Learning House

 

I Love looking around the house at night. It looks cleaner in the dark. No sunlight to show the dust floating in the air or the pawprints on the hardwood that seem to always come back as soon as I finish mopping.

I realized the other night how much learning is always going on. Math problems and words written everywhere. The experiments on the counters. The History. (Dates that Daddy writes on the board for us to look up.) Books everywhere. Collections. Maps. Drawings. 

At any given time this stuff is spread throughout the house, in every room. Throughout the day there is always being something done. Exploring outside and in the community. Reading a book together in the bedroom. Playing a computer game in the living room. A board game at the Kitchen table. Or a hands on game in the hallway, such as the one we made called, "Name That State!" 

It's Our Learning House.

When Homeschooling Becomes Stressful

Days like today are the not so good days. The days where I just want to lock myself in a room and cry. I Love that Sam and I get so much time together, and I would not trade it for anything. We wake up together. We spend all day together. And she even still sleeps in our bed. Most nights. We are always back and forth with it. She can go either way for the most part....

But from time to time there are those days, where all that time together just takes a toll on both of us. I used to go to the Center by myself so that I could have that one day a week kind of to myself. It was like working one day a week. It gave me a break and I had time to do something that I enjoy, aside from educating Samantha. Now I don't even have that because MIL doesn't watch her anymore. So I go to the Center and I have to do my "work" at the same time that I am saying, "Sweetie, we need to wait until after lunchtime to eat your snack. You just had breakfast." "Yes, Sam, you can play on the computer. Sure. Let me bring that website up for you while I am doing 30 other things.

And with all this more structured "schooling" happening, it is making things hard. I feel like she HAS to learn certain things by a certain time or people are going to start saying I don't teach her, so I know I am trying to over compensate, which I said I would never do because I know she is learning so many other things...But of course, it is hard to ignore that external pressures! And they are wearing me down. Which all that is causing Sam stress. And when she stresses, SHE STRESSES! (FOR EXAMPLE, DH was recently out of work for 2 weeks because he hurt is back at work. Just went back today. He got paid 2/3 of his pay check while he was off for workman's comp. which was barely enough to pay the bills. BUT, all the bills got paid. We just had to watch that we weren't spending. Samantha heard me mention ONE time that we couldn't go out to eat because of it, and she lost sleep for days! She cried in the car because she wanted to make sure the bills were paid and that we weren't going to lose the house-which was never even a concern for us, so I have no clue where that came from...She even tried to give us the money from her piggy bank!)

So with all that stress that she heaps upon herself, she hasn't been trying at all! She has been super dramatic about anything that takes even an ounce of effort. Especially with math and reading. She doesn't want to play games on the computer or read books. Which is extremely unusual for her. And I keep hearing, "Do we have to...?" She even asked me that when I told her we were taking her shopping with her birthday money. She had little interest at first in going to spend it the day after her party. She had fun when I took her, but she kept having moments where she was like, "Do I have to go look at the toys?" "I don't really want to pick. You tell me which I should get."

On the outside, I just keep smiling, trying to keep calm, and saying things like, "Yes, Sam. We need to read this book. The more you read, the better you will get." "Computer games are fun. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to play. Let's try this new one." and "It's up to you, Sweetie. It's your money."

But inside my chest is hurting and my blood pressure is rising and I just want to yell, "Yes! And if you don't do your "work" or make up your mind or quit being lazy, or whatever else you are doing, I am going to enroll you in school where you will have a lot more work than you do here! And then we will see if you complain about what I want. I don't ask for much! I ask for you to read one independent book a week. I ask you to play a few math GAMES a week. We go over maps for like 15 minutes once a week. And then do FUN experiments, activities, and movies for a Science topic. That is all I ask! Why is that so hard?!!!!!"

