Spell to Write and Read: "Learning Log" Notebooking Pages

We LOVE our Spell to Write and Read! We are just beginning our fourth year with it and after so much "practice", I'm finding there are a few things I like my own way.

Though we loved the primary learning logs, we do not like the black 3rd yr+ logs. Too much work for the results. So, in an effort to simplify, I've made my own necessary notebooking pages. These include "collection" pages that were not originally in the learning logs, but were suggested. Such as abbreviations, homophones, etc. Son has enjoyed "collecting" these words and categorizing them.

I'm making these pages available to anyone interested. I've also put the link in my sidebar. I hope that they will be of benefit.

We keep them in a three-ring report folder with a clear front. Son creates his own cover for each year which makes things more appealing to him. Some pages may require more than one page, and it never hurts to have a blank for some extraneous word collecting.

Please let me know if you "grab" these, and what you think!
*Link has been edited. Please re-try new link to file.

*These pages are not endorsed by SWR. Nor are they absolutely true to the program. They are my expression of how we currently use the program with our 8yo son who is very much the reluctant writer. These pages may be used for any spelling program or notebook. They are my more relaxed attempt to add back in some of the content of what was in the black learning log that we skipped last year because of writing.

Heading "Back to School"

I've been listening to Andrew Pudewa quite a bit lately, and I've particularly enjoyed all his insights into education, boys and girls.

One idea I heard today as I was listening to "What Are We Really Doing Here?" revolves around back to school time and, in particular, the thought process that some might go through in putting their children back into public school.

He suggests two things:
1. Borrow and read through the text books they will use.
2. Spend a full day in the classroom observing. That should be the least that you do to decide.

I find it interesting how many people over the years have asked if they could observe our school day to see how it works. Granted, homeschooling is not as familiar to most, but there seems to be a sense of disbelief that this "homeschooling" thing works. Our "trust" is so firmly planted in the "way" of the public school. It's familiar, therefore we "believe" in it. Interestingly, no one has ever followed through in observing our day, though being welcomed. Again. Many just don't want to believe it works.

So that is what I'm thinking about this stormy Monday morning as I come down from my treadmill listening.

The Literal Child

The literal child is upset by the idea that you should GIVE your HEART to Jesus. Wouldn't it hurt to pull out one's heart for anyone? Don't you NEED your heart?

This was the first indication that I had a literal child.

Then there was the toothpaste...

"DON'T swallow the toothpaste! It has soap in it and it's not good for you. Spit it out."

Hours later she is found washing her hands with toothpaste...because it has SOAP in it!

Oh boy!

Just Routine?

I was thinking about another chore routine the other day, when it hit me. The more diligent I become in caring for my family and our home, the less need there is for a system. Diligence, in this instance, has come to mean doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. And when there is time.

Over the years I've struggled with establishing a daily, weekly, seasonal way of "doing". I'm organized by nature, so this seemed a natural extension of that. Then I would become so frustrated with the inability to keep up. Especially in light of the many disruptions of life. I was always trying to overcome, and always falling short.

But, as I was having my moment of inspiration, I realized that everything does get done! If it's summer time and the trash cans need cleaned, it gets done. It doesn't need to be planned for the 4th Thursday of June each year! I look in the bottom of a can, say "ewww gross!" and send the boy out to the hose with that can and all the rest of them.

Whether or not my eyes are focused on keeping our home, and keeping the family well, is up to me. No plan can establish that for me. It has more to do with my desire to serve my family and be in obedience to the Lord.

At the same time, routine can be key. But habit can be better. Following a step by step procedure can be great, but I'd much rather spend my time in the kitchen in habit, rather than work. I'd rather our morning be full of the habit of "helps", rather than the drudgery of a list of chores. There is most definitely a fine line. I think I've found that line in my heart relationship to all that I do. As I've accepted and claimed my position as help meet to my husband, child of the King, and even mother to my babies, I've come to a place of peace in the doing. Where the blessings come from God rather than a completed check list. Thankfulness is key.

