Our Literature Notebooks

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of introducing kids to classic literature and other longer books of substance long before they are ready to read these books on their own. Just because kids don't understand every single word or can't decipher the sentences on the page without help does not mean there is not much they can gain from a good chapter book. Because we are a slightly big family, I'm often on the lookout for one on one time with my children. I think this is really important, just as important as quality family time and quality sibling time. So we decided to combine our love of literature with our desire to spend quiet moments alone with our children one on one.

So here's the super simple model for our literature lesson time:

After each of our children completes a well-rounded Kindergarten curriculum, we begin working on literature notebooks with them as part of their elementary education. This does not necessarily coincide with the calendar year for Kindergarten, since our kids get to work at their own pace. We begin by naming a bunch of different books we consider of solid literary value to our children, and then they choose any of the books we name. I give lots of choices, and really, I'm just naming good books off the top of my head on that given day. If we own the book, then that is great, but if not, then we have fun making a trip to a used or local bookstore, or the library, or sometimes we order a book if we can't find it locally. The book choosing is part of the fun; the kids don't usually know what the book is about. They are just choosing an interesting sounding title, and so the book's content is often a surprise to them. And then approximately five times a week (we like to be flexible around here), I find something constructive (hopefully!) for the other kiddos to work on, while I grab some time to sit side by side with the little listener and read aloud one chapter from the chosen book. And here's something that I think is important, which many people strongly agree with and many people strongly disagree with: I read the words the writer put on the page, and I DO NOT stop to explain new vocabulary or ask questions or make points. Not only do I think stopping to explain or define interferes with the story and imposes my beliefs about the story on the child, but stopping to explain new words also implies that kids need that kind of explanation, when I think the best way to learn new words is by hearing them in context and letting their little minds remember them and use them on their own. This is not literary criticism time, but simply relaxing and reading and listening time. Now that doesn't mean I won't respond if they ask what a certain word means. It just means that I trust them to hear the story and to get it on their own level. And if their little mind wanders from time to time while I'm reading through a longer chapter, then that's okay, and hopefully, that wandering mind has something to do with the adventure they are listening to in the book.

After completing the chapter, if I ask them anything, I simply ask, "What did you think?" and I just listen. And most of the time, that is the end of our literary lesson, but on special days, we come to the end of the chapter book, and then we get out my child's literature notebook, which is one of those old school composition books. We use the ones with room for drawing on top of the lined pages, like this:

And then our kid gets to choose their favorite part of the entire chapter book. I just love this part, hearing what their little unique self picked out of hundreds of pages as their very favorite part. When my five year old chose a silly song from Alice in Wonderland as her favorite part, I just smiled and laughed, because that was so like her and such a unique choice. I would have chosen some dramatic scene, but this sweet and funny little girl of mine chose a song.

 We find that passage in the book, and then they copy it straight from the book onto the lines of the notebook. They then make their own illustrations to show how the scenes looked in their own heads. Each entry is finished off with writing the author's name and then listing herself as the illustrator.






Copywork is a practice which schools utilized a great deal in the early part of the last century and also well before that, and it is making a fantastic come back. I think it's a great way to learn to write, remember, learn grammar, and also to look for value in literature.

It's great that my kids and I get this one on one time. Most days it is a wonderful experience for me to read chapters to my kiddos, but on some days, it is tiring. How long is this chapter? And then I have to read another one to your sister? But it is worth it, I know, and I keep telling myself that, as mothers everywhere tell themselves about so many things which can be a little tiring at times. And one major plus about this for my kids is that when this is all said and done, they each have a notebook filled with all of their favorite passages from books they read in their childhood with their mother. I love this, especially since I am a slacker at keepsakes and scrapbooks. At least we have our literature notebooks.

Pictured above: my oldest daughter's first literature notebook entry from her very first Narnia experience 

Learning with a favorite board game (Free Printables!)

My kids' violin teacher suggested we use Candy Land to practice violin, and I just loved this idea. So, one night I created an easy key and set of directions for applying our Suzuki violin practice tasks to playing this beloved board game. We played the game, and it was a success. Oh, and this mama went a little crazy and created two other sets of instructions for using Candy Land in our learning time. We now use this game to practice violin, our Classical Conversations memory work, and creative writing. As many creative teachers out there know, the possibilities are endless for using popular board games like Candy Land as learning tools because of the simple concepts and fun visuals on the boards, and also, kids love to win, or at least try to, so games are great in the home and classroom...and home classroom. At some point, after another cup of coffee, I want to go through our game/school closet and see what other activities we can turn in to school drills.

