For The Kids

Why do hamburgers go to the gym?

~To get better buns!

Why was the apple left alone?

~Because the banana split!

The Making of a Patriot?

For a few days my living room floor looked like this as D worked and worked with his new paint markers. I would pick up his efforts each night and each morning they would return to the floor and grow.

One evening after getting him to bed I sat down to relax with a book and looked down at the floor. It had signs of something; I am not sure what exactly, but maybe the signs of an emerging patriot?

Small Lessons

I bought D a new toothbrush; something I have done many times over the last 8 1/2 years. But I decided to share with him how to know when it was time to get a new brush.

I called him into the bathroom during his bedtime routine and he immediately saw the new brush packaged and sitting on the counter top. I put my hand on it to keep him from grabbing it and opening it and asked if he knew how to tell when it was time to get a new toothbrush?

No, he replied.

I picked up his old brush and had him look at how the bristles where bent over from repeated use. I explained when his brush got to that point it was time to get a new brush. I knew that a time line of every 3 months wouldn't have done or meant much, so I used the visual clue. He looked at it, replied with an interested, "Oh." and then proceeded to open his new brush and begin brushing.

Sometimes it's in the small, unimpressive moments that our children learn some important information.

Great Harvest Bread Co.

tasting the different kinds of flour

Kneading the dough

many questions about the BIG ovens and baking process

listening about the art of bread making

garnishing the loaves with sesame seeds... or NOT

enjoying the fruits of one's labor

D and I accompanied our local homeschooling group on a field trip to a local bakery that mills its own flour. The store was quite neat and seeing how it was all done was fascinating for all of us. D not only asked questions about the baking and bread, but also about the business itself and business in general. Of course his curiosity got the better of him and he was repeated reminded not to TOUCH ANYTHING. The best part was the delicious giant bread stick each child got to make.

A Summer Walk

Sampling the local fruit; plums growing in a neighbor's yard.

Making A Battery

From The Dangerous Book for Boys, pages 16 and 17

Unfortunetly, the battery did not work out. Could have been because D decided to construct it at dad's bedtime, making dad not so receptive nor sharp LOL; could have been because instead of cider vinegar I had red wine vinegar; or it could have been because we used construction paper instead of blotting paper. Improvise! That is what we do around here when D is admit about doing something and we are not prepared. Maybe next time :-)

For The Record

I will continue to blog here throughout the summer and fall as D continues to learn in non-school fashion. I am always inspired by the things I find on other homeschooling blogs and hope to inspire others.

Wishing you all a great summer!

Schools Out

The year has come to an official close; school is out! And honestly, I am so ready.

I desperately wanted to homeschool my son. I had contemplated it for over a year; read everything I could get my hands on regarding homeschooling; and befriended a few homeschoolers on line. I was enamored to say the least.

I had ideas of us waking up and me working in the garden while D toiled with projects and books and ideas. I envisioned field trips and family excursions. I saw us cooking wholesome lunches together and me making fresh breads each day. I imagined conversations and a relationship that grew with interest and passions.

What I got was me staying up late for some "alone time" and thus lingering over coffee in the morning as I read homeschooling blogs--D watching cartoons while he woke up; what I got was lunch out at Taco Bell more often than not; what I got was a son who decided doing "school work" or "learning" was not what he wanted and therefore arguments ensued; what I got was a strained relationship as I persisted in attending to "school work" and my son avoided doing "school work."

We did take in some great field trips and a few family excursions. We discovered some wonderful programs and people. And we did have numerous, if not constant, conversations. I never got around to baking one loaf of bread, although a few breakfasts and lunches were wholesome and an event in themselves... in the beginning. 

I don't know what or where we went wrong, but homeschooling hasn't been the best experience for us. And today, a nice breezy, lounging kind of day, had me awaken from a nap realizing that homeschooling was not for D and I... and feeling fine with that. In fact, feeling good with that!

I am tired of homeschooling. I am tired of trying to be something we are not. D likes people, he wants to be around children his own age--as well as the younger and older kids. I am not particularly interested in being with people. I miss my time in which I can hear myself think and can get somethings done. D needs the structure and camaraderie that the classroom offers to get things done. 

I know that many homeschooling families feel that the structure of the public schools is awful, but I have never encountered it to be what so many homeschoolers write about. Children do sit at desks, usually in groups; they are requested to raise their hands to speak out, but there also is spontaneity within the classroom and their discussions or activities; they do need permission to leave the room and often their desks, but they do get to get up and move around or use a restroom when need be. And the children do mix with other aged kids during recess and lunch, at the bus stops and on the buses. Is it ideal? Absolutely not! But the isolation that D and I feel with homeschooling is more detrimental than a classroom or school yard.

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed much of what D and I have accomplished this year. And I do truly believe that children should stay at home with their families until about 7 years old. But I think that for us a move towards schooling is what is best. Come September D will be starting at a Montessori Elementary School and I am excited to see what it will bring.

Montessori seems to combine the best of a homeschooling type atmosphere with some structure and routine of a school classroom. The school is small with only 13 students, but the guide (teacher) rich with over 30 years experience. D thinks he would like to move back into the public school system in our area; I am not so sure. But for now, this small Montessori school will provide D much of what he is not getting at home and allow me much of what I am needing.

