The Curriculum Guide for "Cooking"

Proverbs 31: 14, 15 (ESV)

She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household

and portions for her maidens.

This course would include the topics of:
menu/meal planning
food budgeting
shopping
food preparation
serving
nutrition
food preservation

It would also address hospitality and stewardship.

Yellow Legal Pads

Yellow legal pads are one of my favorite things. I've got a stack of them with notes on different subjects. I even like the black band across the top that holds the pages together, but if it were a lighter color I would use that space for giving each pad a title. These pads are a good tooth for either pen or pencil (my preference), and I don't mind tearing pages off if I've made mistakes.

I keep notes on Bible studies, school studies, and future plans. I've had one plan simmering in the back of my mind which I thought was for the future. When all the children are gone from home, or at least a bit more independent, I'm hoping to organize a "Titus 2" school for young(er) women who want to be busy at home, loving their husbands and children in a godly manner. The school would have a practical emphasis with a theoloogical foundation. I've been taking some notes on the classes to be offered, recognizing that I am not qualified to teach many of them--any of the sewing classes, for example. I even have a faculty "dream team" in mind, including Anne Wegener and Leslie Taylor.

Schools do not organize themselves, nor do the curriculm and lesson plans write themselves. There's no reason why I couldn't be working on those things now. I realized. A curriculum guide would be a good first step, followed by the particulars for each class. Therefore, this blog will be taking on an expanded focus. It will still present my thoughts for my children, near and far, but now it will also contain the seeds of this developing curriculum. While this may not be of interest to my sons, I hope that others who occasionally visit will benefit from any practical wisdom (and will offer helpful feedback). Up first--Cooking.

School Schedule

I was just browsing on Mrs. Johnson's blog, saw her curricula choices for this year, and thought someone might like to see what we are studying at Covenant Academy this year.

William and Jesse get up at 6:50 with time to get dressed, make beds, and maybe eat breakfast before taking Elisabeth to the Benners' at 7. On the way home from the Benners' we've been listening to a Geography CD, learning the states and their capitals.

After Morning Prayer for families and a reading from the Gospel accounts--we've started with Matthew--we have Family Reading. We just finished The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We'll continue through the rest of the Narnia Chronicles and probably go to The Hobbit from there.

15 minutes of math instruction for each boy come next [Saxon 76 for William and 54 for Jesse], followed by Shurley Grammar--the 5th grade level. (Time to complete math assignments is scheduled later in the day.) We're using Latin for Children, Book A for both boys. This is a review for William, who did the first half of Book B last year, but it is the essential starting place for Jesse. I have the Latin reader (Libellus) that corresponds with their history, too.

I made a recitation booklet that contains math, grammar, a 5 page Latin chant, the History and Bible songs plus pop-ups I wrote for each, and a number of other poems and documents related to American history I want them to memorize. We sing and chant for about 15 minutes before studying our History and Bible. I'm using the Veritas program that presents history in chronological order from Ancient Egypt in 2nd grade through Modern American in 6th. Both Jesse and William are studying American History: 1450-1815. We'll be doing a lot of field trips in this Revolutionary War/War of 1812-rich area of the country, and will use other, primarily library, resources. The Bible curriculum is also chronological. We are studying the Life of Christ through the Gospel accounts.

We're using the Excellence in Writing curriculum, which I worked on modifying this past summer for the needs of St. Stephen's. We outline our history cards and then rewrite and improve them. Will and Jesse will each also write a research paper on a famous American Founding Father later in the year, and we'll do some creative children's story writing, too. In addition, back by popular demand, writing and drawing-for-the-brothers-who-no-longer-live-at-home will be a feature of our writing curriculum.

Most of the required reading for the boys will supplement the history we're studying. They'll read Johnny Tremain, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and Seaman--a story of the dog who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition, among other books.

Science may not be on the agenda this year. What science we do may be tied to drawing-from- nature--which I hope to do in Indiana. William and Jesse are enrolled in weekly P.E. classes, and each one is on a rec soccer team, too.

I don't envision any co-ops in our near future. For now, we're enjoying a slower pace and very flexible schedule.

Unexpected Turn

Our lives have taken an unexpected turn in the past month. Blithly, I had spent a good deal of time and energy this summer preparing for this school year. I attended a classical education conference in Lancaster, PA, I took a three-week Latin class, I wrote lesson plans and a curriculum guide. My goal was to finish my preparations before going on vacation in August, and I met that goal. Then, just a day after arriving at my cousins' family reunion, and less than two weeks before teachers were to report for work, I got a call from the headmaster. St. Stephen's is in financial straits and I was being called upon to help. I was presented with the options of staying on full-time at a significant cut in pay, teaching half-time (also with a pay cut) or not teaching at all. The short version of what followed is--although I was willing, and even enthusiastic, about the prospect of working half-time, the pay would barely cover my expenses, so I resigned.

Although the school board had offered to allow each of the children to remain at the school, tuition-free, this did not seem to be the best choice. So, Stephen has been enrolled at Catonsville High. He finished his first week of school there and seems to be settling into that routine nicely. Elisabeth is at St. Stephen's, commuting with the Benners. William and Jesse are being homeschooled. The preparations I did for the classroom are serving me well for teaching the boys at home. The loss of income has me worried--and I do constantly remind myself that I shouldn't be, but that's the reason I'm up at this hour writing on my blog--but I'm also very content and happy to be busy at home again.