Over the years, I have used three curriculum packages from Beautiful Feet (BF): History of the Horse, History of Classical Music, and now Ancient History Junior High. I like BF Ancient History for the same reasons I like BF in general. All three packages I’ve used have these same characteristics:

• a foundation of living books
• an emphasis on notebooking
• a loose structure

We have already covered Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. Now, after taking a break from history for many months we are beginning Ancient Rome. Since we are over halfway through the material, it’s a perfect time for a curriculum review.

BF Ancient History in its essence is a teacher’s guide that outlines lessons. (The guide includes an answer key.) There is a junior high track (grades 5-8) and a high school track (grades 9-12) in the same book. At a minimum, you need this teacher’s guide. As far as the living books, you can purchase them from BF in a package or find them on your own. Besides the books and the guide, all you need are normal school supplies and general reference books (or the Internet).

Notebooking

Notebooking assignments are included in the lessons. Examples of typical notebooking tasks are

• to copy a quote from a book and comment on it
• to explain a person’s behavior
• to sketch a map of an empire
• to research a personality or event
• to write and define a few vocabulary words.

Left to right -- Guide, Notebooking Page, Living Books

The notebooking tasks are always meaningful. That means that not every lesson will have one just to fit an artificial standard. On the other hand, a particularly meaty lesson may have two or three notebooking tasks.  The BF guide recommends a composition notebook, but a three ring binder (our favorite) can just as easily be used. Alternatively, you can assign some of the notebooking tasks to be answered orally instead of in writing.

Note that these are notebooking tasks, not pages. There are no reproducibles or hand-outs. There are instructions.

In the photo, you can see an example of the notebooking pages with which I sometimes supplement the BF ancients study.  I either make my own or turn to the Ancient Times pages from Notebookingpages.com. [Use discount code discount5 to save $5 on your $10+ purchase;  use discount10 to save $10 on your $20+ purchase.]

Structure

I say that BF has a loose structure because although there are clearly detailed lessons, there are no charts or check boxes. I have no regret about skipping over things or adding in tangents. Part of that tendency is simply my growing confidence as a homeschooler. But the organization of the teacher’s guide has a less rigid feel that many other curriculum sets we have used (such as Sonlight or Winter Promise) which have daily lessons laid out on strict grids where you can’t help but highlight or check them off.

The Children's Homer and Teacher's Guide

The BF Ancient History guide for junior high has only 71 lessons. This means you do around three lessons per week to finish the course in a typical school year. (The senior high track has 90 lessons.) This kind of flexible scheduling is good for someone like me who appreciates an order to the study but doesn’t need a day by day guide.

The Books

Ancients Teacher Guide and Book Stack

The books are quality, of course, and are a mix of non-fiction and fiction. According to the directions at the opening of the guide, the  reading assignments are to be read out loud so that both parent and child hear the books together. However, the program can be done with the child doing all the reading independently. We do a mix of the two.

There is a single textbook among the selections – Streams of Civilization. I am not a fan of textbooks, so it’s not surprising that this book came off very dry and dull to both me and to Sprite.

The senior high selection includes more books and more difficult ones. Among the junior high choices, our strong favorites were The Children’s Homer and The Bronze Bow.

Timeline

BF sells a set of applicable timeline figures for each curriculum package. I have the entire Homeschool in the Woods timeline figure CD, so I use that instead. For each lesson, the teacher’s guide tells which figures should be placed on your timeline.

BF is a no-frills kind of curriculum. There are no hands-on project ideas. BF doesn’t do a lot of media hype although they do have a Facebook fan page. They have no forum where you can hang out with other users. They just make a quality, affordable curriculum and get out of the way so you can use it.

By the way, I have started an unofficial BF Yahoo group where you can ask questions and get support.

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3. Ancient Greek Art

We’ve been using Teaching Textbooks (TT) for well over a year now, so it’s time for a curriculum review.

Background

Sprite has completed TT 5 and is currently finishing up TT level 6. I have every intention of moving on to level 7 as soon as she has worked through level 6.

In preschool and early elementary days, we used Singapore Math curriculum. In third and fourth grades, I slowly transitioned into a living math approach. Then we made a huge change by shifting to TT, a computer based math curriculum while we continued our math history studies and math notebooking.

Overview

Teaching Textbooks curriculum is computer based, so each level comes with four CDs. A large, paperback, spiral-bound textbook can be purchased with the CDs as a set or individually. It is a more expensive curriculum than many options, but the CDs hold their value very well when it comes time to sell your used curriculum.

