Weekly Wrap Up: The Shakedown is Coming

Confession: I'm not really sure I used "shakedown" in the proper context up there. I think I meant "shakeup". Up, down....it's not like they're antonyms or anything.

For most of the week, we did nothing interesting with our school. The realization of this only confirmed my decision to change curriculums.

Oh! We did do one cool writing project....that had nothing to do with our current curriculum....but it was awesome and both kids were very interested in it. I brought Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider home from the library last week and Toa of Boy and I read them together. This week, on the way home from the library, a spontaneous conversation began about these books. The kids and I started speculating on what other sorts of small creatures might keep a diary, and what they might write about. We talked about Diary of a Snail and Diary of a Squirrel (yay! said Mommy) and Diary of a Possum (which would include a lot of phrases about "hanging out being a possum".)  The kids decided that they would like to write and illustrate their own Diary of a ______. So, in the school closet, I found an empty Draw and Write notebook for Toa, which he titled Diary of a Koopa, and he happily set to work. He decided he wanted to write one page a day. Each day, he'll think of something a koopa might have done that day, and then write a sentence or two and illustrate. I told him I thought this was a great plan. Sweetling, sadly, is still laboring under the yoke of k-12, and hasn't had a chance to start hers yet (which will be Diary of a Punie.)

Here's his first page:

Thursday was co-op of course. Some irresponsible Mrs. Crazy Teacher Lady (that would be me, if you're wondering), let the 6th graders go exploring on the wooded slope behind the school after we wrapped up comp early. That same person was teaching science. We defined the terms of an experiment (independent and dependent variables) and talked about the important components of a good experiments. Then we decided we need to try some of what we learned, so we did a quick, improvised hands on with paper airplanes. Which we then had to test outside, in the light drizzle. Back inside, the model which proved to fly the farthest was quickly made by all the students, and 8 sixth graders were flying airplanes down the long hall outside the cafeteria. This same Mrs. Crazy Teacher Lady let her first grader bring a giant bouncy ball into the cafeteria to play with before opening session...which of course became a giant, somewhat roudy game of monkey in the middle. Surprisingly, instead of a stern leccture from the leadership, Mrs Crazy Teacher Lady has been personally invited by the leadership to continue in this curriculum driven co-op despite the fact that our family wont be using the same curriculum.

Flattered as I am, and as much as I've really enjoyed this co-op, I had to decline the offer. Instead, I'll be teaching an Intro to French class for middle schoolers at another co-op. I turned in my class confirmation and description Wednesday night. "Students will learn and practice some simple French vocabulary. We will complete simple picture books or picture dictionaries as well as practice very basic conversations in class. We will also explore the art and culture of French speaking nations around the world. With each culture or country we examine, we will engage in one arts, craft, or “cooking” project. This will not be a “French 1” class, since we will not be studying grammar or learning conjugations of verbs."

 As part of our new approach to schooling, I've made a rather radical change with how we do Toa's math. I've mentioned in a previous post that when his second grade math book came, he was super-excited. He started looking through it, and asked where the new stuff was. I had trouble finding it, cause so much of every unit in the book was review of first grade. We're not going through that page by page. Instead, I told Toa that he could pick any page he wanted each day and we do that page. He was thrilled and excited again. Wednesday he picked a page that had a concept he hadn't mastered. So, we'll spend a few days on that concept, and then he can go back to any page he wants. I think its going to be a good system. He'll learn what he needs and he'll have fun doing it.

On the topic of math, check out this cool math article a friend found and posted on facebook. Unschoolers will love it and say that this is what they've known all along....The Case for Teaching Less Math in School.

Lastly, on Thursday night, I announced that starting with tomorrow (Friday) we would be trying a  full day of our new school approach. We did this last week too, wrapping up our day with a nature walk. My announcement was immediately met with concern that our nature walk might be rained out. I promised that if our nature walk was rained out, we would still do a nature study, maybe making some sketches and drawings of Ohio wildlife from photos. So far today our morning has gone great, and the day is bright and sunny....even if we did wake up to a quarter inch of snow and I had to chisel Mama's car door open so she could leave for work.

