Since beginning our homeschooling journey, I have noticed a change in how my sons interact with each other. They are closer than they had been. I realize this is born of necessity, but that makes it no less beautiful to observe. They play together all the time now. They read to each other, help and guide each other. They even cover for each other.
Yesterday, we were at Wal-Mart doing our shopping for Thanksgiving. I had sent Porthos and Aramis to use the restroom while I searched for a few more items. I sent them to the restroom at the back of the store, and they were to come right back when they were done. They didn't. I kept a watch for them as I shopped and when I realized they weren't coming back I went looking for them. They weren't at the restroom. Now, this particular Wal-Mart has the shoe department along that very back wall and electronics is across from that. So I thought perhaps they got distracted by all the games and TVs, but no luck. So I, thinking my children would not be so bold as to disobey a standing rule of not ever going to the toy section without an adult, I went looking for them back in the grocery section, but not before asking a friend who was there to have the boys return to the restroom if she came upon them.
After another sweep, I returned to the restroom area and found my sons sitting waiting for me. I asked them where they were and Porthos replied they looked for me in the food section. I reminded him that I wanted him to tell the truth. So I asked Aramis. He said they looked for me in the food section because he smelled food.
Do you remember that friend I told you about? She had gone to the toy section, and that's where she found them. ;) Here is the deal. They are not supposed to lie to me. However, I witnessed a bond between brothers that I would never wish away. So this time I let it slide. They do not know that I know the truth of where they were.
On a side note, yesterday morning my 9 year old sat in our living room watching a movie,
while simultaneously observing evidence of the earth's rotation. He had
a Lego tower on the floor and kept noticing how the sunlight coming
through the window was slowly moving away from his tower. Incidental
learning. LOVE IT!!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Putting on the Brakes and Being Thankful
After going rounds with my sons about getting their assignments done, I finally decided to look up this term I have been seeing, deschooling. A2Z Homeschool explains it better than I can, but basically it's a downtime from school for an extended period of time before starting homeschooling. Seeing as how I only recently learned the term, I did not deschool our family much before jumping right in to homeschooling. Text books, schedules, etc. It was going great for the first several weeks, and then progressively went down hill. Last week I realized that Athos and Porthos were barely completing two assignments a day, and no amount of reasoning, lecturing, bribing or punishing (consequences) was helping.
So finally I look up this term, discuss it with my husband and suggest we let the boys take the rest of this semester off. Regroup at the end of the year and try again in January. We had taken all of their toys away the day before in an attempt to remove any distractions for them. But when we made this new decision back on Monday, we decided they would need their toys back. Tuesday we told the boys and took them to the shed to recover their things. It was Porthos who decided that he thought only the legos should come back into his and Aramis' room, because any more than that would make it messy again. Athos took his comic books back.
Then they begged to go to the library so they could check out some books. Athos wanted the next book in the Heroes of Olympus series. Porthos wants to learn about Theodore Roosevelt and Aramis wants to study about sharks again. In the end, we came home with 3 shark books, 2 Roosevelt books (although they had 7 and I had to convince Porthos to take just 2 at a time) and Athos had to settle for a James Patterson novel.
This morning Porthos and Aramis pulled out their science experiment kit and were mixing ingredients to see if they could make things bubble and foam. They have played together at the computer. Now they are entertaining themselves with just a few small toys and are very content.
So what am I thankful for? Hindsight. Better late then never. Seeing my sons at peace. Being able to let them learn what they are interested in at the moment.
Other blogs to check out:
If Meadows Speak
Homeschooling The Well Prepared Child
Daughter Rising
So finally I look up this term, discuss it with my husband and suggest we let the boys take the rest of this semester off. Regroup at the end of the year and try again in January. We had taken all of their toys away the day before in an attempt to remove any distractions for them. But when we made this new decision back on Monday, we decided they would need their toys back. Tuesday we told the boys and took them to the shed to recover their things. It was Porthos who decided that he thought only the legos should come back into his and Aramis' room, because any more than that would make it messy again. Athos took his comic books back.
Then they begged to go to the library so they could check out some books. Athos wanted the next book in the Heroes of Olympus series. Porthos wants to learn about Theodore Roosevelt and Aramis wants to study about sharks again. In the end, we came home with 3 shark books, 2 Roosevelt books (although they had 7 and I had to convince Porthos to take just 2 at a time) and Athos had to settle for a James Patterson novel.
Other blogs to check out:
If Meadows Speak
Homeschooling The Well Prepared Child
Daughter Rising
Friday, October 24, 2014
Solar Eclipse
OK, two posts in one day. But that's just because the last one was started four days ago.
