Yesterday was our attempt at communism.
As soon as I mentioned what kind of government we would have, my 8yo became very depressed. Later he told me all of the images he had of an oppressed society. He didn't settle down till I announced our communism day was over at 10:30. I realized how much he values his freedom. The other two kids, 6 & 4, went along with it since they realized it was all pretend. My 6yo was a really good worker, saying that since he watched so much TV the day before he knew he needed to work.
I realized I'm too soft to ever be a dictator. I also realized how much my 8yo is understanding about freedom and the different governments we've talked about. Lately he's been very interested in nations and slavery and oppressed people and how does that all happen. How do the people let others rule them like that? This all hit that home nicely. I think I could definitely do this again sometime, imitating other forms of government like socialism, monarchy/aristocracy, etc.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Anarchy
Thursday was our day of anarchy. I set up a few rules:
1. Do what you want to do when you want to do it.
2. If you break it, you buy it.
3. Be safe.
4. No one is in charge.
The kids ate a bunch of granola bars all day and played a lot of Wii and watched some TV. The house stayed quite clean considering there was no one doing anything to clean it. I enjoyed a one hour work out and a couple of hours reading a book. At the end of the day, though, we all acknowledged feeling very lazy, not energetic, and a couple of the kids admitted to having a TV headache.
But my 6yo told his grandma that it was the best day ever.
One thing I learned is that my kids are pretty good at governing themselves. I sure like knowing I can trust that!
1. Do what you want to do when you want to do it.
2. If you break it, you buy it.
3. Be safe.
4. No one is in charge.
The kids ate a bunch of granola bars all day and played a lot of Wii and watched some TV. The house stayed quite clean considering there was no one doing anything to clean it. I enjoyed a one hour work out and a couple of hours reading a book. At the end of the day, though, we all acknowledged feeling very lazy, not energetic, and a couple of the kids admitted to having a TV headache.
But my 6yo told his grandma that it was the best day ever.
One thing I learned is that my kids are pretty good at governing themselves. I sure like knowing I can trust that!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Freedom Test: Democracy
My kids are always saying, "But I don't ever get to do what I want to do."
So last week, we talked about how real freedom requires responsibility and thinking of others. And since then, I've reminded them a lot that sometimes we don't have the freedom to do what we want to but we still have the freedom to choose how we feel/think about it. aka...complain or be happy.
They still don't get it.
So I decided to do a Freedom Test. Over the next few days, our home will mimic 4 types of government. Democracy, Anarchy, Tyranny/Communism (I haven't decided which one yet), and the Kingdom of God approach (Pre-determined commandments and blessings/consequences, but the use of agency).
Today was Democracy day. We voted on lots of things. Majority ruled. Offenses and injuries were brought before a judge.
Main things we learned:
I better understand why it takes an educated people to understand Democracy. It's a complicated system.
When I got out of the shower, the kids were reading books or "working" (my 4yo daughter) in workbooks. Instead of starting the school day with me telling them what to do, I decided that I didn't need to suggest a law when it was already being obeyed. So I just sat on the couch and followed their lead. I listened as my 8yo showed me pictures and read me stuff from a book about Egypt. I resisted the temptation to tell them what to do next. When they were done reading, I let them vote on whether they wanted to play or do a learning activity. My 6yo asked if they could do a learning activity on the computer. I told them that they could if they voted for it. Majority ruled. They did math games on the computer until lunch time. And they got along with each other.
After lunch was gymnastics. We had a surprise visit from Grandma and she spent the rest of the day with us. We only voted a few more times, and the kids spent the rest of the day playing with their cousins. But I did have them establish their own rules for Wii play. Which turned out to be very nice. I didn't hear the usual bickering that I hear when they play on the Wii.
My biggest Ah-ha. On the way to gymnastics, my 4yo and 6yo did not tease each other at all. They were talking nicely with each other. I think it's because I didn't stress them out this morning with always telling them what to do all the time and giving them the freedom to do good things. I also think it's because they were in charge of what they could do.
Tomorrow...Anarchy. I plan on sleeping in, getting in a full hour work-out, only fixing food for myself (and baby), only washing my own dishes, and catching up on some much-needed reading. As for the kids, we'll see what happens.
And the next day, Communism. I'll have to put everyone to work to fix what happens after a day of Anarchy. Plus, the pay won't be good at all.
So last week, we talked about how real freedom requires responsibility and thinking of others. And since then, I've reminded them a lot that sometimes we don't have the freedom to do what we want to but we still have the freedom to choose how we feel/think about it. aka...complain or be happy.
They still don't get it.
So I decided to do a Freedom Test. Over the next few days, our home will mimic 4 types of government. Democracy, Anarchy, Tyranny/Communism (I haven't decided which one yet), and the Kingdom of God approach (Pre-determined commandments and blessings/consequences, but the use of agency).
Today was Democracy day. We voted on lots of things. Majority ruled. Offenses and injuries were brought before a judge.
Main things we learned:
- The hardest worker is rewarded the most.
- Majority rules. If the majority chooses a rule/method, we all have to follow through with it even if it's not our preferred choice.
- We still have to take care of the poor and the weak.
- The penal system is complicated. When my son came to me with a complaint about his sister, I told him I would meet with him and her in 10 minutes to judge the situation. In the next 10 minutes, he asked what the punishment would be, he asked why I might not punish her, I suggested that he drop the charges and just work it out with her. I tried to explain it in terms an 8yo would understand. I tried to explain representatives, lawsuits, punishments based on precedent. In the end, I didn't have very many chances to have the kids judged...they behaved really well today. I was hoping for some major conflicts that would incur the wrath and punishments of a judge.
I better understand why it takes an educated people to understand Democracy. It's a complicated system.
When I got out of the shower, the kids were reading books or "working" (my 4yo daughter) in workbooks. Instead of starting the school day with me telling them what to do, I decided that I didn't need to suggest a law when it was already being obeyed. So I just sat on the couch and followed their lead. I listened as my 8yo showed me pictures and read me stuff from a book about Egypt. I resisted the temptation to tell them what to do next. When they were done reading, I let them vote on whether they wanted to play or do a learning activity. My 6yo asked if they could do a learning activity on the computer. I told them that they could if they voted for it. Majority ruled. They did math games on the computer until lunch time. And they got along with each other.
After lunch was gymnastics. We had a surprise visit from Grandma and she spent the rest of the day with us. We only voted a few more times, and the kids spent the rest of the day playing with their cousins. But I did have them establish their own rules for Wii play. Which turned out to be very nice. I didn't hear the usual bickering that I hear when they play on the Wii.
My biggest Ah-ha. On the way to gymnastics, my 4yo and 6yo did not tease each other at all. They were talking nicely with each other. I think it's because I didn't stress them out this morning with always telling them what to do all the time and giving them the freedom to do good things. I also think it's because they were in charge of what they could do.
Tomorrow...Anarchy. I plan on sleeping in, getting in a full hour work-out, only fixing food for myself (and baby), only washing my own dishes, and catching up on some much-needed reading. As for the kids, we'll see what happens.