The textbook is designed to be a consumable, with the student writing directly in the book. In that way it’s really a combination textbook and workbook in one. You could use notebook paper to write down the problems and save the textbook for another child or for resale. I want to make math as easy for Sprite as I can, so I allow her to write in her book.

Generally she finds that the book offers enough blank space to work the problems, but occasionally she reaches for some notebook paper when an exercise is especially problematic.

There is some teaching material in the book, but the discs present it with a visual and audio component that is good for auditory and visual learners both. Sprite tells me that she never looks at the instructional material in the book, preferring to listen to the disc’s lecture and follow along. Even when she needs to go back and listen again, she consistently chooses the computer format versus flipping back in the paperback book.

Of course, the program immediately gives feedback on answers, both in the practice and in the quizzes. In the case of a wrong answer, there is often reteaching that clarifies the problem.

Benefits of Teaching Textbooks

There is a lot of review integrated into the program so that the students won’t forget what they have learned. I have found this review to be a good fit for Sprite’s learning style. I discovered that without review, even if the new lesson builds on previous learning, she would forget how to do something she had worked on in earlier lessons.

Another advantage (or disadvantage depending on how you look at it) is that for the most part, TT takes math teaching off a homeschool mom’s radar. Because the discs include instruction via short “lectures” and walk the student through practice exercises and even quizzes, you don’t really have to plan any of the math lessons. In fact, it’s easy to let your child simply go to the next thing without your even knowing what she is studying.

If you’re looking for a math curriculum which a child can do independently, Teaching Textbooks Math Curriculum is a good choice. But if you really need to stay on top of what your child is studying in math, be aware that TT makes it easy to “forget” about math. I have to be very deliberate to look at the textbook at least every week to see what skills are being taught. Then I try to discuss the math with Sprite a few times a week.

The computer program gives her immediate feedback on each answer and gives an overall grade at the end of every lesson. There is an option to print out a grade report of the chapter quizzes (pictured above). At the end of the year, you can simply average the quiz scores to assign a grade if that is necessary.

The program is flexible and allows a student to move back to the instruction whenever necessary during the practice. A student can also skip problems and go back to them later. This is wonderful when there are trouble spots that require mom’s help. There’s no need to sit and wait for mom. Instead, the student can keep working on other problems and revisit the sticky ones when mom (or dad) can assist.

The program also allows for skipping around in the textbook and for omitting entire lessons or chapters as well. This means that you can customize your use of TT to match what your child needs to focus on.

The parent does have the ability to change quiz grades or allow a child to retake a quiz.

Purchasing Teaching Textbooks

Teaching Textbooks products are available at Christian Book Distributors. (That’s where I buy mine.)

TT has free placement tests on the main website. I do recommend printing those out and using them to determine what level your child needs — from grade 3 up to pre-calculus.

Be sure to see the DEMO offered at TT website. Before buying this curriculum, let your child try out the demo to see if this way of learning is a good fit. It has been a very good fit for my highly visual daughter, and I plan to continue using TT.

Do you have any questions about Teaching Textbooks or your own assessment if you have used it?

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Will Work for School Supplies

I’ve hit the big back to school sales at Walgreens and Freds to stock up our school supply cabinet with notebooks, paper, pencils, and pens. It feels great to start a new school year with a wealth of inexpensive supplies on hand.

I had an interesting conversation with another mom who was buying the bargains. She asked me if I’d gotten everything on “the list.” I told her that since we homeschool, we don’t have to adhere to someone else’s list. She was all in favor of that and questioned some of the “necessary” items that her children bought every year but never laid eyes on — paper towels, tissues — or never needed in class– glue, index cards. She felt it was a huge waste of money and energy to shop from the official school list and praised the benefits of homeschooling. I expressed my sympathies and inwardly thanked God for the ability to homeschool with freedom. Freedom to choose curriculum, world view, and even school supplies.

Have you bought school supplies yet? Any super deals or interesting conversations on the school supply aisle?

If you are doing back to school curriculum shopping online from any of the retailers below, please consider purchasing through my affiliate links. There is no additional cost to you, but I will receive a small percentage of your purchase in commission (6-15% depending on the merchant). All you do is click on the link below, and shop as you normally would.

