Our tepee…
Our pueblo…
Our amazon.com order (though not the fireman…he just wanted to join in)…
Just a happy homeschool classroom!
(The outfits were purchased for our three day trek to Williamsburg and Jamestown…post to come soon!)
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The craziness that is our homeschooling journey
Homeschoolers often join co-ops or tutorial programs for their children so that teaching duties can be shared. These groups basically involved paid tutors/teachers or cooperative groups of moms who sharing in the teaching of certain subjects.
Our first year of homeschooling we were involved in Classical Conversations and I was a paid tutor. We met once a week for a half day and it was great fun with an amazing group of women.
For various reasons we joined another group the following year and for two years remained with this co-op. My kids attended grade level classes for art, music, science, language arts, and PE. I worked in the nursery, taught 2nd grade language arts, helped with middle school research paper and drama, and taught 2nd grade science at various intervals during the two years there. This was another great group, but I began to think we needed something else.
Not knowing what to do because there wasn’t a co-op in existence that was everything I wanted, I began talking to some friends. Slowly, an idea began to form.
What if the 6 of us (6 families) with our 21 total children made a group that was EXACTLY what we wanted?
Conversations began and our small little group was born: King’s Table.
It isn’t a formal co-op that will grow and involve more moms. And it isn’t a tutorial because sadly, none of us are getting paid! But it is a group of 6 moms, invested in a creative, energetic education for their kids based on many of the principles laid out by Charlotte Mason.
Every Friday we meet for three 45 minute session, including art, music and science/nature study.
And where did we decide to meet?
My House.
This decision was exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. And it involved a few house projects this summer to get ready. This was good because it was about time to finish unpacking the boxes in the basement!
So the garage became the classroom for our 10 students in 3rd-7th grade. Shower tile makes a great white board and portable tables work well!
The basement “gymnastics” room was cleared out to transform into a music room for the K-2 class.
And an area in the basement, formerly filled with boxes, unused furniture, and a closet that needed to be knocked down, was transformed into a classroom for 6 eager K-2nd grade students to have science and art classes.
(No, we don’t have them all sit in a row like that…there are two tables in the room, but when I came down on the first day, this is how they had situated themselves and it was so darn cute)
So how is it working out after three weeks?
GREAT! AMAZING! Better than I could have hoped! It is EXACTLY what I wanted for my kids and the house situation is working out beautifully!
The 10 older students stay in the garage for all of their classes. Yes, the wall décor isn’t your typical set of “classroom motivational posters”, but racks of tools and bikes will have to do.
Four boys. Six girls.
Five third graders. 1 fourth grader. 2 fifth graders. 1 sixth grader. 1 seventh grader.
Eager to learn. Excited about education. And just plain fun kids!
Whether it is science topics, like meteorology…
Or Nature Walks outside…
or music class…
This group of students is wonderful! I love their enthusiasm for learning, the friendships they are developing, and their love for the outdoors!
Then there are our energetic students in the K-2 group who are down in the basement classroom. What a fun crew!
Six of them if D joins, five of them if he runs off to play. (non-kindergarteners have the choice). Three girls. Two or three boys.
Working on art projects…
Creating parts of their family weather station…
And not blinking an eye when we have to use the utility sink in the laundry room! Yep, they are a flexible and fun crew!
And what about the babies?
There are six little ones (when D joins this crew). One hasn’t attended our school yet, but has been able to nap at home for his AM nap while his daddy works. The other five are here and kickin’!
First they romp and roam in the former gymnastics room till the K-2 class kicks them out for music.
(Yes, excuse the ceiling. I could have cropped it out, but why. Houses don’t have to be perfect for GREAT things to happen in them!)
Then they move upstairs to the playroom for some fun.
Their final destination is a snack and a little show while the moms who are watching them can do some clean up. It is such fun watching how much they interact and enjoy each other. This little crew is heavy on girls, so the Barbie time is a BIG HIT!
Overall, my house is a delightful, energetic, organized group of potential chaos every Friday and we love it.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
When creativity explodes…
Sometimes creativity happens…
and dinnertime interferes.
