Homeschool Graduation, and why I was late with my posts!

Sometimes my work with the homeschool group gives me an opportunity that I would otherwise never had been blessed with. This year's Graduation Ceremony was one of those special opportunities that I will always remember.

For a variety of reasons our group has not put on a Graduation Ceremony for the last few years. Several families have chosen to have their own personal ceremonies rather then a larger group event.

This year in an effort to create a larger sense of family I took over graduation. Using my super secret talent, I found the most amazing graduation committee to help me.

We began with an award ceremony for the little ones. Their parents e-mailed me the "Award" each student was to receive. (This was actually a secret ploy to get families to come to the ceremony even if they didn't have a graduate.) These students each received a gold medal on a ribbon and a mini candy bar.

Then we awarded our volunteers who helped with activities over the year. These wonderful parents put a lot of time and energy into planning and organizing a ton of events for our kids. Each of them received a single rose. (Remember that secret ploy I told you about?)

Now it was time for the big event. Our four seniors walked down in forest green caps and gowns and elegantly took their place on stage. We were then privileged to see the autobiographical movies that each of them made. This gave everyone a sense of knowing who these four fantastic individuals are. (They were really cute babies too.)

I've had the privilege of knowing E.B. the longest of this group. She is a darling who works with children with special needs. The second oldest of six children, her baby brother was born with down syndrome. I have always enjoyed the sparkle that shines in her eyes as she plays with him.

At well over six foot D.B. towers over the rest his class. This "gentle giant" was always willing to lend a hand moving tables and helping set up. D.B. is an incredibly talented actor and I am going to miss seeing his performances. I know his basketball team is going to miss him even more. In his free time D.B. is very involved in 4-H and bull riding.

Tiny, doll like, B.T. brightens any room she enters with a warm winning smile. She makes you feel like your her best friend even if you've only just met. B.T. just got back from a mission trip to Peru. But don't expect this world traveler to settle down, she is off in the fall to Vietnam to teach English as a second language as she works with her family's mission.

R.W. would be the class clown, yet he has a dignity and purpose that prevent you from ever thinking he is foolish. This charismatic leader has also returned from a mission trip in Peru where he played worship music for audiences in the hundreds. At, 16, he is the youngest in the class. But, R.W. is not letting his age slow him down any, he is off to Hawaii (lucky) to join WYAM. He will be serving over seas as he completes his training.

Aren't you just in love with these guys? I know I am.

Our surprise graduate, (at least to her) was D.R. A homeschooling mom of two boys, this wife, mother, real estate entrepreneur, and board member found the time to finish her B.A. in Accounting! (That just makes my head hurt!) Since she was unable to make it back to Arizona to walk with her class, we surprised her and had her walk for us. (black gown and all) in lieu of a diploma her husband presented her with a bouquet of roses.

Then the real fun began. We loaded our Grads into a limo and moved the party to a country estate where they enjoyed an evening of swing dancing, (instructors provided) under twinkling white lights with their family and friends.

Doesn't that just sound like the ending of a fairy tale?

Well, the fairy godmother was a little busy, after these things just don't organize themselves! Also, the magic computing devices she uses to do mundane things like create programs and directions decided to wipe out its memory. It's also the same computer she uses to write post to her beloved readers. Please forgive me my darlings, I'm back! (on Mr. March's computer for now.)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a chocolate and peanut butter type of gal. These are hands down my favorite cookies. I'm sure I can blame a good 15lbs on these cookies alone. They are so easy they are great to cook with the littlest chefs.

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened consensed
  milk
  
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
  
• 2 cups biscuit milk
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 3/4 cup choclate chips or about 16 hershey
  kisses
  

Beat milk and peanut butter until
smooth. Add biscuit mix, vanillia, and choclolate chips. (if using hershey kisses wait) Mix well. Shape into 1-1 inch balls. Place 2 inches
abpart on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with fork. Bake 6 to 8
minutes at 375F. If using hershey kisses place one in the middle of
each cookie when they come out of the oven.

These also make a great Thank You gift, or just whip some up for a quick dessert.

Lego Fantasy

When Meg was about two years old I ask a friend of mine what her children's favorite toys were. Without a moments hesitation she said "Lego"

Great...Boy Toys...I thought. That's what I get for asking the advice of a mom who only has boys. I think she knew what I was thinking because she pulled out her Lego catalogue and showed me a girl's lego doll house. HOW COOL!!!!!

The Lego love was born, and like any truly great love, it gets better over time.

The next phase occurred the year we studied Physics for science. The motorized machine kit was one of the funnest hands on experiences ever. We built all kinds of fun stuff. We built piano keys that really "played," we built windshield wipers that really moved, we built our own draw bridge, the list goes on and on. I never knew that forces, levers, wheels, axles, gears and pulleys could be fun. (This is why I homeschool, I'm getting the education I missed the first time around.)

Then the catalogues started coming. I discovered...Robotics! and it gets worse...First Lego League. The opportunity for the girls to solve engineering problems by building their own robot and competing against other teams. Dose life get any better?

I downloaded the instructions for building the regulation table that is used for competition. My first snag. I could NOT figure out how to build the table. Not Good. I began to realize that there are limitations to my abilities.

I drew on my secret talent. My ability to find other peoples talents and exploit the heck out of them. Oh, I mean, my ability to recognize other's strengths encourage them to make the most of their abilities. (Hey, there's a reason they let me be president, no one else wanted the job!)

