Homeschoolers are odd. At least, they are in my house. Tonight, almost at bedtime, DH decided to play with the kids. It went from a few Aikido moves from the kids' earlier class to roughhousing to Mathy Slappy.
I think the name speaks for itself, but in case it's more odd than I think, let me explain. Steve calls out a math problem, counts to 3 in his head with his hand up in the air, itching to 'slap' the kid he asked the problem. It's hard to think under that sort of pressure! Now, before you think that my husband is an insane child-slapper, let me tell you that he never hit them hard, it was all in fun.
But the question is, who else would play this game? And at 9:30 at night? I can't imagine. Actually, I'm not sure I can imagine anyone doing it. I can say that the kids enjoyed it and so did Steve. Who knows if that game will be played again or not, but I'm sure we'll think of something else just as crazy.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Day 96,97,98,99
These days time is flying by. I also have a headcold and we are working on getting our bedroom painted (it's been 10 years this month, and it was with flat paint-yuck!)
We did have a major blow-out this week, and we have been considering school for next year. There are a few good reasons to think about it, not the least of which would be an extra paycheck. I decided to make a list of the pros and cons of sending Luke and Emily to school. I put on the list everything I could think of, then I turned it out to the kids, and told them to add whatever they thought would be relevant. I even made it like a bar graph (each reason has only one line, and pro and con are next to each other going up the page).
I was a little hesitant about letting them add their own pros and cons, but I think it was a good idea. As it turns out, homeschooling is winning out 11-5 so far. I'll keep the list going for a while just so I can be sure, but homeschooling may be in my future for next year. One advantage of doing this list is that I can see where I'm having trouble, and where the kids might need something changed too. One thing that came up in the pro column was "Be away from each other a while". I can understand that one. But now that it's been written down it seems more real and I can deal with it, and we can make some adjustments to our schedule to allow for some differently structured time.
I have to admit I was very upset about the idea of the kids going to school, of my 'failure' as a homeschool parent, of changing our entire lives. For most of this year, if the subject came up, I got quite emotional. However, having discussed it with the kids and husband realistically, I can say that I feel better about it. I don't exactly know why, but now I feel more like if it happens, it happens. I got to have them home and sheltered and, in some ways, better educated for much longer than most.
Anyway, we're still homeschooling for now, and already I find myself finding things for next year. I'm willing to bet that in the face of the list, homeschooling is indeed in my future. So much for an extra paycheck! :)
We did have a major blow-out this week, and we have been considering school for next year. There are a few good reasons to think about it, not the least of which would be an extra paycheck. I decided to make a list of the pros and cons of sending Luke and Emily to school. I put on the list everything I could think of, then I turned it out to the kids, and told them to add whatever they thought would be relevant. I even made it like a bar graph (each reason has only one line, and pro and con are next to each other going up the page).
I was a little hesitant about letting them add their own pros and cons, but I think it was a good idea. As it turns out, homeschooling is winning out 11-5 so far. I'll keep the list going for a while just so I can be sure, but homeschooling may be in my future for next year. One advantage of doing this list is that I can see where I'm having trouble, and where the kids might need something changed too. One thing that came up in the pro column was "Be away from each other a while". I can understand that one. But now that it's been written down it seems more real and I can deal with it, and we can make some adjustments to our schedule to allow for some differently structured time.
I have to admit I was very upset about the idea of the kids going to school, of my 'failure' as a homeschool parent, of changing our entire lives. For most of this year, if the subject came up, I got quite emotional. However, having discussed it with the kids and husband realistically, I can say that I feel better about it. I don't exactly know why, but now I feel more like if it happens, it happens. I got to have them home and sheltered and, in some ways, better educated for much longer than most.
Anyway, we're still homeschooling for now, and already I find myself finding things for next year. I'm willing to bet that in the face of the list, homeschooling is indeed in my future. So much for an extra paycheck! :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Day 95
Today, we had a reasonable day. We went to orchestra, which went better than I expected, and we stayed afterwards for a while to let the kids play.
In the afternoon, we read a chapter from A Little History of the World. We then worked on our history timeline scroll at the same time, adding the historical events as we read them in the form of words, pictures, whatever worked.
The history timeline scroll is 55 feet long, is kept rolled up on either end so we can open up to the time period we are working on. It starts at the beginning of history (Mesopotamia) and goes to the modern day, with one inch being equal to one century until close to modern day, then each inch equals one decade.
