Learn at Every Turn - Creative, Enriched Homeschooling

Susan Engel has written a thought-provoking op-ed piece for the New York Times on how we should reform our current educational approach and curriculum. She has given me food for thought in terms of my homeschooling approach. Suffice it to say, I may think twice before I demand Kipp drop his endless building to recite the months of the year or the continents. He's probably learning something far more valuable.

Playing to Learn

For the longest time, I've been concerned about Kipp's reading. I am not referring to his ability to read, but rather his interest in reading. I cannot keep Landry supplied in books. Indeed, I can't even keep his shelf on the blog up to date because he finishes book too quickly. Kipp, by comparison, shows no interest in reading independently. I know he can read above grade level, but simply doesn't want to read more than he must for school.

I have been wondering if Kipp's disinclination results from his need to be different than Landry. It seems healthy to me that Kipp and Landry have different interests, and I'm happy to encourage that. However, I think Kipp is shooting himself in the foot if he chooses not to read simply to be different from his brother. Indeed, I can't think of too much that would make me feel as though I had failed as a homeschooler, but raising a child who didn't love books on some subject would do it. (Mind you, it might still happen despite my best efforts, but it will really trouble me.)

I've been watching for any possible way to ignite a fire for reading in Kipp, and I finally found one today. It happens that Kipp needs two books of his next literature unit in MBtP that use the graphic novel format. I got them from the library today and left them laying on the sofa. The next thing I notice, Kipp is happily curled in a pile of pillows, reading these books. At one point, he claimed one of the characters made a particular statement. I said I doubted it and asked him to show me the text. Without a pause, he showed me the statement he had quoted.

Suffice it to say, I spent some time on my library's webpage, searching for graphic novels that I thought might interest him. I explained to Kipp that these books will be his alone, and Landry may not read them unless Kipp says he may. Kipp is very excited.

So is his mother!

I was looking forward to posting tonight. Last week, we had our first "hands-on" day. It wasn't a Friday, but a Wednesday because the storm knocked our power out for a couple of hours. Still, I was excited to post pictures of the results.

Then, I realized that my camera is in my car, which is down a long, dark flight of stairs. Did I mention how cold it is? Yes, I am a wus.

So, I will content myself with descriptions and web links for tonight.

After much anticipation, Kipp and I finally completed the Edge Robotic Arm kit!!

(waiting for virtual applause to die down)

Now, I must admit that it wasn't really that difficult to build. Half the time, Kipp figured it out without the directions and really only needed me to tighten some of the screws. However, because we left the project out so long, we lost some loose screws. It took a bit to get them ordered and for them to arrive. By then, we were on to other projects. Last week, however, we finished it! There is a small glitch with one motor, but it works well otherwise. I would recommend the kit to others, but if you do purchase it, I would immediately count all of the screws and contain them carefully.

We also completed the Journey to the Earth's Core jigsaw puzzle, and it was really fun. It's amazing how many details the boys noticed in the layers of the Earth because they were absorbed in fitting the pieces together. As an added bonus, it also glows in the dark.

So, that was it for our first "hands-on" day. Since I can't dazzle you with gorgeous color photos, I'll tell you about a few more happenings here.

We belong to a group of parents and children who like to build things. We've just started on a series of electricity experiments. The group kicked off that series with a tour of the Folsom Powerhouse, where the children saw the hydroelectric turbines. This past week, the boys made electromagnets. It's great to see so many parents interested in getting in a building with their children.

Of course, we can't shortchange the arts. To balance our activities, we took the boys to listen to an abbreviated performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Shereherazade performed by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra this past Sunday. It was a wonderful performance well designed for children. Shereherazade herself spoke between each of the four movements about the story and explained the concept of themes representing characters. The conductor, dressed as the Sultan, introduced different parts of the symphony between in movement as well.

I was surprised at my boys' reaction. Well, Galen wandered among our seats, heartily enjoyed applauding, and announced loudly when the lights were turned out. That was expected. Kipp and Landry, however, listened and enjoyed the performance. So, my artsy genes are not completely lost in all those dominant science and engineering genes after all!

