Suscipe Domine Traditional Catholic Forum

The Parish Hall => Family Life => Topic started by: Tales on August 08, 2018, 10:04:04 PM

Title: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Tales on August 08, 2018, 10:04:04 PM
My eldest is 3 years old and I am preparing for catechesis and homeschooling in the upcoming years.  Does anyone have any recommendations for a catechesis curriculum I can use to teach my children?  Some that I have read about include:

Faith & Life
The Didache Series
A Family of Faith

How did you all go about teaching your children the Faith?  Tangentially, what do you think causes siblings raised in the same household to develop different religious beliefs as adults?

Also does anyone have recommendations for good classical education based homeschooling program?  I have mostly looked at Memoria Press, Mother of Divine Grace and Kolbe Academy.

Thank you in advance!
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Chestertonian on August 09, 2018, 06:33:09 AM
I wouldn't do our Lady of victory for their whole curriculum but their "Living my religion" texts are great. 
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Gardener on August 09, 2018, 08:30:33 AM
We are in the exact same place, same age on eldest, and looking around to begin building a curriculum. My wife was homeschooled from middle school - high school (her mother was helping her with some math homework in 6th grade and saw that she was still counting on her fingers; my MIL being a trained CPA went, "Oh willickers, Beave!" and promptly started actually educating them).

ETA, because it's funny:

(https://i.imgur.com/vI49kgK.jpg)
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: MundaCorMeum on August 09, 2018, 09:29:01 AM
Baltimore Catechism, lives of the saints, and scripture.  It's really that simple.  Kids understand religious concepts way easier than you might think.  It's we adults who could complicate things ;). Give them the Truth, and access to literature full of goodness, truth, and beauty, then get out their way and let them do the work of education themselves.  Your job is to provide the right materials and guide them. 

I've used Seton for religion pretty much all the way through now (my oldest is beginning 9th grade this fall), and it's really good.  They pretty much just take the  Baltimore catechism  and explain it at each child's grade level, and  couple it with scripture and saints.  I am moving away from a boxed curriculum this year, and am building my own, based on Charlotte Mason's educational principles.  I've come to really appreciate her style of teaching and her philosophy of education.  But, I will continue with Seton religion books.

As an anecdote, my kids really do know and understand their faith, at least as much as each child is able for their age.  Even a three year old can answer the question, "who made you?" (God made me.... always have them answer in a complete sentence).  Whether or not they will choose to keep the faith as adults, I don't know.  I have hope.  We discuss the faith, saints, and virtues often as a family.  We pray the daily rosary.  We are consecrated to the Sacred Heart. We celebrate feast days and saint days.  We say novenas.  We look up who patron saints for our various needs - even the "Mom, have you seen my Lego piece?" ones (let's ask St. Anthu to help us).  We attend parish processions and occasionally daily Mass.  In other words, We do our best to form an atmosphere in our family that cultivates a love of the faith, a love of learning and knowledge, and a wide array of interests. It's more of a way if life than a system of education.

But, at the end of the day, there is no magic bullet.  Even if you make every right decision, read every right book, choose the perfect curriculum, and the perfect methods of formation and discipline (as if any of those things exist  ;D), the children still have free will.  They are persons who will go on to make their own choices in life.  All we can do is our best, have hope, and pray.  Work as if all things depend on you, pray as if all things depend on God. 

Also, at 3 you still have some time.  I commend you for getting a plan ready before you are in the thick of things.  That will help tremendously.  But, remember, even the best laid plans don't always turn out like you imagine.  Don't be afraid to tweak and adjust as your family grows and develops.  Don't rush a very young child into academics too soon, especially boys.  Let them run, play, and wrestle outdoors as much as possible at this stage. 

Good luck!
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: MundaCorMeum on August 09, 2018, 09:41:29 AM
Also, if there are any homeschool conferences near you, attend if you can.  It's helpful to look through books and speak with the representatives from particular curriculum vendors in person; and, to ask other homeschool parents questions in person. 

