Having not posted for quite some time (again), I really WANT to be more regular. I think I will make some plans for my future posts. This blog is actually a personal diary of our homeschooling journey. For all you readers/followers out there, sorry, this is not one of those blogs that natter about everything under the sun, nor does it give helpful advice on how to do this or that.
However, now that I'm embarking on my 2nd official homeschool application (for Benjamin), I have plans for the following :
1. How my 'Classical' Christian homeschool is getting along (aka what's so 'Classical' about my homeschool)
2. Sarah's Progress
3. Ben's Progress
4. Struggles of our daily schooling
5. The joys and fun of our homeschool life
OK. So that's the next 5 posts. See you here real soon!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
What to teach?
Homeschooling gives us the liberty to teach our children many things, and opens the doors to many new worlds. I'm terrible in that I'm something of a neophile. I'm always excited about new things to try.
Lately, it's been Literature, and soon, it will be Writing. Yes, reading and writing. Heh. I've always been terrible at Literature. I had lousy Literature teachers at school and never could fathom the aims and objectives of the subject. But I'd like my children to grow to love good writing, so I thought I should introduce them to good stuff. So I've started Sarah on The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. We've chosen to read the unabridged version published by Simon & Schuster, under the Aladdin Classics label. I'm still floundering, still trying to figure out how and what to teach her.
I've ordered a set of writing and reading books that should be arriving here soon. Amongst them is a book called Reading Strands which supposedly will help me to teach Lit. Hope so. I never did get it, and don't know if I ever will. In the set is Writing Strands, which is supposed to be an excellent writing curriculum. Sarah will need to be able to write good compositions with 'complex sentences' if she wants to do well for her PSLE. I don't ever recall having been taught how to write. I just did it most naturally. But her writing to date has been too simple in my opinion, and not well-organised. Some of her compositions have great introductions, a confused middle section and practically no conclusion. So I had to get her some help.
Then, in the same shipment, I expect to receive a new set of Latin texts. At the moment she has finished with Prima Latina, so I'm starting her on Latina Christiana I.
My part time helper had a relapse of her cancer and will no longer be working for us. So this past week, we have had a homeschool break for Major Spring Clean. I think we'll be taking school breaks every 8-12 weeks for this Major Spring Clean (or Summer, or Autumn, or Winter). And every 4 or so weeks, we'll take another break for minor spring clean. No more do-nothing homeschool holidays. But at least the children all chipped in to help. I'm very proud of them. They cleaned without complaining, and did quite a good job. Today is Thursday, I should have finished, but I have not done the kitchen. Fever has stopped me. Anyway, I think I need to do the kitchen another time.
The government has implemented 'cooling off' measures to curb the skyrocketing COE prices lately. Now, car buyers must pay off at least 50% of their car's price, and the remaining loan can only be spread out over 5 years. I'm happy. Hope the car prices come down. Maybe owning another car after this present one 'dies' might not be such a pipe dream after all.
Lately, it's been Literature, and soon, it will be Writing. Yes, reading and writing. Heh. I've always been terrible at Literature. I had lousy Literature teachers at school and never could fathom the aims and objectives of the subject. But I'd like my children to grow to love good writing, so I thought I should introduce them to good stuff. So I've started Sarah on The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. We've chosen to read the unabridged version published by Simon & Schuster, under the Aladdin Classics label. I'm still floundering, still trying to figure out how and what to teach her.
I've ordered a set of writing and reading books that should be arriving here soon. Amongst them is a book called Reading Strands which supposedly will help me to teach Lit. Hope so. I never did get it, and don't know if I ever will. In the set is Writing Strands, which is supposed to be an excellent writing curriculum. Sarah will need to be able to write good compositions with 'complex sentences' if she wants to do well for her PSLE. I don't ever recall having been taught how to write. I just did it most naturally. But her writing to date has been too simple in my opinion, and not well-organised. Some of her compositions have great introductions, a confused middle section and practically no conclusion. So I had to get her some help.
Then, in the same shipment, I expect to receive a new set of Latin texts. At the moment she has finished with Prima Latina, so I'm starting her on Latina Christiana I.
