My Education Junction

Photo courtesy of Nick. Please go visit my budding photog:)

Filed under: Wordless Wednesday on October 30th, 2007 | 7 Comments »

In my last post, I meant to mention that I had come across a great art site called Art Renewal. They have an extensive collection of art online. They also have a very large forum in which members can discuss their favorite artist and his/her works. Art Renewal also has podcasts, which I am sure will be interesting. They even have a podcast on Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. How lucky is that? But my luck didn’t end there, because many of his images were available for download.

Another great resource in Alibris Books online. They have quickly become my favorite online bookstore. I purchased an Alma-Tadema book from them just days ago, and I have already received it. I bought it used but you would never know  by looking at it. I paid $2.96, and it was a hardcover to boot! Another reason why I love this ebookstore is because I often find books there that I have difficulty finding elsewhere, and they always have the best price.

So far we are having a lot of fun. I hope Nick continues to enjoy the experience. In the meantime, what artists have you studied? Who did you and your children enjoy the most?

Filed under: Arts & Crafts on October 28th, 2007 | No Comments »

The more I read Charlotte Mason the more I want to incorporate her ideas into our daily practices.  The problem is I am never content to do things as they were intended, and I wonder if my constant need to tweak does not ruin the original purpose of the exercise.

After visiting several other blogs, I decided I would begin an artist study this week. I chose Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema. I put together a collection of prints and decided I would give Nick a picture to study each week. I started by giving Nick some background information on Alma-Tadema, and then I had him study the first painting I had chosen. I then asked him to describe it as best he could. He did describe it accurately, but at the same time I found his description rather flat.  

I know I often expect too much. I wanted his words to give me a sense of what I considered to be a visually rich painting. The ocean was simply blue. The woman wore a white dress. What I wanted to hear out of my 7 year old’s mouth is that the sea was mediterranean blue, and that the woman wore an ivory dress with a mauve sash at her waist, while her hair was the color of burnt sienna. I know it is stupid to think that he would say mauve or burnt sienna. Mediterranean blue is a leap. Then I started to wonder how he would ever describe a painting if he did not have the vocabulary to convey what it is  he saw. 

I decided we would do another exercise. We picked three basic colors and then expanded upon them using a thesaurus. Then I asked him to write a short story about the painting. I wanted to know what the subjects of the painting were thinking. What were they doing? Why? Maybe we keep a color notebook too? And then I wonder, am I taking this in a direction where something that was meant to be simple is now convoluted?

I find myself doing this alot. If I can make the process more complicated then perhaps I am making it better. Sometimes it does make it better. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it only serves to make everything too much. How does someone curb their need to over complicate matters? Any advice? 

Filed under: Arts & Crafts on October 27th, 2007 | 1 Comment »

I apologize, as it took me a few days to get the rest of these up. For some reason MediaFire was not cooperating with me. I  spent hours trying to get these uploaded-arrgh.

To answer Kimmer’s question, I am really interested in the phonics tables in the books and their use in relation to the stories. My son is a pretty strong reader, but at some point in time he went from using phonetic skills to relying purely on memory. I realize that memorization does play a role in his reading ability, but I also see how his memory does not serve him when we do things like dictation, and he is faced with writing something unfamiliar. When he comes across a word in a text he does not know, he is overwhelmed.  Often the word(s) could be sounded out if he would only fall back on phonics. For whatever reason he no longer does this.

I will use the McGuffey Spelling Book with the same purpose in mind. I also think it offers a great list of vocabulary words that he can benefit from.

McGuffey’s Fourth Eclectic Reader

McGuffey’s Fifth Eclectic Reader

McGuffey’s Sixth Eclectic Reader

McGuffey’s Eclectic Speller

Filed under: Phonics, Reading on October 20th, 2007 | No Comments »

I recently found the McGuffey Eclectic Reader Series in PDF form, and I thought it would be a great addition to Nick’s curriculum. I am adding the readers to the library section of the blog. The books are being hosted on MediaFire. Hence, you will be redirected to the MediaFire site to download.  The series is $46 at Amazon. In this format, I can print what I need, as I need it and save some money in the process. You can do the same I will be adding the speller and the fourth, fifth and sixth edition to the blog as soon as I get them uploaded to MediaFire.

McGuffey’s First Eclectic Reader Revised

McGuffey’s Second Eclectic Reader

McGuffey’s Third Eclectic Reader

Filed under: Reading on October 17th, 2007 | 1 Comment »

Each year BP in partnership U.S Department of Energy, sponsors a Solar Decathlon. Twenty university teams from around the world will compete by designing energy efficient homes which run completely on solar power. The event begins October 11th and runs through the 19th. It takes place on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Easy access to viewing can me gained from the Smithsonian Metro Station. If you can’t see the homes first hand, computer rendered images can be seen at the Department of Energy website.

You can watch the entire event take place by visiting the BP Solar Decathlon website.  Each day you will be able to watch progress being made as livable, solar-powered homes are carefully constructed on the National Mall. You can also visit the site to glean a variety of information concerning the technology which makes highly effective green energy homes possible. While your there meet the talented teams behind these innovative designs, and learn which universities are involved in the project.

BP has been a proud sponsor of the Solar Decathlon since 2002. They are one of the few corporate sponsors and the only energy company devoted to the project. BP is commited to finding affordable energy solutions that leave the least amount of impact on our planet. Check out the Solar Decathlon today!

Filed under: Sponsored on October 10th, 2007 | No Comments »

Here are four Halloween story starters I created using vintage Halloween postcards. Nick tells me the postcards are creepy. I thought Halloween was supposed to be creepy. Am I  simply old and out of touch? If nothing else, maybe they will creep your kids out too.

Alfred the Scarecrow

Gilda and Oscar

The Witch

Three Little Pumpkins

Filed under: Holidays on October 9th, 2007 | No Comments »