Photo Fun!

My friend K is rarely without camera in hand, and as a result, she's captured living science in up-close detail.  Recently, she printed out a few selections of her artwork onto post-card-sized photo paper and addressed them to each of my spark plugs. 

On the back, she wrote out interesting, fun facts about each of her selections, something that fascinated my spark plugs' inner scientist. 

For a while, we put the pictures on our refrigerator, but then we decided to turn them into a science page for our notebook journals. 

The boys each taped their own cards onto paper, making sure that every picture could be flipped up to read the information on the back.  Then they wrote out the names of each insect, plant, or animal next to the photos.

Last of all, we slid the completed pages into plastic sleeves to protect the project.  The boys can pull out the pages whenever they want to re-read the information on the back.  This was a fun project and a great addition to our journals!

For more of K's photography, enjoy some of here selections here.  I especially love some of the titles she gives to her work!

Simple Science: Laundry Detergent!

This year, we're trying lots of hands-on things.  Since making my own laundry detergent is something I routinely do, I decided to get the kids involved for some simple science.  We had lots of fun with this practical and frugal experiment. 

First, we pulled out our detergent-making supplies:  our 5-gallon bucket (which is actually a kitty litter container that we got from Freecycle); Borax; Super Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda); and the hard-to-find Fels-Naptha (ironically, when I went to make this last week, the Fels-Naptha was the only ingredient I had on hand).

The spark plugs each took a turn trying to grate the soap.  It's hard work!

In fact, it was so hard to grate that I ended up shaving and crumbling it with a knife.  Now, why hadn't I ever thought to do this before?  I also think it would have worked to whir it through my mini-prep Cuisinart blender, but I cracked the top to it and it no longer works. 

Next, we melted the Fels-Naptha in boiling water and then added the Borax and Washing Soda.  This might not look appetizing, but it smells like sweet soap, and I really like the scent.

After thinning and cooling the boiling mixture with water, we poured the contents into our 5-gallon tub and filled the rest of it with more water.  The spark plugs loved this part!

Last of all, they each tried stirring the liquid, which gels in about 24 hours.  Mama has fresh detergent, the house smells good, and the spark plugs had fun, all for little cost out of pocket.  That's my kind of learning!

Special Post: Rules for Maintaining Sanity

As much as I enjoy writing, I find reading - especially other blogs - to be equally as wonderful.  When my friend Danielle posted her "Rules for Maintaining Sanity" on her blog, I was so encouraged that she gave me permission to repost it.  You can find more of her posts about her "great big family of little peoples" at The Joyful Noise Schoolhouse.  I hope you all will be as blessed as I was!

From Danielle:

Really, this list would be for anyone with kids, no matter what their ages, or where they accomplish their schoolwork. 

Laugh

A lot. 

Especially when you'd rather cry.  When both schoolaged kids need the very same red crayon (no, I cannot use the other identicle red crayon, I need that one!), the preschooler yanks the box away from everyone and in the process dumps it on the floor, and the baby starts screaming "Yaaayyy!!!" simply to add to the mayhem--laugh!  "You guys are so goofy!!  You were trying so hard to get your way that you all made a huge mess!  Go pick it up."

Not that anything like that has ever happened here!

Be Thankful.

Always. 

It's tough, sometimes.  Especially on the days where nothing seems to be going right.  Some days there's just too much noise to handle.  The thought of how nice and quiet it will be someday, when all these joyful noisemakers are on their own can seem rather dreamy.  Until I think of the ones who never lived long enough to make noise.  I'm thankful the noise!

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Really.  Don't.  It isn't worth it! 

I'm a school nerd.  I love looking at all the new curricula on the market.  I love talking about school with other moms (especially the ones who've been at this for a hundred years and know everything there is to know...You know--the "perfect" moms!).  It took me a few years to find the combination of schooling sources that works for our family.  But we have it, now.  Looking at glossy magazines and switching textbooks every semester isn't going to do anyone any favors.  Every curriculum has its strenghts and weaknesses.  The grass isn't necessarily more nutritious from that pasture over there, simply because it looks a little darker or a little taller, or...

But if it is broken...

Fix it.

Sometimes a great idea just doesn't pan out.  This happened to us last year.  I was looking for the perfect science course.  You know--the one that has all pros and no cons.  Right.  Well, I found it. Except it didn't quite work.  I love Answers in Genesis' God's Design. It is my dream to use this.  Someday.  But with two non-schooling kids running around, and only one proficient reader, I needed a much simpler approach.  (We ended up with Christian Light's God's Light in Science, by the way.)

Pray.

Without ceasing. 

Spend time on your face before the Lord, begging for the souls of your children.  And their hearts.  In fact, you may not get their souls, if you don't first have their hearts.  Be sensative to their state. 

Spend time pouring your heart out to the Lord for your husband.  Nothing else will strenthen that relationship as much.  Your relationship to him is of utmost importance to the stability of your children--they're watching.

And, of course, as the day unfolds, be in a constant state of prayer for sanity!  When the kids make you angry (not they ever would, of course, but should such a situation ever arise...) breath a prayer for the right reaction and words.  Two seconds could make the difference between harsh words and tears or a gentle reprimand in love.

Stay in the Word of God.

