The kids have all gone back to school around here. Our District went back this week, which is also when the road work for the very little road that goes right into our neighborhood school's parking lot, started up, for some unknown reason. People, you had ALL summer to wreck the roads! I hate 3pm. . .8am doesn't effect me, because I'm not even awake, I don't care about the traffic then, but 3pm. . .that's like THE time I try to leave my house for the first time most days. Except now, it's naptime, and if we don't get that nap started between 3 and 4, then we don't get one at all and it's crazy lunatic 4 year old with a chip on her shoulder, who doesn't go to bed until everyone else does. At least she sleeps then, though!
Recently I've felt really negative about the entire institution of school, as a whole. You know, oddly, I loved my own schooling experience. I loved preschool and friends, Kindergarten with my yellow corduroy pants and peeing myself because I couldn't get the zipper undone in time. I loved laying on a mat in the dark, never falling asleep. . .this clues me in that I was at all-day Kindergarten. I loved little conversations with my dad when he'd pick me up from school, like the time the kids were teasing me that Scott Thomas was my boyfriend and my dad was all "He's a boy and he's your friend, so yeah, he's your boyfriend." I hated how Christopher was the king of losing teeth, literally, there was like a crown and there was a chart on the wall. . .and I didn't lose ANY! I think he was already 6 when he started Kindergarten though and I'm a "late in the year" birthday (just like my mom, my sis and both of my girls).
And then I headed into another private school, St. Edward's and I made best friends for a lifetime. And I remember in FIRST GRADE my BFF refused to talk to me one day because I swore like a sailor! And she was like "We shouldn't talk like that" and I did NOT care! And the next day we were all fine and dandy again. I don't think I can recount year by year, but I remember little things here and there. We moved towns and schools and TYPES of school when I was in 5th Grade. My first public school experience and it was a multi-level class for gifted students. Then another town and another school, but just one year. I was in 6th Grade and would move to Jr. High the next year. In all of our schooling, my sister and I, only 4 years apart, attended the same campus for only 2.5 years of our schooling. I had my first REAL crush in 5th grade, Martin. Before that it had been far too homogenous, I'd been in a class with the same 30ish kids for nearly five years before moving the first time. In 6th Grade I had my first boyfriend, Chris Ashlock, we lasted a whole week!
I'm in Jr. High now. . .crushes abound and I have a boyfriend, Mikey Peterson. I also find a lot of trouble, rap music and grounding. I move scenes in 8th Grade and chill with a lot of hippie types. Then we move again.
I loved high school. There was usual teenage angst, several pretty significant crushes, best friends, lost friends, friends who died, friends who moved, friends who loved, three boyfriends and a cap and gown. I loved high school.
I read all about school now and I think. . . I don't remember it being like that at ALL. . .I don't remember aggressive standardized testing. I felt free to explore creatively within my class. I didn't feel limited. I will say that in the early years, my life was similar to Alani's in that the kids I went to school with were the same kids year in and year out, there were not multiple classes for each grade. They were the same kids I would go to church with when we went to church and the same kids I played sports with, the same girls I was in Girl Scouts with, the same parents my mom knew from PTA too. I like that. I like that we were involved in so many facets of one another's lives. It wasn't like heading out to public school at 6 years old and I brought home kids my mom didn't know or asked to sleep over with families she'd never met. It was community. I feel similarly about my girls in their homeschooling community. . .I know the parents first and then the kids are friends, I don't send my kids off to play with people I don't know.
Is it because there is too much to read? Is it because there are too many opinions about how horrible schools and standardized testing are and how militant the system is? Or have things really changed? One thing has changed. . .I am not the one going to school. I don't WANT to send my kids out into that great wide world of unknown and injury and hurt. I don't want someone else to mold their minds all day long (peers as much as teachers). I don't want unknown influences from other parents, coming through their children, to enter into MY children's minds and hearts and ultimately into our home. I also hate getting up early! I hate 3pm traffic. Last year I remember always being SO relieved that I didn't have to wake a napping toddler in order to get her sister from school each day and this year I'm thankful I don't have to delay a toddler's need for naps in order to get her sister from school each day, or wake her early, or wake MYSELF early. I don't like that the ENTIRE TOWN is bolted to the floor by the school schedule. . .what people can do when, and at what time of year, how much homework there is and when dinner and bedtime must be. We could probably do with at LITTLE more order around here, and we're getting a handle on that. . .but the freedom is also so very important.
This year, we are starting 2nd grade. I was very lax when it came to 1st grade. I was working around a little scamp we call Henry, whom I really thought would not disrupt our day THAT much. . .boy was I wrong. And we were working around a little rapscallion we call Airi, who I knew would be a struggle, but didn't anticipate being quite as difficult. I think we're ready. . .I've even found something I think Airi will quite enjoy this year.
We'll start the day after Labor Day, because that's how we always did it, growing up :)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Product Review: Lexia for Home
Lexia for Home is a software program designed to improve reading for students at all levels, including those children who have reading challenge, like dyslexia. Until 2009 it was only available for use in schools and larger institutions, but Lexia has now begun concentrating on schools and use in homes in the U.S. and Canada. A 1-year home license can be purchased for $174.95 for the first child and $109 for additional children. The software is web-based, so it can be easily installed on multiple computers and it is really simple to install! We had a few technical difficulties along the way, like when we had to "wipe" our entire hard drive and re-install, but we received fast and appropriate support for the issue and were on our way again.
I was particularly interested in trying out Lexia for home because of our past method of learning to read. Though my little one requested to learn to read when she was only 4.5 years old, the method we used MAY have given her some amazing ground work for rules of reading and spelling, but it killed any love of reading I hoped she would have at a young age. At the start I agreed with the method of the book, but the lessons eventually became tedious, caused a lot of struggle and we gave up without completing all of the lessons. We were left with a child who spent the next year and a half saying she didn't know how to read and being very resistant to trying much reading on her own. At the time the book promised a 3rd grade reading level (for a 5 year old) and I believe we achieved that, at the cost of enjoying reading. She has also lost some of her knowledge of reading since. Lexia tested her into the Primary Reading Level (and I believe into 2nd grade, but I didn't totally understand that part). She was nearly 7 when we started and at the end of 1st grade year.
