Week 1 of the BIG CHANGE! Collage Friday
Friday, August 23, 2013 at 5:00AM 
Our week was dominated by the beginning of Anna's Challenge A program at Classical Conversations.
We are trying to adjust to a new schedule, flesh out just how everyone will accomplish what they need to accomplish, and also begin our extracurriculars for the year.
It was a very busy week, but I can say with certainty that I am pleased with that.
Most of all I have been thanking God (almost hourly) for the gift Classical Conversations has been to our homeschool. It is literally the answer to prayer.
My husband and I have been noticing that Anna is so happy because she has such a sense of purpose, excitement, and belonging. She enjoys what she is learning and is eager to please her tutor (CC's name for teacher) and peers.
It is also being instilled in her that whatever she does, it should be for God's glory.
That is most important to her dad and I.
I am feeling a sense of direction and community that is also very comforting.
Grant's week was full of math, writing, reading, spelling, and LEGOS. I made sure his basic were covered each day, and then made myself available for the bulk of the day if Anna had questions or needed help.
I am so fortunate to have a very low maintenance little boy. He started playing fall baseball this week, so everything is right in his world!
My weekly collage posts will probably involve alternating recaps of what each child is doing in their CC programs, as well as any additional outings or fun things we've done (at least that's they way it is this week!).
If you're not a Classical Conversations person, I still hope you will read and participate. I think a lot of what I'll share will still be great links, homeschool ideas, recipes, giveaways, and all the usual goodies.
Anna's First Week of Challenge A
Anna's first day of "school" was Tuesday.
She was quite nervous the night before, but did just great that day.
There are EIGHT children in her group. The class dynamic is so fun to watch. They meet 8:30-3:30 each Tuesday.
The expectation is that there will be one hour of at home work for each of the 6 "seminars" that are covered each Tuesday. That means Anna spends one hour (or thereabouts) each day in the following areas:
- Math
- Latin
- Rhetoric
- Geography
- Literature/Writing
- Science
If you calculate that out your child is working 9-3 each day (and that's w/out any breaks).
This is A LOT of work, but we are learning how to budget our time, get up earlier, and just knock it all out. I've been SO PROUD of Anna this week.
The photo explanations - starting with the picture of Anna on the top and moving clockwise:
- Anna - My sweet girl on her first day
- White tennis shoes - nothing to do with Challenge A actually - just signifies that Anna's children's chorus is starting this weekend and we needed to be prepared with white pants and shoes for her uniform.
- Saxon Math - Using the Saxon Teacher CD Roms is working wonderfully! I am following the teacher's guide in both Grant and Anna's math books to the letter and I can already see Saxon's spiral approach WORKING. I'm a Saxon fanatic. Really. I made a vlog about it in case you're interested.
- Sunshine - the sun FINALLY came out Wednesday afternoon after a SUMMER of rain. I'm not kidding. It never got sweltering hot here - just lots and lots of rain.
- My two nuts - This has been an adjustment for them this week. They are used to doing most of their schoolwork together. Now they are doing totally different programs in totally separate areas of the house. We still play math games together, and Anna sneaks in for read alouds, too.
- Anna's study area - She has her maps, Chatecism memory cards, to-do lists, and everything else just the way she likes it.
- Making flash cards - This is a BIG DEAL in Challenge A. She has been making flash cards for geography terms, latin vocabulary, and Chatechisms. I love the emphasis on memory work.
- More flash cards - It's all about the highlighters right now. Seriously, I think she loves her schoolwork because of her highlighters and zebra desk accessories.
- It Couldn't Just Happen - This is the book being used for Rhetoric. I love how she can study about our world and evidence FOR creation. I am reading the book, too - I wish I could have learned these things at her age. I think it would have helped me defend my faith from an earlier age.
- Latin, Latin, Latin - I made flashcards from CC Connected and also studied declensions. We have been listening to songs about first declension and learning this as a family. It's not so bad, actually!
- Anna hard at work - Her self discipline this week has been very good. She's started getting up at 6:45 a.m. so she can knock out quite a bit of her work in the morning. We are a family of early risers (well, I'm learning to be one) and this just works well for her. Our houses closes down around 9:00 each night.
- Her view - I love Anna's study area. It has a window to our back yard - and my husband is starting a huge project back there to put in a fire pit and patio. Our working environments can so influence our attitudes, don't you agree?
Do you want to know what this mom liked the most about her "school"?
I loved that the class was SMALL. All of the children were supportive of each other and very encouraging. There were no worries about what was being worn or who was "cool".
The kids genuinely love to LEARN, DISCUSS, and DEBATE. There's no room for the usual traditional school junk that goes on in most places.
Why is it that so many parents just accept that middle school is a wasteland and write those precious years off?
{Stepping off my soap box now...}
Anna knew one boy going into this class who made a special effort to make sure that she felt welcome and was having a good day. Anna remarked to me how kind he was on Tuesday.
I made sure to tell his mother about that, too. The world needs more mighty young men like this!
A Little Fun
Monday was spent at a homeschool day at a local nature center.
This nature center is a gem hidden in the Chattahoochee Hills area just south of Atlanta. I'm glad it's so close to us.
We learned all about Birds of Prey and dissected owl pellets... which prompted us to embark upon a little Owl Unit Study.
After the learning, we headed to a fun little area near us and went to lunch with our friends. This is a planned community with shops, restaurants, housing, barns, and lots more. It's a very trendy, "green" community and it was fun to finally get there and see what it was all about.
