Perspective

So important to understand from what point you are seeing things. Webster's defines perspective as "to look through, see clearly, aid vision."  Reading glasses help me see clearly while the Bible aids my vision and how I see things through my reading glasses.

What are you reading that helps you see "things" more clearly?  Will it help you reach the answers to your questions?  Is it a window that is treated with color or pattern?

We are beginning the Logic Stage Medieval / Earth Science-Astronomy year of the classical education pattern.  After reading some stories about Beowulf, do you understand better why people do things the way they do? Fear. Honor. Pride. Necessity. Classics are good for bringing these perspectives to light.  So glad my kids are reading and talking about what they read.  Simply filling in blanks of a worksheet just won't do the learning job now.

If you could study one thing all year long...

G#1 is at AWANA camp, but G#2 says she'd study art or math. G#3 says he'd stick with spelling or math.
Don't be deceived, I'm not deleting science or history for either. But, is there a way to teach  either with math, spelling or art? Yep, & I'm almost ready to start their 6th year of home education. Very soon.

Science is EASY in Summertime

I've mentioned that these 3Gs studied science and history TOGETHER during the grammar stage even though they are 16 months apart in age.  That means many times they were able to divide and conquer my attentions, divert me from the topic, and in order to manage the "classroom," I followed many of their RABBIT TRAILS. I didn't take elementary teacher training. The secondary methods I learned were very different from what was necessary when dealing with these three, young, bright children.  So, many of the topics in our first/second grade study of earth science and astronomy were not covered at all.  They picked up the concepts through osmosis and acquaintance with other lessons, but simple experiments that many others might do just didn't happen when there were so many other topics to cover. Plus, I was a little obsessed with their sitting at desks.  Their little bodies just didn't sit well for long enough duration to watch the vinegar dissolve the seashells. Even today as we watched the seashells dissolve, there were many other events taking place concurrently. 

My 3Gs are traveling and involved in many activities this summer. Each is being blessed by an individual's week with the Utah grandparents.  There was vbs at our church for a week and drama camp at another church for a week.  There was an experience for one to do a culinary camp and another to do an art camp with friends.  There are visits with friends, library reading time and swim time. There is an opportunity to visit the Iowa grandparents for a county fair experience.  Rarely are all three children here together during the summer.  I wanted to do a little school during the summer which included math practice and science interactions.  My goal was to work through simple Janice VanCleave Earth Science and Astronomy experiments as far as possible because there won't be time to try any of these during the school year with Elemental Science's Logic Stage ESA.  I LOVE Earth Science and Astronomy. I'm delighted with how it relates to other studies and how the topics are ever present in daily life.  I endure discussions of my three tween children in order to persevere for science experiments.  It's so worth it when they share what they saw with each other as one travels away.  They will refer back to some of these experiments we are attempting even if it's not all 101 ideas from the book.  And, it isn't torture to do a simple experience with household materials for a few minutes each day that may even be individual work causing more pride in their own work.

Are you trying any school this summer? Are you in a hurry to start the next school year?

Elemental Science Prep for this Fall

Highlighters & underlines with sticky notes a plenty. Yes, this means the KSE & UISE will have marks in the book if I ever resell. But, my kids won't be able to say they can't find the definitions to terms or what to outline on the page when they look at all the aids I'm plugging in.  I will slowly decrease the amount of these aids as I move through preparation of the books for this fall, but last year I gave them Paige's discussion questions as well as her definition of vocabulary terms from the start.  They had to find their own answers to the discussion questions, but I helped them go over the answers before they were allowed to put the notebook page in their science binders each week.  This was done in order to straighten out the misunderstandings and lack of detail from each page covered.  This year, they will slowly be outlining instead of answering discussion questions (which are really part of the outline anyway) and deciphering from the KSE and UISE what each definition for vocabulary terms should be before they come to me to go over the material.  The life of 5th and 6th graders around here just got more challenging, but I know they will handle it BRILLIANTLY. 

End of 4th/5th Grade

They look a little shaggy, but according to G#1 he's ok with that b/c he gets to eat what he wants for lunch at whatever time he wants; G#2 is ok with it because she is looking forward to the next field trip that involves time aboard an airplane; and G#3 because he gets to spend his whole day in pajamas if he wants. So the official last day ceremony and events takes place today. We'll see if the Daddy can handle all he has planned including the baseball game with fireworks tonite.

Homeschool Attempt to View the Transit of Venus

Tuesday, June 5th we attempted to tape the small binoculars to the Daddy's camera tripod and see the image of Venus transiting across the sun projected on a sheet of paper.


My junior astronomers continued their studies of Astronomy a little out of schedule. We follow a Well Trained Mind Classical Education model of arranging our curriculum. That said, astronomy was part of the 1st/2nd grade year and will be part of our fall studies in 5th/6th grade.  But the transit of a near planet doesn't happen everyday.  We were able to see a faint, circular image of the sun lightened on the binocular shadow AND the dark dot of Venus on that circle.  G#2 and I then followed the proceedings after dinner on a website broadcasting the transit from Mt. Mauna Loa NASA observatory.  She was so anxious not to miss this event and stayed away from neighborhood kid time play in order to watch the experience.  She knew that it wouldn't take place again for over a hundred years and didn't want to miss it. 

We've made a request from an uncle who has welding training to gift us a welder's helmet for Christmas so we won't have to deal with the tripod anymore.

Green Grammar Practice

 And besides the fact that the marker is green, he used dry erase on a sheet protector to do grammar instead of marking on the paper.  We will use this Rod and Staff page again in a few days when his sister does this same lesson. An added plus is that he didn't turn green (sick) while doing grammar today.

Adverb Use work for G#3, but G#1 finished the 5th Grade book today.  G#3 is ahead of his brother's progress at this point and is having more fun in language study than he will EVER let on to any of us. 

BTW, G#1 wrote his first key word outline for IEW's All Things Fun & Fascinating today.  He was pleased and will attempt to re-write the paragraph from HIS outline tomorrow.  G#1 may or may not enjoy the task, but we can only try it to see if he will.  Pray he enjoys the re-write tomorrow. 

Update:  It is quite amazing what happens when a student has a foundation of solid grammar study.  Even when I can't administer the IEW checklist or the AFF directions, this G#1 enjoyed writing a keyword outline AND rewriting the paragraph the next day from his own outline.  He then accomplished the same feat again for the second paragraph and keyword outline. Maybe he'll be able to write when he needs to someday, but for today, he has a clue.  Thank you for your support.