School Updates for Classical Education

Disgusting fact for the day:  After unearthing in 1979 what scientists claim was a 36,000 year old steppe bison, they attempted to eat the meat.  Even after cooking it in a spicy stew, the scientists said it still tasted like mud. 
                 -- from It's Disgusting and We Ate It







We've finished lesson 14 in First Language Lessons, and I am absolutely LOVING the short lessons that get the point across!  I can already tell Lovely is getting much better at memorization!  I also overheard her Polly Pockets telling each other, "A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea."  Smart dolls, eh?  I'm also trying to remember to go over the ABC's with Snugglebug everyday, and yesterday we watched the "Letter Factory", and we sang the songs together during the video. 

We just finished Week 2 in Writing with Ease, and I believe we are in Chapter 3 of SOTW.  For reading, she has finished her A Beka K readers, so I'm waiting on my sis's 1st grade readers now.  We've finished reading three long books (over 100 pgs each):  Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Big Woods, and Pinocchio.  The last was her favorite, so I believe she's a bit like me:  I liked adventure and excitement in books when I was younger.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I still enjoy adventure and excitement! 

We've also been working on A Child's Book of Character Building, bk 1 and I'm trying the Charlotte Mason method of scripture memorization.  In addition, I'm throwing in art and music when I can (and when I don't have a pounding headache!) 

Now, let's see what we can finish by the time I begin school and begin working again part-time! 

Cave Paintings

I don't know what got into me today, but I went overboard with learning activities! We began with grammar and writing, then we colored pictures and maps to go with Story of the World. Next, we made cave paintings--by far, one of the most fun activities we've done! I took a paperbag from Whole Foods, cut it in half and then cut out the bottom to use as a paint pallet. Don't forget to crumple the bag to make more realistic walls! We used red, brown, orange-ish, and I threw in some blue (maybe there were blueberries near these caves :/). First, I had the girls draw pictures with charcoal, then they painted them, and then they told me their stories:

The Mad Happy Ending by Lovely (Top)

The deer got bigger and the man tried to kill the deer. The man started bleeding because it was a moose, not a deer, and the moose got the idea to fight and see who is the winner. The moose was the winner. The man bled so much that he went back to the village because he could not win. A big pumpkin came out of the water and saw what was happening and got a sad face. Then the sun lighted up and the water came flashing out. The fish made bubbles. And then it became bedtime.

Someone is Shooting by Snugglebug (Bottom)

Someone is shooting at the big deer. Someone's shooting the bear, too. Someone's shooting the big fish, too. Someone's going to hammer the rainbow. Someone's going to shoot the sun--it's going to fall down like, "Ahhhhhh!" into the dirt. The dog is going to eat the man who is shooting. The wild bubbles are going to eat the sun. The deer is eating chips. The man is going to eat the deer. And the bubbles are popping. And all the water is melting.

Believe it or not, I have very happy children. However, they just learned about nomads, etc., and of course their father is a deer hunting fanatic (we eat everything he harvests), so this made for some interesting pictures!

It's Disgusting and We Ate It!

Fun fact of the day: One ton of roasted spiders contains 1268 lbs of protein. One ton of cooked beef contains 394 lbs of protein. Just when you thought you were being as healthy as possible, you went and left roasted spiders off the dinner menu, didn't you?

That was just one of the many fun, interesting, and disgusting things we learned today during school.

Since my upcoming year is looking a little hectic, I've gradually been working in school for Lovely the past couple of days. (All right--I may, just MAY have an addiction to school/learning, which prompted such an early start of 1st grade...maybe!) I have to say--I LOVE this new method I'm trying! I'm only on the 4th grammar lesson and I only just started Writing with Ease, but I'm really digging it so far, as the archeologists would say (I also started The Story of the World tonight).

The grammar and writing lessons are short, simple, and to the point right now. The examples in the books actually made Lovely laugh, which is always a plus. She got a little freaked out when I gave her the copywork--she thought she had to copy both sentences several times, so when I told her just one sentence, one time, great relief came over her face.