I started thinking, who can I get to coach our First Lego League team? Then it hits me like a bolt of lightning. I don't know about you, but most of my really good ideas seem to hit me when I'm taking a shower. I think better in there. I finish up grab a towel and call Mrs. Pevensie. Being such good friends I thought I'd tease her a little bit.

"Hello"

"Hello Mrs. P, It's Mrs. M. I was just taking a shower and I couldn't stop fantasizing about your husband."

I'm waiting for her to yell at me. Or at least get the "Ohhh Reeally?" But she just laughs and says.

"Yeah, He's worth fantacising about."

Ok that joke fell flat.

"Don't you want to know WHAT I WAS FANTASIZING?"

"Sure, tell me."

"Well, he was a math teacher, and there's this First Lego League, I thought He'd be the perfect person to coach it."

Mrs. P. is still laughing about how pathetic I am. After all, Mr. P. is a firefighter and we've all seen the calender.

Which would you have a fantasy's about:

A) Or B)

Regardless of how you vote. You really need to check out all of the awesome lego action going on! Mr. P. I'm still hoping you'll come to the realization that putting out fire's is not going to be as much fun as coaching our homeschool Lego League team!

Just in case you weren't sure. I voted for B. How can you not love the cute little hat?

Aunty Manners: Screaming

Last week's manners lesson was focused on boredom. Things went very well and the Miss Marches did well over all. Meg, starting to think that she is a teenager, seemed to be the most challenged by this new expectation. However, she did her best to rise to the new standard.

I now realize that I got off easy. Aunty Manners must have wanted me to have a nice week before we got into the real work.

This week we will be working on...Screaming, Crying, and other inappropriate noises.

When an adult asks a child to perform a task, the polite response is yes ma'am, yes sir, yes mommy, etc. Screaming, Crying and other forms of carrying on are NOT acceptable etiquette.

I confess, Amy's first response to almost any expectation is to cry. This is going to be a very challenging week.

Mrs. Pevensie, in reply to your question about teaching adults manners, Aunty was very sad to respond that it is not good manners to correct another adult on their lack of manners. One must rise to the occasion and simple demonstrate what proper manners look like.

911 and Other Dangerous Information Kids Learn at School

I have two Devon Rex cats. Mr. March affectionately calls them "That Stupid Cat" and "That Idiot Cat" He has other names but I am trying to keep this a family friendly blog.

If you don't know anything about Devon Rex they are one of three breeds of cats that are considered hypoallergenic. While not truly hairless they are a little on the ummm, bald side. They also have huge bat like ears. Oh, and they are very active. Imagine your playful kitten on speed. You almost get the idea.

Idiot Cat likes to get on the roof. I don't know why, it may be because of the four chihuahuas, or it may be because she is trying to catch birds. I'm sure in her pea sized brain it makes sense. She then proceeds to howl, and howl, and howl, until she remembers how to get down.

Well, she was up there this morning howling away when Jo decided to make breakfast. Jo, my concerned animal lover, rushed outside to help her.

I could hear her calling, along with the rest of the neighborhood, "Common Idiot, common, just jump to me, I'll catch you. Here Idiot, Here girl, I'll catch you."

I'm laughing to myself. There is no way that cat is going to jump, but it is pretty funny listening to Jo call her.

Jo comes in and tells me the cat is on the roof and needs to be rescued. I remind her that the cat gets up there all the time and will get down on her own.

Jo goes back outside and calls some more.

Then she comes again, "Mom where is a ladder, I need to get Stupid Cat." Tell her again the cat will be fine and to go eat her breakfast.

Jo goes back outside and proceeds to move a table over by the roof. She then puts a chair on top of the table. Luckily, I pass by a window and see the "ladder" she is building.

"Jo, you can't get up on that. It's not safe. Stupid Cat will get down when she is ready."

Jo comes in and gets focused on breakfast. Thinking she is distracted, I head into the bathroom and take a shower.

Beth comes running in "Mom, Mom, Jo just called 911 and told them Stupid Cat is stuck on the roof."

I jump out of the shower, grabbing clothes as fast as I can. Imagining the police or fireman are about to show up at my house any second asking why a child is at home calling 911 during school hours. I can see the evening news now "Homeschooled Child Calls 911 to Rescue Cat"

Thankfully a brief, but humiliating, conversation with the 911 dispatcher prevents any civil servants from pulling into my driveway.

At this moment I am thinking less then kind thoughts about those preschool teachers who think it is so smart to teach kids to call 911 in an "emergency"

Yes, Stupid is still on the roof and she is still howling!

When Should I Teach My Child to Read...or other school subjects?

When is my child old enough to learn to read? When should I start teaching reading? These are questions that a lot of parents ask, not just homeschoolers. There are a lot of experts who have developed several well published theories for these questions.

The real answer is your child is ready to learn to read when you are ready to invest the time and effort into teaching them. Your personal educational philosophy will largely influence your readiness checklist.

The early bird philosophy that I know the most about was developed by Glen Doman the founder of The Institute for Human Achievement and Potential. Doman champions teaching reading to children as young as five months of age.

The better late then early philosophy proposed by Dr. Raymond Moore is well known in most homeschool circles. Dr. Moore argues that a child develops the skills needed to learn to read over time and trying to force a child to learn to read too early will be counterproductive. A child, especially boys, who are not reading at the age of ten, eleven or twelve, will grow into this ability Dr. More argues.

So who is right? They both are! Children have successfully learned to read and love it regardless of which theory their parents subscribed to. The choice is yours.