And the next day, Communism. I'll have to put everyone to work to fix what happens after a day of Anarchy. Plus, the pay won't be good at all.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
A Learning Rich Environment
Years ago, I realized that having a learning rich environment was going to be an essential ingredient of my mothering and of my children's education. I think it's the foundation upon what I allow in the home and what I veto. It's also an attitude I have towards what kinds of things I encourage my kids to spend their time doing. For example, I try not to interrupt them when they are "practicing/playing" the piano even if they do have chores to do because I want them to develop their musical talents. We have several maps up in the house...the World and the US maps in the kitchen that frequently spawn geography discussions. We have book shelves everywhere, including in both of the kids' bedrooms. I used to keep the crayons and markers out of my oldest son's reach when he was little to avert messes, then I decided to make them more accessible to everyone. They're on the 4th shelf of the bookshelf so my baby doesn't get into them at will. My daughter gets them down daily to draw, color, or write. (Maybe that's why my oldest has an aversion to writing...I prohibited him free access to it when he was 3...). I try to be available to answer their questions. Sometimes I try to encourage the older one to find his own answers.
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| My house often looks this crazy! |
I try to say Yes to my kids. I so often tell them No, we can't do that right now--so it's really good when I tell them Yes. Usually it's something that creates a mess or requires a lot of me/time to make it happen. Lately, my 6yo has just been doing his own thing when I tell him Yes. Sometimes I just have to take a deep breath and allow him to do it his own way because I know it's ultimately good for him to try and succeed or try and fail on his own. He also is exercising his independence and leadership when he does that. My 4yo daughter will just do it anyway...so it's better when I give her permission so I don't have to scold her later.
I also try not to interrupt my children when they are doing "constructive" play...like pretend play and cooperative play and inventive/building play. Lately, I've been getting a little stingy about the types of toys I allow in the house. There are so many "junk" toys out there that don't encourage make believe play or interaction or invention/building and just make lots of messes, so I've been putting my foot down on those. And I've encouraged their Grandma's to get them toys and activities that encourage learning. We still get plenty of "junk" toys from birthday parties. But I try to limit what they bring home on their own. I think that helps.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Educational Philosophies
A friend on Facebook asked me advice as to what to do to get ready to homeschool her children. Her oldest is 2, so she has a bit of time to research things. This is what I said to her. I would like to share this because it's basically a compilation and record (for myself) of the research I've done on homeschooling methods/philosophies for the past several years.
It's good that you want to start gathering information already. The best thing I can recommend is to do a bunch of reading...I think it's important to decide how you want to home educate your children. Because each way is so different, it's important that you do your research and decide on something that can provide a great foundation for your home education. The reason why I say that is that there are SO MANY resources, educational philosophies, and curriculums. But if you choose an educational philosophy that resonates with you, it will be easier to narrow down what you feel like with work with you and your family. The reason why I say you is that you will be their primary educator, so you need to choose a philosophy that really resonates with you.
Here are some educational philosophies that are worth looking into. Just check out books from the library at first...only buy the ones that resonate with you.
www.homeschool.com has a bunch of other resources if you want to pick and choose your curriculum/resources. They also have a bunch of webcasts that you can listen to that give you a general idea of the different philosophies. I've listened to some of them and haven't thoroughly researched these things. But at least I have a basic understanding what each one is and it has helped me realize if it's for me or not.
School at home:
Basically it looks a lot like school at home...textbooks, workbooks, assignments, quizzes, etc.
www.k12.com is a good example of what this looks like.
Non-traditional types of schooling:
Unschooling: Look up Unschooling on the internet and you'll come across some articles written by a male teacher who got fed up with the educational system and started promoting unschooling. Basically...provide your kids with tools for learning, don't force them to learn, and they will amaze you with how much they want to learn and how much they do learn.
Charlotte Mason: She seems to focus on early education...nature studies, children's natural curiosity. She encourages a lot of reading, especially living books which would be like classics and scripture.
Waldorf: Chants and rote memorization in the early years combined with life skills like knitting, sculpting in bees wax, baking. Waldorf describes what ages learn which skills best. He doesn't push reading and writing until 1st/2nd grade. Lots of nature time.
Lapbooking and Unit studies: A unit study is when you take one topic (like astronomy) and bring in a bunch of subjects to teach it (read stories, work math problems, do science experiments, read history of astronomers). Lapbooks are a popular way of bringing the unit study together in a portfolio form.
Montessori: Systematically teaching your child one skill that builds upon another. Encourages learning at one's own pace. Uses a lot of touch and manipulative. There are many charter schools that use her methods.
Classical education:
Book: The Well-Trained Mind: education based on the Trivium. Early grades focus on the grammar of learning--memorization of facts. Middle years focus on bringing that learning into context. Later years focus on rhetoric--being able to effectively communicate that learning to others. The book is very detailed in the curriculum it recommends and even gives sample scheduling as to how to implement it in the home.
Book: Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education: A classical based education based off of the kind of education the founding fathers received...from mentors, not teachers. The way the mentor (parent or other) guides the child (the learner is in charge of his/her education, the mentor guides and inspires the education but doesn't force it) in learning changes as they move through phases. Preserving the Love of Learning throughout all phases is essential.
Core phase (0-8 yrs) is all about right/wrong, good/bad, work/play.
Love of Learning (9-12ish) begins to love reading, learning, experimenting, exploring, inventing, etc, but still engages in a lot of childhood play.
Scholar phase (13-18) is when the learner buckles down and really studies...often 8+ hours a day. Gaps are filled in, learning really happens.
Depth phase (19-25) is essentially college...where the depth and breadth of learning and knowledge happens.
Mission phase (life) is when you take your knowledge and learning and pass it along to others through the special life mission that is God's gift to you as a unique person.
The philosophy that resonates the most with me is the Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education. But it took a few years after reading the book the first time for me to really agree with it. :) I don't follow their recommendations, I do my own thing. A lot of homeschoolers do their own thing...mix and match. They call it eclectic homeschooling.
I hope this all helps!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
A Peep into our Homeschool Life
I am taking some classes for me...for the MOM and I love, love, love them. This summer, I took a class about energy management and renewal. I studied several youth classics like Heidi, The Bronze Bow, Little Men. Right now I'm studying Uncle Tom's Cabin. And I'm taking a class about the nuts and bolts of homeschooling...simplifying, family work, and I forget the name of the last session. I just listened to the recording of the class on simplifying (since I'm not able to attend at the time). And it was so good. I decided to email the teachers and this is what I wrote them. I'm sharing this on my blog because so many people ask me what my homeschool day looks like and this covers it a bit:
I just now watched the recording and I just have to say THANK YOU! I always need the reminder to simplify. For me, it's mostly about simplifying my schedule. But I also have found that simplifying my stuff helps me sail through a busier schedule better. A few months ago, we purged about 1/2 of all of our kids' toys. I'm ready to get rid of more. :) Always. I've always been pretty good about minimal clothing. I have 4 kids and just 2 dressers. They each have 3 drawers and it helps me keep up on the laundry. There's no way I can go a week with letting the laundry pile up, somebody will run out of something.
