Being Productive

Looking at my day today, I was feeling a bit down that I hadn't gotten more accomplished. I managed one small work meeting and an errand to the bank. OK, I also battened down the hatches at the dock as the lake began to flood- this time, *before* the boats floated away. ;) . . . but that's pretty much it. I didn't even make the kids do all their chores. My miles-long to-do list looks pretty much untouched since yesterday.

But wait, I realized: today was extremely productive on the homeschooling/kids front. I started my day with an extended wrestling/tickling/cuddling match with my oldest, who seldom wants to do that anymore. Then he asked to make us waffles from scratch for breakfast, and I said "yes". I walked him through the recipe. . . which meant a lot of concentrated instruction on fractions. (I even used the math manipulatives!) Julian worked on an alphabet puzzle and asked me to help him with flash cards, which we used to work on number recognition, counting and beginning phonics. This video (shared by a friend) then led to a discussion about genealogy:

(I wonder if she's right?!?)

Both boys had some outside time to run in the rain and gawk at the flooding.

While we were out running errands (including a stop at the post office so Simon could mail his first letter to his new pen pal in Japan) I stopped at the bookstore, where they browsed. Simon chatted with the saleslady, she helped him find what he was looking for, and he made his own purchase. On the way home, I spotted something interesting and turned around to check it out- it turned out to be a whole parking lot full of restored antique working steam engines! Apparently there is an annual 4th of July steam engine parade here. Who knew? We walked around and looked at them all, and smelled the wood fires burning, and listened to the (VERY LOUD) train whistles blow.

(photo credit Nicole Gustin)

Back at home, Simon volunteered to make dinner (frozen pizza and fresh fruit), and spent some time reading his book. Then we had an impromptu detailed exploration (sparked by a small query) of astronomy topics, in which I answered questions, explained, and we looked up answers together on the internet. Some topics covered include:
- What is a light year?
- How do you say 6,000,000,000,000?
- What does the sun sound like? (This was the golden question of the night, which led us to this very cool 10-minute documentary about a project to sonify solar data, which sparked many more interesting questions)
- What is a sunspot?
- Can solar flares and coronal mass ejections harm the Earth?


- What is Earth's "magnetic field", and why does it protect us from solar wind?
(Did you know other planets don't have a magnetic field? I feel like I should have known that, but I don't think I did.)


- If we could be right next to the sun without burning up, what would the sun *really* sound like?
(The answer, of course, is that we wouldn't hear a single thing. Which of course leads to the question,
- "Why?" Which leads to a discussion of sound waves and how they are transmitted.)
We both loved all these explorations and questions, and dug into our ice cream tonight feeling energized and inspired by our learning.

I read Jules his new Scooby Doo book for a bedtime story, and after tucking the boys in I thought about my day and what got done. I've realized I feel pretty darn good about it, actually. :)

Homeschool Snapshot

In a sort of continuation of my last post, I am still mulling over various aspects of my homeschool techniques, and the criticisms that are directed at me for them. One difficulty of Unschooling is that, particularly with younger learners, there is very little concrete evidence that learning is actually occurring. By "concrete", I am speaking of something that one can hold and read, that can be seen and filed away, that represents tidy, direct evidence that certain (specific) skills have been mastered.

This is a real problem for me, because I am expected to deliver concrete evidence that I am doing my job well. One way that I have addressed this issue is through yearly standardized testing, but that's not enough. I also try to collect art work and examples of writing, to file away in a portfolio of sorts. It can be hard in the chaos of normal life, but I do hope to get better at it. Still however, the incidental byproducts of our adventurous unschooling existence are seldom tidy little examples of a narrow definition of learning, that I can collect and file away for later scrutiny.

One suggestion that has been made to me very earnestly is that I carry a notebook with me, and every time something of an "educational" nature occurs with one of the boys, I am to note it down. This will enable me to show some sort of record of learning, to keep track of the boys' interests and curiosities, and make it possible for me to test them later on things we have covered.

This sounds very reasonable unless you've lived the unschooling lifestyle. Are there any unschoolers reading this? Am I right? I'm not sure. I know, for me, the thought of carrying a notebook everywhere with me and keeping track of every "learning" moment throughout the day sounds like a gargantuan task. I have a hard enough time meeting everyone's constant needs, without trying continually to put things into words and take notes. Not to mention, much of their learning happens independently. And ultimately, I don't think this task has any value for increasing the efficacy of their education. It's value lies solely in reassuring detractors. Is such a huge effort, then, worth the sacrifices it would entail?

When presented with this idea, I thought of a recent incident of "learning" (they're really learning all the time, not just when the topic is "school"-related) that occurred just a few days ago. We were visiting Charlottesville, Va as a family. Billy was combining work with pleasure, and he was busy for several hours recording while I entertained the three boys. I had walked with them to a nearby playground.

In addition to fun climbing equipment and swings, the playground was abundantly equipped with spinning devices. There was a spinning "Nest" which the boys had no end of fun in, twisty poles, and several "spinner bowls", like these:

The bowls are set into the ground at an angle. Littleman sat down into one, and looked a little bemused.
"How do I make it go?", he asked me.
"You have to use gravity and your own weight to make it spin.", I replied. "Lean forward."
He did, and the shift in weight immediately caused the cup to spin him 180 degrees so that the greatest mass was on the downhill side.
"Good", I said, "now lean back."
Which of course resulted in another 180 degree spin back to where he'd started.
He grinned.
"Now just keep doing that, in rhythm, until you get spinning really well.", I told him.
"Why does that work?", he asked me.