If you're interested, here's what our new Friday schedule looks like:
9:00-9:40  Bible (we read from Exodus in preparation for a Passover Seder we are going to next Saturday), Geography (today we read some interesting facts about Antartica from Sweetling's library book Ask Me Anything), and Memory Verse.
9:40-10:00  Sweetling--Vocabulary OR Journaling. // Toa of Boy: Sequential Spelling
10:00-10:30 Sweetling--K-12 Science. // Toa of Boy--Guided Reading
10:30-10:50 Independent Explorations--This time is set aside for each child to pursue a topic or a project that interests them. Today Sweetling read more from Ask Me Anything and Toa played some learning games on PBS kids.  Mommy ignored the dishes in the sink and blogged.  
10:50-11:20 Sweetling-Literature // Toa of Boy--Math (during which time Toa checked the clock and said, "We're on schedule, Mommy!" So, that tells you how rarely that has been happening the past few weeks.)
11:20-12:00 Sweetling-Algebra (we are now off schedule. Sweetling is still reading literature. I poked my head in her room, and there she was...sitting with her feet propped up on her desk, sucking on a green lollipop, reading from Classics for Young Readers. How do I interrupt that?) // Toa of Boy--watching  Word World on PBS
12:00-1:00 Lunch and Recess Break
1:00-1:20 Read Aloud. We're currently reading from Winnie-the-Pooh.
1:20-1:40 Sweetling-K-12 History. // Toa of Boy--free choice.
1:50-3:00 Nature Walk or Study
3:00-3:20 Nature Logs--journaling or further research online

And truly, truly lastly---I've been so thrilled with the number and kinds of responses I'm getting to my Acts of Kindness birthday challenge. Check out the full collection so far.

Kindness Countdown: 4,5, and 6

I had several replies over the past day or so :) I have a couple more sitting in my outlook inbox, but I'm having trouble accessing that on my netbook, so I'll have more to post tomorrow too!

I had a fast food gift card in my purse today, but gave it to someone I ran across who seemed to be having a rough time financially. Happy birthday, this is a very cool idea!

And these next two were told to me verbally, so I'm paraphrasing.

The first was a friend who sent a care package to a missionary family who is currently in America for a brief time. She included clothes for the new baby and toy cars for the small boys.

The second was a friend who sent a bouquet of flowers to her sister, whom she isn't often in contact with. Her family only infrequently gets together or talks. She said there was a day recently, when she was thinking about her sister, so she sent her a text saying 'love ya, just wanted you to know that.' The sister replied that she had really needed to hear that on that day becuase she was home sick and feeling really miserable. So the friend who was relaying the story followed the brief text up with ordering a bouquet of flowers.

Kindness Countdown: 3

Third story in response to my Birthday Wishes!

I wanted you to know that I invited a friend (who is an atheist) over for dinner on Easter Sunday with my family.  She doesn’t have any family in the area, and I met her through another friend.  I’m also visiting her at work today and taking her some candy.  Please be praying for her….she is such a wonderful person and I pray that she experiences the love of Jesus!


This is a great idea! :)


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Kindness Countdown: 2

The second story to come in as a response to my Birthday Wishes.

I won a "free" roller skating birthday party for 8 kids including drinks, pizza, rentals, etc. My first thought was "Hooray, BD party taken care of for next year." But I'm not particularly interested in going down that path with my girl and the kind of quid pro quo it entails to other parents. It would make an excellent kids outing so I'm planning to anonymously donate it to my church mom's group. So that the kids and moms there can connect and also provide their kids with a fun afternoon. 

I'm posting these anonymously, but can I love that the phrase "quid pro quo" is used so nonchalantly?

Daybook: Daffodils!

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...There's so much work to be done in my garden that I'm almost wishing the snow would come back and cover it up again. Ok, not really. But, lots of work.

I am thinking...naptime. I'm listening to a smattering of news...but I'm not really thinking about it. I'm thinking about naptime. Maybe I should see if I can work the phrase "not really" into every section of my daybook today.

