What We're Reading in November 2019

The bad news: I fell down my basement stairs.

Actually, using the word fell is painting it gracefully. Plummeted is probably a more accurate description of my landing. Crashed would work too.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I accidentally flung my entire 40-year-old body down a half flight of stairs and smashed into a cold slab of concrete.

And now all I can do is feebly hobble around like an elderly cat.

The good news: Sitting sedately on a heating pad leaves me plenty of time to read a good book. (What can I say...I'm a "glass is half-full" kind of gal.)

For the next few days, I'll be reclining comfortably with a book in hand. Here's what I (and my small people) will be reading this month.

What is a Living Book Anyway?

Charlotte Mason called them living or full of life. Some have referred to them as whole or complete, lacking in nothing. Still, others describe them with words like imaginative, original, or full of human touch.

No matter what moniker you give them, one thing is clear, a living book is anything but average. Living books are the best. Those aren't my words, mind you. (Although, I don't disagree.) They are Miss Mason's. She writes,

"For the children? They must grow up upon the best . . . There is never a time when they are unequal to worthy thoughts, well put; inspiring tales, well told." (Charlotte Mason, Parents and Children, p. 263)

When to Switch and When to Keep Your Curriculum

Written by Jessica.

One of the amazing things about homeschooling today is the vast amount of teaching and learning resources within reach. The homeschool curricula market is a huge one, and the dizzying array of choices reflects that. No matter your teaching style, the needs and abilities of your children, your budget, or what your core values and beliefs are, there is - quite literally - something for everyone. I know that I have logged more hours than I could possibly count reading about and researching curriculum options for every subject, for each of my kids.

Abeka Phonics K-2nd: What to Buy and What to Skip

We've officially got seven readers in our home. A quick mental calculation will tell you that this means all five of my children have now crossed the great divide between those who can't read and those who can. My youngest still needs my help with certain words, but as of this year, he possesses all the head-knowledge required to decode a word...any word.

In some ways, it feels like it took a lifetime for us to get here. But in other ways, it seems like it only took a blink. In reality, it took eleven years.

To break it down: I've spent the past eleven years teaching the letter names and sounds, the diagraphs, and the syllable rules. Long vowels and short ones. Blends and end rhymes. Regular sounds and special exceptions.

What We're Reading in October 2019

Ordained days.
God has promised them for us in Psalm 139:16.
I've born witness to the truth of this verse many times in my life. The ordination of the Lord seems to be most obvious in the big moments--when He holds us and keeps us so securely by His right hand, when we experience unbelievable miracles that can only be explained by faith. But then there are other times--smaller moments--when we notice how He, in His kindness to us, has orchestrated small bits of wonder for our pleasure. They almost feel like a wink from Him in our direction--a little knowing glance between the two of us.