It Just Couldn’t Happen

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Hands On  No Responses »
Nov 112011
 

What an exciting new product! As a home-schooling family, this has just taken it’s place in our standard curriculum! Want to address those tougher questions about biblical vs scientific subjects typically taught in schools? This is fantastic for that, too! The book is easy to read, geared for all ages as it is well written, and has fantastic pictures to captivate.

It Just Couldn’t Happen outlines the points of view in easy to digest segments, providing not only “facts” but a means for you to discover and understand how science comes to its conclusions as well. They encourage learning more, seeking your own answers and going further. (perfect for library visits or building further for older children). The “Just for Fun” area is a fantastic addition to the book as well. At the end of each chapter they place fun, fanciful questions (such as: if you could live on any plant, what would it be an why?) and hands-on experiments. These engage minds and hands, bringing the subjects to a new level of imagination and interaction; a perfect way to retain knowledge and fuel further passions for learning!

I also love that the book takes both science and bible verses to guide you on the learning journey; something so other books so often fail to do. It’s a delight to see that science CAN be merged with Biblical wisdom and rather seamlessly as well. Overall, the book was a delight. I received this as an e-book to review from Book Sneeze, but honestly, I may go out and buy the tangible paper version – I see this being a beloved portion of our curriculum for years to come.

PROS:

  • Beautifully written, easy to read and understand concepts
  • Stunning pictures that really captivate the mind and the imagination
  • Fun experiments and questions to further enrich concepts

CONS:

  • For us, it was only that the book ended too soon; we had a blast with this book!

 

Pictures of Table of Contents and an except from inside the book.

Grapevine Bible Studies

 Bible, Hands On  1 Response »
Sep 082011
 

We’ve been using the Grapevine Bible Curriculum, New Testament, & loving it! The idea is that your children draws the stories & lessons from the Bible as they learn the lessons. The drawings are simple little stick figures, but if your children are like mine they’ll enjoy embellishing them with a few extra details!

They will also write and memorize verses & have weekly reviews. All of which combines together to help your child remember the lessons. In fact, my children’s retention using this curriculum is huge!

This curriculum is made so you can get as much or as little out of it as you want. The Teacher’s Manual comes with information about each lesson so you can pre-study it if you so desire. It’s also suggested you keep a dictionary and concordance at hand incase you need it, but with websites like Dictionary.com & Biblos.com you wouldn’t need to pay for either of those items if you didn’t want to.

You’ll also want to provide your child with a wide range of coloured pencils. The manual also calls for a white board so you can draw the stick figure pictures first, then the students copy them down. They are all very simple to draw and the TM actually shows them so you don’t have to think up what/how to draw on your own. Can I confess that I don’t always draw the pictures thought?

How we use it:

I read the story to them, both from the Bible and telling parts in my own words. I point to the picture in the TM and have them draw each one as I come to that part of the story. Doing it this way means we can take this Bible curriculum anywhere and not have to worry about hauling a whiteboard with us.

Each lesson is very simple, and it’s up to you how much of it you do in a day. The reason this curriculum has lasted us so long is because we started out doing one lesson a week. In the TM it explains that you can do one lesson per week or one per day depending on your needs and desires.

To do one lesson each week we broke it down like this: Monday: Review of previous lesson. Tuesday: Timeline Review. Wednesday: Read new lesson & do page one. Thursday: Do page two of new lesson. Friday: None, OR start the rotation again.

However, we decided to pick up the pace and start doing more lessons in a week so we could move on to the Old Testament. Now we do one lesson per day, but we still save the review of that lesson for the next day to help reinforce what we previously did. This means our schedule now looks like this: M-F: Review previous lesson, timeline review, new lessons.

The Break Down:

  • Let’s take a look at the Student Workbook and how it all breaks down! The book begins with a New Testament blank Timeline. This is basically an overview lesson. They discuss each “story” or event in only a few basic sentences while your child sketches everything on the timeline. The idea being that the children get an idea of what they’ll be learning.

  • Next you have lessons. Each lesson has a Biblical reference, you can choose to read the summarized version from the Teacher’s Manual or you can grab your Bible and read it from there. I’ve been known to do both if I feel like a specific part of the story I want my children to know was missing from the summarized version. I even summarize it in my own words at times.
  • Each lesson is a two page spread, with generally about 8 pictures to draw. The pictures are always based on the lesson, and, as previously mentioned, are always pre-drawn in the TM. At the end of each lesson comes the Lesson Review.
  • Lesson Reviews have a few questions {4-8 generally} about the lesson you just learned. I like saving these for the next day to make sure the kids still remember the previous lesson. After the Lesson Review is a Memory Verse to go with each lesson.