General Links

• Amazon
• Currclick
• Answers in Genesis
• Notebooking Pages
• The Old Schoolhouse Store
• Bright Ideas Press
• Book Depository
• Download N Go (Amanda Bennett Unit Studies and Lapbooks)

Planners and Calendars

Mom Agenda Deals

(Offers Expire Aug. 31, 2011)

Take 10% off all orders of $65+  Code: MOM10OFF65

Take $10 off all orders of $75+ Code: MOM10OFF75

Get 20% Off a small School Years book Code: SCHOOLYEARSMOM

Calendars.com

Desk calendars, wall calendars & notebook planners for mom and for children

Free Shipping On Any Order Over $20

Homeschool Planners

Special Deals on Curriculum & Teaching Aids

NotebookingPages.com Special Coupon Codes

• code = bts2011  $5 off your membership/renewal.
• code = treasury2011  Save 25% on membership/renewal

My aim is never to pressure anyone to buy anything but to pass on deals and recommend products that I like.  Happy back to homeschool!

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3. Shopping from Street Vendors

As I said before, there were plenty of things I wanted to buy at the Mid-South Homeschool Convention but couldn’t.  Each vendor tempted me with small discounts or reminders that I wouldn’t have to pay shipping. But I was strong in my resolve. I kept reminding myself that I was doing research more than doing shopping. (Plus that heavy tote bag was screaming “Stop buying!”)

Here are the things that I want to buy in the future, broken down by likelihood of purchase.

Feel Sure I Will Buy Eventually

1.  Exploration Education’s Hands-on Science curriculum

One of my goals in attending the convention was to find a science curriculum for 7th grade. So far we have not used any textbooks  for science in favor of a living books approach. I was very impressed with Exploration Education’s Hands-on Science curriculum. It is a computer based physical science program with daily hands-on science activities and a consumable student log book.

CONS

I’m not a huge fan of learning from the computer; I prefer books. But I know that Sprite really likes that format (for example her Teaching Textbooks math curriculum.)

PROS

• The program is very hands-on and interactive.
• There are abundant visuals to make the concepts come alive.
• I love that all the supplies are included in the package.
• It’s designed for the child to do independently; all the directions are included on the CD. I am deliberately moving Sprite towards more and more independence in her learning.
• Physical science fits well into the cycle of science we have studied. In other words, it’s time for these sciences again.
• The log book emphasizes the scientific method, keeping lab reports for the hands-on activities, and scientific vocabulary.

Overall, the pros outweigh the cons. So for now, I’m leaning towards Exploration Education’s Hands-on Science. I’ll get the Intermediate Level– Advanced.

2.  NEW Zeezok composer biographies plus companion CDs

I was happy to find that Zeezok is publishing new Opal Wheeler titles for Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Paganini. Although they are not on the website yet, they are in the printed catalog. And the owner of Zeezok shared with me that he is working on an entire composer curriculum that will include all fourteen titles in the Opal Wheeler series.

Might Buy at Some Point

Answers in Genesis Pilgrim’s Progress Curriculum

This looks so intriguing to me as a crossover Bible/discipleship/literature study.

Want to Investigate More Fully

Summit Ministries worldview curriculum

I listened to two of John Stonestreet’s seminiars at the convention and was totally impressed. Watch some of his videos and see what you think. I want Sprite to internalize the principles that this man teaches, so I will be looking into their middle school and high school curriculum.

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1. The Convention — What I Bought
2. The Convention — What I Learned
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The Mid-South Homeschool Convention was great. I could only go for one day (Friday), but I still felt I learned plenty. And of course, I bought a few items from the vendors. I could have bought enough to require a U-haul truck to take it home, but I restrained myself. After all, I can always buy these things online later.

Here is what I bought.

Curriculum

The Art of Argument: an Introduction to the Informal Fallacies from Classical Academic Press

With Sprite nearing age 12, the time is right for formal teaching about critical thinking.  The Art of Argument covers fallacies of relevance, of presumption, and of clarity. It’s quite thorough and is something that her dad is passionate about. I’m hoping to get him to teach this to her. I’ll be sure to write a review of this curriculum once we’ve used it for a few weeks.

Parenting and Homeschooling

Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Tripp

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens by Debra Bell

See a theme here? Yep. We are entrenched in the tweens. I’m getting ready for the next steps.

Just For me

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul E. Miller

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp

Just For Sprite

Imagine Your World in Clay

I knew my hands-on, crafty girl would love the ideas and how-tos in this book. Of course, I’ll have to buy more Sculpey Clay for her projects.

If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to hear your feedback.

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Poems Every Child Should Know in Print From CurrClick

Did you know that CurrClick is now selling printed products as well as ebooks? This is a brand new service that CurrClick asked me to try out*. I chose the book Poems Every Child Should Know.

