We're That Family

Lately I've been hearing a lot about "unschooling." Afraid I was missing out on something important, I took it upon myself to Google "unschooling."

Watching the 1963 version of "Jason and the Argonauts" for Greek Mythology

Forget for a moment that the built-in spell check doesn't even recognize this word as one. Forget that the word "unschooling" sounds like some power-to-the-people-hey-I-don't-shave-my-armpits-hippie-free-lovin'-I-don't-remember-where-I-parked-my-Volkswagen kind of terminology. And try really hard to not think that "unschooling" may be just an excuse parents use to explain a child's unruly free-spirited behavior.

The boys rolling beeswax candles.

The official definition of "unschooling" is this: Unschooling is a natural learning method that is mainly based upon the life experiences that daily living provides.

Heather cooking lunch for Home Ec.

 That's it!?! You mean that everyday life experiences are considered school? Or unschool? Activities my children naturally enjoy or want to pursue are considered learning opportunities? Well, doesn't that make every parent (who is present in their children's lives) a homeschooling parent? Even if the kids get a more traditional education via the public school system?

Mandie learning to quilt.

YES. It does. Parents need to remember that learning starts at home. It starts at birth when the newborn learns which cry to use to be held, fed, burped, or changed. It continues during the toddler years when that same child is being trained to use the potty. Learning at home doesn't stop when the child goes to kindergarten; there are shoes to be tied, clothes to be put on correctly, even homework to be done. And as the parent of 5 adult children, the learning doesn't stop with them reaching the magical age of 18.

"Mom, how do you poach eggs?" 

"Dad, how do you rotate tires?" 

"Mom, why would the baby have a rash on her hand?" 

"Dad, how do I file my income tax return?"

Trust me, the learning process never ends. But now there's a term for it. And for once, I feel like I'm part of the in-crowd.

The Mister learning new nursing techniques~with his eyes closed.

 We're an unschooling family with homeschool tendencies.

We're that family.
 

The Reluctant Speller

My youngest son Matthew, is not a speller. In fact, he rates knowing how to spell right up there next to his aversion to all foods that are green. As far as he's concerned, spelling lists and spinach were only put on this earth to cause unnecessary frustrations and endless hours of torture.

He's a little dramatic.

He gets that from his father...*ahem.*

His penmanship also leaves something to be desired. If he can concentrate on writing his letters, his writing is beautiful. But if he has to think about spelling words correctly, it quickly turns into something that requires a professor with a PhD. in unknown languages to decipher. Matthew can either write or spell, but not both. (Unless it's the word poop. First word he ever learned to spell and write. Boys. Go figure.)

We have been using Trail Guide to Learning/Path's of Exploration for Matty's history program. This curriculum includes all subjects except for math. Each week, spelling/vocabulary words are introduced, usually from something we're reading. At some point during the week, Matt writes his words down on 3x5 cards, and uses those to play games or quiz himself with. At the end of the day, those cards go into the appropriate envelope on the above chart. (Which grows every week!) So far, the cards are a hit. But practicing those same words on paper has still been a source of frustration...more for me than him I imagine!

Because Matty is a kinesthetic learner, meaning "hands-on", I decided to take a different approach with his spelling practices and tests.

First, I purchased some magnetic alphabet letters from a discount store. I bought 4 packages since there is only 1 of each letter per pack. They were about $1/pack.

Secondly, I dug out an old stainless cookie sheet and sprayed it with chalkboard paint.

Of course, then we played with the new "chalkboard."

I then gave Matt a spelling word off of one of his cards and he spelled it out with the letters.


This is a word that he was having trouble with on paper, but with the letters he got it right on the first try.

He didn't get all of them right, but he was able to see and fix his mistakes.

And the second day that we did this? He got all of his words correct.

For the very first time!

Matthew was so excited that he wrote me a little thank you letter.

Guess we have a few more words to add to the list.☺

A Cure for the Wiggles

How do you convince an 11 yr. old that his history is more exciting than speeding down a hill (of very wet snow) on a sled? 