My husband and two older boys are in a play here in town being performed at the Center for the Arts. The play is Bonnie and Clyde. On our way out the door to walk to their 5pm rehearsal, I caught sight of a facebook post on the computer highlighting a solar eclipse about to happen. So I tried quickly to create a shadow box for which to view the eclipse safely with, to no avail.
A little ways into rehearsal and I mention the partial eclipse to a friend who promptly takes an envelope (OK, my typing stinks tonight. I keep having to retype everything. Don't think, just type.) he takes an envelope and punches a hole into it with a paper hole puncher. Too big. So I take a sheet of paper and use a tack and hold the paper up near a white wall, allowing the outside evening sun to shine through. Low and behold, we see the eclipse reflecting on the wall. Did you know that when the sun shines through that tiny hole, it inverts, appearing upside down? I did not know this until yesterday. It was cool.
First I call Aramis over to look. Then I call Porthos. Porthos things this is all very cool, so I send him to get his oldest brother Athos, who has just finished up his line for the moment. After a few minutes of staring at the tiny crescent shape that has manifest on the wall, Athos gets called back to do his next line. To which I say, "sorry, we are having a science lesson by observing the solar eclipse. My kids are homeschooled, so any moment can become a teaching moment." The reply came from one of the other actors says "There's and eclipse? Let's all go see!" Suddenly there were about ten of us or so, only three being children, gathered around our sheet of paper with its pin prick, looking at the crescent shaped light on the wall.
Someone got clever and figured out how to adjust the settings on her cell phone to take a picture of the solar event, while another pulled up live filtered feed of the sun on the Center's computer. It was several minutes before everyone dispersed and resumed practicing their lines. What a great lesson! Who needs a classroom, when you have the whole world to learn? Oh, and as an added bonus, can we say Drama course via community theater?
My husband and two older boys are in a play here in town being performed at the Center for the Arts. The play is Bonnie and Clyde. On our way out the door to walk to their 5pm rehearsal, I caught sight of a facebook post on the computer highlighting a solar eclipse about to happen. So I tried quickly to create a shadow box for which to view the eclipse safely with, to no avail.
A little ways into rehearsal and I mention the partial eclipse to a friend who promptly takes an envelope (OK, my typing stinks tonight. I keep having to retype everything. Don't think, just type.) he takes an envelope and punches a hole into it with a paper hole puncher. Too big. So I take a sheet of paper and use a tack and hold the paper up near a white wall, allowing the outside evening sun to shine through. Low and behold, we see the eclipse reflecting on the wall. Did you know that when the sun shines through that tiny hole, it inverts, appearing upside down? I did not know this until yesterday. It was cool.
First I call Aramis over to look. Then I call Porthos. Porthos things this is all very cool, so I send him to get his oldest brother Athos, who has just finished up his line for the moment. After a few minutes of staring at the tiny crescent shape that has manifest on the wall, Athos gets called back to do his next line. To which I say, "sorry, we are having a science lesson by observing the solar eclipse. My kids are homeschooled, so any moment can become a teaching moment." The reply came from one of the other actors says "There's and eclipse? Let's all go see!" Suddenly there were about ten of us or so, only three being children, gathered around our sheet of paper with its pin prick, looking at the crescent shaped light on the wall.
Someone got clever and figured out how to adjust the settings on her cell phone to take a picture of the solar event, while another pulled up live filtered feed of the sun on the Center's computer. It was several minutes before everyone dispersed and resumed practicing their lines. What a great lesson! Who needs a classroom, when you have the whole world to learn? Oh, and as an added bonus, can we say Drama course via community theater?
MONDAYS
Mondays have been a tough day for us. Mainly because my Mom, Grandma and I have been getting together every Monday for lunch and either knitting or a movie for the past year or so. Well since I started homeschooling, you can imagine how that affects the school schedule. We have been trying to get as much done in four hours as is possible with three boys. Ok, so I am lucky if each boy manages to get through 2 subjects. We seem to get through the same two subjects each day, math and reading, rarely getting on to history, science or any sort of elective.
Don't judge.
This past Monday morning I tried something different and I didn't even feel guilty or stressed about it. I let my sons draw and color. On Monday, we did art. We also did a Halloween craft. I found it on Pinterest. A toilet paper roll, some black construction paper, glue, scissors, and a template to make all of this into a bat. The boys loved it. Well, the 6 and 9 year old loved it. It was great! They were having fun, and worked together doing something they enjoyed. It was the most relaxing school day we have had since starting this journey.