Doman compares learning to read with learning to speak. If we only whispered to our babies or even refused to speak in front of them they would never learn to talk. But by speaking regularly, singing, questioning, and engaging our infants they learn to speak. By the age of three most children have functionally learned a whole language. Reading is just learning a language with your eyes rather then with your ears. Infants of deaf parents will learn sign language as easily as infants of hearing parents learn speech.

So why don't all children learn to read? The problem is their eye development. Most children do not achieve 20/20 vision before five years of age. Most print is written too small for children to see, it is like whispers in the background. There but unimportant. Doman had parents make cards with words large enough for the infants to actually see.

Meg was five months old when I heard about Doman's philosophies. It went against every thing that I had learned in my college education classes. When I discussed his philosophies with my mother, she surprised me by pulling his book off of her shelf. I devoured it. Then I tried it. I was sure that it would not work, but I figured it couldn't hurt. To my surprise is did work. Meg was reading level 2-3 beginner books independently before her second birthday. She read The Wizard of Oz before she was five. She went to kindergarten, her teacher told me to homeschool her.

Doman forced me to reevaluate the predominate educational philoshies that I was exposed to. Homeschooling has allowed me to be exposed to many more. The more I have learned the more I see that there is value in most educational philosophies. Parents must choose what is right for their family and their children. The supporters of these different ideologies often seem almost religious in their zeal that their way is the right way. It makes me wonder if like religion, the state is better staying out of education.

In his book Better Late then Early Dr. Raymond Moore sites several scientific studies that show that young children are developmentally not ready for formal schooling. He argues that children are best kept in a home environment. "Wait 'til Eight" has become a slogan in many homeschool circles.

With the number of children being diagnosed with learning disabilities at earlier and earlier ages, many site More's book as an explanation for why these youngsters are getting labeled.

While I was not introduced to Dr. Moore's book until after all of my children were reading I feel a personal sense of gratitude for his homeschool work in general. Dr. Moore was very influential in Washington State when our homeschool law was passed. He came and testified on behalf of the homeschooling community. For that, and the rights I have to homeschool, I will always be thankful.

Dr. Moore and Glen Doman may have had very different views on when a child should begin to learn to read. But they both argued that the home was the best place for a child to learn. They both saw homeschooling as THE ANSWER to our nations educational dilemmas.

Thank You Gift: Brownies!

I love brownies. They are my special secret indulgence. Mr. March often comes home from his classes with brownies that his students have made as a special Thank You.

This means that I get to sample brownies from a lot of different chefs. Mr. March has some excellent brownie chefs studying Karate with him. But as good as their brownies often are...I still think mine are the best.

I'm going to share my favorite brownie recipe with you. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

• 3 1/3 cups soft butter


• 26 ounces best bittersweet chocolate (I really like Ghirardelli for this)


• 12 large eggs


• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract


• 3 1/3 cups sugar


• 3 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 teaspoons salt


• 2 2/3 cups pecans (I dislike walnuts)


• pan measuring approximately 13x9x2
  
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350F


2. Line your pan with tin foil or wax paper.


3. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large pan.


4. In a bowl beat the eggs with vanilla and sugar.


5. Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt.


6. When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool.


7. Beat the eggs and sugar into the chocolate mixture.


8. Add the nuts and flour to the chocolate mixture. Beat until smooth.


9. Pour into baking pan.


10. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely!

Question About 100 Easy Lessons

I received the following message from one of my regular readers and I thought that I would share my answer just in case anyone else was interested.

Mrs. March,

I was reading your post about your favorite book on teaching children to read. I am currently trying to teach my youngest, B., how to read. I've used Bob Jones curriculum in the past, and I really don't want to invest in them anymore, since they sort of put you in a box, which I find is quite overwhelming. Can you tell me what makes it so fun to use? About how much time a day do you put into it? Is there any prep work you have to do? All the input you have on this would be most helpful.

A.

I prefer curriculum that requires little to no prep work! Homeschool parents need to maximize their time curriculum that requires a lot of time gathering supplies rarely gets my endorsement. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will require you to spend about 20 minutes reading the "How to Use This Book" at the beginning. From that point on you pick up the book sit with your child nearby (the Miss Marches always sat on my lap) and proceed through the lesson. Each lesson takes about fifteen minutes to finish. After completing the book your child will be able to read level 2-3 beginning reader books. You can purchase your own or make the most of the library's supply.

At this point letting your child have access to lots of books they feel comfortable reading and are interested in will develop their confidence that they ARE readers. Over time gently introduce them to longer and more difficult books. Continue to spend time reading together. Even when you have a child who can read college level books you should still enjoy family time reading together.

I can't say that Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is exactly fun. Some of the girls loved it and did not need to be rewarded for their hard work. But for some of my girls knowing that they could spend 15 minutes on http://www.starfall.com/ after they finished a lesson was just the encouragement they needed. Starfall is a free online reading website. It reinforces the lessons your child is learning in 100 Easy Lessons.

I hope this helps. Thank you for taking the time to write me with your questions.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Amy has finished using 100 Easy lessons! At first, I was just thrilled that we were done. Then it hit me. I have had three different copies of this book. This book has been a staple of some one's curriculum for the last four years!

I wish that I had take a picture of my last copy before I threw it away. The front cover was gone, as was the back. There were several stickers, notes, and hand drawn pictures through out the pages.

My first copy of this book has become a world traveler. When visiting Wycliffe's sister program Summer Institute of Linguistics, I had the pleasure of getting to meet several Wycliffe missionary families. Education of their children was a topic I could actively participate in. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to provide information on homeschool curriculum. In the end I gave my copy of this book to a family who is serving the Lord in Thailand.