I was walking through Target yesterday, taking my little one to the bathroom (and we all know how fun it is to run from one side of the store to the other with a full cart, a ton more to do, and a child yelling she needs to potty!). We were moving quickly and all of the sudden I had an internal glimmer of what the look on my face must be at that moment. My heart became thankful as I realized she hadn't had an accident, she'd done what she was supposed to do--tell me. We had a cart of full of yummy fruit and things we needed (and even a fun new croquet set) that we could pay for. It was a beautiful day. We were together. No body was fighting (that came later at the grocery **grin**). Was there any reason to be glum? Just because of an interruption? Just because things didn't go MY way?

Ahhhh. Thankfulness! The habit that affects EVERYTHING! So while routine is peachy, habit is better. So here's a hardy farewell to all cleaning management "systems". May they never cause me strife again! Not to say that there is nothing good to glean from them. Not to imply that list making is bad. They, too, can be a useful habit. It's the slavery to them that changes the focus. May we learn good habits instead, and implement them. May thankfulness be the order of the day.

"O Lord, that lends me life,

Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness."

William Shakespeare

Back to School Gift Basket

Who doesn't enjoy the excitement of buying school supplies? I know I sure used to. Still do on occasion. As the years go by, however, I need a bulk of them less and less. But one thing we still treasure is the chance to gift our kids with a Back to School Gift Basket.

It's a tradition we began early on. I cleaned up in the $1 bin at Michaels yesterday and filled a couple of their neat, colorful plastic totes that are great for carrying your school work to the porch or swing-set tower. I'm sure I'll pick up a few more goodies for them, but we enjoy the tradition of surprising them on the 1st day of a new "year".

In God We Trust: 144 Years Ago Today

Do you know the story about our national motto? Some of it may surprise you! If interested, be sure to check out this article from Koinonia House.

Also in the news, the Jewish nation is preparing to rebuild. Rebuild the temple, that is. Lest you think this isn't big news, be watchful! The Abomination of Desolation that is foretold in scripture cannot take place until this temple is rebuilt.

Mat 24:14-16 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Scheduled Reading

I'm very excited about a plan I came up with to conquer our reading woes. Now, our reading woes are probably different than most. Ours are not related to whether or not we want to read, but the bloomin' fact that we want to read too much. Of course, the idea that there could ever really be TOO much to read seems ludicrous, however we love to read and have a LOT to choose from.

That said, and the very fact that most of our curriculum is literature based, we could easily drown in books. My solution involves using a blank calendar. I've chosen all the books that we will read for each subject based on availability and time. I've recorded one for read-aloud and one for son to read on his own, for each topic. I've assigned them days on the calendar based on the size of the book. Then I've split the number of pages by the number of days to read each title.

Now we know exactly what to read and when. There is no floundering in search of the perfect book. No forgetting I meant to get a certain book and having to settle for something else. And NO letting valuable reading time slip by! There are always two books being read. We've begun using this method over the last month and are very pleased. One thing I have realized though, is that I should keep Saturday and Sunday free for catch-up reading for there are days when reading doesn't happen. (I initially used those days for scheduling.) Of course, I want to bean myself in the head when that happens, but I'll try not to get to frustrated. I've been quite happy how willing he is to read on Saturday and Sunday, too. Reading is becoming more of a daily habit and less of a weekday school task/chore!

I made son his own copy of the calendar for his notebook so he knows exactly what to read and when. I did not break down the pages for every book, but will do so periodically as a gather them a month in advance. Overall, I'm hoping this will add to his ability to self-govern his time and responsibilities. We'll be doing that a lot this year as we add his sister to the fray.

I truly believe that this will keep us on track better time wise. We didn't finish our Truthquest volume last year because of not scheduling the subjects (why we are now reading history!), so I have great hopes.

