Friday, December 19, 2014
Saturday, December 13, 2014
How NOT to Criticize Homeschooling...
I ran across the following anti-homeschooling rant online. This is a direct quote and I found it quite educational.
How to totally undermine your own argument, look like an ignorant idiot, and make homeschoolers laugh hysterically at your anti-homeschooling convictions:
1. Use horrible grammar and spelling.
I don't have perfect grammar and spelling all the time, either. I'm human. We're all human. And some of us are just bad at written English. That's fine. But if you're going to be criticizing someone's educational choices, you might want to try extra hard to sound educated yourself.
2. While you're at it, just forget periods all together.
Nothing says, "I'm an ignorant troll on the internet" like ignoring basic sentence structure rules.
3. But if you're going to use any ending punctuation, make sure it's an exclamation point.
When I see that all I hear in my head is, "I know nothing about this issue but I'm passionate so that counts for something so you should take me seriously!!"
Now to finally get to the meat of the rant:
4. Bring up the socialization argument.
This issue is a non-issue and it isn't a new concept to homeschoolers. We've all heard it a million times. And anecdotally, we've all personally seen it debunked a million times. The idea that kids should be only with kids their own age in order to learn proper social skills is especially hilarious.
I won't bore you here with the counter argument. But if you're truly interested in the other perspective, just search some homeschool blogs (like mine or ones on my side bar) for "socialization."
And if you're still concerned about the socialization issue and you want to discuss it, then how about quote some facts and share some links and research? Even specific anecdotal evidence is good to get a discussion going (provided both parties understand that anecdotal evidence can't necessarily be generalized to large populations). I appreciate opinions backed up with data.
5. Insult parents' intelligence.
No one likes to be told they are too stupid to teach basic addition and must go to college for 5 years in order to find out how to do it. That just makes people defensive.
I've said it before and I'll say it again that I don't care if you put your kid in public school. I love to hear about public schools and public school teachers who are doing a wonderful job. I'm not going to generalize that "all public school is bad" so please be respectful in turn. Every child, family, community, and school is different. We should all have the freedom to choose what we feel is best without ignorant, unproductive, unfounded criticism.
"I'm the narrow minded person that still feel that a child should go to public school because they are out with other people to their own age and I feel that keeping a child from school hinders their social skills and teachers take a long time in school to learn how to teach children annnnnd parents most of them are ill equiped to keep up with children in school because their parents don't know enough to teach their children at home unless your a teacher!"
How to totally undermine your own argument, look like an ignorant idiot, and make homeschoolers laugh hysterically at your anti-homeschooling convictions:
1. Use horrible grammar and spelling.
I don't have perfect grammar and spelling all the time, either. I'm human. We're all human. And some of us are just bad at written English. That's fine. But if you're going to be criticizing someone's educational choices, you might want to try extra hard to sound educated yourself.
2. While you're at it, just forget periods all together.
Nothing says, "I'm an ignorant troll on the internet" like ignoring basic sentence structure rules.
3. But if you're going to use any ending punctuation, make sure it's an exclamation point.
When I see that all I hear in my head is, "I know nothing about this issue but I'm passionate so that counts for something so you should take me seriously!!"
Now to finally get to the meat of the rant:
4. Bring up the socialization argument.
This issue is a non-issue and it isn't a new concept to homeschoolers. We've all heard it a million times. And anecdotally, we've all personally seen it debunked a million times. The idea that kids should be only with kids their own age in order to learn proper social skills is especially hilarious.
I won't bore you here with the counter argument. But if you're truly interested in the other perspective, just search some homeschool blogs (like mine or ones on my side bar) for "socialization."
And if you're still concerned about the socialization issue and you want to discuss it, then how about quote some facts and share some links and research? Even specific anecdotal evidence is good to get a discussion going (provided both parties understand that anecdotal evidence can't necessarily be generalized to large populations). I appreciate opinions backed up with data.
5. Insult parents' intelligence.
No one likes to be told they are too stupid to teach basic addition and must go to college for 5 years in order to find out how to do it. That just makes people defensive.
I've said it before and I'll say it again that I don't care if you put your kid in public school. I love to hear about public schools and public school teachers who are doing a wonderful job. I'm not going to generalize that "all public school is bad" so please be respectful in turn. Every child, family, community, and school is different. We should all have the freedom to choose what we feel is best without ignorant, unproductive, unfounded criticism.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Beowulf Costume
In September we read about Beowulf in Story of the World, volume 2. Tertius usually isn't terribly interested in listening to our history lessons, but that day he was very glad that he stuck around! A super strong warrior who fights a monster with his bare hands? Right up this boy's ally!
When I asked the kids soon after what they wanted to be for Halloween, he was positive he wanted to be Beowulf. In our Story of the World student pages, there was a Beowulf coloring page so we based his costume on that.
A long piece of brown fabric made a loin cloth and bracers. I used a sharpie to draw muscles on a white shirt. Finally, we needed a wolf hide for our fierce warrior to wear. The closest we had was this big teddy bear. I think it worked pretty well. Though, Hubby may have wanted to hold a funeral for his poor old stuffed animal.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Isn't one of those Wild Kratts named "Vulva?"
This morning I had Tertius, my preschooler, do journal time. All he has to do is draw a picture and then tell me about it so I can write his explanation on his paper.
He's still at the stage where he just draws some scribbles and then decides afterwards what it is. So he drew a bunch of circular scribbles and then hands the notebook to me.
Me: "Ok, tell me about your drawing."
Tertius: "It's a vulva."
Me: Blink. Crickets. "A what?"
T: "A vulva."
Me: "Do you remember what a vulva is?"
(We use the correct anatomical terms for body parts in our house and he has sisters. So I wasn't freaked out or worried, just surprised. Usually he draws robots, monsters, or ninjas.)
T: "Yeah, from Wild Kratts!"
M: "Oh! That character from the show! What was her name?"
T: He stumbled a bit on trying to remember what her name was but kept coming back to insisting that it was "Avulva."
M: "Well, no, because a vulva is a girl's private parts."
I finally remembered that her name was actually Aviva and everyone in the house laughed and laughed.
I guess it's a good thing we homeschool! I wonder what kind of note would come home from the teacher if this was at a regular preschool! :)
He's still at the stage where he just draws some scribbles and then decides afterwards what it is. So he drew a bunch of circular scribbles and then hands the notebook to me.
Me: "Ok, tell me about your drawing."
Tertius: "It's a vulva."
Me: Blink. Crickets. "A what?"
T: "A vulva."
Me: "Do you remember what a vulva is?"
(We use the correct anatomical terms for body parts in our house and he has sisters. So I wasn't freaked out or worried, just surprised. Usually he draws robots, monsters, or ninjas.)
T: "Yeah, from Wild Kratts!"
M: "Oh! That character from the show! What was her name?"
T: He stumbled a bit on trying to remember what her name was but kept coming back to insisting that it was "Avulva."
M: "Well, no, because a vulva is a girl's private parts."
I finally remembered that her name was actually Aviva and everyone in the house laughed and laughed.
I guess it's a good thing we homeschool! I wonder what kind of note would come home from the teacher if this was at a regular preschool! :)
Friday, November 7, 2014
Declaring a new Holiday: Crazy Day
This has been one of those weeks where academics got moved to the back burner.
Tuesday I worked at a polling place all day and so I prepared lesson plans and scheduled a substitute teacher (Hubby.) But then he became ill with an absolutely horrible stomach bug so school got cancelled. The kids did come spend some time with me at the polling place, so I guess they got Social Studies that day, but that's it.
Wednesday I needed to make bow ties for a friend's wedding. Plus, the house was a disaster and I was stressed out, so I told the kids we were taking a vacation day. When Primus asked what holiday it was, I explained that I just needed a day off because I was feeling crazy. She then promptly dubbed the holiday, "Crazy Day." We did go to music class in the morning, so I guess we got one subject in again, but that's it.
