Curriculum

Because I am an 'A' Type planner personality, it is getting a little late for me NOT to have all my ducks in a row. I know, I know, I'm crazy. Put it this way, I have the first 5 months of my Girl Scout Troop meetings planned already (which doesn't start until October)!!! I am currently planning a Disney trip that is over a year away. I am getting better about this however, after being married to one of the most laid back people I know for almost 13 years. He's the type that throws a tee shirt and underwear in a bag and says 'let's go!' This gives me mini heart attacks!

But when it comes to homeschooling, I've got a framework in mind, but nothing PLANNED. Everyone keeps asking me what curriculum I will follow. I'm not sure I need a curriculum. I know this sounds crazy, and maybe because I am a teacher I'm a little less worried about that, but I truly believe in natural environment learning. I know what a kindergartener and second grader should be learning for the most part. I can look up the state standards online to check myself. But I haven't planned out, in excruciating detail, what we will do everyday. It's amazing. And liberating. Not being chained down to a schedule!

For those of you who know me (and those of you who are like me), you understand how monumental this non-planning is. I don't think it's procrastination either. I am just at peace with the fact that everything will fall into place. Crazy right? I do have a million and 1 ideas. Maybe it's because I can't (or don't want to) limit us to one path. I could go thematic (apples in September, pumpkins in October). I could go by interest (teach everything in relation to Butterflies). I could go by our travel plans (teach based on what trips we are taking that month). I could let the kids decide...NO NOT THAT!

If you were in my position and could framework your child's education any way you wanted, what would you do? Seriously, I want to know!

Socialization

So "Socializing the kids will be your biggest problem" is something I hear a lot in response to our decision to homeschool. And, I'm sorry but I just have to roll my eyes and laugh. Why is it that people assume the best and/or only socialization for our kids happens at school? Have you spent any time in your child's public school lately? Socialization time is pretty pathetic if you ask me. AND it is very contrived. In my experience, the kids spend multiple hours a day at a desk getting in trouble for socializing. Then they go to lunch for a 1/2 hour and have to sit with their class. They are not allowed to wander around & socialize with their peers. Finally, they MAYBE get 15-20 minutes of recess a day (definitely not everyday) and again, it's usually with their class. Once in a while other grade level classes or other grades are together, but not often. THAT'S IT!

So if my calculations are correct, I will be stopping my kids from about 45-50 minutes a day (on a good day) of socializing with their classmates - not their friends, not people of their choosing - their classmates. OK you've convinced me. We're going back! (note sarcasm here).

I bring this up because we have just returned from another camping trip. We camp all the time during the Spring, Summer & Fall months. We went to a campground by ourselves, no friends from home, no family members. And in about 35 seconds, my kids were off riding bikes, having glow stick wars, and playing kickball with a bunch of other kids they had never met before. OK, OK! It took more than 35 seconds, but you get the point. We go places like this all the time. It's always new (or at least the people are new) and every time my children make new friends. They played with boys and girls of all ages. No one cared how old you were, no one cared where you were from, no one cared what grade you were in. Basically the only requirement was keeping up with the pack and even then, they'd slow down for the little ones from time to time. No parents were organizing games or activities. Parents weren't involved at all. There were no fights or problems. And this went on for days. And this happens every time we go away - which is a lot!

I had commented to Frank about how impressed I was that all the kids were getting along, being friendly, sharing, using kind words.....and he pointed out that I always say that but it's always about the other kids. So I need to give props to my kids for being friendly, and sharing, and using kind words and always including others! (OK brag session over).

So after watching my kids, yet again, participate in this kind of play, when encountered with "How will you socialize your kids?" I just bite my tongue, smile and say "They'll be fine."

No more teachers, no more books............

So summer vacation usually signals the end of 'work' - no more homework, no more mandatory reading, no more math tests, etc. We all usually look forward to summer vacation - sleeping in, lazy days playing outside, swimming, trips,exploring our world......Sounds great and I am sooooooo looking forward to this. However, this year I am more excited because it is really the start of our homeschooling experience. Everything we LOVE about summer vacation is going to be how we spend everyday from now on. School in the summer? Hell YES!

There is so much learning that goes on when children are exploring. Learning doesn't have to be limited to a textbook or worksheet. For example, we are growing blueberries this year - yes we fell short of a full garden, but it's a start. My kids picked out the blueberry bushes, dug the holes, put in the peat moss & planted them, they water them regularly and will be picking and eating the blueberries soon!  We also planted butterfly bushes. Every summer we hunt for caterpillars and grow them into butterflies. We wanted to create a garden space for our butterflies this year. Hopefully it will attract more butterflies than we grow. My kids can study the different kinds of caterpillars, butterflies, what they eat, the patterns on their wings. We will surely go to the butterfly house at the Bronx Zoo and compare/contrast our butterflies to theirs. Maybe find out about plants they have and get them for our butterfly garden.

