Joyfully Weary

Books have always filled up our mornings, but this school year I wanted to add a bit more structure. So I created a reading morning basket. In the past we would usually read chapter books or whatever picture book caught our fancy.  It was great but we weren't learning as much about composers, artists, poets, nature, etc as I would of liked. We would randomly study them once in awhile but I wanted a dedicate time to exploring these "non-core' subjects. As I've learned more about education; I've discovered that these "non-essentials" actually lay a great foundation for learning to be built upon. They give children a taste for the exceptional - thus, they are essential! While I am very thankful for the public education I received; (I think Iowa has some of the best public schools in the country!) my knowledge in these areas is lacking. Honestly, I'm really learning right along with my kiddos so finding quality books/materials has been a huge blessin...

I've mentioned before that we don't strictly adhere to any one homeschooling method. However, as I was planning out Big Buddy's first grade year I noticed that I'm very drawn to the classical approach. I believe that a good education requires a strong foundation. I also like that the classical approach emphases language and that the subjects are interrelated. The Well Trained Mind by Susan Bauer and Jessie Wise provides a very comprehensive look at homeschool classical education and has become one of my go to resources. Below is our curriculum for this year. Many of the resources are suggestions from the The Well Trained Mind . The others are ones I either stumbled upon on my own or learned about from friends. Language Arts Phonics/Reading (5x a week) - This is the subject Big  Buddy and I struggle with the most. He loves to be read to and has strong understanding of basic phonics but has still yet to develop a steady reading pace. We started The Ordinary ...