  • We add all memory verses to our Memory Box to work on memorizing them through that simple method. We also say them at lesson times to help enforce why we chose to memorize this verse.
  • Next up you’ll find a page with Character/Event Cards & a space to write out your memory verse. I will confess that we haven’t filled out the cards. The idea is that you write down the key factors from the person or event so that you can use them as quick reference points. My children retain the events and stories well enough that we’ve chosen to skip this part of each lesson. I’ll also confess we don’t always write our our memory verse as we might be working on something else for copywork.

  • Then you come to the Timeline Review. This is where you’re meant to remember the three previous lessons you learned before jumping into the next one. You simply draw your stick figures on the timeline and jot under it what they are. There’s also a space for writing out the two previous memory verses. We always do the timeline reviews, but sometimes I’ll just have the children tell me the verse rather then write it.
  • Last, but not least, every 6 lessons is a Big Review. When we come to a Big Review it’s the only thing we do that day for Bible. My kids love Big Review Days. We turn them into trivia style games.

What We Love:

  • My kids love everything about this curriculum. Anytime I move away from using this as our main Bible there are cries of, “When do we get to do drawing Bible again?”
  • I love that it’s simple to teach! It did take a little bit of time to “figure it out”, but once I found my groove we were set!
  • It’s non denominational. It was not written from the view point of any one religion. You can read any story/event from your own personal Bible getting that view point.

  • I also really love that my kids adore this Bible Programme. Let’s be honest, anything that gets my kids excited about the Bible is usually top notch in my book!
  • I was also really excited that I could buy this programme as a download from either Grapevine directly or from Currclick.com. This is a big factor for international homeschoolers. It completely eliminated the need to pay for shipping! It’s also nice if you have more then one student using the student book.

What we don’t love:

  • While I love that I can buy this product as a download it’s big. I’m talking 200+ pages for students & the same for the Teacher’s Manual. Now, the downside there is the amount of paper and ink you’re going to use when you print it out. For US based homeschoolers, I suspect buying the hardcopy would be a wiser and more economical choice. This is not the fault of the programme, as they do offer hard copies of their books.

  • I’m also going to give a few thoughts that might be factors for some people.
  • It did take a little bit to find my feet with this curriculum. I don’t fault the programme, you are encouraged to contact them if you need any help. I don’t think it’s a difficult programme to use, but, like most curriculums, it took me a bit to find my feet.
  • If your children do not like to draw they probably won’t enjoy this programme.
  • If you’re nervous about drawing for your kids you might feel turned off by Grapevine Bible, but may I just say that you do not have to draw! Stick figures are really simple, and if you don’t have the confidence to draw them, just show your children the pictures directly located in the Teacher’s Manual. We do this like when we school outside, at the library, or in the park.

Bottom Line:

We love this programme. My kids retain so much information that I know we’ll be sticking with this programme for quite a while!

Kendra lives in Tasmania Australia with her husband, the Man From Down Under, two curious boys, a dog, & a bird that constantly talks back. Creator, and avid user, of the Homeschool Book Of Days & The Nature Game she can be found retelling tales from The Land Down Under over at the Aussie Pumpkin Patch.

My Father’s World: 1st grade

 Art, Bible, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Geography, Grammar, Hands On, Language Arts, Living books, Music, Nature Study, Phonics, Reading, Science, Spelling, Unit study resources  3 Responses »
Aug 222011
 

What immediately drew me to My Father’s World is that the curriculum is the fact that it is fairly stand alone. You purchase either the basic set or their deluxe set, and you are ready to go!  I adore this as our little library in this rural community really doesn’t have the variety or selection of books that we were used to in San Diego. This means filling in blanks or filling out a curriculum is a challenge now so a curriculum with most of the absolutely necessary books included was a huge plus to us.

However, like the true bibliophiles that we are, I wanted the option of having more, should we be able to find them. True to the Charlotte Mason element, the curriculum is surrounded by the “living books” concept so the usage of books is completely up to you.  I love that they include this in every year.

About My Father’s World 

mfw basicMy Father’s World isn’t just a Charlotte Mason style offering but rather a unique fusion of sorts, merging both “the best of Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a Biblical worldview and international focus.”

