Category Archives: Curriculum

Visual Latin Giveaway!

Latin may be a dead language, but it is an incredibly useful dead language…even in today’s modern society.  Many of our English words come from Latin roots and many other languages find their beginnings in Latin as well.

But Latin can be hard on the homeschool mom. I don’t have the time to teach a living language, let alone a dead one!  This is one of those subjects I have to outsource.

While Visual Latin is not the Latin program I use, it is very similar.  That is why I feel confidant offering this giveaway to you.  I think you will find this program is just what you need to teach Latin because you don’t teach it at all!

That’s right!  Someone else teaches it!  And that someone is Dwane Thomas.  {Watch a lesson here.}  Dwane mixes wit and wisdom and teaches your child Latin in short downloadable videos and worksheets. {Get free samples here.}

So, if you want to teach Latin in your homeschool, but haven’t a clue how, this product is for you!  It’s outsourcing at the click of a mouse in the comfort of your own home!

Want to win a FULL YEAR of Latin 1 from Visual Latin!?

How to enter to win:
(leave a comment for every one you do!)

1. Leave a comment telling me if you have ever taught Latin and if Latin scares you as much as it scares me!

2. Subscribe to Raising Arrows (If you subscribe to Raising Arrows, you will receive a 25% Off Coupon Code good on any Visual Latin product!  Just look for the code at the bottom of my post in your feed reader or email!)

3. Like the Visual Latin facebook page.

4. Facebook this giveaway.

5. Tweet this giveaway.

Winner will be announced on Thursday!

Training Minds Away from Twaddle

I remember the first time I turned on the Moody Science videos I had purchased from Vision Forum. For a moment I caught my breath.

They were old.

I was scared.

Scared my kids would hate them because they weren’t flashy. Scared they wouldn’t be able to handle real people doing real things.  Scared my investment of the ENTIRE collection of Moody Science videos was going down the drain in a single cartoon-induced-brain-turned-to-mush moment.

Thirty minutes later, my fears were relieved.

They loved them!

They STILL love them!

It was then I realized something.  I had trained their minds away from twaddle. My fear of having cartoon-crazed kiddos who couldn’t watch movies with real people in them was totally unfounded.

Not that all cartoons are bad,mind you, but I know a lot of kids who won’t watch anything that isn’t cartoons because the action is too slow.  Their minds have been trained to only accept the bite-sized, fast-paced frames of action cartoons so readily give.

When my oldest was a little boy, his favorite book was a thick history text I had picked up at a library book sale.  It was deep.  It used big words.  But his little mind had been trained to think big thoughts and enjoy the texture of big words, rather than the mush of watered-down one syllable grunts.

But, the key word here is TRAINED.

He didn’t just “happen” to like history tomes that read like college textbooks.  My children didn’t just “happen” to enjoy the Moody Science videos in all their 1960′s splendor.  Their brains had feasted on words and the real world long enough to know when they were being fed good stuff!

As I write up our curriculum for next year, I keep noticing there are books and topics I am putting into my soon-to-be 8th grade son’s assignment sheets that didn’t make it to my world until college or later.  Even though I was a child who devoured books, my teachers never trained my mind away from the twaddle by offering me a steady diet of the good stuff.  My parent’s evening and weekend attempts were not enough to fully counteract my one-size-fits-all education.

Perhaps you are wondering how one goes about training their little ones to feast on the good stuff?  Here are some ideas to turn your child’s diet into one of vibrant, high-definition, vocabulary-rich goodness!

*Lead by example – My mom listened to classical music.  All.  The.  Time.  And then there were the operas on PBS.  Yes, I watched opera.  In fact, I didn’t just watch opera…I SANG opera!  I would shut myself in my bedroom and howl away.

My mom was also a book-fanatic.  I can still remember the oh-so-wonderful musty book smell of our local library.  I loved it!  My children have also grown up in the library.  Just the other day we were checking out books when the librarian remarked about how nice it was to see children checking out BOOKS, rather than videos!  I was astounded!  But, our children see us read.  All.  The.  Time.  Why wouldn’t they think reading is a worthwhile pursuit?

But, I will tell you, my children are not allowed in the “Homework Section” of our local library and they are not allowed to get just any old book.  The Homework Section is nothing but a teen magazine, comic book, witchcraft-filled, waste of time.  And I want my children to always be stretching their minds so I try to make sure the books they choose fit the bill.  No, my Kindergartner isn’t reading War and Peace, but I do try to follow the guidelines I’ve gleaned from books like Honey for A Child’s Heart.