I have heard great things about Mother of Divine Grace, but when I looked I to it, it just didn't click with me.  Which is ok  :). From what I can tell, it's a superp program; it just wasn't the right fit for my particular family.  Like Ches, I don't recommend Our Lady of Victory, as a whole.  They have some beautiful books, and I do own some that we've read, but I found their curriculum really dry.  But, maybe it's changed since I looked into it years ago.  I do know a few people who use it and love it.  That's really the key.  Find something that fits your family.  I tried Kolbe when my oldest was in K.  I really liked it, but she just did not jive with it.  Seton ended up serving us very well since then, but this past year I had a lot of difficulty with it.  So, I'm adapting.  I just felt God calling us in a different direction.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Jacob on August 09, 2018, 10:56:06 AM
Quote from: Gardener on August 09, 2018, 08:30:33 AM
ETA, because it's funny:

[picture]

Mom should have said no when she saw that sleeveless dress. :D
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Gardener on August 09, 2018, 01:37:34 PM
Quote from: Jacob on August 09, 2018, 10:56:06 AM
Quote from: Gardener on August 09, 2018, 08:30:33 AM
ETA, because it's funny:

[picture]

Mom should have said no when she saw that sleeveless dress. :D

Mom should have been involved in the life and upcoming marriage of said son and future daughter-in-law and provided a good role model which makes said woman desire to be more virtuous and modest.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Tales on August 09, 2018, 10:08:55 PM
Chestertonian,

What do you dislike about the OLV general curriculum but appreciate about their catechesis curriculum?


Gardener,

How is your 3 year old doing in the obedience department?  Some days are great but some days my son makes it quite the challenge.  I found the book The Well Behaved Child by John Rosemond to be immensely helpful.

I was initially planning to make the homeschool curriculum myself but after lots of research and becoming bewildered by the options, I decided to start off simple and pick a boxed package (from Memoria Press).  I have not started yet so cannot personally comment on how it is.  What "type" of education are you thinking of aiming for?  Classical, modern, Catholic parochial school type, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, unschool, or something else?


MundaCorMeum,

Thank you for the advice.  I am a surprised that you are going from boxed to self-chosen curriculum when entering high school, I'd imagine most people have the opposite feeling and throw in the towel and buy a boxed curriculum when high school comes around.  I like the literary focus of Charlotte Mason, I think it serves all people well to be well read.

I am not sure if I should do catechesis through some sort of a "program" or just by living it and reading bits and pieces of a catechism every day and then deeper literature (Fathers, saints) when older.

Regarding age, I agree in general that boys should just be out playing.  But as you note, plans do not always work out as we desire.  We live in China and here the children start preschool at about 2.5 years old.  They begin interviewing, yes, formal interviews, for preschool at 1.5 years old.  I distinctly remember talking with another father as our toddlers were toddling around and he asked me if I was signed up to interview yet... I could not believe it, 1.5 years old and having an interview.  Absurd.  Anyways, reality is that everyone around us has their kids in school and is always talking about school all the time.  And after school they send their kids to one of the million tutoring centers nearby.  The little 3 year olders might in any one day have preschool, English tutoring and a sports class, 5 days a week.  Life's rate race begins at age 2.  I think its absurd but I can tell that all of this societal pressure is putting emotional pressure on my worrying wife, so I decided to go ahead and begin homeschooling preschool as to try to help alleviate her concerns.  As far as I can tell the Memoria Press preschool and preK curriculum is just a bunch of story telling, which I already do anyways, so I suspect it will be fine.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: MundaCorMeum on August 10, 2018, 10:22:28 AM
Quote from: Davis Blank - EG on August 09, 2018, 10:08:55 PM
...
MundaCorMeum,

Thank you for the advice.  I am a surprised that you are going from boxed to self-chosen curriculum when entering high school, I'd imagine most people have the opposite feeling and throw in the towel and buy a boxed curriculum when high school comes around.  I like the literary focus of Charlotte Mason, I think it serves all people well to be well read.


