Back to School

Today was our first day back to “school.” So, what does that mean for homeschooled children that go to “school” year-round? Well, it means that my kids happily plunged into their new materials that have been sitting on the shelf waiting for them for the past few weeks. We still have a few loose ends to tie up from last year, but for the most part, everyone is moving forward with new materials.

With a new school year comes an updated family schedule. I wish I could tell you that wake up every morning, fly by the seat of our pants, and everything is magically completed at the end of the day. Unfortunately, that just isn’t so. I try every so often to work without a schedule, and find that we just don’t get as much done. So, the schedule is updated and perfected each year to reflect our needs. Again, we structure our time, not our content, still giving us quite a bit of flexibility with our day.



We have also updated our chore chart. The kids were getting tired of completing the same old chores each day, so to mix it up, we decided that we’d change chores every six months or so, so that everyone got a chance at the different chores.



In order to help us remember what we would like to get accomplished each day, the kids have a daily work chart.



If you can’t tell, I am a visual person, so the charts help me to know what we still have left to accomplish each day. I have each chart in a page protector on the refrigerator so the kids can mark off each item when they complete them, with a dry erase marker.

I am working to get a listing of each of their curricula and will post it as soon as I have it complied.

Here’s to a great “school year”!

Fieldtrip to the Battleship USS Alabama

This month's Co-op fieldtrip was an adventure to Mobile to see the USS Alabama battleship and the USS Drum submarine. Since Hubby is a US Navy sailor, our family knows a thing or two about ships, but they were all young (or not born) the last time we toured a naval ship.

The USS Alabama is a decommissioned WWII battleship that was purchased with donations collected by Alabama school children in 1964 after they learned that the ship was to be scrapped. On January 9, 1965, the USS Alabama was opened to the public, and was later joined by the USS Drum on July 4, 1969.

The kids had a wonderful time. Some of the younger children were a bit hesitant to go down the first few ladder wells, but by the end of the tour, most of them were handling them like pros. My younger two, on the other hand, did not care for the ladder well at all, so I had to carry Jensen down all of the ladder wells, while Jolie walked down directly behind me so I could catch her if she fell.

It was fun to see how sailors lived during WWII. Many things were different about their "ship life," but there were many more that were very similar to way sailors live on ships today.

Here are a few photos from our adventure. Enjoy!

Homemade Dough for Playing

I’ve tried several recipes for homemade play dough. Some were coarse, some were sticky, and some were downright dry. I seemed to strike out every time I tried to make a copycat of the ever popular Play-Doh. That all changed with a recipe I received from a close homeschooling friend the other day, who told me the recipe was tried and true.

I can now agree that this recipe is wonderful. No sticky hands, no coarse texture, no difficulty in manipulating. I have some very satisfied customers. This will be my go to play dough recipe in the future. The price is right (most ingredients are readily available around the house), the process is simple, and the kids can have whatever color tickles their fancy. Enjoy!

Play Dough Recipe

1 C flour
¼ C salt
2 T cream of tartar
1 C water
1 T oil
30 drops food coloring

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Add the water, oil, and food coloring and heat over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. As soon as the dough forms a ball, turn the dough out on the counter and knead for a minute or so. Store in an air-tight container.

2009-2010 Daily Schedule

As I think I've mentioned before, I work best on a general schedule. Without a schedule, I tend to be lost...time management goes out the window and I come to the end of the day feeling like I haven't gotten anything done.

My kids tend to have the same problem. Without some guidance, they would entrench themselves in one or two activities (primarily Legos and imaginary play) and disregard all other responsibilities (such as brushing one's teeth and changing out of their pajamas).

For both the kids and myself, I have come up with a guiding schedule to help us glide through the day. We have time to complete our responsibilities and still have time for some fun. The schedule is not set in stone, allowing for some flexibility.

How do you keep your family rolling along? Do you have a strict schedule, a guiding schedule, or do you just fly by the seat of your pants? I love hearing and learning about how other families structure (or don't structure) their day...so let me know.

Our 2009-2010 Homeschool Curriculum

5th Grade

History – Famous Men of the Middle Ages; Magna Carta Jackdaw, Columbus and the Age of the Explorers Jackdaw
Science – Science Explorer: Earth Science; Story of Science: Newton at the Center
Math – Math U See Zeta; Mathematicians are People Too, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
Language Arts
       Writing – Writing Strands Level 2
       Grammar – G.U.M. Drops Grade 5; Painless Grammar
       Spelling – Explode the Code 7 & 8; Painless Spelling
Latin – Getting Started with Latin
Logic – Mind Benders B1/B2 & B3/B4
Typing – Typing Instructor for Kids


1st Grade

History – Story of the World Level 2: Middle Ages
Science – R.E.A.L. Science Earth Science
Math – Math U See Beta
Language Arts
       Writing – Writing Strands Level 2
       Grammar – G.U.M. Drops Grades 1-2
       Spelling – Explode the Code 3 ½, 4, 4 ½; Natural Speller

Win a Free Rosetta Stone Latin Program

While browsing the Five J's blog (there can't be that many families of five out there that all have J names), I found out about a contest to win a free Rosetta Stone Latin program.

