Can't believe DS is 9 almost 10!!!
This year, we are using Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ as a backbone for our bible and history/language arts studies, continuing with Beast Academy (and soon Art of Problem Solving Pre-Algebra) for math. I will probably move back and forth between the suggested science and our own science.
The great thing about homeschooling is that if you find something isn't working, you can change it - right there, on the spot. So far, we have decided that the Exploring Creation: Zoology 3 book by Apologia is not a good fit for us. Mavster already knows most of the information covered, and he is more interested in science for science's sake. He wants current science, not from a Biblical standpoint (which we covered last year). We are also not using the CD's about history - they are pretty hokie if you ask me, and the narrator is of a young earth perspective which drives both of us crazy knowing that dinosaurs were on the earth 65 million years ago, yet she believes the earth is only 4,000 +/- years old. We have lively discussions about supporting others in their faith and that everyone is entitled to their opinion. And then we look at science and make our own opinions. We believe that the "days" in Genesis could be any huge timeframe of millions of years rather than 24 hours.
Mavster requested more information on molecules and chemistry, so I downloaded a few iPad apps for him. We first tried Chemist Free which lets you mix things together in a mock lab to see what the reaction would be. It was fun because Ce + H20 = explosion. :) He wanted the full version with all the elements, so I told him he needed to spend some time learning the different chemical symbols so he would know what he was mixing. He used QRC Elements which teaches about the periodic table - matching symbols to the element on the table in a game format, and also learning the names of the elements. Spent nearly an hour working on it and then could identify enough of the elements that we went ahead and bought the full version of Chemist.
Tuesday we went back to our Chemistry book from Real Science 4 Kids and read about Mixtures, and did an experiment with oil and water and dish soap. Which led to a discussion about the oil spill in the Gulf and the mystery "dispersal agent." I've got to remember not to bring up too many world topics like that - he is so sensitive about it and was truly worried about the Earth for a while and needed to do something else to distract him from the topic. But I also used the opportunity to encourage him to help find/use clean energy supplies when he is grown.
Today we read another chapter on Chemistry about separating elements, and will do some paper chromatography tomorrow, but today he wants to freeze salt water so we can watch the water evaporate and leave behind the salt when we cook our ice cube... Yes, yes, I recognize the trouble with this. But he doesn't. I feel like I have this giant secret I am keeping from him. I could tell him that the salt water will not freeze, but that doesn't give him the chance to learn anything. His epiphany will be so much more powerful if I let him see for himself. It is *hard* not to tell him, but hopefully, this is one of many times where I let him experiment, without jumping in with the answer to the results. Can't wait for tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Monday, September 24, 2012
Clean Closet!
We had a busy, fun-filled weekend, and Mavster was hoping for a more relaxing day today. I have been looking forward to a good time to go through his closet and add some organization to his room, so I suggested we clean his room together, and if he helped well, we would take it easy on the school work. After 3 hours of me organizing his closet (throwing a lot away! yay!) and Mavster going "Wow - I've missed this!" a bunch of times, we broke for lunch. He really did work pretty hard for the first hour or so, but then kept finding things he wanted to play with amidst the cleaning. He continued to help on and off, but not as much as I had hoped for, so we got back to our schooling efforts this afternoon.
I started by asking him to read another chapter in our book about Louis Braille, and when he was done, had a worksheet with some character questions on it. I sat him down to do that and walked away to see how he would do on his own. I came back after loading up the dryer and found an elaborate note across the top/side of the paper: "here is something in the boring factor." (Reminded me of the story of the GT kid who would write "irrelevant" across all of the worksheets related to things he already knew.) So I asked him about it - the worksheet was about halfway done, but he was obviously no longer interested. He said how he has done tons of worksheets like this at school and hates them, and he was trying. We worked through the rest of it together through discussion. It is important that he accomplishes what I ask him to do, but we may be able to come up with an alternative. So I said let's get the boring stuff out of the way and pulled out our cursive workbook - he said, "That's not boring!" and proceeded to complete a page quickly within our "5-min-a-day" timeframe.
We are reading about the Ice Age, and although we were just supposed to read 4 pages, we ended up reading 12 pages at his request. "This is such a good book! It's giving me great ideas for Minecraft survival mode." Now, we have been taking a break from that game, but obviously, he still thinks about it. It was great to see him learning and enjoying taking in new information. I told him about the cave drawings we are going to create, and he said, "Then let's do it! That is definitely NOT boring!"
We ended with some typing games, making sure he was using the correct fingers. He has learned a methodology for fancy hunt & peck via video games, but we are working on the proper method! I found this build-a-molecule game/learning game for Chemistry and he saw me testing it out and requested I download it to his computer. He then built molecules for the next 20-30 min before it was time to pick up DD7.
