Catherine, this looks like a wonderful plan for the year! We also followed the Well-Trained mind and used the Story of the World for history. There is an activity book that goes along with it that has a geography page for each chapter. There the kids would mark the main cities or land structures discussed and also draw the movements /battles etc. described. It also included related activities that we would usually do at the end of the week - the kids loved these the most and the experiences certainly stayed with them (we just recently talked about how they made "monk soup" while dressed up as monks, built catacombs (with sheets and furniture), and would reenact the silk road around the house). If you would like something fun to memorize countries and capitals, check out Memorize Academy (we used it also for the periodic table) you can see a few sample videos here https://www.memorize.academy/blog?page=2.
Also, my son (11) would be very interested in a penpal. We live in Ontario, Canada but also have a Swiss connection.
My child is still in the womb, so I don’t think he’s up for a pen pal just yet, but I wanted to drop you a note to tell you that your content is inspiring. I hope to be able to do this for my son as he grows. You’re doing something right if you child is reading Beowulf before bed. Thank you for sharing!
That’s so kind, thank you so much for taking the time to leave that comment and I’m so pleased you’re finding the blog inspiring. Congratulations on the imminent arrival, how exciting!
Hey - we live in New Zealand! What does your daughter want to know?
Enjoying these posts. Sounds like you’ve got a nice mix of freedom and structure going. Not much can go wrong when a kid is surrounded by books, time, and talk.
PS: I’m a bit envious of those museums you’ve got on tap.
Ah that’s so kind! She’s lucky enough to have a NZ pen pal and is most interested in the wildlife.
I agree, books time and talk are the essentials. It’s easy to get overwhelmed but boiling it down to those three ingredients helps to keep things simple.
And we are very lucky with the museums. Part of me would love to move to the countryside, but it’s hard to say goodbye to world-class museums that you can visit at the drop of a hat!
Catherine, this looks like a wonderful plan for the year! We also followed the Well-Trained mind and used the Story of the World for history. There is an activity book that goes along with it that has a geography page for each chapter. There the kids would mark the main cities or land structures discussed and also draw the movements /battles etc. described. It also included related activities that we would usually do at the end of the week - the kids loved these the most and the experiences certainly stayed with them (we just recently talked about how they made "monk soup" while dressed up as monks, built catacombs (with sheets and furniture), and would reenact the silk road around the house). If you would like something fun to memorize countries and capitals, check out Memorize Academy (we used it also for the periodic table) you can see a few sample videos here https://www.memorize.academy/blog?page=2.
Also, my son (11) would be very interested in a penpal. We live in Ontario, Canada but also have a Swiss connection.
Thanks so much for organizing! :)
My child is still in the womb, so I don’t think he’s up for a pen pal just yet, but I wanted to drop you a note to tell you that your content is inspiring. I hope to be able to do this for my son as he grows. You’re doing something right if you child is reading Beowulf before bed. Thank you for sharing!
That’s so kind, thank you so much for taking the time to leave that comment and I’m so pleased you’re finding the blog inspiring. Congratulations on the imminent arrival, how exciting!
Hey - we live in New Zealand! What does your daughter want to know?
Enjoying these posts. Sounds like you’ve got a nice mix of freedom and structure going. Not much can go wrong when a kid is surrounded by books, time, and talk.
PS: I’m a bit envious of those museums you’ve got on tap.
Oh also, if you have a child, would they like a pen pal? I should have put a pen pal message in the post. Will go and add it now.
Quite possibly. I shall ask them in the morning.
The boy - 12 - would like a pen pal.
The girl - 10 - is still deciding ...
Thanks for arranging this!
Ah that’s so kind! She’s lucky enough to have a NZ pen pal and is most interested in the wildlife.
I agree, books time and talk are the essentials. It’s easy to get overwhelmed but boiling it down to those three ingredients helps to keep things simple.
And we are very lucky with the museums. Part of me would love to move to the countryside, but it’s hard to say goodbye to world-class museums that you can visit at the drop of a hat!