But look at this closet. (And this is after another crazy closet purge...) That will take a while. I'm hoping to get that done and to create a neat little binder with instructions for playing various popular games to practice school content. We'll see...

Please feel free to download the free printable instructions on pdf I've created for playing Candy Land as learning practice by selecting the link(s) below, and please note: I am a big fan of Candy Land and its creators but in no way am I affiliated with Milton Bradley; I'm too busy braiding hair and molding little minds for a 9 to 5 gig. This was just for fun and learning and learning fun.

Violins in Candy Land

Memory Work in Candy Land

Creative Writing in Candy Land

Have fun! And thanks to my girls' violin teacher for the idea!

The Great Summer Music Challenge

Well, it's been a while. I took a blogging break as we welcomed our baby boy to the family. Which means so many wonderful and amazing things for our family and for me as a mother, but in the small world of this blog, it means: we need a new subtitle. It's still pretty different for me to think we are not just in a world of daughters. Things are going to keep on changing around here, and while I have so enjoyed the last seven years of being a mother to daughters and loved living in a world of no-boys-allowed tea parties and fashion shows, I am so thrilled to see what the next years bring as we add some more blue into our home.

Now that we are all settled in to being a family of six, I'm slowly, slowly getting back in the swing of things, which is why I'm sitting here typing, coffee in hand (coffee with soy milk in it, by the way, thanks to baby, but the sacrifice is well worth it of course. Of course.)

So, it's summer! Which for our homeschooling family doesn't exactly mean we are on a total school break, because, ya know, we like to keep things moving year around, so that when things pop up during the regular school break, we can afford to take days off when we choose and still get in our 180 full days of school. (I always laugh about that 180 days of school requirement that many states have, because really, aren't our kiddos learning something and growing into themselves everyday?) Nevertheless, it is summer, so we go a little slower, a little different, we drop of few things, and we add in so much more creativity, flexibility, and fun.

What's on our family's agenda this summer is a team building, music mastering challenge. Let me know what you think. I should add a poll on here (if only I knew how...remember technology is not something I am generally comfortable around...) to see how many people think we can actually pull this thing off. I'm not really sure that we will, but I am sure about one thing: I am not going to cut slack here on this challenge. We are sticking to the plan. And if we are successful, then, wow, what a lesson about the importance and reward of hard work and dedication, but if we aren't successful, then, wow, what a solid lesson on the importance and reward of hard work and dedication.

Okay, here's our plan (this is a copy, with a few changes to names, of the poster hanging up in our home):




OUR FAMILY'S GREAT SUMMER MUSIC CHALLENGE

Everyday we are home (for at least two hours, not including bedtime and meal times…music mastering can’t be rushed, right?), we shall complete the amount of time below of concentrated music practice. Minutes of laziness and whining do not count…that includes Mama and Daddy, too! :)


Mama Bear: piano practice 30 minutes per day
                        violin practice 30 minutes per day

Papa Bear: 1 hour and 15 minutes of guitar practice per day

Sister Bear: 20 minutes violin practice per day
                       14 minutes piano practice per day

Girly Bear: 20 minutes violin practice per day
                     10 minutes piano practice per day UNTIL her summer birthday, 
                     then she goes up to 12 minutes of piano practice per day

Little Bit Bear: unlimited singing of “Let it Go” and all things Frozen to be completed, along with concerts on her American Girl doll’s violin

Baby Brother Bear: daily vocal warm-ups




In June, July, and August, each day the family is ALL home and this is not completed results in one STRIKE. Three strikes and we are OUT, as in OUT of our family fun reward day after August 31st, which is:



Breakfast at our favorite coffee and tea shop, rock skipping and duck feeding at a pond, followed by a lunch picnic, go to a store to pick up a NEW movie we all agree on and popcorn, then back home for snack dinner made by all girls under the age of 8 (yep, they get to make dinner by themselves!), kids get a bath with too many bubbles, followed by family movie and popcorn night and staying up after bedtime. Woah.


Remember, three isn’t a lot, and three strikes and we are OUT. Let’s stay in this challenge. Did I mention the girls get to make dinner?...



Sickness Clause: Parent or Doctor confirmed illness does not excuse time, BUT can change the rules a bit: in the case of an ill musician, a family member or family members may take on the patient’s practice time until the illness passes. No minutes may be lost on a given day. We’re serious about this challenge…


MARK ANY STRIKES BELOW WITH X’s (Remember any Summer break day, JUNE-AUGUST, on which we are all home, is required to be counted towards the challenge).


STRIKES:







Let's see how this goes.