As we complete our second week of this semester, I remain pleased with the results of  our decision to be more discerning about our excursions to permit more consistency in our days. The boys are thriving. Tempers flare in frustration less and less often, and, if they do, the storm passes more quickly. Furthermore, the boys both are more focused and moving through their studies with ease.

These results led me to some new thoughts. First, consistent effort deserves some reward. Second, I do not want to gain consistency by sacrificing fun or creativity. Last semester, outings and activities left just enough time to get through our texts. Little time was left for projects or fun activities at home, and I think the boys did not benefit from that.

An idea occurred to me this afternoon. Starting next Friday, we are going to reserve the last day of each week for hands-on activities unrelated to the texts. Scientific experiments, building projects, art activities, educational computer and board games, documentaries and audio books are just some ideas. Furthermore, Kipp and Landry will choose what we pursue to encourage them to follow their interests.

Is it Friday yet?  

Recently, I decided to start a new venture. I blog seriously about homeschooling here on Learn. My goal is to record what we are doing in the hopes of helping others who might be in a similar place.

However, there are times I just want to let my hair down and write about what's frustrating me or what the boys did to make me laugh. Sometime, it might be nice to compare notes with other homeschool moms.

I've decided that I need the homeschool equivalent of the teacher's break room, where my own teachers used to go to hide and commiserate between classes at my elementary school.

For this reason, I've created the Homeschool Break Room group at Blogher.com. So, please feel free to join me there. I'll be the one with my feet propped up on a chair and a large mug of hot coffee in my hands.

Landry has mastered the art of persuasive reasoning, and he and Kipp both tell amazing stories and compose poetry. Still, both boys really fight putting their thoughts on paper. As a result, I seek ways to foster their writing abilities in a way that does not make them grow to hate writing.

For that reason, I was interested to discover In Our Write Minds. This blog is written by a former homeschooling mother who helped her "own writing-phobic" son learn to love writing. She now runs a business called WriteShop and blogs about helping parents teach their children writing at home.

Having looked over some of her past posts, I think this may prove to be a very handy resource.

Okay, I mean the subject line half in jest, and I will explain that by the end.

I've started this post several times only to delete it and start again. Last semester was so busy with outside activities, I had little time for reflection. Now, having had a peaceful week after Christmas and having restarted teaching  with a less hectic schedule, I think I see our homeschooling with much clearer vision.

My conclusions? Some changes we made this year have been worthwhile. Other aspects need to change. Some of those changes will occur immediately, while others will probably have to wait till next year to be fully accomplished.

I'll start with a review of our texts and materials and conclude with a review of our activities.

Singapore Math: I have no regrets about choosing this text. It appears to be an excellent fit for both boys. They are being challenged reasonably without mind-numbing repetition. I can see where Singapore is smoothing the transition into more advanced mathematics. Honestly, I can say enough good things about this text.

Moving Beyond the Page: I have mixed feelings about MBtP. I realize that no curriculum will be a perfect fit. I like how MBtP makes cross-curricular connections. Many of the activities are clever and fun. Still, several issues trouble me.

First, MBtP is advertised as a boxed curriculum for gifted learners. However, gifted learners are often asynchronous, and I doubt any boxed curriculum can adequately address that issue. In our case, I've come to realize that, while the boys tend to work a year ahead of grade level in most subjects, they are significantly further ahead in science. The science portion of MBtP does not begin to challenge them and, frankly, was a waste of money. Since we are paying little attention to it, the boys are not getting the full benefit of the literature tie-ins as a further result. While I will continue to thumb through the science units, I am going to create our own science curriculum to keep the boys adequately challenged. This will consist of hands-on projects at home and science museum field trips.

I have less difficulties with MBtP's literature and social studies units. Here, I would only say that, although the boys occasionally have grammar activities, I think they need a more systematic and organized approach. Similarly, I believe they also need a spelling book which provides rules, rather than what appears to be a random list of words from their reading. Furthermore, I wish the boys were receiving more in terms of world history. However, by the time we work through the social studies activities, the boys have little patience or attention for more.

Finally, I wish the boys were receiving a better education in art. While MBtP definitely gives the boys many creative opportunities, it offers little in terms of technique or history. I have a lead on a better art program. However, I will probably not be able to implement it until next year.

To conclude, I suspect we will not return to MBtP next year or at least not the entire curriculum. In the meantime, I will be making what we have work for us by editing as the need arises.

Rosetta Stone: I am pleased with this aspect of our curriculum. Landry comprehends fairly complex sentences, and Kipp, who just started this year, seems to be following suit. However, because this isn't state-mandated, I tend to give this lower priority when I feel we don't have enough time. I would like to remedy that since they appear to be learning from this program.

Lord of the Rings: Giving credit where credit is due, MBtP suggests reading aloud to your children for one-half hour each day. For that reason, we started reading Lord of the Rings aloud, and I think this is one of the nicer parts of our curriculum. Even after the most trying day of homeschooling, it's nice to end the day on a good note with a few pages of LotR.

Faith First: I describe our homeschooling as secular because our religious beliefs do not influence how I teach subjects like science. That said, I do teach our children catechism. We use the Faith First series, which I like very much because it emphasizes love of God and neighbor and good works over arcane doctrinal principals. Again, however, it does get pushed aside more than I would like, if we are pressed for time, and I would like to change that.

Outside Lessons: Our school will continue to pay for martial arts and piano for part of this semester, and we will continue with these. This is yet another area that would benefit from a more consistent practice routine.

The issue of consistency leads me to the last part of my review. I'm not quite sure how our last semester evolved into what it did. We are fortunate to live in an area that affords us many opportunities for interesting field trips, classes, and outings. Looking back, I cannot say that I regret any one activity. Each event, however, came at a cost in terms of consistency of our study routine, our energy, and family time.

I noticed the cumulative effect, especially in the quiet days after Christmas. It felt good to be home. We seemed less stressful because we weren't always running out the door. And, although we have only been back to the homeschooling routine for a few days, all three boys manifest a different attitude toward their studies when they have several, uninterrupted days to accomplish their tasks and a predictable rhythm structures those days.

Does this mean that we are going to become hermits? No. I would not want that, even if it were possible. However, we will choose our activities and outings with a careful eye to the cost involved this semester. In particular, I will seek activities that will help to remedy what I see as some of the shortcomings in our current curriculum.

So, that is why I half-jokingly entitled this post. The home school stereotype that these children are not socialized because they rarely leave home is far from accurate, at least in our house. On the contrary, we need a little less social interaction for the time being.

Of course, it's all a matter of balance. Then again, isn't it always?

As you can see from the sidebar, our projects list is sorely lacking at the moment. I cut back because we were involved in many outside activities last semester, but the pendulum is swinging yet again. The time is right to cut back on outside activities and look for more projects at home.

One possible project may involve Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief. Landry loves this book, and I just found an interesting post at Suite101.com that gives some great leads for going further with it.

As I write this, however, I'm already starting to wonder how this will fit in terms of time with our boxed curriculum. I know the answer, though. It's not whether we complete the boxed curriculum. It's whether my sons are learning deeply and enjoying it.

Click here to receive a free Earth/Mars poster from NASA.

I intend to get back to posting my own thoughts pretty soon. In the meantime, however, I don't want to miss these interesting links.

Today, the New York Times published an article on the increased demand in business and government to thwart computer attacks. As a result, colleges and universities are increasingly creating programs to meet this need.

I am hard pressed to find a field where analytical thinking and thinking "outside the box" would be so necessary.

I'm passing this along in the hopes it may be of interest to some. The grand prize is a $5,000 savings (and the satisfaction of creating something new with rubber bands).

If interested, please click here.

I found this post at NCR Today, and I would highly recommend reading it. While it does not address homeschooling, it speaks deeply to what I want for my children as I home school them. Beyond that, I think it provides an excellent reminder for what our existence can be if we seek it.

With those thoughts in mind, I wish all a peaceful and joyous New Year!

After a fairly busy semester, things are slowing down as we approach the holidays. For that reason, I'm finding less about which to post. Thankfully, however, learning opportunities do not completely respect my vacation schedule or frame of mind.

Recently, in another part of my life, I became a reviewer for the Sacramento and San Francisco Book Reviews. Four of the books I am reviewing this month are children's books. Considering that I live with several members of the target audience, I thought it might be interesting to give not only a parent and teacher's perspective, but also a child's point of view. So, for the past several nights, I have been reading and discussing books with my boys as research for my review, asking their thoughts on the plot and illustrations, what they thought the author was trying to convey, etc.

I realize that we have similar discussions routinely about their assigned literature. However, either the knowledge that I am writing a review for others to read or that they are not expected to analyze these stories for an assignment changes the boys' attitude toward literature. I am not pulling teeth. Rather, they seem to enjoy putting their thoughts into words. Surprisingly, some of their opinions have been very different than my own.

I chose to become a reviewer to sharpen my critical analysis of certain genres as a way of improving my own writing. Little did I know my decision would be the catalyst for some great discussions with my sons. 

You simply must go see these science cookies. It's Martha Stewart meets Einstein, Pasteur and Hawking.
 
Science cookies.

Okay, maybe the mice are a bit over the edge, but I might even have to debate that. I just love some people's creativity!!!

Maybe we need to skip the bells and angels this year. . . .

I just read a really interesting post over at the TeachPaperless blog. If you have an extra moment, I'd suggest perusing it as a reminder of the big picture. I would add that I am once again grateful that I am free to encourage my sons daily to analyze and reason, rather than feeling some necessity to "teach to the test."

Chalk this post up to not seeing the forest for the trees.

I have a love/hate relationship with computer games. On the one hand, computer games are Jerry's great passion, and I think it is wonderful that he can share that passion with his sons. On the other hand, I really hate walking into Jerry's office to see my family holed up with three heads glued to their monitors for hours while a fourth head bobs around, trying to figure out how he can get in on the action.

Today, I realized I don't need to battle the pull these games have over my family. I need to turn it to my advantage!

I do not like teaching information that is best memorized. I'm much better at using the Socratic method to pull big ideas out of the boys' heads or doing a hands-on project. Memorization requires a consistency that is not my strong suit, and to be honest, I think it's boring. That said, there comes a point when the spelling of some words can only be memorized, and math becomes much faster if the basic facts are learned by rote.

It started simply enough this morning. A while ago, Cybermama over at Adventures in Cyberschooling posted about her success with SpellingCity.com. SpellingCity allows you to input a list of spelling words, which it then uses to create games that teach those words. Armed with the list of spelling words provided by Moving Beyond the Page, I set Landry up with games for 15 words. He played for a while, then took a test on the website and passed with a perfect score. He loved it and was asking for more! Better yet, this site provides a printable report for the charter and handwriting worksheets that give Landry the opportunity to use his spelling words to practice cursive. And, the basic version is free!

Given the momentum of the moment, I remembered another game recently recommended to me for teaching the multiplication tables called Timez Attack. I downloaded the basic version for free and set Landry loose. Now, this game is set in what appears to be a dungeon and requires that you answer questions correctly to continue down your path. It has that same dark and dreary look of many of Jerry's games. And it was a complete success. Landry was hooked instantly, and Kipp asked for a copy on his computer.
 
While I have no problem with Kipp learning his multiplication tables, I got to wondering if I could find an addition game that would reinforce those math facts. Lo and behold, Jerry found a very cute little game called Addition Attack where Kipp has to shoot down the right answer for the given problem. And again, it's free.

Now, I'm searching for a game that will test the boys' knowledge of the placement of musical notes on the scale. So far, I'm not finding anything that will catch the boys' attention like Timez Attack.

Still, I just walked into Jerry's office to find three heads glued to their computer screens and a fourth watching each screen intently in turn. This time, however, only one was playing the usual role-playing game. And I walked out without silently cringing.

We are home from a short trip to Yosemite National Park. We had a wonderful time hiking and exploring. I suppose I could post about how we discussed geology and formation of the mountains from basalt, ecology and the park's habitat, geometry and how to measure the height of a tree using angles, history and the men who helped protect the park, and language arts or how the mountains are like a giant sleeping under a green blanket with fingers and toes of jutting rock. And it's true that we talked about each of those subjects on our adventures. But, let's face facts. We had fun, plain and simple.

Hard not to in these surroundings.

I knew we would go lightly over some of the upcoming science units. Today, I started skimming through magnetism with Landry. One suggested activity had Landry testing out which substances around the house are magnetic and which aren't. So, I asked him, "Tell me what is magnetic." My beloved eight year old proceeds to tell me that iron is magnetic, but only up to a certain degree of Celsius at which point it begins losing its magnetism. He then launches into a discussion of the properties of the core of earth and I'm not sure what else. That's when I sent him into Jerry to double check his understanding.

Suffice it to say, we'll be skipping the magnetism unit.

You just have to love this homeschooling life!

It's been some time since I've posted. All I can say is that I've been too busy living the life to write about it. Here's a recap of some of the highlights.

First, I think I've resolved my difficulties with Moving Beyond the Page. A more relaxed attitude toward the daily lesson plan lessens the tension and makes the work go better. Furthermore,  both Kipp and Landry finished a social studies unit and moved into  science units. As I posted at the beginning of the year (and apparently promptly forgot), I suspected that the science units would prove too simplistic for them. I was right, and they are burning through those in days rather than weeks.  Next year, I wont buy the science units from Moving Beyond the Page for Landry when they become a separate part of the curriculum. For now, however, I'm happy to work through them quickly while still enjoying the literature units that are tied to these science units.

As a result of the changes with Moving Beyond the Page, we've had the time to get back to our usual style of learning. Here are some examples.

With a local group that meets build projects, Landry and Kipp each designed a popsicle stick bridge, then tested it by seeing how many bricks each bridge would hold until it broke. Personally, although not one of our bridges, I had no idea that a popicle stick bridge could ever hold 13 bricks!

At the same time, Kipp has suddenly taken a renewed interest in our wild bird populations. For some time now, he has kept our feeder full and attempted to identify the different species who feed there from a stack of books we've moved to the window sill for him. Project Feederwatch just opened this past weekend, and I think he's really going to enjoy gathering data for Cornell this year.

We've also had the opportunity to go deeper with Moving Beyond the Page. For example, Kipp was studying sound and the human ear. Now, he explained the basic mechanics of how we hear before I could finish reading the lesson. However, Jerry just happened to hear a great podcast on Science Friday discussing the biochemistry involved in converting the sound waves into something the brain can understand. So, rather than missing an opportunity to take his understanding a bit further, Kipp curled up in my lap and we listened to the podcast together. It was amazing to hear what a six year old could comprehend from the discussion.

This past Sunday, we attended a robot rumble at our local state college. The boys got to control the battle robots and talk with the designers. I took copious notes and have a strange suspicion that a homemade battle bot looms in my future. In the meantime, we received some needed parts for our robotic arm, and Kipp and I are anxious to finish it soon. 

On a lighter note, a friend gave me a great recipe for pumpkin play dough with which we had great fun making and playing.

Nor will the fun stop any time soon. We have tickets for a local performance of Fiddler on the Roof this weekend. I am also purchasing tickets for the B Street Theatre's Family Series. If I can get tickets to each performance, we will see Pinocchio, a play about Harriet Tubman, and Beauty and the Beast. Over the next few months, the boys will be taking some science classes at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley and art classes at one of our local museums. By the end of the year, we will be going to Yosemite for a few days, and I'm already looking for books on Yosemite's geology, flora and fauna and any literature tie-in's I can find.

And yes, it is wonderful to be back to truly learning at every turn!

Up until two of the boys came down with a virus in the evening, we had a great Sunday.

About a week ago, I posted how we spent an afternoon conducting science experiments from a book I was reviewing. One experiment I didn't mention had to be postponed because it required two pair of polarized sunglasses. Somehow, we didn't have two polarized pairs in our sizable collection of glasses. Still, the experiment got Jerry talking to the boys about the properties of light.

During our weekly Costco run this past Sunday, Jerry spotted the optical department with its display of sunglasses. In the middle of shopping for milk and cat litter, Jerry stopped everything to show the boys how polarity works. Once again, Jerry proved that you just never know when a teaching moment may turn up.

After the shopping run, we met up with the group with whom Jerry and the boys have been building the trebuchet. Having completed the building earlier in the week, Sunday was the day for the great pumpkin toss.


As you can see, the day was perfectly beautiful. With some last minute adjustments, the trebuchet worked very well, flinging pumpkins over 220 feet. I think the children and adults were equally excited to chase pumpkins across the field in the fresh air for several hours.