Fall Term 2006 Group Studies Plan

It is a little late to post this, but better late than never. Here is what we have been doing this 12-week term on Fridays for our Group Days. (I will try to start posting these at the beginning of each term.)

Recitation Review (update: forgot to include this)
I choose randomly scripture and poetry memory work from previous years for the children to recite. They earn m&ms to add a little fun to the exercise.

Composer Study
Resources: Felix Mendelssohn: Greatest Hits
The Story of Mendelssohn in Words and Music

Artist Study
Raphael, Waterhouse
Resources: Artrenewel.org (free, downloadable pictures to have printed)
Pictures Every Child Should Know free, online (biog)
Pre Raphaelites Gallery Series(biog and pictures)

Folksongs
Molly and Tenbrooks
My Wild Irish Rose
Resource: http://www.contemplator.com/ (download midis and lyrics)

Hymns
This is My Father's World
Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow
Resource: cyberhymnal.org (download midis and lyrics)

Nature Study
Corn: learn major parts and how it is fertilized and grown; go to cornfield and draw what you see;
make corn husk dolls. (It sounds boring, but actually we had a lot of fun learning about corn)
Insects: learn major parts; collect live specimens; identify and draw in nature journal. Tell what you learned about each.
Birds: keep lists of new birds spotted and tell what time of year. Draw from a field guide. Identify the sound they make if you can.
Resource: Handbook of Nature Study, field guides, journals, watercolor pencils, pen and ink
(Older children may choose their own format; younger children follow mom's instructions.)

Children's Play
Literature Selection
The Princess and the Goblin by George McDonald
The Children are writing and directing the play as a present to the adults on Christmas Eve.

Elocution
4pm is tea time.
Resource: McGuffy Readers. One child each week is chosen to prepare the tea and make the cookies. Little ones help mom. Each child takes turn reading aloud a section from their age approp. book while we drink tea and have cookies. Manners are also taught. I correct their diction and teach them how to enounce clearly and how to read with emotion when appropriate.

Handicrafts
Woodwork
Make bows and arrows as Christmas gifts. We also bought wood pieces, hammer and nails and let the little ones go at it. Our good friends ended up making the TREE BLOCKS we were pining for since DH broke his wrists. *(Sizi seviyoruz, Dostlar. Kimden basettigimi biliyorsunuz)
Crocheting
We are making Christmas gifts- slippers, scarves, hats and bookmarks.
Usually introduced on Fridays but done whenever one wishes during free time.

Evening Read Aloud:
Dad is reading to the older kids: The Tripods Series by John Christopher
Mom is reading to the younger kids: On the Banks of Plum Creek by Wilder and Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis

OLDER CHILDREN ONLY:

Citizenship/Character Training
Resources: Ourselves by Charlotte Mason
Mom reads aloud. Children write notes narrations after each section is read and discussed

Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans by Plutarch- Nicias
Anne's study
We read a little each week; then have a creative narration. The children pick from a jar a piece of paper. It tells them either to draw a narration, act it out with only 5 min. prep, be a news reporter or ask each other five questions about the reading.

Shakespeare
Taming of the Shrew
Resources: Each child has a paperback copy. We decide who will read aloud particular characters and read a little each week over 12 weeks. This is available free and online for downloading.
BBC Video production- Children watch movie online. Used to be free, but now can only be purchased.

Logic
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler
Ch1,2
(Mom reads aloud. I teach them how to outline on a dry erase board and children follow along in individual notebooks)

Update: Just to clarify if anyone is wondering if we do ALL of this every Friday. The answer is 'no.' We alternate our Music studies; we alternate Logic and Ourselves. Some weeks we skip Nature study and just go for a walk without a plan. We alternate Plutarch and Shakespeare, too.
I also have individual conferences with each child and review their written narrations, timeline books, math work and grammar together. If we start at 8:30, we are finished by lunch time except for Tea time, which is in the late afternoons. If we have a busy day, we skip tea and elocution. I am flexible. I like having a set plan, however, so that more things will be accomplished than if I made a checklist AFTER we actually did them. I learned that it may make me feel better for awhile, but in the long run, it doesn't pay well. The children learn less and habits degenerate.