Right now we’re on vacation. And this may sound silly, but I am sort of excited about going home and getting back to the routine of life and beginning my organizing for the next school year. Am I nuts? …… Don’t answer that 
Archive for planning
Organization Excitement
Summer Read Alouds
I’ve compiled a list of our summer read alouds if you’re interested …
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
Winnie the Pooh Books by A.A. Milne
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
James Herriot’s Treasury for Children by James Herriot
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
Aesop for Children – Milo Winter
Pippie Longstocking by Astrid Lindgreno
Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish
Currently we’re reading through Just So Stories and loving it 
Year 2 Revisited
I have revisited my plan for next year and saw the need to revise my artist and composer schedule. I am wanting to introduce DD to artists and composers that will pique her interest, so I have chose the following for next year:
Artists:
Michelangelo
Rembrandt
Monet
Composers:
Beethoven
Vivaldi
Mozart
You can see my revised Year 2 plan here.
A Plan!
I so wish I would have done Ambleside Online or Higher Up & Further In’s schedule for Year 1 last year! But I didn’t, so this year I am combining some of AO’s Year 1, Year 2 and some of Higher Up & Further In’s Year 1, Year 2 and my own things I want to cover. Do you think me brain is exhausted? Whew! So here is my schedule …
If you have any questions (I have had a few) then please let me know!
Blessings
Zoology 1: Flying Creature of the Fifth Day
I am on a planning roll! Well, our state conference is next week (YAY!) and I am wanting to get most of my planning done so that I know what I need/want to buy. I began my planning for science yesterday and I finished this morning. I thought I would also share those files with you in case you are trying to figure out how to plan Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. All the schedules that I have found online are for 28 weeks, but I wanted to stretch it out the entire 36 weeks.
Zoology 1 was written by Jeannie Fulbright and I really like her. I like her writing and I have enjoyed hearing her speak as well. I hope these help you out some
You can also find pre-made (by Jeannie) notebooking pages here. Also, there are insect flashcards (for lesson 13) and notebooking pages without writing.
Just to answer a question you may have on the plans I made … Why jump from Lesson 1 to Lesson 9? Lesson 9 begins insect study and this should be done while it’s still warm outside
I plan on ordering the Zoology 1 kit from Creation Sensation, as well as the Bird Field Guides (I think – I have one and I might find others I like elsewhere – I do want to get Birds, Nests and Eggs), the Build-a-Birdhouse Kit (since it meets the specifications in Zoology 1) and the Painted Lady Butterfly Larvae. You can see a complete list of supplies included in the kit here.
I will also be ordering Ladybug Larvae from Insect Lore (BTW this is a great site with games to play, things to learn and, of course, a place to shop!)
Happy Planning!
Truth Quest American History for Young Students 1
My dear husband is happy, I think … every time he calls me and asks, “What are you doing?” my response is, “Planning.”
I am excited that I am done … with history at least. So, I thought I would share my history plans with you. I have searched and searched for some help with planning Truth Quest and didn’t find much, so if you are also searching I want to share in order to help you.
These also have the era, our artist, composer, poet and read alouds (which correspond to our history schedule) listed, as well as the extras we’ll be using along with the given topic, if any. I haven’t listed the spine, because I know that we’ll be using This Country of Ours (TCOO), since it’s free online (these are 2 separate links that take you to 2 different sites, each with a free copy of TCOO).
AHYS1 Term 1
AHYS1 Term 2
AHYS1 Term 3
I have it broken down into terms because that works best for me for planning. Each term is 12 weeks long. Each week has the topic(s) listed along with the corresponding section # in the Truth Quest guide.
I plan on putting more files here on my blog to share, so I’ll let you know when I do
*pdf creation courtesy of PDF online – convert to pdf for free!
TruthQuest
It came in the mail yesterday … my brand new copy of TruthQuest American History for Young Students 1 – Exploration to 1800. When bedtime came around I got cozy in my PJs and under the covers and began to read through the guide. What a wonderful resource!!! I’ve already learned something in my reading that I (*blush*) did not know … the Puritans and Pilgrims are not the same people. Did you know that? I didn’t, I’m sorry to say. Anyway, it’s a wonderful smorgasbord of delightful living literature on just about every aspect of America from the exploration to 1800. I am so excited to sit down today and begin my real planning (I was waiting on this to arrive). Hope you all have as much fun planning as I do
Blessing!
American History & Systems & Methods
I ordered TruthQuest American History for Young Students 1 yesterday. I hope it gets here soon as I have been really wanting to get my hands on it. I have been drawn to it for some time now. For whatever reason I want to dive into America History next year.