Every day.  Somehow, somewhere, make time to meditate on the Word of God.  Let its pure waters cleanse your mind and heart.  Those precepts will come out in your parenting, and they will see His reflection in you.

Yeah.  That's my desire.  I've got a loooong way to go.  Just ask my kids.  And my husband. 

Look back.

Every now and then.  Don't dwell there.  But let the Lord show you how far He's brought you.  It's good to  know He doesn't give up on us!

Love.

As He loves.

Everyone from strangers to those in your own home.  It'll change the way you think.

It's a good life, really.  After all, it's the one we were given by the Lord.

So smile and rejoice!

Monterey Bay Aquarium Field Trip

We've long loved visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and are very privileged to live so close to it.  When a friend notified me that the aquarium was offering free admission for home schoolers, we eagerly signed up!  We carpooled with two other families.  The kids did great on the drive, entertaining themselves with creative stories and silly songs.

Years ago, the aquarium had been a huge cannery, so our first stop once inside was to see how the canning operations worked.  My boys, of course, were all about touching the fake sardines.

Next, we watched a video on creatures of the deep, which the kids had never seen.  It's funny, but as many times as we've been to the aquarium, we usually look at the tanks and skip the touch pools, movies, and hands-on activities.  The video was very informative, though, and the docent did an excellent job of showing some very amazing clips of a vampire squid, an underwater worm, a Dumbo octopus (pictured above), and several other amazing creatures.  (Photo Credit)

 

After the video, we went to the kids' discovery area, something else new for us.  This room is often closed when we're there, but today the staff had set it up to specifically accommodate home schoolers by adding extra exhibits for us to see.  T's favorite, of course, were the shark jaws.  He's definitely inherited his daddy's love of fierce fish!

Our next exhibit was the long-awaited 1.2 million-gallon Outer Bay tank.  This is by far my favorite display, and on our past two visits, it was closed for maintenance.  This was also K's favorite tank, mostly because there were two hammerhead sharks swimming around.  He finds their flat profiles hilarious and easy to recognize.  My friend A caught this photo of L watching the mackerel schooling.

And here is my favorite fish:  the sun fish!  This slow, ugly giant can grow to 10 feet or more, although the particular specimen shown is probably 4-5 feet in length.  Again, photo credit goes to A.  I think she took this one just for me! 

We then walked over to the kelp beds where several of the kids posed for a photo.  This 3-story-tall tank has a mechanism at the top that produces waves very similar to the lunar pull on the ocean.  It's great fun to see the leafy kelp swaying up and down with the man-made current.  T recognized the resident Leopard Sharks, much to his delight.

In the Splash Zone designed for younger visitors, we saw several fun, brightly colored tanks full of butterfly fish, sponges, tangs, clams, anemones, and tomato clownfish.  Everyone enjoyed the vibrant, tropical colors.

Another adventure of the day was the octopus.  While this guy is normally squashed up in a corner looking very uninspiring, on this particular visit he was in a great mood.  He willingly showed off for us, torpedoing through the water like a bullet and then spreading his tentacles out on the glass much like an umbrella.  (Photo Credit)

We weren't able to see every area on this trip - we skipped the ray tank, the salmon river, and the sea horse exhibit - but spending the day with friends and viewing new displays of God's amazing marine creation made for a great afternoon.

According to Plan

I love planning, preparing, scheduling, and ordering my day.  Having an idea of what I'd like to accomplish greatly aids me in getting through my day.  Imagine my dismay when, last week, I came accross James 4:15 in the kids' daily devotional:  "If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."  Later on that same day, my Bible reading assignment took me to the same passage where James admonishes us to follow the Lord's plans, not ours.

"Okay, Lord," I wondered, "what do you have in store for us tomorrow?"  I sincerely hoped that He wasn't planning on one of the kids waking up sick or needing to go to Urgent Care for something!

Since I'd read the same passage twice in one day and since I was pretty sure that the authors of the devotional hadn't conspired with my daily Bible reading coordinators, I tried to be prepared for whatever was coming down the pike.

I was looking forward to the next day's school assignments - it was supposed to be a catch-up day since we'd not completed a few things in the previous weeks and I felt that some of our missed assignments needed to be finished.  After breakfast the following morning, though, I realized that I'd left our binder of curriculum in the car and that Jon had the car at work.

Oops.

This normally would have completely derailed my day's productivity, but since I had just read about following the Lord's will and not necessarily my own, I was able to switch gears.  We pulled out our core curriculum that wasn't in the car and had a good day of Bible, math, reading, and spelling.

I then got the brilliant idea to have the kids help me make laundry soap.  Not only were we on the dregs of the last batch I had made, but it would be very sciency and would make up for my leaving the science activities in the car.  I ran to the laundry room (grateful once again to have such a room in my house!) to get the needed ingredients.

And then I discovered that I only had the Fels Naptha and not the Borax or Washing Soda,  Really?  I thought.  How on earth do I have the one ingredient that is most difficult to obtain and not have the simple ingredients?

Once again, I was reminded of the verse.  Suddenly I got the brilliant idea to walk to the store to get the Borax and the Washing Soda.  We'd walked there many times, and we could all use the exercise.

Of course, though, I'd left the stroller in the car along with the school work, and carrying home heavy boxes of laundry fillers while dragging along a tired toddler didn't appeal.

