is move forward.

The Growth Mindset

I have been really delving into how kids learn. I have been reading and studying how children learn, and why some methods work better than others. This is fascinating to me because my children, in school, would have been or have been labeled "learning disabled".  At home, they may struggle occasionally, but overall, they thrive.

Dad, helping Laura with her new Language Lessons

Some of the materials I have used in the last seven years of homeschooling show my progression of learning how my children learn.  I have went from traditional to literature-based to Charlotte Mason to eclectic and then back to mostly Charlotte Mason.  Truthfully, I find that when my children use traditional materials, they only remember enough to pass the tests.  Then, they forget most of what they learned, or can't apply it to real life.  All their knowledge is disjointed and separated.

This came to light for me in my oldest child still at home.  She has mostly used traditional grammar and language arts texts her entire schooling life.  The exception is when her old tutor used Winston Grammar to help her really see the parts of speech.  My daughter was in public school until ninth grade.  She spent years in tutoring.  She excelled, when we brought her home to be homeschooled, in grammar studies.  She can diagram a sentence so well that it is like a game to her.  However, it doesn't carry over to her writing.  She can pass the tests, but it isn't a practical skill for her.

 I found myself inspired over the last couple of days by an English book.  I purchased Queen's Homeschool Language Lessons for the Secondary Child Volume 2 for my middle child.     My creative, talented, loves to write daughter needed something besides her "traditional" program that we had used for a couple of years.  I had her write some poetry, and discovered that she is very talented.  She had always focused on stories.  I had used Queen's Language Lessons with her before, and she loved it.  I had switched form it in the past, afraid that she wasn't getting enough grammar instruction.  How silly of me.  This gentle approach, with all the writing and copywork, is perfect for her. I switched her back to what worked for her before.  This program, used years ago, sparked a fire in my daughter to write.  She wrote stories to go with her picture studies.  She then moved on to writing longer stories in composition books, and hasn't stopped in years.

My oldest student flipped through her sister's Language Lesson's book.  Her eyes lit up.  "Mom," she pleaded, "Can I do something like this?"

I thought about it as I was planning the lessons.  As I flipped through the book I knew that my oldest student actually needed more practice writing.  For years she had done a traditional English and Language Arts program.  She could diagram a sentence with ease, but her writing didn't show it.  What good is diagramming if she can't apply it to her own writing?  Could the copywork that is in the Language Lessons help?  I decided it was worth a shot.  I looked at the high school levels and decided, since my daughter had struggled so much in English with writing and reading comprehension, that I would have her do the same level as her sister.  

I added a bit of extra work, though.  The copywork in Language Lessons for the Secondary Child volume 2 contains great American speeches, such as the Gettysburg Address.  However, I doubted that the girls understood it or many of the other speeches contained in the book.  They have read it before, but I doubt they ever went through and actually read it for understanding.  So, I decided that they would do the copywork twice.  The first time wouldn't be an exact copy of what was written, but would be written with the words and phrases they didn't understand replaced with definitions of those words.  Wow!  What a difference!

Suddenly the passages came to life.  The girls began with a poem for copywork.  As they looked up the words, the meaning of the poem became so very impacting.  They then would copy the original, but instead of it being just words on a page, it held so much more in the passages. Both girls were a little upset that I was making them look up the meanings.  But, how amazing that it works so well!  The girls will do two lessons a day of shorter passages and grammar portions of Language Lessons so that they can move through the lessons and get to the high school levels.  Grammar has been emphasized for many years.  They both have great knowledge of grammar, but just don't seem to use it well in their writing.  Queen's Language Lessons teaches how to apply that grammar knowledge into their writing.

Last week my youngest daughter, age seven, just melted down.  I had ordered the worst curriculum for her I possibly could.  Why?  Well, all I can say was that when I ordered curriculum, we were in the process of packing up to move.  I was stressed and wanted easy.  So... I ordered easy.  Within two weeks I knew that I had made a HUGE mistake.  I quickly packed up those workbooks that I KNEW were a dumb purchase.  I grabbed out some old curriculum that I had saved.  I then looked into what else I could do that wouldn't break the bank.

