B week... I have pretty limited blogging time this week. We are cruising through B week. So far we have made a good dent in our reading list (see the end of Feb reading list) and have a nice B sound box in progress (current items: banana, bears (teddy, and stuffed brown and black, picture of polar and plastic panda), balls (basketball and brown ball), a blue item and a black item, baby doll, beanbag, block, butterfly, book, bucket, and a few others I am forgetting) we will continue adding to it throughout the week. We have listed to Beethoven and are studying Boticello this week. We are talking about a lot of different animals (bears, badgers, bees, butterflies, bugs, beavers and birds to name a few), we will talk about baseball and basketball. The butterfly puzzle and life cycles and a few books were science time today, we will follow it up tomorrow with stained glass coloring pictures of butterflies. We also did some online painting of butterflies, bears and several great works of art online at Enchanted Learning. The kids really love the online painting and the interactive online dictionary there, I also think they have great coloring pages and fact sheets for older kids and they have a variety of languages available.
Ciaran and I played a lot today - it was nice to have some special time with him (Rhiannon had a dr's appointment and Serona took her) we took advantage of the time and just focused on playing blocks, cars and with his animals. We also wrestled and tickled (which I hardly ever do) and of course we had some special cuddle and reading time together. It was nice. I also spent some time like that with Sirah today singing her nursery rhymes, talking to her and just sitting on floor by her side as she played with her toys. I tried reading to her but she mostly ate the books.
tomorrow we have Ciaran's preschool cooperative on the letter B and then on Thursday we have a field trip centered around the letter B. I need to head off to help the little ones to sleep.
Peace,
Tenn
February 24, 2004
West Virginia update... A proposed law in W. Virginia would "require every child in the state to have a record of compulsory immunizations. The legislation, Senate Bill 439, stipulates "any parent or guardian who refuses to permit his or her child to be immunized" would face a criminal charge."
The text of the bill can be found here. It could be voted on this week. For more information read this World Net article.
Peace,
Tenn
The text of the bill can be found here. It could be voted on this week. For more information read this World Net article.
Peace,
Tenn
Alaska update... Daryl over at Homeschool & Other Education Stuff has a nice write-up on a new house bill in Alaska to "require all Alaskan school-age children to carry a tracking number that would enable the state to ensure every child is receiving an education."
The homeschool community once again got the phones ringing in response to Alaska House Bill 437 and "Carl Gatto, who chairs the House Special Committee on Education, said his office had to prepare a canned response. Gatto also said Chenault indicated that he may withdraw the bill in the future."
The editorial Daryl is blogging on can be found here. The actual text of the bill can be found here. To see a list of the Representatives to contact on the House Special committee on Education visit here.
Peace,
Tenn
The homeschool community once again got the phones ringing in response to Alaska House Bill 437 and "Carl Gatto, who chairs the House Special Committee on Education, said his office had to prepare a canned response. Gatto also said Chenault indicated that he may withdraw the bill in the future."
The editorial Daryl is blogging on can be found here. The actual text of the bill can be found here. To see a list of the Representatives to contact on the House Special committee on Education visit here.
Peace,
Tenn
February 21, 2004
Kudos to Idaho homeschool community... Nice job on the recent proposed Idaho truancy bill that I posted about here. The legislation has been pulled by the writer of the bill. The reason stated in this article:
"Considerable pressure from the state's home-schooling community prompted Stegner to pull the bill on Friday."
Another victory for homeschoolers in local politics. Combined with the recent victory in Minnesota on tax breaks and homeschooling freedoms. For more information about the issue read this post.
It just shows you that the homeschool community is strong and active. That is a good thing! From responding to networks to putting pressure on our local politicians to protect our right - we are fighting the good fight. Thanks!
Peace,
Tenn
"Considerable pressure from the state's home-schooling community prompted Stegner to pull the bill on Friday."
Another victory for homeschoolers in local politics. Combined with the recent victory in Minnesota on tax breaks and homeschooling freedoms. For more information about the issue read this post.
It just shows you that the homeschool community is strong and active. That is a good thing! From responding to networks to putting pressure on our local politicians to protect our right - we are fighting the good fight. Thanks!
Peace,
Tenn
February 20, 2004
Read Across America... This NEA event is scheduled to take place on March 2, 2004. It coincides with the 100th birthday of Dr. Suess. Perhaps your family or homeschool group would consider taking part.
For more information visit NEA: NEA's Read Across America .
Peace,
Tenn
For more information visit NEA: NEA's Read Across America .
Peace,
Tenn
February 19, 2004
Overview of our curriculum... I was recently asked about what we do for our schooling and after writing out a long response I decided to post it here as well - for the homeschool record - as that is what I started this blog as (our homeschool records) though it has grown since then. So for those of you interested - this is our basic weekly plan:
We base our weeks around a single letter - I call it "playing with the letter". We do some consistent things each week and then add a lot of variety depending on the subject.
-I use Jane Belk Moncure's My "sound Box" series - one book for nearly every letter of the alphabet. My kids love these books.
-We read that at the beginning of each week and then we keep our own soundbox - a cardboard box the kids can collect objects that start with our letter for the week. They love putting things in there, taking it out and getting to show dad what is in their box.
-We also keep a word list of all the words we use that week that start with the letter.
-We listen to a composer and look at art from an artist (this is in addition to the composer and artist we study for 3 months at a time)
-The kids draw items in their nature notebook when appropriate - my youngest just scribbles but he labels it and he is drawing it in his mind
-We try to coordinate all our activities (math, science, stories, field trips, even play activities and crafts) around that letter
-my oldest does handwriting practice on that letter
-We use the www.letteroftheweek.com as well - but I only use it as a springboard
-Every week I take my kids (age 4, 3 and 6 months) to the library for an hour - the older two get to play a computer game while me and the baby walk around the non-fiction and fiction section and collect all the books we are interested in that start with next weeks letter. There are some consistent things we find: an artist, a musician, a historic figure, an animal, a science concept, a geographical location and a sport or activity. We often find many other subjects that interest us - then I browse the fiction section for stories about our subject or with titles that have the next week's letter in it. We read a lot (on average 10 books a day)
-Each week we visit www.enchantedlearning.com and go through their interactive dictionary of the letter we are on.
-We printout coloring sheets and crafts for the letter
-We do a scripture memorization for the week and a bible story
-We try to coordinate our field trips with the letter (I choose the letter after our homeschool group chooses the activity)
-On good weeks I remember to make a collage at the end of the week with pictures from the letter
-I mostly try to consistently point out the letter whenever possible and ask the kids what words start with it or to find it or if they have ideas of what to do next. We really do try to keep it light and fun.
-Each week I place our library books in one section of the house and the kids can always ask to read a book from that stack. I try to remove the ones we have already read so they get a lot of variety. I of course let them hear their favorites again and again. I try to make it through 3-4 non fiction books a day (sometimes I paraphrase or only point out the most interesting information and let them look at the pictures).
-Rhiannon reads a phonics book each day
-Rhiannon practices Irish step dance a few times a week
-We read a chapter book before bed (current: Little House in Big Woods and Frog and Toad, we just finished "The Chronicles of Narnia")
-We listen to books on tape in the car (current Black Beauty and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) - I try to chose good literature unabridged when available.
As I type this out I realize that it sounds like a tremendous undertaking and pretty excessive for a 3 and 4 year old - but I have discovered that my kids love it and we just incorporate it into our day - it is the way we live. I don't often call it "school" time as they are often not as excited by that. Sometimes I do and they often ask to do "School" stuff - but mostly we just live and play with the letter. I try to make it as natural of a process as possible for them. We take hiatuses and we play alot. We are a reading family and we watch very little TV. My husband and I just try to create an environment where learning is a natural and exciting and expected part of life. I do very little "prep" or planning time and I learn right along with them. I don't expect them to retain much (though I am always amazed at what they do) - we are just trying to expose them to as much as possible while they are interested in it. We are having fun and learning together.
Peace,
Tenn
We base our weeks around a single letter - I call it "playing with the letter". We do some consistent things each week and then add a lot of variety depending on the subject.
-I use Jane Belk Moncure's My "sound Box" series - one book for nearly every letter of the alphabet. My kids love these books.
-We read that at the beginning of each week and then we keep our own soundbox - a cardboard box the kids can collect objects that start with our letter for the week. They love putting things in there, taking it out and getting to show dad what is in their box.
-We also keep a word list of all the words we use that week that start with the letter.
-We listen to a composer and look at art from an artist (this is in addition to the composer and artist we study for 3 months at a time)
-The kids draw items in their nature notebook when appropriate - my youngest just scribbles but he labels it and he is drawing it in his mind
-We try to coordinate all our activities (math, science, stories, field trips, even play activities and crafts) around that letter
-my oldest does handwriting practice on that letter
-We use the www.letteroftheweek.com as well - but I only use it as a springboard
-Every week I take my kids (age 4, 3 and 6 months) to the library for an hour - the older two get to play a computer game while me and the baby walk around the non-fiction and fiction section and collect all the books we are interested in that start with next weeks letter. There are some consistent things we find: an artist, a musician, a historic figure, an animal, a science concept, a geographical location and a sport or activity. We often find many other subjects that interest us - then I browse the fiction section for stories about our subject or with titles that have the next week's letter in it. We read a lot (on average 10 books a day)
-Each week we visit www.enchantedlearning.com and go through their interactive dictionary of the letter we are on.
-We printout coloring sheets and crafts for the letter
-We do a scripture memorization for the week and a bible story
-We try to coordinate our field trips with the letter (I choose the letter after our homeschool group chooses the activity)
-On good weeks I remember to make a collage at the end of the week with pictures from the letter
-I mostly try to consistently point out the letter whenever possible and ask the kids what words start with it or to find it or if they have ideas of what to do next. We really do try to keep it light and fun.
-Each week I place our library books in one section of the house and the kids can always ask to read a book from that stack. I try to remove the ones we have already read so they get a lot of variety. I of course let them hear their favorites again and again. I try to make it through 3-4 non fiction books a day (sometimes I paraphrase or only point out the most interesting information and let them look at the pictures).
-Rhiannon reads a phonics book each day
-Rhiannon practices Irish step dance a few times a week
-We read a chapter book before bed (current: Little House in Big Woods and Frog and Toad, we just finished "The Chronicles of Narnia")
-We listen to books on tape in the car (current Black Beauty and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) - I try to chose good literature unabridged when available.
As I type this out I realize that it sounds like a tremendous undertaking and pretty excessive for a 3 and 4 year old - but I have discovered that my kids love it and we just incorporate it into our day - it is the way we live. I don't often call it "school" time as they are often not as excited by that. Sometimes I do and they often ask to do "School" stuff - but mostly we just live and play with the letter. I try to make it as natural of a process as possible for them. We take hiatuses and we play alot. We are a reading family and we watch very little TV. My husband and I just try to create an environment where learning is a natural and exciting and expected part of life. I do very little "prep" or planning time and I learn right along with them. I don't expect them to retain much (though I am always amazed at what they do) - we are just trying to expose them to as much as possible while they are interested in it. We are having fun and learning together.
Peace,
Tenn
A Walk in an Orchid Greenhouse... Our homeschool group took a field trip to an orchid nursery today - what a great trip for winter in Minnesota. It was so nice, warm, bright and fragrant in there that one would never want to leave. Too bad it wasn't planned for the -24 day we had a few weeks ago. We are actually experiencing a heat wave here - nearing 40 degrees!
But I digress - the tour was excellent. It was amazing to see how many different kinds of orchids there are and how long they take to grow. It really gives you perspective on the reason they are so expensive (they take an average 3 years to bloom) and so beautiful.
Rhiannon had prepped a little ahead of time - last night we spent about 30 minutes online looking at a variety of orchids and learning some basic facts. We also printed out an orchid coloring page and two color photos of her favorites for her portfolio. We discussed where orchids grow and what colors there are and how many different species there are.
Today on the tour the guides asked some of those very questions and shared those facts - it was nice for once to have been ahead of the game.
Here is what Rhiannon had to say (dictated by her typed by me):
"Today I saw a pink sky orchid and I liked it and it had mommy and daddy orchids as well. I learned that orchids can grow in any state and they can't grow in Antartica. Orchids come in any color except black. I remember there were 10,000 different kinds of orchids. I would like to send this message to all the people of the world. I want to tell you something very exciting - at the end of the tour we got to see lamas and we also got flowers. Friends I think you should take a tour of the greenhouse and explore all the flowers. It's so good. Love, Rhiannon. "
But I digress - the tour was excellent. It was amazing to see how many different kinds of orchids there are and how long they take to grow. It really gives you perspective on the reason they are so expensive (they take an average 3 years to bloom) and so beautiful.
