The Homeschooling Runner's/ Sewist's/ Crazy Woman's Daybook

outside my window:
The skating rink is tanking. The clocks have sprung forward. Spring is on the way? 

I'm listening to:
My daughter and her best friend downstairs playing the piano and belting out Taylor Swift. My son and his best friend further down the hall playing their guitars and recording their own mash-ups of Ed Sheeran. And a fly. Its buzzing around the window here in the kitchen, so you know what that means. Someone left the door open.

I'm wearing:
Running apparel. How the heck did this happen? I have lost my fashionista mojo.

Giving thanks:
My 17yr-old got accepted into the University program she wanted, a PR degree. 

You know, we started homeschooling when she was in grade 3, and one of the most common questions we got back then was whether a homeschooled kid can get a high school diploma  (yes, but we didn't pursue that route). Or whether a homeschooled kid can get into University (yes, though the path is often different. Navigating it is challenging at times. Some universities are more accommodating than others). We wondered about all this ourselves at the time. It actually gave us a small panic attack and we looked to those homeschoolers who had gone before us for reassurance. Mostly, we wanted to make sure homeschooling wouldn't ruin our kids' chance of "success."  In fact, it always made us feel good to hear about the homeschooled kids who went on to become world-renowned neurophysicists with a back-up degree in medical law or philosophy. You homeschoolers know what I mean, right? When you start homeschooling, you are afraid your kids will be limited by it somehow. That you will bomb and your kids will bomb. So yes, there is fear and trepidation and we hang onto those success stories that we hear. But really, much of the fear just comes down to pride. Anyway, I think God kind of smiles patiently at all of this and waits for us to come around ... 

Nine years ago, among all those panic attacks, what kept us moving forward was knowing that we were called, by God, to this home-educating way of life. So we would just let Him help us deal with that whole high school thing when the time came.  

Our educational philosophy developed and transformed from desiring our kids to be mini-rocket-scientists to simply desiring to journey alongside and help them form and grow not only in knowledge but in character, virtue and faith. To love learning. To be who you are created to Be. We carried with us two overriding principles when it came to vocation and career and life-plans:

1. Kids need to grow up knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that they encompass a beautiful genius. That its not contingent on performance in a given area. They were created for a purpose and a plan to make a difference in the world. They were created for a mission-field. That plan makes use of their own unique talents and even their passions. That plan also makes use of their shortcomings and will stretch and challenge them and make them grow often in painful ways. The job of childhood is to instill a sense of self-worth; explore and find and develop those talents, passions, and areas for personal growth. Plant seeds. Nurture. Inspire! From the time they are little, this kind of lingo is part of our family culture, and integral to our educational philosophy.

2. When it comes to "the Plan," give God first dibs. He might be calling you to priesthood or consecrated life. Our kids know they have to give that idea careful consideration before jumping right into exploring career paths. And even if He's not calling you at this time of your life, be open to a vocation.   

It all sounds lovely, doesn't it? Practically though, it was still a great struggle for my daughter, because all through her high school years she just didn't have ANY idea what she wanted to do or be. It was a huge stress for her actually, even though we weren't concerned. Once your kids are taller than you, however, the most common question revolves around their plans for the future. It comes up all. the. time.

Its ok not to know. Its common not to know. 

Except if you're the kid that is stressed out by the not-knowing to the degree that it shuts you down a bit. Or if you're the kid that wonders if maybe God has forgotten about His plan for You. Faith can be fragile in those formative years. And as the years go by of not-really-knowing-what-to-be-when-you-grow-up, the stress level explodes, the pressure increases. Its a struggle.

For Brittany, a direction only really became evident to her in the past few months. It came from her taking a long hard look at her specific talents. She knew she was good at writing and communicating; she knew she had a creative side; she also knew that she liked the technical aspect of science and logic. So, she tried to match her talents with a broad career field. She spent some time on websites that help you do that, and one day a little light bulb went on for her, also known as inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (Aside - when I did this as a kid, my suggested career was a prosthetist-orthotist, in other words, making fake limbs for people. I think the career-skill-talent matching may have made some progress since then.)  She started to think about different types of careers in communications, and finally she felt she had a starting point. She spent some time at Tom's work with their PR department, rotating through the different areas, and after that, she was hooked on public relations. Its really such a flexible degree with a lot of potential. But even if things change up as time goes by, its enough to just simply have a starting point. God works with that, right? 

When she read her letter of acceptance this weekend, one week after her interview, I can tell you there were a few tears all around the family. We are just so, so happy for her. At the end of the night it was agreed: God is good. All the time. In the Struggles. In the Crazies. In the Happy Dances.

in the schoolroom:
Lots going on and yet sometimes feels like not enough. Story of my life. The little girls and I are making our way through the Narnia series. We are just getting into Voyage of the Dawn Treader. All the girlies are captivated. We are reading the series in the order CS Lewis wrote it, which is different from the publication order. I still have a DVD copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that my bigs acted in a couple of years ago ... somewhere. Have to find it.  I also have this audio version by Focus on the Family that is currently playing in our van every time we go out, at their request. The girls are narrating to me after each book for their portfolios. Trying hard to do more narration around here.

School for the bigs. Dawson's scholar class is all about apologetics, using Memorize the Reasons by Kevin Vost. I love this class, mostly because the group of teens are so lively and engaged in the discussions. 