*Read aloud – Reading to your child from good books teaches them to appreciate the sound of large, meaningful words.  Again, use the suggestions from books like Honey for a Child’s Heart.

*Watch “REAL” movies – Wholesome television does not have to come in the form of animated characters.  It can, but it doesn’t HAVE TO.  Teach your children to appreciate old movies by watching old movies.  (However, just because a movie is OLD, does not mean it will be appropriate–watch the movies together!) Many great movies and television programs from days gone by are collecting dust because our 25 Frames-Per-Second brains get bored easily.  Videos like Moody Science don’t deserve to be cast aside simply because the special effects aren’t special enough.

*Avoid Internet-ease – I about fell over the other day when a woman I was sitting near told a story and then said, “But that’s probably TMI.”  It is one thing to converse this way on the internet and via text messages, but when you train your brain to SPEAK this way IN REAL LIFE, you have just entered the TWADDLE ZONE.  Don’t go there.  Don’t let your children go there.  If they are really steeped in that culture, they might roll their eyes at you when you ask them to speak in complete sentences, but hold fast!  It will be worth it when they land a job that expects them to speak with real words.

*Never allow the words, “I’m Bored” – These 2 words are a sign that brains are turning to mush.  When a child cannot find enjoyment from their everyday environment and start that incessant whine with these 2 words attached, you can be assured they have had too much “fast-food”entertainment.  A twaddle-filled menu will quickly leave a child empty and wanting more.  When they say, “I’m bored,” and then follow it up with a request for a certain thing to make them “un-bored,” you can be fairly certain that thing they want is the Twaddle Culprit.  Wean them off of it and open up their world to the wonder-filled place it is!

Now, head to your local library, bookstore, online shoppe and fill your world with the Good Stuff!

 

Create Your Own History Curriculum

I promised I would talk about what we would be doing next year instead of Sonlight.  The truth of the matter is, I am creating my own curriculum.

Did I scare you?  I scare myself.

I have done this in the past, but it was an utter failure.  The main reason I failed at my own curriculum was because I didn’t stick with it.  It wasn’t very well thought out or planned out, so I was always trying to blindly figure out what to do next on the fly.  I finally caved that year and went back to a curriculum I had used in the past to “get us by.”

This time I am taking the curriculum to the next level.  I am giving substance to the ENTIRE YEAR, not in a rigid day by day schedule, but in a progression that says do this, then this, then this. I must admit, despite the long hours of planning, it has been immensely rewarding and even fun!

I started with this book: All Through the Ages by Christine Miller (Nothing New Press).

I found this book years ago at a homeschool convention.  I wasn’t looking for it, but a woman standing next to me told me to buy it. {yeah, I listen to total strangers at homeschool conventions ;) }

This book is a GEM! It is separated out chronologically and by age, so if you want to study Ancient Greece, you need only to turn to that page, find your child’s age group, and choose books from that list.  In addition to this, there are fabulous little history overviews scattered throughout the book.  I learned a lot just by reading those!  Miller has also made notations of any problems you might find in the books, so you are aware.

Next, I took All Through The Ages and sat down with a piece of paper and pen and made note of all the books listed in the appropriate time frame from the appropriate age groups that I thought would be good reads. {I also used Veritas Press’ catalog.  Most of their books are excellent, but you do have to be aware of the aspects I mentioned in my post on the other side of Classical curriculum.}

Many of these books I already owned, but there were several I did not.  The first thing I did was to cull from my bookshelves all the books I already owned that were either on the list or went along with that time period. I put them in a box and set them aside.

Next, I went to my computer and opened three windows:
One for my local library
One for PaperBackSwap.com
One for Amazon.com

For every book I did not own, I searched my local library first.

If it wasn’t there, I searched PaperBackSwap next.

Trade Books for Free - PaperBack Swap.

For those of you unfamiliar with Paperback Swap, it is a place where you can get rid of books you no longer want (paperback or not) and request books from other members.  You post your books and when another member requests a book from you, you package it up (at your expense) and send it off to them.  You get a book credit in return.  Every book credit allows for you to request a book from another member (free of charge to you).  You keep a running list of books you would like and when those books come available from another member, PBS alerts you, asks if you want the book, and then handles the transaction of credits.