We actually spent most of the day checking out the NA library--LOVE IT! I got a card there, so now I have a card for all available libraries in this area. I also signed both girls up for their summer reading program, so they can complete three library summer reading programs--woohoo!

My main objective was to find the books for the first three weeks of school. I LOVE using living books! They are so much more interesting because they are devoted to one topic that the author is usually very interested in. We started reading It's Disgusting and We Ate It tonight, which the girls begged me to keep reading, but I was starting to lose my voice. I'll have to post more disgusting facts another day...

Pouring Rain

When it rains, it pours, as mi madre just said. Out of the blue, I was offered a job at U of L that will pay a stipend, my tuition, and health insurance, not to mention I wouldn't mind actually saying the name of where I worked for a change. Although I love just being "mommy" and "wife" and "helpmeet", Hubby & I decided it would be best for us to struggle through ten more months with school paid for, gain further experience, and get it out of the way. So what does that mean for the rest of my life?

I'll have no life. That's right. You heard it here first. I will have NO LIFE. My house will be dirty again. I will rely heavily on frozen food (remind me to make approximately 300 freezer meals for the upcoming year). Sewing? Crafts? No, not for me. Homeschool field trips...did you say trips? Those won't be happening (unless you classify driving to and fro to g'ma's house a field trip...hey, at least the girls can see deer and turkeys in the fields along the way!).

I actually had a very good schedule for school this year, but apparently, it's meant to go down the drain--round and round it goes! This means I am starting first grade now. You got it: Now. I started First Language Lessons yesterday and Lovely said once the three-minute lesson was finished, "That was soooo silly, Mommy!" I hope she continues to feel this way.

In addition to this new job, I finally recieved a reply back from an online editing service I had applied to. Of course, my application was accepted. When it rains it pours...

I am thankful for the Lord's many blessings. In fact, I rest assured in His perfect will...and I will be watching the sky closely and ducking every now and then as I expect a maid, a cook, and a general life organizer to suddenly appear on my doorstep for help :)

Animal School

I was surfing the web last night and came across this interesting video...tell me how it applies to your life!

De-Stressing by Working?

Last November, I was still teaching composition at a local college. Thankfully, I took some time off (that has continued to expand so much so that I may never return) and had the opportunity to really concentrate on homeschool with Lovely. We have zoomed through the school year, it seems, and we now only have five days left of A Beka lessons!

The past week or so, I've been working a temporary job (a 2-wk commitment to finance our trip to the Midwest Homeschool Convention) and doing an abbreviated version of school in the morning before I leave. My, how my stress levels have calmed down! I'm actually more patient with my daughter when we have a time crunch! Granted, we don't cover nearly as much as I would like, but I actually think of school as relaxing while I watch her master skills she had previously thrown temper tantrums over, thus transforming me into Mean Mommy (yes, she has called me this). So, what have I learned?

1. She's in kindergarten. Exactly what it says. Have expectations, but don't get upset if she doesn't meet them all the time.
2. When encouraged through love and patience, she works better. Duh.
   
3. She doesn't need to know everything (otherwise, wouldn't I just be arming her for the future outlook most teenagers have naturally?)
4. It's OK to give a little extra help. Don't give her all the answers, but go over a few questions with her, then see if she can do it herself. Long strides have already been made in math, although I still hate A Beka math with an undying passion--the kind I will tell younger generations about, to which they will respond, "Crazy, Grandma. So much has changed since you taught school."
   
5. I like teaching...even my daughter. I was fearful I could enjoy only teaching other people's kids. Humph! What would give me that crazy idea? Oh, yeah...being called Mean Mommy.

So why did leaving my child make me a better teacher? Probably guilt. And now I feel guilty about guilt making me a better teacher. Crazy circle of guilt!

How'd They Teach Twelve Kids?

I am often completely worn out from my day of homeschooling my oldest daughter, and often my husband reminds me that women used to homeschool all eight or ten or twelve of their children at one time. At first, I bowed my head and agreed that women of olden days could handle more than me. But then I started thinking...

