I meant to write this on Friday and post it but, well life happened. I am sure some of you understand that all to well!
As a homeschooling mom who firmly believes that children need to be allowed to follow their own passions and dreams I work hard to see where the spark is and keep them going in that direction. It's not always easy but I do try.
This week has been one of challenge for me. My darling Spitfire has come to me and informed me that she wants more structure. I will admit right here and now that I was really hurt by this. Here I was giving her the freedom to explore everything she wants and do it all how she wants. Only to be told by her that I was doing it wrong! Well Ok, she didn't say it was wrong, only that she wants more "school work". As a few people reminded me that is what Organic learning is all about. Choosing how you learn, and what you learn. She is still following her own path, she just wants it to be more structured. This week I spent a lot of time doing some research just for the Spitfire. I am going to be using some resources online and of course printing some stuff as well as trips to the library. We do a lot of that stuff already but I am going to have to put it together a bit differently so that she can get her needs met.
One resource that was shared with me in a Facebook group is a free site called e-learning for kids this resource has subjects broken down into grade level and kids can work at their own pace. I think this will become the number one tool for the next few weeks for the Spitfire. I am sure that the Cuddle Bug will want to join her because he never likes to be outdone by her. He wants to work just as hard as she does and keeps pace with her in all things.
I also see a lot of printer ink and paper in my near future.
On other Organic Learning fronts, my hands on learner is very interested in blacksmithing. We have found several blacksmiths in our new area and he has composed emails to them to see if someone would be willing to take on an apprentice. He has books on blacksmithing and has watched a few documentaries on metal work. He wants to learn about making swords, so we are looking for this sort of thing now. He is interested in medieval times as well and the sword play there and that is another great resource.
The Bookworm is working on writing. I have given her a little push to finish and try to publish one book this year. She is going to try. She has several novels in partially finished stages and it will be good for her to see it through to the end.
This week I have spent a lot of time in groups and discussions. I have another favorite blogger to add to my growing list of homeschooling bloggers. The Innovative Educator's blogger Lisa is wonderful at providing an interesting perspective as well as tons of helpful links.
And in blogger news, Don't forget to check out my Giveaway! It's not to late to enter! entering is easy, just comment on the blog for the giveaway will give you one entry. Sharing it on your blog, or other social networking site and coming back to share the link with me will give you another entry. Its simple and you get one of the three awesome prizes I made.
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Ch Ch Ch Changes....
Life sure throws changes at you unexpectedly sometimes.
A few months ago we thought we were moving to Hawaii. We started getting everything ready, including the dogs. Then all of a sudden the rug got pulled from under our feet. The funding was gone. They couldn't bring us out there.
This could have been devastating. We are living with a friend and had no prospects for jobs here which was why we were going back on active duty.
Then another friend said to me that she had a place for me. A place of my own. And that we could all come live there until we got things settled. Then my Marine put in for civi jobs (a regular old job for those not in the military) and less then a week later he has a second oral interview over the phone while we travel east.
Thats right, we are moving! Far from our home land of California, almost as far away as you can get in the United States.
We are moving to Virginia!
So in the next couple of weeks blogs maybe spuratic and Starting the 8th of April I will be blogging about our journey across the United States. We are taking a Southern route and will see California, Arizona, New Mexico, the top of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and then into Virginia.
It will be a grand adventure, especially for us Unschoolers!!
A few months ago we thought we were moving to Hawaii. We started getting everything ready, including the dogs. Then all of a sudden the rug got pulled from under our feet. The funding was gone. They couldn't bring us out there.
This could have been devastating. We are living with a friend and had no prospects for jobs here which was why we were going back on active duty.
Then another friend said to me that she had a place for me. A place of my own. And that we could all come live there until we got things settled. Then my Marine put in for civi jobs (a regular old job for those not in the military) and less then a week later he has a second oral interview over the phone while we travel east.
Thats right, we are moving! Far from our home land of California, almost as far away as you can get in the United States.
We are moving to Virginia!
So in the next couple of weeks blogs maybe spuratic and Starting the 8th of April I will be blogging about our journey across the United States. We are taking a Southern route and will see California, Arizona, New Mexico, the top of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and then into Virginia.
It will be a grand adventure, especially for us Unschoolers!!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
A little Tip
I have been homeschooling for many many many years now, but sometimes I feel as if its all still new. Like I am a novice and still don't know all the 'rules' ha ha. Being that we unschool that is pretty funny in an ironic sort of way.