However, you do not have to post your own books to participate!  You can purchase book credits for $3.45 a piece.  But, if you are like me, you likely have a few books lying around you would like to get rid of.  For the record, I ALWAYS check PBS first, even if I don’t have any credits because you will be hard-pressed to find many books that are cheaper and include shipping elsewhere!

If the book is not in my personal library or available on PaperBackSwap, I add the book to my Wish List on PBS and head to Amazon.com.  You can keep a running Wish List on Amazon as well that can be made available to relatives looking for gifts to bless your family with, so keep that in mind as you are searching.

I search out the “missing” books from my list on Amazon and check prices.  If it is a book I know I really, really want and it is not yet on PaperBackSwap and I think there’s a good chance it won’t show up there anytime soon, I go ahead and purchase from Amazon.  Otherwise, I just wait it out. {That’s the good thing about starting early on a project of this magnitude.}

After I had listed on paper where each book I wanted could be found, I started my Progression List using what I had in my box as well as the books I hoped to own or find at the library.  I separated things out by time periods so there were natural breaks in the curriculum.

I also added in suggestions from Vision Forum’s Building a Winning Curriculum.  This book has most of Vision Forum’s educational products divided into chronological and thematic categories.  I made notations of those I owned and those I want to own so when a sale comes up, I can take advantage of that sale.

If you are wondering why I am choosing to do a Progression List rather than a full-blown Lesson Plan with daily assignments, here’s my reasoning…

1. School doesn’t always happen 5 days a week, Monday through Friday around here.

2. If I get off track, I don’t feel guilty because I don’t have a lesson plan sheet telling me I should have done such and such on Monday, but here it is Thursday and I am just now getting around to it.

3. I set the pace.  I make it manageable.  And I know precisely where I left off because everything is done in progression!

Please understand, this is a test…this is only a test…in the event I use this homeschool curriculum and it creates an emergency, an alarm will sound followed by another post telling you I am changing course…again.  Thank you.

Ask, and it Shall Be Given

green door
Once Ty and I definitely decided to change course with our homeschooling curriculum, I felt the burden of the decision lift from my shoulders, only to have another burden fall into its place.  The burden of deciding where to go next.  I spent many late nights scouring catalogs, websites, and my own bookshelves searching for the key that would unlock next year’s homeschool.

In my search, I became intrigued by a classical curriculum that did a wonderful job of framing discussions from a Biblical point of view; however it had cons…why are there always cons…

Classical homeschooling has always appealed to me.  The chronological order, the reading of living books, the intellectually meaty discussions…all so beautiful.  But, this curriculum had another side.  A side our family has chosen to avoid.  The side that allows for nudity in the form of art and fantasy in the form of witchcraft.

Now, I know I kind of threw that incredibly hot topic out there in the middle of everything and proper etiquette would require that I now expound on it, but I’m not going to.  This post isn’t about the specifics, it’s about the big picture.

Late one night, after hours of pouring over sample pages and catalogs, weighing the pros and cons of everything I was reading, I decided to rest my weary brain from it all.  As I slipped into the bitterly cold sheets of my side of the bed, next to a husband who had been there for hours, I begged God to make it crystal clear what we should do.  Could the pros of the classical curriculum outweigh the cons?  Could I find a way to avoid those topics which oppose our family’s worldview?  What was the answer?

I asked.

The next morning, it was given.

Blake and I were sitting in the living room the next morning discussing homeschooling for next year as I was anxious to introduce him to some of the things I had been mulling over.  In our usual conversational tone, I told him of the things I saw potential in as well as the things I was concerned about, when suddenly, he stopped me and said,

Mom, I don’t think those things are good.

And my heart and mind became quiet.

I looked him straight in the eye and asked him to tell me more.

I listened as he told me about a book he had seen in the library.  He said he saw one page of inappropriate things, but figured it was just one page and he would avoid it.  So, he brought it home.  However, once home, he found there were more pages he had not seen in that one glance at the library.  The book had to be taken back.  But the damage was done.

My answer came from the profound and discerning thoughts of a 13 year old boy.

Ask.

It shall be given.

And so we move on.

