Don’t Call It School

This Education Week article on unschooling and this Teacher Magazine article, Don’t Call It School are both really good. You'll have to register to read the Education Week one, and maybe the Teacher Magazine one also. The first one is a very descriptive and positive article on unschooling and include a 15 minute audio interview with an unschooling mom. The second one is about North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens, a center in Massachusetts.

Stories like these help me resist the curriculum and structure urges that I get sometimes.

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At bed tonight, DS1 explained to me that he wasn't going to tell me what he got me for Christmas because it's a secret and he's keeping it. He also explained to his cousin today that an x-ray lets you see pictures of your bones. DS2 was playing with a puzzle yesterday that had 9 pieces and he said "3 threes is 9". Who needs "school?"

Painting, Oil and Water, and Concrete

Today at playgroup both boys painted pictures. This is the first time since September, when we started going regularly, that either of them was interested in the paints. DS2 was first. His creative time lasted about 3 seconds and covered about 6 square inches. DS1 took more time, used all 3 colors, and covered every inch of the paper.

After showing Daddy, I am going to suggest that we could use it for Christmas wrapping paper. The red, green, and yellow (which was sort of orange due to a previous child's wrong dip) paint has glitter in it and is very pretty.

When we got home I made an oil and water bottle. The oil is slightly yellow, so I added a few drops of blue food coloring. When shaken, it takes on a nice aqua color. As it separates the bottom turns a very pretty deep blue and the top gets lighter. DS1 is really enjoying watching it change and then shaking it again.

We also watched our neighbor's sidewalk and driveway concrete get poured today. I enjoyed it more than the boys did, but they liked it when the workers smoothed the sidewalk because that wasn't as noisy as the cement truck. Because of the noisy trucks, we watched through our living room windows more than from the front porch, but it was still a very good view.

Explore Kansas

I frequently read KSHomeschool.net and want to remember Explore Kansas, which is the topic of this entry.

The Kansas Explorers Club Home Page

I want to remember The Kansas Explorers Club Home Page, which I heard about on another KS homeschooler's blog.

Playing school

DS1 and I had an interesting conversation today. We are living and learning a lot, even though I am not writing much here. It's a good thing I don't live in a state that requires lots of documentation, it would certainly get in the way.

"Mommy, will you play school with me?"
"You want to play school?"
"Yeah. You be the teacher and I'll be the kid."
"Okay. What would you like me to teach you in school."
"About the weather."
"Let's go outside. Shall we take the chalk to write and draw, or do you want to bring the bubbles?"
"Both."

After some time blowing bubbles with him calling me "teacher (my name)" we decided to come inside for more school. I pulled out the Handwriting Without Tears pre-k book and asked if he wanted to learn about writing letters. We sat down at the table and started on the color pages. Then we talked about which room would be our school. We decided that bedroom AND the living room AND the dining room AND outside would be our school. I tried to get "everywhere" accepted, but he didn't go for that quite yet. :-)

He really wanted the bedroom to be the school, so I got out a kid sized table & the Little Tykes chairs. He colored 2 pages in HWT and has done 2 mazes and about 4 dot-to-dots in an activity book.

Uncle Dan's Algebra

Uncle Dan's Algebra website also has a section about his Octa-Tetra creations. I have sent for the free instruction booklet on making things out of octahegrons and tetrahedrons made from paper, with only paperclips. The pictures look really cool! He recommends them for ages 10 & up due to patience and manual dexterity needed.

Rocky Mountain Education Connection - Welcome! Homeschooling in Colorado and Surrounding States

Rocky Mountain Education Connection was a really big resource 6-10 years ago, before the internet explosion. It took a break because of personal reasons for the homeschooling mom who ran it. She is now relaunching RMEC and it looks like a resource that I want to remember.

An Old-Fashioned Education

An Old-Fashioned Education was recommended by a person on TAGMAX, particularly for Language Arts resources. I haven't poked around yet, but I want to keep the reference.

Human Anatomy Online

Human Anatomy Online is way cool.

Dewey Decimal System

My mom would have really liked this website, "Do We" Really Know Dewey? She was a school librarian. I like to think that should would have been supportive of us homeschooling. If I ever want to organize all of our books, this will be very useful. It explains the Dewey Decimal System in a very light and fun way.

Question of the Day (Words On Us)

Why this site? Well, she does homeschool. I like her writing style and sense of humor. And she has a "Question of the Day" that lasts more than a day, and they are sometimes about homeschooling.

Participation

Friday my boys actually participated in one of the classes at WIHS Enrichment Co-op! We have gone 3 or 4 times, and this is the first time that they have consented to actually go to a class that I signed up for. Usually they just want to play in the breakroom. Not that playing isn't good: before our afternoon class they played with Magz (magnetic bars with steel marbles), building some interesting shapes and interacting with 2 other kids. DS1 worked on pronouncing interesting correctly; it was how he described what he was creating. They both also did some 24 piece jigsaw puzzles that they had never before seen.

