May 3, 2008 - Time Flies
Well, it's been a long time since I've been on here to log the kids' adventures in homeschooling. Life's been extremely busy and now I find myself without internet access - here I sit at the public library...
I am hoping that some of our recent upheavals will enable me to have more time to chronicle the kids' experiences. We'll see...
Take Care & God Bless!
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September 23, 2007 - The Last Day of Summer - Is it Fun or is it School?
Today the children and I attended our first outing with our new homeschooling group. As is typical of me, I was late AND got lost! Then I forgot to print the email with the coordinator's cell number on it; however, it wouldn't have done me much good in the mountains without reception. Anyway, we finally made it and the children had a really good time - so did I.
We were hungry so the first thing we did was sit down to eat. One of the fathers was nice enough to grill our hot dogs for us (I don't think I've used one of those outdoor grills ever!).
The moms had put together a nature scavenger hunt for us, so Jack, Annie and I grabbed a list and two paper bags and set off into the woods. At first we were not on any particular trail and that proved traumatic for Annie, so we found a trail and set off again. Jack was very enthusiastic and kept trying to run ahead. However, after a few falls and scrapes, he decided it was better to stick close. I agreed!
One of the things on our list was a chunk of moss. Annie was amazed to discover that moss grows on many things...
A Tree
The Ground
The Pavement
She also discovered that it comes in various forms (at least I hope this is a type of moss, I've been a city girl too long!)
Soft, like a carpet
Springy
We heard a sound and went to investigate. To Jack and Annie's delight, we found a little creek. In fact, it's name was Little Hunting Creek.
The trail stopped briefly to allow the highway to go through. So we took to climbing about forty stairs and then walking above the highway. The we walked down the steps again, to continue the trail. On the other side we found something called slag. This is basically a byproduct in the production of iron in a blast furnace. It is considered, at least in this location, to be historically significant and we were instructed not to take any of it with us. It was compared to volcanic rock and/or obsidian.
Lastly, as we found our way back over the bridge, I had the children pause for a photo. So, here they are looking out over the cars on the highway...
All-in-all it was a very good day. We met some new friends, ate some good food, hiked a good hike, explored the beauty of God's world and spent quality time together. I was very impressed with this new group. The ladies were so friendly.
So, now did we have 'school' today? Well, let's see... We did science and physical education. Or, did we just learn while having fun? I'd say the latter. And that's how I think learning should be. Yes, there are things you need to have a little structure in order to learn. However, there is so much to learn by getting out and doing. I am trying to foster a love of learing in my children and I think this is one of the ways to do it. Today, we got out and experienced life.
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September 7, 2007 - The Real First Day of School
Yesterday I posted about the first unofficial day of school. Now I can write about the actual, official first day of school. I am extremely pleased to say that it went well - not perfect, but well.
I had decided that I would plan a little out for the first week to see how they would progress and how long certain things would take. So we had a few things planned for the day. The children went to the dining room table to find new pencil boxes, filled with all the supplies we had purchased over the last couple of weeks. The supplies weren't a surprise, but the boxes were and they loved them.
Then we settled in for a special breakfast. Unfortunately, I am a cereal mom on most mornings, but I promised them that they could have some French Toast to start their special day.
After getting dressed in new outfits, it was off to math. We are using Singapore Math and beginning the 1A book. This book contains a lot that Jack already knows, but some he doesn't. Given the nature of math, I decided that it was best to go through it from the beginning anyway. I also thought that it would be good for Annie to try. While I do not expect her to get it all, she did great on Tuesday and has continued to enjoy it throughout the week. Jack has been flying through and really enjoying it as well.
From there we did our combined Bible verse and copywork. Since we are studying Astronomy in Science and Creation in History. I chose to start at the beginning: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth." Genesis 1:1. They will copy the same verse all week, in turn practicing their spelling and grammar; and memorizing the verse.
Science was next. We are using Exploring Creation through Astronomy. We began by reading the first page and learning some new words. We tried narration, but it proved a bit difficult. I found that I had to reread and also ask leading questions. We will definitely be working on this aspect next week. Despite the initial difficulties, they both seemed to enjoy what we read.