This then, was one of those "teachable moments" when I find myself doing my best to distill a fairly complicated answer into something that will satisfy Littleman while still accurately explaining the concepts at hand. Funny how such a deceptively simple question can really be tough to explain. So I launched into a brief description of rotation, momentum and centrifugal force. . to the best of my ability, because my understanding is admittedly hazy and I did not have my laptop handy for quick research.

Littleman experimented with shifting his weight, spinning, trying different rhythms and trying to speed up or slow down. Those bowls get going very fast! It was perfect for experimenting with rotational physics. Even though my explanation was imperfect, it was enough to plant seeds of knowledge in Littleman's head that he will be able to build on very well. That, combined with the very concrete knowledge of what these forces feel like, will make it easier for him to fully understand when the subject is visited again.

While all this is going on however, I am monitoring Babyman's activities all over the playground, and simultaneously eavesdropping on the conversation that the Pirate is having with a man that we don't know. I am in an unfamiliar place, trying to remain aware of our surroundings. I'm tired and my brain is sluggish from an 8 hour drive the previous day and a persistent head cold. Before I can finish, I am interrupted by Babyman who needs me to push him on the swings. Then the Pirate wants to swing. Then Littleman and Babyman start fighting over the Nest. Next Littleman is introducing me to his new friend. . .

I have trouble imagining myself, with all the other things demanding my attention, simultaneously taking notes in my mind as the conversation unfolded, and then stopping everything to locate my notebook and write my notes down. Then, multiply that by the many, many times that such moments occur throughout the day. This assumes that I even recognize these moments when they occur. . . learning is so seamlessly integrated into our lives that I'm usually not pigeonholing our experiences into "school" and "not school". It would require that I view all my interactions with my children through this lens of "education". I think the ramifications for the kids and me would be far-reaching and mostly negative.

Then again, maybe I am the one being negative. I just don't know.

Unschooling

Wow, it has been a long time. There are many reasons for my blog absence, and perhaps I will go into them in a later post. For now though, I want to write a few things about homeschooling. They are, of course, merely my own thoughts and experiences. I don't presume to say this applies to anyone other than our own family.

As I've probably mentioned, I homeschool our three boys- now aged 8, 6 and 4. I do not believe in doing "school at home"- if I wanted to impose timed classes and pre-written curricula on my children, I would seek a good school for their education. It would certainly be easier on me. Instead, our learning is very fluid, completely integrated into our daily life. We do not have separate time for "school", or even designated "school days". I do not have an external curriculum for my children to follow. I do not write lesson plans, administer pop quizzes, or assign projects. Instead, I actively seek to create an environment for my children that is varied, interesting and enriching, full of exciting and challenging experiences. I listen to them, and I seek to answer their questions as accurately and completely as I can, at the level (or just slightly above) they can understand.

I often ask questions and introduce ideas or experiences that might spark curiosity or further questioning from my children, but I do not force them to memorize facts in order that they may spit them out accurately later. If, after answering a question, the child is still interested in a topic, I will continue the conversation and often seek media to help me illustrate and expand on the topic. I have been pleased with the information that they retain, but the real payoff is in making connections between ideas and developing a less quantifiable, but more fundamental understanding of how the world works.

My approach is based on the ideas and theories of the educational researcher John Holt, who wrote extensively about education from the 60s until his death in 1985. He is considered by many to be the founder of the "Unschooling" movement- a term he coined to describe learning that did not take place in a school or a school-like environment. (As I recall, despite the fact that he came up with the term he said he felt it was rather inadequate, as it is based on what the method is NOT instead of describing what the method IS. He said it was the best he could come up with in one word. But don't quote me on that. I don't feel like hunting up his exact words right now.)

Unschooling, while still a young and controversial movement, has continued to grow since John Holt first introduced the idea. It is a difficult movement to pin down, since it is still defined more by what it does not practice, than by what it does. This is because the unschooling approach is extremely individualized, responding to the interests and needs of individual children and families, rather than imposing a standardized external model. It's hard to define something that looks different for every practitioner. In addition, unschooling is, in practice, often nearly inseparable from parenting methods, making it that much more difficult to study the effects of the practice without being influenced by the widely varying personalities and familial experiences of the unschoolers themselves. Are positive or negative results of unschooling due to the philosophy and educational practice, or are they moreso the result of parental practices? Is it even possible to separate the two? I don't have the answers to these questions. My concern is, "Is it right for my children?" I think, at least in the realm of "education", that it is.

I am often questioned, sometimes vehemently, about the advisability of using such an untested and controversial model for educating our children. "How can that possibly work?" "Kids don't know what they should learn!" "How will unschooled kids ever adapt to the real world?" "They will have huge gaps in their education." "They will grow up and feel that you failed them." "They will not be equipped to compete in a changing and extremely competitive, cutthroat world." "Show me evidence that this method works." "You aren't challenging them enough." "I need proof that they are learning." And so on, and so forth.

