Thursday, October 7, 2010

Orlando and Free Learning

Last weekend we got back from a week in Orlando. Everyone had a great time. Our favorite places included Kennedy Space Center where the kids seemed re-inspired to become astronauts, Universal Studios where we walked into the wonderful imagination of J.K.Rowling and the world of Harry Potter, and the Disney parks. Both of the kids had an amazing time in the Lego store filling cups with Legos to take home. The minute they walked in the door from the airport they started building! Although I'm glad we went, it will not be a place that I revisit. It was by far the most expensive and exhausting "vacation" I've ever been on.

With the bustle of everyday life I often forget how odd our family is, but taking a trip to Disney World was a huge reminder! Aiden was very upset that they didn't learn anything. At one point we went for a stroll on a trail in Animal Kingdom that was supposed to be a Cretaceous Era walking tour. They had some large dinosaur models along the trail. Aiden asked me which dinosaur it was, because he didn't recognize it. Of course neither did I, so I told him to find a sign that would tell him. There was no sign anywhere. He was so mad! He pursed up his face and exclaimed "Mom, why doesn't Disney want kids to learn?! All they had to do was put up a sign! Would that be so hard? I just want to know what kind of dinosaur that is!" All the other children where running around climbing all over the statue, but my kids were so upset that they refused to play on it.

We're slowly getting back into the groove with school work. The kids are continuing their "free learning" afternoons. Yesterday was a great success. Aiden spent his time building a model Sear's tower. He researched everything and built it to scale using legos. In his version the height of one lego is 2 stories or about 27 feet. He did all the math himself and had a great time building it. Hopefully he'll want to do Taipei 101 next. Zoë made a computer program on Alice. I enjoyed watching her perfect the program by tweaking small details. I can't wait to see what they come up with for tomorrow.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Electricity and Survival

This week has been busy, but strangely calm. We started out the week working on an experiment with lemons and light bulbs. I gave the kids a lemon, a potato, an onion, 2 alligator clips, a zinc and a copper piece, a light bulb from the snap circuits set, and an LED bulb and told them to try to get the light bulb to light up. It was a lot of fun watching them progress from wires everywhere to thinking about circuits, electricity flow, and how to test for problems. In the end we discovered that the LED bulb did not work and they couldn't get anything to light with just lemons as the power source. Zoë was upset and thought the experiment was a failure.

After a great suggestion from Tom, we spent some time the next day making a list of all the things they learned from their trial. They came up with a bunch of great things, and in the end felt much better about not meeting the original challenge. We also had a discussion about watts, amps, volts and ohms. I think we all understand electricity a little better now.

We also started (and in Aiden's case finished) reading "My Side of the Mountain." He loved this book about a boy surviving in the Catskills on his own. We've decided that next week we're going to have our own mini survival trip. I got them both pocket knives (I must be crazy), and they've started making their own fishing hooks that they're going to try to use at Grandma's lake. Everyone agreed that we should have backup dinner plans just in case though. I'm going to teach them how to start a fire and we're going to try to build a shelter. Zoë insists that we set up the tent too.

Everyone's progressing nicely with their math, piano and clarinet for Zoë. I also started a daily writing time. At this point I don't care what they write about, they just need to spend some time every day writing. In the hopes of having Aiden enjoy writing, we're not going to do much editing to his stuff. Instead I'm going to have him edit things that someone else has written and I have altered with mistakes.

Everyone is slowly adjusting to the new way of doing things. I am still struggling with being able to see progression without a list of completed tasks, but I'm starting to come around. It probably helps that I've mentally made my own list of things that we've learned from our challenges. After all, it wouldn't be reasonable to expect the kids to get this if I can't model the behavior!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Our week "off" and met goals

It has been a busy week off, but also a little relaxing. Today we're heading to the Science Center for some fun and tonight Zoë is preforming in a duet night piano recital.

I've spent the week trying to learn the difference between volts, amps and ohms so I can teach it to the kids next week. Thankfully, Tom did some research for me, and I should be able to cover this. I've also planned an experiment for them with no clear directions. The plan is to give them the tools they need, tell them what we're trying to find out, and have them come up with their own method. In the end we're going to write a scientific paper to have the results "published."

I'm definitely struggling with the new learn as you go approach. I keep wanting to have them work on the curriculum because I'm worried they aren't learning enough since I haven't formulated where they should be going ahead of time. Of course that doesn't make any sense, and really I'm struggling with my own need to control things! Hopefully I'll adjust soon.

Aiden finished his ALEKS pie last week a month ahead of his original goal. He's ready to start Algebra I next week. I know I should be excited for him, but really I'm filled with fear. Of course I am proud of him. The amount of work he put in to finish a month ahead of schedule was incredible. It's WHAT he's finishing that makes me so uneasy.

Zoë also finished her 50% math goal a month ahead of schedule. She's also a week ahead of her piano goals. I worry about her because she doesn't seem happy about meeting any of these goals. It's almost like she can't allow herself to feel proud of her accomplishments. Gee I wonder where she gets that?! She has two parents that continuously do the same thing! As long as she isn't expecting perfection, maybe she's just driven.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Literary unit

The last two weeks we've been doing a literary unit with the Nuehrings. It culminates with an awards ceremony (complete with a red carpet) on Saturday. The kids spent their time learning so many literary techniques. At times it was a little overwhelming, but they all did a great job! I am amazed at all the things they produced and the quality of their work.

As I anticipated, Aiden struggled throughout the week to get his thoughts onto the page. Thanks to an excellent suggestion from one of our favorite teachers, I started taking dictation from him toward the end of the week. I'm thinking that he needs to focus on speeding up his typing, because I could not keep up!

In the beginning, Zoë struggled through the editing phase. After a while she became accustomed to the idea that first drafts are not perfect, and did a great job.

What I was happiest with didn't occur during class though. Every technique they have learned about they have pointed out in their reading. We listen to books on cd all the time in the car and they are constantly saying "oh, listen, that's irony," or "ohhh...that was personification." It's great to see that they can take the things they're learning and see them in the books they enjoy reading. Now my hope is that they will incorporate that into their own writing.

