So we just got back from a 10 day trip to the left coast. San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, & Yosemite National Park. Such an amazing trip! But traveling that far with 2 young kids can be an adventure in itself! Yes we saw so many beautiful things. Yes we had endless learning adventures. Yes we had valuable time with family. All great stuff for sure! But what I really learned on this trip, is what NOT to do when traveling this far with young ones!
1. ALL bags that fly MUST zipper closed!
I totally underestimated the importance of the zipper until my daughter's carry on bag spilled out in the x-ray machine! Yeah, it's not fun picking up 75 zoobles & polly pockets with angry faces grumbling behind you at JFK! In fact, just ban Zoobles altogether.
2. Spend the extra $10 on a mid-size car dammit!
I am always looking for a bargain & to keep costs down. But a compact car for 4 people & all of our luggage is just ridiculous. We looked like a clown car! I drove over 500 miles with my knees in my teeth. And really? It probably saved me $10! WooHoo! Fail!
3. Candy is your new best friend
Usually I'm not about the bribery (not above it, just not something I usually do) but on this trip, it was a total necessity! Especially on day 1! We had to leave our house at 4:30am to get to JFK for our early flight. We landed in San Fran 12:30 their time. So we hit the town. Great planning on my part considering the kids at 3 hours of sleep the night before, just spent 8-9 hours in transit & now I want to drag them around a city?! (Sounded reasonable when I planned it). Well Willy Wonka to the rescue! Nothing perks up cranky, tired kids like an over-abundance of sugar!
4. Different climates are nice, but I wouldn't want to live there
West coast people are always talking about the dry heat. 'It's dry heat so it's not that bad' they say. Yes I agree that when it's 96 degrees out, it's a nice option to step into the shade and be 15-20 degrees cooler. BUT the fact that I felt like beef jerky (to quote my favorite person) for 10 days was not so much fun. And the dust! I camp all the time but we have never been dirtier than in California. Dust and dirt are everywhere! I've never appreciated humidity more in all my life. Travel tip: Bring Moisturizer and Wipes! or go to Florida instead.
5. The name MOM should be changed to SHERPA
Being a mom, I have always been in charge of everyone's stuff and I am always holding this or packing away that. But when you travel, this is amplified tenfold! I spent 10 days carrying this, setting up that, finding this, cooking that, holding this, putting away that.......'Here mom, I know you are already carrying my backpack, sweatshirt and shoes, but can you just hold my doll and headphones too (while we squeeze into the clown car)?"
With that all said and done, it was all worth it. Nothing will beat the first time they laid eyes on Lake Tahoe, the first time they saw snow on mountain tops in August when it's 90 degrees out, seeing the Perseid meteor shower in one of the darkest places in America, meeting and spending time with extended family, seeing trees larger than skyscrapers and wider than cars are long. So don't let my little rant scare you. Traveling with kids can be challenging, but so rewarding. And the learning that happens is priceless!
So I just suggest you rent a suburban, bring a 5 gallon bucket of moisturizer and bring an enormous bag with you. If you can figure out how to grow 2 more hands, that might help too!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
The Truth about Homeschoolers
So what I have realized in this past year is that many non-homeschoolers believe that homeschoolers are super-organized, genius, go-getters. There is this idea that homeschoolers are teaching their 8 year olds Theoretical Physics, Euclid's Mathematical Proofs, and reading Plato. That little girl from the movie Parenthood with Steve Martin comes to mind (when she's offering he square root of dots on a card). I think they also think we live with constant sibling war - our children beating each other with broomsticks and stabbing each other in the head with a fork (OK I've done that but I wasn't homeschooled). Why else would the universal response to "we homeschool" be "I could NEVER do THAT!"
Well I'm here to shed some light on this. While I'm sure there are homeschool parents out there teaching their 8 year olds Shakespeare and Rocket Science, I can assure you that is NOT what goes on around here. (The kid with the bucket on his head comes to mind) And I think what we do might be pretty common amongst other homeschoolers. So the next time you meet a homeschooler and feel the need to express shock and awe, remember this:
1. Yes we DO sometimes stay in our pajamas ALL DAY!
I mean, don't you? We are normal families, with normal needs, and sometimes the need is to veg out in front of the TV in our PJ's eating junk food all day. The only difference is that we can do this on a Tuesday if we want!
