Involved Education

If you ask my 8 year old, there is not a difference in the c spine compared to the patella.  He informed me of this numerous times today!  Finally after the third time he responded in the same affirmative answer, I became exasperated.  So I stopped the lesson and was like, “What!”  He nodded and said, “Yes, ma’am.  They are the same.”

Shaking my head in disbelief.  I walked over and knelt down in front of him and put my hand on the back of his neck and then on his knee.  “Are those the same?”  “No, ma’am but c spine and patella are.”

Now, I was really get irritated.  “Alex, ok, I give up. Why are the c spine and the patella the same?”  He looked at me with those serious green eyes and answered softly, “Mama, it’s because they are both hard words.”

That pretty much conveys our science lesson today.  It was a bunch of hard words that were unfamiliar to the younger group.  Yet, we continued to use those “same hard words” throughout our lessons.  I would stop the Lego play and ask the five year old to show me where his patella was located.

The result of today was they all learned where the c-spine and the patella are located and why they are not the same.

The purchase of two parakeets is proving to have been a wonderful decision.  T has not stopped reading on the care and training of parakeets since the purchase.  I had no idea that the purchase would lend itself to reading, but that’s the way true learning goes.  You start off moving in one direction and BOOM a child grabs the idea and runs with it in a totally new direction.  I love it!

So what did we accomplish today?  Plenty.  We made it through all of our core subjects and a physical ed class.  In other areas, we accomplished life skills such as the girl’s cooked breakfast and the boys helped clean the kitchen plus swept the foyer.  Then tonight, we  were able to attend the Nutcracker performance that was simultaneously broadcasted from New York to our local cinema.  It was an amazing opportunity for the kids and nicely rounded out our day.  I would be lying if I said homeschooling is not time consuming but it is so much fun that I often forget how much time I spend educating my kids.

Tonight, T will be singing with the Tupelo Symphony Orchestra’s Children’s Chorus.  What a truly wonderful opportunity this has been for her!  She has completely enjoyed it and wants to do it again next year.  Last night, I watched the kids practice with the full orchestra.  I can only say that I was very impressed.  The kids did a fantastic job and the orchestra was great.  I am looking forward to tonight’s show. 

Yesterday, we did not do a lot of traditional education, other than reading and math, due to the renovation of our science rooms.  We spent a lot of time preparing for the move.  The kids are responsible for assisting in sorting the different science supplies to help the unpacking process flow in some logical manner.  I am impressed that AH(8) has devised a system of boxes that are labeled and sitting in the hall for easy packing.  The kids also helped measure the new room and graphed out the design.

The new zoology and comparative anatomy area is our old science lab.  Everything else is going to the new area.  I did not realize how much science equipment, kits, and books we have until this move.  Let me say, it is a bunch!

The best part of the day was when the kids and I headed over to the local pet store and picked up 2 birds, 4 fish, and 2 frogs.  The animals had proper names before they reached their new homes.  We experienced only one small disaster.  The dark blue parakeet (Blue) escaped before being placed in his new home.  I spent nearly an hour trying to catch him.  I think he enjoyed the game of chase much more than I did.  And while I was chasing a flying bird, AH was filling the tank for the frogs.  The two inches of needed water turned into a fully filled tank. AH was enjoying watching me chase the bird so he continued filling the tank without paying attention to the amount within the  aquarium.   I was not amused when after catching Blue, I  turned and saw the fully filled, nearly over flowing tank.

What a wonderful life lesson this turned out to be!  Because THEN I had to teach my kids how to syphon.  This in turn lead to great discussions about gravity, force, motion, and more but it also lead to laughter as old stories about syphoning gas from the lawn mower were told.

At the end of the day, the children and I had set up artificial three habitats (cages and aquariums).    What a wonderful day!

Last night my ten year old (Jr. Scientist) returned from Nepal with her daddy.  I was happy to see my husband but I was thrilled to see my little girl.  I wanted to hear her thoughts of  Nepal and what touched her heart.

