Canadianized AO - Year 2 (updated)

Because the AO Curriculum changed their Science Books slightly for Year 2, it just seemed that our Term 2 was a bit heavy with Owls in the Family there, and then our Term 3 was ending up on the light side.  So I've moved Owls in the Family to Term 3, from my previous schedule.

I am also removing "The Story of Canada" by Janet Lunn - as we will be using "The Story of Canada" by E.L. Marsh instead - starting in Year 3.

Most of the year will be based on AO's Year 2

Booklist Change Summary:

• Remove - This Country of Ours.  (Used the D'Aulaire biographies where there is an option.  TCOO is not used at all)
• Add - Canadian Minutes from Historica (these are the "Canadian Minute" ads from TV - we watch them online)
• Add - The Fishing Summer (authors last name is Jam)
• Add - The Fabulous Song (authors last name is Gillmor)
• Add - Owls in the Family (Fawley Mowatt)
• Optional in Free Reads - Abraham Lincoln & Brighty of the Grand Canyon 
• Note - we also don't do Trial and Triumph
• (Add - Young Folk's History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Nephi Anderson) 

Note - I generally tried not to add something without removing something, so as not to overburden the year. For History, that was generally easy, as we were not doing Trial and Triumph, and also removed the US History.   For Literature, I made 2 books optional in the Free Reads - and 2 of the Canadian additions are fairly "light"   I also looked at the number of readings each week, as well as chronology of the history, to determine where to add in the Canadian content.

Weekly Changes 
(I haven't noted the readings by week that you don't read from the AO schedule for the books that were removed.)


Week 1

• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 1
• The Fishing Summer (entire book)

Week 5

• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 2
• Canadian Minute - Vikings

Week 9

• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 3

Week 10

• The Fabulous Song (entire book)

Week 13

• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 4

Week 17

• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 5

Week 21

• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 6

Week 25

• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 7

Week 27

• Owls in the Family Chapter 1

Week 28

• Owls in the Family Chapter 2

Week 29

• Owls in the Family Chapter 3
• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 8

Week 30

• Owls in the Family Chapter 4

Week 31

• Owls in the Family Chapter 5
• Owls in the Family Chapter 6

Week 32 

• Owls in the Family Chapter 7

Week 33 

• Owls in the Family Chapter 8
• Young Folk's History... - Chapter 9

Week 34

• Owls in the Family Chapter 9

Week 35

• Owls in the Family Chapter 10

Week 36

• Owls in the Family Chapter 11

Map Planning

One thing we really enjoyed learning last year was how to draw our own maps of an area we are learning about.  This has been an exercise that Delta and Echo really enjoyed - and so we plan to do maps along with our Ambleside Online studies.

I'm including a general plan of maps that might go well with each year.  Of course, someone new to doing maps should start with some basic instruction first, and the continents first.

Here are a couple more maps that have been completed!

Delta's Drawing of the travels of the Norse (Vikings)

Echo's Map of the Great Lakes, to go with Paddle to the Sea

Plan:


Year 0.5 - Instruction in drawing maps - Basic Continent Position (mostly ovals instead of actual shapes)

1 map per term in years 1-3.  A student that really enjoys map making might make more...

Year 1 - 

1. Great Lakes Region (Paddle to the Sea)
2. Roman Empire (Our Island Story) [probably do an ancient one...]
3. Scandinavian Countries [maybe including Iceland]   (Viking Tales / Our Little Viking Cousin)

Year 2 -   

1. Southwest U.S.  (Tree in the Trail) or Travels of the Vikings
2. England (Our Island Story)
3. Western Europe [Germany, France, Spain area]  (Our Island Story)  [ancient or modern?]

[someone new to doing maps in Year 2 could do a Basic Continent map, adding in locations for "Seabird"]

Year 3 -  

• Middle East / China [find a map of the route of marco polo - pref. one that matches what book we read...] 
• Latin America (Conquistadors)
• Northern Canada / Eastern Canada (Cabot. Cartier, Frobisher, Davis - their journeys, etc)

2 or more maps per term in years 4-6 - following are suggestions, but by no means exhaustive.  Maps can really bring history to life, so a student that likes to make them might make many.  A student that does not, might make only a couple a term.

