Harmony Art Mom

He Has Done It Again

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0000

I have practically worn out my first David Fray CD with his uplifting Bach music. You may remember I shared his YouTube video with you previously. If you haven't watched it yet, you are missing a treat.

I think he has done it again with his new Schubert CD.

Here is the latest YouTube video.

Pop over to Amazon.com and check out some more samples.

So many of you have asked me to share my music list and I have sat down to write it out quite a few times, but I end up getting so sidetracked listening to my favorite stuff that I never finish. One of these days I will get the list published on Amazon.com and share it with you all.

You can take a look at Harmony Fine Arts materials pages in each grade and find a lot of my favorite music. In the meantime, make sure to check out the David Fray CD....it has blown me away with its beauty.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Here is the previous David Fray CD that I talked about.

Sketch Tuesday: Sharp as a Tack

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Great sketches this week of something that smells good! Thank you to everyone who participated....I love to see what everyone comes up with for their sketches. All are unique. :)

There are just a few sketches but I appreciate every single one...

Here is your slideshow:
Something Smells Good!

This week's assignment, due Monday, December 28th: Sketch Something Sharp.
(Please keep it rated G and I will not post anything with blood or violence.)

Everyone is welcome to sketch. Send in your sketches to sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, December 28th and they will be included in Tuesday's slideshow.

Enjoy your week!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

High School Transcript Thoughts

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Hut in Snow-Caspar David Friedrich, 1827

Here is a questions I received recently in a comment:

I was wondering what would your transcript look like for 10th grade? I am currently using a curriculum that is driving to the brink ...??? I have modified our subjects at times to make them more like CM. I seem to have a hard time translating what we do onto a hs transcript. Am I thinking about it too hard? Do you have a guideline? A Sample you could share. I know ours would be different because of our goals - but any comments may help.
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Here is a glimpse into how I translated our 1oth grade onto our high school transcript.

First of all, I used the guidelines from Tapestry of Grace to come up with course titles and credit ideas. (Follow the TOG link to see more on their advice for transcripts.) I try to keep things simple and by combining things we do into one course, you get the basic idea of what we are covering in a year. I use hours to come up with credits.

Classic Literature of the Western World 1 credit
World History: Fall of Rome to 1800 -1 credit
Marine Biology - 1 credit
Geometry - 1 credit
Spanish 2 - 1 credit
Band -1/2 credit
History of Fine Arts-Western World 2 -1/2 credit
PE -1/2 credit
Robotics - 1/2 credit

I also include on a separate sheet all of the extras that the boys participate in aside from their formal courses. This is more of a narrative style discussion of what is not reflected in the list of credited courses.

I try not to think about transcripts too much, but I do keep records of all we do in Homeschool Tracker. This gives me a way to remember all that we have accomplished and then put it into a transcript that makes sense for our family.

Hope that helps.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Good Start on Our Winter Break List

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

We had a fantastic time making our chocolate dipped pretzels.

This led to chocolate dipped marshmallows.

These goodies are going into our family recipe book to make for treats in the future.

Easy recipe for chocolate dipped pretzels:
12 oz chocolate chips (we used semi-sweet)
2 tablespoons butter
Bag of pretzel rods

Melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave and then dip. We had an easier time putting the chocolate on a rubber spatula and then rolling the pretzels in the chocolate on the spatula. We put ours onto foil to get solid and then I stored them in an air tight container.

The other fun activity we did this past week was to go to an indoor trampoline place with a group of friends. I did not even know such a place existed but it does and it was packed with jumpers and observers. (In the photo above, Amanda is facing us in the teal and my youngest son has his back to us in the shorts.)

All of my children had a blast bouncing and jumping and laughing for a solid hour before they declared it was enough! (In this one Amanda has the purple shirt and my middle son is in the shorts.)

We will definitely be going back to this place soon.

Fun stuff!

Perfect for Our Geography and Cultures Study!

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:14:00 +0000

Check out the video HERE.

We will be looking forward to this movie....it will be perfect for our World Geography and Cultures study.

Featuring four babies from the United States, Mongolia, Japan, and Namibia.

Fascinating stuff.

Barb
HT to Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly

Middle of the Night

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Many nights I wake up at 3 AM and worry. I worry about a variety of things but near the top of the list every time is my inner dialogue about how I can fit everything in during these last few years of high school and the worry that I am not doing a good job.

The dialogue goes something like this:

ME: You are going to leave something out of their education that is vitally important.

me: There are always going to be holes so do your best and it will all work out.

