Finding Balance in your Planning

I've been discussing balance with a friend this morning. I tend to think very symmetrically, so much on this, the same amount on the other side. It appeals to my aesthetics. But that isn't always balance. There are two sides to our brain and I've been doing some simple studying on left-brained versus right-brained thinking. Z is more right-brained than left, I land somewhere just to the right of center, and this has created some challenges in how he learns and how I teach. Notice I said challenges, not problems.

One challenge is that we tweak any pre-planned curriculum. Add his varied interests into that and we do better when I custom plan each subject. Now that sounds all snazzy, but it's not. It's not a huge amount of work most of the time, but it does that time, hence the need for balance. In many pre-packed plans, the entire curriculum is centered around history.

 When we started on our classical journey several years ago (after homeschooling for four years) we opted to use The Latin-Centered Curriculum as our focus. It revolutionized our homeschool. It freed up our schedule to not center around history, but Latin. I like history, but we tend to meander through it, get lost in a different direction, skip something, linger here. If our entire schooling were centered around history we'd be behind all the time. With a Latin center you focus on multum non multa and history falls from the focus. Well...we're not doing Latin anymore. We aren't studying the language that was part of the foundation of Western Civilization. So  what do we do????

Z, as I've said in previous posts, is developing his own unique interests. He's slid over to the Eastern Hemisphere and wants to study Japanese and Russian. Not what I had planned. Not the lingering and bathing in Ancient Western culture that I had planned for high school. In essence, we have lost our center and it is up to me to find a new one.

Not simply out of respect for what The Latin-Centered Curriculum (LCC) did for our school, but because of the multum non multa approach, we will keep LCC as our guide. We'll simply change the language, add some world focus in our history and literature, and find balance instead of symmetry.

Today I'm working on history plans, trying to figure how to balance our Great Books study with the rest of the learning that must take place. First, I need to make more coffee.

Et tu, Brute? Solutions to our Latin dilemma

Compromise can be a good thing, right? Tomorrow we start one one when we start Wheelock's Latin. Four and a half years ago when we started our Latin journey, I checked Wheelock's our of our public library. I was overwhelmed and it went back. It wasn't just the Latin, it was the level of English grammar discussed in chapter one.

Last week Wheelock's text (two of them) and workbook were delivered to my house. I've worked through chapter one and I get it. I am no longer intimidated. It was a bittersweet moment, however, because it means we are switching Latin programs once again.

We've been through books A and B of the Latin for Children series and loved it. We started Latin Alive last year, and didn't finish for a plethora of reasons. I really like Latin Alive. I love the DVDs, I like the layout, I like the richness of the program. It didn't click as well for my son. Earlier this year we started on Cambridge, mainly for the readings. I had hoped to use Latin Alive for the grammar and Cambridge for the readings, but combining didn't work for us. My goal for this semester was to focus solely on Latin Alive and finish books one this year.

Best laid plans and all...well it's good to be flexible, right? Z and I have been having conversations about high school, about preferences, about the beginnings of college planning, and about Latin. Z likes Latin, not like I like Latin, but he does it. However, he's already expressed interests in learning more languages (we are doing Japanese this year as well, he adores that!) and wouldn't be crushed if we dropped Latin. He wouldn't be crushed if we dropped math either, but that's not going to happen. IMO, Latin is only slightly less important.

After some consideration and conversation with other homeschooling parents teaching Latin, I defined my parameters for learning Latin. They include completing a course in Latin grammar and at least a semester of  readings in Latin. If we continue with Latin Alive at our current pace that would required two and a half to three more years. Wheelock's forty chapters will allow us complete a grammar program in the next four semesters (counting the current one). Add another semester of readings and that's only ninth and tenth grade. That would leave two years for Z to pursue a third language; he currently is leaning towards Russian or German. Can you say outsourcing?

Another consideration was cost. I was able to get used copies of the texts and a new workbook for twenty-five dollars. I will add a few supplemental items, probably spend another thirty or fifty dollars in total. Two more levels of Latin Alive with DVDs would be well more than that, close to three hundred dollars.

I'm sad to be leaving Latin Alive, but I credit it for me being able to even consider Wheelock's. Latin Alive is good, deep program that has been beyond helpful in MY Latin study. Since I don't like to waste materials, we may go back and do some Cambridge readings as well as the readings from Latin Alive.

With my eyes toward the future, I made a compromise. It feels right though. I stated my parameters, Z expressed his preference, and we reached a solution. Life is about learning to work together, right?

