"P" Party!

As you can imagine, while we have loved the homeschooling adventure so far, the kids are missing the daily contact that they have with their friends. So, we planned a slumber party for Kennedy and 2 of her friends from her previous 2nd grade class. As we were planning, we decided that it would be fun to organize the party around a "P" theme. We started out with Pizza and Pop at Chicago Joe's (and some fun deep-fried Pickles for an appetizer......sounds wierd, but they are yummy!).
And all of our snacks for the evening were P's too......Popcorn, Pop, Pretzels, PixieStix, and the sour Patch kids that you don't see because the girls gobbled every one up before I could even get a photo!

Our creative activity of the evening involved Painting Pottery at Naked Plates, our local paint-your-own-pottery studio. We all had a great time, and I can't wait to see how our Projects turned out when I pick them up next week after firing.

After we go home, the girls played this game they call President where one is the President, one the Vice-President, and one the Secretary. I didn't even plan for that P! They had a ball turning off all the lights in the house, using our walkie talkies, and flashing their flashlights to fight the bad guys who were out to get the president. YOu have to love their imagination at work!

After, they watched the princess-flick "Enchanted" and fell asleep just after midnight. This morning, they were up before 8:00 running around the house playing president again. We then enjoyed our final P--a Pancake breakfast.

We are Pooped after Partying......and at least there was no Peeing the bed or Puking!!!

I'm Still Laughing.......

Tonight, on our way home from the zoo, we decided to stop at Logan's for their 2-for-12.99 dinner special (what a deal!). After we arrived, we went to the restrooms. Kennedy and I went into the women's restroom, while Hayden went into the men's. When finished, Kennedy and I came back out into the hallway to wait for Hayden outside the men's room.

All of a sudden, I hear him yell:

"MOM, WILL YOU HOLD MY PEANUTS FOR ME??"

Both my daughter and I looked at each other. We thought he said "Mom, will you hold my penis for me?"!!!!!!!

Little did I know that when we walked into the restaurant, he had filled both hands with peanuts and just simply wanted me to hold them for him while he was going potty.

Oh, my. We only got a few strange looks. And it was a good laugh to boot!

First Week Reflection.

We have officially completed our first week of homeschooling. Many people have inquired about how the week has gone, and it is really difficult to put it into just a few words. This venture really has changed how our entire family interacts and operates. Our routines, our chosen activities, the organization of our house......everything is in a major overhaul! So here are a few of the major experiences and observations that we have had over the past week.