A Notebook of Notebooking Pages

I love using the notebook method for our schooling, but there are side effects. One is lots of paper and copies. Another is the stacks that come with lots of paper and copies. Then there is also the lost or damaged paper and copies which leads to the replacement copies of the paper copies and that means more paper, more ink, etc. Whew! I get tired of stacks of paper. Worse than that, I get tired of constantly having to come up with notebooking pages. I would much rather plan for them and have them ready, even if it's a year in advance. This takes some organizing.

With some forethought I'm hoping to keep all those copies representing hard work on my part, organized and ready for easy access. I'm trying another notebook. This one I'm organizing by date. More specifically, by month. For some reason, organizing by subject did not work for me. I think that had to do with my subject notebook getting too big. I wasn't consistent in keeping things together and I didn't want to lug them all around, all the time.

I'm working hard to come up with notebooking pages for the various subjects and levels I need. This is not part of the job I enjoy, but part that is very valuable and necessary. I've learned that using notebooking as a criteria for selecting my curriculum can be helpful. For instance, this year's geography, "Trailguide to US Geography" also has available a multi-level notebooking CD.

I'll share more about our notebooking choices in the future, as time allows.

Despite What You May Have Thought...

Despite what you may have thought, summer is not a laid back, carefree, do no work time. Not even close.

Despite what you may have thought, you can't do everything--achieving all your hopes and dreams--in two short months. Not possible.

Despite what you may have thought, when you take the summer off from school, you are NOT taking the summer off. Plan, practice, prepare.

Despite what you may have thought, there is always room for improvement. Always.

Despite what you may have thought, God can still surprise you. He's like that.

Despite what you may have thought, you can actually watch a child grow in the course of a day. Scary.

Despite what you may have thought, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. Almost, but not quite! I'm still here and though anything I've been doing on the computer has been fast and furious, I've still been reading your blogs (though not always daily) and thinking about you all. I have these little conversations with you in my head because I'm totally insane like that. With all the preparations I'm making for fall and all the "relaxing" I'm doing in the fabulous weather we've been having (between rains, that is), there just is little time for anything else right now. There really is so much to share. It just has to get from my head to the blog. We are 30 days till lift off. Still so much to do. Tune in!

Father's Day Picture

My family.

Father's Day 2008.

Monster Truck; Monster Pile

Do you see this monstrous pile of mulch? Do you see my husband's sense of humor parking on top of it? This is his way of letting me in on the fact that he wearies of the "pile". It has dwindled significantly and will soon be gone. Hallelujah! Changing out our old moldy mulch for healthier, more natural mulch was a great idea (Thanks, Suz!), but a huge job! Now the children...that's a different matter...

To say that the children weary of the pile, would be false! They have climbed it, biked it, dug holes in it. They have turned it into the Alamo and fortified it with weapons. They have tracked it all over my house and worn it in their hair. The fact that it's half cow poop means little. It is the grand things that childhood are made of. It is heaven on earth and joy from the minute go. It will be sadly missed and though son has dutifully shoveled it for me, I believe he just wants to stay close to it!

Pretty is As Pretty Does

This is the day that my precious girl discovered that she had a closet full of dresses. As we have been blessed with many hand-me-downs and a few garage sale finds, we've also had less occasion to get dressed up...but that matters not a whit. I bit my tongue as I sent her out to play in her beautiful dress, having fought the era of "play clothes" and "dress clothes", and we haven't looked back since! It shouldn't surprise me in the least that she prefers her dresses. I would if I were her. Wait. I do too!

Her dresses have been further call for instruction in modesty, manners, and general behavior. As my Daddy always said, "pretty is as pretty does!" She gets the whole "don't pull your dress over your head" thing...beyond that we are in negotiations. Hee hee! Actually, she is growing quite "pretty"--inside and out.

