Sunday, August 28, 2011

August 29 - September 4, 2011

What we're working on this week:

Henry

  • Language Arts - Hooked on Phonics: letters I and J, Get Ready for the Code: Letter t.
  • Art - Draw Write Now Book 1: Duck
  • Science - Science is Simple: This month, we'll work on the concepts of evaporation and condensation.  Our two demonstrations for this week will be "Exploring Evaporation and Condensation" and "What Happens to Spilled Water?"
  • Music - We continue listening to our classical music station on Pandora while we do our schoolwork.
  • Good Books - The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh: Chapter 8
  • Religion - Who Am I? Preschool Book B: God's Family - Baptism
Oliver

Friday, August 26, 2011

Barns and Rulers

Today was Henry's first non-animal art lesson.  He worked very carefully on his barn, using a ruler to draw some of the straight lines.  Henry also decided to add some background because, "I want Papa to see my beautiful picture on our website."  So, Papa, this one is for you!


With September upon us, I'm spending a good part of today working on our lesson plans for next month.  We finish up with volume this week and will begin our science unit on evaporation and condensation next week.  In preparation, I ordered our science-through-literature selection for the month: Down Comes the Rain. I think Henry will enjoy it and these lessons will be good for what is usually the rainy month of September.

Our biggest change for next month is that we will start math!  Angelicum Academy is a little accelerated in their math program.  The preschool material is Saxon Math K, which is the kindergarten level of the Saxon program.  Just flipping through the manual,  I don't think Henry will have any issues with this.  With the work he did on numbers and counting last year, the beginning will be a review.  And he is "so excited" to begin working with the manipulative kit that has been high up on a shelf ever since it arrived via UPS. Anticipation: the great motivator.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

August 22 -28, 2011

What we're working on this week:

Henry
  • Language Arts - Hooked on Phonics: Unit 1 review - "Pop! Pop! Pop!" storybook, Unit 1 DVD; beginning sounds, Get Ready for the Code: Complete letter k and begin letter t.
  • Art - Draw Write Now Book 1: Barn
  • Science - Science is Simple: "Shape and Volume" and "Measuring and Comparing Volumes"
  • Music - We continue listening to our classical music station on Pandora while we do our schoolwork.
  • Good Books - The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh: Chapter 7
  • Religion - Who Am I? Preschool Book B: Wrong Choices - Sin
Oliver

Friday, August 19, 2011

Let's Talk Turkey

"We eat dead turkeys, Mom, not live ones.  Live ones would be gross."

Yes.  Yes, they would.

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Great Conversation

It's a sad day when you realize how little you actually learned in high school.  It's a conversation I've had with quite a few other alumni.  Our school was/is one of the top in the country, yet we all feel like we only absorbed enough to pass the next test or get through the final exam.  When it comes to retention, there just wasn't enough time to really absorb the material, to explore it and internalize it.

This is one of the many reasons why I felt compelled to homeschool our children.  I want them to have the opportunity to really educate themselves.  I don't want them to be rushed through the school year or be limited by the constraints of the modern education system.

Another common conversation among homeschooling parents is about the excitement we feel at the opportunity to learn more ourselves.  I'm looking forward to the Latin and Greek, the sciences and maths, and, above all, the Great Books.

I purchased our Great Book set at an obscenely cheap price through a local library sale.  Henry was barely one year old; the librarians must have thought I was a little crazy when I said they were all for him.  They were placed in our bookshelves and there they have sat since then.  But why?  It seems like a waste for all that knowledge to just sit on a shelf.

So, last night I started in on them.  I'm reading the first volume, "The Great Conversation," which is an introduction to the set.  I'm about halfway done (it's a slim book) and have already found two thought-provoking passages.

The first:
No one can deny the value of getting together, of learning to get along with others, of coming to appreciate the methods of organization and the duties of membership in an organization any more than one can deny the importance of physical health and sportsmanship.  It seems on the face of it a trifle absurd, however, to go to the trouble of training and engaging teachers, of erecting laboratories and libraries, and of laying out a program of instruction and learning if, in effect, the curriculum is extra and the extra-curriculum is the heart of the matter.
This is the 1952 argument for homeschooling.  They may not have meant it as such, but there it is.  The "socialization" issue was already in dispute 60 years ago.

