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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 6:13pm | IP Logged
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What are we up to?????
We're 18 days into school. That was NOT my idea - my kids came to me and requested it. Super-Uber HOT temps coupled with ridiculous humidity outside meant they couldn't go out in the middle of the day and they reasoned that they might as well get school started so we could take off during the more delightful months! I heartily agreed...so we're rolling!
You already know what I'm doing with my 8th grader!  She is enjoying that sooo much!
My 4th grader is totally into the microscope and science center we set up...and he loves his science theme for the year inspired by David MacAuley's The Way Things Work.
My little Peanut is still loving his little table area I arrange for him seasonally. He loves his picture book basket and loves to be read to. He is mostly doing Montessori work.
We still enjoy our morning basket time...I love starting with the common enjoyments and springing from there. Sets a happy tone for the day!
I'm still building my Fine Arts Fridays basket with a catechism quiz game, art study/appreciation, composer study, a science/nature story from Fabre's Story Book of Science and a little work on poetry. Free write Fridays happen here too.
I am enjoying my time back to school...I so need refreshment of my own. I wasn't waffling or feeling unsure of my basic philosophy at all! I just began to ask new questions and apply a philosophy over different ages with more children. My own style and philosophy feel perhaps more comfortable to me now than they ever have, and maybe that's why I really want to go back and find the nuances I missed in reading before. It's sort of like reading the same book again and again - in a classic there are often many layers and it speaks to you in different ways each time you read it. So, I have filled my reading basket with all of my most favorite books and I'm planning a year of refreshment! 
So...that's what we're doing!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 6:19pm | IP Logged
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Jennifer,
Could you share a bit about your son's science study- my ds9 also loves that book!
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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Angel
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 6:45pm | IP Logged
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I asked for lists from my 2 older kids (age nearly 13 and 10.5) of what they wanted to learn about this year. This is what I got:
G( my 12 yo son):
evolutionary biology
archery
how people threw spears
military strategy
prehistoric people
Communications merit badge
First aid merit badge
fishing
And he's checking out the One Year Adventure Novel. And he told me he wants to breed one of our new laying hens because she's a funky looking white Aracauna and he wants to see if he can breed more like her. So I handed him some books about chickens and a biology text open to the genetics unit. It wasn't exactly what I had planned, but - strike while the fire is hot, right?
My dd (10.5):
botany
soccer
composers
archery
quilling
drawing and painting animals
fishing
So I guess we'll be trying to hit all those things while also doing math, writing, and some reading. My dd is going to follow along with Jen's Serendipity plans (with some tweaking) and my ds will be using some of the more masculine titles from Kolbe's Jr. High Literature booklist.
And we're going to try to move on into medieval history.
As far as the littles go... I'm taking sort of a Montessori-ish approach to teaching my 6 yo phonics and math... and otherwise, we're going to do a lot of art, a lot of nature, and probably listen to the Mouse and the Motorcyle 5 or 6 zillion more times. I also got my science-oriented 6 yo the Sonlight science kit and a couple of their Science 1 experiment/activity books.
My 3 yos have been contemplating their place in the universe lately -- you know, were you always my mommy? Who is your mommy? Who was her mommy? What am I made of? What is my stuffed dog made of? Did God make toys? Did God make people? So, I think I'll build on those questions by doing a little family history, maybe some self-portraits, and we'll do some human-body realted investigations. Right now the boys are all interested in insects, so we'll be doing that for as long as they like.
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
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anitamarie
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 7:20pm | IP Logged
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Kristie 4 wrote:
Jennifer,
Could you share a bit about your son's science study- my ds9 also loves that book!
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Not to sidetrack too much, but does anyone own/use the game?
Anita
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violingirl
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| Posted: July 29 2009 at 8:26pm | IP Logged
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Mine are still little, so we're focusing on habits and building routine- mostly trying to prepare me to keep to a decent schedule and track our learning as we will need to do in a few years. DS1 really wants to learn to write so I'm trying to focus his Montessori shelves in that direction with a sand tray, alphabet builders and other letter shaping work.
Starting in August we're going to have a letter of the week theme for crafts, activities and cooking. My almost 4 year old knows his letters and sounds already, but I think he'll really like having a pattern that he recognizes and can predict.
My other big plans for the year involve potty training my two year old. THAT will be the true adventure! 
