A report card to myself

I hesitate to write this, but...

The year is going excellently!

SHHHH!!!! Don't tempt the Gods and read that out loud! Knocking on wood and throwing salt over my shoulder and looking for a spot to spit as I type this...

But seriously, I'm happy. We're not perfectly timed like a digital clock; checking in and out, ticking this off and filing that. We run loosely and freely. There are issues to cover and details to complete for sure; but those details are most definitely not dictating the flow of our lives.

Justin is slowly wading into algebra this year. Don't tell him, but he's actually doing well with it. He doesn't like to admit that he's able to retain information (one of his favorite phrases) but that kid, on a good and happy day, can learn anything. He just needs to give himself more credit. I keep hoping that the "drive to learn for learning's sake" will kick in. Sometimes, I can see it taking hold, only to slip back again and be hidden behind the "I hate school" mantra. He's a tough cookie to figure out, but he always insists that he never wants to go to public school again. This is a question I pose to him whenever he claims that I am asking too much of him or presenting him with too much work. I remind him of the homework that would take us all into the late evening hours, should he be in public school. I remind him of the earlier bedtime and early alarm clock wake ups that we would all be enjoying, should he go to school. And then he usually grumbles and plods through whatever I've laid out for the day. :)

Evan is still Mr. Active. He likes to stand up to do his schoolwork and sometimes does his best stories while he dictates as he walks in circles. No joke. His mind works way faster than his hand can keep up, so I have him dictate to me, and then have him copy the work afterwards. His spelling and writing abilities are slowly catching up to his grade level and he continues to do well at his math and reading comprehension. I keep meaning to look for a good health/human body curriculum but haven't found something as of yet...

Corinne reads well above her age level. What level does she read at? I don't know. Don't really care. I just know that she is ABLE to read. And that everything we're doing with her seems to be working. I don't set any age restrictions to the math or reading or science that she receives. If the boys are doing it, and she's interested? I pull her onto my lap and she learns alongside them. And she RETAINS it. Not all of it and not perfectly, but WOW. She remembers! It's interesting to think of what she'll be doing when she is Evan or Justin's ages...

And, with that, I have to jet so that I can take them all to our homeschool co-op where they will do a writing class, 2 different history classes, P.E. (run by me!) and a reading/art class. The group has gotten larger lately and there are tons of kids that my children are becoming good friends with. Basically? Our school year (and family year) is off to a fabulous start!

And so it begins...

Evan and Corinne in our "spaghetti garden."

And yes; we've made a LOT of spaghetti this August...

My New Mission Statement

It's summertime. My kids don't deliberately "do school" in the summer because

a. I am lazy

and

b. they would kill me. Truly.

But my 5 year old, who has never been "to school" but loves homeschooling, has been working like a maniac this summer! Reading all the time, asking to do Freerice.com, randomly sitting at her desk to work on writing and math workbooks and on and on. Just a moment ago, I helped her tug out the big box of Math U See manipulatives and she is currently stacking and counting and building and LEARNING without an agenda.

That's what I hope to accomplish this year: Learning without an agenda.

I think I'll make it my mission statement....

Reason #2,768 to love the freedom of homeschooling

"Mom, can we focus on genetics and biology for the rest of the school year?"

He loves it and I am happy to oblige. Off to the library we go!

A little update

Poor little homeschool blog. So neglected...

As Christmas gets closer, I am so grateful for homeschooling. We have been doing some basic review of math, just to stay on top of things. Evan's been reading about people from the Revolutionary War era and Justin's been doing a study on the history of classic American toys. I got the book at the TAGIE awards and was absolutely serious when I said I was going to do a study with the kids through it. Justin is making a timeline and all sorts of things to go with it. It's pretty interesting stuff.

Corinne is just a reading phenom. Dick and Jane is almost too easy for her, but we've got several other phonic-type books that she likes to read on her own that are filling in the spaces until I can find another progressive type of reading series. I have never been solely responsible for teaching any of them to read! Justin knew how by kindergarten but I guess I figured that preschool had something to do with it. Evan struggled until first grade and I assumed that it was my fault. I think I am really REALLY accepting that each child will learn at their own pace, regardless of what their parent tries to force down their throats. That said, I need to keep up with Corinne so that she remains INTERESTED In reading!