My second copy sprouted legs and walked off. I'm not sure where. I probably let someone borrow it and forgot who I loaned it to. If it was you, keep it, or pass it on to another family.

My third copy has traveled to Victoria, Yellowstone, and many place between. It has been stepped on, dropped, slept on and read. If it was the velveteen rabbit it would be very close to being real!

If you are looking for a phonics based program to teach your children to read I would give this book five stars! After finishing a lesson I let the Miss Marches enjoy http://www.starfall.com/

Now that all of the March girls are literate, what shall we conquer next?

Miss Manners Pays a Call: Boredom

I'm sure that most of you did not know that Mrs. March's great, great aunt is Miss Manners.

Well, she is.

Aunty Manners was shocked and horrified by some recent posts of Mrs. March's. Being the lovely generous woman that she is, she offered her services in helping the Miss Marches to grow into polite young women whom she will be proud to be called her great, great, great nieces.

Mrs. March, desperate for blog content, and desiring well behaved, polite children readily agreed.

Mrs. March will be sharing with you the content of these lessons. She hopes that at the very least it will give you a good laugh. If you find this information helpful in your own home then Miss Manners will count it as work well done.

This week's lesson involves emotions that are not allowed.

Yes, Miss Manners does ban some emotions. Mrs. March does not argue with Aunty Manners, that would be rude. You dear reader may post your own comments, but Mrs. March is staying out of this!

Boredom is not allowed. Should a child foolishly and rudely express a feeling of boredom the parent may point out the inappropriateness of said emotion and then joyfully encourage the child to delight in the wonder of the world around her. The parent may voice ideas such as reading a book, drawing a picture or other creative pursuits. Should the child continue to express the prohibited emotion, then Aunty Manners suggest such employment as cleaning one's room or other other helpful duties to alleviate said boredom.

Mrs. March will now proceed to work on this for the week with the Miss Marches.

Dealing with Burnout

We all have moments of "burnout." A time when what ever project we are working on becomes more work then enjoyment. That moment when we stop and ask ourselves "Why am I doing this?" This is usually followed by hitting one's head against the wall. After all, we all know that head banging improves our I.Q. giving us the clarity and focus we need to proceed.

Doesn't it?

I had a burnout moment not too long ago. It was related directly to the convention. I have a love/hate relationship with the convention. The fact is it is a LOT of work to plan. There are a LOT of details to be taken care of and details have never been my strong suit.

I was worrying about the number of preregistration we had received. All week I had been talking with workshop instructors regarding the number of students they needed to prepare for. The truth is I was making up the numbers. I HAD NO CLUE!

The worry had reached the point where my stomach was starting to hurt. That is when Londa Harpster called. She had the same question that all the other workshop vendors were asking. "How many attendees should I expect in my workshop?"

I am ashamed to say I lost it. Instead of putting on a bright happy smile and reporting as positive of an outlook as I could I confessed my fear and worry. Londa, was very kind as she listened to me. We said our good-byes and I hung up the phone.

I sat on my bed and wanted to hit my head against the wall. I had just talked to our KEYNOTE speaker and told her that no one was coming to the convention. ARGH! Is there a do over button? Can I go back in time and replay that phone call?

About fifteen minutes latter the phone rang. I saw on my caller I.D. that it was Londa. "oh...no... She's calling to say she isn't coming, I just scared off our Keynote Speaker" The wave of nausea swept my body as I contemplated not answering the phone.

"Hello" my voice sounded like a shaky leaf

"Mrs. March, This is Londa, I just wanted to call you back and let you know that my family and I just stopped and prayed about your convention. While we were praying I really felt like The Lord laid it on my hear to tell you that THE LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN that it doesn't matter how many people show up for the convention it matters how we reach those people who do show up. We will be praying that God will send the right people. The people who need to hear this message."

For the next three days, those words kept me going. Over and over in my head and in my heart I kept saying "The Labor Is Not In Vain" On Friday afternoon when I had two workshop teachers representing five classes between them cancel I kept saying "The Labor Is Not In Vain." We got even better classes! We had more attendees this year then last year!

The convention is a time of seed sowing. It will take time to see how those seeds grow. Parents will look at a curriculum and they may not buy that day, they will ponder it, but many will go back and order the curriculum before September. Kids had an opportunity to experience art, karate, geology, cooking, and many, many other activities. None of those kids will be an expert in any of those fields tomorrow, but ten to twenty years from now, who knows?

When you are experiencing burn out, after you have finished hitting your head against the wall, take a moment and reflect what are your goals? Burn out is a result of looking at the here and now. Looking for immediate gratification for our effort. Your goals should be long term. You are not seeing the crop because the seeds you are working so hard to plant haven't even had a chance to sprout yet.

We are so lucky that we have fellow laborers like I had Londa that day, who come along and remind us, THE LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN.

Mr. March looked ready to throw up!

In this day and age when you go see a movie you are never sure what trailers you will be exposed to. Now, Mr. March is a very strong manly man. But this trailer was even too much for him. It was the closest I have ever seen him come to throwing up! I have included it below so you will be informed. But I recommend extreme discretion in viewing this clip!

Published!

I've published my first two e-how articles. The first one is "How to Qualify to Home School in Washington State" The second is "How to Register to Home School in Washington State" If you read the article "How to Homeschool in Washington State" you will understand why I needed to write these articles. Unfortunately the author made it seem very difficult to become a homeschooler in Washington. She used the word AND rather then the word OR when qualifying to homeschool. This changes the law and makes if very difficult. She also includes a lot of private school law which does not deal with home based education law.

