tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24764510381342478442024-02-06T22:16:02.188-08:00Stretched to a New DimensionThis is a look into our family's journey of homeschooling two highly gifted children, and the challenges and rewards that we face.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-71922104616447625292016-06-23T13:42:00.003-07:002016-06-23T13:42:48.462-07:00As life has progressed to a point where I am beginning to see the fruits of our homeschooling labors, I've decided to start compiling some thoughts to start the process of writing a book. This seems like the best place to start publishing them. We have had an amazing experience following this path and if I could help even one family decide to travel their own path, then all this writing will be worth it. I will update a new essay each Thursday.<br />
<br />
Perseverance:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Give it another try.
Come on, honey. You can do this!”
I cheered as our daughter tried to run up the slide. The smell of lilac hung thick in the air while
large, fluffy, white clouds danced through the azure spring sky. Maya had seen a bigger kid run up the slide
and she wanted to try. Screams of glee
sounded in my ears as other children ran around playing tag and enjoying their
time at the park, but Maya was oblivious to anything but that slide.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her
little chubby legs would take her a few steps up the steep incline, but every
time she would slide back down. After
about her tenth try, my husband and son came over from the swings. She kept trying as Tom and I shared a smile
and kept encouraging her. She wasn’t
quite 3 years old yet, but she oozed determination with each attempt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We
chatted and chased her younger brother around while she kept going. After about 15 minutes I realized she was not
going to quit, and I started actually watching her. Each time she would start a few feet away from
the bottom of the slide, take a big deep breath and then leap into action. She
would get about half way up before sliding back down over and over and over
again. Sometimes she would get a little
further, but pretty soon tears began streaming down her face. She would just wipe them off and try
again. My husband and I were in awe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Soon we
started discussing in hushed tones how to help her. Should we just give her a hand? All it would take was a little pressure on
her back and we could help her get to the top, but she had not asked for our
help. She hadn’t even acknowledged we
were watching. This was between her and
the slide. Who were we to interfere? Somehow we understood that if we helped at
this point it could do more harm than good. So we started cheering-- chanting her name
over and over and encouraging her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Closer
and closer she came to the top with each try now. She was SO close! It was heart breaking and somehow uplifting
to watch her persevere. As a society we
preach the idea of perseverance, but they never tell us about how hard it is to
watch someone in the process. When you’re
the one doing the work you know why and you get to enjoy the outcome. My husband and I stood as bystanders watching
the pain of failure after failure; seeing how close she was coming each time
and somehow trying to will her to the top.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She
never once gave up. She never even took
a break. She spent over 20 minutes and
100s of attempts to get to the top of that slide. Pride and relief flooded us when her little
legs finally landed at the top. She had
done it! She stood at the top doing her
victory dance and squealing in delight.
Her dad grabbed her up in a giant hug and spun her around as we all
clapped and cheered. Her face floods with pride and happiness even now when I
mention this story. I don’t know if she
remembers it or if her memory is based on her dad and I telling and retelling
the story, but it doesn’t matter. The lessons
and effect are the same for all of us.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This
experience taught us all so much. Even
now when things get difficult as she takes her first college course at the age
of 14, we remind her of the slide. She
has learned not to give up, and that hard work pays off. We have learned that even though it may be excruciating
to watch, letting her fail is more powerful than any hand on the back could
ever be. It is so hard to know when to
help and when to let our children fail.