But on causal “breakfast for dinner nights”, mom might be OK with letting the “spur of the moment” writer’s workshop continue…
in spite of the eggs being served…
because who wants to stop the flow of creativity?
So dinner might just look a little bit like a newsroom, with reporters working late.
Of course, I wish we were all eating carry-out during our overtime…
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Book List Review
We've been working through the 100 Children's Books list and having a great time!
We are working through the books order for the most part, but we have to skip around as we are waiting for some of the books to come in.
We decided to revisit books that we are already familiar with on the list. It's been great sharing so many old favorites with D (age 3). He absoltely loved, "Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom." We own the book, but the girls keep it in their room. It was a great reminder to pull out some favorites to share with him.
We have used the list as a starting point to read books that aren't on the list, but are written by the same authors. Of course, one of our favorite authors is Mo Willems. We grabbed, "Knuffle Bunny" in addition to, "Don't let that Pigeon Drive the Bus," as well as a bunch of his easy readers to revisit. David Shannon is another one of our favorite authors. We loved reading, "Duck on a Bike," again as well as some new ones we have never read by David Shannon. And we grabbed some extra Froggy books by Jonathan London too! My little three year old, D, has loved the Froggy stories.
The girls loved, "George and Martha"! We all got a good laugh reading the short stories in the first book. Another fun find was, "Abuela". This book mixes some Spanish vocabulary in the story. I loved the illustrations in this book as well.
It's not going to take too long to get through the list, but there are plenty of lists to choose from!
We are working through the books order for the most part, but we have to skip around as we are waiting for some of the books to come in.
We decided to revisit books that we are already familiar with on the list. It's been great sharing so many old favorites with D (age 3). He absoltely loved, "Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom." We own the book, but the girls keep it in their room. It was a great reminder to pull out some favorites to share with him.
We have used the list as a starting point to read books that aren't on the list, but are written by the same authors. Of course, one of our favorite authors is Mo Willems. We grabbed, "Knuffle Bunny" in addition to, "Don't let that Pigeon Drive the Bus," as well as a bunch of his easy readers to revisit. David Shannon is another one of our favorite authors. We loved reading, "Duck on a Bike," again as well as some new ones we have never read by David Shannon. And we grabbed some extra Froggy books by Jonathan London too! My little three year old, D, has loved the Froggy stories.
The girls loved, "George and Martha"! We all got a good laugh reading the short stories in the first book. Another fun find was, "Abuela". This book mixes some Spanish vocabulary in the story. I loved the illustrations in this book as well.
It's not going to take too long to get through the list, but there are plenty of lists to choose from!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Graduation
Our co-op ended with a very long lovely graduation night.
The entire K-5 crew learned how to sign the Lord's prayer and the 23rd Psalm, so they performed it for everyone.
Then it was time for each individual grade to have some time in the spotlight. First the class of kindergarteners, including my T, walked in for "graduation".
A local radio DJ (hubby to one of the wives) interviewed each kindergartener, asking what they wanted to be when they grew up.
Completely unprompted, my sweet little T (age 5) immediately responded, "a mommy".
K (age 7) recited a poem she wrote. Each second grader took a turn to recite.
Finally, a group photo of all of the hard working kiddos this year! It felt great to be done.
The entire K-5 crew learned how to sign the Lord's prayer and the 23rd Psalm, so they performed it for everyone.
Then it was time for each individual grade to have some time in the spotlight. First the class of kindergarteners, including my T, walked in for "graduation".
A local radio DJ (hubby to one of the wives) interviewed each kindergartener, asking what they wanted to be when they grew up.
Completely unprompted, my sweet little T (age 5) immediately responded, "a mommy".
K (age 7) recited a poem she wrote. Each second grader took a turn to recite.
Finally, a group photo of all of the hard working kiddos this year! It felt great to be done.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
When I went to the library last week, I realized that I was directionless. Our curriculum usually drives my library visit choices, but we are finished history for the year. So I wasn't really sure where to head and what to randomly grab.
