Homeschool! Aaah!

A Prayer for Mothers

by an anonymous hieromonk

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Who didst come into this world not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give Thy life as a ransom for many, help me, I beseech Thee, in my ministry of caring for the children Thou hast given me. Enable me to be patient in tribulations, to instruct with a meek and gentle spirit, to reprimand with inner tranquility and a sober mind, and to serve in humility of heart with love. May I thus live in Thee alone, by Thee alone, and for Thee alone, showing forth Thy virtues and leading my family upon the path of Thy saving commandments, that we may glorify Thee, together with Thine unoriginate Father and Thine all-holy and life-giving Spirit, both in this world and that which is to come. Amen.

Meatwad is five years old! and it’s time for kindergarten.  Homeschooling is no longer an abstraction, and I’m seriously grateful for this “practice year” before first grade and its compulsory reporting.  (Hey, look!  New York is a state with high regulation!  Is that surprising? … Anyone?  Anyone? … No, it is not surprising.)

We’ll be starting our school year with the Church year, on September first.  Guess what!  We’re going on vacation for two weeks between now and then!  Oh dear!  Time to get organized or face dooooooom!  Here’s what we’re working with (this list might make us look like crazy overachievers, but the elements should actually fit and flow in a lovely, gentle way):

• Curriculum Guides
  • Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education, by Laura M. Berquist
  • The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise
• Orthodoxy
  • Children’s Garden of the Theotokos, by Macrina and Christopher Lewis – This curriculum spans a number of subject areas, but will be used primarily as a catechetical resource in our homeschool.
  • Children’s Bible Reader, illustrated by Martha Kapetanakou-Xinopoulou
  • A Visual Catechism of the Orthodox Church, by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos
• Reading
  • Phonics
    • The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading, by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington
    • Bob Books, by Bobby Lynn Maslen
  • Literature
    • Books That Build Character: A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values through Stories, by William Kilpatrick and Gregory and Suzanne M. Wolfe
    • Library Card
• Handwriting
  • Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, Grade K
  • Orthodox Copywork Pages, Level 1 (Zaner-Bloser Basic Manuscript), from Paidea Classics
• Mathematics
  • Math in Focus: The Singapore Approach, Grade K, published by Marshall Cavendish Education (part of Times Publishing Limited) in Singapore, distributed in the U.S. by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Science
  • No Text; Activities Gleaned from Various Sources
    • “Visits to the zoo, natural history museum, or beach and walks around the neighborhood are all occasions for science discussion.  Science at this point could be better described as natural history, or getting to know the world around you.  Raising animals, sprouting beans, helping in a garden are simple, natural ways of becoming familiar with the physical world.”  (Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum, p. 38)
    • “You can supplement beginning reading, writing, and math by doing a science experiment once or twice a week; more formal science study isn’t necessary at this stage.”  (The Well-Trained Mind, p. 40)
• Poetry
  • A Child’s Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Art
  • Artistic Pursuits, Grades K-3 Book One, by Brenda Ellis
• Music
  • Liturgical Music of the Orthodox Church
  • Alfred’s Premier Piano Course, Level 1A, by Dennis Alexander, Gayle Kowalchyk, E. L. Lancaster, Victoria McArthur, and Martha Mier