A Plantation Homeschool

I have been terribly busy with homeschooling and injuries that I haven't been diligent to post on my blog.  We are still homeschooling, but in about a week we will be finished for the 2007-2008 school year.YEA!!

It has been very hot and humid here in South Carolina.  Many days the temperature has been well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.   I can attest to the hot weather because last Saturday I was helping out at the local stable.  I was soaking wet from sweat.  Not only was I close to heat exhaustion, but a horse kicked me in the right arm.  Fortunately it isn't broken, but it does make typing a bit difficult.   

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer.  I dream of trips to the beach or picnics in the mountains.  For now I will have to be happy with dreams!  This gas crunch is keeping me close to home.  However, the beach is only two hours away, so maybe I can justify a quick visit and a dip. 

Have a great day!

Jan P.

Here is a wildflower that my dd captured in her photo shoot.  Isn't it lovely!

My camilia bush is in full bloom.  The flowers are gorgeous!!

My oldest dd and I are recovering from the flu today.  I think the worst has passed (at least for dd), and so we are watching some of our old movies.  So far we've been enraptured by "Everlasting",  "The Importance of Being Earnest", and "What a Girl Wants".  You can tell that we are Colin Firth fans, and yes, I own the BBC "Pride and Prejudice" movie.   While we were recuperating, my youngest dd took her new digital camera with her on a walk in the countryside.  Here are a few photos I think you will enjoy.

This is our dog, Beau.  He loves walking along the old dirt road adjacent to our property.

Well,  I'm having difficulty with uploading pictures for now.  I"m getting messages that there is not enough space in my photo album.   I have some great shots of flowers, but that will have to come another time. 

Peace in Him,

Jan

 Here are some photos taken last Wednesday during the Lunar Eclipse.

 This was the first phase of the eclipse.   It was terribly cold standing there watching this happen, but what a show!

Here is the full lunar eclipse.    I think I'll count this as a science lesson. 

Since I have a plantation homeschool, then I would like to share with you a bit more about my philosophy of homeschooling.  I would say that I tend to be a classical homeschooler with a Charlotte Mason bent.  However,  if anyone truly studied Charlotte Mason's works they would see that she too was a classicist.  She felt that right thinking (logic) and Latin were important, as well as learning from the great books and ideas of the past.  Yet, more importantly my homeschool is built first on the Bible.  Every morning I have a Bible study with my girls, and we discuss what we learned in the Scriptures.  We have been using Susan Hunt's new Bible study for teens called Becoming a True Woman .   Here is a list of materials that I am using. 

9th grade:

English:   Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings

Algebra 1:  Math Relief video

History:  The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer

Science:  Paradigm's Integrated Physics and Chemistry

Italian:  Italian Now!  Level 1

Logic:  Traditional Logic 1

7th grade:

English:  various books from Ambleside Year 7  (Watership Down and The Sword and the Stone so far)  and Modern Tongue for grammar

Spelling:  Modern Curriculum Press's Spelling Workout E

Math:  BJU  Math 7

History:   The Story of the English by H.A. Guerber (Out of Print)

Science:  BJU  Earth Science

Latin:  tried Henle Latin 1, but have stopped for now.  I hope to continue dd's Latin studies next year with a different text.

My oldest dd is also taking Ballet and Shakespeare at the local homeschool co-op.  And youngest dd is taking art lessons and horseback riding lessons.

~Peace in Him,

Jan