(6/4/08)

Laddie: A Review

If you've never read a book by Indiana author Gene Stratton-Porter, you are missing out. If you've never read "Laddie", and want a real treat, be prepared to absolutely love this book and have it take a prominent place on your favorite book lists.

This book was such a delight, I'm not even sure I can tell you all the things I loved about it. It's semi-autobiographical and is about the youngest of twelve children whom they call Little Sister. Her older brother is Laddie and they have a tremendous bond, though there is quite an age difference. The character of their family is central to the story and is fascinating. I loved learning about this particular time period (late 1800s) and how people lived and treated one another.

The story is rich with nature, farm life, circumstance, faith, education and duty. One of my favorite passages happened when the father and mother tell Little Sister she will not be going back to school that year. Here is what she thinks.

"Think of being allowed to learn your lessons on the top of the granary, where you could look out of a window above the treetops, lie in the cool wind, and watch swallows and martins. Think of studying in the pulpit when the creek ran high, and the wild birds sang so sweetly you seemed to hear them for the first time in all your life, and hens, guineas, and turkeys made prime music in the orchard. You could see the buds swell, and the little blue flags push through the grass, where Mrs. Mayer had her flowerbed, and the cowslips greening under the water of the swale at the foot of the hill, while there might be a Fairy under any leaf. I was so full, so swelled up and excited, that when I got ready to pick up a book, I could learn a lesson in a few minutes, tell all about it, spell every word, and read it back, front, and sideways. I never learned lessons so quick and so easy in all my life; father, Laddie, and every one of them had to say so. One night, father said to Laddie: "This child is furnishing evidence that our school system is wrong, and our methods of teaching far from right.""

This book is so heart-warming! I found myself wishing I was in their family. The descriptions of everything from the nature of things to the desires of their hearts, is incredibly enduring. If they ever truly made this book a movie (the way it's written), it would be the best movie of faith ever!

I thoroughly enjoyed all the quotes from various McGuffy readers, as well as scripture. From a literary stand point, though I'm no expert, it is rich, rich, rich! I could go on and on. I've also read her books, "The Girl of the Limberlost" and "Freckles". They, too, are among my favorites. "Laddie" will be a life-long favorite and I can't wait to read it to my children. I look forward to my next Gene Stratton-Porter book, "The Keeper of the Bees".

"Get up, Little Sister, the morning is bright,
The birds are all singing to welcome the light,
Get up; for when all things are merry and glad,
Good children should never be lazy and sad;
For God gives us daylight, dear sister, that we
May rejoice like the lark and work like the bee."

From the List: Strawberry Pickin'

It has taken me almost nine years to pick strawberries. I jest not! From the time son was born, I wanted to take him. It finally happened, minus the son who was gallivanting with a friend instead. Daughter and I hit the "patch" and did some pickin'. Even with the recent rains flood waters we were able to make it through the mud. We had a good time in the sweltering heat of that day, and loved the ensuing treats! Cross that one off my list!

Dog Days of Summer

I suppose the dog days of summer are upon us, though the official start of summer is still a week away. Our temperatures rose quickly and the humidity joined with it hand in hand. I've had every intention of blogging daily, but the heat and the craziness of not actually being home much has prevented me. The posts still run through my mind each day!

Today was my last attempt to go garage saleing. Finally, I found some clothes my daughters size (or upcoming size!). That was my goal. I'm through. It is tough "work" and the driving, at these prices, makes it harder. More than anything though, I missed working in my yard in the cool of the morning--however long it lasted today! I still have many things to plant, but I can't bear the direct sun. I just finished building my trellises for my raised beds, minus the netting. That was enough heat for the time-being. I'm thinking cool thoughts, sipping my ice tea and writing to you!

We'll be celebrating Father's Day tonight to beat the crowds at husband's soon-to-be favorite restaurant. We thought he was heading out on a trip tomorrow, but he gets to be home! Besides, celebrating his fatherliness over two days is twice as good! That's all I've got for now. :)