I have been tasked with finding evidence that Unschooling "works". That Unschooled kids can grow up to be successful, productive adults. That they can adapt to a world which seeks to impose external requirements and frameworks, requires one to be on time, and often requires one to work hard at something one does not like, in order to reach a goal. That Unschooling will not leave kids struggling to compete in a world that does not cater to their individual interests. Unfortunately, there has been little (if any) standardized research done on Unschooling and its results. I am continuing to seek and read what information I can find, and I am compiling a list of links relevant to this research. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I welcome the help. :)

* * *

PS- I should note, that I am not strictly an Unschooler in my actual homeschool practice. I do require my children to complete some "educational" tasks, even at their sometimes objections. The older they are, the more likely I am to impose some "forced" "learning" activities. My 8 yr old is in second grade this year (his birthday is in October), so I require him to complete some coursework in an online curriculum called "Time 4 Learning". My 6 yr old is in first grade, and I "force" him to sit down with me and work on reading from time to time. I question them occasionally on topics (such as money value, geography, or subtraction for instance) to see for myself how easily and completely they seem to remember and understand those things. I also administered the standardized CAT test at the beginning of this school year, which is not very "Unschool" of me. ;) I plan to administer a standardized test yearly, to help me keep track of "expected" learning and to help reassure my relevant detractors.

Of Birthdays and Spontaneous Forts

Wow- the end of October is already around the corner. Soon, my big Littleman is turning a great big 6 years old! I am still without a camera cable, so have no new pictures to upload. But, I remembered a bunch of pictures that I took last year, at Littleman's 5th birthday.

(The birthday boy, 5 years old)


(And the Pirate, looking sweet and shaggy.)

It was a gorgeous, perfect October afternoon.


Babyman was having a ball. He was crawling, and loved the warm sun, pinestraw, and all the attention from adoring relatives.

There were bunches of kids running about, and after awhile I noticed a certain "purpose" to their busyness. There was much discussion and collaboration. I looked over, to find an interesting sight.



They were working together to build a small fort. Framed in sticks, "thatched" with pinestraw, it was really an impressive little structure. And, it was growing.


Soon it was attracting admirers. Still, the work continued.


I was impressed with the communication, cooperation and all-around teamwork that was operating to create the fort. Mostly cousins, the kids are a wide range of ages. Everyone put aside differences and simply enjoyed working together to make a great structure and have fun. Older kids let younger kids do their part, while helping ensure that the final product would be structurally sound.

I love thinking about all the skills they were building: teamwork, cooperation, compromise, empathy, assertiveness, problem-solving, creativity, communication, motor skills, hand-eye coordination, leadership. . . Then there's the "school" topics they were covering:

Natural Sciences, Social Studies, P.E., Art, even a little basic Math and oral Language Arts.

Not to mention the pure, healthy benefits of being active outdoors, working with natural materials to create for the pure joy and accomplishment of it.



There were many wonderful artistic touches and details.








It was a perfect project, entirely conceived and executed by the children. The ideal example of the rewards of hours of free play outdoors.


It was my kind of birthday party- outside, in gorgeous weather, with room to roam in natural surroundings, and plenty of wide-open time for plain old play. I'm a slacker party planner- and I like it that way. ;) This year we'll be trying something different, though- hopefully it works out well, and hopefully I'll have my camera working again so I can take lots of pictures!

(sigh) They're growing so fast.

How are fireworks made?

Wow, been neglecting things around here lately. Sorry 'bout that. Been getting a lot of housecleaning done, though! :)

Just a quick post for now: after Independence Day fun, Littleman asked me how fireworks are made. I went looking for more info, and found some cool videos (both from the Discovery Channel) about it. Enjoy.



Note: the fireworks portion of this one begins at 50 seconds (0:50) in.

Conversation at the lunch table

At mealtimes Littleman often asks me questions, which lead to very detailed discussions of various topics. (I always knew all this useless knowledge in my head would be handy some day!) Mr. Sweetcheeks often chimes in with his own brand of comments. Today's lunch conversation went thus:

1) Littleman asks me, How is paper made? I describe the process in detail, and then he asks me
2) How is colored paper made, so I describe that, and these things lead to
3) How do people get different colors of skin? Which launches us into the subject of genetics and DNA, which I manage to explain pretty well, and next he asks me about
4) dwarfism, so I explain that as well as I can, which discussion quickly leads to
5) The Wizard of Oz movie, so I describe what I know (with a number of interruptions from Sweetcheeks) all the way through the melting of the wicked witch, which leads to
6) How does stuff melt? So I describe some of the physical science behind melting, which leads him to a question about
7) condensation, so I describe that process too.

At this point everyone is finished eating and I am tidying up, so Littleman goes off to exercise his sated brain on something else for awhile. My brain meanwhile, needs a breather! Whew.

And people wonder how the kids will learn anything without doing formal lessons.