The idea for this timeline is not something I made up. I got it and a whole history curriculum which we loosely follow called Mosaic curriculum. It has a poetry component that we whipped through pretty fast, but my guys love poetry, so that got read fast. We did get the textbook that goes with it (we already had A Little History). Luke loves the text, The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History (Usborne Internet Linked), since it is internet linked and up to date. It goes to a lot of sites with games, pictures, puzzles, and lots of info.
It may not have been our most productive day, but it wasn't a bad one, and that counts for something!
In the afternoon, we read a chapter from A Little History of the World. We then worked on our history timeline scroll at the same time, adding the historical events as we read them in the form of words, pictures, whatever worked.
The history timeline scroll is 55 feet long, is kept rolled up on either end so we can open up to the time period we are working on. It starts at the beginning of history (Mesopotamia) and goes to the modern day, with one inch being equal to one century until close to modern day, then each inch equals one decade.
The idea for this timeline is not something I made up. I got it and a whole history curriculum which we loosely follow called Mosaic curriculum. It has a poetry component that we whipped through pretty fast, but my guys love poetry, so that got read fast. We did get the textbook that goes with it (we already had A Little History). Luke loves the text, The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History (Usborne Internet Linked), since it is internet linked and up to date. It goes to a lot of sites with games, pictures, puzzles, and lots of info.
It may not have been our most productive day, but it wasn't a bad one, and that counts for something!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Day 91,92, 93, 94
The harder I try, the behinder I get.
This week was a struggle. I did indeed get my quarterly written, but I have to mail it tomorrow as this turned into the week of sickness. I was first, for a change, but I don't think it helps any. It struck in the evening on Wednesday and got worse as time went on. By the next morning, the worst was over, but I still was not back to normal, and I was exhausted besides.
Today, I'm quite a bit better, and even thought to be a little creative with the math lesson and not just have them draw thie polygons, but got the geoboards, which we haven't used in a long time, and had the kids make the shapes on them.
This was a good idea, and it seemed to make a large part of the lesson go more smoothly, but we hit a wall with Luke at the second half. He started to complain that he wasn't feeling good. Like the caring, loving mom I am, I forced him to continue until it became quite clear that he wasn't pretending or faking. The kid didn't feel good. So, while Emily went to Nana's house to help Grandpa dig a path through the snow to the birdfeeder, Luke stayed home, didn't complain about not getting to go, and then fell asleep. I think sleeping was probably the best thing he could have done, and while he is still sick now and had a fever, he was still able to eat some dinner and take some meds which I was not able to do at all when I was sick.
At this point, I don't even remember what we did for school other than math. It has been snowing so much here in the Hudson Valley that it seems like most days are spent stuck in the house (although the kids did go out most every day to play or help). I never loved winter, but I don't think I minded it as much as I do now. Season of slippery ice, snow and sickness.
It feels like it's too early to be wishing for spring, but here I am, doing it anyway. I want to sit outside and feel the sun on my face, and a warm breeze. I want to hear the buzz of insects and to start a nature journal with the kids and go, oh, ANYWHERE...
This week was a struggle. I did indeed get my quarterly written, but I have to mail it tomorrow as this turned into the week of sickness. I was first, for a change, but I don't think it helps any. It struck in the evening on Wednesday and got worse as time went on. By the next morning, the worst was over, but I still was not back to normal, and I was exhausted besides.
Today, I'm quite a bit better, and even thought to be a little creative with the math lesson and not just have them draw thie polygons, but got the geoboards, which we haven't used in a long time, and had the kids make the shapes on them.
This was a good idea, and it seemed to make a large part of the lesson go more smoothly, but we hit a wall with Luke at the second half. He started to complain that he wasn't feeling good. Like the caring, loving mom I am, I forced him to continue until it became quite clear that he wasn't pretending or faking. The kid didn't feel good. So, while Emily went to Nana's house to help Grandpa dig a path through the snow to the birdfeeder, Luke stayed home, didn't complain about not getting to go, and then fell asleep. I think sleeping was probably the best thing he could have done, and while he is still sick now and had a fever, he was still able to eat some dinner and take some meds which I was not able to do at all when I was sick.
At this point, I don't even remember what we did for school other than math. It has been snowing so much here in the Hudson Valley that it seems like most days are spent stuck in the house (although the kids did go out most every day to play or help). I never loved winter, but I don't think I minded it as much as I do now. Season of slippery ice, snow and sickness.