My youngest is a tough one.  She LOVES to read!  In fact, when we began this year's phonics, she soared through a semester of work in a week.  We had spent all summer reading so that she wouldn't lose any skills.  Instead, she gained. She reads constantly, reading books in the car and before bed and during dinner.  I speed to the second semester phonics work, and then wondered what to do for English, since her skills were beyond the area where we left off.  The workbooks that I thought she would use became a nightmare with three different books with a couple pages a day per book, all for one subject.  Spelling, reading, and grammar are all separated in traditional programs.  My daughter, who is reading way ahead of her level, broke at all the workbook pages.

Isn't there a way to do these together?  I decided to try. Could Charlotte Mason work as well for my youngest little girl?  Could the Language Lessons series, which my older daughter enjoys so much, work for my little reader? I ordered and downloaded Language Lessons for the Very Young, Volume One.  I was thrilled that I didn't have to wait for the mail to deliver this book, since it was available as an ebook.   We've worked in it for over a week now, and her tears have stopped.  She loves it just as much.

My next challenge is teaching my little one math.  My older daughters have settled into Teaching Textbooks for the upper levels of math.  I'm proud of the fact that they are doing well, because math is NOT my favorite subject to teach.  I've used at least four different programs with my middle daughter in the seven years we've homeschooled.  Most would work for awhile, and then the effectiveness would fade.  She's not a kid that enjoys math.  I finally, last year, had her working through Khan Academy lessons and CLE math.  I was petrified that she wasn't going to be ready for Algebra because math has always been such a struggle for her.  I was actually SHOCKED that she has gotten very good grades with Teaching Textbooks Algebra.  I assumed that I would end up having to find the money for the pre-Algebra program or hope that she could grasp enough from Khan Academy because she wasn't ready.  I guess all that bouncing and all the differing methods wasn't as damaging as I feared. 

I was sent an email by Sal Khan of Khan Academy. It linked to a video entitled You Can Do Anything.

 http://youtu.be/wh0OS4MrN3E



Viewing the brain as a muscle, one that can grow and learn, is fundamentally important. God didn't create us to be stagnant, unable to move beyond what we believe are barriers in our lives. He created us to learn and grow, so that we may use our skills and knowledge for His glory! How wonderful it is to know this is true! How sad to realize that your children don't believe it.

My middle daughter spent years struggling with math.  She struggled to retain the facts, to remember how to do certain skills from one year to the next.  In that struggle, I feared that she was never going to "get it".  I feared that she would always be slower to grasp math concepts.  But, according to Sal Khan, maybe it was that very struggle that helped to grow her brain in such a way where something that isn't a "natural" ability can still be formed and developed.

I see the same struggle in my youngest daughter in math.  However, I don't want to go through four different curricula, hoping to find that "magic" one.  While I don't mind seeing her struggle to figure out tough concepts, I don't want her to develop that intense dislike of math.  The drill and kill method isn't working for her.  Right now I am going over flashcards once a day.  I am going through a fact family every day or two and adding those to the flashcards we review.  Other than that, for now, she is playing math games on the computer.  I want more, and am researching my options.  I like the look of a couple of different curricula.  I am very curious if the story style of Life of Fred will benefit her since she loves reading so much.  I also am curious, if in keeping with a more Charlotte Mason style that has worked so well with my children, if I shouldn't look into Math Lessons for a Living Education.  For now, we are going to keep working on what we are doing until we have the extra money to purchase these things.

One lesson I have learned is to not push.  Often children will grow bit by bit, and then stop for awhile.  Then, all of a sudden, they will grow really fast.  They learn the same way, in spurts.  I am excited about what God is doing in my homeschool, in my children.  We have had a slow and a bit of a rough start to our year.  Of course, we have had a rough year anyway, with moving and my oldest two grown daughters having such severe health issues.  I am sure that I can be forgiven for making some purchasing errors under stress.  God will provide.