All that to say, my day definitely did NOT go as planned, but the Lord had prepared my heart earlier so that none of these little setbacks irritated me much at all.  This in itself was a miracle since I like to be on top of things.

We ended up cleaning house and calling it a day.  I don't know why the Lord planned our day the way He did, but the lesson I learned was very needed.  We can always make soap another day (look for a laundry soap post soon!); we got some good work done on our core subjects; and I got a clean house, too.  There's not much to complain about when I think of all the blessings!  (Photo Credit)

First Nature Walk

This past week, we participated in a nature walk that a friend organized for us.  While we are always on the lookout for neat bugs and unusual sightings whenever we venture out of doors, this was our first official nature walk of the year.  It's amazing what can be found along a concrete path next to a lake!

Our first "discovery" was this bush covered in purple, velvety flowers.  I'm sure it has a name, and it's quite popular where we live, but the list of flora that I recognize consists of roses, Gerber daisies, and African violets.

Next up was the lake, where we found ducks and Canadian geese aplenty.  The boys were equally enthralled with the paddle boats, but those didn't exactly fall under our "nature" theme.

Canadian geese cover the grounds much of the year here.  We found a couple of birds with broken wings, which, while sad, helped the kids to better see how the wings are supposed to be folded up neatly on the backs of the geese. 

This face says it all:  one of the best finds of the day was a fuzzy black and orange caterpillar.  A quick Google search at home says it's a Tiger Moth caterpillar.  This little guy willingly crawled up lots of eager spark plug fingers, much to the joy of said spark plugs and the squeamishness of their mommy.

Of course, the squeamishness of the caterpillar was nothing compared to the queasiness induced by this snail...and no, I didn't touch it!  My friend very graciously offered to hold it up so that we could snap a picture.  The kids really liked it, though, since its markings were much lighter than the usual garden snail variety.  I was very eager to move on to the next adventure.  If only I'd known what was in store!

Amazingly, a docent from the San Francisco zoo was walking around with his pet Albino Burmese Python.  Now, there's something you really don't see every day!  Honestly, I liked the snake much better than the snail since it wasn't slimy.  Yeah, I'm weird like that.  T was all for having the handler put it on his shoulders, while K was content to view it from a very safe distance.

On the remaining portion of our walk, we found pine cones and clam shells and made bark rubbings with paper and crayons.  It was great to get some hands-on exploration of God's amazing creation.  The kids had a blast and continued hunting for bugs and special finds later that evening when we went out with Jon for a family walk.  They made one final discovery.

This is a small, black beetle that turned to a copper color whenever the fading sunlight hit it.  Again, we have no idea what variety it is, but they begged me to take a picture.  Who was I to argue?

Whole Foods Field Trip

Last week, we took a tour of Whole Foods Market, a local heath foods grocer.  Not only was it nice to get out of the house and do something out of the ordinary for our learning time, we found the tour fun, informative, and tasty!

I must admit I don't usually shop at health food stores.  I find them visually overstimulating, crowded with inventory, and generally overwhelming.  Healthy living and eating is something that greatly interests me, though, so when our home school group offered us the invitation of a tour, I gladly signed up.

Am I ever so glad we went!  Our tour guide was fantastic - very patient with our youngsters as she offered tips, advice, and samples as we went along.  She showed us how to read the many labels and explained what the various bits of information represented.  (Who knew about something called an ANDI score to indicate a fruit or veggie's nutritional value?)

At first, the boys, especially K, were reluctant to answer questions, but about half way through the tour they began to participate and pay attention.  By the time we reached the salad buffet, T had really found his comfort zone.  When our tour guide presented the kids with a plate of salad greens, a few tomatoes, and a giant topping of dressing, she asked, "what's missing from this plate?" hoping that the group would notice the 20-30 other healthy topping choices she hadn't selected.  T blurted out, "the fork!!"  We all enjoyed a round of laughter.


At the end of the tour, each of the young participants were given an in-season Fuji apple and a reusable water bottle.  Once home, the boys and I reviewed some of the healthful facts we'd learned on the tour.  Much of it had gone over their heads, but it was a great start toward understanding nutrition and healthy habits.  I think the tour probably covered enough Health for the month!  (Photo Credit)

I Signed My Life Away

I filled out my very first affidavit today.  It sort of felt like I was signing my life away, but if filling out an online form will afford me the continued joy of educating my spark plugs at home, I'll do it!  For those who need to file in California this year and who are as uncertain as I was about doing it, below is an excellent link that will, for the most part, hold your hand through the process:

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/CaliforniaR4.htm

I'll eventually figure out how to condense these addresses into a nifty little "click here" button, but for now, simply copy and paste into your browser.

Happy filing!

(Photo Credit)

38 Lessons

Teachable moments abound, but I wasn't quite prepared for a peculiar teachable moment that occurred last week.  Jon brought home something so bizarre that none of us could help staring at it in bewilderment.

If you can't tell, that photo is of 38 one-dollar bills...laminated together.  Why on earth someone would waste such a precious resource by rendering it useless is beyond me.  It was a sorry sight.  It didn't take much calculating to figure out how many piano lessons' worth of payment or what percent of Jon's paycheck was stuck in that plastic graveyard. 