My Father’s World offers grades K-2nd grade as a more independent, semi-stand alone element and then moves into a family 5 year cycle that works around a central theme. The 5 year cycle is specifically geared for multiple ages, for grades 2nd-8th so there is savings to be found as families with more than one child use the same program to teach all children in 2nd – 8th grade.

Year One Geography: Exploring Countries and Cultures
Year Two History: Creation to the Greeks
Year Three History: Rome to the Reformation
Year Four U.S./World History: Exploration to 1850
Year Five U.S./World History: 1850 to Modern Times

 

They also offer a bridge year called Adventures in My Father’s World, which is geared for families 2nd or 3rd graders who have no siblings in 4th – 8th grade.(We will be doing this program next year as I have a 4year old and a 7 year old.)

 

Our Adventure

Currently we are working our way though My Father’s World, 1st grade.  I adore this program as it is laid out in an easy to follow, daily workbook fashion.  It’s easy for me to combine the integrated social studies, science, art and Bible elements with both kids, while focusing independently on the phonics and math.  My boys love that they are learning together, doing the same things, despite their age and grade differences.

The curriculum does include a 1st grade phonics-based reading program that focuses on the Bible and more fun, hands-on math activities.  We include our own K4 phonics and and additional math program (Math U See) for both boys as I found their math not as intensive as I think it needs to be for the grade.

mfw craftsOne major element we always seemed to miss with our previous years curriculum was the arts; we simply didn’t always make time for them.

With My Father’s World, art, music, crafts,hands-on learning is a major part of the curriculum. Everything is planned out and outlined for you to see the day before so you can prep easily, using common household items most of the time.  My boys have enjoyed this more consistent addition to our learning and I have found they have better attitudes and have better lesson retention.

The only cons that I have experience thus far is that the 1st grade teachers book is only formatted with a daily lesson plan. It lacks the easy, one glace, weekly grid that their latter versions offer.  I also felt the math that is included is a bit weak for the age group so we needed to supplement an additional math program. Ultimately, minor things that we easily rectified.

For a full curriculum, It’s fairly affordable, especially when you compare it to larger, more known companies. For the 1st grade curriculum, you can elect to get their basic package for only $136.oo or their deluxe package for $239.00.  As the years grow in complexity, so does the number of books included which will contribute to a steady raise in the overall costs. However, remaining competitive and within reach for most families.

Overall, My Father’s World, or MFW, has been a blessing to our household. It’s affordable, fun, engaging and the children really do learn.

Life Lessons: Sponsor a Child

 Bible, Geography, Hands On, Writing  1 Response »
Jul 222011
 

Our family sponsors two children with Compassion International.

It isn’t exactly a curriculum, but my family is receiving an education through it.

The educational benefits are numerous:

1. Geography becomes a real, living subject rather than a flat, oddly shaped spot on a globe. Someone lives there! Someone who writes you letters! You send letters back! Geography lives.

2. The study of geography extends to cultural study, based on a real person, a child, just like your child. Although this picture may emerge slowly, it is, at its base, more real than any book could portray.

3. Financial stewardship and generous giving become a reality in your family. This giving is not just for adults. Children must see giving in action to understand it. Sponsorship allows for that. Beyond sending the money, writing letters and daily praying for the child(ren) that you sponsor teaches a true concern for the welfare of those that you serve with your finances. Giving becomes a family affair, one that is more than lip service or check-writing.

4. Writing skills are honed through the exchange of letters between children. Even if the adult acts as an intermediary, parent and child can write the sponsored child together. In sharing details of life through writing, children learn how to share themselves in their writing.

5. Humility and discipline are brought to the forefront when sponsored children share their experiences. The kids that we sponsor are poor, poorer than we can really understand, but their gratitude, humility, and commitment to disciplined living shine a light into our lives.

6.  Family prayer has an outward focus.  We pray daily for our sponsored children.  Do you think that I remember to pray for them every day?  Hardly. My eight, six, and four-year old are on the ball, though.  It is a beautiful thing when children pray for each other.

7.  The fabric of the body of Christ is woven in a tangible way.  Even my youngsters can understand that through our prayers, service, and love we are connected to people on other continents.  This is the kingdom of God and it is alive.

