Medieval History Reading

 

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is reading aloud with my kids. Let me just start by admitting that reading aloud doesn't always go smoothly around here, but I love reading aloud and think it is important, so we persevere.



This year, Jessica has been good enough to create book lists for us geared towards a few different age groups.  There are so many great titles here.  Doesn't it just make you want to get a cup of coffee and curl up on the couch?

Although the lists are grouped by approximate reading levels, I find my bigger kids still love flipping through the picture books, and my younger kids will listen to the longer books if I read them aloud.

Enjoy!

Kindergarten to 3rd graders:

The Holy Twins: Saint Benedict and Scholastica, by Kathleen Norris and Tomie DePaola

The Knight and the Dragon, by Tomie DePaola

Castle: How it Works, by David Macaulay

Clown of God, by Tomie DePaola

Brigid's Cloak, by Bryce Milligan

The Making of a Knight, by Patrick O'Brien 

The Saint and His Bees, by Dessi Jackson

Caedmon's Song, by Ruth Ashby

Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe, by Antonia Barber

National Geographic Kids: Everything Castles

The Kitchen Knight, by Margaret Hodges 

Fourth to Sixth graders:

Cathedral, by David Macaulay

Castle, by David Macaulay

The Big Book of Knights, Nobles, and Knaves

The Illustrated Book of Knights, by Jack Coggins

St. Benedict, Hero of the Hills, by Mary Fabyan Wyndeatt

Augustine Came to Kent, by Barbara Willard

Son of Charlemagne, by Barbara Willard

Otto of the Silver Hand, by Howard Pyle

St. Francis and St. Claire, by Helen Walker Homan

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, by Howard Pyle

If All the Swords in England, by Barbara Willard

The Raven and the Cross, by John Tully

St. Dominic and the Rosary, by Catherine Beebe

And for older kids, all of the above, plus:

The Restless Flame: A Novel About St. Augustine, by Louis de Wohl

Citadel of God: A Novel about St. Benedict, by Louis de Wohl

Men of Iron, by Howard Pyle

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, by E.L. Konigsburg

Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Glory to God!

If you, like me, did not learn the Gloria in Latin while growing up, you may be finding it difficult to learn it now. Before we get too far along and we all give up entirely, I wanted to share some files and links I've found useful in learning it. Hopefully they will make it easier for your family to learn it along with Colm Cille Club his fall.

Everyone has the CD to listen to the Gloria in the car, but here is a link to the file in case you'd like to listen on the computer or iPad. 

Gloria Mass VIII mp3

The link below will bring you to a PDF of the Gloria in modern notation. The numbers along the left side correspond to our units of memory work. I'd suggest printing out a few copies to keep around the house. I ended up making binders for each of the kids and myself to keep this and other memory work helps together. We go over it all 2-3 times per week as part of morning time in addition to reviewing it in the car with the CD. So far it's working well.

Gloria (modern notation)

If you're having trouble with the Latin pronunciation, this link will bring you to a PDF including the original Latin with phonetic pronunciation written below.

Gloria with phonetic pronunciation

If you'd like to know what it is you're saying or singing, here is a line by line translation.

Gloria - Latin/English translation

If you'd like a DVD to use for practicing this and other Latin chants at home, try this one.

Gregorian Chant for Kids Vol. 1

All children is grades K-8 are working on this in music class on co-op day, however we are only able to spend 10-15 minutes on it each week. That won't be enough time for them to learn it well enough to stick with them. So the more they can practice at home, the better. Last week, we announced that those who learn this and our other Latin chants well will be invited to sing in the schola for our First Communion Mass on May 2nd. 

When we work on it in class, we sing a small part and have the children repeat. With the K-2 students, we've been having them stand and move their bodies up and down as the notes move up and down. Some students also enjoy moving their hands up and down to follow the music as well. Have fun with practicing at home, and they're sure to keep it in the recesses of their mind for years to come.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions!

Now for a poll - should I order this t-shirt? :)

http://teespring.com/lauda-moose-te

Good Book Discussions

 

This year we will be reading and discussing Good Books together at Colm Cille Club.  Depending on how your family works, these might be independent reads or family read alouds (even better).  Either way, enjoy! 

