Friday, September 29, 2017

25 Weeks


That little smile has returned this week!  He's back to himself, with no teeth to speak of (go figure).  I'm getting very excited to see what this little chunky monkey weighs! 

He is coming along with solids.  And stealing our hearts little by little each day.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

CC Cycle 3: The Boston Tea Party

A while back, we read George Washington: True Patriot from the Heroes of History series by Janet and Geoff Benge.

The kids absolutely adored learning about Washington, his fascinating, courageous and often difficult life during the time of the Revolutionary War.  So it was with great excitement and anticipation that we came to this week's study: the Boston Tea Party!  They were already familiar with some names that came up often this week.  Names such as Adams, Revere, Henry, and Franklin. Watching their faces light up when they come across information they are familiar with never gets old.

We learned a little about Washington's spies, and did a cool activity writing spy letters with lemon juice.


Just add fire, and the message reveals itself.


Although I'm sure Washington would have envied the ease of my lighter.


Spying is a very serious business.  We also may have briefly discussed what exactly happened to the spies when they were caught.  I tried to edit that one out, but we have entirely too many resources in our house... Leah read about Nathan Hale all on her own.

This week's reading list: 
This Country of Ours: Paul Revere's Ride
Liberty or Death: The American Revolution by Betsy Maestro
We Were There at the Boston Tea Party by Robert Webb
The Boston Tea Party by Russell Freedman
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
The Burgess Animal Book by Thornton Burgess
Poetry: When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne and Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow

Picture Study: Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley
Composer Study: Bach and the Brandenburg Concertos 





This week has been my favorite so far.  There's just so much great stuff to cover: Paul Revere's daring ride and Longfellow's beautiful retelling; the stirring words of Patrick Henry; the bravery of the minutemen who stood at Lexington and Concord.  We had a blast!

And, it was reflected in our Thursday Think, which turned out amazing.   Their best work by far!






They took in so much information this week, it was incredible.  And their drawings... WOW!  



The growth I'm seeing each week as we do gather to do this activity is incredible.



Friday, September 22, 2017

24 weeks


It has been a rare sad week for Mr. Luke.  A week filled with few hours of sleep and lots of tears.  That's not his MO, which has me suspecting that his teeth are bothering him. 

When there isn't crying, there has been LOTS of singing.  Oh my goodness, so much singing.  I'll take it.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Solids and the fourth child.

Its one of my very favorite parts of the first year.  

Solids.  Oh, they're so stinkin fun!  

In our house, a baby always begins solids on carrots.  I'm not really sure why, exactly.  Probably because we're creatures of extreme habit, so we like to carry on in a consistent fashion.

Whether it's 2010 or 2017, beginning solids means a trip to Whole Foods and a reunion with a few faithful old friends.



It should probably be noted that even my hand blender is tired and thinks we'd better not have any more kids.  This baby, which has prepared virtually every meal all my babies have ever eaten, is definitely on its last legs.  


But still managed to get the job done!


My favorite part of beginning solids is the faces.  Both from the parents and the tiny baby.




That's it.  That's the face.  Why would you do that to me?!

A few more...




Oh yes.  Carrots is a success!

And, because we can't resist a good trip down memory lane...





Her bib sums it up:  Happy.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

CC Cycle 3 week 2: The Pilgrims


On deck this week?  The Pilgrims. 

We spent our first two weeks immersed in the world of the Native Americans, so the transition into Jamestown and Plymouth colonies for the last two weeks has been a natural one. 

Plus, the timing of these activities in the fall is just so perfect.  Lots of good crafts and accessories in stores (cough... Hobby Lobby... cough) in preparation for Thanksgiving.

That's where I found these little figurines:


...which provided my kids with their favorite activity of the week.  They carefully painted their Pilgrims and Indians, and we had a great conversation about colors and which would be appropriate and realistic for the time period (even though they often ultimately went a different way!)


They worked SO hard on these little guys, with such care and diligence, it was fun to watch.

This week's reading list:

This Country of Ours: The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers
Pilgrims of Plymouth by Marcia Sewell
The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish by Cheryl Harness
If you Sailed on the Mayflower by Anne McGovern
Story of the World Volume 3
Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock by Jean Fritz (which, by the way, my kids hated.  And we don't often hate books!)
Book of America: The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Burgess Animal Book by Thornton Burgess
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbitt: Two Gentlemen of Verona 
Poetry: Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems

We watched a few of these selected webcasts from Plymouth Plantation to give us a bit of real-life inspiration.  Imagine what it must have been like to live in those times!  Fascinating!

Composer Study: Bach's Cantatas
No picture study this week because... well, we simply didn't have time!


We kept up with our daily Bible study, math, memory work phonics and First Language Lessons as usual, and the rhythms of our weeks are beginning to unfold themselves so nicely.   



