Rain and Illness

Well, it seems like we have been stuck in the house for quite a long time now. After my family left, all 3 of the girls took turns with a nasty cold. Now they are better, but it seems, we are in for quite a few days of rain. I am dying to get back to the pool. Public schools start back up here on Thursday, and then the pool is only open in the late afternoon and evenings until Labor Day, and then only on nice weekends. I should probably be grateful that we did get in one nice day at the pool after everyone was mostly better and when the rain began. I am sitting here listening to thunder and hoping that the storm passes quickly so that we might get an hour or so this afternoon, but I don't think that is going to happen.

So, what do we do on days when we are stuck in the house? Well, I would like to say that we spend the day on school work so that we can be sure to get out and play on those nice sunny days, but that is not always the case. We do some school work, but the girls always find ways to amuse themselves, and it seems that these are the days they take over their own education. First, this morning they decided to examine the Monarchs that we have living in our house in various stages. They checked out the caterpillars and the chrysalides. They actually got to watch one caterpillar change into a chrysalis. They ran outside during a break in the rain to get some more milkweed for the caterpillars to eat. They watched the 3 butterflies we have that we have here waiting for a nice day so that they can go free. We made some "nectar" for the butterflies since they will be staying with us for at least another day. Then, they decided to make their own book about the Monarch life cycle. They drew pictures of each stage, and even included several of the caterpillar instars. I love it when they take on learning for themselves!

Here are Madeline and Hailey looking at the Monarch butterflies.

This is Isabella's Monarch life cycle.

Egg on the leaf.

A small (first instar) caterpillar on a leaf.

A larger (fifth instar) caterpillar. The circles are the holes that have been eaten in the leaf.

A chrysalis.

A flying butterfly.

After they finished their little exploration of the Monarch life cycle, they decided to make themselves and their dolls a cozy place to hang out. They love to make houses and forts from the pillows and blankets around the house. Once they had found their spot (they decided to use the entire guest room as their fort today, they proceeded to have a snack. Then they turned their attention to finding new things to explore. They played with magnets and with blocks.

Isabella and Hailey sitting with their dolls, eating a snack.

Isabella's block tower.

Afterwards, they went back to check on the Monarchs, to find that 2 more butterflies had eclosed from their chrysalises. We had to watch them for a while, of course. It is so cool to watch their wings expand as they get ready for their first flight!

This is one newly eclosed Monarch with a couple of empty chrysalises.

This is the other Monarch that eclosed today. You can see that the wings as still a bit folded. In the picture you can also see part of another Monarch; a chrysalis that has not eclosed yet (green); and the clear, empty chrysalis from which the butterfly just eclosed.

Maybe we will get to my lesson plans later!

New Tracking Program

I have really found it to be helpful to track our homeschooling activities on my computer. The tracking program allows me to see where we have been and where we need to go during the year. I recently made a change in the program that I am using. I have changed to Homeschool Tracker Plus. This program has the advantage of letting me record all of my lesson plans without attaching dates to them. Then, when I need them, I can move them to the assignments section. It has made planning a whole lot easier. This past week my kids have all had colds, and have really not wanted to do anything (other than listen to me read and do art projects - they are rarely too sick for those activities). It has give me some time to explore the program and to get LOTS of lessons entered for the year. I feel so much more organized! I am so glad I made the switch!

Gans Creek

Today, before heading to the pool, I thought we would check out a part of Rock Bridge Park we had never been to before. We went to the Gans Creek area, to look for living and non-living things as part of our science curriculum. While the entrance confused us a bit (guess I should have checked out a map before heading out), we did eventually find a place to explore by the creek.

The girls found LOTS of living and non-living things there. Their list of living things included plants, flowers, trees, tadpoles (or small fish, it was hard to tell because I forgot to bring along a jar to catch one in and they moved fast), crayfish, and insects. Their list of non-living things included rocks (many with fossils), water, sand, mud, and a bridge.

The girls were very diligent about the task. They are always excited to be exploring outside, and today they enjoyed being "scientists," recording their findings. Madeline wrote about her exploration with words, and Hailey and Isabella used pictures. Isabella was especially careful to draw neat little pictures of the things she found.

Here is Madeline sitting in her area, working.

Isabella had a tree and a bridge above her area.

Hailey drew leaves, a tree, and rocks (mostly unidentifiable, but luckily she told me what she was drawing).

This crayfish was hiding among the rocks and leaves in the creek. We saw several of these little guys.

A Visit from Family

Last week we were lucky to have the girls' grandma, grandpa, aunt and cousin come visit. They had a great time spending time with them and showing them around town. We got to share some of our favorite places and visit some new ones.

One of the places we visited for the first time was the Youzeum. It is a museum dedicated to hands-on learning about the human body. Everyone had a great time!