{I wanted to publicly thank all of you who have been so understanding as well as those of you who are offering suggestions.  Even if it is not something I go with, I know other readers are interested in what you have to say!  Thank you!}

Why We are Changing Course

I was hoping to put this post off a bit longer, but the emails were coming hard and fast and I knew it was time to address it.

But, I will be perfectly honest with you…I am nervous to talk about this.

I am writing this post to hopefully explain why our family is no longer doing Sonlight.

You see, I thought I had made a good decision.  I wrote several posts on the matter…several posts that top Google searches for the keyword “Sonlight.”  I affected people’s lives.

And now I must come back and say we have changed our minds.

Humility hurts.

What I said in my Six Weeks of Sonlight posts is still true.  The curriculum has many pros and many fans, and the things that worked about Sonlight for our family REALLY worked.  But the cons that I spoke of here began to outweigh the pros.  Prayerfully, Ty and I sought a new direction.

Because so many of you have asked, here is a partial list of the reasons why we feel led to change our course:

*We were only using Sonlight for History.  It is a hefty price to pay for a History curriculum alone.

*We do not agree with many of the books (non-fiction and fiction both) theologically and/or based on our worldview. You’ll remember, I thought I could handle this with a lot of dialoguing; however, Ty and I became quite convicted that those sorts of things ought not to be even introduced into our children’s minds except through the worldview lens we espouse.

*Sonlight’s Christian educational philosophy is different from ours. They want to steep the child in understanding of other cultures and religions and then teach them to judge rightly.  We want to steep our children in the Bible and knowledge and wisdom of God and then teach them about other cultures and religions from that perspective.

Now here’s my caveat…

Just because we are changing course does not mean I think everyone using Sonlight should quit. I listened in on a webinar last year in which Sarita, the author of Sonlight, spoke from the heart with such grace and God-filled words, I have no doubt she is a believer and wrote the curriculum with only the best intentions.  However, because of our family’s desire to glean knowledge rooted and grounded in the Word of God from start to finish, we are required to take a different path.

As the Lord leads us in our new curriculum choices, I will share them here; not in the hopes that you will follow me, but with the desire that you would also focus your homeschool on Him…no matter what path you take.

 

Lifestyle of Learning – Science

Science is everywhere.  Even in the city.

Our family has a few priorities when it comes to science and those priorities have very little to do with textbooks.

1. Be a naturalist.

Study your environment just the way it is.  Don’t take the animal, flower, insect out of its natural environment unless you absolutely have to.  Observe.  Record.  But don’t let the first thing you do be Touch.

2. Learn about man’s relationship with science from a Biblical perspective.

God created this natural world and gave us specific commands about it.  I’ve always told people our ecology stems from our theology.  We are conservationist of a different color, but conservationist nonetheless.

3. Worship the CREATOR, not the creation.

God expects us to enjoy this world.  But the things of this world should never usurp or undermine our worship of its Creator.

~~~~~

Now we’ve tried journaling and nature walks and all of that, but they always seemed contrived for our family.  Science just kind of happens here.  All mom and dad have to do is be ready for it!

It isn’t uncommon for us to turn our 15 passenger van around in order to get pictures of wild turkeys or deer along the side of the road.  I often call the children’s attention to an ant hill, rubbings on a tree, static electricity, the water going down the drain.  We’ve been known to wake our children up in the middle of the night to see a lunar eclipse or a meteor shower.  It’s all science.  You needn’t look hard to find it.  But you do have to be willing to take the time when you do find it.

In the early grades, we primarily use books to offer our children more in the way of science.  However, my daughter is currently reading through the Apologia Elementary Science series.  Our oldest is in General Science.  So, yes, I do believe in textbooks when it comes to science, but I also believe the texts must be engaging (as are the Apologia books) and chock full of easy and informative experiments (another checkmark for Apologia!).  There is absolutely no reason for science to be boring.

Another great resource for science with character training added in are the Character Sketches from IBLP.  We purchased our set from Light of Faith Resources (these folks are wonderful people!)  The paintings are Audubon-esque and linked to a Bible story and a character lesson.

All-in-all, science is a very easy thing to incorporate into your homeschooling life if you only take time. I know that feels like something you don’t have much of, but trust me when I say the lasting benefits of pulling over your 15 passenger van or waking up your crew in the middle of night are well worth worth every second of being late and lost sleep!

So, how do you make science a part of your day?

Read the rest of the Lifestyle of Learning posts HERE.