If you asked me what I considered myself able to teach my kids, sewing would not have ever been on that list. I know how to thread a needle and hand sew a bit. I own a sewing machine and have enough of an understanding of its workings to be able to make a simple set of curtains. That is the extent of my sewing knowledge.
When my high school girl came to me and asked if “she” could make a dress like the one Elsa wears in Frozen, I was definitely not on board with helping. I even hoped she’d forget the whole project. But she didn’t. She designed and mapped out her plans. I took her to the store to buy supplies, looked over her measurements to check for any errors, and helped her pin hard to reach areas for alterations. She has continued to lead the project in every way, but I am glad she allowed me to be a part of it. We have both learned so much, and shockingly, I have enjoyed “teaching” her how to sew. This has been one of the experiences of high school that I think we will both remember.
Ninety Day Bible Reading and What I’m Learning
I’m at 24% in my 90 day Bible reading plan! I’ve learned a few things in addition to the text itself.
1. I didn’t think I could read so much in one day. I was never able to stay consistent in my Bible reading with much smaller daily chunks. Not only am I keeping up, I can’t wait to get back to it to sneak in a few more chapters. Reading it as one big story drives me to come back and see what happens next.
2. I didn’t think I would get any of the details with the fast pace. I’m sure I’m not remembering some names and places, but the big names and places are coming to life so much more than ever before. I can see them chronologically instead of scattered. I can see how the relate to one another instead of as individual stories. I can see whole lives with all of their humanness which makes them so much more relatable. I’m better understanding the passing of time between those major events that I’ve read in isolation many times over. I’m not worried about the smaller details that I might miss, because I’m already planning to go back and read through the whole Bible again as soon as I’m done.
3. I’m absolutely getting a new picture of God. I understand the cost of sin more. I understand the need for a Savior more. I am seeing the big picture of God moving through history, and it really is fascinating.
4. I spent the last few years teaching myself to read fiction books. I’ve always been a nonfiction reader, and preferred in my bible to read the New Testament. “Just tell me what I need to do”. Now that I’m reading the whole thing in order and I’ve learned how to read stories about people, I’m getting a picture of the people God has worked through, of His relationship with His people. It really is all about the relationship more than the list of to do’s. It is a new perspective.
If you haven’t found your scripture study niche, I encourage you to give this a try. It has been a neat experience so far, and it doesn’t seem to take long each day. I split the reading into about three 20 minute reads in the day. And there’s nothing quite like immersion to make you think about scripture throughout your day 🙂
Natural Learning Happens
Last week I was in need of a break from formal lessons.
“Do you think I could watch a movie with the kids and find a way to call it school?” I jokingly asked my husband.
He’s a bit more relaxed than I am. I have more focus than he does. We balance each other in our ideas. I was tired. Kids were tired. I don’t like to take days off, but I do like to have delight directed days – with purpose and and a list of accomplishments included because I need to see it.
So I asked again. “Do you think I could watch a movie with them?”
“Sure.”
“But I need a reason. What could we watch and what could I teach from it?” Translate this as traditional school teacher trying to ooze out.
“Because it’s fun. That is a reason. Your job is to make our home a pleasant place to be. The learning happens naturally,” he says.
God must have opened my eyes here, because I normally would have been a bit uptight about just having fun without a “worthy” cause. I’m not good at just having fun. It is something I need to work on 😉 Okay, that was punny.
Being the planner that I am, I had to do something. So I planned a week without formal lessons. I kept a notebook in my room and wrote down all the things the kids did. I spent the time doing things with them, listening more, reading books that they wanted to hear, investing in their interests. I hadn’t told them of my plan. Sometimes on weeks like this I tell them, and they’ll choose some activities that will satisfy my requirements, but this week I wanted to see them naturally. Near the end, E came to me and asked why I wasn’t doing school with them this week. She was concerned that she would be behind. (Yes, I still struggle with this pressure off and on, and unfortunately pass it on to my kids.) I answered her with a list of all of the things they’d done all week on their own: spelling puzzles, phonics games, great stories, science activities, dancing, Scouts, baking, and so on. We talked that night over dinner about the concept of getting out of learning what one puts into it.
This weekend, B, L, and A brought me lists of projects and to do’s of their own choices. So we will be starting off the week with their projects again. We will see where they bring us, and for as long as they are motivated to keep learning, I won’t take over. This is life learning.
