February 9, 2010 by KellyH.

Chapter 12 of Volume 1 is the Human Body unit. But, while we’re studying the human body, we’re also studying “family.” I’ve chosen to do some read-alouds with this unit. We’ll be taking five weeks to go through this chapter, so I have four “families” to read about.

The first week we’re covering the family institution and preparation for family living. I chose to read Abigail Adams: First Lady of Faith and Courage (Sower Series). I chose this book because I simply love the way families were structured in this time period. It’s very different than what we now see, and this book gives me a chance to discuss those differences with my children. (Having just finished John Adams the time period is still fresh in my mind, as are John and Abigail Adams.)

During the first half of week two, we’ll be studying guidelines for dating. I’ve chosen to read about Billy Graham from the book, Backpack Books: Modern Heroes. All of these families exemplify godly people, which is what I’m focusing on for this unit. I don’t know if this book will touch on his relationship with his wife or not–the Abigail Adams book talked a bit about their courtship–but I’m sure I’ll find many character traits to point out to my children during this read-aloud.

During the second half of week two and most of week three we’ll be studying marriage. I chose The Swiss Family Robinson from Christian Adventures… 4 Books In 1. I realize this is a fictional family, but it’s also a family that works together to survive. Teamwork is another trait I’m trying to instill in my children.

During week four and the first half of week five we’ll be studying death, so I’ve chosen Susanna Wesley (The Sowers). I’ve read this book before and I seem to recall that Susanna loses a few babies along the way.

None of these books are suggested in the Volume, but they are what I have on my shelves. You will need to choose your own families to study if you chose to do read-alouds. As a way to wrap-up this unit, during the last week we’ll be studying “famous families.” I’ll be asking my children to write a letter to any of the famous families we’ve read about, even the Swiss Family Robinson, and ask them questions. It should be interesting to see what they come up with!

Posted in Creative Writing, Resources, Language Arts/English, History/Geography, Volume 1 | Print | No Comments »

February 2, 2010 by KellyH.

Chapter 11 of Volume 1 is one of the dreaded “White Pages” chapters. Why do these chapters strike fear into the hearts of Weaving moms? Two reasons:

1) It takes thought on the part of the mom/teacher to decide what to teach since there are usually so many options.

2) It takes discernment on the part of the mom/teacher to decide what to teach because not all of these chapters are broken down by age.

I believe Chapter 11 is the first White Pages chapter in Volume 1, and it’s followed by 5 more chapters, with only one of them NOT a White Pages chapter. That’s right, of the last 6 chapters, 5 are White Pages. But, take heart! As is noted in the intro to Chapter 11, the idea is not to make more work for you, but to lighten your load. Here’s what the author had to say:

As you review the materials that have been studied in the first ten chapters of The Weaver, you will realize that we have covered some very complex subjects. Chances are it has taken a toll on you. If it has, and your desk has a few file folders of left-overs, now is the time to catch up. Review any materials you do not feel your child has adequately grasped or finish items you planned to complete but have not had the time to do so.

This chapter contains six Bible lessons, as it is important that a continual study be made of the Bible to obtain the goal of hiding the Word of God in our children’s hearts. Character Sketches are continued in this chapter. There are no lesson plans for the academic level with it in mind that you will welcome a break and rest your mind as well as the minds of your students.

If, however, you are rested and wish to continue a detailed study with your children, the following are suggested areas of study. You may use the encyclopedia or juvenile section of the Library to help you with this.

She then lists 11 areas of study, mostly historical events that involved treaties or pacts. Since I could only find 4 of the 11 items in our encyclopedia set, I chose a slightly different route for this two week period: I pulled volume 4 of The Story of the World off the shelf and found the section that covers covers 5 or more of the suggested areas of study. We’re reading a chapter a day, starting at chapter 20 and continuing until chapter 29.

I know it’s awkward to start a book in the middle, but I have been curious about these books ever since I bought them and wanted to know how engaging they were for a read-aloud. They’re quite well written, and my children sit quietly while I read, with minimal–if any–fidgeting.  I give these books a hearty endorsement as resources/supplements for Weaver history. I’m learning a great deal myself, and finally starting to understand a bit more about our history, and the history of the world!

So, the next time you find yourself in a “White Pages” chapter, take heart! It’s a chance for you to relax a bit, and get creative with your teaching. You will not ruin your child if you take a couple weeks off from research papers. I promise.

Posted in History/Geography, Volume 1 | Print | No Comments »

July 13, 2009 by KellyH.

Check out the review I just posted about a neat Ancient History resource from Figures in Motion:

Famous Figures of Ancient Times

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March 17, 2009 by gracefrombrazil.

One of my favorite phrases I love to hear during school time is, “Please read us more!”  When this comes from a teenager it feels more consequential.  Sharing enthralling literature is a goal of mine and when I get my children hooked I feel I have scored a significant victory.  This happened in this particular unit on history.

