Classical » The Curriculum Choice

Envision Teaching Latin with Visual Latin

Dec 162011

The thought of teaching Latin made me want to hide under a table. I did not think there would be any way for me to teach Latin. I never took Latin in school. I have no experience in this subject and quite frankly it is an intimidating subject if you are unfamiliar. Knowing that I decided to homeschool to provide a better education I knew I would have to find away to teach my children Latin. Latin will help build a strong foundation for English. A person who knows Latin will have a firmer grasp on vocabulary and spelling. I had to find a way to teach this subject without fear. Enter Visual Latin. The “visual” was enough for my interest to be peaked.

My daughter on lesson 3: Gender Words. She would draw a girl when it was a “girl word”.

Visual Latin DVDs add breathes life back into this dead language. Foreign languages can be intimidating to teach but the “visual” aspect of this program takes the pressure off of you. In fact, you can learn along with the children. I think the most fun about being a homeschool mom is revisiting lessons and learning new ones.I enjoyed learning some Latin and we all enjoyed the ease of this program. In just minutes a day using a multi-sensory approach you can begin to understand the foundations of Latin. The lessons are solid and fun. A far cry from stuffy and intimidating lesson you may have come to expect.

Here is the scope for the first ten lessons:

LESSONS 1 to 10:

1. Being Verbs Basics | To Be and Not to Be

2. Being Verbs Basics | Predicate Nominatives and Adjectives

3. Gender | Boy Words and Girl Words

4. Singular and Plural | E Pluribus Unum

5. Declensions | Meet the Cases

6. Adjectives Learn to Agree with Nouns

7. The Case Files | Nominative and Genitive

8. Counting to 10 in Latin

9. Active Verb Basics | Indicative Mood

10. The Case Files | Accusative

I will disclose to you that this is not my first Latin program. I had one that made me rethink teaching Latin to begin with and a few I truly enjoyed. Visual Latin is in the “truly enjoyed” category. I will be purchasing the other two sets. Visual Latin came highly recommended by a few homeschool friends so when I had the chance to review it I was thrilled. I am also happy to report my friends were right, Latin can be taught in an interesting and fun way.

You may purchase Visual Latin at The Compass Store.

Richele is an eclectic homeschooling mom to four reflections of God’s love whose greatest accomplishment thus far was teaching physics, folding laundry, and playing Candyland simultaneously. Find her blogging at Under the Golden Apple Tree.

Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, High School, Middle School, Mom Helps, Uncategorized 1 Response »

Oct 262011

If you have read many of my other reviews you already know that I like for things to be easy. If they aren’t easy, I at least don’t want them to be a ton of work for me. After all, my inner educator proclaims, this is their education, not mine! This of course is true to a point. We all know, I reply to my inner educator, learning never stops; least of all, perhaps, for a home educating mama.

In addition to easy, I want things to make sense, for them to be logical. Timely, too, in that when they are presented with new ideas, those new ideas make sense to my little learners. I want to be developmentally appropriate, and I want to cover material that will be useful and necessary.

We ascribe to a sort of Classical, sort of Charlotte Mason, very literary-based education for our children. The idea of a lot of rote memory work does not fit into my idea of practical or useful. The idea of memorization for the purpose of reviewing and cementing ideas, though, is another story. If memory work is one of the tools–like reading and writing and listening and drawing–that we use to gather and corral ideas, that is something I like and want to use.

I have found a great resource by Andrew A. Campbell called Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion that has removed some of the burden of memory work from my shoulders.

It is simply a book of lists. The lists, derived from academic subjects, contain organized information for the purpose of memorization. Dr. Campbell includes an essay detailing the how and why of using memory work as one of the tools of learning. The remainder of the book is comprised of lists of information in the following broad subjects: Latin and Greek, arithmetic and mathematics, grammar and composition, literature, religion, geography, world history, United States history and civics, and natural sciences. Each section is broken down into more specific categories and into lists. There are speeches and portions of documents. There are formulas. There are charts. All of this is intended to be used over the academic lifetime of a student–from Kindergarten to graduation.

