Monday 31 August 2015

Take time to enjoy the wonders of your world



"We are so accustomed to take wonders as matters of course, mere everyday events, that it does not occur to us to be surprised."- Charlotte Mason

Thursday 27 August 2015

Mondrian Inspired ART

I'd always found these types of pictures rather attractive to look at and so when the Virtual Fridge theme of modern artists was chosen I went looking for a project.  I discovered How to make your own Piet Mondrian painting. It was a super easy project and really effective.

Mondrian On YouTube

On the WWW
Books on Mondrian
Your Turn

I invite you to take some photo's of your children's artistic pursuits put them in a post and link up with me I would love to come over and see the wonderful art your children have enjoyed doing.
Virtual Fridge Link Up

Blessings
Chareen

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The Virtual Fridge a weekly art meme where we can hang our children's art on a virtual fridge. This meme was started by Jennifer over at A Glimpse of our Life who kindly invited three other bloggers to co-host this weekly meme.

Your hosts are




Wednesday 26 August 2015

Math, Science, Biology and History in the High School Years

Welcome to the third edition of this years Homeschool High School Blog Hop. This months topic covers a wide variety of subjects.

We will be looking at Math, Science, Biology and History. I have shared in depth on these topics here over the years so I will be sharing a short introduction to each subject area and linking to my other posts where you will be able to read more about my in depth thoughts on the particular topic at hand.

I will also share some links to FREE curriculum you can access from around the web and links to my posts introducing curriculum from around the web to get you started on your research.

One of the things I realise now in retrospect is that you do not need to change the way you teach when you reach the high school years.  I was under the impression that I needed to change a whole heap of things because my students were now home schoolers and this in turn caused my children stress as well as myself.  Enjoy the journey and allow your students to set the pace for the change.  As they grow and change so will your methods and requirements slowly change along with your relationship.  It is far easier on you and your student to allow this change to naturally occur.

Things to consider before the high school years
  • Research your options while they are in the primary school years so that you have a clear pathway before you.  The high school years arrive far quicker than you realise.  Use the first four to five years of homeschool to research your options and plan ahead.  Without a plan you will end up floundering.
  • Be clear on your expectations. This is imperative for both you and your student. It's important to know what you want completed in order to graduate from high school at home.
  • Have an understanding of the level of maths required to tackle different areas in the high school sciences.
  • Research and save for more expensive items such as a microscope.  Do you have to have a microscope ?  No but it is a great hands on learning tool that makes the sciences come alive in your home.
  • Find out where to purchase the items you need to do the practical labs.
  • Consider the scope and sequence before changing curriculum or you might end up repeating what you have already done.
  • Get to know your student and what their long term study goals are and work towards those. Make it a priority to achieve what they need to accomplish their tertiary goals in the science arena. 
  • Research your State/Country requirement for graduating High School.
 


Math in High School

One of the things I insisted on my children completing was math up to the level of Algebra 1 and Geometry. Needless to say this was one of their biggest complaints!  Why do we have to do that Mom? was a question often heard in our home during the high school years. Math is a subject that is imperative in helping our students develop higher order thinking. 

Math seems to be one of those topics within the homeschool environment that often comes up in conversation. As homeschooling parents we need to be-careful that we do not transmit our personal negative experience of math at school onto our children.  During our high school years I came to realize this with my first two children that as long as we moved at their pace they were able to easily learn what I found to be difficult at school.

In our home I chose to use  Teaching Textbooks during the high school years. It's like having a personal tutor on call 24/7! We would work through the lesson in the book. Answer the questions. Pop in the disk and watch the tutor teach the specific sums we got wrong. I like the fact that they don't assume you know the steps. The tutor breaks down the sum into step by step and explains each step as they go through the complete sum.  

Before we transitioned to TT we used to call on a friend who was a high school math teacher to help us with any sums we became stuck with.

Here on the blog I've shared

For me one of the defining moments of understanding teaching math came after I read the article History and Research on the Teaching of Math I highly recommend you read this article before you make a decision on your math curriculum.

Scope and Sequence
When looking at changing math programs remember to take  scope and sequence into account.

  • Scope refers to the content.  In other words these are the topics covered (A to Z)
  • Sequence is the order in which the scope is taught (IE the order in which things are covered within the program)
It is important to know this about your math product or you might end up redoing math your child is already familiar with or you might end up skipping a whole lot of important content that your child needs in order to succeed at math.


Resources
Please go to my Math Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.