The bigs are also dabbling in a few of the Teaching Company's great courses. Brittany is doing a Shakespeare course.  We are reading through and memorizing various passages from King Lear, as a family, to prepare for seeing the play next week.  We are also doing a course in religious cultural literacy - a survey of world religions and their tenets. This happens in the evening when the littles are in bed. I tell you, the best way to inspire teens seems to be at night for us. That's when all of our big idea discussions occur and it gives our conversations some interesting focus. So far that works.

in the sewing room:

I finished Noodle-head's Caravan Tote, a customized knitting bag. Ohhhh, I'm so excited to use it!! I have yet to make the matching pouch and then knit knit knit. I haven't done nearly enough knitting this winter. Some of my friends came over Friday for a knitting/lenten lunch so now I'm more motivated.

I also need to sew up a duffle bag for Maria before we leave at the end of the month. I promised.

to be a good runner:
Training continues. Toes are healing. I'm at the T-minus-12 weeks till half-marathon day. I ran nine miles this weekend and scored a new PB (personal best) for time. Perhaps the training program I'm following is paying off? I found a new route that I love love love!! Its near me, its a nice flat road for the most part, the shoulder isn't so sloped, its perfect. It goes past a friend's house who has promised to join me running in the fall (she's having some ligament surgery on her leg soon so I'll excuse her for a couple of months).

My new favourite find. They sell the original flavour at Costco, but I prefer the caraway variety, or herb. With hummus? Amazing. Great running fuel.

I also tried my first spin class ever - and loved it. I'll hopefully be heading there once or twice a week for cross-training and I've convinced some friends to brave it with me. Fitness friends - you need them.

living Lent:
I think we have a new family tradition, that is Friday night Stations of the Cross at our church, following Mass. Its so lovely, even with the two little girls sprawling out on the floor or dancing around as we travel around the church's stations. Is it wrong to be concerned that while I'm kneeling, Katie is going to give me a leg injury that will tank all my hard running work, with all her sprawling and dancing?

a few plans for the week:
Music class. Hockey. Gymnastics. Choir. Dentist. School. Running. Spin class. Homemaking. Sewing. Life is living me it seems. Looking forward to vacay.

a picture thought I'm sharing:

Have a great week you guys. Thanks for stopping by.
xo

live.faith.homeschool.[sew].

live.

So, I've had a nice break from blogging, since January in fact. In the past few months several friends and family have asked about it, and my short answer is that January is generally a dismal month and I needed to focus on homeschooling and just get through. Then, I began to question the value of a blog in my life. It does become its own living and breathing entity, in a way, and one more thing to keep on top of. Yet, it is rewarding to keep an online journal, to look back and remember and reflect. 

Mom says she and Dad look forward to my posts because she loves to see pictures of the kids and also enjoys the sewing posts. When you live far away, its nice to feel a part of the life of your grandchildren; a blog is a medium to connect. I began blogging as a way to document our journey for my own family, while being an encouragement in the areas of homeschooling, living your faith, and pursuing your hobbies.  I really, really want it to be that. 

So I begin again. Though likely not as frequent posting as before. Come along anyway?


faith.

We've been watching several DVDs of the lives of different saints.  This was our latest and can be found here.   It's a little bit scary and not for the younger viewing audience; there are portrayals of St.Pio being tempted by the devil and its intense. But some interesting facts about St. Pio? He could tell you your sins before you even confessed them. He spent 18 hours a day in the confessional and had throngs of people lining up waiting to see him. He was tireless. He founded a hospital for the relief of the suffering, which stands today and remains an important centre for medical research and patient care.  Most notably though, are the miracles, which I leave for you to discover yourself. The movie is worth a watch.

homeschool.

We are having a super-great year! Our year is loosely planned and I hope to share some of the highlights with you. I say loosely since  I've found that, for me, an extremely detailed and highly structured plan is not worth all the effort it takes. I've given away entire summers of my life making detailed plans, in 15-minute increments, with specific pages of specific books to read for each specific subject and you get the idea.  Highly highly structured and the content completely planned by moi. But we always diverge from the plan (shocking!). Something better and more interesting always springs up for us, or on the contrary one of my kids end up hating a particular aspect of the plan. Instead, I love the freedom to run, to follow tangents of interest, to see an opportunity to inspire my child and let a talent or gift reveal itself.  

So these days, I loosely plan the bones and overall structure of our year, but not the minutia.  I plan reading lists and resources; I have a general idea of the topics I want us to explore either as a family or for a particular child, and gather materials to have on hand.  I also take a good hard look at what our fall rhythm is going to look like and see which pockets of time will work best for family learning time and individual studies.

Then I sit back and say to my husband, "How the heck am I going to fit it all in??" Its a question I often ponder over a good glass of red. Or white. Or rose. But usually red.

I do find it all a push and pull. I'm in the headspace of high school and preschool and elementary school all at the same time.  Its challenging and I know you homeschoolers relate! For us, the key is to keep in mind the big picture: its not about the content or curriculum, not really. Its not about filling a bucket (my child) with facts and minutia. That is not why we homeschool. Rather, its about filling a heart with ideas, dreams, inspiration, love and compassion. Its about filling a child with the confidence to accomplish whatever goals are set out, and the skills necessary to push ahead. Its about the journey and relationships, fostering true love of learning, living our faith, character development, and exposure to great literature and great ideas no matter how young or how old. Yeah, that.


