my kind of school day

I am all for school days that look like school, but every once in a while it is nice to do something different.  Yesterday was that kind of a day.

Our history lesson ... Mississippi Heritage Days at the Agricultural and Forestry Museum:



The group



D manning the gas pump

LB in front of the rose garden

JW refusing to actually look at me ...
with the blacksmith shop in the background

Ronnie and Ira watching the blacksmith make a
horse head bottle opener ...
later Ronnie tried it out to see if it really worked

Civics class ... taking the kids with us to vote:

I wonder if just one more sign would ifluence my vote one way or another??

Science ... gathering leaves for LB's book-it project and later finding out why those leaves change colors in the fall:

LB helping this one along a little bit ... it wasn't quite ready to fall

We finished off the day with a trip to the library to get a book about why leaves change colors ... and in that book we learned why the colors have been so wonderful this fall ... but that is a story for another day ... right now it is time to get ready for church!

I've got a bit of catching up to do

It seems like it has been forever since I have blogged on a regular basis ... probably because it is true.  The reason has nothing to do with my love for blogging, it is a time issue.  I just can't seem to find the time to write the kinds of posts I want to write, so I don't write at all.  But, for today, I'm claiming a few minutes for myself, letting the kids sleep in a little later than is now normal for us, and enjoying a cup of coffee while I try to catch up a bit.

School is in full swing around here and going pretty well.  I still haven't found exactly what I want to use for language arts this year, so I am just winging it until I do a little more research (and until Ronnie's new job is official and money isn't as tight).  For now we are focusing on history, science, math, and spelling.  We are also increasing our read-alouds, so I am not too worried as of yet.  We have plenty to keep us busy.

LB is in 6th grade this year ... there, I said it.  I've been in denial about having a 6th grader, but I have to come to terms with it!  Our focus this year for her is getting her caught up in math.  She struggled in math when she was younger and I made the decision to go back and make sure she got a better foundation before moving on.  I still believe that it was the right decision, but she is very sensitive to the fact that she is not back to where she would have been if we hadn't changed (and is not doing the same work as her friends).  It is hard for her to understand, but having struggled all the way through highschool and college myself because of a weak foundation in math, I am much more concerned about her academic success, but I know it is rough to be teased about something completely out of your hands.  On a high note, she has finally decided that she loves to read and is reading all the time now.  We are exploring different genres of literature (historical fiction, biography, mystery) and so far historical fiction seems to be her favorite.  Like mother, like daughter!  I am hoping to use her new-found love of reading to push very gently lead her into writing more, but we shall see.

JW is in 4th grade this year and moving right along.  He is doing fine in school, but he is also the only one of my kids who asks, on a regular basis, why do we homeschool?  He also asks if he can go to public school and I have to explain to him (again and again) why we made the decision to homeschool* and why we will stick by that decision.  I can't say that he fully understands, but one day he will (at least that is my prayer) and then maybe he'll come to know that this is not some strange lifestyle chosen simply to torture him.  One thing that has been bothering me about JW is that his normally sensitive nature seems to be at war with a desire to appear tough.  My kids have never really had to deal with a bully so we've never even talked about their existence.  It upsets me to see some of those characteristics coming out in him, especially when it is almost always directed toward his own siblings, though I have recently seen it aimed at a younger girl at church who didn't want to play a game the way the other kids always play it.  I don't want to give the impression that he is going around demanding little kids give up their milk money.  For the most part, he is still his normal easy-going self with most people (outside of our house, anyway), but this is a new twist and we want to help him navigate through this little identity crisis safely.  As for this year in school, my main goal is to help him gain confidence in his own abilities to read and write.  It may just be that a boost in confidence may be the answer to the other problems we are having, too.

D is now in school for real, which still only amounts to a couple of hours a day.  If he were in normal school, he would be in 5 year old kindergarten this year.  I started doing kindergarten work with him last spring, but then things kind of fell apart when Mama was in the hospital and had to have surgery and we really didn't get very far with him.  So, I just picked up this year where I left off with his kindergarten materials and let me tell you, he is bored!  I think we are going to combine his basic phonics with a first grade math program and see if that keeps him busy enough.  He is still learning that school is not something that he can just say, okay I am done for the day and have that fly.  I love teaching this age, though and seeing the light come on as he learns to sound out words and begins doing math.  Back when I thought I was going to be a teacher, I never thought I wanted to teach young children and in truth I probably don't have the patience or the personality for it, but I do find few things more thrilling than seeing a child learn to read.  I am looking forward to a good year with D, but I won't know until we get to the end if I will be promoting him to 1st or 2nd grade.

*Ronnie and I made the decision to homeschool before we were even married.  I was a secondary education major at Delta State and it became clear to me that this was not what God wanted for my life.  Most of the classes seemed to be more directed at saving students from their parents rather than teaching me how to teach them literature and writing.  When I chose to change my focus just be an English major without the education part, Ronnie and I began to talk about education options for the children we hoped to have one day and even then we agreed that homeschooling was the best choice.  We believed then, and still believe now, that this is the life that God has ordained for our family.  Those of you who homeschool know that this isn't just an educational choice, it is a lifestyle and no part of your life is untouched by this decision.  It would be a lie for me to tell you that I don't have days when I wish I could oblige my son and just let him go to real school (his words), I have no doubt that it would be easier for us both in some respects, but it just isn't an option if we want to be obedient to the call God has placed on our lives.