Now here we are with today, Friday. We have to leave by 11:30 to get to the wedding, which my kids are all in. No school for us this morning. Instead we'll be cleaning the kitchen (because it is still a stress-fueling disaster), bathing, curling hair, picking up dresses, packing lunches, making a reception delivery, and then enjoying lots of time with some people that we love!
This would be one reason I love homeschool: we can take vacation days when we need them. Flexibility is nice. If you miss 3 days of public school in one week with no doctors' note, don't you get detention or something? For us, all we have to do is turn the upcoming Veteran's Day into a normal school day and plan to work through one of our Christmas vacation days (the charter school scheduled us for 3 weeks of holiday this year.) The third missed day this week has already been taken care of because we worked through Labor Day and "banked" that for just such an occasion as this,
It could be argued that if the girls were at public school, then I wouldn't have needed to take random, impromptu days off due to "staffing issues." But then I still would have had to deal with pickups and dropoffs and homework after school, And I've said before that I can't stand being a slave to daily, inflexible pickup and dropoff times, and homework is awful. Plus, that wouldn't solve the problem of the wedding being on a weekday afternoon. So homeschooling works for us.
Tuesday I worked at a polling place all day and so I prepared lesson plans and scheduled a substitute teacher (Hubby.) But then he became ill with an absolutely horrible stomach bug so school got cancelled. The kids did come spend some time with me at the polling place, so I guess they got Social Studies that day, but that's it.
Wednesday I needed to make bow ties for a friend's wedding. Plus, the house was a disaster and I was stressed out, so I told the kids we were taking a vacation day. When Primus asked what holiday it was, I explained that I just needed a day off because I was feeling crazy. She then promptly dubbed the holiday, "Crazy Day." We did go to music class in the morning, so I guess we got one subject in again, but that's it.
Now here we are with today, Friday. We have to leave by 11:30 to get to the wedding, which my kids are all in. No school for us this morning. Instead we'll be cleaning the kitchen (because it is still a stress-fueling disaster), bathing, curling hair, picking up dresses, packing lunches, making a reception delivery, and then enjoying lots of time with some people that we love!
This would be one reason I love homeschool: we can take vacation days when we need them. Flexibility is nice. If you miss 3 days of public school in one week with no doctors' note, don't you get detention or something? For us, all we have to do is turn the upcoming Veteran's Day into a normal school day and plan to work through one of our Christmas vacation days (the charter school scheduled us for 3 weeks of holiday this year.) The third missed day this week has already been taken care of because we worked through Labor Day and "banked" that for just such an occasion as this,
It could be argued that if the girls were at public school, then I wouldn't have needed to take random, impromptu days off due to "staffing issues." But then I still would have had to deal with pickups and dropoffs and homework after school, And I've said before that I can't stand being a slave to daily, inflexible pickup and dropoff times, and homework is awful. Plus, that wouldn't solve the problem of the wedding being on a weekday afternoon. So homeschooling works for us.
Friday, October 24, 2014
We're not cut-out for public school...
I had a dream last night...
There was some special event at the local public school so I sent Primus. She had a wonderful time so I got to thinking, "Hey, maybe public school is a good option for us afterall." So for the next 3 days I sent both her and Secundus and they liked it ok. On the fourth day I slept through my alarm, woke up more than an hour after school started, noticed that none of the kids had woken up yet either. I lay in my bed for a few moments, deciding if I should jump up and rush them all awake and out the door. Then I decided that we're apparently not cut out for public school, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
When I eventually woke up in real life, I noticed that I had in fact overslept my alarm and was up almost an hour later than I intended. I love homeschool! :)
There was some special event at the local public school so I sent Primus. She had a wonderful time so I got to thinking, "Hey, maybe public school is a good option for us afterall." So for the next 3 days I sent both her and Secundus and they liked it ok. On the fourth day I slept through my alarm, woke up more than an hour after school started, noticed that none of the kids had woken up yet either. I lay in my bed for a few moments, deciding if I should jump up and rush them all awake and out the door. Then I decided that we're apparently not cut out for public school, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
When I eventually woke up in real life, I noticed that I had in fact overslept my alarm and was up almost an hour later than I intended. I love homeschool! :)
Monday, October 6, 2014
Conference Reflection, 300th Post, and GIVEAWAY!
I started this blog at the start of my family's homeschooling journey when Primus began Kindergarten. But it's about so much more than education. This has also been my place to share craft and recipe ideas, talk about the Gospel, muse about beauty standards, and other randomness. I hope you've found something to interest you! I don't claim or aspire to be a good writer. But I have enjoyed having a space to document my family's school life and share ideas that I hope can be of help to others.
Actually, my first step into the blogging world was in 2008. At that time, all of a sudden a lot of my friends and siblings were signing up on Blogspot. I jumped on that bandwagon right away and have actually outlasted most of them. And now I have two!
My original family blog is my journal, family scrapbook, and the kids' baby books all rolled into one and stored in a place where it can't get lost or damaged. Isn't the internet wonderful?
Did you know that blogging can also be a way to do family history?
This weekend members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints watched General Conference. It's a time where we get to hear words of inspiration, council, and guidance from Heavenly Father through His servants the Prophet, Apostles, and other Church leaders.
One of the last talks of the last session was about family history and genealogy. Mormons think that doing family history research is incredibly important for various reasons. And in the past it was revealed to me personally that I needed to be engaged in this work. But I haven't done much. I kind of figured that's something I'll do in the Grandmother phase of my life. But still, I sometimes feel guilty for putting off something so important.
During the aforementioned talk, Elder Packer mentioned that genealogy isn't just compiling names and dates. "It also includes the present, as we create our own history." He said that when a mother shares family stories and pictures, she is doing family history work.
When I heard that, I suddenly and unexpectedly felt the Holy Spirit strongly and tears came to my eyes. It was revealed to me then that blogging is the way I'm doing family history work. And it's important for my family.
I immediately ran to my bedroom, opened up my personal journal, and wrote it down before I could forget that feeling. Then I read the words I wrote back to myself. Again I was overcome with a warm, tingly, peaceful feeling that I know to be the Holy Ghost bearing witness of truth.
I am so thankful for the knowledge that my Heavenly Father knows me, loves me, and knows what I need to hear. I am grateful that the Heavens are not closed and that Heavenly Father has called prophets and apostles in our day to lead, guide, and inspire us!
This is my 300th post here on the Homeschool Is Not a Typo blog! 300 posts in just over 3 years. In celebration, I want to give one lucky reader a special prize.
Because I love getting kids interested in reading, and this is primarily an education blog, of course the prize is a book. The Reading Race by Abby Klein- a Ready, Freddy! story.
You have several chances to enter to win. Six, to be precise. This is my first time using Rafflecopter, aside from entering contests with it on other pages, so I'm excited!
The giveaway closes 2 weeks from now and is open only to residents of the United States.
Even if you don't have young children at home, you should still enter to win. Surely you know someone who'd love to be surprised with it. Books make great gifts!
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Actually, my first step into the blogging world was in 2008. At that time, all of a sudden a lot of my friends and siblings were signing up on Blogspot. I jumped on that bandwagon right away and have actually outlasted most of them. And now I have two!
My original family blog is my journal, family scrapbook, and the kids' baby books all rolled into one and stored in a place where it can't get lost or damaged. Isn't the internet wonderful?
Did you know that blogging can also be a way to do family history?
This weekend members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints watched General Conference. It's a time where we get to hear words of inspiration, council, and guidance from Heavenly Father through His servants the Prophet, Apostles, and other Church leaders.
One of the last talks of the last session was about family history and genealogy. Mormons think that doing family history research is incredibly important for various reasons. And in the past it was revealed to me personally that I needed to be engaged in this work. But I haven't done much. I kind of figured that's something I'll do in the Grandmother phase of my life. But still, I sometimes feel guilty for putting off something so important.