We have been learning Latin for a few years now. We started out with Latin's Not So Tough during the second half of Jake's second grade year. It was a nice starter program for us. We completed levels 1 and 2, but hit a roadblock in level 3. I don't necessarily think it was the program so much as Jake's learning medium had changed enough that he wasn't as interested in workbooks/worksheets any longer.

This year we have been dabbling with Getting Started With Latin and truly enjoying it. I like that we can do all of the lessons orally and that Jake is doing more than just memorizing vocabulary. Maybe it is just because he's older, but Jake really seems to be retaining much more from his Getting Started With Latin lessons than he did with Latin's Not So Tough.

I would love to win a Rosetta Stone Latin Program to further our Latin studies. Here are the rules should you also choose to enter the contest. But if you don't, that's okay too. Your lack of participation gives me a better chance to win.

Rosetta Stone is the fastest way to learn a language and has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while — and you can WIN the *all new* version 3 Rosetta Stone Homeschool LATIN program… FOR FREE! This is the first year you can get Latin in the brand new Version III update.

This is a $259 program (and believe me it’s worth every penny!)This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever! Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress- I love that!), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students.

To win this most excellent Latin program copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR link to the contest from your facebook page and/OR email the information to your homeschool support group – Then go to the original page http://Jeneralities.com and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post. And good luck!

Again, head on over to Jeneric Jeneralities and enter (or not) today.

A Fabulous Farm Fieldtrip

Today we celebrated Earth Day by going on a fieldtrip to a local farm. This farm is actually the one I get our free range chicken and eggs from, and starting next week (as well as in the fall), where I will be getting my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetables.

The kids got a chance to walk around the farm and see the raised vegetable beds, which they weren’t overly thrilled about. Mr. Farmer and one of our homeschool moms got to chatting about some organic/natural farming methods and the kids were not interested, so they wandered around, climbing on wood piles and playing with the farm cats. I enjoyed seeing how Mr. Farmer planted the vegetables in his raised beds so close together; having some vegetables “share” the same space. An example was turnips and carrots. Mr. Farmer explained that since the turnips would be harvested much sooner than the carrots, they could occupy the same space because when the turnips were ready to come out, the carrots would be ready to start rooting more deeply and would then have the space needed to thrive. I didn’t plant my seeds as closely as Mr. Farmer did, but did utilize more of a wide row planting method as opposed to traditional rows. I’ll have to do some more research and see if maybe next year I can have some of my veggies “share” the same space, thus saving me precious garden space.

The laying chickens and sheep were a huge success. There was a four day old lamb and a twelve day old lamb that the kids took a liking too. Mr. Farmer let the kids into the pen with the laying hens and let them feed the chickens some fresh grass. I was proud that none of the kids chased the birds, but instead respected their space and crouched down to feed the birds, allowing the birds to come to the kids if they were interested. The meat chickens weren’t as interesting. They were kept in smaller pens that are moved every day to allow them fresh “grazing” space. We had some vegans in the mix, so I’m not sure that the talk of utilizing animals for meat was very popular.

Mr. Farmer showed the kids a wild blackberry that had vined itself around a small hedge and the kids went to town. I don’t think my kids had ever had blackberries before, but let me tell you my boys loved them. Jolie wasn’t a big fan, but enjoyed picking them for her brothers. We also went mole cricket hunting, with no success.

The kids wrapped up the fieldtrip planting seeds of their own in small peat pots. Jake and Jensen planted watermelon, and Jolie planted watermelon and sunflowers. I have some watermelon plants ready to go in the ground, so we should have plenty of watermelon to go around this year. I also got to take home some goodies. Mr. Farmer had some left over pepper and tomato plants, so I grabbed two large red cherry tomato, two banana pepper, two jalapeño pepper, and two bell pepper plants. I need to try to get them in the garden tomorrow.

My kids left saying that they all wanted to be farmers when they grew up. I said I too wanted to be a farmer when I grew up. Jake spoke with Mr. Farmer about coming back at some point and doing some work around the farm. I think that might be a great plan. Mr. Farmer offered to have us back again soon, maybe to see one of the other plots they have…either cows, timber, or some other wonderful farm area.

I think it the farm fieldtrip was a wonderful way to spend Earth Day. Happy Earth Day, everyone!

A Cultural Experience

We feel that it is important to expose the kids to all types of people, cultures, and religions. Americans are fortunate that our country is a melting pot of diversity. We can all learn so much from people who are different from ourselves. Variety is the spice of life, is it not? If everyone were the same, the world would be such a boring place.

