Blogger Issues and Baby Chicks

UPDATE: I noticed today that this issue has still not been fixed. Many people are having this problem with blogspot blogs. I hope blogger fixes it soon.

I am aware that some of you who use Internet Explorer as your browser have not been able to access our curriculum and archives for several weeks now. This is a blogger.com issue but I believe it has been fixed. Please let me know if you are still having troubles viewing previous articles.


Now, I am going back to my garden and the new baby chicks that are hatching this week. Adorable!

I'm in the Garden

Lindafay is taking a break from blogging for the next month or so. She will not be answering emails or posting. Have a great summer everyone!

one step at a time...

What I do when I'm not blogging...

Spring is such a busy time for us on our farm we decided to stop schooling for the season and start again in the summer when it is too hot to go outside in the middle of the day here in Texas.


Our garden is in and trying to survive the torrential rains of May. We had 14 inches of rain in three weeks.

We ordered more chicks through the mail. I ordered leghorns. These don't look like leghorns to me.

The two roosters are in solitary confinement because of wife abuse. Our little ladies need time to heal from those nasty, nasty fellows.

I spend a lot of time trying to keep all our birds alive and happy. I have a thing for birds. They stink, make messes everywhere, carry lice and die if you look the other way. But I still like them. They have to be completely closed up at night so wild animals don't get them, but the geese peck the ducks and the chickens peck the chicks so we have to keep them all separated.

The daily fresh eggs are worth the work.

My newest venture is ducks... Daisy and Daffy.

And geese. So far they are very sweet. I hope they stay that way.

Our goats dropped so many kids this spring I have lost count. All together we have 54 so far. They keep the weeds and thorns down on our 37 acres. We will eventually sell some for their meat.

One night during a hard rain, a nanny got stranded with her triplets on an island that was quickly shrinking from the rising waters. We found her just in time and rescued the little family. Our neighbors weren't so fortunate and lost all their goats in a flash flood.

This kid's mother had mastitis so we had to feed her every two hours around the clock. The children LOVE the goats. Our visitors usually want to raise goats when they see ours. What they don't see are the times when we have to trim each hoof-all 250 of them, deworm them, delouse them, demite them, pull off ticks the size of grapes, give them antibiotics for various diseases and occasionally watch newborns die for no apparent reason.

By the way, I made yogurt and feta cheese this spring. It came out well but our milk goat went dry so I'll have to wait awhile before I can make some more.

Our cows gave us two more calves and we bought a milk cow at the local auction. She is still a very young heifer. If our bull does his job, we will have milk next year.

One of our young bulls broke its leg a few months back so we killed and butchered the entire thing ourselves. It took a week but the freezer is full of grass fed hormone free beef. It is good, too. My husband comes from a ranching family and my own family hunted and butchered a moose or bear every year when I was a child, so we are not totally new to this sort of thing.

I spend about two or three hours outside every day weeding the garden and flower beds, mowing, taking care of the animals, refilling the bird feeders or taking care of fences. When I'm indoors I find myself looking outside the windows constantly. It is so beautiful in the spring.

I also like to fish : ) We've had several fish fries already. Our pond has a lot of bass and perch.

Due to the heavy rains, the pond almost washed our road out.

We often have visitors. When they come, we give them a hoe and keep on with life. My kids usually commandeer them into being in one of their latest films. Here they are filming a scene from Robin Hood. One day while at the river, they saw an alligator gar go swimming by and grabbed it.

Our friends came from Illinois and introduced us to the wonderful movie SECOND HAND LIONS. The following morning we found our husbands sitting on the front porch with guns and tea looking just like Hub and Garth.

On our last evening together, the children put on a ball for the adults. Wonderful!

Well, that's just a small slice of what's been going on in my life recently on the farm. If you have a blog where you share your farm adventures, please let me know so I can stop by and visit.

The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival - Fullness of Living

Welcome to the May 26, 2009 edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival where parents and educators from all around the globe share how they are implementing Charlotte Mason's timeless ideas in their homeschools and classrooms.

I will be sharing some comments from Miss Mason and from those who knew her personally. I think you will find further insight into this amazing woman's life and her educational ideas. All quotes are taken from In Memoriam.

