Homeschool Convention

Here are my notes from convention:

Catherine Levison - Language Arts for Almost Free (Charlotte Mason method)

Literature - lecturing is boring, bring books to the child
whole books - book on one topic that's never been editted
living books - brings someone to life, gives an emotional connection
reading out loud stretches their vocabulary

Foreign Language - start young
orally speak first - pronunciation important
read & write next (label items in the house, should be learning 6 words a day)
then grammar
play games and sing
7-12 years - translate small passages
40 phrases added every 60 days
12-14 should be able to read a book

Handwriting
done through transcription
copywork - take a book off the shelf and have them copy - 5 minutes a day
use favorite book, Bible, poetry

Spelling - photographic picture in mind
avoid allowing children to see misspelled words
tell them how to spell something - don't tell them to look it up - be their dictionary

Dictation - choose book & passage
read slowly, then write
first have them look at it, write it, etc. on Friday - dictate for them
Choose spelling wordes from dictation passage, punctuation should come naturally for that passage
will learn capitalization rules
8-9 paragraph, Jr. High - 3 pages by high school

Narration - verbally tell what they have learned on a subject
10 years - 18 years transition from verbal to written essay
early years, they talk, you type
- child reads 10 minutes or end of book narrations
don't correct written narrations
teacher should make note of common errors to correct in the future

Poetry - enjoy it, don't study it or analyze it
give your child the poem and walk away - let them enjoy individually

Andrew Pudewa - 4 Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing

1. Over-correcting
correcting = wrong = negative
use the word editting instead
There is not a clear line between right and wrong in writing like in math.
Correction are a more personal attack.
Offer to edit their paper for them. Tell them things they did write and things they did wrong in order to produce a corrected paper. If they are not willing to correct their paper, there is no reason to edit.
Plan grammar lessons around mistakes they have made in their writing. Teach at the point of need.
Child should learn editting skills on something other than their own work. Pudewa's book Fix It

2. Holding back help
it's not possible to help a child too much, they will tell you when they don't need help.
Independence a result of confidence in what they are doing.
It's okay to re-tell a story you already know. The child doesn't have to create their own story. Sometimes it's hard to think what to write.
Don't be afraid to tell the child what to write. Teach like we teach swimming - they have to prove their independence before we grant it.

3. Unclear assignments
What should the paper be about? How long should it be? How much information should be collect and how should it be organized.
Give assignments in number of paragraphs (3 details, 6 details, etc.)
Each paragraph should have an intro and conclusion sentences. 4 paragraphs = 4 topics or points
Each paragraph must have how many details per point? Use adjectives...
Evaluation of them following instruction is easier if the assignment is clear

4. Over-expectation
don't compare children's abilities
Continue doing work until you've mastered that level
Expect them to do their best - no other expectations.

Andrew Pudewa - Teaching Boys and Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day

Differences between boys and girls
- boys don't hear the soft sounds that girls hear
- girls use both hemispheres when listening, boys only use the dominant half
- boys are more focused, small sounds are not a distraction
- boys see movement and speed bettter, girls see color & texture better
When boys draw, they try to draw verbs, girls draw nouns
When boys write, they focus on verbs and adverts, girls vocus on nouns and adjectives
- boys response to stress: increased heart rate, breathing and blood flow
Relief by more movement
girls response to stress: decreased heart rate, breathing and blood flow
Relief by laying down
- boys like lower temperatures, girls like warmer temperatures
- boys response to pain - increase of blood flow to the cortex
girls respons - decrease of blood flow to cortex

4 forms of relevancy we use when teaching
If something is relevant, it's easy to learn

1. Intrinsic - part of your passion
some things you just have to learn, some things you can choose
Ex. boys and knives/guns/swords

2. Inspired - cathc interest from someone close to you that has that interest evenif you are not interested in it
Get kids hookied up with people who are fascinated with subjects I am not particularly interested in. Let them catch their enthusiasm.

3. Contrived - Make something you have to learn into a game to make it interesting
Boys - have to be able to win, if you can't win the game, there is no point in playing it.

4. Forced - positive and negative consequences
Create a system that gives an external reward

Laws
1. Children like to do what they can do or are good at
2. Children want to do what they think they can do
3. Children hate to do and refuse to do things they believe they can not do.
There are no lazy children, but there is an impediment to them doing what they should be doing.

