Getting Started 
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To help make school more fun and interesting for our almost 11-year-old daughter, I handed over our Before Five in a Row manual and let her have the responsibility of doing that part of 'school' with her younger sister. This is how I caught them the very first day! I must say, after watching big sissy go through the manual, write down the 'lessons' she wanted to do, look up 'go-along' books on our library's website, printing out coloring pictures, pointing out to little sissy different things in the illustrations such as how you could tell the wind was blowing, getting her two brothers to help her act out the book for little sister, finding a book on how to make homemade ice cream, and buying, from eBay, with her OWN money, a green pocketbook AND filling it with all the things the little girl in the book had in her green pocketbook for little sister's birthday, well, I think it's safe to say that my future grandchildren are going to be very, very blessed with a wonderful, fun-filled, memory-making home education!
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ARTISTS:
•Leonardo da Vinci •Claude Monet •John Singleton Copley •Andrew Wyeth •Jamie Wyeth COMPOSERS: •Irving Berlin •Anton Bruckner •Felix Mendelssohn •Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart •Francis Poulenc EDUCATORS: •Frederick Terman (Stanford University President) •William Samuel Johnson (Columbia University President) •Frank Vandiver (Texas A&M University President) •John Witherspoon (Princeton University President) GENERALS: •Stonewall Jackson •Robert E. Lee •Douglas MacArthur •George Patton INVENTORS: •Alexander Graham Bell •Thomas Edison •Cyrus McCormick •Wright Brothers: Orville and Wilbur Wright PRESIDENTS: •John Quincy Adams •William Henry Harrison •Thomas Jefferson •Abraham Lincoln •James Madison •Franklin Delano Roosevelt •Theodore Roosevelt •John Tyler •George Washington •Woodrow Wilson PREACHERS & RELIGIOUS LEADERS: •Moses •Joan of Arc •John the Baptist •William Cary •Jonathan Edwards •Phillip Melanchthon •Dwight L. Moody •John Newton •John Owen •Charles Wesley •John Wesley •Brigham Young •George Washington Carver •Pierre Curie •Albert Einstein •Blaise Pascal •Booker T. Washington STATESMEN: •Konrad Adenauer •Winston Churchill •Benjamin Franklin •Patrick Henry •William Penn •Henry Clay U.S SUPPREME COURT JUDGES: •John Jay •John Marshall •John Rutledge WRITERS: •Hans Christian Andersen •Pearl S. Buck •Agatha Christie •Charles Dickens •Bret Harte •C.S. Lewis •Sean O'Casey •George Bernard Shaw •Mark Twain •Mercy •Daniel Webster •Phillis Wheatley CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION DELEGATES: •Richard Basset (Governor of Delaware) •William Blount (U.S. Senator) •George Clymer (U.S. Representative) •William Few (U.S. Senator) •Benjamin Franklin (Inventor and Statesman) •William Houston (Lawyer) •William S. Johnson (President of Columbia C.) •William Livingston (Governor of New Jersey) •James Madison - 4th President of the •George Mason •John Francis Mercer (U.S. Representative) •Charles Pickney III (Governor of S. Carolina) •John Rutledge (Chief Justice U.S. Supreme Court) •Richard D. Spaight (Governor of N. Carolina) •George Washington - 1st President of the •John Witherspoon (President of Princeton U.) •George Wythe (Justice of Virginia High Court)
OTHERS: •Abigail Adams (Wife of John Adams) •Ansel Adams (Photographer) •Clara Barton (Started the Red Cross) •John Burroughs (Naturalist) •Andrew Carnegie (Industrialist) •Charles Chaplin (Actor) •George Rogers Clark - Explorer •Noel Coward (Playwright) •John Paul Jones (Father of the American Navy) •Sandra Day O'Connor •Tamara McKinney (World Cup Skier) •John Stuart Mill (Economist) •Charles Louis Montesquieu (Philosopher) •Florence Nightingale (Nurse) •Sally Ride (Astronaut) •Bill Ridell (Newspaperman) •George Rogers Clark (Explorer) •Will Rogers (Humorist) •Jim Ryan (World Runner) •Albert Schweitzer (Physician) •Leo Tolstoy •Martha Washington (Wife of George Washington) |
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What if we just did what was truly in our hearts? What if we actually played with our kids and enjoyed our time with them? What if we played board games for math, watched Liberty Kids movies for history, went on a nature walk or made home made bread or ice cream for Science, wrote thank you notes for all those Christmas gifts for handwriting and English, and spent the entire afternoon reading Little House to the kids while cuddled under blankets on the couch? Think about it. What if we could see into the future and know that our kids are going to turn out ok and go on to be successful, independent adults regardless of what curriculum we use. What would we do differently? Isn't that really one of the main stresses of us homeschool moms? That we're not doing enough, or at least not enough of the 'right' things and that we'll permanently hinder our children? Or maybe there's always