Today, I had the opportunity to branch out and expose the kids to something new. We were invited to join a group of homeschoolers for an African drum performance and a Tibetan bowl demonstration.

The African drum performance was wonderful. The gentlemen went through some African history, touching on the importance of the drums and their link as a sort of ancient telephone, used to communicate with others throughout the village and beyond. The kids learned a West African welcoming song, Funga Alafia, as well as a rhythmic song that we all danced to. They have hardly stopped singing Funga Alafia since we left the get together, and were sure to teach it to Justin when he got home from work.

The Tibetan bowl demonstration was very interesting to me (I’m not sure that the younger kids got as much out of it as was hoped). The local gentleman used different mallets to create different pitches from the many antique bowls. One of my friends was asked to stand in the largest bowl while he created different vibrations and pitches with that and additional bowls. At the end of her time in the bowl, she had gone from having a horrific toothache, to having no pain at all. At the end of the demonstration, the gentleman explained the natural healing powers of the vibrations of the bowls. It is definitely something that I would like to do some more research on.

We were all glad that we had the opportunity to attend and learn something new. The hostess is hoping to hold other cultural events at her home throughout the year. I look forward to her next event and getting the opportunity to expose the kids to yet more culture from this greatly diverse nation of ours.

Teaching the Water Cycle and Water Pollution

The first Wednesday of the month we gather with other homeschoolers for Roots & Shoots. This month I was in charge of leading the group and chose to focus on the water cycle and water pollution.

Being me, I stressed over the presentation for weeks. I had lots of great ideas…have the kids test water samples…teach them about our watershed…go on a fieldtrip to the water treatment facility, but none of them came to fruition.

I did find several nice water projects for us to do as a group, but the timing was off and the kids in our group were a bit young. Although we didn’t participate in that one, I think I will have my kids participate in some of the other projects offered by The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education throughout the year because they look very interesting and engaging.

After utilizing the adrenaline associated with procrastination, I found several fabulous activities to do with the kids. Because I like multi-sensory presentations, I tried to mix up the demonstration a bit.

We started by discussing the water cycle. I was surprised that some of the kids didn’t know about the water cycle, so I explained and then showed them a picture and read the captions from one of the books I displayed on the front table. I then had them color a picture of the water cycle. I had two different sheets, one for the older kids that was a bit more detailed and one for the younger kids that was simpler. From there I had them gather in a circle and taught them a song to help them remember the water cycle. I thought it was a cute song. My kids have been singing it around the house for the past few days. We then transitioned into a game that walks the kids through the water cycle. I think it would have worked better had we had more kids (we only had eight and that included Jensen) and if they had bee a bit older.

I was also surprised that the kids couldn’t explain what water pollution. The two nine year olds knew, but the six and seven year olds (five of them) had trouble with it. I read them A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry. I thought it was a wonderful story that followed the life of a river from its discovery by a Native American tribe to the pollution of the Industrial Revolution to the cleaning of the river. The kids’ eyes grew wide as they learned about companies polluting the river with chemicals and dyes. We had a great discussion about the book, which led us into our experiment.

I created two models, one represented a landfill and the other represented someone’s yard. We talked about harmful things that some people throw into the trash (i.e. motor oil, medicines, etc.). Then I showed them how when it rains, the water washes some of the contaminants into our lakes and streams. The same went for the pesticide model. The kids saw how the water washed the fertilizer into the pond at the bottom of the hill. I think both models had an effect on the kids. The moms were pleased with it, so I was happy that all of my stressing had paid off.

I found a great reading list of books covering water conservation and water science. The list includes books of all levels for students and adults.

I got the idea for the landfill and fertilizer runoff models from Water: A Resource in Crisis by Eileen Lucas. If anyone is interested in recreating them, here’s how –

Materials (per model) –

Rectangular plastic food storage container (mine was about 11”x7”)
Pea gravel (about 4 cups)
Foil
Small saucer
Cotton ball
Food coloring
Water

Place the saucer at one end of the plastic container. Stack pea gravel three-fourths of the way up the opposite side of the container. Lay a piece of foil from the edge of the container and up the sides down to the saucer, completely covering the gravel and slightly overlapping the saucer. Add additional gravel over the foil, not covering the saucer. You should now have a “hill” on one side of the container with a “pond” at the other end. Pull the cotton ball apart slightly and drop several drops of food coloring onto it (I used red for the landfill and green for the fertilizer). Place the cotton ball on top of the “hill” and cover with a bit more gravel. Pour water on the top of the “hill” to symbolize rain and watch the runoff that collects in the “pond.”

A Special Fieldtrip

On Monday I asked the kids if they were interested in attending a fieldtrip on Tuesday morning. We would probably have to miss PE that day, so I wanted them to discuss it and decide if they were interested. They came to a consensus and we decided we would go ahead and go on the fieldtrip. I invited some of our homeschool friends to go with us on the fieldtrip and after a short family discussion, they too were excited to go. We decided to meet up the next morning to drive to our destination.