Instead of crying over the spilled milk, we turned it into a lesson for the kids.  We asked the boys whether or not the laminator had been wise with his finances; whether or not it was a good idea to deface money; and what would have been a better idea for preserving currency.  We then moved on to some deeper questions:  what other ways do we waste possessions that could be compared to the laminated money? 

Next, we looked into ways of fixing the problem.  Jon had done some Googling that said occasionally banks would take the mutilated money and exchange it for legal tender, so Monday the kids and I took a few trips to various banks to find out the validity of this claim.  Based on the gawking stares of numerous bank tellers, I'm pretty sure most of them had never seen anything so strange before.  While none of them were willing to exchange it, we were given the federal web site for damaged and defaced currency where we found instructions for being reimbursed for our laminated bills.

We've not yet mailed the specimen to Washington's defaced currency agency, but it will be fun to find out what happens.  While we might never be able to redeem those 38 dollars, we were able to glean very valuable lessons on using wisdom, being good stewards, and thinking through our actions.  It was definitely worth the $38!

Back in the New Saddle

Here we are again: the start of another school year!  When I think back over my summer "to do" list - you know, that long, idealistic ledger of things I intended to accomplish during the break from studies - I have to laugh.  That list is still waiting to have even ONE item completed!


Even though summer didn't go as planned, our first day of school did.  We're changing things up a lot this year, so I wasn't quite sure how the boys would take to our new curriculum and learning style, but I think they were both impressed by the end of the day.  Last night at bed time, I heard several laments about "having" to do such boring things as reading loooong stories and writing endless narratives.  Half way through the day today, however, one of them piped up, "Oh!  This is actually fun!"  Those words are encouraging to any teacher's ear!

We still have a lot of tweaking to do to our schedule.  I learned that leaving reading assignments for the end of the school day isn't the wisest of ideas, but giving the kids a recess break after several table assignments is.  Another new thing for me today was keeping up with dishes and laundry throughout the day instead of letting everything pile up for the evening when I'm tired and zapped of energy.  I inadvertently learned this skill during a 7-week babysitting job this summer - since I was babysitting 9 or 10 hours at a time, there was no "evening" time to catch up on everything.  Tossing a few dishes in the dishwasher and folding a towel or two here and there greatly reduced the need for evening chores.  It worked just as well during our school day as it did when babysitting. 

It'll be a while before we've really gotten comfortable in our new "saddle," but so far, it looks like it will be a good fit.  The kids were happy, I was happy, and I even got half of the pantry decluttered.  That never happened last year!

A Year in Review

Due to Saturday field trips and skipping several public school holidays, we finished our school year a bit earlier than many other families.  I was just as excited as the kids were to be done, and we celebrated our last day by making several batches of cookies. 

In some ways, it didn't feel as though we had accomplished everything I'd hoped:  our math and spelling could use some extra study, and neither of the boys print as neatly as I'd hoped.  Then, my mom recommended that I go back over our notes from the past school year.  "You'll be amazed and rewarded to see how much you accomplished!" she told me. 

And she was right (something my dad's been saying ever since I was little).  When we started the school year, neither of the boys even knew how to hold a pencil, let alone write complete sentences. 

Over the course of the year, we learned to read, write, and spell (at least phonetically, if not always correctly); we covered Bible; states history; counting, addition, subtraction, and telling time; science; art; and a host of other concepts. 

Special projects included making laundry soap (educational AND practical!); baking; leaf and rock collecting; and group activities with our co-op.  We additionally enjoyed a trip to the zoo; a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium; multiple trips to the ocean; and a variety of other similar-type activities. 

Most importantly, all of the kids have matured greatly.  Learning to sit still, to get along with others, and to be polite were some of our biggest focuses this year.  For me personally, I learned to better manage my time, to better prepare for a variety of interesting learning situations, and to be more patient in my teaching approach.  There is so much more to learn than just academics!

Once I looked over our accomplishments, I felt much better about how the year had gone.  We intend to do a little brush-up in reading, math, and spelling here and there just to ensure that we don't forget all of the wonderful things we've learned. 

I am really eager to start again in the fall, but for now, I'll enjoy our summer break!
 

Great Expectations

I was eagerly anticipating Easter Break:  my patience was short and my "to-do" list long.   I blissfully thought of all that I would accomplish once the burden of teaching were lifted for a week.  Now, I can't even remember everything I'd hoped to get done, but I can count on one hand the number of achievements I did finish.

I was surprised at how long it took to catch up on dishes, fold some laundry, and sew a small baby quilt.  Yes, those are my three big accomplishments for that week!  And the dishes and laundry didn't even have the decency to  remain completed before the week was out. 


My expectations of that week, and of much in life, were much too high.  Is it a bad thing to set big goals?  Not at all.  Without  marks to reach, we'd never finish a single thing in the course of our lives.  Had I done something incorrectly?  Well, sort of.

My biggest mistake that week was in thinking that home schooling the boys takes up the majority of my free time.  It doesn't.  It takes about 4 hours a day, but that still leaves 12 waking hours left per day of productivity.  I wrongly assumed that home schooling was eating up all of my time, and that once I was freed up from this, I would be able to get a lot more done. 

This realization actually served to benefit me rather than to discourage my attempts at being more productive.  It helped me to realize that being a wife, mom, and home maker - not home schooling - takes up most of my time.  It encouraged me to be the best I can be but not to worry about what I can't do. 