[sew].

Friends. I've got big plans that will probably never get done but oh how I love having those plans. Over the past few months I've dabbled in sewing bags and zip-pouches and wristlets, a few things for the girls,  and a couple of skirts for me. I'm hoping to share with you a really interesting wrap skirt from one of the Japanese patterns books - the books which I have a love-hate relationship with but continue to pour over just the same. So look for that.

The other exciting news is that my friend and I are going to have a little Christmas sale of our sewing treasures. Kind of like an open house. We both absolutely love to sew and are having fun making and creating. Sure, we are busy mommas and people ask us where we find the time but quite frankly, a person makes time for what is important to them. This is important to us. It is helping us to push our sewing skills, set goals and see them through. And on that note, we are heading out of town soon for a long weekend on a sewing retreat! The word excitement doesn't quite cut it. Ha!

Jane Market Bag - shabby style

Christmas Table Runner - quilted and ready to bind

Michelle Patterns Grocery Bag - love these!! Fast and easy sew!!

Oliver and S Class Picnic blouse- she loves the owls!

   Well dear homeschoolers and sewing partners-in-crime, that's a wrap for today! Thanks for stopping by and I sure hope to be back soon.

xoxo

Advent and other Musings

live.

We've had a lot of happenings around here, including Britt's sweet sixteen birthday and today Kate's third birthday. It's surreal to me - to have a daughter with a driver's license and another still in a carseat. Surreal but crazy beautiful too. Earlier today a friend lamented giving away her nursing pillow and a bouncy seat. She cried because she says they don't plan on having anymore children. She has two very little ones, the oldest is only 3.  But I wonder, how many people make those kind of "final" family-size decisions when they are in the thick of the hard toddler/baby years, only to regret it later. Because those years do pass away and the next thing you know you have a lot more time to sew ...

Planning Your Next Homeschooling Year?

So, with Easter now behind me, I find myself thinking about the upcoming school year. Isn't it juicy to just think, plan, and think some more? Its what I love about homeschooling.  Having been at this a  little while now, you'd think I'd automatically know all I want to do and learn and see with the kids. But I don't, and you know what? It doesn't really matter.  Because ... well, you want to know the best-kept secret that even most homeschoolers don't realize?

It's not about the content.

I'll repeat that again so you can let it sink in.

It's not about the content.

It's about the process. Teaching your kids learning strategies. Helping them develop talents and skills. Exposing them to a variety of all the wonderful things God puts in front of you every day that is free for the looking. Inspiring them to enjoy the act of learning itself by being a good example of just that. No, not just enjoy. LOVE the learning. It is entirely possible and we shouldn't settle for anything less!

Because the content? It will always be there to look up. You simply can't remember everything, and our kids aren't buckets to fill up with a bunch of facts. Content is just the tool we use to accomplish the broader goal of forming persons.

This is why curriculum will never satisfy. Ever.

And all the stuff in the rest of our lives? Stuff we accumulate and desire and things we buy that we think will make us happy? They will never satisfy either. Y'all know what's coming next, don't you. It's the Faith thing. Only through faith in Jesus can we ever hope to have a taste of peace and joy even amidst the clutter and challenges of life.

Two books to recommend.  First, Organized Simplicity.  This isn't your everyday organizing book. It is more about having a good hard look at your life and climbing out from under the burden of all the clutter.  Second, For the Love of Learning by Amy Edwards, a Leadership Education expert I'd say. She explains so well how content is really only the vehicle and not the end in itself. I have Amy's Webinars and I've been listening ...

I have less than a week left here in Arizona. Its gone by sooo fast and while I'm not anxious to get back home, I am anxious to dive into some new routines and rhythms in our family and homeschooling life. Spring is good for that, isn't it?

How about you, are you starting to plan your next school year? Or are you in the midst of decluttering your life? Let's Discuss!

Puzzling Pyramids and other Fun Adventures with Young Explorers

It was wonderful to get back into the swing of Young Explorers, especially after having to cancel last week due to the storm. We had a few new faces this morning and they fit right into my group of guinea pigs, as I fondly call them.

Here's a recap of what we did today. By far there were two highlights - listening and dancing to Grieg's music, and getting puzzled with ping-pong-ball math!

1. Icebreaker
The kids were all excited to stand up and tell us what costume they are wearing tomorrow evening, one by one, and our new kids were absolute pros with the icebreaker.  You know, its only a few seconds that they each get up and speak to us, but gosh they are getting good at it, and they do seem to enjoy it.

2. Oh Canada 
Led by Brittany, we all sang Oh Canada. I know I know. But my kids don't really know this very well and its much more fun to learn in a group, so we sang our little hearts out. I thought it would fit in well because this month we celebrate Remembrance Day, and we mentioned that. We talked about what that holiday meant, and how singing our national anthem is a way to show respect for our country.  Next week, we will be reading In Flanders Fields.