I know our favorites and some good books and authors, but suddenly my checkout list decreased from about 60 or more books to less than 20.
Then, just in time I found this list of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know on the New York Public Library website. I printed it and decided we'd work through the list this month.
The list is below or you can see it on the site. I marked the ones that we have read before in bold. I was excited to realize that a lot of the books were part of our Galloping the Globe journey this year! It was neat to realize how many "random" books that we came across were on this list!
We'll let you know what we think as we go through the list!
1.ABUELA by Arthur Dorros,
2.ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorst
3.ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK by Eric A. Kimmel
4.ANDY AND THE LION by James Daugherty
5.BARK, GEORGE by Jules Feiffer
6.THE BOSSY GALLITO: A TRADITIONAL CUBAN FOLK TALE retold by Lucia M.Gonzalez; illustrated by Lulu Delacre
7.BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES by Russell Hoban; illustrated by Lillian Hoban
8.BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? by Bill Martin, Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle
9.BRUNO MUNARI’S ABC by Bruno Munari
10.BUZ by Richard Egielski
11.CAPS FOR SALE; A TALE OF A PEDDLER, SOME MONKEYS AND THEIR MONKEY BUSINESS by Esphyr Slobodkina
12.THE CARROT SEED by Ruth Krauss; illustrated by Crockett Johnson
13.A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER by Vera B. Williams
14.CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault; illustrated by Lois Ehlert
15.CLICK, CLACK, MOO : COWS THAT TYPE / by Doreen Cronin
16.COME ALONG, DAISY! by Jane Simmons
17.CORDUROY by Don Freeman
18.CURIOUS GEORGE by H. A. Rey
19.DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul Stickland and Henrietta
20.DON’T LET THAT PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! by Mo Willems
21.DUCK ON A BIKE by David Shannon
22.FIRE TRUCK by Peter Sís
23.FREIGHT TRAIN by Donald Crews
24.FROGGY GETS DRESSED by Jonathan London
25.THE GARDENER by Sarah Stewart
26.GEORGE AND MARTHA by James Marshall27.GO AWAY, BIG GREEN MONSTER! by Ed Emberley
28.GOIN’ SOMEPLACE SPECIAL by Patricia McKissack
29.GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA by Peggy Rathmann
30.GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret W. Brown; illustrated by Clement Hurd
31.GOSSIE by Dunrea Olivier
32.GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY by Allen Say
33.HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON by Crockett Johnson
34.HARRY THE DIRTY DOG by Gene Zion ; illustrated by Margaret Graham
35.HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG by D. B. (Donald B.) Johnson
36.HORTON HATCHES THE EGG by Dr.Seuss,
37.HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT? by Jane Yolen
38.I KISSED THE BABY! by Mary Murphy
39.IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura J. Numeroff
40.IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE: A YIDDISH FOLKTALE retold and illustrated by Margot Zemach
41.JOHN HENRY by Julius Lester; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
42.JULIUS by Angela Johnson ; illustrated by Dav Pilkey
43.KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON by Kevin Henkes
44.LILLY’S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE by Kevin Henkes
45.THE LINE-UP BOOK by Russo Marisabina
46.THE LITTLE RED HEN: AN OLD STORY by Margot Zemach
47.LON PO PO: A RED RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA by Ed Young
48.LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE by Bernard Waber
49.MABELA THE CLEVER by Margaret Read MacDonald
50.MACHINES AT WORK by Byron Barton
51.MADELINE by Ludwig Bemelmans
52.MAISY GOES SWIMMING by Lucy Cousins
53.MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS by Robert McCloskey
54.MAMA CAT HAS THREE KITTENS by Denise Fleming
55.THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS by Mordicai Gerstein
56.MARTHA SPEAKS by Susan Meddaugh
57.MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL by Virginia L. Burton
58.MILLIONS OF CATS by Wanda Gág