Preschool Homeschooling

August 27, 2007 - Monday

Preschool Homeschooling Current mood: rejuvenated I sat down to write a bit about preschool homeschooling- mostly in response to pressure from family members to "focus", "get serious", "make a plan" or "get on the ball with this homeschooling thing". After all, wouldn't Littleman be in Pre-K by now? Shouldn't he be learning to read? You have to have some sort of schedule or plan to teach these skills! (Littleman's my oldest, and he's 3 1/2). I ended up getting into it this afternoon, and enjoying my train of thought. Here's what I wrote, mostly unedited- please keep in mind that, although I have a bachelor's degree in education, I am by no means an expert and what I have to say stems from my own personal research and interest. At the bottom are some articles I think you might find interesting, that help explain a little about my homeschooling approach right now. Through my training in college, my hands-on experience with kids, my own research and reading which is constantly ongoing and my experience thus far with our wonderful boys, my condensed philosophy for early-childhood education advocates a hands-off, open-ended, play-based curriculum set in the context of a rich, stimulating environment. Simply put, we provide a nurturing, interesting environment in which the boys can explore their world and the ideas they encounter- and we facilitate them when they want to explore further. That doesn't mean we can't talk about math or phonics, or tell him where things are on the globe, or help him practice writing- it's great to help him explore whatever interests him (that we feel is appropriate, of course). But focusing too soon on "lessons" or setting down a "schedule" can be have a negative effect at this young age. It's not developmentally appropriate for preschool kids to be working at the kinds of activities commonly associated with "school". The best possible thing we as parents and teachers can do for our preschoolers is to: 1) provide a rich environment, full of interesting people and experiences, and interesting, sensorial materials- and facilitate their exploration 2) model a love of learning, a zest for life and a love of reading 3) support and encourage a sense of creativity, imagination and exploration (play!) 4) teach them how to be good people, and (more important) model that behavior 5) love them Most of the time, basic elementary education flows naturally from this base. Kids learn to read by reading. They learn math by working with numbers in their own lives. Parents do not have to create lessons to slip into daily life- the lessons are already there. They don't have to worry about having "school" at home. Life experiences are far more stimulating and memorable than any "lesson" concocted by an adult to make them "learn" something. This is not idealistic babble. For thousands of educators all over the world, it works. It is supported by piles of research on how children develop and learn. It's one of the reasons public schools fail our students. As the boys get older, we may very well find that they enjoy more formal lessons. We may find that they work better that way in some subjects. That's perfectly fine! But please understand, there is no reason at all to be considering it now. It is simply too early- a bright, inquiring mind needs nurturing at this age, but not honing- not yet. Now is the time to build a love of creativity and new ideas, building the base from which later learning may spring. As far as preschool for Littleman goes, he's not even old enough to be in an "official" GA pre-K program yet- his age group, if they are going to preschool at all, are mostly getting used to being away from home and are learning how to play nicely. In Pre-K, they're still mostly learning how to function in a classroom setting. Much of the boost provided to students by early learning in a preschool setting is not academic, it is logistical and emotional. They learn how to be separated from their families, segregated into peer groups, how to be quiet, line up, sit still, raise their hands, "share". . . basically how to please their teachers. Any "academics" are very basic: letter and number identification, sorting and matching, colors and shapes, that sort of thing. Littleman already knows most of it. And even this simple level of "academics" is controversial- many educators believe that it's still too early for formal instruction, and that the statistical benefits are merely a reflection of Pre-K grads being more conditioned to a public school environment than kids entering kindegarten without having had any out-of-home schooling before. (I make sure Littleman and Sweetcheeks get the benefits of some out-of-home classes without the drawbacks of too-much-too-early academics). [Please excuse my gratuitous bragging on my children for a moment- after all, the targeted audience (Littleman's adoring family) totally agree with me here! LOL] If you doubt what I am doing, simply look at Littleman. He impresses anyone he encounters with his self-confidence, intelligence, knowledge, vocabulary, diction, good manners (most of the time), self-sufficiency, creativity. . . the list goes on. Obviously some of this comes naturally to him, like his good looks and high energy. ;) But what I do, and what you do naturally, has definitely nurtured these characteristics in him and encouraged them to flower. He is way ahead of the game! And Mr. Sweetcheeks is the same way. They are doing great. * * * Here are a few articles- these are excellent! http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/david_elkind.html (note that this educator defines a child's "early years" as ages 4 - 7) http://homeschooling.suite101.com/article.cfm/unschooling

a day at the High

Friday, January 12, 2007

a day at the High Current mood: tired Touching tips to paper, rich aqua flows and swirls, shimmering green, deep warm brown and fire bright orange. Picking up the paper sends rainbow drips sliding, mingling gleefully in their rush for the edge. Spritzing water, and suddenly they disperse in delicate muted explosions, liquid puffs of magic captured. He is delighted, intent on further experiments with this wonderful, messy and brilliant material. He tries drawing, squirting, dripping, dipping fingers, stirring, tasting. No aspect of the paint goes unexplored, until finally his attention span begins to wander and I shuttle his colorful self over to the sink for fun experiments with soap and water. Big brother is still intent on creation, selecting and applying his colors with care. He is having a ball, and I look forward to seeing his masterpieces. Yesterday my Mom and I took the boys to "toddler Thursday" at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. It was great! Between 11am and 3pm there is a free art activity for the kids (yesterday was painting). Young kids get into the museum exhibits for free (we checked out the current installments of Louvre Atlanta) and there is a free interactive play area for kids as well, with soft sculpture shapes to build with and climb on, a magnetic 'found object' wall to create on, marker boards and a still life to draw from, unit and architectural blocks, scarves for performance art and several other fun things. The boys really had a good time, and (since my Mom is a museum member) the only things we had to pay for were parking and lunch. (though those did not come cheap). Take Marta and pack our lunch, and we'd have an exciting, educational art outing for pocket change! (Even if you aren't a member, you could take kids to the art activity and the play area without paying admission. If you want to visit the exhibits, adults are $15 and students, seniors and older kids pay less. One admission fee covers all museum exhibits including Louvre Atlanta). We will definitely be back.

