It’s Been A Good One! Here’s To Another Good Year

2011*************In terms of so much, 2011 has been quite a good year. In specific blog terms, it’s been fairly good. There have been quite a few book reviews, TOS Homeschool Review Crew posts, some neat giveaways and many many life in general posts. Fortunately, I also had a lot of photos on my blog.

This month, unfortunately, my computer was struck with a virus that wiped out all of my personal files and photos. All of our homeschooling files are gone. All of my personal, review and random photos and images are gone. But also this month I found out my degree was awarded from Eastern Oregon University and I was hired at H & R Block as a Client Services Professional. 

Although it is sad that my computer has been compromised (it still doesn’t sound right), it is only one small thing in the larger scheme of things. Even if I do not get those things back, it is okay. Life goes on.

I planned to do a recap of my blog…but not of the year, of the entire life of my blog. This blog started under the url www.northlaurelhome.blogspot.com in February 2010 and was switched to www.nlfamily.net around October 2010. I figured the shorter url would be easier to remember (for me as well as others!). My blog reached 50 followers between August and October of 2010; 100 followers in April of this year. There are now 175 followers- I’m very grateful for all those who follow.

Here are a few of the most popular posts (over the life of my blog):

• Downloading Books onto the Kindle for PC
• Up and Coming- And Going!
• Kindle Collections Manager
• Posting from My Kindle
• Our School Room and Not Back to School Hop

It seems there is a trend… (hint: Kindle lol)

And more specifically of this year on the blog {and in our life}. It started with a New Years’ post. It is interesting to look back on our school plans. It also started with reflections on what Jesus’ transfiguration gives us, the opportunity if affords {I think I had forgotten it…}. Fox used k12.com for the remainder of the 2010/2011 school year {and it didn’t go well, in my opinion}. In February, probably due to my research for my senior project, I reflected on sustainability and Christianity. I posted more about my Kindle {much more lol}. Lee started her first real job! {Fox also acquired a job in March} In March I reapplied to the TOS Homeschool Review Crew and made the choice to use my blog for revenue. April brought about more responsibility by the kids for their own school schedules. I posted a tutorial on how to make your own notecards and envelopes in May and June. We moved from Wyoming to Ohio in September. In June and again in November, I reflected on homeschooling, what I expected and why I do it.

When I sat down to write this post, I tried to think back to the months of this year and what happened when. I can’t recall very much. I’m very thankful now that I’ve put it down on my blog. I am sure, though, that even though there has been much recorded here, it isn’t even a small portion of what’s really been going on in our lives. It has been a very good year.

I’d love to share photos but … sigh, I have none. Here is a post that has a few Christmas photos. We put lights up on our front window (inside) as well as the tree {it is a fake tree- gasp- with built in lights}. My dh put lights on his truck also. That is a first in all the 16 years I have known him to get so excited about Christmas. We have a good life here in Ohio and I am hopeful that the next year will be a good one as well.

Have a wonderful remainder of 2011 and here’s looking forward to a wonderful 2012!

'Year End' Thoughts

What are my thoughts now that the 'year' is over? What do I think was good, bad, ugly or downright wonderful? Do I have anything that I would like to do differently?

My first thought is: YAY!!! The year is over!

Exams

Okay, continuing on with my year end thoughts... I am looking forward to a break. That said... I am not entirely pleased with finals week. I am not sure if my questions were too difficult or too ambiguous. Perhaps they were not descriptive enough; didn't give enough instruction. Or was it just that the kids' thought that since the 'exams' were not graded they didn't have to do as well..since they couldn't 'fail'. ~Yes, they could fail...but I didn't tell them that~ Do I simply expect too much from them? Are their answers fine and I am looking more for perfection? I really disliked the public schools acceptance of mediocrity, honestly. My ds used to turn in papers with one word answers (when the instructions plainly stated answer in complete sentences) and the answers were 'just fine' for the teacher. I want to know what's in their heads; what have they learned? By simply filling in bubbles I don't see that it adequately measures that. But perhaps my expectation of them writing detailed, complete and comprehensive answers is just too much to ask. I don't want to know that they can ace a test; I couldn't care less. What I care about it is that they know something and can communicate the knowledge.