And besides all of those life lessons I learned that week, I additionally got to try out the quilting arm and walking foot on my new sewing machine.  How great is that?  (They work wonderfully, by the way.) 

The Toughest Subject

If you'd been a fly on the wall in my home today, there is no doubt that you would have cringed.

"K, don't swerve your bike in front of that car!" (K continued to whine and fuss the remainder of the day.)

"T, keep your focus on your own work and not your brother's!" (T twiddled his thumbs for a while longer, but eventually completed his math worksheet.)

"L, stop yelling at me this instant!" (She continued to yell, fuss, and whine for the rest of the morning, but thankfully by afternoon had decided to cooperate.)

It was not, to say the least, a good day for any of us. I'm really praying that all of our neighbors were at work and couldn't hear the frustration that was evident in us all. Despite the rough school day, however, I suddenly realized something very important, even though I am sure the kids gleaned nothing of value from the day.

The toughest subject for me to teach is not the one I anticipated. It's not math, even though I struggled with Calculus in high school. It's not English, even though the concepts are difficult to convey to a 6-year-old.

Kindness is, by far, the toughest subject for me to teach.

Why? Not only is it something that I struggle with on a daily basis, but it's also something that I do not live out in front of my children. Added to that is the fact that it's a very difficult concept for a child to grasp (well, it's difficult for my kids, anyway).

And if I cannot demonstrate how keep the law of kindness on their tongues, I won't be very good at teaching them anything else, either. It all comes back to me: am I willing to humble myself and ask their forgiveness, to set aside my short temper in order to be a living example of Christ?

More often than not, I'm unwilling to do this. I let my sin nature set the course for the day. I do not fully rely on the power of God to overcome my failings. This wasn't easy for me to learn, but as I listened to myself today - almost as though I were watching all of us from a different vantage point - I realized that I still have a lot of learning and growing to.

In a way, it's exciting. I still have time to teach them what I'm currently learning. And I can trust in God to round out my weak areas, because even though I am responsible for my actions, my children will be responsible for theirs. He can complete my incomplete model, and He can instruct them in the areas where I have failed.

Perhaps this wasn't a completely wasted day, after all!

Nothing's New Under the Sun

Nearly everything I've learned about home schooling comes from someone else - nothing's really original with me. But as we plug along at our work, I'm learning new things to incorporate into our routines. The end result is that the kids are loving school work more and more, and I'm finding easier ways of doing things! In that light, I thought I'd share a few.

I pulled out some math worksheets for the boys today, and on a whim I grabbed colored pencils for them to use when filling them out (K had a crayon in his hand, which is what gave me the idea). They were thrilled with the "fancy" pencils and were very motivated to finish their work. Although colored pencil lead is more difficult to erase, the motivation it provided was well worth the extra erasing effort.

A friend mentioned that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers worked well on a white board. Since ours had gathered several "permanent" marks on it, I gave it a try. Wow! It now looks great. I keep it right next to the board and use it instead of the dry-erase one. If the board gets extra dirty, I just add water to the sponge and it takes it right off. What a great tip!

I don't remember how I learned to add and subtract, but I did know that I wanted the boys to visualize calculations rather than simply memorize addition and subtraction flash cards (that's not to say that flash cards don't have a valuable use at times). When my mom gave me several sets of manipulatives, I was really excited! I rotate the sets - some are colorful bears, some are various shapes, and some are little houses and characters - and the boys can use them to see exactly why 7+2=9 by setting up the manipulatives. Eventually they'll be able to do their math lessons without this aid, but right now we're working on the "why" instead of simply the end result. Thanks, Mom!

My mom-in-law recommended that we try a new curriculum next year - one that's based on hands-on unit studies, and the same curriculum she used for Jon. Since I learned via workbooks and loved that method, I was a little uncertain about teaching something out of my comfort zone. I'm realizing, though, that the kids LOVE hands-on training. It only makes sense that they would learn the same way Jon did! As hard as it will be for me to step out of my comfort zone, I think it will work really well for us. I'm really excited! Prior to her suggestion, though, I didn't even know what unit studies were, or that I could teach the same core curriculum to multiple grades and then assign age/grade-appropriate activities.

Everything we do comes from others' tips and suggestions. I'm okay with that; I've always been the type of learner who can copy someone else's ideas but who cannot come up with them on my own. I'm very thankful to everyone who offers ideas and help, because I'd be lost without them!

Change It Up!

As a child, I played eight years of youth soccer, and although I never improved in my limited ability, I enjoyed it immensely. I especially loved "subbing" for another (usually more qualified) player - switching places so that she could catch her breath and get a drink of water before changing places with me again. I never scored a single goal in my entire soccer career, but I'd like to think that I possibly gave someone else a second wind that, in turn, allowed her to make a point for our team.

Sometime during my adolescence, I learned that in hockey the phrase for "subbing" is "change it up!" The only real difference between subbing in soccer and changing it up in hockey is that with soccer, only a few players are exchanged, while in hockey, it's not uncommon for most or all of the team to trade places with a second string.*

I never really thought about applying sports strategies to education, but I recently learned that my friend routinely "changes it up" for her two home-schooled girls. Instead of doing their work at the kitchen table each day, they move around. One day they do school in the girls' bedroom; another day is at Barnes and Noble bookstore; another day they head to the library; and another is spent at the park. They repeat this change of scenery each week.

