Summertime School

While we don't do a ton of school during the summer, I do want their brains working a little. We try to do school three days a week. It's like a condensed version of what we do during the year. This is our chance to brush up on our skills and review before we move on to the next year. Also, I am getting ready to order our curriculum for the following grade level. This gives me time to look through and see if I need to prepare for anything. I don't want to have to rush through, so I can have plenty of time to look at each child's materials. Usually, I do this while they are doing some school work. This limits the distractions for all of us. On another note, I turn the ringer off on the phone while we are working. This has been crucial for me. If I treat their school as if it is my work...I don't get taken away by other tasks.

Of course, we also have fun the other times and the kids get to play and run around. We only take about an hour or two for school. One summer we decided to skip this and it was a disaster twhen school started again. For our family, some routine is important. Each homeschool family has to decide what works for them.

This weekend, we took a field trip to Fort Delaware in Narrowsburg, NY. It was only $20 for a family of four and they have a picnic area so you can bring in lunch and snacks. The staff were great and very informative. They really stuck to their period and the kids had a great time. Seeing the way the militia and their families lived made us appreciate our modern conveniences. I would recommend this tour to anyone in the area.

Off to play. Happy Homeschooling!

Staying Motivated

So much for my blog taking over the world. In the back of my mind, I keep telling myself to get writing. Sadly, that has not been the case. Summer has arrived and I don't want to be at the computer. I do, however, want to keep progressing with this blog and learning how to add more features. That won't happen if I don't keep working.

Since I mentioned summer has arrived, our garden is actually producing a little. When I say a little, I mean the kids picked two strawberries yesterday. Yeah, two. They each got to savor one baby strawberry. I felt sorry for the puny little strawberries. They didn't get a chance to grow up. It was funny how excited the kids were to run out and pick them. It was their first taste of victory for picking buckets of rocks to clear some room.

My daughter's next big wish is to uncover a woolly mammoth in our backyard. Dream Big Baby! So, the kids researched woolly mammoths and have begun excavation. On the week of this decision, there was a lady in Michigan who actually discovered bones while digging for a pond. What a thrill. So, while I am not all for the idea of creating potholes all over the yard as dig sites...who am I to crush a dream? Boy, I'd love to post those pics.

On another note, has anyone ever been to the PA Grand Canyon? It's in Wellsboro, PA. I didn't even know there was such a thing. The pictures look beautiful. If the rains ever stop, we'll be planning a day there. The kids want to look for Bald Eagles and they should be able to spot them at certain areas.

Thanks to all you consistent bloggers for keeping me motivated(at least in the back of my mind).

Plotting and Planning

Our lesson of the week is to think big...but plan ahead. I think I mentioned we are planting our first garden this year. Apparently, in the Northeast where we are, the rocks are the most abundant things in the soil. Our first step for our garden and baby orchard was to order the trees and plants. Okay, it's been 6 weeks and they still haven't arrived. Next year we'll order them earlier(as we were told). Lesson One. Check.

Next, we had someone plow the area that we marked off. Since we are out of town during the week, we expected to come home and see an area set for some topsoil and planting. Oops. This stage just turns over the sod. Now comes the rock picking and rototilling. I finally understand why there are these gorgeous rock walls separating the property lines. With so many rocks, where could you possibly put them all? So begins another project. A fire pit.

After spending the weekend picking rocks and rototilling, we will be ready to plant this weekend. That is, of course, if my plants arrive. If not, then we'll be running to the nursery to buy some other things.

The kids have helped with as much as possible. We have started some seedlings and are keeping note of their progress. My son is documenting our successes and failures and comparing cost of seeds, plants, and equipment needed. He's starting to realize the cost of fruits and veggies in the store and how much we should expect to save. The real success is running outside and picking a snack right from the yard. I love our optimism. Weekend Garden Warriors. That's what we are.

My daughter is preschool age so she gets involved in the planting, identifying what we are growing, making markers for the different items we plant, etc. I bought a bundle of shims and wrote the different fruits and veg's on them. She painted and colored the sticks to use as plant markers. Now we won't forget where things are planted and our garden will have some pizzazz. "Pizzazz" is her favorite word at the moment.

So, wish us happy gardening, as I realize the hard work is just beginning. We'll post pics as soon as we actually have something growing other than the rocks!

Earth Day!

We have been down and out with the flu, but we are feeling better and ready to move on. Another bonus of homeschooling is the ability to take a couple days off and not have to worry about making up the school work. We do school a couple of days a week throughout summer to make sure we don't forget anything. My son actually prefers this, believe it or not.

