...with a little help from a friend. My new homeschooling friend called today, as though she were telepathic, and assured me that the week the public schools start back is always challenging for homeschoolers. She suggested lying low and keeping school-friend contact to a minimum. Apparently, even committed homeschooling moms and kids can get swept up in the excitement of going back to school. It's certainly been the truth over here (at least for me).
We managed again to get all our basic academics (literacy and mathematics) done in the morning which left only French and Science for the afternoon. It made for a relaxed afternoon and we lingered longer than usual with our French, and I made the executive decision to delay Science until tomorrow. Thursday afternoons are for Music and Art, and a Science class (especially the magnet experiment I have planned for tomorrow) will be a welcome addition to the lineup.
Lest I leave the impression that our day was perfect, let me admit the following: in order to motivate Thing 1 through her history lesson, I had to threaten to send her to public school. That was a trump card I was hoping to hold in my pocket until somewhere around December. Ah, well. Whichever way you turn in life there are challenges. I might as well embrace the ones I have at the moment instead of doing my usual "where can I run?" dance.
And it's not all challenges. The kids are happy, so happy. The relaxed pace that homeschooling affords us has given them the chance to relax and just be. They seem to be fighting less and playing more and when they do get into a game or a project, there is time and space for depth. That's priceless and worth all the struggles.
I'll leave you with a Zen quote that both eludes and inspires me at the same time:
Before enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water.
Ah, the power of the mind! Now to harness it (and keep it harnessed).
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
I promise...
I'm not manic. Yesterday, life really was good. And I was (am) so glad to be homeschooling and I feel so right about this decision. However, today, loneliness cast its relentless shadow on me and has yet to leave the premises.
It started early this morning while the kids were spying on people as they walked to school. Tidbits of happy chatter began to flit in and out of the house through the open windows. Soon, warm memories of school friends played across my mind. It wasn't long before the shadow of loneliness crept stealthily into one tiny corner of my mind. It was only a matter of time...
We got our academic work done early today, finishing with recitation, math, and literacy by 11:30. The weather was too perfect to be indoors today, so I had planned an impromptu park day. We spent our lunch hour at one of the newly remodeled playgrounds in town. I had just read yesterday that kids are supposed to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day and they easily managed that and more in our hour and a half at the park. I even met a mom to chat with. Despite all this, it was painfully obvious to me that I was the only mom whose kids were older than preschool-age and my kids looked enormous and grossly out of place. Loneliness stole further into the recesses of my mind and was soon firmly afoot.
Once back home, we wrapped up Thing 1's history lesson and then finished out our school day in style with music and art. School-wise, the day couldn't have gone better. But what to do about the dark, swelling cloud looming overhead?
I'm not throwing in the towel. I still feel that this is where Thing 2 belongs for his kindergarten year. He needs more confidence, academically, and this year with me will do him good. For her part, Thing 1 doesn't want to be in public school. She needs this year to recover from public school, to learn in a (nearly) test-free environment, to delve deeper into subjects she enjoys, to savor quality time at home.
So the problem is mine. I have to own it and I have to fix it. This morning, I joined the Yahoo group for local homeschoolers. I reached out to one mom already for a playdate. And I plan to enroll the kids in a few more park district classes. This will all work itself out, the shadow will lift and we will flourish. For now, I need to accept this as part of the package and figure out how to carry on with grace and purpose (and joy, in spite of it).
Blessings to anyone who has taken the time to read this. It's not the stuff of novels or movies, but it is my journey and it is real, today as much as yesterday.
It started early this morning while the kids were spying on people as they walked to school. Tidbits of happy chatter began to flit in and out of the house through the open windows. Soon, warm memories of school friends played across my mind. It wasn't long before the shadow of loneliness crept stealthily into one tiny corner of my mind. It was only a matter of time...
We got our academic work done early today, finishing with recitation, math, and literacy by 11:30. The weather was too perfect to be indoors today, so I had planned an impromptu park day. We spent our lunch hour at one of the newly remodeled playgrounds in town. I had just read yesterday that kids are supposed to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day and they easily managed that and more in our hour and a half at the park. I even met a mom to chat with. Despite all this, it was painfully obvious to me that I was the only mom whose kids were older than preschool-age and my kids looked enormous and grossly out of place. Loneliness stole further into the recesses of my mind and was soon firmly afoot.
Once back home, we wrapped up Thing 1's history lesson and then finished out our school day in style with music and art. School-wise, the day couldn't have gone better. But what to do about the dark, swelling cloud looming overhead?
I'm not throwing in the towel. I still feel that this is where Thing 2 belongs for his kindergarten year. He needs more confidence, academically, and this year with me will do him good. For her part, Thing 1 doesn't want to be in public school. She needs this year to recover from public school, to learn in a (nearly) test-free environment, to delve deeper into subjects she enjoys, to savor quality time at home.