"As we think of Miss Mason's long and beautiful life spent in ceaseless happy toil "for the children's sake" we ask ourselves what it was she strove to win for them, why it was that she was always happy no matter how weary. Was it a method of education all summed up in one word, narration? Was it the use of books? Was it love of Nature? Was it the power of self-expression in words, in material, in music? Was it happiness? Was it goodness? Was it worldly success? One may say that the good which Miss Mason sought included all these, but it went beyond, it reached out till it became fullness of living."

Jimmie presents Vermeer Artist Study posted at One Child Policy Homeschool

Keri presents Poetry posted at Sunny.

Yours Truly presents Ask and it shall be given unto You after twelve years of teaching the Charlotte Mason way...

"I think if anyone asked me what I liked best about Scale How I should say the fact that all of us love birds and butterflies, insects, and flowers and that our museum is a "perfect disgrace"--we have not a single stuffed bird or snake, no lovely collections of butterflies and insects, no pressed flowers or birds' nests or eggs, only a few rocks, minerals, and fossils. For the rest we spend the afternoons with, and not hunting, catching and collecting birds, beasts, and flowers."

Molly Evert presents Resources for Birding with Children posted at Counter-cultural School

Jamie presents Nature Study: Butterflies! posted at Rose Cottage

Martha presents Frogs, Frogs and more Frogs posted at Sunrise to Sunset

"At the back of all Miss Mason's teaching, was a philosophy of life based on an intense conviction of the personal relationship of every individual soul with God--a relationship that was the basis of all joy in living. One realized the power and joy of knowledge--the knowledge that is enshrined in all great literature, art and music, the knowledge of living creatures, of the goodness of sky and sea, of wind and cloud and all the "green things upon the earth." an ex student

Amanda Christina presents Tint and Shade Paint Project Video Tutorial posted at Hearts and Trees, saying, "I put together a really fun video tutorial focusing on painting tints and shades. This is an easy project for children of all ages."

"Out of doors the students learn to look and to watch they they may know creatures and plants by sight as they know friends; to recognise the birds by their song, flight, feathers and nesting places, and their time of arrival and departure; to observe the flowering seasons of all trees and herbs and the ripening of common spore-bearing plants such as horsetails and large liverworts; to note the reappearance of butterflies and dragonflies, stone,--caddi,--and mayflies, and to know some of their eggs and larvæ. Each one records in her own Nature Note Book that which has interested her, and takes home something to paint. The effort of attention during the time given to painting the twig, flower or fruit, chrysalis, shell or egg, fixes its form and colour in the memory. " Drury

Barb presents Nature Study in Ripples posted at Handbook of Nature Study, saying, "Where I attempt to explain my thinking about how nature study starts close to home and you build upon that knowledge and apply it to other habitats."

Brenda Sain presents Insect Collecting posted at The Tie That Binds Us.

"In Miss Mason's philosophy, every child is a personality endowed with infinite possibilities, and to her vision--the true vision of the seer--the trail of the "clouds of glory" is ever visible even when the shades of the prison-house seem darkest."

Anna Migeon presents Dinner Table Pharisees and Born-Again Vegetable Lovers posted at French kids don't get fat, saying, "In education, as in religion, it is the motive that counts," writes educational reformer Charlotte Mason in A Philosophy of Education. Motive is equally important in eating."

"Schools in general send forth scholars who have learnt 'how to learn'; (they rarely show that they have learned this art!) We send out scholars who have learned and do know and find knowledge so delightful that it becomes a pursuit and source of happiness for a lifetime." CM

Amy Smith presents Our Homeschooling Curriculum: First Grade posted at Kids Love Learning.

Molly Evert presents My Audio School: Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare posted at My Audio School

"We have resorted to the play way quite unnecessarily, and made things easy far too long. The children rejoice in the hard work if you will let them do it." Golding

Jessica presents Utilizing Yahoo Groups for your CM Homeschool posted at Established Work.

"It is a pity," says Miss Mason, "that we like our music as our pictures and our poetry mixed, so that there are few opportunities of going through as a listener a course of the works of a single composer . . . Let young people study as far as possible under one master until they have received some of this teaching and know its style."