• We love that homeschooling means no more rising at 6:30 and starting your day out rushed and hurried and stressed. We usually get up around 8:30 or so, make beds, and actually enjoy a nice breakfast together. We don't worry about specifically what time we start learning activities....because in so many ways, you look at everything as learning! Usually, it is about 9:30 or 10:00 when we settle into some more structured activities such as practicing penmanship, math, and Bible/history.
• It really feels NATURAL. It hasnt' been hard. It hasn't seemed foreign. It just seems to flow. We have had some points of frustration, but they have been minimal.
• The kids do miss their friends. Hayden, especially, has asked a few times when he gets to go back to "real school." But when we explain that this is how we are going to learn now, he accepts it and moves on. He got to go to a friend's birthday party with all of his school friends on Friday and sees several of his friends a couple times a week at basketball practice and games.
• The kids' reading is thriving! We spend A LOT OF TIME reading books together. One of the things that Hayden really seems to enjoy is when we take the book he is reading and act it out while he is reading. He wants to read these again and again! While it gets a little bit old to act out the same scenes over and over, we really have to get creative and make it humorous!
• We love studying the Bible together. We are almost to the end of the days of creation and the kids have done a series of colored pencil art depicting God's creativity of the world. This will culminate in a trip to the zoo and some animal theme studies on Wedesday. I love the challenge of finding field trips and activities that help them make important connections with the information they are learning.
• With a study of creation under our belts, we are ready next week to launch into the secular "Story of the World" series which really brings history alive starting with the nomads. I can hardly wait to get to the medieval history, as I picked up a great knights of the roundtable/castle PlayMobile set at Target at 90% off last week! This will make a fun, creative series of history lessons for less than $10.00!
• We have rediscovered the joy of our local library! With our crazy school schedules, we really didn't take advantage of the wealth of resources there. Now, we are really discovering the joy of so many resources in one place, and we plan to go weekly if at all possible.
• Play and creativity! One of our main reasons for choosing to homeschool is to ensure that play and creativity and central to our children's learning. They are, after all, the major languages of children! And our kids are reconnecting with play sets (horses, barn sets, wooden blocks, human and animal figures) and enjoying lots of unstructured play exploration time. We are doing lots of drawing and storytelling and painting, and this week we will add puppets and clay into the mix!
• I have fallen in love with Matt all over again as I watch him work with the kids. I love that he has taken the Apologia science material and jumped into it! The kids are loving learning about astronomy, and the photo above shows the very cool model of the solar system that they made together using decorating balloons. He really is a great teacher, and he commented on how "right" it seems to be teaching your own kids because you are so heavily invested in their understanding and development.
• It is true that everything becomes a learning lesson when you start looking at things that way. Making brownies this weekend became a lesson in fractions and even life origins (as we talked about the egg vs. baby chick issue).
• Our house is actually more picked up! We have integrated chores into our daily learning schedule, and so the kids make their bed each day and keep their toys picked up.
• More deliberate use of media. Because we are home all day, we have set strict limits on the television and Wii. It would be all too easy to let these things slip in and steal time. We have basically said that the Wii does not come on until after dinner, and then only for one hour at the most. The kids can earn a "technobuck" which allows them to buy the one hour of Wii time. As for the television, it stays off, too, unless we are viewing a video related to our lessons. And we haven't used the computer a whole lot, yet, but we will soon be starting to use it for research, typing, doing PowerPoints, etc.
• Reorganization of our home space. We have a lot of space in the basement where we could keep all of our supplies; however, we are finding that we are most apt to stay right around the kitchen, as that always seems to be the center of family activities, doesn't it? So, I am working to transform our front family room into a learning room/library. I spent most of the weekend organizing the wall of shelves that we have in there, to make the books and materials more accessible to the kids. I threw away 6 GARBAGE BAGS of old papers, files, etc....and it felt so good to purge. I organized the books into major categories, packed away the baby/preschool books (for now), and got some idea of the types of unit studies that we could do with the materials that we already have. This weekend, we are going to purchase a new table/benches for that room, along with a desk and a file cabinet. We also need to purchase a new printer/copier and maybe a bigger computer, but those will likely wait until summer.
• Overall, there just seems to be a stronger spirit of unity, peace, and cooperation around the house. We don't feel like we are constantly rushing to get here and go there as much, and that in itself just feels so freeing.

So, in a nutshell, we are loving this new "learning lifestyle"....I love that term so much better than "homeschooling", don't you? There is so much negative connotation surrounding the term "homeschool" and I think a lot of conceptions are outdated and inaccurate. After all, learning at home is not as much about "bringing school into the home" as it is about challenging the traditional way of viewing learning and transforming it in a way that makes the most sense in the context of home and family. If you have questions or are intrigued by the process, I urge you to read up on the topic. I know that my understandings were greatly challenged and changed through my own research....and here we are, celebrating our first week. I want to pick up a new book that I learned about entitled "Family Matters" that addresses more of the heart-matters of the home education movement.

So our second week is off to a slow start. We have a few things like Bible and language lessons to do later on, after basketball practice for both kids, but the flexibility is the beauty of the whole thing. Enjoy your new week!

I Couldn't Have Planned it Better.

