It's been a while since I updated.
School is going very well. We have our house up for sale and are staying w/ relatives.
We are keeping up w/ the Sonlight schedule very well. I love having it,esp the Sonlight schedules for Apologia science. If we just follow them, we will be finished in 36 weeks.
We still have some bugs to work out and a few subjects to add, but so far, so good!
Just signed up for a month of Time4Learning.com. I might even do longer. I just felt the need to supplement what I have been doing(Sonlight) w/ some traditional learning.
I think this will be a nice way of rounding things out. I love the literature based approach of Sonlight and will not change from it.
Time4Learning also has a simulated state test. Will be a confidence booster to let them take that! :)
Things are going so well. For me, it has been all about sticking w/ it.
It IS December and it is obvious that the Core 3 I bought for this year is not going to get finished...but that is not necessarily a defeat.
It took me this long, but I am finally starting to make some gains in actually learning how to do this whole homeschooling thing.
My oldest is in his second year of high school. I am starting to see that we are actually making lasting progress w/ his education. His work in Sonlight's Core 100 is all coming together.
I am reading all of his books, so I can input some things and he can have someone to talk to about them, so at least *I* am getting a quality education, even if no one else is!! ;)
Finally a short update. Still homeschooling, still loving Sonlight. Have started this year out very slow, building up, adding a new subject as we are able to handle them. Next week, I am going to start adding in the Sonlight schedule.
I am very excited to finally get it all going full speed. Will adjust if I have to and slow down for awhile.
I am very grateful to be able to homeschool, even though we have challenges like learning disabilities, add, depression and other stuff! :)
I should update more! But since I found facebook, it satisfies the need for talking and communicating that I originally hoped this blog would fill.
The few visitors I do get like to read about my experience w/ Sonlight Curriculum and I sure like talking about it!! So I will try to post every now and then...
We are currently on a summer break. My intention was to work through the summer, but I was so burned out that we took a break. I am so glad we did. I feel fired up to start again in the fall!
I did a little "sneak peek" the last few weeks of school and used my new SL cores: 100 and Core 3. I have found that I need to follow the schedule exactly for awhile before changing it. I need to give it a chance.
My oldest really needs some input w/ the literature, so this summer I am going to read as many of his level 100 books as I can. There are about 40 and I have read 2. I feel like they are changing my life! And I LOVE LOVE how the assigned books relate so well w/ each other. I am reading a non fiction book about pilgrims and I just finished a fictional story about them. Really well rounded.
Hope the kids enjoy it as much as I have!!!!
We just finished Week 14 of Core 1+2. I have never bought the Sonlight markable maps, but as we go through the history, I find myself more and more curious about where everything has taken place.
Today the kids got all into it too, so we pulled out a map, put it up and the kids stuck tacks in the places mentioned in the lesson. Someone had drawn on it, so it needs to be cleaned up, and it was hard to get it to stay because it had torn so many times...
I just chuckled to myself and thought, this is why Sonlight sells a Markable Map. :)
Well truthfully, if I can do it, ANYONE can.
Years ago, I started w/ K. for my oldest child. I loved it, but at that time didn't stick w/ it long enough to learn it. I switched to FIVE in a Row for an easier educational experience. At that time, I had 4 kids in 5 years. A slew of health problems hit me and I still deal w/ some of them...
Well one day on the FIAR website, I happened upon a comment about high school. FIAR doesn't offer high school. I got it in high gear looking around at high school for my oldest who was jr. high age at that time. I wanted something that I could "go all the way with" and not piece together curriculum on my own every year, for every child.
So I pretty much high tailed it back to SL. My plan was to do 1+2 and 3+4 for jr high and then my oldest would be ready for the upper levels. After buying 1+2, I decided that it wasn't that great of a plan, at least for my oldest and I ordered him some used Alt. 6 stuff off of ebay. The 1+2 stuff was too easy and the Alt 6 was too hard. Not to mention that I had a low comprehension extra student who joined us. My younger 3 totally loved the 1+2.
At first I quickly noticed that it would have you pretty much read through a book chapter by chapter, so I quit looking at the schedule and would just read on my own.