The class that we attended was Stories and Rhythms. The facilitator read 4 books that were very rhythmic. She had the kids repeat a phrase from each book: left foot right foot feet feet feet; clickity clackity trainberry trackberry; dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum; and something from Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. DS1 was quiet at first, even though he knows The Foot Book very well. When he saw Hand Hand Fingers Thumb he piped up that we have that book. It was all good from then, especially when she passed out pans and stick for the kids to bang (their own) rhythms. Thanks C, that was a fun time!

AAA Math

AAA Math is an interesting Math website that I found through a recommendation on WIHS. There is a CD that you can buy, but there is also online practice. It has concepts generally considered K through 8th grade level, as well as a Sudoku game. I'll definitely introduce the boys to this at some time in the future. Thanks K.

Multisensory Instruction and Learning Styles Tutorial

Multisensory Instruction and Learning Styles Tutorial is part of someone's Master's degree design project. She's a homeschooling mom of gifted kids, one of which is a kinesthetic learner (a wiggle worm who learns best when moving). I don't know how good this website is yet, or how appropriate it will be for us, but DS2 is extremely wiggly and I wonder if I will need to learn a lot about learning styles. DS1 seems (so far) to be more like me, liking hands-on, but also able to sit still and REALLY focus on something.

Math links

Here are some links recommended for young math whizzes by the Sonlight (Special Needs - Accelerated Learners) forum participants:
Kapla blocks
K'NEX
Championship Chess

Homeschooling article by Fact Master

This article, Today's useless fact - What percentage of American children are homeschooled?, is an introduction to homeschooling, stating that approximately 2.2% of US students are homeschooled. The link to Fact Master's 'Homeschooling' article is very factual and includes common pros and cons with much explanation about homeschooling. It would be a good one to send to questioning relatives.

Homeschooling a 3- or 4-Year-Old

I think I may have blogged this article, Homeschooling a 3- or 4-Year-Old, Paula's Archives, before, but here it is again, just in case. It should help me remember not to fret too much.

The Rudiments of Wisdom Cartoon Encyclopedia

The Rudiments of Wisdom Cartoon Encyclopedia has "cartoons covering almost everything there is to know." The fact and tidbits are quite interesting. The pictures are rudimentary (pun intended) and the text is somewhat hard to read all capital hand-lettering.

Field Trip

Today we went on our first homeschool field trip. It is monarch butterfly tagging season at Botanica. The Sonlight Mom's fellowship group organized a trip. We had about 30 kids. DS1 didn't want to go in after we got up to the gate, but I talked him into it after he saw the rest of the group gathered around a table watching something going on. It was butterfly tagging. Our group tagged 4 butterflies. Then we split into age groups, each with a separate guide, and had an hour (or so) tour. Both boys did really well holding my hand all of the time, staying on the path, and not touching the plants. By the end, DS1 was eager to "follow our leader" ahead of me and DS2, and talked with her some also. They both liked feeding the fish, too. Interestingly, after our tour guide dismissed us and we were on our own, DS1 started acting up a bit and didn't cooperate when it was time to leave.

After finding our car using the emergency button because it was in a different section than I remembered, we went to United Methodist Urban Ministry's Klothes Kloset to donate a lot of clothing. It was 80 pieces of kid's clothing from me and my sister, plus about 10 pieces of adult clothing from my dad. Then we played at Hyde Park. I'm trying to get us to visit all of the local parks that have playground equipment. The city's web page says there are 76 playgrounds located in city parks. I think we've been to 14 so far.

SouleMama

SouleMama ... file this under "Blogs I Like".

Unschooling in People magazine

Ren's Family in People Magazine May 2006 is a scan of the People article entitled Is This Any Way to Learn?. It explains unschooling fairly neutrally. It includes two positive unschooler references (Ren Allen's family and Aidin Carey who attends Harvard). It has some comments from education administrators about their concerns, particularly for kids without family and community support. Overall, it was quite positive toward unschooling.

Gifted Kids Speak Home

Gifted Kids Speak Home... for future reference to read.

Photo Periodic Table Posters

Photo Periodic Table Posters ... very pretty posters of the elements. Wow! Save this one for later (when we have wall space, not necessarily when the boys are "older").

My "Roll Call" on SLUnschoolers

I have 2 sons, ages 4 and 3. I have the Pre-K IG and most of the books. I also have Math U See Primer and many many other books.

Primarily we play, read, watch cartoons, and play computer games. Both boys are quite proficient at finding "their" websites (Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney, PBS Kids) and navigating around to a wide variety of games, in addition to the CD games we have. Last night's favorite was Reader Rabbit Thinking Adventures.

We go to a playgroup most Mondays and some Wednesdays. I try to take them to a park on days we don't go to playgroup. Our homeschool group has half hour "Enrichment Classes" on Fridays and there are some preschool level ones, so we are trying that. The boys were excited to go but sat and watched most of the time. I think as they get used to that group of kids they'll participate more.

A few weeks ago while I was watching the MUS teacher DVD, DS1 came over and watched with me. So I got out the blocks and his workbook and he did 2 or 3 lessons. We haven't gotten it out since, though.

States and Capitals

50states.com - States and Capitals is a resource for information about all 50 US states. I got the link from an ebayer.