So far both of them are doing really well with the goals they have set. At this point they're both about a month ahead of their math goals, and Zoë is right on target with her piano goals. Everyone's looking forward to actually being at home this week to work on things. The last two weeks have just been crazy! There were several days that we were gone from 9:30-7:30!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Another Time for Reflection

With most kids returning to a new school year, I find myself spending a lot of time reflecting on our goals for school and learning. After quite a bit of research, thought and discussion we're trying something new again. This ability to change gears is one of the things I love most about homeschooling. We've decided that the kids could stand to have even more autonomy and freedom to learn about things they're interested in learning. So with Google as our inspiration, we're starting our own "20% days."

I've decided that the most important things the kids need to learn are math, writing and other forms of communication, how to set and achieve goals, and music. The later is important for developing mathematical skills, but more importantly for understanding how to master something by working on it every day. I think the other 3 things are obvious. At this age I think the other things they learn can be more interest driven.

I thought that I was providing them autonomy in regards to their learning by giving them a weekly task list. When I actually analyzed this, I discovered that it's really veiled control. So we've changed things quite a bit. Instead of telling them exactly what they need to do for the week, we've sat down and decided completion goals. Then we broke things down into smaller goals and discussed how they would approach those. Their only requirement is to meet the goals that they have set for themselves. My job will be to make certain they're on target.

Today was our first day to discuss these goals, and we haven't finished setting them for everything. We have done math goals for both, and Zoë's piano goals. It was refreshing to hear their ideas, and to see that they are so responsible. They were able to set challenging, but not unobtainable goals. We got out the calendar and made charts for them to keep track of everything. I'm sure this will be a big adjustment, and there will be times that I'll need to lay down the law, but in the end I think they will be better people and feel a strong sense of pride for accomplishing things on their own.

With goals set (or being thought about) for 80% of their work, that leaves the 20% days. Aiden has decided his independent project is going to be the planets. He wants to prepare a newscast/presentation discussing all the planets and the chances of humans being able to colonize each one. This could end up being a huge project that takes us all over the place. I can already see how to incorporate math, science, writing, problem solving, and psychology into just this one idea.

Zoë has decided she wants to learn how to make movies. She is going to turn one of her favorite parts of a book into a screen play, film it, and edit the movie. She'll have to make all the costumes, the sets, the script, and learn how to use editing software. This can also involve the history of film, budgeting, and perhaps some special effects.

If all that change wasn't enough, I've also redone the rewards system. I've been worried lately that having them earn rewards for completing tasks is no different than the things I hate about public school. It's just that the tasks they do are more challenging to them. So instead, we're going to do things the way we run allowance. At the beginning of each week I'll give them 10 chips. They can spend or save them however they want. The bronze, silver, and gold prize system is still in effect, but they're given a base pay now. Bonuses can be possible, but they will be random. Also, no chips may be spent on tech time before 3pm regardless of whether or not they've finished school for the day.

Overall, I'm much happier about these changes. I feel like we're really heading toward my goal of self-actualized people. Of course, I'm sure things will need a little more tweaking as time goes on, but nothing is ever truly mastered. I'm also trying to ignore the fact that the reasonable goals they have set have them finishing all of high school math in the next 4 years.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Prep Week

This week the kids are busy at camps. Aiden is attending a biodiversity camp at the zoo, and Zoë is taking a pottery class through Craft Alliance. It sounds like they're having a great time at camp and with Nana.

I've spent the last few days going through the 2 foot high pile of filing (no, that's not an exaggeration!), and getting all our paperwork and units ready. Monday I took the day off and did nothing but goof off. I almost decided I didn't have the time to do that, but I'm glad I changed my mind and spent the day for myself.

Next week we're starting a literary unit with the Nuehrings and studying the 50 states. The insane JET schedule starts the following week. I'm sure this schedule is going to mess things up, but we don't have much choice. I'm willing to give it a try at least. Maybe it won't be as bad as I expect. I'll just have to be checking the calendar more often.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Minimalism and Some Personal Insights

My question for the week is when is minimalism a sign of boredom? This comes from some of the work that has been handed into me this week (really it's been over the course of the summer for most subjects, but this week has been the worst). It has been well below performance level, and I'm not sure how to take it. Does it mean "I'm bored with this stuff", "I need a break from all these expectations", "Hormones are starting to kick in and I don't feel like dealing with authority", or just plain kids pushing boundaries.

I pulled out all my old Psychology books to refresh my memory of child development stages, but there was nothing I hadn't already thought of in them. I've tried to evaluate my feelings about the mediocre work, and I find myself having a hard time separating my abilities as a person/parent/teacher with my expectations for the kids school work. In reality perhaps sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and we all just need a break.

With that thought in mind I haven't changed our schedule for the week. Next week they'll be staying with their Nana and attending camps. I'm sure it will be good for us all to have some time apart. I plan to use the week to prepare for the upcoming semester, and try to figure out some solutions to our monotony. I'm wanting them to be excited about learning, but it's hard when I'm not excited about the material I'm teaching. I keep thinking that it's time to skip the pre-made material and do our own thing, but it scares me to death.

Somehow I need to get over the idea that they're missing something in their education if I plan their units. It seems like every single unit I've planned has been fantastic. They've learned a lot, been very excited about it every day, and we've all had a lot of fun during those times. Perhaps it's not the units that I make up that are impeding their education, but rather my inability to believe in myself as a teacher. I'm not sure which is scarier: the amount of work this could take, or the idea that I might actually be good at something. How's that for some personal insight?!

Monday, August 2, 2010

July update

Last month was extremely busy. I can't believe it's already August and we're getting ready to start back on the school year calendar. We've had several birthdays, trips to the lake, a week long vacation with all of the family, my desktop finally decided it was done working, and Zoë saved enough money to buy herself an iTouch.

During the time in July that we were actually home, Zoë spent her time learning about Greek Mythology and preparing for a Greek Trivia night. I was really proud of her. She read tons of books from the library on the subject and came up with 50 questions in 5 different categories to ask everyone. As her final project we invited friends and family over, divided them into 3 teams and hosted the trivia night. She decided she wanted to serve gyros for dinner, so she helped me make those and planned the whole night. She really did a fantastic job! People's only complaint might have been that the questions were too hard. I think the high score was 19/50!

