Since Ethan was about 1 ½ yr.’s old, I was overwhelmed with so many questions by an impatient toddler who needed his answer NOW! Although, I tried my best to accommodate, it was becoming difficult to focus on the road, learning new streets & ways to drive in new places we moved. We have moved 4 times in the last 3 years from FL to MI to HI.
I found temporary success with various types music in the background but still the questions came rolling along. I’m not the type of driver that can focus on two things at once since I can easily get lost driving. Up until recently I discovered books on CD and it is a life saver. Thus far we have listened to all of Dr. Suess stories, Bearstien Bears, Curious George. He listens intently to each story and the only time you can hear him is when the CD has ended.
We discuss the stories we heard when we get to our destination and walk to and from. If you have not tried Books on Tape/CD, there are plenty to borrow from the library. We will look for other titles that include Magic Tree House, children’s classic literature, christian, history, etc. Try it and maybe you both can find peace in the car!
This wonderful e-mail was sent to me by Sarita Holzmann and wanted to share it here. It is also a great way for me to save this here and refer back to it later 
I think this note explains the “Natural Method” of language learning Dr. Beechick urges and that Sonlight follows. Just a few days ago I wrote,
Dr. Beechick encourages parents to avoid workbooks if at all possible. She believes workbooks don’t really teach children how to write effectively. Instead, she says, you learn how to write well by:
- listening to good writing
- looking at good writing
- copying good writing (what Dr. Beechick calls “Dictation”)
- and, eventually, by seeking to produce writing that first emulates and then surpasses what you have already heard, viewed, and copied.
“Benjamin Franklin tells in his autobiography how he taught himself to write,” says Dr. Beechick.
It began when he admired some writing in a British periodical, The Spectator. The essays…caught his fancy, and he wanted to write like that. So he outlined essays, put his outlines aside for a few days, and later tried to rewrite an original article by following his outline. He compared his writing with the model to see where he fell short. Then he repeated with the same essay again or tried another essay, improving his writing all the while….
And of Jack London (author of White Fang, The Call of the Wild and dozens of other works):
London spent days upon days in the San Francisco Public Library hand copying good literature that the librarian recommended to him.
Children learn to speak by hearing parents speak to them and by responding. Then they learn to read by being read to and by practicing with easy, familiar books. Thus, children learn to write by observing good writing and by imitating those models.
I have been using “Peak with Books An Early Childhood Resource for Balanced Literacy” for the past couple weeks and love it. I love the layout and the literature-based approach while incorporating different subjects like Math and Science. After using this book with “Blueberries for Sal” and “Ask Mr. Bear”, we’re hooked! This is so much fun and educational at the same time. My very young son really enjoys all the enrichment activities.
I pick one story a week and really “dig” into it with “Peak Books” balanced approach. You will find everything you need for Language Arts in early ed., music, poetry, involvement, reproductions and retelling, innovations and caption books, writing process, print-rich environment, parent involvement, online resources, etc. Overall, I wish I found this resource sooner but am grateful that I have it now and not later!
Sheila at http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/blog/ blog had posted:
Okay, here’ s the challenge.
Ask yourself these two questions–what worked and what didn’t work (in your homeschool)in 2011–then figure out what you want to do different in 2012.
What worked in your homeschool 2011:
Using advance math on my 3 year old son is showing remarkable results. Who says you can’t teach a preschooler advance Math has never tried to do it in the first place. Also completing one maze a day has really formed his brain to think logically and solve 95% of mazes geared towards age range of 4-6 in less than 20 seconds.
What didn’t work in your homeschool 2011:
Finding the time to do Fleschcard Phonics, Tweedlewink and Your Child Can Read dvd’s. Ethan dreads watching any of these, so I don’t want to force either one to be viewed.
Then figure out what you want to do different in 2012:
I want to start using Soft Way to Mozart (piano software) with Ethan this year and doing more science experiments. The Teachers manual for “Peak With Books” is fantastic and look forward to incorporating Children’s classic story books into different subjects such as Math and Science.