So recently I thought of a way to save me hundreds of dollars a year. I am certain that I am not alone in the amount of money I spend on printer paper, and ink, not to mention the time, and energy I spend searching for, downloading and printing worksheets for my youngest two.
So what is this money saving tip you ask?
First I print one sheet instead of multiple sheets of the same thing. (I have two children in the same grade) I print them up and put them in a protective clear cover. Like these...
Then I bought some wet erase markers, this is essential because you don't want them to smudge their work, but you don't want it to be permanent either. I made sure to buy fine point markers so that the tip was sharp.
I have used plain writing practice paper inserted into a sleeve. Or math fact's practice sheets, Mazes, clock practice, the possibilities are endless. I print out one sheet of each thing and then one child can do one thing and practice. when they are done they use a spray bottle i mixed up with vinegar and water to wash the sheets off. A little piece of felt is left with the markers and spray bottle and then they get to practice over and over.
So recently I thought of a way to save me hundreds of dollars a year. I am certain that I am not alone in the amount of money I spend on printer paper, and ink, not to mention the time, and energy I spend searching for, downloading and printing worksheets for my youngest two.
So what is this money saving tip you ask?
First I print one sheet instead of multiple sheets of the same thing. (I have two children in the same grade) I print them up and put them in a protective clear cover. Like these...
Then I bought some wet erase markers, this is essential because you don't want them to smudge their work, but you don't want it to be permanent either. I made sure to buy fine point markers so that the tip was sharp.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Unschooling does not mean Unruley
I find myself at odds with the concept that because you unschool you don't discipline your kids, have rules for them at all, or that your children shouldn't be taught appropriate behavior for certain situations.
I think its probably one of the biggest misconceptions among people who do not unschool, and maybe even some that do.
I believe that children need guidance. Unschooling does not mean that I do not guide them. It means that they get to have a say in their lives. It means that while I may guide them in certain areas I also am teaching them how to make those choices safely, and wisely.
For example: My children are taught to speak respectfully to adults, even in their disagreement. They are reprimanded if they do not. I expect them to be able to speak to adults with respect. I also expect that if they disagree with an adult to do so respectfully. Their opinions and thoughts are valid. They have the right to disagree with adults. They just must do it with integrity and respect.
My children were taught from an early age that in certain situations they have to behave a certain way. This in my opinion is an important tool for the rest of your life. You would never walk into a court room and run screaming and jumping around like it was a rock concert. In turn you wouldn't go to a rock concert and act like you were at a funeral. So when I take my children out to dinner, or to a movie or to the grocery store I expect certain behavior. I expect when I take my 4 children to dinner somewhere that they can sit and entertain themselves until their food arrives, that they can participate in conversation and that they can use manners while at the table. I do not expect that they will scream, throw tantrums, or run around the establishment as if they were never taught what was appropriate behavior for the situation. If they feel they just can not contain their energy they can ask to go outside for a few minutes. I started this rule as toddlers. If they were just to amped up then I would take them outside. They are not allowed to disrupt other diners simply because they can not behave with situational behavior. When taking my children to the grocery store they were taught that it is not ok to run screaming through the store or to beg me for junk. Instead they were taught that in the grocery store they should help decide what types of foods are on sale and plan meals for the week. They were taught to walk through the store out of courtesy for others.
As an Unschooling mom of 4 kids I think instructing my children on what type of behavior is appropriate for what situation is one of the most important life skills I can help them with. I know that some will say that that is stifling their nature but I disagree. I think that children who have been taught what is appropriate in each situation are appreciated by people around them. I think it also gives the child more confidence. They know what is accepted and that means they will have less feelings of inadequacy.
Rules do not have to be arbitrary. I do not believe in having a lot of rules and dictating to children what I think they should do. I do however believe that some guidelines help children to learn what is acceptable. I think its important to set those guidelines in place early and teach them from a young age. I also think its important to be consistent and to have love and compassion be your guide in what is best for the 'rules' you set.
I think its probably one of the biggest misconceptions among people who do not unschool, and maybe even some that do.
I believe that children need guidance. Unschooling does not mean that I do not guide them. It means that they get to have a say in their lives. It means that while I may guide them in certain areas I also am teaching them how to make those choices safely, and wisely.
For example: My children are taught to speak respectfully to adults, even in their disagreement. They are reprimanded if they do not. I expect them to be able to speak to adults with respect. I also expect that if they disagree with an adult to do so respectfully. Their opinions and thoughts are valid. They have the right to disagree with adults. They just must do it with integrity and respect.