We have paper snowflakes everywhere right now. It's crazy how involved Corinne can become in an art project. For a while it was beading, beading, beading. Now it's cutting intricate designs. I wonder what's next?

Well, the kids have a h/s friend over right now and they're playing some sort of top-spinning game that involves a lot of laughing and smack-talking. I am going to browse the internet while it's still peaceful in the house. Merry Christmas!

First week in Photos...

Grade 3 and eating bacon. He's apparently on the Atkins diet. Doesn't he look thrilled to be starting school?!?

Bedheaded preschooler who just couldn't figure out the "P" in sign language for this pic and opted to do her age instead...

6th grade! How did THAT happen?

Quietly reading a new Avatar the Airbender chapter book.

Exploring our new Math U See blocks. Looking forward to actually doing some MUS work soon!

No photo collection would be complete without one of my kids mock-stabbing someone/thing. Such sweet children...

Sigh. What is up with the silly faces?!??

Seriously?

Brat.

Evan's been doing really well this week! I am so impressed with all that he's retained.

Little Miss Unschooler. She likes to work when no one asks her and wherever the mood may strike. It's nice that she can just do page after page of reading and math work, with very little instruction, and get it CORRECT!

Some new modeling clay led to an impromptu art break. 1 hour of art for Justin is like 3 months for other kids. I was AMAZED and was definitely not going to stop him so that he could start on his math! Go Art!

Evan's Blue Man Group. Only it's a solo act.

Justin's art is.... a ball of death! Fabulous.

Corinne's clay creations included hearts, food, people, a frog and a princess with long, green and yellow hair.

One of the best things she's been doing this summer has been beadwork. She makes necklaces, bracelets, "dream catchers" (I use that term loosely. Think outside of the box, here), etc. She's gotten really good at making complex patterns, threading the beads, and tying knots.

We now need more beads, though. We're running low!

Each of her babydolls got a teeny, tiny bracelet, too.

Oooh La La!

A list of love...

Loving: America, the Story of Us on the History Channel. Really well done with interesting graphics. All of the family has been watching it on our dvr this week!

Loving: planning for the homeschool geography tour. Each kid/family is working on a different country and we will host an open house for the families and neighbors to come see that homeschoolers really DO do school! Our country is Iceland. It's pretty interesting, even if they DO eat rotten shark meat... We're making a volcano and flag and translating phrases and bringing in a sweet treat and whales and fish (toys!) to hang up around us and, and... Man. I'm goofy excited about it!

Loving: FreeRice.com Did you know that they now have other subjects on their site?!? Evan has been earning thousands of grains of rice while he practices his multiplication problems and grammar. Justin did some vocab work, too. He started at level 1 and grudgingly got several levels up. Evan is loving the idea that he is feeding someone with multiplication. "FINALLY! Finally there is a REASON for math, Mommy!"

Loving: getting to shop for next year's curriculum. I'm all freaky happy about it, too. My kids aren't quite as thrilled....

Loving: The Borders Summer Reading Double Dog Dare. Kids under 12 can read 10 books by August 26 and bring the form in for a free book (from their list). I think it's valid anywhere, but double check (ha!) the fine print.

A bit of a ramble,..

When people say "the first year is the hardest! Don't judge homeschooling by the first year!" They mean it. It's TRUE. My kids and I have gone through so many changes this first year, that it's difficult to recognize my first posts on this blog. The challenges are different, the schedule is different, EVERYthing is different!

I think the biggest change this year happened for ME; within ME. My views on not only school and education but the government, the world, religion, my values... EVERYTHING. Everything has been affected by homeschooling. My opinions on what is "important" in life have become very vague. If my children never learn high math but are excellent in literature, what is the big deal? If my scientific child excels in his favorite subject but never reads "the classics", how will that affect his ability to have a happy, healthy life? Guess what? I was in "AP" (Advanced Placement) and Honors English throughout my high school career and I never once covered To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, or 1984! AND I SURVIVED.