We've used various free programs online, because she enjoys almost any computer "game" even when it is for the purpose of learning, but she has given up easily on many that require much reading (or spends the time asking me to read everything for her, which defeats the purpose of everyone have "self" time). At first she approached Lexia much the same way and felt very frustrated with the first few games she played, she was also disinterested in continuing day by day. I began to request she spend 20 minutes with Lexia each day and then she could choose some other game (this is the amount of time recommended by Lexia). It didn't take long and she was BEGGING to use Lexia each day. The program is VERY easy to navigate!
There are five games in the Primary Reading level and after completing enough drills in one game, when you exit there are bar graphs to show your progress through the game. I believe seeing her progress in this fashion, is a huge incentive in itself. She also began to understand each type of game a little better and came to know the "rules" for each game, which made learning even more fun. When we thought we'd lost the game entirely, after wiping our hard drive, she was literally in TEARS over not having access to her reading games. What a shift! And it is has been so fun watching her grasp some of the sight words with so much ease. Now we have to ask her to stop playing each time she gets on and she is easily reading and remembering words like "light" and "laugh" which are so hard to to teach children the rules for reading and spelling.
We are really excited about this program and SO glad that we were offered the opportunity to check out Lexia for Home. I've finally seen a bit of the love of reading in her and I've noticed that she applies her new found understanding to really decode a LOT of text these days that she would whine and cry through before beginning Lexia. I didn't even think to request a second trial license for my pre-preschooler, but I think she would absolutely benefit from and enjoy the Early Reading program. It is something I would certainly invest in, in the future.
If you have a child who could use a little help with reading skills, this is a great program to consider! For more information about Lexia for Home, visit http://www.lexiaforhome.com. Please "like" them on Facebook; when they have received 100 likes they will give away a set of their 72 Family Readers for FREE!!! These readers retail for $149 and cover K-2nd grade reading levels. Everyone likes FREE stuff, especially when that free stuff could make reading with your child so much more enjoyable!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Inadequate?
There are days I feel completely inadequate at this job. More days than not, we do no formal schooling at all. Alani and I actually both really enjoy doing the work together, when we do it, but I have yet to find a rhythm that doesn't include a toddler who refuses to cooperate or being able to organize myself early enough in the day. There have been several times over the past few weeks/months where I feel the only day we school is on our busiest day of the week, Wednesday. . we're already being productive and Alani seems to need even more entertainment and stimulation.
Alani LOVES math... I recently printed out some skip counting worksheets because they went easily along with the new start in multiplication. She happily does a math worksheet, even ones she doesn't understand, she tries to figure out, any day of the week.
When we sit down and do work, I feel like it goes quickly and we can get a lot in, but then I think to myself "surely I'm not giving her enough, if this is all the time it takes to complete.. .why, then, am I unable to just get this done every single day?" I also always feel like I lack on getting reading time in with her. . .because I do. . .the hours in the day feel full already. . .she doesn't seem to be behind, by any means, but I feel like we started out this school year ahead and with good intention and now I've caused her to fall back into pace with everyone else. . .boo. . .I don't want to be the one holding her back from learning at her true potential!
I have employed so many varieties of organization and still I struggle with keeping a steady working time each day. .. HELP!
Alani LOVES math... I recently printed out some skip counting worksheets because they went easily along with the new start in multiplication. She happily does a math worksheet, even ones she doesn't understand, she tries to figure out, any day of the week.
When we sit down and do work, I feel like it goes quickly and we can get a lot in, but then I think to myself "surely I'm not giving her enough, if this is all the time it takes to complete.. .why, then, am I unable to just get this done every single day?" I also always feel like I lack on getting reading time in with her. . .because I do. . .the hours in the day feel full already. . .she doesn't seem to be behind, by any means, but I feel like we started out this school year ahead and with good intention and now I've caused her to fall back into pace with everyone else. . .boo. . .I don't want to be the one holding her back from learning at her true potential!
I have employed so many varieties of organization and still I struggle with keeping a steady working time each day. .. HELP!
Friday, February 8, 2013
A big break
WOW. . .I kind of just totally failed to write ever again! This "first grade year" has been soooo laid back. It seems like I should be able to find enough time to do the basic stuff I want to do with my 1st grader, each day, but a block of time is hard to come by and having to take out and clean up a mess of school work several times/day is just not on my list of things I want to be doing. I really thought that once winter forced us indoors I'd really get my act together, but it has just NOT happened. . .not between trips, holidays and visitors.
We have a weekly co-op and it's been a great time to socialize, learn some really fun skills and just have a good time with a couple of other girls in the same age range. Our first session we had "playground games" and "fun with plants" along with "sign language" and then "art class." Our second session we had "sewing" (hand and machine) and "yoga" along with the sign and art classes. This session is REALLY getting fun and more in-depth. This session we have "drama club" which will include reading out loud, improv and eventually move in to getting the kids to act out plays/short stories as well as hopefully write and create their own sets/costumes for their own plays. We have "fun with science" which will be a bunch of different simple science experiments and cooking class, with Mike. In his class they get to do a lot of hands on stuff with pretty instant gratification of being able to eat what they've made by the end of class, but making things from start to finish, week 1 was pizza from scratch! But they also have to do copy work, copying down the recipes each week, which I think is SUPER cool! They also still have sign and art :)
A couple of weeks ago I finally broke down and bought "What Your First Grader Needs to Know." This book is heavy on reading/writing in the beginning, with some info on history, I think she's pretty much touched on all of the math that the book suggest and then there's some stuff about art and music, which I'm just going to assume we're covering if she's having an art class each week and a violin lesson each week as well. One suggestion was having children write every day, just sounding things out on their own. This week I implemented daily writing. The first day she cried before she even took pen to paper, but each day she does it with more and more ease and excitement. Now we are embarking on week 2. She is still using a lower case "i" nearly every day, but remembering to capitalize the first letter and put a period at the end. This week we will add an additional element. All week she's essentially written "Today i. . .." with a simple short statement to follow. This week we will add "Today I. . .and I (felt how)." It will be a joy to see her journaling as she progresses and grows and I do hope it creates a desire to journal/record/write for the future.