It feels like it's too early to be wishing for spring, but here I am, doing it anyway. I want to sit outside and feel the sun on my face, and a warm breeze. I want to hear the buzz of insects and to start a nature journal with the kids and go, oh, ANYWHERE...
Monday, January 17, 2011
Day 89, 90
So yesterday turned into a bit of a 'work' day for the kids, though I doubt that they would see it that way. We made our last thank-you cards from Christmas, and then they designed t-shirts.
I should say that the only reason I had the stuff out for the t-shirt project is because we are getting a jump on spring cleaning (or maybe we're late for last year's, but anyway...) so the cabinets in our dining room which have hitherto been full of much junk and craft odds and ends are now half actual dining/kitchen stuff, and half craft odds and ends.
The kids ended up making dinosaur t-shirts as their grandfather gave them a huge bag of plastic dinosaurs the night before. There's nothing like running with a theme.
Today we had orchestra. We didn't just have regular orchestra, we had super-long, blow-out-your-lips orchestra. I have to say, it was really good for me to play for so concentrated an amount of time, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time. The kids were troopers, actually, though I hear they gave up towards the end. No one could blame the trumpet player, but the violinist claimed boredom. Not really an acceptable reason to stop playing. But it was nice that they also got to play outside for a while, and Emily and I got to sing with her old chorus group which we are hoping we can fit into our schedule this semester.
While it does make our Wednesdays rather hectic, we'll have three days a week that are relatively unscheduled as far as outside activities.
We were/are hoping to get our planning meeting done this Wednesday for our group (which is the activity we will need to cut down to make chorus fit) but I'm not so sure the weather will cooperate. All we can do is wait and see!
Tomorrow, other than regular school stuff, I'll have to get to my second quarterly! Hooray!
I should say that the only reason I had the stuff out for the t-shirt project is because we are getting a jump on spring cleaning (or maybe we're late for last year's, but anyway...) so the cabinets in our dining room which have hitherto been full of much junk and craft odds and ends are now half actual dining/kitchen stuff, and half craft odds and ends.
The kids ended up making dinosaur t-shirts as their grandfather gave them a huge bag of plastic dinosaurs the night before. There's nothing like running with a theme.
Today we had orchestra. We didn't just have regular orchestra, we had super-long, blow-out-your-lips orchestra. I have to say, it was really good for me to play for so concentrated an amount of time, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time. The kids were troopers, actually, though I hear they gave up towards the end. No one could blame the trumpet player, but the violinist claimed boredom. Not really an acceptable reason to stop playing. But it was nice that they also got to play outside for a while, and Emily and I got to sing with her old chorus group which we are hoping we can fit into our schedule this semester.
While it does make our Wednesdays rather hectic, we'll have three days a week that are relatively unscheduled as far as outside activities.
We were/are hoping to get our planning meeting done this Wednesday for our group (which is the activity we will need to cut down to make chorus fit) but I'm not so sure the weather will cooperate. All we can do is wait and see!
Tomorrow, other than regular school stuff, I'll have to get to my second quarterly! Hooray!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Day 88
This was a relatively quiet day, of which we need more. The new strict phase netted me a math test, a math lesson, writing, a craft, Aikido attendance, and music practice, all with limited trouble! Staying the course is my issue, and I'm determined. What I need to do is remember to look back in my archives when I get off course and things go haywire. Hey, future-self! Don't mess around! Get back to being strict and kind!
Anyway, we just got the What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of A Good Fourth-Grade Education (The Core Knowledge Series). We've got the Core knowledge sequence: Content guidelines for grades K-8 outline for all the grades as that's what we use for planning the school year (letter of intent and all that), but for some reason I delayed getting the book itself this year. It gives me a secure feeling knowing that all the things we do on our own are underlain with the foundation of these books. It really makes me feel that we are covering all the bases. The series was actually aimed at educators in schools as well as those who home school. If I recall correctly, they were hoping to create a complete curriculum that could result in well-educated children regardless of what school they were in (ie low or high income, etc.).
Really, this is a stress reducer for me. That's cool.
Anyway, we just got the What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of A Good Fourth-Grade Education (The Core Knowledge Series). We've got the Core knowledge sequence: Content guidelines for grades K-8 outline for all the grades as that's what we use for planning the school year (letter of intent and all that), but for some reason I delayed getting the book itself this year. It gives me a secure feeling knowing that all the things we do on our own are underlain with the foundation of these books. It really makes me feel that we are covering all the bases. The series was actually aimed at educators in schools as well as those who home school. If I recall correctly, they were hoping to create a complete curriculum that could result in well-educated children regardless of what school they were in (ie low or high income, etc.).
