Big Picture School Planning In my homeschool, we practice a relaxed classical approach. Practically, this means that we are a hybrid of Charlotte Mason and Classical philosophies. Add to that mix that we are Catholic. When I consider my homeschool planning, I put the highest priority on holy mass and the sacraments, nature study, the … Continue reading Fall 2018: Big Picture Overview
Fall 2018: Monthly Planning
Some homeschoolers plan their whole year at one time. Others plan by semester or term. That just doesn’t work well for me. I have learned that I do my best planning when I have a general year plan and then do my actual lesson planning one week at a time. For this reason, the monthly … Continue reading Fall 2018: Monthly Planning
Fall 2018: General
A funny thing happened to me this summer… a number of local friends asked me to walk with them as they map out their school year. I am flattered and confused. Confused because I don’t feel expertly qualified or particularly knowledgeable to mentor anyone else in this hard vocation. I am always seeking mentors for … Continue reading Fall 2018: General
Fall 2018: Planner
A planner is a tool - not a tyrant. It won’t do the work for you, but it may make it easier for you to do the things you must and the things you want to do. There is no one perfect planner, but there may be a perfect planner for you. In my experience, … Continue reading Fall 2018: Planner
Life on the Mississippi
This part of Diane's American Literature Course Series I didn’t get time to read Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi before I had to decide on my American Literature syllabus this past school year. I did get through the first couple of chapters, which are full of the geography and history of the Mississippi River. I hoped … Continue reading Life on the Mississippi
I’d Know You Anywhere
I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love by Nancy Tillman There are things about you quite unlike any other . . . Things always known by your father or mother. So if you decide to be different one day, No worries . . . I’d know you anyway. The things people throw away! I picked up … Continue reading I’d Know You Anywhere
Having Our Senses Trained
“About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives … Continue reading Having Our Senses Trained
Amos and Boris
I enjoyed William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble years ago, but not so much that I set out to find everything Steig had written. More recently, I read Dr. De Soto and didn’t love it. I also remember feeling that the cover of The Amazing Bone is a bit creepy; flashbacks to childhood nightmares … Continue reading Amos and Boris