Blog Happenings, Deals, and Freebies
- LEGO Minifig Writing Prompts - Back to School edition - back by popular demand - more writing prompts!
- Download a FREE copy of Understanding the Constitution from Great Homeschool Conventions.
- 50% off SQUILT -- YES -- 1/2 off Volume 1 if you use the special code from Great Peace Academy!
The Omnibus
You've probably been hearing a lot about The eBook Omnibus. I do think it's a HUGE bargain.
You can get so many eBooks for the low price of $25. I know money is tight at the beginning of the school year, but this is worth it if you can squeeze it out of your budget.
The sale is only on until Sunday, so grab your bundle soon.
** Please join me for Collage Friday! Share your photo collages from your homeschool week. I will delete any links that do not contain photo collages.
Grab a button from my sidebar, or text link back to this post in some way.
Visit other bloggers in the link-up to gain ideas and offer support. Our community is a wonderful way to make friends, educate ourselves, and see we are not alone in our struggles!
Reader Comments (15)
My son would love the idea of going to a class once a week with a small amount of like minded students. We just don't have anything like that near us. You are very blessed!
WOW I can "hear" it in your writing how excited you are about CC and how much this will help your home school! So happy for you guys, and Anna!
Great pics as always! Enjoy your Labor Day!
XO
PS - Again, thanks from Z for the prompts!
I feel that our outside classes this fall (marine science, sign language, gymnastics, Bible study) are a bit similar to CC in that they are going to give the girls outside teachers, a peer group and a much more structured week that we had last year. I am excited to start next week. I hope our week goes as well as yours! Enjoy!!
What a busy, fun, fun week! All your pictures look so happy - and rewarding! (I just love how you Grant adds the fun expressions - we have one of those over here too :) ) And a field trip too - wow!
A busy, busy week! I'm glad CC is such a great fit for your family :)
Just curious ... If Anna needs to do 6 hours of work at home each day, what happens on days that you and Grant have a field trip or something she wants to do with you. Doesn't she have to find the way to make up her work?
Wow, love this post...chock full of info on your week, field trip and the CC beginnings!
I'm really happy for you that you're so into the CC! it all sounds wonderful. Our former Catholic HS group has a CC co-op and ( last year when I was still a part of the group...since then we have broken away due to some pretty horrible exclusive-cliqueish behavior on the part of the Moms, sadly) they began a CC. Since I was asked to teach and knowing that my experience in the group running trips for 8 years and leading the Defenders pf the Faith for 4 years were not positive ( good for my boys, not for me..no volunteers, many complaints reg how I ran things) I knew that accepting to be a leader for CC would not be a good thing for me to embark on. I have seen how a good number of my friends really find CC beneficial and really enjoy it! though; so I am so happy for you all! I wonder though how CC works when there are not enough volunteers for leaders, as it was last yr in my old Cath HS group or if a leader's kinds move on and go back to school or something so she is no longer avail to teach? In our group, we suffer from a lack of Moms wanting to help out and I can;t really see this working, given my past experience being one of about 5 Moms who would be out there "doing" rather than the rest of the group who drops and runs.....I don't know...just wondering...and I guess you can see that my volunteer days are pretty much over as I;m burned out.
Your backyard project sounds lovely. I do hope you'll share some pics when the area is done...and maybe while your hubby is working on it! Can't wait to see it! We have a firepit ( not a built in one......) that we thoroughly enjoy in Fall and even winter. We;ve dug the snow off it to sit by it on a winter r night! And we used it to literally cook and get heat when our power was down during Sandy last November.
I have a feeling that your family will created many happy memories by the new pit !
Thanks Mary for you post and for sharing so much! I hope my CC ques and my dumping on you abt our horrific experience last year with ppl we thought would be our life long friends, was ok..... Your kids are adorable and I always love rdg your blog to see what you've been up to!
God bless!
I'm so happy that Anna had a good first week of CC. She is such a wonderful child and so dedicated to her learning. Love the outfit for her first day of CC too :) I hope all the weeks at CC goes this well.
I love reading about Anna's experience in Classical Conversations. I really did consider it for us, but I'm not sure it is the best fit for us right now. We prefer the more fluid schedule that would not be quite possible attending CC. But it is wonderful to see the resources that Anna and you are using. We are Saxon fanatics too, since it is all that Amber has ever used and she is doing splendidly!
What a wonderful week, Mary. Sadly, we won't be having Fall Ball in our little town this year. Nolan is so bummed! There are enough adults to run the program. We are willing to help, but it isn't enough.
I love CC, but there is no nearby group for us to join so we have been doing our own "home version" of Foundations and it works for us.
I can't wait to read more about your school year :)
I'll really be enjoying learning about CC from you this year. There is no way I could logistically do it with my family at this time, but maybe in the future!
--Gena
My husband even likes to sneak in for read alouds! You've got to mix business with a little fun or what's the point of homeschooling?! Bethany would have loved the birds of prey field trip. Her favorite animal is the owl!
I'm baaaaaaaaaack with a weekly wrap up! :-)
Mary, I'm glad to hear that everyone is loving the CC classes. I love the birds of prey field trip. My daughter likes owls, really likes owls.
Thanks for hosting Collage Friday (again). I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Looks like a wonderful week. So happy you have found a home and direction with CC.
I have a friend who has that book (It Couldn't Just Happen) - I've flipped through it and it's really cool. I've wanted to get it for myself but I've never gotten around to it!!