Two Thirds Unschooling: Hell burns

My Homeschooling Philosophy

This blog is entitled Two-thirds Unschooling because I don't unschool everything! I do believe in teaching skills, like reading and writing. I came to this conclusion after my children, one by one, were confronted with LDs in learning to read and write. They simply did not pick up things the way all the unschooling books said they would! All five children needed vision therapy to learn to read! However, I do believe that God made humans to learn, to revel in the beauty around us, to be inquisitive, to problem-solve, to follow passions. My job as a homeschooling mother is to surround them with things that will inspire and broaden them. I believe family education is a collaborative affair between the older, wiser parents and the blossoming, growing and unfolding children who should be encouraged and nurtured and above all, loved.

Right now my oldest has graduated from homeschooling and is currently attending the University of Dallas.

Sean and Becky 2009-2010

Mostly Catholic Heritage Curriculum for grades 3rd and 5th applied a la relaxed Latin Centered Curriculum:

Becky - copywork/cursive - CHC's penmanship, level 3; Math - MCP - 3rd grade level - done via CM's 15 minutes lessons; Reading - Little Angel Reader B with workbook; Greek - Code Cracker from Classical Academic Press; Memory work - Living Memory

Sean - copywork/cursive - CHC's penmanship level 4; CHC Speller; Grammar - Language of God;Math - Saxon 6/5 via CM's 15 minute lessons; Reading - Faith and Freedom reader - 5th grade; Greek - Code Cracker; Memory work - from Reader and Latin program: Latin - Latin for Children Primer A - via CM's 15 minute lessons.

Mondays - Religious studies - Bible History by Ignatius Press, plus Faith and Life books for 3rd and 5th grade plus anything extra - saints days, liturgical year (Jewish and Catholic). Becky's violin lesson. Sean's piano lesson.

Tuesdays - Seatwork while they tag along to Latin class; Science in the afternoon. Don't know where we are going with this. Gymnastics class.

Wednesdays - Modern studies - line up for this year so far: Carry on, Mr. Bowditch (fall); St John Vianney (Advent), A Child's Geography -Holy Land (post Christmas). Vision Therapy. Drawing class.

Thursdays - Ancient Studies - Tales of Ancient Egypt; Heroes by Charles Kingsley, Aeneid for Boys and Girls. 2x a month Becky's Little Flowers.

Friday - 9:00 Mass; 10:30 a.m. Touchstone's Socractic Group Discussions with homeschool group. 2:00 p.m. Tennis lessons.

Will and Josh 2009-2010

Both:
Religion - Catholic Life Community at parish
Literature - Self-design course of readings in Ancient Literature plus Touchstone's Socratic Discussions with homeschool group.
History - The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer
Writing - Learn to Write the Novel Way by Carole Thaxton
Latin - homeschool class (New First Steps and Lingua Latina)

Will - Music Theory at Community College; weekly guitar lessons; weekly piano lessons.

Josh - Saxon Algebra 2 with Art Reed's DVDs; Earth Science - Teaching Co's How the Earth Works; Logic/Philosophy - The Argument Builder/Teaching Co. Natural Law lectures

Faith's Book Log 2009

I stopped logging books here. Now I do that at www.goodreads.com!
The Explosive Child by Ross Green
Small is Still Beautiful by Joseph Pearce
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Heroes of the City of Man by Peter Leithart
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and Oliver Relin
The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
Sylvester by Georgette Heyer
Marley and Me by John Grogan
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer
Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer
A History of the American People by Paul Johnson (reading slowly over the course of this year)
Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI (reading a chapter a month for book club)
The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
Frederica by Georgette Heyer

What We are Playing

Playing Mass (Becky has a church set up in the basement. She makes Will be the priest!)
Sketch Pad (Sean's newest animation program)
Woodworking (Josh is learning this from a friend)
Pottery (Josh made his own pot over at a friend's house!)
Candyland (kids rediscovered this at the beach!)
Pivot (incredible animation program that Sean loves!)
All the stuffed animals especially the bear puppet Ron Stevenson (Becky and Sean)
Restaurant (Becky and Sean)
Hairdresser (Becky)
Word Bingo
Piano (Sean, Will and Faith)
Mandolin (Will)
Electric guitar (Will)
Spy Fox Wii (Becky)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Sean mostly)
Maple Story (mostly Josh but some Sean and Becky)
Poker-5 card draw
Blokus (new board game)