I didn't really intend this post to be only about school, but since I must get the kids up and going if we are going to get anything accomplished today and since I am now almost finished with my 2nd cup of coffee, I think it is time for me to get on with my day.  So talking about our fair projects, the salamander in my muffin tin, and the plans for our relay center's 2011 countdown to collection week (for Operation Christmas Child) will have to wait for another day, except for me to say that I am so very excited about our speaker for the event!

check this out...please!

I have started a new blog (as if I don't have enough to do, already) to record more of our homeschooling adventure.

Got a minute?  Check it out!

Chelsea Academy

Don't expect too much just yet ... we only started our new school year 20 minutes ago!

field trip

I'm so excited!  Today is an unusual day for our family.  We are going on a field trip with our homeschool group and we have the rare treat of having Ronnie go with us.  Not surprisingly, he is usually working when we go on field trips and so I am usually the one that takes the kids.  I am not complaining, but I would be lying if I said that there aren't times when it would be easier to have him with us when I am trying to keep up with three kids.

Today, we are going to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies with the kids' Zoology co-op class.  This year their class is Apologia Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day.  I absolutely love Apologia science.  The textbook is written directly to the students, which seems to hold their interest better than some other textbooks we have used.  I am pretty sure that this tour today will be a great way to connect what they have learned to the real world.

The other advantage to this field trip today ... and the reason that Ronnie is with us ... is that the place we will be touring is in his home town, which is about 3 hours away from home.  The kids were so excited yesterday that we could barely contain them.  They love to come and spend time with Granny, so this is a double treat for them.

Hopefully, following this tour today, I will have some great pictures to show you of the kids and the animals they will get to see today.

"b says /b/ as in bell"

Alternately - b says /b/ as in battle. 

You know the kind ... where the will of a 4 year old meets head on the will of his 30 something mother who is trying to maintain the image of a happy Monday in her little homeschool, all while considering locking the children in their rooms until their Daddy arrives home from work.

Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating.

Or maybe not.

It doesn't really matter though, because in the end, Mama won and the 4 year old went through his entire alphabet repeating the name of the leter and the letter's sound.

And, nobody got locked in their room ... yet.

the words I hate the most

There are two words that bring more trouble to the life of our little school than any other. These are the words that instantly stop any progress and can within seconds cause my anger to rise. They are so easy to say and so hard to overcome. As far as I can tell, there is no positive application for these words (though I am sure that there is something redeeming about the words, but for now, I don't even want to hear it).

You may have guessed by now that I am talking about the words I can't.

I can't work this math page.

I can't read that word.

I can't write an interesting story.

I can't be nice to my brother/sister.

Some days I just want to scream: YES YOU CAN! And if you tell me that you can't one more time I am going to come unglued!!!!!!

Rather than totally losing it with my kids (which I will confess to having done, but I am working on that) I have found myself quoting to them the equation: I can't = I won't try = I will fail. I am not sure where I heard this and I don't know if it is sinking in with them, but my goal for this year is to banish that evil idea from my kids' minds and replace it with Philippians 4:13 (which is the verse we have chosen for our school). I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I would love to hear your ideas about how to accomplish this goal. How would you suggest getting rid of this attitude?

Snooze and some thoughts about today

No one likes to oversleep. It is okay to sleep late if it is planned, but I hate that rushed feeling when I realize that I have hit the snooze button one too many times.

So, I am wondering how my neighbors must have felt when they woke up this morning. You see, I like to walk between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning and this morning, while walking by one of the last houses on my street I could hear a strange buzzing sound. I had to take off my headphones to be sure of what I was hearing, but sure enough, it was some one's alarm clock going off. And it continued to go off for the duration of my walk, which was at least 30 minutes.

I am betting someone was late for work this morning, but since I don't have a clue who lives there, chances are I'll never know.

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Today is a big day for our little school. At least it is for me ... not so much for the kids.

First, our new math curriculum should arrive today. This is huge for me since my daughter has been struggling with math for quite some time now. I have been feeling her struggle very personally since I believe that the root of her struggle lies in my own weak background in math. I chose this new math program based on the fact that I think I will be able to teach it better, thus helping her to learn better. We will begin this new math this summer, as soon as we get home from our vacation. We have never had school in the summer before, but I really want to see her get caught up in math, so I think it is worth the effort.

Second, I will take the kids to sign up for co-op classes with our homeschool group today. For the last 2 years LB has taken classes and I have taught high school lit/writing courses. For next year, LB and JW will both be taking classes, but I won't be teaching. I am looking forward to the break, but I will miss teaching. I enjoy working with the high school students; I had even planned to teach high school as a career before God changed my direction and called me to stay home and school my own children. One nice thing about next year's co-op is that I will have a few hours on a regular basis to spend alone with my little hurricane. We don't get that very often. Another positive is how much JW is looking forward to joining his big sister in the "real" classes. I think that it is going to be a good year.

For now, I must get busy finishing the devotion I will lead in our ladies' prayer time at church tonight. I have been working on this for several weeks now and am feeling a little nervous about it. I will probably post more about it later, but for now, if you are curious, the scripture I will focus on is Acts 17:6. I would appreciate any prayers offered on my behalf today ... I truly believe that God laid this devotion on my heart and I want to do His will in sharing it tonight.