The book has been helpful to me in two ways. First, it has given me ideas. Sometimes the question of what to memorize has been overwhelming to me–so overwhelming that I have thrown up my hands and provided nothing for my kids to concentrate on retaining. Now, I can open Living Memory, find a science list that fits with our studies, and put my little learners to work.

Second, Dr. Campbell has assured me that memorizing something is better than memorizing nothing, that I can start small and build, and that memory work can and should be in the context of our studies. I like that. It makes sense to me, because it is orderly and timely. It is developmentally appropriate. Also, it is simple and easy. And you know that I like easy.

Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion by Andrew A. Campbell provides comprehensive lists in a variety of pertinent subjects to be used for memory work. It can be found on Lulu.com in both digital ($14.95) and paperback ($22.46) versions.

Susan S. is a home educating mama of three in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Her days are wild and lovely, full of chattering, learning children. In all of the mess, she learns the most, taught by the Master Teacher Himself.

History Through the Ages Timeline CDs

Classical, Elementary, History, Mom Helps 1 Response »

Sep 062011

Timelines appeal to me. They aid visual, kinesthetic, spatial, and logical thinkers. What’s not to love?

Well, the work of putting together a visually appealing, cohesive, historically-accurate timeline, for one. How about the time it takes to find all of those little pictures? What about deciding which dates to include? What about figuring out how to put the thing together? What about figuring out where to put it?

The details of the timeline were dragging me down, threatening the reality of creating one in our home.

It seemed to me that some sort of timeline was a foregone conclusion in our home school, but there were several burdens to bear. Although I could have done the work myself, it is more likely that the timeline would have fallen by the wayside without a little outside intervention.

I found the help that I needed to make the timeline happen in our home at Homeschool in the Woods. Their History Through the Ages Timeline answered many of my questions, solved some problems, and simplified everything else.

I purchased the CDs, which include over a thousand historical figures. The figures represent people, places, and events throughout time. It is truly history through the ages, encapsulating a variety of different realms—political, military, social, art, music, and literature. Likewise, both secular and biblical and church history are included.

There are two CDs in the case. They contain the same figures, but one CD presents the figures in PDF format, the other in GIF format. Both CDs contain the figures with only a name and a date, as well as the figures with a short text summarizing the importance of the person, place, event, people group, or time period. There are two sizes of PDF files—wall and notebook size. These files print in pages of figures; they are arranged chronologically. The GIF files can be chosen and sized to fit specific needs, and are easily accessible using categories that serve as an index.

I have used the timeline figures for two major purposes in our academics.

We have begun a paper timeline that is stored in a binder. It is simple, but effective, visually presenting history through the use of Amy Pak’s intricately drawn figures. We add figures as time allows, which generally means a marathon session with the binder and a glue stick. We also add a little bit of color coding, just to help us remember who and where go with what and when.

I have also made a set of timeline cards—people, dates, and events with which I hope for us to maintain familiarity. I used a glue stick to adhere the appropriate timeline figure onto an index card, and voila, instant and cost effective timeline card! We study a fourth of history at a time, but we are able to easily review material from previous years. As an added bonus, I could choose the dates, which means that we review events from all through time and all over the world, customizing the cards to our studies.

My children are in elementary school, so a lot of the work of the timeline falls to me. As they get older, I will expect them to be more involved in the preparation, decisions, and details of our timelines. I foresee lots of mini-timelines and personal timelines and subject-specific timelines. It will be a timeline extravaganza! All brought to us from Homeschool in the Woods and their History Through the Ages Timeline CDs!

The Historical Timeline Figures come preprinted and in CD form. The preprinted sets contain figures that are 2.5” by 3.5” and are sold in historical groupings: Creation to Christ, Resurrection to Revolution, Napoleon to Now, and America’s History. They cost $22.95 each, with the exception of the American history set, which costs $32.95 due to its larger size.

The CDs contain the same figures found in all four sets plus a bonus set of additional figures. The CD allows for multiple printings and for resizing of timeline figures. The CDs contain 1,260 historical figures in both PDF and GIF formats, as well as the timeline information found on the website. It costs $74.95.

