Preparation - I've ordered CTG, how do I get ready?!

[kellybell]

Just ordered Creation to Greeks this morning. I'm really looking forward to using it, as is my son. We would like to be able to jump right in when it arrives. Could someone give me a list of supplies needed for the first two weeks? As my parents like to say, we live in the sticks. I need to be able to pick things up while on other errands. Thanks,

Week 1: Sabbath celebration. You can wait and do this later if you feel a bit overwhelmed, but don't skip it altogether. You'll need two candles in holders, challah bread (search the web for recipes for now), a challah cover (get a square of fabric such as a white cloth napkin, the kids can decorate it with fabric paint/markers/crayons), small container (margarine tub will work). You'll need "wine" or whatever your family would use in place of wine.

Reserve a copy of Haydn's Creation if you can find it at the library. Not a big deal if you can't.

School supplies: The typical stuff (glue sticks, colored pencils, pencils, construction paper, scissors, filler paper) as well as 2 three-ring binders per child and some dividers for each notebook, 4 X 6 index cards and a box for these file cards (one box per student). Get a spiral notebook for each student for Spelling Power. Bible. Globe or world map.

For week 2, you need an empty tin can.

HTH (and have fun)

[Julie in MN]

Wow, Kelly! A couple additions:
* An optional photo of your family for the timeline
* A good dictionary, preferably with word roots in it. (As a side note, the name "Webster" can be bought by almost any publisher. Only Merriam-Webster is published by the authentic word scholars :o)
* These are too easily available for some, but I wrote down a hammer, nail, flashlight, & tape measure if you do all of the science experiments (in addition to the tin can).
* Look around the house or library for books on creation myths, the Sabbath, & Old Testament stories/art/reference. Also Noah, Vivaldi, & light/optical illusions.
* If you are doing the Art program, you will need some drawing pencils & possibly drawing paper (a lot can be done on the book pages).

Posted Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:41 pm by Julie in MN

Make sure everyone has a Bible in the same version. We used the NIrV version from Adventures in our family but any version will do. I suggest one per person, since the Bible is the major spine this year.

Also, have you browsed the CTG Ideas forum & the CTG Archives? I think when people post there, things are very fresh in their minds.

[kellybell]

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:53 pm

One thing I like about MFW is that it doesn't require a lot of preparation. If you get the TM (and a few required books) a few days in advance, you're all set to roll.

One thing you might want to do as you start your school year is to "turn on" one subject at a time. On your first day of school, go to the zoo, get some ice cream, and order pizza for dinner. Celebrate that first day as a terrific day. As you go to bed that night, take a look at what Bible study entails and grab a read-aloud book.

On the second day, do just Bible and that read-aloud book. That day, pick up the math curriculum and get familiar with it. On about day 5, start math and look at your spelling. Etc. Every couple of days or so, add another subject with the children and you sit down and get familiar with the next subject.

Within about two weeks, you are fully into school. It's a gentle introduction and you don't have to have a day full of new subjects. Give yourself time to get used to one subject before starting a new one.

Of course, if you are just resuming a subject (ie. picking up ILL or Spelling Power where you left off) then you don't really need this extra time. But for something new.

Anyway, you don't need a lot of prep time. I am glad because I don't prepare like I probably should.

[niki]

Well I've decided to go ahead and start CtG. I'm trying to get everything prepped and ready so that I don't have to do so much later on. My question is whether or not there are any projects to do like for example in ECC there were the games to put together. Would there be anything like that that would be of benefit for me to get done before I get to the week?

We are on week 19 and I just add to my "grocery list" what the needs are for the next week. Marie has a list at the beginning of each week in the TM what needs there are that you may not have around the house...it's great!

As far as me, there isn't much you need to do to prepare or get a head start on. Maybe a week or so before you start ordering your library books if you have that option.

HTH

[Julie in MN]

Here is some advice from a few folks in the past: [above]

Here is one activity that was meaningful but took some prep time for me: The tabernacle. I went into a fabric store with my manual and spent about an hour before I finally just asked for help. I am clueless in such an environment, so choosing the fabrics & sizes was above my head.

Happy ending: It all cost me less than $10 for enough fabric to make 3 tabernacles, and it was very meaningful to really see what God's instructions were about this significant item.

[Amy in NC]

The only things that I prepped in CTG were to make photocopies and the "frogs". I made about 80 frogs for our plague. I copied the frogs onto green construction paper and cut them out. Otherwise, we just play it by ear each week.

