Validation, Everyone Needs It

Are they learning?  A question teachers

 and home schooling parents everywhere ask

themselves all of the time.

One of the questions most asked by the "unschooling" family.

One I've been asking myself for the past three weeks that

we've tried schooling test free.

Are they learning.

Then, I saw this,

my daughter building a castle in the snow.

Not just a mound of snow, but with all of the things

we'd been learning about while learning about

castles.  Then, she was Joan of Arc.

Not only did she lead her troops into battle,

she wrote a poem about herself 

"Joan of Arc" to accompany

herself into battle.

And so I ask, are they learning

anything?

I think they might be.

I think, that without the tests,

without the worksheets,

without all of the traditional measurements that I've

been using, I can safely say they are learning.

Today, we worked on division.

We used a game called "Leftovers".

The kids worked and worked on their division problems.

Not so that they could turn out yet another

math worksheet, but so that they could have the largest

remainder.

The child with the greatest "leftovers" could

move the most around the board.

They were having so much fun that the Big K.

kept saying again and again,

"This is fun".

They were having so much fun that P. only wanted to sit

at the table with them, watch them play, and cheer them on.

So, are they learning?

I think they are.

Fun With Books

I am a HUGE bookworm.  Shortly after my Mom died, I couldn't read a thing.

I couldn't concentrate on anything. I'd start a book, but I couldn't

finish it.  I was lost, like an addict looking for a fix.

I'd go to the library, check out tons of book, read two or three pages

of each, never finish them.  I couldn't.

One weekend, I went to visit my Dad.  We went to a favorite bookstore that

we both used to go to with my Mom.  I shared with him my

problem of not being able to read.

I went into the bookstore, bought a ton of books, and

after that weekend, that visit, I was able to read again.

It was a relief.

One thing that I love about homeschooling is being able to share my

love of reading with my kids.  We met them during their early schooling years. 

They had never been exposed to books or reading.  They loved when we would read

stories to them. 

Doodles was a late reader.  Big K. started reading at the end of kindergarten.

They both LOVE to read.

Currently, they are both enjoying the book "Robin Hood".

The book is HUGE for a couple of fourth graders.

They love it.

Today, they had fun not only reading their books, but quizzing

each other on different parts of the story.

They would ask each other questions about what happened in the story.

Like all siblings, there was some disagreement about the answers given.

They would grab their books, race to find the answers,

prove the other wrong.  It was 

great fun to watch them.

Great fun to see them truly loving the process of learning.

It is wonderful to see them really loving to read.

Math Games and Reading Nooks

My Doodles HATES math.  She really, really hates it.

I've have tried all sorts of bribes, tricks, activities to try and get her

to enjoy the process of math.  No go, until today.

I found a math game on line.  You use cards,

think up different problems, the trick-the product

can't be less than 350 and it can't be more than 500.

Sounded easy.  It really wasn't. It was a lot of fun.

My math hater did math for almost two hours.

Two hours!!

After all that math work/fun

the kids holed up with books.

This is what I saw in my laundry room.

Big K. decided to make today a pajama day.

P. can't read yet, but he doesn't ever want

to be left out of what the big kids are doing. 

He also decided to make today a pajama day.

And Baby J., reading is too much down time for

him.  I found him, in his bedroom, on his sit and spin,

with the blanket over his head.

"Me cold Mommy, me cold."

Not sure if he was really cold, or if he just liked the

idea of spinning around with something on his head.

Boogers, Snots, and The Lungs

This week, we have been learning all about

the lungs.

We've read lots of books, done an air

exchange experiment, and

today we made our very own boogers.

You should have heard the carrying on that the kids

did.  First, lots of giggles, then lots of, "Oh Gross!"

Then more giggling.

They blew their noses, to examine real life boogers, then they

made their own mucus.

Here's how it works:

1/2 c. boiling water

three packets of unflavored gelatin.

Sprinkle the gelatin on the top of the water, let

it sit for a bit, until it's soft.                            

Once gelatin is soft, stir until it dissolves.

Notice Doodles plugging her nose. It really stinks.

Once the gelatin has dissolved, stir in enough Clear Karo Syrup to make

one cup.  As the mixture cools, you might have to add a little

more water.  Just a spoonful at a time.