Please take the time to check out my articles. After all I get paid based on how many of you read them. ;-) Also, please feel free to pass the information to anyone who in interested in homeschooling.

Self Esteem

Conversation between Amy and Grandma.

A: "I'm Cute!"
G: "How do you know?"
A: "Because I looked in the mirror and I saw!"
G: "Oh really?" bemused smile.
A:"Even my mom told me! and Meg, LOTS OF TIMES" nodding with a very knowing look on her face.

Growing Up

This week Meg turned eleven.

We have had a family tradition of going to Point Defiance Zoo on her birthday. Since Meg was born so close to Mother's Day her birthday weekend falls around Mommy & Me day at the Zoo. This is a special event the zoo holds every year to raise money. Imagine the Zoo on steroids. There are clowns walking around performing, stilt dancers in the most amazing costumes, Krispe Kreme donuts for free (need I say more?), face painting booths, craft tables, Weird Science the traveling science show from the Seattle Science Center, and various kid focused musical artist.
Then there are your basic zoo activities, the tigers, elephants, walrus, beluga whales, and countless other animals.

Then after a full day at the Zoo we would go to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner and a Volcano Cake. If you have never been to a Rainforest Cafe it is a great experience. The restaurant is decorated like a tropical jungle. It is dark, leafy, and tropically warm. There are animated animals hidden troughout out the trees. Every fifteen minutes or so there is a thunder storm, with lightning, this excites the animals who all make noise and move around. A Volcano Cake is a delicious fudge brownie cake built around a vanilla ice cream center with sparklers coming out of the top. It is big enough to serve about eight people.

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, The Aunts and cousins, Grandma and Grandpa, and a few others have joined us in this yearly event. It's also a nice way to get to see everyone and say "Happy Mother's Day."

Last year, I made a big mistake. I let the homeschool convention be scheduled on Mother's Day weekend. I foolishly thought that I could "bump" Meg's birthday to a different weekend. I was wrong. I got to help with all of the convention planning, set up, class scheduling, and other details. Diana Waring was our Keynote Speaker. She is one of my favorite homeschool speakers of all time! I was going to get to meet her! Yeah!

Then I told Mr. March...Let's just say, he let me know that I had made a mistake. So I did all my convention jobs. But I was not at the Convention. I was at the Zoo. At one point I was answering phone calls on my cell about workshop instructors. After the fifth phone call, Mr. March took my phone. I am proud to say, the convention went on beautifully with out me!

This year when the convention was planned, I made sure it was NOT on Mother's Day weekend. I had learned my lesson!

Then in late April Mr. M. sat me down and said "I know your probably going to cry about this.. but Meg and I have been talking. This year she wants to go see Prince Caspian for her birthday." I was stunned! I was planning on going to the Zoo! Family members had taken the day off! Prince Caspian doesn't even open until the next weekend, and, and,

I didn't get to go to the zoo this year. In fact I spent the whole day organize menus, meal plans, and recipes. I even computerized my pantry.

Yesterday, we went to see Prince Caspian. Meg friend M1 spent the night. Then we went to Red Robin for lunch. They don't have Volcano Cakes and no the mud pie is not the same! Meg got lip gloss, a Coach Purse (See Sage Mommy, I know what a Coach purse is!) and multiple rockets. My little girl is growing up. Nothing was pink, or purple. Black is becoming the color of choice.

I wonder if Amy wants to go to the zoo for her birthday?

Blog Addiction?

When does it officially become blog addiction? How many hours can I spend on-line reading other peoples blogs, doing "research" before I have to admit I have a problem. And if, and I mean only IF I have a problem is there a twelve step program to help? Does anyone have the link?

It started with checking out Mrs. Fussypants. I mean she had a baby this week. I had to see the pictures. He is a little darling. Then I was looking a the comments and saw that some one had posted about "loving him, and holding him, and calling him George." Who's up on their Bugs Bunny? I had to find out who this was. I called Meg "George" the whole time I was pregnant with her. Well, Ok, until she was about six months old. Or did I just call her that last week? Hmmm. Anyway, I had to click on the little button and find out who this was. Then I started reading her blog. Her son has autism, and today was NOT a good day. Believe me when I say "I get it!"

Then I had to go and check up on Motherhood Uncensored. Well her Ultrasound had some rather unexpected news.

I still need to check on Creating Good Soil. She's extra special to me because she kept me sane while I was in Egypt. She got chickens! She seems so happy. I hope she doesn't read the post about Fritata. Then I need to go check out The Gospel According to Frank. Yes he does have a split personality. But it is fun to watch "read" them argue with each other. Yeah, I went to Egypt with him too.

One nice thing about blogging is that you can keep with good friends even when they are miles away. Down a Road Less Traveled keeps me in touch with one of the greatest homeschool moms

Then I need to find out how Sagemommy is doing, that Shakespearean Play is turning into a good mommy nightmare. I am SOOO glad I just had to make a pig costume!

Mrs. Pevensie and I were actually telling each other to go to bed last night...at 12:30pm or so. Which leads me back to Mrs. Hannigan who got me addicted in the first place.

Maybe we need a new slogan. "Friends don't let Friends Blog" Or "Just Say No to Blogging" we could start the "Mother's against Blogging."