Old Methods versus Modern Methods

Megan shows off a notebooking page

Handwriting sparked a controversy on my Facebook the other day.  I had posted that my seven year old wants to try cursive at a time when most school systems are not teaching it any longer, or are barely covering the concepts.  With computers, learning and practicing cursive seems outdated.  A college friend of my daughter agreed with this, stating that he never uses it.  My daughter, who has always written out everything from class assignments to music lyrics by hand, disagreed.  I actually tried to lighten up the conversation because it was getting a little heated.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?referrer=

Today I ran across an article (above) that I believe brings some clarity to the issue.  We live in a technological age.  There is a push to get rid of older methods of learning, as if those ways don't work any longer.  Sadly,  the test scores over the years have declined to the point where the only way to raise them is to dumb down the tests and make them easier.  We look with disdain at learning methods from the past  as if, because we are more technologically advanced, we are somehow more intelligent and more educated. 

Laura and Jasmine do a basic Chemistry experiment

I disagree. We are technologically where we are because of the learning methods of the past.   Those older methods encouraged investigation and inquiry.  The educators of the past didn't have knowledge of which areas of the brain light up on an MRI after various learning methods. They only knew that certain things, such as notebooking and exploring and writing things out that they were teaching (narrating) work! 

Laura investigating a one-room schoolhouse

How else were farmers with only a few years in school able to read books such as The Last of the Mohicans, a grade 12+ reading level, with ease when the best sellers today have an average grade 5 or 6 or lower reading level?  Why else would illiteracy rates actually be higher since compulsory education?  Why else would test scores for Americans compared to the rest of the industrialized world keep dropping lower and lower as we institute "new methods" and start school at younger and younger ages?

We aren't smarter.  Just more advanced. Intelligence and advancement aren't mutually exclusive. 

As a homeschool, I don't have to use the "modern" methods.  I believe skills are important, such as computer training and keyboarding, but they are simply skills to utilize modern technology, not ways to create more intelligent students.  Knowing these skills, with a background of freedom to explore, be creative, and having curiosity is what will lead to more advancement.  It won't be because kids have passed some standardized test or have an iPad issued by their school.  

There's No Place Like Homeschool

Today was our first day of school.  While I wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be, it was so nice to be back to our routine.  Summers are wonderful breaks, but it seems that all structure breaks down, especially by August!

I officially have a second grader, a ninth grader, and an eleventh grader.  Yes, I have two students in high school! And let me tell ya, I was a bit overwhelmed!  But the first day went off without too many glitches.  Of course... There are always a few. 

I never opened our tabernacle model.  It was shipped in a convenient tube. I bought it before we moved, and it is resistant, after months of being rolled, to flatten.  I have it sitting under a crate of books and other heavy books, hoping tomorrow it is easier to cut out and put together. 

My ninth grader discovered that our Rosetta Stone headphones we were using last year didn't want to pick up her voice.  So... We broke out the set.  

I discovered, right before Storytime, that the biography I chose for my youngest to read to her is supposed to last 20 days... And it's way to short for that.  In fact, a short chapter a day only takes up ten days.  If I can't find a suitable add-on for the last ten days here at home, it'll be library time. 

On the plus side, we switched to Teaching Textbooks for Algebra 1 and 2. Since neither of my older girls melted down in math, then I call that success. Of course, there are many lessons to go!

It felt awesome to sit down once again with my girls for Bible time together with a structured plan.  It often gets neglected in thd summer due to... Laziness.  I could give excuses, such as conflicting schedules, but even I know it is mostly just laziness and poor priorities with the lack of structure. School makes us all more accountable. 

I'm praying for an amazing school year!

Our 2012-2013 Reading Lists

 Jasmine's 9th Grade Reading List:

 Jasmine's first year homeschooling brought reading into a whole new arena for her.  While we used a more traditional curriculum, I added some reading that I thought would catch Jasmine's interest.  I chose captivating stories.  Some weren't literature greats, but I knew they would touch Jasmine's heart, like the Karen Kingsbury novels.   Our first year homeschooling has led to a more literature rich curriculum for her second year.  Reading may never be her favorite past-time, but I'm determined that she will have more than a passing glance with books.  We take our time, in Charlotte Mason style.  We savor the books, copy the wonderful words at times, and draw mental and even physical pictures of the stories we read.
 