Kindergarten to Third Grade:

October 1: Across a Dark and Wild Sea, by Don Brown

October 29: Clown of God, by Tomie de Paola

December 3: The Kitchen Knight, by Margaret Hodges

February 25: Marguerite Makes a Book, by Bruce Robertson

March 25:  Medieval Tales that Kids Can Read and Tell, by Laura Czarnota

May 6: The Sword in the Tree, by Clyde Robert Bulia



Fourth and Fifth Grade Book Discussion Lists and Dates:

October 1:  Beowulf: Dragonslayer, by Rosemary Sutcliff

October 29: Francis and Clare: Saints of Assisi, by Helen Walker Homan

December 3: The Story of King Arthur & His Knights, by Howard Pyle

February 25: St. Hyacinth of Poland, by Mary Fabyan Windeatt

March 25: The Emperor's Winding Sheet, by Jill Paton Walsh

May 6: The Shakespeare Stealer, by Gary Blackwood

 

Books and Resources 2014-2015

To supplement our printable memory work curriculum, you will need to purchase a few resources for Colm Cille Club.

We now have an Amazon Affiliates account, so CCC earns a commission on anything you buy after clicking over to Amazon from this website.  Happy shopping!

All families with students in grades K-6 should purchase one copy per family of each of the following books.  Material from these books is included in our memory work.  The English from the Roots Up book contains many more vocabulary words and explanation of the roots we will be studying.  The CCMemory contains full science lesson plans.

English from the Roots Up, Volume 2

Classically Catholic Memory Beta Year Teacher's Manual

Fourth through sixth graders will need this writing book, which is on clearance right now at the Institute for Excellence in Writing:

Institute for Excellence in Writing Medieval Studies

And for those who don't already own it, each family with children 7 and under should have a copy of Making Music Praying Twice:

Making Music Praying Twice

Uniforms

Why a uniform for co-op?  Well, homeschoolers sometimes need a reason to change out of our pajamas!

In the early days of CCC we met in homes, and the uniform helped us remind ourselves that co-op day wasn't just another playdate.

As we grow, our uniform helps us stay focused and respectful.  It also unites us.

This year, to spare those of us mamas who have been losing the battle against white shirts since 2011, we are changing things up a little and switching to navy blue tops and khaki bottoms.

To make things easier, we have picked out a few things at Land's End:

Girls: Navy Blue Polo Shirt and Khaki Skirt

or

Navy Blue Polo Dress

or

Navy Blue Ruffle Polo Dress.

Boys:

Navy Blue Polo Shirt and Khaki Pants

Feel free to shop elsewhere, but please make sure that skirts hit the top of the knee, and pants are straight leg without cargo pockets.

Shorts are fine for boys in September and May.

If your preschoolers like to play dress up, terrific, but the uniform is only required for kids in Kindergarten and up.  

Ottavia is generously looking into a sweater with our Colm Cille Crest for those who are interested.  Stay tuned!

Teaching from a State of Rest

Last night the Moms Night Out at Rosa's elevated to a Skype level! We "met" Sarah MacKensie of Amongst Lovely Things. 

Rosa's living room was so perfect. We all sat on the couch while Sarah zoomed in from Washington State via the amazing technology, Skype. I loved the moment we saw her when my suspicions were confirmed - she was as lovely and smiley as her online writing and photos exude. 

We all instantly began piping questions to this new expert in all things Rest. 

We heard her share that she humbly wrote this ebook as a way to help herself find a way to avoid typical homeschool mom anxiety and teach from a state of Rest. She describes that we simply imitate Him, look at our kids as His image and not check boxes to check. 

1. Rest - Schole 

I love how she said you shouldn't be writing this book. I think it's so brave to write a book that inspires the author even before the author might be an expert; the Holy Spirit is working through her! How did writing the book teach her more about your own family and her desire for rest?  It helped her to slow down, schedule less, and multitask less (as hard as that might seem as I'm sure you are already interrupted in reading this to fill a sippy cup or change a diaper.). She describes these "interruptions" as Our Lord's plan for our day. We are his instruments. We were made for this. 

Her book is going to be published in print this fall! Great news!