What can I say...I like to buck the system, and I'm a rebel like that  ;)  No, honestly, it's just that I've used a boxed curriculum for the past 8 years, and have a good handle on what works and what doesn't for my family and kids, and what I'd like the goal of their education to be.  The boxed curriculum has given me the foundation and the confidence to, now, forge my own path.  It makes more sense to me to do the box curriculum first, as a sort of training wheels phase, and then take those training wheels off, once you get the hang of it.  Not that there is anything wrong with using a box curriculum or building your own all the way through.  Both are perfectly fine and viable options, provided the family is thriving with it.  Also, I'm guessing those who may start off building their own curriculum may be burnt out by the time they get to high school.  Plus, for some states, the homeschool laws are pretty intense.  They require a lot of record keeping and proof that the parents are providing and adequate education.  So, that's a factor as well.  I am blessed to live in a state that has very lenient homeschool laws, and there is not much required on my part with regards to what I have to turn in to the state.  Building my own curriculum is new and fresh to me, and I'm excited at the doors it will open for the choices of literature and books we get to read and study.  I used to prefer having all that done for me, and I put my focus on planning the extra stuff, but I'm just ready for a change.

There are definitely pros and cons to both a box curriculum and one that you put together yourself.  But, I doubt you will ever find a box curriculum that you love completely, across the board.  There will always be something you would like done differently, and you will feel the need to tweak and adjust.  What I like about doing my own, is that I can combine as many subjects as possible, which really cuts down on the volume of time that I need to teach.  I pretty much have a cottage school these days, with a 9th grader, 6th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, Kindergartner, pre-K, and toddler.  My high schooler is independent at this point.  Other than answering questions or checking her work, I don't have to do much teaching with her anymore.  She's very self-motivated and self-sufficient, so it's just a matter of choosing the books I want her to work in, and giving her a basic schedule for time-management of each subject.  And, actually, she did that mostly herself last year.  She used a planner and mapped out her own lesson plans each week.  This year, we are doing some family studies, so I'll be giving her an outline for that part of our daily schedule, then when she gets to the block of time for independent work, she can manage her time how she pleases.  The other kids will be combined for history, science, catechism, literature, and enrichment studies (Shakespeare, poetry, art, music, etc.), with the older kids having some additional readings to do on their own in the afternoon.  Which will help tremendously, as before each student had to do each of those subjects individually, and I either had to over see them individually or read with them individually (if they could not yet read well). It got to be a lot for me to manage. 

Quote

I am not sure if I should do catechesis through some sort of a "program" or just by living it and reading bits and pieces of a catechism every day and then deeper literature (Fathers, saints) when older.


my personal opinion and preference is for the latter.  It makes it easier to foster good discussions that way, plus your children see you not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.  I think making religion a way of life vs. another subject to study makes a difference.  It's not just another box to check, so they can then move on to do what they'd rather be doing.  But, you just need to pray about it and ask God to give you peace of mind about which choice is best for you and your children.  He will, if you ask humbly =)  Also, at your son's age, there is a fantastic series of saint books that you could read as bedtime stories.  They are by far my favorite for young children, and is a joy to read as a parent.  It's the 'Once Upon a Time Saints' series.  There are three in the series.  They are just beautifully done, in my opinion.  They are told in fairy tale form, and in a way that is very relatable to a small child, yet without watering things down.  And the illustrations are very charming.  Heck, I've learned so much about the saints, just from reading these to my children!  My older kids like to go back and read them on their own, too.  Here's a link to one of them: https://www.ignatius.com/Around-the-Year-Once-Upon-a-Time-Saints-P121.aspx  Another really good book for a small child, that I've used with all of mine so far, is titled, 'Leading Little Ones to Mary'.  It's probably more in the 4-6 age range, but if you think your son would be able to do well with it, it makes a good addition to catechesis.