Alecat presents May's composer focus: Prokofiev posted at Serenades and Solace, saying, "This year we're focusing on a composer every month...Hopefully others can also enjoy the material I've collated, as well as being inspired to look for some themselves."

"The children had their opportunity, and they rose to it, as Miss. Mason knew they would. ..."Given a book of literary quality suitable to their age, and children will know how to deal with it without elucidation." And what was suitable was to be by no means easy, for Miss Mason asked much of them. It was her way. The books are hard. But the more she asked, the more the children gave. And,though they never saw her, there were thousands who loved her, because she understood them and knew what they wanted. "

Pauline presents Nature Bloggin' #6 and My Vincent Van Gogh posted at Ordinary Days

ChristyH presents Reading and Remembering posted at The Secret Lies with Charlotte.........

"Without knowledge Reason carries a man into the wilderness and Rebellion joins company...Fundamental knowledge is the knowledge of God and while we are ignorant of that principal knowledge, Science, Nature, Literature and History, all remain dumb."CM

Lindafay presents HEO Year 7- A Schedule that Fits it all in and Still Leaves time For Masterly Inactivity right here at Higher Up and Further In.

Barb presents Organizing Literature: High School Level, saying, I am trying to record our high school experiences for those that are coming behind me."

"It is not yet the time to measure up her whole achievement. The full harvest is not yet. But there is enough to justify the confidence that posterity will see in her a great reformer, who led the children of the nation out of a barren wilderness into a rich inheritance. The old bidding prayers of our homes of learning rise to our lips. The children of many generations will thank God for Charlotte Mason and her work." H.W. Household

That concludes this edition. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you leave today inspired to keep climbing higher up and further in as you seek new ways to teach your children to live their lives to the fullest!

one step at a time...

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival using this carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

HEO Year 7- A Schedule that Fits it All In and Still Leaves Time for Masterly Inactivity

In a previous post I discussed the books we used in Year 7 from Ambleside's House of Education and tried to simplify it for newcomers. Today, I am going to share how I fit all those wonderful books in without burning out my teens and myself. I will give a brief overview, then explain the weekly schedule and the daily checklist. As I've mentioned before, 'efficiency' is one of my favorite words. I want it simple, doable and I don't want to spend a lot of time on record keeping. I am also miserly frugal and refuse to spend money on fancy systems that I am just going to have to tweak anyway.

A Brief Overview
Children in the upper years of the Ambleside schools spent more time on lessons than the elementary aged children. The bulk of lessons were finished in the morning hours before lunch, but they continued awhile in the afternoons reading some literature, going on nature walks, doing handicrafts and practicing an instrument. They also went to school on Saturday mornings, by the way. Plus, they were learning more languages than we do. Don't faint now, but 3 and 4 languages were studied at 12 and 13 years of age, Europe being a multilingual area of many nations. My children spent most of their childhood in Asia and so learned a foreign language while young, but most folks don't have such opportunities. So you will probably be working on just one or two languages in year 7.

My 7th year students work on lessons for approximately 4 hours every morning and have an hour of reading right after lunch and chores. Many subjects get accomplished because I trained the kids with timers when they were younger to move from one subject right onto the next with out delay. I also keep the lessons short. They know that I have given them enough time to get it done in the morning hours, but if they waste time, they have to use their afternoon free time to finish the day's work. Otherwise, no heavy schoolwork is scheduled in the afternoons. Math and Science have to be finished in the morning while their brains are fresh. The rest of the afternoon they are free to follow their own interests until I snag them for an hour of outside work in the cool evenings on our farm.

The Weekly Term Schedule
At the beginning of every term I look over the books that will be used during the next 12 wks and type them into a 12 column chart. I divide up the readings evenly over the term and plug in the chapters on the chart. AO has already done some of the work on the website although it is not in chart form. Here is a sample schedule that one of my daughters used while a year 7 student. It shows her the week's work. My daughters keep their term schedules on personal clipboards and refer to them constantly. It is never allowed to leave the clipboard. I haven't been able to store a copy in google docs without it corrupting the format so if you want a blank template, you can download one from the HEO Yahoo group in the files section.