So where were we going, you ask? We went to hear Michelle Obama speak.

It was important to me that the kids attended the event because they were interested, not because we forced them. In 2004, they were too young to decide whether or not they would go and hear John Kerry speak in Tacoma. They went because we took them along with us. In February it was Jake who wanted to go and see Obama speak in Virginia Beach. We stood outside for hours in the cold that night, but Jake was steadfast. He wanted to hear Barack Obama speak, so he didn’t complain about the cold and stood next to me, eagerly awaiting stepping into the Convention Center and hearing Mr. Obama’s speech. He would have loved to shake Mr. Obama’s hand that night, but it wasn’t meant to be. We were too far from the stage, but we where there nonetheless.

Tuesday was much the same. Jolie and Jake stood nicely in line with our friends and me, wrapping our way through the line and into the Civic Center, eagerly awaiting hearing from the woman who could possibly be the next First Lady. Jensen wasn’t a big fan of standing in line, even though all he had to do was sit in the sling while I carried him. He was fine once we got moving and sat nicely in his seat throughout much of the event, which was nice of him.

We discussed the day’s experience on our way home that day. The kids said they had a good time. Jake really wanted to shake Mrs. Obama’s hand, but that would have been hard from the nosebleed section. I’m not exactly sure what they took from her speech. The speech wasn’t what was important to me. I was most concerned with exposing the kids to the event. They saw a group of people gather together because they believe in a common cause. I wanted them to know that it is important and acceptable to stand up for what you believe in.

The kids also saw protestors standing outside the Civic Center. Their presence gave us another topic to discuss while we stood in line. Some of the comments on their signs were a bit above the comprehension of a 9 and almost 6 year old, but the concept of protesting was there, and gave us a great topic to discuss.

Whether or not we vote for the same person on Election Day (or through early voting or by absentee ballot), I feel exposing kids to the election process is important. Getting them involved early and allowing them to explore their thoughts and beliefs and the associating political views that go along with them, I feel, will benefit them in the long run. So take your child with you on voting day. Let them see you being involved in the political system. Let your voice be heard.

International Day

One of our homeschooling groups (yes, we are involved in more than one) had an International Day event on Friday. The idea was for each family to research a Middle Eastern country and present information about the country to the rest of the group. The idea was great, but not many people signed up to do research on a country, so the “international-ness” of the day kind of fizzled out.

I have to admit that I did not sign up to research a country. We have a lot on our plates right now, and we’re having enough trouble completing all of our usual housework and schoolwork without adding to it. I usually jump right into events such as this, but I’m bushed right now.

Well, the event morphed into a presentation put on by one of our homeschooling moms about Middle Eastern belly dancing. It was GREAT! She taught the kids the history of belly dancing, when it came to the US (which was during the World’s Fair in Chicago in the 1800s), and showed us an Egyptian and a Turkish dance. It was wonderful.

I was so proud of my kids for sitting nicely through the show, participating in different segments of the presentation (I did too!), and thanking the mom for the show. Most of the other kids were playing with toys and running around the room (which was in the library), so seeing my kids behaving so well (which they usually do) was awesome. I was sure to tell them how proud I was of them on our way home. Positive reinforcement encourages further positive behavior.

Not knowing what food item to bring to International Day (yes, we were asked to bring food from a country, not necessarily a Middle Eastern country, but food nonetheless to share), I racked my brain Friday morning for a dessert item from another country that I could bring. I usually try to bring a dessert when asked to bring something to an event…any event. I love dessert and it is usually what I am most comfortable making. After ruling out most of my standard dessert choices (where do brownies come from anyway?), I settled on Challah. Although not necessarily a regional food, it was an ethnic food and Israel is in the Middle East (score!).

To make a long story short, Challah is egg bread and I forgot to add the eggs until I had started the bread rising and saw the eggs on the counter. So I tore apart the dough, shoved it all back into the mixer with the kneading hook, and thought positive thoughts. Believe it or not, the dough came together nicely and I think it might have been my best Challah to date. The homeschoolers loved it and it made fabulous French toast on Saturday.

I’d love to see us have another International Day. Maybe we could choose a European country or an Asian country to represent next time and hopefully I won’t be so busy and will be able to more fully participate.

International Day is a great idea for a homeschooling group. Do you have any events that your homeschooling group has created? I’d love to hear about them.

Chalk4Peace

We spent Saturday afternoon participating in a local Chalk4Peace event. Our Roots & Shoots group gathered at the local natural foods store and chalked peaceful drawings all over the natural foods store's sidewalk.

Chalk4Peace is a worldwide effort meant to spread the idea of peace through creative expression in the medium of chalk. The event started in 2003 in Arlington, VA as a weekend sidewalk event and quickly spread; now spanning several continents.