[lyntley]

Science supplies. I never have them on hand and I'm way behind because of it. I figure we'll do science in the summer...But if you can have those science supplies on hand might make getting to the projects more doable.

[Happy2BMotherof3]

Thanks so much for your replies. They're so helpful! :D

[jasntas]

We are still working on ECC.... I had a child break an arm Sun and had surgery to set and pin it yesterday. We are taking some time off school so I can keep him down to help with swelling.

I have CtG sitting here waiting. What can I do to help get ready while I have some down time from school? I was planning on taking two weeks off before starting and still plan to but might as well have everything ready and take a full two weeks I know with ECC I got the Geo game ready before we started.

What about the timeline?? Thought about making one for the kids to be able to look at and then let them make a smaller one that can go in a binder. Still trying to figure out how we are going to do the timeline. I'm thinking about file folders taped so it will fold up but can still see it all together.... Or I hung my ECC map on a pull down blind. I wonder if I could hang a timeline on one??? Lots of thinking to do on that one. We have no wall space so have to find other ways

What else can I get ready ahead of time?? Thanks

I can't remember what I did to prep for CTG but what I normally do is read through the prep portion and the first few lessons of the TM. HTH

[robertb10502]

Yes I will look through that tomorrow. Just making sure there wasn't anything else that will make our year easier that is not listed there. Thank you!

[Amy C.]

One thing that I remember from each year (so far) of the history cycle (CTG through EXP1850) is that it recommends you prepare the timeline pieces by coloring/laminating them ahead of time, but we do each one as we get to it throughout the year. I can't recall any big prep work, but you will want to check in the TM when you get it for prep recommendations because my memory is not too good theses days.

I just wanted to say that we use cardstock taped end to end together that folds accordion style for our timelines. I let each child choose a color so they are color coded according to child. They store them in their history notebook. This works well for us. Of course, it is the same concept as the file folders that you mentioned.

Amy C.

[Julie in MN]

CTG had sooooo many science projects that it might be nice to gather some of those supplies in advance. In later years, I started a tote box to have supplies on hand in advance. CTG science would be a good place for that.

Here are some other thoughts:
http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1190
Oh, I see the frog copies in there. I'm not sure what the manual has for that now, but I made a template to fit many on one page, and then copied many times on green paper. Very memorable!

One more thing... I was able to locate a messianic congregation (Christian Jews) and call them about visiting for a feast or two. Once, ds and I went during the day, and another time, we went as a family in the evening. A friend also invited my son to a very large passover celebration. You might put out the word to local homeschoolers that you are interested in any local events that they can share.
Enjoy,
Julie

[C4Car]

If you have time read through Celebrating Biblical Feasts and make some notes. The beginning of the year starts with the Sabbath Feast, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkoth. I was glad I had some plans already in place or I could have been a little overwhelmed. Enjoy! CTG has been a wonderful year.

[Joyhomeschool]

Yes read the celebrating biblical feasts book. I wish I had done that. I like he timeline blinds idea. Or on a door would work. Be sure to use tack it as I moved mine around as I figured out how to space my timeline. I actually didn't make mine big enough now that we are finishing up RTR.

[asheslawson]

Since you mentioned you might want your timeline in a binder - I thought I'd post about how we do ours. I do our timeline in binders too. I created a cover sheet to slide into the clear view cover of the binder. Then, I printed an inside cover sheet that said "BC" for each child's binder, then left a few blank pages facing each other for the times we don't know the dates for - then started mine - I think around 3100 BC for King Menes. I made two sheets for every century & slipped them into the sheet protectors so they are facing each other. That way when the book is open - you are viewing both pages for one century...like "3000 - 3001 B.C." , then when you flip the page there is "3000-2901 B.C."

I did BC all the way through - then created a loose sheet for AD...and started with 0 - 99 AD, 100 - 199 AD, etc....

I have little wall space & lots of little kiddos that pull things off the wall - so this was our favorite option. I put these in a big 2 or 3" binder and found a pretty, scroll-print, decorative copy paper to print a cover sheet to go in the clear view cover. I also used the scroll paper for the AD & BC cover sheets. All the century sheets are white so they can color & glue on their timeline pieces. They can also add other things they might do as they progress through school. We keep these on a shelf in our living room to look at whenever we want. I began this with CTG.