3. Socratic Discussion: 
Today, I introduced the kids to The Ziz in The Hardest Word by Jacqueline Jules.  The Ziz is so much fun, and there are a few of Jules' books featuring the Ziz! He's a REALLY large bird whose great big wings are always getting him into trouble, and in this case they knocked down a tree, which knocked down another tree, which knocked down another tree .... which fell over and destroyed the children's garden.  So the Ziz heads to Mt. Sinai to have a little chat with God - he does this frequently in fact - and told God about his mistake. God tells the Ziz to go, find the hardest word, and bring it back to God.  The Ziz has an adventure trying to find this word, and brings back words like "goodnight," "spaghetti," "rock," and so on, but each word he brings back is not the hardest word. In exasperation, the Ziz tells God he was sorry but he couldn't find the hardest word. "What was that?" God asks.  "I'm sorry, I couldn't find it." "Oh, you did it, you found the hardest word!"  That's right, sorry is the hardest word. The Ziz goes back to the children's garden, says sorry, and offers vegetables from his own garden as a token of apology.

This story made us ask the question: Why is saying sorry so hard?  We had to dig deep.  I got all sorts of reasons, like saying sorry is embarrassing, you don't want people looking at you, you feel bad that you hurt someone; but none of these are the real reason.  I kept asking the kids, "BUT WHY?"  And it came down to this (and they discovered themselves): Saying sorry means you have to face the fact that you are not perfect in the eyes of others.  Its hard to humble yourself.  Really hard. But you have to "just do it" as one of the kids said.  You have to have "courage and just say it," another said.

I have read this book with my own kids recently, and I have to tell you Maria has a MUCH easier time saying sorry as a result.  Normally she is so stubborn.  I felt it had a positive impact, and now the running statement in our home is "You have to say the hardest word."

We did some role-playing with saying sorry.  How to do it properly, how to accept an apology.

4. Picture Study - Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life.

Isn't it wonderful? This is a very complex oil painting where the subject matter is probably rooted in most religions one way or another. This painting is quite famous and you will probably see it everywhere now - its fabric, its iphone covers, coffee cups.  It is full of so much detail, the kids spent quite a bit of time examining the details and doing narrations for the group. Everyone had a different interpretation of the branches, the "eyes" in the branches, the people in the painting.

Klimt looks like a very interesting fellow!! We did NOT discuss his biography at all, its probably a bit x-rated :(.  But his paintings are superb and his sketches are fantastic as well.

Thought you might like to explore this video of a six-year-old showing how to draw Klimt's Tree of Life, with help from her ipad.  Also, check out this Pinterest board for several links to some amazing art activities based on the Tree of Life.  We may even do some Tree of Life artwork this block, it just looks so fun.

5. Composer and Composition - Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt.

Peer Gynt is based on a Norwiegian fairy tale (in English it would be Peter Gynt), and depending which version you read, Peter is either a good guy or rather immoral. Dramatist Ibsen loosely based a 5-act play on this fairy tale, and asked Grieg to write the score.  The Mountain King scene is the most famous.  Click here for a neat Classics for Kids activity sheet to give you a feel for the drama and the music.  Check out link on Peer Gynt as well, an interesting blog about various fairy tales.

Last block we primarily listened to piano compositions, but today we dove into an entire orchestra. You can hear the London Philharmonic playing this version here.  The kids were dancing to it and rocking out; I also played the motif for the kids on the piano and some of them were trying to play it by ear on their own. Did a great job.  Its a catchy little tune, so I apologize because you won't be able to get it out of your head :).

6. Living Math 

Today we pretended we were Pythagoreans. The kids wanted to choose their own Greek name and I had to remember to call them by it! Anyway, after listening to some interesting facts about Pythagoras, we pretended to be part of his "inner circle behind the curtain."  We pretended that ping-pong balls were pebbles and "played" on the ground with them.  Hey, we discovered odd and even numbers! Its so much nicer to have a fun manipulative to SEE odd and even instead of a boring worksheet.  We talked about how the Pythagoreans were the first to put numbers into "families," like odd and even, squares and roots; and they were the first to think of numbers as having shapes like triangular, squares, oblongs, hexagonal, octagonal.  

Using the ping-pong balls, we experimented. What happens when you put two odd numbers together?  What about an odd and and even?  Two even numbers?  You and I take this for granted, but to be able to concretely SEE how this works is so much more effective. 

Then, we tried to figure out patterns in building both triangular and square numbers.  We began with 3 ping-pong balls in the shape of a triangle.  How many more balls to make the next biggest triangle?  The kids kept adding balls to the triangle and soon enough it became apparent that you just need to keep adding an extra row that is one ball bigger than the previous.  We kept track of the pattern on the white-board.

We also did this with square numbers. This is the easiest way to explain the concept of squares and roots.

Can a triangular number also be a square number? I asked the question, some kids immediately said no, but if you're looking for a little enrichment activity, have them build a set of both triangular and square numbers (or use dots on paper to build the numbers), and see where the overlap is.  

Finally, I had them try a pyramid puzzle and sent them home with it as well.  Given certain ping-pong ball shapes, their challenge was to work with a partner to build a pyramid.  This is called the "20-ball pyramid puzzle."  Its from Historical Connections in Mathematics, Volume 1 (the book is available as an e-book download if you click that link).  And here is a free excerpt of the lesson we used today.  Its geared for grades 7-12 but my young explorers are real smarty pants :).  So are the moms.  Because one momma called me to say she solved it within a few minutes! And in the next instant, I received an email that two more kids solved it. Yeesh. My whole family has been tinkering with this for a couple of nights already :(.  Did I mention I'm really more of an artsy person at heart?

