Category Archives: homeschooling

Feb 18 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 29

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Chapter 29 deals with Napoleon’s rise to power. Two stories about Napoleon document first his becoming a consul and then an emperor. The kids want to understand why Napoleon behaved the way he did, which to me signifies that we are moving into the logic stage of their development.

French and British War Game

The French side is blue but technical difficulties made it so their cards ended up being white instead.

They are not just concerned about the facts. Now they want to know why the facts are as they are. What motivates people to want power? Why does a man want to become a leader at any cost? Greed. That’s the short answer. Continue reading »

Feb 12 2018

Philharmonia Winter Concert

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My son’s orchestra, Philharmonia, gave a winter concert last night at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville, alongside three other ensembles: Preludium, Sinfonia, and the Chamber Orchestra.

Boy and girl with rabbit ears

My kids goofing off after the concert

One of my friends has a daughter in the same orchestra and she films it. We are so grateful for her efforts. Here’s a link to the 2018 Philharmonia Winter Concert. My son is in the second violin section. Continue reading »

Feb 11 2018

TeenPact One Day

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For the third year in a row, we headed to Nashville for TeenPact One Day. This year, we managed to book a room next door to the Snodgrass Tower where the class was held. We just walked over, after making arrangements to leave our car parked at the hotel until that afternoon. So, so convenient. As soon as we know the date for 2019, we will book our room again at the Capitol Hotel Downtown Nashville.

TeenPact One Day

Signing each other’s Box Game

TeenPact is a four-day workshop for teens ages 13-19, teaching them how a bill becomes a law and many other details about our government. TeenPact One Day is the same workshop adapted for children ages 8-12 and it only takes place over one day. To be precise, between the hours of 10am and 4pm, with a lunch break. Continue reading »

Jan 24 2018

Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 24

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Chapter 24 deals with Captain Cook’s voyages and the beginnings of Australia as a British colony. Since we just finished “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” the kids were already somewhat familiar with the name “Captain Cook” and the whole idea of explorations. It was a happy coincidence that our literature selection and our history lesson overlapped in a way.

Boy looking through telescope

My son looking for Venus after sundown

I am more interested in the reading comprehension questions now, as the nationally standardized test is coming up in six weeks. There will be lots of reading comprehension items on that test and I want the kids to learn how to approach their texts.  Continue reading »

Jan 16 2018

Skype Violin Lessons

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A few years ago, I was complaining to somebody about the fact that there were no violin teachers in Sevier County and I had to drive to Knoxville, which is one hour away, so my children could get lessons. He said, “Try Skype lessons!” My reaction was, “No!”

Girl taking Skype vioiin lesson

My daughter’s violin lesson via Skype

Fast forward a year and I was burned out of driving for violin lessons. The kids were not happy with their instrument, either. They enjoyed piano more and violin practice became this big stressful moment of the day. Continue reading »

Jan 9 2018

Middle School Curriculum Choices

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Recently, I shared how to plan for middle school. Some of you have asked to see our curriculum choices and so here they are:

5th grade

Bible – My Place With Jesus Bible Guide Set for Kids  + The Bible Story by Arthur Maxwell, 10 volumes (Can you believe we have owned this set for 10 years and have not read it? Shame!)

Writing – Writing with Ease, Level 3 + begin Writing with Skill, Level 1

Rod and Staff 5th grade Grammar

Rod and Staff 5th grade Grammar

Math – Math Mammoth, 5th grade – I have the PDFs to print out and put in a binder

Social Studies – Story of the World, Vol. 1 (plus recommendations for the Logic Stage from The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer) – this marks our second time through the cycle of SOTW, so we will skip the coloring and crafts. We will read more of the extra books recommended by Ms. Bauer and continue work on a timeline. I will have to add the geography recommendations as well. My 3rd grader will join us. My 5th grader will read extra books on topics that interest him.

Science, 5th grade, by Christian Schools International (The textbook, for $42. The rest of the offerings are overkill.)

Vocabulary – Wordly Wise 3000, Book 5

Spelling – Logic of English Essentials, Level C, Vol. 2 + 3

Grammar – Rod and Staff Grammar, called “Following the Plan” – I bought the entire set from Milestone Books, but Rainbow Resource has it slightly cheaper. I will know for next time.

French – Rosetta Stone Continue reading »

Jan 8 2018

Ski Lessons at Ober Gatlinburg

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January is learn-to-ski month and we have taken ski lessons in January since 2015. We did not take lessons last year because, frankly, I was not ready to drive up Ski Mountain road six weeks after the devastating wildfires of November 2016.

Family skiing at Ober Gatlinburg

Our family skiing at Ober

But this year is a different story. We have gotten over the shock of the fire and we were ready to resume our skiing careers. Plus, our daughter is seven, which is the recommended age to start.  Continue reading »

Dec 26 2017

Well-Trained Mind Binder System

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We have been using the Well-Trained Mind binder system recommended by Susan Wise Bauer in her seminal book for several years now. It occurred to me that there might be homeschoolers out there who would like to see it in action. In fact, I have seen this question over and over in support groups for classical homeschoolers.

Well-Trained Mind binder system

My daughter’s binders

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So let’s start with a few pictures. Their binders sit on separate shelves in our school room. I am not a perfectionist when it comes to appearance. I don’t go all out when it comes to layout and design. A simple label on the outside of the binder helps us identify the name of the child and the subject matter. Continue reading »

Dec 21 2017

Homeschooling Through Holiday Cheer

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So, it’s the holidays. How’s homeschooling working out for your? Is the holiday cheer making it stressful beyond belief? I hope not. I sincerely hope you have found the breaks to the holiday madness and imposed some strict boundaries on your time.

Enjoying the Aquarium gift shop

Enjoying the Aquarium gift shop

A friend of mine who grew up in Western Europe lives in the States right now as a musician. She was shocked by how crazy it gets in December, with all the concerts in which she was asked to perform and all the other engagements she was required to attend. She is right. Continue reading »

Dec 5 2017

Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 20

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Chapter 20 dealt with Ch’ien Lung (Qianlong) in two different stories. The first focused on his interest in books. Ch’ien Long was a patron of the arts in general, but he really, really liked books. He knew there were lots of books all over China and he wanted them in one place, for posterity. Yes, it sounds like he wanted a library.

Chi'en Lung (public domain picture)

Chi’en Lung (public domain picture)

He sent men all over China to gather up these volumes and split them into four categories. Then, he ordered them copied so that he may have nine copies of each. Of course, they copied them by hand. Continue reading »