~~~
While we were away on vacation, Andrew had his first birthday! We enjoyed a little donut picnic, and of course, he spent the whole week having a blast at the shore...
There are worse ways to celebrate your first birthday, no?
~~~
Lots of good reading over the last couple weeks...
Apropos to the Keeping we do as Charlotte Mason-style educators: In a Digital Chapter, Paper Notebooks are as Relevant as Ever.
And I posted this one over on Facebook already, but I thought I'd mention it here too: A Top Medical School Revamps Requirements to Lure English Majors.
Earlier this month, I shared Our Bleak Exile of Nature. I saw it pop up again last week on a friend's page, and it reminded me of an interesting article from last year: Let Kids Run Wild in the Woods.
I'm also spending some time reflecting on my relationships with my children and the atmosphere of our home during this school planning time, like an extended tune-up and troubleshooting session. I have been reading through the beginning of Volume 6 again, and Charlotte Mason's wise words on authority, docility, initiative, habits, and personhood have me motivated to revisit how closely our practices are reflecting our principles.
And in the same vein, I've got Nurture by Nature and Gifts Differing out from the library right now. Misty and Brandy were chatting about these books a few months ago, and I put them on my summer to-do list. I've been considering my kids' individuality (including their distinct personality quirks as well as their strengths and weaknesses), and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works together as I plan out our coming school year.
~~~
And at the same time, we're doing a little switcheroo of bedrooms to free up some of our office space for schoolish use. A trip to Ikea and a couple Amazon orders later, and I'm just waiting on someone to do the heavy lifting! I just love a fresh space.
(Oh, and bookshelves. I'm still in need of more bookshelves! But I'm trying to find some that will fit in the tricky spot I have carved out for them, so that may have to wait.)
And that reminds me: I don't think I have ever shared how I organize our school spaces here on the blog! Maybe when our little reorganization is finished, I'll give a quick e-tour.
~~~
I'll be back tomorrow with the invitation for June's Keeping Company. See you then!
So sorry about your sickies. Boo. I hope it is not long lived.
ReplyDeleteAs for sharing about your organized school spaces, that would be fun! The ones we have have worked for us for the past few years, but since I will have three kids schooling this next year I've been pondering what might need to change. A peek at your spaces might get the juices flowing.
I see that you have a Child's Geography of the World. What do you think of it? I've been trying to decide on geography for years 4, 5 and 6. Brandy recommends Halliburton's Book of Marvels the Orient so highly I was thinking of using it one of those years. But finding one at a reasonable price is hard. I will shell out if I have to, but would love to have your opinion on CGW. We've read all of CC Long's already and really enjoyed it during years 1 and 2. I'd like to have something a bit different at a bit of a higher level. We will do Minn, but since we've done Long's book and that's normally in Y4 too I was trying to decide if I should put in another geography read w Minn. I do not really want to do Voskamp's, her style is a bit touchy feely for me. I know others love it, I guess I'm just weird. Ha!
Yes, our current spaces have worked well for us too, and I really like doing most of our work on the dining and kitchen tables, which is where we will continue to spend our school day. But as the big kids get a little older, they could use a place to get some quiet desk-time in and to set up an ongoing project. I'm thinking a little space in the office will suit that purpose while still keeping our homeschool base in the main living areas. But we'll see once we get a chance to put it to use!
DeleteWe have not used Hillyer's geography yet but we really enjoy Hillyer's tone and the content looks great. I'm definitely using Halliburton as scheduled in Year 5. (I picked up a copy online a couple years ago.) Having looked at both, I think they are both definitely worth owning. Hillyer is an alternate for Year 5, so I know a lot of people move it to earlier/later so as to hit both. So that's what we're planning on doing--I will probably include it in our Y4 plans. I actually have so many geography books that I really want to schedule in (we did Long's in Y1 and the Kirbys' in Y2 and Y3, with lots more on my potential list), but I know I have to choose among them. I figure I will fold in the others with future children. :) And I agree with you about Voskamp. ;)
Halliburton is wonderful!! So worth owning. I wish someone would pick it up and reprint it or something (with color pictures too, but perhaps that's asking too much!), because it deserves a wider audience. My Y7 daughter just about finished with it - we started it later than AO schedules it - and I'm looking forward to diving into it again with my son in another year.
DeleteAnd I agree with both of you about Voskamp too. :-)
Well, your Y4 bookshelf section looks exciting! Where do you usually find your hardcovers? I noticed you have a thick Storybook of Science there along with the Hillyer geography & TCOO. We'll start in August, with two more major used-book sales here in July to visit, but I'm not sure the rarest books are likely to appear without significant online hunting. Do you have favorite sites?
ReplyDeleteHi Hillary! My favorite place to do used book shopping online is on Instagram - @dibbleanddash and @lamplighterlanebooks are my two favorite booksellers. You do have to wait out their sales, though, which means hunting for a while, and it can be competitive too! :) I usually buy several years in advance, so I'm not doing a lot of last-minute purchases. If I'm looking for something more immediate, I often just shop through the used booksellers on Amazon specifically for hardcovers. Hope that helps!
Delete