Let me start with a story.....
Once upon a time we adopted a 2 1/2 year old from a Russian orphanage. When we brought him home we kept him home for a few years to create a family bond and try to help him "catch up". Pre-K came around and we opted for an in-home special education program where the teacher came to our home once a week to work with him. At the end of the year she administered a test to see if he qualified for K special ed. I sat in the room while she prompted him to find the correct answers. He "passed" the test and did not qualify. In my mommy heart I knew he couldn't do the work - I lived with the child, I knew what he was capable of. I'd worked with him for 3 YEARS and he still didn't know his colors or shapes, let alone numbers or letters. I appealed the decision and was told since he passed he didn't qualify. I told them how the teacher had prompted him in his responses. They didn't believe or didn't care. We asked if our other son could attend kindergarten with his brother then (he had missed the deadline by 5 days but was ready for K). The answer was no. So the adopted son was going into a mainstream classroom where I knew he would fail. Alone.
My husband and I discussed our options and decided to keep him home for kindergarten to try to catch him up, again. And to give the other son the challenge he needed. By the end of the first year homeschooling we were pretty much sold on it. And they all lived happily ever after. Most of the time.
So, here's why we homeschool.
1. It allows us to tailor the education to the child. One of the boys has learning difficulties and in our homeschool we can change and modify and chuck it out and start all over again if we need to.
2. We get to spend time together every day. All day.
3. I know exactly what they're learning and can discuss our religious views and political opinions as they learn. I know they aren't being indoctrinated with something I disagree with.
4. Religion is a major focus of our day.
5. I get to learn along with them. I feel smarter because of the things we learn together. No more mommy mush brain.
6. I hate getting up early. And my kids sleep late. I think it's almost criminal to wake a sleeping child so I like to let them sleep. (My husband thinks that's a really dumb reason, but I'm just being honest.)
7. My husband is in the military and we move a lot. A LOT. Homeschooling allows us the time as a family when he's home and gives us structure and stability when he's not. The kids also don't have to start and stop new schools at the most random of times.
8. I get to choose the books. I love books.
9. We get to spend our evenings together as a family and don't have to worry about homework.
10. We don't fight about homework.
11. The kids have time to be kids. Because we get stuff done faster working one-on-one or in small groups, the boys have more time to play or explore.
12. We can take a day off to enjoy the snow that only comes twice a year or play in the sun or take a vacation in the off-season to avoid crowds.
13. It's fun. I love it. The kids love it. (But some days it's not fun. Some days it stinks. Mostly it's fun though.)
14. I get to watch all the A-HA moments - when their eyes light up with new found understanding or when they discover something fantastic. The world is amazing to kids and I love that fresh attitude and wonder - it helps me see the wonder and glory of the world too.
15. We homeschool because it works for our family and it's the best choice for us.
Now, I should probably go round up the kids and teach them something. Or most likely, they'll teach me something.
March 2, 2010
February 26, 2010
Caverns
We went on a field trip recently and I wanted to share some pictures. The first picture shows (sort of) helictites - they change direction once they come down from the top and go all sorts of wonky directions. There's a clearer picture here. The picture below that shows formations that only form under water. They didn't know there was a 5,000 gallon body of water there when they blasted the wall.
February 25, 2010
Struggle for a Continent
Overall I felt that this book did an excellent job teaching about the French and Indian Wars. The pictures were very helpful but sometimes a little bloody. Nothing gross, but it was there. We enjoyed learning about many of the battles and tactics and then discussed how we might have done it or what they should have done differently. I had each boy build a model of a battle when we were done and they had fun blowing up Lego guys and shooting down rows of soldiers. Should that worry me?
Most of the Maestro books have a slight White Man Is Bad flavor to them. We always take the time to discuss that hurtful and unjust things were done on both sides. I feel that the value of the books (especially since there are very few children's books about the French and Indian Wars) outweigh the negatives.
This book was a little harder for my 6-yr-old to understand. He's been great with the earlier books but I think all the names and battles and such made it difficult to remember. Probably best for 2nd or 3rd grade on up. Recommended.
Yes, those are Pokemon posing as the French, English and Indians in the first picture. We strive for realism here. In the second picture, the cannonballs are suspended on yarn to show them "flying through the air." He has several miniature cannons set up on the bookcase to lob said cannonballs. The purple yarn in the bottom picture represents fire and there are several "Lego men who have been blown to pieces and there is blood everywhere." Lovely.
