May Classical inspired hs-ers

[craft_media_hero]

What's everybody doing?

Are you all fizzling out like we seem to be? We have definitely moved more toward the classical approach as this year has progressed.

Our main focus lately has been math, classical languages, copywork (with form drawing, too), and art. DD seems to be excelling with this super-simplified focus.

Science and social studies have kind of faded into the background for now.

We are really digging the Greek and Latin. I'm so glad that I decided to make the leap with that. We've been counting in Latin (Quot Animalia? Anyone?), and she's totally seeing on her own the similarities between the Latin and Spanish numbers. Funny how we have such an eclectic approach--she is making her own main lesson book for Greek/Latin, and it's coming out so beautifully! I'm so impressed that she is soaking the classic languages up.

So what's everyone else been up to?

We are super laid-back and actually have had about a week and a half of no schooling due to life taking over. But now we're back and it's going better than ever!

[MyLittleWonders]

We are still mostly LCC here though I draw inspiration from WTM too. Our core is Latin, math, and language arts (including English grammar - one area where I deviate from LCC). For math, I'm adding Singapore to go with Miquon. I love Miquon and it has been amazing for the boys, but I wanted to cover a few other things not covered very well or at all with Miquon (graphing/data analysis and word problems), so next we are adding Singapore Standards Edition - 2x a week SM and 2x a week Miquon. On Fridays, we have been working through Building Thinking Skills from Critical Thinking Company (I think).

L/A are going well too - we are, thus far, making WWE and MCT Island work well together. The boys will go through WWE 4, and then I will probably use Susan Wise Bauer's writing suggestions afterwards to add more writing alongside advanced MCT levels. (Her writing lectures are really good - I recommend them.) I also found Junior English from Galore Park (they are a British company, but the Book Depository in the UK delivers worldwide for free!). I printed off the first sample chapter and we did that last week as a break from WWE. It has reading comprehension sections that we used for narration (and they are a bit shorter than WWE selections, and so I'm having ds start reading them aloud as his reading ability is growing). Then, I just pulled a couple sentences from the selections for copywork. Plus, each set of reading comprehension questions includes 4 words to look up in the dictionary, so ds practice dictionary skills. And, there is spelling review (though British spelling, so sometimes it is different), grammar review (he was pulling nouns out of sentences), and oral language games in each chapter. It's actually more than we can do in a week, but I love being able to pick and choose the different activities to supplement the narration and copywork. My plan is to use Junior English 1-2x a month (probably once a month unless it's a 5-week month) just to break up the monotony of WWE.

I've also been working on our afternoon "elective" schedule - I think I like what we are doing, though it has meant dropping a few things, or leaving them as "maybes" on Fridays. Monday is world history via SOTW and Child's History of the World; Tuesday is geography (we are working through Evan-Moor's North America unit - I modify the work a bit for them and it is going well); Wednesday is science (I have ds#1 and ds#2 going through Singapore MPH 3/4 science material); Thursday is U. S. history (just reading picture books and watching Liberty's Kids right now). On Fridays, if we get around to it, we do Spanish and literature. Today, though, we did logic, reading, and played some math games with cards (based partly on the RightStart math games and partly on the Singapore math Home Instructor Guides).

I think that's about it. We go year round and should be starting Latin for Children A in late June or early July. Otherwise we just flow from one level of whatever to the next as they get there.

[mom2ponygirl]

We are eclectic somewhat classically inspired homeschoolers, so I'll join in. This year has been a mixture of half homeschool and half charter high school. We are both so ready for the school year to end!!! We will be homeschooling full-time next year, hurray!

We are finishing up the last of our homeschool stuff for the school year. Mostly just a little bit of Magic Lens 1, Word within the Word 1 from www.rfwp.com. We will hit poetry this summer. Dd is still studying Latin from Oxford Latin for Children with a university tutor. She is also reading many classics with my dad since they are following History Odyssey level 3, Ancients. Mostly, we are in planning for next year!
Not sure how interested people are in high school stuff though....

[phathui5]

Relaxed classical homeschoolers here. Our children are 9, 6 4 and 2. We mostly follow TWTM's curriculum recommendations, though not the schedule.

[craft_media_hero]

Originally Posted by MyLittleWonders

For math, I'm adding Singapore to go with Miquon. I love Miquon and it has been amazing for the boys, but I wanted to cover a few other things not covered very well or at all with Miquon (graphing/data analysis and word problems), so next we are adding Singapore Standards Edition - 2x a week SM and 2x a week Miquon.

I love love love Miquon! I want to recommend it not just for all the kids I know, but anyone who ever thought they were bad at or couldn't do math. DD is getting through the tail end of the Red book (that is a hefty book!), and I can't wait for the Blue. We kind of wove the end of Orange and beginning of Red together, so maybe I'll go ahead and order the Blue . . .

What you do with math sounds a lot like us, too. We do Miquon 2-3x and Singapore 1-2x per week, then try and work in a Montessori or living math day.

Originally Posted by MyLittleWonders

Monday is world history via SOTW and Child's History of the World; Tuesday is geography (we are working through Evan-Moor's North America unit - I modify the work a bit for them and it is going well);

How do you like Child's History of the World? I have been considering it for next year. V is not quite ready for SOTW it is a little too much still. I have the activity book now, and we may pull out some stuff on Greeks and Romans, but I think it's more of a 3rd grade text for her.

For geography, we have been doing a little bit of the Montessori puzzle maps, just working on learning the seven continents. I am happy with this pace, I feel like it really is enough for now.

We have listened to the SSL cd but just for entertainment value---I'm saving the real "program" for after the summer and our new baby arrives. We also have the Hey Arnold Greek cd, and it's nice to just pop a cd on and that's it every once in a while.

Ah! I love hearing about what everybody else is doing!

[MyLittleWonders]

Originally Posted by craft_media_hero

I love love love Miquon! I want to recommend it not just for all the kids I know, but anyone who ever thought they were bad at or couldn't do math. DD is getting through the tail end of the Red book (that is a hefty book!), and I can't wait for the Blue. We kind of wove the end of Orange and beginning of Red together, so maybe I'll go ahead and order the Blue . . .

What you do with math sounds a lot like us, too. We do Miquon 2-3x and Singapore 1-2x per week, then try and work in a Montessori or living math day.



How do you like Child's History of the World? I have been considering it for next year. V is not quite ready for SOTW it is a little too much still. I have the activity book now, and we may pull out some stuff on Greeks and Romans, but I think it's more of a 3rd grade text for her.

My oldest just started the yellow book. I remember when I bought them (I bought complete sets for them all ) and thinking we'd never get to the yellow and purple books, and now I'm realizing he's not too far from finishing the program! (I figure between SM 3 A/B and Miquon yellow and purple, it'll be the end of next school year before he's finished with Miquon - then it'll be Singapore and Life of Fred).

I like CHOTW; I think I like SWB's writing style better (and we have the SOTW CD's with Jim Weiss, so when I read it, I can often hear his voice, which I love!). CHOTW is written directly to the child; there have been a few times that I've had to remind my oldest that I'm not the one speaking directly to them. It's a nice addition (technically, we should be in SOTW 3, but I felt more comfortable "holding" ds#1 back in order to not get too far in history where it was too "old" for ds#2 - I was not ready to do Early Modern or Modern history with a 6/7 year old so we started over again with Ancients at the new year). I'm not completely enamored with either (CHOTW or SOTW), but as an introduction to the story of history, I think they will do just fine. I'm not sure what I am going to do when ds#1 hits middle school and is ready to cycle through the history cycle again.