Reading cycles

I really like the way first edition of The Latin-Centered Curriculum had delinated days for different topics of read alouds.



For the primary years the different studies are broken down into the following:



Monday - English studies (classic lit read aloud)

Tuesday - Christian Studies (Bible/saints)

Wednesday - Modern Studies (basically geography and American history)

Thursday - Nature Study

Friday - Classical studies (childrens retellings of myths and epics)



In the older grammar school years, English studies turn into the child working through the Progymnastmata.



I had a variation of this system going last spring but we fell away from it and for some reason I could never start it up with any steadiness this fall. So I think for the new year, I will again reinstate a method to our read aloud madness. Here's what I'm contemplating:



Monday - Scripture/saints (I like to start the work week out with this emphasis)

Tuesday - Classical studies (The Wanderings of Odyssesus and The Aeneid for Children)

Wednesday - Modern studies (picture books and short bios of Americans)

Thursday - music history/art history (American masters/American folk music)

Friday - Science and art projects (Human body for science in Jan/Feb; Christian Heritage for art)



I talked to the kids and we decided that since we are not going to co-op anymore on Friday mornings we'd make that our science and art time.



Since I have such trouble finishing books, I'll start one with great enthusiasm only to peter out because I have to read another book for class, I think I'll have my own rotation of reading. I am reminded of my mom's method. She always read non-fiction in the afternoon before she took her nap and fiction in the evening after dinner. So it was E H. Gombrich or Kenneth Clark in the afternoon and Austen, Dickens or Trollope in the evenings. I can't seem to swing this with homeschooling. I just don't have the leisure time. So instead I plan to devote Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to religious reading (Jesus of Nazareth or Chesterton) and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to novels or recreational reading(American lit class or other books that grab my fancy). We'll see if this helps.