I intend to follow AO's exam schedule* somewhat. I say somewhat because we are not quite on the same schedule but I will try to give exams at the end of each 12 weeks. Should I have a cumulative exam at the very end? I always hated those in school/college! I still do... dread them, really. No, I think I will just plan on 12 week exams; no cumulative. *Each 12 weeks. The link takes you to the Booklist and Schedules page for all Years.*See here if you would like examples.

The more I sit here and think about the questions I came up with for the exams, I think they are actually too broad. Even though I included the words "describe", "in detail", I don't think I emphasized enough that I wanted loooong answers. By loooong answers I mean ones that required them to dig in their minds and memory to recall with detail what they learned. Perhaps I need more questions for each subject/book. I don't know...

Ds suggested/asked for questions on the exams to include the option of illustrating/drawing the answers. I am not sure I am okay with that...but perhaps it would work- for some of the questions. They could draw the 'answer' and if I do not understand (or even if I do) they could explain it to me.

Method

Alright, moving past exams. For the year in general, I definitely think I personally need to focus more on what I want them to retain. I need to include more activities or in some way present the information better to them so they will keep it in more than just the file of important things to know (perhaps also in the file of interesting to me facts) in their brains. That way, when stored in more than one location, due to the fact that they were able to process the information in more than just one way (such as simply by reading it in the book versus reading, reciting, acting it out, watching it live), they will be able to recall it quicker and easier. I was always a book learner; I preferred reading it to doing it. I know that my kids are not that way. Nor is it always beneficial to be that way. I need to give them more opportunities to stretch themselves (which involves the ever painful task of stretching myself) to learn the things that they not only want to but need to learn.

I have been somewhat using AO's curriculum for these past 3 months. How has the Charlotte Mason methodology worked for us? Well, honestly, I don't know because I have not figured it all out and therefore have not been implementing it as well as I would like. I have a tendency to find something (a certain method, philosophy, book, curriculum, etc) that I think will work great for us and I begin to research about it in particular. Usually, and this has been the case with CM, I jump in before I have done adequate research, or I get to the point of thinking that it is too much work; all because of lack of fully researching. I do have CM's six volumes saved on my computer and I have started to read volumes 1, 4, & 6 a few times (we even have volume 4 in print- ordered from here). I have never made it very far, sadly. I have relied on what others have done to try to understand what the Charlotte Mason method of learning is. That probably is not the best way to go about that.

Where am I going with that...? I do not intend to throw in the towel with the CM method because from the bit I have learned, it is a sound method. There may be some things, parts, that need to be modified for individuals/families but when done with her basic principles in mind, I think that it is a good idea. I intend this summer to read all of her volume 6. The first volume, I believe, is directed to parents with children under the age of 9; mine are almost 11 and 14. I would like to have an idea more of what her philosophy of educating is all about. I will most likely begin with volume 6.

Curriculum

Simply: I love it! I found Ambleside Online over a year ago, before we even began homeschooling and I just love it. At the beginning of the school year, even after I found AO, I still went with a boxed curriculum to start. I dumped some of it half way; the rest fell off about 3/4 of the way through. I was going to slowly implement AO into our school but 'jumped in' with the core subjects in February and we have continued with it since.

Is there anything that I plan on changing, dumping, or am I happy with it the way it is? Since we didn't start with AO and only picked up the core subjects late in the year, the things I plan on changing are the electives (as I call them) of Artist and Composer Study. By 'changing' I simply mean including them.

I had intended on using MEP for math but instead we are using Life of Fred (check out Cathy Duffy's review here). However, I will be changing that, in the sense that I will include some things from other sources but most likely not MEP right now. Some other sources I plan to use are Khan Academy, ThinkQuest (I don't like their web title -Math for Morons Like Us-..but do like their information!), MathTV, and various others that I may have listed on my links page, under math.