Personally, I found this to be a brilliant idea! I would have never occurred to me to change locations for study time. While this might not work for a child who is easily distracted and who needs consistency to stay focused, it can do wonders for wiggly children who need renewed freshness to keep the lessons interesting (such as hyperactive little boys).

Since we're car-less most days, we don't have the daily ability to head to a new location, but a few weeks ago we had the car and decided to spend the day at the local bookstore. It was fantastic! We read new story books; looked up random topics; and learned about new scientific discoveries. We also have our local club house and grounds to which we can walk when the weather permits.

For us, the "change it up" method might just be the best thing since donated curriculum, especially since it will be a rare (and therefore more treasured) treat. It's yet another example of how learning and working together with other families is so needed in the home school environment!

*My apologies to any hockey fans if I have improperly understood this aspect of the game. :)

Unveiling the Facade

Last month, the kids and I drove to a park to spend the afternoon in the intermittent sunshine. While there, a little girl not much older than L began picking on children on the playground. When we decided to head home. the little girl followed us away from the park, across a vast ball field, and all the way into the parking lot without her mother's notice. I repeatedly admonished her to return to her mother, but she had no intention of heeding my recommendations. Finally, her older brother - who could have only been 3 1/2 at most - came to drag her back to her family. At this point, the little girl took off shrieking through the parking lot, dodging cars as she did so, and made a deliberate bee-line for the highway on the other side. Horrified, I took off after her to prevent the worst from taking place. About the time I caught her, her mother mercifully showed up and took over.

In the car on the way home, T inquired about this child's behavior. He was shocked that she would behave in such a disrespectful manner. Realizing this was an unexpected opportunity to teach a valuable lesson, I pounced on the moment.

"T, are you any better than that little girl who disobeyed?"

"Oh, yes, Mommy. I'd never do that!"

"No, honey, we are no better than that little girl. If Mommy and Daddy had not taught you to behave differently, you would have done the exact same thing."

I really think my response caught him off guard. And it isn't always toddlers who think that they are better than the kid next door. It is so easy to get caught up in the "I'm better" attitude on many issues, not just behavioral ones.

Sometimes I find myself thinking, "I'm so glad I'm doing the 'right' thing by teaching my children at home." But then images of the puffed up Pharisee in the Bible come to mind: he sat there judging the sinner while he himself had a completely ungodly attitude.

Home schooling is the right choice - for us. I know of certain situations where home schooling is NOT the right choice for others. I know wives whose husbands husbands do not want to home school. Even though home schooling may be a good thing, to do so against your husband's wishes is not the best choice. (Several husbands have changed their minds after much prayer on the wives' parts.) I know of single mothers who have a 9-5, weekday job. Home schooling for them is not currently an option. And there are other situations where, indeed, home education is not practical or desirable.

Whenever someone asks my opinion on the subject, I highly recommend home schooling. I truly do want others - okay, everyone! - to experience the joy that home schooling can bring. Life is not perfect, though, and neither is educating one's children at home. It's not going to guarantee that the kids "turn out right." It certainly is not going to save them - only God can do that. But what it can do is lay a firm foundation for Godly principles so that we as parents can do all we can to prepare our children for adulthood.

I've heard home schooling promoted as the antidote to the world's problems; I've also heard it called the mask that hides each family's shortcomings. In truth, it is neither. It is a tool that we and many others are using as we raise these precious gifts from God. For us, it's our way of trying to do everything we can to ensure that our children follow the Lord while praying in faith that He will ultimately draw their hearts to Him.

Home schooling bears many unnecessary titles and expectations that can lead to its failure. Having the right perspective, though, will help it become the aid that we want it to be.

Wisdom for the Ages

My children's uncanny ability to embarrass me - especially in public - never ceases to amaze me. Occasionally, these episodes even cause me to wonder why it was that I ever considered motherhood. But then, every once in a blue moon, one of my little spark plugs will do or say something that reminds me EXACTLY why I love being a mom. Today's Bible lesson produced one such moment.

The kids and I were reading from our daily devotional, and the phrase "Know God, grow in God" was used. Many times, when I read Bible truths to the kids, I get discouraged because uncomprehending, glassy eyes stare back at me with a blank expression that reads, "I totally did not hear one word you just read, Mom." I wasn't sure that today's lesson had been understood, either, until T blurted out,

"To 'know God' means that I know His name. To 'grow in God' is wisdom."

It is for these priceless and profound insights that I live.

Stone Soup

As a child, I heard the story of Stone Soup, where many different people each contribute something to the stock pot and the end result is a delicious dinner that no one person could have made without the help of others. As an adult, I can see how this idea plays out in our home schooling efforts. I cannot adequately teach my children without the love and support of many, many other people.

If it weren't for my husband's desire and encouragement, I would never be able to complete the home schooling course before me. Were it not for veteran home schoolers - who have already tread the same stretch of racetrack - guiding me and cheering me on, I would fall off course. If it weren't for friends who are in the same place in life, I would drown in loneliness. Yes, home schooling is truly a group effort!

