I haven’t blogged about our homeschool lately, so I thought I would use this 7 Quick Takes format to share a few new or newish things that I’m excited about. (Yes, I know it’s actually Saturday – I’m a day late.) It’s been a bit of a challenging year, with a baby, a toddler, sometimes reluctant learners, and some burnout on my part. But it’s energizing to examine what’s working and get excited about new books and plans. One caveat, for me and my readers: some things might not work out and plans may change. If there’s one thing I’m learning by homeschooling, it’s that every family and child is different, mistakes happen, and you really just have to learn as you go. 🙂
Miss A will start this in September (can’t believe I have a 7th grader!). For those of you not familiar with Ambleside Online, it is a free curriculum based on the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason. And for any Canadians reading this, they have suggestions for adjusting the curriculum here! I think their Year 7 looks like a good balance of challenging but appropriate material for seventh graders, and I’m looking forward to reading along, learning and discussing with her!
This isn’t very new – Mr. D started the Fable level last fall, and is now doing the Narrative 1 level. He is a reluctant writer, but the format of this program makes it easy to do a little bit each day. It may take us longer than the suggested schedule, but done consistently it adds up and is not (so) overwhelming for him.
I found this through the Ambleside Online Forums (which I recommend joining if you are interested in using AO). There are also Spanish programs available. It incorporates the same method Charlotte Mason and her teachers used to teach several foreign languages to their students. This is another program that just takes a bit of time each day, making it easy to incorporate during our Morning Time. I look forward to seeing what progress we make with French this year, as it has been something I have struggled to be consistent with.
We have enjoyed several books by Starr Meade during Morning Time, family devotions, and read-aloud time, so I was happy to see her new book examining this beautiful catechism in depth. I plan to start it during Morning Time in the fall (after we finish another of her books, Wondrous Works of God) and take several years to read through it and memorize the catechism. Catechism memorization has been another area I have struggled with, due in part to my dislike of the wording in the children’s version we were using. I know that some families are able to memorize a children’s catechism and then go on to learn one or more longer versions, but I think focusing on learning one beautifully-worded catechism all together may work better for us.
Mr. E continues to enjoy and do well with soccer in the spring and fall, but we had not found a good “athletic fit” for Mr. D, and Miss A’s riding instructor was not able to give lessons this year. The older three did take swimming lessons last fall and winter/early spring, but we still felt A and D needed something more. So hubby and I were very excited to find a reasonably-priced parkour/adventure class starting in September at a gym near here. A and D are excited, too – they each found a “parkour outfit” at Meijer today. The class includes parkour, rock climbing, a ropes course, trampoline, tumbling, vaulting and bars – sounds like a lot of challenging fun! And I’m happy they can be in the same class – not so many busy evenings! 🙂
And last, but not least, we have a new and eager reader here! Mr. E is almost through The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading, and it seems to really be coming together for him. He, completely of his own accord, started the first volume of A Picturesque Tale of Progress that was sitting on the shelf, and today he came home from the library with the big Paddington Treasury (which we actually already own!). From what I can tell, he is actually reading the words now, instead of just skimming through, like he was with the Hardy Boys series a few months ago. It’s great to see! 🙂
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
