• Jun. 11, 2008 - summer activities
| We love to do pretty much anything free! My son has gone to Vacation Bible School sessions at neighborhood churches each summer for the past 2 summers, as well as concerts in the park, fishing lessons(also in the park), and going to the library. We have memberships for various area museums, so we go there periodically, although they definitely are NOT free... Well worth it though! We have also spent hours watching workers doing their things...planting big trees, pouring sidewalks, roads being torn up, and sewer lines being installed. We make bread, jello, cookies, and popsicles, and hang out with his friends in the yard. Of course, watching, and catching bugs in the yard is an all time favorite. We listen to books on tape every time we go out in the car, and he likes to listen to them in bed too. Every little thing becomes a field trip, or has educational value of some sort. No end to things that we can do! |
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• Apr. 1, 2008 - Getting it all done
I've gotten myself frustrated again. Piles of papers covering the dining room table, boxes of books sitting in the living room, clothes covering the piano bench and the couch....and I didn't get to vacuum the rug again today. But I managed to get to my job at the office and get the bathrooms cleaned, emptied the garbage, vacuumed the rugs and floors, and mopped everything that needed to be mopped...all in 1 hour. It doesn't seem fair...I can do the office 5X/week, but can't get the beds stripped, and the laundry folded, ironed, or put away!
My newest idea? Schedule in the necessary chores, and pay myself for each day that they get done. Shouldn't take me more than one hour each day, and $5 per day is plenty....and then I can spend it as I wish on the weekend, without feeling guilty! Maybe that would help get my son on board with the chore thing too...I want him to help, because it is the right thing to do, but sometimes a little remuneration is a nice perk! I managed to get the bathrooms and rugs done yesterday, only got one bathroom done today, but did 5 loads of laundry instead of the vacuuming. I can't get it all done, but if I get some done every day, I'm still ahead of the game, aren't I?
So, chore charts for both of us....we'll have to iron out the details, and agree on payment, but I can see that this might help us get our acts together....and maybe build some good habits at the same time! |
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• Mar. 28, 2008 - Getting him motivated
We are working on learning how to read. I have been using a phonics book called Alpha-Phonics, which is pretty basic, but my son is acting a bit bored....OK, well, we are only on the 14th lesson, and still working on the combinations with the letter a....he probably knows about 50 words already, taped to our dining room door for reference, I just wanted to go thru a real program with him to make sure that we weren't forgetting anything. My problem is that he doesn't really have any interest in doing this work. He'll do it, so that I will let him spend time on the computer, or in front of the TV...but how do I get him to WANT to do the work, without bribing him?
We have the same problem with math, he wants to give up so easily, even though with the slightest bit of concentration he can accomplish all that I am asking of him. He doesn't seem to have a problem with concentration, as long as it is a topic that he is interested in...Magic School Bus computer games keep him busy for hours, and he is learning tons from them. He can watch How It's Made for hours, and tell us all about what he watched, and give plenty of details. But as soon as I say that he has to do some 'work', he shuts down. He's only 5! What am I going to do with him to keep up his momentum, if I can't get him to be internally motivated? I don't want to bribe him throughout all his school days.
I suppose that the problem is that he is not going to be motivated to do what I want him to do, until he wants to do it. I think that is really what un-schooling is about. When he is really interested in something, the learning happens at atomic speed. It is so hard to get out of the public school mind set, where everyone is being taught on a schedule, and you either learn it or you don't , and you may or may not come back to it at a later time. We go back to his favorite activities all the time...slime making in particular...and going out to explore the yard(and the mud...!)
I hope that I can learn to just let him learn....and just expose him to as much as possible, so that he can find those things that interest him....they all get his attention at some point! |
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• Nov. 15, 2007 - Collecting and teaching
I am in a quandry. I am a collector, and have now found a new thing to collect....books and materials for homeschooling! I have a beautiful collection of reference books about the process, and tons of books for teaching just about any subject you can think of-languages, science, history, art, math, phonics, and loads of cd's to teach at the computer, and lots of science kits and crafts items, for those days when the 'I'm bored" mood hits.
The problem is: when do I actually USE all of this stuff? We are so busy going everywhere, that we don't get to use hardly any of our books. I have them all organized on shelves by topic, but can't remember exactly WHAT we have. And I am always looking for more at sales. It is a compulsion. I want to own it all...and see the possiblities in everything!