Squirrel story from Mama.....Mama says she was on her way to church this morning and was waiting her turn at a stop sign. She was thinking of me, and a little squirrel went scampering across the street. Because she was thinking of me, she said aloud (with her car windows up), "Well hello there little squirrel; Jesus loves you!"  As soon as she said, "Jesus," the little squirrel turned around, sat up on his hind legs, and made eye contact with Mama. Mama says she was as surprised as the squirrel seemed to be. She kept talking to the squirrel, telling him all about how much Jesus loved him. The squirrel sat enraptured looking at Mama. Another car came up behind her, so she had to cut her testimony short and drive away. But, she wanted to share the story with me.

I am thankful for...a wonderful birthday, a wonderful family, a delicious chocolate cake, and friends who not only put up with, but who will participate in my crazy ideas.

From the learning rooms..... I have zero motivation to continue our current curriculum. Zero. I always have trouble being motivated to do school in the spring, but now that we are for sure using a different curriculum next year, my normally deficient motivation has decreased to zilch. Some other solution needs to be worked out for the rest of this year. Hmmmm....

From the kitchen...the Jedi is great, made me the chocolate cake! This was my birthday present from the family. Each person did parts of it. The bottom layer was a Ghiredelli dark chocolate brownie. This was topped with a layer of Hagendaas dark chocolate ice cream. Then a layer of dark chocolate cake, a layer of dark chocolate hot fudge, and another layer of dark chocolate cake. The final, top layer was a ganache made with Gheridelli chocolate. It was every bit as good and as decadant as it sounds.

I am wearing...church clothes still. In honor of my birthday, I wore the long, silver-grey embroidered dress which I wore to Vaya's wedding. I paired it with a long silver necklace with orange crystal beads and dangly silver earings with tiny orange crystal pendants. I got lots of compliments on my dress and jewelry today :)

I am creating...ONE WEEK until the children's Easter musical. ONE WEEK. And I'm noticing that I tend to overuse the effect of repeating a word or phrase as a sentence fragment for emphasis. When the writer notices the technique is being overused, its probably been ridden into the ground.

I am going...back to church at 5 for musical practice. A dear brother is there now working on the set. I wanted to go back and help him, but have been told that he is in the creative process and extra people there would be the opposite of helping. So, I am at home.

I am reading...just finished Graceling, an excellent fantasy book. Its been a long time since I've read an adult, or young adult, fiction book without picking it apart....but Graceling fits into that category. Believeable, well-developed characters, an unusual and original premise, a nicely flowing plot... if I had one criticism, it would be that the book wrapped up too quickly. I would have been happy with at least two or three more chapters.

I am hoping...for 40 responses to my birthday challenge!

I am hearing...birdsong from outside. The Jedi has turned the news off, since the principle vote isn't going to happen for another couple of hours at least. Downstairs, Toa has just finished sharpening a pencil. He is sitting at his school desk voluntarily spending his Sunday afternoon writing something!!! We don't know what he's writing, becaue it's private until he's ready to share. But I never thought I'd see the day when the boy's weekend activity of choice was writing!

Around the house... spring cleaning and decluttering or arson? Its a tough choice to make.

One of my favorite things...um....chocolate cake of course! And the daffodils with opened up just in time for my birthday are a close second!

Garden news.... the Jedi came home with four boxes of Pachysandra on Friday afternoon. His company is redoing their landscaping, and all that ground cover was just going to be ripped out. They asked if anyone wanted it, and the Jedi said yes! I'm thrilled! We planted it on the wooded slope of the backyard yesterday.  I also discovered, while we were outside working, that giant piles of autumn leaves which are raked into piles for jumping in and then left all winter, will kill the grass. Go figure.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Sunday: rehearsal
Monday: I'm trying to talk Telephone and Kindness into coming over for chocolate cake after Kindness gets off school.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: We need a curriculum solution for the rest of our school year. There are some things in our present curriculum which we must finish up....but surely some fun and enjoyment can be found in it?
Saturday: Dress rehearsal! and Junior High Girls outing to Living Cross.
Sunday: Rez the Rock who Rolled! Easter Musical

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... to be added after nap, when pictures are unloaded from the camera.

To view other daybooks, check out The Simple Woman's Daybook

Kindness Countdown: 1

YAY!

