Spring Break

There's a special magic in the air that arrives with spring break, which is similar to that of a full moon....maybe it's the pollen in the air that drives the senses wild and causes the mind to careen out of control. I felt it in the house today as the boys tried to demonstrate their "good" listening skills. Children are not robots. They weren't made with "off" buttons, or an "EASY" button for that matter. All I know is that sometimes it's better to join them, than to beat them, of course I would never mean that in the physical sense; however, when the statement was delivered, "when I hear that noise, I feel like banging on the source with my fist to get it to stop," the child replied, "that's OK mom, sometimes I feel like doing that to my brother, so don't feel left out," well, let's just say we all felt that magic of spring break in the air and had a good laugh. A good laugh is what we often need to get through a history lesson in which there is no field trip available that will take its place.

History class was never my favorite. As a grown-up, I can understand the pressures teachers are under to grab a childs attention and present him with information that is so important that you see his eyes staring back intently, hanging on each syllable you utter, which flows like a musical note from your lips. Well, that's how the teacher feels about the lesson, while the student cannot relate to the purpose of learning old things that happened long ago. Text books present the information in a boring, clinical tone; though making the information relevant to him is as challenging as producing a broadway show.

If ever I could use a mentor, it's definitely in the area of history. My educational style is not one that agrees with rote learning, but history is one subject where I have to stretch my imagination to be a "creative" teacher. I welcome any recommendations for a fun history curriculum.

Voice to text

We are having lots of fun today....OK, I'm not sure if fun is the proper description, but we are definitely being challenged. Using the vocabulary from Moby Dick, the boys are making vocabulary tables, which will be cut into cards for a matching game. The hard part of the task is that they are inputting the words into a chart using Dragon Naturally Speaking software. Dragon changes spoken words into text. Hehehe, unfortunately, the words are really hard for the program to recognize; therefore, Ben has to train the program to recognize each one. Josh is working the keyboard and mouse, while Ben is speaking into microphone and reading the words and their meanings. Doing this together makes the work is harder than doing a three legged race because they have to watch and listen for each other to know when to do their parts. I'm certain that the task could be completed quickly and easily if they were to type the information, but using the software makes it more fun and challenging.

Colonies, Math and Moby Dick

After a good nights sleep and a cup of coffee I was ready for Herman today. We've been reading Moby Dick by Herman Melville for weeks and have not yet encountered a whale. Actually, we are on chapter 31. Today was a difficult day of reading because it read almost like a script. It described each of crew members who were on the upper deck singing and dancing. Whew I was happy to finish that chapter and glad it was relatively short. One thing Moby Dick is not short on is vocabulary terms. Each page can offer the children 5 new words, though I only assign those they cannot understand in context.

Reprieve from reading aloud comes with our math curriculum. The boys are using Math U See, which presents the lesson on DVD. That gives mom a chance to take a break while the boys have a new lesson presented.

History is one of the boys favorite subjects. The All American History by Celeste Rakes is the series we are using. It's very textbookish, but thorough. The book alone can be dry, so additional biographies from the library are helpful. The teachers book is loaded with activities that extend the lesson. Today we read more about the North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia colonies.

Today Ben made his first batch of homemade buttermilk biscuits. He should be proud. They turned out very well.

Flexible Scheduling

Another great advantage of homeschooling is the flexibility with schedules. It's a good feeling to know that dental appointments can be scheduled any time of the day because school work can be worked around it. We started our morning at the orthodontist to have Ben's wires removed, went to the dentist for a cleaning and then back to the orthodontist for the wires to be put back on and adjusted. It's a long process, but Ben will appreciate the rewards when his teeth look great.

Speech Class

Today was our day for Speech Class. Ben (12) and Josh (10) are both enrolled in a class to improve public speaking. Of course, participating in the class was not their idea, but both boys wish to be naval aviators and know that, one day, they will find themselves addressing groups of people.

Studies have shown that many people's greatest fear is that of public speaking. Sure we see it in church and on the news all the time, but are we personally ready to place ourselves in the limelight? It is my goal to help Ben and Josh face that fear before it is ever a problem.

Getting Started

This blog is for all who wish to share the ideas and opinions of homeschooling. I am a mother of two boys. Our homeschool journey began two years ago when faced with a tough decision to keep the boys enrolled in a crowded parochial classroom or quit my job as the school librarian to homeschool. I am thankful for the outcome of the decision to homeschool. I am blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with my boys and share their educational experiences.

My educational background is that of a Florida certified teacher in Kindergarten through sixth grade, who skipped the classroom teaching experience in lieu of raising the boys. As a Navy wife on the move every two years, I found it more convenient to be a stay-at-home mom in the early childhood years. Both boys attended Catholic schools in the early elementary years and eventually, I found a dream job in the school's library. Reading has always been a passion of mine, but more so when the boys were young and I had a captive audience in which to read. Working in a school library is the most rewarding experience a book lover can have. Unfortunately, it had to end when I made the decision not to enroll the boys in the school when I learned that the oldest sons classroom would contain 34 students. I trusted the teachers and knew that he would survive the year, but that was not enough for me. In my heart, I knew there was a better way. It was an easy decision to make and I am thrilled to share my boys lives more fully.

I hope this blog will be a place for other homeschoolers to share important ideas and information. A place to commiserate, advise, support, exchange, and lift-up others who seek.