Gratitude part 2: an article.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Gratitude part 2: an article. Current mood: tired This is an article that was sent to a yahoo group I'm in, and it directly relates to some of my earlier blog post today. I thought I'd reprint it here for you. Hearth & Soul Jean G. Fitzpatrick How Kids Learn Gratitude There are simple ways to cultivate your child's natural thankfulness. Moments of thankfulness open our hearts to joy, fill us with peace, connect us to those around us. They help us feel blessed. Recently, scientists have been taking a closer look at how positive emotions affect us. Barbara Fredrickson, for example, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, has found that cultivating gratitude may actually undo the effects of negative emotions such as anger and anxiety. Too often, though, when we try to teach our children thankfulness we go about it in surprisingly negative ways. We wait until moments when we're worried we have spoiled them for life. "You ought to be grateful for all the stuff you have," we tell them angrily after we have tripped over their toys for the 10th time. Or we teach thankfulness as "reverse envy." I once heard a particularly grumpy Sunday school teacher lead a class in a prayer that was a classic of the genre. "Thank you, Jesus, for all the things we have," she said dourly, as her class of kindergartners bowed their heads, hands folded. "Because we know that there are so many other children who have no parents and no toys and no clothes and no nice house." The underlying idea here is that we ought to value our possessions because others don't have them--an approach more likely to inspire guilt than gratitude. The reverse-envy approach was studied by researchers at Southern Methodist University and the University of California at Davis, using three groups of volunteers. One group kept a daily log of five hassles or complaints. The second group wrote down five ways in which they thought they were better off than their peers. And the third group wrote down five things each day for which they were grateful. After three weeks, those in the group who kept gratitude lists reported having more energy, fewer health problems, and a greater feeling of well-being than those who complained or gloated. What's the best way to help children experience the heart-expanding effects of gratitude? Here are some simple ways to help children cultivate gratitude on a daily basis. Give thanks in prayer. Set aside a regular time for thank-you prayers, before dinner or breakfast, or at bedtime. Give thanks for small things--finding a colorful fall leaf on the driveway, getting over a cold, seeing the dog do a funny thing. Young children are naturally thankful, according to Montessori teacher Sofia Cavalletti. She writes in "The Religious Potential of the Child," "The prayer of children up to the age of seven or eight is almost exclusively prayer of thanksgiving and praise." Say thank you to your family. Research suggests that people are actually more likely to express their thanks to strangers or acquaintances than to their own family members or peers, according to the National Institute for Healthcare Research. But when parents show appreciation to one another, to their children, and to other people in their lives, children learn to do the same thing. When your child does a household chore--even if it's one of his or her assigned tasks--say thank you. When your partner does something considerate, express your appreciation. Slow down and smell the roses. Babies and toddlers are fascinated by sights and sounds and smells, from the color red to a ringing bell to cookies in the oven. The older we get, the more oblivious we become to the everyday sensory pleasures of the world we live in. When we pause to enjoy them, we regain the openness that is an essential part of gratitude. Make sure your child doesn't spend so much time with electronic entertainment that he or she misses out on the tactile joys of flowers, plants, crayons, paint, music, and dancing. Create a year-round thanksgiving spot. This is a home altar of sorts. Find a convenient but safe place--the refrigerator door, a bulletin board, or a small table or shelf. Make this a special spot for things you are thankful for--pictures of people you love, souvenirs and memorabilia, handmade treasures, and, of course, your child's artwork. Invite your child to add his or her own items, and set aside time now and then to admire the objects and pictures together. Teach your child to write thank-you notes. Even if kids write them on a computer, thank-you notes means more when they specifically mention the gift and say something appreciative about it. Writing thank-you notes to coaches, teachers, baby-sitters, neighbors, clergy, and other caring adults helps a child appreciate all the people who care about him or her (and it's a nice antidote to the complaints most adults hear). Keep a gratitude journal. One way to help your child develop thankfulness is to cultivate it in yourself. In a notebook, write down three to five things you're thankful for every day. Keep the focus small and specific--give thanks for a child's patience during a long wait, for a pan of brownies that turned out well, for a good joke someone told at lunch. You may wish to share the journal with your child. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

What are public schools for?

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

What are public schools for? Current mood: groggy Well, the boys are in bed early tonight. Littleman was very sick yesterday, out of the blue. He couldn't even keep water down. Finally after another puke around 2 am I was able to very gradually introduce some diluted Gatorade, and it stayed down. He slept well after that and today has been his normal self again! WTF?? Well I am glad it resolved so well so quickly. I have still been cautious with what he eats and drinks, but it almost seems like he was never sick. I may even let him go to montessori tomorrow. Anyway, so here it's barely 9 and I am "free". I'm exhausted though, from dealing with Littleman last night and then (when he was finally settled) helping Sweetcheeks who woke several times in the night. I got a broken nap this afternoon but I think it just left me more groggy. I think I will just do some minimal tidying, put the pot of homemade chicken soup in the fridge (mm, the house smells good!), take a nice hot bath and go to bed. Before that however, I wanted to share a quote I found in one of the homeschooling books I am reading. It is giving some background information on how public schools began in the United States, most of which I now recall studying but had forgotten. Horace Mann was one of the reformers who advocated a new public schooling system. He recommended common schools to produce urban workers who would be "more orderly and respectful in their deportment, and more ready to comply with the wholesome and necessary regulations of an establishment". There you have it, folks- that's what public schools are for. And they are generally very good at it, aren't they?

