I am pleased to announce that A Full Table is up and running. (Remember that whole changing gears post?) So. While you will still find me posting here once in a blue moon, you’ll mostly find me over at my new food blog digs. See you there!
When I began this blog about two years ago I had a vision to provide encouragement for mothers with a focus on homemaking and home education. Soon after I narrowed it down to sharing ways to enhance everyday living for mothers with young ones. Since that is my current period of life I figured that this purpose would best fit who I am and what I was capable of.
Over this pregnancy I re-evaluated the needs of my family and myself and cut out unnecessary or superfluous activities. I decided to continue blogging because not only did my husband insist that I needed to do it but also because I feel that blogging is part of the gifts that God has given to me. I am by no means a great blogger but it does allow me to reach out to my Christian sisters while not interfering with my more important duties of being wife and mother.
At the same time I knew that my heart was no longer in the mommy blogging arena. This niche of blogging required me to put in more writing time then I felt I had to produce posts that were worth reading. Since mediocre content and spotty posting are not what I strive for I knew that I needed to make a decision on where Wisdom Begun was headed.
After much prayer – and when I say much I mean A WHOLE LOT of prayer – I knew that if I wished to continue blogging my focus would have to change gears. I considered very carefully how I could add to the blogging world and looked at the issue from all angles. And I prayed and prayed and prayed and asked for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom in this matter. Soon enough I came to the realization that I could no longer blog at this spot.
So. I will no longer write regularly here at Wisdom Begun. Occasionally I will post as I feel led but instead my blogging energies will be going towards my new project. Coming August 30, 2010, I will be launching a brand new food blog geared towards recipes and tips to help you feed your large families. This blog will allow me to share what I do every single day and I look forward to a fresh perspective on the blogging world. You will find recipes that have been doubled or tripled (or more!) to help feed your crowd, as well as ideas on bulk cooking, menu planning, and other helpful ideas.
I am truly excited about this and will be posting updates in the next couple of weeks. I am grateful for those who have faithfully visited Wisdom Begun over the years and I appreciate the relationships it has brought about. Since I will leave Wisdom Begun up I hope that what I have provided here will continue to be a blessing for many years to come.
Photo courtesy of stefanweihs
This is the time of year when you will find many posts about homeschooling. Bloggers are sharing their plans for the upcoming school year and getting excited about the newness of this next year of home education. New books and school supplies fill most homeschooling moms and their children with readiness to embark on another year of learning.
Technically we school year round. Our family does not follow any public school schedule. We keep it loosey-goosey in order to make time for new babies, illnesses, holidays and the like. Summertime is way too hot in Texas for the kids to be outside and so they are stuck indoors. Thus we do the bulk of our education in the summer and like to take breaks when the weather is better for outdoor play.
Still, because it is interesting to read what others will be using in their homeschool, I thought I’d share what we are utilizing in the Wisdom Begun household. We don’t put our children into grades, but if someone were asking I would say that I was homeschooling a 2nd grader, Kindergartner, and two preK kids. This is just to give people a better idea as to where my children are academically. Truth be told, my oldest excels in some subjects and so she is well above 2nd grade level and she is just at second grade level in others. Same for my other children. We teach subjects according to their comprehension and ability.
Core
Tapestry of Grace, Year 1
I have to admit that we gave up Tapestry of Grace this summer because I was overwhelmed with their Digital Edition. Give me paper in my hand any day. I thought that Mystery of History would better fit our family’s needs and would provide the education that my husband and I decided was best for our children.
In the end we are switching back to Tapestry of Grace and will be purchasing it in print format. While Mystery of History is a neat program it was not meaty enough for what we were trying to achieve. My children also meshed better with Tapestry of Grace and were much more excited about “doing school” when we were using it.
To be honest, we are only very loosely following Tapestry of Grace at this point because we are less about rigidly doing a curriculum and more about using these early years as a segue into more intense studies. Playing, character training, and fun learning are key. By reading the books for the Lower Grammar level and doing the suggested activities Mrs. Somerville provides we are able to begin learning as a family and will be familiar with Tapestry of Grace by the time they are older and fully using this curriculum.
*For more reasons while using Tapestry of Grace with little ones is a good idea, you can read my http://wisdombegun.com/2009/06/04/tapestry-of-grace-and-young-children-part-two-2/.*
Math
Still unsure at this point. We are finishing up Horizons Math with my oldest but she didn’t really mesh well. I am looking into Math U See for her. My Kindergartner will be using BJU K5 because it is very colorful and heavy on manipulatives and that is how she learns. The younger children will learn by counting things out with mommy.
Science
I will not be using a formal curriculum for this. Instead, we will meld together field trips, hands on experiments, books from the library, lapbooking, and nature journaling to broaden their understanding of what God has created.
Latin
My oldest is using Prima Latina for this. So far she really enjoys it and I appreciate the DVDs that go along with it.
Language Arts
We will continue All About Spelling, Level 2. As far as grammar, I am wanting to keep it very simple and just give my oldest an introduction. I am looking First Language Lessons but I may just point things out as she reads. Of course we will continue just plain reading. Boxcar Children books are her current favorites. For Handwriting she will continue using the Copybooks from Memoria Press.
Art and Music
Just like with science, we will just learn these two as we go about our days. We listen to classical music and do lots of coloring and I feel that is enough at this point.
Bible
We are not using a curriculum or book for this. Instead we do daily Family Worship that Daddy leads; also I read straight from the Scriptures to them often and we work a lot on practical applications – character training and discipline – every day.
Thank you for taking the time to read what we are using in school this year! What are you planning on using your own homes? Leave a comment letting me know what works for you!
If you enjoyed this post, you will want to read: Homeschool: PreK Edition – Education and Homeschool: PreK Edition – Training.
Books photo courtesy of svilen001
When I sat down to compose this post I waffled back and forth as to whether or not I should come up with a witty title. In the end, though, there is nothing clearer than just saying it:
I’m back.
My last post was in May. In blog universe that is akin to saying that you have been on a sabbatical for at least a few dozen years. An absence like that with no warning can and usually is the end of all the hard work one has put into their little spot on the web.
Still. My life became topsy turvy in my first trimester and into my second. Morning sickness like I have never experienced showed up at my door and God used that time to remind me of my human limitedness. During that time we also moved and so I had to take a backseat to my ideals and expectations and learn that life is much better when you hand everything over to God and watch Him through your circumstances.
It was amazing folks.
While chaos and physical discomfort like that is not something I would prefer to experience again, the truth is that I have come out on the other side of this season of my life refreshed, renewed, and – yes! – humbled.
So. What can you can expect from this blog now? To be honest nothing much will change. I will still write about homemaking, home schooling, and the like. I also anticipate some interviews to be shared by some wonderful, godly women.
Yet. Our newest daughter is due Christmas day. And I am learning to make joy and contentment my new usual. So things like our study on Passionate Housewives Desperate for God and my series on organization will have to wait till I am able to tackle those things appropriately. Projects and things on my to-do list will have to be put on a shelf for a while and that will be okay.
I look forward to getting to know my friends and readers all over again. I have missed you all.
It is good to be back.