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Erin
DS (2005) DS (2007) DD (2012)
Mama In Progress
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Sharyn
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 5:03am | IP Logged
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Well we are half way through the school year here, but I have planned next year already  I will spend the rest of this year slowly gathering what I have decided on and then look at it over the summer break so I'm familiar with anything new and have everything worked out roughly.
I'll have a K next year and she'll be doing:
FIAR
Reading Made Easy
Abeka math K
Asst. religion including Treasure Box and Living My Religion
I'll have a yr 2 and 4 doing:
Living My Religion
Abeka Math
Spelling Workout
L.E.M. (an Aust. Phonics program)I'm not happy with our spelling at the moment but I haven't worked out anything better yet.
First Language Lessons
IEW & SWI A(for my yr 4)
Italic Handwriting Series Getty Dubay
Victorian and Seton readers
Lamb's Shakespeare
Map's, Chart's, Graph's
RC History
We'll still be doing our 'Journey around Australia' journal
Art, we will be doing an assortment, or maybe Artistic Pursuits, haven't decided that one yet either.
Piano
Nature journalling
Home economics (for my year 4)
Music Ace
Indonesian
Logo Adventures
Behold and See 3 (when we finnish this we'll just read from living books, Apologia and buy some science kits)
I'm not sure to continue with Abeka for Health and Safety,I think Seton has something for year 4?)
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Mum to dd (00), ds (03), dd (04), ds (06), one in God's care (08), dd (09), ds (11), one in God's care (13), and ds (13)
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Martha
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 7:31am | IP Logged
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Seton has a health 5 & 6 which I have always combined for 5th. I think they are excellent workbooks. You could probably use them for 4th without a problem.
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Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 9:23am | IP Logged
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We do have the game Anne- it is OK, but not thrilling. Neat idea but weak on the actually gaming part. WE got ours used for two dollars- I wouldn't bother buying it new.
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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donnalynn
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+
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donnalynn
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 10:13am | IP Logged
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Angel wrote:
So I guess we'll be trying to hit all those things while also doing math, writing, and some reading. My dd is going to follow along with Jen's Serendipity plans (with some tweaking) and my ds will be using some of the more masculine titles from Kolbe's Jr. High Literature booklist.
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Incidentally, when we brainstormed the Serendipity Young Ladies literature list, we took as many titles as would fit with our strategy from the Kolbe Jr.High guide, so that we'd have the benefit of the guide while teaching those novels.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 11:11am | IP Logged
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Elizabeth wrote:
Incidentally, when we brainstormed the Serendipity Young Ladies literature list, we took as many titles as would fit with our strategy from the Kolbe Jr.High guide, so that we'd have the benefit of the guide while teaching those novels. |
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  I'm so glad you did!
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 11:55am | IP Logged
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donnalynn wrote:
With dd #2 I was all set to do Middle Ages but then saw Serendipity's new unit and *almost* started over but then I decided to try to adapt those plans for for this earlier historical era. I'll tie handwork, literature, nature study, and the virtues to the role of a Lady in the Middle Ages! I'm just getting started but the possibilities abound!
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Oh, Donna, I so hope you find some time to blog this. I'd love, love, love to see how you "waldorf" it. Looking forward to a Medieval visual feast.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 5:55pm | IP Logged
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Kristie 4 wrote:
Jennifer,
Could you share a bit about your son's science study- my ds9 also loves that book!
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Sure, Kristie. He asked for a course in engineering and said he'd love to learn more about how things work...thus...
I have a booklist that I've built that goes along with The Way Things Work. Think of it as...boy meets machine:
:: Mistakes that Worked by Charlotte Jones
:: Rube Goldberg Inventions by Maynard Wolfe
:: Gizmos and Gadgets: Creating Science Contraptions by Heath Robinson
:: Physics For Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave
:: Engineering for Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave
:: Machines: Mind Boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects by Janice Van Cleave
:: Simple Machines: Starting With Science by Deborah Hodge
:: What is a Wheel and Axle? by Lloyd Douglas
:: What is a Pulley? by Lloyd Douglas
:: What is a Wedge? by Lloyd Douglas
:: What is a Plane? by Lloyd Douglas
:: What is a Lever? by Lloyd Douglas
:: What is a Screw? by Lloyd Douglas
:: Ancient Machines: From Wedges to Waterwheels by Michael Woods
:: The Wind at Work by Gretchen Woelfle
:: Forces and Motion: Hands on science by Sarah Angliss
:: Light and Color by Peter Riley
:: Can You Feel the Force? by Richard Hammond
:: The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonnick
:: The Physics Coloring Book by Coloring Concepts, Inc.
