The Name Game

Jacob's been working on learning how to write his name in a variety of different ways. I've gotten lazy around the holidays and it's pretty much the main focus of our 'homeschooling' right now because I don't have time to think about much more than that. But Jacob is doing pretty good with that.

We've also been going to Playschool, a parent-run co-op preschool. After a couple months of trying to work it into our schedule, I've settled on taking him there once a week. And we would have been going for the entire month of December but it got cancelled three Mondays in a row due to heavy snow falls and ice storms. We'll start January with a new commitment to it though.

We've also been baking and cooking a lot. Applesauce (below), muffins, soups, etc. Jacob loves to help and has been named the official garlic peeler of the house.


Since it's entered the truly cold weather, we've been taking advantage of the junior museum that is just down the road. Jacob has met some really interesting animals and made a lot of cool crafts at the five week class he took there. Below is the 'terrarium' from the last day of class. We currently have it growing on our kitchen windowsill.

Geography Lessons

Jacob got this puzzle that is a map of the United States for his birthday. He loves it and for a while was doing the puzzle five times a day. He does the whole thing himself and he can name about half the states. He still loves to talk about all the states we went to on our trip and all different facts about the states.

Forgotten

I totally forgot to post about this, but in early October we did our first official homeschool group activity, or whatever you want to call it. A local nature preserve was hosting a hike which was to feature muskrats. We only got there about 20 minutes late, but we found the group and caught up with them. Papa came with us and we had a great time. We didn't really see any muskrats, but the tour took a turn as other little 'teaching moments' came up so we did see a lot of interesting stuff. Jacob also took a bunch of pictures on Jamie's camera on this little excursion.

Last Week

Monday we went to the 'Playschool' where a couple of Jacob's little friends go. It's a parent-run co-op, so there's a pretty good chance that there's going to be some major aspect of their philosophy which I agree with, I'm hoping to meet some other homeschoolers, and I really like the idea that I get to be there the whole time. Jacob likes that part too. It's not really an option these days to leave him anywhere. He's been really clingy at gymnastics, making me stay right there on the floor in his line of vision even though he knows I'm not going to leave him there. It's weird, I had a dream just before we started back up with gymnastics that I had left Jacob there - I went to do errands and didn't make it back in time for the end of the class (still the dream). It's like I was dreaming out his worst nightmare. Even at bedtime Jacob's been real clingy. He just wants someone to fall asleep with. I really don't think that's too much to ask for a three year old so we try to indulge him as much as we can. I'm pretty confident that this is what we need to be doing for him to boost him confidence for eventual independence. I think forcing him to adjust the hard way will only make this phase worse.

But I digress, as I tend to do. So we went to playschool and Jacob had a great time. We did some activities based on the letter B and the number 2. At the end of it Jacob told me, "Mommy, I had a lot of fun here, but I don't want to come back." How honest. I've been frustrated with that comment up until now, seeing it in writing. How perfect. He expressed himself better than a lot of grown people can. How can I not respect that?

We're still going back at some point though ;-)

Last week when I was mowing the lawn I collected some things that I thought Jacob would find interesting. We made a little lesson out of it - rather, I was going to make a nice little lesson out of it, but then the stuff just ended up sitting there for several days, rotting. I got a big weed with huge roots, oak branches with leave and acorns on them, and a couple different kinds of mushrooms. I pulled out three each of the different kinds of mushrooms (and I was going to look them up to identify them). The big idea was that there was one to break apart and examine, one to observe the decomposition process of, and one to try to plan or whatever it is you'd do with a mushroom to get it to grown - set it in dirt? Well, half a week later the treasures were beginning to get stinky in their little basket, so we pulled them out and talked about them a little as they made their way to the compost bin. At least we got to see the cool spores the mushrooms had dropped. I'd forgotten about that, and now I remember that we did that as an actual science project back in middle school or something.













At some point during the week we knocked off at least half a dozen postcards to friends. We've got so many random postcards laying around that need to be used up, so having Jacob dictate what he wants to say to his friends is a perfect little activity. He loves doing this, and admittedly the messages are sometimes a little weird, but I think it's something that will motivate him to learn to read and write so he can do them on his own someday - not that a child needs motivation for that because they are so naturally motivated anyway. I always save room for Jacob so he can write his name, or what of his name he can write.

Other than that it was mostly backyard week and friend week. With all of Jacob's friends starting pre-school this year I've been feeling the pressure to prove we'll still be able to maintain a great social network, so I had his week packed with friends. And what do you know, for the first time in his life, Jacob was totally into having friends over, going places to meet his friends, playing with them and not hiding in a corner. Even the 'friend' who is actually more like 'sworn enemy' to Jacob was allowed over to our house for more than three hours, welcomed into the backyard and even encouraged to dig in Jacob's beloved Dirt with him! DO-do-DO-do... Here he is showing her a little Wooly Bear. He did scream the first time he almost touched it, but I have to give him credit for getting back there in the ring and actually picking it up.



