This week, we’re going to learn about Thomas Jefferson Education from Carey Jane Clark, of Life Words…writing hope.  Thank you so much, Carey, for sharing with us!

As homeschooling approaches go, Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) is fairly new on the scene, first emerging in about 1995. The notion of a Thomas Jefferson Education was set out first in A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century, published in 2000. But TJEd proponents talk less about their ideas being a philosophy or an approach than it being a lifestyle.

The ideas behind Thomas Jefferson Education were derived from the way in which Thomas Jefferson was educated by George Wythe. So in reality, it is the method by which whole generations of leaders were educated prior to the introduction of wholesale public education.

I first learned about TJEd at a homeschool convention where Andrew Pudewa was speaking. Much of what he shared about how children should be educated resonated with me. After that convention, I purchased some TJEd materials, and investigated Pudewa’s methods. In many ways, we were already teaching in a TJEd way, but at that point, I incorporated one new habit into our daily schedule: I established a nightly reading routine in addition to our regular homeschool activities, and began introducing age-accessible classic literature (fairy tales) to our children.

But aside from thinking about these ideas from time to time, I didn’t do much to change our overall approach to homeschooling.

At the beginning of this academic year, I began to make more intentional changes to our homeschool to bring it more in line with a TJEd. We began reading and studying more classic literature, and more living books in all areas of our curriculum.

Since a TJ Education is more about its guiding principles, any number of different curricula may fill the need, provided they are not simply “school at home.” Schooling is seen as distinct from education–while schooling teaches the student how to act his part as part of the school group, education takes a more individual approach, and seeks to nurture a child with the goal of informing his/her habits, manners, intellectual and physical aptitudes, and develop his/her intellectual and moral powers.

TJEd espouses certain core beliefs:

• the purpose of learning is to discover one’s vocation or calling
• virtues are more important than skills
• character is more important than tools
• quality of life should take priority over standard of living
• education (or training or discipleship) is preferred over schooling

Thomas Jefferson educators believe that education is best accomplished in the home under the tutelage of the parent, and that children are hard-wired to learn. The parent’s role, then, is to support the child’s natural love of learning through distinct stages of learning as s/he grows, making education fun so that this natural love of learning is never dampened:

1. During the early, or core stage, of a child’s education, one is primarily concerned with teaching foundational virtues.
2. As a child matures, the parent should be looking for the child’s passion. Education places an emphasis on love of learning.
3. Once the child’s passion has been discovered, the child enters a scholarly phase of his/her education, and should accomplish 5,000 hours of intense liberal arts study, the chief goal of which is to prepare him/her to follow the God-given vocation or calling. During the student’s scholar phase, he or she is encouraged to select a mentor who can help guide study.

There are actually four phases to a true Thomas Jefferson education, the final stage being the “Depth Phase,” where the scholar phase moves even deeper into subject matter.

A Thomas Jefferson Education emphasizes Seven Keys of great teaching:

1. Classics, not Textbooks
2. Mentors, not Professors
3. Inspire, not Require
4. Structure Time, not Content
5. Quality, not Conformity
6. Simplicity, not Complexity
7. You, not Them

Some of these principles may be more obvious than others. The final key describes the idea of education as a lifestyle, with the parent modeling the kind of learner he/she wishes the child to be. Parents inspire their children to learn by being learners themselves and then “inviting them along for the ride.” So the parent’s chief challenge–my chief challenge–is to be a lifelong learner.

Bio: Carey Jane Clark home educates her three children in China, where her husband roasts and sells the country’s best coffee. She and her husband demonstrate lifelong learning to their children by reading to them often, learning beside them and studying Mandarin Chinese with them. Carey is working on her second novel. Her first novel, After the Snow Falls, was published in 2011.  You can find Carey at Life Words… writing hope.

Copywork isn’t easy for me.  I can’t just pull something out of the Scripture or of good literature without wondering is it too much for this child?  Not enough?  Is it a good piece to use?  Too easy?  Too hard?  So I really appreciate that Joyce Herzog, with her Bible Quotes copywork pack, has done that work for me!  And I was blessed to be able to review her Bible Quotes set.  This easy to use system is just right for Sean (6) to start his own copywork with.

