Gratitude and Random Observations in my Life

It's been a wild and crazy Fall season so far and the Christmas holiday is now upon us. Writing a blog is difficult to do sometimes because there is so much going on in life and inside my head that finding time to sit down and work it all out seems nearly impossible. But lists are manageable. I like lists. Very much. So here goes my attempt to share things that I am grateful for and some random observations I want to record for the ages.

Homeschooling

1. I have discovered over the past months that James really LIKES handwriting. I was so worried that he would dread it and I was mentally prepared for that to be our struggle. Nope. Not even close. Wanna know what he groans about? Math! I take some of the busy work out of it by writing for him. He counts and builds large numbers with the blocks and I write down his answer on the worksheet. I even color the blocks. I just want him to think about counting and not missing numbers and now focus on addition and building numbers. He counted to 100 the other day! It was a wonderful experience to see him working hard to do it. 
2. James loves the word games we play. He is developing pre-reading skills and he likes the word games where he gets to talk (his words). In the beginning, he struggled with understanding rhyming words and so he started thinking up pairs of words he thought rhymed. So, since about September, he will randomly say to me or Chris, "Hey! Tree and bee rhyme!" as an example. 
3. James read a new word the other day from the TV! We were watching "The Incredible Hulk" (the 1970's show) and he saw G-R-I-F-F on a tombstone and asked, "Does that say Griff?". I couldn't believe it!!! 
4. James is just now (like in the past week and a half) starting to draw. I have Nana to thank for that. She sends James that great magazine Ranger Rick Jr. (formally known as My Big Backyard). Each issue has a page of drawings that kids have submitted...and they are all his age. He is very interested in knowing the ages of the kids and what they have drawn. It's been a great influence. 

Raising Boys

1. I've been doing a lot of reading about raising boys and parenting in general. A couple of them seem to contradict each other but when reading these books, I have to be aware of what I already know about my child and what will and won't work. That Love and Logic book will not work right now. I know this after reading Beyond Time Out From Chaos to Calm I realized that I need James to do as I say. If it's 40 degrees outside and he is refusing to put on a coat, then he is not going outside. Love and Logic tell you to let the child make the decision and learn from it that way...natural consequences. That's all fine and dandy....when they are older but not at five. A five-year-old can't be expected to even remember that harsh lesson. They are simply not mature enough to learn from their mistakes the the first time.
2. And can I just vent for a second???? Well it IS my blog so here it is: Why do books advocate taking home the child who is in public having a temper tantrum???? I don't get it! When James did that, I would  a.) ignore it or b.) talk to him and let him know that his behavior would not be tolerated. I NEVER let his behavior prevent me from getting my groceries or eating dinner out. Why give a child that kind of power???? There is a c). Chris gives him a "talk". (I don't know what is said but it works. I've seen my brother-in-law do this with my nephew too. Very enigmatic.) Chris and I have taught him how we expect him to behave in public. Ok. I'm done.
3. An inspirational book I have been reading is called Boys Should be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons. The most precious thing I have learned is that boys James' age will easily accept and believe in God. This is a critical time in his life in which I should be instilling my values and his father's values now. While we don't go to church, we talk about God, I have added devotions to our lessons and we pray. Our lives are too hectic and I feel guilty that church is being put on hold. Being at church as a little girl is something I still remember. It helped to develop my character and who I am too. I really want that for James. I think I may have to come to a point where I simply will not work on Sundays so that I have the energy to get up and go to church and also have time for rest and time with family. Perhaps I just found my New Year's Resolution. 
4. James will tell me NO for just about everything I ask him to do (he doesn't get away with it though) and then, on a new day, he will latch on to me like a monkey and say he wants to hug me for 1,080 years. It's always 1,080 and I have no idea why. Whether he is talking about percent as in, "I love you a thousand and eighty percent" or going to time out, "Do I have to stay in my room for a thousand and eighty days???". 

Family

1. I have recently felt very grateful for my mother and all she does for me. She helps my sister and I quite a bit and rarely, if ever, says no to a request. I have been working extra hours and she has been really wonderful in letting James spend the night on short notice. It's good that he likes going over there too. Too often the relationships of mothers and daughters can seem complicated but it doesn't have to be.
2. This Thanksgiving I realized that I love the traditions that are being created as an adult at my parent's house. After dinner, me, my sister and my Mom are left at the table to talk. We talk and talk until something breaks the spell. This Thanksgiving, it was my Mom tipping over her crystal goblet and it shattered all over the table. :) It was kinda funny. James and my nephew chase each other through the kitchen and into the den over and over again. My Dad tickles James relentlessly...just like he did to me and my sister when we were little. 

I know I have forgotten some valuable observations and other significant thoughts but the clean laundry is piled up so high on my bed right now I won't be able to get the sheets on it later. It's been nice to take a few minutes to write. Granted I started this post about 2 hours ago. I ate lunch int he middle of it.  Then James came running in from outside to say he needed a coat and stole the strawberries that I was eating. He wanted enough for him and Regan (our neighbor) and two forks. Sigh. Smile.

October= Life in Overdrive!!!