I don't understand. I ask her the problem so that if I need to change something I can, and she just mumbles something about how she doesn't know. It's just "so and so" hurt her feelings last year. WHAT?! How can I level with that? I try to remember she is just 5, and maybe doesn't understand, and that is why I give her calm, understanding replies, but inside I am like, "???!!!!" What am I supposed to do? I know we will get over this hump, but until then, "URRRGGG!!!!"

Vent Over.

Not Back To School Picnic

Ugh. Today drug by as we anxiously awaited the annual Not Back To School Picnic. This would be Samantha's first, and neither one of us could wait. We spent the day like a normal day. We read. Played games. Played on the computer. And we baked brownies to put on the dessert table at the picnic.

When the time came, we left the house super early-as usual. We were the first ones there, and we met the President of the group. She talked to us. I felt a little akward at first. Sam was being super shy, and I didn't really know what to say. I had the same thought I had at the beginning of McKays Homeschool Day..."This is going to be a disaster."

The Group President's Husband heard Samantha talking about finding someone to play with, so when a group of girls arrived, he walked her over to them and introduced her. That was it. For the rest of the night, she ran off to play with them.

They spent the whole time playing with some kittens they found, playing softball and doing cartwheels in the field. She found a friend to tell jokes with. And they played lots of games that they had lined up for the picnic.

She had a blast. I watched her from across the field most of the night. Except during the games. She came back up to the pavillion. She played with kids of all ages. The highschoolers didn't mind her. They let her join right in. The kids her age, well, of course they got along really well, just being typical 5 year olds.

As for me, I didn't have time to be lonely or quiet. One Mom after another came up to me and introduced themselves. They told me about the group and all the super neat activities coming up. I recognized a few people from the area, and one of the Moms recognized me from storytime at the library. We instantly hit it off. And she told me about the elementary playgroup getting together to play dodge ball this coming up Friday. Which, we will totally be there. So many nice ladies, and they helped us to feel so welcome. We fit right in there. All this talk about lessons and field trips. It is just so exciting, and it makes Samantha and me BOTH feel less lonely. She has countless homeschooled "friends" now. I know this year will be a year full of new fun activities and good friends.

They already have a field trip planned to see replicas of Columbus's ships-which Jessie is taking off work for so that he can join us, the cowboy museum, and the Enchanted Corn Maze...That is just in the next month. Not to mention the playdates and Fall parties. They also have a Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas party, Valentines Day Skate Party, and Field Day! Oh, the things this year will hold...

Samantha Dressed Up and Ready For the Picnic

Meeting New Friends

Playing Games

New Friends

Confessions of a Homeschool Mom

I wrote this a few months ago. I just finished looking through my drafts and found it. Thought it would be fun to post. 

So being that is our "first official year," I have been paying more attention to the areas that I tend to "slip up" os differently than I always said I would do them. Yep, that's right, ladies, it is not all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it's rain and muddy water. Er well, in this case I should just say we aren't always the Cleaver Family. How's that?

1. The first thing I noticed was that, as many times as I have said, "No rewards system. She will learn to do her activities and learn without bribes." Today I found myself telling her, "As soon as we finish reading this book, we can get out your iPod." Yah. Terrible of me. Not quite bribing her, but on the other  hand, it is just like bribing her. And the worst part is that I basically just said, "Learning to read stinks. Playing the iPod is fun! So let's hurry up!" Usually I am very calm and we enjoy reading together. But as many hours as we spend slowly reading words on the page-although she is getting a LOT faster-sometimes a Momma needs a break! So we ended up shutting the book early and playing an art game on the iPod. One of the many advantages of the freedom we have.

Update: I still struggle in that area. She just doesn't like easy readers, so we are transitioning to chapter books together. Thus seems to help. 

2. I have found that I am writing in "lessons" in the lesson plan book that are so petty. The other day Samantha asked about typewriters, and since my motto is, "Never leave a child's question unanswered." we looked up a video on typewriters. Who listed that under "History" in the records? This Momma! Wanna know why? Because I'm not able to show on the records the truly rich learning we do, the things that you can't quite put into words, so I have to put something to appease the Board if they ever request her records. I have learned "Education-ese" and I will use it to my advantage.

