Sometimes...

...school isn't about books and worksheets and memorizing drills.

Sometimes it's about life, and applying lessons appropriately. And sometimes it can be F-U-N.

We went to a farm last week called "An American Ark" where they had 125 acres of all kinds of fun animals to check out. The kids even got to pet a turkey. Kellan picked up a feather for his souvenir, and I took opportunity to teach them about the song Yankee Doodle, and also a fun writing experiment.

We cut the tip of the feather off, and inserted a calligraphy tip (I have a calligraphy set of old fashioned tips and bottles of ink, but you can find them at any hobby store for super cheap) and we dipped the quill pen in a bottle of ink to write letters just like George Washington did when he addressed his army.

The kids loved it! And especially for my Kindergartner who does not like writing, he couldn't get enough. He has asked every day since then to do it again. Win!

And sometimes school lessons can be brought around full circle by applying whatever lesson they are learning to something they are going through in their life. Like this morning, my first grader was being her typical dramatic girl self. She refused to get her chores done in a timely manner so that we could proceed with school work. And as a result, she had to have a time out while the rest of us had scripture and song time- she was very much upset about that.

My rule is that the time out begins when they are quiet and reflective. She was yelling and back talking. So I asked her "Maren, what is 9+6?"" Her: "15. Why." (no question in her tone. Just demanding because clearly this was lame for her.) So I continued "Which is greater? 15 or 6?" She said "15. Duh Mom, I know this already."

So I said "Well, if you continue to be angry for 9 minutes, and still have to do 6 quiet minutes, you are standing there longer. Would you like to stand for less time?" (of course she would.) She finally got my point and was quiet. And it was a *math review*, hahahaha.

This was also part of her writing time. It was perfect opportunity to discuss grammar, and structuring a sentence correctly! ;^)

See? Sometimes to stay sane with homeschooling, I realize that I have to know that they are going through something emotionally, and instead of getting mad and wanting to loose my cool (often!) I try to ponder how I can help them learn how to approach things better. And roll with the punches.

Transformation

"Motherhood is the hardest job in the world, if you're doing it right." -Oprah

I love that quote. Along with that thought is also the work it takes to make sure your children are educated. Whatever school they go to doesn't matter as much in regards to their brain food, but to help them absorb it all requires involved parents in some manner. Whether that's working WITH them on their homework, or pursuing extra help if they need it, or being a 'room mother', sitting on the PTO, challenging them with extra stimulation if they are bored, and on... and on... (all the other gems they pick up like social behaviors, well, that DOES matter what school they go to!)

I don't think it's acurate to say that stay at home mothers get a break during the day while their children are in school, *if they are doing it right.* They would be hard working during those hours to maintain their homes and errands so that after the bus brings their precious ones home they can give them the time and attention they need during homework. Especially if little ones are still home, there is no 'break.' And working mothers are even busier if they are also the primary ones taking care of the house! Whew, I can't even fathom the amount of caffeine needed.

So I'm now a homeschooling mom. It's hard yes, but it's a different hard, and I have to mythbust a little and tell you that I'm finding it easier. YES we are done in 3 hours. YES it's changing my life in so many good ways, and YES my life is less stressed.

• I don't have to time punch to meet a bus when it's still dark outside. But yes, we still get up and fully dressed, beds made, and chores done before we get going. We don't sit around in jammies all day!
• The school day can be accomplished in 3 hours because the kids aren't spending 1.5 hours every day on a bus or in a car pickup/drop off line and commute. Lunch goes quicker also because 30 kids don't need to line up first/after.
• The reading time for little children done in class is so that the teacher can have one-on-one, this is where a TA or room mother is needed. Our reading time is done as part of our bedtime routines. I only have 2 children in school, so it isn't difficult to juggle one-on-one time with them. Lessons are accomplished quicker because there isn't 30 kids to redirect or discipline. Activity centers are play time, while again the teacher is working individually- my kids have play time with their own toys in their rooms after school work is done. So yes, it really can be done in 3 hours when you shave off the redundant time spent in elementary schools that they may also do at home.
• I still have to pack lunches, make sure homework is done and sent in before their next day, think ahead of schedules, little one's naps, errands, housework, cooking, being a wife, and all of those things too. The perk is that it can change if I need it to, but the load may be heavier with the reality that it's always a full crew with me at all times.
• Instead of parent teacher conferences, I am always in-the-know of how my child is accomplishing each subject and behavior, and can take proactive steps before a problem developes.

