Every Bed of Roses

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Join us for a day homeschooling {A Photo Diary}

Sometimes our days are slow (not very often may I add) and sometimes busy (more often than not!) but never is it twice the same. Today I would like to invite you to join us for a photo journey of a home school day at Every Bed of Roses. I do confess I am a shutter bug and love taking photo's and experimenting with the D-SLR I was given last year. In order to lower the number of images in this post I've created a few collages of our day.

This year we are continuing with using our environment to encourage learning. A home school family on the other side of Melbourne invited home school families to come over and join them for a day of Science for Home Educators: "A Shocking Experience"

Our day of Science Adventure

First things first. I needed to find some clean clothes in Mount Ironmore to iron for the day (How do you super Mom's do it ? I always seem to have a Mount Washmore or Ironmore!). Followed by breakfast and picnic preparations. We are loving having a cooler on wheels it goes everywhere with us these days.

Next it was time for my shower while Sir N practiced math facts on Math Rider and did lesson 19 with Children's Music Journey. Before we left we had some quality time with Pugsley.

My friend collected us and we drove 70 km to the other side of greater Melbourne. We saw the Southern Star which is nearing completion. We hope to go for a ride on this one day. Admired the architecture and listened to The Song of the Unicorn. Once we arrived in the suburb of our desired destination we looked for a park to enjoy a picnic lunch together.

Soon enough it was time to tackle the lab and learn about molecules, positive and negative charges.

We used rods of perspex, glass, polythene and something else I can't remember the name of. We rubbed them with a piece of woolen cloth to charge them up and checked to see if we could move water and pick up small pieces of paper.

We also used this little box (Gold Leaf Electroscope) with a gold leaf to see how static electricity moves through air and our own bodies.

Let the static electricity fun begin. We got to play with a Van De Graaff generator. It was so much fun watching all the children's hair stick up! Sir N was so highly charged after his time on the generator he could pick up the little bits of paper on the bench!

All too soon it was time to leave the lab. We stopped at our park for another cup of tea and then it was time to pack up and drive home. We played with the DSLR in the tunnel, looked at the beautiful skyline of Melbourne and listened to Hallelujah Handle. Once home it was time to play a game or two on Mom's Galaxy Tab and touch base with cousins. Dinner was soon ready and then it was time for bed. Sir N slept very well after 140 km round trip !

My favorite moment

This is my favourite moment of the day. We stopped for a cup of tea before traveling home and this is what we saw.

I agree with my bloggy friend Susan who encouraged me this week with Don't miss the Little Moments. I encourage you to take out your camera and capture those moments with your children. I have two teens as well and one has moved out. I wish now I had taken more pictures and had more memories. That time passes in a twinkling of an eye. If you need inspiration I invite you next week to take a journey with other home school Mom's ? Have a look at what the Crew have been up to this week: Our Homeschool Day in Pictures. (Coming Next Tuesday 26 March)

Blessings
Chareen

Photo collages made with: Photoscape a FREE photo editor

Children's Music Journey {Review}

Have you heard of Adventus? Neither had I until recently. I am so excited to share about their products with you today. One of the things I've been wanting to do since I was in high school is learn to play the piano! MusIQ Homeschool^TM has two excellent products for learning to play the piano: Piano Suite and Children's Music Journey. Sir N has been using Children's Music Journey and recently completed lesson 19 after beginning with the program three weeks ago. He begs me everyday to do his piano lesson. I have not had one negative comment about practicing and his enthusiasm has not diminished.

Using Children's Music Journey Volume 1.

