Green tea time

I found a cute little teapot with 6 matching tea cups at a garage sale last fall.

Five bucks.

I love these cups. They are small and round and fit perfectly in your hand, and also are fun for the kids to drink out of.

By the way, T1 is reading The Story of the Romans by H.A. Guerber in the picture. He has since finished it. He liked it and read it quite quickly. The Story of the Greeks...not so much. That took a bit longer to get through. I'm not sure why, I guess all of the mythology wasn't very interesting to him. I really love the Guerber history books. We have The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and The Story of the Great Republic too.
Back to the tea talk...
I try to regularly make tea in the teapot for us. The kids and I get the pleasure of drinking something hot (similar to coffee) and I am secretly teaching them to like green tea without sugar or milk.

You know how good green tea is for you don't you?

I like it.

We drink some hot, and drink the leftovers cold with meals.

Electric station

I offer you my son's electricity workshop. He's been messing around with this the last few days. He pulled it out of the shop where it had been sitting since the last time they messed with it. My husband bought a bunch of stuff a few years ago at Lowe's for them to experiment with. Since then my son has added other found objects to his collection.

Yesterday he found my dead Sonicare toothbrush in the bathroom garbage and asked if he could take it apart.

This is the music 'thingy' that went to a little Christmas snowman decoration. You wound him up and then the music would play. He took that apart and found this interesting piece. It's not electrical, just mechanical.

He told me "This is what Walking in a winter wonderland (song) looks like."

Learning and living is usually messy (around here). In the background is an open Bible from reading today's Proverbs, my secret knitting project (shhhh) and little sister's pretend food beads.

We found Proverbs 21:1 particularly interesting today.

Assembling your own little kit has got to be much cheaper and WAAAAY better than a little cheapy-plastic-fake-o one at the local toy store.

I guess it needs to be said that if the TV was on, my children would most likely NOT be interested in figuring out how electricity works.

Boredom and quietness are essential to learning. They are also key to creating producers rather than consumers who live to be amused in front of the brightly-lit box.

At least I think so.

I wonder if Leonardo DaVinci would've become such a great artist if he could've spent his every free moment downloading visual and mental information, never having time to think or formulate his own thoughts?

I wonder?

I think they learn more things when they figure it out themselves.

Just give them the tools and let THEM become the experts.

(Of course, with proper supervision from Papa and Mama, so nobody gets hurt. Safety first!)

Math

Do any of you homeschooling moms get this when correcting?

It gave me a chuckle.

Make way for hatchlings

I love to hear their peeping.

Summer school

I had planned to continue schooling through the summer, and I still want to...but we haven't really done that..technically.

We have been getting up late, eating breakfast late, taking care of the chickens, weeding the garden, planting, mowing, laying barkdust, painting birdhouses, playing playmobils, knitting, watching videos from the library and eating. There is always eating in between everything. Eating and cleaning up from eating alone takes up so much of our day.

My bare minimum has been reading the Bible at breakfast and doing an art project everyday. Just doing those two things (eating and chores) can take up an entire day! It's shocking. Even though we're not 'schooling' we have been educating ourselves in other ways.

We have been listening to Gregg Harris' Home and Family Business Workshop. We have had this workshop in cassette form for a few years and have listened to it numerous times. My oldest son said to me as he sat inches away from the tape player which is hot chocolate, "I wish these were on CDs". So I checked, you can download the MP3 version from Noble Books for very reasonable price. Now I want all of them!

I play the tapes for myself really, while I'm working in the kitchen, but the kids like it and are being mentored by a great man whom they have never met. They've been listening to it while they are doing art at the table or sometimes we'll listen while we eat lunch.

What do you do in the summer? Do you take it off or plow ahead?

Independent study

I came across these pictures of what worked well for us in the beginning, when I was trying to transition T1 into independent study. There were a few key components that helped keep him on task and gave him structure.