Math is Alani's very favorite subject. Today she said to me "Mom, please give me just a little homework." She said this over and over again until I explained, as I wrote out a list, that homework is not me writing down a bunch of math problems, rather, a list of things she has to do on her own once she "goes home." I finally broke down and wrote out some simple math problems. She did them while we drove to the pool, then excitedly told Lila how she got to do homework to which Lila replied with something that basically sounded like "ugh." :) I am obviously NOT doing the amount of school work with her that SHE desires at the moment and I really do need to read that. There was a time when SHE was not ready, and now she is VERY ready and I want to keep pace with HER, not myself. She is begging for math daily. Writing with Ease, First Language Lessons, and even having to read out loud, she is NOT asking for. . . but math she enjoys a great deal. However, I have noticed that she does each of these lessons with less and less complaint each time. I hope I can be more consistent and have really struggled to find a balance between social obligations, family obligations, taking care of myself and others in the family, AND offering Alani the amount of time/day that she needs to in order to do school work (not to mention that sometimes I want to offer her my time and it NOT be school work, but how do I also fit that in?).
Slowly, slowly, things around here change. . . my daily time structure and priorities, my toddler's compliance, nap schedule, etc. I know that not all is lost, though I do feel like we could be SO much further than we are in her learning, if I could buckle down and be consistent with her. Today she completed "Caterpillar" after months of not having even looked at First Language Lessons. I love seeing her learn and really enjoying and yearning for it, much better than the alternative, but it makes me feel even cruddier about not being able to devote the time I should to her studies.
We have a weekly co-op and it's been a great time to socialize, learn some really fun skills and just have a good time with a couple of other girls in the same age range. Our first session we had "playground games" and "fun with plants" along with "sign language" and then "art class." Our second session we had "sewing" (hand and machine) and "yoga" along with the sign and art classes. This session is REALLY getting fun and more in-depth. This session we have "drama club" which will include reading out loud, improv and eventually move in to getting the kids to act out plays/short stories as well as hopefully write and create their own sets/costumes for their own plays. We have "fun with science" which will be a bunch of different simple science experiments and cooking class, with Mike. In his class they get to do a lot of hands on stuff with pretty instant gratification of being able to eat what they've made by the end of class, but making things from start to finish, week 1 was pizza from scratch! But they also have to do copy work, copying down the recipes each week, which I think is SUPER cool! They also still have sign and art :)
A couple of weeks ago I finally broke down and bought "What Your First Grader Needs to Know." This book is heavy on reading/writing in the beginning, with some info on history, I think she's pretty much touched on all of the math that the book suggest and then there's some stuff about art and music, which I'm just going to assume we're covering if she's having an art class each week and a violin lesson each week as well. One suggestion was having children write every day, just sounding things out on their own. This week I implemented daily writing. The first day she cried before she even took pen to paper, but each day she does it with more and more ease and excitement. Now we are embarking on week 2. She is still using a lower case "i" nearly every day, but remembering to capitalize the first letter and put a period at the end. This week we will add an additional element. All week she's essentially written "Today i. . .." with a simple short statement to follow. This week we will add "Today I. . .and I (felt how)." It will be a joy to see her journaling as she progresses and grows and I do hope it creates a desire to journal/record/write for the future.
Math is Alani's very favorite subject. Today she said to me "Mom, please give me just a little homework." She said this over and over again until I explained, as I wrote out a list, that homework is not me writing down a bunch of math problems, rather, a list of things she has to do on her own once she "goes home." I finally broke down and wrote out some simple math problems. She did them while we drove to the pool, then excitedly told Lila how she got to do homework to which Lila replied with something that basically sounded like "ugh." :) I am obviously NOT doing the amount of school work with her that SHE desires at the moment and I really do need to read that. There was a time when SHE was not ready, and now she is VERY ready and I want to keep pace with HER, not myself. She is begging for math daily. Writing with Ease, First Language Lessons, and even having to read out loud, she is NOT asking for. . . but math she enjoys a great deal. However, I have noticed that she does each of these lessons with less and less complaint each time. I hope I can be more consistent and have really struggled to find a balance between social obligations, family obligations, taking care of myself and others in the family, AND offering Alani the amount of time/day that she needs to in order to do school work (not to mention that sometimes I want to offer her my time and it NOT be school work, but how do I also fit that in?).
Slowly, slowly, things around here change. . . my daily time structure and priorities, my toddler's compliance, nap schedule, etc. I know that not all is lost, though I do feel like we could be SO much further than we are in her learning, if I could buckle down and be consistent with her. Today she completed "Caterpillar" after months of not having even looked at First Language Lessons. I love seeing her learn and really enjoying and yearning for it, much better than the alternative, but it makes me feel even cruddier about not being able to devote the time I should to her studies.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Super Slack Six Weeks
I've been super slack about writing on this blog for the past uh . . .six weeks maybe? We returned from Indiana and were home for three weeks before leaving for WA, home two days and off to CA for four more, then home for two weeks leading up to Turkey Day and Daddy's birthday and well, it's just been a bit of trying to keep it all together at the moment.
There's no way I could possibly quantify the learning we have done, but let's be honest. . .I've also been super slack about doing focused learning time with my 1st grader as well. As the holidays begin to pass and colder weather has us inside more often, and we are on the ground for a while, I find myself getting a restless feeling that says we are ready to really take on some routine again.
We will begin our second session of our co-op classes this week. I have taken on some new personal health goals. I'm trying to create a plan that will suit our current situation, watching a toddler until noon, having my own toddler who only naps about an hour each day, wanting to soak up any remaining ray of sunshine with my daughter's new found love of riding her bike in the park (which we've done once), and balancing my own personal needs/goals with a houseful of people who also need me, and a very crowded schedule, none of which seems to be able to go to the wayside.