2. Our science curriculum begins and ends with caring for our fish.
OK, OK I'm exaggerating here. We do a bit more than just feed our fish for science. However there is a lot to be said for raising and caring for pets as a science curriculum. Did you ever notice that many classrooms have pets? My point is, we can learn through regular, real life experiences. For example, once I read the book Poor Pluto to my children. Well they quickly learned that other children had written and published that book. This turned into a 3 day book writing frenzy and weeks of solar system research and interest! Yes it can be that easy, if you let it.
3. I can barely add, so what is this about MATH?
So it is true I can barely add. Ask my Mathelete husband! (Yes that apparently IS a real thing!). However we use math in our everyday lives. My kids love to earn their own money and go shopping. Well this leads to addition, subtraction, decimals, money knowledge.......and for some reason, my children LOVE math games in the car. They are always asking us to give them problems they can do in their head. Yeah, SO MUCH FUN! (note sarcasm here) That does NOT come from me!
4. When my kids read cereal boxes and road signs, that counts towards our 15 minutes a day right?
ABSOLUTELY! Reading is Reading. It does not have to happen in an approved reader or in a classroom to count! Whatever motivates your child to read is great. Same with writing. I was struggling with writing lessons with my girls. A dear friend asked me WHY I was fighting them. WHY did I want them to write? Of course I gave all the usual answers & she replied, "Why do they have to do it that way?" Then she suggested Pen Pals! GENIUS! We now have several pen pals and my kids are more motivated than ever to write! Sometimes venting to a friend leads to greatness. Thanks friend!
5. Geography is easy, play the license plate game in the car!!!
You laugh but you can learn a lot from the license plate game. We took a trip to Ocean City, MD last September. On the way we saw 19 different state license plates. This resulted in finding those states on a map, learning about their state capitals, finding out how many miles each state was from our home, learning interesting facts about each state.Then they started asking about the other states. Kids are innately curious about their world. Offer a simple spark and BOOM! Magic happens!
6. In all seriousness, we are not super heroes.
So as you can see, in our home we are not sitting at a table for 5 hours a day working out of a workbook. This method does work for some people, but not for us. We also do not have child prodigies running around getting private piano lessons from Bach himself! We have 2 pretty normal kids, learning what they need to know, in a child-centered, hands-on, experiential kind of way. We are also VERY lucky to have found some local homeschool groups that we see regularly and keep me sane!
The point is, Yes you CAN do this. You do NOT need to be a teacher or a genius or a saint to make it work. Yes it gets frustrating and yes it can be stressful. But it can be so rewarding and fun too! I once was the person who said, "I could NEVER do THAT!" But guess what? Here I am doing it!
Well I'm here to shed some light on this. While I'm sure there are homeschool parents out there teaching their 8 year olds Shakespeare and Rocket Science, I can assure you that is NOT what goes on around here. (The kid with the bucket on his head comes to mind) And I think what we do might be pretty common amongst other homeschoolers. So the next time you meet a homeschooler and feel the need to express shock and awe, remember this:
1. Yes we DO sometimes stay in our pajamas ALL DAY!
I mean, don't you? We are normal families, with normal needs, and sometimes the need is to veg out in front of the TV in our PJ's eating junk food all day. The only difference is that we can do this on a Tuesday if we want!
2. Our science curriculum begins and ends with caring for our fish.
OK, OK I'm exaggerating here. We do a bit more than just feed our fish for science. However there is a lot to be said for raising and caring for pets as a science curriculum. Did you ever notice that many classrooms have pets? My point is, we can learn through regular, real life experiences. For example, once I read the book Poor Pluto to my children. Well they quickly learned that other children had written and published that book. This turned into a 3 day book writing frenzy and weeks of solar system research and interest! Yes it can be that easy, if you let it.
3. I can barely add, so what is this about MATH?
So it is true I can barely add. Ask my Mathelete husband! (Yes that apparently IS a real thing!). However we use math in our everyday lives. My kids love to earn their own money and go shopping. Well this leads to addition, subtraction, decimals, money knowledge.......and for some reason, my children LOVE math games in the car. They are always asking us to give them problems they can do in their head. Yeah, SO MUCH FUN! (note sarcasm here) That does NOT come from me!