There is also a handy, dandy Timeline Placement Guide that I have found useful as I tried to determine placement of figures. The $11.95 has been well worth it, because it contains a sample timeline in miniature that includes all of the timeline figures on the CD.

The History Through the Ages Timeline CDs were a major investment for our homeschool. I have been pleased with both the figures and their use in our home, and believe that they will continue to be a benefit in the years to come. I bought them early in our homeschool journey so that we could suck all of the use out of them in multiple years and in a variety of ways. So far, so good!

Are you in need of a little timeline help? The History Through the Ages Timeline CDs may be answer!

-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 her wonderful husband to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

How to Read a Book by Adler and Van Doren

Charlotte Mason, Classical, High School 3 Responses »

Aug 262011

So now your children know how to read. Congratulations! That’s a major step, but does it mean that their reading instruction finished? Not at all, we’ve found.

How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading teaches the average reader how to understand, analyze, and learn from books. It takes students beyond the basics of reading to become scholars. It is, I think, the foundational book in our homeschool high school, besides the Bible.

Summary

How to Read a Book discusses and explains the four levels of reading as well as different approaches to different kinds of reading material. The book is divided into four exceedingly well-organized parts:

“Part 1: The Dimensions of Reading” includes information on the first level of reading, which is what we homeschool moms teach our little ones. Then it goes on to discuss the second level, inspectional reading, occasionally called pre-reading.
“Part 2: The Third Level of Reading: Analytical Reading” includes topics such as pigeonholing a book, coming to terms with an author, determining an author’s message, and agreeing or disagreeing with an author.
“Part 3: Approaches to Different Kinds of Reading Matter” presents tips for reading both fiction and non-fiction: novels, plays, short stories, and poems, as well as history, science, math, philosophy, and social science. It also includes an insightful section on how to read ‘canonical’ books. For example, it explains how reading sacred writings as the revealed Word of God, rather than as mere literature, is entirely different from other kinds of reading.
“Part 4: The Ultimate Goals of Reading” explains the idea of syntopical reading and tells us what good books can do for us.
Appendices: These include a recommended reading list as well as exercises and tests at the four levels of reading.

Throughout the book, examples and explanations are taken from the literature of ‘the great conversation’ as the greatest Western literature is sometimes called. This adds immeasurably to the book.

How we use it

We were introduced to this book several years ago by both Ambleside Online and The Well-Trained Mind (first edition). Both resources recommended that students work through How to Read a Book in great detail, and that is what we have been doing. My children go through it paragraph by paragraph, for at least half the book. Each paragraph is summarized in one or two sentences, and I check each summary. This process teaches my teens a lot since it’s one of the few books meaty enough to make such careful attention to detail worthwhile. (It teaches me a lot, too. )

Of course, this is a great deal of work and we spread it out over at least the four high school years. I allowed Miss 18 to absorb the last half of How to Read a Book on her own during the last two years of high school, since she’s the kind of person who will read ahead and study independently. Although she would have learned more if she had continued the detailed summaries, there are only 24 hours in a day; she did read it several times. Mr. 16 and Miss 13 are both doing the detailed summaries.

As mentioned, How to Read a Book uses great books as examples. Thus my teens were exposed to much great writing in an enjoyable and inspiring way. In fact, Miss 18 designed her Intro to Western Literature course using the reading list in Appendix A. Recently Mr. 16 chose to read and analyze Machiavelli’s The Prince because of How to Read a Book’s discussion of an intriguing statement beginning with “A prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred;…”

Although this book is challenging and uses challenging examples, the subject matter is appropriate for Christian teens. They will need to think, true, but they will not be taught evil, immorality, modern political correctness, or revisionism.

Our family has been able to understand other books more deeply because of insights gained from How to Read a Book. Thus studying this one book has had a huge impact on everything we learn from other books. It both enhances the time spent reading and increases our efficiency in understanding new material.

I highly recommend How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading for all teens whose studies involve a lot of reading, and for their moms as well.

Disclosure: I do not receive any compensation for my reviews, and my opinions are entirely my own.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

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

My 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.

One 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.