We also plan to travel this summer. We go camping a lot. One of our trips will be to Herkimer where the kids can go 'Diamond Mining.' I have never been there either so I am excited to learn about this. They will actually be digging up their own crystals. How fun! Be careful though and watch your wallets - they are planning on selling the crystals at $50 a pop in order to save up enough money to buy their own cruise ship!

I love the thought of children learning this way. It is so authentic, interesting and active. It will be so meaningful to them. I guess that's why my kids are excited to homeschool. This is how we have always done things. Now they get to do it full time.

Microscopic Toys

Ok so this really has nothing to do with homeschooling, but everything to do with kids. What the hell is up with all of these toys the size of a pin head?!?!Really?!?! Whose brilliant idea was it to come up with toys we can barely see? You know what I'm talking about - Polly Pocket, Baby Zoobles, tiny Lego pieces.....

Someone who hates Mothers must be inventing these toys - Baby Zoobles?!?! Zoobles are only the size of a quarter - WHY would you need a BABY one? And what about Squinkies? I mean really! It seems that every toy out there has a miniature version of itself. I know I'm talking about girl toys but I know it also exists with boy toys. But I guess as long as we continue to purchase these things, they will continue to make them.

I have to say I have fed into this a bit. I have purchased Polly Pockets - but in my defense, I had never really seen these things before I bought them. Ever since I tried to put a shoe on one of those friggin dolls, I am completely ANTI microscopic toys! We have them but I didn't buy them. And for those of your reading, for the love of God PLEASE stop buying them for my kids! lol

And while we're on the topic of ridiculousness and toys - WTF is up with toy packaging?!?! Why does a toy need to be wrapped in plastic, taped down with twist ties and screws? I think if the apocalypse happens, I am not going to care if Barbie has a hair out of place! It takes an hour to get each thing out of the box.

OK! I feel better now. Thanks :)

Dealing with Negativity

So although I've really had a lot of support and positive responses to my homeschooling news, there has been some negativity. To be expected I guess. Dealing with this negativity is difficult because it usually comes from those closest to us. Why is that? Why are we hardest on the ones we love the most? Why do we tear our loved ones down instead of building them up sometimes?

I'm sure I am not completely without blame in this category, but I like to think that I am almost always very positive when loved ones share an idea, express creativity, or come to me with something important. Unless I was truly afraid for their welfare, I don't think I would be negative (not intentionally anyway). And maybe that's it. Maybe it is not intentional and they don't realize they are doing it?

For example, playing the 'Devil's advocate' role. I soooooooooooo don't get this at all. Unless you are asked to help brainstorm a problem or you are asked to weigh the pros and cons, WHY would anyone play Devil's advocate unsolicited? I find this highly insulting. AHEM, I am 38 years old, have a Master's degree, own a home, have a successful career, and have managed to raise my girls (with the hubbs of course) to be pretty awesome kids (if I do say so myself), I am generally a good person. Do I appear incompetent? OK rant over.

I know everyone deals with this negativity in their daily lives. The snide comments, the eye rolls, the doubt, the 'I'm saying something that sounds helpful but is really underhanded and negative.' I just don't understand it I guess. I get when it comes from people who are envious, or do not feel good enough about themselves to celebrate others' successes, but I don't understand when it comes from those closest to you. The ones that are supposed to love you unconditionally. The ones who are supposed to support you and help you along the way. If I have ever been negative to anyone in this way, I truly apologize and did not realize I was being negative.

So maybe we should all think before we speak next time. Is what we are saying REALLY helpful? Are we being positive, supportive, nurturing? Are we lifting our loved ones up or tearing them down? Just about every adult I love is a competent, smart, level-headed human being. Let's treat each other this way. Give each other the respect that we deserve. Realize that unless we ask for help, we are really just looking for support and praise. Ranting off a grocery list of 'what ifs' doesn't help anyone. Assume we have gone over that grocery list 100 times already. And even if there are negatives (which there are in every situation) support your loved ones ANYWAY. Because you love them and they deserve your support.

Home Sporting

So one of the responses I have received from a friend is quite interesting and got me thinking. He said that his family has boycotted all organized sports and are 'home sporting' their two boys. I love this idea! How many of us have been held hostage by the after school schedule?

Home from school by 4pm. Rush to get homework done, change into practice clothes, leotard, sport uniform, and race off to practice X or game Y. Event does not end until 6 or later and now it is too late to cook so race off to McGreasy King for the next best option. Shove that down your face while in the car because as soon as we get home, it's bath and bedtime. Just to wake up and repeat each day....

