Final Plans for the Year 09-10 (High School)

This year it is all about the books. Stacks of books everywhere.

We also made the big decision to focus on world geography instead of world history this year. We really want our boys to know about places that are in the news. Geography as an elective was not going to be enough to do the job so the look of our homeschool is going to be a little different this year...no history.

2009-2010 Year Plans

World Geography and Cultures:
Our Los Banos-not available to view online at this time but it is basically a high school version of Winter Promise’s Children Around the World program.
We will be also using Trail Guide to World Geography along with Eat Your Way Around the World and Geography Through Art.
We are really looking forward to this study and I have gone ahead and made up a notebook for each of the boys to work through using the student notebook pages that the Trail Guide has put together. I have lots of other goodies to offer as well and I will surely post about them as we go through the year. We are taking a break from chronological history this year for the first time in nine years.

Math:
Saxon Algebra 2 -finishing this one up
Teaching Textbooks Geometry -finishing this one up as well

Science:
Apologia Exploring Creation with Physics with adaptations to fit our CM style. Additional biographies and hands on experiences: solar, electrical, aviation applications. I will be sharing the extras on this subject as well as our year goes by. I may even make a Squidoo lens like I did for Biology and Marine Biology.

Literature:
Tapestry of Grace Year 3-classic with customizing using AO and our personal library. Additional poetry and Shakespeare. I will share our literature plans as we get going with our year.
Poetry Memorization using IEW’s system
Finishing up vocabulary program and then moving into a PSAT prep book

Writing:
Varied kinds of writing using topics from history, science, literature, Bible Study, We will continue to use the IEW system to refine and improve skills leading up to a third term research report on something they choose and a fourth term essay of my choosing. (We have used this system of writing for the last three years and it has been a winner in our family...makes the cost a little more palatable.) I will be sharing our writing topics and projects as we complete them.

Bible:
Daily Bible reading and twenty minutes of personal study. Each of us keeps a personal journal or commonplace book with our thoughts, scriptures we want to remember, and experiences.

Electives:

• Rosetta Stone Spanish -finishing and then deciding on where to go from there
• Auto Upkeep and Maintenance– Mechanical son is requesting this course and I love the format and the content for a fifteen year old boy who is getting ready to drive. He completed a DriversEd.com course this summer and is now ready to start the driving portion before he gets his license. We purchased the course through HomeschoolBuyersCoop.com for a reduced rate.
• Robotics-continuing with NXT Mindstorms
• Harmony Fine Arts Grade 11 Art and Music appreciation with a few adjustments to fit Tapestry of Grace's Year Three timeline.
• PE –still working on Presidential Physical Fitness goals as well as bike riding, skateboarding, snowboarding, basketball, and weight lifting.
• Band: one plays the trumpet and one plays the violin

It always looks like so much once you put it down on paper but because we use a CM style of learning and the boys work independently, in reality it isn't so bad.

We work from around 7:45 AM to usually around 1:30 PM and then the rest of the afternoon is free for them to pursue personal projects and activities. We do not take any outside classes so there isn't any time wasted driving from place to place. This schedule is flexible enough to allow us time to spend lots of time outdoors together every week. We also can take a day or two each month for special projects or outings and not feel like we are "behind".

I think that covers the big stuff. Now I mentally need to prepare to get back to work on August 1oth. It is really hard to imagine that our summer break is just about over but the garden and the weather tell us it is time. Our camping vacations are pleasant memories and they will sustain us over the next few months until fire season is over and my dear husband can take a little time off from his busy work schedule.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Summer Foods Fresh From the Garden

The tomatoes are ripening on the vine and the sun is hot....it must be July.

Enjoying fresh from the garden veggies and herbs is a summer treat.



We made bruschetta last night to go along with our pasta and salad. We have plenty of tomatoes and plenty of basil in the garden. Just add some garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper and then let it chill for at least an hour to blend the flavors. We layer the bruschetta on top of a slice of sourdough bread and we like to sprinkle a little grated mozzarella on top of that. Yum!

We may have some again today.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: Freshen Up

Our last assignment was to sketch a noisy place. I love the creative solutions this week!
Enjoy your slideshow: Noisy Places

This week's assignment: Sketch something you find in your bathroom cabinet.