Enrichment Class

Friday we went to our first "Enrichment Class" with WIHS. The first one was called "Music and Movement" and was doing actions (including running around buzzing like bees) to some pre-school songs. Both boys watched from the sidelines. The second class was "Shape Man Pete" where the kids were given a piece of construction paper for the background, glue (stick - in our case), and a variety of colorful construction paper shapes to make whatever they wanted. DS1 wasn't interested, but DS2 made a nice abstract piece. We could have left it to be hung on the wall next time, but he decided to take it home to show Daddy.

Even though neither boy participated much, they didn't want to leave. I suspect next time will be better. They are still getting used to this particular group of kids.

Bembo's Zoo

Bembo's Zoo makes animals out of the letters of their names. It's really cute.

Educational Philosophy

"Every education teaches a philosophy; if not by dogma then by suggestion, by implication, by atmosphere. Every part of that education has a connection with every other part. If it does not all combine to convey some general view of life, it is not education at all." (G.K. Chesterton, The Common Man ).

First day of school?

Today, DS1 asked me when his first day of school would be. I think he may have been thinking about his cousin who started kindergarten a few weeks ago. I told him it was a long time off and talked about how now that he doesn't go to daycare because Mommy is at home, that we might have school at home also. He really threw me off guard. A little while later I asked him if he would like to have a "first day of school" soon, and he answered, "no."

I have a lot of books from Sonlight's Pre-K program, and some Math U See stuff, too. But we don't "do preschool". The closest thing we have to structure is our weekly playgroup dates.

Hillbilly Housewife

Hillbilly Housewife is primarily about low cost home cooking, but since I heard about it on a homeschool site and there are links to homeschooling information, I decided it was worth blogging in LILLILY.

Videos of John Taylor Gatto

The site says, "Meet John Taylor Gatto
We have reviewed a number of Mr. Gatto's books, and they were so absorbing that we decided to invite him to our film studio for a series of interviews."

It has begun

Yesterday was our first day as a family with mom and kids at home. (I was home the week before, but they boys were still in daycare. I got a lot done some days and watched a lot of TV and rested some, too.)

Saturday we went to a picnic for families using Sonlight curriculum in our area. We planned the monthly field trips for the kids and the moms meetings. A few of the field trips will be appropriate for my boys, but some will not. As we introduced ourselves, I said I would be using the PreK "very loosely".

I have signed up for enrichment classes with WIHS for 7 Fridays this fall. I wasn't planning to do that since my boys are preschool age, but for some reason I looked at the class list. There were classes for little ones, middle ones, and older ones. So we will be doing things like "Gentle Yoga," "Stories & Rhythms," and "Music-n-Movement" that are targeted to kids 6 and under. (Thanks Steph.)

Yesterday we went to a Parents As Teachers playgroup. My sister has been taking her girls there once a week for a couple of years now, so we were excited to see them. This morning DS1 came into my room while I was still in bed (already awake) and told me to hurry so we could go to playgroup again. I had to tell him it was just on Mondays. We will have WIHS playgroups on Wednesdays, though, but those will be a much more diverse age group, not just preschoolers.

It's Official

I'm officially unemployed. I'm a Stay At Home Mom! I'm "retired." Soon I will also be a consultant for my former employer, but for now it's just me and my boys (all three... 2 toddlers and DH).

At the reception at work on Friday afternoon and at the party at my manager's house in the evening I tried to emphasize the SAHM and minimize the Homeschooler. The reason is that although I do intend to homeschool, the purpose of my retirement/resignation was to stay be at home to raise my children. Being at home already will make homeschooling happen more gradually, but if that were the only reason I would have waited until next fall, when DS1 is "kindergarten age" and the mortgage will be paid off.

Yippee!!!!!!

The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling and other homeschooling resources at FamilyEducation.com

I got this link from TAGMAX, an email list that combines the interests of homeschooling and being gifted. This article was recommended because the cons are realistic and well thought out.

Living Math!

Living Math! -- a math page I want to save.

DS1 had some addition fun with a Lite Brite yesterday at daycare. He gets to the room before I do because I drop off DS2 first. When I got to DS1's room, he said to me, "Mommy, four plus four is eight." On the Lite Brite he had a row of 8 pegs, 4 of one color and 4 of another. Then he added 1 of a different color to the end and said, "And one more is nine. Four plus four plus one equals nine." Then he added 2 more of another color and said, "Two more equals eleven." My side of the conversation consisted of "yes, it does" and "that's right," then a kiss on the forehead and "have fun, bye bye I love you!"

Read, Click and Win with BookAdventure!

Read, Click and Win with BookAdventure! is a website that has quizzes about many many books. It is also an incentive plan. The child can take quizzes, win points, then "buy" things with the points.

Connections ezine of unschooling and mindful parenting

Here is a fairly new website Connections ezine of unschooling and mindful parenting.

Home Education Magazine: The oldest and most informative homeschooling magazine.

