Latin is being studied in our home because of its obvious ties to the roots of Romance languages, but also because there are several fields which demand a knowledge of Latin terms and a solid foundation in Latin can be very helpful to the student. My husband wishes he'd gone into dental school with a basic knowledge of Latin roots, as I'm sure anyone in the medical field would agree. We also like Latin because studying Latin grammar only strengthens the student's knowledge of English grammar, and every little bit helps. Initially we began with Latina Christiana, but my firstborn was nine at the time and he found it difficult to stay motivated. At about the same time, we learned about Latin for Children and thought it was worth a try. We loved the DVDs and the format, and he continued very happily with Latin for Children until he completed all three levels. The writers of Latin for Children have made the study of Latin in the elementary years very approachable, yet they maintain a rigorous enough pace that the student emerges from all three levels with a substantial amount of vocabulary, Latin grammar, and usage knowledge. Although the program is designed for 3rd-6th graders, we found that starting later was better- around 5th/6th grade. Perhaps because we don't have a Latin teacher and a class to keep pace with, it was difficult for my younger children to really get what was being taught. And so as our firstborn was continuing on with his Latin study, our second son asked to try a different approach when it was his turn to start. I had been given the Latin's Not So Tough curriculum to review, and as a ninth grader in the fall, he will be finishing up his Latin study after having completed all six levels. You can read my review of Latin's Not So Tough for The Old Schoolhouse magazine here. There are certain moments in the life of a homeschooling mom that stand out as strange and wonderful. The day our then eight-year-old third son approached me and asked, "Can I study Greek instead of Latin?" was definitely one of those moments. As if I'd say no. Providentially, not a week later I was asked to review the sister curriculum of Latin's Not So Tough, Hey Andrew, Teach Me Some Greek! That review can be found here, but I will tell you that we have been very happy with what we have seen in the life of that son. He writes in Greek, reads his interlinear Bible in Greek, and is looking forward to translating the book of John in Greek. Stunning, really. We also have enjoyed Classical Academic Press's Greek Alphabet Code Cracker during Circle Time. Our Greek guy helped me teach the 4th grader and the 2nd grader the Greek alphabet, and we all enjoyed solving the mystery in the book. The graphics are well done, and Classical Academic Press even offers free support materials online. After completing basic Latin (and Greek, as it were) studies for three years, we give our kiddos the option of continuing in that language or choosing a modern language. Because of the French exchange students who have lived in our home, our first child to have moved beyond Latin chose to study French. I sat with a Canadian friend of mine who lived on a Canadian island where only French is spoken and poured over potential curricula. In the end, I chose Breaking the French Barrier for its solid grammar foundation and its user-friendly format. Our high school junior has been enjoying it, even getting together with two friends to practice their accents and conversation. For our littlest learners, we love all the Signing Time DVDs, which teach copious American Sign Language vocabulary. Our two-year-old signs nearly everything he sees in the DVDs, and it's a joy to see him signing and speaking at the same time. I love giving the babies the skill to sign "please" or "more", "all done", and "thank you". It sure beats having them yell for what they want! Don't forget Cheryl's Marvelous Monday post! Gotta love her photo of the Windex guy :)

Academic confession #2: I am not a logical thinker by nature, therefore I tend to run from logic problems and study. There's probably a logical fallacy to disprove the above statement, but I couldn't tell you what it is. Thanks to the encouragement of a friend years ago, we began with The Critical Thinking Company materials. I use these books as "fillers", having the elementary-age kids go through them when they've completed other math assignments or need a little something to do. They think they're a fun challenge. The first book I'll take out is Building Thinking Skills. I find that doing the little exercises (for example, figuring out which shape doesn't belong in the sequence) helps my young children to stop and analyze something before diving in and offering an opinion or a quick answer before having thought it through. Mathematical Reasoning Through Verbal Analysis is usually next, but not until we've done a level or two of Building Thinking Skills. The emphasis in this book is on solving mathematical problems and I like to have an intro to thinking skills before introducing the math series. Last year I purchased Revenge of the Logic Spiders for our then-fifth-grade son, who was immediately drawn to the fact that it is a computer game. He enjoyed the format and was challenged to think through each of the 116 multiple choice questions because ultimately, he needed to escape the hungry spiders and the only way to do so was to answer all of those logic problems. I love being sneaky like that :) We move into more formal logic study around seventh grade with an introduction to logical fallacies. Its hard to find a more fun and un-intimidating start than Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn's The Fallacy Detective. My boys have learned to recognize bad reasoning, and I love it when they point out bad logic they hear or read in the news or *ahem* as used by their mother. The Thinking Toolbox follows The Fallacy Detective, presenting 35 lessons to help build reasoning skills.  I probably need to read that one. We have moved into a more formal study of logic in 8th grade using Martin Cothran's text entitled Traditional Logic I. From the Memoria Press website: "Along with a basic understanding of the Christian theory of knowledge, the text presents the four kinds of logical statements, the four ways propositions can be opposed, the three ways in which they can be equivalent, and the seven rules for the validity of syllogisms." Got that? No, neither did I :) Probably need to crack that one open, too. I'm telling you, my boys just eat this stuff up. Traditional Logic II necessarily follows Traditional Logic I, and this is, so the boys tell me, where it gets fun. All I know is, I can rarely win a friendly argument anymore, and these guys are so well-equipped to argue the tenets of their faith in a way that is logic and impenetrable. I only wish I could have been so well-equipped as I was faced with those who wanted to shake my faith when I was in high school and college. You will want the DVDs for Traditional Logic I and II. Our study of logic led us to use Martin Cothran's book on rhetoric entitled, Classical Rhetoric With Aristotle. Our oldest finished it last month and ate it up; he wants to study constitutional law and we are very happy with the foundation he has received in logic and rhetoric because of Mr. Cothran's materials. You can read more about Classical Rhetoric With Aristotle on the Memoria Press website. Please hop on over to Cheryl's blog and see what she has to say about studying logic in their home. We've got some differences and similarities on this Marvelous Monday!