Stop the Press!! A Last Minute Change in the Lineup!!

Nothing like changing your mind in the last few weeks before school starts. On top of the schedule change I'm implementing some other changes. I've been reading about right-brained learning in the above book, Right Brained Children in a Left Brained World. We've always known Z is more of a creative, right-brained learner, but the above book gave some specific tips on how to teach a child of this sort. So it has left me re evaluating the curricula we use. After much angst I have decided to give Cambridge Latin a try. It's a whole-to-parts course instead of a parts-to-whole course like we have been using.

 We have used the Latin for Children series from Classical Academic Press. We used half of Latin Alive I also from CAP last year. I love CAP's Latin products. Latin for Children was fun, made Z interested in Latin, and allowed us to really put the Latin-Centered in a Latin-Centered Curriculum. Latin Alive took the knowledge to a new level with a program that is full and rich. Latin Alive touches on grammar, vocabulary, and readings. With the state mottos being discussed at the beginning of each chapter, you can see how America has a Latin heritage as well. Z started to get bogged down in Latin Alive after a few chapters. We had a chaotic year and that didn't help. 

However, after reading more about right-brained individuals I've come to believe it's not just the chaos bogging him down. Last night Z and I watched Sorcerer's Apprentice. 

There is a scene in the movie where they drive through a mirror and everything is backward. It was easy to tell where you where but the navigation and reading anything was hard, because it was backward. Imagine trying to learn that way. So I'm Nic Cage, I have the curly hair and would love a black sorcerer's jacket and the car...,anyway. Z is my apprentice and in trying to teach him I may need to look at a few things backward. I think Latin is one of them. I have some right-brained, creative tendencies myself and it's easier to tweak a subject I know well. Well, I'm learning Latin just a smidge ahead of Z. I learn well in a linear fashion. It's the way I was indocrin taught in school. But to learn in, ingest it, and twist in a short time frame is too much for this aging wizard's brain.

So we're switching gears. This was a hard decision. I ordered part of the Cambridge components today. Once I have a chance to preview them, then I'll know better if we'll being combining it with Latin Alive in some manner, or using Cambridge exclusively. No matter the decision my plan is to finish Latin Alive I and continue with Latin Alive II and III as part of my self-education. I love the DVD component and how Karen Moore presents the information.

Maybe it's a good thing we don't homeschool year round. I need the summers to plan, obsess, research, and change my mind. All of those at least twice.

One Literature Study to Rule Them All

My copy arrived today, thanks to another WTMer! I've been looking forward to doing this study for the last two years, we'll start our journey next fall. You can check them out for yourself at HomeScholar.org

The Premiere Wakefield Academy Homeschool Conference

I started off the morning with some coffee from my favorite mug. Got to love the bee.

I had a great notebook, some cool writing implements, and I was good to go.

I started Day 1 with some bible reading. My bible is highlighted and notated throughout and I spent some time reading through Psalms. I settled on Psalms 103:15
"As for man his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field, the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more."

I smiled. Wait, you say, smiled? That's not the most uplifting verse. It reminded me of my favorite lines from The Iliad. Book 6 starting at line 146
"As in the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity. The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning. So one generation of men will grow while another dies."

I blogged about this passage last year. As we currently live in the midst of a forest, it touched me. Many leaves have fallen in our time here, many flowers blown away in the wind, yet there is always new growth. I was reminded that whether we are flowers or leave we are all scattered by the wind. If we have done our job (I'm thinking teaching here) part of us lives on. More flowers bloom, the fallen leaves nourish the ground and makes way for the new generation.

It was a beautiful way to start what was a great conference.

Next I spent some time reading through The Latin-Centered Curriculum, first and second editions. We have followed LCC for the last two years of schooling. I spent so much time reading the second edition I've had to tape the cover. Reading through them both again kindled the enthusiasm I have for classical education. Some of the pointers I received from my re-reading the first edition include to give Latin its due, then judge for yourself what is necessary and know how to adapt classical education, not change it.

Multum non multa has been our goal and I was reminded that means:

• A limited number of subjects taught in depth
• subjects are taught in relation to one another
• The core readings in English & history (classical, christian, and modern) consist of a few masterpieces studied slowly and in depth

Day 1 stretched out longer than I had thought as I listened to Susan Wise Bauer's lectures. I added a nap time into the schedule to allow my mind to absorb the information. I'd read and heard all these talks before, but with focused attention to them I discerned much more wisdom than before.