questions in the back of our mind that keep us from doing what we truly want with our homeschooling. "What if we wind up putting them in school some time in the future and they're not up to par with the rest of the kids"? Or, "What if their end-of-the-year tests don't come back as well as I would hope? Then what will our family and friends say"? These are the main 'concerns' that have always held me back from truly letting go and just doing what I feel in my heart. And I've just been wondering lately what would happen if I got brave and let go of some of my fears. How much would my little ones be able to spread their wings and soar if this momma bird wouldn't hold them back so much simply because we have to 'stay on course'? Now, I've always considered myself pretty laid back when it comes to school and my children are doing quite well. But we have a soon-to-be 11-year-old daughter who is going through some normal questioning when it comes to being homeschooled. She wonders what it would be like to go to school. While she does like being homeschooled, still she wonders. School is not 'fun' for her. Now that she's getting older and having to do more she is looking at that green, green grass over on the other side. And while I'm sure she would soon see that the grass is indeed not as green as it may apear should we let her try 'real school' out, we are still her parents. We're still the ones that are responsible for protecting her and doing what we feel is best for her. And I do not feel that throwing her to the lions just so she can see that we're right is what's best. So, on that note, I've been doing some thinking on how to make school more fun and enjoyable for her, soemthing she looks forward to. And without a doubt I know that being around other homeschoolers is #1. This is something that we haven't had the opportunity to do since we started homeschooling nearly 5 years ago. But I'm happy to say that this Thursday we will do just that. We will be meeting with other homeschoolers at our library for an afternoon of snacks, crafts, and books! But along with the interaction, I've done some thinking on how fun school was when we first started, when she was 5 and in Kindergarten. We went to the park, we read while laying on a blanket outside, we went on nature walks, we colored and played and built things. I know she's older now, but why does learning have to be any different? Why can't it be interesting and exciting for her? She's only 10 for goodness sakes! Why can't we still play board games that reinforce learning? Why can't we watch movies such as 'National Treasure' to learn about American History (which we do, by the way, but not enough). Why can't we go outside and read under the trees or spend the 'school day' in the kitchen cooking up a new concoction? The only reason we can't is because of my own fear of what other people will think. Well, I think I'm ready to put those fears aside and find the fun again, not only for my children but for myself as well. We start back with school tomorrow and guess what? I don't even have a plan of what we're going to do. Now, I do normally like to at least have an idea of what we're going to do, but I have a feeling that everything is going to turn out just fine. If nothing else we have tons of really great books that would keep us busy all day! I'll let you know how it turns out. |
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 Twaddle = dumbed down literature; absence of meaning Living Books = books that are well-written and engaging---they absorb the reader---the narrative and characters "come alive"; living books are the opposite of cold, dry textbooks.   |
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A... Acts of Service (my love laguage)
B... Blue-eyed Brunette
C... Chocolate!
D... Deacon's Wife
E... Entreprenuers (we have our own home-business)
F... Friendly
G... Garden
H... Homebody (BIG time!)
I... Impatient
J... Joyful
K... Keepers-At-Home leader
L... Laughter
M... Math (have always loved it)
N... Natrual
O... Organization
P... Pentecostal
Q... Quitter (I hardly finish what I start)
R... Reading
S... Sewing
T... Thankful
U... Ultrconservative
V... Valedictorian (oh yes, I sure was!)
W... Weight Watchers
X... X-mas (sorry, couldn't think of another and I LOVE Christmas)
Y... Yard Sales!
Z... Zippy or Zonked (depending on what time of day it is!)
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 ) is that they are so willing to share when they have found something really wonderful or when they have put something together that they think other moms out there might be able to use. |
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 To go along with my recent entry about home-LEARNING vs. home-SCHOOLING, I thought it would be a great idea for all of us to show off our 'learning-rooms'! I know I'm always looking for inspiration, even if it's only to dream and plan my future learning-room, so I know there must be others out there that love this as much as I do!