Then I tried just reading the books w/ out the schedule on my own. I just couldn't organize it! Couldn't adapt it for all the students I had!
Fast forward to my oldest's ninth grade year, I went back to Five in a Row for my sanity's sake and for the sake of the extra student. I just didn't know how to blend him into our SL experience even though my kids were loving it. I bought Starting Points from Cornerstone Curriculum for my oldest and decided SL was too hard for him.That was settled, breathe a sigh of relief!
Before the new school year started, the extra student went back to public school. I was glad, but now I had to re evaluate my choices. If it was just going to be my younger 3, I didn't need all the FIAR stuff I'd just bought. I'd rather do SL if it was just our family.
So I decided to try 1+2 again. Hey I have only been trying this curriculum for 2 YEARS! lol But it wasn't going to cost me anything, so why not? Should be easier now that I didn't have to deal w/ a student w/ low comprehension.My dyslexic son LOVED SL, he just had to listen to me read all the subjects. But the low comprehension wasn't something I had experience w/. It frustrated me that I didn't know how to help!
My children were now 11, 10 and 8, still in the range of the core, maybe they were a little old for it, but it was what I had and I didn't want to waste it. And I would just use it as a book list if I had to. The books were so compelling! Boring and dry at times, but so worth it!!!
One day I read a review of SL that said it was just a booklist, that the schedule was unneccesary, it just had you read a chapter of the book each day. Well, that was my impression too. So I thought I was fine. I'll just read these books one at a time, chapter by chapter...
Then another day, I read that SL is not a booklist and people are mistaken when they say SL is just a booklist, that the schedule is the heart of the program! What was I missing!!!????
Now that my oldest was using his own program, I could focus on the youngest kids. Instead of trying to figure out how to adapt the schedule, I just started following the SL schedule. I did drop some of the books SL suggested, but kept following the schedule otherwise.
I was starting to understand the beauty of the SL schedule.
The Christian history text would mention something, then it would be mentioned again in the secular history text. Forget the kids, I felt like I was understanding history from a biblical perspective for the first time ever!! I had never understood where Biblical events fell in w/ the history I was taught in public school. Eventually I heard another point of view(Christian), but I doubted that as well. It was hard hearing a different view after so many years of hearing just a secular account. And sometimes it seemed overly Christianized...
But this to me is such a balanced way of learning! My kids can learn mainstream history the way most of America learns it, but also see how Christianity falls into it. They are getting the full package, not only half the story or a cleaned up version of the story...
Actually let's not pretend the school history textbook is as good as the stack of books SL has us read for history, but you get the picture anyway!
Now that I am getting the feel for the schedule sometimes we double up the reading and finish the 4 day schedule in less time. It really helps for those times when life is overtaking us! I am probably able to do this because 1.they are in the upper age range for the core. I don't imagine that I will be able to do this when we move on to next year's core and they are closer to the recommended age. And 2. Now that we have been w/ SL for a while, we are both used to reading alot.
As for my oldest son, after he finishes the year w/ Starting Points, he will be going back to SL for the rest of high school. I am slowly building him up to do more and more rigorous assignments.
We didn't stay w/ SL for Language Arts, we went to Writing strands. It is a much better fit. My oldest daughter did love SL LA and often does it on her own. We still do the readers.And although SL Science goes above and beyond, we(probably ME!) just can't do it and it is pricey. Worth it, but just not in our budget. We do the opt. Bible, it is wonderful. Just today the kids remarked that they loved learning about the Bible at church and then learning more at home. They feel like they are going to Christian school my daughter said!!
It does feel fantastic to have found our perfect match and to not devour every catalog, every website, pick every homeschooler's brain...but it still isn't easy... just because of the various challenges that we all face. :)
Trying to worry too much over the break. It is almost time to buy curriculum again and I haven't finished what I am using. Oh well... I don't have to use the new stuff as soon as I order it in Feb, but it will be tempting!
but the "other shoe" never drops! Dare I sigh a sigh of relief? So many times I have started in excitement only to fizzle out!
I decided to switch back to the 4 day plan of Sonlight's 1+2 program. I bought the 5 day because I just had to do all of it. Recently I was doing the 5 day because the assignments seemed a little shorter, although I don't know if that is actually true or not. I didn't worry about what day of the schedule I was on, I just worked it.