During the aforementioned talk, Elder Packer mentioned that genealogy isn't just compiling names and dates. "It also includes the present, as we create our own history." He said that when a mother shares family stories and pictures, she is doing family history work.
When I heard that, I suddenly and unexpectedly felt the Holy Spirit strongly and tears came to my eyes. It was revealed to me then that blogging is the way I'm doing family history work. And it's important for my family.
I immediately ran to my bedroom, opened up my personal journal, and wrote it down before I could forget that feeling. Then I read the words I wrote back to myself. Again I was overcome with a warm, tingly, peaceful feeling that I know to be the Holy Ghost bearing witness of truth.
I am so thankful for the knowledge that my Heavenly Father knows me, loves me, and knows what I need to hear. I am grateful that the Heavens are not closed and that Heavenly Father has called prophets and apostles in our day to lead, guide, and inspire us!
********************************************
This is my 300th post here on the Homeschool Is Not a Typo blog! 300 posts in just over 3 years. In celebration, I want to give one lucky reader a special prize.
Because I love getting kids interested in reading, and this is primarily an education blog, of course the prize is a book. The Reading Race by Abby Klein- a Ready, Freddy! story.
You have several chances to enter to win. Six, to be precise. This is my first time using Rafflecopter, aside from entering contests with it on other pages, so I'm excited!
The giveaway closes 2 weeks from now and is open only to residents of the United States.
Even if you don't have young children at home, you should still enter to win. Surely you know someone who'd love to be surprised with it. Books make great gifts!
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Math Fact Day
Getting the girls to memorize math facts is important to me. So one day last week we set aside all of our normal work and just had a Math Facts Day. (Actually, it was more like a math fact morning because the afternoon was filled with a visit from our ES.)
Each girl had a list like the following so they knew what their options were. Primus focused on multiplication, and Secundus did addition and subtraction. Each activity was only done for 5 minutes at a time. I wanted to keep them moving quickly from task to task so they would have fun and not get bored.
Wraps is referring to these math wrap-ups. It's basically a classic matching game where you draw a line from a number in one column to a number in the second column. But you "draw" it by wrapping a string around a key shape. And when you're all done, you turn over the key and see if you got all the answers right based on if the string is covering all the raised bumps.
The triangle game is called Minute Math Electronic Flash Card. It's tricky to get used to, but it's really good to help you understand the connection between addition and subtraction.
Machine means this Subtraction Machine. When you push the little buttons, they pop up and tell you the answer to the problem. I don't know if playing with this actually helps them remember the facts or not, but they sure think it's fun to click all the buttons.
Xtra Math is a great free website. It helps the kids master the math facts at their own pace and tracks their progress.
The Computer Games were definitely the favorite from the list. These three websites have some fun ones.
Flashcards. Boring, old flashcards. :) I made my own with index cards.
I gave the girls a blank Hundreds Chart to fill in. They had to work on it, though, by counting by 2s, and then counting by 3s, and then counting by 5s, and so on until it was all filled up. While not math-fact-specific, skip counting is a great skill to work on.
Speed Tests were something I remember really enjoying in school. In the back of their math books I found a page of fact review and I timed them to see how fast they could complete a section of it. Did not work. The timer did not motivate them at all.
This website has a good explanation of how to use an Addition Grid. I handed the girls a blank 11X11 grid and had them make their own.
Our Math Fact Day was a hit! We'll definitely be doing it again next week.
Each girl had a list like the following so they knew what their options were. Primus focused on multiplication, and Secundus did addition and subtraction. Each activity was only done for 5 minutes at a time. I wanted to keep them moving quickly from task to task so they would have fun and not get bored.
Wraps is referring to these math wrap-ups. It's basically a classic matching game where you draw a line from a number in one column to a number in the second column. But you "draw" it by wrapping a string around a key shape. And when you're all done, you turn over the key and see if you got all the answers right based on if the string is covering all the raised bumps.
The triangle game is called Minute Math Electronic Flash Card. It's tricky to get used to, but it's really good to help you understand the connection between addition and subtraction.
Machine means this Subtraction Machine. When you push the little buttons, they pop up and tell you the answer to the problem. I don't know if playing with this actually helps them remember the facts or not, but they sure think it's fun to click all the buttons.
Xtra Math is a great free website. It helps the kids master the math facts at their own pace and tracks their progress.
The Computer Games were definitely the favorite from the list. These three websites have some fun ones.
Flashcards. Boring, old flashcards. :) I made my own with index cards.
I gave the girls a blank Hundreds Chart to fill in. They had to work on it, though, by counting by 2s, and then counting by 3s, and then counting by 5s, and so on until it was all filled up. While not math-fact-specific, skip counting is a great skill to work on.
Speed Tests were something I remember really enjoying in school. In the back of their math books I found a page of fact review and I timed them to see how fast they could complete a section of it. Did not work. The timer did not motivate them at all.
This website has a good explanation of how to use an Addition Grid. I handed the girls a blank 11X11 grid and had them make their own.
Our Math Fact Day was a hit! We'll definitely be doing it again next week.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
How to Be a Good Parent -aka- Yelling Doesn't Work
"Kids! Come set the table for dinner!" My voice rang out across the house. Two of the four came quickly and got to work while I turned to switch the clothes in the nearby laundry room.
A moment later a loud "CRASH!" grabbed my attention back to the kitchen. Primus had one Corelle plate in her hand and one shattered at her feet and spread all around the room. Corelle is supposed to be durable, but not when it's dropped on its edge onto tile.
My focus instantly moved from Primus' statue-still pose to Secundus' scared face and to her shifting feet. "STOP!" I yelled. She continued to inch away from the mess and towards the door, unknowingly right by several small shards.
"STOP MOVING! STOP! STOP! DON'T MOVE YOUR FEET!"
Not matter how many times I yelled or how loud, I could not overpower her natural fight-or-flight reaction. The yelling probably even made it worse. I thank God that she did eventually stop and that she managed to miss all the dangerous glass fragments all around her.
Sadly, I yell too much. I sometimes feel like if I could just yell louder, what I want to happen will happen. I imagine my words exiting my mouth like spreading hands, grabbing the child, and making her obey.
Surely doing this with my voice is better than doing it with my physical hands, right? Nope.
Coercion is still coercion, whether by force or other means. Taking away someone's agency is not in God's plan. Making someone obey is not the way to inspire independence and a love of righteousness.
In Doctrine and Covenants section 121 Heavenly Father gives us a great, concise manual of sorts for how to be a good parent:
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
A moment later a loud "CRASH!" grabbed my attention back to the kitchen. Primus had one Corelle plate in her hand and one shattered at her feet and spread all around the room. Corelle is supposed to be durable, but not when it's dropped on its edge onto tile.
My focus instantly moved from Primus' statue-still pose to Secundus' scared face and to her shifting feet. "STOP!" I yelled. She continued to inch away from the mess and towards the door, unknowingly right by several small shards.
"STOP MOVING! STOP! STOP! DON'T MOVE YOUR FEET!"
Not matter how many times I yelled or how loud, I could not overpower her natural fight-or-flight reaction. The yelling probably even made it worse. I thank God that she did eventually stop and that she managed to miss all the dangerous glass fragments all around her.
Sadly, I yell too much. I sometimes feel like if I could just yell louder, what I want to happen will happen. I imagine my words exiting my mouth like spreading hands, grabbing the child, and making her obey.
Surely doing this with my voice is better than doing it with my physical hands, right? Nope.
Coercion is still coercion, whether by force or other means. Taking away someone's agency is not in God's plan. Making someone obey is not the way to inspire independence and a love of righteousness.
In Doctrine and Covenants section 121 Heavenly Father gives us a great, concise manual of sorts for how to be a good parent:
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
Gentleness and meekness? Gotta work on those ones for sure!