Raiders of the Sea - Lois Walfrid Johnson
Redemption - Karen Kingsbury
Beauty for Ashes - Joyce Meyer
Freedom's Pen - Wendy G. Lawton
Remember - Karen Kingsbury
One Wintry Night - Ruth Bell Graham
Christmas at Harrington's - Melody Carlson
Return - Karen Kingsbury
The Swiss Family Robinson - Johann Wyss
Walking Wisely - Charles Stanley
Rejoice - Karen Kingsbury
We Had Everything But Money - Roy Reiman
Reunion - Karen Kingsbury
The Harbinger - Jonathan Khan
Fountain of Life - Rebecca Martin
Twice Freed - Patricia St. John

Laura's 7th Grade Reading List:

Laura went through one semester of reading with Ace School of Tomorrow before I switched her back to Heart of Dakota.  Books and Laura just go together.  She missed it, and so did I.  She finished up Creation to Christ and began Resurrection to the Reformation.  She was back in the zone.  While she enjoyed some of Ace's choices for Literature and Creative Writing, she had missed reading for the other subjects.  So, we are back where we belong, and our reading list is in full swing.

Star of Light - Patricia St. John
Painting with Watercolors - Paige Henso
Beautiful Girlhood - Karen Andreola
The Fugitive King - Elizabeth Rice Handford
A Gathering of Days - Joan W. Blos
Freedom's Pen - Wendy G. Lawton
One Wintry Night - Ruth Bell Graham
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Barbara Robinson
Christians with Courage - Ruth Johnson Jay
Alexi's Secret Mission - Anita Deyneka
An Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy - Kate Sweeney
The Accidental Voyage - Douglas Bond
Rachel's Tears - Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott
Forbidden Gates - Denise Williamson
The Four-Story Mistake - Elizabeth Enright
Peril and Peace - Mindy and Brandon Withrow
Mystery of the Silver Coins - Lois Walfrid Johnson
Naya Nuki Shoshoni Girl Who Ran - Kenneth Thomasma
The Illustrated Book of Knights - Jack Coggins
Exploring Creation with Astronomy - Jeannie K. Fulbright
Morning Star of the Reformation - Andy Thomson

 Megan's Kindergarten Reading List:

It was her Kindergarten year.  I wasn't expecting her to take off in reading.  But...  she did.  Most of the books we devoured were read to her.  But she did read a handful on her own.  I didn't even get them all typed onto the list.  We checked out two books nearly every week from the library during Story-time.  We read all the Curious George books we could find.  Megan soared through both levels of the Kindergarten Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read program.  It was a very successful year for Megan and reading.  After a semester of doing it on my own, we went back to Heart of Dakota.  That gave me more than just books.  We then had the awesome lessons and crafts that went along with our reading.  We also began the Thornton Burgess books.  Oh... how fun those are!  Even my high school girl stops what she is doing and comes into the room to listen to the latest adventures of Reddy Fox or Peter Cottontail.  Reading is an adventure, and Megan is loving the ride!

