I have always wanted to do some sort of history timeline with the kids.  I have tried various methods–mini timelines in lapbooks or notebooks, I’ve had poster board timelines taped to doors, I’ve made a huge wall timeline with strips of paper, I made another wall timeline out of butcher paper and yet another out of that big science experiment fold-out cardboard.  The last is still in use, but it tends to get forgotten quite a bit.

Charlotte Mason recommends using a Book of Centuries…or a timeline in a notebook.  I have always hesitated over this, because I thought the flow of history would make more sense if you could see it spread out rather than have it in book format.  However, we just don’t have the space for a large wall timeline.

So I was reading over at the 4Real message boards and saw this post about how to use a book of centuries, and finally–it clicked.  I finally “get” how a book of centuries can work.  So I’ve been working on setting up Annie’s brand new BOC.   I figure since we’re starting with ancients this year, it’s the perfect time to jump in and start her notebook.

Basically, the plan is this:

Annie will have a large ( I think mine is a 3 in. but it might be 2in.) binder with dividers set up in centuries (or, in the ancients, millennium).    So, the dividers look something like this :

• 5000-4000BC
• 1400 – 1500 AD

The last divider just says 2000-.

So, what will go in between those dividers?  Basically, as we read, we’ll add things that catch her interest.  I have the timeline figures that came with SL Core 6, but I was thinking that at the beginning of each century, we’d have a timeline page where she can put the figures, and any other date worth noting.

Other things we’ll include:

• Drawings
• Maps
• Written narrations
• Pictures from historical coloring books
• Historical copy work
• Copies of historical documents
• Saint bios &/or coloring pages
• Research reports
• Historical creative writing
• Mini-books

My plan is that Annie will use this book of centuries for the rest of her education.  By the time she completes high school, she will have a rich, thorough history book that she’s created herself.  It’ll serve as a reference but also as a keepsake.

I had thought about having the twins start their own books too, but I rather like the idea of starting in middle school.  So they will have a notebook to keep any narrations, coloring pages, drawings, etc.  But we’ll continue with the fold out card board timeline,  as I think it’s easier for young children to “get” the flow of history and see the connections that way.

I’m still getting Annie’s book set up, but when it’s complete (and especially when we have some pages added to show off) I’ll share some pictures.

I can’t believe how fast the summer went by!  Next week we begin our new school year, and I think most of us are looking forward to it.

As of now, I’ve pretty much finalized my plans, so I thought I’d go ahead and post them here.

Annie–6th grade

Dinoboy and Gamerboy–3rd Grade

• Religion: Faith and Life 3
• Golden Children’s Bible (we’re going to read through the whole bible this year)
• Loyola Kids Book of Saints
• Math: Math Mammoth grade 3
• Language Arts: Sonlight Lang. Arts 2 Adv. (Gamerboy will be reading the adv. readers, but Dinoboy is more at the 2 reg. reader level–bordering on intermediate.  So he’ll do his own readers)
• Explode the Code 4-6
• History/Geography/Literature: Sonlight Core 1+2
• Science: Mostly this will be interest led.  I have a text for them (Silver Burnett & Ginn Science) should they want it, but in the early elementary years I prefer to just hop topic to topic as they are interested.  We also subscribe to The Young Scientist Club monthly science kits, so I imagine most of their science this year will revolve around those kits.
• Foreign Language: If they want to, they can join Annie in learning Mandarin Chinese.

And that’s basically it.  I want to add that most subjects will be done daily, but Science will be 3 days a week (MWF).  Also, for religion, they won’t read all of those books everyday.  I’m thinking that they’ll all have bible daily but do F&L on Mondays, and Saints on Wednesdays.

Now this week I just need to get everything set up and ready!  I’m really looking forward to starting on Monday!

I sat down last 2 days with the checklist for the formidable list of attainments, and I worked out a sort of plan of action for our summer primer.  Before I go into it, I want to point out that all of this will be done very informally and very relaxed.  It looks like a lot, but in reality, over the course of each day, it won’t really amount to that much actual study time.  And really, it’s surprising how much learning happens without any planning at all.

So here’s my run down:

To recite beautifully 6 easy poems…

-choose 1 poem each week or two and practice reading it aloud.  I’ll try to let them choose their own, but I have a feeling the boys will need some assistance choosing.

To recite, perfectly and beautifully a parable and a psalm.

-same as above–I’ll do the choosing this time, and we’ll just learn a line or two daily until we’ve got the whole thing memorized.

To memorize math facts…

-play computer games, use Mathmania magazine, play Smath, play with flash cards, read living math books, etc.  Basically, we’ll do something math related each day.

To read…

-The children are already required to read every day, for a minimum of 10 min.  Annie usually reads for 2-3 hours a day, but the boys are less apt to pick up a book if I don’t tell them to.  I’ll also read aloud each day for 30 min. or so.