We took a break and ran an errand. Then it was back to the table for our first Tea (inspired by Dawn). I had gotten an idea from Dawn about a zinger tea sweetened with fruit juice. So I served this wonderful (and simple) concoction with great anticipation. They both disliked it. Oh well, more for Mama! During this time we read about the saint of the day (St. Rose of Viterbo) and found Viterbo on the map of Italy. This part they seemed to enjoy.
We ended our day with dinner, reflection on the day and a special dessert - Pencil Cake (as seen on Family Fun)
All in all it was a very good day. In fact the whole week has been good. I feel so blessed to be able to have this opportunity with my children. I really look forward to this journey we have begun. I am grateful to God for putting this idea on my heart and providing me with the support and resources necessary to do it.
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September 7, 2007 - First UNofficial Day of School
This post was inspired by Margaret in Minnesota and was several days in the making! Thank you, Margaret!
Our first UN official day of school was in fact on Monday ~ yes, Labor day! Why, you ask, did we start school on a holiday? Well, one answer could be that I am a rookie; a newbie at this homeschool thing. OR, it could be that I decided that we would start our year off with a little fun... at the Maryland State Fair!
We learned a lot about our state, agriculture and more. So, follow along as I show you what we learned on a holiday...
Our farms support many types of animals...
In addition to animals, Maryland provides a lot of corn...
Jack learned how to milk a cow...
So did Annie.. (She wanted to do it again!)
Jack learned about brakes...
Annie learned about hard work and persistence...
They both learned about being engineers - those circus animals made so much noise!
We all learned about gravity ~ remember this one? Annie just made the height requirement and both were excited! Jack wasn't sure about the loud music (actually, I thought the song they were playing was completely inappropriate for children and it was loud, but I'm becoming an old lady now, so what do I know?) , but he got on. In the end, they both had fun and Annie was upset that they wouldn't let her ride again!
We discussed literature ~ unbelievable, but true. Jack and I went on this hang gliding ride. We both were laying down on our stomachs as the ride picked us up and allowed us to soar through the air. We compared this ride to the flight of Peter and Wendy in Peter Pan, as we had recently finished listening to the book on tape.
We learned about auto safety...
We learned about healthy eating...
We learned what to avoid...
Now is this advertising two items? Or are there banana-flavored Twinkies?
True Confessions: Mama secretly would like to try a couple of these...
"But I don't want to go" ~ Annie was having too much fun learning and didn't want to leave...
"Day is done ~ Gone the Sun ... All is well ~ Safely Rest ~ God is nigh"
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August 23, 2007 - Monday
Monday was a fun and educational day around here! First, we finished up a chemistry kit that Jack bought for Annie a little while back. The last two experiments were very simple and worked well together so we did them both. In the first part, we discovered that water, combined with the curve of a glass, magnified letters on a page. We took that a step further and examined a single drop of water on a piece of waxed paper. Jack and Annie both agreed that the water drop was not flat, it was curved. We then compared that to the curved glass and they correctly predicted that this drop would also magnify letters. They were amazed to see that no matter how many drops we added, the larger drop always had a curved surface.
For the next part, we got out the microscope that was included in the kit. The microscope itself was nothing to write home about. However, the kids loved it! First, we went over the parts of the scope. Then we used a prepared slide to magnify cotton, wool and silk. They enjoyed seeing how these tiny fibers 'became' bigger when seen through the curved lens of the scope. Then more fun began as we made our own slides. We viewed gelatin crystals and salt crystals. We also viewed freshly ground pepper. They thought that the pepper would look like a crystal as well, but they found out that it actually had jagged edges. Now, Jack is trying to magnify everything in sight - pun intended. He doesn't quite get the full concept yet as he is trying to magnify many larger things. Or, maybe he does... He told me that he wanted to see what these things were made of!
BUT our fun didn't stop there. We had recently finished reading a Magic Tree House book entitled "Night of the New Magicians". In this story, the characters are told to find four new magicians...
"Magician of Sound
His voice can be heard
for a thousand miles
Magician of Light
His fires glow
but they do not burn
Magician of the Invisible
he battles deadly enemies
no one can see
Magician of Iron
he bends the metals of the earth
and triumphs over the wind"
This story takes place at the Paris World's Fair. The idea was to find these magicians and learn their secrets. So the characters head to Paris and end up at the top of the Eiffel Tower in a room with these magicians. However, along the way, they discover that they are not really magicians in the usual sense of the word. They also learn some very valuable secrets.