The mucus, is mucus, when you can lift the fork out of the 

gelatin/syrup mixture and long strings of snot

appear.

What the kids learned:

Mucus is everywhere in the body-not just in your nose.  When you

get a cold, your nose makes more mucus trying to flush out the germs.

Your nose is like a vacuum cleaner.  The hairs and mucus trap

all sorts of yucky stuff from the air, so that it won't get

into your lungs.

Now, to turn your mucus into really gross boogers and snots,

take a bit of dust from your vacuum cleaner bag.  Sprinkle the dust

on the top of the mucus, stir it in, watch how the dirt particles

are suspended and trapped by the mucus.

That's how your lungs are kept clean by your nose.

Pretty cool huh?

       

And of course, there has to be a song

about the lungs right.  Here's one

the kids have been learning this week.

Today, I learned that my kids LOVE science. They LOVE to

learn about their bodies, and despite the cries

of, "Oh Gross MOM!"  I know that they will never

look at the inside of their tissues the same way again.

A Love Story

My Mother used to tell me,

"To be loved by someone for who you are, truly loved

by that person, is a gift. It is something you should NEVER take for granted."

I was a teenager.  I rolled my eyes, made gagging noises, went about my life.

I met Jon when I was in my late 20's.  I look back now, I know that

I was where God needed me to be, doing what He needed me to be doing, 

with the people He needed me around the night Jon first walked into my life.

Jon was no more than a piece of eye candy to me.  Cute to look at, too young, 

and really I didn't want a relationship.  I was hurting, broken, questioning my faith, my 

upbringing, my life.  Yet, despite questioning, trusting that God had allowed me to go

through a particularly painful period for a reason.  Jon and I became fast friends.

We had a lot in common.  My Mom would ask me about him, I would

say, "Mom, we're only friends."  She knew though.  She always knew.

When Jon and I finally married, it was a wonderful day not

just for us, but for our friends and family.   My Mom would say to me,

"I always worried about you, what would happen to you, who would look after you.

Jon is always going to take care of you."  I would roll my eyes.  I didn't need

taking care of. I could take care of myself. I was older than him and way wiser.

Then, life happened.  Jon was who I turned to.  Jon remained my friend, my support, my

caretaker, my heart.  Jon loved me on my best days, on my worst days.  Jon held me when I needed

held, cried with me, worried with me, laughed with me. I came to know that what

my Mom said was true, when you are loved, truly loved

by someone, it is a gift.

I often wonder, what would have happened had we never met.

What would my life have been like?

Would I be the person that I am?  What would Jon's life have been like?

Would we have gone on to meet others, marry others, would we have ever realized

what we would have missed.

More than I think of us, I think of our four children.

If God had not brought us together that night, years ago, what would have happened to them.

Would they have been adopted.  Would they have been loved

the way that we love them.  Would they know the Lord.

A love story is really not just about two people. It's about all of the people that

their lives touch.

It's about the children, the grandchildren, the friends.

Yesterday, our family celebrated Valentine's Day.  Every year, we surprise our kids

with a little gift, a little something that lets them know how much we love them.

Something that reminds them they are special to us.  This year, our kids surprised us.

They all had worked, through the week, to craft all sorts of little gifts.

A paper chain heart made with every one's favorite color, pictures colored in, cards

drawn.  Little tokens that showed us how loved we are, by them.

As I hung up the things that they'd made for us, I couldn't help but think

what would have happened, all those years ago, if Jon and I had never met.

 As we settled the kids into bed, so that we could have special dinner-just

the two of us-I realized how thankful I am that all of those years ago, I stopped to sit

and talk with Jon about running.  That all of those years ago, I went to that little county

fair, and I met the man who is, by far, the love of my life.

Our First Week

One year, when I was teaching, I had a particularly

challenging class.  I lost a lot of support staff, the majority of the

kids in my class were considered "at risk".  I spent a great

deal of time that year thinking and re-thinking my teaching

approach, my daily schedule, the activities that I had the kids do.

I had a rule, if you change something, give it at 

least three weeks before you decide

it doesn't work.

Home schooling is one hundred times different than teaching in a school.

These students are mine.  I love them beyond reason.  I want to see them

succeed.  I have an interest in them, beyond this grade.  I want them to be happy.

One thing is the same, give it three weeks before you decide if it works or not.