Curious George's Dream - Margret & H.A. Rey
Curious George's First Day of School - Margret & H.A. Rey
Curious George Feeds the Animals - Margret & H.A. Rey
What's it like to be a Butterfly? - Jinny Johnson
Amazing Animals Elephants - Kate Riggs
I am a Tiger - Linda Bygrave
Bird Talk - Lita Judge
Amazing Animals Dolphins - Kate Riggs
Amazing Animals Wolves - Kate Riggs
Curious George Learns the Alphabet - H.A. Rey
Being Fair - Mary Small
Being Respectful - Mary Small
Being Responsible - Mary Small
Milly, Molly and the Bike Ride - Gill Pittar
Milly, Molly and I Love You - Gill Pittar
Curious George Goes to the Hospital - Margret & H.A. Rey
Curious George Takes a Job - H.A. Rey
Being a Good Citizen - Mary SmallCaring - Mary SmallBeing Trustworthy - Mary Small
Are You My Dog? - Marybeth Mataya
Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon - Margret & H.A. Rey
Curious George and the Firefighters - Margret & H.A. Rey
Reading Makes You Feel Good - Todd Parr
Look and Learn A First Book About Animal Homes - Nicola Tuxworth
Why Should I Listen? - Claire Llewellyn
Why Should I Help? - Claire Llewellyn
Bink & Gollie: Two for One - Kate DiCamillo and Allison McGhee
Birdie's Big-Girl Shoes - Sujean Rim
My Color Book - Carron Brown
My Number Book - Patti Barber
My Shape Book - Ann Montague-Smith
The Fairy Princess Here Comes the Flower Girl! - Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton
Curious George and the Firefighters - Margret & H.A. Rey
Curious George Goes Camping - Margret & H.A. Rey
Crazy About Clouds - Rena Korb
Fluffy, Fat, and Wet A Book About Clouds - Dana Meachen Rau
Ask Me - Can Lizards Disappear? Reptiles and Birds
Ask Me - Who is in the Mirror? Science
Ask Me - Who Lived In Castles - Highlights in History
I Know It's Autumn - Eileen Spinelli
The Bug in the Jug wants a Hug - Brian P. Cleary
When Autumn Falls - Kelli Nidey
Fall is Here!  I Love It! - Elaine W. Good
These are our Neighbors - Sister M. Marguerite
The Crippled Lamb - Max Lucado
The Christmas Cobwebs - Odds Bodkin
One Wintry Night - Ruth Bell Graham
I am a Butterfly - Linda Bygrave
Let's Read about Butterflies - Susan Ashley
Let's Read about Insects Butterflies - Susan Ashley
What's It Like to Be a Butterfly? - Jinny Johnson
The Magic Bus Butterfly and the Bog Beast - Ting Morris
Bible Stories to Read - Martha Rohrer
Bible Rhyme Story Time The Story of Creation - Beth Atchison
*At A Farm - Rick Wagner
*The Pet - Linda Diamond
 The Adventures of Reddy Fox - Thornton W. Burgess
Franklin and the Bubble Gum - Sharon Jennings
Miss Spider's New Car Reader - David Kirk
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail - Thornton Burgess

Loving Literature

Jasmine recently completed a novel using DITHOR for her literature study.  I'm sad that this awesome literature study doesn't extend beyond the ninth grade.  It technically should end after eighth grade, but for students that haven't had a strong background in literature, DITHOR works well with high school level literature.
Jasmine has not had much literature in her public school education.  As this was Jasmine's first year homeschooling, I knew she would need a gentle introduction to literature.  After years of struggling with comprehension issues, I spent an entire semester building her confidence in reading. 

Jasmine was reading the nonfiction book We Had Everything But Money.  I purposely chose a book that had personal stories.  I wanted her to be "drawn in".  It worked like a charm!

Using DITHOR with Jasmine had been amazing.  She is eager to dig into the lessons.  She loved the activities!

Right now she is working on the project at the end of the reading.  I assigned the Bible character project for her nonfiction book.  She is having so much fun with the object lessons that are reinforcing the character traits she studied during her reading.

Today she was studying the trait "cooperative" or "unity".  As a visual reminder of her lesson she was to make and wear a bracelet out of paper clips.

"I wish all my lessons were this fun."

I love hearing her say that.  She doesn't even realize that she's bragging about literature lessons!  Last year her favorite phrase was, "I hate reading."

I know my time using DITHOR with Jasmine is limited.  I have read about the High School plans that Carrie Austin had for Heart of Dakota's high school years.  I'm eagerly anticipating using them with my daughter.

Box Day 2013!

