Defining Our Homeschool

I've gotten a lot of questions about our style of homeschool lately. People asking questions about everything from my teaching style, the kids' learning styles, curriculum choices, scheduling, etc. I've evolved over the last decade since we started this adventure. I've learned to let go of my death grip on the reigns. I'm one of those super anal, type A personalities. I like to have everything detailed and written out. I like to have pretty schedules and expectations. But after a time of banging my head against the wall - where I kept trying to fit these expectations and they didn't work, I had to ask myself, WHY? What was the point of the details, schedules, worksheets, etc. As hard as it is to admit, I finally came to the conclusion that 99% of it was for looks - so when others looked at our family/homeschool they'd think how fantastic it all is. It almost didn't matter if any of it was successful - as long as the IMAGE was successful. This was actually a shock.

I've always thought I was beyond seeking acceptance from outsiders, but after a couple of years of HS I realized we never fully grow beyond it. You see, I had designed these amazing (on paper) curricula, I spent tons on printing materials, ordering texts, etc. And these would work for a little while, but eventually it became a daily torture. My scolding/threatening the kids to do their work. The kids staring off into space, not answering questions correctly, etc. I felt like a failure. And I was terrified of doing more harm than good with homeschooling. So I had to sit back, take a break and analyze what I wanted to get out of homeschooling.

Why were we doing it? I had a miserable experience in public school growing up. I felt like an idiot, a feeling reinforced by my teachers. I was told I would never 'get it' or 'use it' so I should just give up. I finally dropped out of high school my junior year. I did a home study course to complete the credits needed for my diploma then signed up for a community college - because it was kinda expected. I became gravely ill my first semester of college. I spent the next two years in and out of the hospital. This was long before online learning, but I got special dispensation from the dean to allow me to continue my classes even though I couldn't always make it to the actual lectures. After 2 years I had earned my associates degree. Learning was fun and a distraction from my illness, so I transferred to a 4 year university. While transferring I had a councilor ask me what I wanted to major in. After reviewing my transcripts she recommended math or science. I explained that I wasn't smart enough for that. She looked like I was crazy and pointed out that I had taken every math & science class offered at my previous college and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. I finally realized that by taking the classroom and teacher out of the equation, I was able to learn in the manner I needed. So when my kids were born, I didn't want them to grow up thinking they were stupid just because they might not learn from a classroom setting. So that was the main reason for HS. My other reason was peer pressure and self esteem. I wanted my kids to have developed a solid sense of self and high self-esteem BEFORE being faced with peer pressure. That way they would be strong enough to not get caught doing something stupid or harmful.

With these are my reasons for HS I realized none of it was being supplied by my crazy schedule/curriculums. So I started following a more child led style. We do a formal co-operative once per week. So we do 1x/week of formal schooling. That is the day we introduce new materials, break open the books, do lapbooks, etc. During the rest of the week we have no tv/video games between the hours of 10am and 3pm. During this time the kids are encouraged to learn. Whether using computer programs, the Ipad, books, etc.

You see, I TALK with my kids. I try to determine what they are interested in learning - dinosaurs, computer programming, etc. Then I find a ton of resources from a ton of different styles. The kids are then free to choose what they wish to use. Using this technique has turned my kids from reluctant learners to excited and engaged learners! They watch documentaries, they build thing, they do experiments, they write stories and have even learned how to program their own video games. If in order to build the best catapult they realize they need to understand logarithms then they learn how to do them! Much of what they do is college level things. We don't have spelling lists, nor do we chant multiplication facts. But through practical application they have learned to do both!

So we are child-led eclectic homeschoolers - and proud of it!!

Curriculum -

When it comes to exactly what that means....hmmm. Well I love technology. With my oldest being on the Autism spectrum, he's a visual learner. He gets high levels of anxiety with lots of worksheets and handwriting. So I had to throw out my ideal way of learning. I found my favorite websites and incorporated technology - which inspires him. We have 4 parts of school/curriculum - Ipad Apps, Computer Programs, Documentaries/Podcasts, Co-operatives & Writing.

