The Curriculum Choice

Little House in the Big Woods Notebooking Study

Biblical Principle Approach, Literature No Responses »

Sep 032010

I can’t remember how I stumbled upon September West’s 4RPress, but I was immediately drawn to her beautiful notebook pages for a few of my favorite books, Hans Brinker, The Apple and the Arrow, and Heidi.

When her Little House in the Big Woods study was published, I added it to my wish list. A few days later, September offered me a free copy in exchange for a review. I was thrilled!

I printed it out, put it in a nice binder, and have been hauling it around to show all of my homeschooling friends. It even has the stamp of approval from a local, Principle Approach, master teacher.

This Little House in the Big Woods study is divided into two parts.

The first part contains 48 detailed lesson plans for the teacher. The second part is the wonderful notebooking pages for the student.

The 52 notebooking pages include:

a timeline
a map
a letter from Laura Ingalls Wilder to children
gorgeous, black and white illustrations
charts and lines for taking notes
spaces for student drawing

48 lessons may seem like a lot, but this is the only book my little ones will really study for a whole semester. (We’ll still have numerous read alouds.)

There is so much to be learned by going through one book slowly.

We’ll examine the five elements of literature: characterization, plot, setting, theme, and style. We’ll have time to be immersed in the story and all the ideas presented. When we are finished, we plan to celebrate a “Little House Day” with friends.

If you are looking for an excellent introduction to notebooking or the Principle Approach, this would be a great, affordable place to start.

This study is geared towards elementary students, but I’m tempted to join in the coloring and simple note taking.

Little House in the Big Woods Notebooking Study by 4RPress can be previewed and purchased at CurrClick.

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.

Disclosure: I was given a free copy in exchange for a review, as stated above.

Choosing Literature

Biblical Principle Approach, Literature 3 Responses »

Jul 092010

Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all. ~Henry David Thoreau.

As busy home educating mothers, we all know the truth of this statement only too well. But how do we know which are the best books for our children to read?

photo credit: komunews

As a young mother, I was blessed to be mentored by a Principle Approach® mom who introduced me to the 4R method of study. Using Webster’s 1828 Dictionary and the Bible, I was amazed to discover that I could research any subject to discern its origin and the basic principles governing it. One of my earliest studies on the subject of Literature has guided my reading choices ever since. Realizing that literature is friendship with books, I keep these principles in mind when selecting reading material for my children:

What we read permeates our minds and hearts, and manifests itself in our words and actions (Proverbs 16:23, James 3:13). Do the books’ characters exhibit qualities worthy of emulating? Do character vices result in undesirable consequences that would prevent us from imitating them?
Words affect our emotions and alter our worldview (2 Corinthians 7:8-11). Will this book edify my children, building their hope, faith and virtue, or cause them to despair and embrace man-centered philosophies?
Good literature will help us learn how to reason and communicate (Psalm 19:14). Does the book convey godly or worldly wisdom? Will the author’s choice of words and style help to improve my children’s vocabulary, comprehension, grammar and writing?
Literature must be maturity-level appropriate and chosen in an orderly progression (Hebrews 5:14). Does my child possess the necessary discernment to relate to the book’s theme? Will it help him to grow mentally and spiritually, or cause him to wrestle with issues that would be better suited for another season of life?
Since books fill our thoughts, Philippians 4:8 presents a list of qualities to look for in a book: Truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, virtue, excellence, praiseworthiness.

These principles help me to decide the kind of book “friends” my children need; the next step is finding them. Amidst the sea of available books, it can be difficult to know where to begin. To help refine my choices, I often refer to the booklists of some of my favorite homeschool publishers:

While simply being on one of these booklists does not automatically mean a book is right for our family, the lists are a valuable tool in the selection process. By reading the book’s description, I can deduce its reading level and theme. These two elements help me to decide:

Which of my children it would be appropriate for
Which of our other subject studies it would coincide with
If it is one of the “best” choices for our limited reading time

Our time is precious; the time with our children is invaluable. Help make that time as rich as possible by introducing your children to some of the best friends they’ll ever have.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot

September West is the happy wife of Jeff and the blessed mother of seven. She loves teaching her children at home, learning and growing along with them each day. Mentoring other homeschool mothers, developing literature studies, and creating notebooking pages are some of her passions. Her Bible studies on Literature and Education are available for free download on her 4R Press publisher page through CurrClick.

Chore Buster

Biblical Principle Approach, Organization 7 Responses »

May 202010

The resource I’m sharing this month isn’t actually curriculum, but it is helping me with the home part of homeschooling.

