It's been a couple of weeks since my last entry but I'm back. Seems every week is busier than the one before these days. Not that I'm complaining. In any case, we've logged in another two weeks of school. Some things have changed, some haven't. What hasn't changed? Well, Josh doesn't like school work any more now than he did before. Reading is a daily struggle. We get through it and he's learning but his desire to do it isn't there. Normal? From what I hear, yes. I keep trying to remember if I liked to read when I was his age, but my memory doesn't seem to be that good, sadly. I know I liked it by age 10. That I do remember. I recall reading A WrinkLle in Time and loving it. The story still sticks with me today and I can't wait to introduce Josh and Liam to this story one day. I do realize though that they may not share my enthusiasm for it, which is okay. My concern is mainly that they learn to love reading, and I hope I can help propagate that.
What is new? Well, we found a group to go to that I think will be good for all of us. (Thank you Laurie!) It meets on Fridays. Both Josh and Liam can socialize with other kids in their age range. They have lessons for school age kids that include some things that I am lacking in my curriculum, like music, science and art. I am covering science to a degree but since it is one of his favorite subjects, I am sure the more the better in his mind. Art is something that has been hit and miss so far for us. We don't get around to it as often as Josh would like. Sadly, this is also a favorite subject of his, which surprises me since when he was in preschool he never seemed to like it most of the time. Well, now he will do some every week. Yay! The thing I have failed to cover the most though has been music, but with our Friday program now, he will also have exposure to that. I now find that I really look forward to Fridays. We all get something out of it so it's a win-win.
The past two Wednesdays were a lot of fun for us. We took a field trip to Montour Preserve in Washingtonville where we looked for fossils, took a short nature hike and checked out their environmental center. Place was practically empty but that's okay. Josh really enjoyed looking for and finding some fossils. He learned that you can find them a lot of the time by cracking open the rocks. He didn't want to leave after he started finding them, but all good things must come to an end at some point. This Wednesday, we did an arts and crafts day, with a Halloween theme, instead of our usual science day. Not everything I had planned went according to plan but we still managed to have fun. Liam, I find, is still a little young for these kinds of activities. Looking back on it, I have to laugh but when we were doing the crafts, it was chaos. I honestly don't know how some people do it. I probably should not have been so ambitious or at least been more organized. I had too many things out, which spells trouble when a 2 year old gets involved. He had a field day! Next time I try this, I hope I learn from my mistakes. I'm an old dog though so not sure if I can learn new tricks.
So that is all our excitement for now. We are moving along with our studies and getting into a sort of groove. Things could be smoother but I am learning to chill more. Sometimes I wonder if I am teaching some things the wrong way, because every kid learns differently. I want him to enjoy learning and maybe there is a better way to do it. But for now, we will forge on with our current path. Once we are finished with the reading curriculum, I imagine I will have some time to experiment with other things there. Seems like that won't be too far off in the future, by the looks of things. More games or activities to sharpen reading skills perhaps. I need to look into this before the time is upon us. Onward and upward! Life is an adventure.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Measuring the marigolds
This is one of those weeks where it's hard to pinpoint something special. We had good days, we had so-so days. Nothing completely terrible, although Josh is still difficult to get going at times, which frustrates me. If I had to specify one particular thing, I'd say this week he seemed to gain more confidence in his reading ability. Perhaps some people may have seen my post about him reading a story to his brother this week. To some, this may not seem like that big a deal, especially if I were to tell you it was a book meant for a young child to be read aloud. With Josh, he hasn't felt confident enough to attempt this until this week. He reads with me all the time and there are even times when he's reading aloud that he barely whispers the words. Usually, I must admit, this aggravates me because I think he's only doing it because he just doesn't want to read. I am beginning to realize though that he does it when he is not sure of something and doesn't want to get it wrong. I told him that he doesn't have to be afraid of getting it wrong with me. That's what I'm here for. I want to encourage him and help him when he needs help. How will I know what he needs to work on if I can't tell what he knows? So, in picking up this book and actually saying to his brother, "Hey Liam, you want me to read you a story?", I knew that he was gaining confidence. His brother sat down with him but didn't stay in one place the entire time, as toddlers tend not to do. However, Josh kept reading the book out loud until he got to the end. He struggled a little bit but, for the most part, did an awesome job. He never seems to want to read and this act surprised me, in a good way. Progress!