Pinterest


Science & Biology in High School

"Can I teach high school science?  NO. As your student gets older, your role changes from teacher to fellow learner." Dr. Jay L. Wile
Define: Science

  • The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge especially knowledge based on reproducible data.
  • Science is the systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. 
From this definition we can see that science is not solely about science labs and microscopes, formulas and chemicals it's all about the world around us. The sciences need not fill you with fear the high school years can be a wonderful time of learning alongside your students and discovering amazing things together.

  Here on the blog I've shared
Resources
Please go to my Science Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.



History in High School

The story of life is one of my passions.  I loved history in high school and I've grown to love it even more especially after studying it for two years chronologically with Timothy and Jane in junior high.  In fact I loved the experience so much I am doing it for a second time with Nathaniel now and am planning a third trip through with more of a Charlotte Mason focus when he is in High School.

his·to·ry noun \ˈhis-t(É™-)rÄ“\

  1. tale, story 
  2. a : a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes
    b : a treatise presenting systematically related natural phenomena
    c : an account of a patient's medical background
    d : an established record  
  3. a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events
Studying history in the high school years is an adventure in itself.  Students ask interesting questions and it's a time for deeper understanding.  It's a marvelous time for digging deeper and comparing notes and seeing the cause and effect more clearly of the different things that are happening concurrently in the world.

There is no need to change the method you use to teach history.  Keep using whatever is working well for you.  Once again watch for the scope and sequence if you want to change curriculum.  The source texts become a little more complex but generally speaking history is an adventure in discovery!


Here on the blog I've shared
Resources
Please go to my History Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.

Home School High School Hosts Share this Month:

Home School High School Topics

Over the next seven months we will be sharing some insights into the following aspects of home educating through the high school years
  • Planning for High School {How and When,ways to/how we're planning to earn college credit while still in high school, Meeting High School Requirements, how to assign credit when there aren't tests, What records do you keep? How do you present them? What influences your method, your emphasis in certain areas?}
  • Electives in the High School Years {Following Passions, following interests, fitting a job in with school, and Being intentional in Preparing for what comes after high school, Life skills.}
  • Math, Science, Biology, History {What do you use ? Why do you use ... ? What influences your choices/selection? }
  • 30 September - Language Arts {Poetry, Literature, Composition, writing, What influenced your choices/selection?}
  • 28 October - "How am I going to teach High School ...?" {Addressing the fear factor of teaching subjects we struggle with or know nothing about, How to achieve credit in subjects your student *hates*}
  • 25 November - How do you fit it all in ? {homeschooling high school alongside homeschooling the others, Fostering Independence, Do you generalise or specialise? Schedules,}
  • 30 December - Graduation { Fostering Independence, How do you know when they are done ?}
Until next month.  Happy blog hopping
Blessings
Chareen

Monday 24 August 2015

We all have a need to be trained to see



"We all have need to be trained to see, and to have our eyes opened before we can take in the joy that is meant for us in this beautiful life." ~ Charlotte Mason

Saturday 22 August 2015

My Daughter Returned Home ... {HSMJ}


 In my life this week…
  • I'm so excited!  My daughter arrived home from her trip over to the USA.  It's been a very long five and a half months but she is home now ...  
  • Three weeks until Nathaniel and I join my Dad and brother for an Outback Adventure.




Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
My favourite thing this week was…
 On the WWW I’m reading…

 A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
Have you ever heard of the Master Penmanship Guild ? Neither had I until I watched this inspirational YouTube clip: Master Penman Jake Weidmann


Blessings
Chareen


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Linking to
Homegrown Learners

Photo collages made with: Photoscape a FREE photo editor


A Week In Review Link UP

Join Lisa and I each week and share your week in review.  We look forward to reading about your

Week in Review
Field Trips
School Work&nbsp
Homeschool projects
And anything homeschool related.

Here is a button for your post.
My Week in Review Link UP



Monday 17 August 2015

Freedom in the City of Books



The teacher who allows his scholars the freedom of the city of books is at liberty to be their guide, philosopher and friend; and is no longer the mere instrument of forcible intellectual feeding.
- Charlotte Mason

Friday 14 August 2015

A Basket full of Resources for a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 5/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

A Basket full of Resources for a Charlotte Mason Education
At the beginning of the year I attended a Charlotte Mason afternoon and was overwhelmed with the beauty of this approach to education.  There were so many inspirational stories and insightful comments through out the afternoon.  One of the books I came across that day was The Living Page: Keeping Notebooks with Charlotte Mason by Laurie Bestvater.  It arrived in the mail today and I'm looking forward to reading it.