Rhiannon had prepped a little ahead of time - last night we spent about 30 minutes online looking at a variety of orchids and learning some basic facts. We also printed out an orchid coloring page and two color photos of her favorites for her portfolio. We discussed where orchids grow and what colors there are and how many different species there are.
Today on the tour the guides asked some of those very questions and shared those facts - it was nice for once to have been ahead of the game.
Here is what Rhiannon had to say (dictated by her typed by me):
"Today I saw a pink sky orchid and I liked it and it had mommy and daddy orchids as well. I learned that orchids can grow in any state and they can't grow in Antartica. Orchids come in any color except black. I remember there were 10,000 different kinds of orchids. I would like to send this message to all the people of the world. I want to tell you something very exciting - at the end of the tour we got to see lamas and we also got flowers. Friends I think you should take a tour of the greenhouse and explore all the flowers. It's so good. Love, Rhiannon. "
Character Building... Here is a new website from the US Dept. of Education dedicated to helping build character. Check out Character Education & Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center.
I took this description right off their website:
"Welcome to the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC) website, CETAC Online! Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS), CETAC Online provides State program administrators, local educators, and the public with information on character education and civic engagement, as well as strategies that support academic goals and other reform efforts. "
Peace,
Tenn
I took this description right off their website:
"Welcome to the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC) website, CETAC Online! Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS), CETAC Online provides State program administrators, local educators, and the public with information on character education and civic engagement, as well as strategies that support academic goals and other reform efforts. "
Peace,
Tenn
February 18, 2004
NBC's 'Law and Order - Special Victims Unit' and Homeschooling... Being the non-TV watching family we are, a friend let us know about last night's TV show and the negative depiction of homeschoolers. Apparently this episode of Law and Order SVU depicted homeschooling as a potential cover for child abuse and highlighted "lack of regulations" in many states.
Just months after the battle with CBS over similar issues - here we go again. Now I know this is a show and not a news program like CBS was - but still with the lines between entertainment and reality being so fuzzy these days - how many people will walk away believing that as a realistic view of homeschooling families? I hope the answer is not many - however it still can not be tolerated.
Here we go again with the contact info:
The Show via email: LawOrderSVU@nbc.com
Or contact Jeffery Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment through the following means:
Jeffrey Zucker -- NBC Broadcasting - Entertainment
Title: President, NBC Entertainment
Department: Headquarters
E-mail: jeff.zucker@nbc.com
Phone: (818) 840-4444
Address: Viewer Relations, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112-
Care of Citizens Link.
To read more visit HSLDA | NBC's Law and Order SVU Smears Homeschooling.
Let's get those phones ringing again.
Peace,
Tenn
Just months after the battle with CBS over similar issues - here we go again. Now I know this is a show and not a news program like CBS was - but still with the lines between entertainment and reality being so fuzzy these days - how many people will walk away believing that as a realistic view of homeschooling families? I hope the answer is not many - however it still can not be tolerated.
Here we go again with the contact info:
The Show via email: LawOrderSVU@nbc.com
Or contact Jeffery Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment through the following means:
Jeffrey Zucker -- NBC Broadcasting - Entertainment
Title: President, NBC Entertainment
Department: Headquarters
E-mail: jeff.zucker@nbc.com
Phone: (818) 840-4444
Address: Viewer Relations, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112-
Care of Citizens Link.
To read more visit HSLDA | NBC's Law and Order SVU Smears Homeschooling.
Let's get those phones ringing again.
Peace,
Tenn
Blogging Tips... The godfather of blogs Glenn Reynolds has some advice and opinions on the next wave of blogging. Check it out here.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Idaho homeschool legislation... There is an important piece of legislation being evaluated in Idaho - that we should all pay attention to. The bill calls for "comparable coursework" without defining what that means. It would make parents susceptable to a misdemeanant charge if found to not be "comparable."
This is the type of legislation that is most concerning to me. In the name of protecting children from parents who "falsely" claim to be schooling their kids - the put increased regulations on all parents. Serona tried to make light of it (he takes it seriously though) and said so are they going to charge parents because they are teaching their kids "too much" since that certainly won't be comparable either?
The current changes being proposed can be found on the Idaho Senate page under SENATE BILL NO. 1233.
Daryl and Izzy have been following this debate much closer and you should check them out. Also here is a recent news article.
Why should you be concerned if you don't live in Idaho? Because the same issue could soon find itself in your state and we need to be aware of homeschooling legislation as it occurs and learn the means by which to defend our rights to homeschool.
Peace,
Tenn
This is the type of legislation that is most concerning to me. In the name of protecting children from parents who "falsely" claim to be schooling their kids - the put increased regulations on all parents. Serona tried to make light of it (he takes it seriously though) and said so are they going to charge parents because they are teaching their kids "too much" since that certainly won't be comparable either?
The current changes being proposed can be found on the Idaho Senate page under SENATE BILL NO. 1233.
Daryl and Izzy have been following this debate much closer and you should check them out. Also here is a recent news article.
Why should you be concerned if you don't live in Idaho? Because the same issue could soon find itself in your state and we need to be aware of homeschooling legislation as it occurs and learn the means by which to defend our rights to homeschool.
Peace,
Tenn
Music Education... Interesting article on teaching toddlers and preschoolers music. The article discusses briefly the Suzuki method and benefits of early education. Check out: Music program helps little ones build social skills.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
February 17, 2004
Congratulations... A great big CONGRATS to Anne over at Our Homeschool on the birth of her newest student. Many blessings on your new baby and the whole family.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Great Animal Resources... We began our "O" week today. Yesterday we focused on president's day all day and had a nice theme day. We had a very slow start to the morning - the kids got to watch their first video in almost two weeks - they watched Milo and Otis that was the only movie they could find with O at the beginning. Then we read several library books on O subjects - including our usual overview sound box book by Jane Belk Moncure. I enjoy doing "sound box" lesson plans around her books. We discussed several other subjects and read and looked at picture books.
We built a race track and a castle out of wood blocks. We had free imaginary playtime and I took turns reading to the kids books of their choosing - will be listed in updated reading list. I sang nursery rhymes to Sirah and played games with her. Rhiannon and Ciaran took turns doing her flashcards with her. Ciaran did 4 puzzle books and some coloring sheets.
During naptime Rhiannon and I did computer work. We worked on Enchanted Learning'sinteractive dictionary and explored several layers into some subjects. Then Rhia wanted to focus on animals and we went searching for real video and audio clips of orangutans, octupi, ocelots, orioles, and otters. We listened to them, watched live video and sent photo postcards to family - she dictated the messages and I typed.
Two great resources for these activities are Creature Features and Jungle Walk. They have a wide selection of animals and activities and my kids really enjoyed it.
Off to afternoon responsibilities.
Peace,
Tenn
We built a race track and a castle out of wood blocks. We had free imaginary playtime and I took turns reading to the kids books of their choosing - will be listed in updated reading list. I sang nursery rhymes to Sirah and played games with her. Rhiannon and Ciaran took turns doing her flashcards with her. Ciaran did 4 puzzle books and some coloring sheets.
During naptime Rhiannon and I did computer work. We worked on Enchanted Learning'sinteractive dictionary and explored several layers into some subjects. Then Rhia wanted to focus on animals and we went searching for real video and audio clips of orangutans, octupi, ocelots, orioles, and otters. We listened to them, watched live video and sent photo postcards to family - she dictated the messages and I typed.
Two great resources for these activities are Creature Features and Jungle Walk. They have a wide selection of animals and activities and my kids really enjoyed it.
Off to afternoon responsibilities.
Peace,
Tenn
Politically Incorrect Reading... A college professor has recently published a book by titled A Reader for the Politically Incorrect. He published this in response to history texts such as ReReading America which is commonly used in colleges and touts itself as calling into question foundations held by people such as:
(1) the nuclear family is the only solid basis for society;
(2) education empowers all citizens;
(3) success is solely the product of hard work;
(4) gender roles are biologically rather than culturally determined;
(5) America is a melting pot, where people from different cultures blend together to form a homogeneous whole; and
(6) America is seen throughout the world as a land of liberty and freedom.
Dr. Zilbergeld says he wrote the book because "Students just aren't getting the good stuff anymore."
Personally I have not read either book (yet) but thought it was an interesting subject to bring to your attention. To read more visit Politically Incorrect Reading.
Peace,
Tenn
February 16, 2004
President's Day Lesson Plan... Today for president's day we spent some time online going through pictures and facts about the president's of the US. Rhiannon already knew who our president and vice-president were, but she enjoyed learning about the others. I just mostly did picture name and dates (knowing she will not retain much of this at this point). A nice site to find this information can be found here. This site has thumbnail pictures of all the presidents and then click through links to a larger photo and a simple fact sheet.
We also spent a good deal of time on the Enchanted Learning. Here you can find a complete text link of president, vice-president and dates of service as well as many activities and crafts to do. We printed out books on Lincoln, Washington and George W Bush as well as coloring pages of the White House and Mt Rushmore. We also talked about memorials - the Washington monument and the Lincoln memorial. You can find much of this material here.
We also took a virtual tour of the white house on the official White House homepage. Rhiannon thought that was really neat. She asked if she could go visit Washington DC and thought it was neat that I have spent time there. I told her when she was older we could go.
Then she asked if she could say a prayer for the president and our government (I kid you not and with no prompting). Here is her prayer:
"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for our president
please give him wisdom
help him to explain the hard things and to be wise
keep him safe.
In Jesus name - Amen"
I must say I am very proud of her and it was very touching to me. She is only 4 years old - and it makes the statements about "the faith of a child" make so much sense. Then she asked me to pray for the president as well.
Some other resources you may want to look into are: White House Kids and Fun Brain Presidential Picture Quiz.
Peace,
Tenn
We also spent a good deal of time on the Enchanted Learning. Here you can find a complete text link of president, vice-president and dates of service as well as many activities and crafts to do. We printed out books on Lincoln, Washington and George W Bush as well as coloring pages of the White House and Mt Rushmore. We also talked about memorials - the Washington monument and the Lincoln memorial. You can find much of this material here.
We also took a virtual tour of the white house on the official White House homepage. Rhiannon thought that was really neat. She asked if she could go visit Washington DC and thought it was neat that I have spent time there. I told her when she was older we could go.
Then she asked if she could say a prayer for the president and our government (I kid you not and with no prompting). Here is her prayer:
"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for our president
please give him wisdom
help him to explain the hard things and to be wise
keep him safe.
In Jesus name - Amen"
I must say I am very proud of her and it was very touching to me. She is only 4 years old - and it makes the statements about "the faith of a child" make so much sense. Then she asked me to pray for the president as well.
Some other resources you may want to look into are: White House Kids and Fun Brain Presidential Picture Quiz.
Peace,
Tenn
A Fun Experiment... Here's one for all the unschoolers and those who love teaching with real life examples. Recently a physics professor who loves M&M's the candy made a discovery through his passion for the candy.
Read about the physics of the random packing of particles as demonstrated by M&M's here: M&M's obsession leads to physics discovery.
Peace,
Tenn
Read about the physics of the random packing of particles as demonstrated by M&M's here: M&M's obsession leads to physics discovery.
Peace,
Tenn
A New Carnival... For followers of Carnival of the Vanities and political buffs - this may be of interest. My post on the cost of kindergarten just made the Carnival of the Bush bloggers. I did not submit to this - they just started it this week and my post was picked. Check it out.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Cost of Kindergarten... An article this morning puts the price tag of some private K-12 programs at more a year than college (approaching IVY league status). It also talks about parents paying 5,000 to have their children coached for the interviews as the entrance process is tight (15 people applying for one seat in some cases).
Don't get me wrong I am all for my kids getting a great education (thus we homeschool) and I can not imagine what the public school system looks like in Manhattan and the Bronx. But at 26,000 a year - wow!
I am just honestly amazed that schools can charge this much for kindergarten. Personally, I was appalled when a top notch Montessori school in our area wanted a little over 3,000 a year for a half day program. I can't even begin to imagine paying 26,000 a year for one! I'm just trying to imagine what I could do as a homeschooling mom with 26,000 a year on to educate my child (and this is per child). I guess I would no longer need a wish list for books!
I know homeschooling isn't for everyone and that parents just want the best for their child - but really how can a school charge 26,000 a year a child for K? The answer - there is clearly demand - as these programs are very hard to get into. All I can say is "my word" and I hope the kids really are getting an excellent education at that price tag. For our family the library, the answer box (aka the computer), and a few good hands-on resources will be just fine.
Read more: Private kindergarten tuition in N.Y. more than $26,000.
Peace,
Tenn
Don't get me wrong I am all for my kids getting a great education (thus we homeschool) and I can not imagine what the public school system looks like in Manhattan and the Bronx. But at 26,000 a year - wow!