ME: You haven't made them a. work hard enough b. work to a deadline c. stick to a schedule.

me: Look at all you have accomplished lately. They are beginning to be really self-motivated.

ME: You should have kept to a more traditional course of study.

me: But that is why we chose to homeschool these boys, so we could have a little freedom to do things our own way.

ME: They are not involved in any outside classes. When do they get to socialize with their friends?

me: (this one is really tough to argue) They are friends with each other and when the opportunities do arise for association outside the family, they enjoy it thoroughly.

You get the idea. I spend time mentally chasing myself around and around.

Why do I do this? During the daylight hours I feel confident and sure of myself. In the dark, middle of the night hours I feel a panic over the whole homeschooling through high school decision.

My youngest has two years left. My oldest has one year left. Gulp.

What helps calm me, besides lots of fervent prayers, is to be proactive.

Keep our goals in mind.
Be flexible with shifts in goals and remember that all paths will eventually lead us to the end of the high school course.
Keep my expectations high and our options open.
Allow time for the boys to stretch and grow.
Be vigilant to watching the boys for increased interest or waning interest in topics and hobbies.
Build enthusiasm for our subjects by finding something to be interested in and allowing the boys to create a fondness for some aspect of each subject.
Talk as a family about how our course choices are going for each boy and get other family members involved if possible.

I have printed out our long term goals and put them right inside the front cover of my planning binder. This keeps them in mind when I come across some project or activity that I want to include in our school day. I can easily check our goals to see if this particular project or activity fulfills some part of our goal.

I know that we have graduated one son already from high school and he has not found anything that has held him back because of being homeschooled through high school. He is getting ready to graduate from college and you would think that would give me an additional boost in confidence. Also, my 11th grader just recently passed with flying colors the California High School Proficiency Exam. All of these things should boost my sense of staying the course.

Perhaps I am just a worrier by nature and I wish I had some sort of safety net to assure me that I was doing everything I should be doing. It takes a lot of courage to homeschool through high school.

10 Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not gaze about, for I am your God. I will fortify you. I will really help you. I will really keep fast hold of you with my right hand of righteousness.’ 13 For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand, the One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I myself will help you.’ Isaiah 41:10, 13

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: Something Smells Good

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Last week's assignment was to draw a tree out your window. I wanted to thank everyone that sent in sketches this week since I know many of you are already on your winter break or you are really busy with other activities. I appreciate your time.

Here is the slideshow: Out Your Window-Trees

This week's assignment, due Monday, December 21st:
Sketch Something That Smells Good

Everyone is welcome to sketch. Send in your sketches to sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, December 21st and they will be included in Tuesday's slideshow.

Have a great week!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

December Edition of the Hands-On Homeschool Carnival

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000

This is my first time hosting the Hands-On Homeschool Blog Carnival. I love when our family can add in some sort of activity to our learning day that makes it more meaningful and interesting. The blog entries in this edition of the carnival are all great ideas that you can implement in your own homeschool so be inspired!

Photo from Brenda's Blog
Leonardo's Inventions: Brenda from The Tie That Binds Us shares this fantastic entry showing how their family enjoyed a book that I actually have on my shelf as well. This very hands-on project based book ties science and history together. Check out her entry to learn how they made some webbed gloves and their very own plastic!

Photo from Tristan's blog.
Home-Dyed Play Silks: Tristan from Our Busy Homeschool gives us the steps to dye our very own play silks with a surprising product! You may even have it in your pantry at this very moment. Hmmmmm....too bad my boys are too old to really appreciate a set of truly beautiful play silks.

Photo from Amy's blog.
Ukrainian Feast and Games: Amy at Eclectic Homeschooling writes about their family's hands-on study of the country of Ukraine. This country has a soft spot in my heart ever since I was able to visit there years ago and Amy has passed on a love of the country to her children as well. Check out her entry for some wonderful food ideas, costumes ideas, and games.

Photo from Amy's blog.
Peppermint Patties and Adam and Eve: Amy also shares at Eclectic Homeschooling a delicious lesson from their ancient history study. How did she know that Peppermint Patties are my absolute favorite candy?

Photo from Melissa's blog.
Keeping a Nature Calendar: Melissa shares how their family is going to be keeping track of the things they find to observe and learn about from their nature walks. Pop over to In The Sparrow's Nest to read her entry to the carnival. I love this idea!

Photo from Ritsumei's blog.
School Food: Ritsumei from Baby Steps was also learning with food this time around. She shares how they use various aspects of preparing food as part of their learning this time around.