The Daily Checklist
She also has a Daily Checklist that tells her exactly what to do each day. I fill this in for her at the beginning of each term as well but I don't put any page numbers on it since they are already on the term schedule. It takes about 30 minutes to fill out 12 weeks because the days are 'generic'. Here is a sample checklist for year 7 and here is a blank template. She keeps her Daily Checklist on top of her Weekly Term Schedule and checks off the box for each item she finishes so we both know what she completed each day. This helps her keep track of everything she is supposed to do. I know and she knows at any given time if she hasn't completed an assignment.

Even though each schedule is tailored for each child's individuality, the form is the same every year so they don't get confused and we don't waste time trying to learn a new system. They have learned how to follow their own schedule since they began reading their own books at 9 years of age, so they know what is expected of them. This puts them in charge of their education so they will learn to get knowledge for themselves in years to come rather than relying on an 'all knowing' teacher (this is an integral part of Miss Mason's philosophy). I guide and keep track of their progress, make sure they are getting it all done, listen to narrations and have discussions with them daily.

If you still have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section. I'll try to clarify anything that was unclear.



one step at a time...

Ask and It Will Be Given to You

I've been using Charlotte Mason's methods for twelve years now. I've enjoyed every step of the way. My children love knowledge for the joy it brings them. I had no idea it could be this easy, that it would be this rewarding and produce children so enjoyable to be with, who feel at home with the aged, the learned, as well as the young and the ignorant. In some areas of knowledge they have dug deep and found rich veins of gold, in other areas they have just found a pearl or two. But the treasure is varied and lies in many rooms.

Music, art, animals, nature, politics, literature, poetry, equations, Rome, Iceland, Ireland, the moors, the sea, metropolises, machinery,the universe, the past, the poor, royalty, Heaven and earth...you name it, they have dipped their hands in the chest and pulled out something of value as they have explored truth and beauty in the world around them.

Miss Mason said this would happen. Frankly, I wasn't sure. How could I produce children better than myself? My education was mediocre at best. Some of those books sure looked difficult, but I didn't need to worry. My children love to learn and are developing magnanimous spirits slowly but surely. I asked for grace from Heaven and it was freely given through the wisdom of Miss Mason. If I can do this, anyone can do it. I honestly believe that. God is far more interested in our children's well being, character and influence on this earth than we are, even though we love them so... If we ask for bread He will not give us a stone.



one step at a time...

Next Charlotte Mason Carnival will be HERE.

I will be hosting the next Charlotte Mason Carnival (this Tuesday). If you would like to share how you have been implementing CM's ideas in your home or school, we'd love to take a peek.

"Carnival topics center around CM educational philosophy and the practical application of Miss Mason's works. Please limit your submissions to topics that are relevant to a CM homeschooling experience. Topics might include narration, nature study, dictation, living books, CM schedules, poetry, Shakespeare, Mother Culture, CM quotes, slow reading of books, habit training as outlined in the CM volumes, character training, or other various topics that would help a homeschooling CM method using family."

The Importance of the Teaching of History

"By dismissing the past or by giving it only cursory textbook treatment, modern education produces students whom T.S. Eliot called "provincials of time." These students regard the past with ignorant condescension, assuming that all its scant benefits, through some mysterious process of progressive evolution, have been retained, while its evils have for the most part been shed away. They are infected with the fever of progress, supposing that the mere passage of time acts like a great threshing machine, discarding the chaff and preserving the wheat. Whatever kernels of truth this world ever possessed are somewhere in the loaf now being proffered by science. Nor, in this condition, can the young stomach the medicine of the past, with its stern warnings and meticulous instructions for human improvement printed on the label. In a school predicated only upon science, the student can be nothing more than what he is. That, to be sure, can be developed- and human development results from yielding to certain inner patterns of truth (to which only the psychiatrist is privy), not from imposing the crushing obligations of a historical dogma or of an Ideal Type. The student is not asked to bear any responsibility for a past from which he is intellectually and existentially cut off."