The arrival of this book sparked the idea of sharing with you some of the lovely resources I discovered at the Charlotte Mason afternoon. One of the topics which inspired me and caught my attention was that of written work in a Charlotte Mason Homeschool.
"We all have need to be trained to see, and to have our eyes opened before we can take in the joy that is meant for us in this beautiful life."      ~ Charlotte Mason

Notebooking

Common Place Book


"We are so accustomed to take wonders as matters of course, mere everyday events, that it does not occur to us to be surprised."- Charlotte Mason

Writing

Book of Centuries

Time Line

Art

Books to read


Some Encouragement


“And all the time we have books, books teeming with ideas fresh from the minds of thinkers upon every subject to which we can wish to introduce children.” — Charlotte Mason


That brings us to the end of this years 5 Days of back to Homeschool Blog Hop I hope you have been as blessed by the other participants as I have.  

Here are the final eleven participants for you to visit for a basket full of wisdom and encouragement.

Crystal @ Crystal Starr
Shawna @ Tenacity Divine
Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning 

Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series

  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education
  5. A Basket full of Resources for a Charlotte Mason Education
I'd love to hear about your favourite Charlotte Mason resources please leave me a link in the comments below
Blessings
Chareen

Thursday 13 August 2015

Charles Dickens Resources for a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 4/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

I wish I'd had the inclination to read the works of Charles Dickens in high school.  I first became acquainted with the works of Mr Dickens after reading about him in Karen Andreola's A Charlotte Mason Companion {Chapter 31}. Karen calls Dickens 'A Mother's Secret Resource'

I'd always avoided the classics thinking they were outdated.  As a home educating parent I'm learning a deeper appreciation for these beautiful works that inspire me to live well and feed my mind with good food for thought.

As a family our first shared experience was the reading of Oliver Twist.  We loved the book so much we watched many versions of the movie including the musical. 

From this experience I have been inspired to find out more about this giant of English literature and have gathered together a few resources of interest to share with you.

I am still researching Miss Mason's approach to using Dickens in the home school and will update this post as I learn more on the subject.

Books on the Life of Dickens

Books written by Charles Dickens

Children's Versions


Teaching Dickens


About Charles Dickens on YouTube

Works of Dickens on YouTube

Follow my Pinterest Board for Charles Dickens Resources

I'd love to hear about your favourite Charles Dickens resources so that I may add them to this list. 

Blessings
Chareen

Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series


  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education


The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be joining forces with Homeschool Blogging Connection to bring you a week full of back to school encouragement.

I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and take some time to take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing this week in the 2015 Back to Homeschool Blog Hop. Here are eleven more inspirational bloggers to meet and be encouraged.


Wednesday 12 August 2015

10 Charlotte Mason blogs to follow {Day 3/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

When I first started home educating 17 years ago homeschooling was something you researched by reading books which you got at the library or a homeschooling friend. You learned the practical aspect of homeschooling by visiting like minded families and seeing how they implemented their philosophies.

With the advent of the internet and weblogs we are given this amazing ability to see in the homes of home educating families around the world at any time of the day.  The only downside I have found to this phenomenon is that these picture perfect homeschools can leave you feeling overwhelmed and ill equipped to home educate your own family. On the upside however you can learn so much from these amazing women who open up their hearts and share their experiences and insights on home educating.

The more I learn about the Charlotte Mason method of home educating the more I'd like to know of how to implement it in today's modern home school. 

Today I would love to share with you 10 Charlotte Mason blogs that I've been learning from. These are presented in random fashion and not in order of preference.

1. Practical Pages

I love spending time at Practical Pages.  Nadene is an encouraging down to earth Charlotte Mason inspired Home educator who shares many free resources.

2. Journey and Destination

Carol blogs over at journey-and-destination where she shares her heart, resources and insights into home educating her children.  She has seven children and has home schooled them all.  Five have graduated.
Here are a few posts to whet your appetite

3. Sage Parnassus

Nancy is a veteran homeschool mom of 20 years and the hostess at Sage Parnassus where she loves to write about the Charlotte Mason philosophy and method of Education.  She also serves on the Charlotte Mason Institute Board. She has six children of whom two have graduated and she is still home educating her youngest four.

4. A Peaceful Day

Jeanne homeschools her daughter following the Ambleside Online curriculum and shares her thoughts and insights over at A Peaceful Day

5. ArchipelagO

This community blog is the official Ambleside Online Blog and has seven contributors.