One of the best differences though, is how I view what my children are learning. I don't give Evan or Corinne "tests". They just do work or projects and as they learn it, we move along to the next topic. I'll touch back on something again to see if it was retained and, if not, we just cover it again. No big deal. No pressure. They are both the smartest kids in their classes and it SHOWS in their confidence. Evan no longer compares himself to other second graders and thinks that he isn't very intelligent. It broke my heart to hear him say that, over and over, when he was in first grade! He IS smart! INCREDIBLY smart! He learns at his own pace and needs extra help on some topics, but his work is improving incredibly this year. I am extremely proud of his progress. And Corinne continues to amaze me with her eagerness to do schoolwork. Knowing that she would only technically be eligible for preschool this coming fall causes me to wonder at where she would be at, were we to send her off. She is definitely a self-learner and very creative. Some of the artwork and language skills that she manages to piece together, all on her own, absolutely astound me.

With Justin, his work is a bit more complex, so we do some unit work and actual tests. For example, during his Life Science studies, we will cover a chapter, doing the mini-quizzes at the end of each section. I will then make up a study guide for him, covering the key points throughout the unit. We work on that study guide until he and I are both satisfied that the material is stuck within his brain. And then he takes the test. If he gets 93% or higher, he gets $1.50 for his savings. (since we can't do awards for report cards, like lots of parents do). If he doesn't pass the test with an A (hasn't happened yet), he and I will cover the material again until it sticks. (I don't know if he'll still be eligible for the full $1.50 at that point, seeing as how it's never come to that!) Either way, I want him to work on something until he GETS it. Not until a teacher deems enough time has passed and he SHOULD have it. Yes, I know that this is not how "the real world" works. I know that in college or a career, he will have to move at everyone else's pace and retain information in that manner. But guess what? This isn't the "real world" and he doesn't have a career, yet. He is in 5th grade and is one of the lucky few kids that gets to receive all A's for his schoolwork, at his own pace! Sometimes, he breezes through units. Sometimes, life gets in the way and I delay a test for a little while. My point is that I KNOW that he knows the information we learned. I know that it isn't just rote memorization that will be lost once the test is over.

Hmmm. This was a bit of a tangent and I have 3 kids that are hungry... I suppose that I could go back and edit, but honestly, I am beat. The weather may have been rainy today, but we were still incredibly busy. I don't think we were home for more than an hour, yesterday!

Not a drop of Irish in 'em...

You can't really see, but that red squiggle is a snake that says "No Snakes!" on it and there are several leprechaun traps in the middle of the poster (above the leprechaun's head), just in case you wanted to know. We go all out for St. Paddy's day here. 3 out of 4 of us are even wearing green. Gooooo Ireland!

:)

Seriously, St. Patrick's Day IS a big deal in Northern Illinois, so we did do some stuff leading up to today. Including, but not limited to: several books on St. Patrick's day and Irish legends, listening to Irish music to prove to Justin that there IS more to it than bagpipes and sad songs of war, and... well. That's about it. The poster, too, I guess. Hmm.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Considering we aren't even remotely Irish, I think that's pretty damn good. Oh! Wait! We contemplated making green pistachio pudding, but changed our minds and actually made butterscotch because, well. Butterscotch is tastier. But still. The thought was there.

Now I just need to get them interested in Black 47 (I might actually swoon a bit if I were to meet them. And I am not a swooner) and my Master Plan for complete control over my children will be fully engaged....

Spring 2010

Apparently, I can't post on this site unless the majority of it centers around photos. So be it. At least it's recorded, right?
BUSTED. He was supposed to be doing his math. He was farting around on the computer. It was NOT educational, despite his attempts to persuade me into believing otherwise.

Best benefit of homeschooling? Playing football with Daddy at 1:00 on a Thursday...

Pippi Longstocking's got nothin on my baby...
It's official; Spring is HERE! Fact proven by Evan's discovery of many, many worms under his basketball hoop. Worms are his second favorite creature. Second only to ants, which we are anxiously awaiting the return of...
He named them all. I believe this one was Squirmy. Or Frank. Pronounced with a British accent. Evan's had a fascination lately of speaking with a British accent. We've been reading all sorts of books on worms now. Did you know that some variations get to be 65 feet long? Yes, I have been dry-heaving a bit over the information overload, too...