I'd like to tackle a craft a day through December. Begin work on our ABCs with my younger one. Get some 18mo appropriate ideas for the little one I watch so we can all spend an hour or so at the table crafting/creating/learning each day. And just get down to business with a regular school routine for my oldest. Alani is NOT a child who does things on her own. Another mother might be able to leave an instrument lying out in plain site with music sheets open and available so that her child would pick up and do a practice on her own now and again, but my child wants to put on a concert each and every time, wants me to write down the name of the new piece she "plays" each day :) (free play of course and never written down, so it can never be repeated). My child wants me there to count out every half note and quarter note and every note we're playing, walking her through her practice. Therefore, if I do not make the time in my life for 30 minutes of violin practice each day, she will not be able to practice each day. This is why I always have to admit to her teacher that "we" did not get in much practice. I should just learn the violin along with her. . .wait, I AM! I feel like I can ply the violin just as well at this moment, as she can. I wonder if I should rent an instrument and pay her teacher :)
Alani and I have little discussions here and there "what's a mineral? why do we have them in our bodies?" Four thousand questions as we go along in Little House on the Prairie, stopping me every third sentence to repeat words or phrases she finds funny, but mostly doesn't understand. We talked about organically and non-organically grown potatoes and food last night, which stemmed (bwahahaha) from Little House and how sweet potatoes and have eyes. I had to tell her that these days, you can only plant organic potatoes, because those grown with a special pesticide INSIDE of them, are created so they won't sprout at all and we have to buy that company's products in order to grow our own.
She has continued in her weekly art class, where they are writing and illustrating a story at the moment. She's running around trying to teach people hand games and working on jumping rope and other things.
I wish our lives and our space were more organized, and maybe just MORE. . .
I talked to her about women's suffrage when I voted earlier this month, which piggy backed a discussion we had with her Girl Scout troop a few weeks earlier about the Millennium Development Goals of the UN for the GAA, where we had to tell a bunch of six year old girls that girls don't have the same privileges everywhere in the world. We didn't tell them that women still don't have equality in pay in the work force. . . heavens. . .my friend Amy's daughter said the funniest thing "Mom, I jumped really high and I broke the glass ceiling and I brought you back a man's job."
We are learning all the time, I'm trying to take more opportunity to stop and explain when she has a question, because she's more ready now to hear the explanations.
But this one. .. she's a lap learner. She reads better if I have my arm around her, than if I just sit next to her. She is proficient in math while she sits in my lap during her sister's naptime.
She has a mind for memorization. She does better to memorize the note patterns (DEF#) on a page and then play them from her head, than to watch them as she plays. She is learning sign language quite well and very excited about it. This week we will begin sewing and yoga and she'll continue in sign and art. I PLAN (ha) to do a T/Th/S routine of morning schoolwork while setting the littles to busy things, Airi with Alphabet work and H with. . .who knows what. . .coloring.
There's no way I could possibly quantify the learning we have done, but let's be honest. . .I've also been super slack about doing focused learning time with my 1st grader as well. As the holidays begin to pass and colder weather has us inside more often, and we are on the ground for a while, I find myself getting a restless feeling that says we are ready to really take on some routine again.
We will begin our second session of our co-op classes this week. I have taken on some new personal health goals. I'm trying to create a plan that will suit our current situation, watching a toddler until noon, having my own toddler who only naps about an hour each day, wanting to soak up any remaining ray of sunshine with my daughter's new found love of riding her bike in the park (which we've done once), and balancing my own personal needs/goals with a houseful of people who also need me, and a very crowded schedule, none of which seems to be able to go to the wayside.
I'd like to tackle a craft a day through December. Begin work on our ABCs with my younger one. Get some 18mo appropriate ideas for the little one I watch so we can all spend an hour or so at the table crafting/creating/learning each day. And just get down to business with a regular school routine for my oldest. Alani is NOT a child who does things on her own. Another mother might be able to leave an instrument lying out in plain site with music sheets open and available so that her child would pick up and do a practice on her own now and again, but my child wants to put on a concert each and every time, wants me to write down the name of the new piece she "plays" each day :) (free play of course and never written down, so it can never be repeated). My child wants me there to count out every half note and quarter note and every note we're playing, walking her through her practice. Therefore, if I do not make the time in my life for 30 minutes of violin practice each day, she will not be able to practice each day. This is why I always have to admit to her teacher that "we" did not get in much practice. I should just learn the violin along with her. . .wait, I AM! I feel like I can ply the violin just as well at this moment, as she can. I wonder if I should rent an instrument and pay her teacher :)
Alani and I have little discussions here and there "what's a mineral? why do we have them in our bodies?" Four thousand questions as we go along in Little House on the Prairie, stopping me every third sentence to repeat words or phrases she finds funny, but mostly doesn't understand. We talked about organically and non-organically grown potatoes and food last night, which stemmed (bwahahaha) from Little House and how sweet potatoes and have eyes. I had to tell her that these days, you can only plant organic potatoes, because those grown with a special pesticide INSIDE of them, are created so they won't sprout at all and we have to buy that company's products in order to grow our own.
She has continued in her weekly art class, where they are writing and illustrating a story at the moment. She's running around trying to teach people hand games and working on jumping rope and other things.
I wish our lives and our space were more organized, and maybe just MORE. . .
I talked to her about women's suffrage when I voted earlier this month, which piggy backed a discussion we had with her Girl Scout troop a few weeks earlier about the Millennium Development Goals of the UN for the GAA, where we had to tell a bunch of six year old girls that girls don't have the same privileges everywhere in the world. We didn't tell them that women still don't have equality in pay in the work force. . . heavens. . .my friend Amy's daughter said the funniest thing "Mom, I jumped really high and I broke the glass ceiling and I brought you back a man's job."
We are learning all the time, I'm trying to take more opportunity to stop and explain when she has a question, because she's more ready now to hear the explanations.