Daily List
First was his daily school work list. I made this (it's on the left of the calendar) and laminated it using contact paper from Walmart. The list read from top to bottom (Math flashcards, Calculadder, Explode the Code, Handwriting, Reading) In front of each task there was a large box. In each of the boxes I put a sticky velcro patch. Then I covered some square stickers that fit in the boxes with contact paper. I think I put them on some heavy paper first, then cut them out and covered them with contact paper. You want them to be somewhat sturdy as they get a good deal of use. Lastly, each sticker gets a sticky velcro on the back. I had 5 stickers, so I put 5 velcro tabs on the bottom of the list. This is where the stickers start out. As he finishes each daily task, he takes a sticker and crosses off the task. It's very plain to him when he is done. And he feels a sense of accomplishment.



Monthly Calendar
The second component is the monthly calendar. I make one for him with special family birthdays or garbage day, etc. I always put his full name on it so he would learn how to spell it. When he finished his daily list of things to do, then he was allowed to put a star on the day to show he was done. He always loved this part. He loved to look at what he had done, or be able to see that it was 'almost the weekend'.

This system worked so well for us, it kept him schooling right through a new baby in the house. I could just say, "Do your schoolwork" and he knew what that meant.

Organizing bookshelves

How do you organize your books?

I would really like to know.

We moved awhile back and having to unpack all of the boxes of books was a brain twister for me. I couldn't figure out where to put what. We have 4 bookcases, and I would like to get another one. There are a lot of possibilities.

When we moved, I searched the internet for a website or blog that would share how one homeschooling mom out there had masterfully organized her library. I didn't find her. I'm sure she and possibly others like her do exist but where?

Where are you?

As you can see I don't have the most tidy bookshelf but we really do love our books. My main concern was that since there are numerous bookshelves sprinkled throughout the house, I wanted to organize them so they would be useful without experiencing the 'lost book syndrome'. I will often come across a book and think, "Oh!! I forgot about that book! That would have been perfect for so and so back when we were reading such and such."



See the paper taped to the right of the bookshelf? This is the list I came up with to at least get my books out of boxes and on a shelf.


Library categories:

• Homeschool books for parents
• Parenting books
• Pregnancy
• Health
• Garden
• Bible
• Language Arts
• Copywork
• Phonics and Early Reading
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Writing
• Literature
• Math
• History
• Science
• Nature Study
• Music
• Art
• Christian books (biographies, etc)
• Audio
• Photo Albums
• Picture books (preschool)

Feel free to share what works for you. In fact, please do!

One third of education is discipline

"The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; on the other hand she who lets habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction."


"If we fail to ease life by laying down habits of right thinking and right doing, habits of wrong thinking and wrong doing fix themselves of their own accord."

- Charlotte Mason

I see the wisdom in this thinking and I do strive for this, but I must admit, it's HARD to do. It's so much easier to just sit back and let the day happen. But when that happens there is usually chaos and clutter. (Let's face it, there is usually chaos and clutter anyway!) I want to give my children good habits, so that they are easy to continue in as they grow older. Charlotte Mason talks about habits as laying down train tracks. When the rails of habit are laid down lessons/routines can go along easily and smoothly along them. But laying down the rails takes a lot of effort.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. - Galations 6:9

Children play what they read

Recently, our home has been given an infusion of history magic. My oldest son has been reading about the American Revolution and has gone soldier crazy. It spills over to his little brother of course. T1 shares all of his stories that he is reading. They both prefer to wear their rifles while they do their household chores, and we've had more forts built and torn down in the last two weeks than I can remember.

It's reading.

It's history.

It fuels their imagination.

It encourages their manhood.

They love it!

We use biographies or stories about a person during a certain time in history, rather than the textbook approach.

Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason thought that it was a fatal mistake to think children must learn outlines or overviews of the whole of history. Instead, she said, "Let the child linger pleasantly over the history of a single man, a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of the man, is at home in the ways of that period. Though he is reading and thinking of the lifetime of a single man, he is really getting intimately acquainted with the history of a whole nation of a whole age..."