Wednesday we had another science fun day, which we again took outside. I will continue to do outside activities with this as long as I can. It serves two purposes. One, we all get out of the house and get some fresh air, and two, we get to enjoy nature. It is a bit challenging with the younger one but we've been choosing areas where we can take the jogging stroller, which helps. This week he wanted to do a nature scavenger hunt. He got the idea from his scout meeting the night before. They had their meeting at the park, where one of the rangers took them on a little hike and they did a little nature hunt of sorts. For our scavenger hunt, we prepared the chart of things we thought we'd like to see before going to the park.( Why do these things always take way longer than you anticipate?) I made a chart and Josh drew pictures in the blocks of different animals and plants he thought he might see. Of course, some of the things he drew, I was PRETTY sure we would not. He had at least 4 different snakes on there and a coyote. Wishful thinking. We did get to see a belted kingfisher when we were walking around the dam, but sadly I must admit, no coyote. Snakes I am even more glad we did not see. Especially the rattlesnake. He is a big snake nut and thinks it would be so cool to see them in the wild. (I do not agree, however!) We saw a black snake when we were riding our bikes once. In fact, Josh nearly ran over it because he didn't realize what it was at first. That is the only snake we've seen...so far. But Josh says he'd like to be a herpetologist, so more snakes would be great for him. We saw most of the plants on our chart but not too may animals. Lots of different birds and plenty of grasshoppers. Time of day is probably key in what we see I imagine and we've been there late morning to early afternoon. The best laid plans...sadly my plan for an early start went by the wayside with the prepping of the chart. Oh well, we can also say he got in some art for the day! Hopefully this coming week, we can have another outdoor adventure.
That about sums up our week. We marched on with our math, unit study, reading, language arts, spelling and writing, although the writing is beginning to seem more like a chore to him. He isn't as happy to do it for me as he was in the beginning. In fact, it's like I ask him to write the great american novel when I ask him to do it. I keep trying to rethink how to get him to want to write more. It is the biggest challenge right now I think. Math is going pretty well, for the most part, except when it comes to some of the counting. Counting by 4's, 3's, 2's, etc. He is good with the 5's and 10's but everything else turns him off. He says it too hard and he really refuses to even attempt it most of the time. He does well with time, what we've covered so far at least. We started learning money and he's doing well with that. Addition is coming along but I'd say it's a work in progress. He tends to want to give a good guess rather than figure it out a lot of the time. I know he is capable of figuring it out, but he's very stubborn. Like mother, like son I guess.
Through it all, we march on though and we learn from each other. This experience teaches me to go with the flow sometimes more than I would normally like. I try not to compare my methods with others, but it is difficult. I read about other people's school days, those who homeschool, and wonder if I should be doing what they are doing. Then I have to remind myself that their situation is different than mine, that there isn't really a right way or wrong way as long as I'm teaching and he's learning. I also wonder what he'd be learning if he were in school, but then remember why I decided to do this. I feel it is the thing I need to do right now. We have some things to iron out but I think we'll figure them out in time. Heck, we have almost two months in the books so far and he's starting to read. I think that's great. I am glad I am there to see it. Life is full of surprises, but I don't want my children's education to be one of them. I want to know they are being taught the things they need to know. This gets tricky, but I guess I just want them to have access to the same information that I did growing up. But I don't want to go on a rant so I must bid you all adieu. To another good week and let it be one where the surprises come in love of learning!
