Author Archives: Adriana Zoder

May 11 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 25

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Alexander the Great or Chapter 25 was a really exciting chapter. The kids loved the stories. Our son’s middle name is Alexander, named after my maternal grandmother, Alexandra, so our son perked up when he heard the meaning of the name. I think he connected with Alexander because of that.

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We did the mapwork. They colored Alexander and Bucephalus.

We tied a Gordian Knot two ways, according to instructions.

We built a Bucephalus stick horse. First, we printed out the page as it was. My son colored and cut it.  Continue reading »

May 7 2015

Thoughtful Thursday Week 19 – The Muse

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They used to call it East Tennessee Discovery Center. I hear they used to have live lizards. We only started going to The Muse in Knoxville a few months ago. Their name was already changed and there are no more lizards. Instead, they have all sorts of educational areas. The Planetarium is still there.

It is part of the Association of Science and Technology Centers. I cannot say enough about The Muse. As such, an annual membership at The Muse will get you free admission in all other facilities throughout the country, located more than 90 miles away from it. We bought an annual membership last November and, when we spent Thanksgiving in Charlotte, we visited Discovery Place over there for free. By the way, Charlotte’s Discovery Place is huge – a four-story building. You still have to pay for parking, of course, but if you travel, you will find that this annual membership is a deal.

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Today, my kids wanted to go to The Muse. We put everything else on hold, got into the car, and hit the road. We do have lots more chapters to finish in all our books for the year, but I decided this field trip was worth our time. Children learn so much by doing at this stage. Continue reading »

May 6 2015

Afternoon Tea at Buckhorn Inn

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Bukhorn Inn, a bed and breakfast in Gatlinburg which provides fine accommodations and dinner by reservation only, hosted an afternoon tea today, featuring a speech by Dr. David Woodfine, the retired High Steward to Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, and former butler and host to royals and celebrities.

With Dr. David Woodfine, at the Buckhorn Inn, for an afternoon tea

With Dr. David Woodfine, at the Buckhorn Inn, for an afternoon tea

Dr. Woodfine told us stories of attending to Princess Margaret, Lady Diana, Prince Charles and others. He was funny, warm, and very gracious. He is on a US tour with Dr. Mark Hilliard of Hilliard Institute. One of the divisions of Hilliard Institute is their press, the organization that publishes Dr. Woodfine’s books. All proceeds from his books go to Ethiopian well construction, by the way.

Boy and girl with John Mellor at Buckhorn Inn

With John Mellor, the innkeeper, also from England

We had tea, of course, and the kids managed to sit more or less still and quiet for 95% of his talk. Buckhorn Inn served cucumber sandwiches, lemon bars, and scones with jam and clotted cream. It was a lovely afternoon in a peaceful, elegant setting, listening to stories about English royalty and their high manners.

Boy and girl reading on a couch in a private library

Enjoying the Buckhorn Inn Library

Dr. Woodfine even had a story that related to Downton Abbey. Charles Blake, of course, is the dashing character who threw mud at Lady Mary in the pigsty. He is played by Julian Ovenden. Julian’s father is a personal chaplain to the Queen. His name is John Ovenden. And he had lunch at Dr. Woodfine’s house six weeks ago.  Continue reading »

May 4 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 24

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We spread the study of The Wars of the Greeks or Chapter 24 over two weeks. It just happened that way. I read this chapter to them but we did not do the map work right away. We were reading recommended books from previous chapters at the time. I like reading the lesson and the extra books in an offset fashion. It keeps reminding us of previous chapters, where we came from. We also got busy with other projects and a week went by.

Soap Bar Sculpture Supplies

Soap Bar Sculpture Supplies

When we got back to it, it was all about the craft project: carving our first Greek “stone” sculpture… out of a soap bar.  Continue reading »

May 4 2015

Appalachian Home Educators Conference

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On June 26-27, 2015, on the campus of Johnson University, home educators from Knoxville and the surrounding areas will get together for the Appalachian Home Educators Conference. I am honored to be in the speaker lineup, which is headed by Dr. Susan Wise Bauer.

My seminars will cover home teaching methods and bilingualism. I am very excited to gather up my materials and put some PowerPoint presentations together. I am very passionate about home education and multilingualism, as you may know, if you have been reading my blog for a bit.

Aerial view of Johnson University

Aerial view of Johnson University in Knoxville

The list of Exhibitors can be found here. Accommodations and meals right on campus seem very affordable.

In my opinion, home educators should attend a homeschooling conference every year, to be encouraged and strengthened, to learn about new curriculum, and to get together with like-minded people. I know I have attended a homeschool conference every year since I decided to homeschool and I always received a blessing.

May 3 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 23

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The Greek Gods or Chapter 23 allowed me to introduce the kids to the neurotic gods who make up much of Antiquity’s myths and legends. I choose the word “introduce” for a reason. We are not going in depth. Maybe next time around. That is why we are not building a family tree for the Greek gods (Olympus Family Tree) or drawing a home for the gods. I am also staying away from most of the titles suggested.