There are so many reasons to use our wealth to sponsor children of poverty. In light of the extreme circumstances of the children served through programs like Compassion International, it seems selfish to list the ways that sponsorship benefits me. In my experience, though, God is a God of double blessing: He uses relationships to bless those who receive and those who give. The reasons listed above may not be the primary reasons to become a giver, but they are a part of the blessing of sharing with others and a sign of God’s goodness and love for all.

Perhaps sponsorship seems insufficient, even paltry, due to the distance between your money and the very real difficulties of the children. A few minutes spent perusing the websites of organizations that create child sponsorships quickly reveal that the help is as real as the need. Compassion and groups like them have become adept at creating a cycle of giving that truly helps children and families.

Sponsorship makes a life for children of poverty in a way that empowers families. It is real and lovely.

And as an added bonus for the homeschooling family, it is an education.

Susan is a homeschooling mom of three—a preschooler, a first grader, and a third grader. They spend their days reading on the couch, playing with numbers, and making big, fun messes in a Spirit-led, Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical-Charlotte Mason-traditional model of home education.


Epi Kardia

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Hands On, High School, History, Middle School, Phonics, Reading, Science, Unit study resources, Writing  4 Responses »
Jul 152011
 


Epi Kardia.

In Greek, it means “at the heart.”

To me, this curriculum gets right to the heart of what we want homeschooling to be in our family – a Christ-centered relationship and discipleship between parents and their children.

My Family’s Story

I’m continuously searching for the “best” curriculum for our needs, which are ever-changing.  Unfortunately, my small town leaves a lot desired when it comes to curriculum availability.  And, because I’m an incredibly visual and hands-on person, it’s hard for me to commit to buying things that I can’t thumb through.

I was recently given the chance to take a sneak peak at the Epi Kardia curriculum by the company.  It, along with a few others, had been bookmarked in my “check out later” file – so when the chance came along, I was giddy.  No lie.

Epi Kardia is a literature based Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling.  What does that mean?  Well, Epi Kardia uses the Bible to take your student through history.  But, wait.  If you think your student is just going to be memorizing passages, you are so wrong.  The folks at Epi Kardia have broken down a structured learning plan for each grade.  For example, if you choose the first set in the 1st Grade plan, you’re child will be learning about:  The Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance & Reformation.

With each topic, the Bible along with a variety of other christian and non-christian (but approved by Epi Kardia) books are used to help teach your child more about the subject he or she is supposed to be learning.  Because of it’s Charlotte Mason approach, Epi Kardia also includes a lot of copy-work and handwriting exercises.  It’s so impressive to see how they’ve really brought a myriad of important subjects (Bible, History/Reading, Science, English/Phonics, Arts) together in a wonderful education plan.

Quick Breakdown

The Pros-

  • Teaches Bible, History/Reading, Science, English/Phonics, Arts (some programs similar to this one do not teach science)
  • Included is a book list, complete with ISBN numbers
  • The plans leave plenty of time for “projects”
  • Costs about the same as its competitors’ programs ($250 for printed, $200 for CD)
  • Requires little planning as it’s all done for you!

The Cons-

  • It’s a Charlotte Mason approach, so if your child doesn’t learn well with this method, it may not be right for them.  (Although, if you’ve never tried it, I’d recommend it!)
  • It didn’t have quite as many projects as I’d like – I’m VERY hands on and project-oriented, as is my oldest.  But, this is easily remedied, and an extra project or two can be added to our schedule.  However, for those of you who aren’t insane about crafting and projects the way I am, they have the perfect amount.  Enough to teach a point without being overbearing for your schedule.
  • You’re actually going to have to go to the library or amazon.com to get the books.  Everything you need is not included in these plans (meaning, you’ll have to buy or borrow books from their book-lists).
  • The website can be a little confusing (navigation and figuring out which package entails what).

Would I use it?

Yes, yes I would.

Learn More:

To learn more, you can visit their website, check out their scope and sequence, or view a sample.

Written by Ashley.  Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Mystery of History

 Bible, Hands On, History, Lapbooks  3 Responses »
Jul 132011
 

I don’t know if you do this, but I have occasionally bought a curriculum with every intention of using it to it’s maximum potential, only to shelve after a few weeks because of time and energy constraints.  Shortly after beginning to home school six years ago, we moved my in-laws up from FL, moved everyone to a new house and then proceeded to help with a church plant and have 2 more babies in the space of a few years. Needless to say, I quickly found myself in survival mode, focusing on reading, writing and math.  Other peripheral subjects like science and history fell by the wayside and were sporadic at best.  The sad thing is, I love those subjects and enjoy teaching them!  I also believe they are important and often help foster a child’s love of learning.