Wednesday we had another science fun day, which we again took outside. I will continue to do outside activities with this as long as I can. It serves two purposes. One, we all get out of the house and get some fresh air, and two, we get to enjoy nature. It is a bit challenging with the younger one but we've been choosing areas where we can take the jogging stroller, which helps. This week he wanted to do a nature scavenger hunt. He got the idea from his scout meeting the night before. They had their meeting at the park, where one of the rangers took them on a little hike and they did a little nature hunt of sorts. For our scavenger hunt, we prepared the chart of things we thought we'd like to see before going to the park.( Why do these things always take way longer than you anticipate?) I made a chart and Josh drew pictures in the blocks of different animals and plants he thought he might see. Of course, some of the things he drew, I was PRETTY sure we would not. He had at least 4 different snakes on there and a coyote. Wishful thinking. We did get to see a belted kingfisher when we were walking around the dam, but sadly I must admit, no coyote. Snakes I am even more glad we did not see. Especially the rattlesnake. He is a big snake nut and thinks it would be so cool to see them in the wild. (I do not agree, however!) We saw a black snake when we were riding our bikes once. In fact, Josh nearly ran over it because he didn't realize what it was at first. That is the only snake we've seen...so far. But Josh says he'd like to be a herpetologist, so more snakes would be great for him. We saw most of the plants on our chart but not too may animals. Lots of different birds and plenty of grasshoppers. Time of day is probably key in what we see I imagine and we've been there late morning to early afternoon. The best laid plans...sadly my plan for an early start went by the wayside with the prepping of the chart. Oh well, we can also say he got in some art for the day! Hopefully this coming week, we can have another outdoor adventure.
That about sums up our week. We marched on with our math, unit study, reading, language arts, spelling and writing, although the writing is beginning to seem more like a chore to him. He isn't as happy to do it for me as he was in the beginning. In fact, it's like I ask him to write the great american novel when I ask him to do it. I keep trying to rethink how to get him to want to write more. It is the biggest challenge right now I think. Math is going pretty well, for the most part, except when it comes to some of the counting. Counting by 4's, 3's, 2's, etc. He is good with the 5's and 10's but everything else turns him off. He says it too hard and he really refuses to even attempt it most of the time. He does well with time, what we've covered so far at least. We started learning money and he's doing well with that. Addition is coming along but I'd say it's a work in progress. He tends to want to give a good guess rather than figure it out a lot of the time. I know he is capable of figuring it out, but he's very stubborn. Like mother, like son I guess.
Through it all, we march on though and we learn from each other. This experience teaches me to go with the flow sometimes more than I would normally like. I try not to compare my methods with others, but it is difficult. I read about other people's school days, those who homeschool, and wonder if I should be doing what they are doing. Then I have to remind myself that their situation is different than mine, that there isn't really a right way or wrong way as long as I'm teaching and he's learning. I also wonder what he'd be learning if he were in school, but then remember why I decided to do this. I feel it is the thing I need to do right now. We have some things to iron out but I think we'll figure them out in time. Heck, we have almost two months in the books so far and he's starting to read. I think that's great. I am glad I am there to see it. Life is full of surprises, but I don't want my children's education to be one of them. I want to know they are being taught the things they need to know. This gets tricky, but I guess I just want them to have access to the same information that I did growing up. But I don't want to go on a rant so I must bid you all adieu. To another good week and let it be one where the surprises come in love of learning!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
The Facts of Life
Another week in the books. This week definitely had its ups and downs that's for sure. Let me start with the downs. First of all, the beginning of the week started like most other weeks, which kind of depressed me. I always have such high hopes for the start of the week. After a so-so Tuesday, I decided to try something new on Wednesday. I let Josh decide what we studied on Wednesday, for the most part. We told him we still had to do reading because we think that is important to keep up with. So we did some science stuff most of the day on Wednesday, in between chasing Liam around and keeping him from making too many messes, as he is opt to do. In the morning, Josh got his shells out from our last couple of trips to South Carolina and we looked them up online to identify them. He put them on paper and traced them and I helped label them once we figured out what they were. This activity was enlightening for both of us. He couldn't decide what else to do so I decided to take it outside since it was a beautiful day. Impromptu field trip to Bald Eagle State Park. Here we went for a short nature walk where we checked out the pond to see if anything interesting was lurking thereabouts. Josh saw one frog but mostly we spied lots of grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies and bees. Not much else. After the pond, we took off to the other end of the trail and saw some goldfinches and a hawk, although Josh swore it was an eagle. Wishful thinking on his part I believe. Poor kid is dying to see an eagle in the wild. Since animals are his thing, I thought going "creature adventuring" would cure him of his homeschooling ho-hums.