I'll just share a little about what's going on with me right now. I have kids 8, 6, 4, 1. We're already busy with music lessons, soccer season, Cub Scouts and me being a new Den leader (with the learning curve), a LOLIPOP group with me being a project leader, twice-a-month homeschool park days, working at my husband's office one afternoon a week (because I already tried doing the marketing from home for 2 years and I just didn't get much done--he started his own business 2 3/4 years ago so it's still in the building phase), and watching my 5yo nephew once a week so his mom can get quality 1 on 1 time with her 10yo Love Of Learning daughter...that's my family service.
Some weeks, I can handle it. I'm so glad I started meditating a few months ago...and that I decided to work on anger management. August and September were really bad months for me. My 4yo daughter started saying the "I hate you" phrase a little too much because I was wound up a little too much and my voice was a little too harsh too often. But sometime in September, the meditation started kicking in and more often than not, I find myself handling situations with more calm and perspective instead of just reacting.
Last week, because I don't feel right about pulling out of the music lessons (I'm committed for the semester) and soccer season right now, I decided to simplify my academic expectations for them. (It's not like our schooling schedule was even rigorous...I was only doing core subjects once a week since they are all basically Core phasers: Monday was Math day, Tuesday was History/Countries, Wednesday was Science, and Thursday was Grammar/Spelling.) But with our schedule and chores and their need to practice their music lessons, it was taking a toll and they really just wanted to play anytime we were home. So last week, I told them that we would put a hold on the formal schooling and just get back to the basics...work, reading time, play, and music practice. I even put reading time right after breakfast instead of requiring the work first because they always gravitate to the couch with a book right after breakfast. I used to fight that and push them to work, but now I'm trying the devotional and reading. They sure like it. I still have to push them to do their work after reading time...they just want to play. It's working, usually. Each of them is also more prone to wanting to practice their music. I will probably keep it this way until somebody starts asking/begging to do core subjects again.
I still feel like I don't have enough time in my days. My afternoons are too busy so I'm not getting as much personal study time in and they aren't getting as much quiet time in. I'm sure there is more I can do to simplify our family schedules. I love the idea of saving mornings for home. I can't wait until my oldest is old enough to leave home with the napping baby...that's one of the hardest parts of having all young children. Any time I have to go somewhere, everyone has to come, too, whether they like it or not.
I would ask for your suggestions, but I know that I just need to pray and ask God how I need to simplify. The last time I asked Him what I should take out (I'm always telling my husband that I'll be happy to quit any time he can find a replacement for me), I actually got an interesting answer...I felt like He didn't want me to remove anything but that He wanted me to keep doing these things and learn (efficiency? leadership? better time management? household management? delegation?) and grow because of everything I'm doing.
One thing I've done is implemented a more solid reading time which includes poetry and regular reading from classics. I'm building in the devotional. I'm so hit and miss with that. When I do bring back regular academics, it will be when one or more of my kids wants more learning after our reading time is done.
Thanks for letting me ramble.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
One thing is Constant
Change.
Since my last post, a whole lot in our life has changed. We welcomed a baby boy into our family last April! Needless to say, the '10 and '11 school year came and went and now my next son is reading, my oldest loves math, and my 3yo daughter is trying to keep up with everyone!! It's a constant struggle trying to figure out what's "best" for our family, but it's a great struggle to have.
We added something to our "school time" that we have just loved...hiking with another homeschool family. We live in the perfect place for hiking (near Prescott, AZ). It's something I've loved all my life and I decided the best way to incorporate it into my own life is to include my children.
It's fun to turn heads as just a couple of moms and 7 young children go hiking in the middle of a school day. And it's awesome because our kids are learning tons of stuff! As we hike, we stop to look at plants, insects, birds, reptiles, deer, the geology, and we get exercise along with learning how to be tough, be persistent, navigate the trails, reach goals, hang out with friends, and just have fun.
Since my last post, a whole lot in our life has changed. We welcomed a baby boy into our family last April! Needless to say, the '10 and '11 school year came and went and now my next son is reading, my oldest loves math, and my 3yo daughter is trying to keep up with everyone!! It's a constant struggle trying to figure out what's "best" for our family, but it's a great struggle to have.
We added something to our "school time" that we have just loved...hiking with another homeschool family. We live in the perfect place for hiking (near Prescott, AZ). It's something I've loved all my life and I decided the best way to incorporate it into my own life is to include my children.
It's fun to turn heads as just a couple of moms and 7 young children go hiking in the middle of a school day. And it's awesome because our kids are learning tons of stuff! As we hike, we stop to look at plants, insects, birds, reptiles, deer, the geology, and we get exercise along with learning how to be tough, be persistent, navigate the trails, reach goals, hang out with friends, and just have fun.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Swamped
A homeschool blog that I follow, Latter-day Homeschooling, has a post that asks homeschooling moms to share their schedules. It's always nice to hear different ideas on how different families organize their days. I always need it because it's inspirational. And I'm planning on linking this to the site. Not because I think my schedule is amazing. It's not. I'm not even following it. It's because our lives are swamped right now, yet we're doing what we need to do. And I'm sure we're not the only family out there who is swamped. So...this is for those moms who are swamped and might feel guilty about how organized others are when life just isn't allowing you to be organized yet.
It's okay! That's where I am, too!
I have a 6yo, a 4yo, and a 2yo, so I feel blessed that our schooling doesn't have to be rigorous right now while life is swamped. We can just stick to the basics and encourage learning in anything the kids are interested in and that's fine! It always amazes me how often the kids choose to do something academic when they are not pushed to do it.
We started our school year in the middle of August because public school starts then, too. I've decided to do 6 week sessions with 6 weeks on and 1 week off. We just do "school work" Mon-Thurs with a break on Friday. I started the first 6 weeks following a routine schedule (I'm not ready to go by the clock...I enjoy my freedom too much!)...breakfast, KidSchool/devotional, family work, lunch, quiet time/reading, project time, dinner. On school days, they are not allowed to watch TV and I occasionally allow them to play an "educational" computer game. If they get bored, I encourage them to do a learning activity or work.
But life happens. My husband's work schedule has been very erratic lately (he just started a business last January and has his practice open for patients on different days to keep operating costs down). He's great at doing educational things with the kids, but he's not the best at following a routine schedule. So, my routine schedule has mostly gone out the window. :) (It hasn't helped that we've had unexpected company, sickness, new demanding church callings, and always working to boost business.)
That's okay. The kids are still learning. Mainly, I have felt the need to teach them more about family work. So that has been one of our foci (plural for focus, right?). Mon and Thurs are laundry days, Wed is clean-the-house day, Tues is errands (generally). Fri is daily basics, and oddly, they often want to do an art project or play an educational game on Fridays! If only we didn't have so much housework to do! (Maybe I need to re-think the amount of work we do every day...to free up time for school?)