I've already shared a little about our small co-op that meets once a month, and this past Friday we had another gathering. I was reminded again just how beneficial working together is when undertaking the task of educating children at home.

One of the other moms taught a fantastic lesson on light. This was great, not only for the kids, but also for me. First of all, it gave me a much-needed break from teaching. Secondly, I got to see just how she chose to teach: lots of hands-on activities, multiple reinforcement experiments, and various methods of explanation. I came away with many new ideas to try at home!

After our light lesson (and after enjoying lunch and celebrating a birthday), we all walked over to a nearby organic farm. Since it was about a half mile away, this afforded physical exercise and fresh air for us all; visiting time between the moms; and proper street-crossing etiquette for the kids. Once at the farm, we saw beautiful chickens (prior to this visit, I would never have thought of fowl as beautiful, but these birds were truly exquisite and clean!), toured a green house, climbed dirt "mountains," and viewed a large tractor up close. It was a child's paradise!

The whole day was a perfect reminder of how working together can create something much richer than anything I can do on my own. We don't have to meet every day, but by working together, we all benefit from one another.

It was a most delicious stone soup day.

Reading Between the Lines

Over all, our home schooling experience has been fantastic. I love the flexibility, the joy, and the excitement that home education brings. There was an area where questions still plagued me, though:

Into which grades should we place the boys?

This was a huge hang-up for me. Over and over I've been told that, especially with boys, it's better to start late rather than early, but both Jon and I graduated early and we like some of the advantages that come with that. To confuse matters even more, T's birthday is December 2nd, which is considered by the government to be the "cut-off" date between grades. I don't even know what that means. Are kids with 12/02 birthdays supposed to go into the higher grade or the lower?

I was truly confused. On the one hand, the perks of having an extra year in between high school and college was appealing. It was then that Jon got his first car, acquired his driver's license, and started his first job. During that extra year, I took junior college courses that both prepared me for a 4-year university and gave me transferable credits that counted toward my chosen major. On the flip side of all of that, I didn't wan the boys to struggle through school in an attempt to stay a year ahead of their similarly-aged counterparts.

Part of my dilemma stemmed from my errant belief that California had set standards for each grade level that students were required to complete before moving to the next grade. (I had completely forgotten about a public school teacher whose class was 50% illiterate.) My mom reminded me that most children are ahead of their grade level in some areas and behind in others. Currently, the both of the boys are blurring the lines between grade levels.

Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter what grade I fill in on the affidavit next year. I simply need to teach the kids at levels where they progress but don't struggle, and these levels will vary from subject to subject. And since Jon had a preference of putting T in First Grade this year, that's what we're doing. If T's not ready to graduate after he's finished 12th grade, we can always spend another year finishing up, and if he is ready, it will give him the extra time to prepare for college.

Although I've really mastered this art of making mountains out of mole hills, especially with home schooling, learning to go with the flow is yet another positive by-product of our home education experience. Really, I think I'm learning WAYYYY more than the boys are right now.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Something Old, New, Borrowed, and...Green?

I promised a while ago to give my input on the various curriculum types we've used. Until now, I haven't felt ready to do that, mostly because I wanted to give everything a good, fair trial before offering my thoughts. As I've mentioned before, we use what we're given, so we've been privileged to sample a wide variety of books and styles. We have curriculum old and new, and we've borrowed lots of books from the library and other sources. I was most excited, though, to be given a set of Bob Jones University's reading program - the same one I grew up with, and what I affectionately called my "green" reader (they're green from 1st through 12th grades).

I'll just list out what we have and give some feedback for each.

Preschool:

Winter Promise Unit Studies - This set comes with several non-consumable craft and science books, manipulatives, and a Bible stories book. Over all, I really liked it. It has a teacher's guide complete with lesson plans, which was great for me since I hate prep work. The only thing I didn't like is that it bounced around all of the books instead of moving through each one in an orderly fashion. We'll continue using some of the activities throughout our home school experience.

Usborne Phonics Cards, Alphabet Book, and Prewriting Skills - I love this set. I chose to photocopy the prewriting skills pages so that I could use the book for all of the kids instead of letting one child use it up. The flash cards are great, and we take them along with us when we're running errands and the kids need something to do.

Kindergarten:

Bob Jones University Press (BJUP) K5 Program - This is the curriculum that I largely grew up with, so I was thrilled when I was given a complete, brand-new set. It has three sections, and the first was definitely my favorite. After that, K seemed to lose interest, and he's struggling with the smallish font when trying to read words. I love the pre-cursive writing that is taught.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - At first glance, this method looked really confusing. There are big squares between each word, dots underneath each letter, and directional arrows below each sentence. That said, it's K's preferred phonics text, and he can read quite well. Once we began the lessons, all of the above-mentioned marks now make sense and actually aid his reading instead of distracting from it. This method also worked for my younger brother who really struggled with reading. The large font is perfect for little eyes, too.

Funnix - We found a link to download this for free, so I thought I'd share. The link will expire the 31st of January, so hurry if you're interested! We've not used this yet, but since it's computer-based, I'm assuming the boys will love it.

http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/01/educational-freebie-free-funnix-downloadable-childrens-reading-program-249-value.html

BJUP Math - This has lots of colorful pages, and K really enjoys it. As a teacher, I found some of the concepts a little difficult to comprehend.