We hit our first frustration hurdle this morning while we were working on penmanship. I have been working with Hayden trying to help him transition into using lower-case letters in his name (Hayden as opposed to his sweet HAYDEN) and also working with him on our last name. He really doesn't want to, and so he was dragging his feet. Kennedy is just starting out with cursive, and I was correcting her slant (as a leftie, she wants to slant to the left). Needless to say, we were all getting pretty frustrated, so I sent them to the living room for a little break.

Next thing I know, I hear laughter and music coming from the living room. They were shouting out the names of countries (many of them tiny and unfamiliar to me!), looking for them on our globe (the electronic Leap Frog one, that has lots of identification games programmed into it), and dancing to all kids of cultural music associated with each country. Have you ever seen a 5-and-7-year-old try to belly dance to music from Persia?

And such is the joy we are discovering inherent to schooling at home, and that I have read about from so many experienced families who school at home. Even when my plans aren't being well-received, the kids can self-direct into other learning activities in their own time.....and we all know that kids dive in full-force when it's THEIR idea as opposed to an adult's, right? I know if I had planned that globe idea for them, it just wouldn't have been as fun!

And so, we had an unexpected yet very effective world geography element to our day. We also started a theme/unit study on dogs, and so we spent the latter part of the afternoon at the theater watching "Hotel for Dogs." What a cute, cute movie! And to think that this counts as school!

Tomorrow, Matt is planning an activity to help the kids make models of the solar system while I am teaching at CU. He is off to Walgreen's to buy tacks, and balloons, and has asked for string and cardstock and a host of other supplies. And he is totally "going to town" with this lesson on his own! I love this man and love seeing him engage so fully in this process.

A Very Cool Learning Moment.

The kids had their first day of "Daddy as teacher" today, as I was teaching at the university all day. The kids and Matt worked on handwriting, math, and science. Daddy also scheduled time for them to play outside, did a science demonstration, and had PE with the Wii Fitness. My husband has already mentioned how much he loves this time with the kids, and they are loving the one-on-one time with Daddy, too.

When I got home, Kennedy asked me right away if we could do language. I am working with her through a curriculum entitled "First Language Lessons" which is a very classic grammar curriculum, pretty old-school material (but I love it). It includes a lot of cognitive exercises such as memorizing poetry, knowing parts of speech in and out, and diagramming sentences. So, we reviewed nouns, including the difference between proper and common nouns. Hayden was sitting drawing a picture next to us.

As we worked on our white boards to put nouns into columns (proper or common), I soon realized that Hayden was listening, looking at her board, and pointing to the correct column. He was actually "getting" the difference between common and proper nouns! So, I handed him his board, and he proceeded to join us. I underestimated him and thought this lesson was above his current level of understanding; he proved me wrong and now has a head start in learning about nouns! I just wanted to share a little gem that I really enjoyed getting to see first-hand today.

Just a Glimpse.......

We got up. Made breakfast. Practiced penmanship....printing for Hayden and starting Kennedy into cursive, which she has been dying to do.

We talked about God's creation of the day and light out of darkness, writing a recap of the Genesis passage and drawing an illustration. We will be studying each day of creation this week.

We did math. And had reading time....Kennedy independently and Hayden working in the BOB books with Mom and Dad. And then I read them a chapter out of a read-aloud, "Stewart Little."

Now, we are breaking for lunch and some free time. After lunch, I have a short Language lesson for Kennedy, and then we are off to the library and Homeschool book store.

Then, a rest time for quiet play, art and reading (this will be a required part of every day) before tonight's basketball practices.

All in all , it's been a great start, with only a few incidences of Hayden saying, "Mom, this is boring." :) And Kennedy can't stop saying how much she loves homeschool. Hopefully, the honeymoon period doesn't wear off too soon! :)

On Day One.......

Dear Kennedy and Hayden:

It is just after 6:00 am on Monday, January 19, 2009. I really don't have to be up for a couple of more hours, but my stomach and mind are churning with anticipation, and I really can't sleep any more.

Today is a big day for you, and for our entire family.

Today is our first day of homeschool.