My children were taught from an early age that in certain situations they have to behave a certain way. This in my opinion is an important tool for the rest of your life. You would never walk into a court room and run screaming and jumping around like it was a rock concert. In turn you wouldn't go to a rock concert and act like you were at a funeral. So when I take my children out to dinner, or to a movie or to the grocery store I expect certain behavior. I expect when I take my 4 children to dinner somewhere that they can sit and entertain themselves until their food arrives, that they can participate in conversation and that they can use manners while at the table. I do not expect that they will scream, throw tantrums, or run around the establishment as if they were never taught what was appropriate behavior for the situation. If they feel they just can not contain their energy they can ask to go outside for a few minutes. I started this rule as toddlers. If they were just to amped up then I would take them outside. They are not allowed to disrupt other diners simply because they can not behave with situational behavior. When taking my children to the grocery store they were taught that it is not ok to run screaming through the store or to beg me for junk. Instead they were taught that in the grocery store they should help decide what types of foods are on sale and plan meals for the week. They were taught to walk through the store out of courtesy for others.
As an Unschooling mom of 4 kids I think instructing my children on what type of behavior is appropriate for what situation is one of the most important life skills I can help them with. I know that some will say that that is stifling their nature but I disagree. I think that children who have been taught what is appropriate in each situation are appreciated by people around them. I think it also gives the child more confidence. They know what is accepted and that means they will have less feelings of inadequacy.
Rules do not have to be arbitrary. I do not believe in having a lot of rules and dictating to children what I think they should do. I do however believe that some guidelines help children to learn what is acceptable. I think its important to set those guidelines in place early and teach them from a young age. I also think its important to be consistent and to have love and compassion be your guide in what is best for the 'rules' you set.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
whats in a grade?
Why is a grade so important?
I find myself wondering why children and adults alike put so much stock in a letter, or a number.
For some reason our society believes that we have to classify everyone. The question most often asked by adults to my children is "What grade are you in?" because a number grade must be identified with a child in order to measure their intelligence, their age, and their ability to complete tasks? I simply do not understand the need to identify children with a grade level. My children have been taught to answer this question with "Well officially i am in ____ grade." This always gets a few eyebrows raised. One person once asked "what kind of grades do your children get on their report cards?" I looked a bit quizzically at first then just laughed and answered "straight A's of course"
I mean really? they are unschooled. We do not have report cards, nor do we have assigned grade levels. My children focus on areas of interest and we work everything else into the study. Sometimes they sit and play video games for hours, yes hours! sometimes they read books for hours. Sometimes we play board games all day long. and sometimes we pack up the car and take a road trip somewhere. Sometimes we play multiplication games when counting the rocks on the road, or late at night when someone cant sleep. Sometimes we don't look like we are learning at all, in fact most times I would say it doesn't look like learning from the outside. Then someone from the outside asks one of my kids something silly to judge weather or not I am doing a good job teaching them anything and they know it. We never focused on it but they know it. It makes me feel good knowing that they are learning things without having to spend hours a day focused on it and bored by the tediousness of it all.
I was explaining how we do school to a friend and school teacher and he looks at me and says O so its like college only all the time, they get to study at their grade level and choose the subjects that interest them, cool! so I guess that explains it. Only unlike college the grade doesn't matter because after school is finished the important things in your working life are your integrity, your ability to do a job and do it well, your ability to focus on the task at hand, not any of that is based on grades. To be happy in life is more important then to get good grades.
This concludes my rambling for today.
I find myself wondering why children and adults alike put so much stock in a letter, or a number.
For some reason our society believes that we have to classify everyone. The question most often asked by adults to my children is "What grade are you in?" because a number grade must be identified with a child in order to measure their intelligence, their age, and their ability to complete tasks? I simply do not understand the need to identify children with a grade level. My children have been taught to answer this question with "Well officially i am in ____ grade." This always gets a few eyebrows raised. One person once asked "what kind of grades do your children get on their report cards?" I looked a bit quizzically at first then just laughed and answered "straight A's of course"
I mean really? they are unschooled. We do not have report cards, nor do we have assigned grade levels. My children focus on areas of interest and we work everything else into the study. Sometimes they sit and play video games for hours, yes hours! sometimes they read books for hours. Sometimes we play board games all day long. and sometimes we pack up the car and take a road trip somewhere. Sometimes we play multiplication games when counting the rocks on the road, or late at night when someone cant sleep. Sometimes we don't look like we are learning at all, in fact most times I would say it doesn't look like learning from the outside. Then someone from the outside asks one of my kids something silly to judge weather or not I am doing a good job teaching them anything and they know it. We never focused on it but they know it. It makes me feel good knowing that they are learning things without having to spend hours a day focused on it and bored by the tediousness of it all.