You are welcome to follow us in this experience if you are so inclined. I know this blog has not resonated with many homeschooling bloggers, but it has been a blessing in allowing me to document and work out many ideals regarding home education.

Our 35th Week of Homeschooling

Week of May 26 - May 30, 2008

Memorial Day Holiday - Monday

Math

~ Workbook pgs Hannah Hen's Kitchen
~ Workbook pgs 361, 362, 363 and 364
~ Workbook pgs 365 and 366
~ Workbook pgs 367, 368, 369 and 370
~ Workbook pgs 371 and 372

Language

~ French Immersion Class: Fruit Salad with Friends

Spelling

~ On-line Scrabulous

Writing 

~ Practice Book pgs 159 and 169

Grammar

~ Comma Quiz
~ Quotation Marks wkshts
~ Benchmark w/ Stacey

Reading

~ Read science text pgs 114 - 117
~ SSR The Dangerous Book For Boys: Spies - Codes and Ciphers

Social Std.

~ Little House on the Prairie DVDs

Geography

~ Wksht w/ Stacey

Science

~ Read text pgs 114 - 117
~ Workbook pgs 55 and 56

Art ~ Experiment with Abstract Art form

Practical Skills

 ~ Rode city bus to and from school on Wednesday - alone

PE

~ Lots of unstructured play outside

Misc.

~ Watched Puss and Boots

This was a rough week--neither of us felt like tending to school matters; luckily the years is almost over. I didn't make much fuss. I am trying to adopted the habit of letting D know what it is he needs to do, reminding him and then letting it go. He will have to suffer the consequences of not being able to head out to play when the neighborhood kids get home from school: work first, play after; this includes our chores as well as school.

One of the chores D is now responsible for (no snickering, gasping or shaking of the head--I know I have spoiled him and did not do so with my other boys; he's the baby, my last) like making his bed, putting his shoes and jacket/sweatshirt away instead of just kicking them off/dropping in them in the entry way upon entering the house. I do make his bed for him on the weekend, so that I can wash the linens and such.

D rode the bus again to turn in his work. He decided that getting stuck doing work for the Homeschooling Coordinator was worth the price of riding the bus to school LOL I again waited in the parking lot for him, but did interrupt to hand in some things I stopped to make copies of and forgot to place in D's book back before he left. I think this relieved his Coordinator--they don't seem so keen on the idea of D riding the bus alone.

Economic Effects On Our Home Education

I have hinted at the economic effects on my home education efforts in prior posts, but with gas prices at $4.29 a gallon this morning (I cost me over $80.00 to fill my tank) I have been compelled to write about this.

Shortly after Thanksgiving 2007, I had to make some very hard decisions regarding our enrichment activities and our budget. I realize that many homeschooling families are able and do homeschool with relatively little costs; that was and is not us. .

Our home, situated as it is, should provide tons of starting points for learning, activities for engaging, opportunities to explore... and it does, if everyone in the family saw it that way. But with five older siblings whom find going to school/work and coming home to be on their computers or watching their televisions a satisfactory way of living, D had little example of a more engaging form of being. 

Yes, he spends hours playing in the fields behind our home and he helps tend our chickens; he watches and cares for his rats and dog; he watches and assists in our gardening and remodeling; he befriends and visits neighbors; but D is a social being, an extrovert, and he needs people around him constantly that are engaged and willing and as excited as he is. I can only provide so much of that as I am the exact opposite: reserved and introverted. Thus, outside enrichment activities provided what D was needing. Our materials were provided by the District and our personal library is extensive, but outsourcing and enrichment cost.

However, the rising costs of fuel and the higher costs of food (milk is at $3.99 a gallon, bread is at $4.00 a loaf and most cereals are over $4.00 a box) have put a damper on what we can spend for outside sources. In fact, we are down to just about a couple of learning opportunities this summer: swimming lessons, Vacation Bible School, and hopefully a camping excursion. What have we cut to date:

*Youth Outdoor Wilderness Program

*Piano Lessons

*Activities offered through Parks & Rec

*Field Trips: Hollywood Observatory, Legoland, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Birch Aquarium

*Lunches/dinners out

*Book buying... major sacrifice here!

*Purchasing the next season of Little House on the Prairie

What we are cutting out this summer:

*Trips to the beach

*Sleep overs

*Travel excursion to Oregon and Washington

*Trip to New Mexico and Mexico

*Summer Camp

*Theater Workshop that D so badly wants to be in

Luckily we live within 1/2 a mile of the library and can attend their summer programs, we have rolling foothills behind us that can provide many nice hiking expeditions, we can squeeze in a Friday night video if it is not a New Release; my sister lives within 5 miles and we can go swimming at her place, maybe even accompany she and her family to the lake (if it is a nearby lake) and ride in their boat with them; D might have the opportunity to accompany Grandma Teresa to her ranch in Arizona for a small road trip and a geography experience: hike her ranch, ride her horses, swim in her pool, visit with her neighbors, maybe even head over the border with her for a day of errands--but this is a big maybe.

I wish I could continue to provide the enrichment activities and trips I had planned, but rising living costs aren't cooperating; I suppose I could look at this as a lesson in creativity, resourcefulness, and an opportunity to really explore my own community.

For more thoughts on the economy and homeschooling visit Dana's post over at Principled Discovery.