Update: I don't see this as a weakness in our homeschool, except that at that point I was obsessing over "The Lesson Plan Book." 

3. We skip "calendar"-A LOT. Yah. It just seems like such a huge waste of time and Sam gets bored of it too. Too "student-teacher". So generally, we don't do it. I trust that she will learn that sort of stuff over time, and she has. Through songs and hearing people every day talking about the seasons, months, etc. And of course apps. 

 

Update: Again, not a weakness. Just a confession. 

4. I clock out. Yes. I clock out. This Mom needs a break some times. Being there 24/7, not even getting a break to do chores (Because "you know who" is always trailing behind me.) can take a toll on you. So we spend the day together. We play. We laugh. We learn. We cook dinner. Clean up. And then I'm done until bed time! Daddy and Sami play. Or Sam can keep herself busy. And then when bedtime comes, I gather up just enough energy to read books, write on the board, pray, the whole routine. And then I hit the bed and don't move again the rest of the night. Our guilty pleasure is watching TV and talking until we both pass out around midnight. Getting just enough sleep before we get back up in the morning and go at it again.

5. Here's another secret: I saw a big yellow bus the other day, and I though, "Oh, how nice it would be to have a break! To send her to school where I wouldn't have to worry about keeping "records" "just in case" or making sure that she is staying active in the community or learning what she needs to know. To get to stay home two days a week and get caught up on cleaning or stay longer at the Center if I want to. Or have a day with Jessie. (Who is off in Mondays.) I could focus on a hobby or spend some one on one time with friends. And then the other three days I could volunteer at the school so that I can still be a part of her education..." But I know I would never do it. And I don't want to do it. It's okay to have those thoughts from time to time. But they are never something I would act on just for a bit of "me time" and less worrying about lessons or record keeping. 

6. Oh, and speaking of typical, perfect homeschooling Stay at Home Moms...I have another confession to make...I don't sew. I bake from scratch. I bargain shop. I clean better than Susie Homemaker, but sewing is just one thing I don't do. I have tried it, and now I avoid it like the plague. There it is. I said it.

So there we are. These are my confessions of what Homeschool can really be like some days. It isn't always fun. And it isn't always perfect. In fact, there are days that we slack off so much, we just lay in bed all day and play computer games until dinnertime. 

I will never look back and say that I made a mistake by leading my family down this road.

I was thinking today during a long drive to homeschool gymnastics...and I thought, "How different would life be for Samantha if we sent Samantha to school?!" Who would her friends be? Who would her teachers be? Would she have different hobbies, interests, or even a different personality?" We will never know, but I am okay with that, because SHE is happy with the friends she has now. She has LOTS of hobbies and interests. And she has an AMAZING personality!

Friends

Today was Samantha's second Gymnastics class. We are really getting into a routine, and gymnastics is an awesome way to break up the week, amongst other things like the Center, bi-weekly Library trips, and soon the Georgia Homeschool Support Group.

We like to go swimming or to the playground down the road before or after gymnastics. And I also discovered all the stores, except one, that I shop at on a regular basis for groceries, toiletries, gifts, etc. are in the small, sweet little town of Collegedale, which makes running errands super easy and accessible for me now

Sam and I both made a "friend" today.

Sam was so excited after class to tell me about Hannah, her new friend, who is 7. She was telling me how they  became friends. And how they got to choose their partners and "Hannah chose her!" She told me what they talked about. (I saw them giggling and talking during class. They were "reminded" to keep doing their "bunk bed" exercises. And even though she had to be reminded to focus, it made me happy to see her doing what she was doing. Just being a kid and making friends on her own, laughing, and having fun.) I hope they become good friends, because I know that would make her happy beyond measure.