59.MISS NELSON IS MISSING! by Harry Allard and James Marshall
60.MR. GUMPY’S OUTING by John Birmingham
61.MUFARO’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS: AN AFRICAN TALE retold and illustrated by John Steptoe
62.MUNCHA! MUNCHA! MUNCHA! by Candace Fleming
63.MY FRIEND RABBIT by Eric Rohmann
64.THE NAPPING HOUSE by Audrey Wood
65.NO, DAVID! by David Shannon
66.OFF TO SCHOOL, BABY DUCK! by Amy Hest
67.OLD BLACK FLY by Jim Aylesworth
68.OLIVIA by Ian Falconer
69.OWEN by Kevin Henkes
70.PAPA, PLEASE GET THE MOON FOR ME by Eric Carle
71.PIERRE: A CAUTIONARY TALE by Maurice Sendak
72.THE POLAR EXPRESS by Chris Van Allsburg
73.PUSS IN BOOTS by Charles Perrault
74.THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF MOTHER GOOSE: A TREASURY OF 386 TIMELESS NURSERY RHYMES by Arnold Lobel
75.ROUND TRIP by Ann Jonas
76.RUMPELSTILTSKIN by Paul O. Zelinsky
77.THE SNOWY DAY by Ezra Jack Keats
78.SPOTS, FEATHERS AND CURLY TAILS by Nancy Tafuri
79.THE STORY OF FERDINAND by Munro Leaf
80.THE STRAY DOG Marc, Simont
81.STREGA NONA by Tomie De Paola
82.SWIMMY by Leo Lionni
83.SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE by William Steig
84.THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT by Beatrix Potter
85.TAR BEACH by Faith Ringgold
86.TEN, NINE, EIGHT by Molly Bang
87.THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY by Simms Taback
88.THE THREE BEARS by Paul Galdone
89.TRASHY TOWN by Andrea Griffing Zimmerman
90.THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS BY A. WOLF by John Scieszka
91.TUESDAY by David Wiesner
92.UPTOWN by Collier Bryan
93.THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle
94.THE WHEELS ON THE BUS adapted and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
95.WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak
96.WHERE’S SPOT? by Eric Hill
97.WHISTLE FOR WILLIE by Ezra Jack Keats
98.THE WOLF’S CHICKEN STEW by Keiko Kasza
99.YOKO by Rosemary Wells
100.ZOMO THE RABBIT: A TRICKSTER TALE FROM WEST AFRICA retold and illustrated by Gerald McDermott
I know our favorites and some good books and authors, but suddenly my checkout list decreased from about 60 or more books to less than 20.
Then, just in time I found this list of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know on the New York Public Library website. I printed it and decided we'd work through the list this month.
The list is below or you can see it on the site. I marked the ones that we have read before in bold. I was excited to realize that a lot of the books were part of our Galloping the Globe journey this year! It was neat to realize how many "random" books that we came across were on this list!
We'll let you know what we think as we go through the list!
1.ABUELA by Arthur Dorros,
2.ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorst
3.ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK by Eric A. Kimmel
4.ANDY AND THE LION by James Daugherty
5.BARK, GEORGE by Jules Feiffer
6.THE BOSSY GALLITO: A TRADITIONAL CUBAN FOLK TALE retold by Lucia M.Gonzalez; illustrated by Lulu Delacre
7.BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES by Russell Hoban; illustrated by Lillian Hoban
8.BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? by Bill Martin, Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle
9.BRUNO MUNARI’S ABC by Bruno Munari
10.BUZ by Richard Egielski
11.CAPS FOR SALE; A TALE OF A PEDDLER, SOME MONKEYS AND THEIR MONKEY BUSINESS by Esphyr Slobodkina
12.THE CARROT SEED by Ruth Krauss; illustrated by Crockett Johnson
13.A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER by Vera B. Williams
14.CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault; illustrated by Lois Ehlert
15.CLICK, CLACK, MOO : COWS THAT TYPE / by Doreen Cronin
16.COME ALONG, DAISY! by Jane Simmons
17.CORDUROY by Don Freeman
18.CURIOUS GEORGE by H. A. Rey
19.DINOSAUR ROAR! by Paul Stickland and Henrietta
20.DON’T LET THAT PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! by Mo Willems
21.DUCK ON A BIKE by David Shannon
22.FIRE TRUCK by Peter Sís
23.FREIGHT TRAIN by Donald Crews
24.FROGGY GETS DRESSED by Jonathan London
25.THE GARDENER by Sarah Stewart
