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Just a little funny to brighten your day . . . James asked me today, “Mom, have you ever wanted to be a fish or a bird?” as he gazed longingly into the fish tank. I said, “Well, I’ve wanted to be a mermaid or a super hero who could fly.” James rolled his eyes, but Robert (age 4) said, “I want to be a super hero who can run up and down the hallway.” Well, okay, go for it! My “method” of homeschooling seems to vary with the wind. I’ve got a post – Homeschool Methods, Uniquely You – up at Hip Homeschool Moms today. Stop by and let me know what you think!
This week, the Virtual Curriculum Fair is focusing on the arts. In our family, we’re not very artistic .. no one plays an instrument or paints or sings or anything like that. I am convinced that artistic ability comes naturally to a person and can’t be “taught into them” no matter how hard a teacher tries. If any of the boys express a real interest in playing an instrument, drawing, sculpting, etc. we’ll find suitable lessons. In the meantime, our lessons focus on appreciating the beautiful art and music developed by some of the greatest talents to have graced our world. Art Appreciation We follow Charlotte Mason’s Picture Study method for studying different artists and artistic styles. It’s a very simple method but very enjoyable and effective. I’ve purchased different art books that showcase paintings (or drawings or photographs, as the case may be) by individual artists. So far we’ve studied:
We study just one picture at a time, and the kids take turns looking at the painting, examining every detail. I then take the picture so they can’t see it, and they take turns telling me everything they can remember. I also briefly tell them the name of the painting, when it was painted, and a tidbit about its setting (if I know something extra about it). Typically, we study one or two paintings per week this way. We spend several months (sometimes a whole year) on just one artist. This gives the kids plenty of time to really get to know the artist’s work and style. As we study different artists’ work, we talk about the different styles of art and painting (e.g. realism, impressionism). Enjoying Music For our music appreciation, I have bought several of the books from Zeezok Publishing‘s Great Musician Series. These are excellent biographies of the most famous classical composers, and we enjoy reading them aloud as a family. The books were mostly written during the 1950s and 60s, and they begin with the composer’s childhood and follow him throughout his career. Each book comes with a CD of the composer’s music, which we listen to both at home and in the car. The composers we’ve studied:
Both these simple methods have proven to be very enjoyable ways for my family to learn about great art and music.
Read about other families’ approach to art education in these posts:
This week’s Virtual Curriculum Fair theme includes two of my favorite subjects: Exploring Our World: Social Studies and more Science. (Science was also included in last week’s theme, Discovering Patterns, but I chose to focus on math.) For both of these subjects, social studies (which I consider to include history, cultures, and geography) and science, we use a mostly fun and never tedious. It always makes me sooo sad to hear of kids memorizing dates, filling in multiple choice answers of pointless questions, or otherwise turning the most interesting and intriguing subject into the most boring. History in Books So how do we learn history around here? We read! I’ve talked often about our family read-alouds, which are truly the backbone of our homeschool. Each year, we study different periods of history and I find several great living books for us to read together about that era. Some of our favorites have been:
All of these books not only tell about a particular time period, event, and/or person, they immerse the reader (or listener) into the time period. Children learn so much better when they enjoy what is being taught … and even more so, when they enjoy themselves so much that they don’t even think about its being “education.” History in Videos We also watch various documentaries and films when we can find good ones that are appropriate for the boys’ ages. Without a doubt, the best one we have ever found is Hannibal: Rome’s Worst Nightmare, produced by the BBC. It’s available to watch in nine parts on YouTube (just don’t read the comments, ugh). Start with Part 1 here. Coming in a close second is The Hunley, a made-for-tv movie that was released in 1999. We watched it a couple years ago, and none of us have ever been able to forget it. Knowing about the Hunley in this way has made the recent news about its raising all the more interesting for us. Obviously, studying different time periods in history allows us to also learn about various world cultures (both past and present). Lots of daily discussions help to round out what the boys know about different cultures. Geography I was the self-appointed map reader on family vacations as a kid, and I thought about minoring in geography in college (before I left to marry Jon…) Today, we don’t use a formal geography curriculum because I honestly think it’s not necessary. We’ve had a world map and a United States map hanging on the walls for as long as the boys can remember. They’re the large five-foot-wide types so that there’s plenty of detail for checking everything out. When we talk about a particular area, we go to the map and find that area. Jon and I like to quiz each other on different locations or capitals from time to time, and the kids jump in where they’re able. (Okay, I’m the one who really likes this, but Jon humors me.
