Catherine Love~ Ramblings from my Heart and Home

Fun Craft - Bean Mosaics

We made these last week on craft day and it was lots of fun.  Even the Moms had to join in and make our own bean mosaics!  We left them to dry and one of the ladies is going to give them a coat of clear sealer of some type to keep them looking pretty! 

Have fun creating your own masterpiece .

Our Homeschool Open House

Welcome to our Homeschool Open House! 

If this is your first visit here, my name is Catherine, and my husband Carl and I have 3 lovely daughters ages 9, 6 & 5.  We live right in the heart of Texas (which is a great place to homeschool by the way).  We've been homeschooling for 6 years, since our oldest, Sarah, turned 4. 

Our homeschool is very eclectic, somewhat "unschoolish", and we do try to implement some of Charlotte Mason's ideas into our days.  We do use curriculum for Math and Language Arts, though very loosely, and mostly as a guideline.   

This year my tentative plan is:

Sarah (9 years old)

Bible- Daily family Bible reading, scripture memory, Bible notebook, etc. 

Math- Saxon 5/4

L. Arts- English from the Roots Up, Dictation & Copywork from Literature and Poetry selections (Ambleside Online and our own choices) for Spelling, Grammar & Penmanship practice, Easy Spanish, and a typing course.

History- Lots of living books, crafts, etc. pertaining to the Civil War era and moving forward.  US Geography, mapwork, begin Book of Centuries.

Science- Apologia Zoology (?), Ambleside Online selections, Nature Study and Notebooks, Gardening, delight-driven studies, etc.

Art- Artist studies from Ambleside Online, drawing and painting lessons with Dad.

Music- Composer studies from Ambleside Online, piano lessons, children's choir, etc.

P.E.- Ballet, Trampoline, Swimming 3x/week, and running and bike riding around our yard!

* We are also planning to begin working on some of the projects in the Keepers at Home book; and hopefully will at some point begin a group with other young ladies.

Hannah (age 6)

Bible- same as Sarah

Math-  actvities from Miquon and An Easy Start in Arithmetic

L. Arts- Phonics Pathways and A Strong Start in Language, Copywork, etc.

Science, History, Art, Music- these we study as a family, so they will be the same as for Sarah above.

Cana (age 5)

I tend to go very lightly in the early years, as I've learned that they pick up so much just by participating with the older children and learning as they live.  Yet, Cana doesn't want to be left out of "school", so I will plan some learning activities and lessons for her using:

Bible- same as for Sarah and Hannah

Math-  activities from Cuisenaire Alphabet Book and  An Easy Start in Arithmetic

L. Arts- begin Phonics Pathways and a few activities from A Strong Start in Language, copywork, etc. 

Science,History,Art,Music,etc. same as for Hannah.

OK, that's my curriculum plan- which may change as days go by, and we add to our studies, eliminate things and make changes as we see the need.  Also, as I said we are somewhat "unschoolish" and when necessary, I will put away the textbooks and planned lessons and just enjoy a period of "living and learning" as we go. 

As for a schedule.....

I try to begin our lessons at 9 a.m. when at all possible, and we do our "table time" studies- Math, Reading, Writing, Spelling, etc. first thing every morning.  Then, we add in our other studies throughout the day, making adjustments as we feel the need.  Normally, we will do a Science or Nature activity or History reading or project before lunch; then the afternoon is free for lots of read alouds on a variety of subjects, Art, Music, Handwork, P.E., etc.   

In the past we've done Monday thru Thurday school, with Fridays as Free Days or Catch Up Days; but this year I plan to do Mon. - Fri., with "Free Days" added in as necessary. 

I do not keep a detailed lesson plan or schedule- I record each days lessons and activities as we go, and simply check off our "school days" on my attendance calendar. 

That's a little glimpse into our home-school.  Thanks for visiting !

Click here to go to the Homeschool Open House 2007 page.

*As I was typing this entry my girls got out their notebooks and began preparing them for a new school year, completely on their own.  Sarah added pages I had copied from here to the pockets on the front and back of Cana's notebook, got out the chalkboards and chalk, and taught Cana her vowels from one of the pages.  Cana came in and proudly showed me her copywork and read the vowels to me.  Hannah is working on some little project of her own, that she'll show me when she's ready..... I love homeschooling!

Homeschool Open House

Tiany is hosting a Homeschool Open House at Homeschool Blogger.  I'll be posting my own entry in a little while- I hope that other homeschoolers here will join in the fun, too.  I love reading about how other families homeschool, it's fascinating to see the many ways the Lord leads us to educate our precious children.  Getting new books for the wishlist is an added bonus ! 

Here's the link for the Homeschool Open House 2007 info. if you'd like to participate (or just visit).  Hope to see some of you joining in!

Blessings,

Catherine