Photo from Cindy's blog.
Decoupaged Notebooks: Cindy sent in this entry from her blog Our Journey Westward showing a really easy but elegant project that turns a notebook into a piece of art. I am thinking my kids need to make these for their Bible notebooks this term. Thanks for the wonderful and easy idea!

Are You Reading to Your Children? Autumn writes a thoughtful entry on her blog Homeschooling in Kerrville reminding us of the importance of reading aloud to our children. Let's all make reading to our children a priority or if we already have a regular reading aloud time in place....remind yourself of the reasons why you need to keep up this very good habit!

Photo from Amy's blog
Making a Coracle: One more entry from Amy at Eclectic Homeschooling sharing their hands-on project from their ancient history study. What is a coracle? You will need to click over and find out!

Photo from Angie's blog.
Fun Fridays: A Day For Fun!: Angie has a whole list of fun and engaging projects for her boys to choose from for their Friday Fun Days. Click over to her blog at The One Thing to be inspired to include some fun in your week.

Photo from Jimmie's blog.
Living Math with Angles: Jimmie has been working hard this year to make math a hands-on learning project. Her entry this time around from her blog Jimmie's Collage is all about angles. This looks like a great learning experience and a lot of fun as well.

Photo from Richele's blog.
Handwriting and Brush Painting: Richele from Barefoot Voyage shares this wonderful entry showing how her family is transforming handwriting practice into a form of artwork using Japanese Magic Paper and making their own inks.

Photo from Casey's blog.
Pecan Tree Nature Study: Casey at Bumpin' Along the Road Less Traveled shares an entry dear to my heart and is my favorite sort of hands on learning. Nature study done with the whole family right in their very own backyard. This is a great example of how much fun simple nature study can be. You must click over to see all their adorable and fun photos from their day. Thanks Casey for being such a faithful follower of the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

Photo from Angie's blog.
Handicraft/Life Skills Spotlight and Challenge: Angie has come up with a great idea to spotlight a skill each week on her blog. The post she shares for the carnival on her blog The One Thing outlines how it will work along with a lot of great ideas to get us started with some hands on projects.

That is it for this edition of the Hands-On Homeschool Blog Carnival. I am sending a great big thank you to all of the participants and I hope you are as inspired by reading each other's blog entries as I have been this week.

If you would like to submit an entry for the next carnival on January 11, 2010 posting over at Mountaineer Country, here is the link:
Hands-On Homeschool Blog Carnival

Hope you enjoyed the carnival!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Term Exam Grade 11 (Charlotte Mason Style)

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0000

School for the final week of this term is going to be filled up with Charlotte Mason style term exams. These are not the sort of term exams that put fear into the hearts of my children, but rather the kind of exams that they actually look forward to. It is an odd concept for many who have never tried this sort of exercise, but if you plan the exam right your children will look at them as the means to share what they have learned and wrap up their projects for the end of the term.

I am very grateful to have found this method of examination for my boys for two reasons. I get a glimpse into what they really know and it gives them a chance to shine. They know the exams are coming and pretty much what will be expected of them so there are no big surprises when they receive the official assignments.

I always enjoy reading other family's Charlotte Mason style exam questions so in the spirit of sharing.....here is one of our exams. (lindafay actually inspired our first Charlotte Mason style exam years ago....thanks lindafay.)

Oh, before the exam you need to read my little disclaimer.
Please remember that my boys are in high school, they have always homeschooled, they have had lots of practice with this sort of exam, and we have been using Charlotte Mason's ideas in our homeschooling for about four years. You should not try to compare the nuts and bolts of what we are doing to your family because your family has a different focus and a completely different set of goals.

Just thought of another note: We do actually complete "normal" type testing during the term for the following subjects: algebra 2, vocabulary, physics, Spanish, and auto shop. These are the tests that come with the particular curriculum we use so the term exam is in addition to those as-we-go-along tests.

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Now here is my 11th grader's term exam.

Algebra 2: Complete assigned lessons and turn in your notebook. In addition, share with your Dad how you arrive at the quadratic equation.

All paintings in this blog post are Paul Cezanne's work and found on Wikimedia Commons.

Art and Music: Complete your Cezanne project and display it on black cardstock. Complete your Brahms notebook page and share your focus piece with the family. Finish any Pen and Ink assignments and then choose one for me to make into a notecard to send to your grandparents.

Bible: Recite this terms scriptures from memory (all six of them). Turn in your commonplace book for my review.