Poetry for Young People

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Language Arts, Literature, Living books, Reading 2 Responses »

Aug 192011

“I dwell in Possibility/A fairer house than Prose,/More numerous of windows,/Superior of doors.” Emily Dickinson, “I dwell in Possibility”

Poetry is a flexible area of study. It can be studied on its own, and for its own merit. On the other hand, born of cultural, historical, and personal experience, poetry can enhance the study of any subject. For me, the trouble with poetry is how to narrow it down. There just seems to be so much of it to choose from.

The Poetry for Young People series provides an excellent introduction to a number of poets. Each volume contains the poetry of a specific poet or area of poetry. The poems are chosen for their suitability to a young audience, and as poetry representative of the poet’s body of work. Illustrations accompany the poems. A short biography, also sensitive to the needs of a young audience, opens each book.

I have found this series useful in two ways. It has been a simple task to browse these pages to find a poem to enhance a particular study. As the poems have been chosen because they are appropriate for children, I need only choose the poem that best suits my needs.

More often, however, I choose a poet to study for a month or six weeks. As a family, we read several poems each week until we have finished the book. The Poetry for Young People series makes this process very simple, as each volume contains a nice number of poems. Each book serves as a gentle introduction to the work of a poet.

This may be the year for poetry study at your house!

Raid your local library for the Poetry for Young People series.

-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.

Art of the Argument

Classical, High School, Logic, Middle School 1 Response »

Aug 152011

By now, y’all know I love logic. Whether the more mathematical side of logic puzzlers or the more formal side of logical thinking, I’m on board (and so are my kids!) And I’m on a mission to get your family excited about this important subject.

This time around, I’m reviewing Art of the Argument: An Introduction to the Informal Fallacies by Aaron Lawson and Joelle Hodge.

Written for middle school students, I’ve found it to be appropriate for many high school aged students as well. (Especially considering my 9th grader is the child currently using it.) In approximately 50 lessons, your child will cover 28 fallacies of irrelevance, presumption and clarity.

An informal fallacy is when an argument does not support itself. (Not an angry argument, mind you, but any time someone takes a position in a conversation.) For example, I might say, “My dog sheds like crazy in the spring, so all dogs must do the same.” I have committed the fallacy of generalization – taking my experience with one dog and transferring it to the entire population of dogs.

Everywhere you look, you can find informal fallacies – commercials, newscasts, political campaigns, and even in churches. When we aren’t aware of fallacies or don’t take the time to evaluate whether statements are well supported, we set ourselves up to believe whatever we hear. In today’s world, we simply cannot allow our children to grow up without the knowledge and encouragement to think clearly, lest they be pulled farther and farther away from the only real Truth that exists.

Now that I’ve gotten all serious on you, I’ll tell you that the program is far from serious and stuffy. Your children will have fun learning how to argue correctly and recognize fallacies. A series of dialogues between Socrates and two college students is sprinkled throughout the book and are both humorous and enlightening. Lessons are clear and concise with several illustrated examples to drive home the meaning of each fallacy. Socrates often comes in at the end of a lesson, too, to challenge your child to think about real-life fallacies and/or complete brief assignments.

Although the lessons are brief (15-20 minutes most days), your child will still get lots of experience recognizing fallacies, rewriting fallacies, noting definitions and answering short essay questions. At the end of each chapter, there is a review; and at the end of each unit, there is a cumulative review. A glossary at the end of the book as well as charts on the inside of the covers serve as reminders of each fallacy and its definition.

The Teacher’s Guide is exactly like the Student Workbook, except it includes all the answers AND supplies you with tests for each chapter and unit, with a final exam, too.

You’ll notice my review of The Fallacy Detective and The Thinking Toolbox by the Bluedorn’s below. Both are written for the same age level and concentrate on informal fallacies. How do they compare? Both cover similar material, with the Bluedorn’s possibly covering a tad more. However, the Bluedorn books are far more casual. While they include lots of oral questions, there is not much writing involved and no reviews or quizzes. I think both are extremely valuable in the middle/high school years! I recommend starting with The Fallacy Detective and The Thinking Toolbox (in that order), reading them together with your child and answering the oral questions together. Then, move into The Art of the Argument, allowing your child to take the reigns without as much direct involvement by you. (If anyone else has an opinion on this, please comment!)