February 23, 2010
Snow, snow, snow
Snow may not be exciting for some of you, but for us it's a miracle! We've had one snow day this winter season. That day they woke up to snow and by noon it was gone. I was so glad we homeschool because they were able to play in it all morning while their friends were at school.
Well, today they woke up to more snow. It's noon and it's still here!!!! Here are some pictures of a rare event in Texas. My 9-yr-olds challenged the high schoolers walking by to snowball fight. And I also found them playing snowball baseball. When they came in they decided to take a warm bath....then forgot they were running the bath and it overflowed. I found it when the bathroom had about 3 inches of water on the floor. My husband went downstairs and found water pouring through the vents and lights. It was awesome.
Well, today they woke up to more snow. It's noon and it's still here!!!! Here are some pictures of a rare event in Texas. My 9-yr-olds challenged the high schoolers walking by to snowball fight. And I also found them playing snowball baseball. When they came in they decided to take a warm bath....then forgot they were running the bath and it overflowed. I found it when the bathroom had about 3 inches of water on the floor. My husband went downstairs and found water pouring through the vents and lights. It was awesome.
February 18, 2010
Need Australia help!!!!
We're learning about Australia right now, and I know some of you live there. What are some must reads? And what are some must studies? We're planning on hitting animals like wombat, kangaroo, koala, Tasmanian Devil, and emu. Major landmarks like the Opera House and Uluru and the Great Victorian Desert. Australian words and life in the Outback. What else do I need to cover???
Thanks you!
Thanks you!
February 9, 2010
Burning Peanut M&Ms
Did you know that if you focus the light of a magnifying glass on a peanut M&M it will first sweat, then blister and finally catch on fire? Did you know that the flames will be 2 inches high? I didn't know that either. But I wanted to share with you.
We've been studying astronomy in science and are learning about the sun. So to show the strength of the sun's rays, we took our magnifying lenses outside. We burned the M&Ms, dry grass, bark chips and melted some nasty gum that had been squished on the sidewalk for a few months. One of my sons would like us to cook this way for the next week. I told him we'd try s'mores, but that's as much as I'm willing to commit!
We've been studying astronomy in science and are learning about the sun. So to show the strength of the sun's rays, we took our magnifying lenses outside. We burned the M&Ms, dry grass, bark chips and melted some nasty gum that had been squished on the sidewalk for a few months. One of my sons would like us to cook this way for the next week. I told him we'd try s'mores, but that's as much as I'm willing to commit!
February 7, 2010
More iPod for the homeschool
Okay, here are some new apps we've been enjoying. I need to stay far, far away from the app store!!!! Thank goodness for Christmas gift cards. In fact, my 6-yr-old put "iTunes gift cards to the app store" on his Christmas list.
1. Cash Cow ($2.99) - So, I love this game and so do my boys. You need to make coin combinations to make a certain amount of money, then you use that money to buy things for your farm. You unlock certain bonus games and things like "gold nuggets" as you go. I love to watch my kids figuring out money - "If I have 2 dimes and a nickel that makes a quarter and then if I add 3 more quarters it's a dollar." Oh, the painless learning. And it's fun. There is a free "lite" version you can try first to see if you'll like it. Very highly recommended.
2. Coin Math ($1.99) - There are 4 different games here. First, you match the front and backs of coins to a piggy bank. Then you can count coins and choose the answer from several possibilities. The last 2 games are "shopping" games. You need to figure out the coin combinations to buy something, like a $.52 hamburger. The kids enjoy it and even the littlest can play. Very highly recommended.
3. Color Friends ($.99) - So dumb. My 3-yr-old asked me to take it off the iPod because "it's boring and stupid". You would click on a color and it would show a picture with that color, but it didn't say the color out loud and didn't do anything fun or fancy. There was no matching involved, just looking at colors. Not recommended.
4. eliasABC ($.99) - These are ABC flashcards with minimal animation. You tap the card and it will say "T is for tie" or whatever. Cute and simple. My 3-yr-old has only played with this a few times though. It doesn't hold his attention. I would also have liked it to teach the sound, not a word that begins with the letter. Not recommended.