a hike

Sunday, September 10, 2006

a hike Current mood: good The grass is soft, and long enough to tickle my back where my shirt rides up. There is only a breath of a breeze, but the day is not too hot. As the sun sinks it turns the light golden, and I gaze out at the mountains around us. The bird rises into view again, coasting gracefully on the thermals, sailing and circling with no visible effort. As it wheels slowly overhead I point it out to Sweetcheeks, who focuses on the bird and watches it with improbable concentration for a one year old. He is relaxed and seems very happy out here, touching the earth and sky. He turns to me suddenly with a delighted grin, and points at the bird. Then he points at the trees, whispering his little baby language to me. Next it's the mountains, then a nearby rock. He pats the ground and rolls off my lap to crawl through the soft, long dry grass that arches over his head. I keep an eye on him while he explores. I hear Littleman and Billy wandering back up the trail, where they'd gone to explore. Soon we'll need to hike back down the mountain, and I'll dawdle with Littleman as we examine mushrooms, oak trees, bird sound and pools of orange sunlight. He is so interested in these things, and it's a joy to answer his questions. "That one's a maple tree", and "I don't know what the bears are doing, sweetie. Probably finding things to eat. They like to eat berries (especially blackberries, around here), grubs and old meat." Then he tells me a story about how a bear will come right here and talk to him- it will tell him where the campfire is on the mountain, and that soon it will be going to sleep. He'll understand the bear, and then tell me what the bear said. I say "Wow" and really mean it, though not in the way he thinks. Wow. How cool to be here, how wonderful to share this time and place with our boys, how amazing to show these delights to them and to spark original questions and stories in return. Wow. What a true blessing we have.

Homeschooling

Monday, September 04, 2006

Homeschooling Current mood: cheerful I've been reading up on homeschooling, and it's getting me excited about the prospect all over again. You see, once upon a time I was an education major in college, and the more I learned about learning the more I was bewildered by our public school system. How can we know so much about how children learn best, and yet be applying so little of that knowledge in our public schools? I started looking for alternatives- how could we teach better, how could we meet the needs of children, and not squelch their innate love of learning? In one of my education classes I got the opportunity to do extensive research on any area of education, and I decided to delve into John Holt and his ideas. John Holt was a pioneer of "unschooling", a term he coined to better describe homeschooling's true reach and strengths. He was a very strong and vocal supporter of homeschooling at a time when it was not well regarded by the general population here in the States. His ideas and research resonated with me in a way that none of my other research or reading on education had done. Here was a way to meet the needs of children, to stoke the flames of their curiosity and nurture their need to learn! It's by far the best method of education I can imagine. Right then and there I was certain that I would try to homeschool my children, whenever I was blessed with that opportunity in my future. So, here I am! It's the future, and I have two beautiful boys, and one of them is now preschool age. Time to dip my toe in the waters, and see how best to go about accomplishing this long-held goal I've nurtured. But I've been looking at my life now, and worrying about my time- I am already stretched; how can I possibly devote the time I should devote to something as important as my child's education? I've been feeling weighed down, like I am swimming upstream in an overcoat and boots. How can I ever make any headway? How can I ever pile on more responsibilities than I already carry? Reading some of these books has been very reassuring. In reality, I am already doing much of what I need to do. It comes naturally- as a matter of fact, homeschooling is natural. Most parents do it as a matter of course whenever they are with their children. As the children get older it takes more effort to incorporate their advanced studies, but with practice that homeschooling comes easily. I am remembering why I was so enthralled by the idea to begin with. As usual, a trip to the library is the first step to my confident tackling of a new project!

on toddler persistence, dog grooming and a writer's details

Monday, August 07, 2006

on toddler persistence, dog grooming and a writer's details Current mood: lonely There are few things as maddeningly persistent as a 3 year old. Often the maddening part is that whatever it is he is persisting in, makes no logical sense to me at all. From my utterly unenlightened adult perspective, this most irritating repetition is absolutely pointless. Perhaps the fact that it is irritating IS the point, but I hope not. I hope he is merely testing some parameter of his existence, and not deliberately pushing my buttons. Oh, wait- deliberately pushing my buttons IS a means of testing the parameters of his existence. Sigh. Knowing it has some sort of point doesn't really make it less irritating, though. I've been gritting my teeth and looking heavenward a lot more than I used to, these days. At least he is usually cheerful about it, even if I am not. Why is it that the fur of a dog's hindquarters is the part that most needs thorough brushing, when it is the part most dogs least like having brushed? I've been reading a Martha Grimes mystery novel. She is surprisingly little known it seems, and she is one of my favorite authors. She has a series of mystery novels featuring a Scotland Yard detective named Richard Jury, in case you want to look them up at your library. There are so many little things about her style that I enjoy. It seems every time I read another book in the series, I notice something else clever, interesting or skillful that she has done. For instance, the books are written in third person. The reader may follow Jury through the story, or any other character she chooses to send you with. Jury is a handsome man, with a certain inexplicable charisma. I noticed recently that while the reader is with Jury, the people (especially women) that he interacts with behave differently than they do when we are following a different character through the story- Jury's friend Melrose Plant, for instance. In Jury's presence, woman characters often primp in an automatic, distracted sort of way. The way Grimes includes this behavior is very subtle- I have read many of these novels, and only just noticed what has been going on. The effect is to very subtly reinforce what we know of our main characters, and sometimes to shed a small light on the peculiarities of bit players. When the reader is with Plant, most of these other characters lose this nervous behavior. (Though they may have different subtle reactions to Plant). It's very skillfully done, and I'm interested to note it because I've always thought characterization is one of Grimes' strongest points.