Saturday was a beautiful day for the event. The kids were a bit hot, so the shade from the building came in handy from time to time, giving them a chance to cool down in between their drawings.

The whole family participated, drawing what peace meant to each of us. Justin drew an American flag with a peace symbol; I drew several well-known peace symbols; Jakob wrote down each branch of the US military; Jolie drew some peace signs and hearts; and Jensen wanted Batman drawn in his square.

A local newspaper reporter was also there to document the event. The article was published in yesterday’s paper and can also be found online. I’m not pleased with my “quote,” but I’ll survive(I don’t think I usually talk in run on sentences like that, do I?).

The kids had fun and thought it was neat to have their photo in the newspaper.

It would be great to see more groups participating in events such as Chalk4Peace. I hope that our Roots & Shoots group will continue to be active in similar events.

Finding the Right Homeschool Support Group

Each time we relocate, I spend a good amount of time looking for homeschooling support groups in our new area, hoping that one will be a good fit for us. I tend to start my search at Yahoo! Groups and type in my new city followed by homeschool. I usually find a few “hits” and check out each group's general description to see if they might be a match for my family. If they look promising I sign up for the e-list and start getting emails from the group(s) before we move. I will post an initial introduction to the new e-list, see what kind of responses the introduction gets, and just “lurk” for a few weeks to get a feel for the dynamics of the group before plunging in once we get to our new location.

I have recently found several other homeschool support group search engines that look promising:

LocalHS – has a clickable US map to find support groups according to state

Homeschool Social Register – you can search to find homeschoolers in your CITY

Homeschool support groups can come in all shapes and sizes...

Some groups are strictly email discussion lists that do not have actual meetings. I am on several of these lists, such as HomeschoolMilitary and UUHomechoolers. These specific groups are international and serve specific subtypes of homechoolers, in this case military and Unitarian Universalists. List members can bring up homeschooling or group-specific topics to discuss with others members of the group.

Other support groups serve specific areas. While in Virginia, I was on a Virginia homeschooling list so that I could stay up to date on issues specifically geared towards Virginia homeschoolers. Now I am on a general homeschool discussion list for my current state. It is important to be aware of any updated laws that might affect homeschoolers in your specific state, so belonging to a state-specific list is helpful.

I’ve found that the most common homeschool support groups are made up of like-minded homeschoolers living in fairly close proximity to one another. The group might be religious or secular (not relating to religion), have structured meetings or just promote park days. Each group is different, so it is important to find a group that meets your needs.

I personally look for a group that well organized, but not overly rigid. I like to see a nice mix of veteran homeschoolers and newbies, with a wide variety of kids of all ages, sexes, colors, and religious backgrounds. I lean towards a group that is primarily secular, with members that might be religious, but do not homeschool for religious reasons. I like a group that is fairly active…possibly having a weekly park day, an occasional field trip, and maybe a club or two if we are interested in attending (Lego, book, chess, etc.).

Shay Seaborne, a recently retired member of the Board of Directors for The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers, contributor to the Life Without School blog, and an active member on several of my homeschooling e-lists, has a nice list of Rules for Operating Within the Homeschooling Community that I thought others might enjoy.

Shay's Rules for Operating Within the Homeschooling Community

Over several years of interacting with other homeschoolers, I've developed these personal rules for operating within the community. Perhaps you'll find some of them helpful in creating your own list of relational rules.

You don't have to hang out with people you don't like, just because they are homeschoolers. Take time to get to know people before you leap into commitments with them. Watch how they interact with others, including their children. Spend time mostly with those who are reasonably compatible, and with whom you are largely comfortable.

Find friends and start your own circles, but be open to newbies. You never know who may turn out to be a good friend. In addition, new members keep a group going strong, because a closed group eventually dwindles as members move away, finish homeschooling, or head in other directions.

Remember that a good group experience includes give and take. Don't overextend yourself; that only leads to resentful feelings of being unappreciated. Likewise, be sure to give something back, as you can, so you can feel good about your contribution to the group.

Understand that large groups of any kind will have more complicated dynamics. Smaller groups feel more personal and are often easier to navigate. While homeschoolers seem to be ever better at accepting differences in homeschooling methods, strongly differing parenting styles are a more challenging obstacle. Any large group will include those with marked differences in parenting style. Still, large groups can be a great resource for field trips, classes and other activities, as well as a place to meet potential new friends.

Set up your group activities according to their importance to you and stick to your vision. Learn to say "I'm sorry you aren't happy with what I am doing. Perhaps it is best that you create your own such-and-so." Sometimes it just takes time to find the right sort of group or sub-group to suit your individual needs. I move in several circles-varying in size and intent-some of which overlap, and others that don't. Were I to draw a representation of this on paper, it would likely be reminiscent of the surface of a pond during a light rain shower. Homeschooling allows you to create whatever pattern of circles best suits you.