On the plus side however, my son IS learning a lot, and we can look up practically anything that he has an interest in. We go on field trips often, so that he is exposed to new experiences. He tells anyone who will listen about his current interest, and his vocabulary is WAY above grade level. He is able to speak in a clear voice, and has great eye contact, so people can understand him easily. He invites children of all ages to participate in whatever activity he is pursuing, and he can stand up for himself when he feels that something is unfair, or if he doesn't understand something. Overall, I guess he's learned all the skills he needs as a kindergartener to be successful in the real world. That is really our goal, to make him self-sufficient.
So, I suppose I can continue collecting...as long as it doesn't get in the way of daily communication with my son...and the book cases don't collapse from the weight....just how many bookcases CAN I put one of top of the other? |
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• Jun. 13, 2007 - talking to the press
OK, so the title is a little misleading.
Seb had a chance to speak to a reporter after an incident in our neighborhood. It wasn't on tape, but my husband reported the conversation to me. Almost every day, someone asks Seb if he is on vacation, or if he is starting Kindergarten in the fall. He says no, I don't go to the High School anymore, I am being home schooled. We get a lot of surprised looks at THAT one...! He went to the high school's pre-K program for 2 years, 10 weeks each year. He was invited to come back this year, but he wasn't learning anything there, it was only to provide the high-schoolers an extra child to practice their nursery school program skills upon.
Anyway.
He was talking to the reporter about bugs, one of his favorite topics. She asked him what his favorite insect was, and he responded: butterflies. She asked him why he liked them the best, and he told her:
They start out as caterpillars, and eat things in our garden, but then they turn into butterflies and pollinate our gardens so that we have more fruits and vegetables.
She was very taken with his response, and commented that he was very smart. He acknowledged that fact. then she asked him about his schooling, and he told her that he was being home schooled. She asked if Mom or Dad taught him, and he said Mom...and that he was smarter than Dad...got a grin out of the reporter, and another wry grin from Dad. Dad does plenty of the teaching, but Seb doesn't realize when he is being taught...Dad's teachings are just more conversations in the every day life of the Calabro family!
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• Apr. 27, 2007 - Learning how to use the language
OK, we've been loosely homeschooling now for 4 1/2 years, which is my son's current age. People are constantly asking if he is in school yet, and those same people are nodding and agreeing that home is really the best place for him to be! He learns very well from videos, books on tape, and exploring the wild outdoors. I know that he is learning, because he comes up to me at least once a day, and asks me to explain a word or phrase that he has heard. He loves to be creative and is learning to play with language. His newest thing is similes. The two examples I have are:
Quick as a mouse (I put my shoes on quick as a mouse)
Clean as an onion (I washed my hands, they are clean as an onion)
I don't know how he came up with them. But they do show that he is learning how to use our wonderful language.
He also talks to everyone he meets, and tells them all sorts of things...they all shake their heads, and ask, "HOW old is he?" I think he could hold his own with any 3rd-4th grader, except that he can't read or write yet. But even that is coming along. He has started writing words all on his own. OK, not complete words. LBRE for Library, and PRT for party. But that's not a bad beginning for someone who only knows how to write his capitol letters. He has also started trying to sound out spellings for us when we tell him a word.
I'm so proud. And so happy that he is learning. I'm so blessed! |
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• Oct. 26, 2006 - How do their minds work?
My son woke up yesterday, crawled in bed with me, and once I woke up enough to have a decent conversation with him, he asked me, "what does manipulation mean?" Ok, he really is listening to all those stories we have in the car. I gave him the definition, and some examples from real life. Then he asked, "But how does a fan work?" I know, I should be used ot it by now. Anything he is currently looking at is fair game for conversation and exploration. He had been lying on his back looking at the ceiling fan while I answered the previous question. So, I went on to explain the fan by use of comparison to a car wheel and engine. He seemed to get that quickly enough, then promptly went on to ask me how a venus flytrap catches it's prey. Don't ask me where THAT came from! I don't have a clue.