Well, Thursday I had such high hopes for a really good day. He whined and complained about doing his math, as usual. Later when it was time to do reading, I got more whining and complaining and we had a serious head-to-head, where I must say I really lost it. I thought my head was going to explode. On the bright side, after this near-rupture, Josh and I really seemed to have a good bonding experience. He told me he didn't think he was learning anything, that he can't read, but as we were chatting, I was absently quizzing him on words we've gone over so far this year (and there are many). He got every one of them correct. I pointed this out to him after we were done chatting and I could see a smile come across his face. I told him he's learning and doing really well, that he just has to apply himself and give me his attention when we're doing lessons. It was a really good moment for both of us. In fact, when I look back now and think about it, I nearly tear up. Friday when we did our schoolwork, it was probably the best day we've had so far this year. He did his math without complaining. Reading was done with lots of energy and what I'd say was almost enthusiasm. It was a very good day. We even did twice the amount of time on read aloud than normal and he didn't seem to mind. Who is this kid I am thinking.
Today Josh tells me he's going to do really well this week. He got me to start a system like they used in school (positive paws) and he tells me he's going to earn a lot this week. So far this year, I have only given out 8, two of which I gave him Friday. I really hope he keeps his word. I know there will be tough days and he isn't always going to cooperate. He's 6. I'm sure it's expected. I guess I need to see things progressing for the positive. It's hard to constantly feel like I'm fighting. Josh is smarter than he gives himself credit for and I know he's capable of figuring this stuff out. I am also learning though that I get more out of him when I let him be a boy and don't expect him to sit still all the time. One way we got through reading Friday was for him to read a little then throw himself on the couch. He got his exercise and I got to see him really read like I never have before. I have some tweaking to do with my methods of teaching but this week showed me that it can be done. I also decided to do a fun science day once a week, even if it does set us back a little on other things. We will catch up. The world will not end. This too shall pass.
Well, Thursday I had such high hopes for a really good day. He whined and complained about doing his math, as usual. Later when it was time to do reading, I got more whining and complaining and we had a serious head-to-head, where I must say I really lost it. I thought my head was going to explode. On the bright side, after this near-rupture, Josh and I really seemed to have a good bonding experience. He told me he didn't think he was learning anything, that he can't read, but as we were chatting, I was absently quizzing him on words we've gone over so far this year (and there are many). He got every one of them correct. I pointed this out to him after we were done chatting and I could see a smile come across his face. I told him he's learning and doing really well, that he just has to apply himself and give me his attention when we're doing lessons. It was a really good moment for both of us. In fact, when I look back now and think about it, I nearly tear up. Friday when we did our schoolwork, it was probably the best day we've had so far this year. He did his math without complaining. Reading was done with lots of energy and what I'd say was almost enthusiasm. It was a very good day. We even did twice the amount of time on read aloud than normal and he didn't seem to mind. Who is this kid I am thinking.
Today Josh tells me he's going to do really well this week. He got me to start a system like they used in school (positive paws) and he tells me he's going to earn a lot this week. So far this year, I have only given out 8, two of which I gave him Friday. I really hope he keeps his word. I know there will be tough days and he isn't always going to cooperate. He's 6. I'm sure it's expected. I guess I need to see things progressing for the positive. It's hard to constantly feel like I'm fighting. Josh is smarter than he gives himself credit for and I know he's capable of figuring this stuff out. I am also learning though that I get more out of him when I let him be a boy and don't expect him to sit still all the time. One way we got through reading Friday was for him to read a little then throw himself on the couch. He got his exercise and I got to see him really read like I never have before. I have some tweaking to do with my methods of teaching but this week showed me that it can be done. I also decided to do a fun science day once a week, even if it does set us back a little on other things. We will catch up. The world will not end. This too shall pass.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Reality check
Okay, it's about time to get real. In the past, I've mentioned that homeschooling is tough. Maybe what I should say is that it is probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done. I'm not a wimp. I was a Marine (although they say you never stop being a Marine). I went to college. I've had my fair share of challenges in this lifetime. Nothing really prepared me for this though. Some days I feel like I need anger management classes. It's only been a month. I keep telling myself that and pray that things get better. I am not a quitter and I keep reminding myself why I decided to do this in the first place. I am still hanging in there.