They played with "Organ Ella" in the newly opened area for kids under 7.

Madeline looking at some x-rays.

Everyone like exploring the ambulance!

Isabella the EMT

There were lots of different ways for the kids to "test" themselves. Here is Isabella checking her balancing skill.

Everyone had to have their picture take here!

I loved the hands-on bones!

This piece of art was a big hit as well. They kids were mesmerized by the balls running through it!

It's All Coming Together!

It has been so nice to finally see Madeline reading and enjoying it.  All of the components seem to be coming together for her now.  She has now read two longer books.  Well, longer than the Bob Books she has been reading.  She finished "Mouse Soup" in a couple of sittings and then today I let her pick a new book from several that I had.  She chose "Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia."  She sat down with me and read the entire book with me.  She was so excited to find out what happened next that she even forgot in some parts that we were taking turns reading, and she just kept going.  She thought Amelia Bedelia was "just so funny!"  Luckily I have a few more Amelia Bedelia books, so I think we will continue reading them.  Hopefully the interest will hold for a while!  

Natural Rhythms

I am not a morning person.  I am ashamed to admit that although I was very interested in studying psychology, the one class I took in college was at 8 am and when I found that I could learn the material on my own and still get an A, I slept through a good many of the classes, even a few that I did attend (honestly though, the professor was not the most interesting guy, and he show a lot of movies - who can stay awake that early in a dark room?!?).  The majority of my papers were written at 1 or 2 in the morning, not because I was procrastinating, but because that is when I was "inspired" with the ideas for them.  I am most likely to be found cleaning my house after 10 pm, not because that is when it is most convenient, but because that is when I am ready to do it.  

My husband is also not a morning person.  He can often be found working well into the wee hours of the night, and often sleeps until 11 am or noon.  The lights in our house glow well beyond when all of the other houses on our block are dark.

I have found that our children are also not morning people.  Although our oldest, Madeline, seems to need very little sleep and so is awake both late into the night and early in the morning, the other two would definitely prefer to sleep in.  In fact, Isabella prefers to stay in her pajamas as long as possible, usually until I make her get dressed because we have to leave the house.  I have tried hard to get them all to bed at a "reasonable" hour many times.  I am successful for a few weeks, and then it seems that we fall back into a late night routine.  Now, this certainly could be because it is my preference, but my guess is that they have those late night genes.

Interestingly enough, now that we are more serious about homeschooling, I have found that it is not productive to try to get them all up and downstairs for learning first thing in the morning.  If I do, they tend to take much longer to get to work, are less likely to willingly learn, and spend a lot of time procrastinating.  Alternatively, if I wait for them to be ready, which sometimes is after dinner, we are incredibly productive.  I know that this goes against all of the research I learned about when I was working on my Master's.  Children as suppose to learn best in the morning.  Their brains are fresher.  I fight this thought every time Madeline says at 9 pm, "come on mom, time to go learn."  It just seems that my kids do not fit that mold.  

It has made me wonder about other children I have worked with over the years.  How many of them would have been more successful at learning if they had been given the opportunity to do it on their own time?  I suppose for now I can only focus on my own children and their needs.  While this is not the reason I choose to homeschool my children, it certainly is a benefit of it.

A Nature Walk

We took a nature walk at one of our favorite locations today, Rock Bridge State Park.  It was such a gorgeous day!  We took the Devil's Ice Box Trail, which is a boardwalk path that leads to the Devil's Ice Box Cave.  We have been on this trail several times and down into the cave a few times as well.  I was surprised that the younger two girls seemed to be a bit reluctant to go in, although they have been through the cave tour before, but I suppose it has been a while since we have been there.  Also, Hailey seems to be going through a stage of being very cautious about everything.  Recently she has been very hesitant to get on the trampoline in gymnastics and she was very careful going over the wooden bridges today as well.  Anyway, Madeline was excited to go into the cave, or at least into the part that get sunlight.  She did take her headlight, but did not want to go back into the dark portions of the cave.  

We also saw lots of different types of plants and insects.  We saw more dragonflies than I think I have ever seen.  We usually find lots of life in the stream, but there was really none that could easily be found today.  The girls did have fun finding different types of rocks in the stream, including some containing iron that they thought might be from Mars.  They also made some new friends.

Madeline standing in the cave.

Looking up from inside the cave.

Looking down into the cave.  That big grey rock is the one Madeline was standing on.

And They're Off!