Then it was my turn. I got to tell Samantha about my new "friend."  A lady sat next to me at the beginning of class and it wasn't long before we began talking. She was so easy to talk to. And it was neat talking to someone who is going through the same stuff. She has 3 kids, ages 10, 7, and 4. (Her 7 year old is a girl, and Sam likes her.) We talked about everything from teaching younger kids, to lessons when they are older. How to incorporate the Bible. And how to make learning fun. We talked about family, kids, Gymnastics and other activities. We joked about how kids grow into their humor and some of the jokes they make. We laughed about Science experiments all over the house and maps on the wall. And as we parted she said, "We'll talk some more on Thursday." (Which seems so simple, but made me feel like maybe we actually fit into the homeschool community.) It was nice to be on the other side of the conversations that I have heard at the library, out in public, and even the first day of class.

This Friday is the Not Back To School Picnic, which Sam has been counting down for. (She has a book with a character who is homeschooled. It mentions a Not Back to School Picnic, and that excites her.) Hopefully she'll fund someone she clicks with there.

Side Note: Sam has asked to set up a Lemonade stand, so we have spent a lot of time this week planning for it. We talked about investing her allowance. (She is buying her own stuff.) We also discussed taking out a loan to start a business. Planning what she'll need and finding a recipe for Lemonade. The best routes to save money. Where to set up. And how to give change. We are making her sign tomorrow and she wants to set up next week. It's such an exciting adventure, and so much to learn. 

First Day of Homeschool Gymnastics

Samantha had her first day at homeschool gymnastics yesterday! It was a crazy day! Sam wanted to leave early to walk around the campus and check the gym out, so I packed some of her Easy Readers and her iPod in case we got bored. Between having to run a few errands I forgot about, taking Jessie his gym bag on lunch, and having to turn around half way to Collegedale to go to East Ridge and meet a lady to buy an old window pane-because I thought we had said Friday and we said Thursday...We finally made it to the college with 30 minutes to spare. I was sure that there would be tons of other eager families there are already.

Boy, was I wrong! We were the only ones there, so Samantha and I read some of her books, which she is getting so good at! She is quick and can figure out words that you can't simply sound out! Ten minutes till time, they unlocked the doors. Nobody else was there but us. I was a little worried that there wasn't going to be many kids in her class, especially around her age, but the coach assured me there was lots of kids signed up.

Apparently when you have 4+ children, you tend to run a little late to everything because 1. You don't want to show up early and spend any longer there controlling 4 kids than you have to. and 2. You have to get 4 kids ready! So everybody showed up at exactly 3 o'clock, which is classtime.

There were 24 kids in her class! They looked like they were all between the ages of 5 and 8. There were 5 teachers though, so the ratio was awesome. They did stretches together as a group. (It reminded me of a school gym class.) Then they split off into groups of 4/5 and took turns at different stations. They showed them how to do the moves, and then they did it themselves.

They don't play around when it comes to gym! I thought they would sit down and have circle time, maybe say their names. Nope. Their first words were, "Homeschoolers, RUN!" (I found out later that's because most of the kids there had been in at least one semester, so Sam had to catch on QUICK! And she did.)

Sam's first center was the trampoline. They learned how to jump normal, how to jump and tuck, and then how to jump, land on your butt, come back up, and land on your elbows to force yourself back on your feet. (I was pretty impressed with that because they aren't just showing them and then letting them do something that slightly resembles the move. They are actually working on technique too so they don't get in bad habits. They gave Samantha some extra attention to get her caught up, and they helped her until she got it right. (I thought this would stress Sam out, but she LOVED IT!)