The Mystery of History by Linda Lacour Hobar was one of those things I bought, started and petered out on.  Not because it wasn’t great, but because I just didn’t know where to fit it in.

This year when I was trying to decide on a history curriculum, I was debating several, when I remembered MOH and thought, hmmp, why not try it again. Continue reading »

Answers for Preschoolers

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Mathematics, Preschool, Science  No Responses »
Jul 052011
 

Stop, drop and roll; numbers, matching, science, music, math, cutting and pasting, coloring, calendar and pattern practice, weather and seasons, holidays, physical education, Bible verse memory work and Biblical world view. Definitely a “Complete multi-subject curriculum for preschoolers” ~ Answers in Genesis

And, look! Right at the top of each page – plenty of practice in name writing.

Here’s an example of a quick Answers for Preschoolers science lesson my preschooler enjoyed when she was four:

She was to take the magnifying glass and find some dust. To go to the spot where the most dust collected in the house.

Well, I directed her to the corner of the foyer where there was plenty of dust at the time. But she remembered that her favorite stuffed animals harbor dust mites. So she wanted to take a peek up close. Of course, she couldn’t actually see the dust mites but she had fun finding plenty of dusty specimens around the house. Then drawing the dust samples afterwards.

Features:

  • Biblically-based: Starting at the beginning, in Genesis, children learn Biblical truths with God at the beginning of all things.
  • Soft bound: (easy to tote around the house. Easy for a preschooler to run and fetch from the shelf!)
  • 180 lessons: 90 lessons per volume
  • Colorful: full color pages and illustrations throughout.

  • For the teacher: For an additional cost, teacher Guides are available for both volumes. Minimal preparation. Any supplies needed can be gathered from household items. However, an accompanying resource packet is also available: “It contains 284 pages of full-color teaching aids to help teach letters, colors, shapes, numbers, seasons, time, Bible memory verses, and more!” ~ AiG site


  • In our family: we bought one volume of Answers for Preschoolers and used it a few days a week. Two volumes are available. We mix things up. Some days we enjoy an activity from Answers for Preschoolers, another day maybe an idea from Slow and Steady Get Me Ready (skills, large and small motor) or a Five in a Row selection (wonderful list of books!) and an accompanying activity. Some days our preschoolers join in a Tapestry of Grace (classical history unit study) family activity. It just depends. But being purposeful in my preschool planning and having these resources on hand sure helps with the age range.
  • It is fun! Which is, of course, the main criteria for your preschooler. We’ve really had fun with Answers for Preschoolers.

  • It was easily adaptable for the youngest children: Little brother, age 2 at the time of this photo. He liked to be included in the cutting and pasting.

Available as a kit or as individual purchases: To view both volumes, the teacher guide, the resource packet and the accompanying CD, see the curriculum section of the Answers in Genesis (AiG) site.

We love all the AiG curriculum in our house. We use Answers for Kids for morning quiet time. And, after lunch, we push back the dishes and enjoy a science lesson with God’s Design for Science. Preschoolers are always part of the action!

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.


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Scripture Memorization Made Wonderful: Seeds Family Worship CDs

 Bible  4 Responses »
Jun 202011
 
At some point last year I read about Seeds CDS. Although they received glowing reviews, I thought that at $12.98 apiece they were a bit on the pricey side.

I was wrong. They are worth every single penny.

Seeds Family Worship CDs contain delightful, powerful songs created using the words of scripture. The songs are sung by accomplished musicians, the arrangements are pleasant and memorable, and the music itself is lovely and lively in turn.

The style of the music varies, but is professional. Some songs have a bit of a country bent, others are more in the realm of soft rock, a jazzy turn marks a few, but all are enjoyable for a wide audience. In other words, they are not strictly for children. As the CD jackets proclaim, they are intended for family use—family worship.

To the element of family worship, add family scripture memorization. This is scripture memorization at its simplest and most pleasant. We listen to the CDs in the car. We sing the scriptures in the house. It is that easy.

These CDs (and others like them) have the capacity to significantly aid spiritual development in the family setting through worship and memorization. As the family listens and sings, they worship and memorize, allowing the words of God to enter the mind and heart.
When scripture becomes part of the mind and heart, it can be woven into the fabric of a life.