So what makes it so tough? Well, perhaps it is a 6 year old that doesn't want to cooperate 99 percent of the time, even though he promises he will do what I ask before I tell him what we're going to do. I know he has definitely inherited my temper. Not a good thing. I keep telling him we need to control it before you regret it. I am sure it is difficult for a kid, any kid, to suddenly see their home turn into their school. I get that. I just need to keep telling myself that things will be alright. I pray he will come around one day, soon hopefully, and start working with me. When he does work with me, I think he does an awesome job. He is learning and I love seeing him learn. We even did some art this week. (Yay!) It was nice to see him want to bring something he learned to what he considers "fun" stuff. He painted a few pictures, fall themed mainly because it is getting pretty fall like here. The last picture he said was Mt Vesuvius, which we learned about when we did our volcano study last month. So, there is some good that came out of the week. I'm am trying to take something good out of each week. This week was just harder to find the good because when it was bad, it was hard to see the positive. I am not one to cry but I nearly did this week. I do not want to fail. I truly believe this is what is best for my kids. I just have to find more ways to show Josh that learning can be fun and that it doesn't have to be torture for both of us.
Another thing that makes this new challenge so tough at times is that I often feel alone in this venture. My days are filled with trying to get lessons in and take care of everything else around here as well. I see people doing amazing things in their free time like canning and going on adventures. I haven't figured out yet how to encompass stuff like that into our days. We did have a garden and I currently have an abundance of tomatoes but I don't have the time to do much with them. I did make some awesome salsa though, if I do say so myself! We also hope to one day meet some other homeschooling families, which we still haven't done. I think that would give both Josh and I something positive. I feel the need for support from those who understand what it's like and I think Josh would like someone to spend time with that is going through a similar schooling experience, as well as perhaps make a good friend or two. So perhaps that is in our future to look forward to. I guess we need to take things one step at a time. Left left left right left! Keep step via Marine Corps style!
This coming week I am going to try mixing it up more. Try to make things more fun. I am not sure how I'm going to do that yet. This experience is definitely testing my creativity. Steve and I are trying to come up with a game to make his fluency reading more fun for him, perhaps make it seem less like work. I am going to continue with a couple things I started this week. Writing is one thing that he seems to think is sheer torture. So we are trying some new things with that. On days when we get done early, we are going to try doing art or some other fun thing. We are also going to try doing some field trips before the weather gets too bad to get out. Well, that's the plan, Stan. I will keep pushing ahead, going forward. Quit is not in my vocabulary, unless I am telling Josh to quit the whining. (Side note on that word "quit". When Josh learned that word in reading a couple of weeks ago, he immediately told me he was done with our lesson! I knew that was a bad one to teach a kid who did not want to be doing reading.)
So what makes it so tough? Well, perhaps it is a 6 year old that doesn't want to cooperate 99 percent of the time, even though he promises he will do what I ask before I tell him what we're going to do. I know he has definitely inherited my temper. Not a good thing. I keep telling him we need to control it before you regret it. I am sure it is difficult for a kid, any kid, to suddenly see their home turn into their school. I get that. I just need to keep telling myself that things will be alright. I pray he will come around one day, soon hopefully, and start working with me. When he does work with me, I think he does an awesome job. He is learning and I love seeing him learn. We even did some art this week. (Yay!) It was nice to see him want to bring something he learned to what he considers "fun" stuff. He painted a few pictures, fall themed mainly because it is getting pretty fall like here. The last picture he said was Mt Vesuvius, which we learned about when we did our volcano study last month. So, there is some good that came out of the week. I'm am trying to take something good out of each week. This week was just harder to find the good because when it was bad, it was hard to see the positive. I am not one to cry but I nearly did this week. I do not want to fail. I truly believe this is what is best for my kids. I just have to find more ways to show Josh that learning can be fun and that it doesn't have to be torture for both of us.