So that's a recap, dear friends. So glad you joined us today! Have a great week :).

Young Explorers Booklist Block 1

Things are a-happenin' this fall let me tell you!

First item of business. Young Explorers Learning Group. I have planned a community homeschool pilot project for a 4-week block scheduled this fall. I'll be mentoring a group of children, ages 6-10, for two mornings a week and I am so pumped for this! Our group will not be your typical homeschool get-together-for-some-group-learning-and-crafts; no. Rather, first and foremost we will be rooted in the classics and socratic discussion. This age is prime for learning core lessons such as right versus wrong, good versus bad, true versus false - using literature as our vehicle and allowing the kids to come to conclusions on their own (not take it away from them or "tell them the answers.") What makes a hero? What is courage and how do I get it? What does it mean to be honest? Brave? What makes a house a home? What is a villainous character and what happens to them? Socratic discussion is based on asking questions, it begs one to think and form an opinion; in this case based on a set of experiences within the confines of great literature. All the lofty ideas we aim to come face to face with. We will also be doing living math, living science, and fine arts (art, drama, music appreciation). Gonna be so good.

Within a few hours of sending out the initial announcement and invitation to join the community homeschool pilot project, 5 of my 8 spots were filled. And a few days later, the 6th. I have only 2 spots left, friends, if you're thinking about it, before I cast out a wider net in the local homeschool world.

In the meantime, I've been carefully selecting the read-aloud list for block 1. Our group will read and discuss together - there will not be any reading preparation for the kids to do at home. We are going to discover it all together! In choosing titles, I wanted the piece to not only delight but to provide a good basis for discussion of core lessons and great ideas. The piece had to be doable in a 4 week block with no carry-overs (although we may at times include only excerpts of good classic literature). And, I was aware of the fact that the kids may have already been exposed to many of the really popular children's classics (like Little House on the Prairie, A Little Princess, Gullivers Travels, etc). Not to say we won't do them, but just not in Block 1. I'm hoping most of the material here is fresh for them.


1.The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey - we'll cover one habit each day

2. The Olive Fairy Book compiled by Andrew Lang  - We'll read "Samba the Coward."  Do you know the Fairy Books? They are classics, there are 13 differentiated by color, and are full of worthy tales and stories from around the world. Many available free on the handy dandy kindle.

3. Tolkien's Tales from the Perilous Realm. With "The Hobbit" being released in theatres this fall, the kids have been reading a lot of Tolkien. For that reason, I'm sure they will be receptive to hearing some of his lesser-known but equally awesome short stories found in this treasury. We won't do all of them, but either Roverandom or Farmer Giles of Ham.

4. The Proud Grain of Wheat by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This is a lovely short story about a grain of wheat who thinks he's better and finer than all the rest. Great jumping point to discuss the virtue of humility and the consequences of pride. And the really exciting part is along the way we are going to view some artwork depicting wheat in all its stages (think Van Gogh's The Sower; Sheaves of Wheat, etc). This story is found in a collection of novels and short stories by Burnett, author of The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and the likes. I am currently reading The Little Princess to Alexa (6). Not only does she love it, but its reaching her heart and making her think - exactly our goal. Had to include something by Frances HB for sure! 

5. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. Another heartwarming story about courage. Some of the kids may have read this one already, but a classic is a classic because you can come back to it again and again, and learn something new each time. And be changed for the better.

6. Children's Classics in Dramatic Form by Augusta Stevenson.  Oh, this is a find. It is a collection classic fables and tales, (Aesop, Andersen, Grimm) adapted into short little plays. Each play only has 2-3 characters and are simple enough to read and perform. Then discuss. Then perform again :). Free on Kindle!!

7. Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit. We'll probably do The Tempest or Romeo & Juliet, but I haven't fully decided. Never too young for a little Shakespeare, child-style though. As my friend said, is there any Shakespeare play that doesn't have something inappropriate for children in it? Don't worry, I'll be highly selective and careful with what's presented. On that note, when reading aloud to my own children, I'm pretty good about replacing words like "stupid" with "silly," etc. I'll do the same in any group read-alouds.

8. I'm debating over a couple of others. They are Pearl's Promise by Frank Asch, great little story about a mouse who escapes a pet store and promises to save her brother from a hungry snake AND keep her family together. GREAT story about courage, heroism, bravery, promises and keeping your word. But, in one small episode Pearl ends up seeing a fortune-teller's cat who gives her information from the crystal ball,(quite humorous yes), but not sure I want to have to explain fortune-tellers and crystal balls to the kids. I don't. Maybe I can edit this section out? The story is a page-turner and would appeal to all.  I'm also in the middle of pre-reading the classic Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. So far it has all the elements in a good piece of literature - heroines Bonny (rough and tumble) and cousin Sylvia (frail); wolves on the loose; the villainous and cruel Miss Slighcarp who plots against Bonny and Sylvia while Bonny's parents are away; and Simon the gooseboy who lives in the forest ... so far so good on this one.  And lastly, we'll add some great poetry into the mix. I have lots of that!

Lofty list? That's ok. We don't have to make it through everything, there's no rush. I'm optimistic that however far we dive in, we will savour the journey and enjoy the process!