26.GEORGE AND MARTHA by James Marshall27.GO AWAY, BIG GREEN MONSTER! by Ed Emberley
28.GOIN’ SOMEPLACE SPECIAL by Patricia McKissack
29.GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA by Peggy Rathmann
30.GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret W. Brown; illustrated by Clement Hurd
31.GOSSIE by Dunrea Olivier
32.GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY by Allen Say
33.HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON by Crockett Johnson
34.HARRY THE DIRTY DOG by Gene Zion ; illustrated by Margaret Graham
35.HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG by D. B. (Donald B.) Johnson
36.HORTON HATCHES THE EGG by Dr.Seuss,
37.HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT? by Jane Yolen
38.I KISSED THE BABY! by Mary Murphy
39.IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura J. Numeroff
40.IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE: A YIDDISH FOLKTALE retold and illustrated by Margot Zemach
41.JOHN HENRY by Julius Lester; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
42.JULIUS by Angela Johnson ; illustrated by Dav Pilkey
43.KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON by Kevin Henkes
44.LILLY’S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE by Kevin Henkes
45.THE LINE-UP BOOK by Russo Marisabina
46.THE LITTLE RED HEN: AN OLD STORY by Margot Zemach
47.LON PO PO: A RED RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA by Ed Young
48.LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE by Bernard Waber
49.MABELA THE CLEVER by Margaret Read MacDonald
50.MACHINES AT WORK by Byron Barton
51.MADELINE by Ludwig Bemelmans
52.MAISY GOES SWIMMING by Lucy Cousins
53.MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS by Robert McCloskey
54.MAMA CAT HAS THREE KITTENS by Denise Fleming
55.THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS by Mordicai Gerstein
56.MARTHA SPEAKS by Susan Meddaugh
57.MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL by Virginia L. Burton
58.MILLIONS OF CATS by Wanda Gág
59.MISS NELSON IS MISSING! by Harry Allard and James Marshall
60.MR. GUMPY’S OUTING by John Birmingham
61.MUFARO’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS: AN AFRICAN TALE retold and illustrated by John Steptoe
62.MUNCHA! MUNCHA! MUNCHA! by Candace Fleming
63.MY FRIEND RABBIT by Eric Rohmann
64.THE NAPPING HOUSE by Audrey Wood
65.NO, DAVID! by David Shannon
66.OFF TO SCHOOL, BABY DUCK! by Amy Hest
67.OLD BLACK FLY by Jim Aylesworth
68.OLIVIA by Ian Falconer
69.OWEN by Kevin Henkes
70.PAPA, PLEASE GET THE MOON FOR ME by Eric Carle
71.PIERRE: A CAUTIONARY TALE by Maurice Sendak
72.THE POLAR EXPRESS by Chris Van Allsburg
73.PUSS IN BOOTS by Charles Perrault
74.THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF MOTHER GOOSE: A TREASURY OF 386 TIMELESS NURSERY RHYMES by Arnold Lobel
75.ROUND TRIP by Ann Jonas
76.RUMPELSTILTSKIN by Paul O. Zelinsky
77.THE SNOWY DAY by Ezra Jack Keats
78.SPOTS, FEATHERS AND CURLY TAILS by Nancy Tafuri
79.THE STORY OF FERDINAND by Munro Leaf
80.THE STRAY DOG Marc, Simont
81.STREGA NONA by Tomie De Paola
82.SWIMMY by Leo Lionni
83.SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE by William Steig
84.THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT by Beatrix Potter
85.TAR BEACH by Faith Ringgold
86.TEN, NINE, EIGHT by Molly Bang
87.THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY by Simms Taback
88.THE THREE BEARS by Paul Galdone
89.TRASHY TOWN by Andrea Griffing Zimmerman
90.THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS BY A. WOLF by John Scieszka
91.TUESDAY by David Wiesner
92.UPTOWN by Collier Bryan
93.THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle
94.THE WHEELS ON THE BUS adapted and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
95.WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak
96.WHERE’S SPOT? by Eric Hill
97.WHISTLE FOR WILLIE by Ezra Jack Keats
98.THE WOLF’S CHICKEN STEW by Keiko Kasza
99.YOKO by Rosemary Wells
100.ZOMO THE RABBIT: A TRICKSTER TALE FROM WEST AFRICA retold and illustrated by Gerald McDermott
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Our crazy Fridays
This is Friday morning. For now.