I’m focusing on making our home pleasant, respecting each person as a person with unique interests and abilities, and gently guiding them where necessary. The learning is happening naturally.
I’m reminding myself of this quote from Charlotte Mason:
“The question is not, — how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education — but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”
Keep Going
Today is one of those days that I am ever so thankful that I have kept writing this blog even though I’ve wanted to quit and delete many times over the years. It is, to me, a treasure box of reminders of where we have been and how far we have come. And on days like this, I need to be reminded that what we are doing is indeed enough. I need to remember that I have seen the process of relaxed, delight directed learning produce kids that are smart, educated, and the closer they get to the end of our home journey, able to handle the real world out there. It is days like this that I want to scrub everything we are doing and accept it all as failure. But I won’t. I only need to look here at the accounts I’ve recorded and be reminded again that even though it feels today like we are not making the progress I want to make, the long run a whole different story.
Today, I’m discouraged when L is not reading yet. When I look back and the long road we’ve been on, I see 3 other kids that were once in the same boat and did indeed learn to read. I’m discouraged that she doesn’t have the attention span to sit for even an hour of lessons of any kind. I don’t remember the others being so distracted, but there’s proof here in the blog that they were.
Today I’m discouraged that, as a whole, nobody wants to progress right now. Everybody’s content to stay right were they are. I’m stressing over this, because it just isn’t how I think. But as I look back, I am reminded of all of the things they’ve learned. They haven’t been stagnant all their lives. They are progressing, even when I don’t see it.
Today I’m discouraged that they didn’t want to sit down for lessons and I got upset with them. I’m disappointed with myself for forgetting that they often learn best with hands on lessons and activity. I’m sorry that today was not a good day, but I am reminded that there have been many more good days than bad.
Today I’m thankful for this blog. It often seems like a jumble of words, but on days like this it is a reminder that better days will come, that we are indeed making the necessary progress, that while what we are doing needs tweaking from time to time, it is working. I must press on.
List Maker
There are days when I wonder why we can’t get to all that we need to do. This could be a two fold problem: My expectations and my view of what is effectively accomplishing our goals.
I am a product of the school system and lots of after school sports. All I remember is schooling all day and sports and homework till bedtime. I have to be reminded often that we homeschool our kids partly so that they don’t have to do that. I don’t have to keep their schedules busy from waking to bed every day. Down time is good. More than that. It is necessary. I’m still working on grasping this fully. My husband is a gem in reminding me to stay the course that we know is best without giving in to those stresses that I fall into every so often.
I know deep within me that learning happens in many ways and at many speeds. I still get nervous from time to time and want to throw some workbooks on the table for the kids to complete. I want to have them mark off all of the boxes of a long checklist. But that’s not really how my kids learn best. If I were honest, that isn’t how I learn best either. If only there were not so much security in those little check marks.
So what is a girl in this struggle to do? Make a list, of course! Did I mention I love lists? I made a list of all of the extra curricular lessons that my kids were doing and all of the self directed activities that they were spending time digging into each day. That way I could see what they were learning and what I still wanted to supplement with so called formal school lessons. I was pretty surprised by how much they were already doing. Here is a sample of the lists:
B- She is taking ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance lessons, assisting in teaching a toddler dance class, taking a theater production class, studying make up and various cosmetology topics, watching professional ballets online, reading lots of books, watching historical movies and documentaries, writing stories, visiting the library often for new resources to study on her own, practicing life skills like cooking, babysitting, grocery shopping, etc, participating in youth group activities at church and singing and playing guitar for the Sunday morning worship time at church. She dreams of being a librarian one day.
A- He is taking a hip hop dance class, participating in a Boy Scout troup, attending youth group at church, dreaming up new ideas and building models with any tools he can get his hands on, learning household skills and how to take care of himself, playing chess and other strategy games, figuring out statistics and physics in his play time, watching science documentaries, and reading library books on a variety of topics. He dreams of being an engineer.
E- She has chosen to take the year off of formal lessons of any kind, but while she is at home, she is teaching herself piano, painting pictures, experiencing history through movies and novels, learning to love reading, playing school with her dolls, copying her favorite parts of books for saving, reading ingredients in everything she eats to check for gluten content, attending and doing memory work for her Sunday school class, discovering great things in nature, and training her mice. She is physically very talented, but loves art and animals more than anything.
L- She is young still, and approaches life much like a super bounce ball in an enclosed room. She is full of life and spends her time seeing where she can join the older kids. She watches science shows and memorizes information from them, She plays video games with her brother and figures out the stats and strategies and sportsmanship needed for them. She colors pictures, tells stories for me to write down, and writes tidbits for herself, She helps me cook, plays lots of make believe, spends time outside, attends ballet, tap, and jazz dance class, attends Sunday school, takes care of her fish, enjoys read alouds with the family, and watches historical television programs with her sisters. Her favorite activity right now is probably cooking.
Yes,. A list! And better than that, a list of success! Look at all that they are doing before we do formal lessons! I’m not quite content to leave it right there, so I do require some math lessons and writing practice for each of them along with daily read alouds that I choose, and on occasion add a focus lesson for a few weeks. This way, the kids pretty much decide what they will learn, and I can add in what I feel they need. Instead of making lessons first and extracurricular second, I have reversed it. It works because they kids are learning so much and so fast when they are interested in the lessons. All that I have to do is guide them toward the next steps and let them dig in. When they need resources, I help them find what they need.
When I look over this list along with the growth I see in each of them, I’m convinced that we are doing enough. It just looks different. And that is not a bad thing.
A Cluttered Mind
“Dear Facebook,
You’ve been good to me. I have enjoyed keeping up with my friends. I have enjoyed reading the great articles that show up in my news feed every day. You have entertained me, encouraged me, taught me. And, unfortunately, you have lied to me. Well, not technically. But my heart struggles to remember who I really am and what visions God has given me for my family and my life.”
I realized this week that every day I read articles from my feed that, while intended to be helpful, impact me deeply as I feel my imperfections. I cannot help but compare myself to these ideals. After all, I read about them every single day. They are good articles, but listening to the words, the well meaning advice, of others has caused me to lose sight of my vision. The vision that God gave to me for my life.
I am trapped. Do I need to leave Facebook? How could I leave Facebook? I won’t know what’s going on with everyone! I need to read those articles. The information in them might come in handy one day! I know I am on information overload, but it’s important. Everyone uses Facebook to keep up with life now.
Then it hit me. Do I store in my house everything I might possibly need someday? No. If I don’t use it, I don’t keep it. If that changes and I do need it, I go to the store and buy it. And that is exactly how I can handle this type of information. If I need help with parenting or with marriage or with schooling, I can Google just that and get what I need when I need it. The information will still be there, and I can get it without information overload or crowding my heart with too many what if’s.
It’s not really Facebook’s fault. It’s my fault for allowing myself to rely so easily on the news feed and for spending more time there than I need. It’s my fault for forgetting to fill my mornings with worship and stillness to hear the quiet voice of God telling me who I am. I know I am not perfect. Not even close. But by His grace, I am forgiven, loved deeply, cherished even. Perfection isn’t something to be grasped in this life time. I need not be upset by this. Instead, I need to live life resting in the perfection of my God.
So who am I? I am a beloved child of the King. What is that vision that God placed on my heart? That is what I’m getting reacquainted with.
I’m spending less time on Facebook and more time listening to those small words from the One who loves me most. It’s worth not knowing all that is going on.
Outside of Books
I’m thinking today about what learning looks like outside of the books. Of course, I love books, but there is much to be explored hands on as well. In this blog, I’ll track through some of today and the educational opportunities that I saw.
For breakfast, we are typically cereal eaters, but we were out of the kids’ preferred cereals and decided it was a good day for bacon and waffles. We were out of mix. Opportunity number one. Two kids got together to make batter from scratch. They measured ingredients, followed directions, and helped cook the waffles. We talked about the job of baking powder.
Another child was busy playing with her mice. We talked about their toes and sleep habits. This seems to be an unending topic lately.
Next we went to the library. I’m not cheating. I know the library is full of books. But the books we bring home are of the kids’ choices. We leave full of new treasures some of which will be explored on the way home.