I’ve tried various chore charts, including one with tabs and tokens and hooks. It was a good idea, but it was so complicated I quickly tired of it. Then set up a filing box divided by task frequency: daily, weekly, monthly. That, too, worked for awhile.

photo credit: spinneraf

Lately, I’ve used the free-for-all method. Basically, that means dust accumulation hides the color my furniture and my feet stick to the kitchen floor. When I can’t stand that anymore, I finally clean.

Some people are fine with this arrangement. Some of these care-free, happy people even live in my house. I wish I was more like them, but my perfectionist tendencies run deep.

I’ve relaxed tremendously, but I can concentrate on the school part of homeschool when I know the floor will get washed and the bills will get paid. Not having to think about when those tasks will be squeezed in between distractions is bliss.

Chore Buster is perfect! The free online chore chart generator has many unique features that make it ideal for my family.

First, I entered each individual in my household and attached a percentage of chore assignments to them. For instance, my husband works all day, so he has only 25% of chores. (To view in detail, please click on the photo.)

Then I began listing the jobs. Each chore can be assigned a difficulty rating and frequency. Here’s a partial list of what I entered to get you started:

As I was entered in chores, I discovered one of the best options. Chores can be set for specific people. Thus, I added menu planing and paying bills which are specific to me. My children easily see they are not the only ones with chores, and I don’t have to write out my to do list every day.

Chores are randomized based on the factors entered. (To view in detail, please click on the photo.)

Various option for printing are available. I print out one week of chores for our entire family on one sheet of paper. It’s very utilitarian and plain, so I draw lines with my daughters’ colored markers to separate family members. As chores are completed, we mark them off and at the end of the day a sticker appears as a small reward.

If you want to calculate points for a reward system, it is easy to do with Chore Buster, as well. As you add chores, insert a point value and then at the end of the week you can “Calculate Rewards.” That option is underneath the “My Schedule” tab.

The best part of this system is that once it is in place it’s automatic and easily tweaked. Now if I could find a computer application to actually complete the chores…That wouldn’t build character though, would it?

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.

A Child’s Geography

Biblical Principle Approach, Charlotte Mason, Geography 8 Responses »

Apr 122010

Searching for geography curriculum has been a fruitless pursuit for me, so I dabbled in creating my own. We discussed earth being our home, looked at maps, and located places on the globe from our history and literature studies. That was enough, but I wanted to go more in depth.

When I was introduced to A Child’s Geography, Explore His Earth by Ann Voskamp, I thought, “Maybe this is it!”

A giddy, homeschool mom drooling over curriculum is not new, but I’m still excited after starting the lessons, examining the activities, and skimming the suggested reading lists.

The first lesson echoes the first idea I presented to my children. This amazing earth was created by God as a home for us, but Ann goes deeper to explain the enormity and beauty of our world.

Engaging, conversational chapters expand a child’s understanding of atmosphere and climate, continents and earthquakes, maps and oceans, and more. The Scriptures scattered throughout are an integral part of the text.

Each chapter is followed by a clever review. Postcards are used to record the main ideas of the lesson. (template included) Thorough instructions for hands-on activities further enrich the lessons.

My favorite parts are the Reaching Out segments, because they include tangible ways to minister to our neighbors on this spinning sphere. Geography is God’s handwriting on the earth he created, so it is fitting to intertwine his loving purpose while studying. Ann Voskamp does this eloquently and practically. She gives a portion of the proceeds to World Vision.

The only thing I want to change is the ebook format. I wish I’d gotten a print copy, which are now available at Christianbook.com and Timberdoodle.

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education. (Originally published at Heart of the Matter Online.)

The Mighty Works of God: Self Government

Biblical Principle Approach, History 7 Responses »

Mar 092010

History textbooks have a tendency to be boring, but I discovered a series of about American history to treasure. These books do not contain dry lists of dates or a simple retelling of events. Instead, they focus on the causes behind events: people and Providence.

The Mighty Works of God consists of three volumes for the early elementary years. They are not listed by grade-level, but gradually increase in difficulty. This review will focus on the 1st level, which is roughly 1st or 2nd grade.

The first lesson from The Mighty Works of God: Self Government introduces history as the story of God working in the lives of men and nations. For his title page, my son wrote,

“You are the God who works wonders…Psalms 77:14”

He was so inspired considering the works of God in his own life that he composed a song:

God, You are so good to me. God you set me free…

That moment I knew it was a good curriculum choice.

We placed the carefully written song in his notebook along with the variety of colorful pages created from the CD in the Teacher’s Guide Timelines, coloring pages, t-charts, maps, and notes created a meaningful overview my son still enjoys purusing.