So my life isn't any more hectic than any other mother who wishes to be fully involved with their children's life, it's just different. Instead of finding care for my little one not old enough for school, while I go volunteer as a room mother, I just do both myself. But it did take a LOT of organizing, preparing, and scheduling before we got it started that you don't have to do if your child goes to public school.

The biggest reason why I am loving it? Because it's FORCED me to figure out the rest of my tasks so that I take that time and sit down with my children. I was missing out on that when I was fussing over what they were messing up. Instead of sitting down with them when the bus brings them home, I get to do it in the mornings. Instead of volunteering in their classrooms, I get to create their classroom adventures. When we have field trips, the whole family can go along. And it has pushed me to do more than I thought I could do with my health problems, it has pushed me to ensure that I am taking the time and care to raise them upright before the Lord, and all the while it is molding me into being the patient and joyful mother that I was too stressed out to be. And it is fostering a better relationship between rivaling siblings. Ironic isn't it?

Free

Happy Constitution Day!

September 17th, 1787 the Constitution of the United States was completed, and adopted by the Delegates that day. It became effective March 4, 1789, but we introduced it today in our studies to show reverence and understanding for the wisdom that brought it forth.

And for the men who blazed the trail.

We're studying the USA in geography and history, and more than just memorizing the capitals, we are truly diving in to the history of this great nation.

Starting with George Washington this week in history was more important and appropriate than starting with him the first week of school. It gave time to introduce a basic understanding of government, Presidents, and states.

Also, since George Washington was one of the Delegates who signed the constitution, it made a nice transition into talking about our Capitol. Did you know that the cornerstone of the Capitol was laid by George Washington on September 18th, 1793?

More than just learning about the freedoms that we enjoy, is also taking advantage of them. We went to the library to find lots of gems for our studies. With the internet, and the public library, it can either supplement or entirely create the subject material for whatever you choose!

We even found DVD's for children about the constitution, and American Hero's volumes such as this one we watched today: Animated Hero Classic: George Washington We had these movies growing up, and my mom shipped them out to me, I loved this more than other movies for children, because it didn't shy away from the depiction of the heroes respect for God. That's a true hero in my book!

Other ways we used free resources for our subjects was checking out this book:

This was such a cute book to compliment our study of the Creation, Day 3 of all of the things God created on this Earth, and WHY He created this first, and not Man!

The Creation

Who knew that you could stretch out a small chapter in the Bible for so long? So far we have accomplished 3 weeks of school, and have only covered Day 2 of the Creation story. Here's why!

I'm using it as an association for a LOT of their geography for the first half of the school year. We have read the story several times in these 3 weeks, but each time I'm emphasizing with my voice different key words as they listen, then we transition into our geography lesson about the emphasized part.

For instance, starting with just reading the story, it introduced the concept of a 7 day week and we reviewed the days of the week. -Another day we reviewed the days of the week and expanded with the concepts of "Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow." -Another lesson was about the description of what was created the first day, dividing the light from the dark, naming the day and the night. We transitioned into our discussion of the Earth rotating, the sun rise and sunset, and the other places in the world that are night when we are day.

We just wrapped up Day 2 of the creation, learning about the firmaments above and the firmaments below, with lots of cool science experiments about liquids, condensation, cloud formations, and separating firmaments of our own like with oil and water. We also talked about some of the physics of the world that God created to govern all forms of life, such as gravity. When you break each day down, you can really stretch it out to relate to so many subjects.

Next week we're heading into Day 3, discussing the dry land being divided from the sea, so we introduced land/sea into our geography. We are narrowing down our specific studies to the USA this year, but first we talked about continents, which one we live on, and how many countries there are on it.

We rolled out some blue playdough, then put it on a paper plate, using a kid's cereal bowl to press and make a round shape. Next we rolled out green playdough (on the vinyl table cover), and I gave them a map of the world like this one you can print here . Then they took a paper clip opened up to poke holes around the continent of choice to their playdough underneath. Having them recognize which continent you are studying helps to associate the lessons they've had. Once they're done poking all around the continent, the shape separates from the extra, and we placed it on top of our sea of blue.

After it dried, we also labeled N,S,E,W on the plates. Next week as we dive into learning about the names of the oceans, types of bodies of water, and land differences we'll add some detail to this simple project.

