Thursday, August 30, 2007
My Gratitude
Thank you to my dearest friend, Karlene, for helping me to be giant in my heart. Thank you for taking the time to listen, and to ask the right questions to help me see the greater picture.
Our Thursday
Sun. Sun. Sun. Glorious SUN!! For the past two days our source of light and heat was out to bless us with its golden rays of joy and life. We spent about 4 hours outside today, and the kids are still outside. During our time outside the kids went on an "Adventure", where they donned their backpacks and set off in general direction seeking adventure. Into the woods to lands unknown. Thankfully I know every inch of land to the south and east of our property so an adventure is okay as long as I can hear them. I didn't go with and they were never out of earshot. Should they get so, I would find them. I have excellent woods sense, being a logger's daughter. (thanks dad!)
We watched Pocahontas this afternoon with discussion about conflict resolution and words like savage. It's a decent film, and I like the spiritual aspect of communicating with Nature. I know it's nothing like what really happened but it's still a decent movie. After the movie we started making our dreamtime pillows, out of felt at first and then less dense cotton. The felt we made into triangular shapes, creating a pattern and then cutting a second piece from the pattern. The felt was too dense for the stubbed needle so I found other material. Instead of a triangle we used rectangles and started sewing along the sides. The kids wanted to finish their projects later so they're put away in a labeled bag until next time. When they are finished, we'll turn them inside out and fill them with herbs and batting and put them under our pillows. Avery's will need some resewing but Ethan was doing really well at staying near the edge and keeping a straight line.
This evening we made a sinful sunshine cake with a yellow cake base with mandarin oranges and chocolate chips. We ate dessert before dinner. Sometimes it's the best way to have your cake and eat it too.
We watched Pocahontas this afternoon with discussion about conflict resolution and words like savage. It's a decent film, and I like the spiritual aspect of communicating with Nature. I know it's nothing like what really happened but it's still a decent movie. After the movie we started making our dreamtime pillows, out of felt at first and then less dense cotton. The felt we made into triangular shapes, creating a pattern and then cutting a second piece from the pattern. The felt was too dense for the stubbed needle so I found other material. Instead of a triangle we used rectangles and started sewing along the sides. The kids wanted to finish their projects later so they're put away in a labeled bag until next time. When they are finished, we'll turn them inside out and fill them with herbs and batting and put them under our pillows. Avery's will need some resewing but Ethan was doing really well at staying near the edge and keeping a straight line.
This evening we made a sinful sunshine cake with a yellow cake base with mandarin oranges and chocolate chips. We ate dessert before dinner. Sometimes it's the best way to have your cake and eat it too.
My dream
Before me I saw two pools. The one on the left was formed out of a raised concrete square with rounded corners, but the shape was obviously a square. The walls were two or more feet high and the pool was contained. The water look sterile, like it was chlorinated and it was all one color. There was nothing surrounding the pool, just the pool alone.
The second pool was a natural pool, with natural edges and you could walk right in, no barriers. The water was different shades depending on where you looked. There was movement to the water, gentle ripples. And further down from where I stood there was nature surrounding the pool, trees and grasses.
To get into the first pool, you had to step over the barrier. I couldn't do it. The concrete was rough and uninviting. The water looked dead and it felt toxic. However, I could stand with my feet bare on the edge of the natural pool, the earth soft beneath them and the water gently lapping at my toes. All I could see was growth and peaceful contentedness within the space of this pool, and felt that there was no end to this pool's possibilities. It was alive.
Which pool would you choose? I made my choice.
The second pool was a natural pool, with natural edges and you could walk right in, no barriers. The water was different shades depending on where you looked. There was movement to the water, gentle ripples. And further down from where I stood there was nature surrounding the pool, trees and grasses.
To get into the first pool, you had to step over the barrier. I couldn't do it. The concrete was rough and uninviting. The water looked dead and it felt toxic. However, I could stand with my feet bare on the edge of the natural pool, the earth soft beneath them and the water gently lapping at my toes. All I could see was growth and peaceful contentedness within the space of this pool, and felt that there was no end to this pool's possibilities. It was alive.
Which pool would you choose? I made my choice.