[/quote]

Quote
Regarding age, I agree in general that boys should just be out playing.  But as you note, plans do not always work out as we desire.  We live in China and here the children start preschool at about 2.5 years old.  They begin interviewing, yes, formal interviews, for preschool at 1.5 years old.  I distinctly remember talking with another father as our toddlers were toddling around and he asked me if I was signed up to interview yet... I could not believe it, 1.5 years old and having an interview.  Absurd.  Anyways, reality is that everyone around us has their kids in school and is always talking about school all the time.  And after school they send their kids to one of the million tutoring centers nearby.  The little 3 year olders might in any one day have preschool, English tutoring and a sports class, 5 days a week.  Life's rate race begins at age 2.  I think its absurd but I can tell that all of this societal pressure is putting emotional pressure on my worrying wife, so I decided to go ahead and begin homeschooling preschool as to try to help alleviate her concerns.  As far as I can tell the Memoria Press preschool and preK curriculum is just a bunch of story telling, which I already do anyways, so I suspect it will be fine.


wow, that is crazy.  But, it sounds like you are approaching the situation with wisdom and a realistic view.  You sound like you are very intentional in your parenting, which will serve you and your family very well, I believe.  I think your son will do just fine. 


Finally, I realize you asked Gardener about 3 year old discipline, but if you don't mind, I'll give you one last resource.  (three year olds, precious as they are, are REALLY hard.  Hang in there!  I find them harder than two year olds and teens  ;D.)  One of my favorite discipline resources is this blog:  http://likemotherlikedaughter.org/category/discipline/  She has a lot of down to earth wisdom when it comes to raising, disciplining, and education children - from birth all the way up to teens and young adults.  I reference her work often when I need advice on parenting.  Hope I'm not overstepping my bounds by volunteering that advice. 
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Tales on August 10, 2018, 09:09:17 PM
MundaCorMeum,

Thank you for the recommendations.  I am happy to receive advice from someone who has life experience that I do not have.  It is a disastrous feature of our society that most people with experience are afraid to share it and those without it resent those whom offer advice.  Every generation reinvents the wheel, except the wheel is getting more scraggly each new time its discovered.

I will order the books the next time I make a shipment from the US.  I've been looking for a new collection of saints books as the one we use is rather dull, and artistically I am turned off by the illustrations of the more well acclaimed series. This one you recommended looks like it is right up my alley.

A couple years ago I stumbled into Mrs. Lawler's website and came to the conclusion that it had lots of great information in it - but I was a bit overwhelmed by it all and have put plumbing its depths on the backburner.  Thank you for reminding me of it.  I have read her book 'Little Oratory' which was very helpful.

I imagine I will alter the boxed curriculum as time goes on.  As my wife is very worried about homeschooling I want the introduction to it to be as straightforward and smooth as can be.  I remind her that many women homeschool 5+ children, and I just mentioned your children to her today.  She is worried about just starting with the eldest, but I think once we get started things will fall in place.  By the time middle school rolls around I will probably make alterations to the curriculum.  High school will also probably get trimmed down as to make time for career oriented work, in whatever fields my children express interest.

If you have any more recommendations on books, catechesis, homeschooling or something similar, I am happy to receive advice.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: MundaCorMeum on August 10, 2018, 10:09:19 PM
Thank you for the kind words, Davis.  I think you are spot on when you say that " It is a disastrous feature of our society that most people with experience are afraid to share it and those without it resent those whom offer advice."  I'm quite sure I've been on both sides of that coin, at some point or another.