Then I decided after reading on the forums about those who are happy doing the 4 day, I decided to give it a shot. We do attend co-op one day a week and I no longer have the time or energy to obsess about "missed books" that aren't included in the 4 day program. And we are able to read aloud more(me) and they are able to listen to more.
I am so glad I kept up with it even though it felt like I was failing. Even though I felt like I couldn't make people understand what my problem was. Even though I have googled "hate sonlight" hoping to find something that could help me articulate what my problem was!!! Other box checkers(people who must complete every assignment) were adapting, was I one of the ones who could not overcome reason number 6 of " 27 Reasons not to buy Sonlight"? I didn't want to be and now I am not. It is an amazing feeling and such a relief!!!
I would get so mad because it was SL who made me so picky in the first place! w/ their constant improvements and awesome customer service! I never had demands or expectations for curriculum, I thought it was my task master for me to follow exactly and if it didn't work it was my fault...and I was SO jealous of people who found their curriculum and didn't look around anymore. NOW it's ME!!
So after doing various programs over the last few years, and only completing about 8 weeks of SL in that time, I am excited to report that we just finished week 12!
I just breathed a deep sigh, just reading over it, but I will still be prepared for interuptions. I still remain hopeful, though! :)
After homeschooling for 9 years, I finally get it! My chosen curriculum is Sonlight. And I get that too!!! It is unbelieveable! My husband was right, he always is.
So what took me so long? Well, the extra student I had for 2 years had low comprehension and didn't retain all the reading aloud that you do for SL, so I kept trying to find something that would work for him and my kids.
I had decided to move on over to WinterPromise or My Father's world.
First I checked out WP. I searched the SL forums.
"Lots" of people seemed to find they preferred WP, it was every that SL lacked. The author of the curriculum corresponded w/ me by email and she was wonderfully helpful. In the end, the big thing for me was the high school offerings. And it was really expensive. I am sure there is a cheaper way to do it, but my first year, I was just going to buy what they suggested and it was pricey!
Plus, upon closer inspection, "lots" of people on the forums mixed and matched programs and books from WP and SL, so there really didn't seem to be a mass exodus or anything. Just more of an appreciation of WP.
UPDATE: To clarify, I never purchased WP. I found the author of the curriculum very accessible and very helpful. It just didn't seem to be the right fit for our family.
Then I checked out MFW. I found out they now have high school. Well, one or two levels, w/ more to come. I liked the courses and the fact that they are written to the student. They also include grading guidelines.
The online forum was awesome. It had a real gentle feel to it.
I read and compared. MFW seemed so much cheaper! W/ 4 kids though, it really isn't cheaper than SL, but may be if there is only one child. And although the booklist is optional, many expressed frustration in finding the books and/or racking up huge fines!(that would be me!!!)
Hands on stuff intimidated me(would I have the energy?) and I didn't really want to do it, but I thought it would be good, esp. for the extra student I had.
My mind was made up to do it. It seemed to be just what I needed.
I posted about it here and Sonlight left me a comment wishing me well! I was blown away. My husband said it didn't seem like I wanted to give up on SL.He didn't think I would be able to hunt for books. He really didn't think I would turn them in on time. He didn't think I would have the energy to keep up w/ projects. Why couldn't I just buy all the Sonlight books and use them to the best of my ability? No projects, just reading. No library searches or fines.
He thought the 2 books we had managed to finished were pretty outstanding. Red Sails to Capri was so dry and Ginger Pye had me about bored to tears. I found out on the SL forums that alot of people don't love those titles, but just finish them, it would be worth it. So I did.
W/ Ginger Pye, every day, my little boy would say "Isn't this a good book?!"
When we finished Red Sails to Capri and I went online to check out the real place, I gasped aloud. When I showed it to the kids the next morning, they did too. Every time we hear the word grotto, or Capri, everyone gets excited and says "remember!?" It wasn't a book, it was an experience we shared. It was one of those Sonlight moments.
When my extra student went back to school this year, it was a perfect opportunity to try SL again. The kids are older now. We have built up our reading and listening ears a bit and can listen to 2 or 3 days worth of history reading at a time.So when I get behind because of co-op homework or because I am not feeling good, we can still finish the week.