Turn off the lights and light the oil lamp.

And when he complains that he still can't see, light some candles too!

History may never be the same again.☺

First Day of School Cider

One of the reasons that I love the Pacific Northwest is the greeness that lasts throughout the summer. But with that greeness comes water.

Lots and lots of water.

As in torrential downpours.

This is also the reason that I have been trying to talk my Mister into moving to the east side of the state. Where it's drier. And I've been talking for years. It is also the reason that we just began our 2011-2012 year of homeschooling.

If you live around here, you'll understand me when I say that summer doesn't officially begin until July 5th. Apparently, July didn't get the memo, so this year summer didn't really start rolling until the beginning of August. Good if you don't care for extreme heat (and by extreme, I really mean anything over 80 degrees!), but bad if you are expecting much of a garden harvest.

Do you know how difficult it is to maneuver through a farmer's market with an umbrella in one hand, basket in the other while balancing a warm treat from Starbucks, and attempt to pick up things to put into the basket? Thankfully, the farmer's at the market understand. They were very helpful. And dry. Because they watched the weather and thought to put up awnings.

Over-achievers.

Once summer got rolling, we got busy. With life. Mowing, weeding, planting, harvesting, canning, fishing, camping, hiking, home-improvement projects, fence building, hunting, etc... So while we weren't officially on the clock yet with schooling, our children were being educated. Without the books.

So, with the ending of our "unschooling vacation", we begin the book-learning portion of our school year. And because it was the first day of "school", we made popcorn and hot spiced cider, read our books by the crackling fireplace, and stayed in sweatpants all day.

Because after 18 years, tradition counts for something.

And it was raining.☺

~Hot Spiced Cider~

~The Players~

1 gallon organic apple cider (or fresh-pressed at home!)

1 quart organic apricot juice (I found some that was apricot/mango by Santa Cruz.)

1 large can pineapple juice

1/4 cup sucanat

4 cinnamon sticks (or more if desired)

1 Tb. whole cloves

1 Tb. whole allspice

2-3 star anise

1 stainless steel tea ball or cheesecloth and kitchen twine

Place the cloves and allspice in the tea ball or cheesecloth. (If using cheesecloth, tie off with kitchen twine but leave long tails.)

 Pour juices in stainless steel pot. Add sucanat and stir. Add cinnamon sticks, star anise, and tea ball/cheesecloth bag, but hang tea ball on edge of pot. If using cheesecloth, place a long wooden spoon over top and tie bag to that. Make sure the ball/bag is fully in the juice.

Heat on medium-high until bubbles form, but is not boiling. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Remove cinnamon sticks, star anise, and tea ball/bag.

Give it a stir and carefully ladle into mugs.

And enjoy!



Homeschool Curriculum for the 2011-2012 School Year

'Tis the season...it's that time again to pull out all of the curriculum catalogs that have been piling up on the counter since February! If you haven't ordered your curriculum for the upcoming school year, you'll want to do it soon as July and August are the busiest months for filling orders. Remember when ordering to have a list first as it's very easy to get carried away with all the amazing resources out there!

Nineteen years later, those catalog's still spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E for me. I must learn self control....

Here is our curriculum list for the 2011/2012 school year.

~Grade 4/5~

Math~Teaching Textbooks, Grade 5

Language Arts~Language Lessons for the Elementary Child, V. 1

Easy Grammar 3/4 (older copy; now the books are separated by grade)

Building Spelling Skills 4

Story Starters: Helping Children Write Like They've Never Written Before

Handwriting~Italic Handwriting, Book D

Copywork from Paths of Exploration

History~Paths of Exploration (continued from last year)

Time Traveler's Colonial Life Unit Study

Science~Included in Paths of Exploration

Apologia's Zoology 1~Flying Creatures of the 5th Day & Journal

Reading/Narration~Little House books

Childhood of Famous Americans: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sacajawea, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Robert E. Lee, Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Pocahontas

Bible/Character~Included in Paths of Exploration

Sticky Situations 365 Devotions for Kids and Families

Dude, That's Rude!