I was cleaning my bathroom cabinet out and realized how many interesting things there are in there to sketch. Pick something and give it a try! Make your sketch and send it in by Monday, August 3rd. All sketchers are welcome, the more the merrier. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

TOG Year 2-Favorite History and Literature Books and Resources

I decided as I was putting away our books from last year that I wanted to record which ones we liked the best and enjoyed the most. Here are the boys' favorites from Tapestry of Grace Year Two history and literature plans.

Unit 1:
Faith in the Byzantine World by Mary Cunningham


Unit 2:
Historical Atlas of Exploration


King Lear by William Shakespeare


Unit 3:
Pilgrim's Progress



Unit 4:
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin


Gulliver's Travels


I hope this information helps another family pick books for their high school age boys.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Math-U-See Algebra Review

My latest review is posted over at Curriculum Choice. This week I wrote about Math-U-See Algebra and how much we really enjoyed using it with our visual-spatial learner.

I hope you enjoy reading the review and while you are over at Curriculum Choice you might check around to see if there any other reviews for products you are considering for the upcoming school year.

Enjoy, Barb-Harmony Art Mom

High School Planning-Reminders from Charlotte Mason

Each school year seems to take on its own flavor and its own atmosphere. Now that both boys are firmly settled into the high school years, I can see them taking more responsibility for their schoolwork...both in the planning and in the carrying out of the day to day work.

This week I have spent quite some time gathering books and other materials for the upcoming school year. This is always an exciting time in the whole homeschooling process. Now more than ever I find it is important to keep in mind our long term goals since there are so many subjects we could spend our time covering.

It is always helpful to read through some of Charlotte Mason's writings to glean some thoughts to keep me on track.

Here is the quote that spoke to my heart this week:

"If we can only allow ourselves to believe it, we really don't have to manipulate children to learn their lessons. Nature has already taken care of that. If the lessons are the right kind, children will enjoy learning them. The most strenuous effort comes when instilling good habits. But, even then, there is relief. Good intellectual habits form themselves if the appropriate curriculum is followed in the right way. And the right way is this; children must do the work for themselves. They need to read the assigned pages and tell it back. In other words, they need to actively engage their minds with a concerted effort to 'own' the knowledge. We all know the tragic waste of the copious amount of reading we've done that was simply forgotten because we didn't actively work to know it while we read it. Yet this kind of effort is as natural as breathing, and, believe it or not, just as easy. "
Charlotte Mason, volume 6, page 99

It is comforting to be reminded that I have certain responsibilities and my boys have certain responsibilities when it comes to schoolwork and becoming educated. Good habits learned along the way are going to help them to "own" the knowledge and it will come naturally.

For many of us, we started off homeschooling with the thought that we had to teach everything to our children. If they weren't learning, it was all our own fault. Both experience and reading confirming thoughts in Charlotte Mason's books have convinced me that learning doesn't have much to with my teaching abilities but rather how well we have developed good educational habits and how successfully we have made our home a place with a learning atmosphere.


There is one more section in this volume that jumped out at me this time reading through volume six and it has more to do with my attitude towards how to offer certain subjects and to how to steer me away from interfering too much with the actual learning that the boys will be doing with the books and materials that I offer to them this year.

"If you give children a well-written literary book suitable for their age, they'll have no problem dealing with it --they don't need us to spell it out for them. Of course, they won't be able to answer leading questions about it, because questions are an annoyance that all of us resent. But they will be able to tell back the whole thing with their own little individual touches. This might be the key to overcoming the huge difficulty of teaching humanities in English. We don't have to be overwhelmed with the thought of trying to cover such a large body of material at a snail's pace to try to make sure the student gets something out of the author he's reading. The slow process is our own invention.Instead, just let the student read it and tell it back, and he'll know it."
Charlotte Mason, volume 6, page 260

Those thoughts are like a breath of fresh air. Wow! I can hardly wait to get started again just thinking of all the great stuff we are going to learn about this year. Learning together is a whole different ball game than putting the pressure on my back to carry the heavy load of trying to teach it to the boys. We are in this together.

I am ready for another year. The clock is just ticking...August 10th will be the beginning of another adventure.

I will try to develop some posts that will contain what is on the agenda this year. Some things are new and some things are just continuing on from last year. I revamped our art and music to fit better with Tapestry of Grace Year Three which I am eager to share with all of you. I found a terrific auto shop text that I am eager to share. There are a few more things new on the plate this time around.