But this one. .. she's a lap learner. She reads better if I have my arm around her, than if I just sit next to her. She is proficient in math while she sits in my lap during her sister's naptime.
She has a mind for memorization. She does better to memorize the note patterns (DEF#) on a page and then play them from her head, than to watch them as she plays. She is learning sign language quite well and very excited about it. This week we will begin sewing and yoga and she'll continue in sign and art. I PLAN (ha) to do a T/Th/S routine of morning schoolwork while setting the littles to busy things, Airi with Alphabet work and H with. . .who knows what. . .coloring.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Week 5: International Homeschool Spirit Week
743 hours
I called last week a wash, but let's give it like 5 hours
743 hours
-5 hours
738 hours to go
EEK. . .I've been a bit slack about posting and there's just no way I'm going to go back and remember what we did two weeks ago! On Sunday we had a drive through KY, all the way through TN and into to AL! That ended up being a fun drive, the girls did pretty well, really, the scenery was gorgeous and at the end of it, homemade chicken curry and DEAR DEAR friends! We spent a couple of hours catching up, the girls made instant and new best friends, and then we hit the road again and headed back to Nashville.
Sunday was a long drive. . .one of the COOLEST things on Saturday was. . .well, besides crossing two states lines, was driving through Clarksville and seeing "Wilma Rudolph Parkway." I forgot she was from Clarksville, but I was able to excitedly point out the sign to Alani and then show her the second sign as we passed the actual parkway. . .she was pretty jazzed about that, since she LOVES her "Wilma Unlimited" book!
We swam back at the hotel and engaged in the nightly ritual of reading Little House in the Big Woods. . .which was so comforting as I took this final leg of the journey home with my two sweet girls and no one else. Then we snuggled down and fell fast asleep.
On Monday we headed to the pool for another 30 minutes before getting ready and checking out. Then we headed to downtown Nashville for a few hours before our 6pm flight. I was so excited to find that the TN state Capitol has a museum with a 100 years of Girl Scouting display, and it's free. We decided this would be our Monday activity. Monday kicked off "International Homeschool Spirit Week" and I was bound and determined to be part of it. The first day was "homeschool away from home." Is there any better way than to be 1200 miles from home? I think not! We hit the Nashville Farmer's Market, which includes an indoor food-court, Greek for lunch. Then walked the GIANT set of stairs up to the Capitol Building, only to find that it is closed for repairs until January! UGH. We waited on a friend who was supposed to meet us there, saw a statue of Jackson and Adams and read about James K. Polk and his wife, as well as the Catholic Church building.
We headed to our plane. On one of the flights Alani again poured over the safety card. I drew her another map of where we'd been, charting our course on the back of the SW in-flight service napkin, again and she worked on her Singapore Math workbook for about an hour. She did some Singapore math, which she LOVES and I think this is going to be the right math for us. I said "Alani, do you want to do some schoolwork?" And she scrunched her nose and whined "No" and I said, "Oh, I thought you could do some math." "MATH? MATH? I LOVE math! You didn't say it was math!" Well, okay then. . .there's apparently "school work" and "math." :) . . .homeschooling on a plane is DEFINITELY homeschool away from home!
In all of that I'd say we had a good 5 hours of school type work which included history, geography, the arts, math, healthy living and physical education :) We even stopped to ponder some funny looking acorns for a bit and stomp on them to see what the seeds looked like inside. . . science? I think so!
Getting back into the groove for the rest of the week was kind of tough. Tuesday was "comfy cozy" day. . .when do we NOT spend most of the day in our jammies? Tuesday evening was a tea for our new Girl Scout Daisies (2 have been added to our troop).
Wednesday. . . I took a new morning charge, so we spent all morning Wednesday getting the house cleaned up (after getting home at nearly midnight on Monday I couldn't even deal with it on Tuesday, though I did a little to prepare) . . .only to learn they'd be coming the next day. The girls worked on some crafting, which basically included lots of glue (it took four days for the white glue on Airi's project, to dry completely) and various colors, sizes and shapes of pipe cleaners/ fuzzy sticks. When Airi went down for a nap, the kitchen was so clean that I was able to let Alani freely "cook" up concoctions while I worked on dinner AT 1PM!!! It was like a solid hour or more of cooking and creating! Wednesday afternoon Lila and Clarissa came and then ice skating followed by small group. We missed "Crazy Sock Day."
Thursday was "Crazy Day" and we tried to dress the girls in silly patterns. I had to put nearly as much effort into cleaning the house on this morning, again, it's insane how easily it comes undone. Then we met with H's parents and sealed the deal. Alani practiced her violin a couple of times this day and there's really no telling how many games of "Sorry" she had engaged her father in by this point, as we'd been without a TV (toddler broken) since Tuesday evening. The game of Sorry is a great tool for math and strategy. Thursday evenings are pretty chill around here. I created Airi's Halloween costume, we were all in love, then I walked in the other room to start on Alani's and Airi decided she wants to be the same thing as her sister this year. . .argh!
Friday was "twin day." It's not tough to dress the girls alike :) We had Mr. H for the first time on Friday. The girls did all of the hard work and had a blast. We went to the park much earlier than we ever do, and before we knew it, 3 hours with this handsome little guy were over! Alani's violin teacher had to cancel on account of illness, so what we did in the evening, I can not remember, but by this point we were still not letting our girls know that they could watch all of their favorite shows on the computer yet, so games abound.
We played a lot of Ring-o-Flamingo during this week as well, a game the whole family could enjoy together. And each night we were still going strong with Little House in the Big Woods.
I set Alani to work on computer games a couple of times, but really, with the house cleaning and the new charge and the unpacking and getting back in the groove, we were lucky to get in ONE day of violin practice.
