Elementary School
Facts: Elementary school education in learning facts is step one in our Trivium based education.   However, modern psychology has shown that the older methods, such as the Trivum method, lacked in the needed area of arts and electives. We at BiblioTronix feel that these are not extras but necessary as part of a core curriculum. That is why every grade is required to complete electives. These choices change in complexity as the student matures and sets a standard for learning self expression unique to the individual.

Middle School

Logic: Middle School education in learning logic, how to put the facts learned in elementary school into a logical order is step two in our Trivum based education. However, modern psychology has shown that the older methods, such as the Trivum method, lacked in the needed area of arts and electives. We at BiblioTronix feel that these are not extras but necessary as part of a core curriculum. That is why every grade is required to complete electives. These choices change in complexity as the student matures and sets a standard for learning self expression unique to the individual.

High School

  Rhetoric: High School education in learning rhetoric, utilizing facts, logic and expressing conclusions drawn from logic in a persuasive manner is the final step in our Trivum based education. However, modern psychology has shown that the older methods, such as the Trivum method, lacked in the needed area of arts and electives. We at BiblioTronix feel that these are not extras but necessary as part of a core curriculum. That is why every grade is required to complete electives. These choices change in complexity as the student matures and sets a standard for learning self expression unique to the individual.

  Newsletter: In this space you will find our homeschool newsletter.  This newsletter will contain important updates from our school as well as monthly "things" on happenings, and a project just for fun.

January Happenings:  January is the openning of the doors to BiblioTonix Homeschool.  Welcome. 

January Things:  January is a special time of year for all of us. The business of life gets started once again after the Holidays. However, the holidays do continue with only a slight decline in excitement. The holiday I am speaking of is Carnival, which begins on Epiphany (January 6 ?? the day that the three kings visited the Christ Child) and ends on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday). Carnival is Latin for "Good bye to the flesh." This season is a time set aside to really celebrate the life of Christ, not the birth or the death but the life itself. There is tradition that starts with a king??s cake on Epiphany. Inside a kings cake is hidden a small baby Jesus figure or a bean to represent baby Jesus. At the Epiphany party whoever gets the baby Jesus in their piece of cake gets to throw the next party the following week.  Use these weekly parties, or just one party, that you throw to have a theme from an event in Jesus? life. Have a mock wedding reception for the wedding in Cana, or a river themed party for His baptismal, or even a fishing styled party for the gathering of the Apostles. The main thing is to remember the great things that He did and celebrate it!  Mardi Gras, despite the drunken free-for-all that it has turned into, is supposed to be the final focus on the body. A few things about Mardi Gras: the colors, the feasting, and the masks. The colors of Mardi Gras are green (for everlasting life), purple (for the royalty of Christ the King) and gold (for the divinity of Christ). The feasting used to be using up of all the foods that would be denied during Lent, now it is a feast to culminate the celebration of His earthly life. The masks are to represent the world at large and who you are within the world, hence the reason that you take off your mask at midnight to put away thoughts of the body as Jesus did during the season of Lent.
January Project:  During the Tang Dynasty in ancient China, a style of painting arose which an Art History professor of mine referred to as "vacation" paintings. These paintings, as per the example shown above, usually consisted of a mountain, a steam and a path. This small, almost non-existent little path is what my professor referred to. If you followed this path with your eye, it would wind over the stream with a little bridge or up the side of the mountain to a little teahouse, or it might find it's way into a glen where you could meditate. Since our generation did not invent stress, it would have been nice a thousand years ago to be able to daydream, take a little vacation into that painting for just a few minutes, loose yourself among the forests and hills, or enjoy a nice cup of tea.  Tea was also a great anti-stress event for the Victorians. They however, were also into gardening. A naturalist by the name of Nathaniel Ward once tried to save a specimen of moth in a small glass jar, to his amazement months later a fern was thriving in the jar. Thus were the humble beginnings of the first terrariums called Wardian cases, yet the Victorians with their love of luxury and opulence could not stop there. They created intricate gardens complete with tiny little patio furniture or even gardener's tools.  If we combine these ideas into a synthesis of the more existential aspects we arrive at imagination building, stress relieving, fun little, vacation in a box for your home or office.

What you will need:

• a terrarium or aquarium or other glass box, even a large glass jar would do.
• small plants, such as miniature roses, bonsai trees or even some grasses, or herbs that you like to smell. (get creative here ?? how about a rose garden like at European castles, or even a bonsai forest)
• small houses, or doll furniture, or objects that would reflect where you would like to spend your vacation time (idea: if you have a big enough terrarium you can make several places to go - no 'beach' water because of stagnation).
• potting soil
• water

Step 1: Make sure you have a design. If you do not plan it out a little in advance, you'll regret it part way into the project and it will create more stress than it relieves. Trust me, this is the voice of experience speaking.

Step 2: Make sure you have all your supplies on hand, your miniatures are painted or other details. Nothing is worse than starting a quick project and having it take you all day, because you have to keep going out for things.

Step 3: Wash out terrarium and dry it.

Step 4: Lay out your things in the box to double check that they fit. Don't worry about planting them right now, just leave them in the pots.

Step 5: Add your potting soil, and then plant your botanicals. Add and arrange your garden and then go for a little vacation.