Book Review ~ The Changing History Theories And How To Teach Them

 Homeschooling, Reviews  No Responses »
Mar 312009
 
I’ve recently read The Changing History Theories And How To Teach Them by Ruth Beechick.  This is one of the many wonderful books in the WeeBook series from The Old School House.
I absolutely loved this ebook!  I come from a secular family background and as a prodigy of the public school system, teaching history and science can be challenging.  I have about 19 years worth of knowledge to relearn from a Christian view.  I have always loved learning about history and I love teaching it to my children.  However the majority of books are heavy in evolution.  Not only are there endless mentions of human evolution but historical time lines that have been “tweaked” to suit their needs.
This eBook briefly discuses Evolutionary prehistory and how historians come up with there ideas of human evolution.  Then moves into history from the Bible’s stand point.
I especially liked the way Dr. Beechick explains how Bronze and Iron ages are calculated.  I had been taught specific time frames for these.  But she explains that each geographical area would have come into this period at different times.  After the flood when all civilization was destroyed, Noah’s families first priority would have been survival in the “new” world.  While they would have had all the knowledge of working with metals, they would have first worked with what was quick and easily available to them.
Dr. Beechick also suggests a different path of study then most text books.  One that flows with the Bible and focuses more on Israel and the countries influenced by it.
Emphasis is put on learning the story of history and the love of learning, over memorizing endless lists of dates.
Some of the topics discussed in this book are:
  • The meaning of changing history theories.
  • Pre and Post flood history.
  • The Difference between evolutionary history books and the Bible.
  • Worrying about gaps.
  • How to make a simple time line.
I highly recommend this ebook to anyone teaching history to their children.  It has been a great guide and starting point for me in planning our history path.

Book Review ~ A Classical Education

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Mar 312009
 
A Classical Education is a WeeBook published by the Old Schoolhouse.  This is an interesting interview with Christine Miller a homeschooling mother of 3 and author of Mystery of History.
Christine shares with us how her family began homeschooling using a “boxed” curriculum.  She noticed her children losing their natural love of learning.  On her journey to find the right fit for her family she began using a Charlotte Mason approach and then latter the classical method.
Christine shares that her changes were gradual.  This makes it more affordable to families and easier to implement.  Most families can not afford to buy a new curriculum part way through the year.  I love being able to take different types of materials and adapt them to learning styles.
I agreed full heartedly with her belief in the importance of fathers being involved with the children’s education.  Especially with family Bible study.  I have noticed myself how much more our children get out of our studies when led by their father.
I especially appreciated that she recognized a teacher can not be a specialist in every subject.  We will not harm our children by teaching a few subjects well and encouraging a true love of learning.  No our children will grow into adults that will continue their education the rest of their lives.  It is our job to give them the tools they need to accomplish this.
Some of the topics covered in this book are:
  • Charlotte Mason vs Classical.
  • Why use a classical method.
  • Homeschooling high school classically.
  • Pro’s and cons of a classical education.
  • The importance of fathers in education.

I really enjoyed reading this WeeBook and it gives a good overview for anyone thinking of homeschooling high school classically.

Book Review ~ Simplifying Classical Education

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Mar 312009
 
Simplifying Classical Education by Andrea Newitt is a gem of a book in the new WeeBook series by the Old Schoolhouse.
Any parent who is interested in the classical methods of teaching but feeling overwhelmed must read this book!
Andrea shares how she adapted classical methods to work well for her family.  And you can do it for yours to.
Many books have long subject lists that are strongly recommend for a classical education.  But what if they don’t suit your family?  What do you do if you and your children don’t enjoy many of the classical books?
Andrea has many wonderful suggestions for over coming these challenges.  She also shares what resources have worked best for her family.
Some of the topics covered in this book are:
  • The ancient paths of learning.
  • Great Books
  • Latin
  • Stages of classical education.
I personally use a mix of classical, CM and unit studies in our homeschool.  Books like this one that focus on the simplicity and quality are very inspirational to me.  A good education does not need to be complicated and cause the family burn out.

A Winter Nature Walk

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Feb 042009
 

Our weather has been bitter cold.  So when we had a day near 0C a few weeks ago, dh took the oldest two girls for a nature walk.  They went to our favorite conservation park.  The girls had a lot of fun!  They saw deer, turkeys that are kept there.  They also found wild deer tracks and droppings.  Saw the damage on the trees from porcupines.  They loved getting to see what the sulfur spring looked like in the winter to.

Winter Unit Study

 Homeschooling  1 Response »
Jan 102009
 

What better topic could a Canadian explore during January but snow!  This month we are diving into a unit study all about winter.  We will learn about snow and ice, how it’s formed and all the fun things we can do with it.  We will also be learning about winter habitats.

While searching online I have found a wealth of ideas for our fun adventure.  I want to say thank you to Candace at His Mercy is New for sharing her winter unit.  I received a lot of inspiration there!

Here are some of the things we will be using this month.

Books:

We will us parts from these lapbooks.  All except the weather lapbook area also Five in a Row units.

Crafts & Activities

Science Lessons

History/Social Studies

Emergency planning

Snowman Craft

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Jan 102009
 

One of our winter crafts this week, was making night time snow scenes.  The girls had a lot of fun doing this!  But when I tried to get pics they all were making silly or serious faces.  LOL

They used cotton balls for snow and google eyes and sequins to decorate the snow men.  Then added star or snowflake stickers.

Farm Unit

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Sep 082008
 

This week we are working at finishing up our Peter Rabbit unit and combining it with a unit on farming.   The International Plowing Match will be in our area in a few weeks and we are all looking forward to that!

I found this DVD at the library and the kids just love it!  I think I’ll have to pick up a copy for them some time. LOL  The first part of the DVD is a farm tour for kids, the second part is an ABC of horses.


We are also watching these DVD’s on Ferguson tractors.  They are set in England so tie in a little with Peter Rabbit.  Dh also has a Ferguson tractor.  I gave him this DVD set a few years ago and we all love watching them!

You can read more about video 1 here.

And video 2 here.

We are also watching this one on draft horses.

We are also reading the following books.

Vegetable Friends, Animals on the Farm, Milk, Butter and Cheese, The story of Dairy Products, Prairie Boy’s summer and Tell About The cow Barn Daddy.

We are also going to be doing some crafts and activities from these sites.

KidzClub

ABCTeach

Easy Fun School

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