Last few subjects.

Hey there. Remember once upon a time when I was posting about the various stuff we've used in homeschooling? Well. I got a bit side-tracked there, didn't I? ;) (You can catch up on the previous posts over under the homeschooling category on the left.) Sorry about that, but I've got a couple more posts to go. This first one covers the miscellaneous subjects I've missed:

GEOGRAPHY
We've not really focused on geography until recently. Since we follow a chronological history, I've been reluctant to use the various geography curricula I've come across. Most of them focus almost exclusively on reading a map and then on the United States alone for elementary years. Instead, we've simply made a point to talk about geography in everyday life and other subjects (the Story of the World program comes with decent historical maps that coordinate with the lessons). Beyond that, here are some other things I've found useful:

• We've taken advantage of world events like the Olympics and the World Cup...finding the various countries on the map and discussing them throughout the competitions.
• Another great resource are the Junior Ranger programs available at most national parks. The boys love earning their badge/patch, and I love that along the way they have to learn about the park itself and the geography of the land and reading maps and similar things. So far, we've done these numerous times and I truly believe that learning on site helps tremendously with understanding and retention.
• We also play the "place game." I'm not sure if it's an official game, but it's one I remember playing growing up. One person names a place. The next person must name a place that starts with the last letter of the previous place. It's simple and fun and a terrific opportunity to just introduce a bunch of places and throw in little tidbits about them. You can make it trickier by requiring that hte place be part of a certain category (like only country names now, or only places you haven't been to, for example). Great for in the car on the way to one of those national parks or even just on the way to soccer practice. ;)

For this coming school year, I'm trying to take a more organized approach to geography and have created my own plan drawing from many sources. Basically, I made a list of the things I wanted to be sure to cover and have divided it out into lesson size chunks. I'll find a resource for each as I go. ;) (One that I already have at the ready is The Geography Book.) Since this is one of the subjects I do with all three boys together, I expect that some of this will be very much review for Noah but am thinking I'll simply have him help me teach it.

ART
Surprisingly, given my own artistic background, art isn't a subject that we've been routine with at all. I've definitely gone in spurts and also relied on the fact that the boys receive art instruction at Options weekly as well. This year, though, I made a plan incorporating projects from three books:

• Artistic Pursuits (book 1 of the K-3 group): I love the planning of this curriculum and the presentation of each lesson...providing basic talking points, examples from art history and a very doable project for kids.
• Discovering Great Artists: Art history was one of my favorite classes in undergrad, so this book just drew me in. I wish that the examples from the artists were in color but figure I can always find more images online. Here, though, I can start with a short biography and assignment. The book contains many more projects than I could cover in a year, so I look forward to working this into future years as well.
• Science Arts: This one seemed a no brainer when I saw it. What could be better for my science-minded boys than art projects that also teach a scientific principle? ;) Again, there are an incredibly lot of projects in this book, so I'll be using this one in years to come as well.  

I'm so excited about this! (And, I got to go buy art supplies, lol!)

PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)
Um, I don't do a routine PE time with my boys. I figure they get enough of that with soccer and karate and swim lessons and their weekly PE class at Options, not to mention all the chasing each other they do at home. ;) Here, though, are a few other things that I've found to be awesome:

• Speed Stacks: The boys were introduced to these at Options and love them. Initially, I was confused as to how they counted as PE, but the coordination required really is an exercise. Plus, they're fabulous for rainy days when boys can't get outside to play...keeps them active without requiring much space.
• Squidgies: Okay, that might not be the actual name. But these are a great alternative to frisbees or footballs or baseballs for tossing around in the front yard. Because they're soft, they don't break windows or hurt hands. 
• Liquidators: Again, not sure on the name. During the summer, though, these are wonderful for front yard water fights...much easier for young kids to use than water guns that require tricky refilling. We just fill up a kiddie pool and a big bucket with water, creating stations around the yard, and let them loose.
• The Ultimate Homeschool PE Game Book: If you still need ideas for PE, this book has some great alternate takes on classic games...allowing you to play more traditional PE games even when it's only you and your homeschooler.

LATIN
Finally, Latin. I haven't actually started this yet. So. I'll just tell you that right now these two resources are on my bookshelf:

• Minimus program: I've heard great things about this little program and am particularly happy that it deals with Roman history as well as just language, helping kids put it all in perspective. Some of the other programs I looked into used contemporary settings or were simply too dry to be inspiring.
• Song School Latin: This just sounded fun. ;)

In case you were wondering, I settled on Latin as an additional language to start with because 1) I don't know any other languages so will be learning along side the boys regardless, and 2) given how much they love science I figured that being able to better sort out the scientific vocabulary might be useful and Latin will help with that. Already in our science lessons, we've had a number of Latin roots that we've studied. 

Do you teach Latin in your own homeschooling? What are some other good programs? I'm hoping this is a good start but will need further materials as we progress. Since my boys are all young yet, though, I'm not too worried about it all. Mostly, I want them to simply be excited about learning another language.

Okey-dokey. That's that for now. Any additional suggestions? :)

Comments

[Jan]

Amanda, I am amazed at these posts - you have certainly done your homework (no pun intended). When my youngest son was in middle school, he was required to take 2 years of Latin. The school said it was because over 90% of the English language is derived from Latin and they have shown that children with some background in Latin do better on the vocabulary part of the SAT and ACT tests for college. So, anyway - good choice.

Oh - and that son - is now 25 - did extremely well on those tests and was an English major in college, has taught a couple of years and is working on writing a book.