So like I said before, how many blogs can one follow before one is addicted? Has anyone developed a check list to determine if blogging has become a problem? Where can I find the local Bloggers Anonymous? I'll be sure to blog about how the meeting went.

Don't tell PETA

We've had a death in the family. The girls are in tears. I'm waiting to hear "I told you so..." Frittata is no longer with us.

Jo was cleaning out the bird cage. She has been doing an excellent job and just the other day Mr. M. commented on how impressed was with her handling of the birds. It's not easy to hold an animal that wants to escape, especially one that is so fragile that you can crush it. Jo has been doing wonderfully.

It was taking a very long time to get the bird cage clean so I went into the bedroom to see what was taking so long. I was shocked to see Jo sitting on the floor holding an obviously dead Frittata trying to push bird food into the closed beak.

"What Happened?" I shrieked moving forward and taking the little corpse away from her. "I tripped and fell on her" Jo answered. "But if you let me feed her she will be ok."

"No Jo" she's dead. "You can't feed her. There is nothing we can do now." Jo started to cry. "How did you trip?" "I don't know." The mother warning bells start ringing. "Jo, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?"

"I wanted her to fly. So I decided to teach her. I told her to how and then I threw her." Ohhh I don't want to me a mother right this second. "Jo her wing feathers haven't grown in yet. When she is ready to fly, she will fly, you can't throw the birds."

I took the little body out of the room and disposed of it. By then Beth had told Amy that Jo had killed her bird. Jo was crying, Amy was screaming, Beth was yelling at Jo, Meg was wishing she could be adopted by another family, Any Family.

I helped Jo apologize to Amy. They have agreed to share Omelet. I wish I had a witty or wise way to finish this story, but I don't. I'm just hoping to get through this.

What is a Lady?

We were enjoying a homeschool park day with a large group of fellow homeschoolers. The girls were enjoying the sunshine, which has been slow in coming this spring. I was enjoying the opportunity to interact with other grownups. Even better, geeky grownups who like to talk about obscure historical information and curriculum reviews. Oh I'm sure we covered blogging too.

All of a sudden one of the moms nudged me and nodded toward Meg. Mrs. Busybody was talking with Meg and she seemed a little heated. The group of women I was standing with all hushed as we tried to hear what was being said. The part I picked up was "I am raising my sons to be Godly gentlemen. I have not raised them to deal with such unlady like behavior. You are too old to be acting in such an inappropriate way and if your mother hasn't raised you to be a lady then it is my job to let you know how to behave in public." There was more but this give you good idea of where it was going.

I walked over to find out what mischief my darling girl had gotten into. Over all I think that Meg is a really good kid, but like most kids she doesn't always think through all aspects of a situation before acting. (ok neither do I.)

As I approached Mrs. B's tone changed, a lovely smile came on her face and she told me there was a little "incident" but she had taken care of it. She went on to explained that "since she and her husband were working so hard to raise Godly gentlemen" she felt she needed "to cover a few ground rules." I put on my biggest smile, thanked her for her concern and gently lead Meg to the bathroom.

Girl-Mom advantage, we can find a great place to talk in private!

"Ok kid, spill it, what happened?" I waited to hear what incident I was either going to have to punish her for or find a way to smooth over. "The boys were playing with Frisbees and having a war. I asked if I could play too." Ok, I'm thinking, and maybe it got physical and my brown belt creamed her son? I'm cringing inside. The boys were older then Meg, but Meg's got a good six to nine inches on Mrs. B's boys. "So what happened next?" "I stared throwing Frisbees that was it." "No physical contact?" "Nope"

Ok, I'm steaming now. My kid is getting a tongue lashing because she wants to play Frisbees???? That's not lady like???

Parenting someones else's child aside, I'm restraining myself for another post when I'm calmer, I want to know, what does it mean to have Lady Like behavior? Are there any ladies left in 2008?

My mom always told me that a lady guards her tongue, doesn't use foul language, is kind and compassionate to those around her, doesn't gossip, dresses modestly, and cares for her family. I'm sure there is a lot more but you get the general idea.

I have tried to do the same with my girls. But I've never restricted their physical activities because they were girls. I don't require them to wear dresses. We are a blue jeans and tennis shoes family! (The high heels and make-up can wait, I'm not even old enough for that!)

So I wanted to know from you. What makes a woman a lady?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-Blowing Things UP?

Meg will be eleven years old tomorrow. I know she's getting bigger and growing up but I didn't see this one coming! You may remember that Meg went to the Civil Air Patrol classes at the convention and built rockets. Well, this Saturday she got together with E.H from Civil Air Patrol and went out to shoot rockets.

It started with "Safety First, Safety Last, and Safety Always," but was soon followed by "hmm we don't have a B size engine so let's put a C size engine into the B size rocket." They also launched the largest engine that is legally permissible. (After checking with the airport to make sure that they would not be interfering with any airplanes.)

Meg's eyes were glowing and she hasn't stopped smiling. This lead to Meg and her dad going to the Cloverleaf and purchasing two new rockets this weekend.

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~Einstein

I'm sure there will be more to come!

Homeschooling is a Piece of Cake IIX

Doubling Up or Maximize Your Time

The four R’s are the foundation to teach science, social studies, history, health, occupational education, and art and music appreciation. RCW 28A. 22.010 (4) A B Says “These do not have to be taught separately. A unit study on frogs could include reading, writing, spelling, science, math, art, and occupational education.”

It goes onto say "that the legislation recognizes that homebased instruction is less structured and more experiential then the instruction normally provided in the classroom. Therefore, the provisions relating to the nature ans quantity of instructional and related educational activities shall be liberally construed.