I would argue this is one of the single most difficult things of parenting
once they get past the infant stage. Ultimately,
we decided not to help because she had not asked for it and it wasn’t a matter
of her safety. I am so glad we made that
choice.</div>
<br />
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-63941071717617826262012-05-11T10:25:00.000-07:002012-05-11T10:25:36.826-07:00Evolution<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NKDKOGo9zyK6dTbWHJh6G-XAotwKom4jkxkaAmHHbYhboseYVUA7wUUcprxRzUzyoxl7DYxWXeATvXUhiNNOQpN57zoCwY4t36hU2XxQKMzmR6UfzP93R8CQvTA4T3zRRXfFyAsOLcuq/s1600/DSCN0934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NKDKOGo9zyK6dTbWHJh6G-XAotwKom4jkxkaAmHHbYhboseYVUA7wUUcprxRzUzyoxl7DYxWXeATvXUhiNNOQpN57zoCwY4t36hU2XxQKMzmR6UfzP93R8CQvTA4T3zRRXfFyAsOLcuq/s320/DSCN0934.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep Timeline</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This week we've started studying evolution. We've begun with the history of our planet. All week the kids did research to find when each of the events on our timeline occurred. The only place we had big enough to put this timeline was the driveway. I'll be sad when it washes away!<br />
<br />
They were amazed at the amount of things that happened after the Cambrian explosion and how long it took for organisms to evolve to become aerobic.<br />
<br />
This was a perfect activity for them. They had to measure the space, mark the years and do the math to figure out where each event should be placed. All of that occurred after doing the research to discover when the events actually happened!<br />
<br />
This week also marked the last day of JET. Unfortunately, this is Zoë's last year in the program. She is very sad to be reaching the end, but has decided to make a stepping stone for the outdoor classroom in order to leave a little piece of her there. I guess we're evolving and adapting too.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-5906627744591020602012-03-06T07:08:00.002-08:002012-03-06T07:26:30.142-08:00Practice makes it easyLately I've been watching videos from the <a href="http://suzukiassociation.org/">Suzuki Association of the Americas</a> in order to gain some motivation to improve our practices. It seems like everyone is in the middle of that phase where you don't feel your effort is paying off, and you can't figure out why you continue to do all the work. So I'm trying to find ways to spark new ideas and make piano practice more enjoyable.<div><br /></div><div>Starting in two weeks we are going to begin the Sunday Night Concert series at our house. Everyone is going to play a piece for the family, and sometimes we will have other guests join us. I'm hoping this will help the kids realize why they practice piano...to enjoy music together. It seems like we've lost that joy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm also thinking about how to incorporate a 100 day practice challenge with them. The hardest part about this idea is deciding if there should be a reward at the end. I'm familiar with all of the work done talking about external rewards, but I'm not sure is it a such a terrible thing to reward a huge effort. I think this is something I will discuss with their instructor.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately I realize that their lack of progress is due to my magical thinking that they will just begin to enjoy practicing, and that they have all the skills they need to make practice efficient. Sometimes it is so hard with gifted kids (or any kids for that matter) to know when they need your help and when they don't. I'm certainly no tiger mom, but I can see the value in continuous work. Thus begins another assessment and brainstorming about how to improve things.</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-25203331052061430172012-02-24T10:44:00.003-08:002012-02-24T12:10:19.965-08:00A Day in the Life<span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Recently someone on one of my </span>list-serves<span style="font-size: 100%;"> asked what a typical day looked like for everyone educating at home. So I thought I would share a what a fairly typical day looks like around our house. This is what we did yesterday. It's slightly atypical because we did not work at home, they were very math focused, and my husband and I actually had a date, but otherwise it's a typical schooling day.</span></span><div><span style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">7am- I wake up and start a load of laundry after making the pot of coffee that I hope will give me enough energy to make it through the day. Go through all my emails, a quick glance at facebook, turn on the Suzuki piano music (books 2-4 right now) that will play continuously until after dinner, and make today's task list.</span></div><div><span><br /></span><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">8-9 Aiden gets up, makes breakfast (usually either a bowl of cereal or he makes muffins) and talks to me either about his dreams or the things he wants to do today. Today he's convincing me of the importance of having a work day at Panera and something about "redstone wiring" in Minecraft.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">9-10 Piano practice for Aiden. Zoë gets up, tells me about the book she stayed up late reading last night and makes her breakfast. She starts packing up her laptop and books for the workday since Aiden had a valid and logical argument we'll get out of the house to work today.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">10-11 Zoë practices piano while Aiden gets his things ready to leave. This takes him a while because he's busy sharing his excitement over learning how to make and post tutorial Minecraft videos.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">11-11:30 We pack up the car (3 laptops and countless books on nebulas, black holes, Mercury and Pluto) and put the recycling in the trunk. About 5 years ago Zoë wanted our family to recycle so she researched, found where to take it and what we could recycle. She organized a system for us, and now we take the recycling every other week. As we drive we're listening to "Outcast of Redwall" audio book from the library and discussing the book.