So the problem is mine. I have to own it and I have to fix it. This morning, I joined the Yahoo group for local homeschoolers. I reached out to one mom already for a playdate. And I plan to enroll the kids in a few more park district classes. This will all work itself out, the shadow will lift and we will flourish. For now, I need to accept this as part of the package and figure out how to carry on with grace and purpose (and joy, in spite of it).
Blessings to anyone who has taken the time to read this. It's not the stuff of novels or movies, but it is my journey and it is real, today as much as yesterday.
Monday, August 20, 2012
You know you're a (happy) homeschooling mom when...
1) you have 88 items checked out from the library and you still want (no, need) more.
2) words like recitation, lapbook, seatwork, and notebooking become part of your everyday vocabulary.
3) you spend your weekend sewing a magazine holder for the classroom, and you enjoy every minute of it.
4) you are simultaneously hatching a monarch egg, growing 4 different kinds of tree seeds, and working on a model teepee.
5) you find yourself wondering how kindergarten teachers keep a roomful of 5-year-olds from using potty language when you can't keep your one child from using it.
6) you allow your kids to go to the window to spy on the public school kids walking to and from school (and your kids are smiling all the way because they get to stay home).
7) you feel an enormous sense of peace and satisfaction at the end of the day, knowing you are following your heart.
2) words like recitation, lapbook, seatwork, and notebooking become part of your everyday vocabulary.
3) you spend your weekend sewing a magazine holder for the classroom, and you enjoy every minute of it.
4) you are simultaneously hatching a monarch egg, growing 4 different kinds of tree seeds, and working on a model teepee.
5) you find yourself wondering how kindergarten teachers keep a roomful of 5-year-olds from using potty language when you can't keep your one child from using it.
6) you allow your kids to go to the window to spy on the public school kids walking to and from school (and your kids are smiling all the way because they get to stay home).
7) you feel an enormous sense of peace and satisfaction at the end of the day, knowing you are following your heart.
Friday, August 17, 2012
TGIF, for real this time
Whew. It was a good day, a good week, but I am ready for a break. The kids were tired of school today. We plowed through math first thing, did our running club (adding 2 more miles each to our log), and then took a long lunch to meet some new homeschool friends at the park.
Having done the long lunch and/or field trip thing a few times now, I have finally learned that it is very difficult to come back and settle into work afterwards. After returning from the park, we managed our science and some French before calling it a day. I can see why some homeschool families only do school Monday through Thursday. I might have to revamp our schedule so that we have a lighter load on Fridays. Either that or stop doing field trips and lunches with friends or maybe just limit the fun to Fridays, leaving home immediately after math and literacy. (Pardon my thinking 'out loud' here, as it were.)
The new homeschool friends did give us a tip on a co-op of sorts in Elmhurst, called Classical Conversations. It sounds like they emphasize memory work in the grammar stage (K-5) like "Well-Trained Mind" does, and it might help provide a backbone for our studies at home. I'll look into it. They only meet one morning a week and both kids could be enrolled. I like the idea of being in community. That is one thing I miss about public school.
In summing up our week: it's good to work hard, but it's good to rest too. I think the kids and I have earned our weekend.
Having done the long lunch and/or field trip thing a few times now, I have finally learned that it is very difficult to come back and settle into work afterwards. After returning from the park, we managed our science and some French before calling it a day. I can see why some homeschool families only do school Monday through Thursday. I might have to revamp our schedule so that we have a lighter load on Fridays. Either that or stop doing field trips and lunches with friends or maybe just limit the fun to Fridays, leaving home immediately after math and literacy. (Pardon my thinking 'out loud' here, as it were.)
The new homeschool friends did give us a tip on a co-op of sorts in Elmhurst, called Classical Conversations. It sounds like they emphasize memory work in the grammar stage (K-5) like "Well-Trained Mind" does, and it might help provide a backbone for our studies at home. I'll look into it. They only meet one morning a week and both kids could be enrolled. I like the idea of being in community. That is one thing I miss about public school.
In summing up our week: it's good to work hard, but it's good to rest too. I think the kids and I have earned our weekend.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
P.S. Too funny not to blog about...
Thing 2 is wearing the loincloth again. Both kids have made medicine pouches (per Walk the World's Rim) and have filled them with turquoise beads and dried herbs, exactly what the main character Chakoh was carrying in his medicine pouch. If I didn't think it was illegal (or at best, inappropriate), I would post the pic of Thing 2 in his homemade loincloth. It's priceless! (Where's the rolling on the floor laughing smiley when you need it??) You can get an idea here:
TGIF - almost!
Don't get me wrong, we have our share of enjoyment over here. We also have our share of tedium and if math isn't it, I don't know what is. All this to say, it's nice to be winding down our week.
I've been having a tough time fitting in a math lesson for Thing 2. Partly because she complains about it, partly because I can't decide where to place her in this new curriculum, and partly because I don't quite feel qualified to teach it (never mind that it's only multiplication and division, it's still daunting to me). So I have a new game plan. The past couple days we've been starting our day with math. Both kids sit at the big table with me and I teach their math in tag-team style until the math is DONE. It's been working well so far and I think we'll stick with this new schedule.