The second was a little disturbing:
Many claims can be made for the American people; but nobody would think of claiming that they can read, write, and figure.  Still less would it be maintained that they understand the tradition of the West, the tradition in which they live.  The products of American high schools are illiterate; and a degree from a famous college or university is no guarantee that the graduate is in any better case.  One of the most remarkable features of American society is that the difference between the "uneducated" and the "educated" is so slight.
Again, this was published in 1952.  The era that's held up as the Golden Age when kids actually learned things in school.  Dr. Adler must have been aghast at what "education" was by the time he passed on.  In fact, I'm sure he was, since he ultimately designed the classical liberal arts homeschool curriculum provided by Angelicum Academy today.

Edit:  I originally posted my goal to read the set three times over the next 9 years, but the recommendation at the end of The Great Conversation is to take 10 years to read the set once!  It has a list of readings from each volume for each year, so I'm going to take their recommendation and go with it.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

August 15 - 21, 2011

What we are working on this week:

Henry
  • Language Arts - Hooked on Phonics: Letter H and E-F-G-H review, Get Ready for the Code: Complete letter k.
  • Art - Draw Write Now Book 1: Turkey
  • Science - Science is Simple: "Air Fills the Container and Keeps the Water Out"
  • Music - We continue listening to our classical music station on Pandora while we do our schoolwork.
  • Good Books - The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh: Chapter 6
  • Religion - Who Am I? Preschool Book B: God's House - The Church
Oliver
  • Language Arts - Hooked on Phonics:  Letter H and E-F-G-H review

Friday, August 12, 2011

Birthday, Butterfly, and Horse

This week marked Henry's fourth birthday.  I can hardly believe it.  Four short years ago, we brought home the little baby on the left and now we have this little boy on the right.




Time truly flies.  Henry had a grand birthday.  We went to his favorite Japanese restaurant where he talked the chef's ear off and dined on soup, steak, and fried rice.  Afterward, it was back home for cake and presents.



 

Oliver entertained himself with the Toy Story wrapping and Jane got a taste of the future with some birthday cake.  It's her turn next month!

Today, we were surprised to see a butterfly in the bread box.  The site we looked up the caterpillars on said the chrysalis stage would last two weeks.  We seemed to have a go-getter.


After taking a couple pictures, we moved it outside to the same spot where Matt had found the caterpillars.  Within a few hours, it flew away.  It was nice enough to allow me a few close shots first.  The colors on the wings were absolutely beautiful.  You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.



Henry was really excited to see the butterfly and to watch it stretch its wings outside.  Maybe we'll find some of its babies later on and we can repeat the process.

And, finally, Henry's art for this week:

Sunday, August 7, 2011

August 8 - 14, 2011

What we are working on this week:

Henry

  • Language Arts - Hooked on Phonics: Letters F and G, Get Ready for the Code: Complete letter m.
  • Art - Draw Write Now Book 1: Horse
  • Science - Science is Simple: We did two lessons last week because Saturday is going to be a busy day for us.  We'll resume our volume unit next week.
  • Music - We continue to listen to our classical music station on Pandora while we do our schoolwork.
  • Good Books - The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh: Chapter 5
  • Religion - Who Am I? Preschool Book B: Love Others as God Loves You
Oliver
  • Language Arts - Hooked on Phonics:  Letters F and G

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Henry and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcow

I think the world would be a lovely place if cows really looked like this one.  Or, conversely, it could be extremely terrifying.  Either way, Henry was really proud of the cow he drew this week.

In sad news, the other caterpillar never made it to the pupa.  I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it was definitely dead this morning.  We cleared out the remains and tidied up the container.  The chrysalis is still doing its thing.  I hope a butterfly emerges in a couple of weeks.