Miss Melody
{Practice Room Supervisor}

Each lesson opens with a 30 second piece of music composed by a famous composer who also happens to be their teacher.
The 'Teacher' is a famous Composer who builds a great relationship with the students. Sir N so enjoyed his first lesson he did a second one straight away! And he talked about it all evening with Paul.
The Composer shares insight into his music at the start and during his lesson too. I like this feature as it compliments our Composer Study.
Consistent instant feedback. This feedback is always positive and moves your student forward even when they make a mistake. At first I felt I needed to sit next to Sir N and coach but I soon realized that if he makes a mistake the 'Teacher' will correct him immediately.
Lesson one is learning high and low notes using graphics. It feels very slow after doing traditional music lessons with my first two. After a few lessons I realized that the sequence and speed is perfect because the nature of learning to read music is in itself challenging. This method ensured success and because of this Sir N was happy to practice and do lessons. It was slow enough that everything learned was reinforced and he did not have to undo wrong learning. As soon as he successfully completed a lesson and practice he was able to do the next lesson and build his knowledge base.
The lesson ends with three minutes of the opening piece of music.
From here Sir N proceeds to meet with Miss Melody for practice. Miss Melody teaches: theory, aural training, hand position, practice of lesson and music composition.
After this Sir N is allowed to play in the games area. Each game is geared towards reinforcing what has been learned in the current lesson. He loves the rhythm games and has enjoyed playing the aural training games. He loves finding the buried treasure and recently added in catching falling leaves via the keyboard key names.
Sir N's next favorite 'room' is the library where he regularly explores pieces of music by famous composers.
Some days he meanders to the composition room and records his music.

Features

Choose your keyboard
Set an individual pin to use for each student
Three mode settings for the program ( Free, Normal, Strict )
Choose your students Avatar (16 options)
See at a glance which lessons / practices have been completed.
Be taught by a famous composer.
Miss Melody supervises practice sessions.
Lesson and practice lessons are linked {Miss Melody reinforces what was learned in the lesson.}
Introductions to famous classical pieces of music.
Over 200 pieces of classical music introduced to your children as they learn to play the piano
An improvisation room where the students play and record music.
A Games room with ten games
A library where you can listen to your own compositions, learn more about a composer, redo a lesson, research, learn to play area, Listening area getting to know the introduced pieces of music. learning library where they practice music reading / playing

Games

Games unlock as the students skill base grows via their lessons
Some games are to practice music notation and reading (reading and discriminating)
Some games are for aural training (listening and discriminating)
Rhythm practice game
Note letter game
Aural game hear the note play the note

**Cost
This program is quality and excellent value for money and time.

A complete overview of each volume is available at MusIQ HomeSchool

Volume 1 $69.95 (25 lessons) {CD or Download}
Volume 2 $69.95 (35 lessons) {CD or Download}
Volume 3 $69.95 (35 lessons) {CD or Download}
Purchase a 3 volume set $179.85 (save $30) {CD or Download}
Monthly Subscription $10.95($131.40 per year)
FREE 7 day Tr ial available

Homeschool Early Curriculum

Year 1 Quick Start Bundle {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans + 49 MIDI keyboard} $199.95
Year 1 {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans} $89.95
Year 2 {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans} $89.95
Year 3 {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans} $89.95
Monthly Subsc ription $10.95
FREE 7 day Tr ial available
Year 1-3 Bundle {CMJ 1, 2, 3 + Keyboard + Level 1 lesson plans} $309.95 (Save $60)
Year 1 Lesson Plan $29.95
Year 2 Lesson Plan $29.95
Year 3 Lesson Plan $29.95

** All prices quoted are correct at time of posting. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to check the cost before purchasing. Prices are subject to change without notice. All prices are in US $.

Extra's

We are having an amazing time learning to play the piano. I wish I had known about this program 10 years ago when my first two were homeschooling. If you are wanting your children to learn to play the piano I highly recommend investing in Children's Music Journey.

Blessings
Chareen

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Homeschool Daily Schedules

Personally I have a love hate relationship with home school daily schedules. On one had I know how valuable they are and on the other they annoy me endlessly. I love flexibility to the annoyance of my family, who do not cope with sudden and unexpected change. I have spent the last year without a formal written schedule and the fruit of this decision shows my time has not been as productive as when I have used a written formal schedule. At the moment I have the skeleton of a schedule brewing in my thinking. I have baulked at creating a schedule partly because of Sir N's make up. He thrives on schedule but if anything changes even by one minute the world comes to an end and I end up spending hours trying to calm him down and get back on track.

