I've been loving our mornings

I have been loving our mornings lately.  Even before our two week spring break.  I am doing a classical method but I'm not a purist at all so I use things about it that I like.  One thing I like, no love, is reading living books for things instead of textbooks.

In the morning now we have a reading routine.

I bring a bag of books to the kids' room and they play or swing on our Ikea swing while I read and ask questions.

I always start with a Devotion book.  We use the Animal Devotion book that I have talked about before.  It is almost like science and Bible in one.

Then I read a chapter from our current read aloud.  I try to find classic literature for this.  The kids did not like the Little House book I picked (only my children) so I started another one - The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White.  They are really liking this one.

Then I'll read a little "twaddle" as the classical purist like to call it.  But it is books that my kids like that they ask me to read.  Today was a chapter from a Superman book for my oldest and an adaption of the classic Cinderella for my girl (not the Disney book).

Then we pick the flavor of the day book - I try to do a weekly rotation of art, music, science, history, etc.  Monday is usually the art book - I am loving the Come Look With Me series.  We are doing the one about work right now because I found it at Half Price books.  We just finished the Magic School Bus Shark book for science.

And my newest edition - Life of Fred:  Apples!   Shhh, don't tell them it is math.  I have clipboards and pencils and paper in my bag that I pull out.  We sit on the floor or the bed and I read the short chapter and we do the little activity - mostly for my 4 and 6 year old but my 8 year old sometimes joins in.  We have just started it and so far I really like it.

I also do these Q & A for a Day - 3 years journal with the kids.  I have them in my bag also and pull them out and ask them the question of the day.  The answers are ALWAYS interesing!!!




We still watch TV, play Minecraft and use the Ipad/pod but at least we start our morning with reading.  I'll work on the rest later.

What do your mornings look like?

 

Classical Home Education and the dyslexic child

I read the Well Trained Mind a long time ago like when my oldest was about 2.  I wanted to do that.  I wanted to educate my children classicly at home.  Until my oldest hated reading and writing and was diagnosed with dyslexia.   I put those thoughts away because I really thought it wasn't possible.

And then a friend told me about Classical Conversations and I looked into it again.  I even tried 5 weeks of CC at home to see if it would work for us.  I went to visit a CC open house.  If you don't know what Classical Conversations is click here.


I liked a lot of things about it and found that it could possible work for dyslexics but I knew it wouldn't work for us.

But it peaked my interest in classical education again and I checked out the Well Trained Mind from the library and started to re-read it.  I found that reading it this time around - the things they talk about are doable with us.  Even with a kid who doesn't like to read and who hates writing.  It is actually painful for him to write so I understand it.

So he couldn't read a lot of books on his own but I could read books aloud to him and to the rest of the kids.  We have tried read alouds so many times and I have failed with them so many times!  This time I lowered my expectations.  This time I don't "have" to finish a chapter.  This time I make it more enjoyable.  I allow a little bit of craziness as long as it is quiet craziness and they can retain something.

And narrations - and notebooking - I love them now.  I thought I couldn't use them because he couldn't write well and he can't draw well either.  But I can write it for him. He learns so much from listening.  He could tell me about two pages in 5 minutes but I can't write that fast. 

Memorizing was another question I had because it can take him a long time to memorize things but once it does - it sticks!  But you don't just have to memorize boring facts - you can memorize poems, Bible verses, and yes even boring facts in a non-boring way - like to music!

I'll be talking more soon about how I make classical homeschooling work for a dyslexic child and the rest of us soon.  We aren't strictly classical though and I would probably consider us a little more eclectic.  We are always learning what works for us.