Get Ready For Some Books! Angelicum Sale.

If you are planning on enrolling with Angelicum Academy or just purchasing their lesson plans books...now is the time to do it! They have their summer sale going on until July 5th.

We decided not to enroll this year and will just be purchasing all the lesson plans that we need for the kids. Perhaps when Marco is older and we feel it more necessary to have grading services and support, we'll enroll him again.

For now, I'm getting all our lesson plans in order, our books ordered, and new school materials organized. It's something that I'm sure will take a while to accomplish.

Updates on Good Books.

We started reading our books from the "Good Books" list this week. So far, things are going great! What really got me excited was this awesome new literature guide that Angelicum Academy just printed for 3rd grade! You can get it at their website. If you are enrolled with AA, it's free! Otherwise it's $19.95. So far, I think it's a great addition and help to our reading.


For updates and news at Angelicum, you can also check out their blog! Now you might wonder why I'm going on and on about Angelicum. It's just that when I get excited about something that's working well, I want to tell everyone!! So check them out!

And also as a side note, if you are not enrolled with Angelicum, or even if you are not doing classical education...I strongly recommend looking over their "Good Books" list. They are fabulous selections that every child should read! Don't get discouraged if they seem too difficult. You will reap the benefits once you get to reading!!

Our good book readings are always done out loud, as they are too advanced for my young readers. The language has been a challenge for some books, but we keep going (at a snails pace if we have too!); and by the middle of the book, my kids are asking less and less about definitions (what does that mean?) and asking more and more why's and how's. It turns into a great discussion!!

So tonight we continue with The Princess and the Goblin, Aesop's Fables, and Perrault's Fairy Tales. Happy Reading Everyone!!

Angelicum Academy's TouchPebbles.

Beginning in 3rd grade, Angelicum Academy offers a good books, online discussion. The students "meet" weekly online, and a moderator guides the students through the reading and assignments. These online discussions are based on the Socratic method and help the younger child transition into their Great Books program.

This year I was extremely close to enrolling Marco for these classes. But the enrollment fee for Angelicum is separate for the online classes. That means an extra $295. I'm not saying that these classes are not worth it, as I'm guessing they probably are; but I do not know whether we'd fully participate, so that kept me from signing on.

I did however, order the text and teacher's book they use for the online class. They recommend following their lesson plans, even if you don't enroll for the discussion group. This is what I'll be attempting this year. If it goes well, then I will probably enroll Marco in the discussion group for next year.

You can read more about Touchstones Discussion Project on their website. If anyone has ever had their child be a part of the Socratic online discussions with Angelicum, I'd love to hear about it!! It really does look like a worthwhile class and I'm kind of excited to try it out here at home, although it won't be the same as if he was part of a class.

Summer Sale at Angelicum Academy.

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Angelicum Academy is having their summer sale now until July 6th. Everything in the bookstore, including enrollment and online classes, is 10% off.

Also, remember that they offer family discounts. That discount is significant at 50% off the second child or beyond that you enroll.