Someone on a thread on Sonlight's Forums mentioned that Home Education Magazine: The oldest and most informative homeschooling magazine is an unschooling magazine. I think I've seen the website before, but I'm want to make sure I have the reference. It appears that they select 2-4 articles from each magazine to post online, so there is fresh content at least every 2 months.

Joyfully Rejoycing - Joyful Living and Unschooling

This is a new (to me (I think)) unschooling website. I found it in a Sonlight forum. Joyfully Rejoycing - Joyful Living and Unschooling

Who Links To Me

After listening to a podcast of Unbridled Learning, I surfed a few links and found a place that is a live search for blog posts that contain a link to a specified blog. So, I but LILLILY in and came up with this list of blogs. Only one is an actual post with LILLILY in it, the others include me in the sidebar where the bloggers list other homeschooling and unschooling blogs. It's nice to be recognized and to know that at least a few people read my blog.

Music Technology

My boys know how to run a DVD player, the TV, and the computer. Now they're learning about "record players" and "45s" in the basement with DH, listening to records I had as a kid. New technology, old technology, both are great! Now... where is that 8-track?

Suggestions for a Grandparent Unit Study - Homeschooling

Maybe when the boys are a little older we might do a Grandparent Unit Study.

From a Grandmother's Point of View

This evening DH told his parents about me changing careers. They asked if it was for homeschooling, even though DS1 is only 4. I wasn't in on the conversation because DS1 woke up and I was helping him go back to sleep. That was probably a good thing. I think Grandma should read the article, From a Grandmother's Point of View. Maybe she wouldn't be so critical or worry so much. Maybe not.

Unschooling

Have I blogged this site, Unschooling, before?

Vacation

We had a great trip to Colorado last week. DS1 said his favorite part was going down the big giant slide with Daddy. We did 2 hikes and played at several playgrounds and rest areas. The Children's Museum of Denver was fun. The boys tolerated the long car rides pretty well. The special case we had to mount the laptop in the car for DVD viewing was handy; we used it once on the way out and once on the way back. Our resort has a library of books, videos and toys for checkout; the boys watched Richard Scarry's Best ABC Video Ever dozens of times. On the way home they were even reciting dialogue. The wheelbarrow was a hit, too. One fun thing we did on the way home was play "The Alphabet Game" where they (and the non-driving adult) tried to find letters on signs and vehicles. We actually made it all the way to Z less than a mile before getting home on Sunday.

Summer water fun

Our city has 6 Interactive Water Fountains that run May 1 through September 30, 10 am to 8 pm. Plus Exploration Park has two giant Sunflowers that shower water when a button is pressed. We have been to Exploration Park and Osage Park; only 5 more to go.

Baseball in the Living Room

Yesterday we all played baseball in the living room. The boys took turns batting with a 18" foam floatie stick and pitching the 6" inflatable beach ball. I was usually the catcher, helping the batter, but sometimes I pitched, too. DH was usually the umpire, but he was catcher sometimes, too.

It was great fun, and both boys hit a couple of "homeruns" that bounced off the ceiling or into the next room. We called balls and strikes but no one was ever out, after a hit (that was more than a foul tip) the other batter got a turn. DS2 is a better pitcher than batter because he doesn't quite get the swinging yet, and he can throw pretty well at 6-10'. DS1 was doing rather well at both pitching and batting. He was doing really well hitting it out of my hand (like in T-ball); so well that DH looked up the local park board and Y t-ball info on the internet. There are leagues for 4 yr olds, but they are already in progress. Maybe next year!

Anyway, it was great fun for all!

Random Thoughts from a Homeschool Convention

Written while waiting for the last keynote speaker of the convention Saturday afternoon:

Many good workshops.

Strong Christian encouragement.

The unschooling desire in me feels out of place. My struggle will be to balance my responsibility to train my boys and teach them about God with my desire for flexibility and trusting them to learn what they need. How can I take my cues from them and still teach Biblical principles? How can I reconcile my not-so-conservative Christian views with the very conservative things I have heard here, some of which I think are really good (and some that make me cringe)? The parts that feel good and right make me feel that the "outside" things that differ are "out of place".

In homeschooling, just as in much of the rest of my life, I feel like I don't fit. I think I need to read Christian Unschooling again.

Part of me wants to resist the preachy stuff, but it comforts me and encourages and inspires me, so I am confused. I wish DH would have come to this afternoon so it would be easier to discuss. He came yesterday evening with the boys and shopped with me, but did not attend any of the workshops.

What I bought: a big tub of pattern blocks, 3 lap size white boards and 2 packages of white board crayons, 2 software programs: Clifford (DS2) and a 3 pack of Adventure Workshop for ages 4-6 (DS1), Math U See primer level and blocks, and 2 cassettes of sessions for DH (that he requested). Saturday evening we all played with the blocks making patterns up; I think I had as much fun as the boys.

Deschooling

I found this deschooling article via a link on KS Homeschool net's beginner's guide to homeschooling in Kansas.

Tomorrow I'm going to the local homeschool convention. I hope to get some encouragement and information without being too influenced and overwhelmed by all of the curriculum stuff. It's a real struggle for me; I see all of the things that I think would be fun, and I have hard time resisting them for my boys. Maybe I don't need to resist them all, but I do have to think about what my boys would like, not what I would like.