~Grade 8~

Math~Teaching Textbooks, Pre-Algebra

Language Arts~Language Lessons for the Secondary Child, V. 1

Wordly Wise 8

Grammar Plus

Story Starters: Helping Children Write Like They've Never Written Before

History~Paths of Exploration, Middle School Supplement

Colonial Life Unit Study

Sonlight Book List for American History 100

Geography~Trail Guide to U.S. Geography

Science~Apologia's Exploring Creation with Physical Science

Bible~The Standard of Purity

Sticky Situations 365 Devotions for Kids and Families

Home Ec/Life Skills

~Grade 11~

Math~Teaching Textbooks, Algebra 1 (finish)

Teaching Textbooks, Geometry

Language Arts~Language Lessons for the High Schooler

Wordly Wise 11

Jensen's Format Writing

Story Starters: Helping Children Write Like They've Never Written Before

History~Bob Jones United States History

Sonlight American History 100 Reading List

Geography~Trail Guide to Bible Geography

Bible~The Standard of Purity

Home Ec~Lifepac Family & Consumer Science

Foreign Language~Rosetta Stone Spanish (beginning in January 2012)

This list may seem excessive, but we do NOT do all of these at once! I do not schedule Art, P.E., or Music because I don't have to. Give a kid a place to run, brand new colored pencils & drawing pads, and beginning piano books picked up from garage sales, and the children find time to do these activities on their own.

They get the credits, and I get a few minutes to myself!☺

This list will be under its own tab at the top of my homepage. And if you have any questions about different curriculum's, feel free to ask!

Mapping Skills Should Not Be Learned at a Truckstop

Last fall, my youngest son started a new history program called, "Paths of Exploration" by GeoMatters. It is the first book in a series called Trail Guide to Learning.

Normally, this would be the time where I would say we burned out, Matty got overwhelmed, we didn't have enough time to do everything, or the curriculum became tiresome.

Normally.

But normal is overrated.

We are still head over heels for this history series! Today, Matty and I snuggled up on my bed to read "A Lion to Guard Us" and "Surviving Jamestown". My unusually squirmy son was so still that I kept having to check to see if he was still awake. He was not only mesmerized by the stories, but was very disappointed that we couldn't read the books until the end.

When we finished our reading for the day, it was time to do a mapping project. This is something that I haven't done a lot of with Matt because his fine motor skills leave a lot to be desired. Typically, his maps end up looking like Swiss cheese from all of the erasing he does trying to fit all of the labeling into the proper places. Even the ocean sizes never seem to be large enough to include the word ocean.

Mapping is an important skill. It is a skill that will be used throughout one's lifetime. Not being able to read a map could get one in trouble later on in life. For example, let's just pretend that a newlywed couple is on their way to a rattlesnake hunt. They leave from their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is on the eastern side of the state, and are supposed to head southwest to Waurika, Oklahoma, which is only barely still in Oklahoma. They travel at night since traffic will be light. The husband is the driver; the wife, his navigator.

If the wife has never given a single glance at a map, not one time in her entire 19 years of life, navigator is probably not the job for her.

Let's just say, for kicks, that the newlywed couple, after driving for what seemed like hours, come upon a sign that reads~

WELCOME TO ARKANSAS, HOME OF THE RAZORBACKS

This is when map skills would've come in handy.

A referee would've been nice too.

(And for those who can't remember exactly where Arkansas is, well, it ain't west.)

Disclaimer: Any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

Just sayin'.

Because I love my son and don't want him to end up at some truck stop on the state lines of a state he had no intention of visiting in the middle of the night, I'm going to have to make sure he knows how to read a map.

Here's what we did today.

Using a map in the textbook, I placed a transparency sheet (for overhead projectors) over the map.