Other ideas for days of creation study can include:

• Day 2- Firmaments above and below- evaporation, gas, liquid, weather
• Day 2- Firmaments above and below- atmosphere
• Day 2- Firmaments above and below- physic laws that govern
• Day 3- land and sea- types of terrain in parts of the world
• Day 3- land and sea- solids and liquids
• Day 3- land and sea- names of continents, and names of the 4 oceans
• Day 3- land and sea- tectonic plates, latitude and longitude, volcanoes
• Day 4- Plants- types of things in the garden
• Day 4- Plants- Herbs
• Day 4- Plants- seeds, photosynthesis, soil, composting
• Day 4- Stars in the heavens- astronomy
• Day 4- Stars in the heavens- seasons
• Day 4- Stars in the heavens- navigation
• Day 4- Stars in the heavens- signs
• Day 5- Fish and Fowl- oxygen, lungs and gills
• Day 5- Fish and Fowl- migration
• Day 5- Fish and Fowl- laying eggs, circle of life
• Day 5- Fish and Fowl- grouping (flock of birds, school of fish)
• Day 5/6- All creatures- classification (mammal, fish, fowl, reptile, marsupial, amphibian)
• Day 6- All creatures on land, predators or prey
• Day 6- Man- family tree
• Day 6- Man- male/female, boy/girl, mothers/fathers
• Day 6- Man- our uniqueness as individuals, features, personalities
• Day 6- Man- responsibility of dominion over all the earth
• Day 6- Man- relationship to God and Jesus Christ
• Day 6- Man- genealogy, journal keeping
• Day 7- Rest- worship, service, charity, commandments, community, work ethic, accountability, appreciation, patience, so-many-virtues can be taught here.

We're keeping track of our learning in our Creation Lapbook that we're making throughout the weeks to come, with ideas using Christian printables about the creation here , Creation lapbook artwork here, and some projects from Galloping the Globe of the USA relating to our location on this beautiful planet our Heavenly Father created for us.

Number combinations and Twins

In my house I have two school age children, who are two different types of learners. My daughter is artistic oriented. She loves drawing, coloring, and writing. And she's very good at those things. My son is math oriented. He loves building, solving, and counting, which he also is very good at.

We played a little exercise today during math time, which enaged both of their interests, and can easily be adapted for each child's level of understanding. We took index cards, and on the blank side I drew a black line, and made a group of dots of differing amounts on each half. My 1st grader had more dots to count, my Kindergartener had less dots to count.

(ignore the crooked lines and the less-than-perfect dots, this was made during our discussion, and I knew they would be throw aways, this isn't something you would want to laminate and keep around necessarily. But my compulsive self wanted to make a perfect looking one just for pictures, I've resisted!)

In math this week we've been talking about "twins." (4+3=7 and 3+4=7 ) So on the back of each index card they needed to write the number combinations and figure out the sum, then write the twin as well.

Then I gave them a few blank ones, to write their own combination of numbers, and the math sentences on the back. My daughter, the artistic and creative one, was a bit more ambitious than her skills are capable of, and drew about 86 dots on one side, and 74 dots on the other side, then she became stumped when she couldn't figure out the sum and kept loosing count! We finally agreed that Mom knew what she was talking about, and she ended up settling for a number in the 20's.

My kindergartener dislikes writing with a captial D! But if you give the kid a math game, he will show that he DOES know how to write the numbers, even if his handwriting needs a lot of improvement. Not bad for the second week of school, and the kid who refused to write them independently before today, huh?

(Let's pretend that I know why this picture keeps posting rotated, and I'm just leaving it like this for flare, because I can't figure out why some flip and some don't! Sorry. )

You can also use domino's to write the number combinations, challenge them to figure out the sum. We also used colored popsicle sticks that I got at the dollar store to show two different combinations in each hand, we orally figured out the sum, and then crossed their hands to reverse the number combination, helping them get the idea of "twin" addition facts.

To learn how to write numbers, my son has been practicing his letters on these worksheets, which I made for preschool activities pritint off my own templates from kidzone. I made a binder of beginner words, their names, capital letters, lowercase letters, and numbers, then put them in page protectors. They trace the letters or numbers with dry erase markers so they can be used again and again, and from kid to kid!

After he successfully wrote numbers with a pencil, and wasn't tracing or transition writing them, he felt much more confident in himself, and told me that he prefers a notebook now, he doesn't want to use the preschool workbooks anymore. WIN!