I think we had a great day - and got a lot done! Thank goodness I don't post pictures here - that closet before/after photo set would have been... um, impressive. :)
I started by asking him to read another chapter in our book about Louis Braille, and when he was done, had a worksheet with some character questions on it. I sat him down to do that and walked away to see how he would do on his own. I came back after loading up the dryer and found an elaborate note across the top/side of the paper: "here is something in the boring factor." (Reminded me of the story of the GT kid who would write "irrelevant" across all of the worksheets related to things he already knew.) So I asked him about it - the worksheet was about halfway done, but he was obviously no longer interested. He said how he has done tons of worksheets like this at school and hates them, and he was trying. We worked through the rest of it together through discussion. It is important that he accomplishes what I ask him to do, but we may be able to come up with an alternative. So I said let's get the boring stuff out of the way and pulled out our cursive workbook - he said, "That's not boring!" and proceeded to complete a page quickly within our "5-min-a-day" timeframe.
We are reading about the Ice Age, and although we were just supposed to read 4 pages, we ended up reading 12 pages at his request. "This is such a good book! It's giving me great ideas for Minecraft survival mode." Now, we have been taking a break from that game, but obviously, he still thinks about it. It was great to see him learning and enjoying taking in new information. I told him about the cave drawings we are going to create, and he said, "Then let's do it! That is definitely NOT boring!"
We ended with some typing games, making sure he was using the correct fingers. He has learned a methodology for fancy hunt & peck via video games, but we are working on the proper method! I found this build-a-molecule game/learning game for Chemistry and he saw me testing it out and requested I download it to his computer. He then built molecules for the next 20-30 min before it was time to pick up DD7.
I think we had a great day - and got a lot done! Thank goodness I don't post pictures here - that closet before/after photo set would have been... um, impressive. :)
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Time Flying
Wow! It has been 2 weeks since my last post. Seems hard to believe that much time has gone by. I would say I am finally able to relax a bit about not being a part of the event this year. Other volunteers stepped up, and things seem to be moving smoothly along. I have continued to answer questions and offer information to the organization, with details about what I would usually do.
Mavster is doing great. We are getting into more of a rhythm with our daily schedule, and I'm working on getting him ready to take more autonomy for his learning. Now that he understands the expectations, I'll set him up with more things and let him have at it! We have been following a curriculum pretty closely for most subjects, but I really want him to find his own passions and follow them. We all know he would do that for a video game, but I'd like to see a different area of interest.
Earlier this week, I asked him what he thought about homeschooling so far, and he said that he liked it - that when he was in public school, he would spend all day just waiting to get home. Now he's home, and he's learning, and he's done before lunchtime. Once he figured out that we could get our schoolwork done in 2-3 hours, he's been on board about working to get it done with a few short breaks in the middle.
On Thursday, we were reading a poem, and talking about the poem's rhythm, and I mentioned Shel Silverstein and how his poems all have that kind of rhythm & rhyme to them. Mavster got so excited - he wanted to pick up "A Light in the Attic" right away, but I made him wait until we were done since we were so close to finishing. Yesterday he picked up the book again and was reading poems to his sister and would not put the book down so he carried it in the car over to his grandparents, still reading to his sister the whole way! It was so good to see him so focused on a book and passionate about it. Every once in a while, he finds something he really needs to do that day - whether it is reading, or building with blocks or legos, or testing something outside. I'm doing my best to make sure that if we can't stop what we are doing immediately, that I make sure I give him time to pursue his desires (sans video games) later that day.
His favorite subject right now is science - we are getting into Chemistry by Real Science for Kids, and he really loves the experiments, and is really interested in the topics and taking them a step further than the book goes. I am glad I remember more details about valence electrons and electron shells. Second favorite is Math - as you recall, he was reading his math textbook for fun. The other topics are also interesting to him - he does want to learn about history and the bible and how they fit together, and he is enjoying those topics as well.
I have been reading more about unschooling, and know that as Mavster develops or re-kindles his passions in different subjects, that we will take a more child-directed path than we are right now. I don't feel like we're quite ready for that yet. I will of course follow an interest where it goes, but I also feel the need to make sure we cover certain topics as we go. I also want to make sure that our son doesn't feel like he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants - there are still obligations that he has to the real world, and we need to see to those first.