When I looked at other curriculum choices, one thing they all agreed on, was doing the one God leads you to do. God has led us to SL and He will equip us to do it.
I get it now that SL is a buffet and you don't have to eat all of it. It just took me a LONG time to understand. I don't use Window on the World all the time, for example. But I use the other 2 history books. I love how history is just me reading and us talking about it! What could be easier? I love how the bible reading, the history readings all tie together!
The other day my husband was home for lunch and we were going over the bible memory verse. Our youngest was doing great, her little voice carefully speaking out the long verse. My husband jerks his head around"Is she READING that?!" He couldn't believe she had it memorized. Another one of those Sonlight moments!!!
We are struggling to get all our co-op homework completed. And on time. This week I really need to do at least 2 day's worth each day of the Sonlight assignments. Last week was a total bust in that area.
I think the key is to keep trying!
Today went really well.
My health is improving. And since I am now using allergy pills that don't cause drowsiness, I am relishing the feeling of not being groggy all day!!!!
I added to the stuff we did yesterday. We started w/ Bible, which seems to really cause us to have success!
Listened to a chapter of Word of Promise on CD. It is the NKJ version performed by Jim Cavieziel and other famous actors. Then I played a worship song. Today I found one on youtube w/ the words displayed. I instruct the kids to be respectful and try to make the words a prayer. This is the only time I try to shape the way they behave during singing.
Then because some were still eating I went on to read our SL bible reading(for history and studying).
Then it was Window on the World.
For prayer, one day the thought occurred to me that it was silly for us to list our prayer requests and then repeat those very same words as we prayed for them. Plus, no one wants to pray outloud, so they give a prayer request such as "Pray for our aunt who is having surgery" then I would say" I pray for our aunt who is having surgery". weird right?
So~ I declared that while you are giving the need, THAT is your prayer. After all, He is in our midst because He is there wherever 2 or more are gathered!
Also during prayer, I read out the needs of the country we read about in Window on the World.
I have been so torn up over the last 2 years trying to complete the Sonlight materials I bought. These last 2 days have really just come together. Don't tell anyone on the SL message boards that I am using level 1+2 for my kids ages 8-12, with the 14 year old listening in before he does his own work. The top age recommended for this level was 10 I believe, but it just didn't work out before when I tried it.
The Lord took me down this road for a reason. I made the plans, but the Lord ordered my steps.
Remember when it drove me crazy to modify the schedule? I think now we will just do all the activities listed because now they are older, so the activities won't be too much.
Then I completed the SL schedule and went over some math tips w/ everyone.
now they are doing Mad Libs, it is getting really silly...
The oldest still has his work to do and a few have already finished their individual work.
Thank God for completing the work he began in me!
It's been a while, I'll say it again: blogging is one of the first things to go.
We are getting ready to start school around here pretty soon. My extra student won't be joining us. I sure wish I'd known that before I ordered for this year, but oh well.
It is time to "Pick it and stick it" so to speak. No curriculum is perfect. I have recently realized that I have some "obsessive tendencies" and that sure makes it hard to choose curriculum and then adapt it, etc.
But I am learning to work w/ myself. After all, I'm all I've got!!! :)
Anytime I mention Sonlight, it gets lots of traffic, so I try to give any and all insight I have on the subject because people seem to be interested in hearing it. Maybe some of you are a little obsessive too? ;)
Sonlight bugs me because I am a "box checker" and naturally want to complete every task in the teacher manual(the instructor's guide or IG). But I am told there are too many activities, much like an all you can eat buffet has too many choices for you to eat everything. So you can do one Core level over 2 years or a lower level core than your children need, I suppose.
But even with that, SL is what we declared we will stick w/. The books are memorable, and reading aloud is hard for me because I'd rather read it faster by myself, but it is BEAUTIFUL sharing the wonderful stories. And they schedule so many books, even if I end up doing only a fraction of them, I have still done alot.
And all the books come w/ it. I won't lose library books and that is huge for me.
Nevermind that I am still trying to complete the same core I bought 3 years ago. Now that the special needs student won't be joining us, I can give it a real true test!