The Teacher’s Guide also includes detailed lesson plans and suggestions For Reflection and Reasoning and Cultivation Mastery. Each lesson is one leading idea, so it is simple to implement.

The lessons are derived from original source documents whenever applicable and those sources are shared in The Teacher’s Guide. I still refer to the quotes and research even though we aren’t using this particular curriculum right now.

I requested permission to use some images and samples from the book, and it was graciously given to me. The following list of files (pdf) were sent to me by the author, Ruth J. Smith.

You can get a good understanding of what is covered in the year-long program and a glimpse of the beautiful artwork throughout:

I learned so much using this curriculum. It gave me examples of how to use leading ideas and how to research lessons. It also filled many holes my own history education, especially in regards to looking for internal causes instead of merely at external events.

The best part is that it inspired my song-writing son to remember the Mighty Works of God.

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.

Louis Braille, The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind

Biblical Principle Approach, Literature 15 Responses »

Feb 082010

There were just a few more pages to turn when it happened. My voice froze and I felt the tears pushing. My son grinned knowingly, “Mom’s going to cry.”

It doesn’t happen very often, but literature gets me the most often. And biographies. Biographies can be just too inspirational for me to maintain my composure.

I picked up a copy of Louis Braille, The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind at Paperbackswap during Christmas. It wasn’t on a reading list anywhere, but I was ordering a book about Helen Keller and figured it would go along well with her story.

While my children munched on sandwiches, I read the short biography aloud, flipping it around anytime there was a sketch to keep their imagination going. We were all engaged from the beginning.

This poor boy ended up blind because he disobeyed his father. How would he react? What would happen to him?

The story of Braille’s exemplifies hard work and determination. It is a story of a hunger to learn and the blessing of reading. It is a story of how one person can change lives for generations, even if unknown at death.

Not one newspaper in all of Paris printed the news of his death. Yet today his name is known all around the world. He was a simple schoolteacher. He never made much money. Yet today blind people everywhere bless him for giving them one the greatest gifts of all time – the alphabet called braille.

Yes, what a wonderful gift! And what a wonderful gift to read about with your children.

How I Choose Curriculum

Biblical Principle Approach, New to Homeschooling, Philosophies 8 Responses »

Jan 112010

Curriculum collects on shelves in our living room and peaks from boxes in the shed. A glance in either place reveals more stuff than we can realistically use. I’m so thankful for the options, but options can paralyze.

So how do I choose what to help me teach my children? How did these books end up in our possession instead of others?

I search for items that line up with our purpose for homeschooling, and trust God to lead me. Yes, the academics are important, but when I consider our goals getting an A in calculus isn’t top priority.

I want my children to have godly character.
I want my children to know how to think and reason.
I want my children to grow in responsibility and self-government.

Can curriculum really address these deeper heart issues? I think that is the whole purpose of learning. So the curriculum crowding the shelves in our home has certain qualities.

It is reflective in nature.

Children need time to think about ideas. I keep multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank worksheets at a minimum.

It lays out the principles of a subject in a sensible way.

Definitions fill full the ideas words represent. A young child can understand that letters make sounds, sounds create words, and words turn into sentences. In this way, they can understand the whole subject of reading before they begin the practice.

It uses original source documents.

Reference materials lay a foundation for self-learning. Quotes inspire us to dig deeper into the context of historical events. Biographies are some of my favorite resources.

The writing is high-quality and inspirational.

This benefits my whole family. When we read good literature, we all enjoy lessons more. Yes, “Spot ran,” is technically a sentence, but it’s not engaging. Every student craves ideas and well-crafted stories.

When I started homeschooling, I had no idea how many wonderful resources I would find. I used to search to find enough for a complete year. Now it seems curriculum finds me.

What about you? What do you look for in curriculum? Do you have more than enough or not enough?

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.

photo credit: kaleid

An Introduction to Marguerite Henry

Biblical Principle Approach, Literature, New to Homeschooling 9 Responses »

Dec 152009

Growing up I read book after book. However, very few of the volumes I read are remembered or revisited.

At the library I checked out whatever looked interesting: Nancy Drew mysteries, Grace Livingston Hill romance novels, or historical fiction. My random searches hid some amazing authors. Now I get to discover these imaginative writers with my children.

After lunch I read aloud Brighty of the Grand Canyon.

“One more chapter please!” begs my three-year-old.

Her five-year-old sister crowds close and grins widening bright blue eyes. Eleven-year-old brother peeks in almost every chapter. As the verbs bounce off my tongue, the suspense of the story pulls him away from Lego.

Our collection of Marguerite Henry’s horse books was rescued from the trash. Library books thrown out to make room for new stories. Brighty of the Grand Canyon taken home only once in eight years. Was this spirited burro on the shelf at my school library? If he was, I didn’t take him home either.