2 Secret Weapons
1. Economic system
Keep their emotional bank account full and live off the interest. Acknowlege the good so much that corrections don't withdrawal the pinrcipal. Give 10 good things before a correction.
2. Communicate to the child that I love them - the power of a smile

Doug Phillips - Rebuilding a Culter of Virtueous (Courageous) Boyhood; Biblical Wisdom and Timely Tips for Transitioning Sons into Noble Mandhood

Loss of Noble Boyhood:

Priorities - Pleasure

Identity - Don't identify with father or fore-fathers but with rock stars or peer groups
* If you identify with noble examples, you wil be noble

Books/ Music/Peers

Clothing

View of women - should be protectors of women, not running away from them

Masculinity
Our mission is to train boys up to be men

A manly culture of boyhood
- Sonship - Manhood begins with sonship - A boy should be about his father's business
- Nobility - Boys must learn nobility to women and children and nobility in public activities
- Wisdom
- Dominion

The mission of boyhood: To prepare sons to be mighty warriors of God
Manliness: The blessed man, the upright man, the blameless man
1 Kings 2:2, Job 40:7, 1 Cor. 16:13
The heart of the heart is the hart of the boy. All through Proverbs the father is pleading for his son to hear.

Example: David
His time was spent away from peers, time was invested in hard work (not play), gained excellence in Christian culture from an early age, about father's business, recreation and work became his physical salvation and as a man.
The way a boy speaks is the wya he will live. Make your words count.
God made men to be problem solvers
How a boy responds to history helps to define his perspective about himself.
Don't let other people decide what my boys will see, listen to, read, etc.

Jeff Myers - Rescuing Children from the Culture of Irresponsibility

from age 7-18 there is most brain development

How to apply responsibility at home:

- Establish a mission - turn focus outward
"To be a blessing to all nations of the Earth"
Take child on missions trip - first time changes their perspective, second time changes their lives

- Emphasize values
"Honor" - treating people as special, doing more than what's expected, and having a good attitude

- Arrange the environment to be consistent with your mission and values
"reality based activities"
Don't let TV and video games establish standards
Deut:. 6:6 - family activities according to God's expectations of reality

- Focus on developing maturity

- establish a ladder of rights and responsibilities
No"entitlement" because of age

Example ladder: (bottom - up)
Obedience - Freedom to decide the process
Respect - freedom to decide the use of time
Service - freedom to decide the ends
Trustworthy - freedom to give counsel

- Model responsibility
Kids will never be more responsibile than what is modeled at home

Overcome blame - apologize for your mistakes

Seek Reconciliation

Watch your words

Pray

Barb Cash - She senses the Worth of Her work

If we don't see value in what we do, it's just a series of mundane tasks. I'm the only one called to be his wife and his/her mother.
1 Timothy 6:6 "When accompanied with contentment."
Find joy in the simple things in life.
Prov. 13:7

Cyndi Kinney - Homeschool Burnout

Sooner or later we all experience burn-out. When we get burned out, talk to someone - a friend or God.
Remember the answer to "Why am I homeschooling?"

Symptoms of burnout: (so you can recognize it ahead of time)
- irritability
- yelling (especially during school)
don't portray yourself as the perfect family or perfect homeschool mom.
- feeling overwhelmed
- lack of confidence
- unable to sleep
- crying
- wanting to run away (It's okay to get away for awhile to get focus, but if it's something you are running away from, it will still be there when you come back home.)
- wishing it allwould just go away
- considering sending the kids to school
- overeating or loss of appetite
- exhaustion
- overreacting to situations
- getting angry with God

Lies Satan is telling us:
- Everyone else's kids are better than ours
- Everyone else's house is cleaner than ours
- Everyone else fixes better meals than I do
- Everone else is more disciplined and spiritual than I am
- Everone else's marriage is better than mine
- Everyone else can do it all
- Everyone else loves homeschooling their kids
- I'm the only one who is falling apart and feels like this

Frustration is usually the result of unmet expectations

Truth is: Homeschooling is not easy

- Expectations of the curriculum may be too high, you have to flexible
- Expectations of our spouse may be too high, can't expect him to know how he can help
- Expectations of our children may be too high, remember they are kids
- Expectations of yourself may be too high
- Lack of organization
- Too many outside activities - stretched too thin
- Not enough outside activities - need to get out
- Focusing solely on homeschooling and not on other areas of family life - don't make everything "school"
- Parent/child conflicts

Find out what's causing your burn-out
- keep a stress diary
- write yourself a letter to read when you calm down
- ask your husband what he thinks is the problem
- ask your kids

Solutions:
- Create a schedule and stick to it! (but set realistic expectations)
- be real - tell your family you need encouragement
- Get away and rejuvinate
- Assign tasks to others
- Plan a getaway with just your husband - not your kids (homeschool convention doesn't count)
- Spend time with your husband
- Be you
- Stop comparing
- Add fun educational activities (unit studies, field trips, park day)
- get some rest
- set boundaries
- re-evaluate curriculum, based on learning styles
Find out what your learning style is, find out what your kids' learning style is

Summer Busy-ness

Here is what will be keeping me busy this summer:

If you can see, around the left and top edges there is some darker dirt.  That is the field.  But it is a LARGE garden.  About 1/2 of it we are sharing with the in-laws.  We planted all our corn together and will share the crop.