Amazingly, my 6yo has made a significant jump in his reading skills just in the last week (yea for having him read his own verse during family scripture study!). We still make regular visits to the library, which always results in bringing many books home. The kids have adjusted well to no TV on school days, and it does really create that boredom vacuum where they choose to do something educational (and to me, a 6yo following a complicated Lego instruction booklet for a couple of hours each day for a week to complete a Lego design is educational...it stretched his concentration, problem solving skills, matching, patterns, etc) . The 6yo started 4H and is really excited about that. The 4yo and 6yo begin soccer tomorrow. We participate in a weekly Adventure group where we attend a museum, go to a park, or a lake with other homeschool families.
And just feeding the natural curiosity of a child helps them learn. I answer their questions, and let them play (I try hard not to interrupt it...if I need to, I wait until the play-harmony is gone, then I step in). The other day, they watched The Restoration video and then went outside, rearranged some rocks in our backyard, and searched for the Golden Plates. At the very least, my busy-ness allows them ample opportunities to play. And when I listen to their play, I can hear them grow in their understanding of the world around them. And, oddly, I'm at peace with how their education is going right now.
It's okay! That's where I am, too!
I have a 6yo, a 4yo, and a 2yo, so I feel blessed that our schooling doesn't have to be rigorous right now while life is swamped. We can just stick to the basics and encourage learning in anything the kids are interested in and that's fine! It always amazes me how often the kids choose to do something academic when they are not pushed to do it.
We started our school year in the middle of August because public school starts then, too. I've decided to do 6 week sessions with 6 weeks on and 1 week off. We just do "school work" Mon-Thurs with a break on Friday. I started the first 6 weeks following a routine schedule (I'm not ready to go by the clock...I enjoy my freedom too much!)...breakfast, KidSchool/devotional, family work, lunch, quiet time/reading, project time, dinner. On school days, they are not allowed to watch TV and I occasionally allow them to play an "educational" computer game. If they get bored, I encourage them to do a learning activity or work.
But life happens. My husband's work schedule has been very erratic lately (he just started a business last January and has his practice open for patients on different days to keep operating costs down). He's great at doing educational things with the kids, but he's not the best at following a routine schedule. So, my routine schedule has mostly gone out the window. :) (It hasn't helped that we've had unexpected company, sickness, new demanding church callings, and always working to boost business.)
That's okay. The kids are still learning. Mainly, I have felt the need to teach them more about family work. So that has been one of our foci (plural for focus, right?). Mon and Thurs are laundry days, Wed is clean-the-house day, Tues is errands (generally). Fri is daily basics, and oddly, they often want to do an art project or play an educational game on Fridays! If only we didn't have so much housework to do! (Maybe I need to re-think the amount of work we do every day...to free up time for school?)
Amazingly, my 6yo has made a significant jump in his reading skills just in the last week (yea for having him read his own verse during family scripture study!). We still make regular visits to the library, which always results in bringing many books home. The kids have adjusted well to no TV on school days, and it does really create that boredom vacuum where they choose to do something educational (and to me, a 6yo following a complicated Lego instruction booklet for a couple of hours each day for a week to complete a Lego design is educational...it stretched his concentration, problem solving skills, matching, patterns, etc) . The 6yo started 4H and is really excited about that. The 4yo and 6yo begin soccer tomorrow. We participate in a weekly Adventure group where we attend a museum, go to a park, or a lake with other homeschool families.
And just feeding the natural curiosity of a child helps them learn. I answer their questions, and let them play (I try hard not to interrupt it...if I need to, I wait until the play-harmony is gone, then I step in). The other day, they watched The Restoration video and then went outside, rearranged some rocks in our backyard, and searched for the Golden Plates. At the very least, my busy-ness allows them ample opportunities to play. And when I listen to their play, I can hear them grow in their understanding of the world around them. And, oddly, I'm at peace with how their education is going right now.
Gettin Organized
With the start of a new school year comes the itch to not only figure out some curriculum, but also to GET ORGANIZED! Ahhh. It always feels so good to organize a little. But it didn't turn out as I planned. This was my plan: toys in the closet, school toys in the armoire (so I could put a child lock on it and theoretically only allow the children access to those items at certain times of the day. It's The Closet idea taken from TJed families, best explained on this blog.).
My 4yo did not like the idea of me moving his toys out of the armoire. So, after tears, settling down, and sincere "please," I changed it around. School toys, science projects, learning games, puppets, art supplies, Legos are now in their closet and the toys are back where they once were. And none of it looks as good now as it did then. :) At least the kids pick up after themselves!
As I was working on that, I decided to act on an idea I've had for months...to get another book shelf in our Living Room and use some of the shelves for homeschooling supplies. During some of my several back-to-school shopping runs to Target (I just love their $1 Spot at school time for inexpensive workbooks, games, and books), I luckily ran into some darling storage things that were actually in my price range (aka, almost free. j/k but under $5)!
after
I just love how it turned out! The left bookshelf houses a lot of our family albums, pictures, and scrapbooks. The middle bookshelf is full of fiction and non-fiction. The right bookshelf is mainly dedicated to piano books on the bottom, curriculum and school journals in the middle, markers and colored pencils up high, and the baskets hold art supplies (paint, playdough, etc) that just need to stay out of the reach of my toddler.
For once, we have bookshelves with a little bit of room for decoration! (Not to mention the 3 boxes of books out in the garage that could maybe use a place for display in the home.) But I hope to be buying more books this year, so some of that decoration space will get filled up with books. And that's fine!
My 4yo did not like the idea of me moving his toys out of the armoire. So, after tears, settling down, and sincere "please," I changed it around. School toys, science projects, learning games, puppets, art supplies, Legos are now in their closet and the toys are back where they once were. And none of it looks as good now as it did then. :) At least the kids pick up after themselves!As I was working on that, I decided to act on an idea I've had for months...to get another book shelf in our Living Room and use some of the shelves for homeschooling supplies. During some of my several back-to-school shopping runs to Target (I just love their $1 Spot at school time for inexpensive workbooks, games, and books), I luckily ran into some darling storage things that were actually in my price range (aka, almost free. j/k but under $5)!
before
after
I just love how it turned out! The left bookshelf houses a lot of our family albums, pictures, and scrapbooks. The middle bookshelf is full of fiction and non-fiction. The right bookshelf is mainly dedicated to piano books on the bottom, curriculum and school journals in the middle, markers and colored pencils up high, and the baskets hold art supplies (paint, playdough, etc) that just need to stay out of the reach of my toddler.For once, we have bookshelves with a little bit of room for decoration! (Not to mention the 3 boxes of books out in the garage that could maybe use a place for display in the home.) But I hope to be buying more books this year, so some of that decoration space will get filled up with books. And that's fine!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
6 Week Schedule
This summer, I kept flip-flopping between homeschool and regular school. I realized I hadn't really researched all the schools in the area (we have open enrollment and charter schools) so I looked into a Waldorf-inspired charter school and a Montessori-inspired charter school. My biggest hang-up still is this...I will be responsible for my kids' education, until they take it on themselves and go to college (hopefully, they'll take full responsibility before that). But I also was just plain scared to start...for real (my oldest will be 6 this month).
And then I went to a leadership seminar. And the speaker talked about how kids/youth are so well trained in mediocrity and following others. And then I remembered one of my number one reasons for homeschooling: leadership education.