Then I used masking tape to tape the sheet to the top and bottom of the book.

It's important to use masking tape for easier removal.

Then with the wet erase pens, Matt traced the map.

You know the saying, "Hindsight is 20-20?"

Matthew actually tried to do the labeling himself, but because I hadn't thought to enlarge the map on our copy machine (the best homeschool tool available!), he ended up frustrated. Up until that point however, he was thoroughly enjoying himself, so tomorrow we'll do the same map again, but bigger.

Sometimes bigger is better.

* This method doesn't have to be used with any specific curriculum. It would be a great homemade program with just a children's atlas.



My New Favorite History Program

If you've followed my blog for very long, you'll know that I love, love, love history. I wasn't a fan of it as a child, but as an adult, I've developed a new appreciation for it.

Maybe because I now have a connection with history.

My children thought that I learned to drive in a chariot. After convincing them otherwise, I like to tell them about the events that I have lived through. Everything from the ending of the Vietnam War, to the eruption of Mount St. Helens; the first man on the moon, to the falling of the Berlin Wall; the shooting of Ronald Reagan, to the deaths of John Wayne, Elvis Presley, and John Lennon, which have been retold over and over again. I don't know which my children enjoy more; that I lived during these times or that I'm old enough to have pieces of my life in their history books!

This summer, I came across a new history program by Geography Matters. Having used most of their products over our 18 years of homeschooling, I felt confident in ordering their newest program, Trail Guide to Learning. While not inexpensive, it is more than worth the price paid. The first book, Paths of Exploration, Volume 1, has 3 units; Columbus, Jamestown and Pilgrims. Volume 2, introduces students to the lives of Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, and the fearless pioneers that braved the trails heading West.

And no, I didn't live through this part of history!

As a parent of special learners, I appreciate the simpleness of this program. All core subjects, except for math, are included and each day, these intertwine with each other. Today, my son worked on "kn" words, taken from a chapter of his Columbus reading book. He also learned about sunrises and sunsets, how sailors use the sun to navigate their ships, and finished with an art project that taught him how to shade simple shapes. Matty also did his daily copywork, read aloud from a Christopher Columbus biography and had independant reading time, where he is currently reading "The Secret Garden".

I should mention, "The Secret Garden" was not his choice. His choice would be a comic book or a movie, based on a book. We're working on that.

This level is geared towards grades 3-5, but could easily be adapted for grades 2-6. The next level is Paths of Settlement for grades 4-6, and then Paths of Progress for grades 5-7. Currently, there are future books in the works, beginning with Ancient History for middle school grades. 



Each lesson begins with copywork that sums up that day's reading.



Science covers many subjects, including weather.



Astronomy is always a fun subject.



Three of the books we're using at the moment. Others include; Eat Your Way Through the USA, 1911 Boy Scout Handbook, and Go West!, just to name a few. 



There are many more books included with the package, but you may already own some of them, or have access to them through your library. I was able to shave about $100 from my total because of this, so it made it very affordable for us. 

I can't say enough good things about this curriculum, except to say, I wish history would've been this much fun when I was 10! 

*I am in no way affiliated with GeoMatters except as an extremely satisfied customer. All comments are mine, but since I was taught to share, I will.  



Geography Tools/Resources

When we started our home-school journey almost 18 years ago, I was fairly confident in my ability to be able to teach the various school subjects. I was particularly looking forward to teaching geography.

Uh...not.

My knowledge of geography begins and ends with; north is always up, south is always down and somethin-somethin about the sun always setting somewhere.

It's no wonder that I get lost just trying to find the kitchen.

Thankfully, there are other mom's who have put together some amazing geography curriculum's. I have tried quite a few over the years, not because they weren't all good, but because of how good they really are.