Saturday was a FOUR hour learning experience. We snagged free tickets to the new Museum of Natural History, free tickets to museums of your choice were available through the Smithsonian. You had to pre-order the free tickets, but it was a great opportunity to check out our new museum. I asked at the front how long it takes to get through and was told "about 2 hours." It took us FOUR! Four FULL hours! I was SO thankful that too many people were apparently home watching football games to come out and enjoy a free day at the museum, because it meant that there were not BILLIONS of people there. It was actually a little quiet, busy, but not bouncing off the walls busy. Plenty of room to move around, enjoy exhibits, do hands-on stuff without lines of people or small children shoving. SO wonderful and such a neat experience.
It's possible, in the future, we might consider a membership here. For now, it was a great springboard for considering which avenue to go with science. Alani was too busy trying everything out. . .but it wasn't overwhelming, which was wonderful. No one cried the whole trip. . .amazing, considering Airi was three hours overdue for a nap by the time we left!!! Maybe this week we'll revisit some of what we saw and Alani might be able to consider and decide whether she wants to learn about dinosaurs, plants, animals, land, water, bugs, solar system, rocks. . .it was full of 1st grade science options :)
What a very very full week! Just now, reviewing it, I hadn't realized there were so very many learning opportunities or hours in this week!
19 hours in my estimation, though actually there were more!
Wait. . . wait. . .we came home from a super long day at the Museum, put Airi down for a nap and I tested Alani for placement for her math. She got all of the answers for the 1b section, but I had to talk her through a lot of it. I didn't even test her for 1a, because I know she can breeze through it. So we're going to start at 1b and hope that's a good fit.
I'm soon going to have to break this down into daily blog posts about our learning, because I hope it will become more focused, but also because there are photos I want to share and extras I want to write. . .maybe I just have to keep that for my personal blog :)
20 hours!
I called last week a wash, but let's give it like 5 hours
743 hours
-5 hours
738 hours to go
EEK. . .I've been a bit slack about posting and there's just no way I'm going to go back and remember what we did two weeks ago! On Sunday we had a drive through KY, all the way through TN and into to AL! That ended up being a fun drive, the girls did pretty well, really, the scenery was gorgeous and at the end of it, homemade chicken curry and DEAR DEAR friends! We spent a couple of hours catching up, the girls made instant and new best friends, and then we hit the road again and headed back to Nashville.
Sunday was a long drive. . .one of the COOLEST things on Saturday was. . .well, besides crossing two states lines, was driving through Clarksville and seeing "Wilma Rudolph Parkway." I forgot she was from Clarksville, but I was able to excitedly point out the sign to Alani and then show her the second sign as we passed the actual parkway. . .she was pretty jazzed about that, since she LOVES her "Wilma Unlimited" book!
We swam back at the hotel and engaged in the nightly ritual of reading Little House in the Big Woods. . .which was so comforting as I took this final leg of the journey home with my two sweet girls and no one else. Then we snuggled down and fell fast asleep.
On Monday we headed to the pool for another 30 minutes before getting ready and checking out. Then we headed to downtown Nashville for a few hours before our 6pm flight. I was so excited to find that the TN state Capitol has a museum with a 100 years of Girl Scouting display, and it's free. We decided this would be our Monday activity. Monday kicked off "International Homeschool Spirit Week" and I was bound and determined to be part of it. The first day was "homeschool away from home." Is there any better way than to be 1200 miles from home? I think not! We hit the Nashville Farmer's Market, which includes an indoor food-court, Greek for lunch. Then walked the GIANT set of stairs up to the Capitol Building, only to find that it is closed for repairs until January! UGH. We waited on a friend who was supposed to meet us there, saw a statue of Jackson and Adams and read about James K. Polk and his wife, as well as the Catholic Church building.
In all of that I'd say we had a good 5 hours of school type work which included history, geography, the arts, math, healthy living and physical education :) We even stopped to ponder some funny looking acorns for a bit and stomp on them to see what the seeds looked like inside. . . science? I think so!
Getting back into the groove for the rest of the week was kind of tough. Tuesday was "comfy cozy" day. . .when do we NOT spend most of the day in our jammies? Tuesday evening was a tea for our new Girl Scout Daisies (2 have been added to our troop).
Wednesday. . . I took a new morning charge, so we spent all morning Wednesday getting the house cleaned up (after getting home at nearly midnight on Monday I couldn't even deal with it on Tuesday, though I did a little to prepare) . . .only to learn they'd be coming the next day. The girls worked on some crafting, which basically included lots of glue (it took four days for the white glue on Airi's project, to dry completely) and various colors, sizes and shapes of pipe cleaners/ fuzzy sticks. When Airi went down for a nap, the kitchen was so clean that I was able to let Alani freely "cook" up concoctions while I worked on dinner AT 1PM!!! It was like a solid hour or more of cooking and creating! Wednesday afternoon Lila and Clarissa came and then ice skating followed by small group. We missed "Crazy Sock Day."
Thursday was "Crazy Day" and we tried to dress the girls in silly patterns. I had to put nearly as much effort into cleaning the house on this morning, again, it's insane how easily it comes undone. Then we met with H's parents and sealed the deal. Alani practiced her violin a couple of times this day and there's really no telling how many games of "Sorry" she had engaged her father in by this point, as we'd been without a TV (toddler broken) since Tuesday evening. The game of Sorry is a great tool for math and strategy. Thursday evenings are pretty chill around here. I created Airi's Halloween costume, we were all in love, then I walked in the other room to start on Alani's and Airi decided she wants to be the same thing as her sister this year. . .argh!
Friday was "twin day." It's not tough to dress the girls alike :) We had Mr. H for the first time on Friday. The girls did all of the hard work and had a blast. We went to the park much earlier than we ever do, and before we knew it, 3 hours with this handsome little guy were over! Alani's violin teacher had to cancel on account of illness, so what we did in the evening, I can not remember, but by this point we were still not letting our girls know that they could watch all of their favorite shows on the computer yet, so games abound.
We played a lot of Ring-o-Flamingo during this week as well, a game the whole family could enjoy together. And each night we were still going strong with Little House in the Big Woods.
I set Alani to work on computer games a couple of times, but really, with the house cleaning and the new charge and the unpacking and getting back in the groove, we were lucky to get in ONE day of violin practice.