Sound familiar? It does to me anyway. We do this in the name of 'fun' for our kids. But let's think about this....how much fun is it really? How do you feel when your day is rushed from one thing to the next and to the next? I know I get flustered, stressed and aggrevated on days like this. And yet, many of us fall victim to this schedule everyday. Many have more than one kid in more than one sport or activity, and this is daily life! Between sports, CCD or other religious events, clubs, Girl/Boy scouts, art/music classes etc. When is there ANY downtime?  It's no wonder our kids today have NO IDEA how to go outside and organize a game of kickball without adult intervention. That's pretty sad.

I have to admit, I have fallen victim to this exact schedule - no matter how hard I try not to. It's hard to say no to those pretty blue eyes, staring up at me with awe saying 'PLEASE MOMMY!" But that is our job isn't it? We are not supposed to be their friend, we are supposed to be their parent. And sometimes that means saying no, no matter how much that hurts, because it is what is GOOD for them.

People have responded numerous times about how well my children play - play together, play by themselves, with others.....I attribute this directly to down time. We spend a lot of time at home, in our backyard, unstructured. We are lucky enough to have a lot of kids on our street to play with, but usually they are alone or with only each other. We frequently say 'go outside and play' with no other direction than that. I don't know about you, but I grew up this way and I think I had the best childhood EVER! Yes I played sports or had music lessons or took dance, but it was once in a while. This very idea of home sporting came from my best friend, my neighborhood friend, who I've known basically since birth. We had a trio that was inseparable (still are best friends to this day). We spent everyday outside playing kickball, matchbox cars, riding bikes, playing manhunt, coming up with schemes to make money, digging the largest hole to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.....it goes on and on. We made up games all the time - our favorite was vacuum (it's violent and painful, but so fun!). Our parents didn't participate in this, (they would've never allowed vacuum). The three of us, and our siblings were simply sent outside to play.

So as the summer months approach and the dread sets in, use the time for downtime. I hearby give you permission to ignore your kids, send them outside to play, when they whine, close the door. Eventually they'll give up and get creative. In that creativity blooms a real childhood. But seriously, go outside with them, play kickball, turn on the sprinkler, hang a hammock, have a water balloon fight, play wiffle ball, frisbee, ANYTHING.

Home Sporting - give it a try!

The outdoor classroom

So we went camping this past weekend, which we do all the time, so what? But with homeschooling on the brain, I am starting to look at everything a little differently. I realized how much learning occurs on a camping trip! We stayed for 2 nights and 3 days at a campground in the catskills that we have gone to for years. It is right on a stream and walking distance to town. In that short time, my girls learned:

How to build a campfire - what fire needs to start/grow
Money skills - counting money, identifying different coins,bills, paying for something
Identifying different trees & plants
Identifying different fish-they caught brown trout & rainbow trout
All about beavers - where they live, what they eat, what they build, how they build it
How streams can change/erode a landscape
Engineering - they built a bridge over a creek
Astronomy - it was the full moon, starts etc.

I am sure there is more. But this was what they learned in ONE WEEKEND. They learned it through experience, by doing, through participation, through natural events, and through their own interests. This kind of learning, which is self-motivated, is so much more meaningful than paper and pencil tasks.

This is something I tell the families I work with all the time (I am a special education teacher for early intervention). A young child learns through their senses and they learn best from the people they are most connected to. I frequently use the example of an apple. Sure, a child could learn about an apple from a book or the TV. However, think about how much MORE they learn by experiencing a REAL apple! They can see it, touch it, taste it, smell it, and feel it. Think about all of the language learned, the concepts learned, and the knowledge that comes from picking an apple off a tree versus reading Ten Apples Up On Top. How would you describe an apple learned from a book? They can be red, green or yellow, they are round, they grow on trees. How can you describe an apple that you actually went and picked? Apples are round and hard, They grow on tree branches and hang from their stems. You have to twist and pull the apple to get it off the tree. Apples can be red, yellow or green or red and yellow, or yellow and green, or red, yellow and green. They smell sweet and can taste sweet or tart. They are hard to bite and are crisp. The skin is a different texture than the flesh. Apple orchards are huge with lots of different apple trees. The trees have flowers before the apples grow. There are lots of bees around....... Quite different eh?! This is true of everything. To experience things first hand offers so much more meaning and more knowledge than any learning a book could give you.

So I encourage you to get your children out into the world. Take them places, let them experience things first hand - whether it be apple picking, a farm, an aquarium, camping, or on a trip to the city. Let them learn through experience - grow a plant, hatch butterflies, get a pet, build a fort. Realize that kids of all ages (and adults for that matter) learn the most when they are fully engaged with who they are learning from/with and with what they are learning.

Unplug your family and go do something! It's the best education yet.