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">11:30-3:00 We take up several tables and Panera with all of our laptops and start working. Aiden is working on getting his Arithmetic Master badge on Khan academy and Zoë is finishing up her weekly Khan goals. We get several strange looks from other patrons when they see the math the kids are doing.</span> Occasionally, one of them will need help with a problem, but for the most part they do their problems while I work on book covers . Both of them do probably close to 200 different problems during this time. Aiden starts reading his book on black holes after he completes his challenge and shares interesting facts with us. Zoë finishes writing a book review and posts it to her website.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>3-5:30 The kids play outside in the woods by our house. <span style="font-size: 100%;"> When the neighbor girl gets home from school around 4:45 she joins the kids outside. During this time I fold the laundry, clean up the kitchen, and get ready to go out for a date night with my husband (the first we've had since New Year's Eve).</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">5:30-7:30 The kids run across the street to their grandma's (with their laptops in tow) and have dinner with her while Tom and I go out for a much needed dinner alone.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">7:30-8:00 We visit with Tom's mom while the kids finish their pudding and get ready to go back home. Apparently while we were gone they have been building a house on their Minecraft server.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">8-9 Aiden researches Quasars and black holes and writes his script for the upcoming "channel C newscast" we're making next week about space. Zoë draws pictures, I do a crossword, and Tom catches up on his scrabble turns while we all watch the recorded American Idol episode together.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">9-9:30 Everyone gets ready for bed. Zoë looks for a new book to read tonight and Aiden sets up his video to upload while we're asleep. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">By 9:30 my brain is exhausted and I'm busy making tomorrow's to do list in my head. No one goes right to sleep, but we are all in our rooms reading or listening to a book on cd by this point.</span></span></div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-78683826860024140732012-02-13T16:22:00.000-08:002012-02-13T17:09:49.598-08:00The Ugly G WordI've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the word gifted. The word bothers me. It conjures up images of the bottom of the Christmas tree with all of its perfectly wrapped gifts. Shiny bows and ribbons, matching paper, perfect little boxes waiting to be enjoyed. That feeling of anticipation and beauty, and all the things you love about giving gifts. <div><br /></div><div>For some reason I seldom think of things like the time my mother-in-law gave me clothes for Christmas that were 8 sizes too big. She didn't know what size I was, just that I was bigger than her. That was a wake up call to hit the gym, let me tell you! Or the time I bought my husband a cordless drill for his birthday. Worst gift EVER! We don't let him near power tools (this decided after all the pretty little star patterns surrounding the screws on our deck). Or what about the time when I was about 4, woke up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and went downstairs to sleep on the couch by the tree. I woke up to my parents screaming at me that I could have ruined Christmas "what if something hadn't been wrapped?!" FOR SHAME!!</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess my point is that I feel like most people are like me when they hear the word gifted. They think of the artfully wrapped Martha Stewart like packages filled with something you really want. They don't understand that when you open those boxes life is a mess! It's more like I opened up a box full of clock parts without instructions on how to put it together.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sure Zoë can read at a high school level, but it's hard to find things for her to read with subject matter appropriate for a 10 year old, and once you do find a book she reads it in a single day. Yeah Aiden can do geometry, but have you seen how he falls apart if he gets a single problem wrong? Yes, Zoë is excellent at deciphering emotions in people, but have you watched her spirit crumble as she has heard about the genocide in Rwanda, or the victims of Katrina, or Haiti, or any other tragedy? Yes Aiden can beat most people in many games, but have you spent your days listening to him endlessly drone on about them? Have you tried to sit on the couch and relax for just 10 minutes with a child who's brain is just not wired to shut off? Good luck with that gift!</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me tell you "gifted" just doesn't sum it up! Hopefully some day we'll come up with a term that better describes how these people are wired, preferably one with less stigma and jealousy attached to it. Until then, I'll just keep trying to fit these clock parts together I guess. Oh and I should still remember to hit that gym!</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-47672705731359115032011-10-04T11:39:00.000-07:002011-10-04T12:05:10.893-07:00Math WeekAiden is in charge of the lessons this week. He has decided that they haven't been doing much math lately, so that is the theme for the week. They've both spent a while on Khan Academy doing the practice and earning points/badges. We've played around with this before, but I had forgotten how great it is. Although you have to do a set number of problems correctly to become proficient, you can skip around on the flow chart and it will back fill proficiency as needed. Best of all it's FREE!