Homeschool Blog

Random Thoughts on Our Homeschoool Journey

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January 6, 2009

For an insight into his character, read this article by and EPSN writer.

December 19, 2008

I hope everyone has a very safe and happy Christmas and a wonderful start to the new year!

December 18, 2008

If you go to this web site, LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's. Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

December 10, 2008

Now some of you may be thinking, who cares if they finish in the morning or later in the day? Well, I used to not really care until I realized that once they started the “play” part of their day, the “work” part never got finished. I guess that also having been raised in a work before play family, this is a part of my personality that is harder to change the older I get. I have a very hard time relaxing until I know all the necessary work for the day is complete (and as a homeschool mom, their work is my responsibility.) A different schedule may work fine for another family and I’m not suggesting this is the right way, but as the intro suggests these are random thoughts from our homeschool journey.

This “self management” has been a dream of mine since we started homeschooling. At that time, the girls were really too young to be expected to manage their time without a good bit of supervision. Also, since they were younger their school “work load” was not very heavy. We mostly only had a math “lesson”, everything else was a project or some tangent we went off on based on our reading topic.

I wish I could have continued this (almost) “unschooling” process with them as they got older, but felt very inadequate in my ability to continue with this method through high school with my oldest wanting to go to college and eventually vet school – which is highly competitive. So, I moved to a more structured “scope and sequence” using a variety of different programs.

I started writing all their assignments for the week on a sheet that gets taped to the fridge. They were already capable of working independently on several subjects including math, logic, Spanish, piano practice, and Bible. They just never wanted to get started on these things until I specifically asked them to. We do have a few things that we do together and those are listed, but we fit them in at a time convenient for everyone – usually right after breakfast. I told them when they were finished with everything listed for the day, “school” was over. After MANY weeks of finishing math and other subjects at 9:00 or later, they are now going straight to the fridge list and starting their assignments first thing in the morning. They aren’t totally “on their own”. I am available for questions/explanations and discussion while they work, but they set the pace. They have discovered it’s nice to get assigned work out of the way and do projects of their own choosing.

The best part is, the projects they choose to do after their assigned work, could really be classified as school too because they all involve learning. My oldest is researching homing pigeons and therapy dog training, and my youngest loves to play math games on the computer and read historical fiction. I am so blessed to see the love of learning develop and blossom as they get older!

November 14, 2008

Have you ever wondered how sculptors make something like this?



We found out today at Wesley Wofford’s studio. Wesley has worked on many movie sets and does figurative sculpture. He does alot of commissoned work cast mostly in bronze and it is just amazing to see the "behind the scenes" process.

First, you start with a small clay model that you turn into a styrofoam model.



Cut the styrofoam into pieces and enlarge it’s shape on the wall. Cut it out of even bigger styrofoam pieces and cover it with clay.



This big clay covered styrofoam piece gets cut up so you can make a flexible mold. This flexible mold gets covered with a hard mold.



Cast the pieces in bronze and weld them together for the finished product you see above.

It's amazing how expensive art pieces are. This particular one is priced at $32,000. It seems expensive until you find out that it took alot of material and nearly a year for him to complete this piece.

Once we were finished with our tour, the kids got to try their hand with the modeling clay.



It wasn't as easy as it looked!

November 11, 2008

Veteran’s Day was originally called Armistice Day to commemorate the armistice - the temporary cessation of hosilities – between the Allies and Germany which effectively ended World War I. This happened at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November 1918 – exactly 90 years ago today.

In 1954 President Eisenhower signed legislation to change the name from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day to honor the many others had served our country in World War II and the Korean War.

We listed all our friends and family members who have served. The list was surprisingly long. We made phone calls to long distance relatives and thanked them and the girls made cards to put in the paper boxes of neighbors that we knew who were veterans.

This year we attended the Veteran’s Administration Hospital ceremonies. My children along with others from our 4H and homeschool group were on hand to help lead the pledge.

After the ceremony, the kids walked around the crowd passing out homemade cards to the veterans and expressing their thanks.

The wonderful reception the children got from the veterans was so moving. Veterans at the VA were so glad that they had not been forgotten by the younger generation. Neighbors called to thank the girls for their cards and thoughtfulness. Many people take our freedoms for granted. Please make sure you take just a moment to thank a veteran for being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so we can live in a free country.

November 4, 2008

When we got home, we sat down on the couch together to pray for our nation, then opened our book to read. We’ve been working ahead of schedule in history this year and our recent reading has been centered on the Civil War. Amazingly, the chapter for today was on the election process. It was about the conventions and the electoral college. I had not planned this and really hadn’t even previewed the “assigned” reading for today, but what perfect timing. Some may call it coincidence, but in my view it is a small way that God confirms my choice to homeschool.

I know many people are worried about the outcome of the election, but it’s nice to know that God still rules the world and knows what the future holds, even down to the timing of what we read in our homeschool.