Also I need to make sure that copywork is done on a regular basis. We started out strong on it, but it went by the wayside. I would like for the kids to pick their own copywork but they both seem to have a problem with that.

I would like to include fun activities, maybe lapbooks, for some things. We started a few of these before switching to AO but I think that we were trying to implement AO and the lapbooks fell by the wayside as well. They, and I, really thought the lapbooks were fun and an interesting way to present our knowledge.

Overall, I don't think there was much that was bad about the year. Well, other than the fact that I initially chose a, what I now call, horrid curriculum. We have adapted well. I do not think my kids know the same information that is being taught in the schools (that's good and bad) but I do feel that they are learning and I know what they are learning.

Now it's summer time! Well, now we get a month off :)

Final Done! 2nd Half of Exam - Lee

Mere Christianity

Who is the author of this book?

C. S. Lewis

Tell what the author's intention was when writing this book.

He wanted to tell people kinda what a Christian is. He said he wasn't trying to change their minds about anything.

What do you recall about the Law of Human Nature?

We all have a little nagging in the back of our head that tells us what's right and wrong, and it helps us choose between instincts. We only know about it because we have it.

What do you think the author means when he says:

"There is one thing, and only one, in the whole universe which we know more about than we could learn from external observation. That one thing is Man. We do not merely observe men, we are men."

How do we know about how our minds work? Because they're our minds! How do we know we can taste sweet, sour, etc? Because we're the ones tasting. We know about ourselves because we are ourselves.

How do you understand the atonement of Christ for our sins? Was it even possible?

The more perfect you are, the easier it is for salvation, and the less you need it. The less perfect you are, the harder it is for salvation, and the more you need it. Jesus was completely perfect, so Him dying for us was the easiest way. Even though Jesus didn't need it at all!

Tell what you know about Cardinal Virtues.

Temperance: taking things that give you pleasure and using them, but in steady amounts.

Prudence: logical thinking...

The Fallacy Detective

What is a fallacy?

An error in thinking.

What does it mean to exercise your mind?

To think things through, to really listen.

Tell what you understand about 'love to listen'.

.........

Give an example of a Red Herring Fallacy.

.........

Describe the most surprising 'fallacy' or exercise that you have encountered in this book.

.........

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

Write (or recite out loud) the poem SMART by Shel Silverstein. * She wrote a summary instead

A kid's dad gives him a dollar, and he trades it with someone for two quarters, cause two is more than one. Then he trades them for 3 dimes, cause 3 is more than 2. Then he trades them for 4 nickels, cause 4 is more than 3. Then he trades them for 5 pennies, cause 5 is more than 4. Then his dad gets red, and he thinks it's cause he's too proud to speak.

What do you know about coins?

Coins with the ring on the edge are "clad" coins. Coins aren't made with pure silver anymore. The ridges on the edge are so no one clips them.

What does "tanstaafl" stand for? Tell in your own words what it means.

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

Everything of value- clothes, food, etc.- has a price to pay. So charity groups give free food out, but they have to pay in the first place.

Describe inflation.

The amount of money is going up, so the value of money is going down, and prices are rising.

The Life of the Spider

What spider is being studied? Give its Latin name.

Black bellied tarantula. Um, lycosa?

Describe how the Lycosa looks.

*I would love to write what she wrote but I can't because she drew a picture...

Tell what you know about the Black Bellied Tarantula's 'home'.

*Another picture...

Looks like that kinda, covered with web in the inside

What happened when Mr. Fabre kept two male Lycosa together? What do you think about what happened?

They fought, and one killed and ate the other. I think it's cruel he caught them to only do that!

What do you think of reading The Life of the Spider?

It's kinda neat, but boring.

Church History

Cyprian

What can you tell about Cyprian and the time he lived in?

Cyprian was a Christian in a time of Christian persecution. He was the leader of them, and ultimately got executed.

Athanasius

Tell what you learned about Athanasius.

Athanasius was a bishop against a certain side of Christians.

Julius Caesar

Describe Julius Caesar.

He was a great military leader. He wasn't the healthiest of people, having seizures. He was nice and generous.

