Monday morning, we read the final chapter of Paddle-to-the-Sea, which was our final Ambleside reading of the school year. I had originally planned to do something traditional, like ending school on a Friday and having a pizza party. But, what with tragedy striking at an indiscriminate time {the week before the last week of school}, we did what we could. Various family members read to our Year One scholar when possible throughout the month, and then suddenly, Monday morning, we were done. We sang Victory in Jesus, and that was that.
Approximately three hours later I was drooling over this year’s book list.
I am so happy with Ambleside in general, that I don’t feel the need to add a whole lot. One thing we skipped in Year One was Trial and Triumph. I was waiting for a bit more maturity, which is to say I was saving it to begin in Year Two. We’ll be following the weekly reading schedule for Year One as far as the pacing of reading the book, which works out to reading only a few of the chapters for the year.
It doesn’t hurt that we we able to acquire a “damaged” copy for a dollar during a recent sale over at Canon Press.
Other differences will be, for instance, that we are going to read Little Pilgrim’s Progress instead of the real thing. The pacing is supposed to be such that the children read through the original language over the course of two years. However, my philosophy on understand this work is a lot like my opinion on understanding a musical or an opera: familiarity with the storyline first is helpful before experiencing the real thing. So my plan is to do the children’s version this year, and the original version next year, knowing full well that I will be alternating this way for the next eight years of my life.
We are skipping Shakespeare again this year. Please don’t hate me.
I am planning on adding daily readings of the KJV version of the Scriptures. Even though we, as a family, typically read out of the NIV, NASB, or NEB {just to narrow it down}, I appreciated Ambleside’s argument in favor of the KJV, and I agree that it, unlike other versions of Scripture, will contribute to a child’s literary education.
I am considering purchasing the new Outdoor Hour eBook to enhance our nature study. This year there will be two nature journals, but three journal-ers, so to speak. Just as I did with my son a few years back, A. and I will be journaling together. I am thinking that I will draw and she will color, or something like that. This is something that the three of us will do together while the others are sleeping, as A. had to nerve to drop her afternoon nap entirely.
I repeat: she dropped her nap.
Ahem.
Anyhow, that is what I have so far. I’ll post more when I have time, plus I’ll try to post complete Term One Circle Time plans again this year. I love Circle Time; it really holds all things together.
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It’s that time of year! Mystie and Willa are planning, too.
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