It is our tradition to stop at McDonald’s after the library. We ordered some lunch and ice cream. After the order was complete, we were informed that the ice cream machine was being washed and we would have to change our order. We made the quick changes, and then my son figured out how much more the bill was with the changes. We also discussed calories and fat and why the smaller fries were a better choice (Not like we needed fries in the first place…)
After our trip, we got a few chores done, and my son got to building robots with his Knex. He got a robot book from the library and had some new ideas. Then the younger kids got to building swords and shields with Knex, gathering spy gear, and playing a long game of make believe. My oldest and I got together in the kitchen to fry some eggplant and dream up delicious ways to eat it. It turns out that it is quite good over mashed potatoes! Cooking with kids always gives opportunities to talk about what’s going on in their hearts while we work.
We cooked dinner, ate, and rushed the older two to practice for a play that they are preparing for. The little girls went outside in the cold air with a chair and blanket to watch the moon. It was a pretty full moon, and they wanted to get out the telescope. I was too cold to oblige, but another day we will 🙂
I’m not saying we learned deep things today, but we did learn. I’m looking forward to tonight when the great books and movies that we got from the library will be opened and dug into. I’ll save that for another post.
Traditions and Schooling
We’re going to the library in a bit. We shoot to go anywhere we have to go at 10:00am. The reason is sort of funny. When the kids were younger and we needed to go somewhere, I would schedule the outing between morning and afternoon naps. Then I discovered that I loved listening to the Family Life Today radio program that came on at 10am, and the tradition was set. We still try to go places at 10am. As far as the kids know, it’s so that they can take their mornings slowly. For me, it’s so that I can sit down and listen to the radio program while I drive. I don’t often listen to that program now. I still like it, but I’m busy chatting with the kids on the drive. Yet, we still leave at 10am. That seems to be how a lot of traditions are set.
And for me, traditions become expectations. And those expectations that have lost their purpose or have come about for silly reasons can become burdens. Today, I choose to question traditions. The ones that have purpose will stay. They benefit me, give me structure, help me remember important things.
Those traditions that don’t really matter, though? I’ve chosen to let them go. I want room to make new traditions, but more than that, to live in the moment, to stop rushing so much and allow time to laugh with my family. I have goals still, and of course I will move toward them. I will not, however, let unnecessary expectations control my days.
As we get back to school next week, I want our goals to be realistic and fitting to where we are. I don’t care where most seventh graders (pick your grade here) are academically. That is tradition. For example, my seventh grader is probably behind in some areas but ahead in others. He is right where he needs to be. Our goals will be for progress toward the ultimate goal.
“Life Academy exists to promote a life long love for learning, a complete education in the basics, and an atmosphere in which deeper passions may be explored in the ways each child learns best.”
And with that mission in mind, here are some plans for where we will be going over the next few months.
B: Work toward finishing Geometry book. ACT practice test will be in a few months, and this is an area that she needs to improve. Continue working through the One Year Adventure Novel course, Read more books. Explore basic US government concepts and compare and contrast them with the types of government in the books she is reading. Practice writing non fiction essays. Continue dance classes, Theater production class, youth group activities, guitar, violin, life skills health classes. Watch movies set in historical settings. Look into career choices and what is needed for those of interest.
A: Continue Math U See Epsilon once or twice a week. Build with Erector set, Knex, Lego’s. Watch videos of such built structures to learn science behind them. Email friends and family daily. Practice Typing with copywork a few times a week. Writing is very difficult for him. I’m assuming typing will allow him to bypass the handwriting and focus on the spelling and punctuation. Read orally to slow down enough to practice spelling. Participate in Boy Scouts, dance class, youth activities, life skills health class, Practice sportsmanship by playing games. Read a chapter a week of Child’s History of the World.
E: Move back to the fourth grade School Zone math workbook for review work. She needs more time for the abstract thinking to kick in before moving forward in math. Read Orally to improve reading and spelling ability. Practice Mavis Beacon Typing practice. Set up an email account to email grandparents. Listen to a chapter of Child’s History each week. Continue learning about nutrition and gluten free eating. Care for and learn about her new pet mice. Create a nature notebook. She loves all things nature, but this will be written and drawn. Put together a Bible notebook from her weekly Sunday School papers. This was her idea, and I love it.
L: Read library books. She likes to be read to, but her opinion of reading for herself is not so great. Improving her attitude in this is the biggest goal I have for her right now. Practice handwriting and math in workbooks and in playing. Listen to books that we read as a family. Spend time outside or with toys playing. Continue in dance class. Cook with Mom. Practice life skills.
Laughter
I’ve laughed more this week than I have in a long time. More times than I can count. And it isn’t been the short kind of laugh. It’s the laugh till you have tears running down your face kind. The kind I usually save for those occasional deliriously tired late nights when only my man and I are still up.