We really enjoyed this story and decided to have "French Night". We went to the grocery store and picked up some necessities: French Bread (from Pillsbury due to our nut allergy), cheese, and chocolate mousse. At the house we already had grapes and hot chocolate (it was a chilly day for August in Baltimore!). So we sat down to dinner with our bread, cheese and grapes.
And our hot chocolate...
And our delicious mousse au chocolate...
So, we sat down with our goodies and began to discuss the book again. We discovered that we were using the inventions of the four new magicians as we ate our dinner:
1. Magician of Sound ~ Alexander Graham Bell: While we weren't using a phonograph, we were listening to music on a cd player, of which the phonograph was a predecessor.
2. Magician of Light ~ Thomas Alva Edison: We had many light bulbs in the chandelier overhead.
3. Magician of the Invisible ~ Louis Pasteur: We were eating cheese and drinking milk (disguised as chocolate), both having underwent the process of pasteurization.
4. Magician of Iron ~ Gustave Eiffel: We were dining at a table made from bent metals.
We learned the secrets of these great magicians as well:
1. Eiffel ~ "From my father I inherited a taste for adventure; from my mother a love of work and responsibility."
2. Pasteur ~ "Chance favors the prepared mind."
3. Edison ~ "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
4. Bell ~ "When one door closes, another door opens. We often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open up for us."
All in all, I think it was a very productive and fun day. Both Jack and Annie have asked to do it again someday. I am sure that we will!
Au Revoir et Bon Soir.
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August 20, 2007 - Welcome...
Hello to Our Family and Friends!
I have set up this free blog so that the children can share their educational journey with you. We will post lessons, schedules, projects, pictures, and more so that you can see how they are progressing. While I will do a majority of the posting, the children will be allowed to post as well sometimes. We welcome your comments and look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Because this is a public blog, I will give the children "internet names" to help protect their identity. Also, their full faces will not be shown in the photos. Those of you to whom this blog is targeted already know what they look like. I will call them Jack and Annie - the two main characters of a series they enjoy reading.
As of this writing, Jack is almost 6. I can not believe that he will be 6 in October. Time does fly. I have officially filled out the 'Home School Notification Form' for the county because he is now considered to be of 'education age'. Annie recently turned 4 and tries to do everything her big brother does! We will be including her in all of the homeschool activities, and she will be allowed to do them as her ability allows. Being only 18 months apart, I suspect that they will be working on the same level in many things eventually.
For now, we have specific plans for: History, Science, Math and Language. We will also be doing art, music, health and physical education a little mroe informally. As we are following a Classical approach, we will be starting history at the beginning ~ Creation ~ and studying it chronologically. This will run in four year cycles, so that they will receive instruction in all time periods three times, each time delving a little deeper.
In line with Classical and Charlotte Mason, our primary vehicle for learning will be literature. We will be using what are called Living Books; those books that are written by a single author who is passionate about his/her subject. They make the subject come alive for the reader; not what's typically found in textbooks. We will follow a pattern of reading and narration. I will read aloud to the children and they will repeat back to me ~ in their own words ~ what they have learned. As they get older, they will write these narrations. They will also have opportunities to illustrate these narrations.
For science, we have chosen a series by Jennie Fulbright entitled, "Exploring Creation through..." There are currently four titles in this series. We are starting with "Astronomy" and Jack is VERY excited about that. He has 'read' through the book several times already! We will supplement this series with many books on the topics of space, planets, astronomy, etc.
For math, we have chosen a series called, "Singapore Math". Both Jack and Annie are excited by these. It was funny that after I ordered the first grade books (part A & part B), I decided that I had to order the second grade books as well. Jack knows at least 50-75% of what's in the first grade books already. Annie knows at least 25% of the first grade topics as well. However, they are very colorful and both are looking forward to starting these.
Annie has shown a strong interest in learning to read. She already knows her letters and how to write them. She knows most of the sounds they make as well. So, I thought I would concentrate on teaching her to read. I got a copy of "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". It is based on the SRA system that taught me to read several years back (ok, many, many years back 
). She really would like to be able to read as well as Jack does.
I guess that's enough of an introduction for now. I will post again shortly about some things that we did today (Monday).