Verse 43-44 describe the best way to discipline:
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
I've definitely got the "with sharpness" part down. It's that pesky little "increase of love afterwards" part that needs some work.
I don't want to yell at my kids anymore. I want to be more kind. I want to be more loving. I want to be more patient. I want to teach my children how to do things, make good choices, and be safe instead of forcing them.
Maybe I'll have this parenting-thing perfected by the time I have grandkids!
I don't want to yell at my kids anymore. I want to be more kind. I want to be more loving. I want to be more patient. I want to teach my children how to do things, make good choices, and be safe instead of forcing them.
Maybe I'll have this parenting-thing perfected by the time I have grandkids!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Puberty Book
I'm finally getting around to sharing this project I was excited about at the end of last school year: Primus' Puberty Book. I mentioned that we were working on it here and here.
I bought the blank hardcover book from Lakeshore Learning. Together we decided as we went where we wanted to break up sections of text and where to add illustrations.
I wanted her study of Sex-Ed to be very scientific and clinical. Just the facts. None of the fluff found in conventional resources for kids.
The text was copied from Wikipedia. We read it together and I explained some things to her. The idea is that she'll read and re-read this book in the future and understand more each time.
The illustrations were a combination of her drawings, photographs, diagrams printed from online, and diagrams found in a book and traced by her.
Not every concept necessitated, or lent itself easily to, an illustration.
At the very end, I had her trace a diagram of male anatomy. Then orally we discussed "where babies come from." There are several empty pages left at the back of the book so I anticipate we will have this discussion again and add text explaining it in years to come.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Read-Aloud
I read picture books to my kids a lot. But it's been hard for me to get into reading them chapter books. I'm just not good at keeping to new habits and routines. So I guess I was afraid that I would start a novel with them and then forget to read it for the next few days, and by the time we got back to it they would have forgotten what was going on.
But now we're ready for a change. We're going to be reading more chapter books together from now on! Here's what we've read so far:
Stuart Little by E.B. White- Primus picked this up on a whim last year but then it just sat on a shelf for a while. So I finally gathered the kids around and started reading it. They loved it! When we went to Solvang, we took it with us to read before bed because the kids just couldn't wait to hear what happened next. This was the beginning of giving me confidence to do long books with the kids.
Heidi by Johanna Spyrie- Secundus was given an abridged version of this one and we finished it a couple days ago. We liked it just because we already loved the movie. But I've read the original novel so I was very disappointed with how much was left out or simplified.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien- This is one of Hubby's all-time favorite books. He tends to pick a movie and then watch it for weeks on end just on repeat for background noise. Lately the one he's been watching in his man-cave is The Fellowship of the Ring. The kids have seen clips and were interested so he decided to try out The Hobbit on them. The kids were so enthralled! It helped that Hubby is good at doing voices.
This turned into a really great family time because we decided to read it until the kids fell asleep each night. We had been needing to get Quartus used to going to sleep in his own bed, too (instead of in Mommy's arms and then being transferred.) So this way, I would snuggle Quartus in his bed while Hubby did the reading with a flashlight.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll- Now that we're done with The Hobbit, we needed a new go-to-sleep book. The girls picked this one and are really looking forward to it.
But now we're ready for a change. We're going to be reading more chapter books together from now on! Here's what we've read so far:
Stuart Little by E.B. White- Primus picked this up on a whim last year but then it just sat on a shelf for a while. So I finally gathered the kids around and started reading it. They loved it! When we went to Solvang, we took it with us to read before bed because the kids just couldn't wait to hear what happened next. This was the beginning of giving me confidence to do long books with the kids.
Horse Diaries #1: Elska by Catherine Hapka- Secundus chose
this one as her prize for completing Barnes and Noble's summer
reading program. I thought it was funny that it was set in
Iceland (close enough to Norway) and the main character was named
Elska (close enough to Elsa).
Escape from the
Carnivale: A Never Land Book by Ridley Pearson-This one was
recommended to Primus by a librarian when she was looking for a new
book. She checked it out, but also grabbed some of her
fall-backs (Magic Tree House) and didn't seem interested in reading
it. But it looked interesting to me so I made the kids listen
to it. They quickly fell in love with the characters and were
gripped by the adventure. I may have to check out more from the
series.
Peter Pan by J. M.
Barrie- We started reading this one because of our
planned literature
study and because we enjoyed the Neverland book so much. We
finished it a couple weeks ago. The kids were not excited about
this one because they were really craving pictures.
Heidi by Johanna Spyrie- Secundus was given an abridged version of this one and we finished it a couple days ago. We liked it just because we already loved the movie. But I've read the original novel so I was very disappointed with how much was left out or simplified.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien- This is one of Hubby's all-time favorite books. He tends to pick a movie and then watch it for weeks on end just on repeat for background noise. Lately the one he's been watching in his man-cave is The Fellowship of the Ring. The kids have seen clips and were interested so he decided to try out The Hobbit on them. The kids were so enthralled! It helped that Hubby is good at doing voices.
This turned into a really great family time because we decided to read it until the kids fell asleep each night. We had been needing to get Quartus used to going to sleep in his own bed, too (instead of in Mommy's arms and then being transferred.) So this way, I would snuggle Quartus in his bed while Hubby did the reading with a flashlight.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll- Now that we're done with The Hobbit, we needed a new go-to-sleep book. The girls picked this one and are really looking forward to it.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Black Thumb
So far we have been to two "science classes" at her house. She had the kids start a bean sprout in a plastic bag, started 3 herbs (parsley, basil, sage) in make-shift green houses, started 3 flowers in those same greenhouses, and set up our Root Vue.
I was so nervous when she sent everything home with us to wait for them to sprout! But we're having success! Two of the three bean bags sprouted, all the basil and sage sprouted, the carrots and radishes in the root vue sprouted, and two of the three flowers are doing excellently!
The only things we are still waiting on is the green onions in the root vue, one flower, and the parsley.
I even transplanted everything (except the carrots and radishes) into bigger containers, as you can see. And they still haven't died!
Time to get real pots and transplant again. Let's see how long this lasts!
Monday, September 22, 2014
A Bad Morning, But Not Wasted
Friday morning was rough. Thursday night I stayed up late, as usual, for no good reason. And then my limited sleep time was interrupted by a teething toddler who likes to soothe himself by rubbing and pinching my skin instead of a stuffy or blanket.
I woke up Friday in a really bad mood and not much motivation to do school. And this is why I'm glad we're doing weekly assignment sheets this year!
The girls' all day class Thursday was cancelled and they were motivated to use their extra time wisely. They were proud of themselves and excited to complete most of their list so they would have an easier, lighter load Friday. It worked out perfectly!
All Secundus had to do Friday was read for 25 minutes, one math page, one small writing assignment, and math facts practice. All Primus had to do was piano practice, math facts practice, one spelling page, spelling test, and one small writing assignment.
So we got started late (about 8:30) and they were done by 10am. They would have been done sooner if I had the energy to be more hands-on and push them along from task to task a little faster.
Literature was simply skipped and for History I taught the girls how to play Defeat the Romans and then they did that independently. They also watched more Liberty's Kids during lunch. The rest of the afternoon I thought I would nap while the kids entertained themselves, but instead I hid in my room reading a magazine and watching TV.
The day could have gone a lot worse. I could have yelled more. We could have accomplished less than we "needed" to and felt guilty or stressed about it. But everything worked out well!
I woke up Friday in a really bad mood and not much motivation to do school. And this is why I'm glad we're doing weekly assignment sheets this year!
The girls' all day class Thursday was cancelled and they were motivated to use their extra time wisely. They were proud of themselves and excited to complete most of their list so they would have an easier, lighter load Friday. It worked out perfectly!
All Secundus had to do Friday was read for 25 minutes, one math page, one small writing assignment, and math facts practice. All Primus had to do was piano practice, math facts practice, one spelling page, spelling test, and one small writing assignment.