Teaching my son this way has had good consequences. He is being taught 'where he is' right now. His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. And I am getting a much needed boost in my self esteem...I really know a lot more than I ever gave myself credit for! All of his questions bring out all of the information that I have stored away for the past 44 years, when I didn't really think I was learning much at all! I still have many bare spots-I don't know much at all about history or current events, and I'm a little sketchy on the upper sciences and maths, but luckily, my wonderful other half is willing and able to take up the slack!
Now, since my son has been exposed to this type of learning, I have been observing him teaching others. He is very willing to share whatever he knows, and he is more patient while teaching than at any other time.
He even taught me something the other day. I looked over at him, sitting quietly on the couch, and his hands were folded, and he was looking intently at them, and speaking quietly. He looked up to me, and said, " I am praying to God. Can you come sit with me?" I sat next to him while he finished, and then he told me, "It's your turn. Pray out loud." I normally think of prayer as being private, done silently, but I thought about it hard, and thanked God for the day, and asked for patience and for guiding our day.
Son seemed to like that prayer, because he heard me asking for help, and it had something to do with him. I find myself yelling at him often, usually because I have not allowed enough time to do something, and we are running late, but there are other times also. He will stop, and ask me if I will be happy tomorrow. It always stops my rant, I take a breath, and say, "I'm happy now." And I mean it. I can't always control my angry reactions, but God has given me this little boy to help grow my patience and gentleness. How can I stay unhappy? I usually explain what was making me so upset, I get a hug from him, and we go on with our day. My bad times are becoming less and less, with my son's teaching and God's graciousness. I hope someday to be the Mom that my son sees in me. He's already everything that I could hope for!
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• Sep. 27, 2006 - Why does that ant want to get out?
Seb has taken a definite interest in the bug life around our home. We have a beautiful spider that he named Charlotte(guess where he got THAT name!?)...camped outside of our back door all summer. We have watched her building and rebuilding her web, catching her prey and eating it, and looked at her web with rain and dew on it.
He has collected a dragonfly, cicada, honey bee, pill bug, and yellow jacket, all ensconced in an old baby wipe box, lined with kleenex. He picks them up to show friends, and can name them all.
We have watched butterflies all summer coming to our overgrown garden, with an overabundance of milkweed...so we had many monarchs this year, in addition to the other flutterbyes. He was in tears when one came by and he didn't come out fast enough to see it, but he is thrilled when we find one on our walks, and tells everyone what it is, and follows it as long as he is able.
Our newest aquisition is a bug house, which came with a small domed object, with a maze in it. He caught a carpenter ant, and put him in the maze, where we put a small piece of bread for food. The ant really didn't understand the object of the maze, he probably was really too large for it...he could walk over all of the blockades, and climbed all over the top of the dome. Seb told me that the ant didn't want to run into walls, so he just climbed over them. We kept that ant for about 1 1/2 hours(yes, the dome has air holes) and he never stopped to eat his bread, or to rest. The entire time, he tried to escape. Seb was trying to make sense of it. Why wasn't he happy? Why didn't he eat? and most important, why couldn't we just let him out anywhere?
So we discussed the fact that ants will kill any stranger that comes into their nesting area, because they are invaders. He wasn't happy because he wasn't able to do his job of gathering food for his family. He couldn't take time to eat, he had to get back to his job. Seb understood that the ant loved his family, because he fed them, and helped to take care of them. He was sad that the ant was so intent on leaving the maze, but he knew that he could not keep him any longer. We let the ant go into our garden, next to the driveway where he had been found. Seb put down the piece of bread next to him, and said that maybe he could bring it back to his home.
Altogether, it was a successful lesson. Next, he wants to catch a night bug, to examine it. His flashlight is ready, and so is his magnifying cup....May all our lessons be this easy!
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• Aug. 19, 2006 - VBS and home school?
We have had a very busy summer...my son has taken a week of swim lessons, and 5 weeks of VBS....I never thought before that I could send a child to more than one, we only over went to the week hosted by our home church. It has been great for him, he's met some new friends, and comes home saying "JESUS loves ME!:" which I think is great....
But...
All this talk about homeschooling my son, and I willingly give him over to other people to give myself some free time, and to let them teach him about Christ. Am I confused? Is there something wrong with my logic? I am home schooling him because I don't want to have him exposed to all of the behavior problems so prevalent in the schools, but since it is a church, I don't have to worry about that????!!!