I got my first response on my birthday wishes! So worth being awake this early!

How about I tell you about an act of kindness my 20 mth old did for my 3 yr old today?...


I was sitting on the couch. 3yr old was at the kitchen table and somehow managed to get his foot caught in the kitchen chair. He began to wail. Just as I was getting up from the couch, I noticed my 20mth old come running around the corner to see what all the commotion was about. He worriedly looked at his brother and then at me and realized that he could get to his brother faster than me. With a mad concerned dash, he rushed to his brother and began to tickle his foot that was sticking out of the chair spokes. It took his brother by such surprise that he jerked his foot free and started laughing hysterically. My 20mth old beamed with pride while getting hugs from both Mommy and big brother for being such a kind, helpful little guy.

Happy Birthday! May you have someone always available to turn your struggles into laughing opportunities.

I also have "invitation" cards sitting in my purse, waiting to be passed out at church this morning :)

Forty Birthday Wishes

I've known for a while now that I want to do something really special for my fortieth birthday. Originally, I thought I wanted to celebrate with forty friends. I still want to celebrate with forty friends, but I want it to look a little different. (In other words, I'm doing something non-conventional, I know that's so uncharacteristic of me.)

I'm turning forty. For my birthday, what I really, really want....is for forty friends to do an act of kindness or charity each, and then drop me a short note telling me about it. For my birthday, I'd really like forty short stories about small acts of kindness.

So, I'm humbly asking you, dear reader, please consider doing one tiny gesture of giving for someone to whom or for whom you otherwise might not. Then drop me just a brief note-- one or two sentences even, paper or electronic-- telling me about it. I'd love to collect the notes and maybe share them, anonymously, here on my blog to encourage others.

I'll try to pass out some cards about this at church on Sunday too. But since I have several friends who will read this whom I won't see at church---please consider this your formal invitation to participate!

Weekly Wrap-Up: Charlotte Mason?

By Friday, I can remember what we did on Friday. Monday is ancient history. Ancient. So, my weekly-wrap ups are "what I did yesterday", at best ;)

Though, a note about Thursday before I forget. The 6th grade science teacher at co-op wound up having to pull out due to changing family school circumstances. So, a few of the other mothers, and myself, each picked a science unit to teach. I took the unit on our solar system and space.

When I was in 6th grade, in public schools, our teacher did this most phenomenal activity in regards to the solar system. He took us all outside and walked with us to the far end of the school grounds, past the athletic fields and all that. We started over there with a red playground ball to represent the sun. He explained that each of his strides was about equal to a yard, or maybe a meter, I don't know. But we paced off the scale distance to each of the planets. And we left a child holding a notecard with scaled representation of each planet at the appropriate distance. I think Jupiter might have had half a walnut glued to its notecard. But I distinctly remember how unbelievably far it was between the planets. How we walked all the way across the school yards, across the street, and into the park across the street. How we lost sight of the students left holding the sun and the inner planets (due to the topography of the park). It was amazing. Because as a child, you grow up seeing the whole solar system colorfully represented in a two page book spread or done with little hanging styrofoam balls in a mobile. I had no idea, none, of the vastness of our solar system.

So, I wanted to recreate something like that for the 6th graders at co-op. Obviously, we couldn't walk down Winton Road stringing out 6th graders behind us. But I remembered an activity I had done with the Tenderfoots at AHG a few years ago that I thought would work. Its a scale model of the distance between the planets using toilet paper as a measuring tape. Each square equals 10,000,000 miles. It was a beautiful sunny day. I had the kids partner up. Each pair wrote the names of the planets on popsicle sticks, stuck in modeling clay bases, to represent the location of the planets. (The planets themselves are too small to represent on the scale we were using. The sun on this scale is .4 inches in diameter and the earth 0.001 inches.) Each pair had a roll of toilet paper and a chart with the number of sheets between each planet, and we headed out.

