Monday, July 13, 2009

Summer Schooling


A while back I mentioned that I was going to start a unit this summer that highlights music and art. We got a bit of a late start, but we finally jumped in. The kids are loving it!


We are loosely following this lesson plan, in which kids learn about Mendelssohn and Monet. I didn't really have much Mendelssohn on hand, so I switched it up, and we're doing a study on Bach. The kids really love the Brandenburg Concerto discs that I have. We have started listening to them in the car and at home. It's sweet when I ask, "Who are we listening to?" And my little ones will say, "Tach" since they can't say "Bach."

We are, also, still studying Monet. Today we pulled the paints out, and the kids tried their hand at making an impressionist painting. I think they did pretty well! My 4 year old's painting looked more like Van Gogh than Monet, but he still enjoyed it.

On top of the art/music unit, we are doing catechism and Bible verse memory. Honestly, until fairly recently, I thought catechism was only for Catholic families. I wasn't aware that there were protestant catechisms available. I was told about an awesome book for little kids called Big Truths for Little Kids, and it's basically the Shorter Catechism with a few words changed to make the vocabulary easier on little ones. It also has great stories that highlight the points in the catechism. We've found that our kids really enjoy memorizing the catechisms, and it has been a great way to dive into theology with our children. We usually memorize Bible verses that have something to do with the questions they have been memorizing.

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