This is me at the beginning of day 2. A tad tired and sporting my "Educational Anarchist" t-shirt. Day 2 continued to be exciting as I listened to SWB's Literary Analysis lecture. Again, I got more out of it the second time around.

I spent some time pondering our schooling and what it will look like for the future years. I became re-excited about exploring two-track history and truly applying the multum non multa philosophy. I spent some time clearing and categorizing a few things in my head. Like how to keep LCC at the forefront, while utilizing some of the methods from The Well-Trained Mind, adding my own desires for Z's education, and saving time to explore his passions.

I did a lot of pondering while sitting in this chair with the back massager. I think all conferences, homeschool or otherwise, should be held while you sit in comfy chairs receiving a massage. I was fortunate that my biggest distractions were the cat coming to visit and the dog who wanted to share my chair. There are many benefits to holding your own conference, I highly recommend it.

• not missing any of the lecture if you take a potty break
• you can stop to research something right there, no waiting until you back home or to your hotel room. This is why my timing was way off.
  
• if you're inspired to grab another book from the shelf, it's right there. That happened twice as I tried to reference other source.
  
• build in nap time. I highly recommend it. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of lying prone can stimulate creativity. On day 1 I napped for 1.5 hours, not sure if that tripled the creativity, but it felt good.
• you only have to hear the lectures you want to hear.
• there is something about going through all the information in a shorter time frame. It held more resonance.
  

My initial time estimate was 10 hours, 45 minutes. It actually took 15 hours, 10 minutes, and that doesn't include the nap time. A worthy investment and now I'm planning one for other areas of my life, writing and personal.

Excuse Me While I Talk to Myself

Inspired by Jennefer at Smooth Stones Academy, I have opted to hold my own homeschool conference. Seems fitting as our school start date keeps getting pushed back, I'm ready to start, and no one else in the house wants to talk about school. Fine! I'll talk to myself. More likely I'll be reading and listening and organizing and drinking lots of coffee.

I have two fun-filled days planned with my books, my computer, my mp3 player, my red comfy chair, and a bonus of the portable back massage machine and massaging foot bath.

The conference is scheduled for Thursday and Friday of this week. I've even put together a certificate of completion I will hand myself at the end of the day Friday.

Here's my current schedule. I'm stretching myself with an actual schedule as I prefer to fly spontaneously through my organization. I think with coffee and chocolate I'll be okay.

2010 Wakefield Academy Homeschool Conference

Benefits:

• organize and gather final materials for first semester
• provide motivation and encouragement for teacher
• reiterate goals for Wakefield Academy
• relax and regroup before start of school

Materials provided:

• notepad with pens
• all necessary books
• coffee and water
• chocolate
• snacks and lunch
• back massager to be used while listening to downloads
• foot bath at end of day
• certificate of completion at end of conference

Schedule:
Session One

• open with prayer and readings from Bible
• read intro in The Latin-Centered Curriculum (1st and 2nd edition), plus pertinent chapters
• read through portions of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations
• Listen to SWB's Joys of Classical Education
• Organize the following subjects (Memory work, Algebra, Megawords)
• Break 20 minutes

Session Two

• organize allowed music for classroom
• listen to SWB's A Plan for Writing - elementary years
• listen to SWB's A Plan for Writing - middle grades
• organize the following subjects (Asian Studies, English, Art)
• Lunch Break (30 minutes)

Session Three

• Listen to SWB's Literary Analysis
  
• Read through TTC Socratic List
• organize the following subjects (Literature, Reading)
• Review and take notes from The Excellent 11 (Ron Clark)
• Read through Spring 2010 edition of The Classical Teacher
• build personal/team mission statement (www.franklincovey.com/msb)
• Create school plan for upcoming possible move
• Break (20 minutes)

Session Four

• Spend 30 minutes reading from Critical Lessons (Noddings)
• Organize the following subjects (Latin, Japanese, Logic)
• Practice Tai Chi DVD
• Create notes for family meeting (student and school notes)
• Open (for anything else I've forgotten)
• End with massaging foot bath (may have this out beforehand)

This should be a fun endeavor. I plan to be up and dressed and ready to go by 8:30 a.m., which should be a feat in itself. I doubt I'll be as chipper as Doris Day appears in the above photo...and I won't be in heels either.

Educational Planning and a Caution about Boxes

People often try to put homeschooling in a box. It doesn't work. Homeschooling is a lot like parenting, each family has a different take. Even the same actions can look different from family to family. I imagine anyone that sat in our schooling for the day expecting to fully understand what homeschooling is about would be sorely disappointed. We don't fit into boxes very well.