We have been on vacation. Well, my man’s company closes their doors for nearly two weeks for Christmas and New Years, and he gets to be home for that time. We save vacation days during the year, and look forward to doing all of the great things the holidays bring. As the break neared we counted the days. Three days before the break, my man got the flu. And a few days later all four kids joined him. His didn’t last more than a few days, but the kids lingered. Our anniversary on the twentieth was spent passing out thermometers and Tylenol to kids; much of Christmas Eve and Christmas day were slept right through by most of the kids. I was really feeling the stress. Caring for sick kids was not really how I had planned to spend our vacation.
It’s turned out great though. Starting Christmas evening, kids started feeling better, and we broke out the Yahtzee game. Energy levels have taken a long time to come back. In fact, nearly a week later, they are still taking naps and going to bed early. We scrapped all of our plans to go places, and have stayed home all week. Nobody wanted to eat, so I didn’t cook. They didn’t move around or take much out, so I didn’t clean. (I did do laundry. A lot of laundry). We did play card games and board games, build with Lego’s and Knex, fix doll hair, play more games, crack jokes, make faces, and laugh. We all laughed.
I am not a laugher. Is that a real word? Anyway, I am definitely the serious one here. Maybe it was the stressful week of being nurse instead of doing all of the Christmas festivities. Maybe it was the smaller load of work once the fevers were gone but everyone was still laying around. I think it was a case of finding the simple pleasures of being together without expectations hanging over us.
The laughing was fun. It was infectious. It was filled with jokes that we will remember and laugh about for years to come. It was something I don’t want to leave behind as we get back to routine later this week. I found joy, great joy, in just being with my family. It turned out to be a beautiful vacation, and I am so thankful that God opened my eyes to the joy of laughter in the simple things. It was a gift, my Christmas gift to myself, to let loose and laugh. Not just chuckle, but whole heartedly laugh to the point of tears. Often.
Christmas Isn’t Found in a Store
Last week we were watching the old Grinch cartoon when my 8 year old said to me, “Mom, Christmas isn’t found in a store. Some adults don’t get that.” I was kind of surprised that she picked that up, but she was right. It’s not found in a store, and it’s often the adults who don’t get it.
I thought surely that that idea of Christmas not being about the gifts would be lost on the kids once they were flooded with gifts from grandparents, parents, and others. But it wasn’t. Yes, the gifts were fun, and a couple of the kids are completely enamored with them at this point. But the things we talked about yesterday, the glimpses into their hearts, they were so beautiful. One reminded me that gifts are not what it’s about. Neither is tradition. One realized that gifts, no matter how many or what kind, don’t really satisfy that longing in her heart. She’d rather have time with people. Relationships. Sharing life together. Where do they get such wisdom?
We had the flu this week, so not much of the traditional festivities of Christmas day happened. I was disappointed as I love routine and tradition. I grew up in a family where ceremony surrounded so much of our lives, and this doing little for Christmas was hard for me. But what else was there to do when the kids were all running fevers and finding the days away? We still opened gifts and had short visits with some family, but it was not the same.
Not the same. But I learned some new lessons this year. I learned how to embrace the imperfections of life. Not only to tolerate them, but to take them in and love them. They are part of life whether I like it or not, and they require me to trust that God’s in charge instead of me. Oh, that trusting. It’s hard, but I’m slowly finding comfort in it. I remembered the humble day of Jesus’ birth. I’m sure everything didn’t go just as planned for Mary that day, and yet it was a beautiful time because it was just what God had planned. I learned this year to slow down, stop worrying about school and parties and shopping, and start spending my efforts or the people in my life. This morning, the day after Christmas, I’m not feeling let down. I’m feeling refreshed actually, and it didn’t come from a store.
Faith Like a Child
This has been an incredible year for my family spiritually. It started out very rough as my oldest girl struggled with friends, teenage decisions, and walking away from a faith that she had barely held onto. She just didn’t know that she could believe it anymore. Until she went to an event at our local BCM. She heard from God that day. He was real, and it was for her sin that He died. She grieved over what she was doing. She had friends that she lost, but God put new ones in her life. She had messy issues to deal with, but God put just the right people in her life to walk her through those and more. She is a different person now, one that has felt Gods grace and truths played out in her own life.
At the same time, my ten year old daughter was coming to me with a lot of big questions. “Why does God allow sin? Why are we not just made perfect? Why do we have to die?…” Then one day this summer, she came inside after sitting in the van alone and crying. She had been convicted of her sinfulness and her need for God’s grace. Over the next few days we answered some more questions and watched as she began her Christian life.
A couple weeks later, their youngest sister came to me at bedtime and proclaimed that she had been listening to all that we’d talked about with her sister, and she wanted to be a Christian too. I didn’t take her too seriously. She’s pretty rash in making decisions. But over the following months she was adamant. She was really challenging me in my faith as well.
My son has not yet come to this place, but he’s asking questions, and I have faith that he will soon.
My two little girls were water baptized this November and continue to amaze me in their child like faith. The reminders are such blessings. In my next post I’ll write about one of them that I’m loving right now. But for now, look to children. Ask yourself what they can teach you about trusting God in your everyday life. Ask what they can show you about compassion. Ask what they can show you that you have forgotten. You will be blessed by listening.
Holiday Break Update
November and December are so full of birthdays, holidays, special occasions, and extra curricular activities, that we have scheduled a two month break in our normal schooling. We are halfway through. I call it a break because we’re breaking from the normal math, writing, etc, but you know that learning is always happening. Right?
I have one “academic” goal for these two months. I want to read with the kids three novels: The Giver, Tuck Everlasting, and Doctor Dolittle. We are working through them at the same time to allow for different areas of interest to be enjoyed. The Giver seems to be the favorite for the olders and Doctor Dolittle for the youngers.
Is this enough to be doing for two entire months? Yes. It’s enough because we aren’t just reading the books. We are savoring them. And we are discussing the ideas we read about as we go about our days. It’s like a crash course in good literature and the introduction of new ideas to discover and build upon. Why not enjoy books all year instead? Well, we do. We read a lot. But I wanted to give special time to The Giver since it is such an intriguing story, and while we were busy with the holidays, I thought it the perfect time to read it along with a couple others.
Of course we are doing more than just reading together. That only takes an hour or so a day. We’re also doing a lot of shopping and wrapping, baking cookies and learning new eating habits, (since we’ve found that at least two of us benefit from a gluten free diet). We are playing. A lot. And the ideas we’ve read about or talk about or that they’ve seen on TV shows get played out. It’s great fun watching my comedians kids act out these crazy ideas. It also gives me insight into what they know and where to go from there. I bought each kid a new calendar, and we are working on related skills from memorizing the months to scheduling one’s days. There’s also library trips, visiting people, church activities, theater, dance classes, music practices, Boy Scouts, playing school, emailing friends and family, and even learning to read. Yes. My kids tend to learn big things like reading when we take time off of school. They’re special like that. 😉 Not really. It’s just another proof that learning is happening all the time, and for my family, it happens best when there’s no pressure. That’s one reason I love these breaks and take at least two a year.
I planned this season to be one of really enjoying the holidays. We’re doing that, and we are still learning through life and through sharing of ideas. I imagine unschooling looks something like this. I dont consider us to be unschoolers in the purest sense because we don’t follow this pattern year round, but during these breaks I suppose we could be. We still have a few more weeks before we pick back up with our regular work. I wonder where these weeks will take us? What adventures and new lessons will we encounter? Who will surprise me with some new skill or understanding? I’m looking forward to good things. Oh this journey called education…
Self Directed Learning During the Holidays
From the beginning of November until the end of December, our lives are filled with holidays and special occasions. In early November we celebrated our oldest daughter’s sweet sixteenth birthday. Thanksgiving is just nine days away, and we are cooking for the family this year. Then in December we have another birthday, our wedding anniversary, Christmas, and then New Years.
I always feel like we have to squeeze each of these special days into our lives between all of the daily lessons, chores, and extracurricular activities, Then not only do we feel rushed through the holidays, we also don’t really get much out of our studies since our minds are elsewhere.
This year I’ve decided not to let the holidays pass us by. I want to cherish them to the fullest with my family. But at the same time, I cant officially take two whole months off of school.
Here’s my solution. Each child has a bucket that I have filled with some things like handwriting books, math pages, science experiments, books I’d like them to read, maps, counting blocks, piano books,sentence building cards, blank notebooks and more. It’s sort of like workboxes but with more choice.
