Homeschooling

DD9 received an Ruby Red Acer Netbook for her birthday (h

After twenty years of teaching everything from pre-school to graduate school, of doing my 16-hour-a-day best to incorporate the latest educational trends, as well as a few of my own, I worked an addit

Hi Everybody,

This is a poem Josie wrote on our front steps in chalk today:

Barbecue on the grill
You're in the pool to chill
Fireworks crack the sky
I can't see them!
Why?
Because it's the Fourth of July!

*sniff* I'm so proud.

I just haven't wanted to write lately, I'm sorry. I feel cramped in the brain, cramped in the fingers, but not cramped where I should be cramped. I blame menopause. I'm in the "pause" part of it, if you know what I mean, and it makes me antsy. One gets used to a monthly rhythm, and when it breaks off, one starts eyeing the pg tests. One of which, in fact, I took, and no fears; I'm just having an extra-extra-extra long "pause."

Leaving cardiac rehab has thrown me for a loop. I no longer have that three-times-a-week external structure and I am notoriously, chronically bad at structuring my life myself. The first week after, I walked on the treadmill religiously. The second week, I was sporadic; I didn't feel well and I was just wanting to curl up in bed or in a chair and not do anything or go anywhere or move, really. Not because I physically felt bad, I just didn't wanna. But I have a treadmill, and we got a resistance band set and a set of hand weights. I'm outfitted but was having a hard time getting past some psychic inertia.

I haven't talked about it yet, but I've hired a professional organizer, someone who's good at working with chronically disorganized people with ADD/ADHD (all four of us) and who's worked with homeschoolers to boot. It's already helping, though it's tough sledding. I wrote her for help and she came up with the following solution:

Make my treadmill workout part of Josie's school time.

Josie brings whatever we're wanting to work on upstairs and sits on the edge of the bathtub while I walk. She reads aloud to me and we talk about what we're studying. At first it was Greek mythology; Jo is a fan of the Trojan War, as it happens. Today it was Egyptian and Sumerian history (from "Story of the World"). I'm able to help her with her pronunciation, of both weird proper nouns like Telemachus and Euphrates and more commonplace English words, and our discussions always end up ranging far afield of the topic, because it's me, and I can't help getting from A to B via Z and Josie takes after me, the poor thing. For instance, today's discussion of the Great Pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx led to the Napoleonic Wars, since his men blew the nose off of it in cannon practice.

We've both come to look forward to this time; she enjoys the attention, the workout goes quickly for me, we are guaranteed at least some formal school time, and Jo is there if I have a problem--even though I don't think I will have a problem. I know not to exercise when I don't feel well, and my heart troubles don't just turn up out of the blue. Just so no one thinks I'm putting a big burden on poor Josie, she doesn't know I'm reassured having her there.

Last week I managed maybe one day on the treadmill; this week I did Monday, Thursday and Friday, and I know I'll be on it tomorrow as well. I only missed Tuesday because we spent the afternoon in the ER after a heavy mirror fell off the wall onto Josie's foot (contusions only), and Wednesday I was just pooped. So, on the whole, it works!

Please put your hands together and give a big TNH welcome to our newest community member, Josephine. Why? Because she's my daughter, Josie (the user name was already taken)! She's been busy writing book reviews and is going to blog too. *sniff* I'm so proud.
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--The real world?:

So, when was the last time you were beaten up at work? Or a bunch of mom's at the park decide to assualt another mother so they can record it on their cell phones for later viewing entertainment?

Yet, this is the abuse that some insist that children need to experience as an integral part of childhood. I want strong, capably children, but is leaving them in bad company unprotected the way to achieve that end? I don't think so.

Me neither. But then I'm one of those oversheltering, smothering homeschoolers...

--On a happier note, Halloween printables!

Hey, if you want a shot at winning one of two copies of The Complete Organic Pregnancy be sure to enter by the end of today.

--And on that note, some news pregnant girls may wish to skip: Premature births responsible for many more infant deaths than previously thought.

Scientists now say a third of infant deaths are due to premature births — a much larger percentage than previously thought. ...The revised statistic may lead to greater efforts to counsel pregnant women about taking care of themselves and avoiding actions that can lead to preterm births — such as smoking and drug use.

It also may help organizations lobbying for more research into why some women who follow medical advice still have preterm babies. The March of Dimes is advocating to expand federal research into preterm labor and delivery and the care and treatment of premature infants.

--Doing animal studies? Check out The Macaulay Library and its huge collection of animal pictures, videos and sound--some in surround sound!
It's the world's largest collection, and it's free.

--Maybe it's time to bring back Saturday morning cartoons and ditch the rest of the week's TV? Weekday TV watching hurts schoolwork, according to a new study. Weekend TV watching doesn't seem to matter.

I've been thinking about this a lot. With the kids gone to the beach with Grandma and Grandpa, I've been working on curriculum/lesson plans/generally freaking out about schooling here by myself. My mom (Grandma at the beach) is actually freaking out long-distance through me, but still. I'm a mom. I'm concerned about my kids' education, even though they keep learning stuff apparently out of thin air.

Anhata and I are gonna keep doing "Monday circle" together come September, and she's getting a little worried about actually teaching the kids something rather than continuing with our usual Mondays, which quite frankly are a great excuse for the girls to play and for us to drink coffee and knit. (Feel free to break in any time here, Hata.)

So imagine my delight when I found a quiz! What kind of homeschooler am I! Maybe this will guide me. Welp, to no one's surprise:

What Type of Homeschooler Are You?

Melting clocks are not a problem in your reality. You are an unschooler. You will tolerate a textbook, but only as a last resort. Mud is your friend. You prefer hands-on everything. If your school had an anthem, it would be Dont Worry, Be Happy. Visit my blog: http://www.GuiltFreeHomeschooling.blogspot.com
Take this quiz!

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Join

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So. It's true. We're unschoolers.

Even so! Josie has a school fetish! There's really no other way of putting it. She comes up with school uniforms, school names. She assigns herself work and grades it, or rather, one of her Imaginary Town teachers does. (Imaginary Town is a whole nother blog post.)

And yet. Whenever I try to teach her in that style, she rebels. I mean, big time. As long as it's a game, and it's on her terms, it's fine. Which, frankly, makes her--yes--an unschooler.

My compromise: I'm putting together a web page for her, with a schedule she can follow in her own way. There's an "every day" section of things she needs to do every day:

• Check the calendar.
• Scan the newspaper.
• Do some handwork--needlework, knitting, etc.
• Practice music.

Then there's a section of reading, writing and 'rithmetic projects; she's to pick one of each every day and as she does them I'll swap out new ones.

And THEN, there's a bunch of "when you feel like it" projects in history, geography, language, art and science. As she completes those, I'll swap out new ones.

She hasn't seen it yet, so I don't know if she'll like it or not, but I'm optimistic.

Every Monday, Anhata and I and our kids get together for what I call a half-@ssed Waldorf kindergarten. The girls go outside, feed the chickens and get the wiggles out, then we come inside, have a fairy tale and circle, do a craft and have a snack. Then they go play for a little longer.