Great Americans and Black History month

We started February learning a bit about Black History month, and we also started a timeline for our wall of "Great American People in America's History" to finish out through this school year. The kids added their own birth years and names to the time line, and we added facts that we learned earlier in the year such as the year the Constitution was signed, and when George Washington was born. We studied a bit about Martin Luther King Jr when we covered Georgia during our discussion when we came to that part of the country, so we added him too during the beginning of Black History month.

Earlier this week we read the story of Moses in the bible, and the children used their journal writing time to express their feelings about slaves and children of God.

We watched a video about Harriet Tubman.

Animated Heroes Harriet Tubman

So in our discussion of slavery, and a nation divided about government, we talked about the Federalists and the Confederates. We discussed the Mason Dixon line in our geography time today, and the kids made a collage depicting the state boundaries during that time, and now. And it transitioned into our time for the day when we stand and say the Pledge of Allegience, reminding them that our country now has a Federal flag, a Federal government, (and regardless of my husband's southern sentiment!) that is where we are today.

Map of the USA during the Civil war

Flags of a nation divided

We finished up our week by watching the video of Abraham Lincoln and adding him to our timeline too.

We've been working on listening, and respect, and other character building values in our devotional time, so I added a listening exercise to help them. We started reading Fablehaven, and I have to say that I LOVE the big vocabulary in it! It doesn't water anything down with the low expectation that children won't understand, instead it adds an adventure and fantasy to bring them UP to comprehend a broader vocabulary base, that frankly, our country is lacking in education. The kids are enjoying it!

Kellan is full of wiggles, so it has been more challenging to get him interested in reading, but he's doing it at his own pace, and I've been pleased with his progress. Keeping his interest during reading time (and therefor keeping him out of trouble) has been a challenge, so I came up with this:

I skim through the few pages that I intend to read to them, and write him a list of vocabulary words to listen for. And if he hears it, he makes a check mark by it. Then after our reading time, we say the words, use them in a sentence, and even make a word search activity sheet with the new vocabulary words some days. It has helped immensely, and it has thickened the stimulation for Maren too, who loves books and reading, and still wants more.

What are your kids reading right now?

Changing pace

I started out our year running, with my schedules, and lesson plans, and all of our supplemental activities to go along with each one. And every subject tied into each other to help them LEARN and like what they learn, not just regurgitate facts back for a test at the end of the year.

But I've had a change of mind when I listened to my feelings about Kellan. And this video explains every feeling that I felt in searching for a new way to reach him.

Maren loves her book work, she loves drawing, writing, checking off tasks, my little self-motivated over achiever! Kellan hates it. He likes flashcards, and sensory games, puzzles to find the answers, stacking up objects to see a visual of a job being done.

I don't jive with the "unschooling" philosophy, because after all, I feel like I'm the parent for a reason, because I have long term reasonability and a fully functioning frontal lobe to determine and weigh out variables- kids don't! But I've sort of thrown our schedule out the window- a bit. I'm still a little bit OCD when it comes to being organized and accomplished! But... Maren asks for school work, she gives herself extra assignments, she is working well with her workbooks and literature. Kellan has to be lured in with fascination and more discussions, more visuals.

I believe more firmly now, had I sent him to a public school, the year would have looked something like this: Kellan would be anxious about a change, but he tries it because I make him. He's hyper, and he might have a hard time making friends, which will lead to more anxiety. He does not retain information yet by reading or writing, and he gets very depressed with himself already when he can't do what his next level sister is doing. He'll start to lose interest, and his abundance of energy will get him in trouble. He'll come home with more anxiety. He'll start to hate learning.

He is not a product on an assembly line. Only his parents have the most vested interest in his succession. And I know (another reason) why I felt called to do this task.