It's a Two-Fer!

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Golden_bowWe're introducing the letters U and V today on Serendipity. Two letters in the same lesson...It's not going to be long before we reach the end of the Alphabet Path.  What a grand finale we have planned with the Z Fairy! For now though, find out why the fairies gave Michael a golden bow.

While you are visiting, check out a new music lesson and a new poetry lesson and a new art lesson!

The Most Frequently Asked Question: Now Answered

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UPDATED 2010

Newsflash:  The Navigation Bar at Serendipity will help you find your posts.

Pam asks a variation of a question that is popping up almost daily:

Hi Elizabeth

I was wondering if there’s a quick answer as to just how to get started with the alphabet path.  I’ve searched all over your site and can’t figure this out.  Is the “Mrs. Applebee” story your creation used in conjunction with the “Flower Fairies Alphabet” book?  Do you start with those and just go with the letter you’re working on and all the activities you want to do?

Last week, I sat with my friend Linda and gave her a guided tour of the Alphabet Path. This was a good exercise for me, particularly since we get lots of questions from people asking for a detailed "how-to." So, I'm going to try to recreate the morning that we spent together. We had the benefit of being in the same room and that room was stocked with all the books, notebooks, and printed files from our Alphabet Path adventure last year. Linda has a very systematic and logical mind and she's not spent much time trying to navigate Serendipity, so I benefited tremendously from her perspective.

  • First step: Go to Serendipity and find the navigation bar across the top of the page.
  • Click on the tab that says "Along the Alphabet Path."
  • Click on "Alphabet Path Storybook" and print all the PDF files, placing them in page protectors in a three-ring binder. Print the cover art and slip it into the cover. This book will be a read aloud and reading practice for the whole year.
  • Now, return to the alphabet path webpage. Click on "A is for Apple Blossom." This is the introductory post that will set the tone for the year. First, you will see the original story of Michael and Mrs. Applebee, two characters who will introduce your child to letters and flowers and saints. These stories were created by Katherine and me and largely written by my daughter, Mary Beth. Each letter has an installment of the story. You've already printed them in the step above. When you read the story, you will need to have both the Flower Fairies Alphabet and An Alphabet of Catholic Saints. With these books, your child will meet the flower fairies and will meet a saint for every letter.
  • The flower fairy song will serve as copywork for older children and memory work for every child. The Flower Fairy Alphabet CD has all the fairy songs and will help memorization tremendously.
  • There are several nature study ideas which you will need to read carefully in order to discern what's best for your child's interest and abilities. some of the ideas will change with each letter. Some are offered every week. Every week, we'll provide a link to botanical information on the wildflowers. No matter how young your child, it's strongly suggested that you take some time to read about the real flowers, sketch them and make notes of the botanical information.
  • We want children to use their hands, so we've provided a link to a two-part post on making wee felt saints. Part 1 and Part 2
  • You are encouraged to give children time to copy the saint-letter picture in An Alphabet of Catholic Saints. The short poems that go with each saint can be used as copywork.
  • In the picture book section you will find reading suggestions for faith-related books springing from the letter-of the-week theme. You will also find subject matter picture books for a specific subject for most every letter (for instance, "sunflowers' on "S" week and "eggs" for "E" week). And there is a big stack of picture books that are connected by title or contact to the letter of the week. All the books are listed on this PDF.
  • There is a picture study suggestion for each letter. The lessons uses the book Museum ABC. We focus on one print per week and encourage you to follow the links and print the images for your personal use.
  • there are chapter books and writing suggestions provided for older children.
  • Several recipes for tea time or other mails are offered and it's really encouraged to cook according to letter. This is a favorite of our children!
  • Many posts have links to Kim Fry's "funschool" posts, which extend the letter themed activities for young children.
  • For further subjects organized around an alphabet theme, please consider
    • P is for Poetry
    • M is for Music
    • G is for Geography
    • A is for Art

We're going to be updating almost constantly. Take some time to click around the whole Serendipity site.

Serendipity Q & A

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Hope wrote yesterday with several questions:

First of all, where did you find your nice, large blackboard?

I'm guessing it is Katherine's. I don't have a blackboard. Sorry:-).

Second question, what is the table top made of that the children are playing the Rainbow Gem Trading game on (it looks like little stickers)?
 
I bought the table unfinished at Ikea. I painted it and then I stenciled the top in a patchwork pattern. Honestly, I don't reccomend doing that. It's darling, but it's a little bumpy for writing and I admit to cringing now and then when stray crayon and pencil marks add their own charm.

Lastly, I have a far more complex question.  I have been printing out everything to put in a binder and I am having a real hard time figuring out where to begin and the order of things.  I can find lessons 3, 4 and 5, but when I printed out what looked like earlier info I ended up printing out several 20-30 page long documents some of which had a lot of info that overlapped and one of which looked like it went in backwards order. Since I am new to this I know the problem is me, but I was wondering if you could give me any lesson ordering tips for this.  There is so much great info there that I want to make sure not to miss anything.

This is a complex question. It's also a frequently asked question. Any time you click on an archive, you are going to see the most current post first. That means, the posts will be backwards in terms of how to present them. It's a very annoying way to have to read and to cut and paste. We know that and we're working on a great solution.  As we've expanded lessons and themes, the blog format has gotten unwieldy. Hang in there! Cindy is creating a webpage interface that will make it all much more streamlined.You'll be able to see the lessons listed in order and click on one lesson at a time.  She's away from her computer just now, helping a friend with a new baby, but we'll have a much more user-friendly format for you in the near future. For the math in particular, we've already begun breaking those long lessons into smaller chunks by topic. I think that will make it more intuitive. It's taking us some time but it will be easier to understand and easier to navigate.

This may be on your site somewhere, but I would also be interested to see a typical day for you as I am trying to figure out how waldorf (ish) homeschooling would work with a 5 year old and a 7 year old. 

I have some typical days from last year up at Faithful Over Little Things. I've been playing with some cool Mac features and plan to renew my journaling at Little Things and upload our daily lists, once we get around to settling into a school rhythm, but there are a few days there from last year. There are rough drafts of this year's days to download here.  Marisa has some days from last year at her notes blog. Paula has her days for this fall sketched out here. Colleen has planning thoughts here. Keep your eyes on the Serendipity-do-dah blogroll on the lefthand sidebar for other examples of Serendipitous days.

While I appreciate the beauty, the materials and some of the methods of Waldorf education, I am not a follower of Rudolf Steiner, his educational philosophy, or his religion. I am a practicing Catholic who is very clear in teaching the faith to her children. Please see this post for any further explanation of incorporating methods or materials that might also appear in Waldorf schools into your home. Take inspiration from what is good and what in in harmony with the true faith and leave the rest. If you can't discern, then leave it all alone.

New Posts at Serendipity

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Dsc_0657There are new posts at Serendipity today. At least a month's worth of grammar lessons, based on Ruth Heller's book Many Luscious Lollipops, are presented in the Lively Language Lessons series. These are very thorough lessons in parts of speech that can be adapted for all ages. The latest installment is all about adjectives. And, along the Alphabet Path, we meet the Thrift Fairy in Meeting "T" Down by the Sea. And, for your library reserving convenience, there's a whole list of books to be used Along the American history trail. There's even a PDF to print and carry along to the library. Now, I'm off to work on my real life baskets and bookshelves...
Have a beautiful, grace-filled day!