Summarize what you have learned about Julius Caesar's accomplishments.

He conquered a lot of places, even when the odds were against him.

Final Done! 2nd Half of Exam - Fox

The Greatest Story Ever Told

In your own words describe the main characters in the story.

Joseph was kind and he believed Zachary when he told them about the angel. * Zacharias

Mary was also kind and she loved Joseph very much.

Samuel wanted war too much.

Summarize what has happened up through chapter 8.

Joseph talked with Samuel and then chose Mary to be his wife. They went to Jerusalem and Zachary went dumb. Zachary told him about the angel. They went home. Mary ran away because she saw an angel. When she told Joseph when she came back he was sad. Joseph had a dream that told him it was alright.

Church History

Cyprian

What can you tell about Cyprian and the time he lived in?

Cyprian was the top Christian of the time and he lived when Christians were executed. He got killed.

Athanasius

Tell what you learned about Athanasius.

Athanasius was a bishop and he was living in Alexandria. Then he got banished. He came back though and he wasn't executed.

Julius Caesar

Describe Julius Caesar.

He exposed himself to danger and he had seizures.

Summarize what you have learned about Julius Caesar's accomplishments.

He was nice to his men and he conquered a lot of land.

Lobo/Slum Kitten

Describe Lobo and tell what you know about him.

He was a wolf that was leader of the Currenpaw* pack. He was killed...

*Currumpaw

Tell about the Slum Kitten.

Her mom disappeared and she wandered out of her box and ended up in the junkyard.

Halfway mark- Exam answers- Fox

Abraham Lincoln's World/ This Country of Ours

Describe Napoleon Bonaparte and what you think of him.

Napoleon wore black boots and a hat, and he conquered a lot of countries for France. I think he was too greedy and was too power hungry.

What were some hardships that Lewis and Clark experienced when traveling to the Pacific Ocean?

One was the weather because they could hardly go anywhere when it was snowing. I think Grizzly Bears were a big problem. Some Indians were problems.

Describe some of the wonders that were discovered by Lewis and Clark.

Catfish and the thorny lizard. They took back a thorny lizard to Thomas Jefferson, who thought they would find woolly mammoths, who was the president at the time and the one who sent Lewis and Clark.

What do you know about Aaron Burr?
Aaron Burr had a gunfight with a person with a high position and killed him. The people got mad at him and sent him away. Then Aaron started a rebellion and failed. Aaron moved to England or France. When he came back, people had forgotten about him. Sadly his daughter died and he stayed in a simple house for the rest of his life.

Why did the War of 1812 take place?

It started because France and Britain had put up a blockade. America decided to fight Britain because they were easier than France to fight.

Between 1817 and 1821, four states were added to the Union. What were the four states and what did their names mean?

Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama.

Missouri: Muddy Water

Mississippi: King of Waters

Illinois: Indian tribe name said wrong

Alabama: Here we rest

Tell why slavery was a 'necessary evil' in the Southern states of the United States. What did this mean for Maine and Missouri becoming states?

It was a 'necessary evil' because the Americans of the South were lazy.

One had to be a slave state.

Complete Book of Marvels

What was your favorite destination? Describe the place and why you liked it so much.

Fort Jefferson

Because it has a cool history. (and lots of cannons).

I also like the shark story and the bird island.

*He drew a picture of Fort Jefferson and the bird island.

Tell what you know about New York.

It is huge! It has a lot of big buildings like the Empire State. It also is home for the Statue of Liberty. There is a canal.

Describe something about Fort Jefferson.

The people abandoned it because of mosquitoes. Dr. Mudd was in prison there for being a 'friend' of Mr. Lincoln's murderer.

We recently read about Christophe's Castle. What is something outstanding that you remember about it?
Christophe was put in lime after he shot himself and the amazing amount of cannons.

Of Courage Undaunted

What can you tell about the Corps of Discovery?

They were people from all over who really were nothing special and they did things other people did. They were strong and Abraham Lincoln said "God must have loved them, or he wouldn't have made so many."