So we got started late (about 8:30) and they were done by 10am. They would have been done sooner if I had the energy to be more hands-on and push them along from task to task a little faster.
Literature was simply skipped and for History I taught the girls how to play Defeat the Romans and then they did that independently. They also watched more Liberty's Kids during lunch. The rest of the afternoon I thought I would nap while the kids entertained themselves, but instead I hid in my room reading a magazine and watching TV.
The day could have gone a lot worse. I could have yelled more. We could have accomplished less than we "needed" to and felt guilty or stressed about it. But everything worked out well!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Story of the World: Defeat the Romans Game
Chapter 2 The Early Days of Britain
The girls love this game and have been playing it non stop for at least 45 minutes. As you can see, the little red and blue papers that were suggested in the book were abandoned early on in favor of these little colored gems we had. One sneeze on the board, and the game had to be started all over!
The girls love this game and have been playing it non stop for at least 45 minutes. As you can see, the little red and blue papers that were suggested in the book were abandoned early on in favor of these little colored gems we had. One sneeze on the board, and the game had to be started all over!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Missionary Songs
As ward organist, it's my responsibility to pick the songs each week. Gotta admit, not my favorite part of the calling.
I thought this last Sunday the speakers were going to be a couple that recently returned home from their mission. So I selected two great missionary hymns. But then it turned out that the speakers were the couple that lead the Family Support Group that I used to facilitate. Darn it!
But it worked out perfectly because Brother and Sister Lunkley are officially serving a part-time service mission by leading this group. They've got the missionary badges/name tags and everything. So they talked about that a bit in addition to talking about the program and the 12 Steps. (It was such a privilege, honor, and joy to be able to serve with them in that group for about two years. I really enjoyed their talks!)
Plus, what is the purpose of missionary work? To invite others to come unto Christ. And what is the purpose of the Family Support Group? To help those that are dealing with the addiction of a loved one to come unto Christ for hope and healing.
Below are the two songs we sang, along with some of the lyrics that struck me as most applicable, and my own brief commentary.
Go Forth With Faith
That all may gain eternal life
Thru Jesus Christ, the Lord. (Your addicted loved one can gain eternal life through Christ's Atonement. You can gain eternal life through Christ's Atonement.)
Go forth to preach his glorious truths
Of peace, of joy, and love, (No matter what our trials are in life, we can have peace and joy.)
Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd
I thought this last Sunday the speakers were going to be a couple that recently returned home from their mission. So I selected two great missionary hymns. But then it turned out that the speakers were the couple that lead the Family Support Group that I used to facilitate. Darn it!
But it worked out perfectly because Brother and Sister Lunkley are officially serving a part-time service mission by leading this group. They've got the missionary badges/name tags and everything. So they talked about that a bit in addition to talking about the program and the 12 Steps. (It was such a privilege, honor, and joy to be able to serve with them in that group for about two years. I really enjoyed their talks!)
Plus, what is the purpose of missionary work? To invite others to come unto Christ. And what is the purpose of the Family Support Group? To help those that are dealing with the addiction of a loved one to come unto Christ for hope and healing.
Below are the two songs we sang, along with some of the lyrics that struck me as most applicable, and my own brief commentary.
Go Forth With Faith
Go forth with hope and courage strong
To spread the word abroad
That people of all nations
Are children of our God. (Because we are His children, He loves us infinitely.)
Go forth with love to tell the world
The joy of families--
That we may be with those we love
Thru all eternity. (The doctrine of eternal families can give us so much hope. But if your family member is not keeping their covenants, it can also be a point of anxiety. "Will my family member really be with me in the Celestial Kingdom?" Even so, we can't drag them to Heaven with us. They get to make their own choices. We just have to have faith that all will work out the way it should.)
That all may gain eternal life
Thru Jesus Christ, the Lord. (Your addicted loved one can gain eternal life through Christ's Atonement. You can gain eternal life through Christ's Atonement.)
Go forth to preach his glorious truths
Of peace, of joy, and love, (No matter what our trials are in life, we can have peace and joy.)
Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the sheep of his fold;
Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are his "other" lost sheep; (We are all dear to him, no matter our shortcomings or life circumstances.)
Out in the desert they wander,
Hungry and helpless and cold;
Off to the rescue he hastens,
Bringing them back to the fold. (There was a time in my life when I felt like I was wandering all alone in a barren desert. Life seemed very bleak. But once I started studying and applying the 12 Steps and turned my life over to my Shepherd and Savior, He rescued me.)
See, the Good Shepherd is seeking,
Seeking the lambs that are lost,
Bringing them in with rejoicing, (The "lambs that are lost" could be referencing our loved ones that wander in the desolation of addiction. We can't bring them back to the fold, no matter how much we cry/nag/yell/plead. Only the Shepherd can do that.)
Dear
are the "ninety and nine"; (The "ninety and nine" could be referencing us. We generally consider ourselves firmly in the fold. But we still need the Shepherd.)
Dear are the sheep that have wandered
Out in the desert to pine.
Hark! he is earnestly calling, (He earnestly calls to us all because he loves us all and wants us all to have joy. But until we step towards Him and seek His help, calling and reaching out his hand is all He can do. He cannot and will not force us or our loved ones to make different choices.)
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Handshake Hilarity
I asked the following sincere question on my Facebook:
"Handshakes. I've heard people say that they prefer when someone offers them a firm, strong handshake. I've never heard anyone say, 'I love it when I get a handshake that is mostly all fingers and very limp.'
"Question to people who give handshakes like the second scenario: I'm curious, what is your thought process?"
Here are the hilarious responses my friends had. Enjoy!
"Here, hold these"
I go for a solid handshake, but am careful in case it is a softie... I don't want to have my kryptonian strength crush their bones...
"Do you like noodles? I like noodles....."
Maybe they never really had a solid handshake role model.
"Do you like noodles? I like noodles....."
"Wanna feel a dead fish? I just washed my hands."
"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to feel awkward for the duration of this handshake!"
"I keep my hand in a glove full of lotion just for moments like this..... Just the one hand."
"I'm going to make you question whether I'm weak or if you really are that strong."
"Now kiss the ring you peasant!"
For some reason, the last one is my favorite. I have such witty friends. Thanks, guys!
"Handshakes. I've heard people say that they prefer when someone offers them a firm, strong handshake. I've never heard anyone say, 'I love it when I get a handshake that is mostly all fingers and very limp.'
"Question to people who give handshakes like the second scenario: I'm curious, what is your thought process?"
Here are the hilarious responses my friends had. Enjoy!
"Here, hold these"
I go for a solid handshake, but am careful in case it is a softie... I don't want to have my kryptonian strength crush their bones...
"Do you like noodles? I like noodles....."
Maybe they never really had a solid handshake role model.
"Do you like noodles? I like noodles....."
"Wanna feel a dead fish? I just washed my hands."
"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to feel awkward for the duration of this handshake!"
"I keep my hand in a glove full of lotion just for moments like this..... Just the one hand."
"I'm going to make you question whether I'm weak or if you really are that strong."
"Now kiss the ring you peasant!"
For some reason, the last one is my favorite. I have such witty friends. Thanks, guys!
Homeschool Student ID Card
I stumbled on these cool free homeschool ID card. Get them here.
I printed mine out on photo paper and then decided that I still wanted them to be thicker. So I glued them to some cardboard and quickly laminated them with packing tape. This also made it possible for me to punch a hole through the cardboard so the kids could hang their IDs on lanyards.
I can't really think of a good reason why they will NEED their ID cards, but they sure look cool and they are really excited to have them!
I printed mine out on photo paper and then decided that I still wanted them to be thicker. So I glued them to some cardboard and quickly laminated them with packing tape. This also made it possible for me to punch a hole through the cardboard so the kids could hang their IDs on lanyards.