Another thing that makes this new challenge so tough at times is that I often feel alone in this venture. My days are filled with trying to get lessons in and take care of everything else around here as well. I see people doing amazing things in their free time like canning and going on adventures. I haven't figured out yet how to encompass stuff like that into our days. We did have a garden and I currently have an abundance of tomatoes but I don't have the time to do much with them. I did make some awesome salsa though, if I do say so myself! We also hope to one day meet some other homeschooling families, which we still haven't done. I think that would give both Josh and I something positive. I feel the need for support from those who understand what it's like and I think Josh would like someone to spend time with that is going through a similar schooling experience, as well as perhaps make a good friend or two. So perhaps that is in our future to look forward to. I guess we need to take things one step at a time. Left left left right left! Keep step via Marine Corps style!
This coming week I am going to try mixing it up more. Try to make things more fun. I am not sure how I'm going to do that yet. This experience is definitely testing my creativity. Steve and I are trying to come up with a game to make his fluency reading more fun for him, perhaps make it seem less like work. I am going to continue with a couple things I started this week. Writing is one thing that he seems to think is sheer torture. So we are trying some new things with that. On days when we get done early, we are going to try doing art or some other fun thing. We are also going to try doing some field trips before the weather gets too bad to get out. Well, that's the plan, Stan. I will keep pushing ahead, going forward. Quit is not in my vocabulary, unless I am telling Josh to quit the whining. (Side note on that word "quit". When Josh learned that word in reading a couple of weeks ago, he immediately told me he was done with our lesson! I knew that was a bad one to teach a kid who did not want to be doing reading.)
Sunday, September 7, 2014
The beast within
This week is week four of our first year homeschooling. Can't believe we've gotten through our first month already. Lots of lessons this week but not just for the kids. I am trying to learn to be more patient. I also am learning to let my 2 year-old learn for himself how to do things and not hover so much, trying to prevent accidents all the time. Case in point, this week when we were outside, Liam saw his big brother's skates. Typical me, I took them away and put them where they belonged, assuming he'd only hurt himself by attempting to use them. After putting them away twice, Liam still persisted to do what he set out to do...put on the skates and attempt skating with them. So I backed off. I let him have the skates and just made sure I wasn't too far away if he needed me (i.e. medical attention!). Well, let me tell you this little boy is persistent. He put on one skate, tried to balance to put on second, started rolling and took off one skate, sidled up to a chair and held on to balance. That didn't work. So he went at it from another angle, sitting on floor of patio and then putting skates on. This time he couldn't get up and balance himself so he took them off again. He tried several times and even used the dog to balance himself at one point, and I'm happy to say, the dog cooperated to an extent and didn't just walk away from him. Eventually he succeeded and managed to skate a few steps with those over-sized skates on his feet. He couldn't have been happier.
I saw things in him I guess I already knew but usually saw as negatives. He can be difficult and headstrong, but in life, persistence is usually a positive quality. Sometimes I don't see the positives. This stepping back and letting him try, even though I feared he'd hurt himself, became a lesson for me. I just hope his determined and persistent nature stays with him and that I continue to allow him to try things. Little boys, as well as big I suppose, will try things that drive us mothers crazy. They don't see the danger involved. Sometimes, though, we have to allow them to explore and try things, even if in our brain we are screaming, "No! You're going to hurt yourself!" This lesson was one I should have learned long ago, as this is my second boy. I know I did the same overprotective stuff with Josh. My brother told me many times to just let them be boys. For me, though, letting go wasn't easy. I still may be nervous and overly protective at times, but I think this showed me that it's okay to let them try, even if I think they may fail. That's life.