I was thinking, you could also look at Mater Amabilis.  It is a Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculum.  The lesson plans are free; you just have to purchase the books and other school supplies.  The only caveat is that it is not strictly traditional, which is why I opted against it in the end.  But, it makes a good spine to see what subjects should be included for each grade level, how long should be spent on each subject, and a starting point for book lists.  I've been referencing it over the summer, as I plan for the coming school year.  Any book you don't like, you could easily just swap it out for something else.  I realize the options for book choices are immense and over-whelming.  It's daunting, to say the least, and it is just the nature of the beast.  I figure it's either that, or put my kids in public school.  From that perspective, I'll sift through book lists all day long ;)  And, I've been told before by a wise priest, when I was working in youth apostolate years ago, "if your apostolate work is easy, you are doing something wrong." I figure that applies to parent-hood, as well.  The other two Charlotte Mason resources that I like to reference the most are Ambleside Online and Simply Charlotte Mason.  I'm using the Simply Charlotte Mason curriculum as my spine this year, because it combines a lot of subjects, and I am substituting where I feel the need to (to include more Catholic texts).  I've looked at those three booklists, plus Seton, and have been using them as guidelines to put together a curriculum that I think will work well for our family. 
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Jayne on August 11, 2018, 12:46:54 PM
Quote from: Davis Blank - EG on August 08, 2018, 10:04:04 PM
Also does anyone have recommendations for good classical education based homeschooling program?  I have mostly looked at Memoria Press, Mother of Divine Grace and Kolbe Academy.

Another option, with less structure than a boxed program, is a book with principles and resource recommendations to make your own.  Laura Berquist wrote Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education. She also founded MODG so it is similar. 

Another book of this sort is The Latin-Centered Curriculum: A Home Schooler's Guide to the Classical Curriculum.  I used this one.  As the name suggests, it has more emphasis on Latin than any of the others.  A brief description appears in this article: http://aspiritedmind.com/2011/03/what-to-do-about-latin/ (http://aspiritedmind.com/2011/03/what-to-do-about-latin/)

Here's an essay by Andrew Campbell, the book's author, on its key concept "multum not multa": https://www.memoriapress.com/articles/multum-non-multa/ (https://www.memoriapress.com/articles/multum-non-multa/).  For me, this was a major appeal of this approach.

I did Seton for my first year of homeschooling (and, like Munda, recommend their religion program) but that was enough.  I found the work load overwhelming and in constant need of adjustment and adaptation to suit our family.  I don't regret doing it though. I wouldn't have had the confidence to start off without something like this.  (Neither of the "design your own" books existed when I started or I might have gone with one of them.)
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Michael Wilson on August 11, 2018, 01:45:20 PM
I asked a friend of mine who has homed schooled her 9 children; her kids are very, very good kids, that is why I asked her;  and here is her response: 
Quote
Whoa! Let me see...... I used the Baltimore Catechism, but mainly I read lots of saints stories to the kids. That was my main source of teaching them Catholic behavior and Catholic values. I would suggest to be very careful with all their literature and only allow books that have good, kind, and beautiful role models and pictures. No Television - that goes without saying.

I think that bad companions and bad books lead kids away from the faith. Parents have to be so vigilant about the companions children keep.

I'm not sure about a "good classical education based program" They have a lot out there that claim to be exactly that, but until she buys the books and tries the material, she won't know if it will work for her children. It can be the best classical education program ever invented, but every child is different and sometimes you have to buy several books from different sources before you find one that works for you and the children. We threw out many expensive books a month or two into the school year and bought new material when we realized that we weren't learning or the program wasn't what it originally claimed to be.

I hope this helps. What she needs (the Mom), is brothers and sisters and parents that pray their hearts out and knees off for her children, which is what I had and is the whole secret to the miracle of their faith.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Cantarella on August 12, 2018, 08:58:20 PM
Our Lady of Victory Homeschool - Traditional Catholic Homeschooling

https://www.olvs.org/


Seton Home Study School

http://www.setonhome.org/
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Tales on August 12, 2018, 11:14:08 PM
Thank you everyone for the wonderful input.

