Mon 6 Oct 2008
How is the Insect Mind Map Going?
Just a quick post today.
You might be wondering how our mind map on insects has turned out. Well, I have taken some photos today. I have mentioned earlier that Vibrant Bea has misplaced her mindmap so they joined efforts in making this one. The lost map, however, turned up just recently but since we have covered many lessons already, we preferred to complete this map for them both. The team set-up is helping them to learn how to cooperate and work together. Patience needs some practice and it seems to be working here.
I will make another post once it is completed.
Mind maps are great tools for learning and remembering!
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Sat 4 Oct 2008
Swimming and mushroom weekend
I wonder how these two topics came together.
It must be that I am running out of things to write. Hmmm, anyway, it's a Saturday, a weekend, and that is expected, since I have already drained out most of my creative juices the whole week. For all I know, I might be mounting up and gaining momentum for next week's learning adventure. Ha! You couldn't tell. Anyway, I have only two things to mention.
One is swimming.
After 9 gruelling months in Level 1 due to off and on allergies and skipping most of her weekly classes, Vibrant Bea was promoted to Level 2 and managed to finish it in 2 months. Today, she is promoted to Level 3! Wheee! She is doing breast stroke quite well now but has to work more on her butterfly and dive. She is getting there for sure. Recently, she told me that she is enjoying swimming more than ever. It keeps getting better. Isn't that great news or what?
Fuzzy remains on Level 2 which he started on last September. But with the rate he is going he might get promoted to Level 3 by November. He is learning very well and has met new kids in his class. Swimming keeps him trim. We will see.
They didn't take part in the recently concluded meet. It was on a Sunday. Most athletics meets are held on Sundays in this country. For that reason they have never joined many. I noticed they have added interesting activities after their regular laps. Now, they have games and mock relays. Everybody gets to cheer the swimmers including us, parents. It is undeniably fun and exciting on swimming days.
As for Lil Ruffin, she just got to Toddler 2 today after 2 months in Toddler 1 class. We had a blast watching her this afternoon. Her instructor brought her class to the edge of the deep pool (3 meters) to jump. Each child was told to jump and an instructor in the water dived down to get the child. Mind you, these are 3-5 year olds. Our kid is 3 and a half and looks the smallest of them. Each were given two jumps. Lil Ruffin did well on the two jumps. When it was her classmate's turn to jump, unexpectedly she too jumped quite suddenly with so much glee. The instructor was caught by surprise and dived down to get her and the other kid underwater. They all surfaced safely; the instructor couldn't help smiling and Lil Ruffin was giggling! A funny thing about her is she accompanies her jumps with a loud shriek of excitement, like one on a roller coaster dip, and without hesitation would plunge legs first in the deep pool. She just loves it and not one bit afraid.
Lil Ruffin enjoys her swimming lessons so much she would eagerly take a nap when I tell her it is important to rest before going to swim. Other days, you need to be pretty smart to convince her.
Mushrooms. Well, that is the second one.
How did I get to buy a bag of mushroom culture today? As any Saturday, we always get our supplies from the supermarket on this day. It was too late to realize that it is World Animal Day. The freezers in the meat and poultry sections were empty except for the cold cuts which we never fancy anyway. No animal shed blood under the butcher's knife. That is neat!
Actually I can go on days without the meat but the children love chicken. So we just picked our usual veggies and greens; and guess what I found on the veggie shelf? Bags of mushroom culture. For only RS140 Sri Lanka rupees, if we do it right, we can have a month's supply of mushroom for every 10 day intervals. It sounds promising. We haven't tried this before so we decided to get one and learn from it.
The bag looks like this.
We cut off the upper part to leave a small opening. We placed it in a dark and damp box near the door to our reading room.
Let us see what happens after 10 days. Vibrant Bea and Fuzzy will take turns spraying it with water daily.
Hang on, I will keep you posted =)
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Fri 3 Oct 2008
CM Pinoy: Living and whole books for the Filipino child
Photo by Iphis, morguefile.com
Charlotte Mason emphasized the use of living and whole books in teaching children. A book written in a rich language with high literary value may be considered a living book. It is usually written by adults who have passion and keen love for the subject or theme of the book, be it fiction or non-fiction. Whole books are unabridged stories, usually classics and awarded literary works published wholly and not in snippets like anthologies and dry textbooks.