and...his Erector Set and Electronic Snap Circuits (which he already had! )
He reads a section in The Way Things Work and then we discuss it. I ask him to duplicate certain projects with his erector set or with snap circuits once we get to the section on electricity. After he engineers a project, I'm asking him to illustrate it and write a bit about it in his notebook. The booklist is something I'm working on...I'd welcome input! Most of them I'm **hoping** to pick up from the library and *strew* at the appropriate chapter in a completely enticing way  .
Hope this helps! So far my son loves it! Yesterday his project of choice was to build the electric razor...I though, "WHAT??? - the RAZOR??", but that's exactly what he did with his erector set! His poor little cheeks are a little scuffed and scratched today.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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stellamaris
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Here's another, Jennifer: Michael Faraday: Father of Electronics
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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Martha
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| Posted: July 30 2009 at 9:07pm | IP Logged
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timberdoodle has a practical drafting workbook thAt we just got in the mail. It's actually very good for a taste of that key building skill. (my fil makes centrifical casting machines so I guess he'd know)
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Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
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Kristie 4
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Sounds great Jennifer. We will have to see how it may fly here- my ds is very much a 'passions' guy. Right now that involves sculpey, lego, and general artsy things- not reading books. Says he'll do that once winter hits!
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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Angel
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| Posted: July 31 2009 at 8:06am | IP Logged
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donnalynn wrote:
With dd #2 I was all set to do Middle Ages but then saw Serendipity's new unit and *almost* started over but then I decided to try to adapt those plans for for this earlier historical era. I'll tie handwork, literature, nature study, and the virtues to the role of a Lady in the Middle Ages! I'm just getting started but the possibilities abound!
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I do hope you blog this, too, Donnalynn! This is sort of the direction I'm heading in, too. I had already planned that as a family we would be finishing up ancient history and moving into the medieval period, and when I sat down with the Serendipity plans over the past couple days and started tweaking them to fit with my 10 yo, I realized that maybe what I should be doing is letting her do the literature, botany, and child development from the Sunflower basket (which is what she wants), but taking the curriculum as more of an inspiration for the rest of the year and letting my dd read the "girl" books appropriate to her age (I'm thinking Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, as Jen suggested, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, maybe some more Louisa May Alcott...). I have some historical fiction for my dd set in the medeival period, but there don't seem to be as many classics with feminine appeal set in that time period as there are classic "boy" books -- with King Arthur and Robin Hood, of course. So I'll be curious to see what titles you choose! I think I'll leave the rest of the Serendipty plans (mostly) intact for a couple years down the road when as a family we will be doing the Victorian era.
(I have to add here that I spent weeks in the spring obsessing over our history rotation so that my oldest would not be doing modern history/literature for 9th grade - because I'd like him to be more mature when he hits the 20th century, and my next 2 kids wouldn't get the ancients again a year or two after we'd just done them. It was like doing one of those logic problems on the GRE for entrance into grad school.  )
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
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Angel
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Mackfam wrote:
I have a booklist that I've built that goes along with The Way Things Work. Think of it as...boy meets machine:
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Ok, Jen, I'm going to have to figure out how to remember this list for a couple years down the road when my 6 yo engineering guy is a little older! He was quite put out the other day when he discovered that he wasn't *quite* ready for the erector set we had put away in the basement. It's so hard when your next oldest brother is nearly 7 years older.
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
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Sharyn
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Martha wrote:
| Seton has a health 5 & 6 which I have always combined for 5th. I think they are excellent workbooks. You could probably use them for 4th without a problem. |
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Thanks Martha! I had a look at it and I've been thinking that maybe dd's home economics course will cover enough for next year and then we can use Seton health in year 5 because although she could understand it now I think she'll understand it better then.
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Martha
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I truely love the Seton Health books. I highly recommend prego mamas to use these with the kids. Wehn talking about hearing for example, it talks about how babies can hear in the uterus. VERY nice wihtout being contrived at all.
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Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: so what's everyone doing?