I can't really think of a good reason why they will NEED their ID cards, but they sure look cool and they are really excited to have them!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Halloween Party Snacks
Severed Fingers and Giant Frog Eggs
I cut hotdogs in half, trim a little off the tip for the fingernail, and cut a few little slits for the knuckles. Boil until hot and then dip the cut end in ketchup. The "eggs" are canned black olives just because I needed something in the middle of the plate to make it look good.
Only a few hotdogs were eaten when I picked them up. Partly that is because there was so much food brought. And it's also partly because apparently kids were freaked out.
Monster Barf (I didn't get a picture.)
I just mixed up a yummy, easy fruit salad with canned fruit cocktail, cool whip, and a package of Jello (just the dry powder.) But then I put it in an empty gallon ice cream bucket and wrote "Barf Bucket" on the side.
It didn't get eaten at all! I guess kids were a little too nervous about that one. I thought it was delicious.
Pumpkin Jack-o-Lantern Cookies
These are just these cookies but instead of mixing the chocolate chips in, we stuck them in after scooping to make it look like a pumpkin face.
The stem is a piece of pretzel stick. I may have to figure out a better way to do these, though, because the pretzel ended up soft and kind of weird texture.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Tri-fold Foam Board Puppet Theater
It's impossible to see the pencil marks in this picture, but I used a 12X18 piece of paper as a template to cut the hole.
(Pardon the mess in these photos. We live here.)
Secundus chose pink for her curtain color. We just used construction paper, but I will have to replace it with fabric soon for more durability. I really like how the accordion-folded paper along the top looks, though.
We added a fabric curtain in the back to give her puppet shows a nice backdrop.
Why, yes, I did use staples to make a casing for the string. I just punched a hole on each side of the board to tie the string to. So if she doesn't want a background, the curtain can be pushed to one side.
Done!
Folds nice and (almost completely) flat.
I predict we'll be getting a lot of use out of this this year, especially as we learn and retell nursery rhymes and fairytales for our literature unit.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Story of the World: Roman Signum
Roman Signum
Chapter 1 The Glory That Was Rome
Monday, September 1, 2014
A Little Motivation
I'm such a mean mommy.
I made the kids do school on Labor Day. Then I threatened Secundus with missing her first day of ballet class tonight if she continued with her ugly attitude and kept refusing to do her work.
Good news is that we will be able to take a holiday when we need to later and Secundus really didn't want to miss ballet so she straightened up and ended the day on a really good note!
I made the kids do school on Labor Day. Then I threatened Secundus with missing her first day of ballet class tonight if she continued with her ugly attitude and kept refusing to do her work.
Good news is that we will be able to take a holiday when we need to later and Secundus really didn't want to miss ballet so she straightened up and ended the day on a really good note!
Hymns That Have Special Meaning to Me
Music is powerful. It can touch hearts and spirits and enlighten minds. D&C 25:12 says, "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."
There are a few LDS Hymns and Primary songs that hold special meaning for me.
1. Be Still My Soul
When Hubby and I started dating, he was my first boyfriend. More than that, he had become my best friend. One afternoon, after dating for about 4 months, he unexpectedly broke up with me. He said he had been praying and felt that we needed to break up.
I went to my room and cried and prayed. I was crushed and confused. I could not imagine what it was going to be like without him being an important part of my life. After having a good cry, I picked myself up and drove to the church so I could practice the organ. I wanted to be completely alone so I could think (and cry and pray some more) and also I wanted to do something that could maybe take my mind off of the situation.
After practicing the various things that I wanted to master, I went over to the piano. I opened up the Hymn book and began playing random hymns. One that I found myself singing along to was, "Be Still, My Soul."
As I sang through the verses, I felt the Holy Ghost wash over me. I felt so strongly like I was being enveloped in the arms of my loving Heavenly Father. In that moment, I felt the reassurance that everything would be ok. This hymn was speaking directly to me. The words were written specifically for me. Life is tough. And I know that my Father in Heaven is aware of my struggles. He loves me, and is with me.
2. High on the Mountain Top
When I was in labor with Primus, I didn't have an epidural or anything. Especially near the end when I was in transition and exhausted from being on my feet literally all night, I needed something to think about to focus on instead of being overwhelmed by the pain. So I started singing church songs in my head. For most of the time the song I kept getting stuck on or coming back to was High on the Mountain Top.
3. Where Can I Turn For Peace?
When I was in Young Women (maybe 16 years old), our leaders wanted to put together a small group to sing this for Sacrament Meeting. I think we ended up performing it on two separate occasions. I was selected to be one of the sopranos. The highest note was hard for us to hit but I was able to get it. I don't think I'm the best singer, but my leaders praised me and told me how good I was several times. I really appreciated the confidence and self esteem boost!
4. Master the Tempest is Raging
I think this was one of my piano teacher's favorite songs. When she started teaching me to play the hymns, this was definitely high on her list of ones that she wanted me to learn. She passed on to me her passion for the way the music builds to a frenzy and then ends serenely.
This song details one of the coolest stories from the New Testament. Christ literally has power to make the winds and waves obey him! At times in my life I have felt like I might perish from the storms of trials beating upon me. But when I am in the depths of that panic that the Savior's disciples were feeling, all I have to do is cry out to my God in faith. He can deliver me, calm my storms, and give me peace.
5. I Love to See the Temple
This is my kids' favorite Primary song right now and has been for a while. A recording of them singing it serves as my ringtone. And no matter how many times we sing it, we still can't seem to be able to keep the two verses straight! :)
It's a nice tune with a great message. I truly do love to see the temple! When I hear this song, I am reminded of when Hubby and I were married (or "sealed") for time and all eternity in the temple (meaning for this life and the next). I am so grateful for the Priesthood power in the temple that makes it possible for our marriage and relationship with our children to be permanent. It's not "till death do us part."
6. Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel
In our first ward after being married, the chorister was a wonderful man who liked to direct the congregation as if it were a choir instead of a group of mostly untalented average people who preferred to keep their eyes on their hymnal. We quickly learned, though, that we had to keep our eyes on Bob.
I was called to be a regular substitute accompanist. Typically, congregational hymns are accompanied by an organ. I had learned to play organ but was not very confident. That was just fine in Bob's opinion! He preferred the piano anyway because it was easier to get more expression out of it. He wanted us to crescendo, decrescendo, rest, hold, speed up, and retard in various places so we could really feel the spirit and meaning of the song.
One song in particular that I cannot hear now without missing Bob is Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel. At the chorus he would slow us way down and then slowly build the speed and volume as we went, to give us the feeling of pushing a handcart to get it going from a dead stop.
7. Scripture Power
I remember learning this song in Primary when I was a child. One time, a couple years after we had learned it, we must have had a new pianist that didn't have a copy of the sheet music (since it's not in the regular songbook.) Several of us kids asked if we could sing that song when we were told to choose our favorite to sing. We were very disappointed when we were told that this one wasn't an option.
Many years later Hubby and I were called as Primary teachers in our first ward. Scripture Power was one of the new songs that was taught that year. When I heard it after forgetting about it's existence for so long, it was like meeting an old friend again.
Above all, it's such a fun song with a simple message, "Scripture Power keeps me safe from sin...is the power to win...everyday I need the power that I get each time I read."
What's your favorite religious hymn?
There are a few LDS Hymns and Primary songs that hold special meaning for me.
1. Be Still My Soul
When Hubby and I started dating, he was my first boyfriend. More than that, he had become my best friend. One afternoon, after dating for about 4 months, he unexpectedly broke up with me. He said he had been praying and felt that we needed to break up.
I went to my room and cried and prayed. I was crushed and confused. I could not imagine what it was going to be like without him being an important part of my life. After having a good cry, I picked myself up and drove to the church so I could practice the organ. I wanted to be completely alone so I could think (and cry and pray some more) and also I wanted to do something that could maybe take my mind off of the situation.