Yesterday they spent an hour putting fake webbing on the bushes in our front yard. Today, after spending much of the day at my parents' house waiting for my van to get fixed (master cylinder was going out), they are now back out front playing with the webbing and a toy spider. Next week we plan on learning about the history of Halloween. If you have any links you would like to share, feel free to post them in a comment. I will try to post what I find next week. There will be tons of Halloween crafts and maybe we will do a little "class party", to which I will post some pictures of.
Side note: While at my parents' house, today, my Mom and I watched "Mom's Night Out" by the Erwin Brothers. That was a fantastic movie, by the way. Mom and I both laughed through most of it. I admit, the scene towards the end with Trace Adkins and Sarah Drew at the police station did get me misty eyed. What he said was so spot on. Moms need to hear it.
Don't judge.
This past Monday morning I tried something different and I didn't even feel guilty or stressed about it. I let my sons draw and color. On Monday, we did art. We also did a Halloween craft. I found it on Pinterest. A toilet paper roll, some black construction paper, glue, scissors, and a template to make all of this into a bat. The boys loved it. Well, the 6 and 9 year old loved it. It was great! They were having fun, and worked together doing something they enjoyed. It was the most relaxing school day we have had since starting this journey.
Yesterday they spent an hour putting fake webbing on the bushes in our front yard. Today, after spending much of the day at my parents' house waiting for my van to get fixed (master cylinder was going out), they are now back out front playing with the webbing and a toy spider. Next week we plan on learning about the history of Halloween. If you have any links you would like to share, feel free to post them in a comment. I will try to post what I find next week. There will be tons of Halloween crafts and maybe we will do a little "class party", to which I will post some pictures of.
Side note: While at my parents' house, today, my Mom and I watched "Mom's Night Out" by the Erwin Brothers. That was a fantastic movie, by the way. Mom and I both laughed through most of it. I admit, the scene towards the end with Trace Adkins and Sarah Drew at the police station did get me misty eyed. What he said was so spot on. Moms need to hear it.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Hard Taught Lessons
Today has been a rough day. Not just with motivation, but with behavior and the lessons that come with them. Earlier today my youngest, Aramis, came up to his big brother Athos and offered him a caramel candy. Just as Athos was accepting the candy, Aramis took it back yelling "NO! IT'S MINE!!!" Athos in turn called him a jerk, and rightfully so. No, I am not condoning name calling.
I wanted Aramis to apologize. But first I needed him to understand what he did wrong, and why it was wrong. We tried talking about it, with no success in comprehension. Even still, I gave him paper and instructed him to write out what he did wrong, why it was wrong and then on a separate sheet, write an apology letter to his brother. After a few hours, Aramis hadn't gotten past writing out his offense.
Intro the lesson taught, which was hard for me to teach and hard for him to learn. I asked Aramis over and told him he was doing a good job. I asked for his hand and asked if he'd like a smiley face stamp on his hand, to which he smiled and said yes. This is where it gets hard. Now, please don't judge. We all have our moments where we don't know how else to get the point across to our child and are seemingly left with no other alternative. I pulled the stamp away and very meanly told him "No! It's MY stamp and you can't have it!".
Deep breath. He cried. It broke my heart to see him so hurt like that. Knowing that I just caused this pain. But I pulled myself up by my boot straps, looked him square in the eyes and asked him if what I did was mean. "Yes". I asked him why was it mean? "Because you were nice and then you were mean." he said. So I told him to go think on that and write that down. Now he is writing the apology letter and was not sure what to write. I told him to write to Athos what he would like for me to say to him.
Today my son learned that he wouldn't want to be treated that way, and he shouldn't treat others like that. Today I learned that not all lessons will come out of a book, and they aren't all going to be pleasant.
I wanted Aramis to apologize. But first I needed him to understand what he did wrong, and why it was wrong. We tried talking about it, with no success in comprehension. Even still, I gave him paper and instructed him to write out what he did wrong, why it was wrong and then on a separate sheet, write an apology letter to his brother. After a few hours, Aramis hadn't gotten past writing out his offense.
Intro the lesson taught, which was hard for me to teach and hard for him to learn. I asked Aramis over and told him he was doing a good job. I asked for his hand and asked if he'd like a smiley face stamp on his hand, to which he smiled and said yes. This is where it gets hard. Now, please don't judge. We all have our moments where we don't know how else to get the point across to our child and are seemingly left with no other alternative. I pulled the stamp away and very meanly told him "No! It's MY stamp and you can't have it!".
