My Guides and Inspirations for our Classical Homeschool

I don't know that I would ever have thought that I could homeschool if I hadn't found The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. This is the book that got me started and the one I refer to every single year when I plan out our year. I used to attempt to do everything suggested, but I have since gotten over that need. This is my "homeschooling bible".

The Latin-Centered Curriculum by Andrew Campbell is another of my favorites. I love to refer back to this book when I forget why I'm doing this.  There is a lot of information about a true classical education and the reasons for striving for this type of education. The format is nothing like TWTM - it doesn't follow a four year cycle, but it has some great ideas and curriculum suggestions. I tend to try to blend suggestions from both books for our school plans. This book is available at Memoria Press as well amazon.com.

Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons is a great resource on classical education and is quoted extensively in The Latin-Centered Curriculum. If you want to learn the history of classicial education and some well researched reasons for following it, this is a great resource. This book is available at Memoria Press as well as amazon.com

Norms & Nobility by David Hicks is another great resource on classical education. This book tends to deal more with high school education rather than applying classical education to elementary age students. This book is available at amazon.com

I have also used Ambleside Online for book lists when my kids were younger. Ambleside is Charlotte Mason inspired, but is quite useful for schedules and book suggestions.  I think that Charlotte Mason and classical homeschooling work very well together, especially in the younger years.


The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project is a wonderful resource for classic children's literature. I have used so many of their books over the years, especially for children's versions of greek and roman stories. I highly recommend this site.

Where does the time go?

I can't believe that it is already April! Our school year is just zooming along. Have I mentioned that we school year-round? Well, we do. In our first year of homeschooling I followed the local school calendar and we took off the two and a half months of summer break. And guess what? We had the issue of my son forgetting "everything he learned" from the year before - just like the public and private schools have each fall. Sooo, after that first year we have gone year-round. But don't worry, we take breaks throughout the year to relax and re-group. Since my kids are involved in music and ballet, we have a lighter schedule during their busy months and it all works out.

 Despite knowing that I have all summer to make sure the kids complete their work and are ready to go on to the next grade level, every spring I feel the anxiety hit -- will they be ready before the school year ends? This is typically when I start planning for the next school year too.

We have had such a nice spring so far. Everyone wants to be outside. My herbs and flowers don't seem to remember that we are bound to have more cold and frosty nights.

 The catmint looks nice.



Next up will be lessons outside. The younger ones love to take all their books and papers and sit outside and do their work in the gazebo. I used to be skeptical that they would actually do their work, but they have proven me wrong for the last several years.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…

I'm feeling overwhelmed right now. So much going on with the kids and their schooling and activities and oldest's job. The whole fourth grade to eleventh grade spread is really taking a toll this year. 

In our homeschool this week…

I am trying to catch up on my grading. This is a never-ending task for me. I need to re-group. I am doing some reassessing of what we've done this year with the idea of making changes.

I am inspired by…

literature - always.

My favorite thing this week was…

finding out that my daughter made it to state for piano competition.

What’s working/not working for us…

Not sure exactly what threw us off this year -- looking at everything to figure it out.

Things I’m working on…

As stated earlier --- grading, grading, grading.

I’m reading…

The Thirteen by Susie Moloney. Just finished Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers. Looking forward to reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Our new puppy, Watson.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week…

We have had the week off from homeschooling, from ballet and from work. We did have guitar lessons, a birthday party, a sleepover to attend and the heater tuned up.

We basically were as lazy as possible.

In our homeschool this week…

We have had the past two week off from school. We will start back up on Monday.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

I have learned over the years that it is better to take time off during the holidays than to try to work through weeks that you know are going to be very busy or stressful. That time off will pay for itself several times over.

My favorite thing this week was…

Time to read for pleasure. I have really taken off this week -- no grading, no planning, nothing. And I refuse to feel guilty for it either. There will be plenty of time in January to catch up on my grading.

Things I’m working on…

No projects at the moment. But I am trying to be more organized with my blogs. This will be a work in progress though.

I’m reading…

Graveminder by Melissa Marr and Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons.

Finally!

The Nutcracker is finally over! Our lives have been taken over by rehearsals and then all the  performances. I love that my daughers really love the whole process and they love dancing in the productions, but all the work and driving back and forth just takes over our lives for a few months. Now things should settle back down to some semblance of normalcy. Whatever that might be.

The Homeschool Mothers Journal (4)

In my life this week…

Halloween was fun, but so busy. Halloween being on Monday really threw a wrench in our school week though.  Oh well, go with the flow.

In our homeschool this week…

This week is just another shortened week due to Halloween. My older daughter is participating in NaNoWriMo this year, so she has been writing furiously. She worked through the workbook before and had her characters all planned and an outline of her novel ready to go.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We are all about Nutcracker rehearsals these days. A large chunk of our weekends are being spent in ballet rehearsal. The girls love ballet and I love that they love it.  But as we get closer to Nutcracker season, the rehearsals start coming fast and furious. One plus, I have lots of reading time.

My favorite thing this week was…

Well, it was technically last week, but I really loved Milwaukee Ballet's Dracula on Saturday night.

Things I’m working on…

I'm working on giving myself a break. I am trying to give up some of the pressure I put on myself to be constantly "caught up" on all the grading and planning for our homeschool. The planning is pretty much done for this year, but the grading is never-ending.

I’m reading…

Bunheads by Sophie Flack and Stasiland by Anna Funder. I just finished The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman and I really liked that one.

I’m cooking…

ha! As if. (My husband does most of the cooking around here.)

I’m grateful for…

my husband - for being such a kid and loving Halloween as much as the kids. Also, he indulges me when it comes to books and technology. Gotta love that.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal (3)

In our homeschool this week…

We are finally getting into a routine for this year. This was our first full week of school. We are adjusting to our new schedule and I've added weekly chore lists to the routine instead of just randomly assigning chores as needed.

I am inspired by…

my homeschooling friends.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

My daughters have auditions for The Nutcracker this weekend. They get so excited every year.

My favorite thing this week was…

My new Erin Condren planner!  I had to go back to my own planner -- I just cannot do the homeschool planner thing. I love my new planner! It has everything I need -- which includes tons of space for writing my schedules, to-do lists, etc. I know they are rather expensive, but I think they are totally worth it. I put some clear packing tape on the month tabs and it is holding up well.  This is the planner style I bought. I just love the quote on the front.

What’s working/not working for us…

For the last several years, I have printed out daily school lists for the kids. At first, this worked well, but as the kids have grown up, it has become just too much added work for me. So, this year, I made up lists of weekly assignments for each course and each kid is responsible for keeping track of what they worked on in their individual planners. So far, this is working pretty well. This gives me the freedom to grade their work when I have time rather than rushing around and being stressed each morning.  

I’m reading…

War and Peace (still)

A Feast for Crows

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (long term reading project)

I’m grateful for…

our homeschool group. We had our first ever Mom's Night Out last night and it was so nice to sit around and just talk with other homeschooling moms. We made a point of not talking about the kids for the first couple of hours and just focusing on ourselves, eating some yummy snacks and drinking a lovely sangria.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. ~Henry David Thoreau