Once again I find myself thankful to have found Charlotte Mason's writings and that I have had time to really implement them with my youngest two children. They are reaping a bounty of ideas.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Just a Reminder...

No Sketch Tuesday today since I am taking a week break. :)

Make sure to send in your sketch from last week's assignment by Monday, July 27th. Think of a noisy place and sketch it out.

I look forward to seeing all your entries.

Also, today is Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival Day over at my daughter's blog:
Hearts and Trees
Don't miss reading the entries.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Hearts and Trees-New Kit is Available!

Please pop over to Amanda's blog and read about her latest Summer/Fall Art, Nature, and Handicraft Kit.

I can't believe all the great stuff she has this time. She has even added a new art element which includes a 5 page PDF set of art notebooking pages focusing on complementary colors. Her featured artist is Paul Gauguin and she includes an art print in with the kit for you to use.

The nature study element is focused on trees of all sorts and the sewing project this time is really fun and easy!

Here is a sneak peek....you need to click over to her blog to read the entire list of projects included in the latest kit.

Enjoy!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Stretching a HFA Year Plan

This situation comes up a lot in my email so I thought it might help other families if I answered the question on my blog.

Question: How do I stretch one Harmony Fine Arts year plan into two years?

The best way to answer the question is to give you a real life example. The example below is using Harmony Fine Arts Grade Four. In this example I am showing how to take a four week section of HFA and make it into eight weeks by combining the options in the art appreciation section. I suggest that you view the sample from the website or print it out and refer to it during this post. It will definitely make more sense if you have the plans in front of you.

Example of How to Spread Harmony Fine Arts Year Plan into Two Years
Look at the sample page from the HFA website:
Sample

Week One:
View Le Gourmet by Pablo Picasso, make the painting your wallpaper on your computer desktop. Leave it up there for two weeks and discuss it with your children at some point.(option 1)
Read Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artist: Picasso. (option 2)
Week Two:
Continue viewing Le Gourmet
Drawing With Children pages 116-118(read to yourself). Work through Drawing from a Still Life, pages 116-134, choosing an appropriate level for each child. (option 2)

Week Three:
View Three Musicians (option 1)
Work with the Picasso cards (option 3)
Color one of the Picasso coloring book pages (option 3)
Week Four:
Continue viewing Three Musicians
Drawing With Children pages 117-118(read to yourself). Complete the still life that you started in week 2 or make a new one. (option 2)
Week Five:
View Weeping Woman (option 1)
Complete a notebook page for Picasso using link provided and notebook page provided.(option 2)
Week Six:
Continue viewing Weeping Woman
Work some more with the Picasso cards, perhaps sketching one in your art journal. (option 3)
Color another of the Picasso coloring book pages. (option 3)
Week Seven:
View Girl With a Boat (option 1)
Drawing with Children pages 135-140. Choose another still life and use markers. (option 2)
Week Eight:
Continue viewing Girl With a Boat
Review Picasso. Discuss favorite paintings and perhaps follow the link in the Notes section to view more of his paintings.
Make sure to finish up your notebook page. (option 2)
Complete any other Picasso coloring pages from the coloring book. (option 3)

You can see how I mixed up the activities from the three art appreciation options in the Harmony Fine Arts plans for year four. This sort of combining can be done with any of the year plans you choose. If you ever need some help or suggestions about particular years and how to stretch them out over two years, please email me at anytime.

I talk about combining options in HFA in this podcast if you would like more information: Harmony Fine Arts Podcast: Combining Options

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: Noisy Place

Last week's assignment was to sketch an insect. I even found time to sketch an insect from our latest pond adventure. Insects can be such interesting subjects for your nature journal. After getting inspired by drawing this week's insect, keep a record of other insects you see this summer in a sketch book. I am making it a goal to sketch five more insects in my nature journal.

Here is your slideshow: Creepy Crawlies

I will be taking a break next week from Sketch Tuesday but you can still keep sketching. Look at past assignments that you did not complete and sketch something just for fun.

Next assignment, due July 27th: Sketch a noisy place.

I was thinking of all the noisy places we encounter each week.

Luncheon of the Boating Party, Renoir
I imagine this to be a very noisy place.....fun but noisy.