Here are my peas.  They are doing AWESOME (so far.)  I was able to plant more this year than usual since we have a larger garden now.

Green Bell Peppers

Red potatoes

Tomatoes

Italian Bush Beans

And, corn (what's up.)

Yes, you see weeds in some of these pictures. 

Here is my perennial vegetable/fruit garden:  (It sits next to my other garden somewhat away from the field so the herbicide doesn't kill my strawberries.)

In the raised garden (with the good dirt) are my carrots and lettuce.  It makes it so easy to pull the carrots if they are in good dirt.  (Obviously the dream would be to plant everything in good dirt - I can dream!)

We have Rhubarb, the boys' gardens (flowers and their peas and beans), and on the end are the strawberries.  I will have to make it larger this fall or next year to give the strawberries room to spread.

These are ever-bearing, so they will give crop in June and September.  We had these at our other house (actually, they will produce this year, so since we haven't sold the house, I should be able to get some from those plants also.)

And finally, here is our bird and butterfly garden that we started this past week.  The birds love the large bushes at either side, so we put the bird feeders and bath there.  Then it became hard to mow around, so we had it tilled so we could plant flowers and other plants that attract birds and butterflies.  The peonies were already here, but we put in a butterfly bush, red-hot poker plants, purple ornamental grass and daylilies, so far.  We also dug up some milkweed since monarch butterflies will only lay eggs on milkweed (since that's what the caterpillar eats.)  We are hoping they live, but we broke the roots.

This is where we have seen the birds that I have listed in a previous entry.  We can now add Eastern Bluebirds and Hummingbirds to that list.

So, now you know what I will be doing all summer besides playing referree between the boys.  And, I will enjoy it!!

Country life

View from our dining room window.

Whiter than snow...

Two entries in one day of things I have learned recently.  I thought this blog was supposed to be about what the boys are learning!!  (LOL)

I have this book (and since I collect snowmen - I had to get the book :))  There are short stories, verses and quotations in it.  Once in awhile, I will pick it up to read short parts of it and get inspiration.  I wanted to share a story I read.

The Little White Puppy

A little girl received a new white puppy for Christmas.  She loved the puppy with all her heart and played with it for hours every day.  "You are so white," she would often tell the puppy.  "You are whiter than anything in this entire house."  One morning, the little girl woke to find that the ground outside was covered with freshly-fallen snow.  With great delight, she put on her snowsuit and gloves, took her puppy in her arms, and ran outside to build a snowman.  When she had finished her snowman, she sat back in the snow to admire here handiwork, while the little puppy scampered around nearby.

As she watched, her eyes lit up with a flash of revelation.  "Why little puppy," she exclaimed, "compared to my snowman, you are not as white as I thought you were.  My snowman is the whitest thing I have ever seen!"

This same principle is true in our lives.  We may think our hearts are pure and white because of the good things we do or the nice things we say.  But when we compare our "whiteness" to the purity of Jesus Christ, even the whitest heart cannot come close.  Jesus is the only One who can truly make our hearts whiter than snow.

 

Teaching vs Training

I have been reading Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson.  It is a very good book and has given me a lot to think about.  One of the things that I really liked was a quote by H. Clay Trumbull from his book Hints on Child Training published in 1890.

"Teaching gives knowledge.  Training gives skill.
Teaching fills the mind.  Training shapes the habits.
Teaching brings to the child that which he did not have before.  Training enables a child to make use of that which is already his possession."

Prov. 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

I am trying to slowly change my mindset from being a teacher to a trainer.  This book has given me a perspective - my main focus is not to be education, but discipleship.  Another quote from the book:

"Men designed schools, but God designed the home.  The home is the only institution provided by God for the training of children."

And another:

"If you desire to effectively teach your children, their hearts must first be turned to God.  Until your children submit their hearts to God and to your authority, you cannot effectively educate their minds.  In fact, in view of eternity, it is far more important that your children become wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ than it is they become "well educated."

POWERFUL STUFF!  And I'm only through chapter 2!!

 

 

Stars and Starfish

We are doing a ladies bible study at church using the book "You Matter More Than You Think" by Leslie Parrott.  She shares several of her poems in that book and I wanted to share this one.  I may even type it up and frame it in the house somewhere.

 A star and starfish
Appear
To be very much alike
At a glance
And so do, I suppose
We, two.
Yet, how sad
If I should try
To persuade you,
A brilliant shining
From the sky,
Leaving only dark, no glow
To brighten summer nights
Or sparkle diamonds on twilight snow
But neither shall
I be torn
From laughing waves
And splashing sand
On a pale and misty morn.
So I shall swim
And you shall shine
Still,
Our very essence
From the same design.

She then states "'Star' and 'starfish' have become a kind of code between (them), uttered by either side to acknowledge the fact that (they) are indeed different."