The kiddos were gone all last week at their grandparents (Scott's parents) in Missouri. What a wonderful break that was! But man! It sure was quiet around here...
The kids came home yesterday (Sunday). While they were gone, both Jack and Claire celebrated birthdays. Jack turned 6 (!!!) and Claire (my baby), turned 4. Their parties will be this weekend at McDonald's and Chuck E. Cheese, respectively (yikes).
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Eager Beavers
We've already started. Homeschooling that is. We've already started, and it's summer break!
"Isn't that child abuse?", you ask. Why no. No it isn't. Not when your kids are begging to start homeschooling. And no, we haven't drugged our children.
The boys had been begging me to start homeschooling since school let out. So I obliged them, of course! We have only begun math. And for the most part, it's VERY easy and mostly review so far. In addition to satisfying the kids' desire to learn, I also wanted to get my feet in the water and test things out with just one subject. As the weeks go by, we'll probably add in a subject or two and see how the adjustment goes.
I'm learning that a lot of Texas homeschoolers (none that I know personally, however) do school in the summer because it is SO STINKIN' HOT outside. There's not much else to do (my kids aren't strong swimmers and don't love the pool), so why not get some school done and take a break in the fall and spring when it's so nice outside?
It's so not what we're used to (public schools don't do it that way), that it's taking my brain a long time to get that it's OK to do things differently than what we're used to. After all, homeschooling isn't necessarily supposed to be public school at home. With homeschooling, and especially in the great state of Texas, you have the flexibility to do things the way you want to do them (and what best fits for your family), not the way a government tells you to do it.
"Isn't that child abuse?", you ask. Why no. No it isn't. Not when your kids are begging to start homeschooling. And no, we haven't drugged our children.
The boys had been begging me to start homeschooling since school let out. So I obliged them, of course! We have only begun math. And for the most part, it's VERY easy and mostly review so far. In addition to satisfying the kids' desire to learn, I also wanted to get my feet in the water and test things out with just one subject. As the weeks go by, we'll probably add in a subject or two and see how the adjustment goes.
I'm learning that a lot of Texas homeschoolers (none that I know personally, however) do school in the summer because it is SO STINKIN' HOT outside. There's not much else to do (my kids aren't strong swimmers and don't love the pool), so why not get some school done and take a break in the fall and spring when it's so nice outside?
It's so not what we're used to (public schools don't do it that way), that it's taking my brain a long time to get that it's OK to do things differently than what we're used to. After all, homeschooling isn't necessarily supposed to be public school at home. With homeschooling, and especially in the great state of Texas, you have the flexibility to do things the way you want to do them (and what best fits for your family), not the way a government tells you to do it.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Classical Conversations
Classical Conversations is the co-op that the boys and I will be involved with in the fall. It's an intense manifestation of the classical method, and we'll be learning a lot this year! The history we will be studying is American history. Science is anatomy with a little bit of chemistry thrown in. Geography will be American geography. And of course we'll be learning some basic latin. Latin? A dead language for live kids? Yep. It'll make moving on to Spanish and other languages later a lot easier. Plus, learning latin will help the kids decipher what new words mean (about half of english words find their roots in latin). And, the biggest reason to learn latin is that it helps show kids how to learn. It's a very systematic language, and you study this language in a very orderly fashion.
I'm excited to be learning right along with the kids. I love to learn! I'm sure this blog will see it's share of brags this year. I'll try to temper my urge to do just that! :)
I'm excited to be learning right along with the kids. I love to learn! I'm sure this blog will see it's share of brags this year. I'll try to temper my urge to do just that! :)
Monday, June 13, 2011
Random pics of the kids
Here are some random images of the kids taken by my phone.
The boys playing chess...
Claire with her new Dora doll....
Cade at the local library....
Claire at the same library ...
Jack at the same spot at the library...
The boys acting silly when they should have been trying to go to sleep....
Cade and his 2nd grade teacher Ms King (and Jack, who snuck into the pic)...
Cade being goofy....
