More Ambleside Online

Mansel will be starting year 4. I did year 4 with Tori... she didn't like it much. Mansel is a much different reader than she is. He is already looking forward to starting the school year. His most favorite classes this year were science, in which I had him read and narrate to me out of a reader, and literature... more reading of course.

So -- he will read the following books.

History

This Country of Ours by HE Marshall Charles I-George III
** ***George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster 349 pages
(optional extra) ***An Island Story ch 95 and 96, 1760-1820, George III; Free Audio at Librivox Part 1, Part 2.

History Tales and/or Biography

Trial and Triumph (Church history from a definite Protestant perspective) by Richard Hannula (selected chapters) Read a sample excerpt or purchase the book. Now online Descriptions of some trials of the Christians may be intense; parents should preview chapters to determine suitablity based on their children's sensitivities. If you prefer, you can cover church history in Years 7-9 with a different book, Saints and Heroes.
* Poor Richard by James Daugherty
** *** Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober (note).

Geography

Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling (Mississippi River Page) (map or map) Beautiful Feet sells a set of maps for the Holling books, do a search for Holling Maps

Natural History

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (a 1911 version is online in various formats here)

Science

We are skipping out on Ambleside Online science books. I'm going to start the boys on the Apologia Science experience. Exploring Creation with Astronomy. With it we are going to use the Lapbook CD that is available. I'm sensing a science fair project coming on. Eventually all the littles will be doing this science together. In 7th or 8th grade I'll switch to the "grown up" version of Apologia for their science.

Mathematics

He too will be working on a worktext from Rainbow Resource. I have plans on them using Practical Math, which is not the same thing as Practical Math as seen here . I look forward to my kiddos being able to make on-the-spot, emergency recalculations for their return and reentry to the atmosphere with notepads and pencils in the days when there were no interactive computers to depend upon. You will find these books to be entirely wholesome, as well as very challenging, for your children. Your children will be drilled by lists of problems that will require them to perfect each arithmetic skill in every possible facet and type of problem in which it can be faced. Oh... I'm just kidding. It's the old fashioned way... that's for sure. It's not Saxon... that's all I'll say. LOL

Foreign Language

Not Latin, because I'm a wimp. He will just use the Spanish CD from Costco.

Literature

The Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch preface to 14 (Minerva-Niobe)
* ** The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (Book II, The Further Adventures, is not scheduled and is not included in most versions)
** *** Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
*** The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
short works:
*** The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (listen to it on librivox.org)
*** Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (listen to it on librivox; scroll down)
*** Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving (listen to it on librivox.org; scroll down)

I'm so looking forward to Mansel's school year. I think he will like it too. You know what I did? With Tori she read Kon-Tiki... well -- the AO ladies have taken that out of the schedule for some reason. I'm going to have Mansel read it. I think he will like it. So -- he'll also being reading that too.

Handing writing of course, and spelling.

I've got my schedule on the computer... our days off all planned out. We are going to be doing a 4 day school week, with Fridays reserved for appointments, or Home School Co-op Activity Days.

As always -- the beginning of the school year is so exciting for me. I'm really looking forward to this school year. I'm learning that we doing all have to do school the same way. Tori is going to do one thing, the boys another thing.

Oh -- I can't forget Dani. She's starting school this year. More to come.