After practicing the various things that I wanted to master, I went over to the piano. I opened up the Hymn book and began playing random hymns. One that I found myself singing along to was, "Be Still, My Soul."
As I sang through the verses, I felt the Holy Ghost wash over me. I felt so strongly like I was being enveloped in the arms of my loving Heavenly Father. In that moment, I felt the reassurance that everything would be ok. This hymn was speaking directly to me. The words were written specifically for me. Life is tough. And I know that my Father in Heaven is aware of my struggles. He loves me, and is with me.
2. High on the Mountain Top
When I was in labor with Primus, I didn't have an epidural or anything. Especially near the end when I was in transition and exhausted from being on my feet literally all night, I needed something to think about to focus on instead of being overwhelmed by the pain. So I started singing church songs in my head. For most of the time the song I kept getting stuck on or coming back to was High on the Mountain Top.
3. Where Can I Turn For Peace?
When I was in Young Women (maybe 16 years old), our leaders wanted to put together a small group to sing this for Sacrament Meeting. I think we ended up performing it on two separate occasions. I was selected to be one of the sopranos. The highest note was hard for us to hit but I was able to get it. I don't think I'm the best singer, but my leaders praised me and told me how good I was several times. I really appreciated the confidence and self esteem boost!
4. Master the Tempest is Raging
I think this was one of my piano teacher's favorite songs. When she started teaching me to play the hymns, this was definitely high on her list of ones that she wanted me to learn. She passed on to me her passion for the way the music builds to a frenzy and then ends serenely.
This song details one of the coolest stories from the New Testament. Christ literally has power to make the winds and waves obey him! At times in my life I have felt like I might perish from the storms of trials beating upon me. But when I am in the depths of that panic that the Savior's disciples were feeling, all I have to do is cry out to my God in faith. He can deliver me, calm my storms, and give me peace.
5. I Love to See the Temple
This is my kids' favorite Primary song right now and has been for a while. A recording of them singing it serves as my ringtone. And no matter how many times we sing it, we still can't seem to be able to keep the two verses straight! :)
It's a nice tune with a great message. I truly do love to see the temple! When I hear this song, I am reminded of when Hubby and I were married (or "sealed") for time and all eternity in the temple (meaning for this life and the next). I am so grateful for the Priesthood power in the temple that makes it possible for our marriage and relationship with our children to be permanent. It's not "till death do us part."
6. Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel
In our first ward after being married, the chorister was a wonderful man who liked to direct the congregation as if it were a choir instead of a group of mostly untalented average people who preferred to keep their eyes on their hymnal. We quickly learned, though, that we had to keep our eyes on Bob.
I was called to be a regular substitute accompanist. Typically, congregational hymns are accompanied by an organ. I had learned to play organ but was not very confident. That was just fine in Bob's opinion! He preferred the piano anyway because it was easier to get more expression out of it. He wanted us to crescendo, decrescendo, rest, hold, speed up, and retard in various places so we could really feel the spirit and meaning of the song.
One song in particular that I cannot hear now without missing Bob is Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel. At the chorus he would slow us way down and then slowly build the speed and volume as we went, to give us the feeling of pushing a handcart to get it going from a dead stop.
7. Scripture Power
I remember learning this song in Primary when I was a child. One time, a couple years after we had learned it, we must have had a new pianist that didn't have a copy of the sheet music (since it's not in the regular songbook.) Several of us kids asked if we could sing that song when we were told to choose our favorite to sing. We were very disappointed when we were told that this one wasn't an option.
Many years later Hubby and I were called as Primary teachers in our first ward. Scripture Power was one of the new songs that was taught that year. When I heard it after forgetting about it's existence for so long, it was like meeting an old friend again.
Above all, it's such a fun song with a simple message, "Scripture Power keeps me safe from sin...is the power to win...everyday I need the power that I get each time I read."
What's your favorite religious hymn?
Friday, August 29, 2014
I Could Never Homeschool Because... Six Excuses
I'm going to start right off the bat and say that I don't care if you homeschool your kid or not. It's a personal choice between your family and God. Homeschooling has been a wonderful experience for my family. Maybe it can be a wonderful experience for yours. Or maybe public school, charter school, or private school is best.
My goal here is not to tell you that you should pull your kids out today and convert your playroom into a school room. My goal is to give some points to ponder to all those who are thinking, "I think my children could really benefit from homeschooling. Unfortunately, I could never do it because..."
1. They won't listen to me.
I'm going to start really blunt with this one. You're the parent. Your kids should listen to you. Period. Chores need to be done so you make them fun and/or non-negotiable to make sure your kids get them done. Same with school work. You've gotta do what you gotta do to make school work happen.
2. Homework time is the worst! I can't imagine doing that all day.
Homework =/= Homeschooling. Homework and homeschool are two completely different animals. Homework is done after the kids have had a long, tiring 6 hours at school. They would rather just chill in front of the TV or play. If you work in an office, do you come home and want to do 2 more hours of paperwork? No!
When I homeschool, I get my kids at the best part of the day when their attention spans are longer and their minds fresh, rested, and open. And we are usually done soon after lunch time. I firmly believe that 3 o'clock is a kind of witching hour. Everyone (including me) just wants a snack and a mental break.
3. When I'm pregnant, I just can't function and schoolwork wouldn't happen.
I totally sympathize with this one. When I'm pregnant, I usually get hyperemesis gravidarum which basically means that I puke all day. Thankfully I did not get it with my last pregnancy. Also, my first trimester (where I felt "normal" morning sickness and exhaustian) happened to fall during summer time. So I have not had to do school with those challenges.
But I have thought, "what if?" And my answer is that it would suck pretty bad to have to get up early every morning and get the kids fed, dressed, lunches packed, school papers packed and drive them to school. Sure, I could come home again and take a nap. But then I would have to be conscious and functioning again at 2:30 to do pick-up. Even not pregnant, I hated being a slave to daily drop-off and pick-up times! (Primus and Secundus each spent some time at a 5 day-per-week preschool and I also did a lot of driving for my friend's boy at one time.) Then, after school I would still have to monitor homework time. See #2 above.
Hypothetically, if I were pregnant during the school year and all I wanted to do was sleep and puke, I can imagine our school days would look something like the following. Not the ideal situation, but it would work and it would only be for a season.
Stumble out of bed at 9. Get the oldest kid to get cereal for the littles. I would then encourage the oldest kids to independently work on their assigned core subjects (teaching independence is a big key to making homeschooling successful in general) while I would attempt to read to the littles or pretend to listen to them practice reading to me. After an hour I would probably give up, tell everyone to pull out pattern blocks and geo boards, and remind myself that "children learn through play." At lunch time I would stumble into the kitchen and throw PB/J sandwiches and Go-Go-Squeezes at everyone. The rest of the afternoon would be filled with Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magic School Bus, School House Rock, and Liberty's Kids while I napped.
4. I have to work.
Honestly, I have not worked outside the home since my oldest was born, so I can't speak from personal experience. And I cannot wrap my head around the idea, either. It seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day! But I have met working moms (online and in real life) who somehow make it work. So it's possible. Somehow.
5. Isn't it expensive? I can't afford it.
Homeschool is only as expensive as you make it. There's this great myth that our society and educational system believe that says, "More money equals a better education." False.
I currently spend $4000 per year on curriculum, art supplies, and enrichment classes. I'm fortunate to live in a state where I can be associated with a charter school that gets public funds to pay for all those things for me. It's pretty awesome. And the money is one reason that we homeschool, because I would not be able to afford to send my girls to gymnastics, ballet, or music lessons on my own.
But! You don't have to spend $2000 per student per year to have a successful homeschool with happy, healthy children who learn a lot and grow to be functioning members of society. I follow a cool blog where this mom said back in 2012 that with 7 children (including a baby) her homeschool budget for the year was only $500.
