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Angel
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| Posted: Nov 12 2009 at 8:27am | IP Logged
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I was very happy to see that Jen and Elizabeth posted the Ivy Basket and Advent Basket. My 10 yo dd is still finishing up the Sunflower Basket... I have to admit she's lagging a little bit lately and hasn't quite finished some of the books (like Little Women)... but I think she's really just ready for something new. (Fortunately, Advent is right around the corner.) She enjoyed the basket with the modifications I made very much.
The Ivy Basket looks like it's a little more of a challenge to tweak for a younger child, though, and since my brain is not working very well right now... I wondered if anyone else would be tweaking it slightly younger? My dd isn't ready for Pride and Prejudice yet. (Although the bird nature study is sure to catch her interest!  ) I was thinking that we would do Dickens' Christmas Carol this Advent season, but Dickens doesn't come until the... Rose?... basket?
Also (as I pile on questions)... I am trying to think a little about the Homemaking section. I can use Tea and Cake with the Saints, of course, but in both the Ivy and Advent baskets there is a lot of planning. My dd -- for better or worse -- shares a lot of my more non-sequential, ADD traits. I have actually been afraid to read The Family Manager Takes Charge (for instance) because when I looked at it initially it seemed like it was one of those homemaking/organization books that might as well be written in a different language.  I absolutely want to give my dd more training in homemaking/homekeeping than I received (I learned how to cook well and to clean for the most part, but my mom never tried to explain how she organized or kept up with things), but I have also always made it a point to explain to her that everyone has different talents and methods, and while organization might not be our strongpoint, that just means we have to be a bit unconventional. So I'm wondering... does anyone have any ideas for "unconventional" homekeeping resources, etc, resources that would be good for a 10 yo who does need extra help with the organizational aspects? (Maybe that should be its own thread, I don't know.)
Ok, that's probably enough for now, and the little ones are alerting me to the fact that they have needs, too. Thanks to Jen and Elizabeth for all their hard work!
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Nov 12 2009 at 9:42am | IP Logged
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I'm working baskets for next fall for a 9th grade, but I do have some suggestions for other literature. How about Alices Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll is British and Victorian Era), and the Lewis Carroll Poetry for Young People? Then the narration could be to compare the book version to the disney version. You could also do this with the original Peter Pan, also Victorian Era. Actually, I pulled some of the poetry from the program to make room for more literature for my 9th grader so in addition to most of the Serendipity lit, my dd will be doing both of these books.
And for homemaking, Jen (Mackfam) turned me on to the Mary Frances books. There's one on housekeeping and I bought mine used from Amazon last week. The author is Jane Eayre Fryer and the full title is The Mary Frances Housekeeper/Adventures Among the Doll People. If you run a search online, you can find the entire text archived so you can see it first. Its perfect for a slightly younger child, and honestly, I'm going to use it with a 13 yr old in conjunction with some other materials.
I find myself wishing that there were threads for moms using this program...are there enough of us to chat about how its going, what changes/additions people are making, etc? I am having a blast planning for my dd for next year. It works better for me to muse for awhile before jumping in.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Nov 12 2009 at 9:50am | IP Logged
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Hi Angela. 
I have a few ideas. Can I share them?
Homemaking for the 8-12 yo
If I were tweaking Literature for the Young Lady for an 8-12 yo young lady, I would replace all/most of the homemaking with something a bit more focused on the doing and less on the planning. For the last two years, I've been working with my daughter and reading through most of the books I list in St. Martha's Apron Strings. I really don't think there is anything better to anchor a study like this than the Mary Frances books by Jane Eayre Fryer. My daughter enjoyed them so much and she read through each at least 2 or 3 times. If it were me and I were following along with these baskets I'd choose one focus from St. Martha's Apron Strings to be the homemaking focus for the basket...so...for Sunflower I'd probably set a course through Part 1 - Tending the Kitchen...and for Ivy I'd move on to Making the Home a Haven. Of course, that's just me!
Literature Choices
I agree, Pride and Prejudice would be too much for a younger girl. I suppose I'd just start going through the library and pulling things that make sense to read along with this period - Louisa May Alcott has written quite a bit, Lucy Maud Montgomery has also written a number of other books besides the Anne series that are quite good, Kate Wiggins, Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, etc.), and I'd probably even stretch the time period a bit because I love the Maud Hart Lovelace - Betsy Tacy books so much. Do these give you a few ideas?