We took up positions in the far corner of the parking lot, intending to go diagonally across the parking lot and down the driveway if need be. It was going fine until the first breeze hit us. Not to be deterred, I had the kids dig rocks and pebbles out of a nearby drainage ditch to weight down their toilett paper as they were unrolling it. Each pair managed to get though the inner planets before the first rip occurred. I got out the roll of tape I had brought. They were into the outer planets when I began hearing "We have to count out 90? Seriously?" But at this point the wind gusts became to strong for the great lengths of toilet paper unrolled across the parking lot. Entire solar systems tore and began tumbling away. Shoes were removed and used as ballasts, but it was to no avail. We had to admit defeat in the face of the wind.

Sweetling said, "This was a disaster, but it was awesome!"

I have pictures on my phone. Maybe the Jedi can help me get them from the phone to the blog.

Today I woke up and didn't feel like doing school. Yeah, don't be too shocked. We're transitioning to a new curriculum next year...My Father's World. I decided to try a more Charlotte Mason approach to schooling today. We read from the Bible together. Sweetling did another section of her algebra unit assessment and I did spelling with Toa of Boy. Then I gave Sweetling the freedom to write anything she wanted, and she happily disappeared into her room to work on a short story. She was smiling and bubbly and thrilled....and I haven't seen that out of Sweetling in regards to school in a long time. Toa and I sat on a comfy chair by the window and I read Curious George to him. Then we laid on the waterbed in Mommy and Daddy's room and he read Giggle Giggle Quack to me.

After lunch, we headed out to the park for a nature hike. I told them before we left that there goal was to find something we could learn about. Toa found ivy growing up trees which he investigated. We snuck up on the rustling sound in the underbrush and found a pair of robins. We saw a large black shelter box of some kind on a pole, and went to investigate what it might be a shelter box for (bats, we decided, since it had a slotted open bottom.)

A drainage pipe was discovered, and children each had to call to the other from the various ends of the pipe. On one side of the pipe, the natural stream had been filled in with large rock chunks, and we wondered why that was and left the walked on the rocks till we got back to the natural stream. We noticed interesting rocks and talked about their composition as we walked.

Back in the wooded section, soft moss was admired, a fallen log turned into a balancing beam, and new leaf buds examined.

No journaling or sketching was done, so I'm not sure that it qualifies exactly as a Charlotte Mason approved outing, but it was an excellent Friday afternoon!

WFMW: Leprechauns

Leprechauns are tricky little people that like to have a little fun. On St. Patrick's Day, they often play little tricks overnight. They like riddles and hide and seek type games, and often leave a tiny bit of candy or other small treat to be found by the children of the house.

One year, the Leprechauns at our house hid all the Webkinz. They left a small bag of cookies where the Webkinz usually snuggle. When it was discovered that the webkinz were missing, a house-wide hunt was mounted. Webkinz were found everywhere, peaking out from behind bookcases, hiding under throw cushions, in school desks, etc.

Another year, the Leprechauns left a trail of riddle notes. The first note was found on each child's school desk and told them where to look for the next note. Sweetling had riddles in rhyming couplets. Toa of Boy, who was just learning how to read, had one word hints like "tub". Some sweet treat was hidden at the end of the riddle trail.

This year, the Leprechauns absconded with the beloved Wii-motes. In the charger base, where the wii-motes usually sit, they left four miniature candy bars. Toa of Boy was, not surprisingly, the first to notice the disappearance. He came to find me asking what was going on with the Wii-motes and the candy.

I, of course, had no idea what he was talking about, so he grabbed my hand and led me to the living room. "I don't know," I confessed, surveying the scene of the 'crime.' "Maybe you should ask your sister."

He ran to Sweetling's room, knocking on the door and eventually leading her into the living room as well. Sweelting quickly assessed the situation and said, "Mommy, if this is some kind of April Fool's prank, then you are a little bit too early."

"Me?" replied the innocent Mommy. "I don't think so." Sweetling seemed puzzled. "What day is it?" I prompted.

(Meanwhile Toa of Boy was guessing, "Maybe Daddy. Daddy did it." Cause this is just the sort of thing the Jedi would do.)

Sweetling, still in her jammies, grinned. "Saint Patrick's Day."

"Leprechauns love to play tricks," I reminded her.