Year 4 - 

• Mississippi River Area (Minn of the Mississippi)
• early US (Louisiana Purchase?)  / Pre-Confederation Canada? [for us Canadians]
• West African Coast/Brazil/Caribbean (Robinson Crusoe)
• Scotland (Kidnapped, OIS)
• ?? mountains ?? (Incredible Journey)?
• Map of US (showing Native Tribe Areas) / Map of Canada (showing Native Tribe Areas)
• Map of Battle of the Plains of Abraham / New France
• 13 US Colonies
• Upper Canada, Lower Canada
• Australia [James Cook] / New Zealand

Year 5 - 

• India (Kim); 
• U.S. (TCOO or other US History book); 
• Australia 
• War of 1812 maps
• The Holy Land
• Western US (travels of Lewis & Clark)  / Western Canada (travels of Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser, David Thompson)
• Canada East, Canada West, other pre-Canada Colonies
• Northern Canada (Franklin) 
• Canada on July 1, 1967
• Northern Canada - Klondike Gold Rush
• South Africa (Boer War)
• WW1 Europe
• PEI (Anne of Green Gables)
• Halifax [area affected by Halifax Explosion]
• Antarctica [South Pole reached]

Year 6 - 

• Europe [WW2]
• Pacific [WW2]
• USSR [Cold War]
• Africa (David Livingston) [map of his travels?]
• Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome
• Modern US / Modern Canada / Modern anywhere... 
• Local Province / State
• Korea/Vietnam/surrounding areas
• Persian Gulf Area
• ???

http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/Integration-Guides.html

Music in the Home

I try very hard to have all the parts of a good CM school in our homeschool - but don't always succeed.   One of the struggles we have had this year has been doing the music things - composer study, folk songs, and hymns.  They just are not happening.

But I was reminded of something the other day.  I had gone to the store to run an errand, and when I came back, Mike had the family dancing to music....  and I reminded myself of the variety of music our children are exposed to in our house....

Here are a few things that played that day (or other days very recently...)

Classical:

• Double Bach Concerto
• Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor
• Vivaldi's the Four Seasons

Folk:

• MANY Stan Rogers songs
• The Capitals Song
• I'se the Boy
• Squid Jigging
• Ketchup loves Potatoes  (Stomping Tom)
• Big Joe Mafferaw (sp?)
• The Crusaders
• The Highway Man
• Canada's Really Big  (Rocks and Trees....)
• It's Not on the Test
• The Pickle Song  (I don't want a pickle......)

Other Instrumental:

• "Noisy Bagpipes"  (this is our family's nickname)
• Royal Canadian Air Force March Past
• Armoured Core March Past

Other:

• Sneaky Snakes
• several country songs

and more!

So - I just have to remind myself what I told Mike a few years ago when he said he wanted us to do folk music in school.......   "Our kids know more folk music than most people just from hanging around you....  do we really need to schedule it?

Still here!

Ok, I realize that it probably feels like I've fallen off the face of the planet.  I do have a couple of draft posts that have been sitting.... but honestly I just haven't had the time or energy.... and I'll also admit to not feeling like I had anything "profound" enough to say.

Either way - I think I'll give you a basic update.   Because of my health issues, as well as a few other reasons - it made sense for me to go with a move towards independent studies for my kids.  However, that hasn't meant that we had to get rid of a Charlotte Mason method.  It did mean that I had to reduce the family studies, however.

I'm pretty sure that I put up a post earlier this fall that we were moving to doing AO again, with Canadian modifications.  That has been working out really well for us (after a stressful first week....).  Delta (9) is doing Year 2, and Echo (7.5) is doing Year 1.  Delta did notice that his lists say Year 2 - but I talked to him about that not being a grade level... and that many of the books are at a grade 6 or so level.  This has not been a difficulty with him.

One thing I did to make things easier to be independent is to download audiobooks from librivox.  I created a webpage (just on our computer) for each student with the links to each chapter in their books so they can easily get to their readings.  So they can go to their computer (thanks Computers 4 Schools!) and listen to their books, reading along with their book or the Kindle.  They come to narrate to me when done.

Each child has their schedule with a planner page, and the list of readings (taken off of the AO website and modified with the Canadian changes).   They follow the schedule - picking the readings.  they cross them off the list.

So, what is their schedule like? Well, it is pretty much the same each day, and is pretty basic....   Scriptures, Copywork, Pick a reading from the list, Rotation (ASL/German/Drawing), Reading from the list / free read, , Math, Reading from list or free read, rotation (picture study, mapping, music study, map drills, timelines) and that is it for now.   I do want to add in the Hymn Study and Folk music - at the moment it is just random listening to it.  I also want to get them back to practicing violin and/or learning the organ (violin has been not happening since we lost our teacher)...  but this is working at the moment.

