Our beautiful summer days of leisure are quickly tapering off, and it is time to sit down to plan the menu. I am mustering up the mental energy to work and trying to not get distracted while the girls are out of the house this morning at a drum workshop my husband has been teaching on the Northshore every Wednesday. Sifting through e-mails, roaming the online CC forum for clarity, walking through curriculum, and organizing binders and bookshelves feels less like a chore with a home-brewed latte and John Mark McMillan on loop! Preparing for a school year is like sailing out into the open sea— eagerly expecting beauty and adventure, praying for wind in our sails, longing to reach the destination, and hopefully no shipwrecks.

Planning the feast for homeschooling is a checklist of having everything physically in hand and, as a teacher, familiarizing myself with the content of the curriculum. I like to review the lesson plan schedule(s) and mentally walk through the days in advance to ensure our weeks will run smoothly. Training the girls to be ready for school by 9 a.m. after summertime is like teaching them how to ride a bicycle again, so we practice the morning routine as usual on a school day— a few weeks leading up to the first day of school. 

Thankfully, I don’t have much to edit in or out of our curriculum—maybe specific crafts I don’t foresee us doing or the hope to linger longer on a subject. By week 5, I anticipate that our lessons must be tailored to individual learning abilities and pursuits, and our home schedule between my husband and I may require shifting. The aim is always for a seamless weekly rhythm and finding a good balance that works for our whole family.

We are diving back into U.S. history and government, which feels like the wind in my sails after studying the timeline and governments of European and Asian history. I like the relevance in our lives and how tangible it is to teach since we are, after all, on American soil!

x jena

A BASIC OVERVIEW

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HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY

In addition to our Foundations Cycle 3 U.S. History memory work this year, we are using The Playful Pioneers Volume II. Three years ago, I went through The Playful Pioneers Volume I with Ema for Kindergarten while Evie (2nd-year Essentials) was going through IEW U.S. History writing lessons.

I love how CC programs are all intertwined together; families with multiple children all at different grade levels are studying the same topics. Our bookshelves this year will be filled with American literature at different reading levels, encouraging the girls to help each other study and read books to one another!

MATH

We use Saxon Math: Math 1, Math 3, and Algebra 1. Leia will be using a Montessori Math workbook for preschool.

SCIENCE

I review our botany and nature books every school year to build on vocabulary and understanding of the natural world through art and observation. The girls also do labs and more significant science projects on our CC seminar days with their tutors and classmates. This year in CC, they will study human anatomy, the periodic table, and the Theory of Evolution vs. intelligent design.

Language Arts, reading & writing

We use IEW as our resource for writing and Our Mother Tongue for grammar lessons. Simple and short reading lessons come out of McGuffy’s Readers.

Challenge 1

Students in the Classical Conversations Challenge 1 program study in 6 different strands: logic (algebra), grammar (Latin 1), research (Physical Science), reasoning (Traditional Logic 1 and Drama), exposition (American Literature), and debate (American Government and Economics).

Five weeks ago, we stepped foot onto a new Classical Conversations (CC) community in my sweet hometown. Attending once-a-week seminar days with other homeschool families as we did in San Diego feels like we're moving forward— and with the curriculum and schedule nearly identical at every campus, we haven't skipped a beat! Evie is in Challenge B, and Sandie and Ema are in Foundations with their tutors. Making the transition from state to state has been surprisingly smooth, a welcomed blessing, and even more so when connected to a Co-Op of like-minded families.

on the table —

Math takes the front seat at 9 a.m. with one lesson a day out of Saxon workbooks (Math 1, Algebra 1/2), and then on to formal reading lessons out of McGuffy's Readers, journaling with illustrations, and, when the time permits, I read literature out loud— currently reading The Chronicles of Narnia! In Foundations, we are studying the Medieval to Modern day eras (Cycle 2), memorizing Genesis 1:1-27 (KJV) through song and hand motions, learning skills from six of the great artists of the Baroque and Romantic periods, studying the geography of Europe and Asia, and learning about Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion and Thermodynamics. We loosely spend 30 minutes a day reviewing our CC memory work, and I supplement with using books relevant to Cycle 2. And the list above does not include Challenge B curriculum, nor the entire feast on our table!

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again;’ and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult monotony.”

— G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Twice a week, my twin sister drives from the east side of the island for her littles to join our homeschool from morning til afternoon. Her daughter, Jules (5), will be in kindergarten next year, and her son, Brave (3), is in preschool like Leia. Although it is a challenge to keep any busybody at the table, I am an advocate for play in the early stages. I try to creatively include hands-on activities to capture their imaginations (and short attention spans). Pouring into them in this way really adds up over time.

Our home life is becoming more structured and predictable than the two months after we arrived. Homeschooling, work, and family have become a pleasant weekly routine- and no words could express how grateful I am for the privilege of educating my children. We have not added much busyness outside of this, except church on Sundays and occasional time with friends.

Lastly, on a separate note, I am thrilled to say that I was able to start our spring garden over this rainy weekend, just in time for an entire week of showers! More to come…

x jena

“We learn through three avenues... repetition, duration, and intensity”

— Leigh A. Bortins, Classical Conversations Founder

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Foundations curriculum we use for all CC memory work for Cycle I, II, and III

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

— Romans 12:1-2

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”

— proverbs 24:3-4

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In less than two weeks, we begin our first structured day of school, and the window of preparation is closing in on my personal goals to complete tasks, finalize schedules, and get our home life in order. The curriculum is still en route to our doorstep, shelves are in disarray, and clutter is distracting. But I’ve set aside time to nurture myself, reading books that restore my faith in my higher calling to disciple my daughters. Most classical educators would recognize this discipline to stimulate the mind and cultivate our souls as Mother Culture.

In reality, homeschooling can drag us to the battlefield within our home—wrestling with disobedience, sibling rivalry, mundane lessons, bad habits, or even just lacking energy on a gloomy day. Many obstacles can derail us from our goals to succeed academically, so we must cultivate our souls with scripture and educate our minds with excellent books to cultivate the souls of our children. With this habit, we may see victory over difficult days!

I repeatedly visit familiar books annually, like reconnecting with old friends. Some of these books are written by homeschool pioneers whose printed words continue to foster my role as a teacher. Midway through the pages of The Conversation by Leigh A. Bortins (author of The Core and The Question), I know without a doubt this book will be my companion throughout the rhetoric stage. Her words of wisdom, alongside Stratford Caldecott’s vision for educational reform in Beauty for Truth’s Sake, give me confidence for the days ahead. I’ve always loved the idea of mother culture—as exceeding knowledge awaits when we glean from the wisdom of one another.

Books in rotation

1. Proverbs by J. Vernon McGee

2. The Conversation by Leigh A. Bortins

3. Beauty for Truth’s Sake (On the Re-enchantment of Education) by Stratford Caldecott

Streaming Podcast

1. The Everyday Educator by Classical Conversations

x jena