Memory Work Folder

Since Classical Conversations practicums are in full swing, and everyone is deciding what materials to purchase for Cycle 1, I thought I'd take two minutes to let you know how we organize our memory work.  Our first years in the program I was excited to buy all the extras, but as I became more familiar with the material, I realized our best bet was to assemble a Memory Work Folder straight from the Foundations Guide.  This has served us well as my children have earned the Memory Master title several times.  Also, as a Foundations tutor, I found it much simpler to conduct my review time strictly from this folder.

All you need is one folder per child, page protectors, and access to a photo copier.

I make copies of all the memory work by subject.  I slide all these pages into page protectors and then assemble them into a three-pronged folder. 

The Cycle 1 Memory Work Subject Summary begins on page 57 in your Foundations Guide.

For Geography we include the map work that we completed with color.  You can see my post on that here.  Blackline maps for Cycle 1 are located on page 216 and 217 of your Foundations Guide.

 

I include the Memory Master proof sheets.  The proof sheets for Cycle 3 can be found on page 205 - 208 of your Foundations Guide.

During the school year, these folders travel with us wherever we go so we can constantly review.  Even my children have learned to take them to their Foundations classes and jot down notes on songs or mnemonics they used that week to drill the information.   Pictured above is my daughter's from Cycle 2.   She is still motivated by stickers, so as she mastered that piece of information, it was 'checked off' with a sticker.

Year Five In the Books and Why I Think You Should Make One

Yesterday my blog-turned-portfolio-assessment book arrived via Fed Ex.  Isn't it grand?

I love the feeling I get each year when this book arrives.  I feel finished.  Accomplished.  Fulfilled.  And, so do my children.

Honestly, my lousy photos do not do it justice.

For the five years I've homeschooled, I've always lived in a state that requires an annual test or a portfolio assessment submitted to the district superintendent.  Naturally, I have chosen the portfolio option.  To be honest, I think everyone should.  Test scores definitely have their merit, but I think there is great value in my children needing to meet annually with a licensed educator and discuss their previous academic year.  Firmly, I believe there is more merit in this 108-page scrapbook than any test my children could ever take.  This is the story of their year.  Our year.  It shows what they've learned.  It affirms what we've experienced.  It exposes their creativity.  Their persistence.  Their enthusiasm.  It shows success.  It reveals areas of growth and development.  It unfolds who my children are becoming.  This story is to be celebrated.

As a homeschooler, you have invested every single hour of every single day to educate and develop your children.  At the end of the year, you have a story to share of your child's learning and adventures.  It is meant to be appreciated.  A test can give you a score, but a portfolio (or just a simple photo book) can tell you a story.  Your year has been anything but average and results in more than being labeled in the 52nd percentile.  You and your children have learned, grown, developed, discovered, experienced, laughed, cried, and lived.  Document that.

In fact, I feel so strongly that you should document it (even if your state doesn't require it), that I wanted to give you a few ways to get the ball rolling for next year ....


1.  Do This
Exactly what I've done.  My (not-so-secret-anymore) goal has been to document 10 enrichment activities/events/learning experiences a month.  My blog has always been a variety of accomplishments and day-to-day learning.  Sometimes there's not much more to report on than the day-to-day, but even that is always worth documenting.  I write up a brief description of the activity, usually take a picture or two, upload it all, and hit publish.  At the end of the year, I format it all into a book using free software from Blurb.com.  Let me assure you, it is all quite simple.  If I can do it, you can do it.  I know how to do like six things on a computer, this being one of them.

If 10 write-ups a month seem overwhelming, start with 5 - 7.  Or one a week.

For my Classical Conversations friends, simply highlight a different subject or two per week and rotate them monthly.  Week One - a sketched map and a picture of a book they read corresponding with the History sentence.  Week Two - their presentation and their fine arts project.  Week Three - their IEW assignment for that week, etc.  If you keep with the same subjects on a weekly cycle throughout the academic year, you will see growth and development as the year progresses.

2.  Have a Picture Day
Pick a day of the week and take pictures on that particular day each week to document your day.  Continue with that throughout the year.  Know that every Tuesday you will take five photos (I'm definitely not one who thinks you need 500 pictures from each event -- less is more!) and write down a brief sentence or two as a caption.  These pictures should be a variety -- doing chores, piano practice, art work, etc.  Or, develop a day of the week theme.  Like Mondays - Math,  Wednesday - Words, Friday - Fun.  Then on those days take a picture representing those themes throughout your school year.  The key is to keep the pictures organized as the year progresses.