However, a recent (and continuing) conversation with other homeschooling parents has shown me how precariously close I have come to placing my son's education into my own version of a box. We have followed a Latin-Centered Curriculum for the last two years. It has made classical doable for this non-classically educated teacher. Recently I've found myself thinking more about high school, college admissions standards, and how in the world I am going to put this unique child into a mold for the "perfect" student resume. Wait! Stop the presses!! Our intent with homeschooling has never been to mold my child to anything! It has been about developing his education, his person to fulfill his own potential, not have him fit into a mold.

I love what The Latin-Centered Curriculum has allowed me to do. I love the multum non multa approach and it is my hope (perhaps my requirement) that Latin be at the center of our curriculum for the few remaining years of homeschooling. I absolutely see the benefits in keeping Latin at our core, with writing and math not far behind. But as for the rest, there has been a haze around each subject because I am not a fortune teller. I do not know who my son will be as he grows. His interests and passions are circling, but there is not a clear picture yet and that is okay.

I feel blessed because I don't know many soon to be teens (I think teenager is Latin for hungry) that have the opportunity in a traditional school setting to study Latin, Japanese, and Asian History all in the same year. The last two were his request, the first my requirement. I don't know how his education will all turn out. In the end it might look a little bit like this year, some of his requests, some of my requirements.

Someone very wise compared our unique children to a cloud during the course of conversation. "These cloud children are like clouds - hard to pin down, hard to define, growing all over at the same time, or shrinking, but never staying the same." I let out a resounding yes and a sigh of relief when I read that. They are fluid, beautiful, sometimes clear, sometimes grey (as the storm clouds literally roll by outside at the present time), and always changing. That is the beauty I see in my child, that is the goodness in him that would never work well in a box.

As a planner by nature I have notebooks filled with ideas of what his future years of schooling might look like. In the past I created a binder and filled with ideas by grade levels. *snort* That is so not going to work anymore, that is where I have a tendency to want to create the box...we must X during grade Y, because that's what "they" said. So I have created a new way to organize my "educational planning" binder. I was thrilled because it also gave me a use for the A-Z set of dividers that have been sitting around unused for two years. They were a freebie and who passes up free school/office supplies? Not me.

This new system of organization will allow me to keep an eye on requirements for high school and college AND provide the fluidity to allow my child to be the cloud. We've pushed back our school start date (for several reasons) and this will give me time to stare at the sky, contemplate the clouds, and enjoy the changes as they take place.

Here's my new table of contents for my binder. The few blank spots are for those areas I may have forgotten:

A. Encouragement
B. On Education (general)
C. On Education (classical)
D. Open
E. Latin
F. Writing/Rhetoric
G. Logic/Philosophy
H. Grammar/Mechanics
I. Great Books
J. Literature (non Great Books)
K. History (non Great Books)
L. Mathematics
M. Science
N. Computer
O. Japanese language
P. Religion
Q. Fine Arts
S. Community opportunities
T. Misc electives
U. Study skills
V. Volunteer
W. Grade level notes
X. College Prep (testing etc)
Y. Transcripts/Graduation
Z. College

2010-2011 School Year purchases

I've always tried to be frugal in our homeschooling. Next fall will start our seventh year of homeschooling. Some years we've had a tiny budget, some years I've been able to spend more. My spending tends to be done over a period of time in shorter amounts. Then at least twice during the months of March and April I do a few larger orders.

I started keeping track of expenses in November. This includes items for next year (2010-2011) and any items I need to finish out this remaining year.

The current total is listed in the sidebar, a detailed list is also available as a separate post. A few items for next year I already own as I have either been using them for my own self-education. I also invested in a membership in Amazon prime last year. That has been one of the best things for us as I can purchase less expensive items as needed and not worry about the shipping fees. For our family the 79.00 fee has been worth it.

Because our expenses are usually spread out over the year I don't have an exact dollar figure for what I spent last year. It was in the $700 - $1000 ball park. That's where I'd like to keep it, at least for middle school. Part of that budget includes materials for my own self-education, I consider myself a student in our school.

By listing these items I'm hoping to not only see how much I actually spend, but that you can see that homeschooling doesn't need to cost a fortune. Happy research and happy shopping.

Asian Studies? How LCC of You

I recently posted a rough draft of our schedule for next year. It includes Asian Studies for history, geography, and lit. If you also notice we follow the Latin-Centered Curriculum as our educational model. If you are confused because you never read the page about Asian Studies in LCC, don't be, it's not there.