Mortenson Math and Cuisinaire Rods - This simple mathematics course has been lots of fun, and the boys and I both like it. I do wish it had more subtraction, though; thus far, we've only encountered counting and addition.

First Grade:

BJUP English/Reading Skills - I was really excited to have this set as well. I grew up with BJUP's "green" readers, so I loved the thought of using them with my own kids. However, I found the numerous texts, charts, teacher's manual, and workbooks to be overwhelming. After a few weeks, we finally found a workable rhythm, but I skip a lot of the exercises since many seem to be merely busywork instead of helpful for instruction. As much as I loved them when growing up, we've decided to alter our course for next year since the boys learn differently than I did. I do love the in-depth-ness (is that a word?) of the BJUP curriculum; there is a lot more to it than several other same-grade publishers. I think it is laying an excellent foundation from which to springboard into something a little different.

I am truly grateful for all we've been given! Whether it's new, used, borrowed, or green, we've been able to use everything given to us. Next year, we'll be trying out The Weaver unit studies at the recommendation of my mom-in-law. It looks really good, so perhaps I'll post an update on that once we've tried it out.

The best thing about curriculum is that there is so much of it available. If something doesn't work for your family or your child, there's always something else to try! We are truly blessed to be home schooling in this day and age. Although there are more stringent laws to deal with, there are also a lot more choices. Happy hunting!

The Trouble With Toddlers

Unless there is only one child in the home or siblings are spaced 20 years apart, chances are that most home school families are going to run into a problem that I'm facing.

What do you do with disruptive toddlers while trying to educate older siblings?

I'm still trying to figure this one out, but here is what I tried first: giving her WeBlittle pumpkins and gourds from our recent pumpkin patch trip. This lasted about five minutes until she tried eating the small, green gourd. Based on her facial expression after the first taste, I'm going to guess it was pretty bitter. :)

Next up was giving her manipulatives - these were a special treat since she's usually not allowed to have them. These entertained her for an afternoon, but the following day she was bored again.

I tried other engaging things like puzzles, play-doh (which she ate), color crayons (which she chewed up - do you sense a theme here?), and felt boards. I realized that she was much happier and much more willing to sit content when she was doing what she saw her big brothers do. For us, our best toddler-taming strategy has been to include her right along with the boys. When we do Bible time, I insist she sit in my lap and listen. When T does his reading exercises and K is permitted to use the DoodlePro, L is happy drawing on the DoodlePro, too. Now, she anticipates that activity, and as soon as T's Green Reader makes an appearance, she toddles off and drags out the DoodlePros. It's really cute!

A new thing we're doing in the evenings is playing educational games before bed. Even though L has no concept of what's truly happening, as long as we give her a piece of the game to play with, she's a happy camper.

This is what's working for us for right now. It's having positive results other than keeping her occupied, too. By teaching her to sit still during our "Together Time" (often called "Circle Time" by other families), she's learning to sit still in church. She's learning, to a degree, the songs that I'm teaching the boys, sounds to certain letters, and how to behave while I need to give my attention to someone other than herself.

Each family structure is different, and this probably would not work with a baby/toddler younger than mine. There are lots and lots of ideas and possibilities for keeping track of toddlers while teaching older children, and we're enjoying researching and trying some of them in our own family.

Toddlers can be troubling and trying, but they can also be a blessing and a joy. In the trials of toddlers, remember: they're simply helping Mommy be more creative with the resources on hand (hence the pumpkin idea)!!

Learning in Leisure

Christmas break was a welcome respite from our school books, which had magically transformed from intriguing and welcome opportunities to boring objects of disdain. What amazed me most about our two-week book sabatical was how much we actually learned away from the printed page. Suddenly, T took a renewed interest in Bible time (the one thing we kept somewhat steady during the break); K wanted more than ever to spend time creating works of art; and both boys begged for colored paper, foam stickers, and craft supplies. Where these interests had disappeared to during the preceding weeks was a mystery to me, but it was great that they were so easily entertained while I attempted to catch up on home projects.

I noticed as the days passed that I started to catch up on dishes and laundry (though somehow I didn't find time to clean the bathrooms). It was a really nice feeling, but I also realized that simply accomplishing those two daily chores took nearly all of my free time...and that was without school! Understanding the uphill battle that I face with school work, house work, child care, and other necessities helped me to try to set more realistic goals for the second half of the school year.

Additionally, it dawned on me that not only do the the boys learn a lot from what I read to them, but they also retain much of what I read. T doesn't like the busyness of workbooks, but both boys love reading, being read to, and doing hands-on activities. It was amazing how clear all of this became simply by taking a break and stepping back to assess our progress thus far.

I really hadn't expected to learn much of anything over the break, but in fact, I learned (or finally realized) quite a lot! It will help us as we plunge ahead into the second half of the school year. I better understand what works and what doesn't, and we can try new things to see if some will work better than what we were doing originally.

Most importantly, I was able to see just how needed a break from textbooks was. The Heavenly Father rested on the 7th day; He designed us to need rest each night; and, at times, we need rest from our normal routines. Even if the boys aren't too thrilled about hitting the books again, my Mommy Batteries were energized, and I'm excited about the new mountains we'll be climbing this year.

Grab your gear, kiddos! It's gonna be fun!