A Homeschool Community for Classical Educators
(written by Anonymous guest poster) I started on this homeschool journey a mere 8 months...
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Excelsior Classical Homeschool Academy Community and Accountability We are a community that...
We'll take the National Latin Exam during latin classes and...
Wee Gillis is a story about a little Scottish boy with a love for bagpipes. It is written by Munro Leaf. You might know Munro Leaf! He also wrote Ferdinand the Bull, the beloved story about a bull who did not like to fight but only wanted to smell the flowers. Which…..they made into a movie in 2017 and is totally different than the book! And of course it would be–how do you take a picture book and make it into a full length movie without adding a whole lot Read More …
Our 7th graders at co-op use the classical curriculum Book of the Trees from Memoria Press. As we are approaching the end of the curriculum it wants us to go out and nature journal a tree each week. This is exactly why we formed the Cardinal’s Nature Club – so we could see what we learn in science first hand. The Cave Creek Botanical Gardens is a free outdoor paved nature walk of all kinds of desert type botanicals. We saw lots of really interesting things and learned four new Read More …
There are no words to express how beautiful this is. Driving home, even the best of Christian musical just sounds like “twaddle” in our ears. It is such a wonderful tradition to start the Christmas season. This particular Messiah was also a sing-a-long so we brought our books to follow along and sing our parts with the choir and orchestra. Trinity Cathedral is a real gem. The acoustics are amazing, the organ and musical talent is exceptional… and it also happens to be where Derek and I got married! It’s Read More …
Maricopa County Parks and Rec put on a great event at Lake Pleasant. A free archery lesson! The instructors were very helpful and had all the supplies and taught safety and archery skills.
In 6th grade, for science, we study birds. In our classically educating co-op we use the curriculum What’s That Bird? from Memoria Press. We learn to identify 30 of the most common birds by sight and by sound. We also learn about the anatomy of birds, how they fly, characteristics of different birds, etc. It’s a fascinating study and the children love it! To make science come alive we went to our local Audobon center (The Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center) and went a free guided bird tour. It Read More …
Here he is friends…in all his glory! The giant monstrosity of an animal! This picture really doesn’t do it justice. He was HUGE. 9 feet tall easy. They said he just kept growing. So maybe the painting above is accurate! Maybe this farmer was really proud of his giant square-like bull.
In the 4th Grade Memoria Press Curriculum, we study Astronomy, so we though this would be a perfect opportunity to get out and see first hand all that we are learning. The children used the star gazing app on my phone to find the constellations they’ve learned. They had a huge telescope to view the moon and Jupiter. The moon was absolutely incredible. I have never seen the moon so close. It looked like those clay sculptures were the sculptor has put in a ton of time and there are Read More …
All educators should be incorporating more formal recitations into their classrooms. Here’s how to use recitations for learning, mastery, and enjoyment.
What is the purpose of schooling our children? What is the purpose of education? Is it to produce children who are “trade ready”? They finish their education and they are ready to enter into a field…perhaps as an employee? Maybe in some years they have the opportunity to move up or possibly start their own business. Or –I posit– should education mean something more? This is where I enter the debate. I answer my own questions-should education mean something more? Yes, emphatically, yes. Education should mean a whole lot more. Read More …
This post is for all the mamas of “Wiggly Willies” out there. You know the type. Often distracted, love to cause a ruckus, hard to get them to sit still to do school, full of energy, jeans always have holes ripped in them, constantly messy and dirty, a tendency to break things due to forgetfulness and lack of carefulness, Huckleberry Finn/Tom Sawyer types. You got one? I sure do. The Lord has blessed me with him. For all of his perceived “weaknesses” (on any day a few of the above Read More …