Accept that groups may come and go. Homeschool groups form and disband depending on the individuals' needs. Each serves its purpose and can be enriching, but they will end as the participants' needs wane. When the door to one opportunity closes, it provides the freedom to open other doors.

Each homeschool family needs to access their needs and find a group that will help them along their educational journey. Know yourself and seek others that will support you in your pursuits, not try to change your vision.

I am no longer a newbie, but am not yet seasoned enough to be veteran homeschooler. I still like to bounce homeschooling ideas/problems/thoughts off of others who have been there/done that, but have enough experience to know the general direction of our educational path. I like to meet with an accepting group, but am not afraid to go it alone if necessary.

Every homeschooling family is unique and every homeschooling support group is different. Keep looking until you find one that meets your needs. If you aren't satisfied with what you find, don't be afraid to start your own.

Schooling in Cycles

Yesterday's fieldtrip was a great start to our year-long study of biology. We do science in four-year cycles (biology, earth science, chemistry, physics), so Jake is getting a more advanced exposure to biology than he did four years ago. I think Jolie and Jensen will both benefit from having an older sibling expose them to more complex materials during each cycle. It works out nicely that my kids are about four years apart in school. Well, actually Jake and Jolie are four years apart in school and Jolie and Jensen are three years apart, but I’m going to keep Jensen on the same “rotation” for school as the other two so that they can all be studying the same thing at the same time. That will sure make my life a little easier.

The cycles seem to be working out thus far, although we are only on day four of our second cycle with Jake. Our four-year cycle of history includes ancients, medieval/early Renaissance, late Renaissance/early modern, and modern times. Jake is remembering most of the information about the Ancients that we did four years ago and is easily making connections with the more advanced material he is studying this year. Specifically, he was reading about Upper and Lower Egypt in his Early Times book and brought up the difference between the two kings’ crowns and how they were combined when Upper and Lower Egypt were united. He told me about the crowns and then pondered on why the two parts of Egypt were originally separate and how the lives of the people were affected by the changes that took place when they rejoined. He is definitely in the Love of Learning phase (Thomas Jefferson Ed.) and the Logic phase (classical education). I am glad that he is making those transitions. It shows he is progressing and maturing.

Don't forget, Jake is has been given the freedom to decide what he will study and when he will study it. He has kept pretty close to his weekly schedule so far this week. He is putting off Latin and GUM Drops (language mechanics), so I may need to find different sources or methods for him to learn those subjects, or just let him pick them back up when/if he becomes interested in them again.

I found a cool book called Woe Is I, Jr. that I need to order. It is a chapter book that goes into all kids of grammar and language mechanics in a story-book format. That is a really good method for Jake. He learns very well from reading printed material. I need to check with my friend about the Latin program she uses. I thought she mentioned it in her blog once, but I couldn't find it last time I searched. He would probably enjoy picking up a book and reading about Latin mechanics and then learning about vocabulary rather than vise versa.

We all learn differently, don't we? I have a great book for that too but Jensen has decided that I'm done blogging for the night by laying on my arm in his attempt to get some "hold you." More on different learning styles later.

Tortoise Fieldtrip

We went on a wonderful fieldtrip to see some tortoises yesterday and had a blast!

The kids got to hold...



Box Turtles


Leopard Tortoises


Red Foot Tortoises


Kim, the owner, was wonderful with the kids. She was very knowledgeable and answered all of the kids’ questions. We even learned the difference between boy and girl tortoises. Do you know the difference?

She also had several African Spurred tortoises as well. This tortoise is the largest of the tortoises found on the African mainland. These guys were still somewhat small, with the largest being about 45 lbs. In the wild, they can grow up to 80-110 lbs.




I was surprised that the kids were not adamant on getting their own turtle or tortoise. They haven’t even asked yet. That could mean one of two things…they don’t want one (unlikely) or they know that Justin and I will most likely say no (more likely). I’m not sure how the Navy would feel about transporting a tortoise overseas if we were to ever get stationed away from the US. Probably not very favorably. I think they prefer the four legged creatures and we’ve met our limit (according to military housing and overseas travel).

It was a great trip and if Kim is still in the area I’d love to do it again next year.

Jake's Weekly Goals

Here is a sample of Jake's weekly goal sheet. Again, it is a work in progress. We will probably work with it for six weeks or so and see how things go and alter accordingly.

Jakob’s

Weekly Goal Sheet

Subjects	Books and Materials
Math	Complete one lesson of Math-U-See Epsilon (practice, review, test)
History	Read one chapter in Early Times Egypt/Greece/Rome Read follow-on material about weekly subject Complete projects as desired
Science	Read one section of Real Science 4 Kids Biology Read follow-on material about weekly topic Read one chapter of The Story of Science Complete weekly experiments
Language Arts
Latin	Complete several pages of Latin’s Not So Tough Book 3
Computer/Logic	Spend 30 minutes each day on Typing skills and Logic
Life Skills	Engage in additional personal pursuits as desired

First Day Back

Today was our official “first day of school.” So what does that mean for a homeschooler that tries to school year round? Well, today was the day that we brought out our new materials, started a new “schedule,” and generally got back into the swing of things.