4. When my kids read cereal boxes and road signs, that counts towards our 15 minutes a day right?
ABSOLUTELY! Reading is Reading. It does not have to happen in an approved reader or in a classroom to count! Whatever motivates your child to read is great. Same with writing. I was struggling with writing lessons with my girls. A dear friend asked me WHY I was fighting them. WHY did I want them to write? Of course I gave all the usual answers & she replied, "Why do they have to do it that way?" Then she suggested Pen Pals! GENIUS! We now have several pen pals and my kids are more motivated than ever to write! Sometimes venting to a friend leads to greatness. Thanks friend!
5. Geography is easy, play the license plate game in the car!!!
You laugh but you can learn a lot from the license plate game. We took a trip to Ocean City, MD last September. On the way we saw 19 different state license plates. This resulted in finding those states on a map, learning about their state capitals, finding out how many miles each state was from our home, learning interesting facts about each state.Then they started asking about the other states. Kids are innately curious about their world. Offer a simple spark and BOOM! Magic happens!
6. In all seriousness, we are not super heroes.
So as you can see, in our home we are not sitting at a table for 5 hours a day working out of a workbook. This method does work for some people, but not for us. We also do not have child prodigies running around getting private piano lessons from Bach himself! We have 2 pretty normal kids, learning what they need to know, in a child-centered, hands-on, experiential kind of way. We are also VERY lucky to have found some local homeschool groups that we see regularly and keep me sane!
The point is, Yes you CAN do this. You do NOT need to be a teacher or a genius or a saint to make it work. Yes it gets frustrating and yes it can be stressful. But it can be so rewarding and fun too! I once was the person who said, "I could NEVER do THAT!" But guess what? Here I am doing it!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Reflections
As this 'school year' comes to an end, I can't help to look back on this, our first year of homeschooling, and be amazed! What a long, strange trip it's been. My apprehension, stress and worry that occurred this time last year (when deciding to homeschool) is completely gone and filled with happiness, calmness, accomplishment and bliss. I knew in my heart of hearts that this was the right choice for us, but I had no idea HOW right this really is for us. I couldn't be happier about this decision.
But what about the kids? Aren't they missing out on socialization? What did they learn? Aren't they falling behind?
As far as socialization, they have never had so much social time as they have had this year. Not only do they get to play with and participate in sports and activities with their 'old' school friends regularly. We of course have neighborhood friends. And now we have a whole bunch of new homeschool friends!
As far as what they learned, it is far too much to list here.
But what I hope they learned is that living outside the box might be scary at first, but can be totally awesome! That their parents respect them as human beings. That they have a voice, and when they use it EVERYONE should listen. That you can go to the bathroom whenever you want without asking. That there is a whole world outside of school, with people who have nothing to do with school (contrary to popular belief). That they have choices in life and to choose wisely. They do not have to walk in a straight line with others. And there is more than one way to find an answer.
What did I learn this year? To TRUST! Trust my instincts as a mom to know what is right for my children. Trust that choosing a lifestyle that is a bit 'out of the box' is okay. Trust that learning occurs everywhere, not just in school buildings and worksheets. (clearly something I knew, but then putting your kids on the line for it is another story). I have learned that there are some amazing, incredible, creative people out there doing this and I have been blessed to meet many of them, work with them and call some of them my friends.
All of this is really just scratching the surface. There was so much more. And although you may not believe it, we NEVER opened a workbook, we don't own flashcards, we RARELY sat down formally to do work, and we did most of this in a child-centered, hands on, exploratory way. We did not have to drill and practice or test. And many of these topics or concepts were addressed because THEY showed interest and wanted to learn it.
With summer fast approaching, many of you will have children staying home for the summer. And I know it seems daunting to 'entertain' them all summer. I challenge you to try some of the things we did this year. Do a mini homeschool session. Try it out. I think you'll be surprised at the results. Don't frame it as 'school work' because you will get resistance. Show them that learning can be fun. After a while, they will be asking you for more. They will come up with their own ideas for experiments and learning activities. You may learn that homeschooling isn't as overwhelming as you previously thought. But even if you don't end up homeschooling, you will give your children a richer understanding of what they learned in school. And possibly create an enthusiasm for learning that wasn't there before. Either way, it's a win!
So for those of you who have followed me on this journey, I want to say THANK YOU. I truly appreciate your support and feedback. For those who are considering homeschooling or unschooling, I say give it a try. It has been absolutely amazing. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings!
Happy Summer!!!!!
But what about the kids? Aren't they missing out on socialization? What did they learn? Aren't they falling behind?