Life in overdrive. Busier than I can even remember being in a very long time. Let me just list the obvious items that has made life so busy:
1. Soccer practice each Thursday night
2. Soccer game every Saturday
3. Legacy every Friday morning
4. Preparation for teaching my Legacy class each week
5. Lessons at home Tuesday -Thursday
6. Chris' work schedule
7. My work schedule
8. I ran my 2nd 5K which put me out of town for a weekend
9. My in-laws came to visit us for a week (smile)
10. Friday Park playdates
11. Training for Thanksgiving Day 5K
12. Spooktacular Event with the NC Symphony Kid's series
13. Countdown to the Election & working as a poll watcher

It's been so busy that I have neglected my blog for over a month. Maybe that's ok. I've been busy living. Trying to stay focused and live in the now. I often have a hard time staying in the present mentally. I tend to think of the things to come.

Now, the soccer season has ended and Legacy is over. Both have been so good for James. At his last soccer game of the year, he made THREE goals!!! They call that a "hat trick". I had no idea that it was something so special that it has a name. During the 8 weeks of Legacy, James participated in Show and Tell. He never missed a morning to share something.

During all of the craziness that was October, I increased my hours at work. I had been working about 25 hours a week and now I am up to 30 or 31 hours which means I have added an extra shift. Between my husband and I, there is not one day of the week in which we are both off. It's hard sometimes but we made the commitment to homeschool and my husband has his own business. These are the sacrifices we make. I am an optimistic, glass-half-full kind of person and even when life is demanding and I feel weary, I am still happy. I say prayers of gratitude for my husband, James and our health. I pray in gratitude for family that is close by and offer support whether in words or deeds. Simply, life is good.

Raising boys, Teaching Boys

The assumes that I am working with boys plural, but I have just one that I am raising and teaching. I think this topic fits all boys no matter where or how they are schooled. As James and I have been doing our lessons these past 2 weeks, I have made some keen observations about his readiness for academics. As we concentrate on math, reading and writing each morning I have discovered the following:

1. James does not yet possess the fine motor skills to write some of his letters. (nor the desire)
2. James has yet to understand what rhyming words are. It's hard for him to match two rhyming words together. When we play rhyming word games, he will make a guess then look at my face for clues to whether he is right or wrong. He even sings, "Rain, rain go away, come again another time.". 
3. Math is boring right now. He gets it. All that counting cubes is slightly mundane. (I can turn this into a positive)
4. He loathes coloring/crafting unless he gets to use "gadgets" or if it's messy.

So, first, please see here that one of the beauties of homeschooling is that I can observe my child upclose and personal and adjust academics accordingly. As I have talked with some of my mommy friends over the summer, I have often repeated that if James were going to public school, I believe Chris and I would have made the decision to hold him back a year. He just turned five in July so he is a "young" five-year-old. He is not ready for a 6-hour "work" day. Not only have I considered what would be expected of him academically , I have also considered his desire to learn. I believe this can not be ignored. I remember taking a workshop once during a retreat at work and the presenters talked about willingness and abilities. Exceptional abilities may not matter so much if the person with said abilities has no willingness or desire to apply them. I would expect this is doubly true for children. I am also taking into consideration that James is a red-blooded American boy. He needs to move. He needs to talk. He needs to catch bugs outside in my garden. He needs to play and pretend that he is a monster robot coming to attack the house. He needs to pretend to be my newly found dog that I must care for and play with. With all that being said, I plan to make some adjustments to our lessons.

1. We will continue handwriting lessons but we will take it slower. We won't learn a new letter everyday but only when he has mastered the current letter. I am also acting as his scribe. For example, during math, I don't care if he can write his numbers right now. We will get to that. I want him to focus on counting. I will write the numbers. When  I do this, he gets excited because he gets to "teach" Mommy. Another thing I have started is letting him tell me what to write for him. Sometimes kids need to be free from the process of writing their words so they can think about what it is they want to say. So, we sent birthdays cards to 2 people last week and I helped James write a letter to each person. Granted it was only about 2 sentences long but they were HIS thoughts. HIS words. And I made him sign his own name.
2. Recognizing rhyming words are a very important pre-reading skill. Nursery rhymes are being pulled out and dusted so that we can sing more. I have a CD and everything. 
3. For our math lessons, I may skip some of the lessons so I can find ones that will be challenging for him and keep his interest. 
4. As for crafts, I don't know if I will ever get this child to do crafts on a regular basis. I have to accept that. He IS doing crafts in his Animals class on our Legacy Friday co-op days and he is participating...but he is doing the bare minimum. Last Friday, they were supposed to glue feathers on a picture of a dodo bird. James glued 3 feathers. That's it. He was proud of himself and really he loved learning about the dodo bird and then educating me about it. 
5. One more thing we did yesterday was to pull out jigsaw puzzles. James was never really interested in doing them but I thought it was time to introduce them again. We had a great morning doing the puzzles. For some reason that I can't articulate right now, it seemed to fit with the rhyming words struggle. I figured that if he can visually look at puzzle pieces and find the ones that go together, maybe he can also start to auditorally match words that rhyme.

In addition to these little changes, I am reading a great book about boys. I just started it and I really like it. Boys are amazing creatures and need to be understood from that perspective. I can not expect to do justice by James academically if  I don't look at him as a whole person. 

A Series of Firsts this week

It has been a good week. James and I have moved into our second week of homeschool kindergarten and with that came the first Friday with the Legacy co-op through the group in which we are members. I was very nervous going into it. See, I would be teaching a class for the first time...for other people's kids! And James would be taking two classes in which others were teaching him. It was a great experience!!