Z is currently fascinated with the Japanese language, stemming from his interests in Pokemon, Yu-gi-oh, and Naruto. He has asked numerous times to learn the Japanese language. Not wanting to waste an educational opportunity I have worked Japanese into our schedule for next year. What about Greek? We started Greek last year and after our experience I had already opted to keep the Greek fun and perhaps work it in at the high school level. We'll discuss Latin in a moment.

Because we entered the classical model of education at the fifth grade level Z missed some of the richness that classical provides at early elementary level. One of those was world history. Our previous curriculum focused on US History and took a more social studies approach to history. We missed many of the rich history of the Asian culture. Last year we focused mainly on Greek and Roman history, this year we are studying the Middle Ages. Next year my goal was to hit the Renaissance/Reformation period and Moderns in 8th. So going back to Asian studies to hit what we missed in previous year seems very in medias res of me.

My current plan is to use a history text as a spine touching only on the chapter on Asian history. We will then take a deeper look at the East Asian countries of Japan, Korea, and China. We'll also finish our three year world geography tour on the Asian continent. We'll also add in art with Japanese calligraphy, origami, possibly silk painting, or wood block printing.

I've very excited and have already picked resources for many of these areas. Pssst - many of these items were already sitting on my bookshelves.

Latin will still be our main language. Latin, math, and composition will still be our core subjects. Following an LCC will actually give us the time needed to pursue Z's current passion. So perhaps it is very LCC of us to take the time to explore Asia.

Percy Jackson Movie Day

I think I am more excited than Z. Today we are taking a field trip to see Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief. I have my camp half-blood shirt all ready, money stashed in my wallet, and gas in my car. Yippee!!

I'll post a review afterward. I've read a few early reviews and I plan to view the movie as a separate entity from the books. Z and I read the series last year, I read them twice.

For now I must consume more coffee and get ready.

Beginning Literature Analysis

After some reflection, contemplation, frustration, and commiseration from certain other homeschooling families I decided to follow the wisdom of someone who was kind enough to share their latest venture into writing. Going back to familiar stories to teach literature elements.

I immediately cried Eureka! at her lightbulb moment and ran through the house and grabbed one of the Z's favorite childrens stories, The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. It is a most excellent story to help develop a basic lit analysis.

I hurriedly created a lit analysis form, available here. The form was created by referring to the book Critical Conditioning by Kathryn Stout. Critical Conditioning is an excellent reference source for homeschoolers.

So today we discussed the elements on the form, then we read the book. Then we went back and filled in the form. I was impressed with Z's focused attention (a good thing in 12 year olds), his observations of the plot, and how easily he grasped the plot elements.

Tomorrow we are doing a paragraph with Z being able to chose from a few different topic sentences. If you have read the book, these should be familar to you.
1. The Bear never existed.
2. The narrator was looking out for the mouse
3. The narrator was a bully.
4. The mouse allowed his fear to win.

or Z's addition
5. The narrator was a jerk and only wanted the strawberry.

I feel quite blessed to be able to bounce ideas, frustrations off others that are homeschooling. I am also thankful that those that are further ahead of us on the road are willing to be transparent so we can learn from them.

Mid-Year Mix it up & Mayhem

Getting back to school after a long Christmas break has been hard. It's like a good stretch, it hurts a little, but you know it's good for you. We're mixing up a few things on this second half of the school year.

We have finished our reading of Science Matters and have moved into our biology/anatomy study. Biology is not Z's favorite science, it doesn't involving setting anything on fire and he doesn't like looking at dead animals. In the last year we have found a dead dragonfly, bumble bee, and a tiny frog in our yard. Me, being the curious one, have brought them into the house, photographed them, gazed at them under the microscope, and then placed them back into the wild to be a part of the "circle of life". Z made a face, took a quick look, and left the room. He nearly gagged at my suggestion of dissecting the frog, he was already deceased. I opted to delay the lab portion of biology as well and we put the frog back outside in the yard.

As much as I love CW Homer, we have put it on hold for a few months. It was simply moving too quickly for us. We are concentrating on R&S Grammar and a few workbooks on paragraph writing. I'm hoping later this spring to return to Homer and then finish it up next year. I had a brief moment of panic before I chose to take this action. Then I remembered when I purchased the Homer OB book my plan was to spread it out over two years if necessary. Panic attack averted, I'm actually following my plan. :svengo: (that's the fainting smiley code).