Well time marches on.
As we wrap up this school year, I am excited about the changes to come. Well, it's hard to be "excited" w/ so much going on, but I am looking forward, let's just say.
The neighbor that I have homeschooled for 2 years is going back to public school.It would be more beneficial to the family for him to be engaged 8 hours a day at school, instead of coming over here for a short time of tutoring.
I really feel that God led us to homeschool him and we have been blessed in unexpected ways from it.
However, his special need is different from the special needs that my kids have, so it will be good to get back to only dealing w/ our crazy stuff.
And I have tried so many different things trying to find what works best. This child has low comprehension, so having him join our Sonlight Core didn't work out. Well my husband says I should have just kept reading aloud and letting him get whatever he got, but I was trying to address his learning needs and thought that there had to be something out there to fit him. I eventually just found the level where he worked comfortably and let him work there, building his skills. Pretty much, all the kids just started working on their own and we didn't do alot of group stuff.
As you may recall, I recently started using Five in a Row and Beyond Five in a Row. Each child has a scrap book and I print out things from enchanted learning.com that correspond w/ the story.
I thought it would help the neighbor remember what we read. I thought that by looking at the projects, he would recall the book and info. It hasn't really. My kids enjoy the scrap book, I guess, but they seem to just enjoy being read to. They do not enjoy the crafts like I thought they would. I am surprised. They rush to get done.
So I will continue doing what I am doing for now, but having one less student does make me start thinking again about curriculum choices. What curriculum has a lot of reading aloud(my dyslexic son especially loves being read to), no projects...? ;)
It has been really hard to keep up w/ the blog. I so would like to be a "famous" blogger w/ tons of comments and followers or an active forum participant whose every word is relished. ;)
But I don't have the inclination to put in the time to cultivate an internet following.
I write when I write. About what I feel like writing. Letting off steam, sounding off my opinions and recording memories...
There you have it.
And for those interested in the whole SL vs...
Part of this decision was $, part was needing to go from a "heavy" schedule to a lighter one. I love the idea of learning through making memories. We have a lot of fun memories from our time w/ SL. I still use the readers, and will try to continue to read the read alouds I have.
I am currently using Five in a Row unit studies, adapting them for an older crowd. I have an enchanted learning.com account and I print up corresponding pictures and sheets, which they glue into a scrap book. I also have 2 volumes of Beyond Five in a Row which I plan to utilize one of these days...
My oldest(end of 8th grade) is doing Starting Points from Cornerstone Curriculum. It teaches the student how to develop a world view.So far so good. He has already started it and will continue on w/ it for ninth grade.
Sonlight, My Father's World and even WinterPromise still catch my eye. But I am doing so much better w/ the FIAR. I find that I like adding to the curriculum.
From MFW, I bought Writing Strands and another LA book. My oldest loves it! I bought a lower level of it for my other kids. It is written to the child(except for the first 2 levels), it is very specific. Just what we need!!!!
I bought alot of items from SL because I qualified for free shipping, I think it is after $100. So it's not like I completely left.
One of the things I bought from SL was miquon math. I just started w/ the first book for JD,my dyslexia boy and JJ,the 8 year old. Neither will use the rods, but they like it otherwise. The pages are very "clean", not alot of busy pictures or writing. And the print is large enough for him to see clearly.
And in the fall, the neighbor who joins us currently is going back to school in the fall, so that will change things. So I may(ok, you know I definitely will!) revisit all my curriculum choices when it is time to buy again.
I haven't worried so much, I haven't written out potential long term plans on every scrap of paper I touch, so that is an improvement. :)
Well, it's true, I have been outted as a digital immigrant. Could you just google that phrase on your own? It does tire this old lady so to insert all those links...It's always nice to have a name for your condition. ;)
Here I go again w/ Sonlight vs.... It is my most popular topic, so I just keep churnin' em out.
Cost is such a huge factor. My Father's World prices look so much cheaper. That can be deceiving, however. Well if you have one child, that is all you need. But for me, I have my 4 kids, plus one more student so when I look at a mfw program, if there are any consummables needed for each student, that raises my price considerably. $2 here, $5 there multiplied by 4 adds up quickly. Then the fact that w/ Sonlight, I can buy all of the readers w/ a simple click. Some who use and love mfw will quickly object here. Because mfw curriculum comes w/ a very extensive list of readers and go along books that can be purchased(you would have to find them on your own) or borrowed from the library.
