Goss Homeschool Academy

One of the perks to homeschooling is getting in on the amazing opportunities of attending Nashville Young People's Concerts!  These are the highlight of the week for me whenever we are able to attend!  The next concert is coming up in a few weeks and I always like to prepare my kids for the program.  Here are my ideas for what I plan to do with my kiddos! Program: John Adams – Short Ride in a Fast Machine Do you remember the Will Ferrell skit with the cowbell?  I can just imagine a conductor joking "I need more woodblock!" I plan to show my kids this video and really highlight the percussion section to help them name the instruments (Temple blocks, bass drum, snare, timpani, tambourine, etc.)  I think it's also important to note to my kids that this song was composed by a current modern classical composer.  When we listen to classical music we're not limited to pieces composed hundreds of years ago!  There are amazing composers living and working...

I love this section because there are some wonderful and practical applications to an outdoor education!!  It makes me want to write all of her examples on little cards and put them on a ring binder to keep in my purse and remind myself to ask questions and lead observations while we are outside living our daily lives!  A child has natural curiosity and this is the perfect time to encourage the discoveries of their natural world around them!!!  Enjoy reading! Additional reading: Blog post by Deborah and HollyAnne Dobbins Blog post by Nicole Williams Blog post by Carol and Andra Smith The scouting requirements in a Charlotte Mason PNEU school Pages 72-78 What does she mean by "small things may suggest great?" What are some examples that you can teach the position of the sun? Rain/clouds/snow/hail? What is the first step toward knowledge of direction and distance? What kind of compass activities can you do? Using your neighborhood, what are some ways you ca...

I feel like I've done some moderately intensive Google searching and haven't found exactly what I wanted with some extensions of our Shakespeare studies so I went ahead and made up what I have envisioned!!!  Now, if you are a Charlotte Mason educator.... this DOES NOT replace the narration that should come first after reading a story from Shakespeare.  BUT - it can be something fun for you and your kids to do after the story is read and narrations are given!!! I call it...... Shakespeare for Stuffies! One of our favorite narration tools is using our stuffed animals to retell the story.  In this script I created the stuffed animals all have their own lines to say but they can easily be repeated after you (the narrator) read and perform it for them!  The goal is to have fun and maybe you can even set up a little puppet theater to retell this famous Shakespeare play!  My son had fun retelling it in our living room as I practiced the script with him!  ...

These updates are the highlight of our culminating weeks!  I love looking through the reading list and reflecting on the growth of the kids and giving thanks to God for being able to be here to see their development in character and academics!  Reading through the Volume 6 study as well as the Volume 1 study this year also continues to shine a light that this path I am on is the right path at the right time.  I'm so thankful for my "tribe" of fellow Charlotte Mason mamas in our book studies and co-op and the support of my family!  I just realized this is starting to sound like an Oscar worthy acceptance speech so I will go on to update how our term went in weeks 7-12!  LOL!  If you want to see an update of weeks 1-6 click here. Schedule First off, let me share this video with you of how I plan out our weeks.  I have fallen in love with our schedule and although we don't get EVERYTHING done in a Charlotte Mason way (I totally have dropped the ball ...

Folk Songs for Term 2    Since we are starting Term 2 in November the first folk song is An Acre of Land.  I prefer the .mp3 that you can download from this site but if you need a YouTube recording this is a good one! 1. Acre of Land  Disclaimer:  In preparing for our folk songs I did some modifications.  I just can not in good musical conscience teach Funiculi when there are so many other beautiful Italian art songs and folk songs out there! LOL!  ( Funiculi is the scheduled folk song on AO .)  So, I chose the Italian song "Santa Lucia" which is a beautiful Italian song that is not that difficult to learn! 2.  Santa Lucia (Italian Folk Song) I love this Pavarotti version and it's just over a minute long! If you want another version you can listen to the Elvis arrangement here ! The lyrics and information can be found at Mama Lisa! 3. Riddle Song (English/Appalachian Folk Song) You can read about the history of...

We are sooooo close to finishing our readings for Term 1!  I'm looking forward to a new set of songs for this term!  We've loved the Baroque music and even went to a performance of some music by Corelli and his contemporaries!  I'm looking forward to Term 2 specifically because the next two composers are some of my favorites!!! Many people may not know this, but Copland and Gershwin were both students of Rubin Goldmark.  And that Rubin Goldmark was a student of Antonin Dvorak who was a composer we studied last year!  The science of relations continues!!!!  I find it fascinating that we really don't know much about Rubin Goldmark yet he must have been so talented to have been able to study with Dvorak and in turn share his knowledge to further the growth of Copland and Gershwin! Definitely take two weeks for each piece of music.  These are selections that all students should know and be familiar with!  I guarantee that you are going to love ...

These must be my favorite pages so far in Volume 1!  I love all the directions to mothers about spending time outside!  I know I fall far from perfection in our busy lives but I do cherish the moments when we can be out in nature together and love watching my kids observe and narrate what they see!  It's such a special time! To read pages 37-72 click here. Read "A Thinking Love" chapter 16 Blog posts: http://plouffes.blogspot.com/2014/04/charlotte-mason-and-preschool.html https://raisinglittleshoots.com/calendar-of-firsts/ http://thecommonroomblog.com/2015/06/naturestudy-charlottemason.html https://www.homeschoolingdownunder.com/su/charlotte-mason-science-conversations/ http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2012/07/first-stage-of-nature-journaling.html (if your children are older, I enjoyed this post! http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2011/08/the-second-stage-of-nature-journaling.html ) Here are some discussion questions to think about while you read: Pages ...

Photo shoot day! I can't wait to interview the kids for their first day of school 2017-2018! A post shared by RaeAnna Goss (@sewingmamaraeanna) on Jul 29, 2017 at 4:43pm PDT Greetings!  I love writing updates to our school mostly because I can come back and read in years to come and enjoy the pictures and moments with my babies!  I just transferred home movies to a DVD this week from 5 years ago and can't believe how quickly they grow.  *tears*  To hear my big 8 year old as a little 3 year old excitedly say "A-queen" when he opens his Lightning McQueen Christmas presents is heartbreaking!  Where did that sweet little voice and those adorable little curls go?!  And the tiny little newborn that Eva Mae was during that Christmas makes my ovaries hurt! LOL! December 2011 This school year has been a wonderful experience!  Having an official Kindergartner in the mix plus a little harder workload for a 2nd grader makes our days of schoolwo...

In preparing for our co-op I made a compilation of some of the verses that are used in many recordings of this song!  For your reference, here are some helpful blog posts! https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/theoutlandishknight.html http://www.contemplator.com/child/outland.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T81kI1hFJJA I love this quote from the first link: Cecil Sharp believed this to be the widest circulated of all our folk ballads, “outlandish” here means coming from beyond the northern border—that is, Scotland. The story told is an ancient one of a beguiling lover who entices a whole sequence of girls to their deaths. Ballads on the same theme are known in Poland, Germany, Scandinavia, Holland, France; and perhaps the Bluebeard story is a first cousin to our song. Probably the lover was originally a malevolent water spirit who drowned the girls of his choice. If so, this supernatural element has become so vague as to be almost unnoticeable, as the ballad has pas...

I hope you enjoyed reading through the first 20 pages of Volume 1!  Did the language get to you?  I remember having to re-read the first section several times to feel like I understood the language!  Who knew you would need to have a translation from English to English! LOL!  For those of you not ready for the old style of this book you can read it in modern English here! If you missed some of the study questions for pages 1-20 Click here! On to pages 20-37!  This section feels dated in some places to me.  I know that there are scientific reasons that continue to support her theories but our way of life has also influenced some of the daily tasks that were necessary back in the early 1900's.  I hope you can appreciate and receive what is offered in this section and I would love to hear your thoughts! DISCUSSION TOPICS FOR 2nd MEETING Readings from Volume 1, pages 20-37 pages 20-22 What is the importance of the physical activity of the bo...

*UPDATE! 11/20/17* I have not done field guides for all the chapters/animals but you can download a PDF file that lists all the rodents in Chapters 1-15 HERE!!! In my hunt for a resource for Burgess Animal I found some great sites and wanted to visually compile the animals so we can make a binder for any observation/notes while we read!  Here's an example of what the pages look like! CHAPTER 3 - FIELD GUIDE CHAPTER 4 - FIELD GUIDE