6. Fisher.Academy.International

This blog is home to the monthly Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival where you will find an abundance of wonderful Charlotte Mason encouragement.

7. Charlotte Mason Institute

The Charlotte Mason Institute is a relatively new space I've been exploring but their blog contains some thought provoking posts.

8. Jimmie's Collage

Jimmie homeschool's her daughter using the Charlotte Mason Method and Notebooking.

9. A Charlotte Mason Home

Deborah blogs at A Charlotte Mason Home which is dedicated to bringing Charlotte Mason's ideas to the modern homeschool family.

10. Simply Charlotte Mason

Simply Charlotte Mason is the home of two Charlotte Mason educating families with over 40 years of Charlotte Mason educating experience between them.

Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series


  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education



The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be joining forces with Homeschool Blogging Connection to bring you a week full of back to school encouragement.

I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and take some time to take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing this week in the 2015 Back to Homeschool Blog Hop
 

Aurie @ Our Good Life
Jennifer @ A Peace of Mind
Katie @ DailyLife
Melissa @ Mom's Plans
Annette @ A Net In Time

What are some of your favourite Charlotte Mason inspired bloggers to follow ?  I'd love to add them to my list.
Blessings
Chareen

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 2/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop Day 2 William Shakespeare Resource List
My very first encounter with Shakespeare was well over 20 years ago in high school.  Our assigned work was Macbeth.  I loved every minute of the class but the thought of teaching Shakespeare in our home left me quaking in my shoes!

Since reading A Charlotte Mason Companion chapter on teaching Shakespeare I've been inspired to start reading a simplified version of Shakespeare to Nathaniel and to my surprise he rather enjoys it.

A wonderful new book on How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare  by Ken Ludwig recently caught my eye. In this book you will understand the many reasons to read Shakespeare to your children as well as find the tools on just how to equip your children to appreciate all that Shakespeare is to our modern culture.

Many of the words we use in today's modern vernacular are created by Shakespeare himself.  Here is a sample: "You've got to be cruel to be kind" "If Truth were known"  "Love is blind"  "Seen better days" and many more.

Shakespeare Books

  • The Young Reader's Shakespeare books are one of my favourite resources.  They are well written and beautifully illustrated.  Available titles: Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet   and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • The Usborne Young Reading William Shakespeare has been a delight.
  • Mr William Shakespeare's Plays by Marcia Williams presents seven classic Shakespeare plays. This title includes such novels as "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Macbeth", "Julius Caesar", "The Winter's Tale" and "The Tempest". 
  • Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare! by Marcia Williams presents As You Like It, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing 
  • Open Source: Shakespeare 
  • For the Lego lovers in your family:  Brick Shakespeare: Four Tragedies & Four Comedies
  • Shakespeare Stories By (author) William Shakespeare, Edited by Leon Garfield Here are twelve of Shakespeare's most memorable plays, presented in a fresh narrative form to delight both those who know the plays well and those who are new to them. Dramatic color illustrations and varied black-and-white drawings perfectly capture the mood of each story.
  • Shakespeare Stories II "By skillfully weaving his own prose with Shakespeare's language, Garfield has refashioned nine of the Elizabethan playwright's dramas into stories, capturing all the richness of the characters, plot, mood, and setting. Foreman's dramatic illustrations are the perfect complement to this celebration of Shakespeare's genius." 
  •  The Shakespeare Stories is a box set of 16 shortened Shakespeare stories.  This is a good set for young readers. These books are available separately.
  • Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
  • Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare "It is full of colourful illustrations from the Usborne Young Reading Programme. It contains the plays "A Midummer Night's Dream", "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet", "The Tempest", and "Twelfth Night". It also includes a section at the back on the life and times of Shakespeare."
  • Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers by E.Nesbit

Books on The Life of Shakespeare

Teaching Shakespeare

Notebook Pages and Unit Studies on Shakespeare



Follow my Pinterest Board for Shakespearean Resources


Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series


  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education



The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be joining forces with Homeschool Blogging Connection to bring you a week full of back to school encouragement.

I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and take some time to take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing this week in the 2015 Back to Homeschool Blog Hop


Rebecca @ Raventhreads
Annette @ In All You Do

What are some of your favourite Shakespearean resources ?  I'd love to add them to my list.
Blessings
Chareen

PS The BBC produced this interesting song on the quotes of Shakespeare that we use today.



PPS: Win a Microscope {1894.99 value}

For your chance to win a Microscope and  microscope Camera be sure to enter the giveaway over at the Schoolhouse Review Crew.