Bible Quotes is designed to go with Ms. Herzog‘s Scaredy Cat Reading System, but can very easy be used with any beginning reading program.  I really like it, because it is organized by rules, not just a bunch of easy quotes put together into a PDF file.   The rules are common to all reading, such as short vowel sounds, long vowel sounds, vowel blends, consentant blends, ect.

The Bible Quotes listed in this pack are all in the King James’ Version, and unchanged.  They are shortened, however, to be age appropriate to a beginning writer.  If there is a word in the verse that the student wouldn’t have learned with the Scaredy Cat Reading System, it’s italicized, so you know.  Even though it’s short (only 26 pages), I appreciated that, and that it was in black and white.  It makes printing very easy if you want to.  Because it’s so small, and so straightforward, it’s also well priced, at only $12 for a digitally downloaded PDF file.

We used this copywork with Sean.  I’ve not done his phonics workbook with him in a very long time, choosing instead to focus on just the reading practice, but it’s time to begin with him, I think, so I was happy to review this.  We did a verse a day, and Sean enjoyed the fact that they were REAL Bible verses, not children’s versions.  I like that he’s learning Scripture, and that his handwriting is really coming along.  The verses are also short enough that if you want to use them as your older children learn a skill such as calligraphy, or even a more difficult cursive, they will be a great practice tool, without overwhelming them with long passages.

Bible Quotes is just one of the many products Joyce Herzog offers, including the Scaredy Cat Reading System and many other educational and homeschooling resources.  I do hope you’ll click the banner below, to see what the rest of the Crew thought of their products by Joyce Herzog!

As the 2012/13 school year comes to a close, it’s time to take a step back, see what worked, and see what didn’t.

History:  Some things worked really well for us.  Story of the World was one of them, although we’re not currently using it.  That’s a logistics issue, more than anything else though.  Story of the World is laid out so nicely, and the stories are so good, they kept all of my kids’ attention.  The worksheets are also a wonderful resources, to really drive home the concepts.

However, when we moved across country, there was VERY limited space in our van (a minivan, 6 kids (3 in carseats and one in a booster), 2 adults, and a dog), and so we only brought the most necessary of books with us, those being math and grammar.  In it’s place, we decided to go with Ambleside Online, and use the e-books we had gotten from various resources (such as Heritage History, which is having a special right now) to supplement.  We’ve found we really, REALLY like Ambleside Online, so we’ll be sticking with that for the forseeable future.

Math:  Math for Sean, we started with Funnix Beginning Math, but 45-minute lessons was just too much for a 5 year old boy.  We then went to A+ Tutor Math Software, which was VERY good, and works extremely well.  But, even then, he got tired of lessons, and I didn’t feel he was learning his math facts enough.  Now, we are doing Ray’s Arithmetic, which you can get for free on Google Books, and supplementing with math games (such as Math Rider) and the memory work from Classical Conversations.

The big kids started and are ending with Saxon 6/5, and it’s working very well for them, so I see no need to shake that up.

Reading Treasure Island on Kindle

Language Arts:  Kaitlyn has been diligently working on The Latin Road to English Grammar Volume 1.  I’m not going to lie, it’s a difficult course, and more than once, I’ve thought of dropping it and going to something easier.  But, sticking with it is proving worth it, and she’s really starting to come along.

Danny is doing The Bridge to the Latin Road, and he really enjoys it.  It’s a lot (OK, pretty much all…) diagramming, but for a visual learning such as he is, it can’t be beat, in my opinion.  He’s very much looking forward to starting The Latin Road next year.

Sean is finishing up Funnix.  It’s taken a long time (he started just before he turned 4, and turned 6 this spring), and we’ve taken it VERY slow, but I’m very happy with his progress.  He’ll start Funnix 2 over the summer, and we’ll probably transition into The Phonics Road to Reading and Spelling next year.

For writing, I’m a little heartsick on this one.  We enrolled Kaitlyn in Memoria Press’ Middle School Composition 1 course, using Classical Composition.  I love the idea of the progymnasmata. I just really, really do.  But, it wasn’t working so well for her.  And, our lifestyle saw a major cramp being tied down even one day a week to the computer.  Given that that one day was Friday, and it was for 2 hours… we decided to drop the course.  Or, rather, I just told her she didn’t have to do it anymore.  She wasn’t seeing much progress, and it seemed to be a waste of time for us.  I believe we’ll start IEW next year, instead.   I do want to make it abundantly clear that most of the kids in her “class” were doing very well, and even I, looking over her shoulder, could see a lot of progress in some of them.  It just wasn’t working for *Kaitlyn.*

Danny was also working through Classical Compositions, Fables stage.  He was doing fine with it, but I think we’ll still move him over to IEW as well, just to keep everyone together.