Last week I heard lots of complaints about Math from her, so I decided to try something a little different. Instead of working on ALEKS for the week, I pulled out the old Saxon books and had her do an assignment every day. After two days of Saxon she decided that ALEKS was much better and the Saxon was just a waste of time. I'm hoping it helped her realize that she's a lot better at math than she gives herself credit for. I have been spending some time doing flashcards with her just to reinforce the basic skills.

Aiden has been diligently working through the end of our curriculum and flying through his ALEKS pie. He's already 80% done with his current level and striving to finish it before summer ends. He seems to be enjoying the new vocabulary assignments we're doing. One of the assignments has you match two different parts of sentences and then write the combined sentence. He told me that he didn't see any reason why he'd need to write the combined sentence. I explained that it was extra practice to help him learn the meaning of the vocabulary words. He told me that he didn't need the extra practice, so I agree to an "experiment" to see if that was true. Of course he was right, he didn't need the extra practice and scored really well on the test at the end of the week. I think he was happy that he was able to present a logical argument to me and I agreed. I want them learning, not just doing busy work.

I'm quickly coming to the realization that next year around this time things are going to be a lot different. I have so much research and planning that I need to do this year. This is the last year I will have a curriculum to work from. I might continue Aiden with the literature component, but Zoë is going to be beyond all of it. It's time to find a high school curriculum and start diving in. Both of them will already be in high school math courses before next year, but Zoë will need it for everything. They both need to focus a little on their writing skills, but they will be doing that over the course of this year. In other words, I'm starting to panic now. I feel completely unprepared for what's ahead. I just keep trying to remind myself that everyone is really unprepared when it comes to parenting. Why should this be any different?

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Independent Research

Over the last few weeks I've noticed that Zoë has started showing signs of complete disinterest in school. I've been struggling with ideas trying to figure out how to get that spark back. I thought she might be motivated by watching Aiden plow through, but it seems to have the opposite effect. So we're trying something new for a while. I've told her she can do an independent research project. I want her to be able to draw on her strengths and show her what she's capable of doing on her own.

We sat down this morning and started brainstorming ideas of what she wanted to study and how she was going to show me what she had learned. She's decided to do a more in depth study of Greek Mythology. Her goal is to have a "Greek Night" at our house where she will teach everyone what she has learned (and apparently we're all going to have to wear togas). Today she made a worksheet for everyone to do that matches the Hero with the monster they fought. She's also going to have an art project where you create your own monster by combining two things. She has ideas for games, a set of hero trading cards, quizzes, and all kinds of other things.

It was an absolute delight to see her so excited about learning again! She pulled book after book off the stacks at the library and spent most of the day reading. I'm excited for her to have something to do that is just her own. Aiden was a little sad that he doesn't get to do the project too, but she really needs this. We haven't set a date yet for Greek Night, but it will probably be sometime at the end of July or beginning of August.

Since he didn't have any books from the library to read, Aiden kept to his schedule and worked on our explorers unit and a lot of math. He started his new level on Monday and is already 50% complete. My head is spinning at this point! I don't mean he's halfway done with his week of math. I mean in 3 days he has completed half of an entire YEAR'S worth of math. I can only hope that the second half has harder material and he slows his pace a little. Either way it's just more reinforcement that in a few years we're going to have some major schooling issues to sort out.

I'm sure this might sound ridiculous to some, but I'm starting to be scared stiff of the pace that things are going. I never thought about how quickly we would cover required material. They are both so young, and I'm not quite ready to think about what will need to be done pretty soon. This issue is only compounded by the fact that I don't feel like I can even discuss this with many people. Most people view it as bragging (or simply don't believe me), and they have a difficult time realizing that it's actually a problem for us. I don't know what the best solution is. I have a few years before it becomes a major problem, but I can't just pretend it isn't there or keep thinking "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I can see the bridge ahead now, but I have NO idea what lane I'm supposed to be in!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Ad Camp and a Math Level Complete

We had a great week learning about the tools advertisers use to get people to want to buy their products. Hopefully none of the children will ever watch a commercial the same way again. At the beginning of the week we asked them if a commercial ever made them angry. They all thought that was an odd question and said no. Yesterday, one of the children made the comment that they thought it was horrible that some school districts were selling advertising space on their buses. Of course we mothers were proud and pointed out that they just expressed anger toward an ad!

Today we wrapped up the week by recording their own commercials. It was great to see the different techniques they used. They all did a fantastic job!


Aiden spent the week either at Ad Camp, playing piano or doing math. He diligently worked hard all week, and last night he finished his level and earned a gold prize. At about 8:30 last night he finished what he thought would be his final assessment only to have 7 objectives put back onto his pie. He was so distraught! We had a discussion about perseverance, and plowing ahead despite difficulties. He took a big breath, and went back to work. By 9:15 he'd finished everything and was doing a happy dance around the kitchen. We're all so proud of him! I am absolutely amazed at how focused he was and all that he accomplished. He learned 30 objectives this week and spent 13 hours doing math according to the report I get emailed weekly.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Twitter and advertising

This week we're doing a unit on advertising with the kids (including 4 of their friends). They've been learning about the different ways companies try to convince you to buy their products. They've also enjoyed making their own cereal boxes, doing a print ad for the fictitious "Burp Cola", and designing a travel brochure for a place they picked.

The rest of the week will be spent learning about Public Service Announcements, more dissecting of commercials, and culminating in them making and filming their own commercial. Zoë and Haley have already decided that they're going to have their commercial be a PSA about the benefits of home schooling for gifted kids. I can hardly wait to see how that turns out! Aiden is going to do a commercial for the cereal he created called "Super Singers."

Yesterday I finally broke down and got onto Twitter. Tom's been periodically extolling the virtues of it for several months now, and swears that it will be a great tool to connect with other people working with gifted kids. Perhaps once I figure out how it works that will be true! You can follow me at @rcarpenter74 if you're interested.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Rats, Math and Piano

This week went by very quickly. I was expecting a lot of whining and complaining. As usual the kids surprised me with their desire to accomplish things, and we managed to finish everything with no complaints at all! The literature unit was supposed to take 3 weeks, but we finished it in just one. I was amazed at how far the kids have actually come in the last year with their reading comprehension! Between having to share the piano and the computer for math, they both ended up working on the literature at different times. It was good to hear their own answers to questions instead of the normal Zoë answers and Aiden may or may not add something.

Everyone is nearing the end of their math levels. They're both above 90% completed. Zoë had an assessment early in the week and improved 7% (that's really high for those of you not knowing how to score-- 4% is normal). She was thrilled, and diligently worked the rest of the week. For now I still sit with her while she does math, but I'm hoping that soon she will discover her own confidence and that will no longer be necessary. If only she could see herself as the brilliant young lady that everyone else sees! I'm sure my family is thinking "Hello, kettle" right now. It's funny how your own flaws appear so clearly when you see them in your children.

Aiden only has 22 objectives left to finish before he'll move up to middle school level 2 math. This morning (yeah it's a Saturday) he decided to do a few problems. I had a brilliant idea to help curb his problem with trying to do everything in his head. He was working on finding the area of a trapezoid and was taking forever to do one problem. I told him that we were going to run an experiment. I would time him doing a problem in his head, and then the next problem he had to work out on paper, and we'd see what the difference was. When he does them in his head he ends up making simple math errors and becomes unfocused. He did the first problem and spent over 2.5 minutes working on it only to have the answer wrong. He was very frustrated, but I explained to him that it was actually perfect, because that way we'd only have one thing different in our experiment...the way he was doing the problem (the program makes you complete the problem correctly before you can move on). So he sat down and did the problem, using paper this time, and finished it in less than a minute with the correct answer. He did a total of 3 problems in the amount of time it took him to do 1 in his head INCORRECTLY! He was so excited, and I'm hoping that now he understands for himself why I keep asking him to write things down.

We seem to have also had a breakthrough with piano. Zoë has practiced every single day for about an hour for the past 2 weeks! She's learned how to play her most difficult song, and has started on a new one. In addition, she's taking some extra lessons from Ms. Heather, and has been doing all of the things for that. She has decided that she wants to get 100 practice days in a row. I'm hoping it's a spark of confidence that will only grow! She really plays so beautifully.

Aiden is flying through book 2 material. He already knows the first 2 songs and is over halfway through learning the third. He is CONSTANTLY at the piano. He can't pass a piano without sitting down to play at least one song. It's a blessing and a curse. Nothing like being woken up at 6:30 on a Saturday to him playing. I'm feeling like I might have to make a new rule that he can't play from 10 pm to 7 am, but I really hate to discourage him from practicing.

Right now I'm just trying to enjoy the fact that things are going so smoothly. I think having a vacation really helped everyone refocus their energy. As with everything in life, there is bound to be a valley looming ahead, but for now it's a great ride.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Summer fun

It's been a week since we all got back from our various vacations, and we're starting to settle back into our rhythm. The kids were able to spend a week with their grandparents in Ohio and went to Niagra Falls. Tom and I relaxed in Jamaica.

Last week we did a Greek mythology unit with the Nuerhings. We had a great time learning about the various gods, deciphering code using the Greek alphabet, summarizing myths, writing a 13th labor for Heracles, and putting together a talk show where the children played the god they had researched. As soon as I get the copy, I'll post it on YouTube and link it here for you to watch. It was a riot.

This week we're reading "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." It is the literature book that goes with the work unit. We'll have that done by Friday and then have Science Camp next week.

I spent the evenings last week reorganizing some of the cabinets in the kitchen to keep our school supplies. We never seem to be in the basement room anymore, and since everything is going to be on the computer this year, we will never be down there. I think we'll enjoy this set up much more. Now if I could just get through the foot high stack of filing that has compiled, I'll have everything in order. Unfortunately, that will be a weekend/evening project because all of our weeks off this summer will be spent on vacations!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Piano and Simple Machines

It's been a very busy couple of weeks. The kids have been learning about simple machines, work and designing their own Rube Goldberg machines. That was A LOT harder than we thought it would be. Fortunately, I was able to talk them out of having 10+ steps. Aiden has decided that he didn't mind making his, but he was never making one with a pulley again. Needless to say there was a lot of frustration. We managed to get them both working, but Aiden's mysteriously stopped working sometime between Friday night and Sunday morning. We were able to catch Zoë's on film.

Friday night was our studio piano recital. It's always exciting to see how all of the students have progressed over the year. On Sunday Aiden had his first solo recital. He has completed Suzuki Book One, and played all of the songs for about 25 friends and family members. We're all very proud of him! He did a great job, and was really excited to play for everyone.

For the next week and a half we're wrapping up end of the school year things and getting ready for vacation. It will be a light couple of weeks.

Monday, May 3, 2010

New Incentive Program

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the idea of incentives, and internal vs. external motivation. Does providing incentives make for people that are only externally motivated? Is there even such a thing as internal motivation? I've decided that I don't know the answers! I did, however, find an interesting study scientists have been doing with school children in 4 different cities. And I have also decided that people are not intrinsically internally motivated. Even the smallest child will repeat actions if their parents smile at them. Think of the number of people that toil away at work with the only reward being a paycheck.

The study I read is showing that children who are provided small rewards for specific things (like reading a book and taking a short quiz about it) end up getting better grades and higher test scores. This result doesn't happen as often if children are given larger rewards for something as subjective as better grades. Basically, if you don't teach someone how "to get an A," they don't know how to go about doing it. If you want to read the study, it was in a recent issue of Time magazine.

With all of this in mind I've completely revamped our rewards program. First, it's a random reinforcement program combined with accomplishing set goals. Since Pavlov showed us that random reinforcement is the best way to learn something, I had to involve that component. Second, the rewards are in three tiers: bronze, silver, and gold. Bronze rewards are things like a candy bar, $1, an hour of tech time, one book buck (10 = a new book from the bookstore). Silver rewards include a trip to DQ for ice cream, lunch out, 5 book bucks, and pokemon cards. The gold rewards are the best: a reading party, gift certificates, a new video game. I had the kids give me ideas about what the rewards should be, and they helped me put the drawers together where we're keeping everything.

The set accomplishments are things that if done, they will improve in other areas. For example their math skills will improve if they can become quicker with multiplication, so for every 2 hours per week they spend playing our multiplication game or working with the flashcards they can earn a bronze reward. If they listen to their piano music every night they also get a reward.

The random reinforcement can be from anyone, anytime. It's basically the "catch them being good" idea. If they work through their math without complaining or giving up, learn a new song on the piano, have an extra good piano practice, or write an incredible sentence, they might earn a reward. The possibilities are endless.

Everyone is very excited about the new program, and they've both been working very hard with virtually NO whining! Today I was able to give Zoë a reward because she decided to clean out the garage. She was looking for something to do, and asked me (apparently the resident activities director) for ideas. I was busy doing some bookkeeping, and jokingly told her she could clean the garage. Of course her response was an eyeroll and something about looking for something fun to do. After a while I went outside to find that she had all of the stuff out of the garage, and was actually cleaning it! It was fun to tell her she could pick something out of the bronze drawer for being such a big help! They really are great kids, and I could be much better at making sure they know how much we appreciate them. Before now, I think my ideas about internal motivation have gotten in the way of that.

Long overdue update

I've been so busy thinking about our future, planning lessons, and instituting a new incentive system that I didn't realize it has been almost a month since my last post. Of course there was also planning a vacation, interviewing cleaning services, several trips to the vet, etc... Needless to say things are busy.

In two weeks Aiden has his book one piano recital. We've sent out invitations and he's been practicing every day. I've been amazed listening to him practice. He's been able to practice exactly the things he needs to improve. He'll play each hand separate and repeat sections over and over until he gets it right. Apparently, he's extremely motivated for this performance!

We had a wonderful field trip to the zoo last week with the Nuehrings. All the kids talked about how the animals had adapted. They did a great job applying what they've learned and reading the signs about each animal.

Our "fantastic" school district has decided to throw us for a loop starting next year. They've introduced a new schedule that will result in JET not being on one set day of the week. I still haven't decided what we're going to do. I have the schedule through December, but any snow day would change it for the rest of the year. Basically, this schedule change will make it impossible to have any semblance of a normal schedule, and it will be extremely difficult to do anything weekly. Just writing about this is making me angry!! How in the world are children and teachers supposed know if they're coming or going?! This also means we won't be sending Zoë to art next year. It really feels like the last resource our district has for gifted children is being taken away. I might be able to work around it for a semester, but we won't be able to do any other weekly activities!

Next time I'll share my new incentive program. Right now I'm all worked up and need to relax before we start classes in 30 minutes.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Spring Fever

With the change in seasons, everyone is scrambling to spend more time outside these days. This week was supposed to be our week off, but we traded it for last week off. Afternoons have been spent playing outside with the neighborhood children. It's nice that they're old enough now to run around the neighborhood. Of course that doesn't mean that I don't wonder what they're doing, but I'm trying hard to allow them the freedom they have earned. Oddly enough, growing up is a bigger adjustment than home schooling! There are curricula and state guidelines for education. I'm still looking for that parenting manual for the rest.

Saturday both of the kids participated in a Tae Kwon Do tournament. They did fantastic! I was very proud of all the hard work they put in to prepare for the tournament. They went to extra sparring classes and practiced their form at home all the time. It all payed off, and both of them got either first or second place in all three events. You might be surprised to know that Zoë was the one the got first in sparring. Who knew the little pixie could be so aggressive! Aiden got first in forms. He looked very crisp and powerful.

Soccer season is in full swing. Only Aiden is playing this year. The good thing about that is he's able to play on a team his own age. He seems to be really enjoying it. He scored a goal in the first game, and has been playing very hard.

It seems like right now no one is very interested in school. I've been trying to make sure we aren't doing more than our scheduled time, so they have free time in the afternoons. I decided that since they finished the state requirement for time in February, everything now is just bonus anyway. Plus, with the rate they are flying through the content, it wouldn't hurt them to have some time to just be kids! So on most days we're only spending 3-4 hours doing school instead of our usual 5-6.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Mobile School

This week we've taken school on the road and have been doing our work at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Thanks to the generosity of Miss Wendy, we even get to practice piano down the street each day. So far it's been a huge success. We get our work done while the grandparents are at work, then we have the evenings to share together. The kids have really enjoyed sharing the things they've learned with new people. Apparently, they're tired of just discussing it over dinner with Dad.

Right now our unit is on animal adaptation. They put on a puppet show last night with puppets they made to discuss how animals adapt to desert and arctic climates. We did an experiment with "blubber" (crisco) to find out how well it protects from cold, and they've learned about different animals that estivate during the summer to stay out of the heat. Yesterday they also used natural resources to build their own model boats, then floated them in the sink and made adjustments as needed. It was a VERY busy day.

This morning I ordered the curriculum for next year. We're trying something new that may enable us to be even more mobile. The company is now offering online curriculum, and the kids thought that would be great. Aiden was thrilled to learn that he could type most of his answers and then print out the worksheets instead of having to hand write everything. I think he'll love that since he can type much faster than he writes, and editing is much easier. Zoe liked the idea that websites will be embedded in the text and easily accessed for more research on topics. Next year is the first year the curriculum is student driven. The lessons are all written with clear directions for the kids to follow, and I can help as much or as little as needed. I'm very interested to see how this works, and a little sad to give up some of the reins to allow them more independence. They sure are growing up fast!

Either way, having our curriculum online might make it easier to be more on the go. Next time I won't have to pack the crate of books and supplies if we want to spend a week studying somewhere else. I'll just need to find a way to cram the piano in the trunk!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

New Unit and School on the Move

This week we've started our last unit for the year on exploration and survival. The next few weeks we'll be studying animal adaptation and reading Abel's Island. So far it seems like a really fun unit. I can't wait for the last part that focuses on simple machines and culminates with making our own Rube Goldberg!

Our piano "experiment" is going really well. In this case it's more of an observation than an experiment with the goal being daily practice. Everyone has discovered that they learn things very quickly when they practice more than 3-4 days a week. Both of them are now progressing quickly through book 1, and we've started planning Aiden's book 1 recital for sometime in May.