Marguerite Henry was not introduced to me in my youth. But I know her now.

Her stories are revisited often in this home. Benjamin West and his Cat Grimalkin roam the house resting next to Father’s side of the bed, then Mother’s. Justin Morgan Had a Horse cracks my voice and spills tears over my eyelids. Children gasp, “Why are you crying?”

For many reasons, I’m sure. Because life is full. Because ideas are powerful. Because children crowd around me to enjoy the lacing of words. Stories crafted to communicate ideas of liberty, hope, and faith. Morsels I want to savor together as we read book after book…

Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.

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Spell to Write and Read

Biblical Principle Approach, Language Arts, Phonics 2 Responses »

Nov 172009

I knew my son needed to learn how to read, but I’d never taught anyone. I debated the decision to homeschool. I worried and fretted. Then I resolved to trust the process. I’d been taught the basics of teaching phonics through a program called, Writing Road to Reading.

We used it. It worked!

Then we got to the spelling rules and the notebook work. I had a general idea of what to do, but really wanted more examples. That’s when I discovered Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri.

Mrs. Sanseri started her program by writing helpful tutorials to go along with Writing Road to Reading. Soon it became it’s own separate manual.

I purchased an older version called, Teaching Reading at Home, but from what I can tell the new version is similar. There are specific tutorials for teaching letter formation, step by step instructions for working through the program, and sample notebook pages.

By the time I invested in this curriculum, my son had already learned the 70 phonograms, but I still found it helpful. What we did use daily was the second part of the curriculum, The W.I.S.E. Guide to Spelling.

The W.I.S.E. Guide breaks down the spelling lists and gives lots of ideas for using each week’s words. I found that especially helpful.

Spell to Write and Read is a total language program. It teaches reading, writing, and spelling all at the same time. Children learn to write the letters as they learn their sounds. Then they compile their own spelling book that reinforces what they already learned. It is an investment that can be used for multiple grade levels. The spelling portion can be used all the way through high school.

There are a lot of recommended resources, but all that is really needed are the two books mentioned above and some form of the phonogram cards. Mine were cut out of our Writing Road to Reading book and covered with contact paper. Two of the phonograms are different, but my son didn’t even notice.

This year I added two Learning Logs from Wanda Sanseri’s site, Back Home Industries. A composition book can be used instead. I splurged a bit, because it’s time to teach my two little girls to read.

I’m looking forward to it this time around. The fear is gone. It’s been replaced by the wonder and simplicity of laying a solid foundation of learning.

The Palmer Method of Business Writing

Biblical Principle Approach, Writing No Responses »

Oct 202009

Guest post by Dana Hanley

I never thought much about handwriting when I started homeschooling. I never thought about its principles or developed any particular philosophy of what handwriting was or how good handwriting should be developed. I taught it exactly as I had been taught: through repetition and drill, expecting perfect conformity of letters. I must confess that I have had no more luck using this method with my daughter than my teachers had with me.

Each of my daughter’s letters are formed neatly during handwriting practice, but this neatness fails to carry over to any writing she does no matter how I emphasize the importance of neatness. By the beginning of this school year, I decided that maybe she needed something more than just more drill and began searching for a handwriting program that went beyond merely how to form letters.

Reading the introduction to The Palmer Method of Business Writing, I knew I had found something which fit my educational philosophy and our attempts at using the Biblical Principle Approach.

The copy-book has but one purpose–to secure absolute mechanical accuracy. The copy-book headline is usually first carefully penciled by a skilled penman after a given model, and shows none of the individuality of the penman employed in its construction. The penciled copy is given to a skilled script-engraver, who engraves it by hand and further perfects it wherever possible. This impossible and lifeless ideal the child is required to imitate through long, dreary pages of copying. No wonder he fails!

Yes, I despise rote copying as much as my daughter! But this was the first time I had heard that there was another way to teach handwriting. According to Palmer’s method, there are four components to neat and efficient handwriting, each as important as the other.

When a letter is poorly made, it may be due to one or all of four causes–first, the position may be poor; second, the muscles may be rigid, preventing easy action; third, the mind may not have a good picture of the form; and forth, movement direction may be wrong. (p. 30)

The book seeks through successive exercises to teach students these basic principles of handwriting so that they may be applied at all times, in all assignments.

Unfortunately, the book is out of print. I purchased a used copy through Amazon, but it has been out of print long enough to also be in the public domain. Scanned copies are available for free from several sources online, including The Internet Archive.

Dana homeschools her five children using the Biblical Principled Approach. She blogs at Principled Discovery.

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