I am so grateful for the opportunity this year to just go slow.  Of course, that's not to say that the words hurry up! never issue out of my mouth.  But the biggest reason we did not join a CC community was to ensure that we could go at our own pace, that the thousand interruptions that happen when you have two, an active toddler and a baby, would not be allowed to derail us academically or relationally.  

My goal is, naturally, to ensure that my children have a high quality education; at the same time, though, I am so grateful that I don't have to rush them through it.  That they can linger where their hearts and minds wish to linger and explore the things they find compelling.  That they can stop to play while I put the baby down for a nap.  That life flows so much more organically when we're not constantly watching the clock to make sure we "get it all in."  

What a blessing!

Our Thursday Think made its return this week.



The kids LOVE this activity!  I hope to keep it that way, so for the time being we're not doing it every single week so they are not overloaded.


I am amazed by the natural creativity and curiosity it pulls out of them!





And the sweet, often unseen aspects of their individual personalities that emerge around this table.  So fun. Logan is still very much enjoying writing, and prefers to write over drawing (which shocked me.  Who saw that coming?!)




Leah has a grand time expressing herself through her artwork, and it is truly amazing to see how much they both remember.


Livvy works the hardest, though.  Her contributions are some of my favorite.  They may not look like much now, but I love her dedication, creativity and enthusiasm.  Who knows what these seeds will grow into?


Friday, September 15, 2017

23 weeks


We've had a fat guy, little coat conundrum around here for the past few weeks.  One which I've finally caved and remedied by putting him into 9 months clothing, even though he's only five months.

But really... it was time.

It's hard to believe just how quickly he's growing up.  I just adore this baby.

Next up: Solids!!

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

So what is the Classical Method, anyway?

When you hear the term, do you get an image of fancy dresses or white wigs?  The cast of Downton Abbey, perhaps?  Or does your imagination take you even further back...Togas, anyone?

You've heard me talk about how much I love it, but just what is classical education, anyway?


At its core, classical education is an approach that emphasizes not what to teach, but how to awaken the curiosity within ourselves that causes us to seek knowledge, chase wisdom and create beauty.

It begins with the premise that every child's mind is promising, fertile ground, especially when information is presented in a series of three developmental stages (referred to classically as the Trivium):

Grammar Stage (birth to approx. age 11): Children are naturally adept at memorization.  During this phase, we plant seeds by singing, chanting, rhyming, drawing and developing the vocabulary (grammar) of a subject.  In Classical Education, the greatest emphasis is not placed on developing skills such as writing or even reading (though, of course, those things happen during this time). This method assumes that a child's skills will develop naturally throughout his or her lifetime, and places instead an importance on growing factual knowledge during this window when the brain is particularly open to it.

Dialectic or Logic Stage (approximately ages 11-15):  Having developed rich background knowledge on a variety of subjects, the early teenage student is naturally more argumentative and begins to link ideas together, question validity, and seeks to learn the "why" behind the "what" they've already come to know.  In this stage, students are practicing reasoning, schooled in formal and informal logic, and learning to argue with wisdom and elegance. 

Rhetoric Stage (ages 15-18 and beyond):  As students gain greater independence and autonomy over their learning, we as educators begin to see the fruits of their study.  They are equipped to be independent thinkers and communicators, employing rhetoric that is persuasive, factual and pleasing to listen to.  They have gained mastery over wide variety of disciplines, and see the world not as a series of isolated subjects, but a tapestry of causes, effects and outcomes, powerfully - if often mysteriously -interwoven and worthy of careful consideration.  

Why I like it.
I like it because it follows what I know to be true about the progression of cognitive development.  As an educator, my Masters work was in neurological development, and I always struggled to reconcile what I knew to be true about the brain with what we consider to be "best practices" in the classroom.  

That struggle is absent with classical education: Children are presented with concrete facts which build their academic schema; middle schoolers test and challenge their perceptions with analytical thinking; older students cement their education as they practice abstract thinking and articulation.  In our world, with all its understanding of cognition from brain imaging, it is amazing to me that the methodology I find to work best was practiced for thousands of years, and has fallen out of vogue only recently in the midst of our modern, "progressive" era!  

But -- there's more.

As my children grow in this environment, the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty has woven itself into the very fabric of our family's culture.  Our teachers are the likes of Lewis, Shakespeare, Ingalls-Wilder, Homer, Haydn and Monet.  By virtue of our reformed education, we are able to commune with some of the great minds and talents and experiences history has to offer, until it becomes second nature to wonder, to enjoy, to discuss, to notice, to observe, and to find in one another kindred spirits whose souls are similarly awed, inspired and delighted by the journey.  

Plus... We read.


Together.  From great books.  On every subject.  Books that light up our minds and our souls alike.  All the time.