Of course, I have to say that my favorite geography resource (besides a variety of maps) is the book that I wrote, Expedition Earth: My Passport to the World. The book looks at all 195 (at the time of printing) countries in the world, the flags, border outlines, capitals, languages, and so on. I also tried to pick out little known pieces of information about each country because I didn’t want the book to be just another geography book with the same old information about the height of Mount Everest and the depth of the Marianas Trench. For example, have you ever heard of the yearly Lluvia de Peces in Honduras? Or the hot springs baths in Hungary? Or how about the ancient copper plates from the Maldives? Expedition Earth is geared toward kids in 5th through 12th grades and comes with daily lesson plans and flash cards for those who like a guided plan. My oldest is in fifth grade this year, so we don’t officially use the book in our homeschool, but we look up information (such as a country’s flag or capital) in it and sometimes read about a country together. As I wrote the book, I envisioned families reading it together and enjoying learning new things about our entire world! You can check out a sample of Expedition Earth over at the Knowledge Quest website. Science Our science studies are fairly simple at this point and include Considering God’s Creation, nature studies, and videos. The weather is too cold for much nature study right now, but during warmer months, we collect leaves, insects, and flowers. We also try to visit different places for hiking in the woods, wading in creeks, and observing nature as we go. When it comes to nature and other fields of science, I think that experience is a much better teacher than a book. (Even so, we do enjoy reading living books about nature, such as Among the Meadow People and Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers.) When the high school years are closer, I hope to invest in a microscope and several dissection kits. Animaniacs The kids have also watched lots of Animaniacs which has helped them learn the states and capitals, most of the countries (though it’s a bit out of date now), and all of the U.S. presidents. (Nick and James both can name all the presidents in order because of the Animaniacs song, and I think it is utterly amazing!!) It’s also helped them learn some really corny jokes such as: Brain: “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” Pinky: “I think so, Brain, but if we give peace a chance, won’t the lima beans feel left out?”
Visit these other bloggers to see how their families learn about Social Studies and Science.
James’ little yellow GloFish died Sunday. A very exciting announcement was made Wednesday over at Hip Homeschool Moms. Can you even believe that? James keeps telling me that the name needs to be changed to Square Homeschool Moms, but I’m getting really good at rolling my eyes at him and hiding my smile. In our homeschool this week… We had school all five days this week too … I don’t what’s going on lately, it’s amazing! This lighter work schedule and not having a baby or toddler is really working out well for our schooling. We finished reading The Vikings by Elizabeth Janeway this afternoon, which means we can pick back up with William the Conquerer by Thomas B. Costain tomorrow. I think we’re about halfway finished with it, and I’m looking forward to wrapping it up so we can move on to learning about Joan of Arc. I found two really good books about her at our public library. Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share… You are the best teacher for your child. God created you especially to be the perfect mother (or father) of your child, and that includes being teacher. If you want to homeschool, never be afraid that you aren’t patient enough, smart enough, or rich enough. Teaching your child is really an extension of simply parenting him. No more, no less. I am inspired by… People who show joy and love to others despite unpleasant circumstances. Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… We have absolutely no plans this week. I’ve been thinking about taking the kids snow tubing, but I’m not real thrilled about the cost. My favorite thing this week was… Baking pumpkin muffins in our new toaster oven. They turned out so good! What’s working/not working for us… This cold weather business isn’t working for me! I think the mild winter has spoiled me. The past two days, I’ve felt like I cannot warm up. I sit around under covers all the time, and still I’m cold. Blech. Also, we have gotten into an awful routine of staying up until almost midnight. One night, Nick needed to talk (which is totally fine, of course) so he and I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. That means that I’m sleeping until 10 a.m. and the boys are sleeping until 11 or later. Agh, it soooo has to change!! Things I’m working on… I just finished sewing four skirts for the daughter of a friend. I’m going to be working on skirts for her other daughter now. Look for a post about my sewing adventures later this week. I’m reading… No, We Can’t, a book that Bethany House sent me to review. I’ll be posting a review of it within the next couple weeks, but I must confess that it isn’t really grabbing me. I’m cooking… Chocolate chip cookies with the kids after church this evening. I’m grateful for… Automobiles. Can you imagine trying to go anywhere in this cold weather in a wagon or buggy? I’m praying for… A new and better job for Jon. He has a phone interview this Thursday. Photos to share… Here are some pics of the boys and Jon getting up close and personal with a snake at some rainforest adventure indoor animal zoo in Pigeon Forge a couple years ago. Notice that there isn’t a picture of me holding the snake.
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