For our family scrapbook(s), I've been taking one photo a day for the past two years.  I've discovered if I take a few minutes to organize them at the end of each month, the task does not become overwhelming.  Plus, I've also realized that the 100 pictures of your day-to-day tell more of a story, than 100 pictures from the same dance recital or 100 selfies that your children took with your phone.  This year, I've even stepped up my game by making at least one photo monthly a family shot.  Before this year, I would often hide behind the camera.

Instagram users always post Photo-of-the-Day Challenges.  I like this one for homeschooling ideas, but personally I would modify it some, so that I could see photos of my children's progress throughout the school year. I've made photo books using Shutterfly, Snapfish, and Blurb and been happy with all of them.  I know there are countless more sites available.

3.  Use Your Calendar
If you swear by a planner, or a lesson plan book, or a wall-mounted-family-activity-calendar that displays all your sticky notes of events, activities, chores and school work -- at the end of each week, or month, take a picture of it.  Print it out as an 8 x 10 and slide it into a page protector.  Also, print out a few pictures or make a collage from that week/month.  Slide those into a page protector.  Voila!  There's your story.

I've been using the binder and page protector approach to organize past mementos.  My goal has been to get them all out of shoe boxes and into binders by our next major move.  Once you have the binders and the page protectors, the task moves rather quickly.  There are also some great tips on this site.
 
4.  Make Lists
I like this idea so much, that it makes me want to change what I'm doing.

Create a list of questions that you would like your child to answer weekly.  Type it up and immediately print out at least 30 per child.  Have a spot where you can write in the date.  Each week give them the paper to fill out, maybe on Fridays.  Take a picture of something they've done that week.  Print that out, and glue stick it to the page.  Slide it in a page protector and fill a binder. 

For example:
Tell me something you've learned.
What have you created and/or built?
List books that you've read.
What was the most fun you had this week?
What was challenging?
How did you use Math this week?

Here's another example of a list-making activity for adults, but it could be easily modified for your homeschooling adventures.

5.  Use Your Children

If you have a budding historian in your family, give them this task with some tracks to run on.  My children already know how to do more with a camera, and slide shows, and YouTube videos than I can ever hope to.  I could easily say to them, "This week, take a picture of your science project, your Geography map, and your math work.  Make a collage and show me where you saved it on the computer."  Or, if they're younger, print out pictures, hand them a glue stick and several sheets of card stock, and let them enjoy making a creation.  It's their learning and experiences that you are documenting.  I'm convinced the more they have a part in it, the more they will remember.


Using technology, there are probably one hundred easier ways to document and organize your memories.  Like I mentioned earlier, I'm usually behind the times when it comes to anything using a computer.  Consistency is the key!!  Weekly, biweekly, or monthly updates will help you stay organized.  Any good educator will admit that we learn through experience and our memories.  Help your children remember all they've learned and discovered throughout the year by documenting it for them.  Your story is to be celebrated !!

Day 103 / 103 - 10 Lessons in 5 Years

This post is monumental.  I have now been educating my children at home for five full years.  If you want to get philosophical, I believe our children are constantly learning (most oftentimes from us) from the first moments we interact with them and that continues regardless of their age or the academic calendar.  But, as of this spring, it has been five years since my children have stepped foot into a school of any kind, and it has been five full academic years that I have notified officials that their father and I will be the ones solely responsible for their education.

Day One !!

Five years is often a benchmark moment in any employment situation.  If I was approaching five years with a corporation, I would probably be up for some kind of review that resulted in a better compensation package.  Maybe I'd be getting an extra week of vacation.  Perhaps I would have a new clock with my company's logo to place on my desk.  Perhaps I'd have a new job title which would result in an updated LinkedIn profile. 

Clearly, I have none of that.  I have a $400 dining room table set that gets used for meals maybe six times a year.  I have more books than shelves.  I have no less than 100 pencils in my home, yet not a single one can be located when needed.  I have my children in and out of my home all day everyday, which often leads to more clutter and more chaos.  Even right now, as I type this, every piece of my living room furniture that is designed for sitting on is being used as some kind of table to hold stacks of books, piles of rubber bands, scissors (?), a guitar, electronic equipment, and one pen.  Ironically, the ottoman, which is in prime coffee table position, is clutter free.