First day with Legacy (each Friday for 8 weeks).
James just knew there would be Show & Tell and he wanted to take the horn worm he had caught on Thursday evening. I, hesitantly, allowed it. I figured if it didn't go well, we would release him and no harm done. He stood up in a room FULL of strangers and talked about his horn worm. He told them where they live and that  they turn into pupa and then into hawk moths. He told them about the white cocoons that can grow on their backs and turn into wasps. I almost cried. What a wonderful Show & Tell. As soon as he sat down, a little boy came and sat next to me on the floor and stared at me; willing me to look at him. It worked. I looked at him and realized exactly what he wanted. He wanted an up-close view of that horn worm. James was making friends. I should have known. He was also a big hit during snack time too. Even little girls wanted a close-up look.

Show & Tell

First time teaching kindergartners.
After Show & Tell and some announcements, James went to Geology class as I went to my Five in a Row reading/crafts class. My co-teacher, Diana, was leading our first class so I helped with getting the crafts set up. We have about 10 girls and 2 boys in our class. Wow. Girls are soooooo different than boys! And Diana and I are a great team because she has a daughter in the class so she knows about little girls...and of course I know about little boys. These two boys weren't much different than James. They can't sit still and the little girls can! it's uncanny! We read "Three Names". It's a story of a boy and a dog. Then we moved to the craft table. They are decorating paper plates each week so that by the end of the class, they will have a complete mobile of all the stories we have read. I take no credit for this. Diana is great with crafts. After that, Diana took the kids to the floor for a game of marbles. There was a part of the story in which the boys play marbles. Everyone enjoyed that.

A game of marbles

After the first hour class (the kids who are a part of Legacy take 2 classes each Friday morning), everyone goes to the big room for snack time. Lordy!! I forgot that I was supposed to bring snacks for James! I was mortified! Luckily, Diana came to the rescue. She had an extra granola bar. But as soon as I saw James come into the room, I realized I had nothing to worry about. He had a chocolate mustache!!! I was thinking to myself, how did he get a chocolate mustache in Geology class?!?!?! I soon found out. He comes up to me (still carrying his creature peeper with the horn worm inside) and, with a big grin, tells me, "Mom! We made the center of the Earf (Earth) with marshmallows and chocolate!!! Well, well, well. Geology IS a great class! Rocks, fossils AND chocolate! No doubt! He loved it and told me that he knew his class was WAY better than my stupid class. Yes, he actually said that but in the car on the way home he says to me, "Mom, tell me about your class. I want to hear allllll about it.". Ha! One of the benefits of Legacy is that the Moms teach a class and then they get an hour break to have some R&R with the other moms. It was nice to have that time built in. My group had about 15-20 moms and we introduced ourselves and decided on how we would use our time for the remaining 8 weeks. We prayed for each other in small groups at the end of our hour. It was touching. I haven't prayed with others so intimately in years.

First 5K
As a way to carve out some time for myself, I started the Couch to 5K training program. I had seen some of my girlfriends via Facebook running and having a great time doing it. I ran in high school and I have always thought of myself as a runner even though I haven't run in years. I was a sprinter in high school, did some road races in college and I thought it was time to reconnect with the runner in me. So, the Couch to 5K program was perfect. It's a 9-week training program and I signed up for a 5K that would take place 10 weeks after beginning the program. James watched me train each day. He tried to run with me sometimes. I ran yesterday. At the North Carolina Zoo. There were about 500 runners there. And I did it! It was so awesome! Chris, my husband, and James were with me and it made it so wonderful. I loved that they were with me. My men. So, it's official. I have the bug now. My next 5K is on October 6th with one of my very best friends from high school. We haven't been in touch for a while and I am looking forward to running and reconnecting. :) The one after that....is Thanksgiving Day!!! Haha. See? I have the bug!

Run Wild 5K

I have another blog post in me right now but on a totally different subject. The next topic will be about knowing your child and readiness. :) Can't wait to tackle that one.

It's Back to School week!

One of the great things about homeschooling is that I get to decide when the first day of school will be. :) I never started school AFTER Labor Day. At least for this year, it's perfect. James is starting to get an itch to do science! But let me back up a bit and start at the beginning.

I set a budget for myself of $400 for curriculum this year. And I was very confident about the math, handwriting and science programs I wanted to used. But deciding on a reading program was proving quite difficult. I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to go down to the Homeschool Gathering Place, look for a person working there, get them to hold my hand and help me find what I needed. And it happened just like that!!!!! I met Victoria and she was wonderful! She saw me wandering around store, I guess, and as she passed me helping another mom she says to me, "You're new. I'll be with you in a minute.". Just like that! She came to my aid armed with information that all beginners need to know like when to register your homeschool and helpful websites. I told her what I was looking for. Here's what I bought:

1. Math U See Primer Teachers Manual- $15 on consignment (normally sold for $30)
2. Backyard Scientist the Original-  .90 on consignment
3. Backyard Scientist Series 1- $1.80 on consignment
4. All About Reading- $79.95 brand new

                                        Grand Total: $ 104.24 including tax

I had to order the Math U See student manual and manipulative block set which was $72.26 and that includes shipping ($12.69).  I had purchased the handwriting program during the NC homeschool conference back in May which was $20.