So, if you have a learning-room, or even just a learning-corner, WHATEVER... we want to see it! Go take some pictures of it (or, if you're like me, clean it up first THEN take some pictures), post them to your blog, then come back here and let me know you've done so and I'll add your link to my sidebar (where all the Learning Rooms links will be available) so everybody can find you and check out your learning space! Remember when you post your pictures on your blog, link back to this entry so everyone who reads your blog knows how to get 'in the loop'! And here's the link to the 'Showcase of Learning Rooms' picture, like the one above with the mother reading to her girls. Just add it at the very top of your 'Learning Room' entry so anyone who sees it will automatically recognize it and know that another wonderful learning room post follows!
Now, without further ado, I bring you links of some home learning environments I have already been checking out...
(note: I found these through this blog which gave me the idea to have our own HSB 'Showcase of Learning-Rooms')!
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With Monday being the fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, I wanted to find a book appropriate to read to my children that introduced them to what happened on that terrible day, but one that wouldn't scare them or leave them feeling sad or afraid. I think I may have found the perfect book.
The book is called Fireboat- The Heroic Adventrues of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman and the best part about this book is that it is a true story!
If you use or have used Five In A Row, you know how wonderful it is and how all the lessons drawn from wonderful children's books help our children to learn in a very unique, fun, and memorable way. After having used FIAR for over four years now, I feel I have been trained by the best to teach my children straight out of reading books and have attempted a couple of times to use a book I have found at the library to come up with my own lesson plans, just as Jane Lambert has so wonderfully done with all the FIAR books.
Now, I haven't had time to sit down and type out my lessons for the week, although I do have in mind what we'll be doing. But I did sit down and read through the book and wanted to let you know that it is indeed, I believe, a very appropriate 'FIARish' book for young children to help introduce them to what happened on September 11th. The different lessons that can be pulled from this book are way too numerous to tell. As I read the book they just kept jumping out at me, page after page after page!
It starts out happy and fun and interesting, tells some history of New York, and much to my excitement and surprise, the Little Red Lighthouse is even in one of the illustrations (one of the books in the Five In A Row curriculum is The Little Red Lighthouse and The Great Gray Bridge)! It tells of the John J. Harvey, a fireboat that once roamed the waters and helped put out New York's fires but in 1995 it was put up for sale for scrap metal. After 5 years of being for sale a group of friends decides to buy the boat and restore it (very timely, eh?)
There is then a totally gray page that says...
"But then on September 11, 2001 something so huge and horrible happened that the whole world shook. It was 8:45 in the morning, another beautiful sunny day". (There is a reference earlier in the book to a beautiful sunny day).
It then goes into how the John J. Harvey was going to help ferry people across the water, but then it was actually needed to help fight the fires because the water lines had been broken and burried. It even tells about the boat winning an award for it's help on that day.
At the end of the book it goes back to being a feel-good story for the little boat, while still saying that those on the boat had never seen anything so terrible and sometimes they cry and that they'll never forget, but for little ones, I think it wraps the story up nicely without leaving them feeling too bad. It presents what happened, tells how everyone came together and helped, and then leaves the reader with the sense that while it was a sad day that won't be forgotten, life does and has gone on and we don't have to be afraid. The illustrations are done in gouache, which, because we are a FIAR family, we know what that is I believe this is one I'm going to purchase to keep since we will be facing 9-11 over and over again each year and we still have some young ones.
Hope this helps. I know it's a bit late, but maybe somebody can still pick it up, or maybe you can remember for next year.
Also, I'm planning on helping the kids bake cookies to take to our local police and fire department to tell them thank you for all they do for us and I thought it would be the perfect time to teach the kids about the 'rules' for taking care of the American flag and teach the younger ones the Pledge of Alligence.
A couple of weeks ago while reading some about our American history I stopped to explain to them what each line of the Plege means and it made me all goose-bumply! So, while at Wal-Mart yesterday I bought a flag kit that came with a HUGE American flag, a metal bracket and a very long metal pole, and a little booklet with all the ways we are to take care of the flag and how to fold it, etc... all for less than $10! My plan was to have a 'flag helper' each week to put it out in the mornings and bring it in each evening, but it would have to hang so high that none of the kids could reach it. So until I decided what to do I just set it in the corner of one of walls next to one of our bookshelves. (Don't worry, it's not touching the floor
Anyway, just wanted to let you know about the great deal I found in case you're interested!
Regardless of what you do this week, God bless you, and God bless America! |
, and they are very well done. Not too graphic, but done in a way that you can tell it was very destructive and there was a big fire.