However, aside from the mess, and the chaos, and the lack of a job promotion, I am a very different person, and educator, than I was five years ago.  My style of instructing has evolved, and my knowledge of learning, educating, and spending all day, everyday with my children has greatly expanded.  I truly enjoy it.  More than that, I love it.  I love it so much that I spend quite a bit of time encouraging others to do it, or at least think about doing it.  If you visit this blog even occasionally, you know I use it to showcase what my children have learned.  As I reach the five year mark of homeschooling, I thought it would be only appropriate to let you know a few things I've learned and discovered over the course of our journey.

 Brace yourselves.  This post is longer than most.


1.  Homeschooling is a Lifestyle

Prior to adventuring into homeschooling, my husband and I served in full-time ministry for 10 years with Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru).  Nearly everyday I made the statement, 'We don't have a job.  We have a lifestyle.'  The same is true of homeschooling.  It's not just what I do, it's who I am.  It defines us -- we are homeschoolers!  Of course there are challenges, but there are many rewards.  Just like with Campus Crusade, the main one was there were thousands of other people who we shared this lifestyle with, and instantly we were partners with them.  I feel the same about those who choose to homeschool their children.  I am allies with them because we are journeying along the same path.  We may differ on everything from politics to religion to educational philosophy, but because we have made the commitment to educate our children at home, we share a bond.  We share a lifestyle.

2.  I Believe Every Parent Can Educate Their Children at Home
I'm not sure this was something I gave a second thought to five years ago, but now I feel pretty strongly about it.  Everyone can do this.  I'm convinced.  It does not take years of training with advanced degrees.  It doesn't even take lots of organization and structure.  Believe me!  It does take a little confidence, a little independence, a love for learning, a willingness to 'look something up' if you are unfamiliar with it, and a vision for who you hope your child will become one day.  All the rest of the details can be figured out along the journey.  The sacrifices that need to be made seem minimal in comparison to the outcome.  Nobody knows or cares for a child more than his or her parents.  Naturally, the parents would make the best educator for their children.

3.  I Believe in the Classical Model of Education

I've written about this before many times.  I will write about it again.  Classical Education depends upon a three-part process of training the mind called the Trivium.  The early years are spent absorbing facts, laying the foundation for advanced study.  In the middle grades, students learn to think through discussion and argument.  In the high school years, students learn to express themselves.  This is the Classical Model.

Oftentimes I have found that people have a skewed view of classical educators. They believe we're classical because we teach History chronologically ... or because we teach Latin. Yes, these might be 'subjects' that we teach, but we are classical educators because we believe in three stages of learning – grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. I am not only teaching my children 'subjects', but I (along with my children) am learning methods of how to teach anyone anything. We memorize new information, we process it, and in time we learn to master it and teach it to others.

Children in their early years have minds that are ready to absorb information. Lots of information. Young children memorize anything (songs, commercials, cartoon characters, etc.) easily and quickly, with very little effort. Their minds are equipped to do so. Middle-school-age children think abstractly. They argue and ask why. They discover how the facts relate as they begin to understand some of the information they memorized when they were younger. Older students have required a wealth of information and begin to apply that knowledge as they express themselves and impart their wisdom to others. 

The trivium encourages me with the truth that I am not just teaching my children subjects, but I am helping them to gather information, to teach them to think, and most importantly to teach themselves how to learn.  I have seen this played out in my children over the past five years, especially as I watch my 12-year-old son transition from the first stage to the second.  I'm excited to see it continue to develop in the future.

4.  I Will Never Have a School Room

I have tried this approach in two different houses in the past five years.  It is a concept that just doesn't work for me/us.  My children and I learn better when we are not constrained to a certain room of the house.  I believe that learning is an environment, and it can happen anytime, anywhere.  Even after many attempts of setting up desks, and tables, and book shelves in various locations in our homes, we found we always gravitate around the dining room table.  I know this isn't for everyone, but it's what we prefer and where we best learn.

However, if you are expecting any invitations for dinner, they will come in 2022 when I will be finished homeschooling my children.

5.  I Obtained a Black Belt in Taekwondo 

Then I tested for a second one.  Now, I'm training for another black belt in a different style of martial arts.