I'll post later about our living math and living science plan.
'Till then, God bless your week!

The Mathematician's Lament

"There is surely no more reliable way to kill enthusiasm and interest in a subject than to make it a mandatory part of the school curriculum. Include it as a major component of standardized testing and you virtually guarantee that the education establishment will suck the life out of it."

Paul Lockhart

Ha! Isn't that the truth!

Here are a few more excerpts from mathematician Paul Lockhart's essay, The Mathematician's Lament.

"The mathematics curriculum doesn't need to be reformed, it needs to be scrapped."

Love this guy. 

"The saddest part of all this "reform" are the attempts to "make math interesting" and "relevant to kids' lives." You don't need to make math interesting - it's already more interesting than we can handle! And the glory of it is its complete irrelevance to our lives. That's why its so fun!"

"Operate all you want, doctors: your patient is already dead."

Lockhart is an absolute hoot! 

Reading this piece by Lockhart is continually confirming my instinct that Living Math is an excellent approach to a real math education. He states that no other subject is routinely taught without mentioning its history, philosophy, thematic development, etc.  He believes math is really an art, not a science, with aesthetic value and inherent beauty.  This book will change how you think about math!

"The main problem with school mathematics is that there are no problems. Oh, I know what passes for problems in math classes, these insipid "exercises." "Here is a type of problem. Here is how to solve it. Yes it will be on the test.  Do exercises 1-35 odd for homework." What a sad way to learn mathematics: to be a trained chimpanzee."

"I can understand the idea of training students to master certain techniques - I do that too. But not as an end in itself. Technique in mathematics, as in any art, should be learned in context. The great problems, their history, the creative process - that is the proper setting. Give your students a good problem, let them struggle and get frustrated. See what they come up with. Wait until they are dying for an idea, then give them some technique. But not too much."

"Play games! Teach them chess and Go, Hex and backgammon, Sprouts and nim, whatever. Make up a game. Do puzzles. Expose them to situations where deductive reasoning is necessary. Don't worry about the notation and technique; help them to become active and creative mathematical thinkers."

Hey, have you ever heard of Go, Hex, or Sprouts? Me neither ... but I'm going to find out.

I've given you a little taste of what Paul Lockhart has to say about math education.  Something that has given me pause is his defence of math as an art form done by human beings for pleasure. He likens math to music - musicians may abbreviate their language with little black dots on staff paper, but that does not define the language of music. Nor does it stop even little ones from being able to sing, right? And, becoming proficient at music theory (on paper) in no way makes you a musician.  Its funny, I have a music background in piano, and along the way I often heard how music and math are related.  The idea was that music is made of rhythms and beats which correspond to numbers/math.  Um, big whoop, I always thought.  Kind of a boring connection in my mind.  Well, now I know there is a link between music and math but its not really about numbers! The real connection has more to do with art and creativity and patterns and expression rather than the boring tallying up how many beats in a measure of music! Music is a language that delights, and so should be math.  It makes sense. I don't think God gave us mathematics so we can figure out what happens if train A is coming down the track at 150 km/hr and train B leaves the station 5 min later but is travelling at 110 km/hr and ... you get the idea.  

Read with me.  Download it to your handy dandy kindle.  I'm at the chapter entitled: High School Geometry: Instrument of the Devil. And I'll wait for you to catch up.

TJEd - the Good and Bad

There are many criticisms of TJEd aka Leadership Education. I have grappled with some myself over the years; it is why I have never really fully embraced the philosophy, not fully (see this post).  I won't go into the criticisms (you can google that), but perhaps the misgivings, for me personally, stem from the fact that the author Oliver deMille and 95% of the TJEd machine and followers are of a drastically different faith than I am.  By "machine/follower" I mean co-authors, authors of related books on TJEd, online 'Leadership' schools, many TJEd forum members, and online classes for TJEd moms. OK, I don't have hard statistics to back that up, but I think its safe to say by far the majority are of a VERY different religious background, and therefore different worldview.  Why is this all a misgiving to me? Can't someone of a different faith than I  create a new approach to education? Of course Of course!! But let's just say, I need to be more careful, more vigilant, ever discerning what I read and buy into of TJEd, in order to ensure it does not run contrary to my own belief system. Fair? Every author comes with bias of some sort, right? And as discerning readers we have to continually question and critically assess.  Oliver deMille has written several books recently, not necessarily related to TJEd and homeschooling, and I see some elements I do not agree with.  An example, in the book TJEd for Teens he and his co-author recommend a Teen Top 100 booklist.  Some of the books on the list are ... his own.  I'm sure he truly believes they should be there. But ... I don't necessarily buy in.  In the same book, he defines "key mission areas" that we all fall into when we discern our purpose in life.  He uses interesting categories, some of which fall directly out of the Catholic's Corporal Works of Mercy such as to 'feed the hungry,' but the list also includes 'to create wealth' as a personal mission.  I'm not sure that creating wealth would qualify as one's *main* purpose in life from a Catholic perspective. I guess if you are "called to create wealth" for the benefit of others ... maybe a case could be made?  But, from a Catholic perspective, I have read that prosperity is more dangerous than poverty, and this I believe to be true. So, in the end, as with everything, prayerful discernment is necessary for a Catholic parent and homeschooler. Always.