The Process

As you can see from this screen shot, with printed titles, CurrClick givess two or three options for purchase. Besides the basic PDF ebook, you can select a softcover book or a combination ebook and softcover book.

At checkout, you submit a mailing address and a shipping method. By the way, the shipping charges are not included in the product price. I chose the least expensive shipping –USPS Media Mail: Estimated 2 – 9 Days. I ordered on Jan. 25, and the book came on Feb. 4 from Lightning Source via media mail. So in my case, it took ten days for the book to arrive.

Just like your regular CurrClick purchases, the PDF ebook was immediately available for download. Within a few minutes of my purchase, I received an email verifying my purchase and my mailing address for the print book. When the book shipped, I got another email.

While you wait for the book to arrive, you can check on the status of the order in your account information at CurrClick.

The Product

The paperback has a glossy cover and substantial–not flimsy– pages.  My book includes the standard things like copyright information, a preface, a table of contents, and numbered pages. There are a few black and white line drawings that appear to be from the original edition. Oddly, the index of authors is directly after the table of contents instead of at the end of the book. (Maybe that was the original layout of the book?) At the very end of the book, but before the flyleaves, is an advertisement for thetutorbook.com.

Overall Assessment

I thought the online purchasing process was seamless and easy to understand. The wait for the printed book was a tad long, but if  you plan ahead, the shipping time shouldn’t stop you from buying printed books at CurrClick.

Poems Every Child Should Know is in the public domain, so I certainly can find this for free to read from your computer or Kindle. But the feel of a real book is awfully nice. And sometimes it’s more convenient to pull a book off the shelf rather than turn on an electronic device. It’s wonderful to have an option to buy an out of print book like this, so overall I give CurrClick’s new print option two thumbs up!

*Disclosure: CurrClick gave me a $30 credit to purchase a print book and offer this honest review of the process and the product.

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I was recently pondering how blessed we are to have such fantastic homeschool resources in our home. And I also started thinking about what would happen if we lost all of that. How would we homeschool if we had none of those books on hand?

And although it would be quite inconvenient not to have books or any purchased curriculum, I decided that with an Internet connection, a printer, and our Kindles, we could manage with free online resources. Here is an outline of what I would use for homeschool if I had no money for curriculum and nothing on hand.

Free Language Arts Curriculum

Read books from the library or download free Newbery Medal Winners (PDF) at Learner’s Library (scroll to bottom of page) and use these reader’s guides:

• Reading Units
• Glencoe Literature Library study guides
• Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Novel Study Guides

1. Daily Grammar Lessons Archive
2. Scott Foresman Grammar & Writing (grades 1-6)
3. Sentence Patterns & DIY Writing Curriculum
4. Writing Prompts (the parent site LearningExpress has some fantastic high school and college prep resources)

Free Math Curriculum

• XP Math (4th & 5th grades)
• Public Schools of NC Math for 3rd-5th grades or  6th-8th grades
• PASS (middle school and high school)
• LearningExpress math books (high school)
• Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (K-6th grades)

Free Science Curriculum

• Scott Foresman Science Readers with audio (grades K-6 with just a few selections in 7-8)
• Prentice Hall Science Explorer– life, earth, and physical science (middle school)
• PASS (middle school and high school)

What free resources do you use? What would you use if you had no money for homeschool curriculum?

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My latest curriculum review is up at The Curriculum Choice. It’s a review of Winter Promise American Story 1.

If you’d like an overview of this literature based history curriculum, go check it out. It’s been a good fit for us, and we’re using American Story 2 right now.

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It was time! The questions were coming, and I was totally unprepared. I had not even one book that explained the “facts of life.” Does every parent think that this time comes far sooner than expected? I sure did!

I did my best to research online and made some book selections from Amazon. A couple of weeks later, I was armed with some top notch books to answer my daughter’s questions about human reproduction. I reviewed two of the best choices at The Curriculum Choice:  It’s So Amazing! and What’s the Big Deal? Read them and be more prepared than I was.

PS.  If you enjoy reading The Curriculum Choice, please vote for it in the Best Family or Group Blog category and Best Curriculum or Business Blog category at the Homeschool Blog Awards.

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My latest contribution at The Curriculum Choice is a review of the Opal Wheeler Composer biographies and companion discs. If you’re looking for some quality living books for history or music, I highly recommend these titles!

The Curriculum Choice is a fairly new blog that offers lots of real life reviews from homeschooling moms. While you’re there, look for the free toolbar called the Homeschool Gadget. It’s a great resource, especially for new homeschoolers.

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