<div><br /></div><div>He also wrote 10 story problems for Zoë to do based on Halloween. They're cute problems like "You get 12 Reece's peanut butter cups, but Dad gets a 25% toll. How many peanut butter cups do you have left?" We've also been playing math games like Equate and Set. Basically he said he wanted to find a way to do math things that Zoë would enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are also as a family learning Sign Language. That has been a lot of fun. The kids are excited that they can now "talk with their mouths full." We checked out books from the library and have a friend that knows ASL so we can practice with her. Most of our dinner conversation last night was spent sharing signs and trying to talk in sign.</div><div><br /></div><div>My big issue right now is coming up with a way to evaluate success in their learning by the end of the year. I've started to piece together some vague ideas and in the end I'm hoping to have a questionnaire we can each use to see how we think things are going. It needs to be life skills/job performance based instead of a standardized test. In this information age it isn't important that they can recall mundane facts, but rather can they work on a team, can they communicate (in many forms) their ideas to others, can they solve problems creatively...that kind of thing. I'm constantly evaluating and thinking about these kinds of things, but it would be nice to have it in writing with specific examples. In the end it will probably help if I need to create high school transcripts for them too.</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-46392722175094039252011-09-21T07:06:00.000-07:002011-09-21T07:27:52.636-07:00Pasta, Link and enzymesAs usual our week off doesn't mean a lack of learning, just a lack of record keeping for me and a very relaxed schedule. On Monday we all tried our hands at making pasta. It tasted fantastic, but I'm not sure it's worth all the work it took. Tuesday the afternoon was spent planning and designing a treehouse that the kids are going to build with their Grandpa. They were also both bitten by the cleaning bug and spent hours cleaning their room in the morning. It is so great when they do things like that without being told!<div><br /></div><div>Zoë has more sewing lessons with Nana this weekend, and I'm sure they'll be busy finishing Aiden's Halloween costume. He's decided to be Link from the Zelda games. He's even growing his hair out to fit the image.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also wanted to share <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110918144955.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29">this success story</a> with everyone. If you're not familiar with Foldit, it is a game put out to help scientists fold proteins to try to find cures for diseases. Apparently a gamer has accomplished in 3 weeks, what they have been trying to do for years. We have played around with Foldit for about a year now. It's amazing what can be learned through games!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-4990670932071713562011-09-14T06:46:00.000-07:002011-09-14T07:47:06.159-07:00A Much Anticipated Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2BexuvN7Mta1_p-g3S6mJESQCyulJAkI8SrUHlG11-x0SrEnOdse0xiDwhHHYhNNIbqPZe66mp-_FHe9DRCEDRq6e380UowYwTipd1_qG0WXC54Un477Yuhf7WVme9OZUkHiJPKZWFLK/s1600/DSCN0370.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2BexuvN7Mta1_p-g3S6mJESQCyulJAkI8SrUHlG11-x0SrEnOdse0xiDwhHHYhNNIbqPZe66mp-_FHe9DRCEDRq6e380UowYwTipd1_qG0WXC54Un477Yuhf7WVme9OZUkHiJPKZWFLK/s320/DSCN0370.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652226108703853026" /></a>This picture was from our nature hike in Bush Wildlife Preserve in August. Despite the heat it was a great day and we discovered lots of new things.<div><br />Now that summer is finally over I'm starting to get back into our groove. This is our first week with all of the fall activities running. In a push to get Zoë involved in more social activities, we've added even more to our schedule this year. She has joined <a href="http://morethanlegos.webs.com/">Team Spark</a> in the <a href="http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll">First Lego League</a> and the local 4-H club. We also have soccer, piano, JET and Tae Kwon Do for both of the kids. My Google Calendar looks crazy!<div><br /></div><div>Two weeks ago the kids came down for breakfast with the idea that they were going to take turns planning activities for a week for each other. Zoë started last week with a reading unit. They read the first book in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Capture-Guardians-Gahoole-Book/dp/0545253063/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1316008959&sr=8-11">Guardians of Ga'Hoole</a> series by Katheryn Lasky. She made a scavenger hunt for Aiden to do in order to give her reading directions to him. They also researched owls, drew accurate pictures of owls, made up their own kind of owl and discussed the book. What most amazed me was Zoë's ability to tailor her lesson to Aiden. She knows that he doesn't really like to read and has a tendency to read 5 pages of a book then put it away. So the first day she gave him his first scavenger clue which told him to read the first chapter of the book. When he finished that, he could have the second clue and so on. By the end of the day he was so engrossed in the book that he kept reading past where she told him he could stop.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week is Aiden's week. He is calling it Game Week. He's helping Zoë design her own Scratch game, playing different games with her, and they're making their own board games. It has been so enjoyable to see them get up each morning and be excited about what they're doing for the day. They really seem to like taking charge of teaching the other about something that interests them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Zoë also had a sewing lesson yesterday at the place she got her new sewing machine. I could tell that the woman teaching the class was a little apprehensive that I was just planning to leave Zoë and not take the class with her. By the time we got back an hour later of course the woman had changed her tune. She raved about how quickly she learned things, and what a pleasure it was to teach her. Of course I knew that would be the case, because we all know that Zoë should be an ambassador for homeschooling and is a delight. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly she picks things up and amazes the people she meets!</div></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-22439361403665737982011-05-10T10:04:00.000-07:002011-05-10T10:27:21.147-07:00Let the crazy summer beginTomorrow officially begins our hectic summer schedule. We're heading to Chicago for 3 days on the Amtrak. We're hoping to see the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Art Institute, the Adler Planetarium, and eat some deep dish pizza. It will certainly be a whirlwind trip, but I'm sure we'll have a good time.<div><br /></div><div>Aiden has been very busy preparing for his upcoming Bach piano recital. He was determined to get it in before heading to his grandparents for two weeks at the end of May. That has meant many hours on the piano, some frustration, but generally a very determined attitude. He has also been making programs using Scratch and has developed a fortune teller complete with some very odd fortunes. Once he publishes it, I'll post a link.</div><div><br /></div><div>Zoë has been busy finding ways to earn money to go to <a href="http://www.ondessonk.com/">Camp Ondessonk</a> this summer. One of the things she is doing is making the invitations for her grandparents' 50th anniversary party. In order to do this, she has been learning to use Photoshop. It has been a great experience, and the invitations are looking fantastic.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week they also volunteered to donate baked goods for a fundraiser through Tom's work. They made a triple chocolate cake (thanks to Aunt Laura's recipe). The funniest part was that they decided there would need to be a trial cake made since they had never baked anything like it before. So the week before, I agreed (who could argue their logic), and they made a cake for us first. It turned out fantastic!</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday their grandpa took them to get fishing equipment and out for lunch (another great perk of home schooling!). They spent the afternoon learning how to ready the line, cast, and catch fish. They had a great time and caught about 8 fish over the course of a few trips to the lake. Their grandma also dug out an old melodica which they have been playing around with.</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-71918810613438494732011-04-24T07:23:00.000-07:002011-04-24T08:09:09.710-07:00A Successful WeekLast week was definitely one of those "this is why we home school" weeks. It was filled with challenges, frustration, success, but most importantly child-led learning. It also helped that I managed to squash the little voice that only knows one way to learn, and was actually able to facilitate their learning.<div><br /></div><div>Zoë managed to make 2 skirts and a shirt as part of her fashion project. Her seam ripper got a workout, but she kept at it and is very pleased with the result. She's also working to improve her blog and started reading the first book on her completed reading list. In her downtime she has been learning how to use <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Scratch</span></a> (an open-source program put out by MIT to help people learn how to program).</div><div><br /></div><div>We also managed to find (thanks to one of the gifted homeschooling listservs that I belong to) an <a href="http://bitesizephysics.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" >online physics program</span></a>. The kids decided that they were interested in taking the 6 week class on sound. So they split the cost and used their education budget to join the class. They're really enjoying the live webcast and the fun experiments he has them do. They will have to do the last class while they're at their grandparents, but otherwise it fits nicely into our schedule.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aiden has been busy making a "cat battler" game on Scratch. Originally he wanted to make a Zelda type room using <a href="http://www.yoyogames.com/make"><span class="Apple-style-span" >game maker</span></a>, but by mid week he was completely frustrated. Scratch seems to be more of a middle step between <a href="http://gamestarmechanic.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" >gamestar</span></a> and game maker. It was still frustrating for him, but he managed to complete his project. He also made a funny illness diagnoser.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next week is very busy. We're going to the <a href="http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll/default.aspx?id=970"><span class="Apple-style-span" >FIRST Lego League Championship</span></a>, watching the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" >space shuttle launch</span></a>, having a piano recital, and a day at JET.</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-61182709224761953122011-04-14T12:45:00.000-07:002011-04-15T10:25:56.432-07:00Treading New WatersIt has been quite an eventful week in our household. After only a few weeks of hard work, Aiden has already managed to meet his gamestar mechanic goal. On Monday his game "Meso's Adventure (Part 1)" made it to the front page on the top rated games. We all went out to dinner to celebrate. Since then we've started discussing new goals and the idea of balance in learning. I'm all for games as a tool, but I can't bear the thought of it being the ONLY tool! So he is now self-imposing his own restrictions on daily screen time.<div><br /></div><div>Zoë has been preparing for her art show this Sunday. In addition we're starting a new approach to her learning. I gave her a list of about 25 "courses" that she could pick from to study and she narrowed it down to 4. Taekwondo, piano, and French (she decided) will be mandatory. Starting on Monday she will be doing fashion design, blogging, astronomy and an independent study literature in addition to the mandatory things. Each week we will work together to set new goals. Hopefully this balance between help with goal setting and child led learning will be successful.