Math is progressing well. We are finishing up the LOF decimals and percents book this month and then we will move into LOF pre-algebra (biology). I'm also continuing with the Dolciani pre-algebra book as needed. The LOF pre-algebra book just fit too well into our studies this semester, I couldn't pass it up. We'll meld the LOF with Dolciani for the rest of the year and next year with our Algebra study as well.

Logic is another area where we have changed course a little. I do like Art of Argument, but I'm not sure he's getting the most use out of it at this point. The book is broken into two units and my plan is to finish unit one and then complete unit two next year. Part of that has to do with some long term planning goals and the fact I KNOW this child will need a good foundation in logic and reasoning skills. I still haven't decided 100% what we will do, but I'd like to have a logic/worldview/philosophy course going at all times and I'm still debating on curriculum.

I have seen the waves of maturity coming in for Z. His study habits are getting better. His ability to focus for a longer period of time is hit or miss. I can tell when he's going through a growth spurt and when he's just being a goof. I'm starting to hear a deeper tone of voice come from across the table. He's 4 1/2 inches away from being taller than me, he handed down socks to me, and we bought the same size gloves for our winter trip up north. I'm not sure if that is the mix it up part or the mayhem, but I think twelve is a great age for homeschooling. We keep a growth chart on the door frame in his bedroom. He's grown many inches so far this year. But that's not the only growth, I see it in his papers for school, his attitude towards life, his respect towards his family and himself. It's a journey and I'm glad I get to experience twelve with him.

Week 4, Part 1

One of the beautiful things about homeschooling is the flexibility you can have. One of my favorite sayings is.

"Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape."

The last two weeks have been very Gumby in nature. Last week I spent the entire week in bed, mostly. There were moments of shuffling towards the computer, the classroom, the kitchen, but mostly it was spent sleeping in a wonderful (NOT!) state of illness. Our school schedule was very flexible that week. Z's concern for my well being was often summarized with the statement, "Mom, if you're not feeling well, we probably shouldn't do school today so you can rest." Followed with a concerning pat on the back I was mush and he won.

Fast forward to this week, technically week 4 (four) of our school year. I don't schedule around certain days, I make our schedule by week, just for reasons such as those nasty bugs that knock me down from time to time. So this week was catch-up. We aren't quite there yet. So this was week four part 1.

Next week we are off Monday, so Tuesday will begin week 4, part 2. We'll finish catching up on all of our subjects and start Week 5 as if we had never gotten off track at all. Our Latin curriculum is divided into weeks and generally I feel fine if our school week lines up with our Latin week.

Of course the week after that we are off Monday and Tuesday for Z's birthday. I think everyone should get off work or school for their birthday so we're taking two days to celebrate. Come to think of it week 5 might stretch into two weeks as well.

Good thing we started early this year.

Tomorrow the Adventure Begins

It's a jungle out there! Tomorrow we start our sixth year at Wakefield Academy. This is me preparing for the adventure by re-reading The Latin-Centered Curriculum. My well loved copy now has tape on the cover. Maybe I'm hiding a little bit as I realize I know have a middle school student. AAAHHH!

I am quite excited to see where years journey takes us. We may not know the adventure ahead of us, all we can do is prepare and head out...

...and seek the beauty that may be waiting right outside our own back door.

Curriculum for 2009/2010

Thanks to Darcy for putting together this August Blog Hop. I've finally finalized our plans, which is great considering we start school next week. This will be our second year use The Latin-Centered Curriculum as our model, which worked wonderfully for us last year. Every year we do a theme. The theme for this year is The Journey: Treasure Quest. It seems fitting for what we have planned for the year:

Latin - Latin for Children B. We're looking forward to furthering our Latin this year and checking out the cool new DVDs from CAP featuring Supra Vir.

Writing/Grammar - Classical Writing Aesop & Homer for Older Beginners. Homer recently underwent surgery in my house, yes that's a scalpel in my hand. I unbound the workbooks and put them in a binder to make them easier to use.



Math - Math, math, math. Normally science is my wishy-washy subject for the new year. It has been math this year. Now my plan is to finish Life of Fred Decimals & Percents and then move into a 1972 Dolciani pre-algebra program. I also have Singapore CWP 5 to supplement.

Logic - The Art of Argument. If ever a child needed to learn how to argue it would be mine. Z is a master of negotiation and hence this is part of the molding into a young man that I deem necessary.