Science:  We started out with Apologia’s Young Explorer series in Human Anatomy.  I love love LOVE Apologia, but for this year, it was just too much for us.  Now, we’re doing delight directed nature studies, and following the Ambleside Online books for those, for the most part.  We’re having a great time.  I’m hoping to return to Apologia sometime in the future.

In addition, we were amazingly blessed to review for Supercharged Science’s e-Science course this year, and I can’t TELL you how awesome it is.  Danny, especially, is having an absolute blast with it.  That is something we’ll continue, and we’re seriously considering buying their Diamond Level Science Mastery program, as soon as we can afford it.  In the meantime, e-Science is wonderful, and we’re looking forward to their e-Camp this summer.  You can click this link to see what their e-camp is all about, and enroll.  Space is limited, so you’re going to want to do that NOW!

Spanish:  We still watch Speekee TV sometimes, but it’s a fun supplement for us now, rather than a hard-and-fast course.  We’re going to be focusing on the ancient languages, first, so I just let them watch it whenever they want.  That said, they do love it, and it is fun, so we’ll be renewing our membership with that, as well.

OK, now onto some lessons learned:

We are classical in our methods, so I have tended to shy away from other methodologies, because I just believe in classical education SO much.  But, with us using Ambleside Online at the moment, you really can’t do that without a pretty solid understanding of Charlotte Mason.  So, I got her books on Kindle, and started reading them.  And what I’ve found is amazing.

Wait for it….

Charlotte Mason at her core, was VERY classical!!

I know!!  Shocking!  Gentle she was, yes, and she doesn’t do things in the neo-classical Well-Trained Mind/Classical Conversations/latest greatest way, but she was, without a doubt, very classical.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’m going to send you to some really well written posts about this.

Susan Wise Bauer, author of The Well Trained Mind, called Charlotte Mason Education

Cindy Rollins, Towards a Defense of Charlotte Mason

There are many more out there, simply do a Google search of “Charlotte Mason and classical education,” and you’ll see what I mean.  Too many to list here, although these are a couple to get you started, the point being, Charlotte Mason and classical education are not at odds.  On the contrary, they are very complementary.  Although Ms. Mason didn’t adhere to the Trivium, still, her philosophies ring true throughout classical education.  I believe some things are just “truths,” no matter how you dress them.

So, with that in mind, we’ll be implementing more Charlotte Mason-ish methods into our school day.  There are some things we’ll still do that are very “classical,” such as memory work of facts, rather than just poetry and literature.  But, the methods mesh so well together, and both are so innately beautiful, in my eyes, at least, that I’m very much looking forward to seeing where this new road will take us.

I’ve got the summer to scheme and plan, and see what we’re going to end up with.  If you’re a regular follower, you know my mind changes a lot!  So stay tuned, and make sure you’re following me on Facebook and Twitter, to see the latest greatest of what we’re doing.  Also, did you know we’re on Instagram?  Make sure to follow us there, too, to see what we’ll be up to all summer!!

I love to hear from you!  Do you have any end of summer reflections?  Leave them (or a link to your end of year review blog post!) in the comments section below!  And make sure you check out the rest of the TOS Crew’s Year in Review in our Blog Cruise!

I’ve told y’all before what a fan I am of ebooks and the like.  And that Heritage History is one of my FAVORITES.  I love that the books are on CD, so I can save them to my computer, but still have a backup.  I love that the books are really good, honest, living books.  And I ADORE the fact that these books are classics, and you’re going to find them on pretty much any good books list you go to.  And, did I mention they’re priced well?  SO, I’m excited to let you know about this:  Heritage History is having a sale right now!!

Right now, when you purchase at least $19.99 worth of product (Libraries are $19.99, by the way, and the Curriculum CDs are $24.95), you’re going to get the Early American Library CD for FREE!!  All you have to do is enter the code spring_2013 at checkout, and it’s yours!

We use Heritage History daily.  If you are looking for a well priced, comprehensive, living books curriculum that you can take with you, you really need to look no further!   Take advantage of this special offer, and see what the buzz is all about!

