I mentioned memory work in my curriculum post. Some homeschoolers are big on memory work and there is lots of great advice out there. I don't love memory work but I figure it is good for us to work our brains and memorize some things each year. Here's what we've done the past three years; I'm still working on our 4th grade plan for next year. When possible, I choose at least a couple of poets who wrote during the time period we are studying in history. I'll put a list of Bible verses we've memorized over the years at the end of this post.
Ancients - 1st grade
Bible
10 verses
Psalm 23
Lord’s Prayer
History
7 Wonders of the Ancient World
Poems (6)
The Caterpillar, Christina Rossetti
Hearts Are Like Doors, Anonymous
Baby Chick, Aileen Fisher
The Little Elf, John Kendrick Bangs
Who Has Seen the Wind, Christina Rossetti
The Swing, Robert Louis Stevenson
Middle Ages - 2nd grade
Bible
10 verses
Colossians 3:12-17
Books of the Bible
History
Magna Carta (concluding paragraph)
Poems (6)
My Shadow, Robert Louis Stevenson
When It’s Thanksgiving, Aileen Fisher
I Heard a Bird Sing, Oliver Herford
The Goops, Gellet Burgess
Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare
Death Be Not Proud, John Donne
Early Modern - 3rd grade
Bible
10 verses
The Beatitudes
Apostles Creed
History
Declaration of Independence (1st two paragraphs)
Poems (4)
The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost
The Land of Nod, Robert Louis Stevenson
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, William Wordsworth
A Slash of Blue, Emily Dickinson
Modern - 4th grade
Bible
10 verses
Longer passage?
The New City Catechism
History
Gettysburg Address
Poems (4)
?
Bible Verses
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8
But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
Matthew 28:20b
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
1 Peter 5:7 [Cast] all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
James 1:17 Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Psalm 139:14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 6:19 God hates . . . one who sows discord among brothers.
Proverbs 12:20b Those who plan peace have joy.
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:5 A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 17:5b He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Matthew 7:12 Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.
1 Corinthians 13:6a Love . . . does not rejoice at wrongdoing.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances.
Hebrews 10:24 Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Friday, March 27, 2020
Thomas: 14 Months
Sweet baby Thomas is 14 months old. I think he really might be the most loved baby ever. He gets snuggles and kisses all day long. Most of the time, he loves it. However, he has learned the "stiff arm" this month and ocassionally uses it on his siblings when he needs some space. ;) This month Thomas is standing on his own and cruising all around and walking with his big sister's doll stroller. I bet he's still a month or two away from walking on his own. He has gotten super-fast at crawling in the meantime! He is also very interested in books now. His current favorites are Farmblock, Goodnight Moon, and Freight Train. He will find them out of all the other books on his shelf. It is very cute. Thomas loves to be outside and to go for walks in the stroller. He is usually pretty easy-going, but he can throw a good fit when things don't go his way. Thomas is finally sleeping from 7pm-5:30am, then nursing and going back to sleep will about 7:30am. It is hard to learn to sleep through the night when you share a room with your brother! Thomas, you are a delight and we adore you. Even if you were not in a smiling mood for these pictures.
Friday, March 13, 2020
2019-2020 Curriculum Recap
Here's what we used in our homeschool this year:
Nora: 4K
God's Creation from A to Z, by My Father's World
I have used this curriculum for 4K with Annie, Jacob, and Sophie, too. It is a sweet little program and we don't do all of the suggestions, but it gives us some structure and Nora feels like she is doing "real school."
Sophie: 1st Grade
Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
I love this book. It is very easy to use and comprehensive, and she generally enjoyed it (I got very few complaints about not wanting to read). We started it last year with kindergarten, and she's almost finished with it. She is reading on a fourth grade level. I used a different program with Annie and Jacob and they did learn to read, but they did not enjoy that program and they were slower to learn. However, every child learns to read at their own pace and that is okay.