Deep breath. He cried. It broke my heart to see him so hurt like that. Knowing that I just caused this pain. But I pulled myself up by my boot straps, looked him square in the eyes and asked him if what I did was mean. "Yes". I asked him why was it mean? "Because you were nice and then you were mean." he said. So I told him to go think on that and write that down. Now he is writing the apology letter and was not sure what to write. I told him to write to Athos what he would like for me to say to him.
Today my son learned that he wouldn't want to be treated that way, and he shouldn't treat others like that. Today I learned that not all lessons will come out of a book, and they aren't all going to be pleasant.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Lending Library?
Ok, so I was looking over my stock of books and other educational materials, when I had an idea; a homeschool lending library. I have been collecting a plethora of educational books for multiple grade levels, as well as worksheets and such. I also love just collecting books in general. There is a good sized homeschooling group in the area. Why not start a lending library that caters to local home educators?
If we could find a place in town, like a church, that would allow us to use one of their classrooms for keeping the books that aren't being used at that moment, we could all pool our resources and share. The church classroom would be where each family could come and check out a book, curriculum, whatever for their family and return it when they are done. I know there would be a longer check-out for curriculum and the honor system would really have to work for this.
See, I am the type of person that doesn't like to write in books. So, all of the books and tests and workbooks I have acquired so far will, hopefully, have no marks in them at the end of the school year. I plan on photo copying worksheets and having the boys write their answers on a separate sheet of paper for everything else.
I think it could work. So long as there are no legal issues with this venture. I mean, this would be completely not for profit. There would be no reselling of materials. Just donations and borrowing. Now I just need to find a place to host this and draw in enough interest. I wonder...
If we could find a place in town, like a church, that would allow us to use one of their classrooms for keeping the books that aren't being used at that moment, we could all pool our resources and share. The church classroom would be where each family could come and check out a book, curriculum, whatever for their family and return it when they are done. I know there would be a longer check-out for curriculum and the honor system would really have to work for this.
See, I am the type of person that doesn't like to write in books. So, all of the books and tests and workbooks I have acquired so far will, hopefully, have no marks in them at the end of the school year. I plan on photo copying worksheets and having the boys write their answers on a separate sheet of paper for everything else.
I think it could work. So long as there are no legal issues with this venture. I mean, this would be completely not for profit. There would be no reselling of materials. Just donations and borrowing. Now I just need to find a place to host this and draw in enough interest. I wonder...
Monday, July 21, 2014
Tying up loose ends
I have spent the past two months acquiring curriculum for the boys. So far, I have BJU Reading 1, Heritage Studies 1 and 4, American Republic (8th grade) Space and Earth Science 8, and Pre-Algebra. For 1st grade Math, I am going to use Kumon workbooks. 4th grade Reading and any other otherwise uncovered subjects will be done through www.allinonehomeschool.com (Easy Peasy). 4th grade science will be Pearson Texas Interactive Science. Athos will be taking Spanish 1 this year. I have found a few websites that offer free lessons, as well as Spanish Ed books at a local bookstore I am considering.
Athos and Porthos are attending Drama Camp this month. Athos has the lead villain and Porthos decided to learn about Lighting and Sound, and in the end was a clown. In August, we will start out with Shark Week doing a unit study on the topic. I have printed a bunch of worksheets for that and bookmarked several videos on Netflix for it. Then the following week we will begin our curriculum. I have my calendar pretty much complete. Aramis is looking forward to studying art and has agreed to also learn other topics as well. ;) There is an art museum about 2 hours away, so that will be a day trip for us.
I am really looking forward to this. I think the biggest thing I feel is not figured out is bible time. I am sure it will all come together in time. I know how blessed we are to be in a state that allows such homeschooling freedom, and how much we have been blessed with curriculum. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.
Athos and Porthos are attending Drama Camp this month. Athos has the lead villain and Porthos decided to learn about Lighting and Sound, and in the end was a clown. In August, we will start out with Shark Week doing a unit study on the topic. I have printed a bunch of worksheets for that and bookmarked several videos on Netflix for it. Then the following week we will begin our curriculum. I have my calendar pretty much complete. Aramis is looking forward to studying art and has agreed to also learn other topics as well. ;) There is an art museum about 2 hours away, so that will be a day trip for us.
I am really looking forward to this. I think the biggest thing I feel is not figured out is bible time. I am sure it will all come together in time. I know how blessed we are to be in a state that allows such homeschooling freedom, and how much we have been blessed with curriculum. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.
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