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Avila
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| Posted: Aug 03 2010 at 2:29pm | IP Logged
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To make learning come alive and to make you excited about your new school year?
This year, we are leaning more toward CM stuff, so I added in reading the Thornton Burgess Bird Book as a read aloud. That has led to researching the birds in our Field Guides, writing about them for science notebooks, drawing birds in our sketch books for art, and looking up state birds for our geography. This is something I added in at the last minute, but it is the thing my two youngest are most excited about doing, and they are the ones who keep coming up with connections and more things to do with birds.
What is everyone else changing or getting excited about doing for this year?
Shelly
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Grace&Chaos
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| Posted: Aug 03 2010 at 4:36pm | IP Logged
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Hi Shelly, I'm kind of new around here and have not posted much either (just reading and absorbing).
It's funny you mention Burgess. We too are taking a very CM approach this year and after reading several post this summer I added The Burgess Animal Book for Children to our science reading. I also purchased/downloaded some great notebooking pages from Notebookingpages.com. Haven't figured out how will put it all together yet except reading a chapter per week and then drawing or writing about it in our journals. I guess will see where this takes us 
Jenny
Mom to dds (00,03) and dss (05,06,08,09)
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Aug 03 2010 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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What a great thread!
We are also moving to a much more CM approach... kicking up our narration by several notches. Also, I am looking at the workbooks I have for ds and, instead of making him fill them out, I am as using them as more of a general guideline and trying to find CM ways to teach that same material.
We've never done nature notebooks here, but now we've started those, and the kids are just so happy to be outside to do their work. I am wondering what other work we could take to the front or back porch before we cross the line into being totally distracted by the great outdoors. We have a read aloud time every day built into our school time, and I am thinking that could easily be done on the front porch glider if the weather permits.
I'm also trying the CM idea of alternating subjects to use different areas of the brain. For instance, read and narrate might be followed by some drawing, then math and then reciting a poem.... vs. read and narrate, read and fill in the blank, read some more, all of which uses the same area of the brain.
So far the results have been really good. The school mornings are flying by.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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florasita
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| Posted: Aug 23 2010 at 11:58pm | IP Logged
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I'm doing much more CM style this term as well but also this is going to be the yr. of the field trip for us . Our best homeschool friends are going to ps this term ! So we need to get out there and hook up with other families. We are doing horse back riding /grooming , many science field trips with a couple such as bowling , corn maze etc.
I also ordered the Thames & kosmos science kit it is sitting on our dining room table awaiting me to make a schedule  my sil is setting up a science club too we are joining .
One thing I made a vow and have stuck with since last term is no classes on weekends ! this is the only Dad time our kids get and we want to get out of the city do things with him as much as we can . I love have our weekends open & free .
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May I rise & rest with words of Gratitude on my Breath
May I have the Heart & Mind of a Child in my Depth
May I forever remember to be a Light
May Peace Love & Hope be My Sight
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Aug 24 2010 at 12:34am | IP Logged
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My mom is starting a business making period costumes.. concentrating to start with the Mountain Man Rendevoux.. so I got a lot of history books for that general time period.. should make things fun to read about it and see the costumes (we'll all have costumes) and help make the costumes and we'll also be going to at least closer rendevoux. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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kristacecilia
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| Posted: Aug 24 2010 at 6:14am | IP Logged
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This is my first foray into a lot of CM methods- my oldest is six now so he'll be starting narrations for the first time. We're also really emphasizing living books (previously we were doing a lot of workbooks), journals, etc.
My two sons are both very interested in history so we're going to start with the history of the ancient world using SOTW 1 and Reading your Way through History as our spine.
We only took up bird watching this past spring, so this will be our first year of winter bird watching. We have a feeder all set up already to attract the birds. It's going to be the 6 year old's job to make sure it is kept full all winter (and ask for help filling it if he needs it.)
In October I am going to do a small unit study on the Rosary. We don't pray the Rosary as a family (shame on us, I know!) so my goal is to do that every evening- we'll just start out with one decade a night, then move to two, etc. We're going to read The Secret of the Rosary and the St. Joseph's picture book on the Holy Rosary aloud and use the Bead by Bead Rosary Book to help us get started.
I have been working hard getting my lesson plans done. This is my first year doing them myself, previously I have purchased from CHC. I am using Homeschool Tracker Plus to make them and it's going very well so far. I hope it all works out, but I am afraid I might be taking on too much. I have marked some courses optional for if it does turn out to be too much.
The best part of this year is that we finally made friends with some other Catholic homeschooling families! And they told us that they are part of a group that meets twice monthly in a town about 40 minutes from here- so we're definitely making that a priority!
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God bless,
Krista
Wife to a great guy, mom to two boys ('04, '06) and three girls ('08, '10, '12!)
I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: What are you doing in the fall (more)
