TIP: If you shop at Coscto- Get the big pieces of cardboard that they slide between those layers of paper towels and toilet paper packages- they are enormous and perfect for gluing presentations or pictures or lists or whatever! We got about six and started a language project on one today. We make colorful lists of vocabulary words on the computer copied out of a language book, print it out, glue it to the board, then the kids copy it out by hand and hand in their papers to me. The whole time we are translating the words and reading them aloud to check for proper pronunciation. It's computer skills, language, handwriting, and paper/scissors/glue stuff all wrapped into one. It is very popular at this house.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Reasons to Homeschool
Why do people homeschool?
I had a dream recently that I sent my two littlest to the elementary school up the road and they were late getting there - not only a week late starting because I was trying to make up my mind, but even late on the first day, and they came home in the middle of the afternoon with the sunshine pouring down, dragging their jackets and their lunch boxes and backpacks thumping... I'd had all this time on my hands all day and I felt really... displaced! I lost my job as their day teacher. I also wondered what they had heard and done all day, not knowing what their input that day was. Most of all I had missed them. I suppose that's some of the reasons why I homeschool, anyway. When I woke up I wondered wow, what about that? Would I consider sending my kids to school?
Homeschooling is not all fun and idealistic. Being Mom and primary teacher is really hard. You have to find ways to cope. Living all together all the time can really be a challenge. Incorporating the kids into the household routine is necessary. This morning one little one took a loaf of bread and prepared cheese sandwiches for lunch. Before we ate lunch I had supper starting on the stove. I got help there too. And they all cleared the pile of clean wash Daddy made on the couch the afternoon before at lightening speed: If you pretend they're invisible robots that are stealing your folded laundry to put it away they love it and work much faster. ("Let's see... I was sure I put the towels right there, and now they're gone! What on earth??") This is so necessary to have them shoulder a part of running the house because nobody can feel academic in a chaotic environment!
We watched the baby eagles on webcam today. As we watch them we all like to narrate what it looks like they would say if they could talk:
"Hey, move over. Move. Hey, hey, I see someone flying it our sky! Is that mom? MOM! HI MOM! HI!!! No, wait- that's a goose. Aw, where's mom?? I want some more cat bits to eat. Is this edible? (no, guess not.) -Hey!! stop biting my toes! THERE's Mom. Me! Me! Me! No I want to put my head in mom's feathers! you stay over there by the skeleton."
Home School Moment
We were eating shell pasta at dinner and my little one said "Hey, Mommy! These noodles are shaped like... um... like mollusks!"
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