If you can't think of a noisy place to sketch, please feel free to sketch a part of the painting above. If you click the link, it will take you to a larger version of the painting to take a good look at.

Make your sketch and send it in by Monday, July 27th. Send your sketch to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com.

All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Dover Art Cards Review -Updated

I posted an updated review of Dover Art Cards, both how to use them and how to store them. I think you will enjoy seeing how we use these cards in our family.

Dover Art Cards on Curriculum Choice

While you are over at Curriculum Choice, why not check out some of the other reviews?

Enjoy,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

This One Will make You Smile! Amazing!

I can't resist sharing this YouTube video with you. Don't miss it! At the very least, watch the choir make a "storm"!




Don't you just have to smile now?

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sculpey Projects-Great Summer Creative Fun

Sculpey clay is an amazing product. You can start with a bunch of left over pieces in the box...little bits and pieces that look more like you should toss them out than try to make something with them and after a little effort and creativity, you have something beautiful.



Four of us sat down with the boxes of Sculpey and worked on making some beads for various projects I have started. We used The Incredible Clay Book for inspiration. Mostly we just played around with the clay and had fun.


We used the Bright Colors set and the Basic Colors set along with all the bits and pieces. The amazing thing about this clay is that it does not dry out. It will get a little stiff but with a little rolling between your hands, the warmth softens it right up. We read in the book to chill your knife for slicing the projects and it worked great. After the beads were rolled, we used a toothpick to make a hole so they can be stringed on the other projects.

When you are ready, you can bake them in the oven for a few minutes and they are hard. Easy as pie!


The hearts were my hubby's gift to me. I am not sure what I will do with them yet but isn't he a great guy to work with clay alongside the kids?

In case you are wondering, the big yellow object at the top of the photo is a clay taco that my son made me. It is not every day you get a clay taco. Fun.

I highly recommend Sculpey clay for lots of creative fun.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom




These are not the exact sets that I have, but you will get the idea of what to look for when you go to your local art supply store. This clay is not cheap but it lasts forever and you can use it for so many things.

Cleaning My Shelves and I Would Love For You To Help Me Out

I have been busy cleaning and organizing my shelves. I have quite a few items listed for sale over on The Well-Trained Mind Boards. There seems to be a lot of items for sale right now so my posts keep getting buried.

I would love for you to take advantage of my great prices.

Here are the links to view:

More Roots, English Literature for Boys and Girls, Botany, Saxon Algebra, and Much More Still a lot of this available. Sold.

Story of the World, volume 1 and 3 still available. Sold.

TOG Year 2 Books-misc books for mostly rhetoric and dialectic stage. There are few books left.

History of Medicine Still available.

Exploring Creation with Marine Biology (Apologia) with lots of extras. This all has sold. Thanks.

I really would like to clear this all out this week. Make me some offers. If you are interested, please email me at: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Sketch Tuesday: Creepy Crawlies!

Last week's assignment was to draw a fence. I wasn't so sure how these would turn out, but you did a fantastic job!


Here is the slideshow: Don't Fence Me In!











This week's assignment, due July 13th: Sketch an insect....close up if you can!


All sketchers are welcome! Whether you have ever participated before or not, please feel free to give it a try. Make your sketch and then send it in by Monday, July 13th and I will include it in Tuesday's slideshow. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com.

Thanks to all who participated this week. I love seeing your sketches.

Just a note: You must pop over to Curriculum Choice and read Brenda's review of Amanda's Hearts and Trees Art, Nature, and Handicraft Kits! Brenda did an excellent review with some awesome photos! I know Amanda has some of the spring kits still in stock and she is going to be releasing her summer kit any day now....don't miss out on these great kits for some summertime fun.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Art and Music Appreciation for Preschoolers Using Harmony Fine Arts

Question from a reader:
"I know you have year 1 for children older than my daughter (3.5) but she loves classical so much and knows composers and such so I was wondering if you think it is ok to go ahead and start her in year one and would we just keep moving through the years although ahead of the curve? Would she be ok as far as it not going over her head?"

Here is my response:
Instead of going faster, go deeper into your study.

For music appreciation, one idea for you is to go ahead and start with Harmony Fine Arts Year One but take it slowly. Take twice the time with each of the composers....eight weeks instead of four.