This is a post I’ve found extremely on www.Secularhomeschool.com helpful written by Shiela that I wanted to keep on my blog as a reference.
Charlotte Mason thought that the child was in “danger of receiving much teaching with little education.” I believe this was in part why she started her school and wrote down her methods. She stresses that one should always expect excellence. Her books are on the net for FREE-vol 1 lays out the home/foundation and vol 6 goes into great detail by subject:
Narration:
Narration is “re-tells” their own words. Kids must listen carefully and pay attention to detail. For a child under ten, narration is oral. The teacher will write the narration for them or, an oral re-telling will do. After 5th year, the child should write his own. This is the cornerstone of writing. In a well-read child, who has been narrating (as instructed), the transition to writing is usually smooth.
Language Arts:
Copywork, Dictation, Spelling and Grammar. CM strongly advocates the use of copywork for all ages. Add dictation when the child is capable of greater concentration, (year5). Copy work and dictation, together teaches spelling, handwriting and grammar and writing all once. Lessons should be 5-10 minutes in length. When narrating the child gets to see and know his ideas in writing. On occasion, some children need additional spelling but it doesn’t have to be separate. That is the best part: they are taught together. Ms. Mason wrote her own Grammar book, Simply Grammar.
Literature:
CM used the term: Masterly Inactivity. Your role as a teacher is to provide good literature and get out of the way.”no twaddle” Resist the temptation to break down every part of a book. You shouldn’t discuss everything and Stella is right–don’t make connections for them. Her goal was to develop “good taste” in literature. Narration should be encouraged.
Fine Arts:
Picture study for Art. Hang a new picture every week or so. Make sure to give the children a representation of its true size. Discuss the artist throughout the week. Take them to the museums and let them see good work. Listen to the music of great musicians. Stay with the same composer for a few weeks so that you begin to develop and ear for the music. Make sure they know who they are listening to and tell as much about the composer as you can. You can get info from the net. Play music while doing chores, eating a meal, in the car. Create mini works of great artists (pointillism, water colors, etc)..coloring books by Dover can be fun for smaller kids.
Philosophy:
CM devotes many pages of her book(s) on how the mind demands method. Reaching a logical conclusion in one’s thinking is a must. CM was a proponent of “the child is a person and must think for himself.” Naturally, the teacher’s job here is to equip him to observe and be aware of his world. UNDERSTANDING is more important than knowing. “so we go about picking up a maxim here, a motto there, an idea elsewhere, and make a patchwork of the whole which we call our principles.”
History:
CM is very specific in her books–year1 (age 6-7) is when they learn British History. She advocates Marshall’s Our Island Story. Year2 students read biographies of the greats. Year3 students start a more rigorous study. She prefers France be taught 2nd to Britain. Then you move on to The Book of Centuries and add in Indian History (for pleasure). Ancient History must be approached chronologically. Specifically, she adds American and Western Europe during age 15-19. She points out that the student RARELY repeats any of this ever. She also claims that one should not start and end in their own country–”We cannot live sanely unless we know that other peoples are as we are with a difference.” Timelines are completed in 100 years cycles.
Geography:
Her thoughts on geography are precisely what we now refer to as social studies. Great attention is given to map work. A child should identify “where” on a map before they begin reading. Children should “see” and therefore sketches are recommended. A child should come across facts “as a traveler”. She describes her method as Panoramic-it unrolls the landscape of the world–region by region, it’s climate, productions, people, industries and history. Example questions would be how ___ (a natural disaster or war) affected ____ (commerce, social attitudes, wildlife). Older students are expected to keep up with the news and current events throughout the world.
Math
CM believed in teaching the child the rules (Laws, she calls them). A firm ground must be taken to reveal the beauty and truth of mathematics. It is to be studied for its own sake and not “for intelligence”; therefore, unnecessary to delve into math outside of what is necessary for ‘real life’. It is dependent upon the teacher rather than textbook. The child should read living books about the concepts, know the laws of math, and study great mathematicians–like Euclid. Economics would find it’s home here as would the stock market and banking.
