We try to follow a classical education model. Rather than make a feeble attempt to explain my philosophy, I will direct you to one of the following site. They say it much better.

The Joy of Classical Education

What is Classical Education?

Models of Classical Education

The Lost Tools of Learning

Our Basic 3rd Grade Curriculum:

The Explorers Bible Study -- 30 min. We read the bold words, read through the scriptures together, discuss and answer the questions. Sometimes I write the answers for her if there is a lot of writing to do. We always choose a memory vs. from the lesson to memorize for the week.

Math U See Gamma -- 30 min. We spend six days on the lesson. We also do Math U See online to practice facts and I print mad minutes for more practice. I try to incorporate as much real life math into her day as possible. She also plays with her math wraps a lot.

Spelling Workout C. -- 15 minutes. We read the beginning of the lesson, do a pretest and write each misspelled word 3 times on day 1. Often, instead of the pretest, I have her read each word, spell it and use it in a sentence. Over the next three days we work on the activities in the book and sometimes do the writing section. If it is a particularly hard rule I will have her copy the rule into her spelling book. On day 5 we take the test. If she still spells any wrong we copy that word down into a "trouble word" section.

Rod and Staff Grammar 3 -- 40 minutes. This is a very in-depth grammar program. It teaches the concepts very well, but the work can be tedious and overwhelming. I would like to be able to do one lesson per day, but sometimes we need to spend more time then that. Some lessons are very easy to get and we may do only the odds, or do the lesson orally. Others require more attention.

Reading -- We do three different types of reading. I read aloud to her from history books or good read alouds. Click on the 1000 Good Books link at the top of the page to get an idea. She also spends time reading challenging books to herself or to me. On the right is a list of books she is either working on or has finished. Other times she simply reads what she chooses for fun.

Writing -- Writing work is included in Rod and Staff Grammar 3, but not a lot at this level. We do narrations in our history, write lab reports and book reports, letters and dictation (2-3 times per week). I feel this is sufficient for now.

Prima Latina Latin -- An easy to follow Latin program. I would like to have the DVD's with this, but for now we just listen to the CD everyday, learn the songs and vocabulary and do the workbook exercises. We have a few Latin games that I am putting together to make it a little more fun. It's kinda boring to her and I want to make it a little more interesting. I don't want to make it too much of a chore, but I think it's important to teach it so I will plug on.

Adventures with Atoms and Molecules 1 and 2. Science -- 2 experiments per week from this book. We write a lab report and sometimes do a picture to go with it. I have to remind myself that she is not in the "logic" stage and doesn't have an easy time making the connections between what we did and what happened. That's okay. We may go back to Noeo Science next year or Apologia. I think both are great, but we wanted to do a cheaper method this year. :-)

History with Story of the World 2. Medieval Times -- 3 days a week, 1 hour each day. On Monday and Wednesday we read a couple sections of a chapter, do a narration, mapwork, coloring a picture (if she wants to) and orally answer questions. On Friday we do a project from the activity book. Cooking, playing, art, building...it could be anything on that day. I also read something history related to her during mealtimes.

Art/music -- We don't do formal art. We have lots of drawing and craft books that she works on probably about once a week. We do the history projects, she takes piano lessons and I often have her listen to classical music while reading or drawing.

Memory Work -- One Bible verse per week, different Latin prayers and songs, English kings from medieval times, poems and Shakespeare sonnets. Oh, and skip counting songs. It really help with math facts.

Physical Education -- She does 12 hours of gymnastics per week and that is enough physical activity for anyone. Not only is she very physically fit, she is learning about hard work, perseverance, accomplishing goals, nutrition and working as a team. It's really one of the best sports you can do.