The Lives of the Musicians might be a little too much for a 3 1/2 year old, but I would love to suggest that you look at your library for any of the Opal Wheeler biographies for composers that you can find. They are wonderful book for little ones to introduce them to the composers. These books are not scheduled in Harmony Fine Arts but they are a great supplement for older children and a fantastic substitute for younger children.


You might also enjoy listening to the Classics for Kids programs online. They are short "radio show" type programs that you can listen to for many composers.

As far as art appreciation with HFA Grade 1, you might think about using Option 1 and Option 3 together. Option one is picture study and you could use the suggested paintings and then pick 2 or 3 more to study to extend the length of each artist. This is easy to do with the links I give you with the plans in the Notes section. Option three uses Child Size Masterpieces and they are perfect for your daughter's age. The first level in Child Size Masterpieces really is meant for young children. If you would like to read a review of these painting cards, you can find one I wrote on Curriculum Choice.

The coloring books in Harmony Fine Arts Option three might be too much for a three year old, the lines are pretty small, but you could supplement with coloring pages from this website:
Enchanted Learning Artist Coloring Pages
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/artists/coloring/

Here is a link to the materials for HFA Grade One, make sure to check out Child Size Masterpieces!
Harmony Fine Arts Grade One Materials

Another idea is to use Option One and Three now with your daughter and then come back next year and do Option Two when she is a bit older. This way you get two years from one year plan.

Since you have a lot of time and can spend longer on each artist and composer, check your library for picture books about artists.

Remember: Instead of going faster, go deeper into your study.

If anyone has any further questions about Harmony Fine Arts, please email me anytime. harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Music is such a release for me. When I am having stress...I pull out some music and play it LOUD.

Today I needed some music to be the soundtrack of my day and I asked my boys what they wanted to listen to since they were hanging out in the same room. One shouted, "Rachmaninoff"!

Rachmaninoff? Perfect to play loud and chase the stress away.

My favorite piece by Rachmaninoff is Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. It has everything in it. Fast, slow, loud, soft, romance, galloping horses, flying birds, scary, running water, wind, gentle breezes.....you name it. This piece is like a complete storybook if you listen to the entire thing. Sergei takes you on a rollercoaster ride with his music...up high, down low, and then back up again.

Aren't we glad we have YouTube.com?

My favorite of the three videos is the third one...I get tears in my eyes every time I listen to the beginning of this one. Truly awesome sound...and emotions. If you only have time to listen to one of the sections, pick the third one. Big Finish!!!

Here are three videos that include the *entire* piece. The sound quality on these are fantastic. Listen loud or put on headphones.

Guaranteed to chance the stress away!


Rachmaninoff: Video 1





Rachmaninoff: Video 2



Rachmaninoff: Video 3

My favorite inexpensive Rachmaninoff CD.

Picture Study Tip: Using A Viewfinder

Picture study can take many forms. Here are some ideas to get you started!


Using a viewfinder can make picture study easy and not so overwhelming.

Cut a window out of cardstock and use the opening to isolate a section of a painting. Focus on that little section and then perhaps draw it for your notebook.


This painting by Gauguin that I printed out in 8" by 10" size has a lot of things going on to narrate about. Sliding the viewfinder over the painting, find a view that is interesting. The viewfinder helps isolate specific areas of the painting to observe and then to recreate in your notebook if you want to.


By moving the viewfinder, you get a different section of the image to enjoy and focus on. Here you can see the blue palm tree. This viewfinder is four inches square and I cut it out of a large index card.


This is the same Gauguin painting but this time you see the woman and her horse using the rectangular viewfinder. This rectangle is 4 1/4" by 2 1/2", but you can vary your size to fit your needs. I used cardstock to make this one.


How about this famous painting by Grant Wood? You can use the viewfinder to capture just one section to study and then narrate about either in words or in your sketchbook.

For a challenge, use a small square viewfinder and try to copy exactly what you see through the opening. This opening is one inch square and made with a regular index card.

I use a Post It Note tab (the red tab) to hold the card in place while the kids sketch what they see in the opening.


This is not as easy as it seems. This Picasso eye has a lot of shapes and colors to copy but it is a fun exercise. (The sketch on the right was done by my son when he was five.)

This is a great way to add some variety to your art appreciation. Use the viewfinder to help your child get started with picture study.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom