Lessons All Around

We had a soft start to our school year two weeks back.  We read the religion for Catholic Coffee Club and the kids were required to do just 15 minutes of math each day.  We did spend several nights outside looking up at the stars.  It is so thrilling to see a shooting star.  One night we saw about 20, 3 were huge.  It was enough to hook us for the next several nights even though the local temps were hot and humid even at 11 pm.

Being that we were from St. Louis and they were in the path of totality for the eclipse this Monday.  We heard about it from all of our friends and families.  They had huge eclipse parties.

We tried to make the most of it and see what we could.  It was a very hot and steaming day that made it a quick lesson outside and more pictures and videos later.

by Goobers

We were planning a full start next week but now I am not sure that will be possible.  You see a hurricane is headed toward Houston.

I must say that this is the kind of learning that I find most exciting.  Please parents don't fret when life gets crazy and makes schooling difficult, just turn it into a lesson.

The kids continue with small faith lessons.  We are still doing the 15 minutes of Math (as long as we have internet).  We have all been causally reading or working with reading games online for at least 15 minutes.  Now mother nature has sent us another fun lesson to mess up our full on start.  We can and will postpone most other subject to make use of the natural learning that will take place.  The science of weather, the social aspect of a crisis, the humanity of helping those in need, the faith that God is powerful and bigger than a hurricane.

I love homeschooling.  I love these kind of annoying distractions.  They are were the real learning is. So if you get off track or are hit with a hurricane.  Just make it a life lesson and keep on learning.

Year Later I get Confirmation on Homeschooling

 I am always so thankful when Pooker points out that benefits of her childhood and her style of education.  I remember giving her the lesson she describes.  I loved how inquisitive she was ( and still is.)  She was only 5 years old and asked me a question about why it gets dark at night if the sun isn't moving.  It was such an awesome question that it merited a real example.  As we used the flashlight (sun) and basketball (earth) and tennis ball (moon) I could see on her face that she was understanding what I was trying to teach.  She was "getting it" and was very thoughtful in her questions.  I had questions myself about homeschool a lot that first year, her kindergarten year.  This lesson happened and I realized that I wanted those moments with my daughter.  I LOVED seeing that "A-HA" moment when she understood the answer to her question.  I loved that she was more interested not less interested as we studied to find her answer.  I never knew it meant anything to her, but that lesson changed my resolve to be her teacher.  I find it very cool that 21 years later she still remembers it.

Pooker posted this on Facebook.  

"You can laugh at my picture. I am. This one is for mom though. 
I'm in the middle of my "professional leadership and development" class. Part of which requires a ton of reflection. We were asked to express in the "artistic drawing form" a memory from school after listening to a guided lecture. My first memory of official school was my solar system lecture. I remember going to the basement so we could use a flash light (because space is dark!) and mom using different size balls to represent planets and such. It was so cool to have that time with mom and you know what, I've loved the solar system my whole life probably because of that lesson.

Thank you mom  for homeschooling me. And thanks dad for working so hard so she can be at home.

Maybe we should have spent more time with art though?"
Thank you mom  for homeschooling me. And thanks dad for working so hard so she can be at home. 
Maybe we should have spent more time with art though?"

Ok so now I am off to work more art classes for the younger kids.  I love homeschooling as much today as I did that day.  Thank you, Pooker,  for the tears of joy!

I Hate Co-Ops but I joined one

First I copied this from my family blog because I wanted to share with my homeschool friends.  I will continue to update on how this is working for us.  We are still using the Kindles for reading, audio and math.  I will continue to update kid blogs and share those eventually. 

I hate the idea of sending kids to a school setting in anyway.  I am a homeschooling purist.  I guess after 19 years of homeschooling I wanted to try something different.  I found a co-op option that can only do minimal damage as the kids are in school for only 2 hours every 2 weeks (and I am teaching them 30 minutes of that time.)  A few years ago we tried a program called Classically Catholic Memory in which different material is presented to be memorized over a 2 week period for the school year.  This is from the website for the program.

What is Classically Catholic Memory?
Classically Catholic Memory is a memory work program that is both Catholic and classical in nature.

What is memory work?
Memory work is simply the mastery of core facts in a given subject, or the mastery of a certain body of work (poetry or Scripture, for example) using the tool of one’s memory.

We didn't stay on track that year because I got pregnant, then sick, then had twins.  We did a little of the work but got distracted by the history topics and couldn't stay on track.  I loved the program but forgot about it with the twins and the chaos that followed.  This year I was asked to join a new/old group that were using this program and meeting every other week in a co-op format for one morning to keep each other on track.  I had not joined the group before because it was kind of far away and I didn't think my kids could handle the set up at the time.  That group fell apart and new one immerged starting with year 4 of the program.  This group was meeting at my parish - so very close- and was less structured and demanding that any I had ever scene.  On a whim I asked the kiddos if they wanted to try.  I like the program already but had not decided to use it.  After a summer of mom working them hard on reading, writing and math they wanted to give this a go.