My part time helper had a relapse of her cancer and will no longer be working for us. So this past week, we have had a homeschool break for Major Spring Clean. I think we'll be taking school breaks every 8-12 weeks for this Major Spring Clean (or Summer, or Autumn, or Winter). And every 4 or so weeks, we'll take another break for minor spring clean. No more do-nothing homeschool holidays. But at least the children all chipped in to help. I'm very proud of them. They cleaned without complaining, and did quite a good job. Today is Thursday, I should have finished, but I have not done the kitchen. Fever has stopped me. Anyway, I think I need to do the kitchen another time.
The government has implemented 'cooling off' measures to curb the skyrocketing COE prices lately. Now, car buyers must pay off at least 50% of their car's price, and the remaining loan can only be spread out over 5 years. I'm happy. Hope the car prices come down. Maybe owning another car after this present one 'dies' might not be such a pipe dream after all.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
One reason I don't blog very often is that I've just been lazy. Every time I have seen the "Blogger:Dashboard" bookmark on my bookmarks bar, I have told myself "nah, I'll do it another day". I guess that "other day" has come.
We've just started a new year, and a new year of homeschooling. The year-end holidays were a good break. Our family went to Phnom Penh with a few other members of our church. It was a busy time. There were relationships to cement with Pastor Narin Chey and his family, the boys at the Alpha-Gamma-Omega-Dormitory, and the lovely folk from Mission To The World.
(Photos to insert from other laptop)
All in all, the experience was one of great humility for us, to see the fervor shown by these Cambodian Christians whose history had been so fractured. Their simple faith in our Lord to provide all their needs made us realise that we have too much here, and thus we fail to depend fully on God for everything. I made many new friends. We should go back again soon.
Another event took place before this mission trip. It happened right at home, in Sarah's bedroom. Her tiles exploded one Saturday morning with a frightening noise and tile chips flying. It has made me somewhat paranoid about those hollow tiles that are everywhere in our home. Anyway, HDB replaced Sarah's tiles for free, since they had laid the original ones in the first place. In the meantime, all 3 beds plus 2 wardrobes managed to fit into the boys' room, and they lived in this 'dormitory' for over a month.
We have been fighting many fires lately. In summary, besides the tiles, there was the leaky toilet, the fried router and its replacement, terrible coughs and colds, the passing of a friend in a horrific car accident in Tasmania, as well as difficulties in character training for our children. Some changes for 2013 - Sarah's great gym coach Nicole Tolhurst returned home to Perth, so now she has an ex-SEA games Philippines gymnast Coach Ronnie. I want to teach her Composition in a more systematic way, so I'm ordering a book "Writing Strands". Our family started on a new guide for Family Worship - Long Story Short. I started on a new Bible Reading plan "Discipleship Journal".
I'll promise (again) to blog more regularly.
We've just started a new year, and a new year of homeschooling. The year-end holidays were a good break. Our family went to Phnom Penh with a few other members of our church. It was a busy time. There were relationships to cement with Pastor Narin Chey and his family, the boys at the Alpha-Gamma-Omega-Dormitory, and the lovely folk from Mission To The World.
(Photos to insert from other laptop)
All in all, the experience was one of great humility for us, to see the fervor shown by these Cambodian Christians whose history had been so fractured. Their simple faith in our Lord to provide all their needs made us realise that we have too much here, and thus we fail to depend fully on God for everything. I made many new friends. We should go back again soon.
Another event took place before this mission trip. It happened right at home, in Sarah's bedroom. Her tiles exploded one Saturday morning with a frightening noise and tile chips flying. It has made me somewhat paranoid about those hollow tiles that are everywhere in our home. Anyway, HDB replaced Sarah's tiles for free, since they had laid the original ones in the first place. In the meantime, all 3 beds plus 2 wardrobes managed to fit into the boys' room, and they lived in this 'dormitory' for over a month.
We have been fighting many fires lately. In summary, besides the tiles, there was the leaky toilet, the fried router and its replacement, terrible coughs and colds, the passing of a friend in a horrific car accident in Tasmania, as well as difficulties in character training for our children. Some changes for 2013 - Sarah's great gym coach Nicole Tolhurst returned home to Perth, so now she has an ex-SEA games Philippines gymnast Coach Ronnie. I want to teach her Composition in a more systematic way, so I'm ordering a book "Writing Strands". Our family started on a new guide for Family Worship - Long Story Short. I started on a new Bible Reading plan "Discipleship Journal".
I'll promise (again) to blog more regularly.
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