A Healer’s Geste

School Year 2010-2011: Together Lessons

So, our first six-week term is over and here I am, finally finishing up my postings about what we’re doing this year.

This year Hans has some one-on-one time, Jaeger has some one-on-one time, and I have “together lessons” for both of them together, but that are optional for Ilse (thus, not a part of circle time).

Together Lessons

Botany

I looked through this and we’ve done the first lesson and I am enjoying it. It is written in a narrative, conversational style that isn’t condescending. The expectation behind the author’s voice is that children will naturally find the world interesting, that God’s glory and majesty is evidenced in the world, and that children want to learn. The experiments are not there simply for the sake of having an experiment, but are included because they make a concept clear — and the introduction and follow up are included, so I don’t have to give any off-the-cuff explanations (which I would not be able to do).

History

I also pick a few “living” history books such as the Jean Fritz and D’Aulaire biographies to read aloud, about one or two a week. I divided the American history timeline up into 6 chunks and we’ll focus on one chunk each term. Our first term was Exploration & Colonization and this term will be the Revolutionary Period. After I settled on the terms’ focuses, I went through reference material like the Veritas & Sonlight catalogs and All Through the Ages. My mom had the first edition of ATTA that came in a 3-ring binder, and she gave it to me. I found it very useful.

In addition to reading a history book, we’ll spend one day a week looking at our atlas and a particular region of the United States. And on Fridays we’ll add a timeline figure or two. However, I never got around to setting up the timeline last term, so we’ll have to play catch-up this first Friday of our next term. I am excited about the timeline figures I got: Amy Pak’s History Through the Ages CD. I saw them 4 years ago at a friend’s house and have been waiting until I had the opportunity to purchase and use them.

The CDs come with over 1300 images that I can print in any size I want, including predetermined good sizes for notebook or wall timelines, all sizes with or without a sentence explanation. I ended up also using these figures to fill out my Bible time coloring sheets, because there is a picture for all the kings and prophets! The art is lovely and the CD is super easy to use and well organized. And, of course, I have an affinity for non-consumable school supplies.

Barnes and Noble’s Children’s World Atlas

Poetry

We also read a poem or two every day. Our first term we read Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, which was a fun change from GA Child’s Garden of Verses. This term we’re back to A Child’s Garden of Verses and next term we’ll read Milne’s poetry collections. I also have A Child’s Book of Poems which we’ll spend two terms in.

Other Read-Alouds

I found the Picture Window Books series at the library and like them, so I picked one math concepts or animal/nature book to read aloud each week, also. I chose a few books for literature read-alouds, too, but I still haven’t decided if I’ll read them at school time or if I’ll ask Matt to read them in the evenings after we finish The Lord of the Rings.

Art & Composer Study

We are doing a very informal composer study. I picked one composer for each term, downloaded selections from them, made them each into separate play lists, and we’ll listen to the term’s composer during chore time and lunch time. I’ll announce the name when I turn it on, and we’ll call it good. After all, my goal is more taste and appetite formation, not information pounding.

For art I picked an artist, found 3 of their most famous paintings online, downloaded them and had them printed at Costco in 5x7s for each boy. Once a week we’ll do an art study CM-style or I’ll have them try to copy-draw their own version. I’ll get a library oversize art book of that artist to have laying around, too.

At the homeschool used curriculum fair I also picked up a gigantic book called “100 of the World’s Most Beautiful Paintings” for one dollar. It’s old and the binding is falling apart, but I might just separate out the pages and hang a few up on our school wall.

This year I had no systematic way of deciding which artist or composer to study. I decided just to hit the “major” ones and I decided the “major” ones were probably the ones even I know off the top of my head. And after some thinking I could remember six of each, so that’s what we have. :) Next year we’ll do a world survey and we’ll have a little more systematic approach.

And that’s that. All in all, it takes 20-40 minutes, depending on the day.