So, overall I have invested $196.50 on curriculum. I have also spent $50 to join a local homeschool group and enroll James in the co-op where he will be taking classes. And with just spending about 1/2 of my budget on curriculum, I still have money left over for field trips, supplies to keep at home, etc.

Now, back to the reading curriculum. The lovely and talented Victoria at the Homeschool Gathering Place was very helpful in showing me several choices. It's so great knowing my student so intimately because I was able to tell her that James is not quite ready to read. He still gets the lower case "L" confused with the upper case "I". He is ready for pre-reading work and this, to me, was the best fit. It's called All About Reading. I considered buying the "Five in a Row" since James will be using that in the co-op but the structure of that program requires that you read one story a week. James (nor I) would have the patience for that. We like new stories every day. But the story books for that program are wonderful. Charlotte Mason would be proud. She would not call them "twaddle". :)

All About Reading

So we start this week. And James has asked me everyday for the past several days if we can do a science 'sperment. LOL. He's even tried to get sneaky and ask his Dad!!! I love his eagerness. So here we go! Another year of adventure!!!!

Science Discovery. Without Curriculum.

If you love gardening and plant tomato plants in said garden, you probably have discovered the Horn Worm. We discovered this little bugger last year as I was planting my first backyard garden.

See that. They actually have a little horn on their butts! Anyway, when we discovered them again this year, James was so excited!!!! He runs inside the house to get his Over & Under Creature Peeper so he can collect it and look at it.

This was the best $2 I have spent in a long time. I went to a local homeschool group book sale and got this gem. We have been on the internet to learn about the life cycle of the horn worm. This green little guy is actually the larvae. They will evenutally become a pupa and then...a moth!!!!

Pretty crazy, huh? But then we got to see one of the interesting things that happen to the horn worm. They can become prey to a wasp that lays it's many eggs on it's back. This will eventually kill the horn worm and there is no need to remove these from your tomato plants. These little non-stinging wasps kill creatures in the garden that do not benefit your garden. Therefore, these wasps are very beneficial. They eat catepillars, beetles, stink bugs and squash bugs. Look at what I found on my tomatoes yesterday:

Isn't this awesome! Science in our very own backyard! James loves his Creature Peeper. Everyday he wants to go out and find a new bug to put in it. We have been letting him keep a bug or creature for about a day then release them back into nature. He's named a couple of them too. "Zeus" was a black bug of some sort.

At the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, the horn worm is prominantly displaced in the insectarium. He is protected in a clear box, munching on a big tobacco leaf suspened in the air. But the really cool thing is that a tiny camera is in the box and kids can rotate the leaf and zoom in and out to really get a good look at the horn worm. However, James was more excited to see them in the garden and then in his Creature Peeper.

James has also made the decision to NOT be in the Five in a Row reading class that I am teaching in our co-op this Fall. Instead, he will be taking a Geology class. He's looking forward to learning about rocks, fossils and gems. And I think it will be very good for him. :)

Getting Ready for Teaching Other People's Kids! Oh My!

Since my last post, I had the pleasure of meeting the woman that I will be team teaching with during the Fall semester of the Legacy co-op and I have to say that I am really excited about it! James and I went to her house last Tuesday so we could have our first planning meeting. We started talking the minute I walked in the door and we never stopped! James played with her 5-year-old daughter who will also be in our class. They hit it off well. We decided on the stories we would read- 8 stories for each of the 8 Fridays we will meet this Fall. Here is what we choose:

1. Three Names by Patricia McLachlan 
2. Mr. Grumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham
3. The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge by Hildegarde Swift
4. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
5. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
6. Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco
7. Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
8. A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert

We decided to read Three Names first as a way to allow the kids to introduce themselves to the group. It's a story about a dog named...Three Names and he goes to school with his boy. I liked the idea of "reading" Harold and the Purple Crayon because there are NO words in the book! Just Harold drawing where his imagination leads him. I thought it would be great to make purple crayons or use purple straws and go outside and "draw" like Harold. Kids this age can't sit still for a very long time and I would love to see them up and moving...and videotape it all! These stories are all so wonderful it was hard to pick just eight from the Five in a Row list. One of the ones I really like was called Gramma's Walk because I got teary-eyed just reading the synopsis about the story! Here it is on Amazon.com:

Donnie's Gramma gets around in a wheelchair, but through the magic of imagination, the two of them walk to the beach; listen, feel, and smell the sea; identify prints in the sand; and admire the wildlife. The wake from a passing ferry collapses the sand castle they build, leaving only the flag and footprints when they head for home. "'You know what, Gramma?'" Donnie says. "'You're the best walker in the whole world.'" 

Some of the themes we will be touching on include helping others, the 5 senses, using your imagination, relationships, feeling important even though you are little and courage. On the last Friday, there will be a big celebration that all the kids of the co-op will attend. It should be fun! I am looking forward to this adventure and sharing it here!