I am just honestly amazed that schools can charge this much for kindergarten. Personally, I was appalled when a top notch Montessori school in our area wanted a little over 3,000 a year for a half day program. I can't even begin to imagine paying 26,000 a year for one! I'm just trying to imagine what I could do as a homeschooling mom with 26,000 a year on to educate my child (and this is per child). I guess I would no longer need a wish list for books!
I know homeschooling isn't for everyone and that parents just want the best for their child - but really how can a school charge 26,000 a year a child for K? The answer - there is clearly demand - as these programs are very hard to get into. All I can say is "my word" and I hope the kids really are getting an excellent education at that price tag. For our family the library, the answer box (aka the computer), and a few good hands-on resources will be just fine.
Read more: Private kindergarten tuition in N.Y. more than $26,000.
Peace,
Tenn
February 15, 2004
University of Left Politics... Sadly this is not the name of a new university but rather a description of MANY universities throughout the country. It seems that universities are becoming more and more havens and training camps for left politics. Of course many universities will deny this (though some honest ones are finally admitting it) or claim it is all in the name of diversity. A recent article I read makes several very good points, including this one:
"Should you visit a modern university campus, you will encounter the 'diversity' mantra so mind-numbingly often you will want to scream. What you will not encounter is a kind of diversity that matters most in the academic context: diversity of thought on the most fundamental issues of religion, morality, and politics."
Dr. Feser does a nice job outlining several proposed theories as to why this occurs. I'm not sure I agree with him on many if any. Personally I find his philosopher king and the "survival of the left-est" theory the most appealing.
Having been a Christian independent with both conservative and liberal tendencies (depending on the issue) I certainly experienced first hand this "bias" of higher education. It was not limited to the schools I went to either. Being in the debate community and other intercollegiate activities I was exposed to students and faculty from a wide variety of schools and often found the same phenomenon occurring.
If this subject interests you I recommend Why Are Universities Dominated by the Left?
By Edward Feser. This article provides interesting reading, food for thought and a jumping off point.
Peace,
Tenn
"Should you visit a modern university campus, you will encounter the 'diversity' mantra so mind-numbingly often you will want to scream. What you will not encounter is a kind of diversity that matters most in the academic context: diversity of thought on the most fundamental issues of religion, morality, and politics."
Dr. Feser does a nice job outlining several proposed theories as to why this occurs. I'm not sure I agree with him on many if any. Personally I find his philosopher king and the "survival of the left-est" theory the most appealing.
Having been a Christian independent with both conservative and liberal tendencies (depending on the issue) I certainly experienced first hand this "bias" of higher education. It was not limited to the schools I went to either. Being in the debate community and other intercollegiate activities I was exposed to students and faculty from a wide variety of schools and often found the same phenomenon occurring.
If this subject interests you I recommend Why Are Universities Dominated by the Left?
By Edward Feser. This article provides interesting reading, food for thought and a jumping off point.
Peace,
Tenn
V week lesson plan... Well I am never able to write our lesson plan before we begin it - so I thought I could write it for you after we finished it. The following is a summary by keyword of topics we covered and studied this week (to varying degrees). Some subjects we simply discussed what they were or looked at a picture or read a book about it. Other subjects we really delved into like volcanoes: making one, reading several books, discussing them, searching the internet for them and incorporating them into the kids play. We looked at art and listened to music from several artists this week while continuing our study of Monet and Vivaldi. Everything on this list we spent at least a bit of time on. I do not claim my kids understand all these concepts - nor will they retain all the knowledge they received this week - but I want them to be exposed to as much as possible and start creating those mental hangposts to later put the knowledge on. I am also always amazed at how much they truly do retain. It was an interesting and fun week and I was surprised at how much we were able to pull out of the letter V.
ScienceVolcanoes, Vultures, Vegetables, Voyager Space Probe, Venus, Violets, velociraptor,
Geography Vietnam, Venezuela, Virginia, Vermont
History Valentine's Day, Voyages (Magellan and Christopher Columbus), Vikings, Vespucci,
The Arts: Music, Art, Poetry Vivaldi, Van Gogh, Vermeer, Child's Book of Garden Verses, Roses are Red, violin,
valentines,
Math: vertical lines, volume,
PE/Health Dr's visit, vegetarian, vegan, vetrenarian, vitamins
Misc: Volunteering, Vacations, Video Games (Educational), Darth Vader (star wars), vehicles, vowels, vacuum, bible verse memorization
Literature Related to V (aka our partial reading list):
A Castle on Viola Street by Disalvo (nice book on volunteering)
Eva's Summer Vacation:A Story of the Czech Republic by Jan Machalek
The Best Book of Volcanoes by Simon Adams
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Volcanoes:Nature's Incredible Fireworks by David Harrison
Mary Veronica's Egg by Mary Nethery
Strega Nona Takes a Vacation by Tomie dePaola
Vultures by Lynn M Stone
Vincent Van Gogh by Jen Green
Vegetable Garden by Douglas Florian
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Winnie the Pooh's Valentine by Bruce Talkington
Johannes Vermeer by Mike Venezia
The Vikings by Peter Chrisp
The Voyager Space Probes by Dennis Fradin
My V book by Jane Belk Moncure
Valentine's Day by Miriam Nerlove
Valentine's Day by Gail Gibbons
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
The Skywalker family albulm by Alice Alfonsi (darth vader)
The Star Wars Storybook by Geraldine Richelson
Magellan A Voyage Around the World by Fiona McDonald
Welcome to Vietnam by Yumi NG
Virginia by Gina De Angelis
Non-V related activities: Addition, Subtraction, Number Recognition, Shapes (ciaran), reading bob books and primary phonics and dr suess (rhiannon), scavenger hunt, baking cookies, playing math games, bible study and the other things I can't remember.
Peace,
Tenn
ScienceVolcanoes, Vultures, Vegetables, Voyager Space Probe, Venus, Violets, velociraptor,
Geography Vietnam, Venezuela, Virginia, Vermont
History Valentine's Day, Voyages (Magellan and Christopher Columbus), Vikings, Vespucci,
The Arts: Music, Art, Poetry Vivaldi, Van Gogh, Vermeer, Child's Book of Garden Verses, Roses are Red, violin,
valentines,
Math: vertical lines, volume,
PE/Health Dr's visit, vegetarian, vegan, vetrenarian, vitamins
Misc: Volunteering, Vacations, Video Games (Educational), Darth Vader (star wars), vehicles, vowels, vacuum, bible verse memorization
Literature Related to V (aka our partial reading list):
A Castle on Viola Street by Disalvo (nice book on volunteering)
Eva's Summer Vacation:A Story of the Czech Republic by Jan Machalek
The Best Book of Volcanoes by Simon Adams
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Volcanoes:Nature's Incredible Fireworks by David Harrison
Mary Veronica's Egg by Mary Nethery
Strega Nona Takes a Vacation by Tomie dePaola
Vultures by Lynn M Stone
Vincent Van Gogh by Jen Green
Vegetable Garden by Douglas Florian
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Winnie the Pooh's Valentine by Bruce Talkington
Johannes Vermeer by Mike Venezia
The Vikings by Peter Chrisp
The Voyager Space Probes by Dennis Fradin
My V book by Jane Belk Moncure
Valentine's Day by Miriam Nerlove
Valentine's Day by Gail Gibbons
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
The Skywalker family albulm by Alice Alfonsi (darth vader)
The Star Wars Storybook by Geraldine Richelson
Magellan A Voyage Around the World by Fiona McDonald
Welcome to Vietnam by Yumi NG
Virginia by Gina De Angelis
Non-V related activities: Addition, Subtraction, Number Recognition, Shapes (ciaran), reading bob books and primary phonics and dr suess (rhiannon), scavenger hunt, baking cookies, playing math games, bible study and the other things I can't remember.
Peace,
Tenn
February 14, 2004
Parents Give Up More Control... In yet another step for schools to "protect" themselves from "frivolous lawsuits" they are asking parents to sign far reaching liability waivers - absolving the schools of any responsibility. Not only do these waivers free the schools from any responsibility, they prevent parents from taking the school district to court and apply to ALL activities a child participates in for the ENTIRETY of their attendance at the school. Parents need to pay attention to what they are signing away. It used to be a joke that you were signing away your firstborn - one begins to wonder if we are growing ever closer to this through subtle steps like this one. Homeschooling parents can breath another sigh of relief. Read more at Parents balk on student waivers.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
February 13, 2004
Daily Rewards... Well I may not have a boss or co-workers telling me "good job" but I find my rewards far greater. Each day my baby Sirah wakes up with the biggest smile to see me and she cooes and kicks her legs with excitement as I pick her up. Ciaran climbs into my lap throughout the day for snuggles, hugs or just to be close. Rhiannon would like nothing better than to sit on my lap and read all day long.
My rewards come in the form of a baby's smile, a preschooler counting to 10, a 4 year old reading books to her younger siblings. My rewards come from Serona saying "great job" and my kids sloppy kisses and warm hugs. My rewards come from the napping baby on my chest and the happy kids still in their pj's. My rewards may seem small to many - but they are the greatest to me.
My ultimate reward will of course come later when I hear the words "well done good and faithful servant" from my Lord. I'm sure over the years the form my rewards take will vary - and yet it will always be the same. Mom - thanks and I love you. Wife - thanks and I'm proud of you and I love you. Someday my kids will be well adjusted adults teaching their own kids (grandkids I can spoil) and hopefully they can find peace in the same kinds of rewards.
Peace,
Tenn
My rewards come in the form of a baby's smile, a preschooler counting to 10, a 4 year old reading books to her younger siblings. My rewards come from Serona saying "great job" and my kids sloppy kisses and warm hugs. My rewards come from the napping baby on my chest and the happy kids still in their pj's. My rewards may seem small to many - but they are the greatest to me.
My ultimate reward will of course come later when I hear the words "well done good and faithful servant" from my Lord. I'm sure over the years the form my rewards take will vary - and yet it will always be the same. Mom - thanks and I love you. Wife - thanks and I'm proud of you and I love you. Someday my kids will be well adjusted adults teaching their own kids (grandkids I can spoil) and hopefully they can find peace in the same kinds of rewards.
Peace,
Tenn
Dangers of Gifted Kids... Or reason 345 to homeschool. Here is an interesting story that has nothing directly to do with homeschooling. However, when I read it I just couldn't help but think - this is another benefit to homeschooling. Read What can happen to bored gifted students, and then thank yourself that you can offer opportunities and challenges to your gifted students.
Don't get me wrong I don't truly buy the theory that all gifted kids without outlets will turn to violence or depression (personally I think there are a lot of other factors - including parental involvement and example that play a role). While reading the article I kept thinking about Charlotte Mason's point that all children need something to learn, something to love and something to do. I can even see this in my own children (as young as they are) that they only get into trouble really when they are bored or can't think of something to do or involve themselves with. It is an interesting point to consider and yet another reason to be thankful we homeschool.
Peace,
Tenn
Don't get me wrong I don't truly buy the theory that all gifted kids without outlets will turn to violence or depression (personally I think there are a lot of other factors - including parental involvement and example that play a role). While reading the article I kept thinking about Charlotte Mason's point that all children need something to learn, something to love and something to do. I can even see this in my own children (as young as they are) that they only get into trouble really when they are bored or can't think of something to do or involve themselves with. It is an interesting point to consider and yet another reason to be thankful we homeschool.
Peace,
Tenn
Hooray Minnesota... The recent House Bill 1787 is NOT going to get a hearing. From an email I received:
> I have assurance from the Speaker of the House, Steve Swiggum, that the
> Greiling bill (HF 1787) which would have added regulations to all
> nonpublic schools, students and families will not get a hearing.
>
> Please stop calls and letters to legislators. They will not be
> necessary
> and an "avalanche" of contacts can be interpreted negatively.
>
> Thanks,
> Pam von Gohren
> Minnesotans Instructing Children at Home
So thanks for all your calls and activism - it is nice to know that Minnesotans are good at homeschool activism when necessary.
Peace,
Tenn
> I have assurance from the Speaker of the House, Steve Swiggum, that the
> Greiling bill (HF 1787) which would have added regulations to all
> nonpublic schools, students and families will not get a hearing.
>
> Please stop calls and letters to legislators. They will not be
> necessary
> and an "avalanche" of contacts can be interpreted negatively.
>
> Thanks,
> Pam von Gohren
> Minnesotans Instructing Children at Home
So thanks for all your calls and activism - it is nice to know that Minnesotans are good at homeschool activism when necessary.
