I was hoping to post a bit sooner since my last post introducing the new curriculum, but it's been a busier than usual summer for us!
I'm excited in a few weeks to start our next school year and begin to use the Orthodox Christian Morning Time curriculum for the first time. I feel like I am not very good at promoting things I make to be honest. I feel like this is a curriculum that will work for some, and not work for others. It is what it is....probably why when I went to grad school I ended up switching my focus from marketing to finance.
So, why did I make the curriculum? There are quite a few reasons. First of all, the morning time (after Morning Prayers) in my family has been very heavily focused on Saint's Lives, which I think are extremely important. However, we have been reading these fairly intensely for over four years. During the event that should not be named in 2020, we obtained a full set of the Lives of the Saints by St. Dimitry of Rostov. These changed our lives! I highly recommend obtaining a full synaxarion like this or similar for your homeschool. I know they are expensive, but they are worth every penny. If you ever find yourself unable to attend services for any reason, like we found ourselves in 2020, you will be so glad you had them also!
So my second son, that is almost 7, has less ability to "input information" than my older son. I want to make sure he is able to absorb the information and that means reading them a bit less than we have been, and I knew I needed a curriculum/schedule to hold me accountable to that. (My oldest son had/has hyperlexia). Those Saints Lives are very beautiful and interesting to read. It really can be hard to switch to other important things without a checklist/schedule!
Additionally, I participate in a program called Catholic Schoolhouse, which is similar to Classical Conversations but run by Catholics. I started to wonder why I couldn't switch out Orthodox catechism material for their catechism in my son's memory work. Eventually, I got the idea that I could make a similar memory work style curriculum, with copy work, that was geared to Orthodox Christians that could potentially serve as a replacement for those programs.
Also, I was noticing how much adults like to read Orthodox memes online containing quotes by Saints and Church Fathers, but children are not exposed to these, and actually have little exposure to this sort of thing. That's how my idea for the copywork started. Then, as the curriculum unfolded, I focused more on sentences from the Lives of the Saints by St. Dimitry of Rostov.
Years ago, I used a program called Writing with Ease that contained copywork from "classic books" and such, but when I opened it up for my second son to use, I just wasn't that interested in it! It was a great place to start, but having been an Orthodox parent for seven years longer, I had a better idea of what sort of things I wanted my son to practice copying.
In choosing the Scripture and the sentences for the copywork, I was not random at all. I really focused as much as possible on the verses, or sentences, that focused on God hearkening to the needs of his faithful children, at times in miraculous ways. I think the faith of our children is really going to be tested when they are older and I want them to have as many encouraging verses and stories in their hearts as possible! Even growing up as a Protesant, I carried in my heart the simple Old Testament Bible stories I learned in Sunday School, and derived much direction and encouragment from them, so I know this is not is vain.
If anyone has any questions on the curriculum, or wants to see a sample, please visit the St. Irene Press Etsy page at stirenepress.etsy.com .
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