"So," she concluded as Toa began an excited hopping dance about leprechauns, "we need to find the leprechaun." Her eyes narrowed as she studied me. "And you are suspiciously wearing green and you are quite small."

I narrowly avoided capture by a small boy, and then a house-wide hunt was mounted to find the leprechauns and their stolen bunch of wii-motes. The Leprechauns, being small and sneaky, easily avoided capture, but the Wii-motes were indeed found hiding out in a silk flower arrangement.

(After wii-motes were returned and order was re-established, Toa of Boy came up to me to ask if leprechauns were real. I smiled and asked him what he thought. "No," replied, smiling and shaking his head. I confirmed that they weren't real, but that it was fun to pretend, wasn't it. Then he wanted to know where leprechauns lived, so we talked about Ireland. Sweetling came up with the hypothesis that perhaps a few leprechauns snuck into America in the trunks of the Irish immigrants.)

Check out some other "Works for Me Wednesday" ideas.

Prime Directive

A new rule went into effect in our home today; there is to be no Wii between the hours of 9 and 3 on a school day. This is not a very popular rule. Toa of Boy almost perished through the long, terrible withdrawal. Yet, in the end he decided to use his free time to make a picture with his 3d paint set and build a complex lego spaceship.

He brought his lego spaceship into the kitchen to show me. He was describing wall the different decks and such and then said, "Guess what, Mommy? This ship doesn't have any guns."

"Really?" says his hippy-at-heart Mommy. "Is it an exploration vessel?"

"No, it has lazers!"

Of course.

The show and tell session then became a description of exactly how many ways this "gun-less" vessel could destroy other spacecraft.

The Point

When we set out on this endeavor of homeschooling, it was my siblings, and not my own children that I was homeschooling and we had the following goals--

1. To allow each child to learn in a safe, encouraging environment.
2. To allow each child to learn at their own pace and in their own way.
3. To allow each child to develop their own unique interests and abilities.


I was a new homeschooler, and I was still fresh from the college with my teacher's degree, and I know I made mistakes. I also had the notion that I should "spurring" each child on to the potential I knew they had. And my biggest mistake was in "spurring" rather than encouraging.

Then Vaya and Sweetling were added to the mix. For Sweetling, a new goal was added, to provide an integrated Christian perspective through our daily life and through our choice of educational materials. Sounds dry when I say it like that. There's the educational pedagogy coming back out. For Vaya, the goal was to provide a living example of a healthy family and a wholesome environment for her to heal and grow.

Now, it's a decade has gone by since I first dove into this homeschooling ocean. And I'm re-evaluating what our goals are, and whether what we're doing everyday is in line with those goals or not. And I'm soliciting input from Sweetling and Toa to make sure their needs and desires are being met.

This is what I, and I think the Jedi, want to see from our homeschool:

An environment and curriculum that promotes our faith.
An environment and curriculum that promotes being conscientious of the needs of others and of taking specific actions towards those needs.
An environment and curriculum that promotes family unity and good friendships with others.
An environment and curriculum that allows each child to learn and grow at their own pace and in their own way.
An environment and curriculum that allows each child to learn and develop their unique, God-given gifts, abilities, and interests.
An environment and curriculum that is engaging and encourages the joy of exploration, experimentation, creativity, and discovery.

Here is what Sweetling said one evening when I asked her what she thought was most important about homeschooling--
1. That I am her teacher.
2. That she doesn't have to worry about "crazy" classmates. (A good friend is really going through an emotionally devastating time with a group of bullies in her school.)

A few days later, when the kids and I sat down after lunch one day and discussed homeschooling, a made a written list of their responses to the following questions.

What is the most important aspect of homeschooling to you?

Sweetling--
1. independent work
2. reading
3. history

Toa of Boy--
1. math
2. reading together
3. seeing his progress bar (tracked on the computer as part of the on-line lessons)

What do you think our goals of homeschooling should be? Why do you think we should choose to do homeschooling rather than be part of a traditional public or private school setting?

Toa of Boy--
1. We learn at our own pace.
2. We can be done with school earlier in the day.
3. For Mommy to be the teacher, "cause I love you."