Geography: Turn in your notebook for my review. Fill in your maps of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East with as many countries as you can. Fill in as many European capitals as you can on the map. In addition, choose one country you have studied this term and make a display of your work including: map, notebook pages, sketches and art work, food item or the recipe, current event, animal or geology notebook page. It is optional to dress up in a costume for the unit celebration.

Literature: Wrap up and turn in your Les Miserables commonplace book and watch the movie with the family. In addition, choose one of your free reading books and write a one page review as if you were writing it for Amazon.com.

English: Recite the six poems we have memorized this term. Choose ten words from your vocabulary lessons to stump the family with at our Unit Celebration. Polish and add illustrations to your last writing assignment (research report). Email the finished piece to everyone in the family so we can read it and make comments.

PE: Take your President's Physical Fitness exams and record your results. Make new goals for next term.

Physics: Turn in your notebook and lab work. Make sure your commonplace book is up to date for your additional reading assignments in Physics of Nascar and Physics for Future Presidents. Also, pick a topic or a physics concept from this term and make up a science experiment and worksheet for a middle school student to complete. For example: Use Legos to demonstrate one of Newton's Laws of Motion.

Spanish: Write six complete sentences in Spanish using vocabulary from the term's lessons and then read these sentences out loud in your very best Spanish accent for the family.

Auto Shop: Organize your notebook and lab sheets to turn in for review. Tell me four things you found valuable from the term's lessons and labs.

Robotics: Complete and demonstrate the Push Bot project.

Fun Stuff for Our Winter Break or Love Having a List!

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:21:00 +0000

Poor Woman of the Village by Courbet.
From Wikimedia Commons.

Last year we made a list of all the things we wanted to do over our Winter Break and it really was a lot of fun squeezing everything in. It kept us in mind of projects, recipes, and activities that make our time off special.

I thought you might like to see our list for this time around.
Update 12/23/09

1. Make chocolate dipped pretzels. Done!
2. Play board games every Wednesday night. (We played Life and Uno Attack this week already.) So far so good. (More Uno Attack and Sequence this week.)
3. Snowboarding with the boys. Purchased their passes.
4. Homemade pizza night with friends or maybe we will go out. Done!
5. Put together a puzzle as a family. Done!
6. Organize photos for scrapbooking: Fall 09, Palm Springs 09 trip, Hawaii 09 trip. Done!
7. Find a shelf for the newly remodeled bathroom and hang one of the photos I had enlarged. (This means a trip to IKEA.)
8. Visit Aunt Liz-eight hours of driving.
9. Take all the bags of decluttered items to the Hospice Thrift Shop for our donation.
10. Finish planning our new garden boxes and organize what we will grow next summer.
11. Plan and start painting the tiles for the kitchen backsplash. (Everyone is going to help with this project.)
12. Help Amanda with her winter kit projects and finish up the Winter Series of the Outdoor Hour Challenges. Almost Done.
13. Have our Unit Celebration for this term. (I will post on that after we have it next week.)Done!

I will keep you updated on our progress.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

"Life Should Be Full of Living"

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:07:00 +0000

"When I say that life should be full of living, I mean that we should be in touch and able to relate with some genuine interest no matter where we are, what we hear, or what we see. This kind of interest isn't something we give to children. In fact, we'd prefer that children never say that they've learned botany or chemistry or conchology or geology or astronomy, or whatever. The question isn't how much a student knows after he's completed his education, but how much he cares, and how many categories of things he cares about."
Charlotte Mason, volume 3, pg 171

Our study of world geography has evolved over the last sixteen weeks. We no longer are content to study maps and dry facts. Realizing that in the past we learned all our geography in relation to our history study, much of which included a thorough knowledge of some places that no longer exist or are considerably different in the century we find ourselves in now, we have tried to adapt our study to include a more thorough knowledge of modern geography, people, and environments.

I think the above quote by Charlotte Mason sums up what we are finding in our geography study. The more we dig into our areas of interest, the more we really *care* about the country. Two things have captured the interest of us all and one of them will probably be of no great surprise to those that read my blog with any frequency. :)

Current events: Both of my teens love to find current events to share from the country of the week. They use online research to find an article to read. They then write about it or print the article out for their notebook. Sharing these articles on Fridays during our meeting together is always interesting and lively. Many times the article brings up questions where we need to do more research in order to understand the background of the issue. This digging around for more facts brings us closer to understanding far away peoples and cultures. (Cuba notebook page is from History Scribe-Geo Scribe: Nations of the World.)
If you purchase these at CurrClick.com right now, they are at a major discount!