For some of you, you will recognize that it sounds like the Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education. And it does. I've read their 3 books on how to make a leadership education happen in your home. And I want that end result for my kids, too. But I have put them on the shelf for the last few months because I know that I need to teach my children my way.
I respect the leadership education model, especially "teaching" by example, independent learning on the child's part, teaching through classics, holding off on rigorous education until the child's brain is ready for it. But truthfully, I'm not passionate about becoming a Constitutionalist, a Freedom Fighter, or anything else political. And so many of the TJed webinars and classes point somewhere in that direction because they firmly believe (as I take it) that this educational model will produce the next generation of Jeffersons, Adams, and Washingtons to save our country. Not that it's a bad thing. It just isn't my thing (or mission, as a TJed-er would say). So, I'm being my own leader and doing it in my own way.
When I came across the 6 week homeschool schedule, I thought, yeah...this really could work for me (TJed recommends a 3 month schedule, with larger breaks every 6 months to purge your home and reorganize)! 6 weeks on, one week off. I can do this! I can follow a schedule for 6 weeks! I can have a week off to breath, plan, then get back to work again!
I asked my kids what they want to learn about, and both said "Outer Space!" So, it looks like our first 6 weeks will focus on Outer Space. And it looks like I'm headed towards unit studies...
But, that's what homeschool is all about...coming up with ways and revamping them constantly to give our children the education they deserve! (I still think my blog title is relevant...hsing is always an experiment!)
And then I went to a leadership seminar. And the speaker talked about how kids/youth are so well trained in mediocrity and following others. And then I remembered one of my number one reasons for homeschooling: leadership education.
For some of you, you will recognize that it sounds like the Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education. And it does. I've read their 3 books on how to make a leadership education happen in your home. And I want that end result for my kids, too. But I have put them on the shelf for the last few months because I know that I need to teach my children my way.
I respect the leadership education model, especially "teaching" by example, independent learning on the child's part, teaching through classics, holding off on rigorous education until the child's brain is ready for it. But truthfully, I'm not passionate about becoming a Constitutionalist, a Freedom Fighter, or anything else political. And so many of the TJed webinars and classes point somewhere in that direction because they firmly believe (as I take it) that this educational model will produce the next generation of Jeffersons, Adams, and Washingtons to save our country. Not that it's a bad thing. It just isn't my thing (or mission, as a TJed-er would say). So, I'm being my own leader and doing it in my own way.
When I came across the 6 week homeschool schedule, I thought, yeah...this really could work for me (TJed recommends a 3 month schedule, with larger breaks every 6 months to purge your home and reorganize)! 6 weeks on, one week off. I can do this! I can follow a schedule for 6 weeks! I can have a week off to breath, plan, then get back to work again!
I asked my kids what they want to learn about, and both said "Outer Space!" So, it looks like our first 6 weeks will focus on Outer Space. And it looks like I'm headed towards unit studies...
But, that's what homeschool is all about...coming up with ways and revamping them constantly to give our children the education they deserve! (I still think my blog title is relevant...hsing is always an experiment!)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sing a Song
The other day, I had a cute idea to turn a Nursery Rhyme into an activity, so they could understand what it means better. I chose "Sing a Song of Sixpence" because of the numbers in it (I have to make a point to do math with my kids, so I try to bring it in whenever I can). Boy, did they have fun with this!!
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing,
Was not this a dainty dish to set before the king?
Before we started making the play-dough birds, I asked how many birds we (4) each would have to make in order to get 24. I counted on six fingers 4 times to get to 24. They didn't really get it at all, but I was happy to have at least introduced the concept of multiplication to them. They also had A LOT of fun with the play dough. Then they wanted to dress up. The king is a pumpkin king. We all loved this morning activity!
Bonus pics because they're just too cute!
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing, Was not this a dainty dish to set before the king?
Before we started making the play-dough birds, I asked how many birds we (4) each would have to make in order to get 24. I counted on six fingers 4 times to get to 24. They didn't really get it at all, but I was happy to have at least introduced the concept of multiplication to them. They also had A LOT of fun with the play dough. Then they wanted to dress up. The king is a pumpkin king. We all loved this morning activity!
Bonus pics because they're just too cute!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Figuring Out What's Mine
Today I have found myself reflecting. I have observed other children just naturally do and do well. Yesterday at the park, I was observing a 10 year old boy playing with the agility of a seasoned athlete and a 4 year old boy playing catch with his grandpa (or dad?) with much better skill than my 5 year old (I know, I'm comparing and I shouldn't). The other day, I was reading friends' blogs. I enjoyed reading about the things they do with their children...outings, art projects, soccer games, silliness, healthy eating habits, etc. My kids also watched a video on Yahoo! made by a dad and narrated by his pre-schooler that was really cute.
I couldn't help thinking (because I'm always thinking about homeschool...now that it's a part of our life)...am I really giving my kids what they need with homeschool? Are they going to be well rounded?
And when I honestly answer myself, I have to say probably not. And that is something I'll have to continually address. But I can give them ample opportunities to learn what interests them and to participate in activities that interest them. And I can teach them what is Mine. But I have to think about what is Mine because it's hard to obviously see...it's what is a part of me and my learning and my individual intelligence. But it's there...and it's what I naturally gravitate in teaching my children. And my kids are already learning that stuff.
Here is an example of teaching something that is Mine. As my 5yo was climbing into bed (literally, since he sleeps on the top bunk), he started talking about the 3 times the devil tempted Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4. I couldn't remember talking with him about this and I quickly looked at his Primary handout...and it doesn't look like they talked about that today, either, but I decided to roll with it. I wanted to get it right so I pulled out the Bible and paraphrased the story with them...interspersing real scripture phrases with the story. The boys were enthralled!
When I finished, my 4yo asked me to tell the story again! So I retold it in a watered-down version. Then we had a discussion about the devil and how he tries to get us to make wrong choices. We talked about him having no body and never being able to have a body because of his wrong choice...and that he is jealous of our bodies. My 5yo kept asking deep questions like where the devil lives. And my 4yo said how important it is for us to obey Jesus and not Satan (and I heard him telling that to his little sister earlier today, too).
I think that the kids are ready for the whole Plan of Salvation lesson for Family Home Evening tomorrow.
This list is more for me than anything. Things that are mine:
Scripture and religion
Music...playing the piano, flute, guitar, harmonica, recorder, tapping beats
Appreciation of nature through hiking, outdoor exercise, camping, bird watching, observing plants, wading in creeks, playing in the sand...they take it a step further with their fascination in bugs
Geography (we have a world map hanging above our living room couch...it creates a lot of spontaneous teaching moments)
Astronomy (very amateur)
Geology (also very amateur)
Travel (right now we take advantage of close trips...someday, we will hopefully be able to go abroad)
People and cultures, especially Chilean (where I served my mission), Middle Eastern (especially Egypt thanks to The Prince of Egypt and my experience to do a Study Abroad in Jerusalem), and Korean (where my husband served his mission)
Spanish
Literature...right now we're still just reading great children's books
Human anatomy (it's easy when the children are on my level!)