Sweetling--
1. We can be together.
2. We learn at our own pace.
3. We have more control over the lessons.

i was encouraged by how much of what they thought important was also part of my internal, unvocalized homeschooling goals. But I am also challenged because while there are many ways in which our curriculum has served us well over the years, there are now a few too many ways in which it is falling short of what we want from our homeschooling curriculum. The Jedi also agrees that it has some issues, and has given his agreement that other options need to be investigated.

This past year has highlighted the good and the bad for us.

On the one hand, Sweetling is VERY independent. I'm proud of how independent and responsible she is. But I feel that school has ceased to be engaging and a rewarding process for her. Instead, she goes to her room with her to do list and emerges with her to do list complete. Kudos to her for independent completion, shame on the system and the Mommy that has smothered the joy of learning. Similarly, while Sweetling's very first response, when asked what was important to her, was that I was her teacher, in truth I have advocated that role to the computer and an outside, pre-set curriculum.

Likewise, both children expressed the importance of being and doing things together....yet our current curriculum not only does not encourage any family projects or creative fun, but is actually a roadblock to field trips, creative explorations, and co-operative learning. The work load for each child is large, and completely divorced from what each other is doing.

Academically and spiritually, I'm concerned that our curriculum is so rigorous in and of itself, that it doesn't allow for additional pursuits of knowledge. In order to play chess together and to learn chess strategies and solve chess puzzles, we have to try to make up our curriculum time for the time "lost" learning chess. Its another addition to an already long and demanding day. Likewise for learning Spanish, ASL, or studying the Bible in more depth and detail.

Finally, having been through the curriculum with Sweetling once, I knew that as the curriculum progressed, it would suit Toa of Boy's hands-on learning style less and less. To cap that off, we recently received his second grade math book, which he was oh so excited to get. His excitement turned to dismay as we flipped through the book and found the first half of it nearly identical to the first grade book we had just finished. "I already know this," he said, "where's the new stuff?" I had to hunt to find it.

Regrettably, I believe this marks the end of our long and thus far successful association with k-12 and participation in OHVA. Sweetling, when I first told her that I was looking at some new curriculums, tearfully told me that she liked k-12. And I agree. I still like k-12 and would recommend it to others. But it is simply no longer best meeting our needs as a family.

Even more regrettably, this also means that this will likely be our last year at our Cardinal's Nest Co-op, since that co-op is driven by the k-12 curriculum.

BUT, we spend an hour or two looking through the curriculum possibilities I had researched over the week, and had sent to the Jedi for his input. Both children are excited about My Father's World and think it looks like fun. I gave Sweetling a choice between three different math textbooks and we will go with the one she chooses. Likewise, we will go with the science curriculum she picks out for herself. And I'm getting her opinions and selections on literature and language arts as well. (Originally, she said that "Homeschooling gives us control over our lessons," then she ammended it and said, "well, it gives you control over our lessons." I want to give her back some control over her own lessons. She is mature enough and responsible enough to help determine the course of her education.)

The Happily Ever After ending is that tears and sniffles have turned to smiles of excitement. And, because I know the extraverted boy really needs to be around other children as much as possible, I'm already thick in the process of getting us hooked up with another co-op. Sweetling knows and likes several families and young ladies at this new co-op, so that will smooth the transition for her.

Weekly Wrap Up: It isn't February anymore

Now, every year sometime in February, I'm ready to scrap my curriculum, my approach to homeschooling, my hairstyle, the bulk of my wardrobe, our schedule for the week, the arrangement of furniture in the living room, and, well...I'm just ready to start chucking things to the scrap pile. However, in the past 7 years, we've persevered through my winter duldrums and we've been using the same curriculum since Sweetling was in Kindergarten.

That being said, its now March, and I'm definitely reconsidering my curriculum for next year. While our curriculum has served us well, its no longer meeting our needs as a family. Even the Jedi has said its time to look at other options, so I know its not just me and my winter blues.

My Weekly-Wrap Up is:
I've probably spent as much time looking over curriculum on the web as I have actually teaching this week. It's been a long time since I've had to pick out curriculum. I'd really appreciate feedback from any other homeschoolers who have experience with any of the curriculum I'm considering.