Each day, I’m giving them a few guidelines and then letting them them choose what to work on. As they work through lessons in their buckets I will replace those with new ones. In this way, they take ownership of their learning, get work accomplished without zoning out, and we are all freed up to enjoy much of our time celebrating the holidays.
I know what you are thinking. What if they never choose math? My plan is to subtly suggest that they might want to get ahead and work on some math pages. Maybe they will. If not, we will do plenty of hands on measuring and fractions in the kitchen and money math as we shop and temperatures as the weather is changing, and… You get the idea, and the same goes for writing and reading. This will work for my elementary kids until January, and then we will pick up our formal studies again. (My high schooler is already self driven in her studies and is choosing to work on math and writing daily. She’s preparing for the ACT.)
The key to making this successful will be my being present, looking for ways to encourage them toward new things, cooking and shopping with them, including them in all of the holiday preparations and teaching them naturally occuring lessons along the way. And wasn’t spending time with my family and cherishing the holidays my goal in the first place? I’m looking forward to the holidays. How about you?
Late Readers
Do you worry about kids that are late readers?
My fourth child is eight years old and is still not reading. I keep telling myself that I’m not too worried about it. Her sister didn’t read till she was almost eight. I learned with her that it will come. That was after I stressed and grieved and panicked over the delay for a couple off years.
Why wasn’t she reading? My first two kids read by their fifth birthdays, and this third child didn’t even like sitting down to look at or listen to books. I pushed her to try. I used tried and true materials to teach her how to read. I bribed her with prizes. But all she wanted to do was play outside. Every day. All day. Then one summer, at nearly eight, she picked up some phonics readers at the library and began to read the words she knew and asked about the ones that she didn’t know. A few weeks later she picked up her Bible and “read” Genesis 1:1 and some from memory. She must have reread those first few verses 20 times over the next few weeks. Then she checked out a Harry Potter book from the library. Do you know how thick those are?! She loves the movies, so I let her get the book. She could only read a few sentences from her favorite part. I think she read about one and a half pages over the two weeks that we had the book. But she read.
That was about two years ago. Now at ten, she has just finished her first chapter book, Sarah, Plain and Tall (and Skylark). Not only did she read it, she fell in love with the characters. It was the first time she had experienced loving a story that she read. It was a short book, and she still needed help with some of the words, but now she’s looking for more books to read. She has found that joy.
Back to the fourth child. I’ve started to stress a bit over her not reading yet. Sure, her sister didn’t read till nearly eight, but now this girl is past that imaginary deadline, and I’m getting a little nervous. She enjoys being read to a few times a week. That’s a good sign, right? She can read a little when we do simple phonics lessons. She even messily sounds out some words to write down sometimes. So why hasn’t she decided to take on reading?
Just as I’m thinking about this little delay again, she insists she cannot read the words on the cover of the book she’s looking at, but reads the letters. P.E.O.P.L.E. of C.A.N.A.D.A. Was that what I thought I heard? Did she read “of” just that easily without realizing it even herself? And I realize it is happening. She is finally starting to read. There will be success after all.
It’s not going to happen tomorrow. It may take another year or more before she reads well. What will I do in the meantime? I’ll wait. I’ll read to her. I’ll let her experience life in other ways. I’ll talk with her. I’ll wait. I’ll show her videos. I’ll remind her kindly of all of the things I learn and enjoy by reading. I’ll continue to take her to the library for books she enjoys. I’ll wait.
It will happen. And when it does, when she finds that first book that she loves and devours ever so laboriously, it will have been worth the wait.
Delight Directed Learning and Charlotte Mason
Deep down I have always leaned toward delight directed learning. I have tried lots of types of curriculum over the ten years that I have been homeschooling from traditional workbooks to unit studies to literature based to to Ruth Beechick and Charlotte Mason to all out unschooling. It took a few years to figure out where we fit along this spectrum of styles, but we settled down into a mostly delight directed Charlotte Mason style about six years ago. It is my opinion that when we are naturally already doing something, there is no need to recreate it to call it a school subject. I believe that Charlotte Mason was a very natural educator. That is what draws me to her methods.
I’m part of a group of moms that use Charlotte Mason methods, and as we have been reviewing some of the techniques, I have been asking myself how what I do, because it is very delight directed, fits with this style of learning. Are Charlotte Mason and Delight Directed learning compatible?