I was explaining how we do school to a friend and school teacher and he looks at me and says O so its like college only all the time, they get to study at their grade level and choose the subjects that interest them, cool! so I guess that explains it. Only unlike college the grade doesn't matter because after school is finished the important things in your working life are your integrity, your ability to do a job and do it well, your ability to focus on the task at hand, not any of that is based on grades. To be happy in life is more important then to get good grades.
This concludes my rambling for today.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Military Museum
Recently we went on a field trip to Old Sacramento. If you ever visit the state capitol of California I urge you to explore the area of Old Sacramento here is a link to the last blog I did about Old Sac.
Todays blog is all about the Military Museum in Old Sac. This museum is a tribute to all branches of the military, not just one branch.
There is a wall just inside the door to the left that is a tribute to all the fallen military members who lived in California since the Gulf War started. This is a sobering view of our war.
We started our self guided tour going to the right of the room and working by each display. They have the display's well lit and filled with informative cards.
There are display cases on each war and what the military looked like in that era.
There is a new display that shows women in the military as well
There is even a display that shows the music of different era's and how it rallied troops.
Todays blog is all about the Military Museum in Old Sac. This museum is a tribute to all branches of the military, not just one branch.
There is a wall just inside the door to the left that is a tribute to all the fallen military members who lived in California since the Gulf War started. This is a sobering view of our war.
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We started our self guided tour going to the right of the room and working by each display. They have the display's well lit and filled with informative cards.
There are display cases on each war and what the military looked like in that era.
There is a new display that shows women in the military as well
There is even a display that shows the music of different era's and how it rallied troops.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Field Trippin'
We recently went on an adventure to the northern coastal town of Eureka California. My husband is from there and we went to visit our family before we make the trek across the ocean to our new home. While we were there we took the opportunity to explore some of the natural wonders that are in this area of the state.
We visited Patrick's Point where we followed the trails down to Agate Beach, only to discover that it was to darn cold, far to windy and a bit dangerous with the tide coming in to actually look for Agates on the beach. The hike down was pretty, and very educational.
Then we went over and checked out the Yu'rok Tribe's village that is located at Patrick's Point. Talk about awe inspiring!
Then we wandered off to explore the hike up to Ceremony Rock. Being deathly afraid of heights I did not actually venture all the way to the top, however I did find a nice level spot with a bit of a view where I felt safe.
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| looking up |
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| the view from between two rocks on level ground. |
On our way home we drove through the Avenue of the Giants. This is a beautiful drive if you have time to take a leasure stroll I strongly suggest it. The entire drive is about 24 miles of winding through the famous Giant redwoods of Northern California.
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| view of the road from my sun roof |
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| view looking up from the sun roof |
We also pulled over and hiked through the forest and studied some of the fallen trees. These ancient redwoods sometimes fall and are left to decompose on their own. This decomposition gives life to organisms in the forest and is the way its supposed to be. The kids had a blast exploring the redwoods on foot. There is something amazing being among trees so tall, they make you realize just how small you really are in this world.
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| The family walking across a redwood bridge (aka fallen tree) |
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| M & I (proof I am not always behind the camera) |
We found a Drive through tree and some tree houses.
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| driving up to the drive through tree |
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| a little closer |
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| inside the tree looking up through the sun roof |
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| The kids loved going to the top of this one |
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| you cant get to the top of this one but it was fun looking inside. |
On the way home the kids slept, and slept, and slept. It was certainly a trip to remember!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Field Trip Thursday...
Last Thursday was a beautiful day. We decided it was a fantastic Sunny day in california and the kids could really use a field trip. So with our tanks full of gas we hopped in the car and drove the 30 minutes to Old Sacramento.
For a homeschooling family Old Sac is a wonderful place to explore! There are several museums there as well as original buildings that date back to the gold rush.
We talked about the Pony Express. This happens to be the last stop the Pony Express made in its cross country venture to bring the mail. There are wonderful statues and Plaques in Old Sac that tell part of the tails. This of course interested some more then others.
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| My family hanin out with the rider. |
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| An image of a Pony Express rider |
This building was the first wells fargo bank in Sacramento. It is no longer a bank but the building is still there with the signs up so that you can see what it looked like decades ago.
