A Healer’s Geste

Homeschool Resource Meme.

Blame Brandy.

One homeschool book you have enjoyed.

One resource you would never be without.

My printer. After going through several ink printers in several years (and loads of ink!), we got a Brother laser printer/copier/scanner that prints double-sided and has a feed like the big fancy machines. We’ve had it for almost 2 years without any problems, and one toner cartridge lasts at least a year and a half.

One resource you wish you had never bought.

Draw to Learn the Life of Jesus was a total waste. I will be selling it to Exodus when next I go to Oregon.

One resource you enjoyed last year.

I think it was last year that I really became sold on Math-U-See, because its mastery-based approach worked well for both my son who whipped through the concepts (although now he’s hit a wall) and my son who couldn’t seen to get his facts down cold (who is now starting to whip through the concepts. It speeds up and slows down as needed and is easy to suit to the student. Not only that, but the author of the program really emphasizes mastery, battles against the idea of a student being behind in math (if you are teaching the student where he is and moving at his pace, you are in the right place), and encourages staying in the first two books as long as needed to get the basic facts and concepts solid. Math discouragement and failure often comes when you move on to more complex equations when you still have to think about what 7 + 4 is. I love having the lessons taught on DVD. I am not a math person at all, but seeing the video helps me see what teaching math with a sense of humor and while having a good time looks like. And it helps the boys see that this is not something mom has made up for them to do. :)

One resource you will be using this year.

We are 5 lessons into Latin for Children and loving it! It teaches not only Latin, but grammar and vocabulary intentionally and thoroughly. There is no working the text on my part to draw those things out of the lessons. We haven’t done any grammar previously, and this is giving us what we need at a slow and well-presented pace. I keep looking at each lesson thinking, “Really? That’s it? That’s all the lesson for the week?” However, you really do have to cover it 4-5 days a week. No cutting corners on the time allotment. You have to spend time with the words and paradigms in order to learn them.

One resource you would like to buy.

I’m looking forward to using Lost Tools of Writing, but we’ll wait for fifth or sixth grade. And I’ve been looking forward to Omnibus ever since they came out.

One resource you wish existed.

A live-in maid.

One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading.

I go through Veritas for book list ideas. I don’t really read them anymore because I am online enough for a print catalogue to not really be useful. It’s rarely new content. If I want a review, I always check out what Exodus Books has to say. Exodus is my online catalogue.

One homeschool website you use frequently. Yes, probably Exodus. Charlotte Mason Help is useful, too. And, of course, Brandy’s blog.

I’m not going to tag anyone, but if you want to participate, feel free to put your link in the comments section!