When we started using living and whole books, I slowly built our collection starting with the literary classics which are available in the local bookstores. This include Jules Verne, Laura Ingalls Wilder, CS Lewis, Tolkien, Rudyard Kipling, G.A. Henty, E. Nesbit, C. Kingsley, L.M. Montgomery and more. These books are easy to find. They can be ordered online or downloaded free from Project Gutenberg, Archive.org and other public domain libraries in pdf or djvu format.
Back home, our favorite places to hunt for living book treasures are second hand shops, BookSale and Diplomat's Book and Mags, for the budget-tight biblioholics. My children and I literally spent hours in the afternoon digging up shelves and boxes of these shops. We completed our Little House books set by Laura Wilder Ingalls through BookSale at prices P30-75 (Philippine peso) only, when a book would cost P250 in the bookstore. I marked regular new-arrival dates on my calendar and left my contact details so they can call me if new books were delivered. Local living books are elusive since it hasn't gained a market niche especially those which reflect Philippine history and culture but they are not non-existent. Some titles are just available online for the foreign market but not in our regular bookstores - sounds weird, huh? Perhaps, if more Filipino families homeschool the CM way, it will steadily gain a following 'til writers and publishers will note us worthy of pampering. =)
Well, I wouldn't discount the growing number of lively, colorful bilingual storybooks published by Tahanan, Adarna House, Hiyas and Lampara among many others but we still need more of various subjects especially for the older children. In the recent Manila International Book fair, more books written by our very own writers were launched. Yet, we need more. If you are a homeschool parent yourself, you would have known this by now, we can never satiate the minds and hearts of our young readers who are always hungry for good books.
I have come up with a reading list and sources of living books for the Filipino homeschooled child. It is just a bit frustrating that many titles are not available in our local bookstores and have to be ordered online (dollars!) - the Filipino homeschool community should make an appeal about this.
Next week: List of Philippine Publishers and Living Books for the Filipino Child |
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Thu 2 Oct 2008
Homesick and burnout?
At one time or another, homeschool moms experience burnout. Children are the very first ones to notice or feel this and they too get affected. It is a normal phase but it shouldn't discourage you. The good news is you can do something about it.
I have been through this stage many times. As you might know by now, we are living in a foreign country. Here in Sri Lanka, homeschool is a strange word. The terms "homeschool support" or "homeschool coops" are even stranger. I get support mainly through prayers of brethren back home and later on, the internet and another homeschooling family we have met by God's Providence.
How is homeschooling like in a place and situation like ours? The answer is NOT easy. =) Burnout is as familiar as an old friend. But the wonderful thing about it, I realized that it is not in my own strength that I do these things - to homeschool, to manage a home, to be a mom and a wife and all the roles that go along with this noble calling, but in His strength. I have learned to step back, shelve or drop whatever causes the stress and call help. And often, wisdom comes when you seek it. The Lord provides it abundantly. It is not only that! He spices it up with creativity and humor. It is always in His grace we were able to make it each day, learning a little bit of this and a little bit of that when Mr. Burnout strikes.
Now here are ideas, some we have done during our transition here and some we haven't tried but lined up to do. But all came up from the need to beat homesickness and boredom from just being holed up in the house (or in many cases, hotel)...
1. Holed up in a hotel? Why not a unit study on how it runs? I couldn't think of a better way to make learning real. If you have stayed there long enough maybe you may request if you can visit and observe areas usually off limits to guests (for your homeschool/lessons) like the kitchen, laundry area, control rooms, supply room, etc. Have a short interview with people how the hotel is managed and specific jobs of staff like the housekeeper, chef, manager, concierge, tour guide, lifesaver by the poolside etc.
2. Take the school outside! - Have a walk in the hotel garden or nearby park . It is your chance to see what flora or fauna are living in the vicinity. Great to bring sketch pads too or a handy camera. Your child might be happy to take photos of plants and birds not familiar to him and then sketch it later.