I will admit that this feels strange. It feels strange not to be scurrying around getting permission slips signed, folders filled, backpacks packed with snowpants and water bottles and snacks for the day.

It will undoubtedly feel strange when 8:15 rolls around and we're not running around trying to get out the door to get to school by 8:30. I will not miss the frustration and tears that sometimes result from the hurry.

It will feel strange when 12:05 comes and I'm not in the front window, waiting to see the big yellow bus come around the bend to drop Hayden off after kindergarten.

And again at 3:40, when Kennedy would typically walk in, throw her backpack down, and say "Hi, Mom, I'm home!".....that will feel odd today, I'm sure.

Instead, we will leisurely get up, have breakfast together, finish our chores.....for these are as much about learning as any book that we open.

Some of our new supplies are stacked here on the counter in front of me. I bought you each a personal-sized dry-erase board and a clipboard, both of which are highly mobile so they can be moved wherever we are in the house. And, of course, new crayons and markers and a full-spectrum set of flair pens.....just because they're fun! And plenty of new pencils, and blank notecards, and writing paper. I feel the anticipation of the first day of a new school year.

The only difference is, this time Daddy and I are the teachers, and our home and world are the classroom.

I want you to know that we have bathed this day and this whole journey in prayer, and tears, and lots of thinking and planning time. We know that God is going to richly bless not only you two but our whole family as we re-situate education and learning to our home.

We do not just want to "do school" at home; rather, it is our goal to figure out how to make the learning experience come alive for you as it is only possible in a safe, creative nurturing home setting. We want you to learn in comfort, according to your own unique learning styles, and to be able to follow your passions. We want to embrace learning as happening 24 hours of the day, regardless of what we are doing, and whether or not there are books involved. This whole process has challenged my understanding of what learning is, where it happens, and how it is best accomplished.

For you, Kennedy, I know that means that we will be exploring and studying lots of animals, and the planets, and lots of good books. We will be creating constantly and researching incessantly.

For you, Hayden, it means that we will be incorporating race cars into our lessons, figuring out how to use the Wii to our advantage in learning, and challenging you with increasingly complex number problems.

I am excited about starting to dive into world history together today, starting with Creation as opposed to the place where the public school would typically start. As a family, we are excited about learning the connections between the Bible and history as typically taught in public school.

We will go to the library and check out more books than we have ever checked out before in one trip. We will get Hayden his first library card today.

I look forward to curling up on the big pillows on the floor and reading out loud together.

We will draw and create.

Stories.....we will tell them, draw them, create them.

And I don't want to be totally utopian here! I know that we will have many moments of frustration, and wanting to give up, and tears, and feelings of failure. But I want you to know that mistakes are OK here, and we will embrace and celebrate them as a key step in learning. This is a safe place to take risks, make mistakes, and experiment. Thinking outside the box is celebrated in this home!

We want you to know, too, that this decision brings with it a lot of sacrifices. I think many moms look forward to the time when their kids are all in school full time, for that additional time to pursue interests, scrapbook (!), and keep the house clean. We would have been at that point in September, and so I am choosing today to give that time totally to you and your development and learning. And it will mean some juggling with my teaching schedule and Daddy's event schedule; but with God's help, it will work and work well! We will need to work together as a family to make it happen, for sure, but we will grow together through it. I want you to know that you two are worth ANY sacrifice that we need to make to ensure your education is top quality, challenging, and tailored to you.

So it is my hope and prayer that today will be about reconnecting deeply as a family in the learning process. I hope that it is a day filled with fun, and exploration (with minimal tears!), and of good books. A day of creativity and the hope the only new journeys can lay before us.

And, most of all, I want you to know that while this decision was very difficult for us to make, we did so with the faith that bringing you home to learn will give you an enriched, individualized experience that will allow you to soar and reach your full potential in preparation for what God has planned for your lives.

I love you both, my beautiful kids, and am honored to be your Mommy, biggest fan, and teacher.

Love,
Mommy