tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.comments2017-11-08T08:10:55.971-08:00Raising Pure PraiseJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10026656418305395243noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-44562297709242811962017-02-23T23:55:06.781-08:002017-02-23T23:55:06.781-08:00I have been searching for a meaningful comparison ...I have been searching for a meaningful comparison between SWR and LOE, and this has been the best review so far! One of the things that held me back from SWR was the perceived difficulty. As well, I disagreed with the letter Y having the /i/ sound. I will take your advice and add /ee/, which makes more sense. Your insight has been very helpful in helping me decide which curriculum to use. Thank you!MGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07249517253259675691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-77514872936490668402017-02-10T13:22:42.277-08:002017-02-10T13:22:42.277-08:00One word of wisdom: take what she says about the l...One word of wisdom: take what she says about the letter Y with a grain of salt, and then go ahead and teach your children that Y has four sounds including the long /ee/ sound we hear and say in words like "baby."Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10026656418305395243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-32121883248671215602017-02-10T13:15:13.115-08:002017-02-10T13:15:13.115-08:00Yay! Cheers!Yay! Cheers!Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10026656418305395243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-5539800303066358502017-02-10T12:44:59.060-08:002017-02-10T12:44:59.060-08:00Thank you so much! This seals the deal. I'm go...Thank you so much! This seals the deal. I'm going to get SWR and Cursive First! Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855377637874066431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-79875518173736988192017-02-10T12:39:15.710-08:002017-02-10T12:39:15.710-08:00Thank you! I'll read it. :)Thank you! I'll read it. :)Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855377637874066431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-45978901249245498932017-02-08T22:15:07.534-08:002017-02-08T22:15:07.534-08:00Hi, Christina! Thank you for leaving a comment. Lo...Hi, Christina! Thank you for leaving a comment. Lovely to hear from you!<br /><br />I tried to reply here to your questions, but I exceeded the maximum length limit for comments. Ha-ha! <br /><br />So I wrote another post: http://raisingpurepraise.blogspot.com/2017/02/comparing-phonics-programs.htmlJenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10026656418305395243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-41674389632251442422017-02-07T14:28:43.638-08:002017-02-07T14:28:43.638-08:00To clarify, I left out the Writing Road to Reading...To clarify, I left out the Writing Road to Reading since SWR is basically a better version of it.Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855377637874066431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-54932364291782895272017-02-07T14:26:46.231-08:002017-02-07T14:26:46.231-08:00Thank you so much for this! I completely agree.
...Thank you so much for this! I completely agree. <br /><br />I'm trying to pick a phonics program for my daughter (she'll be 6 this summer). I've seen your recommendation before for Spell to Write and Read, and am very intrigued. The only complaint I have heard is that it requires a lot of prep time. Can you explain what you consider to be the pros and cons of the 3 curriculums you mention? Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855377637874066431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-14925635648772164302016-01-26T14:48:49.409-08:002016-01-26T14:48:49.409-08:00Lovely.Lovely.MrsDiGiacomohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01666188798180544444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-79542440421756046422015-04-21T16:37:37.548-07:002015-04-21T16:37:37.548-07:00Beautiful.Beautiful.Christinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855377637874066431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-71573710461582848562014-11-16T16:58:15.968-08:002014-11-16T16:58:15.968-08:00I mentioned the wrong math program to you earlier....I mentioned the wrong math program to you earlier. It was Miquon Math not Math Mammoth that is exploratory based math. T.S. is asking to do math, so though I wasn't planning on doing anything formal this year, it seems he finds is relaxing and fun and so started a math game shelf this week in his playroom. <br /><br />I also just purchased the Miquon Math series....I found all 6 workbooks and manual (K-3) for $40 used. They also have a cool "lab book" of what play games they used with cuisenaire rods in their first grade class. A friend recommended to us http://www.educationunboxed.com/ as a good reference for playing with cuisenaire rods as well. The rods were one of the few toys we took to Greece this summer, b/c they were small and easy to fit in the suitcase. <br /><br />Sorry to through out more resources....sometimes that becomes more overwhelming than helpful. <br /><br />It sounds like you have a great understanding of where you are going and how to teach students to think like a mathematician. Elisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678115194011501009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-55768344075022616472014-06-19T05:08:39.800-07:002014-06-19T05:08:39.800-07:00Thank you for leaving a comment, Joseph. I agree t...Thank you for leaving a comment, Joseph. I agree that Lewis offers valuable insight into the nature and purpose of education which is complementary to Sayers' view. <br /><br />And I also relate to the problem you describe of "not knowing what I should know" about technology. Perhaps computer science and technology fit in somewhere in the quadrivium, but the idea of approaching coding as a language in the trivium is intriguing. Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10026656418305395243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-5244248554163696132014-06-18T11:05:37.778-07:002014-06-18T11:05:37.778-07:00Just woke up, so not sure how coherent my thoughts...Just woke up, so not sure how coherent my thoughts will be, but I have to say I find that Lewis' "theory" of education outlined in "The Abolition of Man" fits in perfectly with Sayers (surprise surprise). Lewis focuses on the purpose of education being not so much the retention of facts and the memorization of information (as does Sayers) but as the creation and formation of a Person. Children must be taught how to feel and given a moral grounding. This fits in quite well with the Orthodox model of salvation, turning the education into a progressive journey towards Christ and making it a tool of Theosis. His was the first book that really drove home to me that without a Christian injection into our children's educations we're not really giving them the entire situation to work with, and we're also neglecting an important part of their holistic self, the soul.<br /><br />That holistic view of course is a theme of Sayers' essay as well. The incorporation of all parts of learning surrounding certain books or ideas rather than divided up by subject will provide, IMO, a better platform for real-life based learning. The public, Prussian model is not formulated to create critical thinkers, because the public school serves the government, and the government does not ultimately care whether or not her citizens can think but that they can pay taxes. It gets at the reason for the institution's (public education) existence.<br /><br />In college, when I studied Locke and Hobbes, I realized the purpose of a government, and formulate all my political opinions based upon what the purpose of the institution should be. It strikes many people as odd when you approach political debates from "does the government have the right to do that" not whether or not they should. Education works in much the same way to me now. By starting from a discussion about what education *should* do, it's much easier to make choices about your child's education. If you take Sayers' and Lewis' view, providing the mind with the tools to learn and an understanding of the necessity and benefit of cooperating with Christ, you can very easily begin to create a curriculum for your child and a plan to pursue it. <br /><br />My biggest concern is a lack of computer or technical knowledge in the general Classical Education movement. I think we're neglecting an important aspect of the future. Technology rules the day, and as lovers of the classics I think too often we let our adoration of the past obscure the fact that we do need to prepare our kids to function in today's world. I would love to find something about how (and what!) to teach our kids about technology that best fits into the Classical paradigm. I've seen some people do this with languages - teaching coding or something, but I'm not sure that's what I'm getting at. We don't necessarily need to know how to program computers, but we do need to understand something about them to operate with them. Unfortunately my own lack of knowledge in this area means I don't know what we should know. My wife seems to think the kids will pick it up from growing up in such a techy world, but I've always been of the opinion that conscious study is the surest way to prevent gaps. I still have time to figure out what we're going to do, but "computer science" is so prevalent today that it almost bears admittance as one of the liberal arts.Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05595719256996960360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-26922764185907180822013-12-03T18:19:07.643-08:002013-12-03T18:19:07.643-08:00I am so glad you homeschool my grandchildren! Tha...I am so glad you homeschool my grandchildren! Thank you for being such a great mom and teacher and so many other wonderful roles you play:)Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05688053709726995558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-16608563125352227502013-12-03T18:15:19.243-08:002013-12-03T18:15:19.243-08:00Beautiful, Jen. Flowers for butterflies. I love ...Beautiful, Jen. Flowers for butterflies. I love this picture and then the seeing "what magic unfolds." You have such a way of describing things so well. And I love hearing what my grandchildren are saying. There is so much they are thinking about. We have no idea the impact of all that we expose our children to:)Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05688053709726995558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-60835564790585575282013-03-23T11:43:15.758-07:002013-03-23T11:43:15.758-07:00I'm going to pretty much cut, copy, paste and ...I'm going to pretty much cut, copy, paste and try this with my three year old. Thank you for documenting what you're doing! Lynn Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16954688318182916654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-12547713209962740142013-02-05T21:03:54.035-08:002013-02-05T21:03:54.035-08:00Here, Here!!