Who wrote a letter to Meriwether Lewis and, in your own words, what did it say?

Thomas Jefferson wrote I want someone to explore the west and I can't think of anyone better to go than you.

Tell what you know about William Clark.

He was in the army and met Lewis there and after a while left the army. Not long after Lewis asked him to go west to the Columbia and he accepted Lewis' offer right away.

A Passion for the Impossible

Describe Lilias Trotter's father, Alexander Trotter.

He could never get enough of natural wonders. He could talk to anybody, like if he were talking to a cook, he would talk about cooking.

Describe Lilias Trotter's mother, Isabella Trotter.

She was kind. When she sent letter to Lily she talked to her as if she were an adult.

What can you remember about where Lily grew up?

It was in England and in a rich society. It was in the 1800's.

Math (without the scanned pages from the Spectrum Test Practice book)

Square root of 25

625 *he thought I wanted him to square 25

What number is expressed by (9 x 1,000) + (4 x 100) + (2 x 10) + (3 x 1)?

9,423

What is the least common multiple (LCM) of 6 and 15?

30

4553 + 8120 + 2697 + 1453 = 16813 *he doesn't like to slow down or double check his work...

312 x 32 = 9984

Bert estimates that he will pay about $1,400 a year for his car expenses. He makes $35 every Saturday. How many Saturdays will he need to work to cover his car expenses for 1 year?

He has to work 40 Saturdays and it would take 10 months. *And he wanted to know why does he work Saturdays??

Halfway mark- Exam answers- Lee

So I posted the 'exams' the kids have for this last week of school and I wasn't sure I would post their work but I decided I will. I start with Lee simply because she is older. I'm surprised she didn't put as much humor into her answers as she usually does. You can see some of it though (for instance her answer about waterproofing the leather for The Brendan Voyage boat...).

Lee:

The Birth of Britain

What has happened with the island of Britannia since Julius Caesar's first attempt to conquer? Give a brief summary.

1. Julius Caesar tries to get Britain; fails. 2. Britain conquered by Romans. 3. Settles into Roman life. 4. Attacked by pirates, etc. 5. Romans grip crumbles.

Describe one of the battles fought on Caesar's first attempt to conquer Britain.

Caesar sailed over, but the weather was rough, and the British knew he was coming. Some of his ships were ruined, and lots of enemy awaited. He lost.

What two Ages were discussed in the first part of the first chapter? What was the significance of these two Ages?

Bronze and Iron Age. Those were ages when better tools and weapons were made from first Bronze, then iron. They kind of overlapped.

Describe Emperor Claudius as you think he was portrayed by Churchill.

He wasn't a very good Emperor. Churchill said he was a "clown".

What is happening to Roman Britain by the 5th century?

Its power was not very stable, and things went out of control. It could not have enough troops everywhere to keep control.

In your own words, describe in detail the most interesting thing that you have learned so far from The Birth of Britain.

I think the most interesting thing I learned about in BOB was how Julius Caesar wasn't able to conquer Britain. I just am amazed that Julius Caesar, who conquered so many places, even when he was outnumbered or had some other problem, could not conquer tiny Britain! I also had no idea they were conquered by Rome.

In Freedom's Cause

What characters do you recall from the first chapter? What are their roles or significance?

Archie- son of a dead lord, who wants the English out of Scotland

Sir John- guy who controls the area Archie is in

King Edward- King of Britain

In your own words, tell what is taking place, or has taken place, so far.

Scotland is under control of Britain. The English are not abiding rules they had set down, when Scotland was free. Scotland has no king to lead them, either. Scottish people have been revolting, only to be pushed down. Archie has a little secret rebel group.

The Brendan Voyage

Describe where the story of Tim Severin's Brendan Voyage takes place.

Mostly at sea. Starts in Ireland, I think. Goes to islands in the area, too.

What is the importance of the Brendan Voyage? Why is Tim Severin determined to make the voyage?

Tim wants to prove that St. Brendan did use a leather boat to sail to America. Lots of people think it is impossible.

Briefly describe the process, as best you can recall, that was used to make the boat used for the voyage.