Agency
Responsibility
Baking
Cooking
Reading
Swimming
Soccer/back-yard games (like tag, croquet)
Singing
Hey, that list isn't that bad! It's more well-rounded than I thought! It's just lacking in the things I knew it would...art and math. At least the kids are self-motivated to do art and math doesn't scare me. I just have to make a point of doing those things.
I couldn't help thinking (because I'm always thinking about homeschool...now that it's a part of our life)...am I really giving my kids what they need with homeschool? Are they going to be well rounded?
And when I honestly answer myself, I have to say probably not. And that is something I'll have to continually address. But I can give them ample opportunities to learn what interests them and to participate in activities that interest them. And I can teach them what is Mine. But I have to think about what is Mine because it's hard to obviously see...it's what is a part of me and my learning and my individual intelligence. But it's there...and it's what I naturally gravitate in teaching my children. And my kids are already learning that stuff.
Here is an example of teaching something that is Mine. As my 5yo was climbing into bed (literally, since he sleeps on the top bunk), he started talking about the 3 times the devil tempted Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4. I couldn't remember talking with him about this and I quickly looked at his Primary handout...and it doesn't look like they talked about that today, either, but I decided to roll with it. I wanted to get it right so I pulled out the Bible and paraphrased the story with them...interspersing real scripture phrases with the story. The boys were enthralled!
When I finished, my 4yo asked me to tell the story again! So I retold it in a watered-down version. Then we had a discussion about the devil and how he tries to get us to make wrong choices. We talked about him having no body and never being able to have a body because of his wrong choice...and that he is jealous of our bodies. My 5yo kept asking deep questions like where the devil lives. And my 4yo said how important it is for us to obey Jesus and not Satan (and I heard him telling that to his little sister earlier today, too).
I think that the kids are ready for the whole Plan of Salvation lesson for Family Home Evening tomorrow.
This list is more for me than anything. Things that are mine:
Scripture and religion
Music...playing the piano, flute, guitar, harmonica, recorder, tapping beats
Appreciation of nature through hiking, outdoor exercise, camping, bird watching, observing plants, wading in creeks, playing in the sand...they take it a step further with their fascination in bugs
Geography (we have a world map hanging above our living room couch...it creates a lot of spontaneous teaching moments)
Astronomy (very amateur)
Geology (also very amateur)
Travel (right now we take advantage of close trips...someday, we will hopefully be able to go abroad)
People and cultures, especially Chilean (where I served my mission), Middle Eastern (especially Egypt thanks to The Prince of Egypt and my experience to do a Study Abroad in Jerusalem), and Korean (where my husband served his mission)
Spanish
Literature...right now we're still just reading great children's books
Human anatomy (it's easy when the children are on my level!)
Agency
Responsibility
Baking
Cooking
Reading
Swimming
Soccer/back-yard games (like tag, croquet)
Singing
Hey, that list isn't that bad! It's more well-rounded than I thought! It's just lacking in the things I knew it would...art and math. At least the kids are self-motivated to do art and math doesn't scare me. I just have to make a point of doing those things.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A Good Day
One thing about homeschooling is that "productivity" is unpredictable. Especially in the sporadic way I go about it! But today was a good, productive day. Although I didn't get all the cleaning done I was hoping to do (the blasted vacuum), the kids were very interested in learning. So I went with it. And I learned something, too.
Also, I've had a friend ask me how I homeschool. This is a glance at how I do it. I try to inspire my kids with books and learning in general, but I also follow their lead when they are interested in learning or doing something educational.
5yo...he did lesson 53 in his Reading lesson book. He practiced counting to 100...and he did most of it himself, with only a little prodding from me with getting his 10s right (he kept wanting to say "thirteen" for 30 and so on). I also had him place beans on a 1-100 number card...I figured that was a good prep exercise for future games like putting beans on random numbers and skip counting. He also insisted on "writing" in oatmeal. I put about a cup of oatmeal on a cookie sheet and he practices his letters. The oatmeal then became the desert for his animal toys. And, here's the best part, almost everything he did today was his own idea! Yeah!! (I'm all for self-guided learning!)
For both boys, we worked on and worked on and worked on picking up what we get out before moving on to the next activity. That still needs a lot of working on.
4yo...he couldn't keep his hands off of anything. It did drive me crazy at one point, but I think we're both learning lessons on how to channel his curiosities in a positive way. Okay, so, what was he doing? He kept taking things apart on the vacuum...(it's not his fault it wasn't working...I just bought it from a yard sale and the person missinformed me about its usefulness). Well, he happened to remove the bagless container after I had vacuumed, and since it's a new vacuum to us, he didn't know that a certain lever would open it and...very dirty couch, yelling mom, time out, learn a lesson, help mom clean it all up.
My 5yo took out a stapler for a craft, and while we were doing the reading lesson, the 4yo was trying to figure out how it worked. He successfully removed the spring, stretched it in the process, and couldn't put it back together again...because the spring had lost its sprung.
He also kept fidgeting with our new printer.
And he asked me how soda was made. We found a couple of videos on YouTube, this one is our favorite (it's very entertaining). He watched it over and over...and then he had to show his brother and then watched it over and over. I think we'll have to make some home made soda.
So, my 4yo is clearly into tinkering and figuring out how things work. I've known this for a long time, but he has never been into so many things in one day. I've decided that we need to set up some rules: like where to tinker and with what. So, instead of trying to sell our ink-guzzling old printer on Craig's list, I think I'll let him tinker with it. Instead of trashing the old vacuum (not the garage sale one...I'm going to try to get my money back for that), I'll let him tinker with it...in the garage.
I'm really excited about this "discovery." I do want to allow him a safe environment where he has things he can take apart and try to put back together. He has already asked me what motors are and what engines do. I remember hearing (or reading) about how Steven Spielberg's mother allowed him to rearrange the house to create sets for the movies he created when he was younger...and he later became an amazing movie director. So, I don't want to hold my little guy back just because it makes a mess. I want him to explore his potential so he can reach greater heights.
And my 21mo--she "helped" me with putting away laundry, "helped" with making breakfast, made us laugh, went to time out for fake crying too much, ran around being teased and teasing back, pulled books off of shelves, wore everyone's shoes at least once, and pointed to a car in a book and said "maw, maw." I guess that's her word for car. Yay. She's learning more words! She also looked at almost every page in my "coffee table" book about the country of Jordan. She kept pointing at the ancient Roman ruins and she loved the waterfall. She also enjoyed the buildings of Petra. Who knows what future mysteries this girl will unravel?
Also, I've had a friend ask me how I homeschool. This is a glance at how I do it. I try to inspire my kids with books and learning in general, but I also follow their lead when they are interested in learning or doing something educational.
5yo...he did lesson 53 in his Reading lesson book. He practiced counting to 100...and he did most of it himself, with only a little prodding from me with getting his 10s right (he kept wanting to say "thirteen" for 30 and so on). I also had him place beans on a 1-100 number card...I figured that was a good prep exercise for future games like putting beans on random numbers and skip counting. He also insisted on "writing" in oatmeal. I put about a cup of oatmeal on a cookie sheet and he practices his letters. The oatmeal then became the desert for his animal toys. And, here's the best part, almost everything he did today was his own idea! Yeah!! (I'm all for self-guided learning!)