Well, in general, I guess I think that this has been a great summer for him, and we got to meet people from different churches. We went to 2 Baptist Churches, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal...and they were all great fun. He's gone on treasure hunts, learned about the mission field, and celebrated a FIESTA, and he came home with new vocabulary words, and art projects.
Now, I just heard, Church of the Nazarene is hosting VBS next week, with a super hero theme...great for my budding super hero! So, it's off to church we go...!
But maybe next summer, we won't plan QUITE so much.
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• Aug. 10, 2006 - Losing weight, losing my stuff???
It took my son's question to get me started. Why are you so big? Why do you have a big butt? Why are you so angry?
For each pregnancy, I gained weight, and then lost some of it, but not all. Three children later, I have 60 pounds more than I started with!
So, one of my friends told me that she lost 70 pounds, after having 5 kids, once pregnancy being twins, and I asked her how she did it...she told me about Weigh Down, which is a class to teach people how to get away from their addiction to food, diets, exercise...I was in the orientation class today, and I loved it. There is great music, and online facilitator, and we get to chat online with each other, to give encouragment and advice. The main idea behind the class is teaching yourself to wait for hunger, then only eat enough to stop yourself from being hungry. But that is not the whole focus of the class. We have to change our focus, from the things that take all of our time, to God, who gave us everything. My new mantra is between "I am sufficient unto you" and " The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." I am finding that I am only eating, because it is time to eat, not that I am hungry. Were our parents doing us a disservice by enforcing mealtimes? I still want to spend time together, but if I am not hungry, I will only drink, and take my time with that!
So, now that I am losing weight(12 pounds in 3 weeks)...can I also focus on losing my extra stuff? I am a garage sale addict...and my home no longer looks like a home, but a warehouse...attic, cellar, garage, and everywhere in between. I love the thrill of finding the bargain, but I dread trying to find a place to put it when I get home! I do not need all these things, and I am finding that they are taking away my enjoyment of my home and my family....no longer a place of rest and refuge, but a place of tensions and strife.
So, God, please be sufficient unto me, take away the desire to own more, make my home a reflection of the best that we can have in you...Enough, not too much! Make my home a refuge from the outside world, a place where we can feel your presence by looking around!
And All God's people said....Amen!
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• Jul. 26, 2006 - Public School? Benefits? Where?
As a mom of 2 publicly schooled kids, I have to say that I am not terribly impressed. Both of my children qualified for the gifted and talented programs, but I never felt that they received much of anything for that 'honor.' The only exception to that was the Young Scholars program, offered by the BOCES program, which was a pull out program, one day per week, for enrichment activities. Lots of vocabulary work, lots of writing, and great projects. But the program was only for grades 4-7, I believe...
In the regular classroom, the teachers were WAY too busy teaching to the test, and trying to bring the low achievers up to a minimum level. The smarter kids were left to their own devices, either to excel on their own, or to coast by, and get just Ok grades. I happened to have one of each...a very high achiever, and a coaster. My daughter claims that being labelled gifted and talented had no positive results for her...it just put her in higher level classes, with WAY more work, but not more of anything interesting...just work!
And for those people who claim that socialization is such a crucial part of a public school education, they obviously never worked in a school. After 7 years of being a teachers' aide, I can tell you that there is precious little time spent on socializing. Because of the number of children given to each instructor, and the number of accompanying behavior problems, most of the time is spent telling the kids to be quiet and listen, in classes and in halls. Lunchtime? YOU try talking to your friend in a echoing room full of 200 screaming kids, and getting and eating your lunch in 20 minutes.
SOOOO, enter child number 3, I finally decided to take the plunge, and I am homeschooling him. OK, he only just turned 4, but he has the vocabulary of a 5th grader. He can only count to 13 accurately, but is now trying to figure out the 20's and 30's....he works on his own computer, loves magic schoolbus, and is an avid bug collector. Bet you can't tell that I am proud of him! How many 4 year olds can talk to you about nail beds and fingernails...and understand that they are made of the same stuff as your hair? Or, be able to tell you what anthropomorphism is?(Or even say it?) After thinking about it for 16 years with my first 2, I think I'm ready to home school. I'm still working out the details, but I think that we'll be fine.
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