Really, this is a stress reducer for me. That's cool.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Day 84, 85, 86, 87
The post-every-day thing obviously doesn't work for me. At any rate, we've had a lot of arguing lately, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not strict enough. Of course, after reading this article, I'm pretty sure I could never be termed 'strict', but I'm going to aim higher than I have before.
In the new 'strict' regime, the kids are not allowed to go in their rooms until a certain amount of work is done, or they ask permission and the length of time is determined. Refusal to do work will now result in doing housework. Luke found out that math was preferable to cleaning the floor around the toilet. In this new world, we got to math, writing, history and a cleaner bathroom.
What's funny is that I find that the kids respond very well to this strictness. The trick is for me to keep it up. Unfortunately for me and probably a lot of families, keeping up with strict guidelines is hard. A friend of mine summed up my issues, though, when I had been complaining to her one day. She said, "I probably shouldn't tell you this, Jen, but home schooling is hard!" This was one of the best things I've heard from a fellow homeschooler. Home schooling is hard. I'm not on an island of trouble all by myself. The trick is to find what works and stick with it.
In the new 'strict' regime, the kids are not allowed to go in their rooms until a certain amount of work is done, or they ask permission and the length of time is determined. Refusal to do work will now result in doing housework. Luke found out that math was preferable to cleaning the floor around the toilet. In this new world, we got to math, writing, history and a cleaner bathroom.
What's funny is that I find that the kids respond very well to this strictness. The trick is for me to keep it up. Unfortunately for me and probably a lot of families, keeping up with strict guidelines is hard. A friend of mine summed up my issues, though, when I had been complaining to her one day. She said, "I probably shouldn't tell you this, Jen, but home schooling is hard!" This was one of the best things I've heard from a fellow homeschooler. Home schooling is hard. I'm not on an island of trouble all by myself. The trick is to find what works and stick with it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Day 82, 83
Shovelling, Part II
While our part of the shovelling may not have gone well, the kids did brilliantly. They both helped clear off the cars, clear off the front stairs, and Emily cleared off Nana's bushes. Just goes to show me that there is hope. We did also do further thank you cards, but we have more to do, so I'm going to post a couple of pictures of them after we're done. Two more each to do, so we're making progress!
In Other News...
Today, so far, has been what I would term a successful day. Ok, we don't have math or English done, but we can't measure every day by that, and the day isn't over. They seem ok at the moment knowing that they will have to sit at the table after dinner and work. That won't change until later.
No, the reason today is a successful day is because:
A. No one argued about going to orchestra.
B. Everyone participated and did well at orchestra.
C. When we got home and it was like herding cats, I didn't scream my head off.
What we did manage to do today is covering the Earth's insides. We read some of a book called Planet Earth/Inside Out by Gail Gibbons. It's pretty good, covering the interior of the Earth, plate tectonics, and, at the end, the three families of rock (igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary). After we read the section about how the interior of the Earth is composed, we did a project called Edible Earth.
We started with paper plates, which we marked out with proportionately accurate-ish lines demarcating the inner and outer cores, the mantle, and the crust. We added the approximate temperatures of each:
And voila!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Day 81
Day of the snows again. This time, the kids were well enough to take advantage of the many inches of snow that descended upon us. The last time we got snow, which was just after Christmas, Luke was sick and Emily was still recovering. They lamented the fact that they couldn't go outside. Today they made up for it in spades by going out twice, sledding, rolling, writing with sticks, pretending to be rats, clearing snow, shovelling for Nana and generally running around. They had hot chocolate the first time they came in. Actually, it was Hoth Chocolate, from the Star Wars Cookbook.
It's so easy, I can't believe I tried to make complicated hot chocolate when the kids were little. All it is is milk with vanilla, cocoa powder, and sugar. It's easy enough to guestimate the amounts, and they think it's super special. I very much prefer it to giving them chocolate from a bottle with who knows what chemicals involved. It's also a recipe that we made together the first time. Luke made a few recipes from that book, which we got from the library. At this point, I'm thinking we need to get it for him because he's starting to get into cooking and wants to prepare dinners as does Emily. More on this in the future, without a doubt!
