Day in the Life (Part III)

So . . . where was I?  Telling you about a "normal" day in these parts. . .

After Morning Time we usually have two chunks of time before lunch. We would normally have the first chunk of time during the ten o' clock hour and the second during the eleven o' clock hour. These chunks are interchangeable. If I am ready to give the boys my full, undivided attention (breakfast is mostly cleaned up and Mace is down for nap), then we dig into either math or writing. If I am not quite ready, then they do "table work." They have become mostly independent when it comes to this table work time.

We are doing Singapore Math for our fourth year in a row. It's been a successful program for our family. 

Table work for us consists of grammar, a handwriting/spelling passage for the week, a Latin workbook, and journaling. Usually I will check over their grammar page and talk through any mistakes with them. I will also glance at their handwriting and talk with them about what might need work. 

We have used Easy Grammar for the past two years and have been sufficiently satisfied. It does the job. It's short and sweet. For my boys and perhaps many boys, concise is key. They don't often need fancy, multi-colored program with bells and whistles. "Show me how its done, so I can get on with life."  

Instead of using a regular curriculum for spelling and handwriting, this year I have opted to follow the Charlotte Mason method. I wasn't excited about including more workbooks. I am okay with of bit of that but education shouldn't be all about the workbooks. It should be more integrated. I am so glad I went with my gut on this one. It has been splendid! We haven't been busy with spelling rules (they do get some of that with the reading program though) and non-integrated spelling lists. Each week I pick a text from something we have been reading or studying: our read aloud, the Bible verse of the week, a memory passage (poetry or Shakespeare), a recent passage from our history book or science book, etc. They spend the week neatly copying the passage and studying the words all the while. On Friday I will dictate the passage to them. They listen to the passage and write it down. If they spell any words incorrectly, they copy the words several times. 

This is our first year studying Latin. I was frightened to even begin but here we are, eight lessons in and doing just fine. We are beginning with Prima Latina through Memoria Press. I looked at both Classical Academic Press and Memoria Press for our Latin studies. Memoria Press has been around longer and is a straight-forward program. The reviewers for Classical Academic Press say that their children love their programs! Students seem to find it enjoyable. In the end, I chose Memoria Press because it teaches ecclesiastical Latin. What could be a better way to integrate Latin into our lives than learning the old prayers in Latin! 

morning break!

We watch our Latin lesson on DVD in the beginning of the week as a family. Either Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday night. The boys complete their workbooks during the week and I quiz them on vocabulary randomly. We write the prayers on the chalkboard in the kitchen and often say them before meals a prayer. Our family often enjoys playing charades in the evening. A while back Doug had the idea to play Latin charades. It's been quite fun! Even Nutmeg can join in! Here's a little article on the benefits of Latin. 

http://classicalsubjects.com/resources/why_latin.pdf

Speaking of Nutmeg. . . What does she do during this time? This is the challenge, I suppose, for many of us. The younger ones. Before the year started, I prepared for this as much as I was able to at the time. I could definitely improve in this area: how to balance my time between the children and how to keep Nutmeg engaged in nourishing activities. 

Nutmeg is often content with drawing, coloring, writing at the counter on her own. I think she likes to listen in on what is going on at the table beside her. We also have a cabinet set up with activities to work on during "school" time and I have a list of ideas specifically for her on my iPad. Nutmeg is working through the alphabet, so I often have a little project for her to work that is related to her letter of the week. 

After these two blocks of time in the morning we are off to lunch . . . .

Some things Nutmeg does to keep busy . . .

our own set modeled after some "Handwriting Without Tears" materials