I'D LOVE TO TELL YOU THAT OUR HOMESCHOOL DAY, YESTERDAY WAS PERFECTLY JOYOUS!  THAT TOMMIE DUG RIGHT IN TO HIS LESSONS, NEVER POUTED, NEVER TALKED BACK AND ANSWERED, YES MAM'M AND NO MAM'M, RIGHT ON CUE.  I'D ALSO LOVE TO TELL YOU THAT, HE ACES EVERYTHING... NEVER THINKS "HE'S" THE ONLY ONE WHO'S  RIGHT IN THE HOUSEHOLD...  AND, LEARNS A TON,  I MEAN RETAINS A BIG TON OF INFO, OFF OF THOSE BLACK-LINE, FILL IN THE BLANKS, WORKBOOKS! 

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE!

WHAT SEPERATES THE HOMESCHOOL WORLD FROM THE REST OF THE SCHOOL WORLD IS, THAT WE, AS HOMESCHOOL PARENTS, ARE THE CAPTAIN OF OUR OWN SHIPS!  HOW LUCKY WE REALLY, REALLY ARE, TO BE ABLE TO RE-DIRECT OUR SAILS AND FIND A ROUTE  THAT TAKES US TO OUR DESTINATION... OR MORE IMPORTANTLY... ALLOWS US AND OUR CHILDREN TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RIDE!   IT DOESN'T MATTER IF SOME OF US JOURNEY IN OUR CANOE OR ON A YACHT.  BUT, I HAVE A HUNCH... YOU'LL BE MORE FULFILLED IN A CANOE.  smile, wink, nod.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING YESTERDAY, WHEN I PULLED OUT HIS READING COMPREHENSION WORKBOOK...  PERHAPS I DID IT OUT OF CONVIENIENCE?  I INSTRUCTED HIM TO READ A SHORT STORY ABOUT THE PANAMA CANAL AND THEN FILL OUT THE QUESTION & ANSWER PAGE.   

IN HIS WORKBOOK, THE STORY...THE COMPLETE STORY OF WHERE, WHEN, WHY AND THE HOW'S OF THE PANAMA CANAL, INCLUDING THE PEACE TREATY, WERE SUMMED UP IN FOUR, LARGE FONT PARAGRAPHS.  SEE WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS? 

IT DID HOWEVER, SPARK TOMMIE'S CURIOSITY.... AND,  UP UNTIL HE HAD TO FILL IN THE BLANKS... HE WAS THIRSTING TO KNOW MORE!  MY PUBLIC SCHOOL MENTALITY, INSTRUCTED HIM TO GET BACK TO WORK..FILLING IN THE MASS-PRODUCED WORKBOOK PAGES.  HE POUTED.  HE TURNED PALE.  HE WHINED.  HE COMPLAINED.  HE WAS YAWNING.  HE WAS BEING A ROYAL PAIN.  HE COMPLAINED SOME MORE.  HE WAS STARTING TO GIVE ME A HEADACHE.  I GUESS ITS SAFE TO SAY, BEING EDUCATED AND RAISED ON LIVING BOOKS, SORT OF SPOILS A PERSON.

IT SUDDENLY OCCURED TO ME THAT,  I WAS SQUASHING AND STOMPING OUT HIS DESIRE TO LEARN MORE...HE THOUROUGHLY ENJOYED READING ABOUT IT--EVEN ASKING ME TO PULL UP PICTURES ON THE INTERNET AND DISCUSSING IT... BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO CIRCLING THE CORRECT ANSWER AND REWRITING THE ANSWERS TO FIT IN THE BLANKS...  HE DESIRE DIMINISHED.  YOU COULD SEE HIM FADING LIKE A BALLOON!  FALLING LIKE A CARD-HOUSE!

THAT'S IT.

I TOLD HIM HE COULD WRAP IT UP... AND START HIS SILENT READING OF SQUANTO.  HE WAS CONFUSED BUT WILLING.

WHILE HE WAS READING, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET...  I HAD A LIGHTBULB MOMENT, AND DECIDED TO QUICKLY WRITE UP A "PANAMA CANAL  INTERNET SCAVENGER HUNT!"...WHICH INCLUDED MY "OWN-HOMEMADE" QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS!

THIS IS THE SITE I USED: 

http://www.canalmuseum.com/canalphotos/index.htm

AT THIS SITE, YOU'LL DISCOVER THE PANAMA CANAL WILDLIFE, JOBS PEOPLE DO, BRIDGES, THE LOCKS, PANAMA CITY, TUGBOATS, AND EVEN EQUIPMENT THEY USE... AND SO MUCH MORE!  

ONE OF THE SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTIONS WAS:  GO TO THE VISITORS CENTER... WHAT ANIMAL COULD YOU LEARN ABOUT AT THE CENTER? ( A PELICAN), THEN CLICK ON THE PICTURE OF THE PELICAN AND I'D HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FOR HIM TO ANSWER. 

THIS WENT ON AND ON!  IT'S REALLY ENDLESS...ONCE YOU GET INTO IT.

HE WAS REALLY PUMPED UP!  SO MUCH IN FACT, HE WAS STANDING UP AT THE COMPUTER. HIS VOICE WAS SO MUCH HAPPIER, HIS COLOR CAME BACK INTO HIS FACE AND HIS EYES WERE WIDE OPEN!!!  HE WAS TELLING ME EVERYTHING HE WAS SEEING AND LEARNING!  I WAS SMILING, MY HEADACHE FADED.   HE WORKED RIGHT THROUGH LUNCH... AND WAS QUIZZING HIS DAD AND SHARING INFORMATION AND PICTURES, OF WHAT HE LEARNED, THAT AFTERNOON!

IN RETROSPECT, MAYBE WE DID NEED THAT DRY, OLD WORKBOOK TO CATAPULT US INTO  NEW ROUTES?    AND, THE STUDY IS NOT DONE YET...  I FOUND THIS SITE TO CENTER OUR HOMESCHOOL AROUND ON MONDAY: 

http://encarta.msn.com/media_461517735_761559188_-1_1/Panama_Canal.html

DON'T FORGET....  YOU'RE THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR  HOMESCHOOL SHIP...  NOT A MASS-PRODUCED CURRICULUM! BRING BACK THE JOY OF LEARNING!

 SMILE, WINK, NOD!

Posted by 2boysmom

This is such a great example of what I've been going through with my own children - especially with my teen. One day he very excitedly told me about all of these articles he read in Popular Science. He was filling me in on all the details and said that he wanted that to count as his science for the day. I said "great, but you have to write about what you read so I can document it" and he instantly lost all of his enthusiasm and began to tell me that he couldn't remember all of that! Point being that when you turn the learning into "school" type assignments, they lose their joy. My 9 year old will do many learning activities with joy, until I sit him down with a workbook. Then he slumps down and gets instantly tired. And moms usually substitute the workbooks for the "real learning". Sometimes our kids are alot smarter than us!

Posted by Michelle122161

I Love hands-on learning. This year I was finally able to Relax!! They'll get it. :)
I saw your blog on my traffic feed. I Love your blog & am adding you as a friend. OK!?
BTW, Thanks for reading my blog.
Blessings,
Michelle

Posted by Anonymous

Can you teach my boys too. I don't have time for all this fancy stuff.... (elbow, elbow)

-R