All About Spelling, level A
Makes learning to spell easy. Love this program. Check out the companion program, All About Reading, if the Ordinary Parent's Guide is not a good fit for your child.
First Language Lessons, level 1
Short oral lessons for an early intro to grammar.
Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, first grade
Easy to follow books, she does this mostly independently.
Right Start Mathematics, level B
I love Right Start. It is hands on and gets kids thinking about how and why math works, instead of memorizing formulas to solve problems.
My First Piano Adventure, books B and C
We did book A last year. I used these three books with Annie and Jacob, and when they started "real" piano lessons their teacher said "whoever taught them the basics did a really good job." All I did was work through these books with them, it wasn't hard. ;)
Annie and Jacob: 3rd grade
All About Spelling, levels A and B
Spelling was where I put my focus for the big kids this year. Our previous spelling program was not clicking and they were really awful spellers. This program makes so much sense and Annie and Jacob have improved so much this year!
First Language Lessons, level 3
Comprehensive grammar program. It isn't flashy or super-fun, but the lessons only take 10-15 minutes a day. Annie and Jacob have learned a lot about how our language works.
Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, third grade
This is year two of covering cursive writing, and they're realizing how much easier and faster it is to write in cursive. Woohoo. Also, Jacob's cursive is more legible than his manuscript!
Right Start Mathematics, level D
We continued on with Right Start this year. Awesome program, though it is very hands-on for the teacher until level G.
Piano lessons with a music teacher
Prima Latina
Introduction to Latin. We only do Latin 1-2 times per week, so we are spreading this book over two years. You could easily do it in one, but this is just an extra for us--a small dose of a foreign language.
Subjects we all do together:
Story of the World, volume 3
We love the Story of the World series! I will definitely repeat these with the younger children, they are some of our favorites.
Chemistry for Every Kid
We do 2-5 experiments a week and talk about them, then type up a report for their science notebook. We supplemented with books about chemistry from the library.
Drawing with Children
This was our art program this year. We all--Mama, too--learned a little about drawing this year. It really clicked with some kids, and we all had fun with it.
Also, here are some things we have done during Wonder Hour/Morning Basket:
Lots and lots of picture books
Life of Fred
Mad Libs
A Child's First Book of American History
The Story of the Orchestra
DK: The Arts, a Visual Encyclopedia
Annie, Jacob, and Sophie do copywork, dictation, and narration for their writing. We all do memory work together. I'll do a separate post on that sometime. Annie and Jacob also do a good bit of independent reading, and they--along with Sophie--still read aloud to me often so I can check in on them. We do our literature read-alouds together before rest time. I'll post a list of books we're reading this year later.
Whew! It looks like a lot but it really isn't. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we generally do school from 9-noon. Thursday is our activity day (dance, piano, horseback riding, library) so we usually only do math and reading. Friday we do math and language arts (grammar, spelling, reading, handwriting) and anything else we need to catch up on.
Nora: 4K
God's Creation from A to Z, by My Father's World
I have used this curriculum for 4K with Annie, Jacob, and Sophie, too. It is a sweet little program and we don't do all of the suggestions, but it gives us some structure and Nora feels like she is doing "real school."
Sophie: 1st Grade
Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
I love this book. It is very easy to use and comprehensive, and she generally enjoyed it (I got very few complaints about not wanting to read). We started it last year with kindergarten, and she's almost finished with it. She is reading on a fourth grade level. I used a different program with Annie and Jacob and they did learn to read, but they did not enjoy that program and they were slower to learn. However, every child learns to read at their own pace and that is okay.
All About Spelling, level A
Makes learning to spell easy. Love this program. Check out the companion program, All About Reading, if the Ordinary Parent's Guide is not a good fit for your child.
First Language Lessons, level 1
Short oral lessons for an early intro to grammar.
Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, first grade
Easy to follow books, she does this mostly independently.
Right Start Mathematics, level B
I love Right Start. It is hands on and gets kids thinking about how and why math works, instead of memorizing formulas to solve problems.