 So we planned to go to the welcome meeting for the Divine Mercy Co-op using the CCM delta year. 

 Pickle loved being able to serve for the morning Mass for the homeshoolers and loved that if we signed up he would be able to serve on Wednesdays.

 I wasn't too sure about the co-op but I liked the other families involved and if the kids were in I agreed to give it a try. 

 No matter what happens, one thing I know for sure!  The Texas T kids will make the most of it, they will honor God while doing it, and enjoy their time together.

 Their older sibling are a little worried, they feel that we have done a great job with them and we should not try to find an easier approach now.  I have assured them that I am just using a program I enjoy whie keeping my self on track with the co-op. 

 I hate uniforms as well.  I am not sure we will continue based on uniforms alone!

Still Homeschooling

I am still at this crazy game and the more time I have spent doing it the more I feel I need to learn.  We have three graduated from our T Homeschool Academy with one more graduating this January.  All of those three are in college and doing well in classes in spite of the various learning issues each on has had.  Don't give up, not matter what.  Don't let what others say about you change what you in your heart know to be true.  Don't give up. I have watched too many people back track later and then ask what they did wrong.  I could see all along that they did not stay the course.  Hey it isn't easy out there.  It can get messy.  Laws of the legal system and in-laws of the family system can try to force you to change.  Stay the course, you won't regret it.

Geography Program that I LOVE!!

This falls into my best buy ever category.

Visualize World Geography

The Mental Mapping Curriculum   "Each continent is covered by the unique Visualize World Geography pictography. Disclaimer: Not only does the VWG method forever change the way you see a world map, but it definitely works only for people who do not take themselves too seriously! If you can appreciate the use of humorous puns and/or storylines as a way of associating the shape of a country with its name, then you can allow the VWG method to equip you with a mental map of the world to recall at will and draw from memory while giving you reason to smile! "  as worded by the VWG people.

This was sold to me at the homeschool conference.  I walked pass a huge banner that read something like, "Can you pick Italy out on the map? Learn how to spot all countries the same way."  Two ladies were standing there watching me read the sign.  They then challenged me.  I walked over and they told me about a duck named Stan.  I could then spot Afghanistan and Pakistan on any map.  That was cool.  I went home and told J about it.  Geography is something that we always touch on but I never felt that I taught it very well.  J said go ahead and I made a huge purchase.  I got the full package.  Kind of expensive but for me it was worth it.  A program that I can use for 8 children means the cost per child isn't too bad.

My only issue with the program is that it isn't really written as a class but as a tool. That means you have to take the tool and figure out how to use it to teach. I would purchase the entire program again, I love it. I have learned so much. I have always thought it was cool when someone could spot any country out on the map without having to look for the labels. It just helps to have a general knowledge of where things are in the world.

We watch the videos together.  We do just the mapping pictographies first and then later go back to the social studies part of the DVDs after we know most of the countries in the region.  Those days we spend a few hours on it.  On our days of just learning the pictographies we will watch the videos a few times and then drill each other.

I test ever so often with blank counties and colored pencils.  I would give the instruction to color a certain country tropical blue and then wait and watch as everyone found that country.  I must say that the pace I am going is too slow for the older kiddos but just right for the younger ones.  Even Jumba knows his stuff.  On the news the other day he heard the name of Chili mentioned.  He got really excited and said, "Chili is part of the pepper!"  I love it!

I included the pictures of the kiddos to show another trick for reinforcing the information.  Notice that in both the dinning room and the breakfast room I have maps on the tables.  They remain there all the time.  The USA map is in the breakfast room and various world maps are in the dinning room, where we gather for our morning studies.  I show the DVDs on my laptop. 

Bundle-VWG Curriculum DVD's, Textbook, Posters, Workbooks on CD-ROM, Flagbook

Can you find Italy on a world map... because it looks like a boot? Be able to find all countries as easily with the VWG method. This method replaces randomness (info your brain is not designed to process) and replaces it with meaningfulness which is easily processed by design! Once your brain is given a meaningful object in place of otherwise squiggly lines which define a country's borders, within nanoseconds, it automatically rewires itself so that now your visual system can ONLY process it as meaningful. Consequently, what your brain was unable to recognize before as being a specific country, it now can easily see, mentally manipulate, and automatically store within long-term memory. In fact, you will forever see it as that object. Try looking at Italy and NOT see it as a boot! VWG Curriculum Bundle contains entire product line in one package. Price: $215.00

This is direct from their website.  Please make sure to get the one from Tender Heart Press and not what Amazon is selling,  they are not the same thing.  This is really that wonderful.  I wish everything I taught could be learned this easy and with this much fun!