Madeline went outside this morning and discovered that the baby birds had left their nest.  Well, most of them had left the nest.  Of the four,  one was still in the nest, two had made it to the neighbor's yard, and one was still hiding in the grass in our yard.  Of course, Madeline promptly located the one still in our yard and chased it into a hiding spot against our garden wall.  Eventually she figured out how to get it into a container.  The girls watched it for a while and then we convinced them to let it go, which was not an easy task because Hailey wanted to keep it as a pet. Madeline and Isabella wanted to construct a habitat for it and keep it as well.   They did all finally said good-bye and we placed it outside our fence so that none of the girls could attempt to pick it up again.  Since this is in fact the second year in a row that we have had an issue with baby birds being found in our yard as they are leaving the nest, I think I will be sure that next spring we learn a bit about the process, so that the girls know in advance not to touch or chase and to just watch.

Baby bird, hiding against our wall.

Hailey getting a closer look.

Saying "good-bye."

Life in Our Backyard

I'm sure that I have said it before, and I am sure that I will say it again, but I truly love where we live!  There is always so much life outside!  Occasionally it does drive me crazy, like the squirrels who are literally eating our slide or the mice who are living on our screened-in porch and won't leave, but most of the time I really love it.  

Shortly after we moved in, I purchased two bluebird boxes and we put them up.  Every year we have had several families of birds (although not necessarily bluebirds) live in one of the boxes, but the other has remained relatively empty.  We did have a nest started in it last year, but it was never finished.  The difference between the boxes is that the one with many residents has all wooden sides and top, and is located in a relatively quiet part of our yard, while the other box is placed near our porch and has one side that is plexi-glass, so that we can watch the action inside. I figured that we would never see a family in there, but I was wrong.

This morning we noticed that there are indeed what looks like 4 baby birds living in the box.  We were all so excited to watch them.  They are in there just peeping away, and the momma bird keeps delivering tasty smacks to them.  The older girls are already talking about how they cannot wait until they get to see the babies learn to fly.  Hailey, who has been using the LivingBooks CD-Rom for Stellaluna, has name the birds Flip, Flutter, and Flap.  Evidently the fourth is unnamed since there are only 3 birds in the book.

This is a picture of the bird box with the plexi-glass back, located in our weed-filled garden.

Madeline and Isabella watching the family.

Here is Hailey trying to use a pair of folding binoculars that I think we got for free with something we ordered at one point quite a while ago.  I am surprised at how well they work. And, yes, she is using them backwards.

A close-up of Flip, Flutter, and Flap.

Reading for Pleasure

I have noticed over the past few weeks that Madeline has begun to read more and more for pleasure.  She is picking up both fiction and nonfiction books and reading... not just looking at the pictures.  And it is of her own free will, not because I have told her it is time to read.  I could not be happier!  I have even found her reading in bed by flashlight! 

Building

Hailey spent a great deal of time working on this building.  She was very proud of it and wanted me to post the picture.  Just as an aside, she was also very proud of herself on this day for completing all of her "work."

Workboxes Update

I will admit that when I began using the workboxes I was skeptical.  I was concerned that it would be too structured and rigid for us.  I am so glad that I tried it, however.   It has worked so well for us!  We have been so productive.  The girls have been excited about learning and motivated to learn.   It has also had the added benefit of keeping me organized.  It is so simple to get everything ready for the next day, and actually the girls like to help fill their boxes at night.  Once we start each day, everyone knows what needs to be done, and all of the materials are already gathered for them.  We are much more efficient!  We are also making better use of the space in our home, because materials are not spread out all over the house.  This also makes my husband happy because we are spending much more time downstairs, where all of the "school" materials are as well as most of the girls' toys.  I have found there is much less cleaning for me too, because the toys stay downstairs for the most part.  I am also making use of lots of materials that would otherwise only get pulled out a couple of times a year, and the girls are getting more review of skills.

Here are some pictures I took of the girls working the other day.

This is Hailey proudly displaying the letters she made.

Hailey also worked with the pattern blocks.  This is one of those item that I would normally only get out a few times a year, but now they are getting lots of use!

Here she is showing off her finished flower.

Madeline has been working on subtraction with regrouping.  She loves writing them on the white board.  We have  been taking this concept slowly because I know it is a tough one.  I think she has finally "gotten" it.  She did all of these correctly, all by herself.

We still don't always sit at the table for our work.  Madeline prefers to be able to move while learning.

The workboxes have not been quite as effective with Isabella.  She would still prefer imaginative play to her "school work," but I figure at 5 that is still okay.  

Madeline made this with the pattern blocks while she was showing Hailey what could be done with them.

Piano

This past Christmas we got the girls a Clavanova so that they could begin learning to play the piano.  We placed it in the living room, in an accessible place so that they could play it whenever they wanted.  They were all excited about it, but Madeline was particularly interested in learning to play.  She has learned a few songs since then, along with so piano basics.  We have not yet started them with lessons, but have let them explore the instrument.  Isabella has been somewhat frustrated because she seems to have difficulty getting her fingers in the correct positions and really playing anything.  The other day I found Madeline working with Isabella to teach her to play Frere Jacques.  