Peace,
Tenn
February 12, 2004
Minnesota Update... After spending the past hour or so making 32 phone calls to the members of the House Education Committee for Minnesota it has become apparent that there is an activism in the homeschooling and private schooling community. The aides I spoke with all articulated that there have been a large number of people calling about the bill (against it) and that it was likely to not be heard. Thank you for your activism if you called.
I last spoke with Beth at Committee Chair Barb Sykora's office who assured me that Rep. Sykora has decided to table or not hear the bill! Several other aides I spoke with thought the same was likely. The only different information I heard came from an aide in Rep. Jim Davnie's office who said the bill would be amended substantially if considered. So Hooray - sounds like a good day for Minnesota homeschoolers. Thanks for your support. Of course you can still feel free to call if you want to share your opinions on the issue. Be aware that Rep. Greiling is the author of the bill when you call her office. I was thankful to hear that my local representative was firmly against it - that is always nice to know.
Peace,
Tenn
I last spoke with Beth at Committee Chair Barb Sykora's office who assured me that Rep. Sykora has decided to table or not hear the bill! Several other aides I spoke with thought the same was likely. The only different information I heard came from an aide in Rep. Jim Davnie's office who said the bill would be amended substantially if considered. So Hooray - sounds like a good day for Minnesota homeschoolers. Thanks for your support. Of course you can still feel free to call if you want to share your opinions on the issue. Be aware that Rep. Greiling is the author of the bill when you call her office. I was thankful to hear that my local representative was firmly against it - that is always nice to know.
Peace,
Tenn
Valentine's Day Party and Volume... We had our homeschool class Valentine Party. 14 kids, a drumset, a piano and lots of loudness later - my head is pounding and I just want to crawl into bed! The kids however had a great time. They exchanged valentines (many were homemade) an decorated cookies. They played and some listened to a Valentine's Day story. The moms had an opportunity to chat (what we could hear of each other over the drums) and it was nice.
I was amazed at the different level of noise tolerance people have - I was at my edge and there were some there who did not seem bothered at all. And I used to think I had a high threshold for noise! Anyway it is currently quiet time in the house and I think I will head off to the library this afternoon if they get wild again - I just need peace.
Peace,
Tenn
I was amazed at the different level of noise tolerance people have - I was at my edge and there were some there who did not seem bothered at all. And I used to think I had a high threshold for noise! Anyway it is currently quiet time in the house and I think I will head off to the library this afternoon if they get wild again - I just need peace.
Peace,
Tenn
Glad I don't need to explain this... I can not believe this recent story on Barbie and Ken: It's Over received news time on both foxnews and the Associated Press. At first I thought it was a joke (I'm still not 100% sure) and then I just couldn't believe this drivel was getting newstime.
Thanks to the Barbie ban in effect in our house, I need not worry about all the implications of a Barbie and Ken split. Pu-leaze! I contemplating not blogging it at all - but the ridiculousness of it was noteworthy enough to me. Just another reason to add to the hundreds I already have for why we are a "barbie-free" zone.
Peace,
Tenn
Thanks to the Barbie ban in effect in our house, I need not worry about all the implications of a Barbie and Ken split. Pu-leaze! I contemplating not blogging it at all - but the ridiculousness of it was noteworthy enough to me. Just another reason to add to the hundreds I already have for why we are a "barbie-free" zone.
Peace,
Tenn
School recap... Yesterday we focused on Valentine's Day. We read a variety of books on the subject including one I would recommend for young children: Valentine's Day by Gail Gibbons (this gives a nice overview). We also made heart shaped valentine's cookies and finished up our Valentines for our friends. For history we studied Christopher Columbus and Magellan's voyages. We recited our poetry and continued listening to Vivaldi. We read about Darth Vader from a storybook on Star Wars and allowed the children to play an educational video game.
Rhiannon read her daily storybooks to Sirah (four bob books and one primary phonics) and then did Einstein flashcards with her. Ciaran and I spent quite a bit of time playing with vehicles and talking about them as we did. Rhiannon and I played Sorry for her mathtime and we discussed volunteering (an excellent book is "A Castle on Viola Street" by DyAnne DiSalvo) and tried to think of ideas of how we could volunteer. Ciaran and I talked about the color violet and played with the letter V on our floor mat.
All in all it was a good day. We had a dr's visit and I had a support group meeting. We had an interesting discussion about our coop we have planned for next fall (we will study one country a month) and a discussion about trying to put together a child safety class for the kids. I came home to discover that Serona had wall mounted our monitor and it is wonderful.
We have a full day planned today of activities.
Peace,
Tenn
Rhiannon read her daily storybooks to Sirah (four bob books and one primary phonics) and then did Einstein flashcards with her. Ciaran and I spent quite a bit of time playing with vehicles and talking about them as we did. Rhiannon and I played Sorry for her mathtime and we discussed volunteering (an excellent book is "A Castle on Viola Street" by DyAnne DiSalvo) and tried to think of ideas of how we could volunteer. Ciaran and I talked about the color violet and played with the letter V on our floor mat.
All in all it was a good day. We had a dr's visit and I had a support group meeting. We had an interesting discussion about our coop we have planned for next fall (we will study one country a month) and a discussion about trying to put together a child safety class for the kids. I came home to discover that Serona had wall mounted our monitor and it is wonderful.
We have a full day planned today of activities.
Peace,
Tenn
February 11, 2004
Calling all Minnesota Homeschoolers... This is a PSA for Minnesota homeschoolers that I am passing on from a mailing list - there is important legislation that can affect homeschoolers. Please read and take whatever action you feel is appropriate. For those not in Minnesota - it still pays to know what is going on in other states, because similar things can occur where you are.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
February 10, 2004
>
> Calls needed to stop Homeschool regulation bill
>
> Dear Minnesota HSLDA members and friends:
>
> Minnesota is one of five or six states that offers some kind of tax
> break for families with children in home or private schools. A new
> bill in the Minnesota House would regulate every school that accepts
> a child from a family that claims any tax credit or deduction for
> educational expenses, including homeschools. This bill must be
> defeated.
>
> ACTION REQUESTED:
>
> (1) Please call every member of the House Education Policy, listed
> below. Politely say, "Please vote against House Bill 1787. Private
> and homeschool families save Minnesota millions in taxes. Don't take
> away their freedom!" All numbers are in the 651 area code. If the
> Representative is unavailable, leave a message with a staffer or with
> the main switchboard.
>
> Chair: Barb Sykora (R)
> 296-4315
>
> Vice Chair: Mark Olson (R)
> 296-4237
>
> Lead-DFL: Lyndon Carlson (DFL)
> 296-4255
>
> Jeff Anderson (R)
> 296-4193
>
> Dick Borrell (R)
> 296-4336
>
> Mark Buesgens (R)
> 296-5185
>
> Randy Demmer (R)
> 296-9236
>
> Rob Eastlund (R)
> 296-5364
>
> Sondra Erickson (R)
> 296-6746
>
> Bud Heidgerken (R)
> 296-4317
>
> Jeff Johnson (R)
> 296-5511
>
> Karen Klinzing (R)
> 296-1147
>
> Philip Krinkie (R)
> 296-2907
>
> Doug Meslow (R)
> 296-5363
>
> Carla Nelson (R)
> 296-0573
>
> Scott Newman (R)
> 296-1534
>
> Stephanie Olsen (R)
> 296-4280
>
> Alice Seagren (R)
> 296-7803
>
> Marty Seifert (R)
> 296-5374
>
> Dean Urdahl (R)
> 296-4344
>
> Lynn Wardlow (R)
> 296-4128
>
> Kurt Zellers (R)
> 296-5502
>
> Connie Bernardy (DFL)
> 296-5510
>
> Len Biernat (DFL)
> 296-4219
>
> Jim Davnie (DFL)
> 296-0173
>
> Kent Eken (DFL)
> 296-9918
>
> Mindy Greiling (DFL)
> 296-5387
>
> Mike Jaros (DFL)
> 296-4246
>
> Ron Latz (DFL)
> 296-7026
>
> Carlos Mariani (DFL)
> 296-9714
>
> Gene Pelowski (DFL)
> 296-8637
>
> Nora Slawik (DFL)
> 296-7807
>
>
> BACKGROUND:
>
> Unlike most states, Minnesota currently provides a tax credit for low
> income families with children in private or homeschools, and a tax
> deduction for families who make more money. This is a real benefit
> for families, but it provides a tempting target for legislators who
> want to regulate private education. House Bill 1787 would force
> every school that accepts a child from a family that plans to take a
> tax credit or tax deduction to make several changes.
>
> (1) The school would have to comply with the state's high school
> graduation requirements, instead of the school's own standards.
>
> (2) The state would restrict the school's ability to expel students
> and would regulate the school's control over which courses the
> students can take.
>
> (3) Schools would be required to perform criminal background checks
> on school employees.
>
> This bill appears to be a straightforward attack on private school
> freedom. To the best of our knowledge, there are no specific problems
> in current law that support the proposed changes. Whether or not
> your family currently takes advantage of these tax breaks, this bill
> is a slap in the face to every Minnesota family that spends their own
> money to educate their own children. It must be defeated.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Scott Somerville
> HSLDA Staff Attorney
February 10, 2004
Roomba Review... Some of you have been asking us about our Roomba so I decided to give a review here. Overall I would say I recommend it and that we love it. But I will say that it depends on the kind of person that you are, Roomba has a personality that is not for everyone.
On the surface the concept of a robot vacuum cleaner is awesome and I believe in reality it is awesome. The first time I spent the afternoon reading to my kids while my bathrooms, kitchen and living room were cleaned by Roomba I knew we had made the right decision. But in our house atleast you can't just put Roomba down and leave her to clean without any assistance from you. You do need to help her out occasionally by emptying her dustbin and cleaning out the brushes. Also you need to have a basically clean house to start with.
People who will love Roomba: anyone with pets - (Roomba is incredible on dog hair - like nothing else I have seen), people who have all hardwood floors (there is no reason to not have roomba if you only have hardwood), people who have mostly clutter free floors (few toys and little things strewn about), people who love new technology (serona still loves to just stare at her while she works and loves saying we have a robot), early adopters of technology who expect and adapt well to the inevitable bugs.
People who will hate Roomba: people who love straight lines on their carpet (she follows a REALLY crazy pattern), people who don't like to empty dustbins(everytime you use it), people who don't like to "tinker" with technology (the brushes need to be cleaned regularly), people with cluttered floors (it needs basically cleared off floors), people who want it to do everything.
I love Roomba and I don't mind that I have to clean her out every single room (sometimes 2-3 times for a large room) but you see I used to have dog hair and carpet fibers all over my home making it look dirty and now I do not. I used to have to get down on my hands and knees to pick up dog hair with my hands or a brush and do that throughout the house - now I just have to clean it off the brushes a few times a day and Roomba runs around the house picking it up.
I also can read to my kids, do homeschool, cook, blog, or surf the internet while she cleans the house. That simply can not be beat in my book. I just have to empty out her dustbins and clean her brushes a few times and change the battery a few times to have a clean house!
If you are expecting no work at all, you may want to wait for a different model - but if you want a vacuum that makes your life easier - buy Roomba. I think she does an outstanding job cleaning the carpet and floors (better than our old upright) and you can do something else at the same time. I would add that you should buy the rapid charger and the extra battery (while pricey they will multiple your happiness level with Roomba) we quickly discovered Roomba would not work for us without it - but once we had that - it worked wonders.
A last note if you have all hardwood floors in your home - go buy one right now - your floors will be barefoot clean all the time and Roomba requires very little maintenance on hardwood floors (our carpet fibers appear to be what causes the most maintenance) and if you struggle with pet hair - roomba is your answer.
Peace,
Tenn
On the surface the concept of a robot vacuum cleaner is awesome and I believe in reality it is awesome. The first time I spent the afternoon reading to my kids while my bathrooms, kitchen and living room were cleaned by Roomba I knew we had made the right decision. But in our house atleast you can't just put Roomba down and leave her to clean without any assistance from you. You do need to help her out occasionally by emptying her dustbin and cleaning out the brushes. Also you need to have a basically clean house to start with.
People who will love Roomba: anyone with pets - (Roomba is incredible on dog hair - like nothing else I have seen), people who have all hardwood floors (there is no reason to not have roomba if you only have hardwood), people who have mostly clutter free floors (few toys and little things strewn about), people who love new technology (serona still loves to just stare at her while she works and loves saying we have a robot), early adopters of technology who expect and adapt well to the inevitable bugs.
People who will hate Roomba: people who love straight lines on their carpet (she follows a REALLY crazy pattern), people who don't like to empty dustbins(everytime you use it), people who don't like to "tinker" with technology (the brushes need to be cleaned regularly), people with cluttered floors (it needs basically cleared off floors), people who want it to do everything.
