| The Rhythm of Our Days |
I'm MOVING!!!Yeah....okay, not physcially. Done enough of that this year!But I'm getting a new school blog home. Since my other blog is on Wordpress and my bil does such a great job of "having my back" over there, we are moving this one there. All my old posts are under the same date because I had to copy/paste them. The site is still under construction but that's where I'll be posting now. See The Rhythm of Our Days. 11:34 AM - Sep. 22, 2006 - comments {0} - post commentReally like this idea...."It happened This month"....9:03 AM - Sep. 20, 2006 - comments {0} - post commentBreezy EasyToday has been the most perfect early fall day....breezy, white light, cool. My Maple tree is turning red and my poplar, yellow, and the green grass below each is sprinkled with the proof. I've got loads of whites and lights on the clothesline, and I"m happy I changed sheets on Friday and have them drinking in sunshine and fresh air. It's the kind of dry day that gets laundry done in minutes, not hours, and I have the stuff still out there for the pure luxury of it all. Our windows have been open for weeks but today needed more than mere open windows....it needed open doors and lunch outside on the picnic table, reading on the porch swing, and if I had time... .a nap out on a blanket in the grass.A crisp glass of chilled, appley white wine would be the ideal accompianment to what is going to be a spectacular sunset. We won't have that in this "dry" county tonight, but we will have a pot of chili for supper and hot chocolate for tomorrow's brisk morning. Firstborn: he struggled this morning like my old cat used to when the weather changed. In a fit of hyper restlessness and lack of direction, he'd tear across the hard wood floors in persuit of some ghostly dustball or the like. So my boy was all over the place after his breakfast, desperate for something to do that absorbed some of that energy. He made a tomahawk from some old PVC pipe and a butter knife (so THAT's where they all go!), rewired the VCR so his sibs could watch The Lion King, read a Discovery Kids magazine. Eventually he calmed down. A little. I made them spend a lot of time outside in this glorious day....too nice to be in! He went to the P.O twice for me to ship ebay stuff and helped make lunch. After we ate under the Maple tree at the picnic table, I worked through some different multiplication and division problems with him. He knows the concepts well but could use more work on the actual written stuff. The kids all watched the next Math U See lesson. Firstborn spent quite a lot of time cleaning out the shed. They went to tutoring time at the Plateau Home School across the street; he worked on division problems, spelling, and read Gary Paulsen's The Hatchet, to his teacher for a bit. Soccer was boisterous fun surrounded by incredible beauty; they were finally separated into teams. He and his friend spent some time playing in the creek nearby while they waited for the younger kids to finish. Sunshine: she watched The Lion King and played racketball outside. Ms. Rebecca, the administrator over at the Plateau Home School was there early so Sunshine went over to check out a book, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. We have that one but it must be more fun to read when it's someone else's copy! She played dress up with W, wrote a story about Molly (the AG character her enrichment class centers around), and watched the math video. We sat on the swing and she read Benjamin Bunny aloud to me. I focused a bit more on making my finger track ahead of where she was reading to help her go faster; it worked! And we worked on expression with punctuation. Ms. Rebecca came over for a bit and said that when she evaluated the kids (using the system I used to have to pay 60+ bucks for but she did for free!), that they blew away grade level, especially in reading. Spelling is where she'd guess they need the most work, which we agreed with. Both older two are very phonetic in their spelling. What I was most happy with was that a year ago, Sunshine was barely reading 3 letter words and First born was on a 2nd grade level. Waiting for "that magic switch" in their heads to come on is WORTH IT, if you can handle letting them learn at their own pace! Firstborn is closer to a sixth grade level now (but high school in comprehension) and Sunshine is at 3rd grade, which is right where she's at. It's nice to see that trusting having a literature-rich household was the right thing to do, while we (not-so) patiently waited for them to "get it". Anyway....the rest of Sunshine's day: Tutoring went well; she worked nearly