School Supply Time!

Growing up, one of my favorite times of the year was when all of the new school supplies were on display in stores. Back then, I don't think it happened until the beginning of August or so, but seeing as how some stores already have Halloween items coming in, school supplies in July are probably an example of merchandisers showing a little restraint.

I've been accumulating arts and craft supplies since Henry was a baby, but I always jump at the chance for inexpensive additions to our cabinet. During today's Target run, I was able to load up: Crayola crayons for 25 cents, spiral-bound notebooks for 15 cents, various workbooks for $1, etc.

The surprise for the day was finding an entire series of adapted and illustrated classics in the Dollar Spot section at the front of the door. I picked up The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Oliver Twist, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, each for $1.

All of these junior classic editions will be a wonderful introduction to the original classics when Henry is a little older. One of the things that The Well-Trained Mind recommends is providing younger children with illustrated, simplified versions of more challenging books. By familiarizing them with the stories early on, children are less intimidated by the original works they'll study later.

We'll remain on the lookout for more supply bargains as the traditional school year approaches!

The Well-Trained Mind

The curriculum of the Angelicum Academy is based on principles of classical education. While there is a wealth of knowledge on the AA website concerning the scope of the program, I was interested in finding more information on what a classical homeschool looks like and how it functions. A brief search in Amazon's Kindle store brought me to The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition).

Needless to say, I am devouring this book. It provides such a beautiful picture of classical education while being realistic and forthright about the amount of work it entails for the home educator. The Well-Trained Mind details schedules, techniques, and resources for all levels of home education, from infancy through adolescence. It is truly a complete resource for the homeschool.

Skills Practice

Since we've decided to delay our nursery level start date until October, I've been looking for some simple ways for Henry to practice the skills he acquired over the past year. He enjoys playing on sites like Starfall.com, but he truly loves creating physical works that can be placed on our bulletin board for Daddy to admire when he gets home from work.

I spotted this Big Preschool Workbook during a Target run and decided to give it a shot. It's a nice big book of activities that runs the gamut from prewriting skills up through shapes, letters, and numbers. Henry happily blazed through about 12 pages of tracing yesterday; I had to put the book away before he wore himself out.

There's a whole series of these workbooks and I think we'll continue to purchase them for additional practice sheets. It's nice to see some well-designed materials available at inexpensive prices, especially ones that Henry enjoys!

Baking by the Numbers

It's Saturday and in the best Little House on the Prairie tradition, Saturdays are baking days at Saint Augustine Classical Academy. Not only is it a relaxing activity, it's also an opportunity for Henry to practice following directions and discuss numbers. Saturday also means that Daddy is home to play with Oliver and keep him out of the kitchen. There's nothing quite as nerve-wracking as cooking with a preschooler while a toddler is underfoot.

Henry is quite the little chef, for an almost 3-year-old. He has his own step-ladder to bring himself up to counter height in order to help. He also has his own apron, but he refuses to wear it. Can't win them all.

Today, we had a rather large bunch of bananas that were quickly over-ripening. Consequently, our recipes for today were Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Banana Bread. The cake will accompany us to an Independence Day celebration tomorrow. One loaf of bread will be eaten this week and the other loaf will go in the freezer.

Henry happily mashed bananas, measured flour and sugar, and operated the hand mixer. We discussed the different numbers on the measuring cups, the numbers on the oven timer, and how to tell when the cakes and breads are done. A good morning!