Right now, I feel like we have a good balance and feel really good about our decision to homeschool. I am also finally relaxing a little more without so many other things on my plate, and it is overall making for a happier, calmer household. :)
Mavster is doing great. We are getting into more of a rhythm with our daily schedule, and I'm working on getting him ready to take more autonomy for his learning. Now that he understands the expectations, I'll set him up with more things and let him have at it! We have been following a curriculum pretty closely for most subjects, but I really want him to find his own passions and follow them. We all know he would do that for a video game, but I'd like to see a different area of interest.
Earlier this week, I asked him what he thought about homeschooling so far, and he said that he liked it - that when he was in public school, he would spend all day just waiting to get home. Now he's home, and he's learning, and he's done before lunchtime. Once he figured out that we could get our schoolwork done in 2-3 hours, he's been on board about working to get it done with a few short breaks in the middle.
On Thursday, we were reading a poem, and talking about the poem's rhythm, and I mentioned Shel Silverstein and how his poems all have that kind of rhythm & rhyme to them. Mavster got so excited - he wanted to pick up "A Light in the Attic" right away, but I made him wait until we were done since we were so close to finishing. Yesterday he picked up the book again and was reading poems to his sister and would not put the book down so he carried it in the car over to his grandparents, still reading to his sister the whole way! It was so good to see him so focused on a book and passionate about it. Every once in a while, he finds something he really needs to do that day - whether it is reading, or building with blocks or legos, or testing something outside. I'm doing my best to make sure that if we can't stop what we are doing immediately, that I make sure I give him time to pursue his desires (sans video games) later that day.
His favorite subject right now is science - we are getting into Chemistry by Real Science for Kids, and he really loves the experiments, and is really interested in the topics and taking them a step further than the book goes. I am glad I remember more details about valence electrons and electron shells. Second favorite is Math - as you recall, he was reading his math textbook for fun. The other topics are also interesting to him - he does want to learn about history and the bible and how they fit together, and he is enjoying those topics as well.
I have been reading more about unschooling, and know that as Mavster develops or re-kindles his passions in different subjects, that we will take a more child-directed path than we are right now. I don't feel like we're quite ready for that yet. I will of course follow an interest where it goes, but I also feel the need to make sure we cover certain topics as we go. I also want to make sure that our son doesn't feel like he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants - there are still obligations that he has to the real world, and we need to see to those first.
Right now, I feel like we have a good balance and feel really good about our decision to homeschool. I am also finally relaxing a little more without so many other things on my plate, and it is overall making for a happier, calmer household. :)
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Family First
Tonight I made the decision to resign from a volunteer position that I have loved in the past. I volunteer to help organize part of an annual event in October of each year for a non-profit organization, and no matter how I do it, there is a lot of stress involved. It is probably just my worrying ability - worrying if everything will be done right, and then when I'm busy, worrying because I'm not able to respond as quickly as I want to.
I had hoped I'd make it through this event, but have found that I simply do not have the time/energy to keep it to the high standards that I hold myself to. My family is my first priority, and lately I have found that I don't have time for other priorities. I have devoted myself to my son's education - homeschooling - and that is the way it should be. My volunteer duties were put on the back burner, which stressed me out in its own way.
Our current schedule has been:
6:30 am wake
8 - DD6 to school
8:30 feed animals, chores
9 am - 12 homeschool / activity
12 lunch
12:30 - 3 "fun" activities / play
3 - DD6 from school
3:30 DD6 homework
4:30 feed kiddos
5 - leave for soccer practice
7-7:30 return home
7:30 dinner for adults
8:00 evening chores
8:30 bedtime for kiddos
9:30 Mama Bear passes out! :)
So, that leaves me little time to work on volunteer activities, which stresses me out because I'm not getting them done. I did explain to the organization in advance that I was concerned about my availability this year due to homeschooling, and I have been honest with them about my lack of time. I have already accomplished a lot - in fact, pretty much all of the hard stuff is done.
However, this week I noticed my son feeling more stressed as well as getting frustrated with me/himself a little more easily. Upon self reflection, I can see that I have been becoming more stressed, and it affects my demeanor. I'm not quite as happy-go-lucky as I usually am and am often find myself preoccupied with what needs to be done. (Did somebody say laundry?) :) At soccer practice on Thurs, I pulled out my phone to respond to some emails that needed tending to, instead of kicking the ball with DD6 while we were waiting for DS8, I sat there with my thumbs typing wildly trying to get caught up with volunteer things. But my DD6 needs me, too, and I know it affects her as well.
I am my son's greatest reflection of himself right now, and if I'm not cheerful, he is going to feel that more than usual since we're almost always together. He is working so hard to please me right now, and I have watched him reach his "frustration point" a little more frequently/easily this week. I am sure it is because I have found myself with less patience due to the stress, and seeing him feel more stressed finally makes this decision really easy.