Just to keep in mind what the eleven subjects are:

• Reading
• Writing
• Spelling
• Language
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• History
• Health
• Occupational Education
• Art and Music appreciation

Just to get an idea of what this looks like in our house. When we did the projects for project fair here are just a few ways we were able to double up.

Time spent on Internet (science, reading, language)
Time spent taking notes (science, reading, writing, language, spelling)
Time spent typing notes into word. (science, writing, spelling, language, occupational education, spelling)
Time spent editing report (writing, language, occupational education, spelling)
Time spent making clay models of animals (science, art)
Time spent making pictures for tri-fold. (science, art,)

The trick with home schooling is not to make a list of eleven subjects and then try to work through the list every day. Instead make the most of activates that allow you to hit multiple subjects at once. When I read our history or science the girls are always drawing pictures. Afterwards they journal what I have read.

Now we have a two layer cake on a beautiful platter. The next step is to frost the cake. Frosting helps to hold the whole cake together and it makes the cake sweeter.

James and the Giant Peach

The Allied Arts Council is bringing the Sign Stage to Yakima to perform James and the Giant Peach. We have been to several of their performances and they are excellent!!! The actors perform in sign language and another actor speaks in English at the same time.The performance will be on Monday, May 12 at 7 PM at the Davis High school Auditorium. Tickets are on sale at the Allied Arts Office which is open 9-5 Mon - Fri. They have some discount coupons for $3 off each ticket for up to 4 tickets

Homeschooling is a Piece of Cake VII

The 4 R's

Once you have found the philosophy that works best for your family it’s time to start laying the foundation of their education. This is our first layer of cake. If this layer is not strong then the rest of the cake will crumble. The first lay of cake are what I call the four Rs. I am not going to tell you how to teach them because the philosophy your family embraces will ultimately determine your expectations and methods. But I am going to go over why they are the foundation.

The first R is Reading. I do want you to understand why reading is important. Reading is the fundamental method by which we access information. If you are able to read you are able to educate yourself about anything. The term literate is almost synonymous with educated. When your children can read you will find that your role becomes more of a facilitator then a teacher. Besides, it makes traveling much easier.

The second R is writing. Writing is the output of reading. If you are able to write you are able to express your thoughts and ideas with others. Writing allows you to communicate not only with those alive here and now but also with those yet to come.

The third R is arithmetic. Math is how we quantify the universe. It is how we balance a checkbook, figure out a mortgage, determine if we have enough paint, average runs, measure time, and double or triple a recipe, and make sure we didn’t lose a kid.

The final R is religion. There is a saying that you save the best for last. What you teach your child about the spiritual realm will affect them not just now but forever. This is the ONLY subject you will teach that has eternal consequences. That makes it the most foundational subject of all.

If the four R’s are the only subjects you ever teach you children they will have the foundation necessary live as productive members of society. They will have the core knowledge they need to be considered educated adults.

You now have a quality cake to serve to your family. But because we're homeschoolers and we're overachievers we are going to add a second layer to this cake. These are the subjects that make learning interesting. I admit it; this is where the real fun begins!

Face Lift

As you can see, I've gotten a new blog format! I still have a few bugs to work out so please be patient as I get used to this new format. I hope you like the new look!

Homeschooling is a Piece of Cake VI

Charlotte Mason aka Living Books


Charlotte Mason, a turn of century British educator. Miss Mason was appalled by several tendencies she noticed in modern education. (1) The tendency to treat children as containers to be filled with predigested information instead of as human beings. (2) The tendency to break down knowledge into thousands of isolated bits of information to be fed into “container” children. (3) The tendency to engineer artificial learning experiences. She believed in what she called “twaddle”-worthless, inferior teaching material. She considered education a failure when it produced children able to “do harder sums and read harder books” who lacked “moral and real-life situations, and given ample time to play and create.

Mason’s approach to academics was to teach basic reading, writing, and math skills, then exposes children to the best sources of knowledge for all other subjects. This meant giving children experiences like nature walks. Observing and collecting wildlife; visiting art museums; and reading real books with “living ideas.” She called such books “living books” because they made the subject “come alive” unlike textbooks that tend to be dry and dull and assume the reader cannot think for him/herself.





Websites about Charlotte Mason:

Simply Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason Research and Supply Co.

Ambleside

Charlotte Mason Education

Homeschooling is a Piece of Cake V

Classical Education

The Classical Education philosophy has produced great minds throughout history. The modern proponent of the Classical model was British writer and medieval scholar Dorothy Sayers. As the Nazis rose to power in the 1930s, Sayers warned that schools were teaching children everything except how to think. Because young adults could no longer think for themselves, Sayers felt that they could be easily influenced by whatever tyrant came along. To remedy this, Sayers proposed reinstating the classical form of education used in the Middle Ages.

In Classical Education, children under 18 are taught the tools of learning collectively known as The Trivium. The Trivium has three parts, each part corresponding to a childhood developmental stage.

The first stage of the Trivium, the Grammar Stage, covers early elementary ages and focuses on reading, writing, and spelling; the study of Latin; and developing observation, listening and memorization skills. The goal of this stage is to master the elements of language and develop a general framework of knowledge.
At approximately middle school age children begin to demonstrate independent or abstract thought (usually by becoming argumentative or opinionated). This signals the begging of the Dialect Stage or “Logic” stage in which the child’s tendency to argue is molded and shaped by teaching logical discussion, debate, and how to draw correct conclusions and support them with facts. The goal of this stage is to equip the child with the language and thinking skills capable f the detecting fallacies in an argument. Latin study is continued, with the possible addition of Greek and Hebrew. The student reads essays, arguments, and criticisms instead of literature as I the Grammar Stage. History study leans toward interpreting events. Higher math and theology begin.