Charlotte Mason education is gentle, I’ll give it that.  But I don’t think I realized how rigorous it was at the same time, until this year.  Because of our moves, and general life chaos, we decided to ditch what we were using, and move to Ambleside Online.  It’s free, most of the books are available in e-book format, for free, and it just seemed smart.  So, of course, moving to AO, I had to learn more about Charlotte Mason!  And as I’ve been reading her works, I realize that Ms. Mason was more “classical” than she is generally given credit for, and also that she expected quite a lot from her students.  Take foreign language, for example.  Ms. Mason expected her students, by the age of 12, to be speaking not one, but THREE languages.  Three!  Ms. Mason taught her students French, Latin, and German, and by the age of 12, according to Ms. Mason, a child should:

(i) Of Elementary Latin Grammar; should read fables and easy tales, and, say, one or two books of ‘Caesar.’

(j) They should have some power of understanding spoken French, and be able to speak a little; and to read an easy French book without a dictionary.

(k) In German, much the same as in French, but less progress.

~Charlotte Mason, Volume 3 School Education  Appendix III page 301

Three, count them, THREE foreign languages.  By 12.  Whew.  I’m slacking.  So, that’s where I’m starting at.  I’ve written before about my preferred method of teaching foreign language.  But, let’s be honest.  When life hits the fan, Foreign Language is the first to go.  So, I’ve not been following my own guidelines.  Love it that homeschooling is flexible like that.  But, still, I want to get back to it.  You can read all about what and why we teach ancient languages first at our post, The Language Roadmap, so I won’t rehash all of that here.

Now, we’ve decided to teach ancient languages first.  Latin, then Greek, then Hebrew.  Latin is easy to find, and we feel that we’ve hit the jackpot with a combination of Classical Academic Press and The Latin Road to English Grammar.  Greek, a bit harder to find, not as many options, but still definitely do-able.  But… Hebrew?  That’s a stumper.  There are some resources out there, but they’re hard to find, and most are geared towards adults, not children.

BLESSEDLY, I found a great resource at SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  You can read my review from last year about SchoolhouseTeachers.com here, but suffice to say, this is a resource we come back to again and again. After buying the initial membership ($3 for the first month, $12.95 every month after that), you get access to EVERYTHING.  And there is just a ridiculous amount there.  My latest Great Find was Hands On Hebrew, by Evonne Mandella of Wholesome Learning.

Biblical Hebrew alongside modern day Hebrew, taught with the Bible at its core, with fun videos, activities–seriously, this looks awesome!  Hands on Hebrew will work for everyone in the family, and what a great way to learn together!

If you are Torah observant, Evonne Mandella also has a Messianic Jewish Curriculum!  That’s really crazy cool.  I love that.

So, check out both of these resources, and let me know what you think!

I just got word from Aurora at Supercharged Science

that her online science camp (e-Camp) is now OPEN for registration.

Click the link below to get all the details before it’s too late:
–> www.sciencelearningspace.com/members/go.php?r=14216&i=l43

If you’re not familiar with e-Camp, here’s the scoop. e-Camp is an all-out totally fun AND educational online science camp.

Imagine sending your kids off to a really great hands-on summer science camp.  BUT, you get to decide what day and time they go.  This is e-camp. Plus, It’s designed so they can do it on their own – just set them up and they’ll be engaged for hours.  So it’s perfect if you don’t have time to work with your kids, or if science isn’t really your thing.

If you want to keep your kids’ learning this summer, but you also want it to be totally fun, this might just be the answer.

As a parent, you can feel good because even though
they’re having a total blast, they’re actually learning good
solid science.

The kind of learning that really relates to the world around them.

Rather than try to explain it all, I’ll leave that to Aurora herself.

I have seen her stuff, and I can tell you that she really over-delivers.
Last year over hundreds of kids enrolled in e-Camp in less than 4 days!

Registration for e-Camp 2013 is only open for 3 days, until this Thursday.

Click the link below now to learn more and to register:

–> www.sciencelearningspace.com/members/go.php?r=14216&i=l43
I know your kids will have a great summer in e-Camp!  At least, I know mine will!  Are you going to join us?  Comment below, and I’ll be watching for you!!