the entire time on spelling. She's not so impressed to be on her brother's soccer team but it makes it easier if they practice at the same time. One thing is for sure: she certainly is cute in her long shirt and shorts, ponytail floppin' around! W: woke up ravenous! After a whole grain waffle with cream cheese and apple jelly with milk, he had a snack of yogurt. From there he had Peanut Butter toast and more milk, then a plum, all before 11 am! Must be growing.....still no small miracle with him! I"m thankful every day for his health and growth. "Digression" seems to be the habit of the day. To the topic at hand! After his food-fest he played outside, danced with the dog, played with the baby. He built a train village, watched The Lion King, and looked at books. After lunch we worked on phonics, subraction (EarlyBird K from Singapore), and more on common nouns/proper nouns from First Language Lessons. he did some handwriting and we went over the new poem he's memorizing, "Whole Duty of Children". He watched the math video. At the Home School he worked on various phonics and counting games and did an art project that matched shapes. He got extra time in for soccer practice because they switched him to a different team midway. All in all it was a great day. We had bowls of chili and cheese late; dad came home and after showers and hugs, everyone is tucked in. There was a good episode of House to watch, a bit of ice cream, and cold air wafting in from the windows. Nightie night. 3:34 PM - Sep. 19, 2006 - comments {1} - post commentneed a second cup.....Still tired from yesterday."Yesterday" started Sunday. Sunday pm I finished sewing the fabric pouches for my Nature Notebook class at Monday Fun (our co-op). I completed the lesson plan, made my little cave girl costume for my Cultures Through Time (a look at what cultures throughout the past found to be beautiful), and loaded everything necessary into a laundry basket. I made 5 lunches and got the clothes laid out for the next morning. It's not my nature to set so much stuff out ahead of time. But it's even more not my nature to enjoy hectic mornings that require getting a lot done before leaving early. Lo and behold I chose the lesser of two evils ;-). Monday morning came; porridge for breakfast. Dressed, got everyone loaded up, and started the hour and half drive into Maryville. Passed a still-living-but-writhing porcupine....how can one stop to help a porcupine that's been hit? Poor thing. I'm getting so that I really enjoy this ride though. It sounds long but it's smooth and gives me time to think. We listened to a sermon tape and a radio show and it's a pretty straight shot. My Nature Notebook class went very, very well! Middle schoolers are a tough crowd and give LITTLE response! But judging that I a: had to actually MAKE them stop so they could leave, b: they offered to do homework during the week, and c: nearly all of them thanked me as they left, tells me that it was a sucess. During our first hour there, Firstborn is taking Latin, Sunshine is taking an American Girls history class that is focusing on Molly and the World War 2 era, W is taking Hands-On Math, and Phat Baby is in the nursery. We broke for lunch after that. What is it about PB & J type packed lunches that completely don't satisfy and always leave me feeling hungry, no matter how much I ate? I'm so glad I ended up with a "down hour" in between lunch and my next class. I'd planned to be cleaning up from a fund-raiser that has yet to materialize, so the time gives me a chance to make sure everyone got to their classes (Firstborn to Marine Biology, Sunshine to Art, and W to Super Bible Heroes), and nurse Phat Baby who is usually going down for a nap at that hour. I'll have time to take him into nursery calmly, which makes for an easier drop off, and get into costume for my Culture class. I met two new moms in that interval too; one was a new homeschooler, very excited to be at her first day of classes with her first "learner". :-) The following hour has Sunshine in Reader's Theater/Drama, W in Hands-On History, Phat Baby in said nursery, and Firstborn in my own class due to my paperwork and organization SNAFU. Sign ups and moving all happened at the same time so it's little wonder I got a few things mixed up! My Culture class went okay. Not as great as the Nature Notebook class. This is a series of lessons that is going to benefit from the semester's run, from some real-time tweaking and adjusting. I didn't plan enough material and ran out of things to say; having another adult in there as a "helper" was a huge distraction, though she was kind and only meant