Getting ready for Back to School

This year I made the decision to join Generations Homeschool group here in Raleigh. I liked the group we were a member of this past year but I really wanted to find a group that holds classes each week so that James could experience group learning. Generations has a co-op called Legacy that offers that structure so he is registered and ready to go! However, I am a little overwhelmed by it all right now. I registered for both Generations and Legacy on the same day and in a matter of hours, I was asked what I wanted to teach. Part of the requirements of registering your child/children for Legacy is that one parent must commit to teach one class during the semester. They asked me for my preferences. I had no idea. It's such an open-ended question so I put down what I like to talk about: politics/current events, nutrition and sign language/deaf culture. After that, I get a call from one of the mom's who is in charge and she is asking me if I want to team teach (hell yes!) a reading class for kids James' age called Five in a Row Volume II. "What is that?", I am thinking. Of all the reading I have done and the conferences I have attended and people I have talked to, I have never heard of Five in a Row so, of course, I google it. It looks great. I check out the reviews others have written about it. So now I am team teaching with a woman I have only emailed with so far and who is using this curriculum at home with her children. I feel so behind before I even start. I haven't really decided on a reading curriculum I want to use for this year. I have picked out all the other curricula I want to use for math, science and handwriting but I have been quite undecided about a reading program. And now I will be teaching something that I have never heard of. When this sort of thing happens, I initally panic and then I decide to either go with the flow or find my own way. Right now, my plan is to go to The Gathering Place homeschool bookstore in Raleigh, walk up to the person who is working there and ask them to hold my hand while walking to the reading section and help me! I am not afraid to say, "I don't know!". It usually gets me great answers and many options. You know, part of my panicking is that I haven't been the new kid on the block in a long time. But I suspect every year will start out this way. It'll be as if we starting all over every Fall. It'll still be me and James and a co-op but the curriculum will be different and we'll be learning all new stuff again...building onto what we have previously learned.

One thing I have recently come to realize about homeschoolers is that they are a group of steadfast individuals. Even when they get together as a group like a co-op, they are not a collective. What I mean by that is that even though they gather regularly because they homeschool and can share in that, they still maintain their individualism. It's unique to me. Even as a sign language interpreter who has spent a career with many unique individuals I find the value placed on the individualism of homeschoolers is great. I like that. Don't get me wrong. I only speak of it because I sense it so strongly among them. Or us I should say. :)

James turned FIVE!

We have been enjoying our summer so far. The break from school has been full of playing outside! We took mini-vacation down to Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach that included a fun tour aboard the USS NC Battleship.

James and I aboard the USS NC Battleship

As I solemnly swore in a previous post, James did not get an Xbox 360 for his birthday. And to be honest, he has not asked for one in a long time. He's been too busy physically to think about sitting still to play video games. He got his first bicycle! He was so excited! Chris was in charge of getting the bike and the helmet and so I laughed when he also brought home a set of elbow pads, knee pads and little fingerless gloves for James to wear while riding his new bicycle. After witnessing his first tumble on his bike, I am grateful that Chris bought the extra padding! Beside, James thinks they are totally cool. They are Spiderman pads and gloves.

James said his birthday was "the best birfday ever!". We had family come to spend the day with us that live far away. The last time they saw James when he was one year old and he certainly didn't remember them but he sure liked them! All of James' grandparents and his cousin and favorite neighbors came over and he had so much fun. He finds joy in all he does. Chris'parents are spending several days with us and as I sit at the computer writing, I am enjoying the sounds coming from the kitchen table. James is learning to play "Battleship" with Nana and Pop-Pop. Priceless. "You sank my battleship!" haha

I can't believe my baby is now five. He's not a baby anymore. It was so fun to celebrate him; to remember him being born and all the milestones along the way. Sigh. My sweet boy.

2009

2008

2007

2011

2010

2012

Summer Break has begun!

From the moment that James realized that the public school kids that live around us were out of school for the summer, he decided that HE was also out of school for the summer! I seconded the motion. It was a good time to take a break. We still have our house on the market and it feels like we are living in limbo. I try to keep the house presentable in case we have a showing request. Half of our life is packed away in boxes sitting in a storage unit an hour away. I miss the family pictures and all the things that make a house a home. We talk about moving often. James has to ask about all the things we will take with us.

James: Can I take all my toys?
Me: Yes.
James: What about the TV?
Me: Yes.
James: Are we taking your bed? Because I like your bed.
Me: Yes, we are taking everything with us.
James: Are we taking the bathtub?
Me: No.
James: But we need a bathtub? How will I take a bath?!?
Me: The new house will have a bathtub. It's a part of the house so we won't take it. We take all the things that belong to us.
James: What about Sadie and Dixie and Sparky?
Me: Of course!

And it goes on and on until I tell him that I can't answer any more questions.

So, in my mind, I have deemed this summer "The summer of PLAY" for James. He has already had so much outdoor time that I know Charlotte Mason would be proud! I have even skipped a few days of napping so he could play to his heart's content. He has fallin' in love with the outdoors again. No more asking to play on the computer or asking to play with my phone or his Leapfrog Leap Pad or his Dad's phone. He'd rather be outside. Even when he learned yesterday that he would not be getting an Xbox 360 for his birthday, he was not too upset. Oh he still wants one but he learned this after we spent some time in Walmart trying out bicycles with training wheels. :) He wanted to take it home right then and there but his birthday isn't for a couple more weeks.

James and his cousin Billy 

He asked me the other day what grade he would be in next year. I told him that he would be doing Kindergarten and that we would be learning how to write and read and talk more about numbers. He would learn how to tell time and count his money. We have decided to start giving him a weekly allowance when he turns 5. He said he would save his money to buy an Xbox 360. I like the way he thinks. And if he does save up enough money to buy one, I will let him. What a great lesson for him to learn!

So. It's the Summer of Play. And when it rains, it'll be a summer of movies. We have The Amazing Spiderman to look forward to. And our Netflix queue is long. We just watched Charlotte's Web. James wanted to see it over and over and over. He was truly saddened that Charlotte dies. It was touching. I was tucking him into bed one night and I asked him, "What is your favorite part of the movie or what do you think of the most about the movie?" He said, "Charlotte." And his little chin quivered as he said it and his eyes got a little teary. He asked, "Isn't it so sad that Charlotte dies?" "Yes, it is sweetheart but what happens when she dies? What does Wilbur do for her?. He replied, "He saves her babies." "That's right. Charlotte was a very good friend and Wilbur was a good friend right back to her." I had to stop then because I was getting teary-eyed and I didn't want James to see me cry. I wanted to smile and remind him how wonderful and powerful friendship is. The story has made an impression for sure. Even the other day, he was going to meet a new friend named RJ and he said, "Great name!". That's what Wilbur always said when he met a new friend. Being James' mom is pretty amazing.

Did you know...skipping is a pre-reading skill?

As I am home again and thinking about all I learned at the NCHE conference, I am able to take a deep breath, let it out....and wait. That's right. Wait. "For what?, you ask? So glad you did! Charlotte Mason, who was an educator in England in the late 1800's and early 1900's, believed education was 3-pronged: it was an atmosphere, a discipline and a [way of] life. Her philosophy included lots of play and "hours in the outdoors" for small children; time to explore their world and study Nature. She also supported the delay of academics until the child was 6 or 7 years of age. Now I understand why. When young children get the opportunity to play and explore outside they are paving their way to a preparedness for academics.

All children are born with over one billion neurons in their brains but all those neurons are not yet fully connected to each other by synapses that are strengthened through "active interest and mental effort by the child". Active interest + mental effort= play! This is the start of early education! Young children (preschoolers) need opportunities to develop gross motor skills, develop bilateral coordination, cross their midline, work on fine motor skills and ocular (eye) motor skills. There are seven eye muscles that are important to a child's eye development so they can focus closely to something (like words on a page). Their eyes won't fully develop until age 6-8 AND many pediatric eye specialists confirm that children's eyes are made primarily for distance vision. James has been asking for an Xbox 360 since Christmas. I have told him that Daddy and I are thinking about it as a birthday gift. After learning about eye development, he is getting a bicycle for his birthday!

So. Skipping is a pre-reading skill. And here are some others:

• riding a bike without training wheels (bilateral coordination, gross motor skills, fine motor skills)
• can do jumping jacks (bilateral coordination, gross motor skills, motor patterning)
• pretending (visualization)

At this point, James can not skip, do a jumping jack or ride a bike. Those skills need to be practiced and perfected before he has the ability to sit down and attend to doing academics. And you know what? I am totally fine with that. I think that's how we (parents, teachers, anyone who loves the child) instill a love of learning. We wait and we watch, looking for those teachable moments. And if we try it and it doesn't work, well, we wait some more. And when they are ready, they will be willing and it will be easier for them. The hard part? Dealing with Society's perceived expectations. I can predict it now: "James is _____ years old and he isn't reading yet? James is ____ years old and he isn't doing addition and subtraction yet? Well what ARE you doing?" "For now, we are....playing.", I will reply in the most sweetest voice I can muster (for the record, I don't think it's very sweet so who knows what it will actually sound like)

Sources for this post: www.simplycharlottemason.com and Susan Chrisman whom can be found at www.lifelonglearnersonline.com

Back Home and feeling great about homeschooling!

The NCHE conference was great as usual. And I am happy to report that I did not leave the conference completely broke! The book fair is such a tempting place to spend my money and I am so eager to begin an academics program with James. I'll talk more about that in a separate post. It deserves it's very own space.
Even though I didn't spend a gazillion dollars, I did buy one thing, Handwriting Without Tears". I spent a whooping $23!!!!

I left inspired and content. I was so content with what I was doing and what I need to do at home and with James that I left the conference a day early. I missed James. I missed Chris. And I don't like to feel "far away" from them so I came home. When I went to pick up James from my Mom, he told me he loved me more than ice cream! I'm pretty sure I left a better wife. ;) I attended the workshop about homeschooling and romance. Heidi St. John is an excellent speaker. She and her husband often present these workshops together and they have also written books on the subject. Heidi has a website too. She helped me remember "That Girl", the girl my husband married. She reminded us all that homeschooling our children is important and it's hard work but it means nothing without a solid and happy marriage. My marriage is the TOP priority and the most important relationship in my home. And let me be candid, I married well. So it's not hard. And even if you aren't a homeschooler but you ARE married, your marriage needs you to remember "That Girl" too. :)

1 day down, 2 to go

Yesterday was a really good day! I went to 3 really great workshops, walked through the book fair a couple of times,saw old friends and last night I drank wine and got the chance to catch up with my good friend Rachael. She even had a roast in the crockpot for us!

This is my 3rd time attending the conference. I started coming when James was 2 years old. I know, I know, that's a little crazy acting since I wasn't planning any actual "school" until he was 3 or 4. But I am glad I came each year. I am not so overwhelmed with all the families coming and going or the book fair- it's bigger than the biggest Barnes and Noble I have ever been in- or the information in the workshops. I do feel kind of prepared to do this thing called home school.