</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-85250078065937963712011-04-01T11:50:00.000-07:002011-04-01T12:11:54.245-07:00Our First Hurdle in DeschoolingThis week has been fairly uneventful. Last night the kids decided to have a kids camp out. They said it wasn't a survival night because they wanted a tent and didn't want to have to find their own food. So they spent the night by the fire they built toasting marshmallows and then slept in the tent. They had egg salad for dinner made by boiling eggs in a wax paper cup in the fire. They also wrapped potatoes in foil and cooked them in the fire. It never ceases to amaze me what children are capable of when the adults get out of the way!<div><br /></div><div>Aiden has decided that he has exhausted his learning on game star mechanic. His goal was to make a game that ended up on the front page of the top rated games. Currently one of his games is on page 3 and still moving up. He also made a 100 level game that took him over 100 hours of work. He's still making games there, but he's also now learning game maker, which is a much more powerful game making site. I've also loaded lynx on their laptop because he said he'd like to start learning coding. This will truly be a test of his ability to teach himself. I know absolutely nothing about programming and will be of no help whatsoever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right now it's Zoë that seems to be floundering. I'm not sure if it's because she is having a harder time adapting to coming up with her own ways to spend her learning time or some other reason. She's the queen of accomplishing anything I ask her to do, but she seems to be struggling with things on her own. She keeps coming up with great ideas, but seldom finishes them. Right now she wants to have an art show, and I feel like I'm having to tug her along the process. She just doesn't seem to be able to find a passion and dive into it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've also noticed that since we've started this hands off approach to learning, Zoë has become much more bossy toward Aiden. It's almost like she can't handle the idea of letting him do his own thing and if I'm not going to tell him what to do, then she will. It's very interesting to watch. Several times this week he has come inside saying "I'm not playing with her anymore. She's just bossing me around and it isn't any fun." I feel like if she could find somewhere to put her energy and focus, this might go away.</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-22104655553872905702011-03-25T07:59:00.000-07:002011-03-25T09:26:08.321-07:00A Time for GrowthThis has been a difficult week filled with lots of lessons and possibilities for growth. Aiden has experienced disappointment, joy, consequences and rewards all in a few days. Tom says we might look back on this week as a real turning point for our family. I certainly hope he is right.<div><br /></div><div>For some time now we have been aware that Aiden has a lack of impulse control and tends to rush through things that he views as easy without giving any effort. This could not have been more clear than at Tae Kwon Do testing this weekend. About half of the time he was trying his hardest, the other half he was barely even moving. After talking with his instructors we found out that his effort at testing was much greater than it has been in class. So we had a long talk with him and decided that he would have to pay for 50% of his next testing since he's only giving 50% effort. Since that discussion he has worked very hard in class and has improved drastically.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week has been a running dialog about how he wants other people to view him and how his actions can distort those views. He has researched impulse control and developed his own exercise to teach himself to improve in this area. I was very impressed with the exercise, and it seems to be helping so far. What most impressed me most was his ability to use the research to develop something that would be effective for him, and then try so hard to make it work. </div><div><br /></div><div>This morning I stumbled on the idea of how to relate all of these things to something he is passionate about. I asked him how he wanted other people to think when he posted a new game on game star mechanic. Did he want people to be excited to see his name attached to a game? Would he want them to find it challenging, and feel like he had worked hard to create it? Also, did he just make easy games since he has already learned how to make them, or did he prefer to keep challenging himself with something that he already knows but could improve? This last question seemed to hit home for him. I hope that I was able to help him move past his idea of "if it's easy it's not worth trying," and allow him to see how his behaviors might give an impression to other's that he does not want them to have.</div><div><br /></div><div>By no means do I think all the problems are solved, but it does feel like we're headed down the right path now. It's interesting to me how when I give up the control and make him accountable for his actions, changes happen much easier. Of course logic tells you that's true, but it isn't until you actually analyze how you are still controlling things that you're able to let go and let them grow WITH you, not FOR you.</div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-31958597260207158732011-03-22T11:36:00.000-07:002011-03-22T12:10:10.169-07:00The adventure continuesSince last week was such perfect weather, and the neighborhood children were all on Spring Break, the kids were able to play outside most of the week. Thursday we had our first annual park-a-palooza. I surprised the kids by taking them to Civic Park in the morning to play while I walked. We were joined by our friends and continued to play for a while. Then we told them it was time to leave and drove to another park. They had no idea what was going on, but were thrilled when we pulled up to the next place! In all we went to 4 different parks and had a picnic lunch. It was a great day. Next time the kids get to plan which parks we go to.