We are not reading books merely to check off a list or to be able to say we have read them.  We are reading to grow as persons, to know more that we may understand more, and ultimately, it is to be hoped, to act according to our great wisdom.
- Karen Glass, author and educator

Visions and ideals need a pathway; wisdom a road map.  What we find buried in the pages of great literature is courage to inspire us, ideas to challenge us, and friends to come alongside us.  

A rich inner life is developing here, day by day.  

It cannot be measured or tested.  It must instead be nurtured, inspired, and protected.  It is like a fire whose embers are carefully fanned and tended lest they be squelched and allowed to go out.  But, fed properly, the fire will grow into a strong and unquenchable flame that will carry them through the rest of their lives. 

I don't share this to incite arguments.  Neither do I wish to debate or belittle the merits of any other form of education.  I share for two simple reasons: 1) I love the classical method (can you tell?!).  When we love something and find it valuable, it is only natural to want to share it.  2) This is a form of education that, despite my MA in this very subject, I had never been exposed to.    

There are so many great resources and ways to learn more!  A small sampling (yes, several of these are Charlotte Mason.  The more I learn, the more I am convinced that Charlotte's principles underscore and reinforce much of the classical methodology) is below.

It is a rabbit hole whose adventures you won't ever be sorry you embarked upon!

Books:
The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
The Core by Leigh Bortins
A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason

Podcasts:

Happy learning, friends!

Saturday, September 9, 2017

CC Cycle 3 Week 1: Columbus

So, I have a confession to make.

This is our first repeat cycle with Classical Conversations.  Although I very fervently believe in the process (and I do), I wasn't exactly sure what our first repeat cycle would look like.  After all... the last time we learned about American history, my kiddos looked like...


....this.

Oh my.  Blast from the past, right?  

When we began CC, Leah was four and a half and beginning kindergarten.  Logan was just two, and little Livvy was all of about one month old.  Back then, I was extremely impressed by the incredible acquisition of facts, retention of dates, and advanced vocabulary CC provided.  

But.  Three cycles?  The same three cycles repeated for the next seven years?  Would it really work?

As we began this week, it took literally three minutes for my faith in the Classical method to be confirmed.  Because, my kid?  She knows this stuff.  She doesn't remember it all, exactly, but this information is definitely in there.  


It was so much fun to see the marked difference between Leah and Logan - who learned everything together last year at roughly the same pace.  Logan is going through this information for the first time, and I have to go slow, pause often and repeat many times (which is perfectly normal.  This is the foundational part of the Classical process, and he is doing an amazing job!).

What is so incredible, what I had heard stories of but had never yet witnessed for myself, is the incredible growth that happens as they go through the information again.  Leah hears it once and has it because she remembers this information from three years ago.  It's CRAZY!  AMAZING!!  And most of all, delightful.  Such a joy to bear witness to this beautiful learning process. Because she has the vocabulary down, we can begin to go deeper and explore topics with dimension and enthusiasm. 

This week's focus was on Columbus, who, I'll be honest, we've read rather a lot about in the past.  So, although we refreshed our memories on the basics, we didn't spend a ton of time on him and focused our attention instead to what life was like as the first colonists began to build their lives in the New World.

This week's reading list: 
This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall: The Adventures of John Smith
Story of the World: Columbus
Roanoake: The Lost Colony by Jane Yolen
Paddle to the Sea Ch. 3
Burgess Animal Book by Thornton Burgess
The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish by Cheryl Harness
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit: Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Poetry: When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne

Composer: J.S. Bach (Becoming Bach by Tom Leonard)
Picture Study: Mrs. Noah Smith and Her Children by Ralph Earl (1798)

We are focusing our attention on one virtue per month.  This month, we're learning about Respect.  They've defined it and memorized a Bible verse to support the virtue.


This week, we identified and practiced some ways that we can show respect in our actions, and read about how even wolves use respect as an important part of their pack dynamic.


Since it was our first week back with CC, we set up the science notebooks I created for them.  Each week, they'll do a brief reading and activity to reinforce our science memory work (which focuses on anatomy and chemistry this year).



It's so fun to watch the little things that kids enjoy.  Coloring and getting to decorate their science notebooks with stickers took so much longer than I'd anticipated, because they were so excited and took such care in their work.


When they had at last adequately beautified their notebooks, it was time to get down to business.


As my pre-writer, Logan is practicing cutting and pasting his together.  


At 7, Leah reads through the information for us and can write her own answers. 

And, of course, my little Livvy, hard at work.  The ways in which she keeps herself busy as we do school are truly a wonder.  Someday, I'll have to do a post on what she does while we do school.  It's pretty impressive in its own right. 


The two big ones also watched, with alternating disappointment and awe, the Disney movie Pocahontas.  Awe because, well, it might be one of the most astonishingly beautiful movies Disney has ever done.  And the soundtrack?!  It wow-ed us.  Having read several accounts of  both Pocahontas's and John Smith's life, the plot line left something to be desired.  

BUT --- the fact that they recognized and discussed that all on their own?  I'll take it!  



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