Science
Nature Study. Children should spend as much time as possible outside, in all types of weather. The mother should train her children to be keen observers. Nature journals are a must. Provide field guides, binoculars, magnifying glass, cameras. Anna Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study is a good reference. Specific concepts are taught through literature. Laboratory work is necessary. Every child should have a microscope. Recognition during nature walks is the basis-A LOT of specific details are given throughout all of her books, including recommended reading by year along with specific instruction for the teacher.
Foreign Language
The language should be spoken to them and the child should narrate. Songs and Fables are encourage for Year1 & 2 students. They are asked to narrate art and books in the new language often. Eventually, lessons are taught, such as History or Literature in the new language. Grammar and vocabulary are learned the same as they are learned in English. Several languages are taught young and concurrently. A tutor would be strongly suggested. Otherwise, find a steady program that teaches the WHOLE language..not just memorizing words.
Art & Music:
Children should be taught a musical instrument. Children should have some instruction in singing. If possible let children learn from lovers of their work.
Handicrafts and Drills:
She used Swedish Drills daily in her school. However, children under age nine were given musical drills and dancing instruction since they are considered more pleasurable. In teaching handicrafts: 1) a child should not be making “crafts”. Example would be learning woodworking, needlepoint, basket weaving. 2) they should be taught slowly and carefully. 3) shoddy work should never be allowed.
Virtue:
CM stresses character develop throughout all of her works. Habit is another means of instilling virtue as the parent should provide ample illustrations. The best book I have seen on this subject is Laying Down the Rails. It takes all of CM’s words from her six volumes and translates these into a modern read. I think all parents should give it a glance at least…interesting.
Modern Times:
Many interpretations of how CM would use the internet are found during a “search”. Obviously, computer skills must be taught to some degree to all children now. One can argue that typing is more a necessity than handwriting. I would also say that “sketching” in a nature journal is not as necessary since we have pictures. Many points that were necessary ‘back then’ will find their time erased (if not already)–I consider computer programming, robotics, electronics, photography and the ilk as handicrafts for this generation.
As the New Year Approaches there are some things I’d really want to achieve in 2012.
- I’d like to be a better mom to Ethan & wife to Paul & caring friend to everyone.
- Place God first, as he is often neglected & pushed aside my busy schedule.
- I’d like to tone my body & feed it nutritious foods.
- Meditate daily.
- I’d like to seek & achieve some form of happiness/excitement in my daily life.
OK, so 2012 looks like a great year ahead! What are some goals in your 2012?
The wonderful Brillkids Co. has graciously sent me Little Reader Chinese Curriculum to review. After doing some research online of the difference between simplified and traditional Chinese, it seemed that more modern adaption is commonly used. So I chose the Simplified version. We have been using Little Reader Chinese with my three year old son Ethan who is advanced for his age and get’s bored easily. There are two semesters which can be spread out for an entire year’s lesson.
Let me say, it is quite different. My family has absolutely no exposure to Chinese in the past but I knew that the Chinese language had characters instead of letters and words like most other languages. The first few lessons, it was quite different and took a few lessons to “wrap our brains” around it. I did purchase and use the regular Little Reader Version, and use it with the same schedule. We use it every couple days and mostly skip everything and go directly for the multimedia content. The multimedia section combines flashing the word (character), while someone describes what’s happening in the photo and/or short video in the background. We chose to skip the other sections of the daily lessons because the multi-media combines all three, making it the most effective. Short bursts of knowledge, like Glenn Doman suggests, is much more effective than longer ones. But that’s just my opinion aswell, you can certainly use all three sections daily. We have not yet completed the entire first semester, but so far it is going well for my son.
If your debating whether this program is worth $119 price tag, I would say yes. Over one billion people, speak some variety of Chinese as their native language. It will benefit Ethan in the future to have this exposure to the Chinese language at his early age of three. We also enjoy looking at some free Chinese lessons on youtube. There are other products that you can supplement with like Professor Toto Chinese and Wink to Learn Chinese. For more information or to see sample videos on the Brillkids website https://user.brillkids.com/onlinestore/ls-little-reader-content-chinese.php