Claire has an insatiable appetite for...Here, Here!!<br />Claire has an insatiable appetite for audiobooks. I am constantly downloading more from the library. We all Love the Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling and Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White which we check out over and over.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11677862835956509300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-77421814998216278662012-12-29T11:01:01.038-08:002012-12-29T11:01:01.038-08:00You're such a great homeschooling mom! I admi...You're such a great homeschooling mom! I admire your priority to work with your kids for their best overall development and education.Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05688053709726995558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-24291321582261174292012-12-29T10:50:07.842-08:002012-12-29T10:50:07.842-08:00I find that generally all you write to be edifying...I find that generally all you write to be edifying, helpful and encouraging. I say generally, as I'm not homeschooling any longer so those posts, though fascinating and very helpful, are not of much use to me now. This post/sermon was encouraging as I begin in a week the renewed pursuit to an even healthier self.Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05688053709726995558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-37439328474211210082012-11-05T04:51:43.814-08:002012-11-05T04:51:43.814-08:00I enjoyed reading this post, but at the same time,...I enjoyed reading this post, but at the same time, it made me a little angry: because, yes, our culture (and almost all cultures) want to put boys in this mold of being strong and un-emotional. I can't tell you how many times I've come close to exploding when at the playground and I see a boy get hurt, and the boy's parent says, "Don't cry. Brush it off. Be a man." etc etc. Grrr!!! Makes me so mad.<br />In answer to your question, "How do I equip my son?" I don't know. I struggle with the same thing. We do let our kids know that feelings are not bad in and of themselves. It's okay to feel them. Some of them have to be dealt with in an appropriate way (such as, if Benji's been crying loudly for 10 minutes over a broken Lego car and won't be consoled, we might say, "It's okay to feel sad, but if you want to continue screaming, you'll need to go to your room and do it.") In fact, I think you might have taught us that one!<br />I'll have to check back on here later and see if others give comments. I would be interested to know how other parents of boys are teaching their boys to have emotion in their "God-created humanity."<br />Thank you for the thought-provoking post!Hopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12578194395330819153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-21022589492060673552012-09-15T07:03:38.085-07:002012-09-15T07:03:38.085-07:00Someone else told me about this book, and it's...Someone else told me about this book, and it's on my reading list. It sounds like an excellent read and should be really good for me. I'm glad you have found it good as well.Hopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12578194395330819153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-49191894868538815402012-08-20T18:24:16.788-07:002012-08-20T18:24:16.788-07:00I love book lists! Thanks for posting.
You hav...I love book lists! Thanks for posting. <br /><br />You have inspired me to attend a free Duke Ellington Jazz concert with the kids on Labor Day at our local university...<br /><br />I already requested some of your recommendations from the library. Thanks! Elisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678115194011501009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-87513132930834924582012-08-19T23:03:33.277-07:002012-08-19T23:03:33.277-07:00Good question! He likes to look at the pictures an...Good question! He likes to look at the pictures and talk about what he sees. He will even get out books like these and "read" the pictures by himself. Sometimes he will sit for the first page or pages of me reading aloud to Katherine, but he doesn't have the attention span to listen to all the text. Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10026656418305395243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-44354306919850456752012-08-19T22:54:45.379-07:002012-08-19T22:54:45.379-07:00Jen, is Jude enjoying these others too? Or are the...Jen, is Jude enjoying these others too? Or are the latter ones just for Katherine?Ladybughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01805226553503135733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6497833300180395942.post-55035195141983690952012-07-13T17:10:51.902-07:002012-07-13T17:10:51.902-07:00Great things to think about! I'm a fan of unst...Great things to think about! I'm a fan of unstructured learning.Hopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12578194395330819153noreply@blogger.com