I love Roomba and I don't mind that I have to clean her out every single room (sometimes 2-3 times for a large room) but you see I used to have dog hair and carpet fibers all over my home making it look dirty and now I do not. I used to have to get down on my hands and knees to pick up dog hair with my hands or a brush and do that throughout the house - now I just have to clean it off the brushes a few times a day and Roomba runs around the house picking it up.
I also can read to my kids, do homeschool, cook, blog, or surf the internet while she cleans the house. That simply can not be beat in my book. I just have to empty out her dustbins and clean her brushes a few times and change the battery a few times to have a clean house!
If you are expecting no work at all, you may want to wait for a different model - but if you want a vacuum that makes your life easier - buy Roomba. I think she does an outstanding job cleaning the carpet and floors (better than our old upright) and you can do something else at the same time. I would add that you should buy the rapid charger and the extra battery (while pricey they will multiple your happiness level with Roomba) we quickly discovered Roomba would not work for us without it - but once we had that - it worked wonders.
A last note if you have all hardwood floors in your home - go buy one right now - your floors will be barefoot clean all the time and Roomba requires very little maintenance on hardwood floors (our carpet fibers appear to be what causes the most maintenance) and if you struggle with pet hair - roomba is your answer.
Peace,
Tenn
Math Games... I love teaching math through games. We played some of my favorites tonight. The good old reliable Chutes and Ladders is a personal favorite. Tonight when we played we were able to practice counting to 100, number recognition through 100. Directions (north, south, east, west), math concept of vertical and horizontal, addition and subtraction. The game also allows you to talk about natural consequences of good and bad behavior. All this without any reading required makes it a great game. As we play I ask simple questions like "what number are you on", what is blank plus blank and "how many space to x" I also ask which direction we are moving in and if we have gone horizontal, vertical or both. Rhiannon really gets a kick out of it and gets practice application of skills we worked on. She does very well - though 6 and 9 are still confusing as are 31 and 13.
We also played war with dinosaur cards and talked about greater than, less than and equal too. To my amazement she got every one correct. Then we did some addition flash cards. I think that it is great to make math seem fun. Then they don't even realize that they are learning while we do it.
Peace,
Tenn
We also played war with dinosaur cards and talked about greater than, less than and equal too. To my amazement she got every one correct. Then we did some addition flash cards. I think that it is great to make math seem fun. Then they don't even realize that they are learning while we do it.
Peace,
Tenn
Vrooming along through V.... Today we continued with V. We read about and listened to Vivaldi. We looked at works from Van Gogh and read about his life. I couldn't believe he only sold one painting when he was alive! We read about vultures and then drew them in our nature notebooks. We read several storybooks with V themes or names. We talked about vertical lines and the difference between vertical and horizontal. The kids played Darth Vader from Star Wars and Violet Beauregard from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory during their imaginary playtime.
We survived another day without any TV - and I was right that it was me that found it tougher than the kids! They took time to look through issues of National Geographic and did some puzzles and file folder games. For quiet time Rhiannon read through all the Bob books in her set while Ciaran and Sirah slept and I got some cleaning done. We made homemade valentines for the kids in their homeschool group for our upcoming party. We learned and presented "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue" and read from A Child's Book of Garden Verses.
We practiced rhyming words and the kids did some free drawing time. We are now going to play Chutes and Ladders and review vertical and horizontal and simple math skills while we play. Then we will make pizza tonight for dinner. I think we will just do some reading again tonight - there are a few fun V storybooks we have left to do.
Peace,
Tenn
We survived another day without any TV - and I was right that it was me that found it tougher than the kids! They took time to look through issues of National Geographic and did some puzzles and file folder games. For quiet time Rhiannon read through all the Bob books in her set while Ciaran and Sirah slept and I got some cleaning done. We made homemade valentines for the kids in their homeschool group for our upcoming party. We learned and presented "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue" and read from A Child's Book of Garden Verses.
We practiced rhyming words and the kids did some free drawing time. We are now going to play Chutes and Ladders and review vertical and horizontal and simple math skills while we play. Then we will make pizza tonight for dinner. I think we will just do some reading again tonight - there are a few fun V storybooks we have left to do.
Peace,
Tenn
Financial Side of Homeschooling... This morning I was reading an interesting article on the financial costs of homeschooling. The article was pretty fair to show both sides - with this quote:
"It can be as inexpensive as a library card or cost thousands of dollars," homeschooling parent Chelly Bernard said. "The difference is the less you spend the more you're going to work."
I think this parent had an excellent point. You can do homeschooling and it can cost you a lot of money and you can utilize your library and it will be a lot cheaper. It all depends on what you and your family want and need. I do believe that you can often find cheaper alternatives - but often it is more work for us as the parent - and later for the kids themselves.
One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of my resources in one location. I have found the "answer box" aka the internet to be an invaluable resource and it has a wealth of free and good information if you know where to look. I think it is an exciting time to be homeschooling as there are so many resources at our fingertips and the costs are coming down if you are willing to put in a little more work and time.
Peace,
Tenn
"It can be as inexpensive as a library card or cost thousands of dollars," homeschooling parent Chelly Bernard said. "The difference is the less you spend the more you're going to work."
I think this parent had an excellent point. You can do homeschooling and it can cost you a lot of money and you can utilize your library and it will be a lot cheaper. It all depends on what you and your family want and need. I do believe that you can often find cheaper alternatives - but often it is more work for us as the parent - and later for the kids themselves.
One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of my resources in one location. I have found the "answer box" aka the internet to be an invaluable resource and it has a wealth of free and good information if you know where to look. I think it is an exciting time to be homeschooling as there are so many resources at our fingertips and the costs are coming down if you are willing to put in a little more work and time.
Peace,
Tenn
Geek with a Capital G... That is me. Yes you read it right - I am officially calling myself a geek. Last night for our date Serona and I went monitor shopping as we thought our monitor was going out (now we think it might also be the video card in our computer) and of course he convinced me to look at LCD flat panel monitors. They are nice. So now as I type this I am in our kitchen using our flat panel screen (which will soon be wall mounted above our island) typing on a wireless keyboard which has a built in wireless mouse. Our house has a wireless network to link our two family computers (one in the kitchen and one in the office), Serona's laptop, and our file storage box (in the closet of the office).
We have a robot that vacuums our floors and I do almost all my shopping online (including groceries). We have a home library and a schoolroom. I am amazed at how much God has blessed our family - it is truly amazing to me. Especially when I look back on where we have been and the road we have taken to get here. We are truly thankful for all that we have. I still can't believe that I am the "geekiest" person I know though (and that says a lot since Serona is a computer programmer).
Peace,
Tenn
We have a robot that vacuums our floors and I do almost all my shopping online (including groceries). We have a home library and a schoolroom. I am amazed at how much God has blessed our family - it is truly amazing to me. Especially when I look back on where we have been and the road we have taken to get here. We are truly thankful for all that we have. I still can't believe that I am the "geekiest" person I know though (and that says a lot since Serona is a computer programmer).
Peace,
Tenn
February 9, 2004
Starting off "V" week... Today we began our letter of the week routine again. I must say I am happy to be back. Being that Rhiannon is very into Volcanoes as of late and it is Valentine's Day I thought we would start off with V . We went to the library last week and cleared out books on V subjects.
We began the morning with a review of the letter and it's sound. Using the whiteboard easel we write out words that began with V and then the kids drew pictures. Some f our intial list the kids thought up were: Vivaldi, vet, volcano, darth vader, valentine, and violin. Their pictures were fun. We also added vulture, vampire bat, and vice-president. We reviewed who the vice president and president were. We talked briefly about the role of the VP.
Then we did some computer time reviewing the picture dictionary for the letter V. An excellent resource. We printed out coloring pictures and covered half of the entries listed here. Then it was off for reading time. We read books on volcanoes and veterinarians and the Velveteen Rabbit.
The kids went outside with Serona who stayed home today and they went sledding on the hill in our yard and ran around to expend energy. They came inside and we did a volcano experiment. A real basic one that can be found here. Then lunch and naps.
After lunch Rhiannon spent her reading time reading several Bob books to Sirah and Ciaran and then putting letters together on the fridge and trying to sound them out. They had an afternoon of free play time and then a few more books this evening. Tomorrow we will pick up with math and music. They of course listened to Vivaldi and today instead of Monet I let them look at Van Gogh in true V theme.
Hope you are having a great day,
Peace,
Tenn
We began the morning with a review of the letter and it's sound. Using the whiteboard easel we write out words that began with V and then the kids drew pictures. Some f our intial list the kids thought up were: Vivaldi, vet, volcano, darth vader, valentine, and violin. Their pictures were fun. We also added vulture, vampire bat, and vice-president. We reviewed who the vice president and president were. We talked briefly about the role of the VP.
Then we did some computer time reviewing the picture dictionary for the letter V. An excellent resource. We printed out coloring pictures and covered half of the entries listed here. Then it was off for reading time. We read books on volcanoes and veterinarians and the Velveteen Rabbit.
The kids went outside with Serona who stayed home today and they went sledding on the hill in our yard and ran around to expend energy. They came inside and we did a volcano experiment. A real basic one that can be found here. Then lunch and naps.
After lunch Rhiannon spent her reading time reading several Bob books to Sirah and Ciaran and then putting letters together on the fridge and trying to sound them out. They had an afternoon of free play time and then a few more books this evening. Tomorrow we will pick up with math and music. They of course listened to Vivaldi and today instead of Monet I let them look at Van Gogh in true V theme.
Hope you are having a great day,
Peace,
Tenn
Exciting Opportunity for Homeschooling Parents... The Thomas Day Education Project is offering an interesting opportunity to homeschooling parents and other educators. From the website, they are offering:
"Five-day, expense-paid workshops open to K-12 teachers nationwide. Expand your knowledge of African - American history by touring exciting landmarks!"
This opportunity is offered to homeschooling parents as well, and all are encouraged to apply. If this interests you - read more here. There is an application process and a review board - but it may be worth your while.
Sirah will not be ready for me to be away from her and would be a handful at a conference like that so I will not be applying - but I hope some of you do.
Peace,
Tenn
PS: I do not advocate or know the positions of the Thomas Day Education Project - I simply offer this to you for your personal review.
"Five-day, expense-paid workshops open to K-12 teachers nationwide. Expand your knowledge of African - American history by touring exciting landmarks!"
This opportunity is offered to homeschooling parents as well, and all are encouraged to apply. If this interests you - read more here. There is an application process and a review board - but it may be worth your while.
Sirah will not be ready for me to be away from her and would be a handful at a conference like that so I will not be applying - but I hope some of you do.
Peace,
Tenn
PS: I do not advocate or know the positions of the Thomas Day Education Project - I simply offer this to you for your personal review.
February 8, 2004
Banning TV... Well as many of my readers know we do not have commercial or network or cable television in our home (for a long list of reasons) and I have not watched it for about 12 years now. We do however have a TV set and allow the children to watch pre-selected videos from time to time. Prodromal labor and the early days of a newborn and then a move found us watching far more than I felt comfortable with (about an hour a day) and I've been trying to cut back down again.
Yesterday we were listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the car and I became reinspired to take more drastic means. No I am not going to throw the set out of the house (I think Serona would veto that) and I'm not going to burn it in our backyard (the neighbors would definitely think we were crazy new neighbors then) - but I did tell the children that starting tomorrow we are going to have no TV at all for a week. Anticipating a fight I was surprised at what I heard. Rhainnon simply said "OK but can we watch one last movie today" - then she asked "Are we never watching movies again ever?" and seemed relieved when I said we would reconsider it after a week. Ciaran said "Tv is bad for our brain" and happily sat down to watch his last movie for the week (and perhaps longer). I anticipated a fight and planned to let them watch some today since I was planning to take it away for the week. However I was pleasantly surprised by their reaction.
In reality I think I will miss it more than them. No I don't watch it much - but I do use the TV as a tool to keep them still or quiet sometimes. As much as I said I would never let the TV parent my kids - that is exactly what I have done. I find myself putting on a movie to keep them quiet so I can get Sirah to sleep, pay bills, clean the house or cook dinner. It is for me not them that I put on the TV. Yes I choose the program, yes there are no commercials, yes we control the content. But I am still putting them in front of the box to be quiet.