And here's some of the sacred backyard work Jacob does with Zach. He's really starting to earn his keep in usefulness as Assistant Laborer around here. Here they are mixing up some cement for the fence post, and below that the boys are unloading some stone from the truck (not our truck 0 in Zach's dreams). Looks like Zach might just get his wish of a father/son landscaping business...

Teaching Moments

Yesterday my mother-in-law called up and asked if it was a good time for her to stop by. She wanted to show Jacob a little turtle that she'd found in her yard before she went back home to release it. Jacob was totally taken with the turtle. I think it might be the first time he's seen one up that close. It was a tiny little thing and so cute, so that when Jacob asked if we could keep it, I wished I could say yes. But that was good, it opened up the discussion to why we can't keep the turtle and why it's important to return it to its natural habitat, the ecosystem, and all that good stuff.










Today I was mowing the lawn and came across several interesting things that I know Jacob would just love to dig into: Mushrooms, acorns, and things with roots. All of a sudden I got big ideas about all the fun things we could do with them. I harvested two different kinds of mushrooms, several of each: One to (attempt) to grow, one to watch decompose, and one to break apart and examine. I picked up quite a few branches with attached acorns from the oak tree. With these we can talk about what a seed is, what the squirrels do with the acorns, we can count them, we can do decorative art projects with them...the possibilities are endless. The roots will be fascinating in and of themselves. We'll talk all about what roots are, what their job is and how they help the plant live and thrive. We haven't done these things yet because it went from light out to bedtime in very little time tonight, but hopefully when we do I'll have pictures.

It was like nature weekend here. And I have to remember this - that the sporadic lessons are the best ones. I don't have to be a planner, at least not to the extent that I have all the details of each lesson mapped out before we begin. I just have to be ready when the lesson decides to show itself. This is a big part of my philosophy. To stress myself out over not having an idea of what tomorrow will hold is something that might take away from the integrity of what I'm trying to do with Jacob. It will close off my channels so that when something interesting does come along, I won't be paying attention.

Right now I'm very much into all things natural, sustainable living, universal connections...it makes sense that the things I'm teaching Jacob about follow my current train of thought. Learning side by side with him is just what I envisioned. I take interest in something, and out of that comes a lesson for Jacob, but it also works the other way around: He gets interested in something and that sparks my curiosity about a subject too.

My mom always says that, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." So if I can remain open to the possibilities and wonder the world is always providing, then I expect it will become sort of like when the teacher is ready, the lesson will appear.

Around the country and the world

I have been procrastinating all summer long on the homeschooling thing. I'll wake up and tell myself that Jacob and I are going to do such-and-such an activity complete with a little theme and other relevant activities. Then other things happen and we don't do it. I feel like this is pretty much the moment of truth for me. What I do now is going to set the tone for the rest of the homeschooling experience.

Most of Jacob's friends are starting pre-schooling - actually did start it last week. Some of the programs are actually really nice, and I think right up my alley. It would be cool to send him to something like that just for the experience. I guess one thing that's making me feel a lot of pressure now is that Jacob has been going through another phase where he doesn't want to do anything with other kids. I think he really does
though and just acts like he doesn't care because maybe he's a little nervous about it. So it's like this is my first big challenge in terms of the socialization argument that everyone always uses against homeschooling.

I have to say that I did a really good job of proving myself this week. Jacob and I got along greatly, which helped alleviate my fear that he might need to go to school so the two of us could have a break from each other. I got Jacob re-enrolled in gymnastics and we went to the first class of the session on Tuesday. I plowed through the embarrassment of the first half of the class where he clung to me and refused to do anything, and I was afraid everyone might think me crazy for bringing this child to a class he so obviously doesn't want to be at. But I think I must have done something right because eventually he jumped right in and has been talking about it ever since. Perhaps Zach and I got just the right mix of encouraging Jacob in this pursuit and backing off?

I'm noting the pre-school schedules of Jacob's friends and sort of 'drafting their tailwind' by the fact that I'm basing our schedule around when they are no longer available to us. I'm really trying to condense errands and household chores so that there's more time for the 'homeschooling lessons'. And basically I just have to remember now that these little lessons are something that's on the chart now. I have to remember to take the time.