Nature Study topics: We choose at the beginning of the week an area for each of them to research as it pertains to animals, plants, or the geology of the country. (Gems nature notebook page is from the Trail Guide World Geography Student Notebook.)

Here are some samples of the notebook pages from our study of Canada.

This was a lot of fun to read and very interesting. Because our time is limited for geography study each week, we really have to watch how much time we spend following rabbit trails.

Researching the information takes some skill and effort. I love the way they only record information that interests them. I can feel their enthusiasm for the subject at our meetings on Fridays and like Charlotte Mason said in the above quote, "...the question isn't how much the student knows.....but how much he cares....".
(The notebook page is one that was offered during the Outdoor Hour Challenge series on mammals last winter.)

We still are completing a fairly traditional high school geography course but taking the geography study to a higher level of personal interest has changed the whole look and feel of our week.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: View from Your Window

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:21:00 +0000

This week's entry has been delayed because of a huge snowstorm and a power outage. I just had my power turned back on and have had a chance to gather all the sketches for the week.

Here is what my back deck looked like yesterday.

We are now warm and cozy inside with schoolwork open on the table. We took a big snow day yesterday and enjoyed lots of games and good hot food.

Here is our back deck this morning in the sunshine.

Now for the slideshow: Coral Reef

Next week's assignment, due Monday, December 14th: Sketch a tree you can see from your window.

As always, everyone is welcome to sketch and if you send in your sketches by Monday, December 14th, I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com.

Have a great week!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Cookie Baking: Gingersnaps in the Cookie Jar

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Now that my daughter has moved out on her own, my number one cookie baker is not around to keep us stocked in home baked goods. I have had to dust off my cookie baking skills and get busy!

Seriously, I am enjoying the cookie making activity. My youngest son has been my accomplice more than once lately and he may eventually take over some of the baking. Sometimes I forget that boys like to do stuff in the kitchen just as much as girls do, so I am working harder on including my teens as I work in the kitchen.

When my daughter did the baking in the house, she had her favorite recipes and stuck to those. Gingersnaps were not on her list, but I love a really fresh homemade gingersnap. This recipe came from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

____________________________________________________________
Gingersnaps

A thin, crisp, spicy, crinkly topped gingersnap, easily made by hand or in the food processor.

¾ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar, plus extra to roll the cookies in
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease some cookie sheets.
Beat together the shortening and 1 cup of the sugar. Add the egg, and beat until light and fluffy, then add the molasses. Stir and toss together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon, and add to the first mixture, beating until smooth and blended.

Gather up bits of the dough and roll them between the palms of your hands into 1 inch balls, then roll each ball in sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies have spread and the tops have cracked. Remove from the sheets and cool on a rack.

___________________________________________________________

These cookies are very easy to make so it takes me less than an hour to cook a whole batch (about 3 dozen cookies). I roll the balls for the next tray as the previous ones are in the oven, keeping ahead of the timer.

Coming out of the oven they fill the whole house with a spicy aroma.

I love my Pampered Chef baking stone and is the perfect way to get a terrific gingersnap.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: November Slideshow and New Assignment

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The month of November proved to be just as busy as I expected and it was a nice change to have all the assignments planned out ahead of time.

I really did miss the weekly slideshows so we will go back to the regular format for the month of December.

The assignments that are included in this week's slideshow are:
Sketch a famous landmark.
Sketch a sunset.
Sketch something with ears.
Sketch a pie or something you make into a pie.

November Slideshow

Your next assignment, due Monday, December 7th:
Sketch something you would find in a coral reef.
(I just got back from snorkeling in Hawaii and I am inspired to draw something colorful that I saw on my adventures.)

All sketchers are welcome, moms and dads too! You can send in your sketches for the slideshow by Monday, December 7th and I will include them on Tuesday morning. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com.

Have fun!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Last Call for November Sketches!

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:14:00 +0000

Please send in any remaining November sketches by Monday evening, November 30th, in order to be included in Tuesday's slideshow.
Send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com

Here are the assignments.

Sketch a famous landmark.
Sketch a sunset.
Sketch something with ears.
Sketch a pie or something you make into a pie.

Homeschool Family Fitness-Review

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I recently wrote about our physical education activities with our high school age boys. I mentioned the Homeschool Family Fitness book and received some inquiries about it that I thought I would answer here on the blog.