They worked on showing them how to do a headstand. (Sam is sill working on getting her feet on her elbows.) Then did a station with mats and tumbling. They did rings. And they did a station on mats where they stood on the teacher's hands and lifted them in there air. They had to stand straight for 10 seconds without holding on. (She got this first try.) Then they did the long trampoline where they taught them how to do a few bounces and they did turns and taught them some flips. They practiced the new moves down the whole trampoline, and then instead of walking back to the other end, they either rolled or did cartwheels, depending on their ability. At the end, they tossed the kids in the foam pit and played for a few minutes. And then they asked if anybody had any prayer requests and they prayed. (I Love the the college is a Christian college. It is a nice environment. And Sam will be exposed to things like prayer somewhere besides home and church.)

The class was an hour long. It ran over a few minutes, but I'm definitely okay with that. We paid $100.00 and she will have 20 classes between now and December (twice a week.) I couldn't ask for a better value, and they definitely work with the kids and teach them a lot!

Side Note: I talked to a few of the other Moms, but it was so loud and crazy in there, and a lot of Moms were trying to do lessons with their younger kids while their older kids were in gym. Some of the Moms were just trying to keep their toddlers off the gym floor. And other Moms left to go work out, so it wasn't like a relaxed environment to talk in. Since everything is so fast paced, I kind of wonder if Sam will have the chance to make any friends in gym. (Maybe when we swim, because lots of kids swim afterward.) Next Friday though the group meeting is just a picnic and that is a group basically meant to meet new friends and do fun, relaxing things, so we sha'll see.

After class we went swimming and Samantha told me all about her class! It was neat for her to have something to tell me about that I didn't really know. (I could see her class, but I couldn't hear them because there were so many other groups doing other stations.) So she told me all about what some of the moves are called, and what parts she loved. She says she didn't hate any of the parts. She told me about her teachers and how she likes it better than dance because you do more than just songs. She told me about prayer time and how she learned like "Fifty-Million new things!" She said, "Mommy, you were right! We are learning a lot! And they are teaching up how to do flips just like you said! How did you know?"

I am so glad that we found this class for her. I think she will excel in it. And it nice for her to have it to look forward to twice a week, and also during the day. Kinda breaks things up a little. Going to finish up some Respiratory Business with Sam. Lungs in a bottle. :)

Human Body

Sam recently decided she wanted to learn about the Body! What an exciting unit! It has been lots of fun to plan. Ideally, I would have liked to have waited until school started back to start her unit, just because my little brother will be back in school and we can focus better, but Sam was so excited about this unit, she couldn't wait...So....(This was typed back in July.)

Tonight was filled with fun and laughter as we began our Journey toward getting know How The Body Works. To offset the fact that it is hectic in the day, we decided to do some more in depth activities at night when it is just her and me. (And Jessie when he is in the room.) And then save the cool projects and such for the day when I have my little brother.  

Week one is just an introduction. Sam skimmed some of her library books and colored a labeled picture of the body while we were at the Center. (Center days are usually days for us to talk in the car. She helps me volunteer. And she just kind of dabbles once she gets bored. She plays computer games, colors, reads, ect.)

Tonight we read a few books and talked about all her questions and played pretend while we talked about our senses. We also listened to songs about the body and read poems.

After tonight, Sam already knows her senses and how they function. She also knows the basics of many organ systems. And is super excited to know more. Of course she has learned a little here and there, especially about her bones, because I Love Anatomy. I think that is a big part in what sparked her interest.

Week 1-Introduction:

Books:

Blood Hungry Spleen

Inside Your Outside

Me and My Amazing Body

MSB Inside The Human Body

My Bodyworks

Activities:

We talked a lot about the body and its basic functions. I answered questions they had and put emphasis on the fact that God made our bodies and our bodies work together for our benefit. We also played Doctor. 

Body Coloring Sheet

Week 2-Cells: 

Books:

I Know How My Cells Make Me Grow

Activities:

We talked a lot about how cells are tiny units of us and that there are different types of cells and they replicate themselves, but the coolest part was the spontaneous decision-Sam's idea-to talk about how babies are made and how they start out as cells. We watched several YouTube videos on conception, fetal development, and even homebirth. Her favorite was this one that shows beginning to end. Sam was in awe. By far, I think that will be her favorite part of the unit. She keeps talking about it!