This unit was so enjoyable that I wished it would have spanned longer than just 2 weeks.  Because the unit was so short I was hard pressed to find a read aloud that could be done in this time frame.  I finally chose to read one of Shakespeare’s tragedies in story form, Anthony and Cleopatra.  Yes, it is one of his tragedies but we read it for it’s historical import as well.   I have a varied collection of books that have transformed Shakespeare’s plays into stories.  They are Shakespeare’s Stories (Vol. I and II) by Leon Garfield, Lamb’s Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb, and The Best of Shakespeare by E. Nesbit   Garfield was the only one who attempted Anthony and Cleopatra .  The writing was done in a way that retained Shakespeare’s flavor and some of his pithy quips.  We pondered Anthony’s words that revealed his hopeless predicament when he muttered, “Ten thousand harms my idleness doth hatch”.   And we mused over Cleopatra’s description of her prior relationship with Julius Caesar as, ”My salad days when I was green in judgement.”  With this subject matter I did use caution. There were a couple words that were for more mature readers that I skipped over.

Other books my children read were George Washington and Abraham Lincoln  by Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire, for my 3rd grader, and various selections from Great Lives, Great Deeds  published by Reader’s Digest, for both my 8th grader and high schooler.  My high schooler worked her way through Founding Father by Richard Brookhiser.  I discovered this title about George Washington recommended at www.ambleside.com so decided to try it.  My daughter found it a challenge to read.  Although it was not quick reading she  reflected on the author’s thoughts long after she had closed the book.  I hope to read it soon in order to give a better review.

 Next time, I will share about what books we traveled through in our unit on transportation.

Posted in Living Books, History/Geography, Volume 1 | Print | No Comments »

July 19, 2007 by KellyH.

It’s barely the end of July and already I’m getting things ready for the upcoming school year. Normally I would wait another couple weeks before doing my last-minute prep, but school is right around the corner… literally! The public schools in my community are resuming on August 9th! That’s just 3 weeks away… since my oldest attends the local tech school for programming classes, we usually follow the public school schedule.

I spent time back in May planning for this coming year, and today was the semi-annual teacher’s sale at Mardel’s. I purchased two Milliken books: The Middle Ages
and The Renaissance, both from the History of Civilization series.

Now I need to clean off my desk, and get last year’s papers filed away so I can start fresh. And I ONLY have 3 weeks!! Where did the summer go?!

Posted in Teaching Tips, History/Geography | Print | 1 Comment »

June 11, 2007 by KellyH.

I have discovered a wonderful tool for getting my children to write: an old typewriter!

My grandfather liked to write, and so did his older sister. I’m not sure how the story goes, whether he bought the typewriter for himself and eventually gave it to her, or if he bought it for her, but one year he gave her a red Underwood Golden Touch typewriter. (I would guess this machine is from the 60s, but I cannot find another like it to verify that.) About 10 yrs ago it was given back to my grandfather, and a few years ago it was given to me.

This past week I’ve let my kids do some typing — it’s always special when they type because I don’t let them “play” with the typewriter often. Today I sat down and showed them what all the different levers and buttons do, and explained the changes that have come over the years to keyboards (computer vs typewriter). I used to have some White-out tabs, but can’t find them right now, so I’ve had to explain (without showing) how to ‘fix’ mistakes.

They’re having a blast, writing stories about themselves! And I’m enjoying the clackety-clack of the keys, and the smell of the ink ribbon. I’ve even taken time to do some manual typing myself. I’ve forgotten how hard it is to just type and not worry about mistakes. To make a perfect paper, I must be conscious of every letter I push, otherwise I will have to core correct my mistakes somehow.

Now I’m anxious to visit some antique stores again… I want to look at the old typewriters!

Posted in History/Geography, Wisdom Words | Print | No Comments »

February 22, 2007 by KellyH.

A few years ago, I saw fabric that had a map of the USA imprinted on it. Each state lists the capital and has a picture of the state bird and state flower. There was a key/list off to the side of the map, listing the names of the birds and flowers.

I wasted no time in buying this map panel! I also bought some solid red fabric to back it, and created a small “quilt” simply by adding some batting between the fabrics and machine-sewing straight lines, horizontally and vertically, about an inch apart, with “invisible” thread. (I used red thread in the bobbin, though.)

About a year later, a panel with the map of the world came out, so I bought that, too, along with blue material for the backing. This map was trickier to machine-quilt as the lattitude and longitude lines were already printed on the map and they are not straight, which threw me off at times.

Both maps are cherished by my two youngest children. They’re going to come in handy in a few weeks when we cover map skills once again. I also have a Magnetic State to State Game that I’ll bring that out to help my third-grader memorize where the states go, and what their names are. Chances are, my first-grader will whiz through this and learn it right along with his sister!

One resource that I’ve had for a few years but haven’t used yet is the book States & Capitals Workbook, by Twin Sisters Productions. I’ll have to pull some of the games and activities out of that book. I’ll also have to see if I can find the music for Turkey in the Straw–that’s the tune they use for “singing” the states in Volume 5, chapter 9.

We’ve got two weeks left of our current chapter, but I’m already starting to plan for the next one–a 30-day chapter! Those long chapters seem to need the extra planning.

Posted in History/Geography, Volume 5 | Print | 1 Comment »