Classical? CM? Unit Studies? Workbooks? Natural Learning?
Acckkk! What’s a person to think of all these labels? They are labels that help us to define *how* we learn at home. Hopefully though, no-one feels the need to conform to these methods rather feel free to what from them what they need.

Here are a few resources that we are currently using in our home-based studies.

BIBLE ‘Miss A’ is reading through a chronological Bible plus various other books like, ‘Case for Easter’, ‘Case for Christ‘ by Lee Strobel. ‘Miss R’ is going through ‘Genesis, Finding Our Roots‘ by Ruth Beechick plus various other books like, ‘Prayer is an Adventure‘ and ‘Young Person?s Guide to Knowing God‘ by Patricia St. John. John is just starting to learn to read his Bible for himself. Our devotions are not daily- we do not have rigid or regular devotion times.

MATHS ‘Miss A’ and ‘Miss R’ use Saxon and John and ‘Master C’ are using Singapore Maths.

ENGLISH ‘Miss A’ uses LLATL, and some units from ‘Write With the Best‘ along with Copywork, and Wordly Wise. ‘Miss R’ does a unit from WWtB here and there and Copywork and WW. John & ‘Master C’ are using Rod & Staff and John is doing Wordly Wise plus Copywork.

SCIENCE ‘Miss A’ is going through all of the John Tiner books and is currently working through ‘Exploring the World of Chemistry‘ along with the ‘Mystery of the Periodic Table‘. When she finishes this, she will go back to Apologia General. ‘Miss R’ does various living books and will soon be starting the ‘High School Science Mysteries‘ by John Tiner. John and ‘Master C’ read (or are read to) various books from *living* to a little twaddly but they love them. Some in the Horrible Science series and John Tiner’s biography books. Plus, ‘Wonderland of Nature‘ by Nuri Mass.

GEOGRAPHY John & ‘Master C’ are being helped by ‘Miss R’ using Leagues & Legends and the accompanying workbook. And I read ‘Exploring Planet Earth‘ (Tiner) to the three of them. ‘Miss A’ is nearly finished EPE so she does that by herself. After that, we will go on to ‘Exploring the World Around Us‘, yep, also by Tiner.

CHURCH HISTORY ‘Mr. Pipes & the Hymns of the Reformation‘. Selected chapters from ?Trial & Triumph? and the ?One Year Book of Christian History? and ?100 Most Important Events in Christian History?.

POETRY Each child reads poetry about twice a week from their poetry book that I made from from suggestions from AmblesideOnline. ‘Miss A’ & ‘Miss R’ do a poet or poem synopsis occasionally, just so I know how they’re going.

AUSTRALIAN STUDIES Each child has been working through an Australian Society and Environment workbook and doing assignments using this book as a spine.

SHAKESPEARE Both girls choose 2 plays per year and explore them- starting with easy stories such as Lamb, Nesbit or Mee, then the unabridged play (or even excerpts are fine with me) and then a movie.

LITERATURE ‘Miss A’ is reading through Arthur Mee’s writings to gain an overview of English Literature. Other than that I don’t have much of a formal list anymore as the girls are so very good at choosing their own good literature. Plus, they read a lot for their history studies as well.

HISTORY We are taking a break from history at the moment while we finish some Aust studies and then we will finish a *modified* version of SL 5- Eastern Hemisphere Studies.

ART Just hasn’t happened this year so far.

MUSIC Formally? Hasn’t happened yet. Informally? All the time!

We use movies, TV, the newspaper and discussion * a lot* in our home too. As to a schedule- argh, one isn’t happening here at the moment! We try to get up, have brekky, do chores and all head into the book room but even that simple routine has been all over the place this year. I have a ‘Course of Study’ that I have mapped out for each child but it doesn’t need to be done in one year, rather over the 4 – 10 years.While it isn’t happening for us at the moment as I’d like it to, we just keep plodding along knowing that life has its different seasons and that one day, we will bog in and hit the books again. I don’t worry or stress (Well, sometimes I do) but just keep plodding along when I can.