The boys playing chess...
Claire with her new Dora doll....
Cade at the local library....
Claire at the same library ...
Jack at the same spot at the library...
The boys acting silly when they should have been trying to go to sleep....
Cade and his 2nd grade teacher Ms King (and Jack, who snuck into the pic)...
Cade being goofy....
Friday, June 10, 2011
Classical Education
The method or style that we're going to use to homeschool our kids is the classical method. The classical method adheres to the trivium, which is an educational theory suggesting that kids grow and learn in three distinct phases. There's the grammar stage, the logic stage, and the rhetoric stage.
The grammar stage is approximately 1st - 6th grade. At this stage, young minds are excellent sponges and they tend to soak up facts like they're going out of business. So a lot of memory work (not necessarily with context yet) happens at this stage; they may memorize the US presidents, a history timeline, the 3 types of blah blah blah in science, etc. During the grammar stage, young minds typically aren't developed enough to creatively write, reason, and express themselves.
The next stage, the logic stage, is in the junior high years. This is where more of the context gets filled in on what the student learned in the grammar stage. The cause and effect of situations is studied (what caused WWI, for example) and the student's ability to reason is grown.
The last stage, the rhetoric stage, is the high school years where the students learns to persuasively express the opinions, reasoning, and logic that they developed in the logic stage.
The classical model is also great because it teaches students how to learn. First you learn the "grammar" of a subject. Then you study the "why" of the subject. Then you can express your findings through substantive expression.
There are many resources for learning more about the classical model of eductation. The following books have given us a solid foundation in the classical method:
You can also look on the Well-Trained Mind website for more information on the classical model.
There are many other homeschool styles out there: traditional, ecclectic, unschooling, unit studies, Charlotte Mason... But we chose the classical method because A) it is a rigorous method of studying B) it teaches the kids how to learn C) it will hopefully instill in the kids a love for learning.
The grammar stage is approximately 1st - 6th grade. At this stage, young minds are excellent sponges and they tend to soak up facts like they're going out of business. So a lot of memory work (not necessarily with context yet) happens at this stage; they may memorize the US presidents, a history timeline, the 3 types of blah blah blah in science, etc. During the grammar stage, young minds typically aren't developed enough to creatively write, reason, and express themselves.
The next stage, the logic stage, is in the junior high years. This is where more of the context gets filled in on what the student learned in the grammar stage. The cause and effect of situations is studied (what caused WWI, for example) and the student's ability to reason is grown.
The last stage, the rhetoric stage, is the high school years where the students learns to persuasively express the opinions, reasoning, and logic that they developed in the logic stage.
The classical model is also great because it teaches students how to learn. First you learn the "grammar" of a subject. Then you study the "why" of the subject. Then you can express your findings through substantive expression.
There are many resources for learning more about the classical model of eductation. The following books have given us a solid foundation in the classical method:
You can also look on the Well-Trained Mind website for more information on the classical model.
There are many other homeschool styles out there: traditional, ecclectic, unschooling, unit studies, Charlotte Mason... But we chose the classical method because A) it is a rigorous method of studying B) it teaches the kids how to learn C) it will hopefully instill in the kids a love for learning.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Free (well, almost) Activity for Kids This Summer
Once summer really heats up, it's difficult to make the kids go outside and play. It's just too dang hot! A friend of mine tipped me off to Kids Bowl Free. And it's almost free. You have to pay for the shoe rental if your kids, like mine, don't have their own bowling shoes.
We will most definitely be doing this several times this summer. Check it out for a bowling alley near you!
We will most definitely be doing this several times this summer. Check it out for a bowling alley near you!
Monday, June 06, 2011
Preacher Man
Much earlier than expected, Scott will get his preaching debut this Sunday, June 12. He is beyond excited and nervous. The fact that the elders trust him to share the pulpit already speaks volumes of how they feel about Scott. I'm both excited and nervous for Scott as well. I'm not sure how I won't be able to keep from pacing in the back of the church the whole time he's up there!
Scott's sermon will be on Joshua. We are currently in an "Ordinary Heroes" series at church, examining different ordinary heroes throughout the Bible. And Scott's lot fell on Joshua. A good guy to start out with! Scott's main point will not be Joshua, though. His focus will be on the God that Joshua has faith in. I can't wait to hear it next Sunday!
Scott's sermon will be on Joshua. We are currently in an "Ordinary Heroes" series at church, examining different ordinary heroes throughout the Bible. And Scott's lot fell on Joshua. A good guy to start out with! Scott's main point will not be Joshua, though. His focus will be on the God that Joshua has faith in. I can't wait to hear it next Sunday!
Saturday, June 04, 2011
THE Homeschooling Post
How in the world did we ever get into homeschooling. How in the world???!!!??? Let me tell you.
But first, a little backstory.
When our oldest was about 3 years old, Scott started looking ahead to Cade's education. We knew the 2 years prior to Cade entering kindergarten would fly by pretty fast (and they did). Scott read a lot of books and determined that homeschooling was his #1 choice followed by private school at #2 and public school at choice #3. He came to me with his findings, and I pretty much laughed in his face. Me? Homeschool? Ha!
I have not been very content being a stay-at-home mom since Cade was born. I'm not a "little kid" person, so these years of having numerous small people in the house has been difficult. Not that I don't LOVE my kids. I do! But this little stage just wears on me like nails on a chalkboard. The idea of extending this time with the kids into homeschooling, especially at the time when I had two kids 3 and under, was a big no. Homeschooling was great for other people (how on earth did they do it?), but it wasn't for me.
Fast forward a couple of years, and Cade entered kindergarten in public school. We couldn't afford private school (at least not for 3 kids), so public school was the only option left. Scott and I are both products of the public education system; and we turned out OK (keep your comments to yourself!). And Cade had a great time at school. And we were fairly pleased with his teacher and the school; we didn't have any major complaints.
Fast forward another couple of years when it's Jack's turn to enter kindergarten (this was around May 2010). By all measures, it did not appear that Jack was ready for kindergarten. One of the major obstacles we saw was that Jack still wasn't potty trained. At the age of almost 5. He was in diapers. And would freak out on us if we tried to put him in underwear or on the potty. I started looking around at private kindergartens. But none of them would accept him because of the potty training issue. We didn't want to try public school just yet: what if the kids that he was going to grow up with start making fun of him? What if they remember in junior high that he was the kid who went in his pants in kindergarten? We thought it would just be a colossal mistake to subject Jack to that ridicule.
Public school was out. Private school was out. Our only viable option? Homeschool him.
At first this didn't sit too well with me. But by golly, if this is what my kid needed, then I was going to do this for him. I started devouring books on homeschooling. And a funny thing happened: the more I read, the more excited I got about homeschooling. Sure, I was still nervous as all get out (can I really do this? what if I don't end up teaching him anything? what if he's behind his 1st grade peers the following year?). But I had to trudge ahead.
I homeschooled Jack for 6 weeks before we made the gut-wrenching decision to put him in public school (that's a long story -- a story for another post some day). And he did GREAT. We saw Jack mature a lot those first few weeks. And he loved school. His teacher was the quintessential kindergarten teacher: smiley, loving, sweet, nurturing, etc. God could not have orchestrated that any better.
Fast forward to March of this year. I'm not sure what got me thinking about it, but I started to be haunted by the idea of homeschooling. I had really enjoyed my time with Jack (even if it was only 6 weeks). And I recalled all the stuff I had read in the homeschooling books. I became convinced that homeschooling was the best educational option for our kids. Once I realized that, there was no turning back.
And the fact that none of this makes sense (I am the mom who skipped out of the school after dropping her first born off at kindergarten; no tears, just whistling and whooping) leads me to believe that God is behind all of this. And if He has called us to do this, then He will surely equip me to be successful.
So WHY are we homeschooling? What makes it a better education option for our kids?
But first, a little backstory.
When our oldest was about 3 years old, Scott started looking ahead to Cade's education. We knew the 2 years prior to Cade entering kindergarten would fly by pretty fast (and they did). Scott read a lot of books and determined that homeschooling was his #1 choice followed by private school at #2 and public school at choice #3. He came to me with his findings, and I pretty much laughed in his face. Me? Homeschool? Ha!
I have not been very content being a stay-at-home mom since Cade was born. I'm not a "little kid" person, so these years of having numerous small people in the house has been difficult. Not that I don't LOVE my kids. I do! But this little stage just wears on me like nails on a chalkboard. The idea of extending this time with the kids into homeschooling, especially at the time when I had two kids 3 and under, was a big no. Homeschooling was great for other people (how on earth did they do it?), but it wasn't for me.
Fast forward a couple of years, and Cade entered kindergarten in public school. We couldn't afford private school (at least not for 3 kids), so public school was the only option left. Scott and I are both products of the public education system; and we turned out OK (keep your comments to yourself!). And Cade had a great time at school. And we were fairly pleased with his teacher and the school; we didn't have any major complaints.
Fast forward another couple of years when it's Jack's turn to enter kindergarten (this was around May 2010). By all measures, it did not appear that Jack was ready for kindergarten. One of the major obstacles we saw was that Jack still wasn't potty trained. At the age of almost 5. He was in diapers. And would freak out on us if we tried to put him in underwear or on the potty. I started looking around at private kindergartens. But none of them would accept him because of the potty training issue. We didn't want to try public school just yet: what if the kids that he was going to grow up with start making fun of him? What if they remember in junior high that he was the kid who went in his pants in kindergarten? We thought it would just be a colossal mistake to subject Jack to that ridicule.
Public school was out. Private school was out. Our only viable option? Homeschool him.
At first this didn't sit too well with me. But by golly, if this is what my kid needed, then I was going to do this for him. I started devouring books on homeschooling. And a funny thing happened: the more I read, the more excited I got about homeschooling. Sure, I was still nervous as all get out (can I really do this? what if I don't end up teaching him anything? what if he's behind his 1st grade peers the following year?). But I had to trudge ahead.
I homeschooled Jack for 6 weeks before we made the gut-wrenching decision to put him in public school (that's a long story -- a story for another post some day). And he did GREAT. We saw Jack mature a lot those first few weeks. And he loved school. His teacher was the quintessential kindergarten teacher: smiley, loving, sweet, nurturing, etc. God could not have orchestrated that any better.
Fast forward to March of this year. I'm not sure what got me thinking about it, but I started to be haunted by the idea of homeschooling. I had really enjoyed my time with Jack (even if it was only 6 weeks). And I recalled all the stuff I had read in the homeschooling books. I became convinced that homeschooling was the best educational option for our kids. Once I realized that, there was no turning back.
And the fact that none of this makes sense (I am the mom who skipped out of the school after dropping her first born off at kindergarten; no tears, just whistling and whooping) leads me to believe that God is behind all of this. And if He has called us to do this, then He will surely equip me to be successful.
So WHY are we homeschooling? What makes it a better education option for our kids?
- we can beat the public school's student-teacher ratio in a huge way
- we can go as fast or as slow as we need to with each kid according to their abilities
- we can use curriculum that is not meant to be a one-size-fits-all education. we can use curriculum that meshes with the kids' learning styles
- we (scott & i) will be involved in what they are learning; no more guessing at how the teacher teaches something when it comes to helping out with homework.
- we can teach our kids our values; the public system tries to teach moral virtues. but without a Who or why (God and the Bible) behind the system, the teaching falls short and shallow.
- we love our kids more than their public school teachers do.
- we don't want to outsource the educating of our kids to strangers
More Baseball
I know a lot of the recent posts have revolved around Jack. Jack Jack Jack. Well, here's another one. Sorry! He's had a lot going on recently!
We just received his baseball pictures for this current season. So precious!
We just received his baseball pictures for this current season. So precious!
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