Elementary

During the grade school years, adventure is key to grabbing and holding kids' attention. The people at Geography Matters understand that and have developed multiple levels of age-appropriate material. Needless to say, I am a fan. Cantering the Country (U.S.) and Galloping the Globe (World) are almost complete curriculum's by themselves. Literature, science, art, history, vocabulary, and bible lessons are added to each section and you, the parent, can use as much or as little as you like. Some things are better seen than read, so there are Internet links provided as well for various subjects. Have I mentioned that I'm a fan? Better yet, my 3 youngest kids are also fans.



Remember Highlights magazines? They came out with "Which Way USA?" issues. It took me a while to collect all 50 states plus Washington DC, but it will be well worth it when we dig a little deeper into each state's history. Some of the content is pretty easy, while others are more difficult, making this a great supplement for multi-age families.

Middle School

I also purchased these from GeoMatters. One of the things I like the best about the Trail Guide books by Cindy Wiggers, is that they are also multi-age appropriate. There are 3 different levels in each book, already coordinated into the same lesson!!! I cannot tell you what a great tool that is. I used to spend hours on the weekends trying to make everybody's geography line up with each other. It just doesn't make sense to me to have 1 child learning about Texas, another learning about Delaware and another trying to figure out where Nebraska is.

I'm not even sure where Nebraska is...

The Geography Through Art and Ultimate Geography and Timeline books are not necessary, but I found them to be amazing add-ons to this program.

High School

In Washington state, students need to have a semester of World Geography to graduate. We have used Abeka's World Geography for all 5 of our graduates and I'm fairly certain they enjoyed it. Along with the textbook, there is a mapping workbook, test booklet, and answer key. Even though it is written for a classroom setting, it adapts easily to the home-school student.

Another option is the Trail Guide to Bible Geography, also by GeoMatters. It is set up just like the other trail guide books (multi-grade learning), but focuses primarily on the biblical maps of ancient and modern day. With this one, I suggest getting all of the atlases that are recommended. 'Frugal Frannie' here tried to "wing it" and just use what we had. Bad idea. We had to jump ship and wait until we could afford to get all of the appropriate atlases. Lesson learned.

When deciding on a geography program, make sure that you don't cut too many corners on the supplemental supplies. My kids have made layered maps on vinyl sheets, created lapbooks, and mapped on a huge wall map. Even the youngest child can participate by coloring the state or country from a coloring book.

Finally, even though books can teach the basics, real life has a way of making the facts stick. For instance, a few years ago, we were studying the various trails that the pioneers traveled. Being in the Pacific Northwest, we were able to take a vacation and follow some of the Oregon trail. We stopped at several museums and even stayed in a campground that had covered wagons and teepee's! Over the years, we've walked where Lewis & Clark walked, stood on a mountain that erupted (Mt. St. Helens), and camped inside an active volcano (Yellowstone).

Geography doesn't have to be a boring subject. With the right curriculum, resources and a sense of adventure, geography just might turn into a favorite subject!

Home-school Testing

With the new school year around the corner, it's time to get my home-school in order. One of the things that I do to prepare for the upcoming year is to have my children evaluated by an individual testing service.

Whether you are new to homeschooling, or a seasoned pro, annual testing can be great for 2 reasons.

#1. Most states require some form of testing to evaluate your child's progress. The two tests most commonly used are the SAT and CAT tests. In Washington state, we also have the WASL tests that are given in grades 4, 8 and 10. (I think.)

#2. It allows you, the parent, to see any "gaps" in learning so that you can adjust your teaching style or change curriculum if needed.

I don't give #1 a whole lot of thought. Even though there are some really wonderful teachers in the government run schools, the reality is that the people running the public school system are busy worrying about budget cuts, higher learning and meeting standards to care about a few "rebels". But, just in case they do start to worry about my children, the tests offer proof that I am truly educating my children at home.

I'm more interested in #2. I've found that with my children, they all learn differently.

That would account for the thousand's of dollars worth of curriculum I have accumulated over the years. Clearly, not MY fault.