another day slips past me

Friday, July 28, 2006

another day slips past me Current mood: restless I'd just like to reiterate: it's truly amazing how the day just disappears, and it's late at night and I feel as if I've accomplished nearly nothing. I've been busy all day (sometimes ridiculously so) and yet here before me are almost everything on my to-do list, still yet to be crossed out. How can two small children- two reasonably good small children- require SO much time and energy? It's easy to laugh off as an old truism that small children take time, but holy shit, is it ever true! Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with everything that is expected of me- I know it's not possible for me to do it all. I'm just doing the best I can, while trying to hang onto my sanity. A funny side note is that part of what takes me so long sometimes is Littleman's new avid interest in "helping". On the one hand, I am really glad for his interest, and I really want to encourage the idea. On the other hand, it would be so much faster for me to do it myself. But it's wonderful for him to fold laundry, swiffer the floor, dust and put away dishes. It makes him feel grown-up and helpful, like he is a productive member of the household. It is training him in how to do these things, so he can do them well when he is older. It helps him develop all sorts of areas, including hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, social skills, sensory awareness, and other things like sorting and symmetry, for instance. And it's something he can participate in without his little brother dividing my attention. I'm glad of these things and this is an important part of his homeschooling, but ~sigh~ it does slow me down. Still, it's very cool. Ghiradelli makes the best brownie mix ever. Period. My back hurts. This morning, Billy was trying to get Littleman to say to me, "I'll give you the first million dollars I make" or something to that effect. (As an addendum to "please"). Littleman obediently starts to repeat it back, but stops himself and shakes his head. "No, I can't" he told me. LOL! Tonight I am grateful for help, for a potty-trained toddler (yea!), for herbal tea and for my husband. :)

Lessons from the Cove

Monday, July 24, 2006

Lessons from the Cove Current mood: pleased It's not hard to imagine a life here. Without electricity, without running water. With few neighbors and little contact outside of the cove. I can imagine growing up here, free to roam the fields and forest as you please. Helping with chores and playing with siblings and cousins, making up things to do because there is no electric box around to entertain a passive mind. I'm sure it was a hard life, lonely and dangerous. But it was a life steeped in beauty, rooted to the Earth (gee that sounds so cliche but I mean it), and full of purpose. A life connected to the land around you and the people you depended on. I am sure my rose-tinted glasses make it all seem much more wonderful than it felt at the time (as I have mentioned before, I'm not sure I'd relish laundry without a washer and dryer, for instance), but I do think there is so much to be learned in that way of life that we are missing in today's world. It would be nice to have your cake and eat it too, to live those experiences without the danger, the loneliness, the gossip or the stifling feeling it can instill. But of course it is precisely some of these things that help build character and self-reliance, the creativity and a sense of belonging. Without the hardships, many of the rewards are lost. I guess the best thing to do is to try and recreate the best aspects of that life, discarding the isolation and some of the physical hardships. Become connected to the land. Wherever you are, it's possible, and in addition I think it's important to wander wilder landscapes as well. Teach yourself and our children about the Earth, about self-reliance (practical in any environment) and responsibility (to oneself and to the universe, in the sense that making your own small sphere of influence ring true will help sound echoes of harmony in the wider world). Stay connected, stay purposeful. Try to discard the distractions, if you dare (I'm not sure I do. . .) Let the children be bored sometimes. Force them to be creative. Little things regain their meaning. Let them contribute to their world; help them be useful and productive. Give them unstructured time and help them accomplish what they want to do with that time, if they need help. (Today we do not have the skills that used to be commonplace. Could you go make a working kite right now? Would you know how to fish? Do you remember jump rope games? Do you know how to build a raft? And the most important question for you today: Do you know how to learn?) I don't think these are just idyllic, outdated pasttimes. I think they hold real value, true lessons that can not be found at Toy R Us or even on the neighborhood block anymore. And I think adults today would benefit just as much (often more) from returning to these pursuits than our kids will. Try it. I hope I remember to.

tricycles and learning how to learn again

Saturday, June 24, 2006

tricycles and learning how to learn again Current mood: mischievous On Thursday (mine and Billy's birthday- yes, it's the same day- and thank you all for the nice birthday greetings!) Littleman learned how to pedal his tricycle. Up to then he had enjoyed riding it while we pushed, but wasn't overly enthused about the whole idea. It's so funny when learning moments just click into place like that- the lightbulb over the head cliche, the Aha! moment. One minute he just doesn't get it, the next minute he is off and away. I think a lot of a toddler's learning must be that way- the mind is absorbing, absorbing all this flood of incoming information, and filing it away as fast as possible. There's a little librarian in there fitting puzzle pieces of information together. He matches this shape with that, notes that these patterns are the same, until he says "OH!" and the whole picture starts to become clear. Click click click, information falls into place- how Daddy rides his bike, how Mommy and Daddy showed him where to put his feet and where to push, how pedalling a bike is sort of like walking, how steering is like pushing a cart and making it turn where you want to go. . .who knows what pieces made the picture clear? And all of a sudden he is zooming through the garage, pedalling forward or backward, gleefully steering the trike to ram right into our legs where we stand. Pretty impressive, really. Anyway, we're proud, he's delighted and now any time he sees the trike it's hard to get him away from it. It's a lot of fun. Adults seem not to learn this way as much- I wonder if it is because the information our brains are collecting is mostly old, familiar stuff by now, so we don't have such a backlog of data waiting to be puzzled out? Or is it perhaps that we only THINK the information is familiar, therefore not paying it the fresh, open-minded attention that a toddler would? I wonder if we are missing out.