The other thing we did, which we have done in the past, is insist on math being done by the end of the day. We were trying, on advice, to simply let it go, but I just don't get the whole let-them-fail-and-they'll-figure-out-it's-important philosophy. Maybe I'm too 'school', but I think they have to do their work. They both managed to do so. Since this was day 2 for Luke, he managed to get pretty cheerful, which meant that Emily took a nosedive in the attitude department. Luckily for her, she decided to snap out of it, and managed to get her math done so she could play the Xbox K'nect, which she loves. She's never liked a video game or system quite as much as she likes this one! It also makes her fairly active, so it's cool all the way around!
Despite some screamage here and there, the day seemed to turn out pretty well! Tomorrow, Shovelling Part II...
It's so easy, I can't believe I tried to make complicated hot chocolate when the kids were little. All it is is milk with vanilla, cocoa powder, and sugar. It's easy enough to guestimate the amounts, and they think it's super special. I very much prefer it to giving them chocolate from a bottle with who knows what chemicals involved. It's also a recipe that we made together the first time. Luke made a few recipes from that book, which we got from the library. At this point, I'm thinking we need to get it for him because he's starting to get into cooking and wants to prepare dinners as does Emily. More on this in the future, without a doubt!
The other thing we did, which we have done in the past, is insist on math being done by the end of the day. We were trying, on advice, to simply let it go, but I just don't get the whole let-them-fail-and-they'll-figure-out-it's-important philosophy. Maybe I'm too 'school', but I think they have to do their work. They both managed to do so. Since this was day 2 for Luke, he managed to get pretty cheerful, which meant that Emily took a nosedive in the attitude department. Luckily for her, she decided to snap out of it, and managed to get her math done so she could play the Xbox K'nect, which she loves. She's never liked a video game or system quite as much as she likes this one! It also makes her fairly active, so it's cool all the way around!
Despite some screamage here and there, the day seemed to turn out pretty well! Tomorrow, Shovelling Part II...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Day 78, 79, 80
We are masters of our universe! Actually, maybe just the planet. I've been looking for a way to construct an Earth model so the kids can get an idea of the internal workings of the planet. I finally hit on what I thought was a winner last night. Paper plates. Sounds very hokey, but it's really only a little hokey. The idea is you make a model with three paper plates that turns out to be 3D.
Well, I thought it was a cool idea. The web site has a lot of other cool ideas, too, mostly regarding astronomy. Anyway, I announce this idea, and get a rather cold reception. "I'm not doing it!" is what I remember most. We're still going to, maybe tomorrow, and I'll take pictures. They'll enjoy it. Then again, we're getting snow tomorrow, so who knows?
So I decide on a new tack. I saw somewhere that you could make an edible planet, using a chocolate chip for the Earth's core, a marshmallow for the mantle, and melted chocolate chips for the crust. Seems ok, but, as I told my rapt audience, we're missing something. You need an inner core, which is more solid, and an outer core, which is more liquid. Then you need the mantle and the crust. How could we do it?
Luke decided to combine the two ideas into one project. He suggested we use a paper plate to hold our edible model, and use marshmallows for the mantle in a circle on the plate, with a pile of chocolate chips in the center for the inner core. Emily solved our liquid problem by suggesting chocolate sauce (how appropriate! Chips for the solid, sauce for the liquid!). Our only quandery is the crust. I think we have to crush graham crackers for putting around the marshmallows, but I was outvoted. They'll think of something they like better by tomorrow, I guess!
Well, I thought it was a cool idea. The web site has a lot of other cool ideas, too, mostly regarding astronomy. Anyway, I announce this idea, and get a rather cold reception. "I'm not doing it!" is what I remember most. We're still going to, maybe tomorrow, and I'll take pictures. They'll enjoy it. Then again, we're getting snow tomorrow, so who knows?
So I decide on a new tack. I saw somewhere that you could make an edible planet, using a chocolate chip for the Earth's core, a marshmallow for the mantle, and melted chocolate chips for the crust. Seems ok, but, as I told my rapt audience, we're missing something. You need an inner core, which is more solid, and an outer core, which is more liquid. Then you need the mantle and the crust. How could we do it?
Luke decided to combine the two ideas into one project. He suggested we use a paper plate to hold our edible model, and use marshmallows for the mantle in a circle on the plate, with a pile of chocolate chips in the center for the inner core. Emily solved our liquid problem by suggesting chocolate sauce (how appropriate! Chips for the solid, sauce for the liquid!). Our only quandery is the crust. I think we have to crush graham crackers for putting around the marshmallows, but I was outvoted. They'll think of something they like better by tomorrow, I guess!
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