Phonics, yes, and enchantment too!
Homeschool (or really any sort of school) CornerA quick reminder that phonics instruction is very important. You need to give your child the tools to figure things out. It takes some work on everyone’s part (some children more than others) and there are different strategies; the great thing about homeschooling is that you can create a curriculum by choosing amongst helpful methods for the exact child in question.
Some learn intuitively, but still need orderly instruction to prepare them for challenges later, when the material is more complex. Some struggle, and for them, patience will pay off, including patience with the proper development, physical and emotional. It’s not a bad thing to wait a bit.
For both kinds of learner, for everyone, do not forget the importance of keeping the goal in mind, which is to be able to delight in reading!
What good is breaking the code if the message is lame, uninspiring, flat, or just results in more instruction (possibly disguised as stories, but fake)?
From the very youngest age, provide the best in literature. Don’t be distracted by shiny objects out there. Be a good curator of your library. Keep the literary junk food away.
Unfortunately, the ability to write for children is almost lost. You have to go to the old books, with few exceptions; but don’t worry, there is plenty there to enchant your child enough to create in him the determination to power through the hard bits of learning.
The best plan, apart from phonics, is the old one, as I’ve been telling you here, from the beginning:
Nursery rhymes, folk songs, and folk tales for the very youngFairy tales, poetry, and satisfying stories about ordinary life for the new readerAdventures for the more experiencedReading aloud at all stagesGo here for my lists; get my book for Volume 2, Education; search the blog and go here for books in the Library Project to give you the idea of what to look for.
Knitting CornerI’m working on a little set for my new granddaughter, Kate.
I am a slow and mistake-prone knitter. By now you know not to expect a lot of production from me!
Hence, the unblocked Antler Cardigan, for which I have not yet chosen buttons… and the beginnings, only, of the Little Turtle Knits Pilot Cap, which will soon be even less because I left one increase out early on and need to go back. But you get the idea…
I’m using Berroco Vintage, which is 52% acrylic, 40% wool, and 8% nylon. I had needed to buy some yarn for this project, and the store I was in at the crucial moment simply did not have any pure wool in any sort of color for a baby girl!
I had promised myself I would not buy acrylic… I think, though, this is a good compromise for the needed ease of laundering in this case. The yarn has good reviews and I am hoping for the best. It’s a bit prone to splitting but overall I think it feels fairly nice and I am trusting in the nylon to keep the acrylic in shape. It is a lot to ask of a mom with an infant and toddler to hand wash garments for them!
As promised, some photos of my finished Sunday Cardigan. I thought you might like to see it with the clasps on.
I’m not sure they are placed right. They tend to come apart easily. I might move them so the button bands overlap, after all.
I would like to try a more constructed sweater next. Even though I did put in some short rows at the back of the neck, the seamless way it’s made causes a droopiness on the shoulders that annoys me somewhat. However, it is a cozy, woolly, warm sensation to put it on! So I am glad I made it.
Hall Project Update Corner
Maybe I already told you about this, but it’s a little thing that makes me happy. These big doors never had handles on them (maybe once upon a time they did, but not in our era). They are for shutting off the window area in winter — a sort of old-fashioned insulation strategy.
But of course, once I closed the doors, it was hard to open them without handles! And a window was cracked, and the doors needed adjusting — they stuck (making it even more difficult if anyone actually pushed them in all the way, something I dreaded happening).
The floor guy replaced the broken window and adjusted the doors on their hinges so they close smoothly. He installed the handles too!
I found the handles on eBay. Most solid brass antique handles were in the $400 range. These were $71 with shipping. You can see that they were a hidden treasure:
But I knew:
They will patina with time, as all brass does. A bit of a polish will get them gleaming again! I think their somewhat battered appearance fits with the overall aesthetic we have going on here!
bits & piecesIt’s so important to talk of our guardian angels to our children, and to pray for their guidance and teach our children to rely on them. I enjoyed this article about them.
A nice little post about the real “Skeldale House,” Thirsk, home of James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small.
“Capturing the Culture” by Cynthia Grenier: “Why is the television and motion picture industry—which once sent the American dream around the world and made it, literally, the dream of the world—so hostile to that dream now and so out of touch with the values that made it possible?”
Another article about the consequences to our world view of our entertainment: “Friends” and Its Consequences Have Been a Disaster for the Human Race. The shows we watch can take their toll and we might even need to detox from their premise.from the archivesBaby sleep, church behavior, and more10 reasons to sing with your childrenPraying the Rosary as a family
liturgical living
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