To copy in careful cursive from a favorite book.

Once a week they will choose a passage from their reading and copy it in careful, neat cursive.

To know the points of a compass…Describe the boundaries of their home.

I figure we’ll do this pretty informally.  The boys each have a compass for scouts, so we’ll take them outside and “play” with them around the yard and we’ll take them with us on nature walks.

To describe any lake, river, pond, island, etc…

We happen to live right next to a pond, so this is an easy one.  I’ll have them narrate to me a description of the pond, and then they can choose a medium (water color, color pencils, oil pastels, etc) and draw/paint a landscape of the pond.

To tell 3 stories from Bible history, 3 from early American history and 3 from World history.

We’ll read bible stories, Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans, Once Upon a Time Saints, etc. and I’ll have them narrate to me what they heard.  Possibly, if they want to, they can write their narrations and illustrate them, either just a drawing and a few sentences, or comic book style.

Describe 3 walks and 3 views

Very informal…I plan to take at least one nature walk a week, and just casually I’ll have them describe their walks.  As for views–I figure we’ll use our backyard, their grandparents back yard and the view from the beach house.  Again, I’ll keep this very casual.  I’ve learned that if they think they’re doing school, they can’t think of anything.  But if it’s just everyday conversation, they can talk enough to fill several notebooks, lol.

To mount in a scrapbook a dozen common wildflowers, leaves and flowers from 6 forest trees…

We’ll start keeping nature journals and I’ll have them either mount the specimens they find or draw them and keep track of where they were found, their common and latin names, etc.

To know 6 birds…

This will be easy, because we are already bird watchers.  We’ll keep watching the birds that come to our feeder and pay close attention to their songs.  We might add in some reading of The Burgess Bird Book, but for some reason (despite our love of birds) this book has never been a favorite here.

To learn a new craft/art

I’ve been wanting to learn sewing and Annie has been trying to get me to help her learn to sew, so that covers her new craft.  The twins can have Rob teach them some sort of art technique or wood working, etc.  Whatever he’s willing to teach them, lol.

Tell 3 stories about their own pets…

They will make little illustrated books about our dog Sam for Cutie.

To recite 2 prayers in Latin.

I own Prima Latina, so I’ll just use the prayers they cover, I think they have the Sanctus and Our Father and the Table blessing…it’s been a while since I used it.

To name 20 common objects in Spanish…

We’ll use the Usborne First 1000 Words in Spanish.

To sing a hymn, a Spanish song and a Patriotic song.

We’ll choose a song they hear frequently at church, I’ll have to do some research on a spanish song–maybe we’ll learn a song they already know, translated into spanish, and for our patriotic song, I’d like to have them learn The Star Spangled Banner.

To keep a caterpillar and tell his life story…

In addition to keeping a caterpillar and watching over it, I’ll have them draw the life cycle of a butterfly and write his life story.

I’ve decided we’ll have notebooks to keep all their work in, nothing fancy, just a binder–we might even keep their nature journal pages loose-leaf to add to our notebooks.  I’m thinking we’ll just call it our Charlotte Mason Summer Primer.

….for summer.

This morning I saw this thread at the 4Real boards, and I almost skipped over it.  I figured, none of my children are of the age (6) to do that list.  But then something made me click the post and as I read over it, it dawned on me that with a few adjustments, that formidable list would  make wonderful summer work for my children.

My kids on the other hand, relish their summer vacation.  They enjoy their school work, but, like any other child, they would rather spend their days playing and doing what “they” want to do.  I, however, like to keep them busy, because usually what they want to do  is whine about being bored.

Here’s the list (I’ll give the link for a wonderful checklist that Jen from Wildflowers and Marbles created) with the adjustments I made (indicated by an *):

• To recite, beautifully, 6 easy poems and hymns.
• To recite, perfectly and beautifully, a parable and a psalm.
• To memorize math facts (addition/subtraction/multiplicaton.)*
• To read–what and how much will depend on the child.
• To copy in neat, careful cursive from a favorite book.*
• To know the points of the compass with relation to their own home, wehre the sun rises and sets, and the way the wind blows.
• To describe the boundaries of their own home.
• To describe any lake, river, pond, island, etc. within easy reach.
• To tell quite accurately (however shortly) 3 stories from Bible history, 3 from Early American history and 3 from world history.*
• To be able to describe 3 walks and 3 views.
• To mount in a scrapbook a dozen common wildflowers, with leaves to name these, describe them in their own words and say where they found them.
• To do the same with leaves and flowers of 6 forest trees.
• To know 6 birds by song, color and shape
• To learn an new craft or type of art.*
• To tell three stories about their own pets.
• To recite the Table Prayer and Hail Mary in Latin.
• To name 20 common objects in Spanish and say a dozen little sentences.
• To sing on hymn, one Spanish (or French) song and one English song.
• To keep a caterpillar and tell the life-story of a butterfly from his own observations.