Each year, we test our children through Christian Liberty Press. For $25/student, we are sent the CAT test appropriate for their grade level along with the scan-tron sheet that the kids fill in. I am sent a guideline for administering the tests with the time allotted for each section. My job is to make sure that the time factor is enforced and that all of the bubbles are completely filled in. I then mail back the booklets and the test forms and CLP grades and accesses them before sending us the results. It usually takes a week to get the results.

Based on the results, I can now plan our curriculum. CLP also offers a customized curriculum recommendation for another small fee. Instead of taking another year of grammar, my 10th grader will get to earn an English credit with English Literature. Because my 10 yr. old tested higher in Language Usage/Structure, he'll be spending a little extra time on the mechanics and spelling of language, which he didn't do so well in. I also found that my two 8th graders are at different levels in a couple of subjects, so I will have to find a balance between the two instead of putting them in completely separate books.

Testing at home allows my children to take the test in an atmosphere that they are accustomed to. They are not distracted by little "Tommy" picking his nose, or little "Suzy" humming to herself. They are not worried about the teacher possibly eating them or getting beaned in the back of the head with a ball by another student. (True story for my little niece.) There is no fear of failure or embarrassment and the wiggles are encouraged, not frowned upon.

Besides all of that, Mom makes cool snacks to munch on in between sections. Or so I've heard.

Testing gives me peace of mind in knowing that I'm doing my job. Testing at home gives my children peace of mind in knowing that the person administering the test loves them unconditionally and has only their best interests at heart. It also gives them a sense of satisfaction for a job well done.

Even if one of them got caught picking his nose.

As we gear up for a new school year, I will be sharing some of our favorites with you in the coming days. For our favorite history programs/books, revisit here.

Graduation #5

Graduation.

Brings back memories of hot, sticky gowns, tassels hanging in the eyes and caps covering perfectly coiffed hair. It brings back the smells of hundreds of sweaty bodies crammed into the gymnasium, and the sounds of restless feet in the bleachers that would rather be anywhere else but there. I remember a speech given by someone that was supposed to have played an important role in our high school education, but cannot remember a single word of it. And I remember being disappointed that the diploma I received did not have a diploma in it.

It was in the mail.

(Really, we should've been told that before the rioting began.)

I also remember the feeling of freedom.

Because I was pretty naive in thinking that life was only about completing 4 years of high school.

About 2 months later, reality sunk in. There were work hours to be kept, bills to pay, gas to buy and never enough time to sleep in or lay on the beach with my friends.

Of course, they weren't working on their tans either.

We were officially grown-ups. With that came adult responsibilities.

Welcome to adult-hood Dakota.

And remember, you asked for it.

For each of my graduating children, they get my version of a yearbook. It is their own scrapbook, documenting the momentous moments in their lives.

Mostly.

And then there are the reminders that my little boy has grown into a handsome young man.

Not to mention proof that he didn't spend the majority of his education on a boat or in the woods.

Climb high sweet son.

We are so proud of you.

Even if you don't realize that that ladder goes nowhere.

If it's alright with you, I'd like to linger on the memories of my little boy just a tad longer.

My Mister gave a very nice graduation commencement speech.

Then asked if I had anything to add.

All I could do was pick my lip.

It keeps my eyes from leaking.

Look out world.

He's free.

Too bad he's too busy working 2 jobs to notice.

Teaching History

Back when I was a young whippersnapper, when I had to walk 10 miles to school, in the snow, with no shoes, I hated history. Hate is a rather strong word, but there were only 2 other things I hated more; math and squash.

If you knew how long it took me to finish a quarter of a cup of squash, you'd understand.

My hatred for history started with kindergarten. We learned about Christopher Columbus. He sailed the ocean blue. He was credited with discovering America, even though there were already people living here. Even at the ripe old age of 5, I knew that was messed up.

In first grade, we learned about Christopher Columbus.

In second grade...you guessed it...more Christopher Columbus. Same story, bigger words.

I think Columbus was overrated.

In middle school, the political side of history started. I got to learn about how the Indians were persecuted and had their land stolen from them. By none other than Christopher Columbus and his crew of merry men.

