We had our closing ceremonies yesterday, marking the end of our third year with Classical Conversations.  We have CC for 12 weeks in the fall and 12 weeks in the spring so we finish by the end of March each year.  In my home that simply means we now have five full days at home to do all of our other school work, where before, Tuesdays were given to CC.

We have schooled year-round for the past two years and we love it (well, I love it, I don’t know about the kids).  I do think the kids enjoy it as well.  It allows us more flexibility throughout the entire year and it staves off summer boredom.

This year in CC we learned a great deal about American history, classical composers, artists, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, irregular verb tenses, and a copious amount of math facts from multiplication tables to algebraic equations.  This is why it is called Foundations.  We are laying an invaluable foundation for the future education of our children.  Some of the things they learned this year do not yet make sense to them, but as they hang more information from those foundational pegs through reading, exploring, and just living life, all of the pieces will begin to fall together and they will start to see the immaculate big picture.  It all points to Jesus!  Everything we do and everything we learn; it’s all to give Him glory!

As we move into our summer schooling months this is what our day will look like:

Bible reading as a family-30 minutes

Cursive practice-15 minutes

Saxon Lesson-30 minutes

Review Math facts-10 minutes

Spelling-15 minutes

Rod and Staff English-30 minutes

Read by yourself-20 minutes

Read aloud with Mom-20 minutes

Memory Work review-20 minutes

(New) History Timeline-15 minutes

Maps and Geography-30 minutes

If we get started right after breakfast and chores we should still be finished around lunch time.  I will also be adding 20-30 minutes a day with Owen as we learn to read using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. He will be FIVE in two short months.  FIVE?!  How did this happen?  I still see his baby face and sweet cheeks.  He still loves to wink at me and tell me he loves me four million times a day.  He basks in being the baby.  I love it and I’ll continue to cherish it for as long as he lets me.

Here are some books on my night stand at the moment:

This book is partially responsible for our TWO TRUCK LOADS of stuff that went to Goodwill, friends’ yard sales, and the dump.  I’m a little over half way through it.  I’m not sure what her ultimate goal in this experiment was but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.  This book has challenged me to reject the excess of American consumerism and the complacency of the American church.

Words can’t really express what this book has done to wreck my heart.  Daily I find myself praying, Lord, just send us and we’ll go.  God is doing some incredible things through Katie Davis and the precious people in Uganda.  Whether you already have a heart for missions and orphans, or you’re perfectly content with your two kids and your five bedroom house, this book will challenge your faith and all that you think is important.

Imagine having everything you’ve ever wanted:  a husband who is a physician and head of a hospital, a luxurious mansion in New England, extravagant vacations, two children (a boy and a girl, of course) and all the icing in between.  Now imagine feeling like there’s something more; something better.  This amazing couple found the Lord in a Gideon Bible left at the hospital.  As they read about how Christ lived and how He cared for others and even the environment He lived in, they chose radical obedience.  He quit his job and left the medical field, they sold their house, started a non-profit called Blessed Earth and began living an almost Amish life in order to make the largest impact on our planet and for the kingdom of God.  And guess what?  They’re happier now than they’ve ever been in their entire lives.  Another easy read that will challenge the American dream.  What’s with this theme here?

And finally…

This book has taken classical education to a new level for me. My hopes, expectations, and dreams for homeschooling our children are all laid out in this book. It has lists of the classics in the back divided by age range, step-by-step instructions for how to become an effective mentor to your child or classroom, and succinctly and interestingly describes the current failures of “traditional” classroom methodology.  Homeschool, public school, or private school; this book will challenge you and the role you play in your children’s education.

 

happy Sabbath!

 

~audrey

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 at 7:12 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.