I have struggled with this decision for over a month now, but I know for certain it is the right decision for my family. I already feel more peace in my heart knowing I will be able to be my normal, cheerful, self. And now I will not just be giving him my time during the day, but also I am freeing my mind to be able to focus 100% on him. Writing that, I realize I need to find a little time in there for me, too, which I will. I already do to some extent - we take breaks, I read, etc. But now I won't have to be distracted about this particular non-family thing that causes me stress - and the stress levels would only increase from this point forward for the next month+. I have enjoyed the responsibility in the past and seeing an amazing event come together for a great cause, but now my life is changing. I'm homeschooling my son - and my family always comes first. This is for you, kid.
I had hoped I'd make it through this event, but have found that I simply do not have the time/energy to keep it to the high standards that I hold myself to. My family is my first priority, and lately I have found that I don't have time for other priorities. I have devoted myself to my son's education - homeschooling - and that is the way it should be. My volunteer duties were put on the back burner, which stressed me out in its own way.
Our current schedule has been:
6:30 am wake
8 - DD6 to school
8:30 feed animals, chores
9 am - 12 homeschool / activity
12 lunch
12:30 - 3 "fun" activities / play
3 - DD6 from school
3:30 DD6 homework
4:30 feed kiddos
5 - leave for soccer practice
7-7:30 return home
7:30 dinner for adults
8:00 evening chores
8:30 bedtime for kiddos
9:30 Mama Bear passes out! :)
So, that leaves me little time to work on volunteer activities, which stresses me out because I'm not getting them done. I did explain to the organization in advance that I was concerned about my availability this year due to homeschooling, and I have been honest with them about my lack of time. I have already accomplished a lot - in fact, pretty much all of the hard stuff is done.
However, this week I noticed my son feeling more stressed as well as getting frustrated with me/himself a little more easily. Upon self reflection, I can see that I have been becoming more stressed, and it affects my demeanor. I'm not quite as happy-go-lucky as I usually am and am often find myself preoccupied with what needs to be done. (Did somebody say laundry?) :) At soccer practice on Thurs, I pulled out my phone to respond to some emails that needed tending to, instead of kicking the ball with DD6 while we were waiting for DS8, I sat there with my thumbs typing wildly trying to get caught up with volunteer things. But my DD6 needs me, too, and I know it affects her as well.
I am my son's greatest reflection of himself right now, and if I'm not cheerful, he is going to feel that more than usual since we're almost always together. He is working so hard to please me right now, and I have watched him reach his "frustration point" a little more frequently/easily this week. I am sure it is because I have found myself with less patience due to the stress, and seeing him feel more stressed finally makes this decision really easy.
I have struggled with this decision for over a month now, but I know for certain it is the right decision for my family. I already feel more peace in my heart knowing I will be able to be my normal, cheerful, self. And now I will not just be giving him my time during the day, but also I am freeing my mind to be able to focus 100% on him. Writing that, I realize I need to find a little time in there for me, too, which I will. I already do to some extent - we take breaks, I read, etc. But now I won't have to be distracted about this particular non-family thing that causes me stress - and the stress levels would only increase from this point forward for the next month+. I have enjoyed the responsibility in the past and seeing an amazing event come together for a great cause, but now my life is changing. I'm homeschooling my son - and my family always comes first. This is for you, kid.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Beast Academy!!!
Our Beast Academy books arrived last night thanks to the excellent service of Horrible Books. I love Horrible Ray - he is great at communicating with you about your order, and always sends you the books first - without payment - free shipping - and then you send him a check upon receipt. Seems crazy to me in this day and age, but he provides excellent service, and builds his business solely on word of mouth. Amazing!
So we started out with math this morning since so far this week we have been focusing on language arts. We went through the first few pages, did the first set of exercises, read a Horrible Science Magazine, and then took a short break. Except, Mavster picked up his Beast Academy text book (written in comic-book form) and continued to read on his own for nearly the next 2 hours! He took a break in the middle and taught me a game they had in the book "don't make a triangle" that we played a few times. And then we ate lunch, and he picked the book up again! This was our first moment in homeschooling where Mavster really got "in" to something and needed to continue until his thirst for knowledge was satisfied.
I know he just completed 3rd grade, and the only Beast Academy level (by Art of Problem Solving) that is out so far is 3rd grade, but it takes the topics in to a lot more depth, and he is learning & interested and gaining his mathematical confidence back!
So, I consider Beast Academy a huge success! Tonight at bedtime, he picked up his Beast Academy and started reading again!