well. The kids really got into it, much more responsive than the other class was, again offering to do their own created homework. I thought I found myself talking too much, "preaching" too much, and wanted to back off and let the material speak for itself more. That will come with better planning I think. This week we covered the hunter/gatherers, tent people that came before and after the flood, early cities, and into Egypt. I read the story of Ruth and contrasted the growing appreciation for outward displays of beauty with her inner character and loyalty. Next week we'll head into Greece, Rome, and New Testament times. Home for the drive again, with an approaching storm and cold front. It's going to be a whole 10 degrees cooler today than it was yesterday. As soon as we got home the kids washed up and unloaded the car, then headed across the street for tutoring. I sat down to Oprah and a cheeseburger, ready to attack anyone or anything that got between me and food. I was totally drained of any energy! Oprah highlighted her road trip over the summer with Gayle. Good, mindless fodder. I made carrot soup and the kids came home. They'd worked primarily on math skills; Firstborn needs a lot more work on division. They really enjoyed their time over there and came home running and laughing in pouring rain. Dh had planned an evening of school but no one had the steam for it by then. The kids gave him a "massage-a-thon", had bowls of soup, and headed to bed. Dh and I watched The Pianist with a big bowl of popcorn and crashed. This morning is bright and cool. I've done my yoga, made waffles with cream cheese and jam, seen dh out the door, and made the hobbits an after-breakfast snack. Yawn. It's time for a second cup and some laundry duty. A calm day of quiet after a great, hectic first day back. 8:25 AM - Sep. 19, 2006 - comments {3} - post commentTimesSunshine is working on times tables. Like mother, like daughter....rote memorization gets us no where and counting on fingers only goes so high and is typically one off. Poor girl. Life will go on; it just doesn't feel like when you're staring up from the bottom of that cliff.Firstborn is building a fort and clearing the section of our yard that borders the winding road behind the house. Now comes the challenge to get him to put our tools BACK when he's finished. He never seems to get that part..... We missed scouts, AHG, and soccer yesterday due to a virus Phat Baby and I had. No happy campers here but hopefully it hasn't spread to anyone else. I want to curl up and read in my jammmies all day to them today. Instead, we must venture to town for food or we'll have none, and really, if some things don't get cleaned around here we will all go nuts. I'm putting hot chocolate on our menu this week in response to our chilly mornings. Cold toes call for slippers. Time to get them out. 8:43 AM - Sep. 15, 2006 - comments {0} - post commentGonna Freakin' ScreamI've spent too much time this afternoon trying to update this blog. I figured out how to manipulate the html to get this template to allow for links. Then I got it to accept a place for an avatar. The problem? It doens't seem to want to upload a new avatar from the internet, only my computer. And my photo (yes, it's properly sized) is on photobucket.com. So...if anyone can tell me how to get this stupid code to let me upload my avatar from an internet site, PLEASE do so! There simply has to be a way. I should be able to junk up the sidebar with as many ads and images as I please....just gotta figure out how. Anway, in the meantime, check out my new links.4:46 PM - Sep. 13, 2006 - comments {2} - post commentFall PoetryToday First Born and Sunshine made up poems about our fall days. I liked them so well I turned them into a project ;-).They sketched scenes of fall and then I helped them paint them in a light, washy, watercolor. After they were dry, they rewrote their poems (with corrected spelling LOL) over the top of the picture. I wish I could post the pictures; they turned out so well! But here's their poems: The Fall Tree, by: Sunshine Oh in the summer and spring there is a tree with leaves of green but now it's cold and momma sold the pine from that tree and the leaves scatter around the yard. But not one leaf on that tree. They are red, yellow, and brown and a quarter of green. I think of this as I eat green beans! It is wet and it is cold. The tree lies asleep never more in the summer length. Fall by: First Born Fall. Red and Yellow falling leaves a soft, cooling breeze There's a mother out in her yard raking leaves that have fallen from the trees. 