We officially began school today. Neither my children or I were excited about starting again. We had done quite a bit of school throughout the summer and I was tired. But we began anyway. We're actually beginning a week later than their public school counterparts because of a family situation.
My children cruise through Math-U-See. I think I forgot to mention them in my previous blog. This is our second year of MUS and I'm grateful for Steve Demme. He has made math understandable and accessible to myself and my children. One child even enjoys fractions whereas before the fractions brought tears of frustration. www.mathusee.com
Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries began with discussing the key points and beginning to listen to Ms. Waring's insightful scholarship. My children really did discuss the questions. Even my youngest piped up with insights that brought sunshine warmth to a mother's heart. The child stated that the early Christian Church grew despite persecution because of faith. Two of my older children "debated" the merits of dividing the Roman Empire under Diocletian. We also enjoyed learning a bit about Georgia's history.
Even though grammar was buried and put in the dark closet for three weeks, we were able to pull it out and get in the swing of Shurley English again. I don't think they're fond of subject-verb agreement and I must say I don't think it was explained very well. The rules though make sense and I'm hoping that through use, it will become easier to understand. What I love most about this program are the introductory practice sentences done three times a unit.
Writing Strands 4 didn't start out well, but I think it will get better. The "flow" lesson didn't make much sense to me, but we all struggled through it and came out victorious on the other side. The next lessons make a lot more sense and hopefully we'll all be better composers by the end of this program.
We're still waiting on the art, music and Spanish. Latin was fun though at co op. We may actually figure the language out. I'm finally understanding the difference between declensions and conjugations. I can barely wait to figure out how to USE the declensions. I remember when I learn conjugations during Spanish class (many years ago), WHAT A REVELATION!!! I keep hoping for that light to go on in my children.
My children have been using Spelling Power for so long that they correct me when I mess up. It's just has to be the easiest, most delightful spelling program on the market. My favorite part are the generalizations. They reinforce phonics though none of my children are phonetic. The 10 step worksheet is a great reinforcer also.
We had a great discussion while introducing folktales. We talked about how the origin of many folktales can be found in the Bible. We'll be tackling Aesop's Fables and Canterbury Tales (various translation and editions) for this unit. One child still thinks Shakespeare is the foundation of all literature. I can't wait until the child finishes Canterbury Tales and realizes Shakespeare read Chaucer and not the other way around.