David Hicks
Norms and Nobility

Complete Elementary Curriculum Book list

My friend Christie, recently gave me a wonderful gift of her time. I am passing it on to you. Here is a link to a complete list of all the books in our curriculum from kindergarten to year six. She has arranged them in order by year. Thank you, Christie!


one step at a time...

HEO Year 7 Breakdown, Book by Book

"The upper years of Ambleside (HEO) overwhelm me. I don't know where to begin. Can you break it down for us showing how you use it?"

Well, I can tell you how we implement it but there is certainly more than one way to do this. I realize that some folks just like it all laid out for them so maybe this plan will be of help. For others, it may give you some ideas from which you can pick and choose.

Also, if you haven't always used Miss Mason's methods along with good classic, unabridged literature, then you may not want to use all of our book choices for your students. I wrote 'optional' beside the books that I think you could skip if necessary. Your students will enjoy these books much, much more if they have some previous background with some specific literature. I consider the following books prerequisites to year 7:

An Island Story by Henrietta Marshall
OR A Child's History of England by Dickens
Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle
Stories of Beowulf told to the Children by Marshall
Tanglewood Tales by Nathanial Hawthorne
or The Heroes by Kingsley
Tales of Troy by Andrew Lang
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
An Anthology of good poetry.

Now, if you want to begin your students with year 7 and they have had basically NO previous experience with Charlotte Mason's methods-maybe you homeschooled from a traditional boxed curriculum or your child is coming from public school, then I highly recommend taking a year to do Amblesides pre year 7 booklist. It is excellent. I think every child should be familiar with the literature on this list.

I will post comments beside particular books explaining how we used them.

If you see 'download,' then go to the Ambleside site to download the document mentioned.

Students should be mostly self learning at this stage. They have a weekly schedule and daily checklist that they follow. I read aloud just a few of the books (mentioned below) and at the end of each day I ask for some oral narrations. On Fridays, I check all written narrations and math and science notebooks. I also make sure everything was completed on the daily checklist. It is not a time consuming, complicated process. I do some prep work at the beginning of each term to make sure all the necessary resources are on hand when needed.

Year 7 Booklist

* ** ***asterisks represent term numbers

Time Period studied: Middle Ages, 800- 1400 (Alfred, King Arthur, Joan of Arc)

BIBLE
My students chose a book of the Bible to read each term and applied the principles learned from Kay Arthur's book below. However, we began with an easy, short book from the New Testament.

Apologetics/Devotionals
Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula (record in Century book)
*How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur (take notes in a Bible journal)
**More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell (take notes in a Bible journal)
*** The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer (take notes in a Bible journal)

HISTORY
Continue to keep a Century book or begin one if you haven't done so yet. Book of Centuries clip art source for this time period in historyhttp://www.cidadevirtual.pt/poge/kings/index.html

The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill (I read the first two chapters then turn it over to my students. They write weekly a 1/2 to 1 pg written narration. If your students are not familiar with British History, then they shouldn't use this book. I recommend Charles Dicken's Child's History of England. An Island Story can be used but it is a bit childish)

* Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Selections. (download, optional, oral narrations)

* William of Malmesbury's account of the Battle of Hastings (download , optional )

** The Magna Carta (download)

*** In Freedom's Cause by G.A. Henty

*** History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea by William Tyre (download, optional)

*** The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (preview this book first, creative narrations in letter form. After reading Tey's mystery novel, a story that makes one question the validity of the accusations against King Richard III as being a child murderer, my daughter perused a site dedicated to the study and restoration of King Richard's character. http://www.r3.org/intro.html )

BIOGRAPHIES
* The Life of King Alfred by Asser, selected passages (download, oral narrations)

** *** Joan of Arc by Mark Twain, (oral narrations)

GEOGRAPHY
* ** The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin (drawn narrations)

*** How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger
The last term my students learned about the modern geography and place names of Great Britain using this book. It takes you on a trip across Great Britain with a family who attempts to locate the settings of popular classic children's literature. This lovely website is devoted to helping your child learn the geography of their travels. http://www.storybookengland.com/index.php