The kids are excited about Earth Day and can't wait to turn off the power for a minute. Nickelodean has asked its viewers to participate in this activity. I think we'll turn everything off for longer than that. It's nice for the kids to see the bigger picture of the little differences that they can make.

We have made a list of ways we can help the Earth and ourselves at the same time. Since we grocery shop a lot, we have purchased reusable bags. If you are crafty, you can make them yourself. My sewing abilities are laughable and my groceries would be sure to land on the pavement if I made my own. Home Depot sells big orange ones that are very sturdy and great for bigger items. This is one simple way to make a change.

I'd like feedback on changing to the eco-friendly lightbulbs. I know they save energy and last longer, but I am very concerned with the mercury content. Lots of people don't even know that they contain mercury and must be disposed of in a specific facility. You can return them to Home Depot and they will do it for you. In a recent trip to their store (we are building a house, so I live at Home Depot), they had a salesperson handing out a lightbulb to each customer. I asked her about the mercury and she was totally clueless. She left her station in search for answers and found us elsewhere in the store. She informed me that they have a disposal site, but as she was selling and handing out these to customers, I was quite disappointed that they were not informing the public about the hazards. I would think environmentalists would be more involved in the pros and cons of these lightbulbs. Again, I welcome your thoughts.

So, we'll have one more day of recovery and then go out to save the planet! Happy Homeschooling!

spring

Spring is officially here and it has revitalized our spirit and put us in a great mood. We will begin planting our garden and landscaping our yard. I am excited to have my kids involved in the process of growing their own food and seeing their hard work turn into yummy food and vibrant flowers. That is my plan, but as this will be our first garden, I hope all goes as expected.

My sister lives very close and has just gotten chicks so that they will have fresh eggs. We had a chance to see them this weekend and the kids were thrilled to hold them in their hands. This is another new experience for all of us. Shame on me for not bringing my camera; I will have it next time we visit.

This is the time of year to take a deep breath, clean out the old, and bring in the new. Make positive changes in your life and you will feel the benefits for years to come.

Happy Homeschooling! Welcome Spring!

Back In Action!

We did it and actually came out unscathed. Yes, we had no cable, phone, or internet for one whole week. The kids met some new friends and got their daily allowance of Vitamin D. I admit, we did occasionally stop outside of the local diner and use their Wi-Fi. My husband has to e-mail reports every night... so what if I happened to have my I-Touch with me? Purely accidental, of course.

I heard less whining than anticipated and we had a dance party in the living room instead of watching American Idol. It seems some of you are inspired to try it for yourselves. I hope you do because our family really enjoyed each other.

It is a good reminder of why we homeschool and choose to be so involved with our kids. Sometimes we forget the importance and value of the decisions we have made and get sidetracked with all of the day to day activities. This was a nice opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and re-evaluate our priorities. Yeah for us!

Wireless...Literally.

Next week a strange phenomenon will overtake our household. Lives will be forever altered. Okay, it's not the end of the world, but my son is full of angst. We will be without TV and internet for at least four days. Oh! The Horror!

As for me, I'm giggling inside. I little twisted and demented laugh is ready to burst. We have been housebound all winter and have spent way too much time in front of the computer. It's time to do some nature walks and remember why we love Spring. The birds are chirping and the leaves are starting to bud. We feel just like all the animals scurrying around us. You can feel it and smell it in the air.

So go wireless, get unplugged! I dare you! Your family might revolt, but the world will not stop spinning. Walk the neighborhood and pick up trash. Clean out the kids' toys. Have a picnic. Bring out the

Procrastination

Of all the traits I want to pass on to my kids, my gift of procrastination is NOT one them. I swear I work better under pressure, but what if something comes up in the last minute? While I got through college on Big Gulps and M & M's (nothing like a sugar high to get you through an all night cram session), I would like to teach planning and organization as a better way to function.

We all have our different styles of teaching and planning. Even in unstructured schooling, there is a level of organization that must be involved. With different types of learners in the home, we might need several ways to keep them engaged. Many new homeschoolers are so overwhelmed because they think they need to run a tight ship and keep their kids on a plan like a regular school. The whole point of being at home is so that the parent can decide what works best.

For us, we need a schedule and a plan. We need some guidelines and dates to keep us on track. This is because, as I mentioned earlier, I am the Queen of Procrastination. If we followed my natural instinct, we would be up at 3:00 in the morning doing vocabulary.

So my advice to new homeschoolers is this, find out what works for you and your kids. Ask a lot of questions. We like to laugh at ourselves and some mistakes we have made. Make homeschooling an "experience". Relax! Be excited! If you are stressed about it, then your kids will feel like something is wrong. Pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. Since I know I tend to do things at the last minute, I force myself to use a schedule. This is the only way to get things done on time without panic.