Comparison
I am a comparison shopper. Yesterday was the public school's open house for all grades. We went. I wanted to know what Ethan would be getting if he went to school there- who his teacher would be and who would be in his class. The hardest part, for me, was discovering that his two best friends are in his class. The two boys he talks about all the time. And there were a lot of his friends from his ECFE in this class. I know the teacher and think she's great. And I liked the general feel of what would be his time in class should he go.
Initially I wasn't going to bring him there, because I knew he'd want to go. I knew he'd want to be with his friends. And would get excited about going. The class size is reasonable, 18 kids. The layout is nice. And the teacher is great. And he'd share a locker with his best friend, Konner.
So, we came home and talk about it. Why would I want to homeschool after all that?
I remember last year, how just after 2 half days a week my son became someone else. I remember that even last fall certain behaviors stared showing up that eventually were explained by who was in his class and what he did at school. There were the expected things like potty language and competitiveness, but there were also the unexpected behaviors like a nervous response and negative behavior towards Avery. By the end of the school year, he was less affectionate, less kind overall, more aggressive, and in general more obnoxious. He stopped hugging me, and singing throughout the day. He delighted in picking on Avery and making her react. And it all went away by the end of June.
I was surprised by how much he had changed. I'd almost forgotten how wonderful he could be....and how my definition of wonderful had to change to when he was in school, because I still loved my son and wanted to feel that he was wonderful. I delighted in his art work, and his stories of friendship and play, and all his new skills and songs. But I was greatly saddened by his behavioral changes.
Because of this, and knowing my son, we went to school, to see and compare. I needed to know what he'd receive. And now I know. My heart is still for homeschool. My head is questioning my decision to bring him there in the first place simply because of the strain it put on him. I knew we'd be challenged by going because he'd like it so much. I needed to know. I needed to see him in that environment and be able to know that if I kept him home that I wouldn't be breaking his heart by keeping him away from a part of his world that he loves. What he loves is the socializing and the flow of that kind of learning. He likes the colors, the name tags, the learning centers, the unknown. He likes the playing and the singing and overall learning. And he'd be great in public school.
My husband agrees with me that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to education and that what he knows is just a part of who he is, rather than the most important part. And overall I know that we'd loose a lot of quality by having Ethan attend public school. Quality of his life, in behavior and time. Quality of our lives, in having to work with the behavioral changes and seeing him less.
I am a stay at home mom for a reason. I choose to make my children my priority. I am keeping my work schedule very low now to be able to tend to their education. I am making my home into a space with different learning centers to give Ethan a taste of the public school style. We found a fantastic curriculum with wonderful lessons and activities. And we'd get so much more from homeschooling than public school could ever give, because we'd get more quality of life, and that's what we need for a lifetime of successful being. I want to homeschool.
Initially I wasn't going to bring him there, because I knew he'd want to go. I knew he'd want to be with his friends. And would get excited about going. The class size is reasonable, 18 kids. The layout is nice. And the teacher is great. And he'd share a locker with his best friend, Konner.
So, we came home and talk about it. Why would I want to homeschool after all that?
I remember last year, how just after 2 half days a week my son became someone else. I remember that even last fall certain behaviors stared showing up that eventually were explained by who was in his class and what he did at school. There were the expected things like potty language and competitiveness, but there were also the unexpected behaviors like a nervous response and negative behavior towards Avery. By the end of the school year, he was less affectionate, less kind overall, more aggressive, and in general more obnoxious. He stopped hugging me, and singing throughout the day. He delighted in picking on Avery and making her react. And it all went away by the end of June.
I was surprised by how much he had changed. I'd almost forgotten how wonderful he could be....and how my definition of wonderful had to change to when he was in school, because I still loved my son and wanted to feel that he was wonderful. I delighted in his art work, and his stories of friendship and play, and all his new skills and songs. But I was greatly saddened by his behavioral changes.
Because of this, and knowing my son, we went to school, to see and compare. I needed to know what he'd receive. And now I know. My heart is still for homeschool. My head is questioning my decision to bring him there in the first place simply because of the strain it put on him. I knew we'd be challenged by going because he'd like it so much. I needed to know. I needed to see him in that environment and be able to know that if I kept him home that I wouldn't be breaking his heart by keeping him away from a part of his world that he loves. What he loves is the socializing and the flow of that kind of learning. He likes the colors, the name tags, the learning centers, the unknown. He likes the playing and the singing and overall learning. And he'd be great in public school.
My husband agrees with me that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to education and that what he knows is just a part of who he is, rather than the most important part. And overall I know that we'd loose a lot of quality by having Ethan attend public school. Quality of his life, in behavior and time. Quality of our lives, in having to work with the behavioral changes and seeing him less.
I am a stay at home mom for a reason. I choose to make my children my priority. I am keeping my work schedule very low now to be able to tend to their education. I am making my home into a space with different learning centers to give Ethan a taste of the public school style. We found a fantastic curriculum with wonderful lessons and activities. And we'd get so much more from homeschooling than public school could ever give, because we'd get more quality of life, and that's what we need for a lifetime of successful being. I want to homeschool.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tuesday's Efforts
In the morning, we began our schooling efforts after 10am, which is when things settle into our daily groove- post breakfast. We kept the morning (and day) simple by doing exercises with bean bags- passing them through our legs and circling them around out waists and overhead, as well as tossing them up and catching them while counting the times tossed. We sorted by color, letters, shapes and numbers (as we have three sets- numbers, letters, and shapes). A lot of this was for Avery's skills but Ethan had fun. We finished by tossing them back into their box using both arms to gain greater ambidexterity.
Ethan and Avery took mid-day to play in their room and with their building toys. After lunch we made banana bread- Ethan worked on cracking the eggs and Avery helped mash the bananas and mix the batter. Then we did collages and cut images from my old massage magazines and made our own magazines. Avery's good at cutting out images and pasting. We had practice yesterday at Marcia and Becky's house.
And that was it. We kept it low-key and fun.
I'm really getting into the Enki curriculum. I am still reading reading reading about Enki teaching methods and all the nuts and bolts (easy reading but still heady). And I feel confident in being able to modify it to suit our family's needs. It's going to be a fantastic year.
We'll homeschool Monday-Thursday with Friday being an off day for travels and errands. Or keeping it open to be the make-up day. We'll homeschool from 10-3, give or take, letting the day be about fun, play, flow, and healthy living. A lot of our overall day counts towards the Enki style of homeschooling, but the focus hours are from 10-3. I am not ready to do anything before 10, even if I'm up at 6am like I was today. 10 am is when I kick into to teacher mode and 3pm is when we need to rest and get personal space.
This weekend we're going to the MN zoo and whatever wherever else floats our boat in the twin cities. We'll be going with Ryan's family and staying at a hotel with a great pool. I'm looking forward to a short vacation (of sorts) with the kids.
Ethan and Avery took mid-day to play in their room and with their building toys. After lunch we made banana bread- Ethan worked on cracking the eggs and Avery helped mash the bananas and mix the batter. Then we did collages and cut images from my old massage magazines and made our own magazines. Avery's good at cutting out images and pasting. We had practice yesterday at Marcia and Becky's house.
And that was it. We kept it low-key and fun.
I'm really getting into the Enki curriculum. I am still reading reading reading about Enki teaching methods and all the nuts and bolts (easy reading but still heady). And I feel confident in being able to modify it to suit our family's needs. It's going to be a fantastic year.
We'll homeschool Monday-Thursday with Friday being an off day for travels and errands. Or keeping it open to be the make-up day. We'll homeschool from 10-3, give or take, letting the day be about fun, play, flow, and healthy living. A lot of our overall day counts towards the Enki style of homeschooling, but the focus hours are from 10-3. I am not ready to do anything before 10, even if I'm up at 6am like I was today. 10 am is when I kick into to teacher mode and 3pm is when we need to rest and get personal space.
This weekend we're going to the MN zoo and whatever wherever else floats our boat in the twin cities. We'll be going with Ryan's family and staying at a hotel with a great pool. I'm looking forward to a short vacation (of sorts) with the kids.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Home School Curriculum Reviews
In my Enki discussion group, there are a lot of families that have tried other curriculum and ended up with enki because of several reasons- mostly a lot to do with their children's learning styles and family needs. www.homeschoolreview.com provides a good overview of a zillion different homeschool curriculum and it explains in better detail why we chose enki. I love that each curriculum has personal feedback, pros and cons.