CM Formidable List

Right now I’d like to keep this rather informal (being summer and all) but at the same time I’d like to make sure these things happen.  Annie became very excited as we read down the list (she loves all things Charlotte Mason) but the boys were less than thrilled.  While I think they’ll enjoy the nature study aspect…the memorization and other “schooly” sorts of things are just not their cup of tea.

I’m thinking this could be notebooked…but I haven’t worked it all out yet.  I’m envisioning them hand copying the poems and songs they memorize and illustrated them, but I have a feeling that they won’t want to do that.  Maybe we could scrapbook their learning?  I don’t know yet…but I do want to keep a record of it beyond just the checklist.  When I figure it all out, I’ll post about it.

I think I’ve worked out out science plans for the next school year.  Annie really wants to do life science/nature study.  So, I went through my shelves, and pulled out Handbook of Nature Study and The Young Naturalist.  I think these will be our spine books for the year.  I also got out Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You, mostly for inspiration.   I’ve had these books for years, and while I always planned to use them, we just never got to it.  I will admit, the Comstock book intimidates me.  But I’m determined that we’re going to use it this year.

Basically, we’re going to be focusing on nature, but in a more scientific way, if that makes sense.  Annie is going to keep a nature notebook, but in addition to just sketches and photographs of the nature she finds outdoors, she’s going to do the experiments and projects in The Young Naturalist and keep notebooking pages about them, write research papers and narrations based on things we study or read, and I’m going to have her begin some collections–my idea was to have 3 different types of collections.  Things like leaf rubbings and pressed flowers, shells, animal tracks, etc.

I’m thinking we’ll have several focus studies throughout the year–like a month on just trees, or birds, etc.  I haven’t worked it out exactly yet, other than Annie specifically requested that we do NOT study spiders or any other creepy bugs.

Annie is very excited to begin, and I’m really looking forward to it as well. Her exact words were, “This is what I’ve always wanted to do for science!”  When I have it more formally planned out, I’ll post the plans here in case anyone else is interested.

The twins will be doing something different though, because they want to study earth science.  I’m still learning toward R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey for them.

It’s that time of year I suppose.  I just got our standardized tests in the mail, so we’ll get to them in the next week or 2.  The math and spelling books are nearly finished and the spring weather makes it hard for the kids to concentrate.  We still have at least a month to go–but it’s nearly summer and that makes everyone feel a bit lazy.

So of course, I’ve been planning our next school year.  I’ve decided I need to take it a bit easier on myself next year–I’m going to let someone else do all the planning for a change.  So, we’re going to use Sonlight.  The twins will be using Core 1+2 and Annie will do Core 6.  We’ll use the Language Arts too–everyone’s at a different level, so we’ll be doing LA 2 w/regular readers, LA 2 w/advanced readers and Annie will do LA 6.    I’ve been lucky that I’ve gotten quite a bit of it used.  I can’t afford to buy SL new, it’s always been out of our price range.  We’ll be sticking with Math U See–the boys will be doing Gamma and Annie will be using Epsilon.

I’m still working out what we’ll use for science.  Science has always been our weak spot–not because no one likes it, but because it’s always the easiest to drop when things get busy.  So, I want to use a program.  I’m leaning towards R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey for the boys.  They want to do Earth and Space.   I’m hoping they come out with the Level 2 stuff really soon, because I can’t find anything I like for Annie.   Science is such a pain–I don’t mind a Christian slant, but I don’t believe in a young earth, and it seems like ALL the science programs out there are young earth.  There aren’t many secular science curriculums that aren’t either really expensive or textbooky.   I keep looking at NOEO, and they seem like my best bet, except that it’s a bit expensive.

I’d like to do more nature study–again, a weak spot.  I happened upon a really nice site that has great nature study guides.  It’s called Shining Dawn Books and they have a large variety of nature study guides–everything from birds to erosion.   The guides are sold as e-books and they’re pretty inexpensive.  I bought the Pond guide to try it out.  It looks really nice, and I’m hoping that now that the weather is nice, we’ll get outside more and explore our pond.

I’m looking forward to next year–I think it’ll be a fun year, and it’ll be really nice to not have to do everything myself.  Especially since I’ll be schooling with a toddler in the mix!

We’re just about finished with the human body, so I’ve been working out what we’ll be doing for February’s study of Russia.  

Our main project will be making a giant map of Russia, with the help of MegaMaps.  We’ll use that to track the journey in SovietTrek (our spine book), as well as to mark interesting places we read about, books we read, habitats, native animals, etc.  

We’ll be reading lots of great books.  Check them out: