Curriculum Spotlight – Old Western Culture
The more I read, the more I want to read and realize that I will never get through my list. That doesn’t stop me from reading, but sometimes I wonder if my time is spent wisely on one text versus another. This is particularly true about the literary canon where I want to read every single word. But even if I knew where to start, I would never get through it all. And I’m sure it would only make me ask more questions as I wonder about context and relationship to other texts that are not included in the literary canon. The perfect solution to this problem would be a tutor or a guide to help me navigate that great and worthy body of thought. That is why I get pretty excited about Old Western Culture and the program that they have created. They feature the esteemed Dr. Wes Callihan, an approachable, wise teacher who has extensive insights and knowledge into the Great Books. In these lectures, he comfortably approaches each topic from his leather armchair, ceding the screen for the occasional picture or piece of art that illustrates his point. He shares with us his knowledge of the text and how it integrates with the rest of the humanities, and he shows us how these works echo through history and thought turns to action. Later units include other presenters, but it’s hard to improve on Dr. Callihan’s friendly expositions. Curriculum Overview In this program, the Great Books of Western Culture are split into four different eras: The Greeks, The Romans, Christendom, and Early Moderns. Each era is divided again into four parts, each part dealing with an aspect of the era equalling a total of 12 units. The Great Books will be covered, but only excerpts will be selected as required reading. You can be sure those are the excerpts that are worth your time. DVDs The lectures, or rather, delightful monologues as I like to call them, are presented on DVDs with 12 lectures per DVD. Readers There is required reading for each lecture which is where the Readers become very handy. The Readers for each unit are the selected readings all compiled into one volume. Sure, you could buy the individual works of Augustine, Anselm, or Aquinas. But you could also buy just the one volume published as the Reader for each unit which will contain all the required reading. If you’re like me that will save time both in hunting down texts and organizing them so you can find them when you need them. Workbook Finally, if you want to engage with the content you can purchase the workbook applicable to each unit which will help you to ask questions and further digest the content. Adaptability It’s easy to look at this entire program and get overwhelmed once again. Even bite-sized lessons, when piled high can look like a mountain. Yes, it’s nicely organized and arranged, but even this is a commitment beyond our ability. It’s our dream to have each of our kids do something like this program during their high school years, but what if we are homeschooling from one year to the next? What about wanting to do this for ourselves so we can at least engage with our teenagers on these issues? I suggest that we don’t let those questions hold you back. This program is perfectly organized, as we established, so maybe you need to take it one unit at a time. Pick something you want to learn. Is it Nicene Christianity? Poetry and Politics in the Modern Era? Or the writings of the Reformation? Even one of these units would be an amazing course. Maybe you can find time for two. Three? It’s possible. We could even take this further. This doesn’t need to be about your homeschool or your own education. This could be a unit study for your youth group at Church. Or a study group with other adults. This is a fully credited high school course, but it can be anything you want it to be. Each of us wishes we could have the education that our children will have. Well, I’m suggesting that we don’t have to wish any longer. We can start right here. It’s only 12 units, and a good time with our teenagers as we learn together in community with our Church, our homeschool group, or just as a family. Quick facts: Each unit includes a DVD, Reader, and Workbook. You don’t need to do the workbook. An option is to just watch the DVD. Watch reviews on Youtube of Dr. Callihan’s teaching style here. This is not a four-year commitment. It is only a commitment to one unit (and then the next…). The Readers provide easy access to the text. The Workbook completes the program as a course for high school. Each lecture is around 30 minutes long. by Hester VanBraeden Hester is a second-generation home educating parent who is keenly aware that her own education is not complete, and comfortable that it probably never will be. She has many years of experience with children, books, and curriculum. She loves to travel to worlds and times beyond the present with her children through many books. Hester and her husband have four children and live in the lower mainland of BC.
Introducing CEB’s Book Stacks
Whether books are the foundation to your child’s learning, something you use to supplement curriculum, or you simply value what books bring into your home, CEB’s Book Stacks are something we’ll be pulling together on a regular basis to help you educate your children. Making Memories Themes are fun and a key ingredient to making memories. I use them regularly in life and book themes are no exception. I pull out all the fall-themed picture books off our bookshelves every September, we have a bin of Christmas books that gets hauled out in December, and I love finding books that coordinate with the other things we have going on. Our trip to an ocean cabin included a bin full of ocean-themed activities: picture books, puzzles, games, and coloring sheets. What stuffies do you bring on an ocean vacation? Well, the mermaid and sea star of course. During our family read-aloud time of The Green Ember, it just made sense to find picture books about Rabbits. This year my plan is to purchase books about bacteria, viruses, and pandemics. Boundaries Help Creativity Themes introduce boundaries. We don’t often think of boundaries as enhancing creativity or opening up our world, but they do. A few years ago, we had a fun and creative time planning our meals for Valentines’ Day when we decided that everything had to be red. And there was that year we had silent reading themes: Mondays were for science, Tuesdays were for history, Wednesdays were for fiction, and Thursdays were for bible stories. This was a good strategy to encourage reading outside of the “go-to” genre. Books are a Curriculum Complement Homeschool Mamas have a special relationship with books. We know that there is a heap of learning that can be pulled out of living books. I find myself leaning more and more on books particularly in the primary years. It’s such a sweet and gentle way to learn. I encourage you to weave living books into your curriculum where you can, especially when you notice a child being drawn into a particular topic. Benefits of Living Books -spark curiosity -are a delight -present facts as part of a storyline -lead to greater retention -are exciting -are whole books -draw a reader in -make the subject matter come alive Immersion Immersing a child in a topic is a great way for them to learn. This Winter Book Stack has so much to offer. Snow is Falling, Snowflake Bentley and Snowman-Cold=Puddle are all science books. Robert Frost’s Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening is a poetry book, Winter on the Farm is a social studies book, and Snow is a Language Arts book where you can introduce your children to what it means to write lyrically. I love how the pictures in Owl Moon capture the feeling of a winter’s night and White Snow Bright Snow captivates the delight children feel when it starts to snow. Katy and the Big Snow is a sweet fictional account in which your child can share in Katy’s shining moment experience, The Mitten is a traditional Ukrainian story, and in Brave Irene, you’ll be sending your child out on an adventure as the main character faces a snowstorm. How fun would it be to have these books on hand for the next snow week? Add a snowflake craft and you’ll have a week to remember. I hope you enjoy this Book Stack. We can’t always add the book suggestions that you all have. We sure love to hear about them though and add them to our Wishlist. by Adrianne Curwen Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children. She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there. Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new. She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.
Curriculum Spotlight – Writing and Rhetoric
Common Writing Challenges There is no tyranny like the blank page, or so the saying goes. If you have taught writing you know that look. The eyes glaze over, heavy sighing ensues, and the pencil drops on the page. What shall we write about? Where shall we start? It is difficult to ask a child to write about something when they don’t have much to fall back on for content. Another Approach What if we did not ask a student to “write something, anything!” Instead, spend our time with them reading good stories, fables, poems, and other works that others have written. We tell these stories back to each other, both in summary and with dramatic flair. We spend time understanding the story, and then, while the words are flowing through our minds, pull out the pencil and paper and start transferring thoughts to paper. This is the basic idea behind the program Writing and Rhetoric by Classical Academic Press. Writing and Rhetoric starts with Fables. It helps the child to collect their thoughts by narrating passages back which is the initial stage of rhetoric. By filling a child with stories, vocabulary, phrases, the child is learning not only how to write, think and speak, but they will also have a rich body of literature to draw ideas from. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Writing and Rhetoric does a fine job of flattering great literature. Quick facts: Recommended to start with Book 1 in Grades 3 or 4 You can start later. Grades 4-5 start with Book 3. If the student can already identify the “5Ws (who, what, when, where, why)” start at Book 5. Each book covers one semester, so a student is expected to complete two books per year One semester of books is simply a Student Book and a Teacher’s Edition You can purchase .mp3 files from CAP that include jingles of the memory work Teacher’s Editions are open and closed lesson plans. This program will take your student through Grades 8-9 and have them ready for Logic and Rhetoric It can be taught to one student or a class of students Includes narration and memorization Progresses from basic storytelling to writing persuasive essays to deliver eloquent speeches. If done along with Well-Ordered Language the student will learn grammar by imitation as well. by Hester VanBraeden Hester is a second-generation home educating parent who is keenly aware that her own education is not complete, and comfortable that it probably never will be. She has many years of experience with children, books, and curriculum. She loves to travel to worlds and times beyond the present with her children through many great books.
Dear Young Mama
My family has a New Year’s Eve tradition where we write a letter to our future selves. We open it a year later, on New Year’s Eve. It’s fun but sometimes discouraging. I’ve learned that writing a list of goals as a motivational tool can fall flat as you read through the list the following year, only to discover you haven’t accomplished much. Today, I’m writing a letter to my past self, a dear young mama. There is so much I’d like that young mama to know and my hope is that it can make a difference for you. Dear Young Mama, You are struggling to make a decision about whether to homeschool your children or to enroll them in public school. There are many things to consider but here is the truth. It will be easier to send your children to school if you decide that homeschooling isn’t a good fit than it will be to pull your children from school if you decide that school isn’t a good fit for you. Consider finances. I know the plan is for you to go back to work once your children are school age but the finances are going to be there as you need them. The Lord is going to provide and it’s going to be faith building to see how He does it. You are going to have to budget, there will be sacrifices, and lean times but there will also be amazing financial surprises along the way. Start today by praying for financial wisdom. Ask the Lord to reveal to you any financial beliefs, desires, and habits that are contrary to His word. Spend the needed time uprooting financial idols. Confess the worldly desires of your heart, He knows what they are anyway. You will need His grace to change, you can’t do it in your own strength. Once you have started to work on your heart, you need to implement some tools. Start by writing out a budget and then figure out a system to keep track of the spending. There is no need to buy a program for this, pen and paper will work just fine but I am a fan of YNAB (You Need A Budget). Take some time to figure out exactly what your husband makes per hour (after income tax and all the other deductions). This will help you when you are tempted to spend beyond what is needed. Ask yourself in that moment, “Is this item worth my husband having to work X amount of hours for us/me to have this?” Finally, figure out what you can do to earn some “Proverbs 31” income. The size of this endeavor will depend on the time and energy you have, the level of responsibility your husband has at his job, and the amount of home and family responsibilities that he’s able to take on. But please realize that even if you can only earn and save $100/month, it will richly bless your family 20 years from now. Consider relationships. Your friend group is going to change and not all family members are going to be supportive of homeschooling. Don’t worry, you are going to meet heaps of incredible families and you’ll meet your most treasured friend amongst those families. Try to remain quietly confident and strong-minded but tender-hearted towards the critics. The fruit grows slowly, be patient, they’ll start to see. Don’t consider whether you are smart enough. Others will question and you’ll wonder if you are smart enough to homeschool your children. Don’t waste your time pondering this question. There will be an incredible variety of curricula for you to choose from that will help you educate your children. Many people have gone before you and they will be a blessed resource. Ask lots of questions, take notes, don’t be afraid to tweak the advice to fit you and your family, and twenty years from now you’ll be writing a blog post encouraging mamas with your own thoughts. Consider your priorities. Develop a firm grasp of what your priorities are. Build a habit of being in the Word daily, become a prayer warrior, and worship, and serve on a regular basis. Make your husband your next priority. It’s a mistake to neglect this relationship and it’s so easy to do. Next in line are the children. It can get tricky here as you figure out how to serve the Lord as both a dear young mama and teacher to your children; mama should show up first. Consider how you will organize. If you have a kitchen table, then you have space to educate your children. What you will need are bookshelves. I’ve yet to go into a homeschooling home that doesn’t have walls full of books. Homeschool mamas develop a special relationship with books so get yourselves some bookshelves. Paper! There is so much paper. It enters your house in many forms: workbooks, worksheets, journals, creative writing, reports, printables, artwork, and more. Spend some time thinking about what you are going to keep and how you are going to store it. Do Not, I repeat, Do Not buy a plastic bin to store all the paper thinking that you’ll get to it another day. Consider time. Theatre Class Dance Class Creative Writing Class Art Class Self-Defence Class Martial Arts Soccer Football Baseball Basketball Hockey Gymnastics Homeschool Co-op Youth Group Swimming Lessons Skating Lessons Outdoor Club Archery Field Trips There is no shortage of good things to participate in. Take time to create a vision and some boundaries regarding how you will spend your time and then make decisions that align with your vision and boundaries. Dear young mama, don’t ever consider that homeschooling will save your children. There is no checklist or formula that ensures your children will become followers of Christ. If there were, you would be owed the glory for the salvation of your children. Homeschooling will protect your children from worldly influences for a time, but it won’t protect
Focus on Habits, Not Resolutions and Goals!
Nope, not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I do not need to set myself up to underachieve in one more area of my life. We’re already behind in our Language Arts program and the Latin Words flashcards still have the cellophane wrapping on them. But the start of a new year seems too significant to allow it to just pass by. Let’s face it, this time of year begs for reflection, hope, and planning but I’m encouraging you to ditch the resolutions and those pesky cousins…goals. Instead… Reflect Grab a pen and start writing about your year. What was fantastic and what flopped? Keep what worked and ditch what didn’t. This exercise can be done in note form. Hopes and Plans What are your hopes and plans for this year? Write them down; get them on paper. I know, these sound just like resolutions and goals, and the truth is I’ve repackaged them a bit. But keep reading. Goals do give you a direction and something to aim for but that’s about it. Too often I’ve made the mistake of thinking that goal setting will get me to where I want to be and the truth is that it doesn’t! Build a Habit As you focus on your hopes and plans, I encourage you to think in terms of habits. What habits can you change or develop that will help get you closer to your hopes and plans for the year ahead? By the way, when you are deciding on which ones to focus on, start with the one that causes you the most stress, anxiety, and worry. Y’know the one that keeps you up at night? Yeah, that one…choose that one! Once you’ve identified the biggest, most challenging goal ahead of you, it’s time to start figuring out what habits need to go, change, or be developed. Think it through, write it out, then start implementing the habits that will you help you get to your destination. Even small, seemingly insignificant habits can have a huge impact over time. A Personal Flop One of my flops in 2019 was reading novels aloud to my children. It didn’t really happen. That changed in 2020 and it was addressing habits that really made the difference. I changed the time of day and location from late afternoon on the couch to first thing in the morning, in pajamas, on my bed, under the covers with my kiddos. What a great way to start a homeschool day and the new habit changed everything. Sidenote, did you know that you can wake up, exercise, do your personal devotions, shower, and then put your pajamas back on and crawl back into bed with your kiddos? A 2021 Hope At the top of my hopes and plans list for 2021…BEDTIMES! This is going to be big for us and many habits will need to be addressed to make this plan a reality. I will need more time to sit and think through things but my guess is that it will need to start with our dinner time habits. An earlier dinner time would certainly make room for a better bedtime routine. I hope you can see that stating resolutions/goals isn’t really enough. You need to develop habits…good ones! by Adrianne Curwen Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children. She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there. Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new. She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.