I'm all fired up to homeschool. Our path includes but limits the use of the computer and tv as teaching tools. I don't want my kids to be without computer skills but I want to limit their sedentary time to educational/family videos and the occasional splurge of an educational game. Ethan's on the computer maybe twice a week now, rather than every day when he'd wake up (which was when he was in pre-school). I'd come downstairs and find him playing a game that he'd saved and he had to get off because I don't think being on the computer first thing in the morning is always ideal because it's not healthy. (needless to say this morning is different for me, but I am doing my homework as a teacher). Since he settled back into his personality, he rarely is drawn to sitting at the computer. Instead he busies himself with books, legos, and his stuffed animals or goes outside. He is back to himself and happy. I find him singing more, and being kinder to Avery. He is more respectful of others. I am happier too. I love having my kid back.
I'm all fired up to homeschool. Our path includes but limits the use of the computer and tv as teaching tools. I don't want my kids to be without computer skills but I want to limit their sedentary time to educational/family videos and the occasional splurge of an educational game. Ethan's on the computer maybe twice a week now, rather than every day when he'd wake up (which was when he was in pre-school). I'd come downstairs and find him playing a game that he'd saved and he had to get off because I don't think being on the computer first thing in the morning is always ideal because it's not healthy. (needless to say this morning is different for me, but I am doing my homework as a teacher). Since he settled back into his personality, he rarely is drawn to sitting at the computer. Instead he busies himself with books, legos, and his stuffed animals or goes outside. He is back to himself and happy. I find him singing more, and being kinder to Avery. He is more respectful of others. I am happier too. I love having my kid back.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Home School Agenda August 19-25th
Tuesday and Thursday
-Songs connecting us to our bodies- If You're Happy, Hokey Pokey, and several Laurie Berkner songs, incorporate Laurie Berkner DVD
-Body movement and expression through movement, telling a story with our bodies- will use a few books to help (ones on gardening/farming, space adventures and so forth)
-Fingerpaints and self-portraits, exploring textures and colors- connect to emotions
-Anatomy- working on understanding the many layers of human flesh and bones and organs
-Drawing our bodies on a long sheet of paper and filling in the bones and organs from memory or visual aids
-Eye Witness video on human body
Thursday or Friday-
-Bluegrass festival in Pine River 1-2 hours
-Songs connecting us to our bodies- If You're Happy, Hokey Pokey, and several Laurie Berkner songs, incorporate Laurie Berkner DVD
-Body movement and expression through movement, telling a story with our bodies- will use a few books to help (ones on gardening/farming, space adventures and so forth)
-Fingerpaints and self-portraits, exploring textures and colors- connect to emotions
-Anatomy- working on understanding the many layers of human flesh and bones and organs
-Drawing our bodies on a long sheet of paper and filling in the bones and organs from memory or visual aids
-Eye Witness video on human body
Thursday or Friday-
-Bluegrass festival in Pine River 1-2 hours
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Getting into the Flow
After a wonderful weekend in Duluth, we're back home and getting back into our flow. On Saturday while in Duluth we visited the GLA and took a ride on the pizza train. Grampa Nathan got a bunch of tickets for us, for which we are very thankful. It was a beautiful day.
Because of being gone for four days, today's schooling was low-key. I am tired and wanted to have fun with no stress. We started off today with movement, focusing on soccer skills and group movement. Ethan learned how to control a small ball with only his lower torso and improved his aiming skills by means of a small goal area (Nahni's saucer and the couch provided the goal). He worked on speed, aim, and overall control. He was quite pleased with his progress. Afterwards, Avery joined us in stretching- hands to toes, toes to nose, knees to nose and variations on such, singing variations on The Happy and you Know it song, and group movement focusing on direction and speed. We then sat down and read a simple book and finished out the morning with several pages in Ethan's three workbooks and Avery working on tracing skills.
This afternoon they played outside and are now resting. Tonight they will go to the lake house and play for a few hours while I work.