For both boys, we worked on and worked on and worked on picking up what we get out before moving on to the next activity. That still needs a lot of working on.
4yo...he couldn't keep his hands off of anything. It did drive me crazy at one point, but I think we're both learning lessons on how to channel his curiosities in a positive way. Okay, so, what was he doing? He kept taking things apart on the vacuum...(it's not his fault it wasn't working...I just bought it from a yard sale and the person missinformed me about its usefulness). Well, he happened to remove the bagless container after I had vacuumed, and since it's a new vacuum to us, he didn't know that a certain lever would open it and...very dirty couch, yelling mom, time out, learn a lesson, help mom clean it all up.
My 5yo took out a stapler for a craft, and while we were doing the reading lesson, the 4yo was trying to figure out how it worked. He successfully removed the spring, stretched it in the process, and couldn't put it back together again...because the spring had lost its sprung.
He also kept fidgeting with our new printer.
And he asked me how soda was made. We found a couple of videos on YouTube, this one is our favorite (it's very entertaining). He watched it over and over...and then he had to show his brother and then watched it over and over. I think we'll have to make some home made soda.
So, my 4yo is clearly into tinkering and figuring out how things work. I've known this for a long time, but he has never been into so many things in one day. I've decided that we need to set up some rules: like where to tinker and with what. So, instead of trying to sell our ink-guzzling old printer on Craig's list, I think I'll let him tinker with it. Instead of trashing the old vacuum (not the garage sale one...I'm going to try to get my money back for that), I'll let him tinker with it...in the garage.
I'm really excited about this "discovery." I do want to allow him a safe environment where he has things he can take apart and try to put back together. He has already asked me what motors are and what engines do. I remember hearing (or reading) about how Steven Spielberg's mother allowed him to rearrange the house to create sets for the movies he created when he was younger...and he later became an amazing movie director. So, I don't want to hold my little guy back just because it makes a mess. I want him to explore his potential so he can reach greater heights.
And my 21mo--she "helped" me with putting away laundry, "helped" with making breakfast, made us laugh, went to time out for fake crying too much, ran around being teased and teasing back, pulled books off of shelves, wore everyone's shoes at least once, and pointed to a car in a book and said "maw, maw." I guess that's her word for car. Yay. She's learning more words! She also looked at almost every page in my "coffee table" book about the country of Jordan. She kept pointing at the ancient Roman ruins and she loved the waterfall. She also enjoyed the buildings of Petra. Who knows what future mysteries this girl will unravel?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Little Explorers
Right now, I'm reading this book called Homeschooling for Success, which I found out about on Homeschool.com. I just have to say that I really, really like it. I'm finding so many things in there that I agree with...and so many things that are very encouraging to me. Here is a sample of something I read today that I really like. It's in the chapter that talks about "Finding Your Child's Special Genius," which talks about the many different learning styles and how suggestions in teaching to those styles.
"Allow your child to 'sample' different interests
"While this might seem easier to apply to your homeschooling than learning styles or intelligences, there is a catch: You have to let your child quit. Yes, you have to let her quit piano after only two months if she decides piano is not for her. (She may come back to it later.) (Story about a girl who wanted to learn to dance at 3yro and quit soon after. She started again at 6 and danced for 12 years and decided to make dance her life's work.)
"Children have to sample many different things in life so that first 'spark' of interest in something can ignite. They are building up a library of what the world has to offer. If they are stuck in piano, they might never have a chance to discover they have a special talent in guitar, drums, or singing. As a parent, you have to have to be your child's 'interest advocate.' And this is going to be hard. You have to stand up to other adults and maybe even grandparents that think you are raising a quitter. Your children are not quitters, they're explorers. Give them this special time in life to explore what they find interesting. Often one pursuit lends itself to another but is not easily apparent to the parent. This was the case for Adam.
"(Story about Adam who loved science and math and was heading toward a career in that path. At 13, he picked up a guitar by chance and had a natural talent. His parents allowed him to immerse himself into it. Over the next 2 years, he made the correlation between math and music theory and "intensely began to experiment with charting music by hand and playing other instruments like the trombone and piano. He dove deep into music history and listened to every type of music he could get his hands on. He began to play his original guitar compositions in public and at age 15 was invited by an acclaimed international guitarist to participate in a 10 day guitar seminar in France").
Anyway, I thought that was really cool...let a child quit because they are not quitters, they are explorers!
"Allow your child to 'sample' different interests
"While this might seem easier to apply to your homeschooling than learning styles or intelligences, there is a catch: You have to let your child quit. Yes, you have to let her quit piano after only two months if she decides piano is not for her. (She may come back to it later.) (Story about a girl who wanted to learn to dance at 3yro and quit soon after. She started again at 6 and danced for 12 years and decided to make dance her life's work.)
"Children have to sample many different things in life so that first 'spark' of interest in something can ignite. They are building up a library of what the world has to offer. If they are stuck in piano, they might never have a chance to discover they have a special talent in guitar, drums, or singing. As a parent, you have to have to be your child's 'interest advocate.' And this is going to be hard. You have to stand up to other adults and maybe even grandparents that think you are raising a quitter. Your children are not quitters, they're explorers. Give them this special time in life to explore what they find interesting. Often one pursuit lends itself to another but is not easily apparent to the parent. This was the case for Adam.
"(Story about Adam who loved science and math and was heading toward a career in that path. At 13, he picked up a guitar by chance and had a natural talent. His parents allowed him to immerse himself into it. Over the next 2 years, he made the correlation between math and music theory and "intensely began to experiment with charting music by hand and playing other instruments like the trombone and piano. He dove deep into music history and listened to every type of music he could get his hands on. He began to play his original guitar compositions in public and at age 15 was invited by an acclaimed international guitarist to participate in a 10 day guitar seminar in France").
Anyway, I thought that was really cool...let a child quit because they are not quitters, they are explorers!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Learning to Read
My 5yo developed a fascination with Harry Potter and told me that he wanted to read the book. Since his reading skills are at a minimum right now, I figured this would be a great motivation for him to do his reading lessons (taken from the book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons).We made a chart with the numbers 1-100 on it (which is also helping him learn those numbers) and he gets a sticker every time he finishes a lesson. When he finishes all 100 lessons, I will buy him a copy of the first Harry Potter book, which he has to read before he can watch the movie (I figure if he can read the book, he can handle the movie...he still gets easily scared about stuff, so if he knows what will happen beforehand, then he shouldn't get nightmares). So, he is learning how to read! He's already on lesson 28 (well, we started in October then went very sporadically through the first dozen lessons). He's been really good about learning how to read, and I catch him reading other things, too.
So exciting!
To reinforce what he learns in his reading lessons, I also encourage him to read Bob Books (which is a collection of phonics-based books that teaches kids to read a few letters and concepts at a time). My 3yo also likes to read those books (one letter at a time, while bobbing up and down off the couch...a little kinetic learner).