History - Famous Men of the Middle Ages is our main text. We will also use "the Story of the Middle Ages" and many historical books to fill in this fascinating time of history.

Science - Science Matters, which is a book I reviewed a few weeks ago. Absolutely fascinating, I think any parent who is confused about science should make this a must read.

Literature - We will read about King Arthur & Robin Hood as our main texts. I've chosen Roger L. Green for King Arthur and Howard Pyle for Robin Hood.

Geography - This is a continuation of our world geography study from last year. In year two we will focus on Asia, Africa, Australia & Oceania, and Antartica. Lots of As in there.

Religion - we will focus on the history of the church for this period. Z will also do a short study on Proverbs for boys and I have some fascinating Louie Giglio DVDs to expand our horizons.

Art/Music - we will study one period, genre, or artist each month.

I'm truly looking forward to starting back next week. Z is not as excited, but I can't wait to see what new adventures this year will hold.

I Have Become a Translation Snob

I love to read. I love to read poetry. I've written some poetry before but most of it would be considered twaddle compared to any translation of Homer. However, yesterday I found myself becoming a translation snob. Okay, snob may be a stretch but I decided I did not prefer the above Fitzgerald translation of The Odyssey.

This spring I finished the Lattimore translation of The Iliad. It literally took me months to read it. I would pace in my bedroom book in hand reciting aloud the poetic language of Homer via Lattimore. I fell in love with phrases such as "a generation of leaves" and the use of Homeric names and they way the meter flowed as if I were reliving each moment of the book as it happened. It was like watching an artist at work.

I laid in bed last night ready to dig into The Odyssey hoping the same melody would fill my heart. I had started book 1 a few weeks ago but was distracting away. Perhaps I am prejudice as Odysseus is my absolute favorite character from these Ancient tales. While I did find the Fitzgerald volume easier to read I found myself missing something. It hit me as I finished book two, the melodic nature of Lattimore was not there.

This morning I rushed to paperbackswap and requested a Lattimore version. Thankfully there were two in the system. If they are not accepted soon I may be rushing to Amazon for an order or even (e-gads) my local bookstore.

I will save the Fitzgerald translation for ds. There are a few years before he will be assigned either and they will serve as a nice comparison, regardless of what translation he reads.

I'm truly not a picky person. I will drink most any coffee, except burnt, I will usually make do with what I have. But with books, apparently I'm more particular than I thought.

Our Books for 2009-2010 School Year

This is the stack. Can I just say I love books. We will be starting our sixth year of homeschooling in a few weeks. This will be our second year following LCC (Latin-Centered Curriculum). I'm looking forward to where this year will take us. Our core subjects will Latin for Children (primer B), Classical Writing Homer for older Beginners, and math.

We will be transitioning through a few math books this year, I'm not sure how it will play out but we are going to start the year by finishing Life of Fred: Decimals & Percents. We will follow that by starting with a 1972 Dolciani pre-algebra text. I will follow that or mix it with Life of Fred Beginning Algebra. I plan on taking two years to get through the pre-algebra and LOF book, so we're going to take our time and solidify those algebra concepts.

Our religion subjects for the year are mainly three items. The History of the Church, Dig Deep which is a study of Proverbs for boys, and Louie Giglio video teaching. A little Louie Giglio will brighten anyones day.

History is going to cover Medieval times and most of our study will center around Famous Men of the Middle Ages. We are also going to spend some time discussing family genealogy from the Middle Ages, which I'm looking forward to myself. Science is going to be centered around the book Science Matters, which I reveiewed in an earlier post.

Art and Music are going to follow a new path this year. We are going to study an artist and a musician each for a month. Four of the artists (or art period) books are above. We are going to do an art project tied to the study of the person or period for the month. I have not purchased the books for it yet, but we also plan to study The book of Kells and the Bayeux Tapestry each for month. Music is going to take a similar format with a few contemporary musicians thrown in for good measure.

Art Talk was recommended by a Jenny at the Ridge School and I'm loving this book. We will probably take three years to work through the entire book. The Western Music book is one we will pull excerpts from to use during the year. The Heraldry book will come in handy during one of our art projects.

These are the literature books we will dig into this year. No, you're not seeing double. I do have two King Arthur and two Robin Hood books. One copy I can make my notes in and one copy Z can read on his own. We will also read The Canterbury Tales (an abridged copy) and Dante's Divine Comedy which I also reviewed earlier.

I am looking forward to this year. I did re shelve the pile of books, to look at it all at once was a tad overwhelming.