There is an enormous amount of material children are not only encouraged, but expected to learn now that they weren't required to learn back then. People could get by with 3rd grade educations, because all they needed was a little writing, reading, and arithmetic. Now, we've thrown in history, geography, science, art, music, calculus, algebra, physics....I'm worn out just from thinking about it all! Yes, they are all important, but they are also time consuming. I'm looking forward to learning with my daughter, but I'm not looking forward to the extra time it will take to re-learn information in order to answer any questions she may have. Women of older generations probably looked at schooling as more of an option instead of a requirement, also, and were not as concerned with completing as much as possible. I'm beginning to wonder if the boxed-curricula (as to which they are often referred) are more stressful than developing your own lesson plans and choosing what to pursue when.

In addition to all of the subjects we must include in our curriculum and the basic requirements of school records, etc. we are expected to keep up with the pace of today. Think of all the bills that are due on specific dates, the appointments we make, the schedules we keep! Simply exhausting!

Next, we have to deal with the drama that children seem to express today. "I don't want to do school!" is an expression often heard in my household. Why can't they see it as the privilege that it is? Why can't I always see teaching as the privilege that it is?

A Typical Reading Session with Lovely

"OK, it's time to do reading for today," I inform my daughter cheerfully, hoping to inspire the reading genius within her.

"Awwww. How 'bout we do it tomorrow?" This is her bargaining tool, and she pulls it out of the toolbox all too often.

"No, we need to work on reading everyday. That way, you'll be able to read all kinds of books!" This is my bargaining tool, which I pull out all too often.

"I don't want to read all kinds of books..." Lovely crosses her arms in demonstration of her determination.

I open I Do Read Book 3 to page six and place it in front of her crossed arms.

"OK, let's start reading."

She giggles. "Look at the funny cat! It's silly!"

"Yes, I know it is. Let's find out what it's doing, " I say as an attempt to encourage her.

"P-u-ff. Puff. Puff's a name? That's the cat's name? That's silly!" Lovely continues to giggle.

"Yes, Puff is its name. Let's find out what Puff is doing." I point at the first full sentence.

"It's smiling, Mommy. It looks happy. I see cats outside in the backyard."

"Yes, it is smiling. Let's find out why." Another attempt to redirect her attention.

"J-o-n Jon g-o-t got a b-i-g big...Who's Jon, Mommy?"

"I don't know...let's keep reading and see if it says."

"Jon got a big c-a-t cat. Is that cat named Puff? Why did he name him that? I like cats, but you're allergic."

"Yes, I'm allergic. I don't know why he named him Puff...maybe it says in the story. Read some more."

"J-o-n will n-a-m-e name h-i-s his....Where's Jon? I don't see him."

"You see his hand petting Puff. Let's read more."

"Where's his other hand? Where's his arm?"

"I don't know, Lovely. Let's keep reading." I try to keep my voice sweet and calm, but reading time is taking its toll on my patience.

"The c-a-t can l-a-p...lap...what's lap?"

"That's how the cat drinks its milk. It laps it up with its tongue."

"Oh. I don't see its tongue. You mean like...sluuurrrrp.....slurrrppp." Lovely's head is bobbing up and down with her tongue out as she pretends to drink.

"Yes, that's what I mean. Let's keep reading."

"L-a-p lap, l-a-p lap, l-a-p lap. J-o-n Jon can p-e-t Pete?"

"No, p-e-t, pet."

"Oh. That's silly. I petted a dog before. I like petting dogs."

"I know, honey. Keep reading."

"Jon can p-e-t pet P-u-ff."

I slam the book shut and say 'thank you' for being able to finish reading for the day.

Although I feel the strain of reading each day, once the conversation has been written out and I am able to reflect on the questions asked, I'm amazed at my daughter's curiosity. If she keeps asking questions, keeps wondering, isn't that just as important as the lesson I'm trying to teach at the time? If I can feed this need to learn and direct her on her course, I will be doing my job as a mother and a teacher. However, I will continue to question myself as an example and as a teacher, just as any other human being would do. And I will continue to wonder how I will remain sane for the next twelve years of school.