The final of phase of the Trivim, The Rhetoric Stage, seeks to produce a student who can use language, both written and spoken, eloquently and persuasively. Students are usually ready for this stage by age 15.

This is the philosophy that I would say that I follow. I do however borrow heavily from the other educational models.












Websites for Classical Education:

The Well Trained Mind

Veritats Press

Trivium Pursuit

Memoria Press

Thomas Jefferson Education

Homeschooling is a Piece of Cake IV

Unschooling

The Unschooling philosophy is defined by John Holt, a 20th century American educator. He concluded that children have an innate desire to learn and a curiosity that drives them to learn what they need to know when they need to know it. Holt believed that both the desire and curiosity are destroyed by the usual methods of teaching. In his book Teach Your Own, Holt wrote “What children need is not a new better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for then to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and find out what they want to find out.”

Unschooling has come to mean a less structured learning approach that allows children to pursue their interest with parental support and guidance, and lets children learn by being included in the life of adults. The child is surrounded by a rich environment of books, learning resources and adults who model a lifestyle of learning and are willing to interact with him. Formal academics, IF pursued at all, are pursued when the need arises. In this approach, children are apprenticed or “discipled” by adults who include him in what they are doing. In the process, the child learns everything the adult knows. And possibly a great deal more. Christians who favor less structured schooling, but with definite goals, prefer to be called “relaxed home educators”

One of my favorite stories that demonstrates Unschooling was told to me by my mentor Mrs. W. When Mrs W.'s daughter E .W. was about twelve years old she heard that the Lady Washington was going to be in the Seattle area. Since she loved tall ships (the name of ships with the tall mast and sails) her family decided to make a field trip of it. They were given the opportunity to go on board. E .W. asked a lot of questions and really impressed the crew with her knowledge and interest in tall ships. At the end of their time together the crew told the family that they would be in the Westport, WA area and invited them to see the ship again.

The family made the trip to Westport and once again had the opportunity to see the Lady Washington. This time she got to spend the weekend on the ship . After this trip Mrs. W. got a phone call. It was the crew of the Lady Washington. They wanted E .W. to take the two-week training to be a crew member of the Ship. The cost was around $250.00. Mrs. W. thanked them for the opportunity and talked with E.W. about it. Mrs. W. was concerned that her daughter was still too young and thought taking the time to earn the money to pay for the training would be a good plan. The crew called back again. They liked E.W. so much that they were going to waive the fee for her to take the training . So E.W. got the training to be a crew member aboard the Lady Washington. Then some time later the family got another phone call. E.W. was given the opportunity to help them to sail the Lady Washington to St. Vincent in the Caribbean. This would involve sailing from Washington state, through the Panama Canal, and across the Caribbean Sea. The Lady Washington was going to be used in the making of the movie The Pirates of the Caribbean:Curse of the Black Pearl. At the start of the voyage, E.W. was fifteen years old. After thinking and a lot of prayer, Mr. and Mrs. W. decided to let her go. E.W. was gone for ten months. E.W. not only helped to sail the ship but she was also an extra in the movie. Today E.W. has achieved the rank of Captain, but still prefers the job of Bosun, which is taking care of all the wooden parts and lines of a tall ship. You never know what road will open up when you let your children follow their dreams.

Thank you so much Mrs. W and E.W. for letting me share your story! Best wishes as you follow the road less traveled!

Do you have a great unschooling story? Post it here!




Natural Child.Org

Unschooling.com

unschooling.org

If you have made it this far down the post I have a question for you. Did you try all of the Lady Washington Links? They all go to a different site!

Diana Waring Speaking in Yakima!

Bill and Diana Waring are now serving as the President of WATCH. They are traveling around Washington presenting and inviting you to come to the WATCH Convention in August.

Diana will be speaking on Tuesday May 20th at 7:00pm at the Yakima Evangelical Church 7901 W. Nob Hill Blvd.

Please pass this information on to any homeschool families and contacts you know.

Homeschooling is a Piece of Cake III

The Unit Studies Approach

A Unit Study involves taking a theme or topic (a unit of study) and delving into it deeply over a period of time, integrating language arts, science, social studies, math, and fine arts as they apply. Instead of studying eight or ten separate, unrelated subjects, all subjects are blended together and studied around a common theme or project. For example, a unit study on birds could include reading and writing about birds and famous ornithologist (language arts); studying the parts, functions, and life cycles of birds and perhaps even aerodynamics of flight (science and math); determining the migrating paths, habitats, and ecological/sociological impact of birds (social studies); sketching familiar birds (art); building birdhouses or birdfeeders (hands on activates) and so forth.

One of my favorite Unit Studies involved a comparison of The War Of The Worlds by H.G. Wells. First they read the book which was published in 1898. Then they listened to Orson Wells 1938 radio broadcast. This was followed by watching the 1953 film and the 2005 film. This showed a progression of storytelling over time. There is even a musical adaptation. To see a more complete list check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds

This just shows that you are not limited when you use unit studies. Be creative and have fun, you never know what you (and your kids) might learn.

Some of my favorite Unit Study Resources are:



http://www.konos.com/index.html

http://www.easyfunschool.com/

http://www.unitstudy.com/