I want to run. No lie, I SO want to be a runner.  Prince Charming is a runner, and he loves it.  I, however, am no runner.  I’ve heard such WONDERFUL things about it, though, the workout, the zoning out, the pushing yourself right beyond your “breaking point”…  This is something we want to give our kids.  A fitness tool that they can truly love.  And runners LOVE to run.  As a general rule, they also are fitness and health nuts.  All of those things are so important to us to give our kids.  So, in that train of thought I’m SO EXCITED to show you Family Time Fitness‘ new module–Running!!  Oooohh yeah baby!

From the Family Time Fitness site:

Starting and running or jogging program is not as easy as lacing up your sneakers and starting to run. There are a number of important factors to consider before starting. It is also good to develop a plan to help reach your goals.

The Family Time Fitness Running Program is a 10 week beginner running program designed for any person who wants to start jogging for the first time or has taken time off and wants to start again. This is essentially a training program for 5k running. This is a great training program for beginning runners.

This sounds AWESOME for us!!  Designed for families, this program will take you through everything from finding the right sneakers, all the way up to a 5K!!  It explains, educates, and gets you on the road.  You can’t ask for anything better than that.

Since we’ve moved to the Pacific Northwest, we constantly see people who are fitness buffs.  Seriously, exercise is serious business up here.  I have a gym membership, but I can’t hardly use it, because it’s ALWAYS full!!  That’s honestly one of the reasons we moved from one of the most obese states in the union, here.  Our bodies are temples, and we need to treat them as such.  I’m so excited that we purchased this program, I’m so looking forward to using it, and I can’t wait to get our kids involved, too.

The Family Time Fitness Running Program is only $19.00, but here’s a wonderful bonus!!  For the month of May, when you place a $30 order with Family Time Fitness, use the code May10GiftCard , and get $10 off your purchase!  So, if you’ve been wanting that extra module, or if you’ve been debating whether Family Time Fitness is for you, head over and check it out, and get $10 off this month!

Now, it’s your turn!  Are you a runner?  Do you want to be?  Let me know by commenting below, I’d love to hear from you!

I stink at foreign languages.  I’m just really bad at them, probably because I didn’t start learning them early.  Whatever it is, it’s alway exciting for me to find a new curriculum for foreign language that my kids really love.  Our latest review is Spanish for You, written by Debbie Annett.  For this review, we were able to use the Fiesta theme unit, available for $64.95 for a complete package, grades 3-8, or broken down by levels (grades 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8) for $39.95 each.

Spanish for You is a full year curriculum, although you could take it slower and spread it out longer if you chose to.  These are theme units, so each year, you’d study within a theme.  We are using Fiestas, which teaches us about celebrations (birthdays, Carnival, Day of the Dead {not as scary as it sounds, I promise!}, Holy Week in Spain, and The April Fair).  There is also a colors and numbers mini-lesson (wonderful, especially for the little ones who want to play along!), and audios are included, which I love.  I tend to butcher words in English, adding a foreign pronunciation without help is just a bad idea for me.

The curriculum package includes a 24-30 week instructors guide (you can see a Sample of the lesson guide here), audio files of the entire book plus bonus MP3s of a native Spanish speaker reading the entire book, self checking worksheets (you can check out these Samples, as well), and pictures for creating flashcards in PDF format.  There are also a bunch of free games and activity suggestions, worksheets, and mini-lessons.  So, there’s PLENTY to try before you buy, which I love.

There are currently two themes finished for purchase by Spanish for You:  Fiestas and Estaciones (seasons).  A third, Viajes (travel) will be available next month, but you can get a sample of it for $9.99 for grades 5-8, or $12.99 for grades 3-4 now.

OK, so how we used this:  Since it is very versitle, I used it with Kaitlyn (6th grade) and Danny (4th grade).  Really, my littles learned a lot by listening to the audios, but they weren’t ready for the worksheets.  To cut down on our printing, I only printed off the worksheets, and everything else we did on the iPad.  Each Lesson Guide has the daily schedule laid out, so it would be very easy for older children to work on their own, which Kaitlyn did.  Danny needed more guidance, but in a couple of years, he’ll be able to do it on his own, as well, just showing me the final product.  We did listen to the audios together daily, to make sure that I knew where they were.  We also tried to use the vocabulary on a day to day basis, such as when Sean turned 6, and we sang Happy Birthday to him in Spanish.  :D  I wish I had thought to take a video of that, it was so sweet, and he was SO happy to have that.  It made his day really special.

