Friday, December 12, 2008

Random pictures

I thought it would be fun to add random homeschooling pictures occasionally. These were from today.

Justin doing math and bundled up in front of the little space heater
Reading with Jonathan (Ryan likes to join us). We are cuddled up on my big bed, which is where we do most of our reading.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Artwork - deer picture

I think art lessons would be fun, but on the other hand I think the best way to encourage art in children is to just let them be creative. And believe me, there have been some doozy creations around the house!

Awhile back, I purchased some art curriculum from the thrift store that looked fun, and will eventually go through it with the boys. But my favorite thing is to just pick up books from the library with really pretty artwork and let the boys sketch. It is just natural.

The latest find is a book called The Big Snow by Verta and Elmer Hader (written in 1948). The pictures are sketched. Some are black and white but others are colored. They are very beautiful
The way I usually "get them" to draw is to just show them the book and suggest that if they want, there are pretty pictures in there to copy.

I read the book to them last night at bedtime, and first thing Justin was up wanting to draw the pictures from the book. He drew the following picture this morning. It is a buck, a doe, a fawn, and a squirrel all in the snow. I thought it was really cute!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Schoolhouse Rock

I remember watching SchoolHouse Rock on Saturday mornings when I was little. The other day I found a Schoolhouse Rock multiplication video at the library, so I thought I would check it out since Justin is learning the tables. Obviously there would be some of the videos I wouldn't like (one had a boy sticking his tongue out at another kids, tacky music, etc), but I really like some of them.

I like this one... it made me smile :-)




I have heard Jonathan singing this one several times:

Monday, December 1, 2008

Learning Through "Living Books"

According to Charlotte Mason, living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The books pull you into the subject and involve your emotions, so it’s easy to remember the events and facts. Living books make the subject “come alive.” They can be contrasted to dry writing, like what is found in most encyclopedias or textbooks, which basically lists informational facts in summary form.

I am not opposed at all to textbooks because facts are important. But, on the other hand I PREFER living books (don't we all?). They are much, MUCH more interesting. And you can learn so much from them! So, for our family, we will read both living books and textbooks.

We are currently reading Mary of Plymouth :A Story of the Pilgrim Settlement by James Otis (written in 1910!).Something sad that I think has happened over the course of time is the "dumbing down" of children's books. It is just assumed that a child will not understand a book unless it is written in the most simple of terms. That is not true! As I read this book, I ask the boys "what does that mean?". Most of the time they do, in fact, understand. I think the main reason they are able to discern vocabulary is because of the way it is used in the context of the sentence. I believe this is a great way to learn new vocabulary words (or old vocabulary words for that matter)!
If they do not understand, it is very easy to explain the meanings to them. However, it is not necessary most of the time.

Some of the vocabulary words from today:

quill
shallop
savage
oars

I think also that it goes the same way for reading the Bible. If I do not read to them straight from the Bible, how will they understand Biblical terminology as they grow and mature? I definitely do not want them to search out the newest versions available that have been watered down to entertain the reader. Of course I read Bible stories to them but I think reading straight from the Bible is necessary!

Pictures... FINALLY!

Here are a few pictures of the giant crawl through ear that we made...


This part was only paper, but it was supported by giant castle blocks and chairs.
We made a big tunnel out of blocks (not pictured), and then on the other side are the inside parts.....

Jonathan is holding the cochlea. Justin is holding the ear drum. Ryan is holding the hammer, anvil, and stirrup (hard to see). The ropes represent vestibular & auditory nerves. The large tunnel represented the auditory canal.