Eclectic Curriculum

Ever since our exodus from public school we've been eclectic in our choice of learning material. Eclectic means that we've been using a variety of sources to teach the individual subjects, not using only one publisher to accomplish our goals. We've pretty much stuck to reading real books for history and language arts, using texts only for supplements, or to tie it all together. I never test on the history text, we just read through and discuss. In my opinion Real Books = Real Learning which sticks with you for a lifetime. Just beware of the homeschool parent's bane: Curriculum Overkill.
For example, we've used A Beka, but never the entire curriculum. There was one notable year I probably used a different publisher for every subject. However; if you choose to do be that eclectic, make sure you aren't doing double, or even triple duty on a subject. Overkill on language arts is the biggie. Take it from someone who has been there. Also, how many years of grammar does a kid need? Get them writing and building vocabulary!

In the 5-6 grades we used A Beka for reading and their spelling/vocabulary/poetry. We used Writing Strands for writing. In the 7-8 we used A Beka's Grammar/Composition.
We ALSO used Beautiful Feet American History spread over 2 years, which has some writing and vocabulary. Somewhere in there we tried a smattering of Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL). In the semesters that we concentrated on writing skills, I supplemented with Daily Grammar and spelling lists for grade levels like Pocket Basics and Everyday Spelling that I found online. If he knew the spelling words the first testing he didn't have to write or test on that word. Wordly Wise was the best vocabulary studies we found, and still use them. Can you see how you could get bogged down in the language arts swamp? Thank the Lord that He guided me and showed me that we didn't need to get it all done in one year! That's the big reason I wanted to use programs like Beautiful Feet or Total Language Plus, reading real books, and combining history and language skills, which was my goal from the very beginning.

In the 5-8 years we used Saxon for math. For science we used Bob Jones, wrote our own curriculum one year, then went to Apologia Science, purchased from Home Science Tools.
For Bible we used different things, I wish we had used Discover 4 Yourself Bible Studies, which a friend highly recommends for children AND adults. We used Latina Christiana for Latin studies, which I highly recommend for vocabulary building and biology later. BF Ancient History was spread over 2 years.

9th grade was:

• 1st semester for English/History: we read some Medieval and Bible history real books (Some of those books were on the BF list, some were Henty books, some our own choice)
• Timeline from Homeschool in the Woods done scrapbook style
  
• 2nd semester still read good books, but concentrated on essay writing with help from the English Works website and The Institute for Excellence in Writing
• Saxon Algebra (struggled)
• Sign Language from a co-op class
• Accounting from co-op
• Guitar, mandolin, fiddle and choir from outside home
• Apologia Biology
• Carpentry & mechanics from dad
  

The 10th grade has looked like this:

• Switched to Teaching Textbooks for Math
• Read through A Beka's World History Text
  
• 1st semester more stuff from The Institute for Excellence in Writing
• 2nd semester we started Total Language Plus-Oliver Twist currently
  
• A Beka's Bible Doctrine and Bible reading (no testing, just discussion)
• Finished Apologia's Biology and started Microbiology outside of home. (more about that later)
• Carpentry & mechanics from dad
• ACT prep
• He taught a co-op class
  
• Spanish from outside home
• Co-op computer class
• Art classes from outside home
• Guitar, mandolin, fiddle and choir from outside home

As you can see, the only core courses on our own, ended up being: English, Math and Bible.
Last semester I was driving 4 days a week, so even though it was worth it, I'm glad we've dropped some things! We're down to 2 days a week.

Teaching Textbooks & Saxon Math

Teaching Textbooks Algebra has been a good change for us from Saxon. I like Saxon for it's thoroughness and repetition, but as we've gotten into higher math I've really appreciated that TT has answer cds which work out EVERY problem, if you need the help.

There are D.I.V.E. cds for Saxon which are very helpful, but they do not work out every problem. Some say that students who have used Saxon receive consistently high scores on standardized math tests. Teaching Textbooks hasn't been around long enough to have data prove the same for them, but for us it was a good switch.

If you are using Saxon for middle to upper grades and you see that your child IS "getting it", don't be afraid to pare down the work to every other problem. Just make sure they are consistantly answering each type of problem correctly. On the other hand, if you see that they aren't understanding you can go back through a lesson, do extra practices in the back of the book, or find extra practice problem sheets online.

Cherry New Year !

My favorite cherry recipe was always made by my favorite aunt. She was a great cook and a wonderful example of godly womanhood. I miss her. More about Aunt Dorothy later. First her recipe:

Yummy Cherry Stuff

Some people call it dump cake because you dump everything in a baking dish. We just call it that "Yummy Cherry Stuff That Aunt Dorothy Made". There are versions using crushed pineapple or fresh blueberries. Once again: This Is Not A Healthy Recipe! That's why I only make it once a year. I was going to post a picture, but it was attacked and mostly eaten before I remembered.

Butter or spray a 9 x 13 baking dish. Dump the following ingredients in order listed and spread out in the pan. Don't mix together.

1. 2 cans cherry pie filling
2. 1 DRY white or yellow cake mix (yes, just the dry stuff)
3. 2 sticks butter (melted or just cut up and placed on top)
4. 1 cup coconut
5. 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional, but yummy)

Bake at 350 until top is browned. About 30 minutes.


Aunt Dorothy was diagnosed with a brain tumor when I was young. The doctors didn't expect her to live past the year. She had 2 surgeries to remove parts of the tumor, but in the 70's there just wasn't much hope even with chemo. I was just a kid at the time, but I knew it was serious and scary. She was sick from headaches and chemo, but she clung to the Lord in such a way that it made a lasting impression on me. I'd never known anyone who talked to God like He was standing right there, a Friend and a Father, a Comforter and Confidant. I'd never seen anything like it. I wanted to be like her. I still do.

I really got to know and love her when I started traveling with her and Momma to Saint Francis to the cancer treatment specialists. It was a serious thing, of course, but it was a lot of fun in the beginning because she and Momma were so much fun. We stopped and bought peaches on the way home once because she wanted a peach. Momma told her we didn't have any way to wash them, and not even a paper towel to use for a napkin. Of course Momma did stop and buy peaches, took a pillowcase off a pillow, and rubbed the fuzz off a juicy, perfectly huge peach and gave it to her. Dorothy pronounced it, "The best peach I ever ate!"

I remember squeezing into the cab of a pick-up truck with Momma, Aunt Dorothy, Grandma, and my sister-in-law. I was the only skinny one, because I was still young. This was no F-150. I sat on the edge of the seat the 30+ miles to "town" and back. We laughed the whole trip. No one is as fun as a bunch of Christian women who love each other,
and I wanted to be smack dab in the middle of them!

She took me with her to buy Tex-Mex when we were in Odessa.
Tex-Mex was something we didn't have much of around home. She asked me if I wanted refried beans. When I replied I didn't even know what a refried bean was, she exclaimed, "Well honey, you have to have some then! You'll love 'em!"
I think of her every time I eat refried beans. What a tribute, huh? Somehow I don't think she'd mind.

I went with her to her church. First time I'd ever set my bashful foot inside a Pentecostal church. I wasn't afraid with her there. It was wonderful to kneel beside my favorite aunt and listen to her offering up prayers to God. I hung on her every word. It was like the Spirit of the Lord just hung around her like a garment.

Did I mention she lived much longer than the doctors expected? YEARS longer.
I know that whatever pain and sickness she endured was not in vain. If for nobody else, the Lord let her live longer for my sake. For my sake, yes.
Thank you Lord. Let me be like my grandmother and Aunt Dorothy.