Back again.

Here I am again at my blog. Its been a while. I just managed to put up a photo, why was it so hard before? Dont know.
Homeschooling. We have been changing. Simplifying. I am really doing more Latin centred these days after reading Climbing Parnassus. I was heading that way before, too. It sounds terrible- Latin centred- but really, it's a concept that helps prioritise, rather than the fact we spend all day doing Latin.
Why? Well, I think I came to see that 'modern' education isn't really doing a very good job, and the more traditional way was held the same way for centuries because it DID work well. It produced deep , clear thinkers, noble men and women, and decent leaders. What we have replaced it with - well, to me, it lacks integrity and depth. And, we don't have a clue where we come from, our Western heritage, let alone our place in the world. We have no context for our lives and we have become so trivial and self centred, and pleasure seeking.

However, its not all dry and boring (as accounts of schooling in the past can certainly sound), we have lots of fun, and we learn to live in our modern world too- by living in it.
We don't sit around conjugating Latin verbs till we are sick of it. In fact both kids notice we are more relaxed, and doing less. But, it is more focused, more effective, I feel. Less trying to cover everything in 12 years, as trying to get a good foundation to set them up for a life of learning.

So lately, a day looks like:
8.30- musical instrument practice. Jared, treble recorder, Genevieve, piano.

9.00- memory work. Both are memorising Shakespeare's Sonnet 18- Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Nearly got it (and just by getting them to do it, I nearly have it down too!).

9.15- Maths. Singapore Maths.

10 Latin. Now we are all doing Latin for Children and loving it. We chant the chants, watch the DVD, and it's fun. Gen also does her Cambridge Latin homework from her class. Definitely not a subject any of us dread- why they made it so deadly boring when I was at school, i do not understand.

10.30 Grammar, 3 days a week. Rod and Staff- highly Christian but oh so thorough. And handwriting practice. Not so fun here, but there you go, mum is mean.

11.00 Writing. Gen is doing Writing Strands, Jared is about to start Classical Writing Aesop. Also, any other writing, such as projects, history reports, dictations etc.

11.30- whatever- French, Poetry, catching up.....

12.30- Lunch
After lunch we do Science or History- Medieval, Australian and Classical History, one afternoon each. But I am much more relaxed about it. We have fun. We read together, colour in. We all love History, so it doesn't get left off, but I am not so history centred now. Thats a relief in itself.
Art is informal or integrated into other subjects.


I am much happier doing it this way. I was spreading us so thin before, and always felt we couldn't get it all done. Now I feel even if we dont get to the afternoon work, we have done a good day's work.

Life is good. What a blessing to be able to homeschool.