Randolph Caldecott was mentioned in the book, but my daughter did not have any connections with him so we read his biography together and looked at some samples of his illustrative art work for children's books at this site to spark her interest. http://www.randolphcaldecott.org.uk/index.htm

We also used these sites for the King Arthur chapters:
http://www.thisisnorthcornwall.co.uk/king_arthur.htmlhttp://www.castlewales.com/listings.html

*copy the maps from the chapters read in Churchill's Birth of Britain
here's a blank outline map:http://geography.about.com/library/blank/blxuk.htm

** learn the countries of Europe using Seterra Geography game
(it is free here )

here's a map to print
http://eduplace.com/ss/maps/europe.html

***Do map drills of Modern England from Seterra geography game

add completed maps to Century book

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS
* Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard Maybury (summarize the main points of each chapter. This is a good discussion book)

CITIZENSHIP
Ourselves by Charlotte Mason, approximately 22 pages per term. (Mom reads aloud, discuss together and outline)

Plutarch's Lives - follow the schedule posted at Ambleside Online. (creative narrations)

CURRENT EVENTS
http://studentnewsdaily.com/ (read daily, oral narrate, read the bias article on Wed; on Friday, write short paragraph summary of the most important event of the week. We don't answer the questions provided)

LITERATURE
Shakespeare - Continue with Ambleside Online Rotation. (Try to watch the play. See this post. )

The Once and Future King by T. H. White
(Mom reads aloud and discusses book together. Preview this book. I used these book notes to help begin discussions with my student about the qualities of good govt. vs bad govt. http://education.yahoo.com/homework_help/cliffsnotes/the_once_and_future_king/7.html
I also read Wendy C. cautions about unsuitable parts in the book for children located at the AO/HEO website under year 7.)

Here's a wonderful resource. It provides audio commentary about themes behind important classics. My student listened and enjoyed The Lord of the Rings, Huckleberry Finn, Watership Down and a few others.http://www.thegreatbooks.com/resources

The History of English Literature for Girls and Boys by H.E. Marshall ch 1-31. (written narrations)

The Age of Chivalry by Thomas Bulfinch (oral narrations. Here's an article about the importance of studying King Arthur. http://www.worldview.org/blog/?p=190 )

* Watership Down by Richard Adams. (oral narrations)

* ** Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (oral narrations, watch the 6 hour movie version when the book is completed)

** *** A Taste of Chaucer by Anne Malcolmson (written narrations. I read this article about the importance of studying Chaucer for myself
http://www.kingsmeadow.com/2007/04/chaucers-classic.html
and this one gave background info
http://www.missionstclare.com/english/people/oct25.html

POETRY
* Beowulf -by Rebsamen, (discuss alliteration first, read the first six wks.)

Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight by Marie Boroff or J.R. Tolkien (be sure to read the preface)

** Alfred, Lord Tennyson, especially Idylls of the King (Get a good book of his poems or download from online. Listen to Alfred Lord Tennyson recite aloud the well known poem he wrote- The Charge of the Light Brigade.
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoet.do?poetId=1569 )

*** John Keats, especially The Eve of St. Agnes (I printed out portions of the biography as well as his most popular poems and put them in a binder for my student to read.
http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry.html )

GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION
Finish Easy Grammar Plus if you have not already done so.

The Grammar of Poetry by Matt Whitling. complete one lesson per week.

Writing Strands 4-one lesson per week

RECITATION
Scripture suggestions for memorization * Psalm 45, ** Psalm 46, and *** Psalm 51
(But if my student is eager to choose her own passage, I let her. It must be lengthy.)

Shakespeare (memorize selected passages from the play we are studying, all terms.)

Poetry - (memorize a lengthy poem or portion of the poem by that term's poet, all terms. Let the student choose.)

COPYWORK/TRANSCRIPTION
Begin a Commonplace book. (The student records quotes and passages from their schoolbooks that they particularly enjoy or think are worthy of remembering in their neatest handwriting.)

MATH
Year 7 is generally considered pre algebra. Basically, it is a review year of previous learned concepts and a catch up year for us if we are behind in anything.