October 31, 2008

Four years ago today was the girls last day in public school. I remember it like it was yesterday.

My husband and I had been tossing around the idea of homeschool because we were very dissatisfied with the education they were(n’t) getting. I had originally thought we’d start at the Christmas break, then we pushed it up to starting after Thanksgiving, then we said, “What are we waiting for? Why are we still doing this?” We told the kids on Thursday night that Friday would be their last day at school. We made cookies and cupcakes for their classmates as a “good-bye” gift. I couldn’t sleep at all that night.

Friday morning I took them in and I was SO nervous. I was worried that I would be questioned, interrogated, and asked for proper paperwork showing that I had registered with the state. We went in with our homemade treats for the classmates. We went into my younger daughter’s class and told the teacher we brought cookies to share since today would be Rebecca’s last day at school. Surprisingly, the teacher didn’t even ask why. She just said “OK.” That reaction confirmed that I was making the right decision.

My older daughter’s teacher asked if we were moving, and I said that we had decided to homeschool. She thought that was great. (Interesting response since she had complained about having a former homeschool child enrolled in her class at the beginning of the year.) She invited us to attend the upcoming field trip with the class (I declined.) and told me that I should be able to come in and use the school library after hours. (Also declined.) Nevertheless, she was very kind and she said she thought I’d do a great job which helped my nerves even more.

On my way out, I stopped by the office to inform them that I was withdrawing my children to homeschool, and they just said, “Thanks for letting us know.” No paperwork, no questions. I had worried about nothing!

I knew the homeschool support group was meeting that day so when I left the school, I went directly to the church where they met. I nervously waited in the parking lot for 45 minutes wondering if we were making the right decision. When the group started to arrive, I went inside and explained to the first person I saw that today was my children’s last day at public school. We would start homeschooling on Monday. WHAT DO I DO?!?

Immediately, three or four other women gathered around congratulating me and telling me everything would be OK. They plugged me into a small group class for new homeschool moms. (The children were all attending their own “classes”.) I learned so much in that hour.

Before I left, several of the mom’s suggested I pick my children up from school and meet them at a local park after lunch. “That way, they’ll get to meet some kids right away.” Needless to say, I was thrilled with the idea and we showed up at the park. I couldn’t believe the size of the turnout. There had to have been 50 people-all homeschoolers- there. The girls were nervous, but found several new playmates of varying ages. The moms just sat around in the grass and talked while the kids played. I was amazed at how well all the children got along. Teens were playing soccer with 8 year olds, 8 year olds were playing with toddlers, and everyone was having a good time, we stayed almost 3 hours!

Last night, I wrote to four of the ladies that made such and impression on me that day and thanked them for their encouragement. We are looking forward to starting our “official” fifth year on Monday!

October 29, 2008

Piano practice is still on the agenda and so is some history reading, but our main focus this week is on 4H project records. Basically, a project record is an independent study report on a topic of your choice. Sarah is doing two. One on canning plum preserves and one on a service project we did in conjunction with the local animal shelter. Rebecca is doing hers on making and canning applesauce.

The kids make goals and a plan to reach those goals. In the final report they include these plans along with a small “scrapbook” of their experience and a short autobiography. It is an excellent way to encourage and work on writing skills. These projects are judged by folks in other counties and winners in our district earn $50. Sarah won last year for her project on dog training. Rebecca can’t wait to be old enough for hers to be judged at the district level – next year for her.

Read more about homeschool and 4H.

October 24, 2008

Let the learning begin…They got out their etiquette book to see how to set the table properly with “extra” silverware as they called it. They decorated custom place cards (which Burt and Dori were so thrilled with, they took them home) and consulted their book again to see how seating should be arranged. They found instructions on some fancy way to fold napkins and had fun doing that.

The girls said they enjoyed hearing stories from the two of them. Burt is a WWII veteran from NY City - an ultimate vacation destination as far as my kids are concerned. Dori is a huge animal lover – owning up to 13 animals at a time years ago – something both my kids would love to do. I must brag on the polite manners and listening skills they used. Sometimes I wonder why it takes company to see these skills.

For me, the best part of the night was the Christian witness to these lovely people. My oldest has been very concerned that Burt and Dori don’t believe Jesus died for their sins. She wants to go tell them why they need to believe. I’ve been telling her, that FIRST, the best thing she can do for them is to be kind to them and show Jesus’ love through her actions. Little did I know that this couldn’t have been better advice for the situation.

I learned through our conversation that evening that one of the ladies that lived in our house before us, was extremely mean to Burt and Dori because they were Jewish. I won’t go into detail, but what this lady did and said to them was wrong, wrong, wrong. To top it off, this woman did these things while professing to be a Christian. They admitted they were disappointed when they learned another “Christian” family was moving in, but their opinion changed as they had more contact with us.