This has been week one.

We've changed EVERYTHING about our schooling routine.

Lessons are more hands on, slower paced, less

"traditional".  We've read a lot, used the computer a lot, 

and explored the topics that really seem to demand more study.

We've studied castles and the middle ages by

making our own castles and cooking a mid-evil meal.

We've read lots of books, learned lots of songs,

and really had a lot of fun.

In one week, I've seen my kids blossom more.  Despite fighting

colds, some emotional issues, and just life,

the kids have enjoyed their schooling.

They've asked more questions,

laughed more, played more,

and just enjoyed the time.

I don't know if we'll continue this form of schooling

forever, but we will do it again next week.

Life is too short to rush through it, to fight,

to struggle to argue.

The days, when they are small, are so few in comparison

to the rest of their lives.  The time that I have to influence them

is so short.  The time that I can wake up, enjoy breakfast with them, answer their

questions, read them stories, cook with them, laugh with them, and

learn with them will be gone before I know it.

So for now, this form of schooling is my choice.  I want them to want

to learn. I want to facilitate their learning. I want to love them and nurture them in ways

that they weren't loved and nurtured during their infancy, toddler hood, early childhood.

I want them to look back on their school years with fond memories.

I want to look back on their school years and know that I did everything

that I could for them.  That I gave them my best.

Each and every one of them deserve that.

Making Marshmallows, Memories, and Change

Last week, I decided to make marshmallows 

with the kids.  I remember a missionary couple

that made marshmallows one afternoon with my parents.

Until then, I never thought of making home

made marshmallows. I never really knew you could.

I found a great recipe, on the Internet. You can find

anything on the computer now.

I enlisted my little helper, and we started making

marshmallows together.

We gathered our ingredients, stirred everything

together, cooked what needed cooking, and had

an overall great time.  Baby J. was so proud of the work he'd done.

I'm a home schooling parent.  I was never home schooled.

I don't have any friends that were home schooled.  I started home schooling

my oldest two children out of necessity, not because I had a huge religious

conviction to do so.  Not because I have anything against public schools.

For the past four years, I have used a boxed curriculum to teach

the kids.  It's big, it has a lot of stuff in it, they've learned a lot.

For some reason, this year, our curriculum just isn't working for us.

No matter how hard I pushed, what rewards or consequences

I set up, the work just wasn't getting done.

Worse, their love of learning was being extinguished.

They dreaded each day.  They hated the school work that came with it.

As I made marshmallows with my youngest two children,

I realized that what was happening in our home, because of

school just wasn't right.

Things needed to change.

I tend to be a very goal oriented person.  My Mom used to tell

me that I'd focus on a goal, put blinders on, and then work like

heck to accomplish what I'd set out to do. It was that

sort of goal setting that caused me to graduate college with a 4.0

average.  It was that sort of goal setting that led me to become a successful

teacher.  It was that sort of goal setting that enabled me to do what needed to be done

to adopt our children.

Not everyone is me.  Not everyone has single minded determination.  Not

everyone is as hard on themselves as I am.  I expect hard work from myself.

I was expecting it from my children.

I was focusing on the goal and forgetting about the journey.

The journey through the only childhood that they will ever have.

The journey of making memories, laughing, snuggling, learning, 

exploring.  I have long heard of "unschooling".  I have

been in MANY heated debates with parents that have chosen this

road for their children.  Because of my training and experience

as an educator, I saw no use in unschooling.

It was not for me.

I have come to realize that it may be just what my

children need.

More than anything, I want my kids to want to learn.

I want them to be curious.

I want them to savor each and every moment of their lives.

I want them to have memories that they will be able

to draw on for the rest of their lives.

I want them to be able to go to college if that's what they want, but

I want them to enjoy the journey that has led them to that point.

This week, I have changed my approach.  I have thrown away

the 300lb. curriculum. I have loosened up. I have taken off

my goal directed blinders. I have come to realize that we

all need a little fun in our lives.  The journey is more important than the destination.

I don't know if unschooling will ever be my thing, but I do know that this week

my kids have told me how much fun they're having.  This week,

we're laughing more and fighting less.

For now, this may be what works for us.

What works the best for them.  In the end, it has to be what's best for them.

Who knows, maybe I'll become one of those unschooling Mamas

that I always swore I would never be.