When this kind of history is fed to children, they will be inspired to play at their history. She also said "it is a mistake to think that a child will have much of an imagination just because he is a child. An imagination must be fed for it to grow, develop and become a strong, usefull part of his intellect. Twaddly stories will not do. Let a child have the meat he requires in his history readings, and in the literature which naturally gathers round this history, and imagination will bestir itself without any help of ours; the child will live out in detail a thousand scenes of which he only gets the merest hint."

Living books

Through these kinds of books a child gains insight about a time period in a more understandable way, a way in which he can relate. He establishes a relationship with a time period, in a way that he could not have done with a dry textbook filled with facts and dates to memorize.

Book recommendations

I have to mention a book that I highly recommend called All Through the Ages by Christine Miller. It is a guide for teaching and learning history using literature rather than textbooks. It is an enormous booklist catagorized in chronological order and also by age group. I use this to decide which books to buy, read, hold from the library. I can find picture books to read to T2 about the same time period that T1 is reading about in his chapter books so we're all on the same page.

T1 is reading H.A. Guerber's The Story of the Thirteen Colonies along with his current literature book. This is a great overview written in a story format. He tells us his latest story at the dinner table. Guerber wrote more books covering other time periods. I love them.

Right now I am having him read 30 minutes out of Guerber and then one hour from his current book (Johnny Tremain). On his list of upcoming historical fiction books to read are: The Minute Boys of Bunker Hill, The Minute Boys of Lexington and The Reb and the Redcoats.

Maps as art

Today I gave up.

I guess I quit thinking that the house had to be 'stylish'.

Since we moved last summer we put our maps in a discreet, out of the way location, in the hallway. The problem is we never spend time in the hallway. We never looked at them, and if I wondered where a country or state was...I was too lazy to get up and go to the dark hallway to find out.

Today I decided to put the maps where WE are. I moved them both to the living room. I put my favorite one (pictured below) right above the couch, believe it or not, it's not even centered, which is a great accomplishment for those who know me. I just couldn't center it because I have some pictures already up there. I should take a picture to show you that it is indeed aesthetically off. But I am so glad I did. Now I can sit on the couch and gaze at all of the places I didn't know about. It has re-ignited our interest in geography and just adds to our interest of the world. Now we say things like "How many continents are there?" or "This is where Uncle A is right now."

It's good. So I would encourage you too to take courage and see the beauty in a map. Take yours out of the hallway, or if you don't have one buy one and put it up!

I LOVE this map. It's the GeoSafari World Wall Map. It did have flags of different countries all around it but I just cut them off (I felt they were a little distracting) and had the whole thing laminated. Best thing I ever did. Did I mention I LOVE this map? It's somewhat basic, but very clear with the countries in different colors. I think I got it at The Learning Palace.

See? Completely off-center.

Oh well.

First grade math session

This morning at breakfast we started talking about math. We got out the noodles and a few flashcards to show T2 how multiplication works.

We currently use the Robinson Curriculum approach in our homeschooling and have liked it a great deal so far. This curriculum is basically just the 3Rs. In the beginning of homeschooling I tried to teach *everything*, cover every subject, but it became quite overwhelming. I do like the Charlotte Mason style of learning, or at least like the idea of it. But I found that we were doing too much of the misc. subjects (art study, music study, nature, etc) and not focusing on the basics. Robinson cleared all that away for me. It also teaches the kids to sit and work independently, to really learn that they can figure out things and not have to have Mama sitting there doing their work with them or for them. And what I've found is that we focus our school work on reading, math and writing but because of our lifestyle, we learn about all of those other things in our off times, in reading library books, encyclopedias and just talking about life. Not having a television is a huge part of that. Books just can't compete with a television, they lose everytime. It's harder to sit and read, it takes a lot more brain power!