We had a box day a few days ago... in our pajamas!  The UPS man showed three days in a row.  The first day was a delivery from Christianbook with Jasmine's English, and Spanish (Rosetta Stone!); Megan's phonics, and some extra books.  Then, on day 2, the big order arrived! Our Heart of Dakota showed up in two large boxes.  The total weight of the two was over 80 pounds!  It was wonderful!  Then, on the third day, we received a second shipment  from Christianbook English and the rest of her Etymology for this year.

Megan was super excited.  She just received her Little Hearts for His Glory a couple of weeks ago.  I decided to go ahead and order Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory.  That way, we can move right into the Beyond guide when we finish Little Hearts.  Megan will probably move into the Beyond math activities before she gets to the rest of the guide.  Having it here will alleviate the need to purchase it later.  The only part of Beyond that I didn't purchase was the Emerging Readers set.  At the moment, Megan will need to go through at least the first grade level of Hooked on Phonics, and possibly the second grade level, before I feel she will be ready for the emerging readers.  I am anticipating that will take at least one year.

Laura will begin Resurrection to Reformation within the next two weeks.  She is finishing up the few days of Creation to Christ.  She was happy that we went back to Heart of Dakota after a semester of using other things.  She has missed her reading.  I have missed her enthusiasm.  Only with Heart of Dakota do I hear the familiar, "Mom, Guess what!"  Then she will proceed to tell me about some fascination thing she is learning.  She has missed her projects, her weekly science experiments, and the artwork she gets to do.  She is doing an amazing job with Creation to Christ.  After using two solid Heart of Dakota programs with her, I am here to stay.  She LOVES it, and is learning SO much!

 

Jasmine, my darling little high schooler, was a bit more work and definitely more expensive!  Her materials won't begin until probably fall, unless she wants to begin over the summer.  While her high school classes were mostly bought through Christianbook, Carrie Austin has posted on the Heart of Dakota message board numerous ways to beef up current Heart of Dakota programs meant for junior high to the high school level to make them credit worthy. After much prayer, and some advice from Carrie on the message board, I picked Revival to Revolution for Jasmine to use for her 10th grade year.  With the extensions, the advanced level of physical science, and some other add-ins that I've picked up, Jasmine will cover the first half of American History and her High School Government class.  Then, in her Junior year, using Missions to Modern Marvels with extensions and some extras, she will cover the second half of American History and Economics.  I'll have to beef up her science too, but that is next year's focus. While the amount of reading intimidates her a little (she's always struggled a bit with the reading), she is excited to work without the dreary history textbooks.  She is loving reading We Had Everything But Money for her literature study of a nonfiction book.  She is looking forward to more of her learning being with real books and projects and notebooking.  She got a taste of notebooking with our Christmas study and enjoyed it immensely!

These are the plans for the next few weeks through the next year.  After Laura finishes Res to Ref she will move right into Rev to Rev.  As a mom, I'm a little nervous to try three guides at once.  However, I'm excited too.  I see the fruit in the lives of my daughters in their spiritual growth and in academics. 

I am usually quite frugal (cheapskate?).  However, I have tried the spend a little, use the library, create my own lessons, etc.  I'm not good at it.  I have done with workbook route when financially I could only afford a bit at a time.  After all of this, I have learned (AND RELEARNED) some vital lessons about myself.  I don't mind using the library occasionally, but I have a difficult time using it a lot.  Our local libraries aren't well-stocked, especially with Christian material, and using inter-library loan hasn't been overly successful. Throw in the fact that my plans always seem... boring.  The kids don't have near the fun with them that they have with Heart of Dakota.  Plus, I love not having to stress over school.  With all the plans completely laid out for me, it's perfect!  I may have to sacrifice from our tax refund to purchase the curriculum, but I have come to look at the purchase as an investment.  Yes, it is an investment in my children, but it is also mostly re-usable.  That means I can use the upper levels with my younger children when they get to that level.  I've figured out the cost of consumable curriculum versus something like Heart of Dakota.  For my three children, the non-consumable curriculum is a MUCH better investment!  Plus, it has a resale value should I decide to sell it after my youngest has completed the level.  

I praise God that He has placed me on this journey.  Homeschooling is difficult, but very worth it!