Another hesitation I have.  DeMille has put together the "7 Keys of Great Teaching" and even added an 8th Key as TJEd has evolved.  I love the 7 Keys.  I use them to a certain extent, but not exclusively.  Was Thomas Jefferson actually educated by his mom using the 7 Keys? Of course not.  The 7 Keys were put forward by deMille based on his research, thoughts, and opinions.  So TJEd, as a modern educational philosophy, has not *really* been tested scientifically to determine if in fact this approach creates "leaders" and "statesmen," other than the idea that some of the Founding Fathers of America would have studied classics and had mentors and would have taken ownership of their own education.  But you know what? The 7 keys overlap other educational philosophies (such as reading and studying the classics).  So I'm not all that fussed over the fact that TJEd is relatively new and untested.  I do love so many elements of TJEd that I'm willing to accept the fact there are imperfections, and tweak it the way I want.  My experience on the TJEd forums leads me to believe that others are doing the same - tweaking and modifying. That's okay.

But here's what I'm excited about today. I recently participated in a free trial class for moms through the online Abigail Adams Academy.  We read and discussed a speech by Gandhi.  It was WONDERFUL!! What a treat to bring together other women from different parts of the continent to have a scholarly discussion! I plan on being a regular attendee beginning in the fall. And that brings me to:

Key of Great Teaching #7:   "You, not them." 


(otherwise known as: don't ignore yourself in the process of home-educating your children)


One thing I know for sure about TJEd, it has inspired thousands of moms, in the trenches like me, in the thick of motherhood and homeschooling, to work on their own education and make themselves better people by studying and discussing the classics. Writing about them.  Working on their own Core and Love of Learning phases.  I am so grateful!! Another thing I know for sure? This approach to education, this TJEd stuff - its different than everything else I've used/seen/read about.  It aspires to all the lofty ideals like character, virtue, relationship, true education. I like that.

Have a great week, God bless you.

Which Latin? Classical or Christian?

Recently, on a homeschooling forum, someone asked about Latin programs. The discussion turned into discerning between classical and Christian Latin, and there were misconceptions that these were two very different languages.  The following summarizes my input to the post, after doing a little research and consulting my "experts".  I am not a latin expert, we have only ever used programs by Memoria Press in our homeschool (see this post), but I'm hoping this may be helpful if ever you are wondering about the difference between the two types of latin styles:



In picking a latin program, you do have a choice in the type of Latin to study - between "classical latin" or "ecclesiastical/Christian latin."  However, to clarify, they are but one language.  They differ primarily in pronunciation; sometimes word order is a bit different but vocabulary is 95% the same. 
A commonly used example of the difference in pronunciation between the two styles: Caesar's famous "Veni,vedi,vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered) in classical latin would be "Way-nee, wee-dee, wee-kee" versus Christian latin "Vay-nee, vee-dee, vee-chee."  But its still written "Veni" and the word is the same whether you use Christian or classical latin.

Classical latin is considered more "flowery" and stylistic - it was the latin of the elite at the time, used for political oratory or epic poetry recitation, and used for a relatively short span before it fell out of favor.  Christian latin, though, was more blunt and "to the point;" it became widely used in the first thousand years A.D.  It is easier to understand with more predictable grammar, less flowery. There are many original non-religious works that were written in this style, it was not limited to church writings, and yes, you can use it for 'real latin reading.'  All the same latin, same case endings, same declensions.  Yet I can see having a much more difficult time translating the Aenid (much older, flowery work, complicated syntax), versus, say, a New Testament Biblical text from the latin, no matter what style of latin you have learned.


I found this quote interesting, from an article by Leigh Lowe of Memoria Press, "Latin was the international language of Christians for over a thousand years. To exclude this in favor of focusing solely on Roman Latin content is a common mistake. Acknowledging both Latin's Christian and classical heritage offers the more historically accurate cultural background for the language."  She makes a good point.  Of course its only her biased opinion, but I see value in it. I don't believe Christian latin should be ignored.  Consider that many colleges offer a latin program incorporating both classical and Christian latin.  At my friend's daughter's college, they are required to do two years of Christian followed by a year of classical latin.  My friend's daughter eloquently says, "The difference can be compared to American English versus British English, and either approach can still read Tolkien".  There are differences, yes, but you can still read original works in both. 


There is a misconception that Christian latin programs somehow ignore Roman history.  Not so. Even with a Christian latin program, there is usually an emphasis on Roman history.  With Christian latin, however, you have the addition of classic Christian hymns we still hear today  (like Adeste Fideles - O Come All Ye Faithful - a common Christmas hymn), and classic Christian prayers, like the Our Father - which you won't generally find in strictly classical latin programs - and which can be used or not in your study, as you like. That alone may rule one program out over another, based on your core belief system. If, however, the Bible is part of your core, I would strongly consider a Christian latin program.    

Another misconception is that only classical latin will give you a foundation in medical terminology.  Not so. In studying Christian latin, you get the same understanding of science/medical terminology as you do with classical.  They are not mutually exclusive, and that is one of the big arguments for ANY style of latin - that it is the language of science and medicine.  So you don't 'give that up' if you do one style versus the other. Truth be told, Greek was the language of medicine up to the first century A.D., even for the Romans. Greek terms then began to be "latinized." For example, the original Greek and Arabic medical works were translated into the common latin in the late 1400s and subsequently (think Galen, and De Medicina), in the common latin of the day.

