Category: Homeschool: Planning and Preparation

Science Sorts —  Our Montessori Science Work, Fall 2011 4

Science Sorts — Our Montessori Science Work, Fall 2011

Over the past few years, we have done a lot of Montessori science work.  This year I compiled a review notebook and will let DD and LD work on this as they are interested (ED will be introduced to these for the first time this year).  Mostly I expect the older ones to cut out pictures from magazines and write on these sheets (pages 5 and beyond in the pack). ...

Montessori Philosophy and our USA unit study 6

Montessori Philosophy and our USA unit study

I’ve been doing some reading and re-reading of Montessori philosophy this summer.  I thought I’d share my thoughts about how our studies — specifically our USA unit study — fits in with my interpretations of Montessori teaching in the early elementary grades.  As I have three kids spanning the two age groupings (both 3-6 and 6-9), I use elements from both. **We will be starting the year by creating paper...

Designing Your Homeschooling Curriculum — Balancing it All 8

Designing Your Homeschooling Curriculum — Balancing it All

I’ve been having a thoughtful discussion with a blogging friend of mine. We’ve been talking about the reality of homeschooling… how it really works with a three year old in tow, what curriculum we use and things like that.  I would love, love, love to hear your comments about how your day goes — and how you arrive at your homeschool curriculum decisions!Here’s part of my email letter to my...

Plans for the Next 5-7 Weeks 3

Plans for the Next 5-7 Weeks

While on holiday it was time to think through our homeschooling plans for the next 5-7 weeks or so. I always have a running plan in my head, but sometimes it’s useful to put it down on paper, so to speak. As you will see, I am trying to include a lot more Newberry honor and medal winners now that DD is a bit older. I’ll continue to read lots...

Reorganizing The Homeschool Den’s Links 3

Reorganizing The Homeschool Den’s Links

I developed this blog in large part for me.  It helps me keep a record of what we’ve done and it also helps me stay organized and keep track of websites where I’ve gotten activity ideas and printables.  You should see my drafts!!  Whenever I’m cruising around trying to find information and activities for new units I create a “draft” and link lots of the websites I come across. I...

Planning and Preparation (and a very cute free clip art website) 4

Planning and Preparation (and a very cute free clip art website)

I usually take opportunity over our December break to begin planning for the next semester.  This last semester we learned a lot during our studies of Ancient Rome.  We enjoyed watching bits of Spartacus and Ben Hur.  LD and DD were entranced by the boat battles and amazing chariot race of Ben Hur! Now, as you obviously can tell by the clip art I’m planning for our next unit on...

Snippets of Our Week (for our 7-yr old) 10

Snippets of Our Week (for our 7-yr old)

This post is a long time in coming; it’s taken forever to get this posted! I wanted to share some of the curriculum choices that are working well for our 7 year old this semester. MATH: These past five months or so, we have been using a math workbook for much of LD’s math practice.  Only recently have started back on our beloved Right Start Math curriculum. It was written...

5

Snippets of our Week (for our 2 1/2 yr old)

I’ve had a hard time getting to the computer this week (more about that in another posting). I have about four posts I’ve been working on–Snippets of DD’s week–age 5, LD’s week – age 7 and my week, not to mention posting pictures of DD’s completed butterfly lapbook. But now these are rather looonnnggg because it’s taken so long to get these posted. So, in reality these are snippets of the...

Jumping on the bridge 12

Snippets of our Week (for our 5-yr-old)

I’ve been meaning to put up a post about what we generally work on from day to day. But, with blogger not working for a while, I have a plethora of photos to share. So, here’s a glimpse of what DD (just turned 5) has been working on these past couple of weeks.  Her “basics” include math, reading, handwriting, music/glockenspiel, arts&crafts; and another unit-study (a lapbook in this case, but...

The Prepared Environment 6

The Prepared Environment

I love visiting people’s blogs when they share a good overview of their daily activities (workboxers call it “What’s in the Box?”). It’s been in the back of my mind to share what’s in our workboxes, but haven’t gotten around to that.  Instead, I’ll share some the other aspects of our homeschool environment. Montessori talks a lot about having a prepared environment, one in which the children can choose from...

Endless Paper at the Craft Table 0

Endless Paper at the Craft Table

Today Daddy took the kids out to the playground leaving me with an hour or so to myself. I managed to clear stuff off of our craft/science table. Then as I was unpacking one of the boxes, I came across the roll of butcher paper our friends gave us. As I considered where to store it, I realized I could put it UNDER and ACROSS the craft table for an...

Planning and Preparation for the New Year 10

Planning and Preparation for the New Year

We’ve pretty much resorted to ‘natural learning’ these past two months as we travel from state to state making our way to our new home.  But in the meantime, I have been planning and preparing for the new school year to come. We use a smattering of curriculum resources which I distribute into workboxes and centers. While we do most workboxes, most days we don’t have a set orders to...