Dickens
And, if you want to move Dickens up, by all means DO! We actually had him in the Ivy basket initially I think, but I moved him because I was trying to coordinate the history selections to correspond with what was going on in Anne context-wise. So, Dickens was moved. But...we're going to study Oliver Twist as a way of studying some of the work conditions...so you could study Dickens' A Christmas Carol during the Ivy basket and have it fit right in!
Unconventional Homekeeping Ideas
Oh dear...I can't help you with unconventional homekeeping resources. I'm pretty conventional, I suppose. But, I guess you gathered that. However, I think each lady tends to her home in a unique way coming to terms with her strengths and weaknesses and using a creative set of tools and helpers along the way. What kinds of tools do you find handy? Do you make lists? Maybe instead of a homemaking notebook, you could use a good calendar and you and she just get in the habit of doodling notes on that...
Friday, November 13
...garden tucked for winter
...check chicken feed - dad to co-op this weekend
...weekend laundry down
...tidy art center
...veggie lasagna for dinner - start at 4:00
...something like that? Is that still too conventional? I'll let others chime in with their ideas!
Does this help at all? Can we brainstorm other areas?
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Jen Mackintosh
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Nov 12 2009 at 9:54am | IP Logged
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Oh dear...I was cross posting with Books! I hate to seem so "look at me-ish" with the link to the St. Martha's Apron Strings! But, I hoped there might be some helpful book lists/links there for you. I feel better that Books thought it was a good idea, too! I should try to pull those posts together in a set of links that make navigating them easier, shouldn't I? Maybe I can do that later this afternoon!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Nov 12 2009 at 1:23pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
| Oh dear...I was cross posting with Books! I hate to seem so "look at me-ish" with the link to the St. Martha's Apron Strings! But, I hoped there might be some helpful book lists/links there for you. I feel better that Books thought it was a good idea, too! I should try to pull those posts together in a set of links that make navigating them easier, shouldn't I? Maybe I can do that later this afternoon! |
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 Jen, you are so helpful, I can't imagine anyone thinking anything but gratefulness at your help. I love the Mary Frances books and I would have never known if you hadn't shared. I'm grateful.
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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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Mary G
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Mackfam wrote:
| Oh dear...I was cross posting with Books! I hate to seem so "look at me-ish" with the link to the St. Martha's Apron Strings! But, I hoped there might be some helpful book lists/links there for you. I feel better that Books thought it was a good idea, too! I should try to pull those posts together in a set of links that make navigating them easier, shouldn't I? Maybe I can do that later this afternoon! |
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Jennifer ... I'm glad you posted as I had missed theSt. Martha's Apron Strings posts (probably in the midst of moving ...  ) and so was able to get back to those.
Any further thoughts on the St. George Squires? (why don't we have a down-on-my-hands-and-knees-begging emoticon?)
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MaryG
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my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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ekbell
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My eleven year old dd has been reading through an number of the books on the Gutenberg Children's Literature bookshelf most of which are from this time period.
It would be a good place to check out possible literature selections for a younger girl.
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Angel
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| Posted: Nov 14 2009 at 7:21am | IP Logged
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Books, I would like to see some threads for those of us using this curriculum. I have no idea how many of us are actually using it this year, though?
I had forgotten about the Mary Frances books, so thanks (Books and Jen) for reminding me. Katie actually read through the Mary Frances cookbook a while back and enjoyed it. I went ahead and ordered Mary Frances Housekeeper because it fits with what we're doing in November and December, with Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas, and both sets of grandparents coming to visit. (Actually, I think we're going to put off starting the Ivy Basket until January. Yesterday while waiting at the lab I worked on an expanded Advent basket for her, which includes some "Christmas Botany".)
It is nice to know that I was on the right track with my thinking that at 10, she should be doing more homekeeping and planning less. Thanks for the nudge. (And don't worry, Jen, I won't hold your conventionalness against you . )
I do think that I'll go ahead and add The Secret Garden to her Ivy Basket because she wants to read it, and she read A Little Princess for the Sunflower Basket. I also found a book called Inside the Secret Garden, so I think we'll be using that, too. She's already read Anne of Avonlea at least twice, so I'm not sure she'll want to read it again. In that case, I guess I'll have to come up with another good "Ivy" book. Hmmm...
Looking forward to seeing what others do with this basket. I'm really hoping that we'll get 4 years out of this curriculum as a base, as we revisit the older selections as she gets older. Of course it's all about her motivation, which right now is pretty high. She's very excited about the Advent Basket we're planning. My dh is probably not so excited about the amazon bill, but I do *try* to use books I already own...
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
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Topic: Ivy Basket and Advent