A few of the readings are not independent, Math (RightStart) is not independent, and Foxtrot is doing a little math and reading with me - and that takes my time - as well as Golf running around...   But if I'm sick - I can just get them started on their stuff, and I can have them play one of the math games for math.

So - motivation for them.  This probably isn't CM - but I created a little race-track for them to compete against an opponent (not each other!).  I used a printout from when we did workboxes, which had 2 rows of 6 boxes - perfect for a 6 week "race".   This was laminated (with map-tak) and velcro added.  I created little character boxes that velcro onto the places.  Every 5 days, the opponent moves 1 spot.  When a student has completed a week of their readings (assuming they are doing the other things), their character moves.   If they win the race against the opponent, they get a light day (a day off, except for family subjects.)

This is working well.... except I have noticed recently that Echo is starting to not want to do the free reads (she'd rather do the scheduled readings and be done the week early...) - I may have to specify a minimum number of free read chapters must be done as well.......

Oh, and was also had a birthday recently!  It is so hard to believe that Delta is 9.  I made him a birthday cake... I think it turned out good. (See picture at the top)

Hospital stay and More

Hey everyone!  No, I have not abandoned this blog... just been an interesting summer.  I've been busy figuring out the changes to Canadianize our AO for next year (and the next few years...) - which has me busy reading a new (well, old) Canadian History book.

But - just to make the summer more interesting - I ended up in the hospital for over a week because of a very bad infection in my leg.  I'm better now, and back home.

It seems like there are a million little details I'm trying to work out - because I'm someone that just works better if everything is worked out in advance.  The kids have been spending a lot of time outdoors - but also way too much time in front of screens.  It will make an interesting transition.

All of this means that we have not already started (like I had originally planned) - and will probably not start until September, although I'd like to take some time to run through a couple of days worth of school (probably taking about 4 days to do 2 days of school) to find details I don't have prepared, help the kids find out how things are working so they can be more independent, and to just work out a few kinks.

I'm also planning on going to the "Teacher Appreciation Days" at Staples - probably later today, or maybe next week.  They give some free gifts to teachers, plus we get a % off on that day (I think 25%?)  I'm just not sure what supplies I need.  I love going to these supply stores, hoping, I guess, to find something.... not sure what.... that will be just perfect.  Of course, whatever that "something" is - I want it to be inexpensive too!  I really can't think of many supplies we need right now....  some paper maybe (but I think we have a bunch) - a couple of binders?  We could use more crayons and pencil crayons while they are on sale... but not much else!

Computer Desk? Dresser? What is it?

To me, it seemed like a big problem... but it wasn't one to Mike.  We needed a desk that wasn't falling apart for the school computers - and I had a dresser that had some broken drawers, that I wanted us to get rid of. Mike did a bit of rearranging of the drawers, to provide leg space.  There are a couple of chairs that go in front - they are stacked at the side when not in use...  And the 2 school computers fit right on top.  It is a little taller than the desk was, but not by much.

May Have Found It?

For quite some time, I have been looking for a good Canadian History "spine" book for Elementary aged students.  I wanted something that was a good "living book", that covered at least most of the time period from discovery to at least the 19th century, would be available to me for free (or very inexpensive), and wouldn't put me to sleep when I tried to read it.   This combination hasn't been easy to find.  The closest I have found so far was "The Story of Canada" by Janet Lunn, which I can borrow from my library.

By the way, I swear the most common name of Canadian History books is "The Story of Canada", followed closely by "Canada's Story".   I have found several by these names.

Well, I think I have found one that fits!  It is called.......  "The Story of Canada".  You just knew it, didn't you.  This one is by E. L. Marsh.  I'm not sure of the date of original printing - it looks like it is around 1912 or so.  The first 2 chapters have been quite engaging, and it is free on Archive.org - it also has been reprinted (a scanning from the looks of it) and is available on amazon - for those that like to hold a paper book in their hands.

Over the next while, I am going to continue to read it, to determine if it is going to be a replacement for the Lunn book... but so far it looks promising.  Of course, it doesn't cover the last 100 years or so...   I also have to admit that I was hoping for something that would be as extensive as the U.S. book "This Country of Ours"... to make figuring out the future plans easier.

I just hope that my kids can get to enjoy Canadian History.  I didn't as a kid, and I think the reasons were brought out well in the book "Who Killed Canadian History?"