3:24 PM - Sep. 13, 2006 - comments {0} - post commentTidal LearningNow here's a resonating thought: learning like the rhythm of tides. Read more about it here.12:37 PM - Sep. 13, 2006 - comments {0} - post commentRainy Fall DaySoccer, which has barely gotten started for rainy days, is cancelled yet again. The maples are turning red outside and the walnuts, yellow. We spent the afternoon hot glueing fall potporrie to a foam wreath for the front door; it turned out so great! One of these days I'll get around to being able to post pics.I baked oatmeal cookies with W and Sunshine. They are gone now but 4. It was a small batch but they are still Cookie Monsters. I'm trying to save the remaining few for Dad. Speaking of....he's been working hard with them in the evenings and they love it! They are still working through their poem and they spend a lot of time on spelling. He's also teaching them the 5 Intellectual Virtues: understanding, science, wisdom, prudence, and art. They spend a good deal of time discussing "why" they are being taught what they are. We've also been doing a Math U See lesson a day. They like the guy on the video and how he counts; two-T-nine, three-T-five, etc. W has been blending sounds. His writing is true to a 6 year old boy: atrocious. I need to order My Printing Book by HWT for him. Today we started memorizing the Whole Duty of Children by Robert Louis Stevenson. I hope to get him to 2-3 poems per week. Sunday they visited the church in town with us and attended Sunday school. All the classes are doing different levels of the same thing and we happened to come the day they started a 3 year survey of the OT. Good timing! They started with a dramatization and then broke off into classes. First Born's class took turns reading the creation account verse by verse. His opinion? "So much better than that stupid craft stuff they always make you do in Sunday School". Sunshine's class did nearly the same thing but also used a lesson book. Being mostly girls, they also took some time to get to know one another :-). W's class also had a lesson time and playdough. He says, "We learned about Adam and Eve thankyou." I sat with Phat Baby, who liked the story time and the grab bag with different examples of the 5 senses (fluffy for touch, Peanut Butter for smell, etc). In all the classes they served sugary snacks and drinks. Added fodder for wondering why church's sometimes beleive kids can't sit through church. Well not if they're sugared up first! Duh..... I'm inspired by a friend of mine's efforts to educate in a more relaxed way. I feel the loss of a library acutely. Next week starts our co-op's classes. Tutoring will also start that day; scouts and AHG starts this week. Soccer, as I said, is on going sort of, and we have yet to make a decision on music. Time to go make a frittata. 5:33 PM - Sep. 12, 2006 - comments {0} - post commentWill Work For FoodSchool in the evening is going well. For a closer look at a typical day that incorporates our new schedule see this postUntil Dad has more time to either blog or update me so I can do it, I'll have to guess at what they're working on from what I hear now and then as I do other stuff. But here's what I know: Firstborn: During the day I've started enlisting his help more with Phat Baby. Sunshine rightly pointed out that I usually deferred to her and she wanted to "share" the task a bit more. Fair enough. So Firstborn has been learning to attend to basic needs like carrying his brother, getting him up after a nap, making him a cup of milk, helping him eat without making a mess, etc. He's learning to bake cornbread with mixed sucess. I need to suprvise more closely if today's effort was any indication. He's been building with legos often. And he's very anxious to earn money for his stamp collection. Today he washed my car for funds; I sometimes pay him to babysit. He offered to help the neighbor clean off her porch but she turned him down. Undaunted he's trying to think of other things the neighbors may need done that they'd pay him for. He started reading HP5 again (when oh when will he EVER read anything but HP?!) and Dad has him in the McGuffey 5th Reader. We've started Math U See during the day, watching the video lesson and working with blocks. Today was an extra long lesson so I "bought" their added attention with the promise of chocolate chip cookie bars as soon as it was finished. They've made friends with the cooridinator of the tutoring school across the street; started soccer yesterday, and had a cub scout swim party this week. Sunshine: really into letter writing these days! Likes to address and stamp them before I get a chance to see them (or correct