I'm officially a short-timer

Yesterday I gave my formal letter of resignation to my manager, and today I gave a copy to his boss, the director.

My manager has actually known for several weeks. Last week we told the director but didn't give a specific date. Today I talked to him and gave him a letter that had my resignation, effective August 4. I also told the administrative assistant at daycare that they boys won't be coming back in the fall. Knowing now will help them with planning and allow parents on the waiting list to know they have spots for the fall. A few people know of my intent to homeschool, but since the boys are not school age yet, my reason is that I am going to stay home with them.

I'm really excited (and a little nervous).

Memories about school

Some random memories about my school years

• having the lead female speaking part in the K play (Mrs. Claus), presumably because I could memorize the lines
  
• "teaching" the 2nd graders how to make a 6 pointed snowflake (when in 3rd grade) instead of a 4 pointed snowflake, even though I did not want to stand up in front of the class and talk
  
• being told that I made things too hard
  
  a science experiment, hot water, cold water, and food coloring; being asked what we learned; not knowing what to answer; the teacher being surprised I couldn't figure it out; being told "heat rises"; I already knew that and was trying to come up with something that I learned from it and couldn't come up with anything
  
• driver's license eye exam (not really in school)... answering the question that was asked and being thought a smart mouth
  being asked, "can you read the third line"; answering, "yes;" silence from the examiner; "well, read it to me then;" I was so excited about getting my driver's license and was concentrating so much that I just answered the question asked
  
• college computer class... answering the question that was asked and being thought a smart mouth
  being asked, "why did you do a, b, and c"; answering, "because you told us to;" being told by the GTA (whom I'd known for several years), "if that came from anyone but you I'd flunk you on this assignment; I had a killer headache and felt awful, I had no idea why we were doing anything in the assignment except that the end result was to get the lights to light up; I wasn't trying to be a smart mouth, I was just being honest
  

I'm not sure why these things came to mind tonight. The K memory is fairly neutral, but I suspect that I was happy or proud to have a speaking part. The others are situations or reactions that I hope my boys do not have to encounter.

DH and I were talking about the boys' memories earlier this evening. Maybe that's why I had some disjointed memories come to the surface. Earlier today DS1 told me out of the blue, "Austin's daddy told us about rocks yesterday. Yesterday a long time ago. It was March." Those statements are accurate. My son understands that yesterday means the past. The thing he was telling me about happened in the past, not "yesterday" as in the standard one-day-ago definition, but in the past 2 months ago.

Connections ezine of unschooling and mindful parenting

I hear about Connections ezine of unschooling and mindful parenting on the unschoolingbasics yahoo group. I'd like to read the articles, but don't want to take the time right now.

Michele's World: Literary Math Resource List

Michele's World: Literary Math Resource List -- a list of books with the mom's comments on how her gifted, but not math whiz, kids reacted and used them.

TPA Used Book Sale

When I entered the room last Saturday, I was almost as overwhelmed as I was when I first entered the exhibit area at the homeschool convention last year.

I primarily bought puzzles. One was a world puzzle with shapes approximating countries, another was Kansas with all the counties identified, and my favorite was 9 cubes with 6 puzzles on the sides. I also got a few books (some for church), 2 slates (for HWT if we use that), a "travel" set of MUS blocks, and a blow up globe. I was pleased to have spent less than $16 for so much stuff that it took two trips to bring it all in from the car.

Markboards and Chalkboards

Here are some Markboards and Chalkboards that could be handy for practicing writing or math. Some are lined; some are not. Some are one-sided; some are two-sided. Some have chalkboards on the back.

More than just Math

Talks from the founder of Math-U-See Foundation.

A place to visit near KC

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead... The Farmstead is a 12-acre park. It has farm animals, birds of prey, vegetable and flower gardens, a one-room country schoolhouse, old time fishing pond, horse drawn wagon rides and pony rides. Admission is free.

Mallard Fillmore on homeschooling

Mallard Fillmore's commentary on a home-schooler winning the National Geography Bee

Rambling

Today I have been thinking about all of the resources that I have available to me. I'm on dozens of email lists, few of which I actually read on a timely basis. I'm in two local homeschool groups even though my oldest is only (almost) 4, we don't legally have to start school until he is 7, and if we went with the norm of kindergarten at 5 it would still be 16 months away.

On KS Homeschool Net the editor wrote an article about learning via our "obsessions". I think I'm in an obsessive mode right now. It reminds me of how I was when I was pregnant the first time. I could not read enough about pregnancy and child birth. Then, after he was born, that phase was over. Right now I'm reading, and reading, and reading, and planning, and reading, and trying to stop planning, and reading.... I'm building a library of books for my boys and a library of books for me (and my husband). I recently bought Ruth Beechick's Three R's series (as mentioned yesterday), I have Christian Unschooling and The Unschooling Handbook, and I just ordered Rue Kream's Parenting a Free Child.

