Sunday tips....

on those hectic days..

Sleep in till 9:00 and let your husband manage the busy morning routine - especially if you are nursing all night.  You will have more patience and  a few more positive ideas to streamlining your day! 


Also read Ginny's Gems!  So great if u have lots of kiddos!

My routine - yes you may laugh it makes no sense but works sorta,

Skip the coffee, it keeps me up at night. 

Two eggs and toast.  Lots of vitamins, but specifically a good pre-natal.  Some OJ and then..

S the four yr. old, does dishes while I manage....

M and J put away cereal and milk so they can use the table for Math and Phonics books.

Older two help little ones get dressed, and I send the ever bouncy M and J to get the laundry I saw everywhere upstairs. 

(Girls are still sleeping usually.)

 9:30  -If not they are up and mostly happy as they nursed before I came downstairs. 

8:00 - kids eat and A or Z has already been instructed to put away dishes before I get up (hopefully)

10:00 - I yell at them to start school as usually they are hiding.

9:30 - I also expect rooms to be pretty clean before I come down stairs.

10;00  -Finally we start school, M and J at table and the ever destructive toddlers pinned down to something specific (like washing dishes, cups ect. ) Or coloring or puzzles or something constructive.  I even pull out a water bottle and have them wash window with it even if they come out dirtier it is better than WWIII in my house. 

10:00 - 12:00  We play the Memory CD a few times pausing at intervals to reiterate what was said or to say it more slowly, when I decide there is some sort of peace in which to do so.  Could be first thing or could be when they eat lunch. We also try to fit in Math and Phonics pages at this time.

12:00 Lunch and then, we have a small break - even Mom, to think(/kids play sports) - for two minutes while Mom fixes breakfast dishes and puts rest of lunch mess away. ( that M or Z help to make.),  Then I nurse, again.  And listen to m read,  while I change diapers, switch laundry ect..

AM and PM - Older two work upstairs - in seperate rooms or else forget the focus.  With some kind of motivation like do it or else do it all summer.  Or they carry babies around and hopefully have enouph time to do the basics of school in the afternoon.

Still, I  have not checked Math papers for the first week or two of school, hopefully I find time to work it in.  Plus whatever else I am forgetting,  It may just be a homemaking sort of education this year,

We think M is learning to read and J along with him.  That is half the battle!  I review his reading at night as he struggles.  And try to do some fun reading as well.   

Dad reads, history pages, bible pages, or science pages at night.  We learn randomly but we learn.

More Ideas On How to Use CCM at Home

Alecia and Kathryn have already provided some wonderful ideas on how to continue what the children learn at co-op throughout the week at home. But I thought I would go ahead and share what we're doing in our home too.

Going over the lesson plans provided under the "Program Details" tab, I noted that most of what the kids did in class does not need to be gone over at home (especially since we are also using Catholic Heritage Curricula for our main schoolwork).  So, we just embellished a bit. ;)

I only have time to explain what we did for Classically Catholic Memory. If I find some more spare time (not likely), I'll be back to talk about Connecting With History. :)

We listened to the CD daily and also practiced the hand movements taught to us at Schola Rosa for the timeline. Then we went through each subject separately.

Religion: The questions and answers of "Who made the world?" and "Who is God?" go perfectly with Connecting With History. So I combined the two. (More on CWH if I get a chance to come back).

Latin: For every prayer we have said together as a family, we start by praying the Sign of the Cross in Latin.

History: Again, this ties in with CWH. More later.

Science: I had the children sort buttons and then we discussed how they decided to sort them. By color? By shape? By how many holes they had? This was a great intro on how and why living things are sorted, or classified. We discussed what "taxonomy" is. Then we did the suggested activity in the CCM where you copy the pictures in the appendix, cut them out, and then sort those just as the children sorted the buttons. I also taught the children the mnemonic device for classifications of living things that is suggested in CCM. Drowsy Kings Play Chess On Fine Glass Sets. I also had them write the classifications on a piece of paper, started with Domain on the top and written very large. Then, with each proceeding word, they would write it underneath and make them smaller and smaller. The point of this was to show the kids that the group of living things will get smaller and smaller the more they are classified. This sent us down a rabbit trail about binomial nomenclature and why scientists use Latin to name things. Which was a great way to talk about why the Church uses Latin. Don't you love it when things tie together like that? My children and I will slowly be putting together a lap book about Animal Classification (it's on sale right now, too!). I bought the lap book printables from CurrClick. If you've never heard of them, I highly recommend it for those who are interested in making lap books. They do all the prep work for you and have every subject imaginable. I was really tempted to buy one of the Ancient Egypt lap books I saw there too, but decided that the projects done at Schola Rosa will be enough. ;)

Math: I printed out a 100's chart and had the children color in the numbers, counting by 2's. We've also done a lot of skipping and singing, thanks to Jamie's suggestion! ;)

Geography: The kids practiced singing "There are seven continents", to the tune of "Are You Sleeping". They also took turns labeling their CCM maps. We are also doing a separate continent study for geography where the children are "traveling" to each continent. We have been working on Australia, so even my four year old was able to point that one out pretty quickly!

Poetry: I asked each of the children to describe rain. Then they had the option to write their own poem about rain if they felt so inclined.

Art: CCM has beautiful images of art scattered throughout their book. In Week 1, you will notice Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Why not use this as an opportunity to learn about Michelangelo? Stop by the library, pick out some books on him. We talked very little about his life and concentrated more on the masterpieces he has created. My children tried to recreate the hands from The Creation of Adam and realized how difficult it is. If it's that hard to draw hands, think about how much more difficult it would be to paint the entire Sistine Chapel! And on your back, no less! They certainly appreciated Michaelangelo's work even more after that. (I thought about taping some paper under the kitchen table and letting the kids try their hand at painting that way, but we didn't get a chance too)

There you have it! Lots of fun ways to learn more and give some substance to the memory work. Happy Learning to all our Schola Rosa families!

Important Information for 2nd Co-op Meeting

Dear Ladies,

Greetings in Christ! With great excitement we are all preparing for Monday! Please notice the attached documents in your email account, which include:

1. The Updated Music-Art Rotation Schedule
2. The Presentation Schedule for K-6th
3. The Snack Rotation for Preschool (Please use veggies and fruits only to avoid problems with food allergies; this week students are learning C and D!)

Please see your email accounts for who is presenting in K-6 and for who is in charge of Preschool Snack.

How to prepare?

1. K-6th Students need the map for Week 2 (Classically Catholic Memory); children can share.
2. 4th-6th graders also need Puella Romana and Intermediate Language Lessons.
3. Student binders!
4. If you have not turned in supplies, please bring those. 
5. If you have any outstanding fees, please bring payment. 
6. Here are some other preparation tips for a successful first day: http://www.scholarosa.blogspot.com/2012/09/tips-for-successful-first-day.html

When to arrive?

1. Hall Monitors should arrive at least 15 minutes early (11:45am). We ask that a hall monitor be present outside during playground time to assist escorting children to the bathroom
2. Teachers should plan to be at least 1 hour early (11:00 am) to set up classrooms and/or supplies before the co-op begins. 
3. Music Teachers should arrive at least 30 minutes early to set up any props for music lessons and to become acquainted with the classrooms. 
4. All other families are invited to arrive as early as 11:00 am on Monday (weather permitting) to picnic outside. We ask that as few children as possible be in the building during prep time. Arrive at least 10 minutes before noon!

Some Rules to remember:

1. Keep your children with you at all times unless they are in class. During Morning Assembly and during Dismissal, children should be with their parents and not wandering around nor chatting with other children. We especially remind parents with older children not to allow the older children to go about in the building without adult supervision. 
2. It is our responsibility to watch our own children and to guarantee their safety. If we are concerned or worried about anything at any time, it is our responsibility to bring it up. Christina Durgin will be on hand in the hall way to field concerns. 
3. Do not touch anything without asking first. VA Hills is not our property, and it is important that we respect their property by not touching things without permission. (This is a good rule to go over with your children before they arrive.)
4. Remind your children of the old adage: If you do not have something nice to say, then do not say anything at all. This is especially true in art class, where many students are sensitive about showing their art skills in a group. 
5. Also, talk to your children about good listening: We listen with our eyes by looking at the person talking; with our mouth by keeping it closed; with our body by not wiggling, and with our ears by hearing. :) You can apply the appropriate motions to the reminders, if you like. :)

When to leave?

1. If you are not responsible for clean-up, we kindly ask that you leave ASAP after the Dismissal. This allows clean-up to go more quickly and smoothly. Feel free to let the kids play a bit outside before you leave, but have them use the bathroom before doing so in order to avoid returning into the building. This allows all of us to get home more quickly. Remember that all children must be under adult supervision at all times, so have your children with you or with a friend at all times. Please be sure your friend KNOWS she is watching your children before leaving them. 
2. If you are responsible for clean-up, please have your children use the bathroom before cleaning. Clean as quickly as possible, then vacate the building. :)

**Special Notes for Teachers**

• Please arrive early enough to allow yourselves time to meet in the Art Room before Morning Assembly for a very brief meeting. 
• We have bought History Pockets-Ancient Civilizations for co-op use! This means many of your history projects are now taken care of if you wish! Call Alecia Rolling ASAP if you wish to use such a project for Week 2.
• Please bring your construction paper and pencils to leave in the storage cabinets. 
• Music Teachers, I have printed the lyrics for Adoro Te Devote to handout on Monday. :)

Please email with any questions between now and Monday! 

May St. Francis, Saint for September 17th, pray for us!

Blessings,

Alecia Rolling

History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations

Want to do some history projects at home along side Schola Rosa? Here is one resource we are using this year! History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations. 

You can see a good blog post and pictures demonstrating the use of this book below:

Reflections from Drywood

Classically Catholic Memory at home

A few additional ideas for incorporating Classically Catholic Memory (CCM) work at home:

~ all of us loved Jamie Spiering's motions for learning the TIMELINE phrases; we worked on them today for just a few minutes and we had them down!  Thanks Jamie (and Alecia; I have a feeling you were in on this too!)

~ assign "listen to CCM CD Week One" to all older children as Independent Work, written in their assignment book, student planner, or whatever else you use to plan your student's day

~ listen to the CD all together as background to the beginning of LUNCH time (no kidding, we did this today, and will probably continue to do so, as we don't have a lot of "wiggle room" in our morning schedule; with four youngish school age kids K, 1st, 3rd and 4th, we're trying to fit a lot in on school days and many of you are in the same boat)

~ if you can remember, leave the CD near your purse, car keys, etc. and grab it on your way out the door to soccer, swimming or other activities. Fit in another listen while on the road.

As for CWH History, I have yet to figure out exactly how to map out all of the readings from the various books suggested for each Unit for my children's different ages.  I realize there are suggestions built into the CHW manual, but with each reading assignment I still wonder - should we read this aloud as a family?  read it to younger ages only, other to older, assign as independent reading?........oh boy, so much good stuff.  Notebooking is a whole 'nother mountain to conquer. I'm used to History programs (like Story of the World) that lay it all out for you, maps, Activity pages all included. Any ideas on how to tackle RC History would be much welcome.

For now, my younger ones are reading Bible stories with their father, older ones are reading a Core Text with me. I have yet to send off the older ones with independent reading, but partly that is because I want to read it all along with them!

Continuing Schola Rosa at Home in the Rolling House

In our home the children are still quite young. The four Rolling children range in age from 5 to 1 at present, so thinking we're doing history in an in-depth way would be an exaggeration. They simply get to enjoy learning ancient history through story-telling and illustration this year! We will continue with our regular reading program at home and review the Picture Study from Primary Language Lessons at least once per week after the co-op meeting. For Science we will continue learning about animals by finding things that are living and non-living! This means at least one nature walk this week!

What are we doing at home for WEEK ONE after our regular school time (after the 3 R's)?

1. Daily: Listening to Memory Work on Classically Catholic Memory CD; we listen to this just after school time when everyone is winding down to draw in their free time.
2. Daily: Read Aloud Time. In the a.m. Mama Rolling reads stories from our favorite illustrated children's Bible, Unser Bibel (Sorry, it's in German!). In the p.m. Papa Rolling will be reading The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis.
3. 2-3 Times per Week: Listen to Jim Weis's Old Testament Stories and Jewish Traditions CDs. We can all listen while Mama nurses or changes a diaper. 
4. 2-3 Times per Week: Coloring Pages from A Coloring Book of the Old Testament. 
5. Read once this week: Archaeologists Dig for Clues (There are some words in this book that could have been replaced with better vocabulary... for example, the word "urinate" could have been used instead of "pee" when talking about types of soil stains in an archaeological dig. I just gloss over them for now.)
6. Do one fun activity from: Old Testament Days.
7. Go on a nature walk to discuss the differences between living and nonliving things. Read Nature Readers as animals emerge. The Fall is great for the study of animal life! 
8. Review Picture Study from Primary Language Lessons, and have oldest child practice narration. 
9. 3 Times per Week: Music with Mama or Papa. We will focus our singing instructions on breathing technique. 
10. Daily: Art! Some days I provide paper and crayons only for free time. 2-3 days per week we use water color or oil pastels. The children love to do picture studies for art by looking at a beautiful piece of artwork for inspiration!

Seems like too much? Try writing down the list by spreading it out on your calendar. I find that these short activities fill-in the gaps in our day, a filler which has become more important now that we have non-nappers. 

ART: Week One, Year One Schola Rosa

This week in art students created their own mini-cave painting. The idea was taken from Education.com. For details about the artistic principles and skills to reinforce at home this week, please see your student's binder. The handout can be seen here: ART 1 HANDOUT. All images for handouts are in the Public Domain and free for use as of 2012.

Students were instructed to rip the edges of their paper after the paintings dried. For those of you who opted to leave the artwork till next week, all pictures are safely stored away in the Schola Rosa Cabinets until next week.

Here are some pictures of their work!