The other night I began writing out our schedule for next year using Ambleside Online’s (AO)Year 1 & 2 and Linda Fay’s (HUFI) Year 1 & 2. But with my desire for American History it just wasn’t meshing together quite right. AO doesn’t even really cover American History yet and some of the books I like in HUFI Year 2 don’t really go with the topics of Year 1. And since I don’t want to start American History in the middle (Year 2), I think I will have to pull my own history and literature together. But that’s okay … I like planning
It’s funny, I was reading some of Charlotte Mason’s writing yesterday about Systems & Methods of education (Home Education, Some Preliminary Considerations). She said the following:
Method a Way to an End.––Method implies two things––a way to an end, and a step by step progress in that way. Further, the following of a method implies an idea, a mental image, of the end of object to be arrived at. What do you propose that education shall effect in and for your child?A System easier than a Method.––A ’system of education’ is an alluring fancy; more so, on some counts, than a method, because it is pledged to more definite calculable results. By means of a system certain developments may be brought about through the observance of given rules.
System––the observing of rules until the habit of doing certain things, of behaving in certain ways, is confirmed, and, therefore, the art is acquired––is so successful in achieving precise results, that it is no wonder there should be endless attempts to straiten the whole field of education to the limits of a system.
If a human being were a machine, education could do no more for him than to set him in action in prescribed ways, and the work of the educator would be simply to adopt a good working system or set of systems.
But the educator has to deal with a self-acting, self-developing being, and his business is to guide, and assist in, the production of the latent good in that being, the dissipation of the latent evil, the preparation of the child to take his place in the world at his best, with every capacity for good that is in him developed into a power.
Though system is a highly useful as an instrument of education, a ’system of education’ is mischievous, as producing only mechanical action instead of the vital growth and movement of a living being.
I realized that I was looking at AO schedules and HUFI schedules as systems and trying to implement them as such. But they are just helps that some precious ladies have made to assist us to see the big picture, put it all together and navigate the CM method.
Freedom … that’s what a method allows. And that’s what I desire in our homeschool. That’s one of the reasons that I like the CM method so much. But I do need to get it into my head – METHOD, not system. What do I propose that education shall effect in and for my child? That’s the question and the answer to that question will lead my planning. I like freedom …
It’s Coming Together
Next year is really coming together! YAY! I am excited about it all and want to sit down and plan out the year already. Last night I wrote out all the subjects and what I would be using or wanting to cover for each one. Being a planner by nature I find this fun I hope to have my year 2 booklist and schedule done sometime soon and then I will post it. In the meantime, if you are really wanting to use Charlotte Mason methods and are just intimidated by it all, I found this site – http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/ – it says “Literature-rich curricula inspired by the work of Charlotte Mason”
Enjoy!
You Think Too Much ….
You know that song, You Talk Too Much from the ’50s? I keep getting that tune stuck in my head and inserting the word “think” for “talk”. But I think I may have figured out next year (“YAY!!!!,” says my husband).
Last year I wanted to do Ambleside Online (AO), but didn’t because of fear and not understanding, etc. Now that I have a couple of years of school under my belt it makes more sense to me. After having a year that was planned out for me, I want something that I plan out for myself. As much as I thought I wanted that, I don’t thrive that way. I do much better planning it all myself.
That being said, I will use Ambleside Online’s Year 2 modified just a bit for us. I am so excited that I have this figured out!! You just don’t know how much I have been thinking about it and trying to decide just what I want to do (okay, if you know me IRL then you do know LOL).
So here is how it breaks down:
Bible -
Read through the New Testament in the Narrated Bible
Language Arts -
Narrations and Copywork from readings
Queen Homeschool’s Learning to Spell through Copywork (I may not need this as I am trying to learn how to do spelling the Charlotte Mason way)
Language Lessons for the Very Young (Queen Homeschool)
Notebooking various subjects (History, Geography, Science)
Math -
Horizons Math 2
History -
Ambleside Online
An Island Story***
This Country of Ours***
A Child’s History of the World
The Discovery of New Worlds***
Leif the Lucky by D’Aulaire
Columbus by D’Aulaire
Trial and Triumph
The Little Duke***
Joan of Arc
Book of Centuries
Wall Timeline
Geography -
Paddle to the Sea by Holling
Tree in the Trail by Holling
Seabird by Holling
Uncle Josh’s Outline Maps CD-ROM
Notebook
Science -
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1
Burgess Bird Book ***
Notebook
Foreign Language -
Elementary Spanish on United Streaming ***(GA homeschoolers)
Poetry -
Walter De La Mare***
Eugene Field***
James Whitcomb Riley***
Christina Rossetti***
Literature -
Tales from Shakespeare***
Pilgrim’s Progress***
Parables from Nature***
Understood Betsy***
The Wind in the Willows***
Robin Hood***
Art -
Artistic Pursuits K-3
Picture Study a la Charlotte Mason and AO
Music -
Progressive Recorder Method for Young Beginners Book 1
Music appreciation a la Charlotte Mason and AO
Additional Books for Free Reading -
Heidi***
A Wonder Book***
Tanglewood Tales***
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew***
Hans Christian Andersen***
Pied Piper of Hamlin***
Benjamin Frankiln by D’Aulaire
George Washinton by D’Aulaire
Buffalo Bill by D’Aulaire
Five Children and It***
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
The Story of Doctor Dolittle***
Mary Poppins
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Mr. Popper’s Pernguins
Otto of the Silver Hand***
Chanticleer and the Fox
Along Came a Dog
The Door in the Wall
**FREE online***