Milestones!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Milestones! Current mood: rushed Griffin: - is crawling. - loves kittens (they were the final motivating factor in learning to crawl!) - slept 9pm to 5am last night (woohoo!). - is eating his first finger foods (green peas and avacado). - can stand holding onto something (but does not yet pull up). - loves standing, and still looks surprised and pleased when he crawls forward. - liked the beach a lot. - is still a happy fellow. - LOVES "swimming" in the pool. - is not too happy about long car trips. - cries at startling loud noises. - likes to play "peek-a-boo" using the wide brim of mommy's sunhat. Simon: - is using more and more sophisticated sentences and grammar. - wants to read Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go" every night. - is remarkably good with a T-ball set. - is reluctant to potty train, but willingly pees in the potty sometimes. - idolizes his cousins. - just had a bad dream. (poor kiddo! I'm back now from comforting him) - is not very into swimming, hates the ocean, but likes the beach. - LOVES his daddy. - is into EVERYTHING (making me want to tear my hair out sometimes, LOL!) - wants peanut butter and jelly sandwitches all the time, but also likes kale a lot. - says "Simon do it!!" very insistently. - is sweeter than angels when I put him to bed at night.

a few (really) random thoughts

Thursday, March 09, 2006

a few (really) random thoughts Current mood: silly I was thinking yesterday about the difference between knowledge and ideas. Each needs the other to come to fruition. You may be very knowledgeable, but without good ideas you can't use that knowledge to move ahead. You might have fantastic ideas, but without the knowledge you need to make use of them, they cannot begin to bloom. So if you have one, pursue the other! I've also been thinking about homeopathic medicine. I want to learn more about it. When you hit on the right remedy, it can be amazingly effective. It works on the principle of "like treats like"- so, to treat a cold that has a symptom of burning, watery eyes you might use a homeopathic dilution of red onion. Red onions cause burning, watery eyes- but as a homeopathic remedy, they make your eyes feel better. I don't really understand it. I have a wonderful book called "Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child" which describes many common childhood ailments, and then lists several treatments: conventional (like what your pediatrician might recommend), herbal, homepathic, acupressure, dietary. . . and finishes up with general recommendations that combine the best of all approaches. I have made use of some of the homeopathic recommendations, with some success. It is a difficult practice to learn, because it is extremely individual- the right remedy for one person might not work for someone else, even if she has the exact same virus (for instance). It all depends on the individual's symptoms and temperament. It can take a bit of trial and error. Maybe I can take a course in it someday. I like listening to rain. I don't particularly like having to walk the dog in it. :P I wonder how Ms Rowling is doing on the final Harry Potter book? I'm dying to read it, though at the same time it will be sad to be done. I guess there's always the movies. Hmm, I wonder how they are coming along? And I wonder what prompted this chain of thought?? I noticed today that my blog now has 200 views. Hey, I guess someone out there (besides G of course! :) ) is actually reading this! Too bad I don't have anything great to say tonight. I'm pretty beat. Littleman has been bringing home every damn bug that comes down the pike, and my immune system is in overdrive I think. Plus I am relatively sleepless, of course, since Griff has been eating like a horse round the clock. Eew, too many bland cliches in there. To make a long story short (ha, another one!) I am a little loopy. Hi ho, hi ho, on that note I'll sign off for the evening. Maybe after I pay a few bills I can go to sleep!

Fantasia, clean diapers and following directions

Friday, March 03, 2006

Fantasia, clean diapers and following directions Current mood: sick I'm sick again. Knock on wood, but the boys all seem OK- it's just me now. So that's the silver lining. Tonight I was changing Griff's diaper, and realized I was all out of clean diapers within arm's reach there (we use cloth diapers). So, I tried to get Littleman to grab a diaper out of the nursery and bring it to me. He is getting better at following directions, but it's still a bit iffy as to whether he will really get the picture. Well, it took a few tries, but he finally walked in and handed me a couple disposable diapers. Aww! What a good helper. I'd have used them, but Griff has a bad rash right now and the cloth is better for his bum. So I tried again, specifying that the CLOTH diapers are on the chair that the cat usually likes to sleep in. (Because I knew he would be able to identify the chair with that description). But then he just started looking for the cat, and letting me know he couldn't find her. Oh, well. I put Griff down and went and to get some clean diapers myself. I thanked Littleman for being such a good helper, but he looked a little crestfallen when he saw me getting the diapers. Next thing I know, I am finishing changing Griff and in walks Littleman with a few cloth diapers for me! What a sweetie. Then he arrives at my side with a few more. . . then a few more. . . and some more. . . next thing I know, I'm feeling like Mickey Mouse in Fantasia, when he has put a spell on the broom to make it do chores, but when the chore is done Mickey can't get the broom to stop! Luckily though Littleman either lost interest or ran out of diapers. :) Still, it made me smile. Which is a good thing, because my throat feels like fire, I ache all over, I'm sooooo tired and my whole head feels achy and swollen. Delightful. I just REALLY hope the boys don't get it. There. Now I've had my whining for the day! Good night! :)