Spring is in the Air

Along with a few other distractions.

We spent a great deal of time outside last week. Friday we went to the park. The first two photos are from that trip. We toured the walking path with tiny remote control car in hand. Watching it almost put my motion sickness in action.

Again, another shot of my back yard is above. I will never tire of looking at these trees. They're just gorgeous. This is our table in the backyard, we did school out there one day last week as well. It HAD a nice canopy over it until the wind tore it down. It was nice to be outside and enjoy the birds singing. Z was playing with a candle when I took this picture.

Wakefield Walks

A lovely lizard shedding his skin. Probably going green for the latest fashion update.

A squirrel feasting outside the window.

This is what a pinecone looks like once a hungry squirrel is done with it.

Good thing he is not required to pick up after himself. Messy squirrel.

Nature continues to inundate us this spring. I have seen multiple caterpillars and can't wait until all of the beautiful butterflies come out. Dragonflies should be appearing soon as well.

A Planning Week

Spring break has turned into a planning week for me. I feel like I have done the hokey-pokey with curriculum for next fall. You put one in and you take one out, I was all turned around earlier this week.

I had Multum non Multa running through my head as I realized that I needed to scale back my plans a little. It is, after all, Z's education. We have seven more years to fit subjects in, they don't all have to happen tomorrow.

So the big decisions this week were:

- We are holding off on starting Elementary Greek for one more year. I'm sad but that will give me time to go through at least EG1 before I teach.
- We will be doing Science Explorer 7 instead of Conceptual Physics. While I know he would comprehend the physics I think the reading would be too much unless we were doing a science-centered curriculum.
- I read through CW Homer and have a better idea of how this program will work for us. In fact, I'm excited about using it.
- The art book I bought earlier this year will work for the next three years when mixed with an "art of the month" focus.
- We are also doing a "musician of the month" adding some current musicians into our study.
- My history and literature plans are scheduled and fit together wonderfully.

It has been a productive week and now I am ready to relax for my final day off.

An Easter Sunset

We went out to eat for dinner and then for a walk at the lakeside. We were able to watch the sunset, it was very beautiful.

History Plan 2009-2010

It's hard to believe we only have six weeks of school left for this year. That being said I am in planning mode for next fall. Like the fashion industry, I plan a few seasons in advance. We are delving into the Middle Ages and I know have a complete plan, written in pencil of course.

We are using two main books next year:

Memoria Press' Famous Men of the Middle Ages and Yesterday's Classics Story of the Middle Ages. We will get our study questions from Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of the Middle Ages.

I chose the Greenleaf Guide over Memoria Press material as I wanted mostly discussion questions, not necessarily a workbook. I had more than a few days of debate going on in my head about which one to chose and I think Greenleaf will fit the bill for us.



I went through the two books this week and divided up the chapters of the Harding book with the biographies of the Famous Men book. It looks to be a great mix and I believe it will work well for us. I also plan to add appropriate entries from the DK Visual History encyclopedia.

As with all plans they are written in pencil, subject to change. I plan to read through the books this summer and make notes. But for now that subject is planned and ready, of to the next.

Spring Break 2009

We are officially on spring break until the 20th. We will not be visiting exotic beaches (although I hope we can trip down to the Gulf at least one day), we will not be consuming mass quantities of anything, nor will we have a large noisy party that will force the neighbors to phone the authorities. Although Z did stay up late last night and I slept in this morning. Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Spring Break 2009...

A New Friend, A New Heading

If you look I have a new heading for spring. This little lizard was sitting outside on our porch post yesterday. He was quiet while I snapped this photo. He was more interested in the little gnat flying around than us. Don't worry they are quite harmless.

In-Service Day

Yesterday we had an in-service day. I planned out the remaining weeks of school. We only have seven weeks of school left plus one week of spring break. I'm almost sad to see it end but we have come a long way in the last twenty-eight weeks. As I look back here are some of the highlights to remind me that it will be all right:

• The Latin book that was scary to look through at the beginning of the year is almost completed.
  
• We made it through CW Aesop B without bloodshed.
• CW Poetry is a hit, I knew that. Z is very pattern oriented and poetry is a pattern.
• Z called diagramming sentences fun.
  