As far as socialization, they have never had so much social time as they have had this year. Not only do they get to play with and participate in sports and activities with their 'old' school friends regularly. We of course have neighborhood friends. And now we have a whole bunch of new homeschool friends!
As far as what they learned, it is far too much to list here.
But what I hope they learned is that living outside the box might be scary at first, but can be totally awesome! That their parents respect them as human beings. That they have a voice, and when they use it EVERYONE should listen. That you can go to the bathroom whenever you want without asking. That there is a whole world outside of school, with people who have nothing to do with school (contrary to popular belief). That they have choices in life and to choose wisely. They do not have to walk in a straight line with others. And there is more than one way to find an answer.
What did I learn this year? To TRUST! Trust my instincts as a mom to know what is right for my children. Trust that choosing a lifestyle that is a bit 'out of the box' is okay. Trust that learning occurs everywhere, not just in school buildings and worksheets. (clearly something I knew, but then putting your kids on the line for it is another story). I have learned that there are some amazing, incredible, creative people out there doing this and I have been blessed to meet many of them, work with them and call some of them my friends.
All of this is really just scratching the surface. There was so much more. And although you may not believe it, we NEVER opened a workbook, we don't own flashcards, we RARELY sat down formally to do work, and we did most of this in a child-centered, hands on, exploratory way. We did not have to drill and practice or test. And many of these topics or concepts were addressed because THEY showed interest and wanted to learn it.
With summer fast approaching, many of you will have children staying home for the summer. And I know it seems daunting to 'entertain' them all summer. I challenge you to try some of the things we did this year. Do a mini homeschool session. Try it out. I think you'll be surprised at the results. Don't frame it as 'school work' because you will get resistance. Show them that learning can be fun. After a while, they will be asking you for more. They will come up with their own ideas for experiments and learning activities. You may learn that homeschooling isn't as overwhelming as you previously thought. But even if you don't end up homeschooling, you will give your children a richer understanding of what they learned in school. And possibly create an enthusiasm for learning that wasn't there before. Either way, it's a win!
So for those of you who have followed me on this journey, I want to say THANK YOU. I truly appreciate your support and feedback. For those who are considering homeschooling or unschooling, I say give it a try. It has been absolutely amazing. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings!
Happy Summer!!!!!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Balancing Act
Homeschooling is something that takes up a large amount of my time. I have to admit I am somewhat jealous of my stay-at-home mom friends who have finally sent their last child off to school and now have 'ME' time. That could've been me this year! But realistically, I would have filled that 'ME' time with tons of other stuff related to the kids (PTA, class mom, girl scout leader, etc.). So I ask you, homeschooling or not, HOW DO YOU strike the balance between giving to your family and giving to yourself?
This is seriously NOT a rhetorical question. I would like some feedback on this because I have ALWAYS sucked at this. I've been a SAHM for over 8 years now and I still struggle to strike that balance. What usually happens is I give and I give until I explode. And that's not fair to anyone.
The first words out of my mouth when we decided to homeschool were "BUT I have to get REGULAR 'ME' time if we do this" YEAH RIGHT! However I have no one to blame but myself. My husband is perfectly willing to take the kids so that I can have that time. We have wonderfully supportive Grandparents that live fairly close by that are always willing to babysit. I have ample opportunities to take the time but I rarely do. Why is that?
When faced with the opportunity to have 'ME' time, I usually opt out for a fun family activity like camping, going to a waterpark, or hiking. In the moment, I would rather spend the time and the money on the family, instead of me. However, then I will watch my husband take money and time for himself with ease & I get somewhat resentful. WTF is that?! I could do it too, I just always choose not to.
I have a horrible time spending money on myself, giving to myself or putting myself first. I know it is not just me or other homeschool moms who struggle with this either. I have friends who send their kids to school and fill their days with stuff related to their kids. I know moms of young children not yet school age who do not take time for themselves. Is this a female phenomena?
I know it is in my best interest to take care of me. It is in my family's best interest if I take care of me. It is MY responsibility to take care of me. Knowing that doesn't make it any easier. I know, I know, first world problems! But I'd really like to know.......How do YOU strike that balance?
This is seriously NOT a rhetorical question. I would like some feedback on this because I have ALWAYS sucked at this. I've been a SAHM for over 8 years now and I still struggle to strike that balance. What usually happens is I give and I give until I explode. And that's not fair to anyone.