 Cell Coloring Sheet

Watched Magic School Bus Goes Cellular

Week Three-Bones:

Books:

"Bones: Our Skeletal System"

"The Skeleton Inside You"

"The Skeletal System"

"The Big Book of Bones"

Activities:

Our big activity for the week was the life sized skeleton I printed out. We taped it up on the wall and the kids colored and labeled some of the bones. They colored on it all week. We are leaving it up for them to continue coloring and labeling it for the rest of the Unit Study. ( I wrote this weeks ago. Samantha is STILL coloring on it from time to time.)

Guessed How Many Bones We Have

Moved Our Joints

Looked Up XRays Online-Normal and Broken Bones

Talked About Types of Bones and Names

Watched The Bone Song by Animaniacs on YouTube


Week Four: Muscles

Books:

"Muscles: Our Muscular System" 

"The Mighty Muscular Skeletal System"

Activities:

We spent all week talking about exercising and using your muscles. We ran and did push ups and jumping jacks and talked about which muscles we were using. We exercised until our muscles hurt and then talked about why they were hurting. We talked about the muscles we use throughout the day. Felt our muscles move. And measured them. 

Watched Magic School Bus: Sports Fun

Week Five-Nervous

Books:

The Astounding Nervous System (Hyperlink)

The Brain (Hyperlink)

-----

Activities: 

This part was a lot of fun because we found dome neat activities in the back of one of her books. We talked about the senses and why We have them, what they do. And then we went on with lots of sensory games. We covered each other's eye's and less each other around the room and touched things, guessed what they are. We closed our eyes and listened to sounds. Smelled foods. Tasted them. 

Watched Magic School Bus:

Week Six-Circulatory

Books:

Circulatory Story

The Heart

Activities:

This was a fun topic because at first Samantha was like...EW BLOOD! Now she is like, "Cool! Blood!" We were going to do this heart model, but for the life of me, I could not figure it out. Neither could Jess. So we did this one. We also measured our heart rates at rest and after being active for 1 minute. Sam took a "blood bath." Just red food coloring, and it surprisingly didn't dye her. We also measured out how much blood we have in our bodies. We used water and poured it in the sink. Last minute I decided to dye it red and put the same amount of blue water in the other side. (To Symbolize Oxygenated and Deoxygenated Blood) We threw in some marshmellows for a nice touch of White Blood Cells. Samantha played in the sink the rest of the day talking about oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood and making the cells talk. Even her plastic jungle animals joined in the Science talk.

Week Seven-Respiratory

Books:

The Remarkable Respiratory System

Lungs

Activities:

This week we learned about the Respiratory System. We measured our respiratory rate at rest and after being active for 1 minute. We measured our lung capacity using a paper bag. And did a lung model which ended in failure. But that's okay. You win some things and lose others.

Week Eight-Digestive

Books:

What Happens to a Hamburger? 

The Dynamic Digestive System 

Activities:

Sam looked forward to this one from the beginning. We did a few hands on things,  chewing our food and spitting it out to see how it looked, made a model stomach in a zip lock. And even played a printable board game where you move through the digestive system. 

We did two more small lessons, one on eating healthy and organic. (We will be visiting an itgsnic farm in November.) And we touched more in fetal development. We ended with a trip to the Bodies Exhibit in Atlanta, and just in time because now she wants to learn aboyt the ocean. 

Resources:

We bought a poster off Amazon.com. It was VERY FAIRLY priced-less than $5.00 with shipping, and it had all the systems on it. We hung it up in Sam's room, and she Loves to look at it and ask questions.

I also bought Sam a 3D torso model, very small, from the Homeschool Expo. It is just something hands on she can use to explore the organs inside the abdomen.