This is really an immersion program into the theme, which I love.  Immersion is really the best way to learn a language and, since we can’t get to Spain or Latin America to learn Spanish, this is a really good second choice.  And, for the price, it’s really a value.  Since the worksheets are in PDF, and the audios are MP3, you can reuse them over and over for your younger children if you need to.

Overall, we’re having a really good time with Spanish for You Fiestas.  My kids are learning a lot, and are able to use what they’re learning in everyday life.  I really love the immersion/unit study approach, as well.

Want to hear what the rest of the Crew thinks about Spanish for You?  Just click the banner below to find out!

Welcome back to Methods Monday!  This week’s post is about DVD learning in your homeschool.  Very special thanks to Kemi at Homemaking Organized for writing our post this week! 

How We DVD Homeschool 

You never know when you decide to homeschool where you will land in your journey. So far I feel we have landed in a pretty good places. The past 4 years we have used the Bob Jones University Press full curriculum on DVD’s in our homeschool.

My husband and I decided pretty much before we got married that we were going to homeschool. I was pretty naive about the whole thing but as the years went on and I watched my sister homeschool I grew a bit nervous about whether I was going to be doing this right.

How would I know what to teach? Which were the best texts to use? How would I organize it all? I was overwhelmed.

Meanwhile we watched my sister’s homeschooling journey as they moved from Abeka textbook curriculum for the early years to Bob Jones DVD program for the more challenging high school years. While they loved Abeka for the early years, when it came to high school my sister seemed to be butting heads with her eldest son. She knew that they both needed a break, in a sense, from each other in these traditional roles. So doing her research she landed on the Bob Jones University homeschool curriculum on DVD. They had so much fun those last few years in high school that my husband and I figured it was worth looking into.

My sister explained to me that since Bob Jones also produces Christian films etc. their DVD classes tended to seem like full on productions not just the filming of a class in session. But could you learn? Well my nephew went through their DVD high school program, graduated and entered his chosen college with scholarship money in his pocket. He has remained on the dean’s list 2 years in a row and tutors on the side. He was testimony enough for me to want a closer look.

This also seemed like an answer to my nervousness about the whole homeschooling thing. The best of both worlds. A homeschool curriculum with seasoned educators presenting the material. But my child is at home and I can edit as I see fit. I could see how my daughter responded, how the curriculum was presented, and if this was the right fit for us.

So we ordered the sample DVD to get a looksee at what the classes were like. Back then BJU would send you a sampler with a preview of all the grades on one DVD. I think now you only get the DVD at their conferences. Our daughter couldn’t get enough. She loved the look of preschool and she was so excited to start school she started preparing all her little supplies.

We’re ended up 2nd grade now and we’ve been using this DVD program ever
since.

So this is what a homeschool day looks like for us.

The night before I watch what’s called Mom’s Minutes. These are about 2 minute prep sessions for each class. I put together any materials at this time and set up our homeschool bins for the next day .

Each class runs from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. There are various sets in
each class such as in Math we have a workshop as our mascot is a beaver
who does woodwork. In Spelling we are at the zoo with a monkey. Reading
is a train station (reading express) with a lion and so forth. Very
cute. The various teachers run the class instructing the students to
pause if needed and asking pertinent questions.

The video lessons are almost to the letter what is in the teacher’s
edition except you don’t have all the props and such. In each Mom’s
minutes your child’s teacher will explain he objectives for each day’s
lesson, how they will be taught, he worksheets needed, any extra things
you need to do before hand and maybe some other things you can do to
help your child if needed.

Here is our daily schedule

Breakfast and clean up
Prayer

Math

English

***break***

Handwriting

Heritage Studies (Science was last semester)

***break*** (long break)

Reading

Spelling

Woo hoo, done!

I sit in on the classes while doing a bit of multi-tasking but following along. I do things like fold laundry and file. Often we will pause and discuss what is being learned and the encourage this with questions you might ask your child or that they might have about certain aspect. I will admit to having learned some things even in these early years.

Handwriting and Heritage Studies are spaced out with a break or two every other week. We use the schedule from BJU which has everything spaced out to 180 days.  We take a day off every couple of weeks for things like field trips.

The teacher’s are engaging and many of them have won various awards.  They encourage the kids to write to them and answer. You see familiar faces year after year and it’s nice when they introduce you to their families and show you their home towns.