By high school, I was pretty sure that we were going to start with Columbus, so I just tuned out most of high school history. It showed on my report card with a big, bright, beautiful (to me), D. I was just happy that it wasn't an F. I did get the opportunity to memorize The Gettysburg Address. Whenever I was late to class, I got to spend a few extra minutes after class writing it all out for my teacher.

Not my fault that history class followed lunch.

When my Mister and I decided to homeschool our children, I knew that I wanted more for them than I got. Apparently, there were some wars we were involved in, men had landed on the moon, and pioneers had blazed some trails across the country to find cheap land.

I learned most of my history from "Little House on the Prairie."

God bless Michael Landon.

During 17 years (and counting) of our homeschooling experience, I have tried numerous curriculum. In fact, I have enough curriculum to teach 12 years of history and not repeat any one book!

I may or may not have a problem with book hoarding.

Here are our favorites...

Beautiful Feet Books~We have loved these books. The guide has only been used sparingly, mainly for ideas for me. In grade school, the goal is to engage your child and give them the desire to learn more. Half of the illustrations are in color, the other black and white. We photocopied some of the b&w's for coloring pages and made a timeline on the wall with them.

All American History~We started these in middle school, but took them into early high school. Now there is a second volume, which we will be adding. Volume 2 starts with the Civil War and goes to the 21st century. We used "History through the Age"s by Homeschool in the Woods for our timeline figures, which the kids enjoyed. Photocopy these onto cardstock if you will need to save them for younger children.






























There are plenty of mapping assignments that coincide with the lessons.















For high school, United States History, by BJU is an excellent resource. No picture with this one though, it is currently in storage...meaning it is buried beneath a pile of things that I need to sort through.

Tomorrow is another day.

For world history in elementary and middle school, The Story of the World is perfection. I am so in love with this series, words cannot describe it. As part of the Sonlight curriculum, we received the textbook, but only recently stumbled on the activity book. There are 3 more books and activity books after this one.

Where, oh where, have you been all my life?

For the classical learner, (aka: the squirmy child), this is truly the best of both worlds. There is a short chapter for the parent or older sibling to read, followed by some questions that are best answered orally. If you're into notebooking, you could also have them write a short narrative of what they learned.















From there, there is mapwork, a coloring page, hands-on activities, and crafts that can be done. As the parent, you choose how much or how little you want to do. What kid wouldn't want to make a cave painting, build an erupting volcano, make an Egyptian Death Mask, or cook up some Navajo Fry Bread? For that matter, what adult wouldn't have fun with this?

Just tell the kids it's for them.

Because you love them.

































































This book is needed to work with The Story of the World. Wonderful pictures. In fact, most of the pages in my copy are sticky or have dirty little smudges on them. There was a picture of the book, but I am tired and accidentally deleted it for the second time. Try here for a look at the cover.

This is the inside of the book. That's what really counts.















For high school, Streams of Civilization has worked for us. It wasn't necessarily a favorite, but we needed a semester and this fit the bill. There are 2 volumes, the first is "Earliest Times to the Discovery of the New World", the second is "Cultures in Conflict Since the Reformation". If you've already covered the basics of world history in the earlier years, go with volume 2. If not, start with the first volume.

A kid can only take so much Christopher Columbus.

And finally, Sonlight has an amazing history program for every level. We are using their world history programs for Core 2 and 6, along with The Story of the World. This allows our multi-age family to study the same things, but at levels that everyone can understand. The readers are engaging, entertaining and create a love for learning. It is fun for me to watch my children reading books that I loved at their ages and even more fun to sneak in a quick read after the kids go to bed!


Who could ever get enough of "Island of the Blue Dolphins"?















Remember, history started before Christopher Columbus, it continued after him and by the time you read this, everything that happened today will be in the past.

Also known as history.

Of which I now LOVE.

*I'll be sharing our favorites for different subjects over the next few weeks. Next up...Geography!