They sewed leather over the wooden hull and used leather string to tie most of it together. They covered it in (eww!) fat to waterproof it.

Tell of something that particularly interested you about The Brendan Voyage.

I think it's weird that so many people (mostly historians, professors, etc.) argued about whether St. Brendan's voyage was true or not, but none of them put it to the test. Tim did.

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

Tell what you can recall about cells.

Each works for the body. There are lots of different kinds. Make up the body. Each has a special job.

Still remembering what you learned about cells, how do they fulfill the role of Specialization? Diversity? Worth? Mutiny?

Specialization: The hands are made to pick things up, not see. Each part is made for a certain job, and no other.

Diversity: There are nerve cells, blood cells, fat cells, white blood cells, lots of cells! But together they make one person.

Worth: There may be 100 cells, but they are all important. They each help you in one way or another. So 1 cell is just as important as the other 99.

Mutiny: If one cell refuses to do its job, everyone suffers. Eventually, even if it profits, it will pay, too.

Using the same guidelines as questions #1 & #2, what can you recall about bones? How do they relate to A Frame? Hardness? Freedom?

Frame: Without them, we would be a huge blob. It holds us together.

Hardness: They take a lot of pressure and bend to the circumstances. If the hardness was gone, we wouldn't be a bob but we'd be too floppy to do anything.

Freedom: Bones don't limit us, they free us. If it weren't for bones, we wouldn't be able to run around. We need them, kinda like laws. Laws like "don't go on a red light" free us so we don't crash. Cause then we'd have a lot of restricting owies.

Lobo/Slum Kitten

Describe Lobo and tell what you know about him.

Lobo was a very clever wolf. He killed lots of cattle and sheep, and it took a very long time to catch him. His mate was Blanca, and he was the leader of a pack.

Tell about the Slum Kitten.

Her litter mates were all killed, and her mom got taken away on a fishing boat. She had to learn to live by herself. She could hunt, but never caught any birds.

Math (doesn't include the scanned pages from the Spectrum Test Practice book)

What number is expressed by (3 x 10 to the 3rd) + (4 x 10 to the 2nd) + (8 x 10 to the 1st)

3480

Square root of 144=

12

What is 0.89 rounded to the nearest tenth?

0.9

What is the prime factorization of 24?

3x2x2x2

24=12x2

12=6x2

6=3x2

In the following problem each letter represents a certain number. What number does P represent?

P + P + P + Q= 21

Q + Q = 12

P=5

8 3/4 - 6 2/6 =

2 5/12

10 divided by 3 1/3 =

3

Six sheets of paper have a total thickness of 0.072 inches. Each sheet has the same thickness. What is the thickness, in inches, of each sheet?

0.012 in.

Final Stretch- Kids Last Week of School!!

photo courtesy of PrawfsBlawg
Since we feel the need (okay, hubby and I) to have 'tests' to gauge the kids' retention and learning I made up 'finals' for the kids for this week.

I had said* that I was going to have them write short papers on the books that they have been using for school (minus math, science and language arts) but I decided that would take way too long and require too much writing. It may turn out that it is still a better idea than what I actually ended up doing but oh well, there'll be next time :)

I think that picture there is just hilarious!

I typed up their 'finals' and have mixed feelings about how I did. At the end I also printed 3 pages from a Spectrum Test Practice books for Math for each according to their grade. Those will most likely be the easiest part of the final! Who doesn't like when the answer is already given to you, you just have to choose it?

Lee's Final without answers

Fox's Final without answers

I'm not sure I will post their answers...will see... :)

*From WWAT 05/11/10

I have decided that the last week of school will be finals week. We will not have tests per se, but they are going to write papers for each book that they have been going through (excludes math, science, language arts LIFEPACS and LoF). Their papers will have to be in chronological order of things that have happened in their readings. They will be allowed to scan the books again for small details that they may not recall but most must be of what they do recall. Also, for geography they will need to locate on the globe the places that have been discussed and/or be able to label a map that I find to print out. I'm not sure yet on that last part.