To the Most Beautiful, the golden apple that started the Trojan War.

“To the Most Beautiful,” the words on the golden apple which started the Trojan War.

I really enjoyed those stories as a child, but I am pretty sure I was at least in fourth grade by the time I read about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. Most of their stories contain adult themes and, besides, I don’t want to confuse my kids with all sorts of gods right now. We are still coming out of the concrete stage of thinking. When the lines between reality and fiction get blurry, it’s best to stay away from certain stories.

We chose the golden apple craft project to illustrate the reason why the Trojan war got started. The kids enjoyed the story. I read it to them twice, a few days apart, and they still did not get all the plot. A bit too many layers, I suppose. I don’t mind stretching their minds and challenging them.

It was only after we made the golden apple and I wrote “To the Most Beautiful” on it that it finally sank in with them why the gods were upset with each other. We had conversations about this for several days. I usually keep their crafts where we can see them, on the kitchen isle, so we can admire them for a few days before we go on to the next craft. They serve as conversation pieces and as an excuse to rehearse facts and new terminology

Apr 30 2015

Thoughtful Thursday Week 18 – Biltmore

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We have been meaning to go back to the Biltmore ever since we got engaged there, 10 years and two children ago. But, somehow, we never managed to get back there. Asheville, NC is a gorgeous city and the Biltmore Estate has always fascinated us. Now that Belk sponsored an exhibit of over 45 Downton Abbey costumes, we decided we just absolutely, positively, no doubt about it had to make it to the Biltmore.

Family on the Biltmore House balcony

Our family on the Biltmore House balcony

Our children loved this field trip. It was their first time at the Biltmore and they enjoyed everything. They have so many things to do there, we decided to upgrade our daily tickets to an annual pass because we shall definitely return several times in the next 12 months. Today we only had time for the House tour, lunch, the gift shop, and Antler Hill Farm (a petting zoo with goats, hens, and roosters). Continue reading »

Apr 24 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 22

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Sparta and Athens took our breath away. Greek paper dolls, our first conversation about democracy, the importance of educated voters, the Spartan boy who let himself be bitten by the fox while being interrogated… Wait, what? Yes, we had to deal with some tough subjects again. At the end of the reading, my son said, “I can’t believe that boy would let that fox eat his stomach…” We talked about it for a minute, to stress how different those cultures were from ours, and we moved on. If I don’t make a big deal out if it, they will not, either.

They were happy to work on their map. They colored the Greek dolls. I copied them onto regular paper. They glued their clothes with stick glue.

I did not think they were going to play with these dolls again, so I did not use card stock or balsam wood. When we were finished, I put their dolls inside plastic pouches in their history binders. I like to keep clutter under control. We already have too many toys and craft projects lying around, waiting to be played with.

They colored, cut and pasted for a long time, until it clearly became busy work. When they start asking mommy to cut up their people and accessories, you know it’s time to file them away.

Apr 23 2015

Thoughtful Thursday Week 17 – Test Results

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We received our son’s Terra Nova 3 test scores and we were very pleased. His scores were excellent, way above the national average and showing that he does work beyond his grade level. We are very proud of him indeed. We will continue doing what we have been doing.

Thoughtful Thursday - Test Results

We learned several things from his test scores. Even though he did not score low in any one objective, he scored lower in some objectives and higher in others. Looking back at our school year, some of the scores surprised me and others confirmed what I already knew about him; all the more reason to keep testing every year.

We are not in this situation, but we know that if a child tests lower than expected, we should all consider several reasons. It could be that the child has never learned the subject matter presented on the test. Or, perhaps, the child never really understood what was taught to him. Last but not least, the child may know the subject, but he may very well just be so nervous about the test, that he freezes and forgets the answers.

All this to say that tests are good tools to assess where your child is, where you are, where you need to grow.

Apr 23 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 21

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The Medes and the Persians brought a sigh of relief over all of us. With Cyrus, we finally could say, “Here is a great king, who loved and respected his people!” We talked about how the Bible mentions Cyrus as the Anointed of the Lord. My son exclaimed how nice a king Cyrus was.

Six brown paper bags

Six bags for six puppets

The first story, of course, was a bit tricky. A grandfather who plans to kill his grandchild? Rather cruel and unusual. But we soldiered through. I noticed that if I don’t make a big deal out of it, they just move on.

Girl with paper bag puppet

Showing off Cyrus, the paper bag puppet version

I prepared six brown bags for puppets to act out the story. They decorated one and decided they would decorate five more for the next five days. Well, I don’t like projects that stretch for days. Besides, I cannot imagine myself directing a puppet show with lines like, “Take my grandson and kill him!” or “Shepherd, the king sent me to kill this baby out here, but I will not. I will let you do it. And if you don’t, you will be punished…” Last but not least, I asked myself at what point a craft project becomes busy work. One brown paper bag puppet is a great craft. Two may be stretching it. But six? Even if each child made three each, it would be busy work in my book.

Continue reading »