Check the SL forums for the true confessions of those who used mfw, checked out books, and accrued a huge library fine!(I will just admit right here that if I ever did mfw, I would definitely not borrow books too often,I would go to the library and just have the kids read them in the library. In fact, I do that right now.) ;)
It's nice to have all of the SL books in the house. And when a reader gets misplaced, I just go on to the next one, no fines, no late notices, no book replacement fee.That is so nice.
But if I had a smaller homeschool budget, I wouldn't mind trying mfw(if it actually did turn out to be cheaper, that is), it seems like a wonderful company.It would be hard to leave SL definitely!
If my budget needs to be smaller, perhaps I will just have to take Rosetta Stone out of my SL cart! lol
I haven't been very attentive to it! Today I am forcing myself to just throw out any old words. ;)
We are easing back into homeschooling.Slowly, but surely.
I am looking ahead to next year as we purchase our curriculum in Feb(w/ our income tax refund).
For those of you fellow curriculum junkies, I am no longer using Time 4 Learning. I still feel comfortable recommending it, though. It totally saved my life and helped me not to lose my mind last year. Now I am able to continue on w/ Sonlight.
For those who really love specifics, here are the specific reasons we stopped doing T4L:
The oldest(13) liked T4L, but didn't really retain the info. He did like the lessons, but for whatever reason(learning style, maybe?), it just didn't sink in.So we decided to stop it for him, but continue on w/ a few of the others.
JD,(10 at the time), has dyslexia and some other learning disabilities. No curriculum could be fun enough for him. But he did like not having to read or write and he liked having choices for the answers. Eventually, I decided if he was just going to fight me on it, we could fight about something that wasn't costing us $20 a month! ;)
My nine year old, Jr. liked T4L just fine, but she also liked Sonlight LA and the math program that we use. So after a time, I felt I was able to let her go on back to SL LA and our math book and keep some of the others on T4L.
My youngest(a 7 year old girl) would actually still like to be doing T4L!! And if I had the $20, I probably would let her. I think this is a GREAT program to allow the youngest child to "play on". Sometimes she gets left behind. I am sure she is still learning, but w/ T4L, she could be independent and it was "grade level". It made me feel good. But since she was the only child still needing/wanting to do it, I made a deal w/ her to buy her a work book she wanted. She was ok w/ me cancelling after that. :)
As for N, my extra student, he was the main reason I switched from SL to T4L in the first place. Before I knew better, I thought all learning problems were the same. Let me assure you THEY ARE NOT. ;) T4L was great for him because he had choices for the answer. Then if he got the answer wrong, it would explain why it was wrong and what the right answer was. It helped improve his comprehension skills and his reading level. But the higher up he went, the information just got to be over his head. By that time, I felt more comfortable doing things on my own.
Right now, all 4 younger students are using a workbook from WalMart that cost just under $8. It covers basic skill for a grade level.
JD works one page from each section w/ me every day. Jr. does it all on her own, several pages at a time. I only bought her one because she wanted one too.N does one page from each section w/ me everyday and then one page(from each section) for homework everyday. JJ just started and for now we are doing one page from each section. That is where each child is able to work comfortably. I cannot tell you what joy and peace this brings to me!!!!!
From here, it is my plan to add on other subjects now that these basic subjects are being covered.
These last 2 years I did not finish my SL Core 1+2. But we have accomplished so much learning.
I am just going to move on and purchase Core 100 American History for my oldest who is a few months away from 14. He is going to go ahead and start 9th grade.
The 3 younger ones will all move on to Core 3 American History part 1.
I am just going to teach what my kids need, on the level that they need it. If it takes one or two of them more than 4 years to get ready for college, then so be it. A wise woman told me recently, that if the kid can't do high school work, then he certainly isn't ready for college, and did it really matter if the kid started college at 19 instead of 18?
Too busy living real life to write about it! I am glad about that, but hope to squeeze out a few moments to be creative soon.