<br /><br />Aiden is currently working on having a top rated game on game star mechanic. He just finished making a 100 level game (the previous high on the site was 50 levels), and now he's setting his sights on the top rated prize. He talked with me about things he could do to meet the goal. In the end he decided that he should spend more time playing and commenting on other people's games in order to drive more traffic to his games, and less time creating new games. He also thought that his comments and ratings should be polite and helpful, otherwise people would be unhappy and not play his games. It was a very interesting conversation, and I was pleasantly surprised at how insightful he was.<br /><br />Zoë has a couple of projects going. Yesterday she decided she wanted to learn how to draw better, so we checked out lots of drawing books from the library and she spent the evening drawing. She's decided that she would like to have an art exhibition of her work, and is in the beginning of planning the event. Also, today she decided that she wanted to start her own blog and webshow. So I set her up with her own blog which she has titled "<a href="http://zoesawesomelife.blogspot.com/">Zoë's Awesome Life</a>." She's working on her first post. For now I've told her that prior to publishing anything either Tom or I need to proof read it. I'm not going to fix grammar or spelling errors, but rather looking for inappropriate content while she learns the rules of sharing on the internet. It will be interesting to see where these things go.<br /><br />I've been busy mo<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaycqK1gI4IM6RwRnoGPYG9CQvmK8hZl7WLjdF7vHHHnYXwkX_e1SYb3Bp6alP6GMq3aUQxTBRw67_vqODqnZM0icM4Cfy6yi7DhwRcuM_6gFTL36qF4wVN8nIBkBAaLIvQJyrPEZNIg-/s320/wizard.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586982968952742978" />deling learning behaviors by trying to figure out photoshop creative suite. Wow, is that challenging! Here's a look at my first attempt. Obviously, I have a lot to learn. My hope is that one day I can use my creative juices to help make covers for Tom's writing. In the meantime he gets to be an evil wizard on the run from Azkahban.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-39921159837177902732011-03-08T07:23:00.000-08:002011-03-08T08:15:19.765-08:00Self Evaluation and ReflectionI've spent the last two months wrapped up in some self-evaluation. It all started from a deep feeling of dissatisfaction that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I've finally discovered that the unhappiness is coming from my desire to maintain control (which of course is just an illusion) over my family and the kids education, coupled with a desire to explore my own interests. Thus begins another evolution of our homeschooling experience.<br /><br />I've noticed as two years have passed, things have slowly changed around our house. When the kids were first pulled out of school we had a strict curriculum that we followed daily. As time went on I noticed that the curriculum wasn't enough. The kids either plowed through the material quickly, weren't interested, desired more than the curriculum had to give, or were sick of doing the same things. So I slowly began to steer away from the curriculum in order to continue to foster their desire to learn. I began to give them control over how they spent their days, but required certain things to be finished at the end of the week. This seemed to help for a bit.<br /><br />Eventually, before I even realized it myself, the kids were showing me signs that even this plan was not enough and I was still controlling all the information and learning. Then we started exploring topics of their own interest. I began to set up lego mindstorm challenges, hosted a chemistry jeopardy game, encouraged them to build Rube Goldbergs again, and began reading everything I could get my hands on about learning styles and child led education.<br /><br />Two weeks ago, in an effort to encourage their own exploration, I moved all of our school supplies into Zoë's old bedroom. They happily helped me carry everything up from the basement, and helped organize the room. They even made a sign for the door and named the room the "Explore Room." Within minutes they were diving into everything. It was absolutely amazing to watch this unfold! Their excitement was contagious.<br /><br />Since then I have said nothing to them about schoolwork or provided them any ideas of things to do. Instead, I have sat happily with them in the Explore Room doing my own reading and research. Anytime they have a question or want to play a game, I put my things aside and help them. I have been silently watching their ideas unfold, and wow what ideas they have!<br /><br />They have made all kinds of animal masks using paper plates complete with short plays with their new cast. They started studying American history, used the invention kit to design their own car and spring, learned about the human body by dissecting their human model, learned about the fifty states by playing the scrambled states game, spun the globe and started researching the country that their fingers landed upon, and read countless books. All of this in only a week during which time both of them have been sick and running a fever. Never once did I make any suggestions. I have only encouraged them each step of the way. I was feeling great! This is what learning should be like!<br /><br />That was until yesterday when control reared its ugly head again. Aiden decided he wanted to teach the dog how to play dead. Instead of letting him figure it out, I got online, printed out instructions and found videos for him to watch. I should have known from his lack of interest in watching the videos or reading the instructions that he didn't want my help. Instead I ignored the signs and continued offering my thoughts on his process. I was so caught up in "helping" him that it wasn't until too late that I realized what I was doing. Finally after about 20 minutes of me butting in he shouts "this is just too frustrating, he's not making any progress and I can't do this." I watched him go from an enthusiastic child with a brilliant idea, to a deflated, unhappy shell. My desire to control what and how he was teaching the dog created this and I couldn't take it back.