Each of the six CDs utilizes scripture that centers on a theme:
●Seeds of Courage
●Seeds of Faith
●Seeds of Praise
●Seeds of Purpose
●The Power of Encouragement
●Seeds of Character

Another interesting tidbit about this music is that it is literally made to share. When you order a CD for your family, they actually send you two copies of it. One is for your family; one is to share with another family. This is an easy way to share your love of the Lord and scripture with another family. The music also lends itself to this process, because it appeals to such a wide audience.

In short, I give the Seeds Family Worship CDs the highest praise that I know of for products marketed to children and families:
These CDs are so well done that I listen to them even when the kids aren’t with me.

They are available from the Seeds company.

In the interest of full disclosure: I purchased these CDs on my own, much to my delight!

Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and the wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts

 Bible, Biblical Principle Approach, Elementary, Mom Helps, Uncategorized  4 Responses »
Jun 162011
 

I’m always looking for new and different resources to use for our morning Bible time around the breakfast table. I first heard about My ABC Bible Verses on a Christian radio broadcast and placed it on my wishlist. I recently purchased it and am so glad that I did. We are almost to the end of it now and have been incredibly blessed by it. Not only does this book provide morning devotional material for us, but it is also a valuable tool for memorizing Scripture.

The author, Susan Hunt, has chosen one Bible verse for each letter of the alphabet. Accompanying each verse is a short story that demonstrates how the Scripture is applicable in daily, real life situations that are common to children. Each of these twenty-six stories follows the everyday childhood joys and trials of Missy and Bill, a brother and sister whose parents continually show them how God wants to use His Word to make them more like Jesus.

Here is the layout of each day’s reading:

  • the verse for the day
  • a short (two or three sentence) explanation of the verse
  • the story
  • a “Let’s Talk” section with two or three questions you can discuss with your child, which help to cement the truth and application of that day’s Scripture
  • a prompt to say the day’s verse three times in order to memorize it
  • a built-in review of a few of the verses that have already been memorized (This has helped us to retain so much Scripture!)
  • a “Let’s Pray” section that serves as a reminder to ask God for help in applying the day’s verse to your life

Although this book is said to be written for children ages three to seven, my nine-year old looks forward to and thoroughly enjoys each day’s story, as do his five and seven-year old sisters. When we finish this book, we will have twenty-six Bible verses hidden in our hearts, and we will have learned how to apply these Scriptures in our daily lives.

If you try out My ABC Bible Verses, I pray that you will be as blessed by it as our family has been!

Written by Shannon, who can be found blogging about her family’s homeschool adventures at Song of My Heart.

Rod and Staff English

 Bible, Classical, Elementary, Language Arts, Middle School, Spelling, Vocabulary, Writing  10 Responses »
May 092011
 

I was reminded again why we’ll be heading into our sixth year enjoying Rod and Staff English. Yesterday, third grader and I read…

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

The assignment to emphasize that when we read God’s word we “should be careful to get all the good sweetness we can…

…We must not read so quickly that we miss the important truths God wants to teach us. Nor should we read so slowly that our minds wander and bits of truth slip away.”

Further on the assignment was to copy and memorize the above verse. I adore that we are using God’s word to study English.

Just the day before we read sentences, pictured above. Do you see the names of Biblical cities? Goshen. Tarshish. Some of these might be difficult for a third grader to read. But why shy away from them? Practice pronouncing them now for confidence later.

In our home, many times we do the lessons orally. The curriculum is written for a classroom, so we adapt. The children and I can read through the written exercises together. Other times I ask that they do a writing assignment. There is a nice variation of poetry, writing and good old diagramming (in older grades). We simply buy a spiral notebook to accompany the grade – so all written assignments are in one spot.

We also don’t begin grammar lessons until mid way through the second grade year. Even then we may only do a couple lessons a week. So far each of our children have enjoyed this series so much that they have each asked to do more. Now, my older three children head into their 4th, 7th and 8th grade years with Rod and Staff.

“I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.” Psalm 77:12 – from inside cover of Preparing to Build, English 2

The verse we found at the bottom of another lesson, illustrated with clouds, butterflies and mushrooms….

Whatsoever things are true,

Whatsoever things are honest,

Whatsoever things are just,

Whatsoever things are pure,

Whatsoever things are lovely,

Whatsoever things are of good report;

think on these things.

–Philippians 4:8–

For a detailed listing of specific levels available and ordering information, please see Annie Kate’s review: Rod and Staff Grammar or Kristen’s review: Rod and Staff English.

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.

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