Bird Watching on a Hotel Balcony

Unlike History, Science is not my favorite subject. Seems people are wired one way or the other, doesn''t it? I'm a writing/reading girl, not an abstract math/sciences girl. Regardless, science is something that children need to be exposed to and educated in, so there''s just no getting around it. Whether I feel like it or not, we've chosen to educate our children at home and so science must be a part of my life.

It seems I bumbled through the first five years or so of science. We used Considering God''s Creation, which I did love, but which is very hands on (lots of cutting and pasting) and while one of my boys loved it, the other loathed it. The book covers all aspects of God''s creation, including the natural world, solar system, the human body, animals, plants, and weather. It comes with a CD of science songs created for each chapter, but we found them highly annoying. Maybe you won't :)

After Considering God's Creation, I floundered. Providentially, at about the same time I was needing to decide what to do next, I read an interview with Dr. Jay Wile in the Winter 2003 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. This one article changed my whole thinking, and left me shouting, "Hallelujah!" Dr. Wile, a Nuclear Chemist and author of the Apologia Science Texts, explains that elementary-level science isn't science. Without an understanding of advanced mathematics principles, science simply isn't. All the pressure was off me for the elementary years, and we switched to nature study and observation, science non-fiction books (such as the Christian Liberty Nature Readers), and science biographies.

I now approach elementary science with unit studies in mind. It's actually fun stuff for this non-science loving mom. Most recently we've done a cooking science course using a free lapbook from Homeschool Share, an excellent resource for science unit studies. And free!

Other elementary science units we've done and loved include My Body, Exploring Creation With Astronomy (an Apologia-published book in a series that lays terrific groundwork for junior high and high school science), and Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day (also in the Apologia elementary series).

DVDs are a great tool for all levels of science study, bringing to life many concepts and teaching in a way that is visual and memorable. We have several favorites, DVDs that my kids actually ask to watch. I'll be bold here and say that our family is not terribly fond of the Moody science series; they seem dry and crusty, in need of a good update. Here are the DVDs we've loved most:

Children's DVD Pack from Answers in Genesis

Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution

Planet Earth

Biology 101

The World of Nature

We utilize our public library often, and I'll check out a whole subject at a time. I plop the books in a big basket in our living room and just let the kids casually read through them. Non-fiction science-related books well-loved here:

Find the Constellations

The Weather Book

The Geology Book

The Fossil Book

The Ocean Book

Many of the DK Eyewitness Books, such as Ocean

Nature Finds

We also, as I'm sure you've picked up if you''''ve spent any time on the Preschoolers and Peace site, love Amanda's nature and craft kits from Hearts and Trees. Amanda is a homeschool graduate and daughter of Barb, who also has wonderful blogs and materials for nature study. She inspires me to get my kids out and about looking at things, really looking at things in nature. Barb's Handbook of Nature Study blog and e-book could fill your elementary years with all the nature study you need.

Beyond elementary science/nature study, we use Apologia in our home. Neither of our first two children (the first two to use the Apologia texts) are science-lovers, and while they would say they don't love their texts, we see them as really the best and most complete option on the market for Creation-based science study. Alongside the Apologia texts are some businesses that have created auxiliary products that enhance the texts and provide materials such as lab kits.

Creation Sensation was started by a homeschooling family who recognized the need to gather all of the materials required for the junior high and high school labs. Gotta love a kit!

Live and Learn has created module-by-module mini-books that will help your student learn to study the materials in a way that reinforces the concepts by having them create notebook pages. This is a memorable way to study and my boys both say the Live and Learn books have been a big help to them this year.

A final word about evolutionary inclusions and material. Fundamental to laying a strong foundation in Truth for our children is exposing them to the materials from Answers in Genesis. AIG gives us tools for combating and arguing against the evolutionary theory so prevalent in books, video productions, and texts written by secularists. Our older children openly and boldly argue against evolutionary theory because they have been well-equipped to do so.

Recently our eldest child was discussing a book with me and he said, "Mom, there is no book I could read that would change my beliefs. If it doesn't line up with Scripture, I know that it isn't Truth." Wow. That's a mouthful, isn't it?