Today I’d like to start with some of Charlotte Mason’s ideas and compare them to the delight directed learning that we use. You can read a summary of her ideas at this link if you need them for comparison.
Living Books: We get books from the library at least every two weeks. Each of us chooses the books we want to read that week. They are living books, books that are passionate about the topic, as Ms. Mason advocates. I guide the kids to find books that appeal to their passions and also books that will stretch them to learn more. For example, one of my girls is crazy about birds. I help her find bird books and tree books because trees tend to be part of bird habitats. My oldest girl loves fiction, so I encourage her to explore different time periods and events that go along with the books. When there is something I want them to read, I pick books on that topic read to them. We read at bedtime and during our school time.
Narration: Narration is a natural outflowing in our home. When we really experience a book, an activity, an interesting discovery, we enjoy telling about it. Most of the time this is done informally. Sometimes we write them out in letters to family and friends. Occasionally I assign a formal written narration for the older kids, but their best work always happens when they have a real audience and a real reason to write (or tell).
Short Lessons: We keep lessons short, but when they show interest in a subject they can spend as long as they are interested. For example, When we do free writing, which they typically enjoy, I set a ten minute timer. They must write for at least ten minutes. But if they have found a happy place in their story telling, they may write a while longer. When we do math lessons, I assign a page. They are free to choose to stop there or continue. They usually stop, but not always.
History: Ms. Mason says that History is the study of people’s lives. While we use a chronological history text some, we spend far more time reading books and watching shows about people and interesting events. There are some great historical stories in children’s chapter and picture books for the younger kids. Every time we visit the library I scavenge through the children’s books to find interesting historical accounts. My oldest likes to dig into the times, the clothing, the culture, the lifestyle of the characters and authors of the books she reads. It’s definitely delight directed, it’s absolutely learning, and it fits with Ms. Mason’s ideas of the study of History.
Copywork: I use handwriting books in the early years, but once they know how to write, I allow them to choose what to copy. They like to choose favorite stories and poems to copy. Especially since some of the kids have dyslexic tendencies, I try to make writing a positive time if possible.
Nature Study: This is a very natural part of our learning. The younger kids would rather be outside than inside. They are often finding bugs, worms, grasses, flowers, trees, moss, birds, and more to explore. I don’t schedule nature studies. They just happen. And when they request my attention to come see what they found, I watch with them, suggest new questions, and take a mental note of what new book topics they may want to explore at next week’s library visit. My kids have discovered things that I’ve never noticed before. We don’t keep formal notebooks, but they will often draw something related or build something using the lesson they learned from observing that piece of nature.
Grammar: I do not teach formal grammar until about fifth grade, and at that point, I teach all of the basics (punctuation, parts of speech, etc) over six to eight weeks in a focused session. This works really well for giving names to what they have already learned from copywork and free writing. I also remind them of little things like using capitals and periods as they write.
Math: We are using Math U See as a curriculum. This subject is not super delight directed, but there are still plenty of child led activities that I use to teach like cooking and project making. It does follow Ms. Mason’s theory of hands on learning.
Bible: Sometimes I read scripture to them if there is a book or section I would like to teach more throroughly. It’s good to really dig in with them. Sometimes I allow them to read what they would like to read and then tell me about it. They enjoy both, so I alternate. I love to see them read passionately when they get to choose.
Poetry, Art, and Music Study: We approach these casually, but they still appear often in our experiences. I may find a great book of art or poetry to look through and read. Dad is a musician, so we are exposed to all forms of music and stories behind the music and musicians. And of course some of the kids have begun to play instruments.
Recitation: We don’t do this formally, but the kids do have memory verses from their Sunday School classes, and the older two participate in theater opportunities through the youth group.
Handicrafts: Kids are naturally crafty. The girls like to knit scarves and hats on their Knifty Knitters, make bracelets and other art projects. My boy likes to build with Knex and Legos. These are good for hand-eye coordination, creativity, solving new problems, even calming them down. Handicrafts are more than fun projects. They are also life skills like cooking, cleaning, and car and yard maintenance. Typically their delights drive my kids to work on these hands on skills.
Does my delight directed way fit in with Ms. Mason’s ways? I think they do. I just take a casual, natural approach. I also think they fit my family beautifully. Now I just need to keep that in mind when I start to panic 🙂
Life's Lessons 