Here's what our needs are:
I have a Sweetling, who is going to be 12. She loves to work independently and is advanced in math and in reading. She is quiet and loves routines and structure. Her little brother, who is going to be 7, is nearly her polar opposite. He is very hands-on, action oriented, can't keep still, little chatterbox. Despite the differences in ages and temperment, they get along very well. I want something that provides us the opportunity to study, learn, and do some projects together as a family....while still providing Sweelting with the quiet, independent study time she needs.

I'm looking at My Father's World: Exploring Countries and Cultures as our base curriculum.

For math, I'm considering Singapore Math for both children, on their appropriate levels of course.

For language arts, I'm considering Writing Strands 1 and 5. I'll continue Sweetling in her Vocabulary from Classical Roots while Toa of Boy will strenthen his spelling and word recognition skills with Sequential Spelling. In addition to "book basket" books and weekly library trips, Sweetling will read and study two novels of her choice using Progeny Press Literature Study Guides.

Sweetling is also looking through some science curriculums to determine what she might like to study.

So, that has been my week. I'd love to hear, good or bad, from anyone who has experience with any of those curriculums!

Sisters

Despite the fact that my sister and I hold differing political views, differing religious views, and different tastes in clothes, fashion, and food, I love my relationship with my sister for the following reasons.

In the middle of the day, I can call her from Walmart (which she dislikes for ideological purposes), because I want advice on whether or not to purchase a $10 pair of grey cloth Mary Jane shoes. Rather than a lecture about child labor in China, my sister will enter into a serious discussion with me regarding the types and colors of socks I would need to purchase to go with my ten dollar shoes.

Similarly, I can call her after bringing home a five dollar black pleather jacket from the thrift shop. Not only is she all about the advice regarding a good hat choice, but she emails me a list of photo links of hats that will work with that jacket.

She understands the significance of the shape of the icicles hanging outside my kitchen window.

She laughs at my blog.

She loves my children and will listen to all my stories without tiring.

She can face-paint a cockateil based on a little girl's description that it "goes like this".

When Sarah Palin bombed during the vice-presidential debate, she said, "I'm so sorry," rather than, "I told you so."

She gets teary-eyed looking at a Chihuly.

She pretends that I'm a good garden designer.

When asked, "I'm reading a book about God; what's a fractal?" She's happy to launch into a detailed, but understandable, explanation of fractals without batting an eye.

Look, kids, art.

She understands that Eden Park is indeed thin space.

She joins me in my rant against Stephanie Meyer.

She doesn't join me on Team Jacob.

I can communicate with her in a look, and she grasps what I'm conveying.

She makes a phenomenal cup of hot cocoa.

When I say "virtual" instead of "vicarious", she doesn't correct me. She just uses the correct word in the correct context in her next sentence.

She taught herself how to be an excellent cook despite my attempts to mentor her in the kitchen when she was a teenager.

She doesn't care how many participles I leave dangling. At least to my face ;)

She spent an entire weekend stripping wall paper and spreading textured paint in a 5 x 7 space on very little sleep to help the Jedi surprise me with a redecorated bathroom.

For the Superbowl, she made little gormet appetizers that I can neither pronounce nor even google. (They were little date things stuffed with a cheese I can't name wrapped in a type of bacon and broiled.) For the same Superbowl, I reheated Skyline chili and scorched my attempt at caramelized popcorn.

She sends me links to cool dance videos. She doesn't get upset when it takes me forever to get around to watching them.

She sees the artistic merit of "rectangles of color".

She tells me about The Pioneer Woman.

She'll totally support me in my leap-without-looking scheme to take on the assignments at P.W. Photography. She'll probably volunteer to do them with me.

She totally supported me in my leap-without-looking scheme to participate in NaNo. She immediately volunteered to do it with me.

I'm sure as soon as I walk away from the computer, many more things will leap to mind. Just as I'm sure that I had a few other things in mind before I sat down at the computer, which now I can't recall. Still, it's a good sampling of the things I like about, so I'll stop fretting over it. Instead I'll fret over the extraordinarily loud crash which just happened upstairs.