The Value of Multi-Age Learning

I think it is fabulous when I see my children teaching each other.  Today while they were working, Madeline took it upon herself to help Hailey with her letters.  She helped her make her letters with the wood pieces, and then she helped her trace the letters on her chalk board.  I was so impressed because I have been trying to get Hailey to correctly trace the letters on the chalk board for a few days, without really making any progress.  There she was, though, working with Madeline, and doing it perfectly.  I think that there is great value from them learning from each other.  Not only is the child being taught learning from her sister, in a way that is different from what I would do, but she is  learning the value of learning from others, and the child doing the "teaching" is learning about helping others, and often has the information she is teaching reinforced/reviewed.

Hailey is pretty excited to be learning her letters, and is very proud of herself when she is able to make letters with the Handwriting Without Tears wood pieces.  Here she is, working on the letter "B."

Sequencing

I stopped by the teacher store the other day to pick up a few things, and found some sequencing card that I thought would be good for Hailey.  Before we even got to the car, however, Isabella had claimed the as hers and was very excited to work on putting the scenarios in order.  She really enjoyed not only putting them in order, but also telling a (very detailed and imaginative) story to go along with them.  

I have found that there are so many sequences (50) that they are difficult to keep organized, and I have to spend some time pulling out all of the cards that belong together.  Some of the sequences are very closely related (i.e. one sequence shows a girls wrapping a circular gift and another shows the same girl wrapping a square gift), and so you must pay close attention to them when you are organizing them.  Additionally, the sequences are printed on both sides, in a way that makes them even more difficult to sort.  I would probably look for some that were only printed on one side if I had it to do over again.

Art At Home

I think I have written before about the wonderful art class Madeline took this past year.  She really enjoyed it, and is looking forward to taking it again this next year.  Isabella is also looking forward to it as she will now be old enough, and I am even considering letting Hailey take a few classes herself since she has been saying that she would like to go to art class too. They do have a preschool class as well.  

I really think that art and creative expression is very important and I don't want the girls to think they have to wait for art class to do art, so not being a great artist myself I have located several art resources.  One that the girls really enjoy is Atelier.   It is a video-based program.  The girls spent more than an hour last night working on a lesson.  Truly they should have been in bed, but art won out.  The lesson involved the creation of work similar to Starry Night.  After they finished, Isabella wanted to do another lesson, so I let her choose another video lesson.  Madeline also decided she wanted to create more art.  She decided to go her own way and create her own artwork, entitled "A Sunny Day".

This is Hailey working on the swirls in her "Starry Night" picture.

Isabella working hard on her masterpiece.

Hailey's finished piece.

Isabella's picture.

Madeline's version of "Starry Night."

This is Hailey's picture "The H Family."

Isabella's "Cat in the Hat"

Madeline's "The Sunny Day"

Madeline's "The Little Flower"

Socialization

It is amazing to me how many people feel the need to comment about our decision to homeschool.  It also amazes me that the concern is never about the academic side of things.  No one has ever said, "oh, they will miss out on so much academically."  Instead the concern is always for "socialization".  Even Bill has noticed this when he mentions to people that we are homeschooling the girls.  I think this is quite strange since there seem to be so little time in school to actually socalize.  I have even had parents tell me that their children are not allowed to talk during lunch at school.  The school day is filled with so many tasks, and socialization is just not a priority for teachers who are asked to teach a multitude of students at varying levels and ensure that they are all up to par by the time standardized testing time arrives.  I certainly do not envy the teachers.  I am glad that I am home, teaching my own children, instead of in the classroom with all of those pressures.  They have an incredibly difficult job!  Socialization is just not part of it, though.  

I wonder, though, if people mean something different than learning how to be social beings when they say "socialization".  I wonder if they really mean "how will you teach your kids to follow all of the societal norms and the beliefs that we hold as truths as Americans."  School is a very good place to learn how to sit still and wait.  It is a good place to learn how to follow directions and how to listen to adults/authority figures.  It is a great place to learn about the "values" of America.  I am not saying that any of this is bad, but I'm still not sure that it is necessary to go to school to learn these things, nor do I think that learning these things is essential for success.  

As difficult as it is at times, I want my children to learn to question authority, respectfully.  I want them to know about many different world views.  I want them to learn in the way that is most appropriate and effective for them.  I want them to be active members of the community who are able to make their own decisions and who define success their own way.  

As for socialization, I believe that happens by being involved in the community.  They are involved in sports and other activities.  We attend playgroups for both homeschooled and non-homeschooled kids.  I plan to beging getting them involved in volunteering this year.  They eet new people everyday as we go about our daily lives.  They have many opportunities to socialize with people of different ages and backgrounds.