Today at our home school mom's meeting we discussed the chapter Inconstant Kitty in A Charlotte Mason Companion it could not have come at a better time. It always amazes me how these sorts of things 'happen' across my path when I need them the most.

"Every lesson must have its own time, and no other time in this world is there for it. The sense of the preciousness of time, of the irreparable loss when a ten minutes' lesson is thrown away must be brought home." - Charlotte Mason Companion page 93

Dangers
There are many hidden dangers to having a formal schedule. I have found often times we purchase a curriculum and feel driven to check every box in order to say we have achieved X,Y of Z. Or we say I have paid good money for that I will use it. Often times this is much to the determent of our home atmosphere. I have learned that a home atmosphere determines the length of a home school journey.

However the counter balance is "What you are allowed to meander through all day, you will; what must be done, is done." - Charlotte Mason Companion page 92.

Another danger is becoming a slave to the schedule and loosing all sense of flexibility. A Schedule can be your ruling tyrant or active servant. Over the years I have found that it is important to keep it in the appropriate place of servitude. Sally Clarkson says: "There are many varieties of personalities and possibilities of home organization, Each of us simply has to find the combination of routines that suits our lifestyle and desires." - The Mission of Motherhood.

Home school groups / friends can be another source of danger. At times there can be a sub culture of comparison within many home school groups. Over time I have come to understand that this happens because as home school mothers we feel inadequate. So we constantly compare ourselves and what we are doing with what others are doing.

For many years I did this (and sometimes still do) and the result was constantly changing my home school to look like someone else's. The fruit of this is adding in many excellent ideas that were working for other families and in the end I had so many things I was doing I couldn't possibly do them well. There just were not enough hours in my day to do so. I constantly have to prune in order to do a few things really well rather than a myriad of things at 25% capacity.

Consider

When setting up your individual schedule keep in mind your own families needs and character. Trying to adhere to someone else's schedule is a recipe for an unhappy home. Remember your children are being tutored therefore they do not need to have a six hour school day. Typically a 7 year old can learn a full day of school in 2-3 hours. In the high school years an average of four hours is all that is needed. Here are a few things to consider when formulating a schedule should you choose to have one:

Your personality and those of your spouse and children.
You spouses schedule and needs
Learning Styles
Family needs
Break times
Deadlines
Extra curricular classes (children's, yours and your spouse)
Ages and stages of your children
Your personal style.
Why ? What's your motive for that choice?
Know your purpose.
Consider all or your priorities.
What are your goals ?
Limit and cut back on all fronts because everything takes longer than you will expect.

Remember a schedule needs to grow and change with your family. Your children are growing, changing and maturing. What is working well today might not work so well in six months time. Take regular time to reevaluate your schedule and tweak it to suit your family.

Methods
There are many methods of structuring your day out there. Here are some ideas for you to consider when developing your schedule

Chunks of time
Hourly topics
Charts
Lists
Theme for the Day
Monthly Theme

On the WWW

Homeschool Planners & Record Keeping on Pinterest
Homeschool Planning Know How on Pinterest
Homeschool - Daily Schedule by Mary Lou
Sample Schedules on Simply Charlotte Mason

Last thoughts

Once you have structured your plan and have embarked upon your new adventure be aware that you will need to make regular small course corrections to stay on track. The winds of time, health, seasons, understanding and interruptions will blow. On occasion the storms of life may blow you off track so it is imperative to take some regular time to course correct and refocus and move forward.

Blessings
Chareen

This week

Bernadette shares I've got Rhythm and wonders if you could ask for anything more?
Julie has a Highhill Education Daily Schedule and uses spreadsheets to keep organized and help her children become more independent.
Hwee shares about their Daily Schedule or Lack thereof and talks about their journey from being formally structured home schoolers to find their loosely structured approach.
Savannah shares Our Daily Schedule including daily life, meal planning, school and all the extras

---ooOoo---

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