First of all, if you read the reviews on Amazon.com you no doubt read the really long negative review that blasted Homeschool Family Fitness. I did not agree with a lot of what the reviewer wrote and felt compelled to write a response here on my blog.

Just some quick thoughts.

We don't use this book every week. I pull it out to use the forms and charts shared in the book as a way to keep track of my sons' fitness progress.
We only have the book and have found it adequate...no DVD required.
When they were younger, I would use the book to remind me of games that I had forgotten about since childhood.
As homeschoolers there are many games that are hard to play with just a few children and I think the book does a great job of adapting things to small groups or just a single child.
I never expected this book to be the only book or source of information for our physical education plans. I supplement with first aid, nutrition, and general boys' health resources.
I view this book as a great resource of activity reminders, games to expose my boys to over the course of their education, and as a source of great forms and record-keeping materials.

I am very happy with my purchase of this homeschool resource and the fact that it has stayed on our shelf for a number of years is testimony to the fact that I find it valuable and worth keeping.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

This is the Good Stuff: High School

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:31:00 +0000

It has been awhile since I wrote up a Weekly Wrap-Up post. November has been a very busy month with school, traveling, bathroom remodeling, and family life. Gratefully, my boys kept on track with their schoolwork even though I was distracted.

I will give you the highlights of our month along with a few photos.

Literature: Les Miserable has been a delightful book to share with the boys at this age (14 and 16). They knew the basic storyline from a previous reading of a junior book so this time through with the complete version, we are able to discuss and write about the themes and characters we discovered in this classic. We are taking this reading a little more slowly than our other reading so far this year.....thanks Charlotte Mason for the permission to do so.

World Geography: We researched and learned so much about Central American countries. Our public library had very little current information about this part of the world so we turned to online sources for this portion of our geography study. Our favorite online source for our geography study is the CIA World Factbook.

Art and Music: Both my boys chose Paul Cezanne for their artist during the month of November. Each week Mr. B puts up his picture study subject on my computer desktop and we enjoy it all week long. This is such an easy way to enjoy paintings with little fuss.

Writing: IEW is coming through again as a source of great teaching tips for our high school writing. I am preparing the boys to write a full-blown research paper next semester by working through Unit 6 of IEW. This unit explains and steps us through using multiple resources and fusing together an outline before writing the body of the report. We have done Unit 6 before but this is the first time I have completely left them on their own to pull resources and pick topics. My "big picture" plans are to complete another research report or two during the first nine weeks of the next term and then write what IEW calls the "Super Essay" during the last nine weeks. We'll see how it pans out in real life.

Physics and Algebra 2: Not much to talk about here except that the boys are plugging along. Mr. A keeps asking me if physics is more like science or math. Good question. If you look at the practice and review questions on his paper, you would swear it was math but the thinking is most decidedly scientific.

Electives-Robotics and Auto Shop: We are continuing to work on our robotics assignment from the Mayan Adventure book. Auto Shop is truckin' right along and I seem to be reaping the benefits with a clean car, the fluids checked frequently, the battery checked, and other maintenance type things that never seem to get done.

Those are the academic highlights of the last few weeks. We have three weeks left in this term so that will make two terms down and two to go.

If you didn't already know, NotebookingPages.com is having a huge sale right now and everything is 35% off until Monday, November 30th.

I wrote a post recently outlining just how we use notebook pages in our family.
Notebook Pages in a Charlotte Mason Homeschool

Note: Just so you know...I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and if you do purchase any pages using the above link, I receive a small commission. I only recommend products that I have personally reviewed and used for at least six months with my own family.

Hope you have a great week....
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Latest Edition: Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Just a quick reminder about the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival over at Under the Golden Apple Tree.

Don't miss my favorite entries:
Charlotte Mason and Exams

Our Shakespeare Unit

Happy Reading.

Sketch Tuesday: Assignment Reminders for November

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:07:00 +0000

I have to admit that I am beginning to miss our slideshows. :)

We are still sketching each week and I hope you are too. Remind your children that they can send in their favorite sketches for the end of the month slideshow and we will look forward to a fabulous slideshow at that time.

Assignments:
November 10th Sketch a famous landmark.

November 17th Sketch a sunset with the added challenge to use oil pastels if you would like to try a different medium. (You can sketch from a photo if you would like.)

November 23rd Sketch something with ears.

November 30th Sketch something you make into a pie or the pie itself.

What I would like to do is to have you send in your very best sketches from the month during the last week in November and I will make a big slideshow to share on Tuesday, December 1st.

