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...