Enearthing the Good Stuff

I have found some very nice workbooks for the wee ones at Chapters. Cute, wholesome, and sweet.

Here are some other great books that I’ve unearthed from the bowels of Google. The one book, Blinky Bill’s Alphabet Copy Book, was a free printable that I found at Downunder Literature. They have some wonderful copybooks there as well, a old fashioned Mother Goose one and some Beatrix Potter ones. The UK version of the Oxford Book of Children’s Verse which is packed full with excellent poetry, some very old and funny verses on manners that the kids enjoyed when I read to them at mealtime.

I took out Alpha-Phonics from the Library and I have been pleasantly surprised by it’s effectiveness and simplicity, I highly recommend this book.

I was very happy to find A Child’s Geography, I am hoping to purchase this to use with all of the children. This is an old classic that has been re-vamped. I’ve looked at the online samples and the narrative draws you in right away. I have found that the Canadian Geography book we have is full of facts but unless the child has a keen interest in such things, it quickly becomes a bore and doesn’t immerse the child in the actual landscape that God has made. Actually some friends of ours have a dvd and in it you travel across Canada by plane. The scenery is breathtaking and it helps you to realize how much beauty God has surrounded us with in the midst of the sin we have to bear. He is truly merciful.As well there is a book called Women in the Material Women, as well as Material World: A Global Family Portrait. The latter I have not seen, but I did take the other one out from the library and although it was a bit older, (early nineties?). Another movie that is along the same lines is Migration. Now if you have children who are glued to the telly watching attention grabbing loads of junk, it is likely they will have less appreciation for these types of films. Hopefully this is not the case!

I hope these curriculum suggestions will enrich your homeschool experience:)

The Year So Far

I just wanted to make a note that I was unable to purchase Story Starters, The Storybook of Birds and Beasts, My Side of the Mountain and though we have a Canadian geographyworkbook, we have not used it this year as of yet.

The children enjoy our read-alouds of The Story of the World so much that world history seems to be captivating them. With the Holling Clancy Holling books, like Paddle to the Sea and Tree in the Trail, as well as the Canadian history DVD’s they’ve absorbed a fair amount of Canadian History. It’s been very good.

As well as the omissions there have been other things added to the children’s curriculum and some unexpected and pleasing occurrences in the school year. My second eldest was completing her Rod and Staff grade two book early on and I was going to have her progress to a grade three Pathway reader and workbook, but because we have combined Ambleside into what we do, she had read the reader long ago and the text would have been boring to her even if some of the questions would have been more of a challenge. So I bought her a novel study guide from Progeny Press for the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. She’s done well in it, and I think it is right at her level. After she completed that I would have purchased another, but her older sister was working in Rod and Staff”s A Time to Plant and she was just breezing through it. I looked at the next grade up, A Time to Build, which is where she would be in public school, and it looked good, so that is what she’s working in. Her younger sister is doing her old work which is a grade five, and she’s technically at a grade four. Honestly I despise the grading system when each person has such differences in their strengths and weaknesses in each part of themselves. Each person is wonderfully and fearfully made.

I’m glad to see that the children are all progressing well wherever they are at, overcoming the hurdles as they come.

I enjoyed the copybooks and cursive writing books so much from Queen Homeschool, they were worth it. I’m looking to get some more for the children for next year as God allows.

Annual Curricula

The most important book a parent can use to teach their child is the King James Bible, as God would have us bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Wisdom, righteousness and power holiness forevermore, my redemption full and sure He is all I need.

As I am currently working on my home school curricula and the next armload of information to encourage my children to ingest, I came a cross Queen Homeschool. ://www.queenhomeschool.com/

I have yet to order their material, but they have some cursive copybooks which double as an art study and they look very very nice. They also have these copybooks in printing and they are extremely hard to choose from. I praise God for five children at a time like this! They have some bible study material which is King James, and I am exited about those as well.

Another new thing that looks like it will be a delightful learning experience is a book called Story Starters: Helping Children Write Like They’ve Never Written Before by Karen Andreola. I think I will be purchasing this halfway into the swing of things. Yes, the swing. That was not me talking, I’m not sure who it was. An old dictation left over from some classroom in grade five I’m sure *shudder*!

I’ve looked at Simply Grammar, and English for the Thoughtful Child Volumes 1 and 2, and I have really wanted to try them out. They are a bit pricey so I’ve been holding back. I have used Rod and Staff Curriculum for my core, then I have used Ambleside Onlne….but never totally jumped away from Rod and Staff because it is quality, it is Bible and I have been a witness of it’s good results in my children.

This year I am still going to use Rod and Staff in Math and Reading for my Eldest, but because they are so thorough I can skip a year in English and everything will be reviewed in the next text I purchase.

For science we have started using Apologia, but I think we may skip the Botany. I have some “living” nature books for Elliot to read while Chloe completes God’s Creation and catches up to Ellie in Apologia’s Astronomy, then they will go on from there together. It will not surprise me if Hayden does it with us as well. Hayden has read Jean Henri- Fabre’s Storybook of Science, it is very good and I plan on purchasing it later on for the younger ones.

I dropped Rod and Staff Spelling because I didn’t like the layout of the grade four student book and I have them all doing Wordly Wise now instead. It is much more enjoyable.