her spelling!). Sometimes they don't make it to their destinations because the zip code is missing or something. She's a rollerblading queen. And she's also turned some kind of "hygene corner": making her bed daily, dressing, and coming down for breakfast with hair and teeth brushed. No more ratty hair for the most part. She's in McGuffey's 3rd Reader. She's memorized many lines from Alice in Wonderland and quotes from it often. Baby Ruth is someone she' very excited to meet; her baby cousin due to be born at the end of the year. W: What a stinker these days! Dramatic and stormy a good half of the day, cracking me up with silliness the other half. We're through the vowels in Phonics Pathways. He's learned to write his last name finally and is most proud of mastering the writing of a lower-case "a". Lower case letters have been hard for him. I think he, like his big brother, will be a bit later to write. I'm doing First Language Lessons with him and Singapore Math. He's also watching the Math U See videos during the day. Today I baked cookies with him and Phat Baby; his reward for supervising Phat Baby while I washed the lunch dishes. We're reading A Bear Called Paddington. Phat Baby: busy!!! Make that BUSY! I'm trying to get a sandbox set up for him but can't find a Little Tykes turtle anywhere. I really want a lid due to our cat population. I can build one if I have to but a lid that won't get too heavy and will be weather proof has me a bit stumped. I'm glad the grandparents are coming this weekend and can bring his riding car and little kitchen. Maybe that will help keep him a little more occupied. He's been watching everyone potty with interest but hates to go when his diaper is off. I think that will change soon though. 3:36 PM - Aug. 30, 2006 - comments {2} - post commentAround here lately....bugs: hornets, wasps, praying mantis, dragon flys, beetles, slugs, grubs. mud: there's a bog across the street and the three oldest often wrestle in it. stamp collecting: down to the post office 4 times a day to bug Miss Kay and buy the latest superhero stamps. A Bear Called Padington: what I'm reading to W. books: the library across the street, their movie selection, and the library in town. Poetry: the selection Dad has them doing for copy work and narration in the evenings. Food: oldest has mastered mashed potatoes and browned ground beef. They've taken to daily cups of tea again. Dress Up: sheets are not safe! They are the makings of period costumes for Pride and Prejudice reinactments. Speaking of: the whole first week in this house was a P and P marathon. The County Fair: ATV pulling, unlimited rides, funnel cakes, and new friends. Exploring: the train tracks, stuff "around the bend", and old buildings. Letter writing: they've all been writing and sending; unfortunately, sometimes they come back from being mis-addressed.We're finally findng a routine: I teach W after lunch and Dad teaches the older two in the evenings. I think he's going to do his own record keeping, which will probably inlcude a few blog posts. They are doing Greek Myths and copy work and narration/dictation for now. Phat Baby is a new full time job, as his primary interests involve anything that might be risk-taking with his very life! He's learned about outlets, refrigerators, nearly drowning, the middle of the street, plastic bags on the head, door handles and locks..... 8:01 PM - Aug. 24, 2006 - comments {0} - post commenta new pathSigh. It's probably more the waiting-in-transition weariness of late than the crisis it has felt like. I've felt pursued by the need to formulate a plan of some sort for the kids' structured education this year and have been completely unable to attatch one fragmented thought to another. July and August are typically months of high accomplishment for us and we are learning and living and moving right along. But I've been discontent with it. There is no format, no rhyme or reason to what we are doing. My legs feel too heavy to drag me back into the battle, fighting obstinate children who don't want to do anything that wasn't their own origional idea. And this weekend it just kind of came to a thunderhead and broke, all over dh.It's long been his dream to get to educate the kids. He has left it to me quite begrudgingly but has often used weekends to get his fix. The kids always respond to him terrifically; he gets none of the resistance I get daily and when I keep the younger ones out of the way, they have some fantastic moments together. It's hard to watch and not get jealous. With another adult around I could get a lot more "school" done too!! But that's not the story of my life. Of