Ghetto Spelling

"Mommy, how do you spell 'eyeballs'??" Evan asked me as he filled in the MadLibs "plural noun" line.

"Break it down, hon. How do you spell 'eye'?"

"E. Y. E. ??"

"Yep. Now how do you spell 'balls'?"

(from the office, before Evan can respond, Patrick exhibits reason number 1,784 why he is NOT the teaching parent...)

"N.U.T.S. !"



Nothing but class over here, folks. Straight up, hardcore, CLASS.

Kinda getting the hang of this...

The lessons for Justin are planned for the next 2 weeks (He does well with a firm plan of what is expected of him every day and likes to get most of it done as soon as he wakes up). He is LOOOOVING his Painless Life Science and will be starting the Painless Algebra book next week.

Evan's stuff for the next week is loosely inserted into a folder (he does better with a less rigid schedule). He is improving on reading due largely in part to his love for the Jigsaw Jones book series. His imagination never fails to astound me and his new love for all things athletic is pretty cool, too. I mean, how many 7 year olds do you know that can do over 100 sit-ups?

Corinne's desk was freshly cleaned off and I noticed just how much writing and math work she has been doing without my knowledge. She is well past the pre-school stuff and almost past the kindergarten curriculum! I am amazed at just how quickly she is absorbing the concepts behind the reading/writing process and the mathematics that she comprehends is also something to make me shake my head in wonderment. Is she really only 4 years old? Go Baby Girl!

We have Corinne's ballet class tomorrow morning, so I have the boys' schoolwork all packed up and sitting beside the front door so that they can do some of their work while she tiptoes around in her ballet slippers. (they each have a clipboard and clicker pencils. Ultimate in Coolness, apparently). The boys may grumble about having to go to ballet class, but they no longer feel as though being homeschooled isn't the same as being "schooled." It's nice to watch them help each other out and BE with each other on a daily basis. It's just nice to be with my kids every day and not feel rushed on our time together...

I kinda sorta almost feel like I have a handle on this homeschooling gig...

Which, of course, means that very soon, something will fall from the sky and disrupt all of my diabolical plans. Until that day, I plan on appreciating this moment of organized chaos in our school routine...

Off and running!

Justin did half of Monday's work tonight before bed so that he could have more free time tomorrow.

Love it. LOVE IT.

I am really excited about a new book I picked up at a Borders that was going out of business. It's called Painless Life Science and seems to be written in such a way that Justin can cover a chapter a week and we can do a review and/or test at the end of the week to see how much he retains. It was 40% off (score!) and looks to have enough chapters for the rest of the year's curriculum. Plus, I was able to read the first few chapters and understand it without "knowing" everything. To me, that means that Justin will be adequately challenged without being overwhelmed. As I looked for a link for it, I saw that the author has several other books in the series. I am DEFINITELY going to keep it in mind when I look for new curriculum for the kids! I'll let you know how it works out!

This is what it really looks like...

Day 1 on making our First Thanksgiving Diorama. Justin is in the background writing an essay about 1621 while Corinne and Evan were in charge of artistic properties...

A little break for self-expression. I had no idea he knew how to put a pick in his hair...

Recess!
Just a cute shot of Corinne matching her numbers, opposites, and other card games. Evan likes to play with her, which is wonderful on so many levels...
My kitchen table. Math, art, spelling words, and Raisin Bran.


The almost completed diorama! We want to put a garden, fire pit, and more people in. Wait a minute... Is that a... ninja? At the 1st Thanksgiving?Yes. Yes, it is.
What does "sour" mean, Mommy?

Lapbooks and Journal alternatives

Journals are a pretty big deal in our public school system. Every day, for every grade, my boys were supposed to journal. Only problem was? Neither ever actually WROTE much down! I wonder how many countless hours were wasted, 10 minutes at a time, day after day, as my children stared off into space?