<br /><br />I debated what to do now. Finally, after a talk with Tom I decided to apologize to him for impeding his progress and let it go. So while we all ate dinner together, I told him I was sorry for butting into his idea, and would be trying very hard from now on not to do that again. He seemed pleased that I noticed and apologized for my behavior. I can only hope that he'll go back to his idea of training the dog new tricks again.<br /><br />When we originally started homeschooling I was worried that I couldn't teach them everything they needed to know. Now two years later what I'm really learning is how to get out of their way and let them teach me! There's no such thing as knowing everything. What is most important is continuing to foster their natural desire to learn about the world around them on their own terms, thus enabling them to learn how succeed on their own.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-43097936801949687742011-01-06T05:44:00.000-08:002011-01-06T06:27:03.492-08:00New Year, new startI refuse to make new year's resolutions, but I have always loved the feeling of a fresh start. It's a great time to think about all that you have accomplished and set new goals. I realized this year that it was incredibly hard for me to think of any personal accomplishments. I had no trouble thinking of all the things the rest of the family has done, but for some reason it was difficult to come up with anything for myself. Although that's not a terrible thing (I do create the environment for the family enabling them to be so successful), I would like things to be slightly different this year. So I'm working.<br /><br />I'm not sure that I could even think of half of the things we've done since my last post. A few highlights were Zoë's book one piano recital, she finished her math level, we've started an anthology writing group with the Nuehring girls, Aiden is halfway done with Algebra 1, and I've continued to tweak our school days.<br /><br />Words can't even begin to express how proud I've been of Zoë these last few months. She has been the poster girl for perseverance, dedication, and hard work. She set goals for both piano and math back in August and managed to meet them both. I have always known that she can do anything she puts her mind to, and the past two months have just reinforced that. It has been truly amazing (and exhausting) to help her succeed.<br /><br />Aiden has hit one of the crossroads we (and lots of other people) call the dip. He's working to learn a Bach Minuet in G and has just hit his first struggle. I've watched in the last couple of months as his playing has become stagnant or even gotten worse. After thinking about things, I have realized that this is probably the first time in his life that he is doing something he actually finds difficult. The problem is that it seems to be the same for math too. He's finally working with concepts and things that take him time to understand, and he is really struggling. On Tuesday I sat down and had a long talk with him about all of this. I explained to him that these kinds of things are the biggest reason we've decided to home school them. No matter how smart someone is, the thing that sets us apart is how we get past these struggles. They were never going to find these struggles in school, and therefore never learn how to handle them. We discussed measuring success in smaller increments, and just keeping your head down and plodding along one thing at a time.<br /><br />He seems to be doing a little better the last few days. Perhaps just having the chance to voice his frustration has helped some. I don't think he was even exactly sure what the problem was, but recognizing that all of us go through this can't hurt. If I can teach him how to get out of this dip, that will be the best lesson he can learn his whole life.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-58075689442553105262010-10-07T11:52:00.000-07:002010-10-07T12:23:27.633-07:00Orlando and Free LearningLast 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-6903032918282874002010-09-18T08:22:00.000-07:002010-09-18T08:49:52.486-07:00Electricity and SurvivalThis 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-10364330053638425232010-09-10T05:15:00.000-07:002010-09-10T05:41:44.352-07:00Our week "off" and met goalsIt 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.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-59772012248340077742010-08-28T20:23:00.001-07:002010-08-31T04:57:54.671-07:00Literary unitThe 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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-4944161748627787332010-08-17T10:53:00.000-07:002010-08-17T11:45:02.721-07:00Another Time for ReflectionWith 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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-61971174416803612522010-08-11T10:18:00.000-07:002010-08-11T10:26:28.023-07:00Prep WeekThis 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-56163628170314998082010-08-04T19:30:00.000-07:002010-08-04T20:08:07.901-07:00Minimalism and Some Personal InsightsMy 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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?!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-47459248186021163992010-08-02T06:53:00.000-07:002010-08-02T07:33:35.153-07:00July updateLast 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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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?Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2476451038134247844.post-47246023076457742962010-06-30T13:34:00.000-07:002010-06-30T14:21:20.910-07:00Independent ResearchOver 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833320408109922037noreply@blogger.com1