my days. And this cloud that was building had as much to do with the fact that when we have a scheduled curriculum, it becomes my driver. When I obey that driver, my house suffers. My spirit suffers. My younger children get little mothering. I knew that kind of "plan" wasn't the answer and was despairing of what was. Dh has an idea though. When we move, he'll no longer have the commute or the second job. He wants to do the more formal subjects for the older two kids in the evenings. I'll still teach our 1st grader and nuture the toddler, and take them to their daytime activities. I can make my daily focus the house and hearth and spend time on my strengths: the arts. I can read to them daily without feeling distressed that we aren't getting to the "rest". It means a bit of routine shift, as evenings are usually "our" time. But there's a chance that I'll be less stressed by the evening in this scenario and could actually do tasks that are hard to get to during the day with the baby around. And Dad will be home for lunches in our new home, which I was planning on making our main meal of the day, so we were already going to have a routine change anyway. I feel light. Relief. He's going to contribute to their record keeping and do his own planning and purchasing. They are excited to have this much time with Dad. This means Mt. Laundry can stay tackled, I can feed us well, I can teach W to read and sit and play with baby. We can spend afternoons painting and working in the yard. Maybe they'll take a class with the nuns who run the homeschool across the street. It'll be a different kind of year for sure. For the first time in months, I feel a twinge of anticipation. 3:35 PM - Jul. 23, 2006 - comments {1} - post commentThe Generosity of FriendsThanks to friends today, we recieved 3 military half shelters and several back issues of Discovery Kids. Despite the hot, hot day, the kids immediately set those tents up and we now have a little camp in the backyard by the garden. For three straight hours the brothers (all 3 of them!) played without bickering. Words can not express my gratitude at the reprieve that was!The magazine issues are being devoured. Firstborn is reading more than he has in weeks, practically inhaling all kinds of trivia bits and interesting topics. This evening he's checked his list for camp about 10 times, painstakingly going over every item he needs. He's SO excited to be going! I've drilled him and drilled him..... "Tell me how you put on your sunscreen." "What do you do if you can't go to the bathroom in the latrine?" "How many Gatorades is okay to drink within a day? What kind of snacks should you choose and why?" I know, I know...I'm being neurotic. I spoke with another mom who has done the same thing, only her drills have more to do with fire safety. As in, horror stories about flammable liquids and the fire jumping to them. What is it about being mothers that makes us do this? Earlier today I started crying because it was 3 something on a Wednesday afternoon and he was born at 3 something in the afternoon. Only it was March, not July, and going to camp isn't exactly like being born.... I'm nervous about this! It's his first time and this is a bit of a "dream come true" moment. One reason we left FL was so our kids could get to do these kinds of things and here it is, happening, just like it has over and over this entire year in scouts. 10:19 PM - Jul. 19, 2006 - comments {3} - post commentMostly I'm mush.Can't get a grip on what our educational life should look like this fall. Typically, July and August are tremendously productive times for us. Summer is sailing past and we are stuck, which led me to remember how I tend to wish life would slow down so I can savor every drop and these days, I'm praying for swift passage so that we can get over this hurdle.Firstborn built a table yesterday! It's a great one too and would have been better only if he'd had better materials to work with. It's fairly level, has good braces between the legs and a nice flat top. It now holds his laundry basket. Sunshine has been working on her paper doll sculptures. They are made from regular drawing paper and tape; she makes a cone body and they come out looking like tall and regal nuns. I've got a collection of them saved for a shadowbox. W and Sunshine will go to Greece Camp today and can't wait. I'll take Firstborn shopping for camp supplies; it's his first sleep-away camp for cub scouts this weekend. Baby is trying to talk. He now has "Hah..." (hot), "Mama", "Bah" (ball), "Dooo,doo, dooo" (tickle, tickle, tickle), "Bahb" (bye). We are working on the signs for "more", "please", "thank