The thing I like about the classes is that they are engaging for the young child. Some days you go on a virtual field trip. We travel to the post office, dentist, doctor, vet, farm, fire department, u-pick farm, and much more with encouragement to go out and visit our own local versions of these places.

Another day we might put on a play, or watch a play being put on and learn the behind the scenes of how such a production is put on.

Presenters come on as important people in history and answer our questions of what life was like in the past.

We do experiments to learn about the world around us, not just in science, and much more. And then the are the guest speakers. Missionaries, artists, community workers, writers, scientists, professionals from various walks of life. Oh and before I forget there are the songs. Songs to help us remember things from the correct way to hold our pencils to the various parts of speech. Songs for the days of the week, months of the year and manners that we keep.Songs about Christian character. Songs for math concepts. Songs about scientific phenomenon and more. The songs are actually listed, with sheet music, in the back of the teacher’s manual.

Do I sound like an infomercial?

As fun as each class is the curriculum is excellent. I am impressed with the scope and sequence for each grade. At first I thought there was no way they could cram all that learning into one academic year and have her retain it. But I have been proven wrong year after year. I have watched our daughter learn to read, to write, to write cursive, to spell, do experiments, learn to add and subtract and now multiplication and division. Along the way they even manage to add in life lessons such as brushing teeth, manners, chores, Christian character, and I really could go on.

Bob Jones is hard work though. As is homeschooling in general. It takes perseverance and commitment. I’ve heard some say there is too much preparation but you can omit some of the extra crafts and things if it gets to be too much. As we continue on I’m learning more about what to omit and what to do. We try to do most everything but some of the food crafts we’ve stopped doing because we’re doing a cooking curriculum anyway. As fun as this all is we do take a few days each month to do school the mom to child way. Sweet Peanut enjoys it and so do I.

From Preschool through 6th grade the Bob Jones Univ. program is a complete package barring electives. Your curriculum will include Math, Phonics and Heritage Studies. Later on Phonics branches out into English, Reading, Spelling and Handwriting and Heritage Studies breaks up into Heritage Studies and Science. You also get a Bible class.

Bob Jones is not a low cost option for homeschooling but for now we’re enjoying this method.

©2012-2013 Homemaking Organized. All rights reserved. All text,
photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or
transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author.

Kemi Quinn is a Christian homeschooling wife of Mr. Q. and mom to one
former Tornado current Sweet Peanut. Having traveled the world Kemi
likes to stay put these days and writes about bits of this and that at
www.homemakingorganized.com the blog.

This time of year, people are sitting back, reflecting, and figuring out what they’re going to do with the next school year.  A lot of parents are also contemplating whether or not to homeschool, how they’re going to actually DO it, and some are just fed up with their local school system, and are pulling their kids at the summer break.  ALL of those people are looking for the absolute best way to teach their child at home.

I hope our Methods Monday series has been answering some of your questions, and here’s another great resource you can use to learn all about the Charlotte Mason method of education.  Right now, and for the next 16 weeks, Cindy West, author of the NaturExplore series by Shining Dawn Press, LLC, is giving parents an overview workshop of the Charlotte Mason Method at SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  Now, let me tell you why I {heart} this.

Charlotte Mason is often said to be the easiest, yet one of the most rigorous, methods of homeschooling.  But, when I read the books, looked at the websites, browsed the forums… I got overwelmed.  Quickly.  Having someone sit me down and explain to me simply what Charlotte Mason meant, and how to implement the Charlotte Mason Method, I could’ve saved myself a lot of frustration and tears.  Mine, not the kids, although the kids probably would’ve cried less, too.

I strongly recommend anyone who is researching the Charlotte Mason method to join SchoolhouseTeachers.com (the first month is only $3 anyway!), and take this course!  I would also recommend anyone who is interested in Classical Ed to do the same.  The further I go, the more I realize how much overlap there is between CM and Classical.  Difference, yes, to be sure, but great areas of overlap.  For us, we consider ourselves Classical, but every year, I find myself including more and more CM in our studies.

So, if you haven’t checked out SchoolhouseTeachers.com, you DEFINITELY want to do that.  There’s lots of other great resources on there that I haven’t even mentioned here.  And if you’re interested in CM or Classical Ed, you absolutely MUST check it out.  Simply click the button below, and get started!