When you all raised your children, did you send them to the local parish for religious education as well, or did they learn the Faith solely within the family?
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Michael Wilson on August 13, 2018, 06:23:41 AM
My friend gave them all their religious instruction at home. As they became adults, she encouraged them to read good Catholic books to deepen their faith.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Tales on August 30, 2018, 12:25:17 AM
Have any of you come across the schole / restful learning concept as discussed by people such as Sarah Mackenzie or Dr. Christopher Perrin at Classical Academic Press?  If so, any thoughts on this?  It seems in alignment with the philosophy of companies like Memoria Press.

Similarly, this talk by Jenny Rallens titled "The Liturgical Classroom and Virtue Formation" (search in Google for video).

We just received our pre-k materials from Memoria Press and are looking forward to beginning this endeavor.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: MundaCorMeum on August 30, 2018, 06:12:17 AM
I love the concept of schole.  I just learned about it over the summer.  I listened to a few podcasts from The Schole Sisters (obviously, these are directed primarily at mothers).  The Charlotte Mason philosophy advocates something similar, as well.  I think they go hand in hand, in my opinion.  In the CM world, she teaches that education is a life. So, education isn't just dumping information into a child from K through 12th, and then you are done educating...if you even want to call such a thing "educating" ;)  Education is a lifetime endeavor, and we have a duty before God to always be better forming our intellect, to the best of our abilities; to continually filling our minds with truth, beauty, and goodness, no matter what our age.  Queue schole!  I've started taking up the habit of education myself again, apart from just what I learn in teaching my children, and it is wonderful.  I believe we owe it to our children to give them the best of ourselves, as parents.  But, you can't do that unless you actually fill yourself up first.  Which means, self-care is very important for parents, and mothers especially.  And, I'm not talking about what the world calls "me time".  It's not a selfish thing.  It is caring for oneself, mentally, physically, and spiritually, so you can serve those around you at your very best.  It is for the benefit of not only yourself, but for all those under your care and service.  So, yeah, I think schole is very important for all parent; not just homeschooling ones.  I'd like to continue learning and understanding it better.  I've only just scratched the surface.

Teaching from rest is a book that has long been on my list, but I've not read it.  I will say this, too...I've been very impressed with Classical Academic Press.  Both as a company and in their materials.  I worked with a rep last year to help me get some materials for a latin class I taught at our local homeschool co-op.  They were wonderful to work with.  Very helpful and accommodating to our needs.  I've used both their Latin for Children program and the French one.  It's excellent.  Very well done, and the kids enjoy it.  I highly recommend them.

Finally, I thought of you and your family recently when I came across a new science resource for very young children.  It's free online.  You can just print these little books from this website:  https://www.allthingsransome.net/literary/naturebooks.html  I'm getting ready to start 'Things in Our Garden' with my young ones.  I haven't read it, yet, though, but it looks like it will be very good.    Also, the Thornton Burgess series of books for children is fantastic.  I got the Bird Book, and it is excellent.  Very charming.  You might be able to find those online for free to print, as well.  Project Gutenberg website has gobs of old classics for free use.   
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Tales on August 30, 2018, 09:29:57 PM
MundaCorMeum,

Thank you for the Ransome books.  They look refreshingly old fashioned.  How will your incorporate them into your teaching?  Reading out loud and then discussion, or reading outside, or something else?

The Teaching from Rest book was very worthwhile.  On an amusing tangential note, I was certain that Mrs. Mackenzie was an evangelical and so as I was reading it I was quite confused but pleased with her repeated references to teachings of the saints.  "This lady is going to convert any day now, I gotta write her a letter!"  Half way through I couldn't take it anymore and had to google it, and indeed she is Catholic (convert from long ago).

When you are teaching a book with your children how do you handle the post-reading part?  Worksheets, journal entries, round-table discussion, quiz, test, something else?  Or a mish-mash of the aforementioned?