you", "diaper change", and "all done". I"m still reading Chew on This to them. They are listening to The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit in the car and Firstborn is listening to Moby Dick in his room at night. They all have their grocery store workbooks they are going through. We are moving the same day of our cooperative's kick off so I have no idea how I"m going to logistically work that one out. Calendars are coming out for our fall activities. Maybe some ideas will take shape from that..... 8:58 AM - Jul. 19, 2006 - comments {0} - post commentBack to lifeIf I'd known that we'd be here in town this long I surely would have had my kids plugged into more social events. Today they went to a day camp where they saw their buddies; and they kind of froze with awkwardness when we got there. Not such a good thing and more than a little uncomfortable to watch. They warmed up and had fun though.Collectively we are still reading Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and today we started The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit on tape. At night they are listening to old radio shows...Superman and the Lone Ranger. I went to Walmart to get some cheap art supplies and stood there and stared. For the life of me I can't get a brain-grasp on what we need for the coming year. I did pick up some 10 cent boxes of crayons, figuring we always need those. But it was like staring into a blank, pale, and thirsty sky...I totally can't think of books we want to get into, workbooks we might need, activities they are going to want to explore. My brain is jelly melting in 90 degree heat. Just a puddle of ooze. 7:11 PM - Jul. 12, 2006 - comments {1} - post commentlife and timesToday I went to our online umbrella school www.homelifeacademy.com and recorded the grades for the previous year. I LOVE this feature! We are required here in TN to do things differently than we did in FL but homelife makes it really flexible. I love the ability to have it all online and it even has a transcript feature. I also set up our coming year while I was there. So easy and simple.Firstborn has been working on a writing book and a math book. I picked up cheapies at the store so they'd have something to do other than watch TV through this move. I then offered them MONEY to finish them. Yes I know....bribery. But they are incredibly motivated and this is really extra stuff anyway. If they finish by the end of the month they get more than if they finish in August so he's been a busy little beaver. He also is caring for the chicks daily, learning to cook more (like French Toast and taco meat). He very much wants a subscription to the magazine Discovery Kids. We got a sample issue in the mail and the topics intrested him so much he read it through three times!! Sunshine is writing a book. It's called "The Indian and the Girl Sarah". It has l-o-n-g chapters about Sarah and an Indian girl who meet. She's illustrating it as well and reading aloud to us in the evenings. I'm very impressed! I can see exactly where she needs to work on spelling but I can't think of a better way to do it than to actually WRITE! She's been making doll sculptures out of wads of packing tape..... W is watching a lot of Between the Lions, Sesame Street, and Big Big World. He hasn't been well for longer than the other two and this has meant a lot of couch time this week. We went blackberry picking a week or so ago and built a new coop for our chicks. There's lots more going on and I've had a few times to consider how much planning I want to put into the coming year. It seems most of the traditional types are gearing up for that and the fairs and book sales are in full swing. I'm most looking forward to the tax holiday to get and organize art supplies. Our new neighbors run a tutoring school for homeschoolers and I can't wait to find out more about that! I'd love to know I could outsource a bit of math.... 7:17 PM - Jul. 9, 2006 - comments {3} - post commentAll year 'roundTHE SCHOOLBOY
I love to rise in a summer morn, When the birds sing on every tree; The distant huntsman winds his horn, And the sky-lark sings with me. O! what sweet company.
But to go to school in a summer morn, O! it drives all joy away; Under a cruel eye outworn, The little ones spend the day, In sighing and dismay.
Ah! then at times I drooping sit, And spend many an anxious hour, Nor in my book can I take delight, Nor sit in learnings bower, Worn thro' with the dreary shower.
How can the bird that is born for joy, Sit in a cage and sing. How can a child when fears annoy, But droop his tender wing, And forget his youthful spring.