This isn't directly homeschool related, but studying martial arts is a hobby I discovered roughly five years ago.  After regularly sitting in the lobby of my children's school, I was encouraged by their instructors to consider training myself.  The invite came at an appropriate time as I was beginning my homeschooling journey.  I was launching into the mindset of believing that anyone can learn anything at any stage of life.  I began to see the tools of learning that are so prominent in the Classical Model of Education play out in my weekly martial arts classes.  I needed to understand the 'grammar' of the sport -- different kicks, different blocks, etc.  Then, as I advanced in rank, I needed to build on that foundation by applying new techniques I was learning -- pivoting my planted foot while executing a kick, turning my hips over when kicking in order to exert power from the hips, not the knees, etc.  Proper technique didn't just occur for me after the initial instruction.  I had to (and still have to) be constantly reminded until it became second nature.  Finally, I've come to a point in my training where I can help and assist others with my application by walking them through some of the basics and skills that I've learned.

In no way have I become an expert in the sport.  But, I have discovered that (just like any subject) I've learned how to learn the basics and begin to help others do the same.

6.  I Use Very Little Curriculum
Honestly, this is quite beneficial due to #4.  If you read this blog regularly, this really shouldn't surprise you.  Rarely have I posted anything we've done strictly from curriculum.

My first year homeschooling, I ordered several products, and I was excited when the shipment arrived.  Within the first two months, I realized that I wasn't going to use any of it.  Most everything we wanted to learn was available right around us.  So, most of the supplies I ordered that year I gave away.  Each year, I've purchased less and less stuff.  Two years ago I spent $82 on curriculum.  Last year, it was less than $75.  Three years ago I purchased a 6th grade math book for my son, who was 9 at the time.  I've worked out of that book with my children for the past three years, and will use it with my daughter for the next two.  I will use the same Language Arts curriculum with my children for six full years.  In five years, I've never once bought notebook paper!  We work on whiteboards almost daily.  Again, this is the system we've discovered works best for us.

7.  I Love History

I don't remember much about History in high school or college.  I know I took a few classes.  I couldn't tell you one thing I discussed and/or learned.  Some of that might be a result of my memory.  Some of it may be because I didn't want to learn about historical events at that time.

Now, I'm fascinated with it.  I love learning about past civilizations.  I love hearing about the events that have impacted civilizations.  I enjoy thinking through the daily life of a Roman Centurion, a Medieval Peasant, or an American Colonist.  Stories about people who lived long ago really do shape our future.  Learning History these past five years truly has been a worthwhile investment of my time.

8.  I Love English Grammar
Do I remember diagramming sentences when I was in school?  No.  Do I diagram them now?  Yes, most definitely.

I have loved learning English Grammar as an adult.  Language is logical and mechanical.  I love looking at a sentence and picking it apart to see how the words fit together.  Studying English Grammar has taught me how to learn and how to think.  I can only hope I'm imparting some of that to my children.

9.  All Subjects Are Integrated

Within my first year of homeschooling I quickly realized how the subjects were integrated. As I began to learn History with my children, I discovered no subject can be taught apart from History. Every advancement in art, science, language, or medicine has been a result of an historical event in time. Geography and History are not independent subjects. How is it even possible to learn the tale of a civilization without understanding where it happened? 

One of the joys of homeschooling is not having to teach subjects in isolation.  I believe my daughter has learned far more math from her detailed craft projects or baking than she has from any text book.  She has learned all she needs to know and more about human anatomy from her dance classes.  My son learns about advanced civilizations and world leaders from video games.  I've often said there could be a complete educational curriculum written entirely from his Boy Scout requirements.  He has learned math, science, history, geography, current events, home economics, and health from earning merit badges.

Integrating subjects leads to  a more organic learning environment.  Plus, it makes learning fun !!

10.  We Haven't Owned a Television in 5+ Years

Again, this isn't only directly related to homeschooling, but also to a minimalist lifestyle we also desire.  Six years ago, our television wasn't working properly so we weren't watching it much.  I reached the point where I was tired of dusting it, so we parted with it.  We never replaced it, and it's been glorious.  Easily, I have several more hours a day than most people.  We have many other electronic devices biding for our time, so it has been nice not to have one more screen time battle in our home.  Being without a TV has easily assisted us on our homeschooling journey.

Naturally, there's so much more I can share about our journey.  If you have been homeschooling for awhile (or even for a few months), I'd encourage you to think through all you've learned and discovered thus far.  It will help keep your vision afresh.  For us, it's been a fabulous five years.  I'm eagerly anticipating the next five.

And, I was wrong in my very second paragraph of this post.  I have received a new memento for my desk dining room table.  It's perfect.