The whole Old Sac area is fun to walk around, even though its just full of shops. There are some great little eateries there as well as several museums. We went into the Military Museum which dates back to the first skirmishes ever fought in California in the Spanish American war. I will blog all about that on another day and include several of the pictures I took inside that museum.
we visited the old school house as well and really enjoyed talking with the historian inside. She talked about how school back then was a lot like homeschooling because you had more then one age group and the older children always helped the younger children get through their studies.
The whole Old Sac area is fun to walk around, even though its just full of shops. There are some great little eateries there as well as several museums. We went into the Military Museum which dates back to the first skirmishes ever fought in California in the Spanish American war. I will blog all about that on another day and include several of the pictures I took inside that museum.
we visited the old school house as well and really enjoyed talking with the historian inside. She talked about how school back then was a lot like homeschooling because you had more then one age group and the older children always helped the younger children get through their studies.
We walked down to the American River and talked about how it served as a way for goods to be sent up river to Sacramento from San Francisco during this time. We also talked about what type of animals might live in the river when we found this guy
Sunning himself
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| loving the sunshine |
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| and the attention we were paying him. |
We learned more in one day then we could have learned in a month of studies. We had a blast and enjoyed some of our local attractions. We will likely miss some of these things when we relocate but I am positive we will find some new interesting history to enjoy in our new location as well.
Stay tuned for the blog about the Military Museum and some of what we learned while we were there.
Stay tuned for the blog about the Military Museum and some of what we learned while we were there.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Teaching Independence?
Is this something we really teach or is it a way of life that some have and others lack?
I have always felt that my most important job as a parent is to guide my children into adults. I believe that children only become responsible when given responsibilities and given the support to do the task at hand.
I have always facilitated my children's independence. In every little thing they do I am encouraging independence in their lives.
Some of the ways I do this are to start them out very early. As toddlers I encouraged them to pick up their own toys as soon as they were done playing with them. We kept a basket in the living room with all their toys in it and they could play with them whenever they wanted but when they were done all the toys had to be picked up and put back. As they got older we increased the responsibilities according to their age and ability.
At this stage I have very independent children. Sometimes this is bad for me as the parent, but then I remind myself that it simply means I am doing my job very well. My job is to make adults, not create big babies.
I have come to realize that not everyone holds my ideals, not every parent thinks or understands that their biggest job is to raise healthy functioning adults. I am amazed that there are people out there who do not grasp the concept that teaching children to be independent is fundamental to them being functioning adults. It's as if they expect that on their 18th birthday suddenly a child goes from being a child to being an adult. This is no miracle. It happens gradually over the years if you are teaching it.
So what do you, my readers think? Do you think that its important to teach children how to be independent or is this something you feel that will happen over time?
I have always felt that my most important job as a parent is to guide my children into adults. I believe that children only become responsible when given responsibilities and given the support to do the task at hand.
I have always facilitated my children's independence. In every little thing they do I am encouraging independence in their lives.
Some of the ways I do this are to start them out very early. As toddlers I encouraged them to pick up their own toys as soon as they were done playing with them. We kept a basket in the living room with all their toys in it and they could play with them whenever they wanted but when they were done all the toys had to be picked up and put back. As they got older we increased the responsibilities according to their age and ability.
At this stage I have very independent children. Sometimes this is bad for me as the parent, but then I remind myself that it simply means I am doing my job very well. My job is to make adults, not create big babies.
I have come to realize that not everyone holds my ideals, not every parent thinks or understands that their biggest job is to raise healthy functioning adults. I am amazed that there are people out there who do not grasp the concept that teaching children to be independent is fundamental to them being functioning adults. It's as if they expect that on their 18th birthday suddenly a child goes from being a child to being an adult. This is no miracle. It happens gradually over the years if you are teaching it.
So what do you, my readers think? Do you think that its important to teach children how to be independent or is this something you feel that will happen over time?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Todays Lesson~Reading
I love to read. I love all manner of stories and I find them most entertaining. I also know as a daughter, sister, and mother of dyslexics reading is not always an enjoyable experience. My son who has dyslexia has not really found much joy in reading yet. He is now 13 and A is doing so much better with his reading that I am consistently proud of him. We however have used audio books to spark an interest in his desires and I think its really helped. We found this web site called 'Books should be free' where there are hundreds of classic stories all with free mp3 downloads. I have enjoyed many books myself this way. it is nice to be able to sit and crochet or craft and have someone else read me a story.