The first words out of my mouth when we decided to homeschool were "BUT I have to get REGULAR 'ME' time if we do this" YEAH RIGHT! However I have no one to blame but myself. My husband is perfectly willing to take the kids so that I can have that time. We have wonderfully supportive Grandparents that live fairly close by that are always willing to babysit. I have ample opportunities to take the time but I rarely do. Why is that?
When faced with the opportunity to have 'ME' time, I usually opt out for a fun family activity like camping, going to a waterpark, or hiking. In the moment, I would rather spend the time and the money on the family, instead of me. However, then I will watch my husband take money and time for himself with ease & I get somewhat resentful. WTF is that?! I could do it too, I just always choose not to.
I have a horrible time spending money on myself, giving to myself or putting myself first. I know it is not just me or other homeschool moms who struggle with this either. I have friends who send their kids to school and fill their days with stuff related to their kids. I know moms of young children not yet school age who do not take time for themselves. Is this a female phenomena?
I know it is in my best interest to take care of me. It is in my family's best interest if I take care of me. It is MY responsibility to take care of me. Knowing that doesn't make it any easier. I know, I know, first world problems! But I'd really like to know.......How do YOU strike that balance?
Monday, April 22, 2013
So what's wrong with your school?
One of the many questions I get when people find out we are homeschooling is 'What's wrong with your school?' Most assume something is fundamentally wrong with our school, the teachers and/or the district. They assume something bad happened to my kids and that's why I pulled them. This is not the case at all.
I worked as a public school teacher for years & was doing that when we moved here. So I specifically picked our district over others. When my child entered the elementary school, I really loved it. I was heavily involved, VP of the PTA, class mom, etc. The principal is wonderful, the teachers are some of the best I've ever known or worked with, the school community is amazing!
So why then pull them out?
Bottom line, it's the entire educational system. There is a REASON I left the public schools 11 years ago. And now for that same reason, I have pulled my kids out of it. I tried to fight the good fight. I tried to change it from within. It's too damn big, too damn powerful and pretty much unstoppable!
The sad part is, our system is losing great teachers in droves and slowly destroying others. (Have you seen Here Comes the Boom yet?) There are so many great, creative, enthusiastic teachers out there. Many of them work in our local elementary school, but the system doesn't let them use that creativity. The system doesn't let them access their years of training and experience. The system does not allow them to even go above and beyond if they want to.
Sounds crazy right? If a teacher CHOOSES to stay after school, come up with creative curriculum and uses his/her free time to do this for their class, this should be totally acceptable right? WRONG! The system doesn't want significant differences between each class, especially within a grade level and/or within a building. Then we would have parents complaining that they want THAT teacher, or why doesn't this teacher do what THAT teacher does. And so on and so forth. This actually happened to me. I was staying after school, I was going above and beyond for my class & then I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to STOP and that I could LOSE MY JOB!!! This was also reiterated to me by the teacher's union! I wasn't coming in late, harming students, late on paperwork, or breaking rules. I WAS DOING EXTRA! UNBELIEVABLE!
So the best, most creative teachers are stifled with restrictions, are piled with new curriculums and core standards, and are now judged by student testing which could risk their job. So what do you THINK they are going to do?
THIS is why I pulled my kids out of the public system. I wish all of those teachers & administrators fighting the good fight all the luck in the world. I couldn't do it and I won't sacrifice my kids to it. I hope one day to see it change, but for now, we'll do it our way.
It makes me sad to see a system that I loved so dearly, go in such a horrible direction. All that I can do is what is best for our family. And for now, homeschooling is it. I can get as creative as I want, do as much as I want, and there are no limitations or restrictions except for the ones I create. Funny how a change I made for my children has renewed my spirit as a teacher. I haven't been this happy teaching in well over a decade!
So for now, I will truly enjoy teaching my own children and working with other homeschoolers. As someone once said to me "True teachers will always find a way to teach!"
I worked as a public school teacher for years & was doing that when we moved here. So I specifically picked our district over others. When my child entered the elementary school, I really loved it. I was heavily involved, VP of the PTA, class mom, etc. The principal is wonderful, the teachers are some of the best I've ever known or worked with, the school community is amazing!
So why then pull them out?
Bottom line, it's the entire educational system. There is a REASON I left the public schools 11 years ago. And now for that same reason, I have pulled my kids out of it. I tried to fight the good fight. I tried to change it from within. It's too damn big, too damn powerful and pretty much unstoppable!