Ipad Apps -
I love our Ipad. It has completely revolutionized our school. New Apps come out almost weekly, and most are free or else less than $5. This is really the bulk of our school. There are 2 parts we use -
Itunes Apps - these are regular independent apps put together by individuals or companies. Some of our favorites are the following -
Khan Academy - these are short video clips on math. It introduces new ideas and concepts.
Splash Math - This comes in different grade levels. It seems like a video game, but it doesn't introduce concepts so we use it in conjunction with Khan.
Minds of Math - This is a history of Math which is fun.
Sciences -- Painless Earth Science, Side Stax, Circuits, Science Fun To Go, TED (great podcasts)
Brain Pop - this is a fun program that changes daily, so it has themes of the day from history to geography all different subjects.
Rock Prodigy - this is an awesome app for learning to play guitar. You plug in your ear buds and the ipad picks up on the sound of you playing so it can tell if you are doing it right!! My youngest loves hearing himself play.
Irish Fiddle - my oldest is using this to learn to play the Violin
Move The Turtle - This is an intro to Robotics/Computer programming. There is a turtle on the screen and the student learns to program the turtle to follow different commands.
Freefall Spelling
Language Arts - Itooch English, Toon Tastic (this is a story board app), Painless Grammar.
Tap Typing
Barefoot Atlas - this is an amazing interactive world atlas with locations, tourist spots in a 3-d map, and the student can tap on anything and it will give an interactive lesson on it.
Itunes U - This is an app that has access from many different universities and school districts. You can sign up for an independent e-class. FREE! Or you can order textbooks (which are not free..lol). Right now my oldest's favorite eclass is ALICE which is a computer programming interface designed by Columbia University. You take the free eclass, and download the Free program on the computer and voila, you can learn programming! My son just finished programming his first video game - of a biplane racing a star ship on Mars!

Computer Programs - we use these to mix things up a bit. Not often, but we only have one Ipad, so while one child is on the ipad the other can use the computer. Programs like theheadoftheclass.com

Documentaries/Podcasts - (ie. Netflix) This is worth it's weight in gold, IMO. Especially w/ my visual learner. We watch documentaries on geography, history, science, etc. Then the kids often set out to make models or experiments on what they learned.

Co-operatives - we do co-operative school once or twice a week for 12 weeks (2 semesters a year). Our co-ops are pretty serious endeavors. There are some fun classes like theatre and dancing, but we also have serious classes like Latin, Writing, Science, etc. We LOVE Co-op!!

Writing - I could never get my kids to cooperate with penmanship worksheets. It was torture. So we started journaling and writing stories. They would do different editions while we would helpfully critique their work. This helped work spelling, grammar and penmanship.

Scheduling

We often shock people with our schedule, or seeming lack of one. I used to design very detailed curriculums and we would do everything on them, but it was boring and torturous for all involved. My kids would read my anxiety as I panicked to try and get everything in. Ugh! So now we do a much more relaxed schedule, and the kids are flying through the work!

Since we do co-op once/week, I keep it to a once/week learning day. When we are not doing co-op then I'll use Tuesdays (co-op day) to introduce new information, work on a project, etc. This is a day where I'll actually teach lessons. The rest of the week (7 days a week) there is no tv or video games between the hours of 10 and 3 unless it's a program for educational purposes. During this time the kids are encouraged to learn - on their own mostly unless they ask for help/input. You see I talk with my kids a lot, finding out what they are interested in learning, Then I find a ton of resources - books, computer programs, experiment kits, etc. Then during these quiet periods each day the kids tend to grab at these resources and set out learning. Because it is based on what they were interested in, they are eager to delve in. With little to no encouragement from me, they LOVE to learn.

 One thing this has made me realize? When I was in school the fun was extracted from learning - especially with all the repetition and busy work. Plus they have to stick to a specific curriculum, so kids are not encouraged to explore and learn anything they want. See, I would have thought that w/o the strict schedule kids would just not learn anything, but the opposite is true because my kids think learning is FUN!

We school year round. So that we can take a day or two off whenever the mood strikes us.

So that's us in a nutshell. Hope that cleared up all your questions!
Shannon

Behavior Bucks

I have been asked about a billion times, lately how i coordinate games, behavior, tv time,etc while doing child led learning.

My oldest would happily lock himself in his room w/ one of the game systems and only emerge to grab food or switch out games. He could probably keep this up for a month if left unchecked. My youngest emerges more often, but he has more of a strong will. So if he has his mind set one doing X and i say it's time to do Y - the battle would begin.

