Thursday, October 29, 2009

Classical Education

If you read my other blog (before I shut it down), then you know that I recently ordered The Well-Trained Mind from the library. (I LOVE my new library - in the "big" city - I can order books on the internet and they hold them for me!)

I did not read the whole book, because it would have been information overload! (And, because I am much too busy!) I read the portion of the book pertaining to the Grammar Stage of Education (through 4th grade). I was already persuaded to try classical education before I read the book. But, this book told me HOW to go about it! I found the book very helpful, with a LOT of great references.

The author of the Well-Trained Mind, Susan Wise Bauer, also wrote a history book called The Story of the World (SOTW). I checked this out from the library also, but I was disappointed. It would not be my first choice for a primary history text. But, a comment on the old blog referred me to The Mystery of History, by Linda Hobar. I have looked into this book, and read reviews, and I think it is what I will go with (as soon as I can afford a used copy)! I am excited to have a little more direction in my schooling. I was a little too eclectic before, and it was driving me mad pooling so many of my own resources from the internet. I was doing it because it was FREE!, but it was very taxing on my time!

This is not meant to be a controversial post. I am not trying to persuade my readers to switch to classical ed (or to switch to homeschooling). This is just an informative post for my dear friends and family who are encouraging me in my schooling journey.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have a homeschool consignment store called Homeschool Potpourri - here is there link, as they do take online and phone orders, of course there is shipping fee;

http://www.hspbooks.com/ they have a large variety of items, you just have to be specific with your request. I get a few things there, some prices are a little high for used.

Ruby said...

I have a friend using Mystery of History with her kids and loves it!
How are you all going? Your baby counter is ticking down so fast.. or so it seems to me. Will you take a break from school and all after the baby arrives, before?
Thinking of you often.

Mama in Uganda said...

I am a classic homeschool mama! Love it. I have all of Charlotte Mason's books....such a beautiful approach.

P.S. How is your health? I am heading back to the DR. asap. The pain and fatigue is back with a vengence :-(

MamaHen said...

I checked out The Story of the World also and was disappointed. I think it probably had some great stories, but it was not for us.

I am using Veritas Press for history right now. I bought the history cards (they tell me what to say to the children about each historical event) and then we can check out library books to go along with what we are learning. VP has many wonderful books you can order, but to save money I just get most of them from the library. I love the inter-library loan system too!!!!

I hope you do get to go on your weekend trip. And I will pray for Lucy today.

Bethany W. said...

Kimberly, Thanks for the link!

Ruby, This pregnancy has really sped by! I cannot believe how fast it has gone! I am feeling pretty well... now that I am off coffee and soda. AND, my Dr got my insurance to pay for prescription medicine for my GERD. I still have nausea, but no vomiting! And, I am able to sleep lying down!!! I have occasional pains in my joints, but not terrible.
I take breaks in school as I need them. (We try to do school all year to make up for it) I will no doubt take a break after Baby is born... how can one teach when one lives in a time warp of feeding Baby every few hours? I will try to keep my break as short as possible.

Uganda Mama, I am SO sorry to hear that you are not well! I will pray for you! I have read a little bit here and there about (and by) Charlotte Mason. Her approach seems to understand the mind of children.

Mama Hen, I have mixed feelings about Veritas Press. It was Douglas Wilson's books that first brought me around to seeing the value of Classical Ed (and especially Latin). I LOVE the resources in the VP catalog! And, I daydream and write out wishlists that add up to nearly a thousand dollars... which is the reason I CANNOT use the program. It costs way too much for us, and looking at it from an impoverished perspective, I now see that most of the music stuff (the DVDs) is an expensive extra. BUT, I use the catalog as a guide. And, I have bought a few things along the way. We have the phonics museum, which I have mixed feelings about. I was thinking that I would use the Mystery of History for my history, and use some of the VP sources in other areas. Their geography book looks great! It is all just a matter of cost.
Lydia, "Lucy", is feeling better. She does not have a fever today.

Thanks all for your comments.
Bethany

MamaHen said...

Completely agree with you about VP. I bought the cards for the year we are using and we check out the books from the library. This is my first year to use it and I am so glad I have a guide. Before, I just did whatever caught my fancy and would make up my own stuff.