Saturday was a FOUR hour learning experience. We snagged free tickets to the new Museum of Natural History, free tickets to museums of your choice were available through the Smithsonian. You had to pre-order the free tickets, but it was a great opportunity to check out our new museum. I asked at the front how long it takes to get through and was told "about 2 hours." It took us FOUR! Four FULL hours! I was SO thankful that too many people were apparently home watching football games to come out and enjoy a free day at the museum, because it meant that there were not BILLIONS of people there. It was actually a little quiet, busy, but not bouncing off the walls busy. Plenty of room to move around, enjoy exhibits, do hands-on stuff without lines of people or small children shoving. SO wonderful and such a neat experience.
It's possible, in the future, we might consider a membership here. For now, it was a great springboard for considering which avenue to go with science. Alani was too busy trying everything out. . .but it wasn't overwhelming, which was wonderful. No one cried the whole trip. . .amazing, considering Airi was three hours overdue for a nap by the time we left!!! Maybe this week we'll revisit some of what we saw and Alani might be able to consider and decide whether she wants to learn about dinosaurs, plants, animals, land, water, bugs, solar system, rocks. . .it was full of 1st grade science options :)
What a very very full week! Just now, reviewing it, I hadn't realized there were so very many learning opportunities or hours in this week!
19 hours in my estimation, though actually there were more!
Wait. . . wait. . .we came home from a super long day at the Museum, put Airi down for a nap and I tested Alani for placement for her math. She got all of the answers for the 1b section, but I had to talk her through a lot of it. I didn't even test her for 1a, because I know she can breeze through it. So we're going to start at 1b and hope that's a good fit.
I'm soon going to have to break this down into daily blog posts about our learning, because I hope it will become more focused, but also because there are photos I want to share and extras I want to write. . .maybe I just have to keep that for my personal blog :)
20 hours!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Week 4: Homeschool Away from Home
765 Hours to go
-22.25 hours in week 3
743 Hours left (I'll round up)
Sunday Alani worked on a Girl Scout Project with her Grammy. They also played countless games of yahtzee and checkers. I should count all of this time. Game playing, especially for a 6 year old, is a great way to learn decision making, quick counting, multiplication, addition, strategy, and with Yahtzee she also got to practice writing her numbers. But I can't tell you how many countless hours were spent playing one of these two games. She played checkers with her Grampa, her Grammy and her cousins. She also ran around with an old friend for a few hours and we had church. I count church for "school" hours because it includes history, singing, and craft time, as well as listening to stories, memorization, copywork. . .church has it all, really :)
Alani did violin practice twice while we were in IN . . .oops! But that probably totaled 30 minutes, since she had a lot more to practice this time around.
Monday Alani spent about 30 minutes doing a presentation and in discussion with a group of women Grammy gets together with for bible study. I would say that 30 minutes of presenting something she'd partially memorized, oration, public speaking. . .that's ALL learning time in my book. Then she watched an educational animal DVD for an hour. More game playing. Coloring.
As I watch this school year unfolding before us and realize that this year I am discovering so much about who I am as a mother/teacher and how we will work together as a diad and triad as well, I feel that I'm falling in line with my OWN way of doing things :) I am seeing so much wisdom in recent information I've read which states that until the age of 7, free-play is the greatest learning environment for children. And information that a friend has shared about one of the "most intelligent" (how that's quantified, I'm not sure) cultures in the world, not starting formal schooling until about age 8. I've talked to other friends who homeschool and don't start until age 7. I've watched my own daughter change from a child I thought would be completely unteachable through anything other than arts and crafts, eight months ago, into a child who proclaims that she LOVES math and school and become a believer in myself that we CAN do this without as much pain as I thought it would cause, because I'm waiting on my own child's readiness.
I don't have to hold her back where she is strong and at the moment, I don't have to push too hard where she is not, because she will become more ready to be pushed, as time goes on. I am trying to take more opportunities to deliberately teach her things of the world when we are out and about, things like money management, decision making, but also "that's the sign for bathroom." :) And she seizes opportunities to figure out the world, for instance, she spent about an hour pouring over the safety card in the seat back pocket on the airplane. . .that's important stuff. She knows how to order her own in-flight beverage, without fearing speaking up, saying what she wants, or feeling she shouldn't speak directly to adults with authority on things she understands. She might speak quietly to a group of women about her Girl Scout project, but she CHOSE to do that project, at this time, even when she knew that part of it meant presenting to a group of women she didn't know well, and she was public speaking, even if quietly.
Funny as it is, as I feel myself doing the "unschool" thing, all of the material that appeals to me comes from Well-trained mind. But even then, I do not have to follow a rigid schedule of schooling, even when choosing a classical education. . .we can adapt ANYTHING to our life, our way of learning together. I've been acquiring books slowly due to cost or sharing with other families. And each time I learn a little more. I actually learned this bit in week 5, but while I'm backtracking and sharing thoughts, I'll just share here. The "first language lessons" book was the first book that told me, straight out, 1st graders are not actually physically capable of large amounts of copywork! Writing with Ease eluded to it being difficult, and I was approaching it much like the Violin, it feels weird to hold something that way or in that position or tuck your elbow under, but your mind will begin to take over for your muscles and fall into place and those muscles will build up in a way that it becomes natural for them. The same with writing, right? Nope. . .apparently the 6-8 word copywork sentences in Writing with Ease were supposed to give me the clue that that's about as much as I should even expect from my 6 year old. . . PHEW! I just thought she was whiny :)
While in IN, we really didn't do any focused school work. We read Little House each night, by request from Alani. She played a thousand games of checkers and Yahtzee, practiced her violin twice and played with her cousins a lot.
Back on Track
Tuesday it was cousin time, game playing and Build-a-Bear.
Wednesday it was a carnival that her Grammy and Grampa put on, with a mad-hatter tea, and swimming in the evening (Physical education, strategy, playing well with others).