As for the actual schooling this week, we concluded our volcano study with a volcano model and experiment. Josh, with the help of his dad, made playdough and molded it over a bottle attached to cardboard base. They built a cinder cone volcano and then used water, vinegar, food coloring (to make it the color of lava), and baking soda to simulate an eruption. This was the highlight of the study for Josh, the thing he waited for the whole month. They tried another experiment with only partial results. Done properly, it should have been a very messy experiment, but as we learned, you have to drop the reactants in at same moment, and quickly, or it doesn't quite work. The experiment was done with a bottle of red soda, again for the color of lava, and 3 Mentos. Josh only managed to get one of the Mentos in, so that is the reason for only partial results. Perhaps we will try this again one day. It was a good end to our study though. Too bad the volcano in Iceland didn't erupt before we finished our study. That would have made a nice wrap-up.
So, many lessons for the week. Patience is indeed a virtue. That beast inside me needs to take a chill pill and learn to let things go with the flow at times. I'm learning and I hope Josh is learning to bear with me as we go through this together. Parenting is a life-long lesson and I continue to work at it. Sometimes I fail. The trick is what you do with the failure. I want to be like my son, and pick myself up and try again until I get it right.
As for the actual schooling this week, we concluded our volcano study with a volcano model and experiment. Josh, with the help of his dad, made playdough and molded it over a bottle attached to cardboard base. They built a cinder cone volcano and then used water, vinegar, food coloring (to make it the color of lava), and baking soda to simulate an eruption. This was the highlight of the study for Josh, the thing he waited for the whole month. They tried another experiment with only partial results. Done properly, it should have been a very messy experiment, but as we learned, you have to drop the reactants in at same moment, and quickly, or it doesn't quite work. The experiment was done with a bottle of red soda, again for the color of lava, and 3 Mentos. Josh only managed to get one of the Mentos in, so that is the reason for only partial results. Perhaps we will try this again one day. It was a good end to our study though. Too bad the volcano in Iceland didn't erupt before we finished our study. That would have made a nice wrap-up.
So, many lessons for the week. Patience is indeed a virtue. That beast inside me needs to take a chill pill and learn to let things go with the flow at times. I'm learning and I hope Josh is learning to bear with me as we go through this together. Parenting is a life-long lesson and I continue to work at it. Sometimes I fail. The trick is what you do with the failure. I want to be like my son, and pick myself up and try again until I get it right.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Week 3: Where the wild ones are
Welcome to the jungle! This should have been what other homeschooling moms said to me before I started. Yes, it's been a little rough, to say the least. However, I am committed and happy to be taking this journey. I only wish my 6 year old first grader would welcome the freedom we have instead of expecting to never do school and always want to play. That has been the biggest challenge. I was warned the first year would be rough. I wasn't warned as to why it would be rough. It is definitely harder than I thought it would be. It's tough because I don't have much of a network yet of other homeschooling families and I have definite focus issues with my son. On top of that, lesson preparation takes up my nights and I have been tired more than usual. This could also be in part to my 2 year old son who is constantly into everything and keeps me busy.
So we are in week three. Things are moving along okay but we are having issues with the short vowel sound \e\. I read that this is a common problem where some kids confuse the \i\ with \e\. So we will stay where we are until this confusion abates. No worries. His spelling isn't bad and his reading is coming along. We have also added writing into the mix this week, as I am having him write me little stories of his choosing. It is an exercise he has shown enthusiasm for, as long as I allow him to write it with markers. I am choosing my battles and will allow this for now. I must invest in more notebooks though, as he tends to write in larger letters this way. I am impressed that his stories follow the correct structure. He also realizes that his stories may be exaggerated. He told me today that his tiger could see underwater, but that's because his story is fiction. Gave me a chuckle. I love to see his excitement when he's working on his stories. Usually I let him try to figure out spelling and go over it later to correct it. Sometimes he'll ask me how to spell things and I will help him but first ask him how he thinks it should be spelled. His misspellings will usually be close enough for me to figure out what he meant, as he is spelling it as it sounds to him.