God bless.
Davis
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: MundaCorMeum on August 31, 2018, 05:14:03 AM
Quote from: Davis Blank - EG on August 30, 2018, 09:29:57 PM
MundaCorMeum,

Thank you for the Ransome books.  They look refreshingly old fashioned.  How will your incorporate them into your teaching?  Reading out loud and then discussion, or reading outside, or something else?



The Teaching from Rest book was very worthwhile.  On an amusing tangential note, I was certain that Mrs. Mackenzie was an evangelical and so as I was reading it I was quite confused but pleased with her repeated references to teachings of the saints.  "This lady is going to convert any day now, I gotta write her a letter!"  Half way through I couldn't take it anymore and had to google it, and indeed she is Catholic (convert from long ago).

When you are teaching a book with your children how do you handle the post-reading part?  Worksheets, journal entries, round-table discussion, quiz, test, something else?  Or a mish-mash of the aforementioned?

God bless.
Davis


They do look pleasantly old-fashioned, don't they?!  I can't wait to read them with my littles.  For the under 1st grade crowd, I won't do anything other than cuddle up on the couch with the children and enjoy the stories with them.  We might read them before nap time, or in between lessons with their older siblings.  I like to ensure the littles don't get neglected during school hours, so we reconnect halfway between lessons and read, play, or go on the swing set together outside.  They won't be required to do anything with a read aloud other than enjoying it.  If you watch your children carefully when they play, you will see that what they are reading with you comes out during play time.  They are very good at relating what they read to the real world, and this is where true education takes place, in my opinion.  So, these nature stories will help them connect with real nature.  You'll find that they will read about something, see it in real life, then come to you and say, "Mom, I just saw a cardinal!  Just like the one in the story where <insert retelling of story by child here>"  This where their comprehension skills are developing, and their speech skills, and their vocabulary skills, and their social skills, etc. 


So, here is what I do with reading passages for the older students, for all subjects.  This is all very new to me, so I am by no means an expert, but I will do my best to explain the how and the why.  I've combined alot of subjects this year, due to the quantity and age range of children that I have.  So, our school this year looks much more like a cottage school than anything else.  And I have to say, it feels like a breath of fresh air!  Itemizing each child's lessons last year got to be very taxing on both me and the children.  It was fine when I had fewer students, but as I added more, it got to be too over-whelming.  All this means is that we do a lot of read alouds together, then the older children who have good reading fluency will have additional readings in various subjects during certain scheduled reading periods.  After a reading is done, which is normally a short passage....no more than a chapter or part of a longer chapter at one sitting, I have one of the children narrate it back to me (or the individual child, if it was an independent read for him).  Which really is as simple as, "Ok, Sally, tell me what we read."  They are required to give narrations for all their scheduled readings.  Anything outside of their curriculum books are considered 'free reads', and they can just read and enjoy to their hearts content (I have some voracious readers here).  We do have a couple of read alouds going, just for fun, that they are not required to narrate, as well. 

For the middle schooler and high schooler, they are each required to give me one written narration per week.  As they get comfortable with that, I'll likely up it to two.  This is their composition.  I will go over their work, and correct any mis-spellings and mistakes in grammar/punctuation.  Today is the last day of our first week, so they have yet to do a written narration.

The narration (oral and written) replaces things like Q & A, fill in the blank, multiple choice, etc.  It fosters the habit of attention, because they aren't just looking for certain pieces of information to "get the right answer", then ignoring the rest (how many times in school did you look at the questions FIRST, then go to the reading passage to pick out the answers, just so you could get a 100%, then go on your merry way.  No real learning took place, other than learning how to work the system to your advantage).  Since they have to narrate the entire passage, they need to actually read and understand the entire passage.  It also fosters discussion.  And, it forces them to organize the information in their mind first, so that the narration isn't all over the place.  It doesn't make sense if they are constantly saying, "no, wait...that happened later. First, this happened.  Oh wait, I forgot..." yada, yada, yada.  That does happen as they are developing their narration skills, but it will naturally hone itself, with guidance from the teacher.  It is also good for their public speaking skills.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Tales on August 31, 2018, 08:21:13 AM
Madam,

Thank you for the detailed reply.  Pretty much what you mentioned is what I have in mind as well.  The concern with this approach is primarily a personal self doubt, which Mrs. Mackenzie hits upon in her book, of wondering if all of this talking is enough, what about the workbooks?  I strongly suspect the workbook / short answer / MC question format is not only non beneficial but actually damaging to the innate desire to learn.  And yet since that was all I (and most all of us) received for an education, and everyone else around us still learns from, we naturally doubt our methodologies.

