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Why is it still February? Wasn't this month supposed to be shorter or something?
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In trying to type the asterisk above, I forgot to shift and typed 8. And then, knowing that I had to do something -- something, like, involving my hands and that same key -- I typed 888888888. But when I went to type all those 8's I just typed, I automatically typed an asterisk.
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Nevertheless, I'm still learning to play the piano, with Helier and Crispina. Today we played "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and Helier also started learning "Hot Cross Buns." Crispina's working on playing E-D-C for now. The difference in coordination between 8-in-July hands and even very fine-motor-skilly 6-last-December hands is not insignificant. And then there's me. See "February" and "asterisk," above.
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I have made an unanticipated decision which gives me great peace of mind. Next year, for the first time in seven years of homeschooling, we're going to use -- and I'm having to force myself to type this -- a prepackaged curriculum for the three younger kids. It's a gentle, flexible curriculum with, it appears, plenty of leeway for the kinds of independent exploration we love to do, and the abundance of unstructured free time we thrive on. In truth, the kids have done very well on our self-tailored program of core subjects, as last year's test scores would seem to indicate; I'm the one who needs some structure.
Of course, I always feel this way in February, but after years of looking at this curriculum, buying bits and pieces of it to use my own way, and liking everything I've bought, I'm ready to invest in the whole deal. It just looks like what I want to do anyway, but all planned out.
And, as I say, having made the decision, I feel at peace with it. Now, if only it were next year already.
Actually, I'd settle for its just not being February.
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Reading The Return of the King for Lent, to anyone who will listen.
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Also revamping my First Communion curriculum, in mid-stream (did I say already that it's February?). After Emily J. mentioned making First Communion books with a CCD class, I started contemplating the idea of giving my crew something to take with them when they leave, a sort of catechism scrapbook which would cover the key ideas I want them to retain: the Trinity, Jesus' human and divine natures, Jesus in the Eucharist, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, the Mass, the liturgical year.
So I began working up templates for a project which would include review of all these concepts during Lent, with April devoted to making a Mass book to include at the end. Since time is running short -- First Communion in our parish is May 1 -- this will be a color-cut-paste kind of project, but I'd like to spend the whole year on it next year and have them do it more intensively.
I sent what I'd done to the head catechist, and now I'm presenting it at a catechists' meeting tomorrow night.
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Crispina asks: "Are little dogs like Lance sometimes cunning?"
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News Flash: Child Likes Saxon Math. Amicus finished his MCP workbook last week and began Saxon's Algebra 1/2. He says it's less fun, but more thorough.
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House rules posted on the whiteboard over the kitchen table:
in my handwriting:
1. Love God
2. Honor Mom and Dad
3. Respect Other People and Their Property
in Amicus's handwriting:
4. The Dog is Not a Toy
in Helier's handwriting:
5. Do Not Hurt Other People
in Crispina's handwriting:
6. Mom Make Chili
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Gotta abide by those rules. Time to put the beans on.
9 comments:
I can understand the need for a bit more structure, I sure can! But you can't leave me hanging, what gentle curriculum did you find?
CHC. I've been flirting with them for years, and mainly saying no because I thought maybe they were *too* gentle. But I've been rereading threads about them at 4Real, as well as looking at things of theirs we already have and thinking about what I'd like people to be doing next year, and I've decided to take the plunge and see how it goes.
On cunning dogs: When my grandpa was young, he once got a job dogsitting a basenji. He was in the dining room eating a piece of cake when the dog started begging him for it. He said "no," and the dog slunk away. A couple minutes later, there was a tremendous CRASH in the kitchen. As grandpa ran in to see what it was, the basenji ran through his legs into the dining room and gobbled up the cake.
From this he formulated his first rule of dog ownership: "Never own a dog that's smarter than you are."
I've heard basenjis are smart. We'd gone to look at a basenji-terrier mix, actually, at the rescue shelter where we got our dog, but he was too timid even to come out and meet our family. Smart dog . . .
We wound up with the one dog who didn't flinch when my youngest children approached him. "Cunning" is not really the word I'd associate with him, though he's not dumb. I've seen him manipulate something he wanted through a gap in a chain-link fence with his very long, "catlike" paws -- a hallmark of the Plott Hound breed, apparently. But he's not clever enough to stage a disaster to distract us from food on the table. He just sits on the rug and makes whale noises until we get up from the table, then he goes hunting for whatever might have been left behind.
Erin -- more about CHC. We're only going to do the core subjects, with a few enrichment things which I'd have wanted to do anyway. I spent last night poring over the free downloadable sample packs and course descriptions for the grades I want -- 1, 2, and 7 -- and it really does look as though this will work for us.
My 7-year-old actually only did kindergarten last year (he has a July birthday and in many ways is not mature for his age), but he's making his First Communion this year, so he's been doing a kind of 1st-2nd grade combination. His math skills are excellent, his reading is excellent, his writing not so much. CHC's 3rd grade requires a lot of book-report writing, so I'm going to follow the Grade 2 plan, substituting Grade 3 materials where appropriate.
My youngest daughter, meanwhile, will be a textbook Grade 1. And I want my now-12-year-old to do some of their middle-school projects, especially in history, so I'm splashing out for those plans.
And I'm not necessarily going to use all their materials for every subject, but I like the idea of having lesson ideas and a schedule which I can adapt, rather than just making it up.
We've been using their High School of Your Dreams for the last three years. I'm one of those people who really like it, as opposed to the people who can't stand it because it's not directive enough.
More of an earful than you wanted, probably!
The young man now starting the Saxon algebra 1/2 textbook, might want to take a look at the math tutorial DVD's created by an expereinced classroom Saxon math teacher. Its like having your own private teacher.
Go to www.usingsaxon.com to preview lessons from algebra 1/2 through pre-calculus.
Good luck in your math course.
Art Reed
P.S. I'm not sure what Crispina meant by "little dogs like Lance." He's a 60-pound hunk of drooling love.
Yes, the reason I came to the comments was because I was going to ask what Crispina considered a BIG dog, but I see you beat me to it.
AMDG
Well, now that I think of it, compared with my sister-in-law's Great Dane Merlin, Lance is a small dog.
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