There's so much going on in our lives! People running for Alderman, babies growing up, worship leading, Thirty-One... It has been difficult to separate school from life but who says they should be separate?
We started our school year pretty simply. We started with reviewing Math and each week we added a subject until we were touching Math (Singapore), Language Arts (WriteShop), History (The Story of the World), and a little Science (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day). However, I was really feeling like our homeschool was still a bit shallow.
In steps Dianna Stewart and Classical Conversations. I had heard about CC before when I was first considering homeschooling. I dismissed it because I wasn't a fan of the heavy emphasis on memorization. Oh how wrong I was.
CC is a curriculum mirroring the classical style of Charlotte Mason. With the look of a one room schoolhouse - much more like what a family looks like - CC hits seven subjects by giving the students (and parents) one fact or set of facts for each subject each week. The students EAT this up at the early ages as their minds are like sponges. At Mayah's age (usually the 2nd time they're going through the material) they begin to ask more questions about what they're memorizing and making connections with the things they're reading - both in and outside of school readings. The subjects we touch are Bible (I added my own memory work to theirs because I think Mayah can do more), History, Math (facts), English (grammar), Science, Geography and Latin. I'm hoping to add Spanish alongside the Latin as that seems like it would be a pretty easy add. But making sure I plan out the weeks (by getting the songs recorded on the tablet and posting the new memory work on the board) is my next accountability task.
There's also this timeline. It is a "list" of most of the major events in history starting with creation. Mayah is actually going to learn the entire list in the form of a song by the end of the school year! I love it!! I'm learning almost as much as she is!
CC has changed my homeschool. I realized that I need the accountability as much as the curriculum. So we are in the process of saving money to join a CC Community in January. Meanwhile, Dianna, who is a CC tutor, is passing on her lesson plans and we have an accountability group that meets most Tuesdays after the Beverly Coop.
Now I really think we can add some extras to our homeschooling! I was so nervous about not hitting the basics that I didn't have time to do any extracurricular activities. I think once we settle into this we will be able to add some music and maybe even speech back into the mix. Mayah really likes the curriculum and I'm excited, too!
Here's to a great "New" Year! ;-) Woohoo!!
Oh yes, and Naomi is eating it up, too. She has no idea what times tables are, but she's learning them! Haha!!