I was one of those students who read the whole thing and then struggled with all the detail questions.  When I took up a job as a SAT tutor I was taught "the tricks" and wowza, going straight to the questions before reading the passage makes everything so much easier.  Despite my good grades I guess I was not too sharp to have figured that out myself.

I think how you focus on oral response (individual or group discussion) and essay response is the way to go.  A major part of doing well in the world is in being able to persuade others to do things for you.  Sure, money can persuade, but usually that is not enough.  To get an employee to do an excellent job it takes more than just an excellent salary.  Sometimes money is not even necessary, as we see persuasive politicians get people to donate time and money, just on account of how effective their rhetoric is.

And this is not confined to worldly matters alone, for we are all called to make saints (of ourselves and others).  Since we have no ability to give supernatural faith to others, we at best can work to persuade them of the veracity of the faith.  This comes through living it, but also through speaking and writing persuasively about it.

The focus on stories also makes good sense because the most persuasive and impactful rhetoric is the story.  See: parables.

Memoria Press has literature guides and I am yet unsure if they are your standard modern educational style, or more like the methodology we are in agreement on.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Jayne on August 31, 2018, 09:18:07 AM
Those who like the Ransome nature guides should also check out his fiction series "Swallows and Amazons".  This was my husbands favorite series as a child, probably because he, like the children in the stories, had a sailboat that he sailed during his summer holidays.

The children in these books have a degree of independence and responsibility probably unimaginable to millennials, etc. and are worth reading for this even if one has little interest in sailing.  It is recommended for ages 9 and up. 

Warning:  One character, whose name is Letitia, is normally referred to by her nickname Titty.  Be prepared to explain this to children who associate the name with vulgar language.
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Traditionallyruralmom on September 06, 2018, 08:26:13 PM
The Browerville sisters (SSPX) offer a correspondence catechism, which is what we use.  It is nice because you get feedback from a real sister, and your child can send her notes and pictures  :)
You can get the mailing address for the sisters here and write them for more information if your local chapel does not have the flyers.
http://www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=3235
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: MundaCorMeum on September 06, 2018, 08:55:04 PM
Quote from: Traditionallyruralmom on September 06, 2018, 08:26:13 PM
The Browerville sisters (SSPX) offer a correspondence catechism, which is what we use.  It is nice because you get feedback from a real sister, and your child can send her notes and pictures  :)
You can get the mailing address for the sisters here and write them for more information if your local chapel does not have the flyers.
http://www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=3235

Hey!!  How've you been? I was thinking of you not too long ago.  Hope all is well =)
Title: Re: Catechesis & Homeschool Curriculum
Post by: Traditionallyruralmom on September 07, 2018, 06:10:39 AM
Quote from: MundaCorMeum on September 06, 2018, 08:55:04 PM
Quote from: Traditionallyruralmom on September 06, 2018, 08:26:13 PM
The Browerville sisters (SSPX) offer a correspondence catechism, which is what we use.  It is nice because you get feedback from a real sister, and your child can send her notes and pictures  :)
You can get the mailing address for the sisters here and write them for more information if your local chapel does not have the flyers.
http://www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=3235

Hey!!  How've you been? I was thinking of you not too long ago.  Hope all is well =)
:) sweet of you to ask.  Very well, baby is almost 1 and I am managing to do school, Deo Gratias!  ;D