Thing 1 finished reading her first novel for school, a short work of historical fiction called "Pedro's Journal." It's a fictional account of a ship's boy aboard Columbus' Santa Maria on his maiden voyage to the Americas in 1492. I read along for parts of it, learning all the way. Tomorrow, she'll have a test on Columbus and we'll continue to work on her other 2 novels: "Walk the World's Rim" and "Om-kas-toe" (from Sonlight's Core D+E American History curriculum).
Thing 2 did his first kindergarten journal entry today. He won't let on how proud he is that he wrote the word 'car' all by himself by sounding out the letters. Never mind that he skipped the 'a.' He's using invented spelling (which is what they do in public school) and for him, it's a huge confidence builder. Since school started, he's told me many times (in an exasperated tone) that he can't read or write. This week, he learned to read 'I am' and wrote the word 'car.' If that's not reading and writing, what is? He'll get there.
Doing our taste-test reminded me that I need to keep things fun (at least sometimes). I have a tendency to be no-nonsense, wanting the kids to push through their work even when they aren't happy about it. While that's necessary sometimes (and certainly a good life skill), sometimes I also need to lighten up and let the kids be kids. It's probably good therapy for me too. Life is a ball, why not enjoy it?
I'll sign off with a couple more highlights from our last 2 days:
I've been having a tough time fitting in a math lesson for Thing 2. Partly because she complains about it, partly because I can't decide where to place her in this new curriculum, and partly because I don't quite feel qualified to teach it (never mind that it's only multiplication and division, it's still daunting to me). So I have a new game plan. The past couple days we've been starting our day with math. Both kids sit at the big table with me and I teach their math in tag-team style until the math is DONE. It's been working well so far and I think we'll stick with this new schedule.
Thing 1 finished reading her first novel for school, a short work of historical fiction called "Pedro's Journal." It's a fictional account of a ship's boy aboard Columbus' Santa Maria on his maiden voyage to the Americas in 1492. I read along for parts of it, learning all the way. Tomorrow, she'll have a test on Columbus and we'll continue to work on her other 2 novels: "Walk the World's Rim" and "Om-kas-toe" (from Sonlight's Core D+E American History curriculum).
Thing 2 did his first kindergarten journal entry today. He won't let on how proud he is that he wrote the word 'car' all by himself by sounding out the letters. Never mind that he skipped the 'a.' He's using invented spelling (which is what they do in public school) and for him, it's a huge confidence builder. Since school started, he's told me many times (in an exasperated tone) that he can't read or write. This week, he learned to read 'I am' and wrote the word 'car.' If that's not reading and writing, what is? He'll get there.
Thing 2's read-aloud this week is "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World." It's a beautifully-illustrated book with themes no one can argue with - world travel and apple pie. Yesterday, we had a field trip to the Farmer's Market to get apples and today we had our taste-test. The apple in the spotlight, the Red Wearthy, won first place.
Doing our taste-test reminded me that I need to keep things fun (at least sometimes). I have a tendency to be no-nonsense, wanting the kids to push through their work even when they aren't happy about it. While that's necessary sometimes (and certainly a good life skill), sometimes I also need to lighten up and let the kids be kids. It's probably good therapy for me too. Life is a ball, why not enjoy it?
I'll sign off with a couple more highlights from our last 2 days:
 |
| magnetic boats from our science lesson yesterday |
 |
| mapping "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World" |
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Fruits of Labor
1) Thing 2 learned to tie shoes. How many kindergartners in the age of velcro can do that? He worked to perfect his skills every chance he got today.
2) Both kids learned to play lap harp today. They serenaded me with a duet of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
3) Thing 1 is studying the preamble to the Constitution and wrote her own preamble to the Constitution of our Household. (Perhaps it should be written for our school.)
4) Both kids came running when Daddy got home tonight so they could tell and/or show him everything they've learned.
5) Thing 2 learned about the Native American article of clothing called a loincloth by listening to Thing 1's read-aloud, Walk the World's Rim. Yesterday, he and Thing 1 tried to fashion one out of a bandana. Today, they asked me to help. For the last hour, Thing 2 has been running around in nothing but a loincloth. Talk about bringing history alive!
If the fruits of our labor are any indication, I'd say a good day was had by all.
2) Both kids learned to play lap harp today. They serenaded me with a duet of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
3) Thing 1 is studying the preamble to the Constitution and wrote her own preamble to the Constitution of our Household. (Perhaps it should be written for our school.)
4) Both kids came running when Daddy got home tonight so they could tell and/or show him everything they've learned.
5) Thing 2 learned about the Native American article of clothing called a loincloth by listening to Thing 1's read-aloud, Walk the World's Rim. Yesterday, he and Thing 1 tried to fashion one out of a bandana. Today, they asked me to help. For the last hour, Thing 2 has been running around in nothing but a loincloth. Talk about bringing history alive!
If the fruits of our labor are any indication, I'd say a good day was had by all.
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