• Life of Fred is a big, big hit. Did you know you can laugh during math?
• I'm learning a lot about ancient history this year.
  
• I'm learning a lot about the periodic table of elements this year too.
  
• I'm glad I read Black Ships Before Troy before attempting The Iliad.
• There will be an eighth Alex Rider book! (jumping for joy)
• If you are planning on self-educating make sure you budget for it. I consider myself the second student now. Fortunately most of what I'm buying Z can use down the road.
• You don't have to do it ALL in one year. (who me?)
• Just because Z isn't ready to learn something doesn't mean I have to quit learning it.
  
• Matching bookcases are a thing of beauty.
• An electric pencil sharpener is also a thing of beauty
• Next fall is going to be awesome!
  

Wakefield Walk: Z's perspective

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I had Z take the camera out and take pictures of ten different items in the yard. Amazing what the yard looks like from his perspective. His pictures, my narrations...

The ant mound that is outside of his bedroom window.

A beautiful composition photo which epitomizes the diversity of our yard.

One of the trees that got struck by lightning last year.

Another set of trees in the yard that really like each other.

It's a little blurry, but there is a birds' nest in there.

Another half downed tree. Um, we have some tree work to do in the yard.

The little creek at the end of our driveway. Technically it's a water drainage system (ditch for us common folks) but it has a wonderful eco system of its own. Z saw a turtle in there yesterday and there are always little fish swimming in it.

Another picture of the creek.

This very large flowering bush in our side yard. It's only pretty for about three or four weeks. Z has captured its beauty.

Another dead tree in our backyard. Yup, it's on the list for Tigger to take down. Currently a feeding ground for a woodpecker.

Z certainly surprised me with what he chose to photograph. He did a wonderful job.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lucky stars above you,
Sunshine on your way,
Many friends to love you,
Joy in work and play-
Laughter to outweigh each care,
In your heart a song-
And gladness waiting everywhere
All your whole life long!

Professor Z's science experiement

Science started in a normal fashion, marshmallows on a plate. We were going to make model molecules (say that three times fast!).

However, the professor had a better idea. Roasting marshmallows over an open flame in the kitchen. Seemed harmless enough, right?


No! Our molecules started to glow! There must have been something radioactive in the fuel? What should we do?



Why feed the marshmallows to an unsuspecting participant of course! We initially tried to "volunteer" Sargent Astrum here, but she was already stuffed. (Get it, already stuffed!) .....boo, hiss.

So we did what any self-respecting homeschooler would do, we fed it to the Private Daytona. See the resulting glow in her eye? The dog has since recovered and has sworn off marshmallows for a while.



Disclaimer: No actual marshmallows were harmed in the course of this experiment, no hazardous chemicals were created, and the dog didn't really glow. We did find out what happens to a marshmallow once it burns up. Crispy would be a good description.

CW Poetry: A beginning

Our of our assignments today was to replace words in the simple rhyme of Jack Be Nimble. Here it is in the original form in case you have forgotten.

Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jump over the candlestick

Z has once again put his unique touch on our writing assignments. This the Professor's rendition

We be tired
We slow
We jump over the flaming 'fro

For those of you who have seen my hair early in the morning, flaming 'fro is not too far from the truth. His imitation gets two thumbs up from me.

Wordless Wednesday: Monday in the Backyard

A Quiet Victory

Z is a reluctant writer. He does not lack in the imagination department and can tell wonderful stories, the struggle has been to get him to put them down on paper. This year I bit the bullet and purchased Classical Writing's Aesop B for our grammar and writing program. Yesterday we finished the eighteen week program.

I am so proud of Z, he has moved forward greatly in his writing. We are still working on getting all of those wonderful creative ideas onto paper but he has made real progress. I give credit to Classical Writing for that. It is a deep and rich program. If it were chocolate it would one of those creamy decadent kind. You know the kind that you put into your mouth and simply let it melt because of its texture. Okay, now I've just made myself hungry. Anyway, we could redo the entire book and have a completely different experience. It is that kind of savory experience with a curriculum that I desire.