3. Explore the nearest bookstore. You might be interested to see what kind of books are available and interesting for you and your child.
4. Where is the post office? I usually take my children to choose and buy postcards, write on it and stick a stamp and post it to their grandparents, cousins or friends back home. This is a ALWAYS a big hit! Later on, you can encourage your older kids to write to penpals who are also homeschooling. If you are in an online homeschool support group, you may post your children's interest to write snail mail with other homechooled children. Vibrant Bea found penpals this way in a HomeLife Academy yahoogroup.
5. Visit the public market. If it is a safe place, make it a morning trip. Mornings are usually when vendors arrange their fresh goods to sell. The sights and colors are a feast to the eyes. Markets are always noisy and interesting. You will learn a lot of the country's culture from their markets. However, seek advise too from the hotel concierge/receptionist of the "do's and don'ts" on walking by yourselves in crowded public places.
6. Have you seen the parks and usual tourist spots (museums, landmarks)? Well, not to sound too "touristy", but to a child, a change of environment might just do the trick.
7. Check out the local events/activities - are there free concerts going on? plays for kids? a playgroup for expat's children? other homeschoolers? art class for kids? storytelling sessions in the library? swimming class? I have picked up a book when we arrived here entitled Sri Lanka for Kids and it helped a lot. There might be a similar publication there - say a magazine or a brochure/book.
We have been away from home for 4 years and I have homeschooled 3 children ages 3, 10, 11 - 24/7 - which started back home. It wasn't a perfect deal but I wouldn't have it any other way, admittingly the older 2 spent a short period in an IS but were pulled out. We have been through burnout phases, sickness, boredom, disappointment, frustration and almost giving up many times. Yet each time my husband and I look back to our vision for our family, as to why we homeschool, that snaps us back right into place.
When I got burnout, I arranged with my husband if he can stay with the children for a few hours on a weekend while I go out, take a walk or visit the places that interest me but never had the chance to go. We would plan it ahead so he can set his work pace (as sometimes he brings home work ), he would then rent a movie or set a board game and kids cook pop corn... anything to spend time with the kids. He would sometimes help out with the math problems while I am out. If he comes home early and there is still extra time, the family would take a walk just round the block and enjoy the afternoon breeze.
We are again facing another relocation by the end of the year. We thought at first it will be back home for good. Now, we just got news that the same process we went through years back awaits us in another country. Leaving a familiar life and friends we have known and grown fond of is rather stressful, too and we are slowly coming into terms with it. So, here we are facing the new unknown (again!).
Yet, God remains faithful.. in Him we trust. |
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Wed 1 Oct 2008
another sick saturday and half-a-week
Our 3 yo Lil Ruffin has been sick since Saturday. She had a swimming class that afternoon and after she had taken a shower I realized that she was shivering and her temperature was very high. She was alright before she attended the class.
She didn't get any sleep that night and had chills. Early Sunday morning, we had to rush her to the hospital. She was throwing up all the time. For three nights, we never get enough sleep. Her fever went off and on each night. She lost appetite and would just drink water. The doctor examined her yet said nothing conclusive but advised ORS and analgesic. She also advised a blood exam for dengue or chikungunya (like dengue but a different virus transmitted by mosquito bites, too. Tuesday, we brought her again to the hospital for the blood test due to recurrence of fever and aching joints. They told us it will take 2 more days to get the results so that will be tomorrow. We were praying through all this. But just this morning, she woke up and asked for food. I observed her throughout the day, the fever never came back. She insisted even on playing downstairs with Vibrant Bea, Fuzzy and other kids. So right now, she is with them enjoying her afternoon while I am also trying to catch up with the blog.
We were really worried. There is presently an epidemic of dengue and chikungunya on the island. My son caught it 2 years ago with the same symptoms. I know God answered our prayers. We are thankful to those who prayed for Lil Ruffin during this time.
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We haven't forgotten the 30-days commitment. Lil Ruffin's sickness just kept us off the blog scene for awhile so I wasn't able to post anything about it. The 30-day prayer for the muslim world ended yesterday but our commitment to keep the lost world in our prayers continues. Thank you for praying with us. |
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