Monday, March 8, 2010
To The Mooooooonnnnnn!!!
We love to go to outer space. Literally. We have to have an outer space class about once a month. Why? Because we get to dress up like astronauts and jump around on the moon! This is my 3yo's top requested "class." Yesterday, they saw Wallace and Grommit's trip to the moon, so today, they had to do it, too. I didn't get pictures of it today, but this is what it's like...
Pillows and bean bags and sheets turn into craters and low gravity. Today, we listened to Fanfare for the Common Man, by Aaron Copland (just go listen to the first 30 sec on iTunes...and you'll see why). That is such an inspiring song. To me, it speaks of the amazing accomplishments that common men have done and still do. It speaks of the great potential we have within us, that as we reach down and search and work for it, we begin to realize it and become our greatest selves.
(For some reason, I associate the advancements in space with that song...so I looked it up in Wikipedia to see if it was a theme song for a shuttle mission or something. Not so. It was written during WWII to uplift and encourage people during the war.)
Speaking of a common man, I had taught the kids before that Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Today, my oldest remembered that! It was amazing! So, we repeated that oft repeated phrase, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." As the music was playing, I excitedly told the kids how normal people do amazing things...like Neil Armstrong and Aaron Copland. They just loved it! And I just loved how they loved it!
Other things we have done with this space "class":
Interesting, huh.
Pillows and bean bags and sheets turn into craters and low gravity. Today, we listened to Fanfare for the Common Man, by Aaron Copland (just go listen to the first 30 sec on iTunes...and you'll see why). That is such an inspiring song. To me, it speaks of the amazing accomplishments that common men have done and still do. It speaks of the great potential we have within us, that as we reach down and search and work for it, we begin to realize it and become our greatest selves.(For some reason, I associate the advancements in space with that song...so I looked it up in Wikipedia to see if it was a theme song for a shuttle mission or something. Not so. It was written during WWII to uplift and encourage people during the war.)
Speaking of a common man, I had taught the kids before that Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Today, my oldest remembered that! It was amazing! So, we repeated that oft repeated phrase, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." As the music was playing, I excitedly told the kids how normal people do amazing things...like Neil Armstrong and Aaron Copland. They just loved it! And I just loved how they loved it!
Other things we have done with this space "class":
- use star and sun paper punches and glue stars and suns on black construction paper
- go to the St Louis Planetarium to see a show about stars and learn where the current locations of stars and planets are (for a few weeks, we knew right where Jupiter...or was it Venus...sat in the sky)
- go to National Geographic's interactive Solar System web site to learn more about our Solar System
Interesting, huh.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Why Homeschool?
I know...why should I homeschool my kids?
Aren't I already busy enough?
Wouldn't it be great to have a break from the kids every day?
Wouldn't it be nice to leave my children's education up to someone else...so I have one less thing to be responsible about?
Isn't it great to have my children be able to learn from another adult and respect them, too?
Don't I want my kids to have a well-rounded education with emphasis in the arts, music, and physical education in addition to the essentials of literature, writing, science, history, and math?
Don't I want my kids to grow up to be free thinkers--to think for themselves and not just what the parent/teacher says?
Don't I want my kids to live outside of a bubble and learn how to stand up for themselves?
Well, yes. To all of the questions.
I respect public/private school on many levels. They can educate well, when the circumstances are right and the teachers are not just good but great.
I also know that many parents don't leave their childrens' education up to the schools...they go to Kindergarten to help the children read, they are Room Moms, they join PTAs and PTOs, they are the members of the School Boards, they help their kids with homework at home. They work a lot to provide their children a great education. So, to you who send your kids to school, I don't want you thinking that this blog is not to discredit parents who send their kids to school.
And that's what I'm doing...researching my options for the best option for me and my family. And in doing so, I have read several books about educating children--and, here is the pitfall--many of these authors don't believe in the public school system. For different reasons, hence so many books, they believe that children are best educated at home where they can receive more one-on-one instruction and instruction geared toward their personal learning style. (I'll give book reviews later.)
I fell for it. The philosophy of homeschool. And now I'm in a trap. I like public school for many reasons, yet I don't believe in it anymore.
So, here I am homeschooling. And I'll continue to let you in on this adventure of mine.
Aren't I already busy enough?
Wouldn't it be great to have a break from the kids every day?
Wouldn't it be nice to leave my children's education up to someone else...so I have one less thing to be responsible about?
Isn't it great to have my children be able to learn from another adult and respect them, too?
Don't I want my kids to have a well-rounded education with emphasis in the arts, music, and physical education in addition to the essentials of literature, writing, science, history, and math?
Don't I want my kids to grow up to be free thinkers--to think for themselves and not just what the parent/teacher says?
Don't I want my kids to live outside of a bubble and learn how to stand up for themselves?
Well, yes. To all of the questions.
I respect public/private school on many levels. They can educate well, when the circumstances are right and the teachers are not just good but great.
I also know that many parents don't leave their childrens' education up to the schools...they go to Kindergarten to help the children read, they are Room Moms, they join PTAs and PTOs, they are the members of the School Boards, they help their kids with homework at home. They work a lot to provide their children a great education. So, to you who send your kids to school, I don't want you thinking that this blog is not to discredit parents who send their kids to school.
And that's what I'm doing...researching my options for the best option for me and my family. And in doing so, I have read several books about educating children--and, here is the pitfall--many of these authors don't believe in the public school system. For different reasons, hence so many books, they believe that children are best educated at home where they can receive more one-on-one instruction and instruction geared toward their personal learning style. (I'll give book reviews later.)
I fell for it. The philosophy of homeschool. And now I'm in a trap. I like public school for many reasons, yet I don't believe in it anymore.
So, here I am homeschooling. And I'll continue to let you in on this adventure of mine.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Beginning the Journey
Recently, I decided to wait to put my oldest into Kindergarten, Male with a birthday in August, until next year. This has proved to be a great decision. With that, I chose not to enroll my second, 3yo male, in a local Joy School. Instead, after lengthy discussions with my husband, we decided to give home schooling a real, legitimate try. This blog is *hopefully* going to be a journal to record my journey. It will hopefully give some direction to others who want to try homeschooling...as they follow my successes and failures.
Homeschooling is a journey---and I'm realizing a long one---and the main reason why I've resisted jumping in. Before, I just felt trapped when I thought that I would be responsible for their education...until college. I fear that all my attention will go to the progress of the older children and that the younger ones and middle ones will be left behind. I fear a lot of things. But now that I have taken the plunge, I'm a lot less scared than I thought I would be!!
So, welcome to my journey...hopefully I'll have the time to share what I learn!
Homeschooling is a journey---and I'm realizing a long one---and the main reason why I've resisted jumping in. Before, I just felt trapped when I thought that I would be responsible for their education...until college. I fear that all my attention will go to the progress of the older children and that the younger ones and middle ones will be left behind. I fear a lot of things. But now that I have taken the plunge, I'm a lot less scared than I thought I would be!!
So, welcome to my journey...hopefully I'll have the time to share what I learn!
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