When they were leaving, Dori commented “I’m surprised your ears aren’t ringing all the time. Burt talks constantly about the wonderful Christian family that lives next door to us.” That gave me goose bumps. :-)

October 22, 2008

Forget the old “standbys” for dinner guests. (Well, don’t forget them, but be ready for a change.) Each family member gets to pick one local family to invite. Kletia told me that she was amazed and the people her family chose. They were totally unexpected.

I thought it would be fun to try. We probably won’t do it on Fridays and although I may try for a weekly date, three times a month may be my max. For some reason, I thought my family would mention our usually guests because sometimes I feel like we don’t know THAT many people.

Well, my husband had the first pick and chose our next door neighbors. We’ve lived here over 4 years and they have never set foot inside our home. They are an older couple with seven grown children. They are very cordial when we see them on the street, helpful when we need someone to keep and eye on the house when we’re gone, and giving – always sending little Christmas and Easter gifts to the girls even though they are celebrating Hanukkah and Passover.

They are coming tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes…

October 16, 2008

“Socialization” (getting kids together with others their age) seems to be a big sticking point for those skeptical of homeschooling. Of course, homeschoolers know that this isn’t really a valid argument because we are often participating in as many (if not more) “extra” programs than regular school kids.

Through our struggles this week, I’ve decided we should worry less about socializing with outsiders and more about learning to socialize with our own families. Don’t get me wrong, we love to go out and have fun with our friends, and I think kids need to hang out with other kids (especially if you don’t have a huge family.)

I’ve noticed that many people (our family included) tend to be more tolerant of people in public than they are to their families. Why is this? Obviously, the public “socialization” part isn’t that hard to learn – and if someone doesn’t have proper socialization skills we just choose to leave to scene or ignore them. However, we are constantly hearing about the erosion of the American family. Isn’t this a lack of family socialization skills?

Many experts say we should try to schedule one or two nights a week to have a family dinner. Why? Because families are going in 100 different directions getting their kids to dance, football, clubs, and parties to make sure they grow up “socialized” and “well rounded”. These activities usually separate siblings because of age differences, and they rarely include the whole family.

Homeschool families face many of the same challenges of keeping the family contact time (with all family members involved) as those that don’t homeschool, especially if they have a lot of children participating in several different activities. But my main thoughts today revolved specifically around the sibling relationship instead of the family as a whole.

Most homeschool kids learn to socialize with kids at church, clubs and classes, but I think they learn the most important long term socialization lessons by being at home. Homeschoolers are around their siblings ALOT. We all know that the more you are around someone and the better you get to know them, the more aware of their flaws you become. Homeschoolers have to learn to accept their sibling for the unique person that God made them to be despite their faults. They have to learn to work through disagreements because “leaving” isn’t an option. (Well, maybe leaving the room, but you know what I mean.)

The experts say, without a dinner at least a few times a week, you miss the opportunity to really get to know the people you live with. I say, that’s not enough to really get to know someone. I’m not sure what homeschoolers would think if they only saw their siblings a couple of times a week at dinner and in passing on the way to the bathroom in the morning.

This week, I have had the opportunity to teach the girls that they will know their sister longer than any other person in their lifetime. They will, God willing, have us (parents) for a long time and eventually their spouse for a long time, but they have each other for the sum of these two relationships. It is a rare relationship that will last nearly a lifetime. They need to learn to get along and treat each other as they want to be treated.

Hopefully, learning to love and respect each other as siblings will help them when they grow up and get married. They will eventually find out the person they married isn’t perfect. Hopefully, through their sibling relationship, they will have learned acceptance and determination to work through problems.

Some people think that homeschoolers who are around their family all the time are doing their kids a disservice. I disagree. I think there are some good lessons that can only be taught in family that spends a lot of time together.

October 1, 2008

When she got up, she was very congested (but no fever) so I decided we’d probably have a light school day anyway. Bonus #2 of homeschooling…if she went to school, she would have had to participate in a full schedule while feeling lousy.

She hung out on the couch and listened while I read a non-fiction history book and then a chapter of Johnny Tremain. Bonus #3 of homeschooling... if she went to school, she couldn’t lie down and learn.

After we read, she decided she wanted to do spelling. WHAT? She hates spelling. Oh well, I won’t argue. After spelling, she finished her math. Bonus #4 of homeschooling…raising a child who WANTS to learn.

After lunch, she started running a low grade fever, so she went to the couch and took a 2 hour nap. Bonus #5 of homeschooling…if she went to school, her teacher may or may not have known she was running a fever. She probably would have just suffered through until the end of the day.

When she woke up, she wanted to watch TV. Even though I don’t allow TV during the week, some exceptions can be made for illness. She ended up watching School House Rock. Bonus #6 of homeschooling...having educational videos just laying around.