I noticed the flavor for Social Studies embraced the Mennonite pacifistic belief beyond Bible truth. We have been reading Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer which it is always the more pleasant way to learn, through an engaging story. I do skip things in there as well, and prefer to read the bible accounts directly from God’s word to avoid errors. Along with that there are some DVDs available at our local library about Canadian history as well as some Novels in regards to a few biographies and Explorer tales that I will be throwing in. I LOVE history but textbooks killed it for me every time. I do have my girls doing some work- books on Canadian explorers and geography and they have alot of map-work, so I just couldn’t have them miss the better experiences of learning about history and loving it.

The Penmanship course for Rod and Staff is excellent and biblical. Hayden will continue on in it, as the girls have completed theirs.

I have considered switching Math courses as well, Math-u-see, Life of Fred, and Ray’s Arithmetic are some I have considered but math is a brain wrencher for me so the line upon line, precept upon precept style of Rod and Staff has me in a place where I’m not certain I want to move. I mean If I fail to be able to teach the concepts then the bridge will have to be crossed or jumped over.

There are some books I really want to get for Harlow and Fiona Language Lessons for Little ones by Sandi Queen, but I have always started my wee ones with Rod and Staff’s preschool workbooks and then progressed into their Bible Nurture and Reader Series. The first word they learn is God. I love that! I think I could do both but cost then becomes the issue. So We will see how the wind blows, and not be driven with it nor tossed about.

I would love to be able to give my children lessons in the instrument of their choice, but that is something I have to wait on the Lord for. Elliot plays well on the Piano and I think she has great potential. All of the other children love to sing and so if anything I can be content knowing God put instruments in them anyway!

I hope to be able to purchase my supplies for the upcoming year. I’ve also been working on a list of things to do with my younger two. Harlow will be into the books this year, and Fiona following but they will need to have other structured activities. It is amazing how quickly you can use up a list of things to do with active children!

I would be interested on any comments, questions and suggestions about the materials I have chosen this year.

I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.

Infants soft and sweet smelling. So needy and fragile and so perfect in every tiny vein carrying life throughout their entire being effortlessly. God blessing them with the ability to breathe and with each ounce of strength they possess. Yet with all the physical and emotional involvement parents seem to have, that little life, that little soul does not belong to us. No, it is only entrusted into our care for a short time, often shorter than we think. The responsibility of giving the kind of care God desires us to give to his children is enormous. God in his perfection knows how to guide us to fulfill these needs. He does not leave us alone, he does not leave us comfortless. He has given us his Word the Bible, and by his Word alone can we hope to teach children to be wise, and to follow the Lord that they may know the plans that he has for them. How wonderful it is to remember that God knows more about us than we do ourselves, and so certainly his plans for us will be fulfill us more than following after any of our own selfish dreams and desires.

So the wee little ones, so precious, must not be taken for granted. They are a blessing given from God. We are all here to glorify God, whose perfection we cannot comprehend. Our faults make us assume God is faulty. He is Holy and Beautiful and perfect and His name is to be praised!

Psalm127

[1] Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
[2] It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
[3] Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
[4] As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
[5] Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate

Let us not labour in vain.

Nurslings and Nestlings

LITERATURE FOR THE EARLY YEARS

Note: These are some of the books I’ve read to my children and I’ve found them to be wonderful selections. I have been finding a wealth of lovely old books on-line like A Little Present for a Good Child by Unknown. Looking in Antique stores for old primers and childrens books is a great idea, as many carry good morals and it is so much nicer to sit down with your children in your lap than to sit at the computer.

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Children%27s_Picture_Books_%28Bookshelf%29

As a general rule we do not read Fairy tales, avoiding literature that involves magic, witches, sorcery and the like. In the Bible it is clear that these are things that do not please God, so we just avoid them, giving a clear explanation when we come across these types of stories (which is quite often as they are popular). My girls love The Little House books and the more recent Martha series written by Melissa Wiley. Martha is Scottish and true to her cultural background there are plenty of fairy stories and references. As the girls are a bit older now they understand that there are many areas that they must have discernment in. So they skip parts and know what is frivolous and what is dangerous. For the younger more impressionable I suggest we cover our young tomato plants. I find most of the stories for children about prairie or farm life to be wholesome.

King James Bible

Some older Arch Books (These I’ve had to weed through) John and the Little Lost Lamb is my favorite.

Rod and Staff Preschool Workbooks and Little Jewel Books

Peter Rabbit Books by Beatrix Potter

My First Little House Books

Fireman Small, Policeman Small , Farmer Small etc. by Lois Lenski

Blueberries for Sal by Robert Mccloskey

Bunnikins Picnic Party by A.J. Mcgregor

Tell Me About God by Mary Alice Jones

Some of the Little Golden Book Classics like:

The Jolly Barnyard, Baby Animals, The Fire Engine Book,The Shy Little Kitten

Jay Bird by Marie Hall Ets

Uncle Aurthur’s Bedtime Stories

The Mole Sisters by Roslyn Shwartz

Are you my Mother? by P.D. Eastman

The Big Storm by Rhea Tregebov

Billy and Blaze Books by C.W. Anderson

Abeka Science Kindergarten and Grade One

Wherever I am There’s Always’Pooh by A.A. Milne

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.