Simply Classical Curriculum Review and Giveaway!

(SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR GIVEAWAY!)

If you have a child with special needs then this post is for you!  If you caught my review series back in February on  Simply Classical - A Beautiful Education for Any Child by Cheryl Swope then you know that I really loved her book.  I especially loved her ability to break down the classical model into a tangible model for parents who were seeking to give this type of education to their special children.  She skillfully made the case that a classical education for children with special needs was not just in spite of their special needs but rather because of them!  Now Cheryl has gone one step further in making this an attainable model for special families by developing a classical curriculum to guide parents in executing it.

Summer Nature Study - The Leaf

Summer is a great time to take early morning walks or bike rides in the cool of the day.  We like to do both!  There is so much about God that can be noted as you walk along and look at His creation.  Our last few times out we decided to look at trees and leaves as we biked/walked and make note of what we observed, even collecting a few to bring back for our nature journal.  The first thing we noted was the huge variety of shapes God made leaves in.  We discussed the creative mind of God and whether we thought it would be possible for us to think up such variety on our own.  It's staggering to think of the vast variety of things God has created!

GIVEAWAY!! Spelling You See

Have you tried multiple spelling programs and still haven't had any success in producing a good speller?  Then Spelling You See is definitely worth a look!  I was sent the Spelling You See, Level D set for review.  (It peaked my interest when I noticed that levels D&E of this new spelling program neatly corresponded with Cycle 3 of Classical Conversation's® history focus for the coming year.)

Immediately, I noticed that this isn't your typical spelling program.  Spelling You See  approaches spelling from a unique developmental perspective.  They have broken these developmental steps into five sequential stages;  Preliterate, Phonetic, Skill Development, Word Extension, Derivational Constancy.  Spelling You See takes an approach to spelling that has your child look for patterns in the spelling of words.  Looking for patterns should be familiar if you are already using Math U See!  Math U See is consistently showing children patterns to math, which is one of my favorite things about their math program!  You can read about our experiences with finding a math curriculum that worked for us at Finding Your Child's Place In Math.  Math U See and Spelling You See are family companies.  

Link Up #21 Wonderful Wednesdays

Welcome to Week #21 of the Wonderful Wednesdays Link-Up!  This Link Up is for anyone who would like to share how they are creatively teaching their children the various subjects, including fine arts, at home.  All curriculum users are welcome! 

Year 3 Fun/Educational Resources!

I've pulled together a variety of ideas for how you can explore this year's United States Geography for this year!  It's definitely one of my favorite and more fun topics!

The ideas below, include hands on ways to learn such as; cookbooks, picture books, flashcards, puzzles, board games, electronic games, US coin collecting, brain teasers, scavenger hunts, mazes, drawing, coloring and some whacky, little known trivia!  Many of these items we already have and utilize at home and some are on my own wish list for this coming year!  Oh - and if you have a fun US resource your family enjoys that you want to share, put it in the comments section for everyone to see.  

FIVE Greathall Cycle 3 Relevant GIVEAWAYS!!!

The name Jim Weiss is probably a familiar name to us all.  He has spent 25 years as an award winning storyteller, telling original stories and retelling ancient and modern classic stories to countless children and families throughout the world.  He is most familiar to those of us who use Classical Conversations®, as the voice from the audio recordings of Story of the World.

Link Up #20 Wonderful Wednesdays

Welcome to Week #20 of the Wonderful Wednesdays Link-Up!  This Link-Up is for anyone who would like to share how they are creatively teaching their children the various subjects, including fine arts, at home.  All curriculum users are welcome! 

LAST WEEK'S FEATURED POST…

The Education of Theatre!

My daughter and I love Theatre.  We are blessed to live in an area that has a lot to offer in this realm. Theatre goes beyond fun.  It is an entire education in itself.  We are always hearing about the benefits of sports for children but let's take a look at the educational value of theatre...

Here are some things that theatre will teach your children:

Teamwork           Responsibility           Collaboration       Leadership        Abstract Thinking

Conceptualization           Creative Thinking            Public Speaking in a Fun Way         

Boost Self-Confidence        Learn to Accept Constructive Critique (a key life skill!) 
  
Boosts Literacy /Social and Math Skills       Improves Attention       Develops Empathy  

Studies show students in the arts scored higher on the verbal portion of SAT and higher on the math portion. Students involved in the arts are four times more likely to achieve academic notice, hold school offices, win awards for writing and even enter science fairs. Arts students read  for pleasure more often, and perform community service at a much higher rate than their non-arts friends. Students gain academic life skills through performing!  You can reference the UCLA study and The College Board study for more facts on how the arts improves your child's education.

Elodie Farms Tour!

What better way to spend an early summer day then at a goat farm?  Especially, when it's as friendly, beautiful and educational as Mr. Dave's farm over at Elodie Farms!  Located in Rougemont, NC -about an hour drive from the Raleigh area, this scenic setting is just right for kids.  The mood is laid back and Mr. Dave is full of Southern charm and hospitality.  He welcomes the children and clearly has experience with them as he opens up his farm to these kids for their wide eyed, educational benefit and blessing.

Wonderful Wednesday Link-Up #19

Welcome to Week #19 of the Wonderful Wednesdays Link-Up!  This Link-Up is for anyone who would like to share how they are creatively teaching their children the various subjects, including fine arts, at home.  All curriculum users are welcome! 

Last Week's Featured Post…

5 Fun Ways to Math for Summer!