So we started out with math this morning since so far this week we have been focusing on language arts. We went through the first few pages, did the first set of exercises, read a Horrible Science Magazine, and then took a short break. Except, Mavster picked up his Beast Academy text book (written in comic-book form) and continued to read on his own for nearly the next 2 hours! He took a break in the middle and taught me a game they had in the book "don't make a triangle" that we played a few times. And then we ate lunch, and he picked the book up again! This was our first moment in homeschooling where Mavster really got "in" to something and needed to continue until his thirst for knowledge was satisfied.
I know he just completed 3rd grade, and the only Beast Academy level (by Art of Problem Solving) that is out so far is 3rd grade, but it takes the topics in to a lot more depth, and he is learning & interested and gaining his mathematical confidence back!
So, I consider Beast Academy a huge success! Tonight at bedtime, he picked up his Beast Academy and started reading again!
First day of Co-Op
Wednesday was our first Co-op day. Mavster's classes are Drawing, Woodworking, and P.E. As a parent, I will be assisting with Cooking, HS Science, and P.E. We both had a very busy day. His favorite was making his own wooden tool box! He said he will not carry a back pack again, but instead carry around his tool box with his hammer & glue. Very cute.
The Co-Op meets once a week at a local church -and I was surprised how many different classrooms there were! Even upstairs! It is a perfect location for the co-op, and all of the parents I met were wonderful.
Another parent that was assisting with PE said that he was also homeschooling for the first time. Apparently, his local middle school sent a letter to all residents/parents that since the middle school had an "unacceptable" rating, that they would give anyone that wanted it a "voucher" for another middle school in the area, but unfortunately, there is not one in their town. He figured he could give his kids a better chance by homeschooling, and so far it is working out better than he expected! Lots of reasons to homeschool, all valid. These kids are so blessed to be able to have their parents working with them one on one so much.
The Co-Op meets once a week at a local church -and I was surprised how many different classrooms there were! Even upstairs! It is a perfect location for the co-op, and all of the parents I met were wonderful.
Another parent that was assisting with PE said that he was also homeschooling for the first time. Apparently, his local middle school sent a letter to all residents/parents that since the middle school had an "unacceptable" rating, that they would give anyone that wanted it a "voucher" for another middle school in the area, but unfortunately, there is not one in their town. He figured he could give his kids a better chance by homeschooling, and so far it is working out better than he expected! Lots of reasons to homeschool, all valid. These kids are so blessed to be able to have their parents working with them one on one so much.
Roller Skating
We all had Monday, Labor Day, off together as a family and enjoyed a round of mini-golf and dinner at our favorite place.
Tuesday, we had our second "Not Back To School" party for our local county. There were probably 20 families that met at the local Roller Skating arena. The Mavster went skating for the first time about 2 years ago, and it was tough on him - lots of falls and frustration. This time, many of the kids were using rolling-walker type contraptions to hold on to as they learned, and I gladly got one for him to try. But I intentionally didn't give him any advice or instruction on how to skate. He is at a stage where he wants to figure it out for himself - and as many unschoolers know, when a child wants to learn something on their own, they learn more quickly and for the long run. So I put on skates for the first time in 20+ *cough* years and went around with him a few times, then let him figure it out. It wasn't long before he came over and told me he'd figured out how to go faster - just turn his feet out and push! Fantastic! :) We were there for about 2 hours, and by the time we left, he could go around almost a whole time by himself, and was pushing the walker away from him as he went along to skate on his own.
It was a great lesson for me, too, to let him figure something out on his own - no advice/suggestions from me, and to see how natural/peaceful it was for him to learn. He was determined to figure it out on his own, never complained that I was trying to tell him how to do things. Overall, lots of fun!
Tuesday, we had our second "Not Back To School" party for our local county. There were probably 20 families that met at the local Roller Skating arena. The Mavster went skating for the first time about 2 years ago, and it was tough on him - lots of falls and frustration. This time, many of the kids were using rolling-walker type contraptions to hold on to as they learned, and I gladly got one for him to try. But I intentionally didn't give him any advice or instruction on how to skate. He is at a stage where he wants to figure it out for himself - and as many unschoolers know, when a child wants to learn something on their own, they learn more quickly and for the long run. So I put on skates for the first time in 20+ *cough* years and went around with him a few times, then let him figure it out. It wasn't long before he came over and told me he'd figured out how to go faster - just turn his feet out and push! Fantastic! :) We were there for about 2 hours, and by the time we left, he could go around almost a whole time by himself, and was pushing the walker away from him as he went along to skate on his own.
It was a great lesson for me, too, to let him figure something out on his own - no advice/suggestions from me, and to see how natural/peaceful it was for him to learn. He was determined to figure it out on his own, never complained that I was trying to tell him how to do things. Overall, lots of fun!
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