Today we are going to listen to "The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus" by L Frank Baum (yes thats right he wrote more then the Wizard of Oz)
Today we are working on site words for the little ones, They already have a love of books. They love when someone else reads to them. Now I want to encourage them to read to themselves. Until now neither of them showed the signs of reading readiness. We believe that until the children show signs we do not force reading, or reading practice. We learned early on in our homeschooling adventures that pressing kids to early can cause frustration and anger. Some kids are ready early some are ready late but at any rate when you allow a child to learn at their own pace and when they are ready they learn quickly because they are ready. So this morning I found this site where all the dolch site words are in puzzle form in groups of about 10 words per puzzle. I printed off several for each child to practice today. I then created a printed page with lined paper for them to practice spelling the words, I wrote 10 of the 20 words on the practice paper and had them practice writing the words. We will probably repeat the same ones in a few days just to see which they remember and which they don't. I am also in the process of writing little stories in word format to go with these that they can practice.
ahhh the joys of reading, it all starts somewhere.
Today we are going to listen to "The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus" by L Frank Baum (yes thats right he wrote more then the Wizard of Oz)
Today we are working on site words for the little ones, They already have a love of books. They love when someone else reads to them. Now I want to encourage them to read to themselves. Until now neither of them showed the signs of reading readiness. We believe that until the children show signs we do not force reading, or reading practice. We learned early on in our homeschooling adventures that pressing kids to early can cause frustration and anger. Some kids are ready early some are ready late but at any rate when you allow a child to learn at their own pace and when they are ready they learn quickly because they are ready. So this morning I found this site where all the dolch site words are in puzzle form in groups of about 10 words per puzzle. I printed off several for each child to practice today. I then created a printed page with lined paper for them to practice spelling the words, I wrote 10 of the 20 words on the practice paper and had them practice writing the words. We will probably repeat the same ones in a few days just to see which they remember and which they don't. I am also in the process of writing little stories in word format to go with these that they can practice.
ahhh the joys of reading, it all starts somewhere.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Todays lesson brought to you by...
Annie Leonard.
Seriously at our Luminous Learning Academy we LOVE Annie! She is fantastic at putting big information into easily understandable mini movies.
Today was the release of The Story of Electronics...
I want to encourage everyone to watch all of the videos on the website. Not only are they great from an educational stand point, they are short and packed with lots of information. The Story of Stuff website has videos on "The Story of Stuff", "The Story of Cosmetics", " The Story of Bottled Water", and "The Story of Cap & Trade". We have watched each of these videos and they are fantastic. Annie doesn't mix words about how bad for us so much of this stuff in our daily lives is. She does put everything in a very clear down to earth terms so that even the youngest person can understand. My 6 & 7 year olds watch these videos with us and we are all becoming more aware of the things that we buy, use and how we use them.
Seriously at our Luminous Learning Academy we LOVE Annie! She is fantastic at putting big information into easily understandable mini movies.
Today was the release of The Story of Electronics...
I want to encourage everyone to watch all of the videos on the website. Not only are they great from an educational stand point, they are short and packed with lots of information. The Story of Stuff website has videos on "The Story of Stuff", "The Story of Cosmetics", " The Story of Bottled Water", and "The Story of Cap & Trade". We have watched each of these videos and they are fantastic. Annie doesn't mix words about how bad for us so much of this stuff in our daily lives is. She does put everything in a very clear down to earth terms so that even the youngest person can understand. My 6 & 7 year olds watch these videos with us and we are all becoming more aware of the things that we buy, use and how we use them.
Monday, October 18, 2010
its all in the interpretation
There are always different ways to look at everything. I learned a while ago that I needed to stop looking at everything in black in white.
For example take this weekend:
Perspective 1~
we sat around all day long in pjs cuddled under blankets and snacked on food. We watched movie after movie and didn't plan anything else all day.
Perspective 2~
we spent the entire day immersed in education. We explored cyclones, learned all about the great depression & how hope was reborn, we journeyed to China & learned the true meaning of Kung Fu and then we adventured into medieval times where we learned about the code of honor.
Our next movie was the New Karate Kid
This was actually not a movie I had ever wanted to watch because I am a fan of the original and I honestly HATE remakes. That being said this was a great movie. Not only is it done differently with a different feeling and setting but it has same general gist of the original that you are compelled to watch it. Jackie Chan brings his expertise and is a wonderful edition to the movie. Jaden Smith is a talented young actor who I foresee going far in this business. The movie holds some great morals and teaches that fighting isnt always the answer. It also is great at proving that you can and do learn things in ways that are not typical to how everyone else learns. Jacket on Jacket off. ;) its the new wax on wax off. Get with the groove.