Robinson recommends teaching all of the math functions at once (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), starting slowly in the lower numbers. The goal in the early years is to read fluently and learn/memorize all of their math facts up to 12. After that is accomplished, they start in Saxon 54.

Art Study

I practice passive art study. I have one frame designated for art in the dining room area. I like to collect art books that I can use. I especially have enjoyed the books called "The Great Artists". These are a series of 25 books by Funk & Wagnalls, featuring one artist. I have found them at garage sales, used bookstores and bought some on Ebay.

I try to focus on one artist over a years time or so. I often forget to change the picture and leave it up too long, which leads to taking a year to see Mr. Van Gogh's work! But I enjoy seeing art and also sharing it with my family.

Popcorn party

I was thinking one day, about Popcorn Parties at school when I was growing up. Oh, how we looked forward to them. It seemed we would do most anything to get them. We would count the days down to our beloved "Popcorn Party".

What was the big wup?
(any ideas on how to spell that? Not woop. Not wupe. I don't know, but I know you know the one I'm talking about)

All it was was a bag of popcorn and a break from the usual routine of school.

No biggie.

That got me thinking about my kids. They need something fun to look forward to. To give them a payday for their hard work everyweek. So we implemented a family Popcorn Party celebration on Fridays. If they have done their work everyday for the week, it's party time! And it's been really fun.

Papa comes home and the popcorn and grape juice is flowing amongst the Uno cards or Chess or Connect Four. It's a party.

The Habit of Reading

"The most common and the monstrous defect in the education of the day is that children fail to acquire the habit of reading. Knowledge is conveyed to them by lessons and talk, but the studious habit of using books as a means of interest and delight is not acquired. This habit should be begun early; so soon as the child can read at all, he should read for himself, and to himself, history, legends, fairy tales and other suitable matter. He should be trained from the first to think that one reading of any lesson is enough to enable him to narrate what he has read and will thus get the habit of slow, careful reading, intelligent even when it is silent, because he reads with an eye to the full meaning of every clause." ~Charlotte Mason

Chess books

I think we have 3 different chess books for kids, I couldn't find the other one to include in the photo. I pick them up when I come across them at Goodwill. The boys both study them and the moves shown. I recently brought the book by Usborne home. Jonathan sat down and started reading it.


The next thing I know I heard Jonathan shouting out, "Gabriel, want to play chess?"

Calendars, lists and forms to go

If you've never visited Donna Young's site you might be missing something. I feel that I must implore you to visit this website just to make sure. Regardless of whether you homeschool or not, I think you will find something helpful on this site.

I print up a weekly menu planner and monthly calendars for Jonathan to have over his desk and for our refrigerator.

I have her site under my homeschooling links. Check it out.

Oh and by the way, this is how Jonathan leaves his desk when he's finished with school. Isn't it cute? He has his little New Testament Bible set up along with his daily math flashcards neatly lined up.

We've recently implemented a "Popcorn Party" of sorts on Friday nights if he has done his schoolwork everyday of the week. He completes his list on the wall (next to the calendar). Once he does this, he is allowed to put a star on that day. It's been a great way to get back into the routine after the move. And it gives us all something to look forward to.

Salvete!

I came out of my room to find this Roman gentleman standing in my house. He refused to smile stating "Romans don't smile". Apparently, Jonathan was overcome with the urge to make himself a toga while doing his morning chore of folding clothes. I think he did a great job don't you? He was inspired by the fact that we have just begun our new latin course called Prima Latina. I say we because I want to learn too. It's fun! Here are our vocabulary words for the week.

toga = toga
Deus = God
via = road
ambulo = I walk
luna = moon
salve = hello (to one person)
salvete = hello (to more than one person)


What?

Why study latin? Well, at least 60% of words in the English language are derived from Latin which helps tremendously with vocabulary and grammar. Studies conducted by the Educational Testing Service show that Latin students consistently outperform all other students on the verbal portion of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).

And also... my friend Khonda is doing it.