2. Mary, Martha and Me

I love this - Don't just do something, sit there. I don't know if this is hard for anyone else but it isn't easy for me to see another mom scurrying about preparing for an event while I sit there at Christ's feet and pray. I have a hard time not wanting to remove her burden even to my and my family's detriment. How do you make this a reality?  Sarah says she tries to remember her season of life is one with small children. 

3. You were made for this

I love that title. I remind myself often. I struggled for the first few years of my conversion - and still do - about what I was made for. I appreciate hearing the reminder!  Do you ever struggle with the time you take for your blog and your writing v your family v your husband?  (I wanted to ask her that question but I didn't get a chance!)

4. Andrew Kern from Circ - rest: "enter into God's rest and serve him wholeheartedly - not out of anxiety - but out of love and trust." I was such an anxious mother from the start. It ebbs and flows when I'm post-partum or very pregnant. Sarah described avoiding the homeschool comparisons and joked that her kids get nervous when she is about to meet with people from Classical Press as that means more books for them!

5. Why your daily grind is holy ground

- look at a pile of dishes and see the makings of a cathedral - my favorite, for sure. 

My good Froend H says that the nightly dishes are here nightly examination of conscience. 

How did you do the chores and homeschool before your older kids could help with chores? I love her chore chart / it's so pretty and it's so well done. Just reading it makes me feel more orderly. 

6. The daily tasks of a monotonous Monday are holy because they are where we meet our maker. 

Read the book to get the rest. It's awesome. 

Lisa

Roman Catholic Center for Mental Health and Spiritual Direction

Last night, we attended a dinner for the Roman Catholic Center for Mental Health and Spiritual Direction. 
www.rccmhsd.com

Father Audette from The Basilica of St. John's in Stamford founded this incredible organization.

The mission is to provide psychiatric care and mental health services and emotional well being to individuals and families unable to afford these services. The Center also provides spiritual direction to those seeking a closer relationship with God. The  professional staff is trained to offer the highest quality psychiatric care that is culturally sensitive.

 

The vision is to detect early traits in children and young adults that would lead to violence and isolation, that would lead them to perpetrate the most evil of crimes such as in the shootings at Newtown, Connecticut. Collaterally, to teach the families of this children and/or young adults to property care and nurture them.

 

The organization consists of practicing developmental psychiatrists, developmental psychologists and psychotherapist.  The purpose is to provide mental health psychotherapeutic services, as well as to evaluate guidance and strategy for those seeking to maximize their personal mental health.

 

I wanted to share with you about this venture in case you get invited to a future dinner or event or if you or your husband or family might benefit from using Father Audette's spiritual direction or mental health services or life coaching.  He has an incredible story, from a career as a fighter pilot, marrying the mother of his four children and having a very long and happy marriage, working for the CIA, losing his beautiful wife to cancer, then becoming a priest, then a Catholic psychologist.  What wonderful things he is doing for couples, individuals, and physically, spiritually, or mentally ill patients who can not afford care.

 

Please keep this organization in your prayers.

 

Thank you,

Lisa Kotasek

The Odyssey

As we head into our studies of Ancient Greece I have been pulling out some of our favorite books and looking for more, and I thought I'd share a few links.  Schola Rosa recommends D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, which is excellent.  Mary Pope Osborne also has a nice collection called Favorite Greek Myths, and wrote a fun two-book version of the Odyssey, called Tales from the Odyssey, which is a good for younger readers.  Rosemary Sutcliff's versions of the Iliad and Odyssey are a little more challenging and also very well done.

Schola Rosa bases many of the 4-6th grade writing assignments over the next couple of months on Andrew Lang's Tales of Greece and Troy.   I took advantage of the free kindle version. Miss A says she is having a hard time keeping track of the story, which I think is mostly because of all the long Greek names.  (For context, she read the first of the Pope Osborne series in an afternoon.)  I thought the recorded version might be helpful with the names, but Grandma Rolling seems to be having as much trouble as we are!  If you are looking for a more polished version, it is available on Audible.


We have also enjoyed the very engaging and dramatic Barefoot Books recorded version of the Adventures of Odysseus.

If you really want to experience the Odyssey, you can catch a live performance this Saturday at Westchester Community College.

What resources do you love for studying Ancient Greece?