The sad part is, our system is losing great teachers in droves and slowly destroying others. (Have you seen Here Comes the Boom yet?) There are so many great, creative, enthusiastic teachers out there. Many of them work in our local elementary school, but the system doesn't let them use that creativity. The system doesn't let them access their years of training and experience. The system does not allow them to even go above and beyond if they want to.
Sounds crazy right? If a teacher CHOOSES to stay after school, come up with creative curriculum and uses his/her free time to do this for their class, this should be totally acceptable right? WRONG! The system doesn't want significant differences between each class, especially within a grade level and/or within a building. Then we would have parents complaining that they want THAT teacher, or why doesn't this teacher do what THAT teacher does. And so on and so forth. This actually happened to me. I was staying after school, I was going above and beyond for my class & then I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to STOP and that I could LOSE MY JOB!!! This was also reiterated to me by the teacher's union! I wasn't coming in late, harming students, late on paperwork, or breaking rules. I WAS DOING EXTRA! UNBELIEVABLE!
So the best, most creative teachers are stifled with restrictions, are piled with new curriculums and core standards, and are now judged by student testing which could risk their job. So what do you THINK they are going to do?
THIS is why I pulled my kids out of the public system. I wish all of those teachers & administrators fighting the good fight all the luck in the world. I couldn't do it and I won't sacrifice my kids to it. I hope one day to see it change, but for now, we'll do it our way.
It makes me sad to see a system that I loved so dearly, go in such a horrible direction. All that I can do is what is best for our family. And for now, homeschooling is it. I can get as creative as I want, do as much as I want, and there are no limitations or restrictions except for the ones I create. Funny how a change I made for my children has renewed my spirit as a teacher. I haven't been this happy teaching in well over a decade!
So for now, I will truly enjoy teaching my own children and working with other homeschoolers. As someone once said to me "True teachers will always find a way to teach!"
Monday, March 25, 2013
Learning to Trust
So I spend a lot of time reading other people's homeschooling and unschooling blogs. I belong to a lot of groups on Yahoo and Facebook. One of the overwhelming themes I see over and over again is that we need to TRUST. Trust that we are the best teachers for our kids, Trust that our kids will learn what they need to learn when they need it, Trust that we are doing the right thing. It sounds easy but it's not. I doubt myself all the time and feeling as though you have something to prove to certain others doesn't help.
However, every once in a while that magical light shines and the Trust comes back. The other day my daughter was playing on her grandmother's iPad. She spontaneously asked Siri for 'fun math games' and chose one. She decided to pick 3rd grade (technically she's in 2nd) and apparently she got a 100%! (I was not there at the time).
Now to be perfectly honest, we tend to follow more of an Unschooling method in our home. We rarely sit down and do formal work and we definitely do not use workbooks or worksheets or curriculums. However this is where the Trust comes in. We obviously use math everyday! My kids have their own money and make decisions on what to buy and when. They get change, they figure out if they have enough, etc. They use addition and subtraction regularly in their lives and they can both do it in their heads - which is way better than me & I went through to a Master's Degree in formal education! My 6 year old is starting to do multiplication in her head. Blows my mind. This clearly didn't come from me. I can barely add!
Now another area I lose the Trust in is reading for my 6 year old. This is the year she would be learning to read at school. I am particularly anxious about this because I spent years teaching reading and it is something I enjoy. However, she resists all attempts I make to 'teach' her reading. Figures! But left to her own choices, she can pick up a book and read on her level. She figured out short vowel words, blends and digraphs on her own. I told her once about long vowels and what we call 'magic E' and that's all she needed. Letting go of my need to teach and Trusting that she will learn it, has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.
So I guess I need to let go and Trust. And I encourage all of you to Trust yourselves, Trust your children, Trust that learning is occurring daily in their lives. Easier said than done, I know. Even though I see these magical moments, I still have doubts. I guess that's part of what makes us human. But for now, I am going to rely on the Trust.
However, every once in a while that magical light shines and the Trust comes back. The other day my daughter was playing on her grandmother's iPad. She spontaneously asked Siri for 'fun math games' and chose one. She decided to pick 3rd grade (technically she's in 2nd) and apparently she got a 100%! (I was not there at the time).