Book Stack for Boys
Send the boys in your life on an adventure with these books. Visit a graveyard with Tom Sawyer, battle wolves in The Green Ember, or run away to Catskill Mountains in My Side of the Mountain. If you have a reluctant reader then head off on the adventure with him and try a read-aloud. Get caught up in the emotions of Lassie Come-Home, travel back in time to Egypt in The Cat of Bubastes, or maybe you want to spend some time in the fantasy land of Middle Earth in The Hobbit. What’s left? King Arthur, Little Britches, The Bronze Bow, Homer Price. You could order a few copies of the same book and try a book club. by Adrianne Curwen Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children. She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there. Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new. She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.
Book Stack for Girls
Books have much to offer our girls. These titles are packed with adventure, life lessons to explore, emotions to face, and new things to learn. Embark on a conversation about how we should treat others and the regret that follows when we don’t do the right thing, as you read The Hundred Dresses. Introduce your daughter to another culture in Where The Mountain Meets the Moon. And have fun with Caddie Woodlawn as you travel back to the 1860s. Is your girl all about horses? Then you need to get your hands on Misty of Chincoteague. I have a girl that was so intrigued by the fact that she kept forgetting Heather was a rabbit in The Green Ember. Meet the Melendy children in The Saturdays as they come up with a clever way of getting the most out of their Saturdays. Or how about planning a girl’s movie night? Don’t forget to read the book first. You have a few to choose from: The Secret Garden, Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, and Charlotte’s Web. by Adrianne Curwen Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children. She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there. Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new. She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.
Book Stack for Mamas
Keep-er /ˈkēpər/ 1. a book that has worn edges, dog-eared corners, and pencil markings because it has been poured over many times similar meanings: treasure trove, gold mine, cache The books listed here are all keepers. Many of them should probably just remain in your “to periodically review” pile as there really is too much to be mined during the first read-through. Mere Christianity is a Christian classic and Pride and Prejudice is a literary classic. Don’t miss out on either of these. For the Children’s Sake is an educational classic and is a title commonly seen on recommended reading lists for homeschooling mamas along with The Well-Educated Mind. Other titles that are sure to inspire you on your mothering and homeschooling journey are Mere Motherhood and The Life-Giving Home (on my personal wishlist). Pick up a copy of 30 Poems to Memorize or On Reading Well and you’ll be encouraged to fill your mind with beautiful things. In Age of Martha, you’ll be challenged to rest, allowing time for contemplation. Finally, amongst all the moving parts of a homeschooling family, you’ll never regret the time you spend reading aloud to your children. The Read-Aloud Family will help you get started or revive you whether you have toddlers or teenagers. by Adrianne Curwen Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children. She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there. Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new. She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.
Book Stack for Dads
Many fathers are out of the house, working during the day, leaving the Moms to do the lion’s share of the homeschooling. It’s a setup that often makes sense but a father’s involvement is a blessing to his wife and children so we’ve selected a stack of books to help. There is something here for all dads. A few of these books will take you back to glean the timeless wisdom from writers who lived before you. Beowulf the Warrior is the retelling, in modern language, of a fictional classic, it would be a great one to start as a read aloud. The Emperor’s Handbook is a translation of Marcus Aurelius’ meditations. Major themes include character, leadership, and duty. You could explore the meaning of life in the 17th-century classic, Paradise Lost, or sink your teeth into G.K. Chesterton’s, Orthodoxy. Are you looking for something more specific to homeschooling? Try The Liberal Arts Tradition or The Well-Educated Mind. The Name of the Rose is part historical fiction, part mystery, and part theology; a fictional piece that challenges. If you are looking for something to fulfill the pragmatic side then try State of the Arts, Total Truth, or Good Man. Undecided? The links will take you to a full description of each title. by Adrianne Curwen Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children. She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there. Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new. She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.