Thursday it was more Build-a-Bear and then a nature walk with the cousins (who are also homeschooled, quite separately from our decision to do so). The nature walk was probably the most school-like activity that we did during the trip, well, the Indiana part of the trip. And wouldn't you know it? MORE game playing with her Grammy :)
Friday we headed to Kentucky. . .there was probably a geography lesson in there, but between "she touched me" type comments, mom not having the appropriate snacks (though I had like 12 options) and needing stuffed animals from the trunk, necessitating pulling over on the side of the highway. . .I just let the geography lessons slide. We did end up at an old 1880s settlement after dark, so again, there was probably something historical to share there, but I didn't :)
Saturday was a wedding . . . it was lots of playing with a favorite Miss Rae and being REALLY helpful, and riding in a limo three times.
Though there were learning opportunities this week, we'll call this week a wash, because I honestly could not count up the hours spent playing checkers and yahtzee and listening to stories from her Grammy about her own past (okay, I don't know if Alani was around for those. . . but I was sure learning a thing or two).
-22.25 hours in week 3
743 Hours left (I'll round up)
Sunday Alani worked on a Girl Scout Project with her Grammy. They also played countless games of yahtzee and checkers. I should count all of this time. Game playing, especially for a 6 year old, is a great way to learn decision making, quick counting, multiplication, addition, strategy, and with Yahtzee she also got to practice writing her numbers. But I can't tell you how many countless hours were spent playing one of these two games. She played checkers with her Grampa, her Grammy and her cousins. She also ran around with an old friend for a few hours and we had church. I count church for "school" hours because it includes history, singing, and craft time, as well as listening to stories, memorization, copywork. . .church has it all, really :)
Alani did violin practice twice while we were in IN . . .oops! But that probably totaled 30 minutes, since she had a lot more to practice this time around.
Monday Alani spent about 30 minutes doing a presentation and in discussion with a group of women Grammy gets together with for bible study. I would say that 30 minutes of presenting something she'd partially memorized, oration, public speaking. . .that's ALL learning time in my book. Then she watched an educational animal DVD for an hour. More game playing. Coloring.
As I watch this school year unfolding before us and realize that this year I am discovering so much about who I am as a mother/teacher and how we will work together as a diad and triad as well, I feel that I'm falling in line with my OWN way of doing things :) I am seeing so much wisdom in recent information I've read which states that until the age of 7, free-play is the greatest learning environment for children. And information that a friend has shared about one of the "most intelligent" (how that's quantified, I'm not sure) cultures in the world, not starting formal schooling until about age 8. I've talked to other friends who homeschool and don't start until age 7. I've watched my own daughter change from a child I thought would be completely unteachable through anything other than arts and crafts, eight months ago, into a child who proclaims that she LOVES math and school and become a believer in myself that we CAN do this without as much pain as I thought it would cause, because I'm waiting on my own child's readiness.
I don't have to hold her back where she is strong and at the moment, I don't have to push too hard where she is not, because she will become more ready to be pushed, as time goes on. I am trying to take more opportunities to deliberately teach her things of the world when we are out and about, things like money management, decision making, but also "that's the sign for bathroom." :) And she seizes opportunities to figure out the world, for instance, she spent about an hour pouring over the safety card in the seat back pocket on the airplane. . .that's important stuff. She knows how to order her own in-flight beverage, without fearing speaking up, saying what she wants, or feeling she shouldn't speak directly to adults with authority on things she understands. She might speak quietly to a group of women about her Girl Scout project, but she CHOSE to do that project, at this time, even when she knew that part of it meant presenting to a group of women she didn't know well, and she was public speaking, even if quietly.
Funny as it is, as I feel myself doing the "unschool" thing, all of the material that appeals to me comes from Well-trained mind. But even then, I do not have to follow a rigid schedule of schooling, even when choosing a classical education. . .we can adapt ANYTHING to our life, our way of learning together. I've been acquiring books slowly due to cost or sharing with other families. And each time I learn a little more. I actually learned this bit in week 5, but while I'm backtracking and sharing thoughts, I'll just share here. The "first language lessons" book was the first book that told me, straight out, 1st graders are not actually physically capable of large amounts of copywork! Writing with Ease eluded to it being difficult, and I was approaching it much like the Violin, it feels weird to hold something that way or in that position or tuck your elbow under, but your mind will begin to take over for your muscles and fall into place and those muscles will build up in a way that it becomes natural for them. The same with writing, right? Nope. . .apparently the 6-8 word copywork sentences in Writing with Ease were supposed to give me the clue that that's about as much as I should even expect from my 6 year old. . . PHEW! I just thought she was whiny :)
While in IN, we really didn't do any focused school work. We read Little House each night, by request from Alani. She played a thousand games of checkers and Yahtzee, practiced her violin twice and played with her cousins a lot.
Back on Track
Tuesday it was cousin time, game playing and Build-a-Bear.
Wednesday it was a carnival that her Grammy and Grampa put on, with a mad-hatter tea, and swimming in the evening (Physical education, strategy, playing well with others).
Thursday it was more Build-a-Bear and then a nature walk with the cousins (who are also homeschooled, quite separately from our decision to do so). The nature walk was probably the most school-like activity that we did during the trip, well, the Indiana part of the trip. And wouldn't you know it? MORE game playing with her Grammy :)
Friday we headed to Kentucky. . .there was probably a geography lesson in there, but between "she touched me" type comments, mom not having the appropriate snacks (though I had like 12 options) and needing stuffed animals from the trunk, necessitating pulling over on the side of the highway. . .I just let the geography lessons slide. We did end up at an old 1880s settlement after dark, so again, there was probably something historical to share there, but I didn't :)
Saturday was a wedding . . . it was lots of playing with a favorite Miss Rae and being REALLY helpful, and riding in a limo three times.
Though there were learning opportunities this week, we'll call this week a wash, because I honestly could not count up the hours spent playing checkers and yahtzee and listening to stories from her Grammy about her own past (okay, I don't know if Alani was around for those. . . but I was sure learning a thing or two).
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