5. eliasZOO ($.99) - Animal flashcards. When you tap the card it says the animal's name (the name is written underneath too) and then the animals make a sound. Most of them are fairly realistic, some are not. Cute animation. He looks through this once in a while. Recommended if your kid really, really likes animals.
6. Lola's Flag Adventure ($1.99) - This is a memory type game with world flags. We tried the free version and my older boys kept asking for more so we bought the full version. It's a fun way to quiz them on flags. There are 3 levels - easy, medium and hard. Recommended.
7. Monkey Preschool When I Grow Up - ($.99) - There is really no academic value to this, but my 3 and 6-yr-old love it. You get to choose a monkey (2 boys and 2 girls) and dress them up, then the monkey does a silly dance and some animated stuff happens. They love to make goofy creations like a pirate dancer or princess farmer or astronaut policeman. Very cute and really well done. Highly recommended if you're just looking for something fun or need a few minutes of quiet time.
8. Ranch Rush ($.99) - We all love this game. Here you manage a farm. You have to plant and harvest crops. You have to fill customer orders and buy new equipment or seeds. You also have to plan your movements so you are doing things most effectively. It's challenging for me, but easy enough for my older boys (9-yrs-old) to play. I think it's a great learning tool for money and time management. There is a free version you can try first. Very highly recommended.
9. Sums Stacker ($.99) - This is a really interesting math game. You can choose the type of object you want to count (fingers, blocks, written number, number symbol, Roman numerals and more) then you can choose if you want to "race" or "solve" the problem and you can choose easy or hard. Tons of options. Then it gives you 3 "stacks" of numbers. For example, it might say "11, 1, 9" across the bottom and give you 6 numbers above. You have to rearrange those six numbers to equal the numbers across the bottom. So not only are you learning to recognize different symbols/numbers but you have to count, add and subtract. Yippee! A great mind workout. Very highly recommended.
10. Toddler Teasers Shapes (free) - They show 3 shapes with the word written at the bottom and then it says "Touch the _____". If you get it wrong the wrong shape disappears. If you get it right you hear clapping. After a few right you get a sticker. My 3-yr-old enjoys it and for a free app I think it does the job very well. Highly recommended.
11. Word Cub Letters & Sounds ($1.99) - There are 3 modes of play - Letter Match, Word Discovery and Sound Match. You see three blocks in the middle of the screen. For Letter Match the blocks spin to show you a word then it says, "Touch B" and says the alphabet name. Each time you get it right it spins for a new word and letter. For Word Discovery it shows a 3 letter word, sounds it out then reads it to you. In Sound Match it asks you to "Tap rrrr" or "Touch mmmm", the phonetic sounds. After you get a certain number right it cheers for you and you get to pop bubbles. I play this with the 6-yr-old for 'reading lessons' sometimes. They don't pick it up to play on their own, but they have fun with it once I direct them to it. Best for new readers or those learning their letters and sounds. Highly recommended.
12. Wriggle (free version) - You try to get the worm out of the hole, but there are other worms in the way and he can only move certain directions. It's kind of like Rush Hour, but your moves are more limited. All of the kids love this, from the 3-yr-old to the 9-yr-olds. We'll be getting the full version soon. Great logic and problem solving with super cute graphics. Very highly recommended.
13. Meet the Letters - Lowercase ($.99) - We love the Preschool Prep Co. videos so this app was a good fit. It gives you the choice of 3 lowercase letters, says it out loud and you choose one. It turns into an animated letter and does something cute. My two youngest sons like it a lot, but it would be nice if after a few letters they got a song or some other reward instead of having to go through the entire alphabet. I can't wait for their other apps to come out. Highly recommended.
1. Cash Cow ($2.99) - So, I love this game and so do my boys. You need to make coin combinations to make a certain amount of money, then you use that money to buy things for your farm. You unlock certain bonus games and things like "gold nuggets" as you go. I love to watch my kids figuring out money - "If I have 2 dimes and a nickel that makes a quarter and then if I add 3 more quarters it's a dollar." Oh, the painless learning. And it's fun. There is a free "lite" version you can try first to see if you'll like it. Very highly recommended.
2. Coin Math ($1.99) - There are 4 different games here. First, you match the front and backs of coins to a piggy bank. Then you can count coins and choose the answer from several possibilities. The last 2 games are "shopping" games. You need to figure out the coin combinations to buy something, like a $.52 hamburger. The kids enjoy it and even the littlest can play. Very highly recommended.