Yes I read to my kids (a ton), yes we homeschool, yes we play games and watch so little of it already. But still I feel like I am doing them a disservice. You may ask what pushed me over the edge? A few different things happened at the same time that led me here (much like when I stopped watching violent movies - which by the way is nearly everything) . First, about a week ago Rhiannon said "no" when I put on a movie - she proceeded to tell me that TV was not good for her brain and would I read to her? No, I am not kidding - she was serious - she really wanted me to read and did not want to watch the show I had just put in. I was taken aback and as she was right I obliged - even though I wanted her to watch a movie so I could get some things done. Second I noticed an increase in Ciaran asking to watch movies whenever he did not have a planned activity. I also noticed Rhiannon mopping about more saying she was bored and could not think of anything to do. Then I heard this poem from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
Then I stopped to think about why my children have been watching more TV recently. The reality is because I have been overusing the TV for my conveinance. I was starting to see some of the downsides of it, albeit in very little ways. So I've decided to just shut the thing off for a week and see how it goes and then reevaluate next week.
The astonishing reality that I needed to face is that this will be harder on me than on them. I needed to face the fact that I am doing exactly what I said I never would. The time has come for me to face up and correct my ways before I let TV watching (even just videos) become an acceptable norm for our family.
Peace,
Tenn
Yesterday we were listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the car and I became reinspired to take more drastic means. No I am not going to throw the set out of the house (I think Serona would veto that) and I'm not going to burn it in our backyard (the neighbors would definitely think we were crazy new neighbors then) - but I did tell the children that starting tomorrow we are going to have no TV at all for a week. Anticipating a fight I was surprised at what I heard. Rhainnon simply said "OK but can we watch one last movie today" - then she asked "Are we never watching movies again ever?" and seemed relieved when I said we would reconsider it after a week. Ciaran said "Tv is bad for our brain" and happily sat down to watch his last movie for the week (and perhaps longer). I anticipated a fight and planned to let them watch some today since I was planning to take it away for the week. However I was pleasantly surprised by their reaction.
In reality I think I will miss it more than them. No I don't watch it much - but I do use the TV as a tool to keep them still or quiet sometimes. As much as I said I would never let the TV parent my kids - that is exactly what I have done. I find myself putting on a movie to keep them quiet so I can get Sirah to sleep, pay bills, clean the house or cook dinner. It is for me not them that I put on the TV. Yes I choose the program, yes there are no commercials, yes we control the content. But I am still putting them in front of the box to be quiet.
Yes I read to my kids (a ton), yes we homeschool, yes we play games and watch so little of it already. But still I feel like I am doing them a disservice. You may ask what pushed me over the edge? A few different things happened at the same time that led me here (much like when I stopped watching violent movies - which by the way is nearly everything) . First, about a week ago Rhiannon said "no" when I put on a movie - she proceeded to tell me that TV was not good for her brain and would I read to her? No, I am not kidding - she was serious - she really wanted me to read and did not want to watch the show I had just put in. I was taken aback and as she was right I obliged - even though I wanted her to watch a movie so I could get some things done. Second I noticed an increase in Ciaran asking to watch movies whenever he did not have a planned activity. I also noticed Rhiannon mopping about more saying she was bored and could not think of anything to do. Then I heard this poem from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
Mike Teavee..."
(from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
"The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set–
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all the shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink–
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK–HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY...USED...TO...READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic takes
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. TiggyWinkle and–
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How The Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.
And once they start oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hears. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee,
We very much regret that we
Shall simply have to wait and see
If we can get him back his height.
But if we can't –it serves him right."
Then I stopped to think about why my children have been watching more TV recently. The reality is because I have been overusing the TV for my conveinance. I was starting to see some of the downsides of it, albeit in very little ways. So I've decided to just shut the thing off for a week and see how it goes and then reevaluate next week.
The astonishing reality that I needed to face is that this will be harder on me than on them. I needed to face the fact that I am doing exactly what I said I never would. The time has come for me to face up and correct my ways before I let TV watching (even just videos) become an acceptable norm for our family.
Peace,
Tenn
Take the survey... Hershey Park is taking a survery while considering having a homeschool day. To take part click here.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Homeschoolers and College... Here is a piece on how one Mississippi college considers homeschool applicants. From the article:
Read more here.
Peace,
Tenn
"Home-schooled students face few challenges upon admittance into Ole Miss.
In fact, despite what many may think, admission for students who went through home-schooling programs is not very different from that of regular high school graduates.
Beckett Howorth, director of admissions, said that while the admissions process for students who were home schooled is identical to that of high school graduates, the documentation needed is different.
"Home schoolers often work with third party groups and provide us with portfolios of their high school experiences."
Read more here.
Peace,
Tenn
Positive Press... Here is a nice article on a homeschooling family that appears to be following a classical approach. It is nice to see homeschooling portrayed in a positive light for a change. This was a nice quote to finish the article:
"Home schooling is a way of life," Brad Thompson said. "It's gratifying because we are taking complete self ownership in the intellectual and moral education of our children."
Read the whole piece here.
Peace,
Tenn
Tip of the hat to HomeschoolBuzz for the link.
"Home schooling is a way of life," Brad Thompson said. "It's gratifying because we are taking complete self ownership in the intellectual and moral education of our children."
Read the whole piece here.
Peace,
Tenn
Tip of the hat to HomeschoolBuzz for the link.
Amber Alert Ticker... I have added the Amber Alert ticker to the site. If there is ever an Amber Alert it will run across the ticker with a link for more information. Please consider adding it to your site as well. More information can be found here.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Home school science fair... Here is an article on a recent science fair with participants as young as 3 years old! I enjoyed reading about the fair and the opportunity it offers homeschoolers. Read it here.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
February 7, 2004
Too Many Books... I never believed there could be such a thing. However today I proved that you should not let a homeschooling mother go to a used booksale where you can fill a box for 5.00. Serona was aghast when he saw the librarian wheeling out a cart filled with four boxes of books! We brought them home to the library and weeded through some of our old books and placed our new treasures on the shelves. I was like a little kid - Serona was frightened. In the end I think we came to a better understanding of how to approach used book sales.
I found several real treasures though - including a real nice copy of Dosteokevsky and Hemmingway and many presidential biographies and memoirs for our date night class. I found some Usborne books and several nice poetry and play collections. Serona was less than enthused by the Time Life Ages collection I got. While the material is dated - it is a whole book on each time period such as Renaissance, Greek, Roman, etc. I think they will be an excellent resource (if for nothing else the pictures are great).
It was a nice feeling to go and know that I had a place to store all the books we bought. For those of you who have not yet seen it, here is a picture of our Home library.
Peace,
Tenn
I found several real treasures though - including a real nice copy of Dosteokevsky and Hemmingway and many presidential biographies and memoirs for our date night class. I found some Usborne books and several nice poetry and play collections. Serona was less than enthused by the Time Life Ages collection I got. While the material is dated - it is a whole book on each time period such as Renaissance, Greek, Roman, etc. I think they will be an excellent resource (if for nothing else the pictures are great).
It was a nice feeling to go and know that I had a place to store all the books we bought. For those of you who have not yet seen it, here is a picture of our Home library.
Peace,
Tenn
February 6, 2004
Child Safety... In the wake of recent events - all parents should take time to talk to and practice with their kids some safety guidelines. An excellent article can be found on CNN.
I learned several tips I had never thought of and realized how much more needs to be done then talking about "stranger danger". It is a hard subject to know when and how to approach it, but it needs to be done. One possible way might be for several homeschool families to get together for a safety talk from a local police officer or other expert. Even just helping our own kids learn is essential.
Please take time to read the article and plan out your response for your kids. Some of the tips include
The following are some of the suggestions if a child finds themself in a car (though we want to teach them to NOT get near a car) and needs to get out:
The whole article is well written and definately worth the time to read. Click here.
I wish we did not live in a society where this was an issue - but the reality is that we do. Love, teach and protect your children, and pray for them.
Peace,
Tenn
I learned several tips I had never thought of and realized how much more needs to be done then talking about "stranger danger". It is a hard subject to know when and how to approach it, but it needs to be done. One possible way might be for several homeschool families to get together for a safety talk from a local police officer or other expert. Even just helping our own kids learn is essential.
Please take time to read the article and plan out your response for your kids. Some of the tips include
Scream loudly for help, run to another adult, gripping and holding onto that other person. Stuber said this "Velcro technique" forces the other adult to listen and pay attention.
Rotate arms forward quickly and repeatedly making big circles in the air. This windmill technique prevents a larger and stronger assailant from getting a grip on the moving child. Don't just try to pull away because the adult is stronger. Always rotate the arm to break free of the grip if restrained.
If on a bicycle, hug the bicycle tightly, refusing to let go. "If you hold that bike, and do not let go, it's impossible to put you in a car," Stuber said. If a bike is not available, grab a garbage can or a long stick, any large object that prevents entry into a car.
Always scream
The following are some of the suggestions if a child finds themself in a car (though we want to teach them to NOT get near a car) and needs to get out:
Place something inside of the ignition cylinder -- gum, a small button from clothing -- to keep the abductor from driving them to another location. Stuber said that if the car can be stopped or the potential crime can be stopped in the neighborhood, then the crime is going to come to an end.
If locked in a trunk, remove the taillight panel which comes off easily, and disconnect the taillight wires. "Now you increased the odds 50 percent that the police will pull the car over because it has not brake or tail lights," Stuber said, "then they will hear you inside."
The whole article is well written and definately worth the time to read. Click here.
I wish we did not live in a society where this was an issue - but the reality is that we do. Love, teach and protect your children, and pray for them.
Peace,
Tenn
Afternoon Recap... Taking a minute from making dinner and oatmeal cookies to recap our afternoon. Ciaran went down for a nap and is still napping - Rhiannon and I worked on her more formal learning time. She practiced writing her letters K and Z (her choice) and then her name. Then we reviewed our bible verses for A-E and talked about them. Then we read a chapter from "Ramona the Pest" by Beverely Cleary. Those are long chapters!
Next was science time. Today we did an overview on plants and reviewed the parts of a plant and the parts of a tree. She traced her letters 0-10. We reviewed some Mother Goose rhymes. We finished up with some geography. We talked about directions (North, South, East and West). She had to use her finger on a flat map to move the direction as I said it. Then she said which direction my finger was going as I moved it. We finished the lesson by using a globe and moving North and South of the Equator and East and West from the USA. We reviewed the continents again.
Now we are making dinner and oatmeal cookies while listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. We are learning fractions and reviewing simple math while we bake. Sirah is playing in her boppy on the floor. Rhiannon has used rainbow silk streamers to dance to Vivaldi to entertain Sirah as well. All that is on the agenda for this evening is practicing Irish step dance and reading more books.
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tenn
Next was science time. Today we did an overview on plants and reviewed the parts of a plant and the parts of a tree. She traced her letters 0-10. We reviewed some Mother Goose rhymes. We finished up with some geography. We talked about directions (North, South, East and West). She had to use her finger on a flat map to move the direction as I said it. Then she said which direction my finger was going as I moved it. We finished the lesson by using a globe and moving North and South of the Equator and East and West from the USA. We reviewed the continents again.
Now we are making dinner and oatmeal cookies while listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. We are learning fractions and reviewing simple math while we bake. Sirah is playing in her boppy on the floor. Rhiannon has used rainbow silk streamers to dance to Vivaldi to entertain Sirah as well. All that is on the agenda for this evening is practicing Irish step dance and reading more books.
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tenn
American Literacy... I really enjoyed this article on literacy. Serona and I often discuss how sad it is that the level of reading has decreased so much over the years. I look back on readers from 100 years ago and realize that they were able to read so much more than us and it was just expected. I look at the readers our kids have now and I am amazed. One of my email groups recently had a discussion about "twaddle" and I really share the sentiment. It is often hard to find good children's books.
This article does a nice job outlining some statistics about literacy now and in past history. It is worth the read. Here is a good point:
We can't even get people to watch presidential debates and the State of the Union on television! Much less ask them to read something like "Common Sense". The article closes with this quote:
"To learn to read fluently takes about 30 contact hours ... the only way to stop a child from reading and liking it in a literate environment is to teach it the way we teach it." John Taylor Gatto, multiple recipient of Teacher of the Year Awards for New York City and New York State.
This article does a nice job outlining some statistics about literacy now and in past history. It is worth the read. Here is a good point:
"One might also consider other contemporary evidence - Tom Paine's Common Sense for example. At the time of The Declaration of Independence the population of the thirteen colonies was about three million, counting slaves and indentured servants. Paine's pamphlet is estimated to have been read by 1,000,000 people, half of the adult free population at the time. Today it's considered difficult for high school students."
We can't even get people to watch presidential debates and the State of the Union on television! Much less ask them to read something like "Common Sense". The article closes with this quote:
"To learn to read fluently takes about 30 contact hours ... the only way to stop a child from reading and liking it in a literate environment is to teach it the way we teach it." John Taylor Gatto, multiple recipient of Teacher of the Year Awards for New York City and New York State.