In the mean time, my son w/ Special needs is doing well. I think it is because I am doing so well right now.
As far as Sonlight vs. _______, I plan to continue posting my thoughts on that.
Here's the secret though: If you are a Christian, it's about doing what God has for you.For us, it's SL. And the short reason for that is the Holzmann family ministers to us in such a strong way. That is what God has for us.
MFW, SL, WP are all good Christian companies(what I have seen of all of them), that is why I think I would continue to look over the websites and magazines all the time.
But I always kept being drawn back in to SL for one reason or another. It was my husband who noticed and realized it was because it was the one for us.
No I don't believe simply being drawn to something is a "sign", but I can't think of any other way to describe our experience.
Life is calling me back, I hope to return soon though. Blessings!
Last night in the wee hours I wrote this post and then I quickly took it down. It didn't express everything that I wanted it to and it didn't sound the way I wanted it to. I didn't know that it would still show up in rss feeds and on blogger reader! So my main readers are going to see it anyway! So for better or for worse, here are some late night ramblings....
I worry that my oldest son is really missing out because I focus so much on my younger 3 + the neighbor.
Is he doing enough to be prepared for high school? I just don't know.
And what will he be using for high school? That is really the question of the hour.
I was all set to switch to My Father's World curriculum when Luke left me the nicest comment. It caused me to remember why I had chosen Sonlight in the first place and what a wonderful family the Holzmanns are and how much I had learned from them.I wish I could articulate the kind of Christian I was and who I am today in Christ.
For one thing, I didn't always realize that there is not one (agreed upon)Christian way. When I first got my SL science materials and read the article on young old, old earth I was totally shocked! I had always been taught "YOUNG EARTH ONLY...or else!" I did not know there were Christians who believed in the old earth theory. So I am supposed to weigh the evidence and decide which of these I believe.
Wow! I did not know that could be trusted with a decision like this!
I love the way SL is so open. They aren't afraid. They even include a section on the website and in the catalog called "reasons not to buy Sonlight".
My Christian faith was always afraid. Afraid that if I let my 2 year old watch Barney, he might grow up to believe that rainbows are made when elephants sneeze. And I still feel a little bit "bad" when on occasion I listen to secular music.That doesn't sound like a strong faith to me!
Now instead of only presenting one side(the side I believe to be right) to my kids, I present what I believe and WHY. AND I include what others believe(when appropriate, of course) and why I disagree. My kids are ages 7-13, I don't know that I would present both sides to a toddler and let him decide! ;) Their faith is STRONG.And their beliefs are their own. And when they leave my house, they won't be blindsided by another point of view after a lifetime of only hearing one side of things.
Whew...I got a little winded there giving that example, so I am going to end it there! ;)
Continued tweaking...
So this week I am going to attempt to plug in history to our schedule.
So far the school day looks like this:
Prayer
go over homework
spelling (avko, so everyday I call out words)
Geography songs
Copywork quote
Bible verse memory work
reading tutoring (avko, alot like spelling)
math
science reading
read aloud
I think I am going to add bible reading after spelling and before Geo songs. Then add history reading between copy work and Bible verse.
After finishing the copy work quotes of Ben Franklin( a copy work notebook by knowledge box central, part of a set from homeschool radio shows called Four Great Americans), I am going to use Sonlight's LA for 3rd graders for everyone but the 8th grader. And I am only going to do the copywork and the grammar, not the writing. They just aren't ready yet. But they are going to continue to write sentences for 15 minutes a day w/ their spelling and/or reading words. Sentences before paragraphs, I say! Well, actually Don McCabe of avko said it first, I am just agreeing w/ him.
The oldest joins us for everything through bible memory. Then he goes and watches his math dvd(systemath.com) and is supposed to do his LA also, but often he doesn't. Gotta work on that. I bought him some LA materials from My Father's World because I thought I was headed there. I have added reading, he is reading Gladys Aylward, a read aloud from SL 1+2. He is going to use it as a reader. I am also going to have him read through a Child's History of the World on his own.He hasn't started that at all. And he hasn't started Writing Strands(also bought through mfw).
Ok, I haven't given up yet. Or even lost hope. So that is progress. ;)
Posts
All Comments