Now to be perfectly honest, we tend to follow more of an Unschooling method in our home. We rarely sit down and do formal work and we definitely do not use workbooks or worksheets or curriculums. However this is where the Trust comes in. We obviously use math everyday! My kids have their own money and make decisions on what to buy and when. They get change, they figure out if they have enough, etc. They use addition and subtraction regularly in their lives and they can both do it in their heads - which is way better than me & I went through to a Master's Degree in formal education! My 6 year old is starting to do multiplication in her head. Blows my mind. This clearly didn't come from me. I can barely add!
Now another area I lose the Trust in is reading for my 6 year old. This is the year she would be learning to read at school. I am particularly anxious about this because I spent years teaching reading and it is something I enjoy. However, she resists all attempts I make to 'teach' her reading. Figures! But left to her own choices, she can pick up a book and read on her level. She figured out short vowel words, blends and digraphs on her own. I told her once about long vowels and what we call 'magic E' and that's all she needed. Letting go of my need to teach and Trusting that she will learn it, has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.
So I guess I need to let go and Trust. And I encourage all of you to Trust yourselves, Trust your children, Trust that learning is occurring daily in their lives. Easier said than done, I know. Even though I see these magical moments, I still have doubts. I guess that's part of what makes us human. But for now, I am going to rely on the Trust.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Hands On Learning: History
One of the BEST ways I can think of to learn about history is to travel to the places where historical events took place. Want to teach about the Boston Tea Party? Go to Boston! Want to teach about colonial times? Go to Colonial Williamsburg, Plymouth Rock, or Salem Mass. Want to teach about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Liberty Bell? Go to Philadelphia. Traveling to these places makes history come alive for young learners and is sure to spark their interest!
Can't get out of town right now? There are a TON of interactive games online. Check out some of these sites!
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/social_studies_games.html
http://www.history.org/kids/games/index.cfm
http://www.kidspast.com/history-games/index.php
Not into online games? Try doing a re-enactment! Kids will truly get a full understanding of a historical event if they have to live it. If they have to do the research to be Abraham Lincoln, or a civil war hero, or Thomas Jefferson, they will really get to know their character and how that person played a part in history.
Create your own game show. You could create a game show based on historical events and people. Set it up like Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. Kids will love competing for prizes. Step it up a notch and get real buzzers for them to hit when they know the answer!
Play History Bingo. The board can have people's faces on them (George Washington, Sally Ride, Susan B. Anthony) and the clues could be facts about those people.
Do a scavenger hunt. Hide clues around the room, house, yard, or classroom that relate to a particular topic or historical figure. The kids have to find the items and guess what they will be learning about. Great way to introduce a topic for the first time. It gets them engaged and excited about it right off the bat!
Pretend you are a historical figure and create a diary as that person. You could start by aging paper to make it look old and authentic (directions for aging paper on the website under teaching tips). Attach a feather to a pencil to make it look more like a quill pen. They could even make a special article of clothing that they wear when they are writing in their diaries.
Just a little thinking outside the box can open up a whole new world of learning for your kids! Try it!
Can't get out of town right now? There are a TON of interactive games online. Check out some of these sites!
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/social_studies_games.html
http://www.history.org/kids/games/index.cfm
http://www.kidspast.com/history-games/index.php
Not into online games? Try doing a re-enactment! Kids will truly get a full understanding of a historical event if they have to live it. If they have to do the research to be Abraham Lincoln, or a civil war hero, or Thomas Jefferson, they will really get to know their character and how that person played a part in history.
Create your own game show. You could create a game show based on historical events and people. Set it up like Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. Kids will love competing for prizes. Step it up a notch and get real buzzers for them to hit when they know the answer!
Play History Bingo. The board can have people's faces on them (George Washington, Sally Ride, Susan B. Anthony) and the clues could be facts about those people.
Do a scavenger hunt. Hide clues around the room, house, yard, or classroom that relate to a particular topic or historical figure. The kids have to find the items and guess what they will be learning about. Great way to introduce a topic for the first time. It gets them engaged and excited about it right off the bat!
Pretend you are a historical figure and create a diary as that person. You could start by aging paper to make it look old and authentic (directions for aging paper on the website under teaching tips). Attach a feather to a pencil to make it look more like a quill pen. They could even make a special article of clothing that they wear when they are writing in their diaries.
Just a little thinking outside the box can open up a whole new world of learning for your kids! Try it!
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