Z has even said that one of the fun parts of school is diagramming sentences. I know he is my child, but that is not something he picked up from Tigger or I. So there is hope that he will be smarter than both us. :)

Because of my experience with Aesop I have no qualms, although a little bit of stage fright, about moving onto their next level, Homer. We won't dig into that until fall. Until then we are going to work on CW's Poetry for Beginners A. Z keeps telling me that poetry is girly. I simply raise my eyebrows because I know better. I'm currently reading The Iliad and there isn't a "girly" aspect to it. I truly think he will enjoy the poetry, he loves to memorize song lyrics and we are always playing goofy rhyming games.

Armed with CW Aesop we have won another battle. There are no trumpets, no banners, and no war games to coincide with this triumph, but it is victory just the same.

A Generation of Leaves

"As is the generation of leaves, so it 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 will another dies." The Iliad Book 6 line 146-149

A generation of leaves. As Homer points out in book six of the Iliad we are but a generation that will be blown by the winds of time. Leaves line my yard like packing peanuts in a box. My son and my dog run through them stirring them, wafting them into the house. They crunch underneath foot, they crack and break into pieces. They are dead remnants of life, a reminder to the trees that even as the new blooms open, that death is a part of life.





I wonder if, as the leaves fall they bemoan their fate. I wonder if they lie underneath their former habitat of life and sneer upon the new growth as it happens. Knowing full well that new growth shall someday sit beside that fallen leaf. Perhaps they are happy for the new leaves sprung forth with the emergence of the singing birds. Perhaps they sit in somber recollection of those very songs, the songs of the morning birds, and wish upon the new leaves all the joy those melodies proclaim.





Perhaps the look upon new life as they sit upon the earth. A life where a child may pile them and play, a life where they may regenerate the earth itself even as they pass from this moment in time.



I do not believe I have ever pondered the leaves as I have this night. My yard full of tall stately trees reaching to the sky is but a nursery and a cemetery all in one. New life sprung forth each season, the frogs are out, the birds are starting to sing, the mosquitoes swarming, and the baby lizards are venturing out from the shed. Yet the leaves of old sit still upon the ground only moving as we bustle through them. The story of life right outside my own back door.

Alex Rider: A Conclusion

I feel quite sad today. We have finished with the Alex Rider series. We started Stormbreaker as a read-aloud last fall, before school even started. We would read an Alex Rider book then go to something historical or educational then rush back to Alex. Snakehead is the final chapter, so far, in the series. Z and I have traveled the world through Alex's eyes. We have watched him save the world multiple times, with help from friends and misc gadgets along the way.

I'm not sure who enjoyed the series more, me or Z. I've never been much of a girly-girl, so Alex's adventures were right up my alley. James Bond is also a big hit in our house, so it was nice to find a series with that feel, yet tame enough for Z.

We have watched Alex, the character, change and grow as he has gone through various bumps and bruises along the way. With a little bit of foresight I would have written an entire geography curriculum centered around the series to use this year. IMO it would be a great series to form a geography unit study around.

So I have sadly shelved the final Alex Rider book. Z's first words after we finished were "Are there going to be anymore?" I don't know. I would think not as it seems the author has come to a nice crisp ending. Perhaps in a few years Alex will grow up and we shall see what he does for his future.

Lucky clovers?

My new header photo is a patch of clover from my back yard. St. Patrick's Day is fast approaching and that's my blog decoration. ;) I love St. Patrick's Day, the one day of the year everyone is just like my family, IRISH!

A New Year, Our New Arrangement

I have been known to rearrange the classroom on a whim. Now that I have three new bookcases (yippee!) I'm finally getting some real organization in place.



The bookcase on the left holds mostly my items, the one on the right for Z. The middle one holds extra science and math books, one I'm working on for self-ed and ones found as bargains too good to pass up.

I found these bookcases at Target. I spent a few hours putting them together and find them to be of good quality for the furniture you have to assemble.

This is the great window we look out (get distracted with) during school. Z has to sit with his back toward the window otherwise, well we'd never get anything accomplishated.


This is my working file. It hold my school planner, a few books and a whole bunch of papers I will eventually go through. My papers, not Z's.

The floor is still a work in progress, but it's on the list.

An Interview with Dr. Campbell

The following is a link to a wonderful interview with Dr. Campbell himself. He discusses his new book Living Memory, which I heartily recommend. He also talks about some of his philosophy on classical education.

Click here to read the interview.