When I began homeschooling them, I tried to follow the journal routine. Many, many days of frustration on all of our parts as I attempted to force them to record something trivial about their lives. Finally, I stepped back and realized that the process of journalling is supposed to be relaxing. I also realized that the main point of writing in a daily journal for public school was about sentence formation, imagination, and penmanship. NONE of which were being accomplished by my children in their forced one-sentence pages!

I heard about "lapbooks" from a very organized mother in our homeschooling group. She directed me towards many online sites where you can print out EVERYthing you need, right down to the smallest details. I printed out a few pieces, here and there, and then realized that my ink on my printer is VERY expensive and that all of those color pages were sucking it dry!

Enter the scrapbooking supplies!! I used to scrapbook a LOT when the boys were little. Sadly, the joy of it was lost somewhere along the time that blogging came into my life. One can only have so many outlets, you know? For homeschooling, though? The extra scrapbooking supplies have been a lifesaver! All of the colored paper, stickers and cutting supplies are PERFECT for the lapbooks! I lugged it all out and began laying out designs for the boys to fill in. Basically, I ask questions, leave space for artwork and graphs, and direct the boys in learning certain aspects about the topics they're studying. For Justin, who abhors anything with the word "art" attached to it, asking him to design a cover for his Energy lapbook wasn't "art". It was just another step in the project. Submarines and Airplanes by Justin

For Evan, who needs extra help on reading and writing but loves to draw, the lapbooks offer variety and a break from something that he doesn't feel he is very good at (writing/spelling).

Another way I've found to encourage Evan and Corinne's imagination, spelling, and writing skills is to offer them small booklets to fill in. Using colored pencils and his own creativity, Evan has written about 4 different short books! He can do one page a day or 4, there is no limit or requirement needed. Arachnid Wars by Evan

Even Corinne has benefited from making these booklets and is currently writing a fantastic story entitled "Princess Wars." (Can you tell she's a girly girl who has older brothers?)

Check Cubed

What a nice day. Really! A really nice, easy-going, much-accomplished day.

Everyone's lists completed from start to finish?
No crying or complaining about the validity of the work assigned?
3 children actually learned something NEW and held the material from the day before?
Quality of work of all 3 was outstanding?

Check! Check! Check! CHECK!

Between the above and the fact that my kids fell asleep watching Finding Nemo to the sound of the rain on the rooftop, tonight ended on quite a lovely note.

I'm all geared up for tomorrow, when Justin learns that Daddy will be doing the P.E. training class (Navy style) again. I do believe he thought it would be a one-time deal. Heh. I need to remember this happy place of peace when he's fighting the work-out again. (Yesterday was a day I just cannot retell. It's too painful to recount my son bucking the physical work we were asking him to do!)

Crossing my fingers for another Good Day on Friday...

Some pics. Some captions. Enjoy.

Baking brownies in the afternoon, just because we can! My kids are excellent egg-crackers and I've been making a conscious effort to have them read the boxes or cook books as we bake. Corinne and Evan are already grasping the whole "fraction thingy" much earlier than I expected!
Not brownies, but one of the biggest perks of homeschooling: home-baked breakfasts without the rush to get it down the hatch and get out the door. Today we made baked French toast and it was HEAVENLY to eat it with my children at 9:00 am. It baked while Evan did spelling. If that's not a perfect way to start a school day, then I don't know what is!
Best $1 I ever spent at a clothing/toy sale is this floor desk. Evan does 90% of his work here...
Her handwriting is going to quickly surpass Evan's. I'm keeping that fact on the down-low, though... Can't be beat by a PRESCHOOLER, you know!

Guitar Hero TOTALLY counts as music appreciation. Ok, ok... I know. I'm working on something a little more educational. But, for now? This will have to suffice.
I dug out my good old Discovery Toys to find other preschool stuff for Corinne to occupy herself with while I'm working with the boys. She is adoring the shape sorter, even though most of these foam pieces have cat teeth marks on them...

Both of the boys are working on lap books right now and I'll update more about that once they're finished. I'm finding that they are a great stand-in for the traditional book reports or class projects that children would normally work on in a public school classroom. Plus, they're perfect to use as a marker for that question every homeschooler hears: "What did you learn this year?"