We LOVE our time exploring logic and hope you do, too!

Find my other logic reviews:

The Fallacy Detective and The Thinking Toolbox

Lollipop Logic

Logic Games

Prufrock Press Logic Resources

-Written by Cindy, an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three (high school, middle school, K4) in Central KY. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers series and other creative curricula at Shining Dawn Books.

(Cindy received a copy of Art of the Argument free in exchange for her honest opinion.)

Medieval Alliance Game

Classical, Elementary, High School, History, Middle School, Unit study resources 2 Responses »

Jul 272011

We’re jumping into the Middle Ages for history again this year! I love following a four-year repeating cycle of history and science. Each time we dive back into a subject with so much more breadth and depth, we find ourselves completely enthralled {yet again} in the subject matter.

Besides using Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries and TruthQuest History as our spine curricula, I’ve found a few “extras” that have been wonderful additions for studying the time period. The Medieval Alliance Board Game from Jett Educational Games is one of those fun extras.

Our family loves a good game anyway, but even more when it purposely fits into something we’re studying. And even more again when the game acts as a “teacher” besides just being fun. Medieval Alliance is all of these: fun, fitting and very instructional!

Each player becomes a knight serving a particular king or queen during the late Middle Ages. His or her goal is to be the first knight to form an alliance with the King of Agrafor by collecting precious gifts to give to the king in his castle.

Each knight earns money for purchasing gifts by collecting income from land holdings (feudalism). As money is collected, knights travel throughout the land to find the armor smith, weapon smith, shrine and market where gifts can be purchased. (Beautiful photos of actual medieval artifacts and art are included.) Once all required gifts are purchased, the knight must beware the king’s guard in the castle as he or she strives to reach the king.

During journeys through the kingdom, other knights can challenge you to a joust which means you might lose valuable money and turns. Chance cards have to be drawn sometimes, too, which can prove to benefit or set back your journey. Either way, though, the chance cards provide a wealth of valuable information about the time period! You’ll be introduced to:

lifestyles
customs
hygiene
famous people
battles
markets
artwork
tools and weapons
occupations
and more!

What better way to learn about a time period than to dive right in and become part of it?

Since there is a good deal of reading involved on the chance cards, it’s most easily played by children who are good readers. However, younger children can still play with help. Enjoy!

-Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3 from Central KY. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers studies at Shining Dawn Books.

(Medieval Alliance was provided to Cindy free for review. As always, she shares only her honest opinions.)

TruthQuest History

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, High School, History, Literature, Living books, Middle School, Unit study resources 8 Responses »

Jun 232011

What’s taken me so long to try TruthQuest History??? I have had the mistaken impression that TruthQuest guides were only glorified book lists that I could develop myself. While it’s true that I could come up with an appropriate list of living literature for a specific time period, these guides are SO much more!

First, you get a complete look at the era, covering all of the important people, places and events in a general order of occurrence.
Second, you get a full listing of appropriate living literature which will immerse your child into the era, its people, and its events.
Third, and most important to me, Michelle Miller offers deliciously written commentary throughout the guide to give you an overall picture of the era, as well as tying seamless transitions from one important event to another.

Using a living literature approach to history as a Charlotte Mason style homeschooler, I have often felt a slight disconnect in moving from one thing to another in a particular era. In other words, when we’ve read a wonderful book about Martin Luther, another about the Holy Roman Empire, then another about King Henry VIII, I haven’t always known how to give my children the “whole picture” about how they fit together.

With TruthQuest guides, I now have the “missing ingredient” I’ve been searching for – a living literature approach to history PLUS a non-textbook, complete overview in between the living literature to tie everything together for me! (Boy, was that a long, drawn-out description!) Michelle Miller’s writing style is living itself - sometimes humorous, sometimes tongue in cheek, always interesting.

Don’t get the impression that you are totally off the hook as the teacher using a TruthQuest guide. You will still be responsible for attaining all the living literature and may want to occasionally throw in a project or two. However, there are open-ended question sprinkled throughout the guide called ThinkWrites which can be used for discussion and/or writing assignments.