My one failure so far has been to not do any art projects with him, if that can be considered a failure. We just haven't had the time. I have found some things for us to try and have most of the supplies for our first project. He will also be working on a project for his volcano study, making a paper mache volcano with his Dad. That will mark the end of our unit study on volcanoes. I am looking forward to our next one on the 13 colonies, although Josh wanted it to be on sea creatures. I am saving that one for the spring though, right before we will probably take our next trip to South Carolina. Getting everything in can be a challenge, especially with a 2 year old to worry about. Most of our real studying comes when he's napping, which isn't long enough to get as much done as I'd like. However, I am impressed with what we have done and I am enjoying learning with my son. Last year, when he went to kindergarten, I would ask him at night what he did that day in school. Most of the time, he'd give me the typical response, "I don't know." Frustrating but common, so I hear. I never felt completely connected to his learning process. We'd work on things at home but still didn't really know what he was learning in school. Things are different now, as I am well aware of what he is studying and what he is retaining.
So the journey continues. Next week will be the last week of our first month of schooling at home. It isn't easy but I think it is worth it. Nothing can replace one-on-one instruction. Plus we get to choose what he learns, not have others tell us what they think he should know. I know, many out there may think that parents don't necessarily teach their kids enough of the stuff they need to learn. We here in PA have certain things we have to teach, but teach them as we choose. I am also letting Josh pick things he'd like to learn about, and that is where the unit studies come in to play. He chooses some topics and we decide the rest. I think it is only fair that he has a say in his own education. So far, it seems to be working for us. It is going to be a bumpy ride but I have always liked roller coasters. So if you do too, hop on and enjoy this ride with us. It is an adventure I never thought I'd take but am happy to be on.
So we are in week three. Things are moving along okay but we are having issues with the short vowel sound \e\. I read that this is a common problem where some kids confuse the \i\ with \e\. So we will stay where we are until this confusion abates. No worries. His spelling isn't bad and his reading is coming along. We have also added writing into the mix this week, as I am having him write me little stories of his choosing. It is an exercise he has shown enthusiasm for, as long as I allow him to write it with markers. I am choosing my battles and will allow this for now. I must invest in more notebooks though, as he tends to write in larger letters this way. I am impressed that his stories follow the correct structure. He also realizes that his stories may be exaggerated. He told me today that his tiger could see underwater, but that's because his story is fiction. Gave me a chuckle. I love to see his excitement when he's working on his stories. Usually I let him try to figure out spelling and go over it later to correct it. Sometimes he'll ask me how to spell things and I will help him but first ask him how he thinks it should be spelled. His misspellings will usually be close enough for me to figure out what he meant, as he is spelling it as it sounds to him.
My one failure so far has been to not do any art projects with him, if that can be considered a failure. We just haven't had the time. I have found some things for us to try and have most of the supplies for our first project. He will also be working on a project for his volcano study, making a paper mache volcano with his Dad. That will mark the end of our unit study on volcanoes. I am looking forward to our next one on the 13 colonies, although Josh wanted it to be on sea creatures. I am saving that one for the spring though, right before we will probably take our next trip to South Carolina. Getting everything in can be a challenge, especially with a 2 year old to worry about. Most of our real studying comes when he's napping, which isn't long enough to get as much done as I'd like. However, I am impressed with what we have done and I am enjoying learning with my son. Last year, when he went to kindergarten, I would ask him at night what he did that day in school. Most of the time, he'd give me the typical response, "I don't know." Frustrating but common, so I hear. I never felt completely connected to his learning process. We'd work on things at home but still didn't really know what he was learning in school. Things are different now, as I am well aware of what he is studying and what he is retaining.
So the journey continues. Next week will be the last week of our first month of schooling at home. It isn't easy but I think it is worth it. Nothing can replace one-on-one instruction. Plus we get to choose what he learns, not have others tell us what they think he should know. I know, many out there may think that parents don't necessarily teach their kids enough of the stuff they need to learn. We here in PA have certain things we have to teach, but teach them as we choose. I am also letting Josh pick things he'd like to learn about, and that is where the unit studies come in to play. He chooses some topics and we decide the rest. I think it is only fair that he has a say in his own education. So far, it seems to be working for us. It is going to be a bumpy ride but I have always liked roller coasters. So if you do too, hop on and enjoy this ride with us. It is an adventure I never thought I'd take but am happy to be on.
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