To homeschool cheaply you just have to be creative. The web is full of free and cheap resources. The library will become your best friend. Alibris is an online bookstore where my friend with 5 kids gets tons of used books on the cheap. I've been lucky to find some awesome stuff at thrift stores.
Also, sending your kid to public school can get pretty expensive, too! Every year you have to buy new back-to-school outfits, new backpacks, school supplies, supplies for the kids that can't afford them, and things like Kleenex for the class. Then there's the field trip fees and fundraisers. Plus, you may feel obligated to spend a bunch of money and time making a Pinterest-worthy teacher gift for the first day of class, Christmas, and the last day of class.
6. I really need my alone time.
Introverts homeschool too. Here's one. Some families have a strict quiet time after lunch each day. The littles nap, the biggers read, and mom does whatever she wants.
Like I mentioned above, one key to a successful homeschool is to teach your kids to be independent. While they work independently, you could declare a "teacher prep hour" and go to a room where you won't be disturbed. Of course, especially in the elementary years many subjects and assignments will still need hands-on support. But a lot of things can be done on their own. And it will take time for your kid to get to the point where they will pull out an assignment, do it, and then pull out another one without being harped on. We're still working on it with Primus in third grade but she's almost there!
One last idea, if you can afford it, is to put your children in enrichment classes a couple times per week. Drop them off at dance, violin, art, writing class, science lab, karate, etc (or two back-to-back classes!) And then if you still have littles with you, take them to a park where they can run while you watch from a quiet, shady bench. Or if you're lucky enough to not have young ones tagging along, take the time to get your nails done, read a book while lounging at a Starbucks, or go grocery shopping without grubby hands trying to sneak candy into the cart. Just because it's called "homeschool" doesn't mean that every subject every day has to be taught by YOU at HOME.
All of the above excuses for not homeschooling are very valid ones. With any decision made, there will be pros and cons. The cons have to be weighed and perhaps overcome. Life, especially as a parent, is never smooth or easy so we have to prioritize and plan accordingly. If you feel that homeschooling is what your family is supposed to do, Heavenly Father will guide and help you to make it possible.
My goal here is not to tell you that you should pull your kids out today and convert your playroom into a school room. My goal is to give some points to ponder to all those who are thinking, "I think my children could really benefit from homeschooling. Unfortunately, I could never do it because..."
1. They won't listen to me.
I'm going to start really blunt with this one. You're the parent. Your kids should listen to you. Period. Chores need to be done so you make them fun and/or non-negotiable to make sure your kids get them done. Same with school work. You've gotta do what you gotta do to make school work happen.
2. Homework time is the worst! I can't imagine doing that all day.
Homework =/= Homeschooling. Homework and homeschool are two completely different animals. Homework is done after the kids have had a long, tiring 6 hours at school. They would rather just chill in front of the TV or play. If you work in an office, do you come home and want to do 2 more hours of paperwork? No!
When I homeschool, I get my kids at the best part of the day when their attention spans are longer and their minds fresh, rested, and open. And we are usually done soon after lunch time. I firmly believe that 3 o'clock is a kind of witching hour. Everyone (including me) just wants a snack and a mental break.
3. When I'm pregnant, I just can't function and schoolwork wouldn't happen.
I totally sympathize with this one. When I'm pregnant, I usually get hyperemesis gravidarum which basically means that I puke all day. Thankfully I did not get it with my last pregnancy. Also, my first trimester (where I felt "normal" morning sickness and exhaustian) happened to fall during summer time. So I have not had to do school with those challenges.
But I have thought, "what if?" And my answer is that it would suck pretty bad to have to get up early every morning and get the kids fed, dressed, lunches packed, school papers packed and drive them to school. Sure, I could come home again and take a nap. But then I would have to be conscious and functioning again at 2:30 to do pick-up. Even not pregnant, I hated being a slave to daily drop-off and pick-up times! (Primus and Secundus each spent some time at a 5 day-per-week preschool and I also did a lot of driving for my friend's boy at one time.) Then, after school I would still have to monitor homework time. See #2 above.
Hypothetically, if I were pregnant during the school year and all I wanted to do was sleep and puke, I can imagine our school days would look something like the following. Not the ideal situation, but it would work and it would only be for a season.
Stumble out of bed at 9. Get the oldest kid to get cereal for the littles. I would then encourage the oldest kids to independently work on their assigned core subjects (teaching independence is a big key to making homeschooling successful in general) while I would attempt to read to the littles or pretend to listen to them practice reading to me. After an hour I would probably give up, tell everyone to pull out pattern blocks and geo boards, and remind myself that "children learn through play." At lunch time I would stumble into the kitchen and throw PB/J sandwiches and Go-Go-Squeezes at everyone. The rest of the afternoon would be filled with Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magic School Bus, School House Rock, and Liberty's Kids while I napped.
4. I have to work.
Honestly, I have not worked outside the home since my oldest was born, so I can't speak from personal experience. And I cannot wrap my head around the idea, either. It seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day! But I have met working moms (online and in real life) who somehow make it work. So it's possible. Somehow.
5. Isn't it expensive? I can't afford it.
Homeschool is only as expensive as you make it. There's this great myth that our society and educational system believe that says, "More money equals a better education." False.
I currently spend $4000 per year on curriculum, art supplies, and enrichment classes. I'm fortunate to live in a state where I can be associated with a charter school that gets public funds to pay for all those things for me. It's pretty awesome. And the money is one reason that we homeschool, because I would not be able to afford to send my girls to gymnastics, ballet, or music lessons on my own.
But! You don't have to spend $2000 per student per year to have a successful homeschool with happy, healthy children who learn a lot and grow to be functioning members of society. I follow a cool blog where this mom said back in 2012 that with 7 children (including a baby) her homeschool budget for the year was only $500.
To homeschool cheaply you just have to be creative. The web is full of free and cheap resources. The library will become your best friend. Alibris is an online bookstore where my friend with 5 kids gets tons of used books on the cheap. I've been lucky to find some awesome stuff at thrift stores.
Also, sending your kid to public school can get pretty expensive, too! Every year you have to buy new back-to-school outfits, new backpacks, school supplies, supplies for the kids that can't afford them, and things like Kleenex for the class. Then there's the field trip fees and fundraisers. Plus, you may feel obligated to spend a bunch of money and time making a Pinterest-worthy teacher gift for the first day of class, Christmas, and the last day of class.
6. I really need my alone time.
Introverts homeschool too. Here's one. Some families have a strict quiet time after lunch each day. The littles nap, the biggers read, and mom does whatever she wants.
Like I mentioned above, one key to a successful homeschool is to teach your kids to be independent. While they work independently, you could declare a "teacher prep hour" and go to a room where you won't be disturbed. Of course, especially in the elementary years many subjects and assignments will still need hands-on support. But a lot of things can be done on their own. And it will take time for your kid to get to the point where they will pull out an assignment, do it, and then pull out another one without being harped on. We're still working on it with Primus in third grade but she's almost there!
One last idea, if you can afford it, is to put your children in enrichment classes a couple times per week. Drop them off at dance, violin, art, writing class, science lab, karate, etc (or two back-to-back classes!) And then if you still have littles with you, take them to a park where they can run while you watch from a quiet, shady bench. Or if you're lucky enough to not have young ones tagging along, take the time to get your nails done, read a book while lounging at a Starbucks, or go grocery shopping without grubby hands trying to sneak candy into the cart. Just because it's called "homeschool" doesn't mean that every subject every day has to be taught by YOU at HOME.
All of the above excuses for not homeschooling are very valid ones. With any decision made, there will be pros and cons. The cons have to be weighed and perhaps overcome. Life, especially as a parent, is never smooth or easy so we have to prioritize and plan accordingly. If you feel that homeschooling is what your family is supposed to do, Heavenly Father will guide and help you to make it possible.
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