3. Color Friends ($.99) - So dumb. My 3-yr-old asked me to take it off the iPod because "it's boring and stupid". You would click on a color and it would show a picture with that color, but it didn't say the color out loud and didn't do anything fun or fancy. There was no matching involved, just looking at colors. Not recommended.
4. eliasABC ($.99) - These are ABC flashcards with minimal animation. You tap the card and it will say "T is for tie" or whatever. Cute and simple. My 3-yr-old has only played with this a few times though. It doesn't hold his attention. I would also have liked it to teach the sound, not a word that begins with the letter. Not recommended.
5. eliasZOO ($.99) - Animal flashcards. When you tap the card it says the animal's name (the name is written underneath too) and then the animals make a sound. Most of them are fairly realistic, some are not. Cute animation. He looks through this once in a while. Recommended if your kid really, really likes animals.
6. Lola's Flag Adventure ($1.99) - This is a memory type game with world flags. We tried the free version and my older boys kept asking for more so we bought the full version. It's a fun way to quiz them on flags. There are 3 levels - easy, medium and hard. Recommended.
7. Monkey Preschool When I Grow Up - ($.99) - There is really no academic value to this, but my 3 and 6-yr-old love it. You get to choose a monkey (2 boys and 2 girls) and dress them up, then the monkey does a silly dance and some animated stuff happens. They love to make goofy creations like a pirate dancer or princess farmer or astronaut policeman. Very cute and really well done. Highly recommended if you're just looking for something fun or need a few minutes of quiet time.
8. Ranch Rush ($.99) - We all love this game. Here you manage a farm. You have to plant and harvest crops. You have to fill customer orders and buy new equipment or seeds. You also have to plan your movements so you are doing things most effectively. It's challenging for me, but easy enough for my older boys (9-yrs-old) to play. I think it's a great learning tool for money and time management. There is a free version you can try first. Very highly recommended.
9. Sums Stacker ($.99) - This is a really interesting math game. You can choose the type of object you want to count (fingers, blocks, written number, number symbol, Roman numerals and more) then you can choose if you want to "race" or "solve" the problem and you can choose easy or hard. Tons of options. Then it gives you 3 "stacks" of numbers. For example, it might say "11, 1, 9" across the bottom and give you 6 numbers above. You have to rearrange those six numbers to equal the numbers across the bottom. So not only are you learning to recognize different symbols/numbers but you have to count, add and subtract. Yippee! A great mind workout. Very highly recommended.
10. Toddler Teasers Shapes (free) - They show 3 shapes with the word written at the bottom and then it says "Touch the _____". If you get it wrong the wrong shape disappears. If you get it right you hear clapping. After a few right you get a sticker. My 3-yr-old enjoys it and for a free app I think it does the job very well. Highly recommended.
11. Word Cub Letters & Sounds ($1.99) - There are 3 modes of play - Letter Match, Word Discovery and Sound Match. You see three blocks in the middle of the screen. For Letter Match the blocks spin to show you a word then it says, "Touch B" and says the alphabet name. Each time you get it right it spins for a new word and letter. For Word Discovery it shows a 3 letter word, sounds it out then reads it to you. In Sound Match it asks you to "Tap rrrr" or "Touch mmmm", the phonetic sounds. After you get a certain number right it cheers for you and you get to pop bubbles. I play this with the 6-yr-old for 'reading lessons' sometimes. They don't pick it up to play on their own, but they have fun with it once I direct them to it. Best for new readers or those learning their letters and sounds. Highly recommended.
12. Wriggle (free version) - You try to get the worm out of the hole, but there are other worms in the way and he can only move certain directions. It's kind of like Rush Hour, but your moves are more limited. All of the kids love this, from the 3-yr-old to the 9-yr-olds. We'll be getting the full version soon. Great logic and problem solving with super cute graphics. Very highly recommended.
13. Meet the Letters - Lowercase ($.99) - We love the Preschool Prep Co. videos so this app was a good fit. It gives you the choice of 3 lowercase letters, says it out loud and you choose one. It turns into an animated letter and does something cute. My two youngest sons like it a lot, but it would be nice if after a few letters they got a song or some other reward instead of having to go through the entire alphabet. I can't wait for their other apps to come out. Highly recommended.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)