We teach our children when they rise up, when they lie down, and when they walk along the path. We also teach them to be wise as serpents and as gentle as doves, which means knowing when to saturate them with Truth and how to equip them to fight lies.

Start with Kids Answers.

Don't forget Cheryl's Marvelous Monday post on Science. We have quite a few similar thoughts this week.

And sorry for the quotation marks all over the place. It's yet another server/provider issue.

Just in case you're joining us for Marvelous Mondays for the first time, you can see our previous posts here: Math- Cheryl's Review Math- Kendra's Review History- Cheryl's Review History- Kendra's Review Literature- Cheryl's Review Literature- Kendra's Review English and Grammar- Cheryl's Review English and Grammar- Kendra's Review ♥ One of the best pieces of advice I received early on was to teach my kiddos to write their names with a capital letter first, followed by lower-case letters.  Most of us teach our little ones to write their names in all caps, only to have to re-teach them the correct way later.  Good idea, isn't it? We begin with Ready Writer, which has been around since before we were homeschooling. Fun little exercises like "cutting brownies" (making horizontal and vertical lines through rectangular "pans") and "cutting" zig zags with "saws".  Four to five-year-olds will get basic handwriting stroke practice, which is essential for legible handwriting. The workbook pages can be photocopied; we've had the same copy since 1995. Ready Writer isn't a complete program, but it's a fun way to develop fine motor skills. After Ready Writer we move to Handwriting Without Tears.  It is what it says- we've never had tears over handwriting practice.  Plus, we all now sing the little ditty, "Where do you start your letters?  At the top!"  Handwriting Without Tears is straight-forward and laid out in a manner that is extremely homeschool-mom-friendly.  The consumable workbooks can be handed right to the child and with a sentence or two of instruction, they are on their way. The Draw Write Now series is a classic on homeschool shelves.  These fun books which teach children to draw so many different subjects (people, animals, vehicles, etc.) are also teaching them basic handwriting strokes and then giving them sentences to copy which tell something about the drawing itself.  Children don't even know they're doing schoolwork.  Pretty tricky! I have been reading about "cursive first", the philosophy that says children who learn cursive before manuscript have an easier time altogether learning to write.  I have a friend whose four children seem to prove this philosophy, as all of them have beautiful handwriting, even at young ages. Last September I decided to try cursive first as taught by Memoria Press's New American Cursive with my second grader, hoping that she would develop beautiful cursive.  Perhaps we started too late because we haven't seen a huge difference between her handwriting and the handwriting of her siblings who learned manuscript first. Is it just us?  I'd love to have testimonials from others who subscribe to the cursive first philosophy because I'm not sure which direction to go with my up-and-coming kindergartner/first grader.  The New American Cursive book retails for 22.95, which I find pricey for a consumable workbook at this grade level. With my others who've done manuscript first, we used Classically Cursive.  If we're going to have them writing and copying as part of their education, should they not be writing and copying text with some worth to their souls and minds?  The texts used for teaching cursive in Classically Cursive are Scripture (including the Ten Commandments), the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the Attributes of God. Along similar lines are copywork books which provide useful sentences or paragraphs to copy.  We adore the Happy Scribe books, and each year I pair up the historical copywork with our history studies for our youngest students.  Happy Scribe covers a whole lot of subjects- really, there seems to be a Happy Scribe copybook for ever interest- and because you have the ability to download and save the books to your computer, the pages are a snap to print out. Similarly, we have loved the Wisdom Kids ebooks, particularly the Thanksgiving copywork book.  It is a perfect example of giving kids good things to copy, which helps to shape their worldview and thinking early on.  Who of us doesn't want to raise thankful children? Last fall our eighth-grader came to me and said, "My handwriting is terrible.  Can you get me a handwriting book?"  And I ask you, who of us is going to turn down that request from a teenage son?  I did a little investigating, thinking that simpler would be better, particularly since we knew for certain that we didn't want something overtly childish.  We landed on Getty Dubay Italic, and I've been very happy with the improvement in his handwriting, as has he. We'll leave the world of handwriting now and move on to spelling, which brings to the surface yet another philosophy I hold to.  Ready?  Spelling tests are dumb. Do we really think that memorizing a list of twenty words for a test at the end of the week is going to assure that our child will remember that "weird" is spelled with an e before an i?  I mean, really. I firmly believe that good spelling comes from word usage.  Over and over and over again, until the common words become familiar.  One of the best ways to insure familiarity?  Copywork. And then there was my fourth child, whom we call a "math-head", but who cannot spell to save her life, despite the copious amount of copywork she's done over the past five years.  Knowing I did not want to go the memorize-then-forget route, I took the plunge into Sequential Spelling and found something that made sense. With Sequential Spelling, the child studies nothing. Instead, she remembers patterns used to spell words- even after the test.  I read the word, the child writes it down and then self-corrects it immediately.  The word lists are sequential and emphasize the patterns of spelling.  I see our daughter stopping to think through words that stump her; even if she must do so as an adult, she'll have the advantage of remembering patterns taught through all seven levels of Sequential Spelling. It's been a winner of a curriculum in our home. Don't forget to stop by and see Cheryl's Marvelous Monday list here!