Morning at Play... Today has been a morning at play and it has been fun. We went on a safari by reading a book and collecting the animals from around the house that were on the safari. Then we built a train track and a village to go around it and played for awhile. We also took the trains on boats across the floor. Rhiannon and I read a Bob book and a few pages in her current Primary Phonics reader. Ciaran played with his coconut tree leading letters up it.
We went camping and that was a lot of fun. We built a fire with blocks as firewood - made camp food with our wooden food and plastic utensils. We laid all the sleeping bags under Ciaran's cave (which is the space between his bed and the floor - he has the top bunk on the floor and a big play space under it. We slept in the tent and then came out and sat around the campfire singing songs.
We had lunch and the kids played Star Wars while I finished mine. They have quite good imaginations. We went outside and I shoveled off the deck (it amazes me how heavy snow is) while they played in the snow - which is quite high for them - probably a foot and a half, and Sirah took a nap.
Rhiannon is reading to Sirah now and we will be getting ready for quiet time and naptime here. I am fighting off the urge to go back to the used book sale. We should try to get some more formal schooling done this evening. Though we have had many teachable moments so far today.
Peace,
Tenn
We went camping and that was a lot of fun. We built a fire with blocks as firewood - made camp food with our wooden food and plastic utensils. We laid all the sleeping bags under Ciaran's cave (which is the space between his bed and the floor - he has the top bunk on the floor and a big play space under it. We slept in the tent and then came out and sat around the campfire singing songs.
We had lunch and the kids played Star Wars while I finished mine. They have quite good imaginations. We went outside and I shoveled off the deck (it amazes me how heavy snow is) while they played in the snow - which is quite high for them - probably a foot and a half, and Sirah took a nap.
Rhiannon is reading to Sirah now and we will be getting ready for quiet time and naptime here. I am fighting off the urge to go back to the used book sale. We should try to get some more formal schooling done this evening. Though we have had many teachable moments so far today.
Peace,
Tenn
February 5, 2004
A Day of books... Today was a good day - though I am truly drained as I type this so it will be quick. We began the day with our homeschool group and the kids just got together to play games and have fun. They played with puppets, music instruments, my little pony, read books and mostly played board games together. I could barely tear my kids away from Cranium Cariboo - I think I will be keeping an eye out for that game.
Then we headed to the library for about 2 hours. Rhiannon played computer games most of the time we were there and Ciaran watched her briefly, then read books, played puzzles and made friends with an older boy who he convinced to read him books. Meanwhile I was browsing the new children's section to get a feel for it and get books for next week's lesson. I have decided to get back into the Letter weeks - as we have a lot of fun with them. Rhia's interest in volcanoes and Valentines Day coming up has led me to chose V for next week. So I scoured the shelves for V books in both fiction and non-fiction and left with a pretty good selection and start to our reading for next week.
We headed home for lunch and naps. Then we headed to a used book sale (dangerous place for our family). The kids did really well - Sirah slept and the older two just browsed and were free to put books in my bag (they were 25 cents a book) it was interesting to see what we came home with. We found some gems and the kids picked up a few books I would never have picked up for them and will probably eventually make it to our donation pile - but they got to pick and I was able to browse for the "good" books I wanted. Serona hit the store on the way home from work and all in all we did pretty well.
The kids and I came home and read a few books in the library, then made dinner (pancakes) and got in our PJ's (yes all of at 6 pm) and just piled on the couch and read until 7:30. We simply read and read and then read some more. I think Sirah was finally fed up by the end so we stopped and I put Ciaran and Rhiannon into their beds - each taking two more books into bed with them. It was a good day.
School? Well we learned quite a bit about volcanoes, laughed at Amelia Bedilia, learned we are all special no matter what kind of "wemmick" we are, counted, practiced colors, learned how many books 8 quarters can buy (8), and got good quality family snuggle time on the couch while listening to good stories (ok they were not all great children's literature).
Now I need to go file all our books in our library (which is organized by dewey decimal system - I'm not joking) and probably pick up my current no brainer book "Irish Born" by Nora Roberts. Have a great night.
Peace,
Tenn
Then we headed to the library for about 2 hours. Rhiannon played computer games most of the time we were there and Ciaran watched her briefly, then read books, played puzzles and made friends with an older boy who he convinced to read him books. Meanwhile I was browsing the new children's section to get a feel for it and get books for next week's lesson. I have decided to get back into the Letter weeks - as we have a lot of fun with them. Rhia's interest in volcanoes and Valentines Day coming up has led me to chose V for next week. So I scoured the shelves for V books in both fiction and non-fiction and left with a pretty good selection and start to our reading for next week.
We headed home for lunch and naps. Then we headed to a used book sale (dangerous place for our family). The kids did really well - Sirah slept and the older two just browsed and were free to put books in my bag (they were 25 cents a book) it was interesting to see what we came home with. We found some gems and the kids picked up a few books I would never have picked up for them and will probably eventually make it to our donation pile - but they got to pick and I was able to browse for the "good" books I wanted. Serona hit the store on the way home from work and all in all we did pretty well.
The kids and I came home and read a few books in the library, then made dinner (pancakes) and got in our PJ's (yes all of at 6 pm) and just piled on the couch and read until 7:30. We simply read and read and then read some more. I think Sirah was finally fed up by the end so we stopped and I put Ciaran and Rhiannon into their beds - each taking two more books into bed with them. It was a good day.
School? Well we learned quite a bit about volcanoes, laughed at Amelia Bedilia, learned we are all special no matter what kind of "wemmick" we are, counted, practiced colors, learned how many books 8 quarters can buy (8), and got good quality family snuggle time on the couch while listening to good stories (ok they were not all great children's literature).
Now I need to go file all our books in our library (which is organized by dewey decimal system - I'm not joking) and probably pick up my current no brainer book "Irish Born" by Nora Roberts. Have a great night.
Peace,
Tenn
Charlotte Mason site... I can not say enough good about this site, even if you are not a Charlotte Mason fan. Ambleside Online offers a free curriculum for CM style and it also has links to MANY free ebooks and great reading lists even if you don't follow their curriculum. I am resisting the urge to run out and start it right now - but the site made clear it is much better to wait a year or two for my kids to begin the program.
For now I will use the site for its reading lists and links to free ebooks. There is a wealth of information here, definitely worth the click.
Peace,
Tenn
For now I will use the site for its reading lists and links to free ebooks. There is a wealth of information here, definitely worth the click.
Peace,
Tenn
vaccines again... New research was published today about a possible link between autism and vaccines. I first found the story on Vancouver Sun. I will reserve judgment until I can read the whole study and find out more details about the research. According to the article:
In my mind this should be enough for people to utilize a "precautionary principle" for their children's health.
Serona located the link to the study - it can be found here. Though it is not free - if I find a free copy I will be sure to post it.
Peace,
Tenn
"In tests on human brain cells, researchers found two natural chemicals -- one compound that stimulates cell growth and also dopamine, which transmits nerve signals -- are both key to a process in the brain called methylation. Methylation helps DNA work properly and is crucial to the normal development of the brain.
The team found thimerosal, ethanol and the metals lead and mercury all interfere with methylation. What's more, thimerosal did so at doses 100 times lower than a child would receive after a single shot with a thimerosal-containing vaccine."
In my mind this should be enough for people to utilize a "precautionary principle" for their children's health.
Serona located the link to the study - it can be found here. Though it is not free - if I find a free copy I will be sure to post it.
Peace,
Tenn
Updated Links... It has been awhile but I finally found some time to clean up my links and to add some sites I have been meaning to add for awhile. There are simply too many new and good ones to highlight here - so grab a cup of tea or coffee and sit back and click through them for awhile.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Rushing Readiness... This post came at a good time as I have been finding myself having to slow down and let nature take it's course in areas such as potty training. Definately worth a click to remind us that we can only do so much and there is no use fighting kids until they are ready. Check out Poppins Classical Academy .
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
My life in a novel:
I believe you belong in Pride and Prejudice; a
world of satire and true love. A world where
everything is crystal clear to the reader, and
yet where new things seem to be happening all
the time. You belong in a world where your
free-thought puts you above the silly masses,
and where bright eyes and intelligence are
enough to attract the arrogant
millionaire/prejudiced young woman of your
choice.
Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?
brought to you by Quizilla
I believe you belong in Pride and Prejudice; a
world of satire and true love. A world where
everything is crystal clear to the reader, and
yet where new things seem to be happening all
the time. You belong in a world where your
free-thought puts you above the silly masses,
and where bright eyes and intelligence are
enough to attract the arrogant
millionaire/prejudiced young woman of your
choice.
Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?
brought to you by Quizilla
February 4, 2004
Rhainnon's day... Well we just finished our schooltime today and we had a real productive and fun time. Ciaran was laying down for his nap and Sirah was jumping her johnny jumper nearby and then nursed herself to sleep towards the end. Rhia got to pick the order in which we did things - I gave her options and she could choose within them. We began with her reading a few pages from "Put Me In the Zoo" by Dr Suess. This is definitely a challenging book for her as it frustrates her that there are both short and long vowel sounds so she can't easily sound out every word. Then she read 10 cut-ups which is the 9th book in the Bob Books First.
Then we played with our dolsch sight word flashcards. She is working on the first set of 10 and today was the first day she did them all right. I showed her each word and she said which they were then I laid them all out and made her find the word I said - then we took turns saying words as they came up in the deck. It was fun and she did very well - she actually only missed "that" once and got all the others right on the first try. I was excited for her.
Then she asked to make pictures out of her colored pencils. This is when we make designs by laying the pencils in all sorts of ways. She asked me to build a house with them and I did. Then she asked to do the story of creation with them and she told me what God made on each day (a review from last month) and I had to figure out how to create that with the 9 colored pencils I had. It was interesting and fun. She however did not like my bird and did it herself. I must admit hers was actually better than mine.
Then we had art time. She drew in her "Nature Study" notebook. This time we decided to draw animals as it has been too cold to be outside collecting things to draw. We used Usborne's Drawing Animals guidebook and she was able to draw something that looks like a bird, an elephant and a baby mouse. She did pretty good work and it was fun to foster this side of her personality as art is not her strength and she does not show much interest in it.
Then we worked in our Usborne World Atlas and spent some time looking at maps. We reviewed the continents and then spent time on the US map talking about where all our relatives and friends live and where we have traveled. Then we looked at a topography map and talked about the different regions (mountains, desert, urban, temperate) and she had to find those regions on the map (they are color-coded). Then we flipped through the book looking for volcanoes and hot lava. She has a new interest in hot lava and asked me to get some books out of the library on the subject. Lastly we looked at the flags and she had to flip through them until she found the USA flag - she found it right away (they were listed alphabetically) and it was on a later page.
Next we reviewed our poetry and nursery rhymes. Today she recited:
SeeSaw Margery Daw
Jack Sprat
Three Blind Mice
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Old King Cole
Old Mother Hubbard
Simple Simon
Hot Cross Buns
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Little Jack Horner
Humpty Dumpty
Little Miss Muffet
There was a Girl
Jack be nimble
Jack and Jill
Tommy
Of these I only had to correct three of them - and it was for a different word use not for not remembering. That amazed me - I don't think I can do all of them from memory myself!
Then we read an adapted version of the Brother's Grimm Snow White. She kept asking why it was different from the one she is familiar with (disney story) and I explained that this was the original fairy tale (though I was reading an adapted version as she is still young and often Brother's Grimm is too dark) and the other story was based on a movie which was based on this story. I don't think she really understood - but she smiled and nodded and asked me to keep reading. I even edited some of this story as I read aloud - as the word choice and harshness of subject may not be appropriate by my standards.
Then it was math sheets - she got to choose two pages in her Spectrum workbook. She chose one on night and day and the other was a simple addition page. She reviewed them while I got Sirah to sleep. Then we read a short story on a Mud Wasp from the Christian Liberty Nature Reader. We talked for awhile after this story because she was saddened that the mud wasp mother flies away before her baby is born and never comes back. I could sense she was very troubled by that so we talked about it and how that is not going to happen with me. She wanted to know why God makes mud wasps that way and aren't they lonely? She decided she did not like that very much.
We concluded our study time with a review of last weeks bible verse John 3:16. As this is a very important and long verse and the wording is challenging for her - we are doing it again this week. I don't feel she is ready to move on yet. She definitely knows the gist of it and can say the end word for word - but this is one that I want to be sure is hidden away in her little heart.
As I type this she is in the library acting out scenes from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by herself. She has a vivid imagination and loves imaginary play. She spent half the morning in her room jsut listening to the reading of the story on her tape recorder so it is pretty recent in her memory. Well I should get going as it is now time to clean up the house and get ready for the evening.