Speaking of the literature, each section includes several book choices, many of which should be available at your library. Your child isn’t expected to read everything on the list, but instead you choose one or two, then move on to the next section of the era. Additionally, since many of the guides can be used with various age levels, the book lists not only include brief descriptions, but appropriate age levels, too.

To give you a picture of how in-depth and thorough the guides are, I’ll give you the table of contents from the TruthQuest History – Renaissance, Reformation & Exploration guide I am using. These are just the main headings, as each contains several specific lessons with literature choices and overviews.

John Wycliff and Jan Hus
Growth of Towns
Northern Art Begins to Change
Dawn of the Renaissance
Early Renaissance Art
Exploration Begins
Fall of Constantinople
A Visit to Italy
The Princes of Prints
War of the Roses
Think Like a King
Artists of the High Renaissance
Ferdinand and Isabella
Holy Roman Empire and France
Christopher Columbus and Other Early Explorers
Church Leaders
Machiavelli and His Prince
Reformation Rumble
Francis of France
Charles V and His Spanish Holy Roman Empire
Ottoman Empire
Spain’s New World Empire
Early Native Americans of the Southwest
King Henry VIII
Reformation Spreads
Science Takes a Leap
Russia and Ivan the Terrible
The French in the New World
The Counter-Reformation
Later Renaissance Art
Queen Elizabeth
John Knox
Mary, Queen of Scots
England Gets into the Race for the New World
Spanish Armada
Walter Raleigh
William Shakespeare
Later-Counter-Reformation Figures
The idea War
Holland Yearns for Freedom
Battle of Lepanto
El Greco
Scien-a-rama
Mystery of the Roanoke Colony

Wow. See what I mean? You might not be able to tell from the list above, but a focus on Christianity is prevelent throughout the book. The author strives to make God’s Providence a main focus, as history is HIS story.

This particular guide is appropriate for grades 5-12, but TruthQuest guides are available for all grades in all eras of history. Check them out! If you’re a living literature, Charlotte Mason or Classical kind of mom, you’ll be glad you did!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three from Kentucky. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and see her NaturExplorers curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.

(Cindy received TruthQuest History: Renaissance, Reformation & Exploration free for review. As always, she only writes her honest opinions.)

Tapestry of Grace

Classical, Elementary, Geography, Hands On, High School, History, Lapbooks, Literature, Middle School, Reading, Unit study resources, Writing 15 Responses »

Jun 132011

Have you found a curriculum you and your children absolutely love? One that is a perfect fit for everyone’s learning style? A nice match for the age range of your household? That, my friends, is how I feel about Tapestry of Grace.

I am fresh from representing Tapestry in a booth at my local homeschool convention. The three of us booth hostesses were not selling Tapestry that weekend. We were simply there to help, to answer questions and to share how we use the curriculum in our homes. Three days worth of talking Tapestry with fellow homeschoolers! So, what I am sharing here is not only my family’s years of experience with Tapestry but also what I learned were the biggest questions for newcomers to this curriculum.

Those that walked up to the booth, brand new to Tapestry or those who had never heard of it before asked this most often: What is it? Will you explain it?

Tapestry of Grace is a classical approach, Biblically-based, unit study curriculum for the whole family. Tapestry covers eight subjects. Everyone learning together – each child on their own learning and skill level. Here are the subjects Tapestry covers:

History
Writing
Literature
Geography
Fine Arts
Church History
Philosophy
Government

So you need to add: Math, Grammar and Science

Tapestry of Grace is a unit study approach. Four eras or year plans of history. Four units each year. Everyone studying the same topics. The history cycle (from the Tapestry site):

Year 1 covers the Ancient World.
Year 2 covers the Medieval World through the American Revolution.
Year 3 covers the 1800′s
Year 4 begins in 1900 and ends with current events.

Weekly plans: Kristen does a wonderful job of describing how the weekly plans are presented in her Review of Tapestry of Grace. She describes each section: the threads, reading assignments, weekly overview, writing assignments, student activity pages, teacher notes and glance into next week.