I prefer to school year round. This year was somewhat different because we moved at the beginning of June and I decided that we would just take the summer off to get completely acclimated to our new home and area. We did finish up some history over the summer that we had fallen behind on last year, but generally we just did a lot of reading this summer and met some new homeschool friends.

Today went fairly well. We are all trying to not only get adjusted to a new school schedule, but Justin has a new work schedule as well. We are now at a command where they do shift work, so his schedule will change periodically, probably just frequently enough to royally mess up our routine on a regular basis :)

I am still working to ensure that I am “inspiring not requiring” of my children, especially Jake. Growing up in the public school system is definitely tainting. I would like so much to just let him go and learn as thoughts and desires come to him, but after being force-fed “education” for half my life, it is so hard to let go even though I know that that system does not work.

Two hundred years ago, before we had a public school system, children, such at Thomas Jefferson, thrived in a mentoring world. Children learned how to read, write, sew, and work the land from and older sibling, parent, or surrogate mentor. It had worked for hundreds of years prior as well. I know that the mentoring system is an outstanding model for education; I just need to fully break my subconscious bonds with “traditional” schooling. Maybe I should just chant, “Just let go…just let go…just let go” each night as I drift off to sleep.

In the spirit of mentoring, Jake and I decided to create a weekly goal sheet so that he can work towards completing certain goals each week. I admit that I assisted in his goal planning process, but will be willing to alter the weekly goals as necessary to meet his personal educational needs. In order to truly mentor, I also need to establish some educational goals. I know I need to go back and reread my Thomas Jefferson Education book because I’m missing some of the key elements to mentoring, but I’m trying.

I know it will all come together. Learning and growing is one of the joys of being a family. If something isn’t working for our family we have the ability to change and mold it to fit our family’s needs. As the kids get older I am finding that many of our methods, be they schooling, parenting, or household living, are needing to be updated to meet the needs of everyone in our family. We are growing daily, learning from each other to better ourselves along the way.

Tentative School Schedule

It’s that time once again when I try to come up with a daily schedule for our school year. It usually takes a few weeks to work out the kinks, but for the most part, a semi-structured day works well for us. I am fairly flexible with the schedule. There will be park days, doctor’s appointments, and sick days, all of which will alter our day.

The schedule is mostly for me, so that I say on track. My kids aren’t naturally as regimented as I am, but as a family I’ve found that having a general schedule helps the days go a bit more smoothly.

Below is a tentative schedule for our school year.

730 Wake up / Morning Chores
800 Breakfast
830 Clean up / Family Meeting
900 Math / Manipulatives
930 Oral Lessons
1000 Snack
1030 Read Aloud
1100 History (M/W); Science (Tu/Th)
1200 Reset
1230 Lunch
100 Quiet time / Individual Studies
200 Individual Studies / Free Time
300 Snack
330 Reset
400 Free Time

School Talk

Yesterday Jake and I had our educational talk about next year’s “school” year. Taking guidance from Diann Jeppson’s discussions in A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion, we discussed his goals (short and long term) and interests, as well as what he felt were his strengths and weaknesses. I explained to him that we would be doing school a little different this year and that I wanted to find out from him what he was interested in learning, what he has enjoyed over the years, and what he would like to discontinue.

I was surprised at many of his responses. Subjects and topics that he has seemingly not enjoyed in the past were high on his “interests” list. He even spoke of learning about subjects that he doesn’t necessarily care for, but that he feels are important and need to be studied. Like all mothers, I know my child is bright, but I was impressed by the maturity he displayed during our discussion.

Because I am not a person who easily adapts to new things, I had already prepared a list of subjects and topics that I thought Jake should study this coming year (remember, Jaynelle: Inspire, not Require). He had already mentioned the importance of math, logic, science and history during our discussion, so I asked about his interests in literature, Latin, writing and general language arts (the other subjects on my list). Though not a big fan of writing, he agreed that it was an important skill to have, and would be willing to work on it, as well as the other subjects.

I addition to my original list, he mentioned his desire to do some woodworking and study architecture. Building (especially with Legos) is a great love of Jake’s, so I wasn’t surprised when he requested we add those topics to the list. I’m excited about him exploring woodworking, building, and architecture. Those are topics I have little experience with, so I hope he’ll be able to teach me a thing or two.