O! father and mother, if buds are nip'd, And blossoms blown away, And if the tender plants are strip'd Of their joy in the springing day, By sorrow and cares dismay,
How shall the summer arise in joy Or the summer fruits appear. Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy Or bless the mellowing year, When the blasts of winter appear.
--William Blake from SONGS OF EXPERIENCE, 1794 My friend Misty posted this on her blog today. See Leaving a Legacy. I love the poem, love it's sentiment. The beautiful freedom of summer is the primary thing that got me thinking about a year 'round, life-learning routine rather than the traditional schedule. Because beautiful days and discovery aren't contained in one season. And books and purposeful education shouldn't, in my opinion, be kept into such boundaries. Freedom is for all seasons, for all times, for all people. I love our rhythm that seems to strike a balance that allows for the savored joy of every season. 10:55 PM - Jun. 24, 2006 - comments {2} - post commentone of those timesmy poor children aren't doing much for larnin these days....all their books, their art supplies, their toys, their field guides, all of it is boxes. And will be so for an additional week as our move has gotten pushed back. The Brothers Grimm is a stupid movie. Maya and Miguel is a stupid show and the theme song is hereby banned from the house as it grates on Mother's very last nerve. Our chicks are growin' super fast and have outgrown two brooder boxes. I hope they stay in their third until I get their coop built. But Firstborn has become very skilled in their daily care and needs. Sunshine was (until mean mommy packed up all the paper thinking we were moving the next day) designing swim suits. She's getting very good at body proportions. W has alternated either being a Storm Cloud or apologizing for being a Storm Cloud. They actually asked when they could "do school". I think they'll be ripe and ready once we get things moved. 2:58 PM - Jun. 24, 2006 - comments {1} - post commentmiscellaneousSunshine came in and for some reason Dad fussed at her about something, making her shout, "Please don't get so distressed with me!"Ahem. She's 8. Sometimes she definitely doesn't sound like it! Firstborn had a close call today. While playing with a friend the safety was off their airsoft gun and his friend accidentally shot him in the eye. Thank God he shut it in time and it grazed the outer eye lid. It's blood shot and swollen and tender but he can see alright and it seems he'll be fine. It was so close! Both boys seem to have finally learned this lesson that until now, they hadn't taken very seriously. 9:02 PM - Jun. 19, 2006 - comments {2} - post commentTelevision contributionsSunshine actually learned something in a week of TV!At dinner we were cutting the cake and two pieces were sticking together. She got frustrated and said, "Ugh! They are tesellating!" "Huh?" said I. "Duh Mom...Tesellating. Where two shapes come together without gaps or overlaps. You are an adult. You should know that!" Ooops. Pardon me. Also picked up was the word "symetrical". She's gone around in her best TV announcer voice and described different things she finds that are symetrical. Our house. Our faces. Our room arrangements. And that gave us a good opprotunity to introduce asymetrical. And "identical" came into play. All said in her best parody of a TV scientist. Guess it wasn't a total wash after all :-) 7:55 PM - Jun. 18, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment
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DescriptionLabels don't fit. Not 'homeschooler", not "unschooler" not "classical educator". We are a family. We learn, we play, we read, we fight, we laugh, we struggle, and we discover together. We shun the calendar and packaged curriculum. You won't find a "teacher's guide" with a schedule making me it's slave within these walls. What you will find is a group of people, sometimes rough around the edges, digging in the dirt to grow things, reading books to expand our minds, paint up to our elbows, chickens in the yard, something simmering on the stove, and maybe tea on the front porch....this is a record of The Rhythm of Our Days. Living, Learning, Laughing, and Loving. Home User Profile Archives Recent Entries - I'm MOVING!!! - Really like this idea.... - Breezy Easy - need a second cup..... - Times Links • Living Deliberately • Living Math • Our Area's Cooperative • The Bonny Glen • Every Waking Hour • Live and Learn • Bravewriter Lifestyle Friends |
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