What we are listening to

The Bible (Will downloaded this from itunes!)
All of a Kind Family (Becky)
The Light Princess by George MacDonald
PIrates of Penzance
the Gypsie Kings
Rhapsody in Blue (Sean)
Mozart (during copy work at Becky's request)
King Crimson
Jimi Hendrix
Natalie MacMaster
Boomerang audio magazine for kids
Glory Stories (Becky)
Bare Neccesities - English Country Dances (Faith)
Beatles Revolver cd (Will)
Leahy www.leahymusic.com
From the Top! (Public radio program that features young musicians - runs here at 6:00p.m. Sunday evenings)

What we are watching

How to Be A Super Star Student (Mom, Hannah, Will and Josh)
Murder by Death (Rick and the teens)
Spirited Away (all, esp. Will and Sean)
Get Smart series DVDs (all)
City Lights by Charlie Chaplin (Faith, Josh, Sean and Becky)
Natural Law and Human Behavior by Father Joseph Koterski (Faith)
Avatar (Rick, Will, Josh, Sean and Becky)
Brian Reagan (Josh and Sean especially)
Understanding the Fundamentals of Music by Robert Greenberg
The Iliad Teaching Co. lectures by Elizabeth Vandiver
The Simpsons (Rick, Will and sometimes Josh)
Lost (Hannah and Rick)
The Civil War by Ken Burns
Planet Earth - blu ray! (all)
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman (we all enjoy this PBS kids show)
Word Girl (PBS - Becky loves this one!)
The American Identity (Teaching Co. lectures by Patrick Allit (wonderful!)
Classical Destinations (wonderful PBS series - part music history/part travelogue)

What we are reading

Johnny Tremain (Mom to Becky and Sean)
Matilda (Rick to Sean)
The Long Winter (Mom to Becky)
Gospel of John and the Psalms (Will)
St. John Vianney (Josh)
Moomintroll Comics (Sean)
The Trumpet of the Swan (Sean)
The Joyful Homeschooler (Mom)
Do Hard Things (Mom, Josh)
How the Scots Invented the Modern World (Faith)
The House at Pooh Corner (Sean; Rick to Sean)
The Case of the Missing Cutthroats (Josh)
The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams (Josh)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (Mom to Becky)
How to Be a Villian (Sean)
The Whipping Boy (Sean)
Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle (Will)
Black Ships Before Troy (Josh)
Pythagoras (Josh)
Comet in Moominland (Rick to Sean)
Little House on the Prairie (Mom to Becky)
The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz (Becky)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Will)
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar (Sean)
Frindle (Sean)
Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul (Will)
Crucible (Hannah and Will)
Swiss Family Robinson (Josh)
Mocassin Trail (Josh)
The Hobbit (Rick to Sean)
The Wonderful Farm by Marcel Ayme (Mom to Becky)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Josh)
Strawberry Girl by Lenski (Mom to Becky)
Kirsten American Girl series (Rick to Becky)
The Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander (Rick's read aloud to S and B)
The Story of Lewis and Clark (Mom's read aloud)
The Merchant of Venice (Mom and Josh)
Far Side Cartoon collections (Everybody!)
Laughter is the Best Medicine from Reader's Digest (Sean and Josh)
This is Our Family (Becky's reader)
Bible History by Schuster (Mom's read aloud)
The Mysterious Benedict Society (Sean)
The Federalist Papers (Rick, Hannah and Will)
The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Josh)
Dilbert comic books (Sean)
The Adventures of Tin Tin (Sean)
The Toothpaste Millionaire (Sean)
The Merchant of Venice (Mom and Josh)
Abe Lincoln from Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North (Mom's read aloud)
The Prydain Chronicles (Dad's read aloud to Sean and Becky)
Devotional Stories for Little Folks (Mom reads to Sean and Becky)
The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff (Mom' read aloud)
The Tycoons by Charles R. Morris (Rick)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Hannah)
Land of Our Lady reader (Sean)
A History of the American People by Paul Johnson (Faith)

Two Thirds Unschooling

My Homeschooling Philosophy

Sean and Becky 2009-2010

Will and Josh 2009-2010

Faith's Book Log 2009

What We are Playing

What we are listening to

What we are watching

What we are reading

Mass Readings

My Blog List

Dumb Ox Academy

Blog Archive

About Me

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Hell burns

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