My First Piano Adventure, books B and C
We did book A last year. I used these three books with Annie and Jacob, and when they started "real" piano lessons their teacher said "whoever taught them the basics did a really good job."
Annie and Jacob: 3rd grade
All About Spelling, levels A and B
Spelling was where I put my focus for the big kids this year. Our previous spelling program was not clicking and they were really awful spellers. This program makes so much sense and Annie and Jacob have improved so much this year!
First Language Lessons, level 3
Comprehensive grammar program. It isn't flashy or super-fun, but the lessons only take 10-15 minutes a day. Annie and Jacob have learned a lot about how our language works.
Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, third grade
This is year two of covering cursive writing, and they're realizing how much easier and faster it is to write in cursive. Woohoo. Also, Jacob's cursive is more legible than his manuscript!
Right Start Mathematics, level D
We continued on with Right Start this year. Awesome program, though it is very hands-on for the teacher until level G.
Piano lessons with a music teacher
Prima Latina
Introduction to Latin. We only do Latin 1-2 times per week, so we are spreading this book over two years. You could easily do it in one, but this is just an extra for us--a small dose of a foreign language.
Subjects we all do together:
Story of the World, volume 3
We love the Story of the World series! I will definitely repeat these with the younger children, they are some of our favorites.
Chemistry for Every Kid
We do 2-5 experiments a week and talk about them, then type up a report for their science notebook. We supplemented with books about chemistry from the library.
Drawing with Children
This was our art program this year. We all--Mama, too--learned a little about drawing this year. It really clicked with some kids, and we all had fun with it.
Also, here are some things we have done during Wonder Hour/Morning Basket:
Lots and lots of picture books
Life of Fred
Mad Libs
A Child's First Book of American History
The Story of the Orchestra
DK: The Arts, a Visual Encyclopedia
Annie, Jacob, and Sophie do copywork, dictation, and narration for their writing. We all do memory work together. I'll do a separate post on that sometime. Annie and Jacob also do a good bit of independent reading, and they--along with Sophie--still read aloud to me often so I can check in on them. We do our literature read-alouds together before rest time. I'll post a list of books we're reading this year later.
Whew! It looks like a lot but it really isn't. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we generally do school from 9-noon. Thursday is our activity day (dance, piano, horseback riding, library) so we usually only do math and reading. Friday we do math and language arts (grammar, spelling, reading, handwriting) and anything else we need to catch up on.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
2020 Goals
I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I do like to set some goals or reminder phrases each year, to remind me of what's important and what I'm trying to accomplish in the long-run during the day to day living. Here's what I wrote in my journal for this year:
Read through the Bible in a year. It has been a while since I did this.
Read Frame's Systematic Theology. It has 52 chapters, so I read one chapter a week.
Build our house. Well, obviously I'm not the one building it. Perhaps this goal should be "supervise building of new house."
Spend intentional time with my children daily. Don't give in to the tyranny of the urgent.
Soak in Thomas's babyhood.
Say "yes" (as regards parenting) more. I'm good at saying no to too many activities and evening plans. With a family of 7 it gets out of hand quickly. But I say no too often to the kids (can I paint? can I do a science experiment?) because it just means more mess and hassle for me.
That's all. :)
Read through the Bible in a year. It has been a while since I did this.
Read Frame's Systematic Theology. It has 52 chapters, so I read one chapter a week.
Build our house. Well, obviously I'm not the one building it. Perhaps this goal should be "supervise building of new house."
Spend intentional time with my children daily. Don't give in to the tyranny of the urgent.
Soak in Thomas's babyhood.
Say "yes" (as regards parenting) more. I'm good at saying no to too many activities and evening plans. With a family of 7 it gets out of hand quickly. But I say no too often to the kids (can I paint? can I do a science experiment?) because it just means more mess and hassle for me.