Peace,
Tenn
Then we played with our dolsch sight word flashcards. She is working on the first set of 10 and today was the first day she did them all right. I showed her each word and she said which they were then I laid them all out and made her find the word I said - then we took turns saying words as they came up in the deck. It was fun and she did very well - she actually only missed "that" once and got all the others right on the first try. I was excited for her.
Then she asked to make pictures out of her colored pencils. This is when we make designs by laying the pencils in all sorts of ways. She asked me to build a house with them and I did. Then she asked to do the story of creation with them and she told me what God made on each day (a review from last month) and I had to figure out how to create that with the 9 colored pencils I had. It was interesting and fun. She however did not like my bird and did it herself. I must admit hers was actually better than mine.
Then we had art time. She drew in her "Nature Study" notebook. This time we decided to draw animals as it has been too cold to be outside collecting things to draw. We used Usborne's Drawing Animals guidebook and she was able to draw something that looks like a bird, an elephant and a baby mouse. She did pretty good work and it was fun to foster this side of her personality as art is not her strength and she does not show much interest in it.
Then we worked in our Usborne World Atlas and spent some time looking at maps. We reviewed the continents and then spent time on the US map talking about where all our relatives and friends live and where we have traveled. Then we looked at a topography map and talked about the different regions (mountains, desert, urban, temperate) and she had to find those regions on the map (they are color-coded). Then we flipped through the book looking for volcanoes and hot lava. She has a new interest in hot lava and asked me to get some books out of the library on the subject. Lastly we looked at the flags and she had to flip through them until she found the USA flag - she found it right away (they were listed alphabetically) and it was on a later page.
Next we reviewed our poetry and nursery rhymes. Today she recited:
SeeSaw Margery Daw
Jack Sprat
Three Blind Mice
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Old King Cole
Old Mother Hubbard
Simple Simon
Hot Cross Buns
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Little Jack Horner
Humpty Dumpty
Little Miss Muffet
There was a Girl
Jack be nimble
Jack and Jill
Tommy
Of these I only had to correct three of them - and it was for a different word use not for not remembering. That amazed me - I don't think I can do all of them from memory myself!
Then we read an adapted version of the Brother's Grimm Snow White. She kept asking why it was different from the one she is familiar with (disney story) and I explained that this was the original fairy tale (though I was reading an adapted version as she is still young and often Brother's Grimm is too dark) and the other story was based on a movie which was based on this story. I don't think she really understood - but she smiled and nodded and asked me to keep reading. I even edited some of this story as I read aloud - as the word choice and harshness of subject may not be appropriate by my standards.
Then it was math sheets - she got to choose two pages in her Spectrum workbook. She chose one on night and day and the other was a simple addition page. She reviewed them while I got Sirah to sleep. Then we read a short story on a Mud Wasp from the Christian Liberty Nature Reader. We talked for awhile after this story because she was saddened that the mud wasp mother flies away before her baby is born and never comes back. I could sense she was very troubled by that so we talked about it and how that is not going to happen with me. She wanted to know why God makes mud wasps that way and aren't they lonely? She decided she did not like that very much.
We concluded our study time with a review of last weeks bible verse John 3:16. As this is a very important and long verse and the wording is challenging for her - we are doing it again this week. I don't feel she is ready to move on yet. She definitely knows the gist of it and can say the end word for word - but this is one that I want to be sure is hidden away in her little heart.
As I type this she is in the library acting out scenes from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by herself. She has a vivid imagination and loves imaginary play. She spent half the morning in her room jsut listening to the reading of the story on her tape recorder so it is pretty recent in her memory. Well I should get going as it is now time to clean up the house and get ready for the evening.
Peace,
Tenn
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Lesson Plan... Today was Ciaran's coop day and it was a small group - just him and one other little girl. But the class went really well - the kids did great and I really enjoyed the lesson. I had originally planned a completely different lesson for four kids and had to adapt to just two kids - so I threw one together at the last minute based on Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
I headed over to DLTK's Printable Crafts and printed out a a coconut tree and some alphabet letters and cut them out. I also got together some of my alphabet materials including two file folder games, a puzzle and the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book.
When the little girl arrived they played puzzles downstairs for awhile and then we went up and had snack. During snack time I read the book and we sang our ABC song. Then while I cut the printed materials out (I would recommend doing this ahead of time) one girl did this ABC match file folder game with uppercase letters (we have both upper and lower case) and then they glued their coconut trees together and then we reread the book and they each helped a letter up the tree as it appeared in the book and I emphasized the sound (we used lower case letters) until the whole alphabet was up the tree. Then we said "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and they let all the letters fall out of the tree. It was fun and they seemed to enjoy themselves.
Then we played one more file folder game that I made from old flashcards. I cut pictures and letters to match phonetically. At first I started by asking them to find the picture that corresponded to each letter but I quickly realized at this age it would be far better if they picked up a picture and then we talked about what sound it made and helped them find the letter. They did a great job and then it was time to clean up and head home.
All in all I think this morning was a success. I really enjoy developing relationships for Ciaran in his age group and just letting them have fun while we learn. I also really enjoy spending time with the mothers involved. They are very often an encouragement and an inspiration to me.
Well off to school Rhiannon and play with Sirah.
Peace,
Tenn
I headed over to DLTK's Printable Crafts and printed out a a coconut tree and some alphabet letters and cut them out. I also got together some of my alphabet materials including two file folder games, a puzzle and the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book.
When the little girl arrived they played puzzles downstairs for awhile and then we went up and had snack. During snack time I read the book and we sang our ABC song. Then while I cut the printed materials out (I would recommend doing this ahead of time) one girl did this ABC match file folder game with uppercase letters (we have both upper and lower case) and then they glued their coconut trees together and then we reread the book and they each helped a letter up the tree as it appeared in the book and I emphasized the sound (we used lower case letters) until the whole alphabet was up the tree. Then we said "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and they let all the letters fall out of the tree. It was fun and they seemed to enjoy themselves.
Then we played one more file folder game that I made from old flashcards. I cut pictures and letters to match phonetically. At first I started by asking them to find the picture that corresponded to each letter but I quickly realized at this age it would be far better if they picked up a picture and then we talked about what sound it made and helped them find the letter. They did a great job and then it was time to clean up and head home.
All in all I think this morning was a success. I really enjoy developing relationships for Ciaran in his age group and just letting them have fun while we learn. I also really enjoy spending time with the mothers involved. They are very often an encouragement and an inspiration to me.
Well off to school Rhiannon and play with Sirah.
Peace,
Tenn
February 3, 2004
Homeschooling Isn't Easy... This editorial written by a 10 year old gives some nice perspective from a student's point of view.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
Diversity of homeschoolers... This is a nice article about homeschoolers. I must admit the first sentence caught my attention:
"Meet the new faces of home schooling. Venus Taylor put aside plans to use her master's degree in risk and prevention from Harvard University's School of Education to teach her two children at home."
Many of you may know that I too have decided to put my Masters degree in Communications and Argumentation to use by teaching my three kids at home. It is a decision I know I will never regret and the best use of my education I can think of. Though I have received criticism for my decision to stay home and often get treated in a condescending way by people when they realize "I just stay home" - I am proud of the work I do. I am thankful for the opportunity and the blessing to stay with and educate my children all day long. There is no greater gift or greater job for me.
The rest of the article is worth the click.
Peace,
Tenn
Tip of the hat to HomeschoolBuzz for the link.
"Meet the new faces of home schooling. Venus Taylor put aside plans to use her master's degree in risk and prevention from Harvard University's School of Education to teach her two children at home."
Many of you may know that I too have decided to put my Masters degree in Communications and Argumentation to use by teaching my three kids at home. It is a decision I know I will never regret and the best use of my education I can think of. Though I have received criticism for my decision to stay home and often get treated in a condescending way by people when they realize "I just stay home" - I am proud of the work I do. I am thankful for the opportunity and the blessing to stay with and educate my children all day long. There is no greater gift or greater job for me.
The rest of the article is worth the click.
Peace,
Tenn
Tip of the hat to HomeschoolBuzz for the link.
Places I've Been... This is fun. I have visited or spent time in all the Red states. I did NOT include states I have just driven through (there would be 5 more red if I had). I have spent more time in some than others, including living in 6 of them. Only 11 more to go!
create your own visited states map
create your own visited states map
February 2, 2004
Turning the "Socialization" Issue on It's Ugly Head... I think I am going to print out this wonderful article that darby found and hand it out every time I get asked the "socialization" question.
I also have added Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Matter by Gordon Neufeld Ph.D., and Gabor Maté M.D. to my reading list. Finally someone is doing a great job articulating why kids should NOT be socialized in the way everyone is afraid they miss out on when homeschooled.
From the article:
I also have added Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Matter by Gordon Neufeld Ph.D., and Gabor Maté M.D. to my reading list. Finally someone is doing a great job articulating why kids should NOT be socialized in the way everyone is afraid they miss out on when homeschooled.
From the article:
"For the first time in history," declares Hold On To Your Kids: Why Parents Matter, "young human beings are turning for direction and instruction not to mothers, fathers, teachers and other responsible adults but to people whom nature never intended to place in a parenting role - their own peers."
The book by two Vancouver specialists - clinical psychologist Gordon Neufeld and physician Gabor Maté - says this Lord of the Flies sort of upbringing has lead to a breakdown of the traditional family, seeded society with unruly schools and propelled eruptions in violence among teens.
"Our children are not manageable, teachable or maturing because they no longer take their cues from us. The result is that children are being brought up by immature persons who cannot possibly guide them to maturity. They are being brought up by each other."
I'm sure many of you have seen it - I am even starting to see it in Rhiannon. There is a major difference in the way children interact and play with one another when there is a parent present versus when there is not. After she has been around kids in a big group setting I always find myself having to reclaim and reestablish my authority in her life. Kids want so much to please the people around them, kids and adults alike. But kids don't foster that in each other, very often the opposite can occur.
Also from the article:
And, they argue, children raising children can have devastating consequences.
"Absolutely missing in peer relationship is unconditional love and acceptance, the desire to nurture, the ability to extend oneself for the sake of the other, the willingness to sacrifice for the growth and development of the other," they write in the book.
We need to give our kids that security net and help them develop healthy relationships and friendships while still maintaining the authority roles that are rightfully ours. Parents need to take responsibility for raising their kids or kids will look elsewhere. We can influence the role models our kids follow. Do I want Rhiannon to look to me or to her 5 year old friends to teach her about what is good and bad and what is important and acceptable behavior in life? May seem obvious - but somewhere along the way it gets mixed up and parents begin to see the shift from parent to peer guidance as a "normal" part of life.
So I will take the criticism in stride. I'll still rattle off the list of activities and interactions my kids have with other children (kids their age, older, younger, and adults) to show that homeschooling doesn't mean cut off from other children but now I will probably add these arguments to my arsenal. Perhaps I will print out copies of this article to have with me like I used to carry a copy of the state breastfeeding law with me for criticism when I nursed in public.
Peace,
Tenn
All grown Up... It is a weird feeling for Serona and I to deal with, that we are grown-ups. As we approach 30 (which truly doesn't seem like a big deal to us) I look at all we have accomplished so far and realize that so much of it should make me feel older than I do. We have three kids, we have a beautiful house in the suburbs and we drive a minivan. We have a home library, a wireless home network and we've bought appliances. We even bought our first nice furniture and had a friend help us decorate our living room. In some ways I am starting to feel like a grown-up and in other ways I still feel like a college student.
Tonight for our date we went out for pizza and beer. We talked about the Ronald Reagan books we are reading and the presidential biographies we watched this past week (The Kennedy's and Nixon). We talked about politics and life and dreams and education. We talked about the value and sacrifices of homeschooling. We talked about how surrounding our kids in an environment that fosters knowledge and life long learning is paramount. We discussed our love of books and the amazing ways the internet makes homeschooling easier.
I am so thankful that I married my best friend. I'm glad I married a man who values and loves many of the same things I do. I'm glad he has a passion for knowledge and is also a life long learner. I think of the song I Wanna Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler, and I smile knowing Serona is the perfect man for me to grow old and stay young with.
Peace,
Tenn
Tonight for our date we went out for pizza and beer. We talked about the Ronald Reagan books we are reading and the presidential biographies we watched this past week (The Kennedy's and Nixon). We talked about politics and life and dreams and education. We talked about the value and sacrifices of homeschooling. We talked about how surrounding our kids in an environment that fosters knowledge and life long learning is paramount. We discussed our love of books and the amazing ways the internet makes homeschooling easier.
I am so thankful that I married my best friend. I'm glad I married a man who values and loves many of the same things I do. I'm glad he has a passion for knowledge and is also a life long learner. I think of the song I Wanna Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler, and I smile knowing Serona is the perfect man for me to grow old and stay young with.
Peace,
Tenn
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