). And you know what? It looks pretty nice there. So I'm thinkning we'll hold it up each morning and say the pledge and then just let it sit there, kind of 'on display'. Posted in School
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Are you homeschooling? What exactly IS homeschooling? Have you ever stopped to really study what it is you're doing? When I study my Bible, this is how I do it, cross-referencing things and looking up exact defintions of sometimes-common words. Come with me as we learn just exactly what this thing called 'homeschooling' is! Stick with me, I'm confident you'll be amused!
First, let's take the word 'home'. Wikipedia.com describes the word 'home' as this...
Home is place where a person or family lives, perhaps spends much of their time, or where a person is comfortable being. While a house (or other residential dwelling) is often referred to as a home, the concept of "home" is broader than a physical dwelling. Home is often a place of refuge and safety, where worldly cares fade and the things and people that one loves becomes the focus.
Isn't that beautiful?
Ok, now for the word 'school'...
A school is an institution where students learn from teachers; the word school can also refer to a building where such learning occurs. In home schooling and online schools, teaching and learning take place outside of a traditional school building.
Institution?
Institutions are social structures and social mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of two or more individuals. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior. The term, institution, is commonly applied to customs and behavior patterns important to a society, as well as to particular formal organizations of government and public service. As structures and mechanisms of social order among humans, institutions are one of the principal objects of study in the social sciences, including sociology, political science and economics. Institutions are a central concern for law, the formal regime for political rule-making and enforcement. The creation and evolution of institutions is a primary topic for history.
Lots of use of the word 'social' there, huh? Well, just what IS 'social order' anyway?
It refers to a set of linked social structures, social institutions and social practices which conserve, maintain and enforce "normal" ways of relating and behaving.
Thus, a "social order" is a relatively stable system of institutions, pattern of interactions and customs, capable of continually reproducing at least those conditions essential for its own existence. The concept thus refers to all those facets of society which remain relatively constant over time.
There are distinct features of social ordering in relation to law and social justice. These features include:
Hmmm... do I want my children to do 'school' or to 'learn'?
Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values, through study, experience, or teaching, that causes a change of behavior that is persistent, measurable, and specified or allows an individual to formulate a new mental construct or revise a prior mental construct (conceptual knowledge such as attitudes or values). It is a process that depends on experience and leads to long-term changes in behavior potential. Behavior potential describes the possible behavior of an individual (not actual behavior) in a given situation in order to achieve a goal. But potential is not enough; if individual learning is not periodically reinforced, it becomes shallower and shallower, and eventually will be lost in that individual.
Education is the conscious attempt to promote learning in others. The primary function of "teaching" is to create a safe, viable, productive learning environment. Management of the total learning environment to promote, enhance and motivate learning is a paradigm shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning.
I'll save you the definition of 'paradigm shift', but it is very interesting reading in relation to what we're talking about here. I encourage you to do a bit of reading on it. What brought all of this on? Well, I'm in the middle of planning out my dream school, oops, I mean LEARNING room (for some day when we're blessed with more room).
So, after all of this studying, if instead of a 'school room' we have a 'learning area', what should it be like? Well, first of all, if we are homeLEARNING
 it should most definitely be at home, a place of refuge and safety where wordly cares fade and the things and people we love become the focus; a place where we, along with our children, are comfortable being.Secondly, since we'll be teaching there it should be a safe, viable learning environment and since our children will be learning there it should be a place where our children can aquire knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values through study, experience, or teaching.
Our job is to manage the total learning environment to promote, enhance, and motivate learning. How do we do this? By having our focus shifted from teaching to learning. What a statement!
Coming next... sharing our own home-learning areas! Stay tuned. You don't want to miss it!
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Hollie has tagged me! After a year here at HSB, this is my very first official tag. Well, I think I was tagged one other time but wasn't really sure what to do so I just kinda tried to quietly bow out of it.
 Anyway, it seems a lot of people don't really like being tagged, and I guess I can understand if you get tagged a lot or really don't like to answer a lot of questions, but I really don't mind. I like to talk
 (big surprise) and I think answering the questions when your tagged is a good way for others to get to know a little more about you.So without further ado, here are the questions and my answers to this tag...
Thank you for tagging me Hollie. I have truly enjoyed this!
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Maybe I thought it was so good that I loaned it out to somebody and now can't remember who to. Who knows. Guess it's time to buy a new one, huh? I am REALLY looking forward to receiving and reading the book I won for being chosen as the Featured Blogger, 
