Thomas Jefferson Education a book a week for the next year discussion

Maybe it will be easier if you post by month rather than week....maybe?

According to the Goodreads 2014 Book Challenge, I am behind by 5 books. Yikes!

In April, I recently finished Anne of Ingleside. Not my favorite of the series. A good clean read, but this book leaves Anne and begins focusing on the antics of her children. I'm not a fan of it really.

For read aloud, we finished Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, which we absolutely loved! A fantastic book for boys that touches on science and math. We began Rich Dad's Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money. My 17 yo son is really into financial books right now, so this one was up next on his list to read together. I must say I am learning a ton and realizing how little I know about how to become financially richer.

For my personal reading I am half-way through The Real George Washington. Taking my time to digest this one well.

What are you reading this month?

I have decided to abandon Anne Shirley since completing her House of Dreams. Perhaps I will return to her again, but for the moment, the magic is gone.

I have had a rich reading month. I finished Laddie and read Ben Hur. I had the most marvelous experience reading the end of Ben Hur during Palm Sunday. The timing was impeccable and deeply moving for me. I am listening to Pyle's Robin Hood during my housework and reading Mother Carey's Chickens in the evening.

I snuck in For The Love of Learning and Nurture By Nature last week when the weather warmed up and my kids begged to run free outside for the first time in months. Both were instructive and empowering reads.

For our Family Read Alouds, we finished Little Britches and More Stories from Grandmother's Attic. We are enjoying The Phantom Tollbooth and Little Bear now.

In my study time, I am chipping away at The Paideia Program and my son is listening to the audio of Roger Lancelyn Green's Tales of Greek Mythology.

What is the Paideia Program?

The Paideia Program by Mortimer Adler is a stand alone book in a three book series about the philosophy of Modern American Education. It is a collaborative work between a panel of scholars who are either experts in their fields or in education. If I understand correctly, the first two books (which I have not read yet, my grandfather sent this to me and urged me to start with it) deal more with the philosophies of education. This third book is a proposed strategy for schools seek to reject modern trends in education and focus on traditional and classical methodologies. My grandfather sent it to me because he is an avid reader, a scholar and is discouraged by modern education. He supports our decision to homeschool and loves what I have shared about Thomas Jefferson Education. He read this book decades ago and thought that it might be another resource for my homeschool toolbox. It is written for schools and it more classical than TJEd but it is not TJEd unfriendly and some of the suggestions and concepts are very consistent with a TJEd mindset. (For example: they strongly discourage the use of textbooks and advocate for a deep library of classics.) I see several of the 7 Keys strongly encouraged in this approach and the reading is interesting.

I just finished Little Lord Fauntleroy. Such a cute story.

I am scheduled to read it in June. Cannot wait.

In April I read The Present Crisis and Anne of Green Gables. That's it. I've read bits and pieces of this and that, but I'm hoping I can get back into gear with reading more.

I saw Brotherband Chronicles #4 is coming out soon (it got my hopes up when I saw it was already released until I found out that was in Australia--this is the first time I've ever really wanted to go to Australia) and somehow I started reading a bunch of "look inside" parts on amazon. Of course, the books I was reading and would like to finish are all on hold at the libraries near me. I just keep reminding myself I have a "to read" list already with plenty of books right in front of me--which is why I'm hoping to get back in that mindset.