I have noticed during my attendance each year that more African-American families are there. I like seeing that. I must admit, it looks like a sea of white. And this year I saw a Jewish family at the conference. I know because the two young boys were wearing their yarmulkes. Homeschooling has generally been a Christian movement but all teachings/workshops come from a Judeo-Christian view point. I hope that means that Christians and Jews who are compelled to homeschool can stand together in support of each other. AND....I saw Deaf families there. There are deaf kids with hearing parents attending the conference and a deaf couple with a little girl. I met them this year. I have seen a dear interpreter friend each year as she interprets for mom & dad and I introduced myself yesterday. They have one child too! Just like me! It's tough being the parent of an "only" at a homeschool gathering of any kind. I got a little teary yesterday with the wanting of another child. So many beautiful babies all around to see and hear. But I take a deep breath and keep it together. And today is a fresh start.

Workshops start at 11:00 am today but I will probably head out early to talk with the folks at the "Handwriting Without Tears" booth. Wanna hear what workshops I will be attending today??? SURE you do!

1. The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Romance! (I know, right?)
2. The Joy of Learning with Your Young Child
3. Preschool & Kindergarten Education at Home, Part 1
4. Preschool & Kindergarten Education at Home, Part 2
5. Teaching Your Child to Read- Made Easy or Habit Training: Key to Maintaining Your Sanity

Of course, all of that is subject to change as there are about 6-7 workshops to choose from for each session. The above-listed seem to be the best fit for me and what I am interested in learning.

See you later!

I'm here!

Me, Sandra, and Karla

I just arrived at the annual NCHE Conference & book fair in Winston-Salem. I've been here 30 minutes and I have already scoped out the Math U See booth at the book fair AND ran into two moms that took a mentoring class with me last Fall! We are all new homeschool moms. And we were all checking out the Writing Without Tears booth. :)
I am attending my first workshop. Its called "Evaluation: How to know what your child really knows" presented by Susan Chrisman.
I am blogging from my phone for the very first time. So....please disregard any crazy spelling & grammar as the spellcheck on this thing is possessed.

Me at Math U See booth

My Dentist Story and some random thoughts

Dentist Story
It was time for my dental cleaning this morning and James went with me. I would have planned to do it on a Monday when Chris is home to take care of him but my dentist's office is closed on Mondays. Little man was coming with me. You gotta love a dentist that will be so understanding. Well, needless to say, James LOVES it when I have to go to the doctor or dentist. He was at the doctor last week for another bout of  impetigo. The doctor had to lance a couple of little pustules on his thumb and it took me and a nurse to hold him down. It was not a fun day. He is doing better now because he saw the doctor. I'm sure, in his mind, he was thinking, "Yes! Your turn Mommy!" He really got the royal treatment during MY appointment. He got to push the button to take the x-ray photos of my teeth then he was say, "Open, Mommy!" so the hygienist could move the film around in my mouth. He got to sit opposite Ms. Erin (hygienist) on the the special chair with the belly bar. She gave him a pair of latex gloves and then handed him the suction tool. He really wanted the water squirter! It was a good compromise and he even got to use it...in my mouth! Ha! It was cool. He got to ask all sorts of questions like these directed at Ms. Erin:

• Can I make Mommy go down in the chair? (No)
• Why do you wear that pink mask? (so our germs won't mingle)
• Why is Mommy wearing sunglasses? (the light is very bright)
• Is that blood? Ewww Mommy, you have blood! (it was just a little)
• What are those green, yellow and red buttons? (to call the dentist)
• Why can't I pick Mommy's teeth? (instrument too sharp)
• Do we need to hold Mommy down? We should. (Lord!)
• Did you see any sugar bugs in Mommy's mouth? (No it's super clean!)
• Can I play on your computer? (No)
• Mommy, what flavor is that toothpaste? Mint? (Yes)
• Can I polish Mommy's teeth? (No)
• Am I being a good dentist helper? (Yes!)

James professed his desire to be a dentist at the end of it all. It's surprising really. He has eight, yes eight, "silver teeth" (crowns) because he has had his own issues. He didn't like his last dental appointment because he had to have a small cavity filled. He even told his dentist that he was having a bad day. At one point, the hygienist asked James if he was in preschool and he responded, "Yep. I'm a homeschooler now.".  Her response was, "That's awesome!". I was so proud. And I couldn't help but think....he is getting to do cool stuff I never got to do growing up. I don't think I even went to the dentist or doctor with either of my parents. Ever. He has been allowed to be a "helper" AND get a prize from the treasure box. I got the opportunity to model how a good patient acts and interacts with the dentist/doctor. And make an appointment to get a cavity filled. Apparently there was a sugar bug.