Dante's Divine Comedy as told for young people

I finished Dante's Divine Comedy as told for young people yesterday. What a ride! If you have never read Dante and are somewhat intimidated by a traditional version this is the one for you. The "as told for young people" part of the title is subjective, I think. This is probably not a book you want to read to really young children.

Between being sick (see side bar) and reading this while also reading the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series it has made for some interesting dreams. I have a very vivid imagination that likes to run wild at night.

That being said, I truly enjoyed this book. It is very readable. The Inferno portion is graphic and might be disturbing for sensitive readers. But I wouldn't stop there, the Purgatory and Paradise versions balance out the images from the Inferno.

Z will be twelve when we do this as a read aloud next fall. I made many notes throughout the book and look forward to having some amazing discussions with him. This is not a book I would simply hand to a student and have them read without parental interaction. I would also pre-read at least the Inferno part if there is any question about whether this content is appropriate for your family.

I also think this book would make a nice balance if you are having your student read the "adult" version of Dante's Inferno. It gives a nice, quick summary even if you don't plan on reading the remaining traditional sections.

This book has earned a spot beside our other versions of the classics done for children including
Black Ships before Troy, The Wanderings of Odysseus, and In Search of a Homeland.

Science Matters, 2nd Edition

Science Matters is the book we are using as our spine for science for next fall. It is part of the LCC recommendations for 8th grade. Now Z isn't going into 8th grade but he has a wonderful comprehension of all things science. I have the first edition of this book and we read a couple of chapters this spring as a trial run, it was a major hit. A 2nd edition was just released and was laid in my hot little hands (hot from being on the UPS truck) about five minutes ago.

Here are the author notes on the update to 2nd edition. He mentions a few of the updates that have taken place since the first edition was released and then states... "Accordingly, every chapter has been significantly updated, we have added only a single new chapter on the explosion of advances in biotechnology. We conclude that the experience of the past two decades underscores the value of the great ideas approach to achieving scientific literacy."

The ISBN on the new edition is 9780307454584.

Even if you are not using an LCC approach to science I believe this book is a must read for students and parents alike. It felt invigorating to read about quantum mechanics and actually understand it, and that was in the old edition. I can't wait to dig into the new one this summer for me, this fall together.

The Final Countdown

This school year is coming to a close. We have two more weeks. I'll make a formal wrap-up later but I was thinking of some of the things we have learned this year, intentional or otherwise. We are done with most of our formal lessons and these final two weeks are going to be about wrapping up some loose ends and hopefully having some fun.

Z has been great this year. Eleven is such a wonderful age. I see him growing, literally everyday we wakes up looking just a smidge different. I have small hands and we have always compared hand size, now his are almost bigger than mine. I wear a size 8 shoe and his feet are almost as big as mine. His abs are great (I can't recommend an exercise ball highly enough) and he has finally started to outgrow some of his favorite clothes.

His learning has changed this year as well. My reluctant reader is reading consistently at a much higher level than the beginning of the year. He wrote this year. Those four words are music to my ears. CW Aesop B helped him find his creative side. It also helped find his compassionate side. Many of the models involved Aesop's Fables or fairy tales that involved some animal getting injured because of their folly. Moral tales, right? Z changed every story so that no animals were harmed in the rewrites of his models. I don't have any problem with that.

Nature came to our door many times this year. Nature walks sometimes didn't involve leaving the house. Most of them were cool, except the snake on top of the garage door. That one still has me glancing up at the garage when I walk under it.

Memory Work has been a no-brainer for Z. He doesn't even call it a subject. He has great aptitude for memorizing and we'll continue with it over the summer.

Latin, ah Latin. It has been my favorite subject this year. I have been well pleased with our choice of using Latin for Children. It moves at the right pace for us. This weekend we were using our Latin skills to help him understand the meaning of the names of certain Transformers. Z never balks about doing Latin.

We've been goofy as well this year. Most have been subtle word plays based upon my inability to speak clearly without the proper amount of coffee in my system. Some funnies this year have been:

• the transient (ie: homeless) verb, instead of the transitive verb. Z now calls the transient verb our friend.
  
• Oprah instead of the word "ultra" in Latin. It's part of his memory work and he always smiles as he mis reads the word
• Augustus Caesar reminds Z of Augustus Gloop from Willy Wonka. We both have that silly song stuck in our head. (Johnny Depp version)

I'm hoping these final two weeks are stress free and happy. Maybe a few goofy moments thrown in for good measure.