All that aside, I think something to keep in mind when choosing programs is the level your students are at, and to meet them there with something that will ... drumroll ....  truly inspire!  Or at least create some interest! Ask yourself:  

Does your child excel in logical thought and solving brain puzzles?
Perhaps a translation-approach will be the hook for him. While beginners will find it difficult to jump right into latin translation (whole-to-parts approach) without doing the hard work of grammar first, maybe this would suit your child. However, at some point the grammar has to be learned. Jumping right into translation might be completely overwhelming and kill any interest there might have been. Consider, for example, that Wheelock Latin was written for college level. So for beginners, a program that progresses parts-to-whole is usually better. That being said, if you have an older child who has good use of logical facilities, than maybe a translation-based program will be the hook - the puzzle for him to solve.


Does your child love music? Especially music history?  
Latin truly helped shape the style of music in the first 1000 yrs A.D.  Think Gregorian chant. If there is a strong love of classical music, maybe this is the hook for your child to learn latin chants, which represent the Christian culture of the time, and then develop a greater interest in the language.

Does your child delight in words and language and spelling in general?
You may consider a program that uses a "roots" approach instead of grammar approach.  While teaching latin roots and the english words that have derived from them is very different than learning the grammar and sentence structure of a language, a "roots" approach might be the gentle hook that gets your child interested in latin itself, and inspires him to move into it more deeply. My oldest daughter really inhaled all the latin and greek vocabulary programs she could find! My son did not :)
And finally, if one program "fails," and you still want to pursue another, it is entirely possible that you may need to start back at square one because the approach, scope, and sequence to teaching latin differs so greatly among programs, be it going from one classical program to another, or from one Christian program to another, or crossing from Christian to classical. Too bad it has to be so complicated!

I have recommended them before and I would suggest for further reading: 
The Latin-Centered Curriculum
Climbing Parnassus

Conveyor belt: what is it really?

Recently on a forum, a homeschooling mom made a tongue-in-cheek confession that she loved a good conveyor belt.  I'm sharing with you some excerpts of my response to her :).


Remember that TJEd concept of conveyor belt education? Its where everybody hops on the belt (preschool or kindergarten), then gets the same education, at the same time and pace, without consideration of individual learning needs or interests.  At the end of the belt (eg grade 12), you get the "stamp of approval" (diploma), you hop off, and you get a job. Or go on to another conveyor belt (eg college).  In a conveyor belt model, you are told what to think. But not how to think. 

In the homeschool area, I think the conveyor belt is more of a mentality than an entity:

A mentality that the "plans" (such as a school-in-a-box curriculum) must be followed to the tee in order for real learning to occur. Or that you must have plans at all.


A mentality that we must check, check, check the items off the list, irrespective of the individual student's learning needs, desires and abilities. 


A mentality of one size fits all and the size is not dictated by you but by someone else. 


Please don't fall into that trap. Its the sure path to mommy burnout and kills any love of learning.

During a couple of my pregnancy/baby years, we used Sonlight curriculum - a packaged school-in-a-box that comes with ready-made lesson plans and a schedule for 36 full weeks of school.  This would be considered a conveyor belt, because someone else made these plans.  Yet, we loved it! The reason we loved it and why it worked was because I did not approach it with conveyor belt mentality.


I was very careful to make it work for us, and not be a slave to its plans and checklists. We didn't do all the writing assignments, grammar components, etc etc etc. and we didn't finish 36 weeks of lesson plans - nor did I ever expect that we would. Rather, we did what we loved - the reading, the mapping, the Bible memory, the running off on trails for the sake of learning. We used it as a spine and let it be a rough guide. There was no "drudgery" or "work" involved, it was pure pleasure. It inspired the kids, and because of that, we kept it up. I think many people who first buy a boxed curriculum expect to "finish" in the prescribed 36 weeks, but seasoned homeschoolers soon find out that its difficult to stick to someone else's plan and still be happy and sane by the end of the school year. We all either abandon it, or alter it, or burn ourselves out.  Same with any specific "curriculum" for individual subjects - reading, history, math, french - if you expect to get on the conveyor belt at lesson one, and require your kids to complete every. single. page. from start to finish, I think you miss a great opportunity to enjoy the ride of learning. I would bet that at some point it becomes drudgery. And while your kids may now be fluent in french verb conjugation and they are officially performing at grade level of their peers, at what cost did they achieve it? At the cost of love of learning? Wait a minute - that's one of the reasons why I started homeschooling in the first place - because I wanted to instil a great love for learning in my children!!!

Even the TJEd for Teens Top 100 booklist could become a conveyor belt, if approached with the mentality that "these are the top 100 books that every wannabeascholar MUST start with in order to be a scholar, and we will go through each and every one so we can check, check, check them off the list." I certainly don't think that list is the be-all end-all. But, if you use it as a spine or a starting place, tweak here and there, read this one but not that one, then it becomes a great tool! Any list of classics can and should be approached this way; they are after all, a matter of opinion.


My entire point was this: to employ a TJEd or Leadership Education model, we need not be afraid of packaged curriculum per se.  We just need to know how to apply it and not have crazy expectations.  We need to use it concurrently with inspiration. 


Avoid the mentality of the conveyor belt.