Have you thought of taking a school trip into Narnia?

I hope that you will consider a family trip to Narnia. It is so worth the investment. The power that you leave with knowing that once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen in Narnia. (That picture is taken from a great website with all kids of interesting ideas. Visit them at The LionsCall.com)

I want to share with you how wonderful a family read aloud can be and how we have turned some simple books into a rich experience for all members of the family. Some books are just too great to hand to your child and say read this we will talk about it later. Unfortunately that is how I handled most of the great works of literature that I required our oldest child to read. Looking back I am sad that I let those moments that we could have shared slip away. Pooker now sees how excited we are getting into our daily adventures in the Chronicles of Narnia and feels a little left out. Sorry Pooker.

Our adventures in these books started with our last minute choice for a New Years Eve movie. As a family we always watch a series of movies together. This year it happened to be The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe with Prince Caspian to follow. I refer to how great that has been for the family here in a post from our family blog. That all being said we dove into this series and have loved every day. On the weekend the little ones ask why I am not reading. That is a true sign that they are enjoying the books. Not many of us want to do school work on the weekends.


A few ideas on how we have added to our read alouds. It is hard to entertain the mind of the older children and those of the younger children at the same time. I decided to notebook our adventures, having each child create a "notebook" about this time we are spending on this book. We are including all kinds of wonderful tidbits. Copy work, coloring pages, word games, narrations in pictures or words depending on age, and then a completed book report at the end.







Each book of the Narnia series is separated by a page that we create. After a Google search of the book title I then save the pictures of the various covers that have been used over the years in the different publications of the books. You might be surprised how many different cover pages will apply to just one book. After printing several small copies of each cover and cutting them out evenly I pass them out. I give each child their choice of the cover copies and a piece of card stock paper. They create a college of the various covers. That is placed in a protective sheet. This makes a perfect divider in the notebooks. We have been using the cheap paper 3 ring folders for now but will move those into a more permanent plastic folder as soon as we are finished. We plan to make elaborate covers for our notebooks soon as well.

Coloring Sheet links:
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (there are more sites but they all seam to offer the same pictures.)

Prince Caspian (This is a french site, the pictures are great. Click on "fermer" to close.)

Unfortunately these are not easy always to find. For the other books I google anything that I have taken from the books to create coloring sheets. The mythical character of a faun will produce many possible coloring sheets. Often this means that I need to do some reading ahead to find something for them to work on. When nothing is found a blank piece of paper with a handful of coloring pencils give an opportunity for a simple narration of what is being read.

Word searches for each book.

Activities for all the books are linked here.



This is such a wonderful set of books in so many ways. The literature is so good. I love to hear the children quoting the books. I have found inspiration and growth in our faith in these delightful tails. I did break down and purchase a book to help with all those connections. This was a book that I stumbled upon but often the references are easily found in general searches of the title on the Internet. We are using the book "Believing in Narnia, A kid's guide to Unlocking Secret Symbols of Faith in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia" by Natalie Gillespie. This is a simple little book that lays out the symbolism. It is a reference to me and to the children guiding some of our discussions. I have found that once one child makes one little connection on their own it takes off from there. We don't really need this book but I like referring to it when the conversation is dying.



I am not a good cook so this did not appeal to us, but if you like to dive into a book through cooking you will enjoy this link. We don't try to cook we shop instead. I did buy some Turkish Delight Candy while reading the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. It was OK.



Another thing to remember is that these books bring alive the imagination. They are great books for boys and for girls. Everyone has a beautiful place in Narnia. Each child will pick out their own favorite character. They will all want to dress in nice flowing clothes, borrow a sword and defend their great kingdom. They will love Aslan, and hopefully make the connection to Christ, so much that they will do their other homeschool work "For Aslan". If you let yourself go along for the ride you will begin to see some wonderful things as well. Another family post describing just that.


So if you are looking at March, April and May at the end of your school year and wanting something different, something fun , something that might just reunite and excite the mind; then allow me to suggest planning a family trip to Narnia. For your family it might be a second or third visit but it doesn't matter. Let the imagination run with this. Let your children enjoy this read aloud. Let yourself cry every time to meet Aslan in the book. Let the family laugh together when Edmund leaves his new torch in Narnia. Let your children believe that they themselves are called to greatness. Let your children remember that they are to someday share in His Kingdom, making them true Kings and Queens in the eyes of their creator.