Sketches for the Month of November will be due Monday, November 30th. (Of course, if it makes it easier on you, you can always send them in at any time during the month and I will hold onto them.)

Send sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com

"An Appreciative Look or Comment"

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:08:00 +0000

How to Use the Right Books (according to Charlotte Mason)

"So much for how to tell which are the right books. The right way to use them is another matter. The children need to enjoy the book. Each of the ideas in the book needs to make a sudden delightful impact on the child's mind, causing an intellectual awakening that signifies that an idea has been born. The teacher's role in this is to see and feel for himself, and then to prompt his students with an appreciative look or comment. But he needs to be careful that he doesn't deaden the impression of the idea with too much talking. Intellectual sympathy is stimulating, but we've all been like the little girl who said, 'Mom, I think I'd be able to understand it if you'd stop explaining so much.' One teacher said this about a student--'I find it so hard to tell whether she's really grasped the concept, or whether she just knows the mechanics of getting the right answer.' Children are like little monkeys. All they usually get from a flood of explanations is the trick of coming up with the right answer."
Charlotte Mason, Volume 3, pg 179

Sometimes when you are reading from Charlotte Mason's books you have moments where it becomes clear that you are in need of some changes in your own attitude. We can agonize over what books to offer our children and then mess it up by explaining them too much or by trying to quiz them to see if they know all the "right answers". We can train them to be like little monkeys....or so Charlotte Mason says.

We are currently reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I actually am reading this book for the very first time and trying to experience what my boys go through as they read a well written novel with wonderful characters and a plot that keeps you wondering what will happen next. I am making notes in the margins and marking sections to share at our meetings, not answering a list of predetermined questions with each week's reading but rather just savoring the tale and talking it over on Fridays.

Here are some of the things we discussed last week.
1. Why is the book called Les Miserables?
2. Why does Jean Valjean reveal his identity to save another man only to be arrested? What would we have done?
3. What is Javert's problem?
4. We talked about why Fantine gave up her hair and teeth to send money to Cosette and how a mother's love is so strong that it compels them to do things that seem so heroic.
5. Jean Valjean makes some huge changes in this section of the book and we discussed how and what makes people change for the better.

These were topics that came from our hearts as we read through this section of the book. Without the need for questions and answers from TOG, we managed to have a really good discussion with things that had been on our minds as we read. As usual, I gained some insight into the character that is developing in my children. Homeschooling allows us more of an opportunity to see into their hearts and great books help us to see life's struggles through another person's experiences. We can intertwine our spiritual beliefs into our discussions this way too and to relate our life's problems to perhaps a situation in the book.

This is a far better way to read and share a book with our children.

I am trying hard to develop the "appreciative look" and to make "appropriate comments". Getting out of the way and letting the real learning happen is something that I will continue to work on as long as I have children that are at home.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

We are really enjoying this edition of the book with its notes for words that are either in French or are more difficult vocabulary.

Writing with IEW:Random Thoughts and Suggestions

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I am still working on a complete review of the Institute for Excellence in Writing program but felt the need to record a few random thoughts about IEW's Teaching Writing: Style and Structure course. This program is too good to let it sit on your shelf so hopefully something here will help those of you who already own it to utilize it more fully.

Random Thoughts and Suggestions
This is not a program that you can put on the DVD and walk away with your children watching and you doing something else. You really need to be there and interact with them as they work through the lessons.

The trick is to take the lessons and jump off from there into your own personal homeschool plans. Take the concepts from each unit and apply them to pertinent data from your science, history, literature, or fine arts plans. Customize the lessons to meet your family's particular studies.

Move through the units and don't get stuck in one unit for too long especially if you are starting the program with older children.

****The IEWFamilies Yahoo Group is an invaluable source of inspiration and encouragement. The Files Section alone is worth joining the group. If you join, look in the Files Section under IEW Explained and Reviews and then look for the file named Any Assignment PDF. This chart helped me the most to understand how to take a subject and fit it into an IEW unit. This idea allows you to take your child's interests and studies and incorporate them into the IEW plans.

Require all the dress-ups and decorations as soon as you cover them in every writing piece. At first it seems awkward, but I found with my boys that they soon incorporated the concepts as they went along writing their assignments.

Watch the DVDs at the beginning of every year, skimming the topics to refresh your memory. I recently purchased the Tips and Tricks DVD and decided this would be enough review for me for the remaining years of high school.