On Saturday we pack up our school books and head to Cleveland to spend the week doing school at Grandma and Grandpa's. I'm not looking forward to the 10+ hour drive, but at least we have 3 books on cd to listen to while we travel. If they can manage to get all their work done during the week, we'll be able to do this more often. I don't think it will be an issue because my parents are still working during the week, so they'll be gone all day while we're doing school. I am looking forward to not having all the other things I normally have to do during the week! Maybe that's worth the 10 hour drive.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Pi Day

We had a great time on Sunday. It was the first time we celebrated Pi day. The kids made invitations that they gave to their grandparents and the neighbors. The party started at 1:59 and was over at 3:14. They thought that was great.

We started out with a brief lesson about Archimedes who discovered pi, how it's an irrational number, and then went into finding out how the number is derived. The kids found 5 different circles, measured their circumference and diameter, then found the ratio of each. Then they found the average ratio for their 5 circles. Both of them were pretty close to pi.

Of course we had to also eat pie! What pi day party would be complete without a slice of pie?! So we took a short break to have some cherry crumb pie. Then they made pi necklaces using ten different colored beads to represent each number 0-9. The necklace started with a special bead representing the 3. Each of the kids went out to 150 digits. So if they start reciting pi to over 100 places, you know how they're doing it!

This week is spring break for everyone. I've spent it so far doing spring cleaning and planning out the rest of the year. We have some great things coming up including a trip to Cleveland, a unit on Greek Mythology, Science Camp, book clubs, and ordering next year's curriculum!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Monet

Today we've been spending the morning researching Monet and setting up an outdoor studio so the kids can do some landscape sketches. They're having a great time using light and shadows to draw things in the yard. Zoë even took her lunch with her, just like Monet would have, and ate while she drew.

Last week was our first test of not finishing their task list. Zoë decided that she wasn't going to complete her math, so she spent the weekend with no technology privileges. She did manage to finally sit down and work on it Sunday morning, so at least the work doesn't carry over to this week. I think she thought she could just skip doing it altogether, and was upset to find out that was not an option. Something tells me she won't do that again.

We have a very busy week fitting in the rest of the Europe unit before we head out of town for the weekend. Final projects will need to be completed by Thursday night, and they have a few lessons to finish before they even get to the final projects. It's probably going to be a long week!

This weekend they participated in a piano competition. They had to play 2 songs, one from the Suzuki book and another they just learned by reading. They also both took a theory test after they played. We just got their scores back and they did very well. Both Aiden and Zoë received a superior rating on their playing. Aiden got a superior in theory, while Zoë received an excellent. We're really proud of all the practice they've put in lately. I'm hoping that Zoë's higher score will motivate her to continue practicing well. Aiden is further along in the book, and she sometimes gets discouraged by that.

We're starting to think about planning Aiden's book one piano recital. He only has 2 songs to finish hands together, and he'll be ready. He can't decide if he wants to do the recital at home or a piano store. I'm hoping he picks the piano store! We can't comfortably fit all the people he wants to invite into our living room, plus I think it would seem like a bigger deal if he did it away from home. Hopefully, I can sway him to pick that option.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Off to Europe

Last week was our week off during which we still practiced piano, had Taekwondo, went to a concert at the symphony, and had culture nights for both of the children's JET classes. Let's just say the week off, didn't feel too "off."

Yesterday we hit the ground running with our Europe unit. We'll only be spending two weeks on the unit, because we're going to fit it all in before Spring Break starts, but they won't have a problem getting it all done.

They'll be reading Charolette of Giverny (a fictional journal about a little girl living for a year around all the Impressionist painters in France in 1892). Zoë is thrilled with the art focus. During spring break we're going to take a trip to the art museum to see all the Impressionist paintings they have.

We had a little difficulty yesterday when both of them were complaining about the work they had to do. It seemed like they were just waiting for me to do it for them. Instead, I had them talk about what they were struggling with and come up with a solution. Aiden was working on finding the longitude and latitude of major cities in Europe. The map we had only had a few longitude and latitude lines and he was angry that he didn't know the numbers exactly and had to estimate them. After talking to him and watching him do the lesson, I realized that it wasn't that he was unable to do the estimations, it was that he was mad that he couldn't be precise. So I had him come up with ways to find the real numbers. He did a google search of maps of Europe, but couldn't find any that were anymore precise than the one he had. Finally he found a site that listed the city's latitude and longitude. Normally, I wouldn't have let him do this because the lesson was to be able to understand how to use the coordinate system, but he understood it completely, and the lesson turned into learning in which countries the major cities are located and how to solve your own problem. Zoë hasn't done this lesson yet. I'm interested to see how she responds to the impreciseness. I'm guessing that it won't bother her.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Quote of the Day

We've all been excited to watch the 2010 Olympics, and most nights this week we've tuned in to see how the athletes are doing. Last night Aiden told us "I'd like to be in the Olympics someday." After a short pause he told us, "the oldest person is 36. I'm already 7. I better get started now." After we had a discussion about how much practice goes into being an athlete of that caliber, he decided he'd rather watch. Either way it made me giggle.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Final Projects

This week is final projects week for the units. The kids put together a presentation pretending they were paleontologists needing funding for an expedition. They did a great job explaining fossils, what can be learned from them, and discussing how to test rocks and minerals to discover what kind they are. We had one minor mishap with the computer and a lost file, but they persevered, redid the presentation, and were able to move past the upset.

They both finished Holes last week, and we watched the movie last night. It was fun discussing the differences between the book and the movie. We felt like overall, they did a good job with the movie. Their final project for this is to design a camp that might actually help boys in trouble. It was very interesting to see their extremely different approaches! Aiden decided that if he made things so terrible, the boys would never want to come back, and would stop doing bad things. Zoë felt like most of the boys just needed to have some fun and a structured routine.

The neatest thing about the Holes final project to me was being able to discuss what motivates people to do good. I was able to ask lots of questions about why people choose to make good decisions, and how there are always more than one perspective on stories. I enjoyed watching and listening to Aiden work through his thoughts about the camp he was designing. In the end he decided that he needed a mixture of reward and punishment included in his camp. It was an excellent opportunity to discuss how best to motivate people to make good choices while trying to understand the grayness of perspective. And they thought they were just reading a good book...

Friday, February 5, 2010

Poetry

After giving Zoë a hard time about writing several acrostic poems during her assignments this week, she came to me with this diddy. I love her sense of humor!

A I am not
Cvery good
Rat acrostic
Opoems.
Severy letter
There, well most
Ievery letter,
Cwhatever.

Pthey never
Omatch. So
Ematch is omatch
Mand and is mand.

Crystals, short stories, and sickness

This week has flown by. Zoë was sick Monday and still not feeling well on Tuesday, and I was sick Thursday. Somehow we still managed to complete everything on their agendas.

Since Zoë was sick I spent most of the week being able to do lessons separately with the kids. I think Aiden got a lot more out of literature knowing that he couldn't rely upon Zoë's answers to get him through. Either that or his reading comprehension has dramatically improved. I'm guessing it's some of both.

Both of the kids have been excited to write their own short stories, so I've changed our writing assignments to having them work on their stories. Tom has agreed to teach them editing skills. They seem really excited about this.

Another change I'm introducing this week is for Zoë with her math. She has been continuing to struggle with the idea that her math is getting more difficult, but she really has little problem doing it. Lately, she's been spending more time lamenting the problems than actually doing them. So I made an agreement with her that she can either master 5 different types of problems per day or spend an hour doing math (whichever comes first). Yesterday, we finally had a breakthrough and she finished math in 25 minutes.

The beginning of the week we did a rock hunt and then spent time doing tests on each rock to try to figure out what kind they were. The curriculum just had them do the tests and stop there. Aiden was bothered that he didn't actually know what kind of rocks he had, so we went to the library and checked out a field guide and he looked his rocks up. He couldn't understand why anyone would spend all that time doing the tests, and then not know what rocks they really had. Since then he's been reading the field guide and learning all he can about igneous rocks.

Yesterday, despite me having the stomach flu, we managed to complete 6 different science experiments with crystals. Now my kitchen window sill is filled with glasses growing crystals including rock candy. We also got to break open a geode and do some painting with "crystals."

Finally, I knew it was going to happen (though I didn't think this early), but Aiden was working on some math that I could not remember how to do. Fortunately, after one explanation problem it came back to me. He was making a line graph of an algebraic equation and I just couldn't remember how to do that. So together we clicked on explain and after I read it over it came back. Needless to say I have very little reason to remember how to graph things like y = 4x + 2. I know this is just the beginning of these issues, and sooner or later I'm not even going to be able to remember how to do the problems!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Our first year at home

We are approaching the one year anniversary of pulling the kids out of public school, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect upon all of the things we've done this year. As I started compiling the list I realized why I've felt so busy this past year! We've had so many changes and learned so much.

It took me about 9 months, but I think I've finally been able to place both kids where they need to be for math. We started with second grade books and are now doing ALEKS at the 5th and 6th grade levels. They've learned multiplication, division, long division, factors, greatest common factors, simplifying factors, all kinds of geometry, percentages, algebra, order of operations, all kinds of properties, and probably 100 other things that I can't even remember. The most important thing is that they are learning something new each day, and are able to progress at their own pace.

Through our curriculum we've covered lots of different science and social studies units. The units included ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, American Heroes, states of matter, motion, weight, balance, American Government, magnetism and electricity, forces of nature, Africa, Asia, rocks and minerals and Ben Franklin. They also completed units that I designed on Japan and volcanoes.

I'm also happy with their progress in reading and writing. They've both read 10 books as part of their literature curriculum. This doesn't count the 3 reading parties they've earned, the book clubs we've joined, and the amazing amount of free reading that I don't even count toward our home school hours. Both of the children have dramatically improved their intonation while reading aloud, spelling and vocabulary.

They have also been learning all kinds of things with our electives. They've both learned to type, read and write cursive handwriting, and have started learning Spanish. We've continued with piano lessons and have started taking Taekwondo. Both kids would like to finish Suzuki book one by the end of 2010, and they're both yellow first in Taekwondo. We've also taken countless field trips including a great trip to Philadelphia.

Both of them have been continuously challenged. This was probably the hardest adjustment they had to make. Neither one of them knew how to deal with something they didn't know how to do. They've since learned how to work past the frustration and complete their tasks. I have to say that those are the moments that fill me with the most pride. It is hard to watch them struggle, but it's so rewarding to teach them how to get past that.

During the course of the year we've gone from lessons being completely driven by me, to a weekly task list. This has been a great change! It has taught them time management, organization, and how hard work can pay off. They have never left something unfinished (probably because they aren't willing to pay the consequences of not finishing their list!), and I don't have to motivate them to do their work.

When we originally decided to home school I thought we'd try it for a year and see how things went. Now that the year is up and we're evaluating how things have gone, I couldn't imagine our lives any other way. Zoë has become much more confident in herself and her abilities, and Aiden has learned how to focus.

The past year hasn't always been easy. There have been times that I question my ability to educate them, or wish for some free-time. But as time has gone on those feelings have waned. When I see their excitement while we work on activities I know that we've made the best choice. Our whole lives have become more full and at the same time more relaxed.

I'm excited to see what the next year will bring!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Our week off

This week we do not have any classes. Of course that doesn't mean they aren't learning things. Aiden has been very focused on finishing the Gregor the Overlander series. He's on the last book now. Zoë has even gotten into the frenzy and is on the second book. And they've both started turning the artroom into their own Underland. They've made characters from the book and hung them all over the room. Now they're waiting for the refrigerator box from their grandparents to complete the process.

Aiden has also started writing his own underland story. He spent Monday and Tuesday developing characters, new animals found there, and beginning to write his story. I've had to spend a little time with him making sure he understands it's not how long a story is that makes it good, but how good the characters and the plot are that make it enjoyable. At first he was very focused on how many words the story would be. Now he's busy giving descriptions of the characters and telling the story. I'm really hoping he finishes this one. He has a habit of starting stories, but never finishing them.

Zoë has been in a creative mood also and has spent the week putting on magic shows (she's gotten MUCH better at these!) and drawing. Everyone in the house has been given a personalized cat drawing that she has made. This morning she's convinced Aiden to help her develop a new level on "Little Big Planet," and they've been quietly working together on the couch creating and testing their game.

I get to spend the rest of the day preparing for the next three weeks and making sure all of my record keeping is up to date. Fortunately, I was finally able to fix my computer, so we'll be ready to do math in different rooms next week. We'll see how that works. Something tells me we're going to have arguments about who gets to use my computer.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Holes and Rocks

This week we started our geology unit. The kids have had a great time learning about the different kinds of rocks. So far they've studied igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Their first "lab" was to test 5 different rocks to figure out what kind they were. I remember doing that in college labs! They did streak tests, hardness tests, acid tests, and magnetism tests on each sample. They both did great, and were able to identify all 5 samples correctly (the samples were hematite, magnetite, calcite, quartz, and talc). It worked out really well, because Aiden decided to do more math while Zoë did her experiment. That way they came up with their own answers and did the tests on their own. They did a great job understanding the differences in the types of rocks. Of course I'm thrilled to be teaching this unit. (For those of you that don't know, I actually went to college to become a geological engineer before I decided to switch majors).

Everyone is busy plugging away at their ALEKS math. I'm so proud of Zoë. She is constantly feeling like it's "too hard," but each day she continues to work out the problems. I just keep reminding her that the reason the pie pieces aren't filled in is because there are things she doesn't know how to do, and with most things it seems hard when you don't know how to do things. They both had assessments to complete this week, and they continue to progress through the level. I usually sit in the computer room working on other things while they work on their math, so I'm available to answer questions and keep Aiden focused. I've noticed that lately Aiden has needed very little refocusing, and seldom asks questions. When he does ask a question I can just remind him to click "explain" and he figures it out from their explanation. Zoë prefers to have me read the explanations to her, but gets frustrated with herself so easily. Usually after she's mastered the problem in only 3 examples she realizes that it wasn't that hard, and she actually did well.

So far the only problem we have with math is that all of the computers are in the same place. Aiden likes to think out loud and Zoë needs quiet. So in an effort to fix that problem I moved my computer out into the kitchen. Of course now it isn't working! I've spent the last week trying to diagnose the problem and now I'm waiting on a fan to arrive so I can fix it. Until then we still have lots of "Aiden be quiet!" going on. Next week is our week off, so I should have it ready to go by then (if not, I might take a bat to it!)

We're reading Holes for our literature unit. This week we'll cover the first 12 chapters. Hopefully they'll really like this book. It seems like a good one so far.

Aiden has finally taken a liking to reading. In the last week he's read half of the Gregor the Overlander series. The first book he read in one day. Fortunately, I've read them too, so we've had some great discussions about the books. The other night he had to read a part to me, because he was so excited about it. I was amazed at his ability to read every single word! A few times he would stop to ask me what a word meant, but he could always pronounce them. His intonation and phrasing has really improved as well.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Quilting

We spent last week busy making "quilts" with the information the kids researched about a few countries in Asia. This weekend we sewed them together and they turned out great. If I get an extra moment, I'll take a picture with them and post it. They each researched six different countries and made a quilt block for each country. They had to write a paragraph about what a person might see if they went to the country, include a picture of a person from there, a map of the country, what a typical house would look like there, and an animal that would be found there. Then we printed them onto t-shirt transfer paper and ironed them onto fabric that we sewed onto a big piece of felt.

Today we cried our way through the end of "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." Then we spent some time talking about war, and why it was important that Americans read a book like this. They also designed and made models of their own peace monuments and researched the Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima, Japan that was erected in memory of Sadako. After all that we all decided we liked adventure or comedy books better.

The rest of this week will be spent wrapping up the unit on Asia and Africa. Next week is Geology!! I'm really looking forward to that unit. They'll be doing some of the same things I had to do in college lab classes...testing hardness values, etc. For the literature portion we'll be reading "Holes."

In the car today Aiden told us that he thought learning made more technologies and bigger cultures. When I asked him why he thought that he said, "because if you're studying about one thing, and then you come up with a brilliant idea from something else you know, you could create a whole new thing. That is what makes better technology." He didn't get to the part about bigger cultures, but I'm interested to hear what he means about that too.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Prime factorization and a box of tissues

Yesterday was our first day back to school, and it went much better than I anticipated. Both of the kids were up, showered, fed, and on the computer doing their math by 8 am. I have really been enjoying the ALEKS system. Both of them are more than halfway done with their levels and they just started the program in November. Among other things Aiden is currently working on prime factorization and Zoë is doing common denominators. Of course within the hour that they work on the program they're doing at least 4 different topics, but those were the last things they worked on today. Aiden was especially proud of himself when he solved the equation 35 = 3X - 13. He came running into the kitchen shouting "Mom, mom, look at the algebra I did!"

Right now we are studying Asia and reading the book "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." I'm thinking they should have included a box of tissues with this literature unit! It's my second time reading the book, and it's not any easier this time around. I've decided that Zoë is so empathetic that it wouldn't be a good idea if she read the book alone. So we sat in front of the fire today and read aloud half of the book. Aiden did a great job and would step in reading whenever I was too choked up to go on. Zoë listened while she knitted, and we all discussed it together. Part of me was tempted to skip this part of the curriculum, but when I evaluated my reasoning for this, I realized it was really just my desire to shield them from bad things, and in the end they would be better served by having an honest discussion about the book and how we felt reading it. So next week we'll have our box of tissues ready, and hopefully make it through the end of the story. I still can't figure out why they would pick this book as part of a gifted curriculum knowing that extreme empathy is often associated with giftedness!

On a completely different note, I heard that Missouri is trying to put forth legislation to allow open enrollment. I'm crossing my fingers that this goes through. One of the districts near us has a gifted school and I would certainly look into having them attend there if we could. In the meantime, I'll do some research into the program and see if we can't write some letters to our representatives urging them to push the legislation through! Once again I'm reminded how stupid it is to base education on arbitrary boundaries and dates of birth instead of abilities. Now if we could just convince people that "athletic prowess" is NOT a legitimate reason to hold kids back from receiving a better education!