Even though there are many things I like about Sonlight's curriculum (particularly using non-textbooks), I'm still not sure if it is for me/us. I don't even really know my boys' learning styles because they are away from me at daycare more than they are with me (awake). I'm having much stronger feelings that we, particularly I need to deschool. Sometimes I think that DS1 will even need some deschool time caused by the social environment and structure of daycare. If I want to get my husband on board with unschooling, then I will need to show him first, before the pressure is on (fall 2007).

I also think that it's time to back off of so many email lists and parenting magazines. I may subscribe to Live Free Learn Free even though it is relatively expensive ($30/yr/6 issues), because I think it is a magazine that will inspire me and help me remember the things that I want to focus on for my family. Last evening I cleaned up my email. I skimmed subjects and read a few posts as I deleted 1-3 weeks worth of mail. I was really surprised at how little of the content interested me on several of the lists. There are a few people that will turn anything into an argument. I don't like to be around rudeness or arguments, either in person or in cyberspace. It's a shame, though, because the potential is there for some helpful information. It's just not worth weeding through all of the chaff to get to the wheat in some cases.

Homeschooling a 3- or 4-Year-Old

The past couple of days I've been thinking that I need to send an email to unschoolkansas and ask the ladies to talk me out of ordering homeschooling materials, specifically a curriculum. I'm very eager and excited that the boys will be coming home to me this fall! However, I'm going overboard in my head. I even had a chart of the "subjects" that Sonlight (Pre-K and K) covers and which levels I would get:

• Instructor Guide - Pre K
  
• History/World Cultures/Geography - just a couple Pre-K books we don't already have
  
• Read-Alouds - ditto
  
• Readers - new K readers
  
• Bible - use our toddler story Bible
  
• Language Arts - nothing special -or- follow Ruth Beechick's recommendations
  
• Science - just Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature from Sonlight
  
• Readiness Skills - maybe Developing the Early Learner (book 1 only to start)
  
• Math - Math-U-See primer or Singapore Early Bird
  
• Handwriting - Handwriting Without Tears - beginning level
  
• Electives (Music/Art/etc) - just fun stuff at home
  
• Resources - Ruth Beechick's Three-R's Series.
  
  Fortunately, I got Three-R's on inter-library loan, and I'm reminding myself that although DS1 is very smart and is even beginning to read, he is only 4 (next week) and that "school" isn't even required in Kansas until age 7! We should just continue to do stuff and have fun together. I'm sure his reading will blossom without any "academic" effort on my part. And his math skills and thinking skills will improve on their own also. Maybe, just maybe, I'll use the above list for a year from now. What I really want to do next year is play -- WIHS playgroups, Parents as Teachers, and even some playdates we set up on our own if we make any friends :-) -- and go to the library, and visit Grandpa, and trade babysitting with my sister, and to go to our place in Colorado more often, and fun stuff like that. I want to have a library / reading corner in our living room for the boys and their books and have a bunch of pillows on the floor behind the couch. That's what I really want for next year.

3RsPlus_READ

3RsPlus_READ is a reading program that I want to check into further. Since DS1 is begining to read on his own now (a week before his 4th birthday), I am trying to figure out what to do (if anything) to help him along.

Inflatable / Writable Earth Globe

I don't know how soon we would use this, but an inflatable / writable globe sure seems cool to me!

LeapingFromTheBox.com - Unschooling

Unschooling (Unschoolers, Unschool) Information - LeapingFromTheBox.com is a brief article about unschooling. There are several links here that I would like to follow.

Measurement Systems

Freedom-In-Education's April Newsletter has a great article on measurement systems. It explains the origins of the Imperial system and the Metric system.

There is a sidebar with volume equivalences that has 5 fluid ounces = 1 gill, 4 gills = 1 pint. I've never heard of a gill before, but this does explain why there are 2 sets of ounce measurements on Avent brand baby bottles. US ounces are 8 to a cup which equals 16 to a pint. UK ounces are 5 to a gill which equals 20 to a pint. Thus, pints, quarts, gallons, pecks, and bushels may be the same volume, but they contain a different number of ounces, therefore the ounces are not the same.

National Wildlife Federation

National Wildlife Federation has sections of their different magazines online. Since I have unsubbed from the email list, and we'll probably let our magazine subscriptions expire, I want to keep this link.

Greathall Productions: Award Winning Storytelling for Children

Greathall Productions: Award Winning Storytelling for Children

The New Yorker: Shouts and Murmurs

The New Yorker: Shouts and Murmurs - if the page isn't the article I want, then look for My Billy from the 2006-04-03 issue, posted on 2006-03-27, by Paul Rudnick.

Family Learning Organization - Why Natural Learning?

I heard about this on TAGMAX and want to make sure I read it later.

Living Math Home

If we unschool, this would be the way to teach math. Actually, we already use "living math" with the boys. Cutting a sandwich in 2 pieces makes halfs. 30 minutes is longer than 5 minutes. There are 12 pez in a package, after sharing 3 there are 9 left.

Wichita Independent Home Schools

This is the page for the WIHS group. We also have a yahoo discussion list.

Frequently Asked Questions About Unschooling High School and College

A question about diplomas came up on WIHS today. In Kansas each school issues its own diplomas, so a homeschool would issue a diploma when that school's graduation requirements have been met.