SCIENCE
Apologia General Science by Dr. Jay Wile.
(see this post on how to organize the student notebook)

NATURE STUDY
Continue nature journals weekly together focusing on one aspect of nature every six weeks and I schedule at least one other day for the student to take a nature walk on her own and record her observations and thoughts.

* Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp (encourage your students to try out Sharp's style in their nature journals.)

** *** The Life of the Spider by Henri Fabre. (written narrations. This web page shows each one mentioned in the book.http://www.benjaminbruce.us/spider/ )

LOGIC
How To Read a Book by both Mortimer J. Ader And Chares Van Doren. (Mom reads aloud. Discuss and outline together; only part 1 this year. )

DRAWING AND ART
The Story of Painting by H. W. Janson - chapters 1-3 this year. (Add to Century book)

Continue Artist study

Artistic Pursuits by Brenda Ellis (Alternate the drawing and painting books doing one lesson per week)

MUSIC
Continue Composer studies.

Learn an instrument.

Singing:
Hymns: Learn a hymn or two each term.
http://cyberhymnal.com/ or http://songsandhymns.org/

Folksongs: f
found free at http://contemplator.com/ (Work on each song about 4 weeks.)
* The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood; The Three Ravens; and The Outlandish Knight.
** When The King Enjoys His Own Again; Farewell to Lochaber; Battle of Otterburn.
*** Go No More a Rushing; Greensleeves; Scarbourough Fair.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
We don't study Latin in depth, just English from the Roots up. You could begin this if you haven't done so yet. Your students should also become familiar with at least two other languages, beginning one now, if they haven't done so and beginning another in Year 9.

(I don't spend a lot of money on language programs. Generally, I find interactive DVDs at used book stores and I let my children choose at least one of the languages they will learn. I have a daughter learning Spanish, one learning Arabic, and another learning German. Two of them speak Turkish fluently. I give them a dictionary and a Bible in the target language as well. )

HEALTH/P.E.
Learn First aid. (Here's a helpful page:
http://www.emergencycontacts.com/download.php?Id=45&Field=File&Force=Yhttp://health.howstuffworks.com/cpr2.htm )

Aerobic exercise three days a week, stretching exercise twice a week.
(my daughter works on her heart rate and a one mile course; we do Pilates together for stretching and toning)

FREE READING
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
The White Mountains; City of Gold and Lead; and Pool of Fire by John Christopher
Legends of Charlemagne by Thomas Bulfinch
The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall
Rolf and The Viking Bow by French
The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett (this book has Buddhist ideas; I recommend reading it with your student and discussing the author's world view together)
The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
Hereward, the Last of the English by Charles Kingsley or Hereward the Wake
The Knight's Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott
Penrod and Sam by Booth Tarkington
Feats on the Fiord by Harriet Martineau


Next time we'll look at how to break it all down into a weekly, then daily schedule.


one step at a time...

Our Easter Garden

We are preparing for Easter this year by making a replica of the tomb in a garden. It is the centerpiece of our dining table. We've carved a caterpillar from soap and tomorrow night (Good Friday) we will close the tomb. This lovely idea came from Ann's blog and we're so grateful for the inspiration.

Rennet

I miss feta cheese. My children are pining away for it. We ate it daily while living in Turkey but the price was much more affordable over there. So, I've decided to make it. Can anyone tell me if 6.50 for 2 oz of liquid rennet is a good price? Do you have any inexpensive online sources that I may not know about? Is liquid better than tablets? Vegetable better than animal?

Thanks,

Garage Sale Find

While living in Turkey, I used to suffer from garage sale envy when I heard about other people's great finds. (Second hand sales are not part of that culture) So it is with great pride today that I show you what I found the other day at a local garage sale-Pinkie and Blue Boy for ten dollars a piece. They are very large with beautiful gold frames and now adorn the dining room wall, making our home look much classier than the folks that live here actually are.

Cultural Literacy Quiz

My 16 year old daughter is having a cultural literacy quiz over at her blog. Why don't you hop on over and see how well you do, or send your kiddos over.

http://beyond-the-loneliest-star.blogspot.com/2009/03/cultural-literacy-contest-and-goats.html

Spring has Sprung!

This was our pond one week ago.

This was our pond yesterday.

Spring has Sprung!