Next week is buckle down week, with Ryan and I actively defining what we want for our homeschooling goals and better understanding the Enki cirric. I am starting to use the guidelines and will modify as I desire. I trust my intuition when it comes to modifying what my kids need. I am still hopeful that we are going on a trip to S. Dakota for a 1.5 weeks in September but finances and Ryan's work will ultimately determine that. We also have our first homeschool co-op meeting tomorrow and will set up gathering times for the new few months. I am interested in getting more families aware of our existence and am looking into submitting a press release to local papers. This is to be discussed tomorrow. I'm also looking at getting a business card for networking. I like business cards.
Much of my initial homeschooling will be creating some sort of flow. I am not good at regular anything other than eating and sleeping. Each day is different and that's what I prefer. However, I feel the need to create more predictable form for the kids, as they might prefer that over my flow. But in the light of structure, less is ideal but some over none. Finding the balance. So, I am going to find the balance, of all flows, including the input from our new cirric. Always dancing.
Because of being gone for four days, today's schooling was low-key. I am tired and wanted to have fun with no stress. We started off today with movement, focusing on soccer skills and group movement. Ethan learned how to control a small ball with only his lower torso and improved his aiming skills by means of a small goal area (Nahni's saucer and the couch provided the goal). He worked on speed, aim, and overall control. He was quite pleased with his progress. Afterwards, Avery joined us in stretching- hands to toes, toes to nose, knees to nose and variations on such, singing variations on The Happy and you Know it song, and group movement focusing on direction and speed. We then sat down and read a simple book and finished out the morning with several pages in Ethan's three workbooks and Avery working on tracing skills.
This afternoon they played outside and are now resting. Tonight they will go to the lake house and play for a few hours while I work.
Next week is buckle down week, with Ryan and I actively defining what we want for our homeschooling goals and better understanding the Enki cirric. I am starting to use the guidelines and will modify as I desire. I trust my intuition when it comes to modifying what my kids need. I am still hopeful that we are going on a trip to S. Dakota for a 1.5 weeks in September but finances and Ryan's work will ultimately determine that. We also have our first homeschool co-op meeting tomorrow and will set up gathering times for the new few months. I am interested in getting more families aware of our existence and am looking into submitting a press release to local papers. This is to be discussed tomorrow. I'm also looking at getting a business card for networking. I like business cards.
Much of my initial homeschooling will be creating some sort of flow. I am not good at regular anything other than eating and sleeping. Each day is different and that's what I prefer. However, I feel the need to create more predictable form for the kids, as they might prefer that over my flow. But in the light of structure, less is ideal but some over none. Finding the balance. So, I am going to find the balance, of all flows, including the input from our new cirric. Always dancing.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Our Week
Tuesday was mostly a play day. We had company for most of the morning and spent the afternoon playing and settling back into our groove. We played a few board games and weeded our garden.
Wednesday Ethan made it to his Wonderful Wednesday and cut out yellow star shapes and pasted them on black paper. We spent the mid-day at the HDT campus working on our spiritual growth through the open heart drumming circle that I host twice monthly. Our focus was to grow our own energy as well as the energy of the campus. It was another open day, of play and being outdoors and celebrating the summer warmth and beauty.
And today- we had a good day of homeschooling. We started the day off with morning movement guided by the book "Snail's Journey Through the Jungle" by Emma Less. It's a story about a snail who goes on a grand adventure through the jungle and on the way meets all kind of animals and has fun challenges. We were able to act out everything. Following morning movement, we worked on our numbers and dexterity skills by creating a long line using the alphabet blocks and measuring it when it was done. It measured 99 inches long. Ethan then learned how to jump and record the distance using the block line as his starting point and placing a block down where his feet landed and measuring the distance between the two. His first jump was 2 ft. 8 inches, the second 3 ft. and the third 4 ft. 2 inches. Following this he made shapes using the blocks and made a square 20 blocks wide by 20 blocks high. He then sat in the center and so did Avery. They played more outside before lunchtime.
In the afternoon we went to Brainerd and selected a new bike and gear for Ethan and Avery. Ethan got a new big boy bike and a helmet and protective pads and a horn, and Avery got a helmet, pads, and a horn as well. Our goal was that this evening Ethan would go over to the lake house to learn how to ride without training wheels. When I got home from teaching yoga I found Ethan managing to ride in a successful line without falling over. He is on his way.