Gifted Development Center - Assessment

I'm pretty sure that I've linked this site already. It came up on HSGifted, and since we go through Denver semi-annually, we could go there if we deem this appropriate for the boys.

Homeschooling - Guilt-Free Homeschooling Homeschool Blog

Who Wrote This "Rule Book" and Why Do I Think I Have to Follow It? is a great blog entry about figuring out your own style of homeschooling. There are many links in the sidebars that I want to check out later.

Oklahoma City Doctor Finds Her Way Home

I can relate to this woman so much! I will be quitting a job of almost 20 years to stay at home with my 2 boys to raise them and homeschool them if everything goes as currently (tentatively) scheduled. In a recent discussion with my husband, we came up with the notion that it is really just a career change for me. Many people (including him) change careers several times in their adulthood. Not only have I had the same career for close to 20 years (just 4 weeks shy), I have worked for the same employer the whole time, and except for the first 10 months in a different department, I have had the same job for the whole time. (Since I am in the computer field, the job itself has changed as technology has changed, though.)

Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature

Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature is a website written by a librarian that compiles a reading list of award winning children's books. It references 60 awards from 6 English-speaking countries. My mom would have really liked this, and maybe even wanted to do something like this herself. (She was an elementary school librarian. She died before my boys were born.) I definitely will be back!

No Greater Joy: Homeschooling as a Way of Life

I found the No Greater Joy website today after reading a quote on Sonlight's forums about how it used to be soaps that distracted mothers from their children but now it is the internet. There are many articles there, each of which is categorized to one or more topics. There are some ideas that I disagree with, but there are also many that I appreciate greatly. This article, in the homeschooling category, emphasizes the home in homeschooling and relates how homeschooling is and can be learning all the time just living together as a family.

Kansas Places

I saw an ad on TV for Read Across Kansas. From the NEA website: "Originally created as a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading on March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday, NEA's Read Across America has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day of the year." This blog entry title is a link to KNEA's webpage that lists many websites about Kansas Places. There is also a page with a list of books about Kansas or set in Kansas, and a list of links about famous Kansans.

Yes! This year!

After a very moving worship service Saturday night on the theme of Covenant and Commitment, and after the boys were asleep, DH and I discussed many things. One of the discussion points came around to me quitting my job to be at home. With no more daycare fees, the big obstacle is our mortgage payment. It will pay off in September 2007, but I don't want to wait that long. Some mornings it is very frustrating trying to get everyone ready and out the door for work and daycare. Some days one or more of us is crying by the time we leave. DH admitted to thinking that there were days he wished I would just give my 2 weeks notice so we didn't have to morning problems. After a little more talking, we agreed that it would be better to wait until the end of summer, when daycare's "year" ends.

While taking my shower Sunday morning, it hit me, "He said, 'Yes'!" I just kept saying that over and over to myself, almost deliriously happy. Then I started thinking about the practicalities. I realized that when DS1's class starts talking about "moving up" to the preschool room all together when they come back from the 5 day break in August, I need to start preparing him for staying home instead. Even though we haven't had any play dates with his classmates, I do want to get some phone numbers of friends. This past August, his best friend didn't come back, and he was quite sad about that for a while. DS2 will not need to "move up" since his birthday is in September.

My next dilemna is deciding how and when to tell my supervisor. I want to give him more than 2 weeks notice, but I think it's still too early. I'm considering that when we come back from our June vacation might be a good time.

I'm excited, anxious, and a bit nervous. I will have to make myself remember that we're NOT starting school, but I'm becoming a SAHM. Play groups, Exploration Place, parks, the library (with story time), but not school. :-)

Unschooling.Info

I found a new unschooling website today. It was referenced by the Natural Child Project's newsletter. I am familiar with Rue Kream and want to read her book, but I did not know about the website. There is a forum, articles, resources, and collected posts. One of the forum threads is Getting Started - Questions from Parents. After I read through it, I suspect I will want to refer DH to it.

Tangrams

While looking for some tangram links, I found Hoagies' Kids & Teens: Young Kids page. It came up because of RoboPacker which is similar but uses different shapes. I also found Smart Hands-On Toys at Hoagies which has a link to 3-D Tangrams at the online store MindWare. It's a game with 4 sets of tangram pieces that stand on a base and connect together to form the shapes. Funorama has a simple page, but it does include a printable color page for tangram pieces, and 3 sheets with 3-4 pictures each. It's interesting that the simpler (more solid) a piece looks, the more difficult it actually is to create (especially if the pattern is the same size as the pieces). Topuzzle has a page for Tangram Puzzle that appears to be written by someone whose first language is not English. It is fairly easy to understand, has a printable puzzle pieces pages, and many puzzle pages that are grouped well. This page has instructions and diagrams for making tangram pieces from a sheet of paper. I already know how to do that, though, because my mom taught me. We used to make them for her to use in the library with the elementary kids she taught. Thanks Mom! Man, I miss her!

