eNewsletter: Staying in Touch

CC Parent Practicums have inspired many of us to go beyond our workbooks and our textbooks so that we can teach from the heart with freedom, understanding, and wisdom. We have been challenged to "go beyond" in two specific areas: grammar and science. These are two fields of great importance, so summer is a good time to focus some attention on them. The following ideas can help you get started:

Take Grammar Beyond a Book:
Expose your children to great grammar by reading aloud or listening to books on CD. Listening to well-written sentences is a great way to begin, no matter what their age. Choose classics to ensure you're getting good grammar:

Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White reading

Story of the World, Susan Wise Bauer
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
In the Reign of Terror, G.A. Henty
Duncan's War, Douglas Bond
Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein

(These selections will also help your family get enthusiastic about Cycle 2 history.)

Many families enjoy listening to Dad read aloud at night. (If children are squirmy, let them build with Legos or crochet while they listen.) Play audio CDs while the children fall asleep in their beds. For wonderful CDs for all ages, check out Jim Wise's recordings at www.greathall.com. Choose a special audio book for car trips. Peter and the Star Catchers is one my whole family loves to listen to on the way to the beach. The ships and pirates give the children lots of ideas for creative play when they get there!

As the practicum speakers pointed out, most of us weren't taught grammar, and although I like the suggestion made in the book War on Grammar that we sue our hometown school boards for neglecting grammar, our time would be better spent in just teaching ourselves grammar.

Moms can get a little grammar practice by diagramming a verse as part of their own Bible study. The more you practice, the more you'll be aware of the grammar and sentence patterns. (Often, a diagram of a scripture verse can help me see the main idea more clearly, and that helps me apply it to my life.) Challenge students should be able to do this too---see if your Challenge student diagrams the verse the same way you do; if they're different, discuss why your opinions differ. (Sometimes there is more than one way to interpret a sentence, especially when it comes to deciding whether a clause or phrase is adjectival or adverbial.) In this way, you'll go beyond a textbook and to The Book.

If you are new to grammar yourself, start by seeing how many parts of speech you can identify in one of your verses. (In case you don't recall, there are eight parts of speech: Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Conjunction, Interjection, Preposition, Adjective.) For an overview of grammar, see chapter five of The Core.

Take Science Beyond a Book: caterpillar on a leaf

In order to excel in science, students need to develop the skill of observation, and they need to learn the names of the things they observe.
Observation skills cannot be developed through the use of a textbook; they are best taught in the backyard, on a nature hike, at a park, or on the beach. (Perfect! That's where I want to be in the summer anyway!) What does that look like? Mom, Dad, and all the kids make time to stop to observe and discuss the details of a flower's structure. They find shells and compare their structure. They look at how leaves are arranged on the stem. They watch a caterpillar or follow a butterfly. They learn to name all the trees they see (cedar, oak, pine?). Identify birds by their song (mockingbird, bluebird, wren?) I had to pick up a bird guide and a tree guide to help me identify these things at first. Also, a few trips to a nature museum can help you name and identify the tricky plants and animals. Since we'll be learning about space this year in Foundations, maybe you can find a stargazing class or find sites on-line to help you name the constellations. Your family might make some great memories lying on a blanket outside at night looking at the stars. Your children don't need to know that these activities are more than fun; we know that we are teaching important science skills---observing and naming---but they'll just know how much fun it is. For more details on teaching and experiencing science, see chapter nine of The Core.
kids playing in the stream

While you're observing and naming, take a moment to mention how great God is to have created all these creatures beautiful and complex and orderly! Every discovery, especially the tiniest details, should make us rejoice in their Creator! Model that, and they'll learn to do it, too.