I've had some scares lately...like when I was reading the blog of a friend who is going to do kindergarten homeschooling with her five year old. Holy freaking organized! And motivated, and enjoying of the process of creating lesson plans. I can't do that. At least not yet. This is just
pre-school stuff here. And my whole point of homeschooling is that I want us to be able to delve into whatever it is Jacob is feeling at the moment. I hope I can remember that so I don't ever get freaked out that I don't have the whole year planned out ahead of time. I think if we can just go into the day knowing there will be a lesson, or lessons, ahead of us, we can relax and let the lessons come to us. Like yesterday when I finally sat down to look at the two books we got out of the library a few days prior. They were both random books: Chickens May Not Cross the Road and Other Crazy (But True) Laws, by Kathi Linz and Can You Say Peace?, by Karen Katz. The first book is about non-nonsensical laws around the country and the second book introduces children from countries around the world and tells you how they say 'peace' in their language. It was by accident that both of these books cover many different geographic areas but I went with it. I set up a little table with placemats, one with a world map and the other with a United States map, a hand-me-down light-up globe and both books. We set to work reading, finding the places the books talk about, pointing to them and naming them. Jacob was totally into it and I was very pleased with our self-discipline.

Bird Lessons

This is my mom and Jacob at her house the other day. They're looking over some songbird flashcards that we got as a gift for MamMa on our trip because she loves birds. Jacob loves pointing out bluebirds anytime he sees them because "they are MamMa's favorite." Each person in our lives has different interests, skills, talents, and knowledge in many different areas. I really encourage them all to share these things with Jacob, and as he grows older my hope is that it will continue so that each person he comes in contact with will be a teacher to him in at least some small way.

Spanish Bob

One day near the end of our trip Jacob had to pee. We had been driving so needed to pull over somewhere so he could get out of his carseat. The first place we came to was a Big Lots. While Jacob was having his pee break, I discovered that there was internet access in the parking lot! So we ended up staying a while longer...

In the meantime I saw a sign that said no RV parking, or something to that effect. Well, I couldn't go breaking the rules like that so I figured I should go in and make us legitimate parkers. I mean, I had to, you know, so I thought I should make the best of it. 20 minutes and $30 later I emerged with a mish-mash of random objects that we either needed, or might possibly need in the next ten years. That's what happens when you go in a Big Lots. Among those items:

Spanish Bob! We don't speak Spanish, but that's the idea, I guess. At first it seemed like it could possibly be the strangest homeschooling technique ever, but if you think about it - what's the difference between this and watching an episode of Dora? Right?

We haven't watched it for a while now, but in the beginning we were. And I'll tell you, even though Jacob probably had no idea what he was saying, he would start laughing and say, "Mommy! Dizzy said *&^ #$@* *&$@#!" And I'm pretty sure that's how learning another language begins...

Homeschooling by Daddy

OK, so I guess I kind of inadvertently took the summer off from posting on this blog. But don't think I was giving up on it. We just got very busy with all the summer traveling and being outside. I suppose if I was to take an entire season off, the summer is a good one, what with the children being out of school and all.

Anyway, when I first came up with the title 'Homeschooling by Daddy', it was more of a joke because I overheard a very 'manly' conversation upstairs between the men of the house...phrases like dropping the kids off at the pool and cutting the cable or taking the bread out of the oven were being used. I've given up trying to stop the passing on of this kind of language. If Zach is going to agree to the homeschooling, then I suppose I have to let him give his two cents.

However, I do have to give Zach credit as far as educating our son goes. On our cross-country trip this past July, Zach more than earned the title. As I wrote about in my other blog, Jacob really didn't want very much to do me with on the trip. He was all about Daddy. I had been looking forward to using our trip as a big learning experience for Jacob, but since I wasn't really allowed to talk to him much of the time, let alone look at him, Zach did most of the talking. Whenever we stopped at a new destination, Zach would pull out the US map and draw another few inches of his little line. Jacob loved this ritual and always gladly joined in. The two would then have a discussion about where we were going, where we had been and all sorts of facts and interesting highlights about these places.

I think Jacob learned a ton on our trip. Zach really did an awesome job of explaining things on a three year-old's level - of which I never had to tell him to do! He's really come a long way in being a good teacher to Jacob, and I can tell he really enjoys it. It was a great experience for all of us, even though I was stuck in the back with no one to talk to. There were moments when Jacob would let his guard down and we got to enjoy the time together. Everyplace we went we talked about what we were seeing with the idea of learning in mind. And we didn't want to come home.

Anyway, Jacob is still talking about the places we went to, and we're continually reinforcing for him things we learned, talking about states we went to, looking at them on the map. Jacob and I constantly go back through the pictures, reminiscing about what happened that day or another. I'm hoping that by doing these things, Jacob comes out of it with an actual, living memory of our trip, and not just a memory of us talking about our trip in the years following.

The Books, The Influences

Yikes, that was a while back...I never got around to finishing this post, but of course collecting books is a lifelong thing, so when would it ever really be finished. Maybe I can update it from time-to-time. Well, it's really September now, and even though I started this is May, I'm cheating and changing the posting date because, if you know me at all, you know I'm kind of anal. The future me isn't going to like to see that 'July 2007' is missing from the nice little archive listing on the side. So the past me (the one who wrote it in May) is gifting it to July. Although not reflected in what is written below, the last time I consciously thought about adding to this post was in July. So there. A nice, tidy explanation.