Our final movie choice is a little known movie called Dragonheart. I know that many people do not know this movie but it is a good one. This movie teaches a lot about the code of honor. This code is what honorable knights of the round table fought by and is used throughout the movie as the basis for why the honorable knight does what he does.
I learned a long time ago that it is important to change the way you view things. If I didn't change the way I viewed things I wouldn't believe that my 7 & 6 year old who are playing at my feet with their duel electric pianos were learning anything at all. I wouldn't believe that children could learn while watching movies, or that not everyone has to do everything exactly alike in order to learn.
For example take this weekend:
Perspective 1~
we sat around all day long in pjs cuddled under blankets and snacked on food. We watched movie after movie and didn't plan anything else all day.
Perspective 2~
we spent the entire day immersed in education. We explored cyclones, learned all about the great depression & how hope was reborn, we journeyed to China & learned the true meaning of Kung Fu and then we adventured into medieval times where we learned about the code of honor.
Now perspective 1 is the typical view of how things are done. You certainly would not assume that if a family sat and watched movie after movie all day on a Sunday that they learned anything at all. Of course we are talking about movies and can we really trust the Hollywood version of anything? Well the truth is that a movie is where the interest sparks. Once we see interest in a subject we can delve deeper. As an organic learning parent my goal is to teach the children how to recognize their passions. So we spent the day watching movies and exploring where our passions could lead us today.
For those of you sitting here wondering what movies we watched.
We started with a classic, The wizard of Oz.
This movie has so much educational experience all rolled into one movie that its no wonder its a childhood favorite. You learn how to make new friends, but keep the old. You learn how to trust your friends will be there for you. You learn how to defeat witches, even if this requires you to have either A) a house or B) water. you learn that sometimes those minions who are doing evil deeds simply are doing them to have a job to do and would be happy to see the evil power vaporized so they could go about doing good instead. Of course you also learn the obvious things like you do not need a degree to be smart, you don't need to be noticed to have courage, you certainly do not need to wear your heart on your sleeve (or your metal chest) in order to prove you have one, and if you are lost Home is only as far away as your loved ones are.
Next we watched Seabiscut.
If you do not know the story of this amazing horse you should certainly watch the movie. Not only is this movie done well it is a heart warming story. The story of Seabiscut tells us about the Great Depression and how broken men and a broken horse came together to beat the odds. The horse was a tiny horse in comparison to all other race horses, he was broken in spirit and broken physically when his new owners took him and turned his life around. Seabiscut beat the triple crown winner War Admiral in a Match Race at pimblico. There is something to be learned from watching a little horse with a big heart win a race that most thought he could never win.
If you have never seen this match race before check it out:
If you have never seen this match race before check it out:
Our next movie was the New Karate Kid
This was actually not a movie I had ever wanted to watch because I am a fan of the original and I honestly HATE remakes. That being said this was a great movie. Not only is it done differently with a different feeling and setting but it has same general gist of the original that you are compelled to watch it. Jackie Chan brings his expertise and is a wonderful edition to the movie. Jaden Smith is a talented young actor who I foresee going far in this business. The movie holds some great morals and teaches that fighting isnt always the answer. It also is great at proving that you can and do learn things in ways that are not typical to how everyone else learns. Jacket on Jacket off. ;) its the new wax on wax off. Get with the groove.
Our final movie choice is a little known movie called Dragonheart. I know that many people do not know this movie but it is a good one. This movie teaches a lot about the code of honor. This code is what honorable knights of the round table fought by and is used throughout the movie as the basis for why the honorable knight does what he does.
I learned a long time ago that it is important to change the way you view things. If I didn't change the way I viewed things I wouldn't believe that my 7 & 6 year old who are playing at my feet with their duel electric pianos were learning anything at all. I wouldn't believe that children could learn while watching movies, or that not everyone has to do everything exactly alike in order to learn.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Saturday edition
The weekends are a lot like the weekdays around here only nosier because thats when all the neighborhood kids are around.
We are not early risers in this house. More of the mid morning type, not really late but some people would seriously balk at the idea of getting up every morning between 8-9am. Some mornings I think getting up earlier then the kids would be nice, but on those mornings when I attempt it they just get up early because they hear me doing anything in the kitchen and hate to be left out! That makes it contrary for me to get up. While I love spending as much time as I can with my kids (why would I homeschool if I didn't?) there are times that I really would like to just be alone with my thoughts.