Here’s a peek at how Tapestry works in our home: When we first started with Tapestry of Grace I had a 5th, 4th and 1st grader. Plus a three-year-old and an infant. We spread one year of learning over two years. I love this pace. Especially with little ones under foot and older ones needing to concentrate on independent work. Tapestry gave us “a map for the journey.” The following words are from Marcia’s Somerville’s blog, Love the Journey, several years ago.

This was us before Tapestry: “…using traditional homeschooling curricula, instead of preserving family unity, each child is put into his own little car and travels each day his individual roads. Mom becomes more of a traffic cop trying to keep all the bumper cars on their tracks than the driver of the family van.
After: Using Tapestry, everyone travels together and explores the landscape of Classical Education from a Christian perspective in one family van that mom and dad really do drive.“

Everyone learning together. Really? Yes. This year, I had a 7th, 6th and 3rd grader. Plus, of course the preschoolers learning as well. One week the older two had a shared writing assignment. They were to write a radio show. Set in the early 1900s, they worked together on a story of the Wright brothers. They recruited their two younger sisters as additional characters and sound effects technicians. Sixth grader used the radio equipment that was his great-grandfather’s. (Do you see?)

Tapestry addresses all our different learning styles:

Hands on projects: I have one child that particularly flourishes when she gets to do a book report on a display board. Woven throughout Tapestry assignments are art and activity projects for individual students as well as for the whole family. The lapbook supplements are wonderful for those that enjoy hands on learning as well.

Auditory learners – can listen to audio books for literature and history studies. Many of these we borrow from the library.
Independent learning – My eldest likes to load up her books and tuck herself off in a corner. There are plenty of opportunities for those that work best on their own – which is the aim for the transition from dialectic (roughly middle school) to rhetoric (high school).

Even learning for mom and dad! Marcia Somerville explains Tapestry this way: Picture your family getting in the family van and heading out on a cross-country trek. There is something on the journey for everyone. For mom, extensive, weekly teacher notes give you all you would ever need for grades K-12 all the years of your homeschooling journey. For dad, a Pop Quiz. This CD is easy to listen to on a work commute, giving an overview and highlights of the learning going on at home.

If you are new to Tapestry, their website is a wonderful place to start:

Download a free, three-week trial of Tapestry. Explore Egypt with your family and explore Tapestry of Grace at the same time. This is what we did when considering Tapestry. It helped me, as the teacher, see how the curriculum works. And it got the children all excited!
Marcia Somerville’s video explanation of the map of humanities. Hear directly from Tapestry creator and author about the journey of Tapestry of Grace. She regularly posts on her blog specific Tapestry information as well as general homeschool encouragement.
Also on the Tapestry of Grace site, under the Explore Tapestry tab, you can view explanations of the cyclical plans, weekly plans. learning levels, the three big ideas. Pull up a chair and spend some time here.

Learn from fellow Tapestry users:

An extensive online community – forum, photo gallery, find a co-op, find a friend.
Harmony Art Mom – a friend and mom using Tapestry of Grace through high school. She shares all of her practical Tapestry tips, topics, techniques. How much I have learned from Barb! Please read her review Sonlight vs. Tapestry of Grace here on the Curriculum Choice as well as other Curriculum Choice reviews.
More on the day to day Tapestry of Grace in our home, including preparing for a new Tapestry of Grace year, here.

But I feel overwhelmed by Tapestry of Grace. How do I make it work? Never have we ever done all of the subjects each week. Tapestry is truly a smorgasbord. When I open that week plan, I zone in on the learning levels for my children and ignore the rest. Even then, depending on the week, we may choose to only tackle the core history assignment. Other weeks, as we are wrapping up a unit, we may concentrate more on the arts and activities, doing assignments and larger projects together as a family.

We never finish up each and every assignment for the week. This curriculum serves you and your needs, matching the season of your life. There is so much to choose from! You don’t have to check it all off. Yet, that is also one of the beautiful benefits of Tapestry. You can tailor it by topic for your family, changing it to your children’s needs, matching the books you already have on your shelf. Dig deep or skim the surface. Rich learning either way.

Cost: One time investment. When you buy a year or even a unit of Tapestry of Grace you have it to use over and over again. Cycling through with each child. Your youngest ones have the chance to learn at the different levels up to four times.