Four children: 7, 5, 3 and 10 months
One stroller.
One pack and play for a napping baby.
Three backpacks.
Two lunch boxes.
Two diaper bags with food for the morning, diapers, bottles, and a ton of bibs.
One bag with mommy's lesson plan and teaching supplies.
This is every Friday morning. Arriving at co-op with everyone and everything in tow.
By 9 AM.
I had to capture it because it is now.
And one day I won't have to tote along so much.
Sometimes it is tough to cherish aspects of now. The lugging around all the "stuff" that comes with this stage is one of those aspects.
And I won't miss it.
And it is one of the big reasons I was ready for co-op to end. As much as we love it. I'll be glad to return in the fall when the pack and play doesn't have to return with me!
But I'll miss that precious baby who spent his mornings napping at co-op.
Four children: 7, 5, 3 and 10 months
One stroller.
One pack and play for a napping baby.
Three backpacks.
Two lunch boxes.
Two diaper bags with food for the morning, diapers, bottles, and a ton of bibs.
One bag with mommy's lesson plan and teaching supplies.
This is every Friday morning. Arriving at co-op with everyone and everything in tow.
By 9 AM.
I had to capture it because it is now.
And one day I won't have to tote along so much.
Sometimes it is tough to cherish aspects of now. The lugging around all the "stuff" that comes with this stage is one of those aspects.
And I won't miss it.
And it is one of the big reasons I was ready for co-op to end. As much as we love it. I'll be glad to return in the fall when the pack and play doesn't have to return with me!
But I'll miss that precious baby who spent his mornings napping at co-op.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Stream of Consciousness...
Because sometimes I forget that it isn't about building their resumes or having the smartest kid in the room...
I homeschool...
to find opportunities to practice compassion together every day
to foster meaningful friendships with their peers
to educate my children so that they see the world as God's see it
to help my children find their God given purpose in life
to make prayer, scripture memory, and time in the Word part of a day's natural rhythm
to model a lifestyle of worship before my children
to leave lots of margin in their lives for creative play, alone time, and exploring
to encourage them in hopes that they will love the process of learning
to strengthen family bonds
to foster meaningful and lasting friendships among siblings
to take vacations in April and September when it is empty and cheap
to create lasting memories of time together rather than apart
to practice and teach what it means to honor others above ourselves
to study and learn about topics together
to get outdoors as much as possible and enjoy God's amazing world
to deepen our family relationships
to train my children to evaluate all things through the Word of God
to teach them how to think so that they won't be told what to think by others
to help them know God in a personal way
to practice the fruits of the Spirit in a safe place
to allow them the opportunity to know baby C (7 months) well
in hopes that all of the knowledge we gain draws us closer to our Creator
and so that I have more time in each day and each week to acheive these goals, yet with a recognition of my full reliance on His work in their hearts and lives.