This morning is no different. I got up first this morning. let the dogs outside, did my morning work out and now am sitting here with my hot drink trying to write up this blog and having my thoughts interrupted by children running around behind me tossing the ball with the dogs rolling on the ground playing 'keep away' and making other noises. I just do not understand how to get those quiet moments without them hearing me. Its like they have supper mommy detection or something.
In other news... The shawl is finished! Expect a blog all about it with detailed pictures to come soon. I was going to try and have it done today but I simply do not think that will happen. We are having guests for dinner and I still have to block it. I will take pics of it before blocking, during blocking and after blocking but I wont put the blog together until it is all done and I can show the process. Of course there are not many pictures of it in different stages of starting and stopping because I started it and worked on it a total of 6 hours. There was a few days in between but total work time was only 6 hours and I just never thought to take a picture at the end of the night when I was nearly finished with it.
I hope all you lovely readers have a great Saturday.
We are not early risers in this house. More of the mid morning type, not really late but some people would seriously balk at the idea of getting up every morning between 8-9am. Some mornings I think getting up earlier then the kids would be nice, but on those mornings when I attempt it they just get up early because they hear me doing anything in the kitchen and hate to be left out! That makes it contrary for me to get up. While I love spending as much time as I can with my kids (why would I homeschool if I didn't?) there are times that I really would like to just be alone with my thoughts.
This morning is no different. I got up first this morning. let the dogs outside, did my morning work out and now am sitting here with my hot drink trying to write up this blog and having my thoughts interrupted by children running around behind me tossing the ball with the dogs rolling on the ground playing 'keep away' and making other noises. I just do not understand how to get those quiet moments without them hearing me. Its like they have supper mommy detection or something.
In other news... The shawl is finished! Expect a blog all about it with detailed pictures to come soon. I was going to try and have it done today but I simply do not think that will happen. We are having guests for dinner and I still have to block it. I will take pics of it before blocking, during blocking and after blocking but I wont put the blog together until it is all done and I can show the process. Of course there are not many pictures of it in different stages of starting and stopping because I started it and worked on it a total of 6 hours. There was a few days in between but total work time was only 6 hours and I just never thought to take a picture at the end of the night when I was nearly finished with it.
I hope all you lovely readers have a great Saturday.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
October 1st
Around here October 1st means many wonderful things.
The REAL start of Autumn.
My daughter M's Birthday
Halloween
and the "official" start to our school year with the filing of our records with the state.
In California we had some serious battles over the right to homeschool and I am so grateful that the state decided the way they did. Filing each year as a Private school allows me to be in complete control over how, what, when, and where my children (pupils) are learning. I am the one solely responsible for their education. I am grateful to all of the people who worked so hard to help ensure my rights and the rights of everyone else wishing to homeschool in such a way.
Since we are what I like to call Organic learners (aka unschoolers) we do not follow traditional school setup. We love to do experiments and get out in the world and discover what learning is really about. We feel its so very important to get the kids to understand that we learn everyday no matter how old we are, or at least we should strive to learn everyday.
Here are some glimpses from the past, a few of my favorite learning experiences we have had.
There so many wonderful memories over the years but its hard to choose which ones I love the best to share. So these were a few of the most memorable things we have done over the years. I tried to upload more pictures then this but blogger was being difficult and didn't want to work. I hope this does not become a habitual problem.
The REAL start of Autumn.
My daughter M's Birthday
Halloween
and the "official" start to our school year with the filing of our records with the state.
In California we had some serious battles over the right to homeschool and I am so grateful that the state decided the way they did. Filing each year as a Private school allows me to be in complete control over how, what, when, and where my children (pupils) are learning. I am the one solely responsible for their education. I am grateful to all of the people who worked so hard to help ensure my rights and the rights of everyone else wishing to homeschool in such a way.
Since we are what I like to call Organic learners (aka unschoolers) we do not follow traditional school setup. We love to do experiments and get out in the world and discover what learning is really about. We feel its so very important to get the kids to understand that we learn everyday no matter how old we are, or at least we should strive to learn everyday.
Here are some glimpses from the past, a few of my favorite learning experiences we have had.
 |
| making bouncy balls |
 |
| Little D with his bouncy ball |
 |
| Military Museum in Sacramento, Ca |
 |
| display of Navajo Code Talkers |
There so many wonderful memories over the years but its hard to choose which ones I love the best to share. So these were a few of the most memorable things we have done over the years. I tried to upload more pictures then this but blogger was being difficult and didn't want to work. I hope this does not become a habitual problem.
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