Our 5th Year of Homeschooling – Some General Thoughts and an Overview of Our Curriculum

My kid scientist. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,the world offers itself to your imagination,calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –over and over announcing your placein the family of things.Mary Oliver, Wild Geese What is the best curriculum for a well-brought-up person? Whatever the specifics of the curriculum used in … Continue reading Our 5th Year of Homeschooling – Some General Thoughts and an Overview of Our Curriculum →

In praise of copywork

One of our neighbors found herself tasked with homeschooling her grandson in recent months. The family is considering making homeschooling a somewhat permanent arrangement, but she is nervous about whether she can handle it (like many other parents and guardians). She asked me if there were any subjects that I have struggled to teach our … Continue reading In praise of copywork →

Our human biology and genetics curriculum (homeschooling)

Continuing my series publishing my lesson plans so parents who are interested in homeschooling can see how we do it in detail. This is our 4th grade human biology and genetics curriculum. Our daughter is gifted and interested particularly in science. We go all out in studying science each year so she feels happy and … Continue reading Our human biology and genetics curriculum (homeschooling) →

Our read-aloud literature for 4th grade (homeschooling)

Continuing my series publishing our lessons plans so families that are considering homeschooling can see how we do it in detail. Each morning, we start with reading a chapter or two from excellent children's literature. This is a great way to prepare your child for learning while they wake up and eat breakfast. This year, … Continue reading Our read-aloud literature for 4th grade (homeschooling) →

American Folk Music, Folk Art, and Folk Tales curriculum (homeschooling)

Continuing my series detailing our homeschooling curriculum for 4th grade for anyone who is considering homeschooling to see how we do it in real detail. As I explained in an earlier post, I try to take an interdisciplinary approach to homeschooling. This year, our theme is our identity as Americans. We are studying American history, … Continue reading American Folk Music, Folk Art, and Folk Tales curriculum (homeschooling) →

Our American History curriculum (homeschooling)

Continuing my series on what our lesson plans look like for anyone who is considering homeschooling. This is 4th grade American history. TEXTS: Abeka, The History of Our United States from a Christian Perspective Various Non-Fiction Children’s Books (noted below - there are a lot) Age of Exploration and First Settlements Introductory discussion – What … Continue reading Our American History curriculum (homeschooling) →

Our curriculum for Religion and Philosophy (homeschooling)

Our daughter is only eight years old, but she is starting to ask some very philosophical questions about God, good and evil, truth and knowledge, etc. So I decided that I would include religion and philosophy as regular subjects in our homeschool, beginning with this academic year, to help her work through those questions. My … Continue reading Our curriculum for Religion and Philosophy (homeschooling) →

Reading lists and podcasts

As my family and friends know, I am a bibliophile in the extreme. Our house is so cluttered with books that it would give Martha Stewart or Marie Kondo a nervous breakdown. And I have more or less been that way since I was a young child. I have started a project to check off … Continue reading Reading lists and podcasts →

Latin – the language of a thousand small victories

I've mentioned before that Latin is our daughter's favorite subject. I even catch her playing her Latin songs for fun when she's alone. I'm not sure how this happened, except that she is already mature enough to understand the concept of word play. I took for granted how much studying Latin helps children piece their … Continue reading Latin – the language of a thousand small victories →