Trivium Tuesdays-Classical Link-Up #69

Welcome to another week of Trivium Tuesdays!  For those of you who are new here today, this is a link-up aimed at encouraging and informing other homeschoolers who use the Classical model of teaching.  Here we can share with each other and learn from one another.

I'm still working on transferring the All Things Classical list over to Pinterest.  If you don't follow me over there already, make sure you do so that you can search the boards to find just what you need!  Click on the "P" to follow!

Featured Post

Sola Gratia Mom shared last week about an Egyptian party they had.  What I loved most was her idea of having the kids make costumes right at the party!  Sometimes parents and kids can get overwhelmed trying to think of (and make/buy) costumes, especially for themed parties, so what a great idea to have the supplies ready right at the party!  It also provides one of the activities =) 

Most Clicked on Post from Last Week

One of my favorites from last week was Keeping it Simple, from Rachel's Reflections.  I'm so glad that you all like it too!  It was by far the most clicked on post from last week!  Head on over if you want some great ideas and encouragement for planning your homeschool year.

This Week's Link-Up

Here are the rules:

• Your post must have to do (in some way) with classical homeschooling (any age children).
• Your post may be from your archives as long as you only post it one time on this link-up.
• Please link to your direct post, not your blog in general.
• Please place my Trivium Tuesdays button (found on my right sidebar) on your blog post so others can learn about this link-up!
• It may be helpful to state in your link description what stage of the trivium or what subject your post is about, if applicable, so others can easily find posts they are interested in looking at.
• Remember, everyone loves comments =) So don't be shy, and tell someone if you liked their post!

I reserve the right to remove any link-up that does not have to do with classical homeschooling.         If you are a regular here at Trivium Tuesdays and have something to share that is a little off topic, but still would be an encouragement to the readers here, please still share it =)  I'm referring to people who are just trying to get their blog more exposure without following the rules above.

I will visit each of your blogs this week and feature my favorite link-up for all to see next week!  Also, if your blog has a button I will place it on my sidebar (under Friends to Visit) for the week until it is replaced by the next week's favorite =)

Your Greatest Critic - A Sneak Peak at Homeschooling Day by Day

"So, can just anyone teach at a Christian school?"

The question was from my sister-in-law, a public school teacher with a Master's degree.

I don't remember how I responded to her question, but I do remember the self-doubt it prompted.

Who is qualified to teach my children?  If public and private school teachers are required to have degrees, are my kids getting jipped because I'm not an 'expert'?

What if I'm not qualified?

Naysayers abound who will question a mother's ability to educate her own children, but I believe that a homeschooling mother's biggest critic is often herself.

We moms have quite a talent for under-rating ourselves.  In a culture with degrees and formal education, is it any wonder we easily find ourselves feeling inadequate?

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This is a snippet of a chapter (written by Kristy Howard) from the up-coming e-book Homeschooling Day by Day.  If you find yourself facing any doubts about homeschooling, have any how-to homeschooling questions, or just need encouragement, this book will be a great blessing to you.  To find out more, including what many of the chapters cover, check out my 'introduction' post.

Now available! Just $4.99!

Homeschooling Day by Day is set to launch next Monday, August 12th, but in case you can't wait that long (or are just curious!) here are a  few more 'sneak peaks':

• How Pride Hurts Homeschoolers @ Growing Home Blog

• Creating and Reaching Goals as a Homeschool Mom @Little Natural Cottage

• Making Homeschool Fun @ Jill’s Home Remedies

• Mom, you matter! @ The Multi Taskin’ Mom

• Homeschooling Through The Teenage Years @ Walking Redeemed

• For the Homeschooling Mom in Need of Encouragement @ Under the Golden Apple Tree

2013-2014 Grammar Stage Curriculum

Welcome!  So I guess this is the official start of the 2013-2014 school year, huh?  I can't believe it's a new year already!  If you are new here, we use the classical method of education, and I have one student just beginning the grammar stage and one still at the pre-school level.  We did not take a long summer break this year, so a lot of what we are doing is still the same, but I always find it nice to start fresh...so here we go!

History Curriculum

Veritas Press NT, Greece, and Rome (moving on to the Middle Ages if we finish)

Supplementing with:

A Journey Through Learning lapbooks (read my review)

Heritage History Young Readers Curriculum (Enter to win your own this week!)

Reading and Writing Resources

I love using the Writing Road to Reading method for teaching how to read, so we will be reviewing/memorizing the phonograms and rules from that book, but I am wondering if I should add an actual spelling program in as well.  We will see how it goes.


Preschool:

• McGuffey's Primer

• Copywork for McGuffey's Primer 

• The Reading Lesson

Grammar Stage:

• McGuffey's 1st and 2nd Readers (my son is almost done with the 1st)

• Primary Language Lessons

• Poetry for Kids copywork pack (to go along with PLL)

Math Curriculum

Ray's New Primary Arithmetic

Classic Curriculum Workbooks (read my review) series 1 for my daughter and series 2 for my son.

Latin Curriculum

Song School Latin (read my review)

Science

Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia

Living books like:

Among the Forest (Meadow, Pond, etc.) People

 

Art and Music

 
Harmony Fine Arts

Drawing with Children

Piano lessons - if we are able to get a piano this year =)

Co-Op

I am a part of a relaxed, once-a-month co-op with some friends where we go on field trips and do fun theme-based lessons.