5/24/07
For a while now I've been wanting to record these all in one place, as the books I have which are related to homeschooling seem to be scattered all about this little house. Some of them have been recently acquired for use as actual homeschooling references, others are books that aren't even necessarily related to homeschooling, but in one way or another, influenced my decision to homeschool. It's a nap day for Jacob, but as the clock approaches 4pm, I'm anxious to get up there and see about trying to wake him, so this is going to be real quick and possibly disjointed.

1) My Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn - I had the prequel to this book sitting on my shelf, leftover from an anthropology class I ended up dropping before I got around to reading the book. It wasn't til a couple years later, when I was pregnant, that I picked up Ishmael and read it. It totally changed the way I looked at everything. I can't explain this in better detail because it's been a few years and only the general message of the book remains. I did pick it up again and read it maybe 2 years ago. It still affected me, and I love how you can do that with some books - pick them up years later and still love it, but totally experience the effect in different ways because you are so different from when you first read it. Yikes, I'd better cut to the chase...yeah, so I read My Ish after that and that the central character is a 12 year old girl, so it seemed to examine the authors viewpoints from a different perspective. Again, I can't exactly say what it was about the book, but I realized from reading it that I believed in a more natural, 'it takes a village' mentality to education. And that book explains this part of me. It was the first book I read that made me consider homeschooling, even though it isn't a homeschooling book. I guess that also explain part of the 'organic' approach to learning that I have...I find my own paths to the same conclusions that other people have made.

The Influence Books

2) The Natural Child, Jan Hunt

3) The Continuum Concept, Jean Liedloff

4) The Unschooling Handbook, Mary Griffith

5) How Children Learn, John Holt - but really all his books (which I haven't fully read all of but I'm pretty sure I'm in line with them).

The actual homeschooling books:

The Homeschooling Handbook, Mary Griffith
Homeschoolers' Success Stories, Linda Dobson

The Library Books

The Homeschooling Book of Answers, Linda Dobson
Parents' Guide to Alternatives In Education, Ronald E. Koetzsch Ph.D.

The Activity Books

The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas, Linda Dobson
Kitchen Table Play & Learn, Tara Copley & Andrea Custer
Great Explorations, Amy Nolan
Great Greek Gods and Goddesses, Patricia Rowe Gilkerson & Kathy Zaun (for much older kids)

The Idea books

Re-Creative, Steve Dodds

The 'Text' Books

The Garden Book, Wes Porter
Sugar-Free Toddlers, Susan Watson
Healthy Kids, Marilu Henner
(my sign language books)
My Amazing Body, Pat Thomas
Baby Animals, Treasure Press
Explore the World of Forces of Nature, Anita Ganeri, Ill. Mike Saunders
My Big Books of Animals, Gerald Durrell

The Answers Books

Big Questions Little Kids Ask, Dr. Rita Book
How Do I Know? Questions and Answers About the Senses, Robert Carola
Big Book About How Things Work, Joe Kaufman

Lessons In Coin Rolling

Jacob and I rolled his coins today. When the bank is full we roll them and he gets to pick out a toy or something else to buy. Instead of doing that today though, Jacob just wanted to put the money into his savings account at the bank. I was so thrilled. Anyway, multiple lessons took place during the coin counting. Here we have counting and learning about coins, amounts that they are each worth and how many of them make up a dollar.


These are the state quarters. I talked to Jacob about each state and discussed the ones we'll be going to on our cross-country trip in less than a month. We talked about who the men are on the coins. That covered geography and history.

Here Jacob is working on his fine motor skills.

The final tally was $25. I was really looking forward to getting the cool Bob the Builder birthday set at Target...but this is even better. Jacob's learning to save money and we really don't need anymore toys.

What the Hail?

We had a mini hail storm here the other day. I guess I haven't really seen that much hail because I thought it was pretty cool, as did Jacob. We set to collecting as much of it as we could from the ground when the storm had passed (not to mention the hail that was actually in our house, due to the fact that the addition windows still don't have screens on them).

Afterwards we looked up hail on the internet and learned all about it. We visited this website, and holy crap do you see the size of that hail?? And we went here. If I was more disciplined I probably would have come up with an activity for Jacob to do, but considering his age I think decifering the technical science speak and translating it into three year old terms was enough for one lesson.

Mothers' Day Project

I was waiting to post this until I had taken the 'after' picture. We used cement, a heart-shaped mold and some shaped pieces that I bought for this purpose, as well as broken up terrcotta pot from the backyard, stones we found and colored glass. We gave one to Zach's mom (pictured in the 'maling of' picutres) and one for my mom (the finished product). Jacob loved this, of course, and I think it will be a project that we do again.