How do you like your curriculum? Tapestry is available in print or digital form. Or, you can purchase both for each unit. I made the transition from print to digital last year. I found it easy to have everything on my computer to click on and reach – all in one spot. However, my two new Tapestry hostess friends both preferred having the digital version on their computers AND the print version to hold and flip through.

What about all those books? Oh the books we read! Each unit is rich with living books. Buying all the books for each unit is an option. However, I can purchase the ‘spine’ resource we will be using that year or that unit and reserve the rest at the library. Most of the books are available there. If not the first resource listed, then I usually already have the books listed on the alternate resource page in each week’s reading. Or can find them at the library. For years 3 and 4, Story of the World was listed as an alternate resource. Already had that on my shelf!

Bookshelf Central is the spot to load your cart up on books. You can select the books you need for all learning levels the entire year. Or you can fill your cart with just the books you will need for your grammar students for unit one. The online cartoon character, Grace, leads you through the Buying Guide step by step.

Optional Supplements:

Lapbooks: available for each unit, either on disc for you to print. Or pre-printed on colored paper for you and your child to assemble. Some families purchase a lapbook for each child. In our family, we use the lapbook as a review at the end of the unit. Each child picks several topics to work on and research. Click here.

Pop Quiz: Dad can listen on his commute to work. Supper time discussion can be about all the learning going on at home. The children and I have also used Pop Quiz CDs ourselves as an overview – in the car – going from place to place during the week. Click here for more information.
Map Aids: all the maps you need to print for one year in one place. Available in disc form or as an add on to Tapestry DE. Click here.

Writing Aids: A resource for all ages. One time purchase to be used as a supplement to Tapestry writing assignments or as an independent writing handbook. We turn to this guide to see what is expected in an assignment. What is a book report? How do you organize a display board? All types of writing graphs, wheels, diagrams and more to print to aid in the writing process. Click here.
Evaluations: Tests and quizzes to see how much your children are absorbing. The Tapestry site says, “Evaluations are unique because they test in keeping with the Tapestry style–integrated and multi-sensory!” Click here.
Government Elective: Available for rhetoric students. Key documents for further study. Click here.
Online Classes: for dialectic and rhetoric students. Click here.

Unit Celebrations: a celebration brings closure to a unit of study. These can be extensive or simple. Children can dress as a character from the time period they’ve studied and put on a play. Invite grandparents, friends and neighbors to view display boards, reports and school work. Celebrate all you’ve learned. Here’s an example from our Year 4 studies.

Continuing Education: I feel that continuing education and encouragement for mom is important. I look forward to the sessions at homeschool convention each year. As well as just seeing the sheer number of homeschoolers that fill that convention hall! With Tapestry of Grace, I’m learning right along with my children. All the resources I need to teach them at my fingertips. Extensive teacher notes from K all the way through high school.

As one heading into our fourth year of Tapestry, let me suggest: Take a summer or holiday break to get to know Tapestry. Take your time navigating their website. Download the free, three-week trial and have fun trying it out with your children. Trying it on is how we all find out if it fits.

In summary: Tapestry brings us all together for learning. As a family we are learning history – HIS Story – beginning with creation and leading to present times. And, when we are all learning together that means less work for mom. I’m not teaching those eight subjects times my five children. I’m teaching them once. Tapestry reaches the needs of all my children and gradually builds independent learners. All it takes is a few steps into the buffet of options available each unit, and the children are off and running on their own.

This year, as I officially start one more of my children on the Tapestry road and transition another into high school, I have the confidence and tools I need. I’m looking forward to teaching my kindergartener, 4th, 7th and 8th graders all together. And I’m sure the three-year-old will be joining in often. So, yes, I’d agree with the Tapestry of Grace slogan, Love the Journey.

And, once more I strongly suggest you download a free, three-week trial of Tapestry. See how it works for your family by actually using it. Print it out and hold it in your hand. We did it that one summer and then knew it was for us.

How about you? Have you already attended or do you plan to attend a homeschool convention? What questions do you have about Tapestry of Grace?

~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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