So, our list in progress for the next “school” year is –

Math: Math-U-See Epsilon; Mathematicians Are People Too, Volumes I and II
Logic: Mind Benders computer programs A1/A2 and A3/A4
History (Ancients): Greece, Egypt, Rome, China, Sumaria
Literature: Confucius, World Folktales, Roman and Greek Myths, Homer, Buddha, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Iliad and Odyssey, Cicero, Virgil
Science (Biology): How Nature Works (life, plants, water, insects, birds, reptiles, mammals); Joy Hakim science books (Aristotle, Newton, etc.)
Latin: Latin’s Not So Tough, book 3; vocabulary review
Writing: Cursive
Language Arts: Explode the Code; G.U.M. Drops (I was not going to have him continue these programs, but he insisted)
Woodworking: How to use tools, workshop safety, Birdhouse, etc.

Although the list doesn’t vary much from our last few years of work, this coming year he has a say in what he’ll be learning, and chose to continue with a modified status quo. Our next step is to get him a planner and work together to write down his learning goals on the calendar and find out what subjects he wants to study each day. He mentioned that he wanted to look in to varying his routine, possibly studying some subjects on one day and others on another. That will be something for us to discuss at our next “planning” meeting.

The last issue we discussed was how long he would like to spend studying each day. He said he would like work for two hours each morning and two hours each afternoon. I think that four hours a day might be a bit much to start with, so we’ll probably readdress that topic at our next meeting as well.

I think our meeting went very well. We ate some muffins and drank some water and just talked. The other two were occupied in their rooms, so we had some time just to sit and chat.

My next task is to establish a Master Plan for Education. According to Diann Jeppson, this plan should include a classics list, cultural literacy, academic programs, adult skills, organizational programs, experience, spiritual education, family relationships, and places to go. I won’t copy down her example of a Master Plan (it’s very long), but it is a great reference that I will be pulling from when I ultimately create my list. I have already thought about many of these areas and have a pretty good idea of what will be included in my plan. I’ll post my Master Plan as soon as I have it completed.

Where Would You Go First?

So where was the first place we went as a family in our new town (other than to the grocery store)? We went to the library. While holding the key to learning just about anything in the palm of our hand, we use our library cards like most people use credit cards. We frequent the library at least once a week, leaving with bags overflowing with all sorts of books (paper and audio) and videos (educational and entertainment).

As homeschoolers, we find the library very helpful. The library systems we have utilized over the years have each saved us a large amount of money. Though I do have to admit we still buy lots of books (we have six full sized bookcases to prove it), it’s the library that helps us to supplement many of our educational books. This resource gives the kids (and us) access to areas of study rarely frequented by the traditional learner.

The kids are also participating in the library’s Summer Reading Program. I am sometimes weary about summer reading programs. I don’t like to artificially reward the kids for reading. I think that they should read books that are interesting to them, when they are interesting to them, not necessarily because they’re going to be getting a prize for reading. The ultimate reward for reading should be the knowledge they gained from reading the book, or the pleasure they received from the process. Call me old fashioned if you must.

Well, this library has a slightly different program, so I decided we would give it a try. The kids are asked to roll a die each time we come in and then they will “move” along their game path the rolled number of spaces and read the type of book described on the spot landed upon. Today, for instance, Jake rolled a 1 and was asked to read a story about an animal (pointing him to the call number of the animal books in the youth section of the library). Jolie rolled a 6 and was asked to read a story by an author whose last name begins with the same letter as her last name (M). Jensen will be participating too, and he (well, really I) rolled a 1 and will be reading a book whose author has a last name beginning with E, F, G, H or I. The kids have all met today’s goal, so we will probably be making another trip to the library in the next few days so we can roll again and see what type of book we will be encouraged to read next.

So where was the second place we went as a family, you might ask? The recycling drop-of center, of course. Our new town doesn’t currently have curbside recycling pickup, so we’ll be taking our recycles to the drop-off locations around town when we are out and about heading to other places (there is one on base, near the library, and behind the organic food store that I know of thus far). I am pleased to say that our new town allows us to recycle more items than any other place we’ve lived. I can’t imagine us filling the 90 gallon garbage can each week, yet trash is collected twice a week! Come the beginning of the year, our town will be starting curbside recycling pickup, so we’ll be able to downsize our trash can (to a 45 gallon can) and upgrade to a 90 gallon recycling can. I’m sure we’ll proudly be filling the recycling can each week.

We take great pride in being recyclers. While in Virginia, our curbside recycling even caught the attention of others on our block, who would ask us which weeks were recycling weeks so they could recycle too. The kids have been recycling since day one and are trained to look at the bottom of any plastic container to see if we can recycle it. We have been at homes of friends and family and had the kids ask where they put their recycles. Unfortunately in some instances we’ve found that they didn’t recycle. Maybe the kids’ asking put a little bug in their ear.

Again I ask, where would you go first in your new town? I am one of those people who think a person's actions speak louder than words. We are trying to teach our children to be proactive, thoughtful, compassionate people. I think our first family adventures in our new town have spoken volumes about us. What would your travels say about you?