As time goes on, I will posts links to some of my favorite sites and make copies of my organizational materials. That is of course, if I don't procrastinate!

Happy Homeschooling!

Dogs In Elevators

What does that have to do with homeschooling? Well, one question make you think of another. As we are still hotel hopping, I have to walk the dog through the hotel to the appropriate doggie spot in the back. We have a very friendly, but nervous black lab. She is not understanding the concept of traveling on elevators. She enters quite eagerly but has the constant look of confusion when the door closes and then opens to another world. I just haven't figured out how to explain this to her. Anyway, we had to share the elevator with another person and as the magic door closed, my dog shrank away from him with her tail behind her legs. The man in the elevator said, "Your dog's not used to being around people is she?"
Now to my point. I got defensive and found myself explaining that she is socialized. It's just the elevator, and all the strange suitcases, and smells, and noises.

Wait! Am I still talking about my dog? As a homeschooler, how many times to I have to explain that my kids are getting "socialized"? Just because my daughter won't talk to the lady in line at the grocery store, it doesn't mean my kids are stuck in some world where they have no friends or playtime. It means that she's shy and has been told not to talk to strangers. Safety 101. Please don't take it personally, I'm sure you are a nice grandma, you're just not her grandma.
My kids are surrounded my people of all ages, backgrounds, genders, and religions. I do not believe that they need to be surrounded by their own age groups all day long. When they move into society, they will need to deal with all types of people. This is socialization.

So, next time I will not ramble on and defend my dog or my right to homeschool. I will just smile and keep my mouth shut.

More About Us

Please forgive me for this post. I will be adding our information and some pictures as soon as I make sure I can link to this entry. Just blink and put this out of your mind. I am a work in progress.

Comment Policy

This is a family-oriented blog and all comments should be appropriate for children, moms, dads, and grandparents to read. If I think a comment is too risky for my kids to read, then I reserve the right to not have it published. I love comments and suggestions so please post anything that you think would benefit myself or other readers. The goal of this blog is to create a helpful and safe forum for homeschoolers and their families. So join me in a cup of coffee, maybe even two, and enjoy our crazy days!

Have School, Will Travel

We are back from our trip and enjoyed school and fun on the road. Since we haven't had many days above freezing, the kids and I took advantage of a heated pool at the hotel. Naturally, this counts as our exercise class. It was hard to get motivated at first but we made sure to do some school each day. Laptops make life easy. We each have our own laptop and bag. This helps us stay organized and ready for action.

We also had a good laugh trying to come up with our online pseudonyms. I think we have decided on either "The Bear" or "Mr. Grizzly" for my husband. Whenever we are teasing my husband, my son always says "Don't poke the bear!" In this respect, my daughter will be named Goldilocks. The only difference is that she would have chased the bears back into the woods and taken over their house. She's a shy one but has a heck of a stubborn streak. We are still having trouble with my son's name. We'll keep working on his. He is reading the blogs and giving me feedback so I'm sure he'll come up with something suitable.

Eww! School on Sunday.

I am slowly gaining on this blogging site. Since this is a homeschooling blog, I will say that there are not many conventional days in my home when it comes to teaching. We love to be spontaneous. We are planning a trip and even though today is Sunday, my son will be responsible for mapping our trip. We will also plan our fuel cost and all expenses we might incur. We'll start with a projected budget and compare that to what we actually spend. And no, I don't make him do school all of the time. I'm not obsessed. We are actually quite laid back. If we were going to an amusement park, I don't think I would make my son worry about money or school. This is a working vacation, so we will find a balance of work, school, and play.

Scheduling is something that has to be very flexible for us. Opportunities are taken when we find them. We have some daily lessons that are done just about every weekday. These would include, reading, guitar, Spanish, Time4Learning, exercises and writing. The rest will vary with our interests at the time. For example, my son loves an online game that involves horses. To build on that, we are doing a project that will research ten of his favorite horses. He will write and illustrate a book on their strengths, similarities, origin, etc. This will be an ongoing project that will encompass many different skills.

Analyzing Blog

Today, my job is to analyze my blog name and create a tag line. The time is at hand for all of my wit and humor. I am happy with the name because I think we are so cool! Of course, my son thinks I am a nerd, but that is his right. I am the one with control of the computer. So I am off to be creative and prove how cool I am.

First Foray Into Blogging

This is my first attempt at creating a blog. As a homeschooling mom, I thought it would be great to broaden my horizons while sharing my experiences. I can't wait to see how this turns out.