That's all. :)
Friday, March 6, 2020
Favorite Recent Reads: January and February
Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery. I read this aloud to the kids and it might be an even more magical story read aloud than all the times I've read it to myself.
the Emily books, L.M. Montgomery. Re-reading Anne inspired me to re-read the Emily books. I hadn't read these since high school. A different flavor than the Anne books--I enjoyed these more as an adult than I did as a teen. Montgomery is an excellent writer and everyone should have a chance to explore some of her work!
Adorning the Dark, Andrew Peterson. This book was so good, I had to restrict myself from reading it in one sitting. I was sad when it ended. Andrew, we need more! Some favorite quotes below; also, the entire last two pages--you should get a copy and read it for yourself.
The steady resonance of your work might move someone closer to the Kingdom.
Sometimes you have to put away your wants and do what needs to be done, which really means dying to self in order to find life. This is a way of practicing resurrection.
It is our job, it is our ministry, it is the sword we swing in the Kingdom, to remind children that the good guys win, that the stories are true, and that a fool's hope may be the best kind.
Delight in what you find delightful more than you bemoan what isn't.
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, Alan Jacobs. I love a good book about reading or books. :) This one isn't about lists or methods, but about reading to Whim. Read what you enjoy, read for yourself not for a teacher or improvement or a list, read to expand the joy in your life.
Motivate Your Child, Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. I find the cover of this book off-putting, but the content is so good. I heard a podcast with Turansky and thought, "I need to read his book and find out more." Very practical guide for heart-training, instead of behavior modification parenting.
Dangerous Journey, Oliver Hunkin. Picture book/short chapter book retelling of Pilgrim's Progress. The children and I read it several years ago and revisited it last month. The power and beauty of the story is in no way diminished in this children's version.
Suffer Strong, Katherine and Jay Wolfe. Thankful for Katherine and Jay and their ministry to hurting people (which is pretty much every person on the planet).
the Emily books, L.M. Montgomery. Re-reading Anne inspired me to re-read the Emily books. I hadn't read these since high school. A different flavor than the Anne books--I enjoyed these more as an adult than I did as a teen. Montgomery is an excellent writer and everyone should have a chance to explore some of her work!
Adorning the Dark, Andrew Peterson. This book was so good, I had to restrict myself from reading it in one sitting. I was sad when it ended. Andrew, we need more! Some favorite quotes below; also, the entire last two pages--you should get a copy and read it for yourself.
The steady resonance of your work might move someone closer to the Kingdom.
Sometimes you have to put away your wants and do what needs to be done, which really means dying to self in order to find life. This is a way of practicing resurrection.
It is our job, it is our ministry, it is the sword we swing in the Kingdom, to remind children that the good guys win, that the stories are true, and that a fool's hope may be the best kind.
Delight in what you find delightful more than you bemoan what isn't.
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, Alan Jacobs. I love a good book about reading or books. :) This one isn't about lists or methods, but about reading to Whim. Read what you enjoy, read for yourself not for a teacher or improvement or a list, read to expand the joy in your life.
Motivate Your Child, Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. I find the cover of this book off-putting, but the content is so good. I heard a podcast with Turansky and thought, "I need to read his book and find out more." Very practical guide for heart-training, instead of behavior modification parenting.
Dangerous Journey, Oliver Hunkin. Picture book/short chapter book retelling of Pilgrim's Progress. The children and I read it several years ago and revisited it last month. The power and beauty of the story is in no way diminished in this children's version.
Suffer Strong, Katherine and Jay Wolfe. Thankful for Katherine and Jay and their ministry to hurting people (which is pretty much every person on the planet).
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
She's NINE
My baby girl is NINE. We celebrated Annie's birthday last week with a family breakfast, a strawberry cake with cream cheese icing and an "A" made out of sprinkles, and dinner at Olive Garden after dance class. She had a great day and we loved celebrating with her! At nine, Annie is thoughtful, always thinking, almost always talking, loves to read, and loves school. She is a delight to be around and we are blessed to have her as our daughter!
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