IEW gives me confidence to guide my children in their writing. I did not always feel that confidence because believe it or not, writing was *never* my favorite subject in high school or college, dreading and avoiding it at all costs. I decided the reason for this distaste in writing was because I either did not have a passion for the topic or I had nothing to say. IEW takes both those barricades to writing down for our children. We can allow them wiggle room when it comes to picking topics and we can help them find resources so that they have plenty to talk about in their assignments.

Another barrier that IEW breaks down is the process of grading a writing assignment at the high school level. The clear-cut grading charts make grading a breeze. It takes the emotion out of the grading system, either they have the required elements or they do not. We can skim down the rubric and visually see what still needs to be incorporated into the writing piece before they can file it away. I am more of a coach than a teacher at this point.

I hope to sometime soon write a more complete review of this awesome writing program. With its hefty price tag, it took a lot of convincing to get me to take the plunge but I have not regretted the money or time invested in implementing this program with my boys. Perhaps it would help another family make the decision to use this program if I outline our journey. Stay tuned....

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: Another November Assignment Reminder

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Here is another reminder about the November Sketch Tuesday assignments....no slideshow this week but you can still make your sketches and save them for the end of the month slideshow. I look forward to seeing your work.

Assignments:

November 10th Sketch a famous landmark.

November 17th Sketch a sunset with the added challenge to use oil pastels if you would like to try a different medium. (You can sketch from a photo if you would like.)

November 23rd Sketch something with ears.

November 30th Sketch something you make into a pie or the pie itself.

What I would like to do is to have you send in your very best sketches from the month during the last week in November and I will make a big slideshow to share on Tuesday, December 1st.

Sketches for the Month of November will be due Monday, November 30th. (Of course, if it makes it easier on you, you can always send them in at any time during the month and I will hold onto them.)

Send sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com

High School Art and Music Appreciation in Two Years

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Question from a reader:
I have an 11th and 8th grader and need to condense an music/art appreciation study into (hopefully) one or two years. Do you have any recommendations for curriculum? Is there any good way to use your plans, but condense them without it getting too heavy and overloaded?

My Answer:
I would think that you could condense my art and music appreciation plans from four years to two if you kept on track, doubled the pace, and did not complete the optional Artistic Pursuits plans. You could also choose to use only the Annotated Mona Lisa and cut out the Story of Painting since they many times cover the same information. I like the SOP since it has large color reproductions to view, but you could just as easily use the links provided to view things online after reading in the Annotated Mona Lisa. (Samples of all the Harmony Fine Arts art appreciation plans are available: HERE.)

Harmony Fine Arts High School Art and Music Appreciation-Condensed Version

Year One Suggestion:
Grade Nine and Grade Ten would cover pages 1-65 in the Annotated Mona Lisa, most of the first three hundred or so pages in The Story of Painting, and the first one hundred and fifty pages in Classical Music Experience.

Year Two Suggestion:
Grade Eleven and Grade Twelve would cover the last hundred or so pages in the Annotated Mona Lisa, approximately three hundred and fifty pages in The Story of Painting, and the second half of Classical Music Experience.

The pace would be brisk and you may need to trim just a bit off the online viewing. Trimming the plans and keeping on schedule, I think art and music appreciation could could be done in approximately three hours a week if you put your mind to it.

High School Plans from Harmony Fine Arts:

Music
You can download all the music appreciation plans free from my harmonyfinearts.com website.

Art
Ninth grade art appreciation is available either as a printed plan or as an ebook.
Tenth grade art appreciation plans are available either as a printed plan or as an ebook.
Eleventh grade is available only in paper version at this time.
Twelfth grade art appreciation is free as a download on my website.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Biology Notebooking Review-High School Level

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:41:00 +0000

My review of Live and Learn Press' Biology Learn N' Folder Notebook is up over at Curriculum Choice.

For my boys, these notebook/lapbook pages have been a great tool in getting the most out of Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology. Live and Learn Press also offers Learn N' Folder kits for just about every other Apologia science book as well so you may want to click over and check those out as well.

I encourage you read the review in full at Curriculum Choice.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

I am not an affiliate with Live and Learn Press and I did not receive any products for free in exchange for this review.

Autumn Picture Study and Music Appreciation

harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com (Barb-Harmony Art Mom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

I just realized that I need to mention here on this blog my Autumn Series Squidoo lens that I am building for the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

On that page, you will find several selections for autumn picture study along with a link so you can print out the painting.

Also, I have included some YouTube videos for autumn music to listen to with your children.

You will need to scroll down on the page to find the art and music selections.

Enjoy!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom