Where were you today?

We spent the morning sitting in the waiting room at Sears Automotive. Ah well, we were able to watch the Inauguration while waiting so it wasn't a total loss, although we had a few interuptions and background noises to deal with. Later on this evening ds was able to give this oral report:

At the beginning of the Inauguration, the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, came out first, and then the 41st president, President Bush the first came out. Then President Clinton came after and they all waved, and sat down. Then Obama’s mother-in-law came out with Obama’s kids their ages are 7 and 10. After that then came Obama’s wife and she sat down with everybody else then President Bush came out with other people and the band played the “President song”* and then Obama came out and then they all sat down and then a prayer by Rick Warren went on and then Marine Fighters sang a song which was the Star Spangled Banner. Then the Vice-President came in and swore all the things he needs to swear on a Bible. After that for five minutes we didn’t have a president. After the five minutes, we got a president because Obama was sworn in. Then Rev. Lowery said a prayer and then President Bush and his wife and his parents flew off in a helicopter.

*Mom’s note: “Hail to the Chief”

He got a few things out of order, and we need to work on some transition words besides "and then" and "after that". If I'd asked him to report on the helicopter I'm sure I would have gotten a much more animated speech. ;)

Charlotte Mason Style History

The fatal mistake is in the notion that he must learn 'outlines,' or a baby edition of the whole history of England, or of Rome, just as he must cover the geography of all the world. Let him, on the contrary, linger pleasantly over the history of a single man, a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of that man, is at home in the ways of that period. Though he is reading and thinking of the lifetime of a single man, he is really getting intimately acquainted with the history of a whole nation for a whole age.
CM Vol 1 pg 280

Recently we "revised" our history readings to envelope this idea. I think sometimes I get away from what is simple - not easy, but simple. I complicate things too much. In my quest to cover "it all" by the time they graduate. I have to back up and think of my own poor highschool education. Well, I certainly didn't learn "it all". In fact in our school, the grade was all that counted and you could get a good grade several different ways, without really knowing the material.

So instead my quest is for my dc to love learning. And you know we all want that don't we?