Sonlight - moms and math

I've been reading a long on the Sonlight forums since last Friday when I started preparing for the local Sonlight Mom's Meeting. Today this link, Math Word Problems, came up as something fun for math. I'm blogging it for future reference.

I think I will really like the moms group. Several of them have kids as young as mine, along with older ones that they are already homeschooling. They welcomed me very well, and I felt pretty comfortable with them. Several made a point to mention something particularly good for preschoolers and to visit with me during the snack time.

No school, no books, no teacher's dirty looks - Jan 27, 2006

CNN.com - No school, no books, no teacher's dirty looks - Jan 27, 2006 -- a brief, fairly positive article about unschooling.

Exploring

After lunch today we went to a park. DH and DS1 "went exploring" along the bike path that parallels the river. DS2 and I played at the playground then, at the appointed time, we drove along the street near the path to meet the other two. As DS1 and DH were telling up about their adventure, I was reminded of the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, the nature walks and field journals. I want to look into that a bit more.

KGTC

KGTC - Kansas Association for the Gifted, Talented & Creative. I'm at it again... surfing for gifted resources. DS1 is starting to read and is making logical connections that I doubt are typical of a 3 year old, so Mommy is getting obsessive again.

Why Homeschool: The Carnival of Homeschooling: week 3

Why Homeschool: The Carnival of Homeschooling: week 3 -- Wow! A huge list of links in an "A to Z" format. I've heard of carnivals before and I sure like seeing one.

Fiercely Independent Learners

Mislabeled Child Blog: Homeschooling Fiercely Independent Learners -- here's a blog entry about homeschooling and how you can customize it to your child's learning style

Music Activities and Arts Integration Lessons by Phil Tulga

Music Activities and Arts Integration Lessons by Phil Tulga

GT World

I'm not sure if I've blogged this site before, so here it is. I haven't had a chance to look it over much, but I don't want to lose it as a reference, either.

Vulnerabilities of highly gifted children

Vulnerabilities of highly gifted children is an article that really spoke to me. I can relate to many of the issues brought up, and now I know a little more about what to watch for with my boys.

Homeschooling

Homeschooling - another resource list to no lose, from Denver's Gifted Development Center.

Denver Mensa

This link, from the Denver Mensa chapter, has resources for gifted kids and their parents.

It Pays to Have a Smart Child, but It Can Cost, Too - New York Times

This is an article that talks about some costly things that parents of gifted kids may use to supplement their child's educational experiences. It references Hoagies Gifted Education Page and Mensa.

After poking around the American Mensa website, the local website (which have very little availabe to non-members) and the Boulder, CO and Denver, CO websites, I have discovered that in 2008 the Annual Gathering will be in Denver. Hmmm. I wonder if we'll be members by then.

On Unschooling and Life

HEM Online -- Someone on HEM-unschooling was searching for this article, and someone else found it for them in HEM's (Home Education Magazine) archives. Parents will always worry and wonder about their kids.

KS Homeschool Net

Here is a new Kansas group. I think it's great that more and more groups are popping up.

Joyful Living and Learning

This article, Mindful Parenting, by Ren Allen and Sandra Dodd, reminds me of some things I have been thinking about lately. I used to be a happy person practically all of the time. I used to be eager and excited about almost everything. Lately I've been trying to figure out when that changed. I think the change started in college. I was around people who weren't excited about learning, they were just there to get a degree and get out. Some of them didn't even like the area of their major very well. Then I found a job that was okay and enjoyed my life outside of the job. Then I found a job that I really liked, and I enjoyed all of the learning and discovering and problem solving of it.

As time passed, the job environment changed, primarily with different people (coworkers particularly) being in my life on a daily basis. The joy went away. Then I met my husband and fell in love, and my life was joyful again. I wasn't always happy, because I had to deal with the work people, family health problems (my mom's cancer), and adjusting to being married, but I was still primarily joyful. When my first son was born, life was good. Staying home with him was great; sometimes it was hard, but it was great!

Now I find myself not so joyful anymore. I think it's because I am doing things that I don't want to do. I am taking the boys to daycare instead of spending days with them during the week. I know that being with them all of the time would take more energy than I seem to have. (Lack of sleep is a problem for me.) However, I also know that our lives would adjust and be different if we lost the requirement to "get ready" by a certain time each morning. When I give them the freedom to be themselves, make their own choices, and do what they want, we are all happier (except when sleepy, grumpy toddlers don't want to nap).

Last night I let DS1 sleep on the floor and DS2 sleep in DS1's bed. At bedtime, that's how they wanted to lay down, after some rocking, so I let them. Then when they fell asleep, I thought, "why not?" and left them in their chosen spots. "Why not?"... I remember sleeping on the floor sometimes as a child. I think that conciously trying to put myself in their shoes, to see their perspective, will help me live more joyfully. It will be more difficult, but I want to do the same with DH. I want to see things from his perspective, especially when we seem to have different goals, or different perferred methods of reaching a shared goal.

Great Plains Nature Center

Great Plains Nature Center -- When we are available during the week, this could be a really fun place to go. The Kansas Wildlife Exhibit at Riverside Park ("our park") is one of the GPNC locations.