We'll be visiting Lake Superior this weekend and gathering stones to make a rock garden at home. We will also be making our stepping stones. We were going to do that this morning but got involved with going to Brainerd. Lots to do! So much fun!
Wednesday Ethan made it to his Wonderful Wednesday and cut out yellow star shapes and pasted them on black paper. We spent the mid-day at the HDT campus working on our spiritual growth through the open heart drumming circle that I host twice monthly. Our focus was to grow our own energy as well as the energy of the campus. It was another open day, of play and being outdoors and celebrating the summer warmth and beauty.
And today- we had a good day of homeschooling. We started the day off with morning movement guided by the book "Snail's Journey Through the Jungle" by Emma Less. It's a story about a snail who goes on a grand adventure through the jungle and on the way meets all kind of animals and has fun challenges. We were able to act out everything. Following morning movement, we worked on our numbers and dexterity skills by creating a long line using the alphabet blocks and measuring it when it was done. It measured 99 inches long. Ethan then learned how to jump and record the distance using the block line as his starting point and placing a block down where his feet landed and measuring the distance between the two. His first jump was 2 ft. 8 inches, the second 3 ft. and the third 4 ft. 2 inches. Following this he made shapes using the blocks and made a square 20 blocks wide by 20 blocks high. He then sat in the center and so did Avery. They played more outside before lunchtime.
In the afternoon we went to Brainerd and selected a new bike and gear for Ethan and Avery. Ethan got a new big boy bike and a helmet and protective pads and a horn, and Avery got a helmet, pads, and a horn as well. Our goal was that this evening Ethan would go over to the lake house to learn how to ride without training wheels. When I got home from teaching yoga I found Ethan managing to ride in a successful line without falling over. He is on his way.
We'll be visiting Lake Superior this weekend and gathering stones to make a rock garden at home. We will also be making our stepping stones. We were going to do that this morning but got involved with going to Brainerd. Lots to do! So much fun!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
In Our Town
Our focus this week is what happens in our town.
On Tuesday-
Ethan- He made a layout of a town, mostly ours, out of building blocks. We discussed what goes on in our town- stores, houses, school, HUG, and who does what in our town. We spent a lot of time outside playing as well.
Avery- She joined in with Ethan constructing a town out of blocks and played hard outside.
Today- Thursday
We are featuring one aspect of what happens in our town- the Post Office.
We are writing letters to various friends and family members and will address and send them off this afternoon or tomorrow. I made a bunch of simple letters for the Post Office experience. I wrote Dad, Mom, Avery, Ethan, or Nahni on the front of each letter. To help Ethan and Avery better understand what happens to the mail, I created a simulation of post office and postal workers. Ethan had to pick up the mail in the morning, sort it at the post office, and deliver it to the appropriate houses. He enjoyed it so much he did it twice. We talked about what happens at the post office, and how letters are sorted, because letters need to go far away sometimes and how that happens.
We did a few pages in our workbooks- matching sounds and other objects, number sequences, played outside and for quiet time we're watching an Eyewitness video on insects.
Tomorrow we'll play store.
On Tuesday-
Ethan- He made a layout of a town, mostly ours, out of building blocks. We discussed what goes on in our town- stores, houses, school, HUG, and who does what in our town. We spent a lot of time outside playing as well.
Avery- She joined in with Ethan constructing a town out of blocks and played hard outside.
Today- Thursday
We are featuring one aspect of what happens in our town- the Post Office.
We are writing letters to various friends and family members and will address and send them off this afternoon or tomorrow. I made a bunch of simple letters for the Post Office experience. I wrote Dad, Mom, Avery, Ethan, or Nahni on the front of each letter. To help Ethan and Avery better understand what happens to the mail, I created a simulation of post office and postal workers. Ethan had to pick up the mail in the morning, sort it at the post office, and deliver it to the appropriate houses. He enjoyed it so much he did it twice. We talked about what happens at the post office, and how letters are sorted, because letters need to go far away sometimes and how that happens.
We did a few pages in our workbooks- matching sounds and other objects, number sequences, played outside and for quiet time we're watching an Eyewitness video on insects.
Tomorrow we'll play store.
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