At bedtime, she was still running a fever. Am I worried that she skipped half the work I had planned for her today? Nope. Bonus #7 of homeschooling…my lesson plan next week can be adjusted for this minor setback and she’ll be back on track in no time. Besides, the only thing she really didn’t do was science.

If you have a sick children and homeschool, take it in stride. Do what you can depending how they feel, don’t sweat the small stuff they don’t get finished, and remember you are homeschooling because it is best for your children…even when they are sick.

September 29, 2008

Sarah has been using Real Science 4 Kids for Chemistry. Like I mentioned before, she really likes it. Today she did an interesting experiment on chemical reactions with common kitchen items. (Yes, she is still in her PJ's - but don't tell her dad.) She was very engaged, but as a parent I am having trouble with the teacher's book for this program.

I feel like the teacher's manual doesn't do a great job explaining "behind the scenes" information to the parent. (Especially one like me who doesn't remember alot of chemistry.) I'm not sure if this curriculum was written with classroom science teachers or homeschool parents in mind, but I know several homeschool families (like ours) that are using it for the first time this year. I'm not totally clueless, but I have had to ask my math/sciene whiz husband to explain several things as I do my planning.

In this lesson in particular, I found a few inconsistencies between the teacher book and the student book in regard to materials needed. (One listed milk, the other did not. Both teacher and student book listed sugar as a material needed, but omitted it from the results chart for teacher use.)

Also in this lesson, they suggested watching baking soda decompose and give off carbon dioxide while making peanut brittle, then gave a recipe. That's all it said. As a parent, I'd like to know exactly what to watch for when it gives off the (invisible) gas. I would assume it's those little bubbles you sometimes see in peanut brittle...but I don't know.

We are enjoying the program overall, but would love to see more information in the teachers manual geared toward non-science teacher - teachers (like me.)

September 17, 2008

Sarah has decided that it will help her reach her goal of being a vet, so she digs in deep three times a week and has surprised me with what she’s learned. So, Sarah will continue with it, but I couldn't bear the thought of dragging Rebecca through the material only to have to repeat it later because her brain was turned off and she didn't learn a thing.

I checked my bookshelves and found a few science books that I had picked up over the last few years and put aside because they never really "felt" right. I handed her two of the books that looked appropriate for her and said, "Do you think you might like to do one of these instead of Chemistry?"

"Maybe." She took them and left.

Later, she came and said, "Mom, I think I’d really like to use this Christian Kids Explore Biology, but I want to do all the reading and projects myself. I think I can."

Now the ball is in my court so to speak. It's more work for me as far as planning (I'll have to read ahead on both and make sure we have the materials they need for projects, ect.) and following up with each of them working on different subjects will take more time, but that's a small price to pay for two happy kids who enjoy learning. "OK, but will you fill me in on what you are doing?"

"Sure. See ya!" and off she went to do Lesson 1 all by herself. She did fill me in on her reading, gave me a recap of the "experiment" she did, and asked me to give her the little quiz at the end of the chapter. She passed with flying colors.

My baby is growing up!

For more information on what to do if you realize you chose the wrong curriculum, click this link.

September 12, 2008

When I was a classroom teacher, that “answer book” was used only by me. The kids were expected to get the right answers themselves and if they got something wrong, they went back and fixed it without any idea what the right answer might be.

Now, my children correct most of their own work – especially in math. You might say, “What’s the point of that? How do you know they did it right?”

Usually, they show me their completed paper before getting the answer book out. Next, they don’t like getting things wrong (who does?), so I usually hear groans or head banging if they miss anything. Finally, the answers (in our math program) do not include the step by step solution, so it forces them to keep working until they get a matching answer. When they are finished I look over their corrections and ask what they did wrong and how they found their mistake.

Did you know answer keys aren’t always right? In fact in all my years of teaching at home and in the schools, I have never used a book that doesn’t have at least one mistake in it…or if it doesn’t have a mistake, it will have a question with two equally possible answers and only one listed. This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

I’ve taught my kids that just because the book says it doesn’t mean it’s true. If they can prove to me an answer key is wrong, or if they can argue their point sufficiently on a more subjective answer, I give them credit, compliment their efforts on thinking outside the box, and let them skip that subject the next day if they so desire…and they always desire that in math.

I think if children don’t learn to defend their answers and opinions if someone asks “Are you sure?” or “Tell me why” they aren’t learning to think for themselves. (I won’t get into it now, but think of the implications this could have on young people as they make moral decisions.) I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a teacher in a classroom say “Are you sure?” only to have the child question the answer they have given. It’s like “Are you sure?” has become a code for “No, that’s not right, try again.”

As homeschoolers we can concentrate on making sure our children think about and understand the concepts they are learning, getting the right answers every time is secondary. Sometimes you learn more when you make mistakes than when you do everything right the first time around.

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