This year we will be participating in a twice-a-month co-op where my son will be learning about geography (using Leagues and Legends), poetry, and have a PE class.  My daughter will be in the preschool class doing something fun! 

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Well, that's about it!  I'm sure I'm missing something or other on this list, and I didn't include all the little books that will be used to supplement history, science, etc. or the books that my son will be reading for fun and the great children's literature that I will read aloud, but this gives you a good idea of what we will be doing.  If you have any questions about any of these resources, please ask!  Some of them are new to me, but most of them I am familiar with.

What curriculum will you be using this year?

This post is part of iHomeschool Network's Not Back to School blog hop!  If you would like to see what hundreds of other homeschool moms are choosing for curriculum this year, make sure to check it out!

Ancient Greece Resources for the Grammar Stage

Don't miss the Heritage History giveaway at the end! (giveaway ended)

Will you be studying Ancient Greece this year?  Here are some of the resources that we've been using.  These are mostly living books that teach while telling a story.  We have a lot more to learn about this time period, so hopefully I will have a second list to share with you later.  Enjoy!

(These are affiliate links)

Favorite Ancient Greece Living Books

The Trojan Horse

My son really enjoyed being able to read this book himself.  It is a great way to introduce a classic to your children before they are able to tackle the original.  I made some notebooking pages to go along with this book that you can download for free if you are interested.

 

Classical Kids

This is a wonderful activity book to go along with your Ancient Greece and Rome studies.  There is even a little bit of teaching to go along with the activities.  No matter what history curriculum you are using, this is a must-have for adding in a little fun!

Children's Oddesy

Another great children's version of a classic.  We read this after learning about the Trojan War.  The pictures in this version are wonderful and will fill your child's imagination!  This version is quite long and really will prepare your child for reading Homer's original Odyssey.

Aesops Fables

You can't study Ancient Greece without reading some Aesop's Fables!  We are reading this Aesop for Children version by Milo Winter.  It is fun and easy to read one or two of these short fables during breakfast or anytime in the day!  This version is a part of both the Young Readers and Ancient Greece Curricula at Heritage History. 

Our Little Spartan Cousin

This is a wonderful story about a boy growing up in Ancient Greece.  We learned so much by reading this, although it just felt like we were reading a story!  This book is also a part of both the Young Readers and Ancient Greece Curricula at Heritage History.

Heritage History Giveaway!

As you can tell, we have loved reading our books from Heritage History!  They have many books related to Ancient Greece and also other periods of history.  If you are not familiar with them, you can check out their website or read my review of them.  In short, they offer an incredible number of e-books that pertain to all periods in history.  They are wonderful, classic stories, reformatted for easy viewing on your computer or e-reader.  I love to print them out and bind them into physical books to read to my children.

 

I am excited to share that today you can enter to win your own curriculum or library set from Heritage History! ($24.99 value!)

Giveaway is open from August 2nd through midnight on August 8th.  Winner must respond within 48 hours of being notified.  Please use the form below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Homeschooling Day by Day - Introducing a New & Inspiring E-Book!

Now Available!  Just $4.99!

I am excited to share with you a new ebook that I had the honor of writing for!  Kristy, from Little Natural Cottage, had a desire to write an ebook about homeschooling that would be a great encouragement to homeschool moms.  She enlisted a few other bloggers to help her write this wonderful book, called Homeschooling Day By Day.  

Just like you, we are homeschool moms in the trenches raising and educating our children!  Together, we want to give you a fresh vision for what homeschooling can be.  Not just in the glamorous "bigger picture," but in the very real day-by-day living.

Contributors: Kristy Howard, Bambi Moore, Jacinda Vandenburg, Kasey Norton, Amy Maze, Jill York, Sara Elizabeth Dunn, Anna Christensen, Richele Mcfarlin, Stephanie Eidson, and Heather Bowen.

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Homeschooling Day by Day is a smorgasbord of heart-changing stories, helpful information, and just about everything you could need to help you along your journey of home education!

Throughout the forty chapters of this ebook, we'll tackle the topics of:

 

• Homeschooling Methods

• Learning Styles

• Learning Disabilities

• Homeschooling Teenagers

• Homeschooling Preschoolers

• How to Teach Multiple Ages

• Dealing with Insecurity and Criticism

• How to Handle Bad Attitudes

• Hands on Help for Lesson Planning

• Keeping up with Housework

• And So Much More!

Here are a few words from visionary Kristy Howard:

One sultry day last summer, I sat down at my computer and opened a new Word document. For weeks, thoughts had been swirling in my head and pressing upon my heart.  That day, I began to write. They were random thoughts, but it felt good to express what I was feeling and thinking. I gave my doodlings the quick title of "Homeschooling Day by Day" and briefly entertained the idea of someday turning my ideas into an ebook.  Throughout that busy homeschooling year, a pregnancy, sickness, and all the other real life experiences we moms encounter, I kept writing. Nothing is quite as inspiring as real life!

Homeschooling Day by Day - Coming August 12th

If you're a homeschool mom in need of a little inspiration, or if you've ever considered homeschooling but aren't quite sure you can do it, Homeschooling Day by Day will encourage and empower you!

This amazing ebook will be available on Amazon, as well as right here on this blog , on August 12. (Make sure you look on the sidebar to subscribe by email or follow this blog in some way so you don't miss our official launch!) 

Now Available! Just $4.99!

  We can't wait to share Homeschooling Day by Day with you!