I asked her, “What was your favorite thing about Nepal?”  The answer was quick, “Everything.”  I heard tales of elephant rides,  Buddhist monks, canoe trips, elephant breeding centers, plants, festivals, and hungry crocodiles.  She talked of the candy, tea, and food.

Then suddenly tears filled her eyes and her face grew red.  I stopped and listened.  She said nothing but hung her head.  I knew.  I have traveled and experienced those feelings that I saw so clearly displayed across her face.  “The poverty?”  She nodded and looked up.  Her eyes held  questions but none she wanted to verbalize.  I understood and opened my arms.  A few minutes later her eyes began to dance again, “It was so different.”    ”Did you fall in love with Nepal?”  She smiled and I knew.  A part of her heart will always live in Kathmandu.

This morning I decided to write down what we do and when so you can share in the chaos and love that goes by the title of homeschooling in our house.

At 6:45 –3 kids crawled in my bed carrying a book …they obviously have not read the memo on time change!

7:15– Oldest daughter calls and asks what I am doing.  She ponders if I am asleep….uh, no.

I get up and toss a load of clothes in the wash and fold a load. Help three kids prepare for the day.  Jump in the shower.  Jump out of the shower just in time to interrupt a water fight with toothbrush sabers going on in my bathroom.

7:45– breakfast

First meltdown of the day, that is if you don’t count my moaning into the pillow for them to let me sleep.   I tell the kids to brush their teeth.  Saber welding toothbrush fighters claim they already have .  I explain that brushing before breakfast doesn’t count.  Smallest fighter begins to meltdown with the words, “Nobody told me.”

8:00…2nd trantrum of the day but by different kid….this time over cleaning house…all kids and me do a quick clean on the house.

8:45…kids sit down to math

8:46…I remember that I forgot I needed coffee, oh well, on with math.

9:00….Youngest child looks serious and asks, “Can I have candy?” No.  “Sarah is.”  I look around and sure enough she has candy under the table.

9:30 ….reading starts…Alex is working on Explode the Code, Sarah is getting my assistance, and Peyton is working on Destination Reading.

9:45 break time and I write this!  Two minutes into break, boys get into argument over who is tougher Alvin the Chipmunk or Batman.  I would have to say Batman.

(More updates as the day progresses)

Yesterday, my husband and #2 daughter left for Nepal.  I’m not going to lie, it was difficult to allow my ten year old to travel around the world without me.  I realize that her daddy will take excellent care of her on this trip, but I’m her mom and I worry.    I must have warned my husband at least fifty times to watch her closely.  Yet, in the end I did let her go.  She needed to go.  She needed the opportunity to experience a trip with just her dad.  It didn’t need to be so exotic, it merely needed to be a trip with the two of them.

Yet, my husband chose a place around the world so that he could show her a culture and a world very different from her own.  He hoped that this would help define her as a person.  I am hoping that by traveling to Nepal that my little girl will learn not only self efficiency but to appreciate other cultures and to appreciate her own.

I am excited for her, but I will continue to worry until once again she is safe in my arms.  I hope that as she stares at the majesty of Everest she remembers that all things are possible if one only takes those first steps.

If you really want to see a little boy’s eyes light up for history try talking battles, armor, and ships.  Alex spent the afternoon comparing Egyptian, Viking, Roman, and Greek ships, armor, and government.  He was one happy kid.  I love it when the kid follows me around with, “Did you know….?”

Today was SUPPOSED to be a school day full of lessons and reading books….but life intervened.  Thank goodness!  Because today was awesome.  We headed to the Pumpkin Patch for what I thought would be an hour/hour and a half of fall fun.  It turned into an ALL day event.  The children explored the farm, the animals, the pumpkin fields, and simply ran around wild.  The funniest thing was seeing Peyton try to milk a mechanical cow.

We made up some of the time this evening in between watching “Gummy Bears” in Russian and chorus practice.  As far as academic work, I think today was a total wash but it was great fun.  In terms of family time, it was wonderful.  I love my kids and today was one of those days where I just want to hold that memory inside my mind for the next twenty years.