I homeschool...
to find opportunities to practice compassion together every day
to foster meaningful friendships with their peers
to educate my children so that they see the world as God's see it
to help my children find their God given purpose in life
to make prayer, scripture memory, and time in the Word part of a day's natural rhythm
to model a lifestyle of worship before my children
to leave lots of margin in their lives for creative play, alone time, and exploring
to encourage them in hopes that they will love the process of learning
to strengthen family bonds
to foster meaningful and lasting friendships among siblings
to take vacations in April and September when it is empty and cheap
to create lasting memories of time together rather than apart
to practice and teach what it means to honor others above ourselves
to study and learn about topics together
to get outdoors as much as possible and enjoy God's amazing world
to deepen our family relationships
to train my children to evaluate all things through the Word of God
to teach them how to think so that they won't be told what to think by others
to help them know God in a personal way
to practice the fruits of the Spirit in a safe place
to allow them the opportunity to know baby C (7 months) well
in hopes that all of the knowledge we gain draws us closer to our Creator
and so that I have more time in each day and each week to acheive these goals, yet with a recognition of my full reliance on His work in their hearts and lives.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Sister Support
K was having a rough time with her schoolwork. She was just plain frustrated.
There were tears. And there was a definite desire to just quit.
But she stuck with it.
And while she was working, her sister dropped off some encouraging words:
And then there were smiles.
Go Go Sisters.
Go Go Sisters.
They are the best.
There were tears. And there was a definite desire to just quit.
But she stuck with it.
And while she was working, her sister dropped off some encouraging words:
And then there were smiles.
Go Go Sisters.
Go Go Sisters.
They are the best.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
A Homeschooling Day
We were going to have an easy morning at home.
The lesson planner was full of direction, but the younger children weren't having the sort of day that was going to help us accomplish any of my well selected goals.
So I turned to the basket of books. Katie Meets the Impressionists was the first one I saw. I sat on the floor and began to read. Immediately two little girls were at my side. Afterall, who can resist a good book?
We joined Katie as she travelled through the works of Degas, Renoir, and Monet. After such an artistic adventure, we were inspired!
As I finished reading the last page, K (age 6) immediately yelled, "Let's paint!" T (age 5) agreed. D (age 2) chimed in with, "Yaaay! Let's paint green beans," and he dashed off to the kitchen.
Green beans? Huh?
The girls and I cracked up. But off went little D to the kitchen pantry where he grabbed the bag of dried lima beans. He was thinking of an activity we did months ago. We had painted some beans for a math game. Apparently, he enjoyed it and was ready to recreate the activity!
And so for the morning we became painters, imitating impressionist artists, though some of us just painted beans...
The lesson planner was full of direction, but the younger children weren't having the sort of day that was going to help us accomplish any of my well selected goals.
So I turned to the basket of books. Katie Meets the Impressionists was the first one I saw. I sat on the floor and began to read. Immediately two little girls were at my side. Afterall, who can resist a good book?
We joined Katie as she travelled through the works of Degas, Renoir, and Monet. After such an artistic adventure, we were inspired!
As I finished reading the last page, K (age 6) immediately yelled, "Let's paint!" T (age 5) agreed. D (age 2) chimed in with, "Yaaay! Let's paint green beans," and he dashed off to the kitchen.
Green beans? Huh?
The girls and I cracked up. But off went little D to the kitchen pantry where he grabbed the bag of dried lima beans. He was thinking of an activity we did months ago. We had painted some beans for a math game. Apparently, he enjoyed it and was ready to recreate the activity!
And so for the morning we became painters, imitating impressionist artists, though some of us just painted beans...
Soon, D's bean painting inspired some thoughts about bean planting. So off the girls went to gather dirt...
And they planted beans in a cup.
And they planted two beans in wet paper towels.
Meanwhile, D found his own form of entertainment.
Our painters, now turned scientists, made predictions about their bean plants.
But soon the blank stack of computer paper beckoned and they returned to their painting. A gallery was created...
Our scientist painters now became the museum docents, guiding mommy through the gallery.
Of course, not all of the students were participating...
But at the end day, mommy was reminded of the beauty of school at home. Learning doesn't have to be planned moment by moment. It happens as life unfolds. All it took on this particular day was a well chosen book. Little minds are easily inspired to interact with the world around them. And being here, at home, gave them the freedom to do so.
At their own pace. In their own way.
No artificial stops and starts. No right or wrong answers in their art. No reason not to let the moment take them outdoors. No limits on their desire to learn and explore.
Just creative genius at work. And all of us together on the journey.
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