Random Thoughts

1. I was thinking about some additional things I want to do with James next year during Kindergarten. I found a great Art Study package of Van Gogh that I would like to do with him. I just love Van Gogh. Kids Study Art- Van-Gogh I also found another little fun thing call Little Passports which would be a great way to introduce geography. I want to buy a really cool globe like this! Ha!
2. Did you read about the North Carolina teacher that was suspended with pay from Rowan County? Students defends himself in the classroom and records the whole thing with his phone and then posts it on Youtube. The link for the youtube video is at the end of the news story. Just crazy! The teacher was so hostile and....wrong!!!!!!! Yes, wrong. Anywho...
3. I am all for freedom of speech in the classroom like the high school student that tried to do so in Rowan County but I really and truly believe students should say the Pledge of Allegiance. Frankly, I think it should be mandated. Who says the Pledge? Well apparently only 43 states/territories recite the Pledge. North Carolina does not require it through state statutes. That authority is given to the local school districts and even if a school district decides the schools will recite the Pledge, students are not required to do so. What a shame. Well...WE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE!!!! WE ARE PROUD TO DO IT! AND WE ARE THANKFUL THAT WE CAN LIVE IN THIS GREAT NATION.

Math, Handwriting, Science...Check!

Well, my research has paid off! After figuring out what exactly a kindergartner needs to know, I found my focus. We definitely need to spend money on curriculum for Reading, Writing, Math, and Science. I am quite confused about reading curricula however. Everything is phonics, phonic, phonics. I honestly don't remember learning how to read using phonics and I am not sure about it. (If anyone out there has some information that will enlighten me I would greatly appreciate it.) So! I am sharing my picks below and I want to point out that what I have chosen thus far fits nicely into the Charlotte Mason approach to education AND the Classical Education approach. Score!

READING: I really have no idea right now. I am hoping to stumble across a booth at the NCHE book fair next weekend. I hope it has a bunch of neon lights all around it with a banner that says, "Connie! Over here! It's this one you want!". That would make it so easy. I tried the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons" about a year ago but James was NOT ready for it. I may try that again this summer to see if he is ready or if he just doesn't like it.

MATH: I have definitely decided to go with the Math U See curriculum. I LOVE their math! I was absolutely SOLD on it when I went to the website and saw a video demonstration of a sample lesson on place values.  Go to Math U See Primer and click to watch the second video on the page. James caught me wathcing it and crawled up on my lap to watch it with me. He seemed to like the idea of eleven being called "1-ty 1" instead. ;)

WRITING: Handwriting Without Tears This page from their website shows the teacher's guide and it has some really great videos that show their writing sequences. I think it's ingenious in it's simplicity!

SCIENCE: The Backyard Scientist: Series One  by Jane Hoffman. I should have picked up the first one this year but we will do some fun stuff in the Fall! I found this on one of the Charlotte Mason websites.

What I will spend:

• Math U See Primer Set: $85.00

• The Backyard Scientist: $6.00

• Handwriting Without Tears: $21.00

Grand Total (right now without reading curriculum): $112.00

In a recent post, I set my budget at $400 for curricula. So far, I am doing pretty good. This, however, is strictly for curricula and does not include fun books to read, pencils, pens, arts & craft supplies. I WISH I spent more on arts and crafts but James is just not interested in coloring or drawing or big art projects. He is a "Wiggly Willy". He wants to MOVE! And he wants to TALK! Anyway...This also does not include field trips or sports teams that he may want to try next year either. But! I am excited! I am developing a plan and a path for us and all the while remembering that "kindergarten" means "a child's garden".

Kindergarten Benchmarks to Consider

I am gearing up for the homeschool conference at then end of the month and panic has started to set in. I STILL don't know WHAT to buy! Then I had an idea! I need to know exactly what kids completeing kindergarten know. And here is a list I found:

By the end of kindergarten, you can expect your child to:

• Follow class rules
• Separate from a parent or caregiver with ease  this ain't happening! haha
• Take turns
• Cut along a line with scissors
• Establish left- or right-hand dominance
• Understand time concepts like yesterday, today, and tomorrow (almost there)
• Stand quietly in a line um, probably won't be working on this either.
• Follow directions agreeably and easily (most of the time)
• Pay attention for 15 to 20 minutes
• Hold a crayon and pencil correctly
• Share materials such as crayons and blocks
• Know the eight basic colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, black, white, and pink
• Recognize and write the letters of the alphabet in upper- and lowercase forms
• Know the relationship between letters and the sounds they make (90% of the time)
• Recognize sight words such as the and read simple sentences
• Spell his first and last name
• Write consonant-vowel-consonant words such as bat and fan
• Retell a story that has been read aloud
• Identify numbers up to 20
• Count by ones, fives, and tens to 100
• Know basic shapes such as a square, triangle, rectangle, and circle
• Know her address and phone number
• I, Connie, am adding the Pledge of Allegiance 

Source:  http://www.greatschools.org/

All the highlighted items are skills that James can do right now so now I know what we will need to focus on in the Fall. We will still work on all of the listed items but this lets me know where to focus our energies. I can already tell that handwriting will be a task. Fine motor skills work will be a very important part of our lessons next year. And I really want to get him on the road to reading. Thank goodness for the homeschooling email groups I subscribe to. Another mother just sent out an email requesting  curriculum recommendations for teaching kindergarten next year. I now have some curriculum choices to research before the conference.

As a reminder to myself, kindergarten is a "child's garden". I am not trying to surpass the objectives given in a public classroom setting. My goal is to create an environment that will instill a love of learning and give James the opportunity to accelerate in areas where he can and give him extra focus in areas where he will need it. One of the beauties of homeschooling is that the freedom to focus on the individual child is a given, not the exception. As a former public-school-teacher-turned-homeschooler once told me, "90% of teaching is knowing the child".