About a year ago, quite by accident, i discovered the key to happiness. Lol. First, i had cleaned their room of all game systems, ereaders, mp3, computers, etc. everything was moved into my bedroom closet. I wanted to start teaching them the value of the dollar, at that time. So i made each child a poster that looked like a checkbook register. The concept was they could earn fictional 'bucks' and use these bucks to get games and such. I was SHOCKED to realize it was a hugely effective behavioral tool as well.

Along the bottom of each poster are 3 columns.

Column 1-- Earnings -- these are the ings the kids can do to earn the bucks

School work = 10 bucks
Chores = 5 bucks
Being helpful = 5 bucks
Changing the litter = 5 bucks

Column 2 -- Deductions -- these are behaviors that will lose them bucks

Lying = 25 bucks
Fighting = 15 bucks
Being disrespectful = 20 bucks
Incomplete schoolwork = 15 bucks

Column 3 -- Spending -- these are ways they can use their bucks

Wii = 25 bucks
Nintendo DS =20 bucks
Nintendo 64 = 20 bucks
Computer = 15 bucks
MP3= 10 bucks
Bike riding = 10 bucks
Scooter = 5 bucks

If they choose to use some of their bucks, they are essentially RENTING the system from us. The length of time the renting lasts starts at the end of the schoolday (when they have earned their bucks for completing schoolwork and chores) and lasts until 10am the next day, when we usuallu begin school. So, the quicker they get their work done the longer they will have with their games. Oh, and they can not turn in bad work. Rushing through and claiming to be done, even when you know it's substandard work is considered cheating, aka lying, and will cost you bucks. There are exceptions to this. Using the computer or ipad for school work isn't limited. Using computer programming games like Alics (from Columbia University) or Scratch (from MIT) and creating their own games is not limited.

My goal, at first, wasn't to limit them in their play. It was to help them learn to appreciate what they have, at the same time learning economics (earnings, savings, spending, etc.) it was just a blessed surprise to realize it was also a great behavioral tool!

Last week...(3/12-3/16)

Last week was lots of fun in our house. We built our Trebuchet's, and we learned about Pompeii and the boys built a volcano (one where the lava will glow in the dark!) we also did spring cleaning a bit early, but the weather has been more similar to late Spring than late Winter (it is going to be nearly 80!)

At co-op the kids wrapped up filming for their music video, it was so fun!

The boys also learned about fractions and decimals, and how to manipulate them...

AND they learned a little bit about Pi since this past Wednesday was Pi Day - i think they were sad to realize this did not mean they would be EATING pie....lol...

The boys have also been working on writing and illustrating their own story book. I am so proud of them, especially Daniel. These stories are really good! I will post them when they are finished.

Lastly, the boys have been learning about Morse code and today they are building a Morse Code machine, like those used by our military! They are excited...

We are hoping to finish our presentations for the International Geography fair which is comming in a few weeks.

The Trebuchet

Ok, as promised, here is the instruction for building a mini Trebuchet. The whole class had a great time building them. I experimented w/ different kinds of glue. The tricky think is the arms, they need to stand upright which means holding them in place until the glue is strong enough to prevent them from falling down. So, my recommendation is either hot glue (which would mean a parent doing the gluing) or quick dry wood glue. With the wood glue, the kids can apply it and hold the piece together for a minute or so, just until it is a bit tacky and the arm doesn't fall over.

What was a Trebuchet?

The catapult was invented during the time of the Romans and the Ballista was invented by the Greeks. After the fall of Rome the French were some of the strongest fighters. But, this is the time of the castle. In order to defeat an army that is behind 20 foot high, 6 foot thick stone walls, the approaching army needed some means of attacking the safe populace. The old catapult and ballista wasn't strong enough to propel things the distance and weight required. Thus the invention of the Trebuchet. Armies would surround a castle, cutting off supply routes, and use the trebuchet to throw diseased animals, burning rubbish, rocks, and eventually explosives, over the walls. The process was called a siege (attaching a castle) and the trebuchet was considered one of the most effective siege engines before the invention of the cannon/gun.

How did a Trebuchet work?

Really it all comes down to Terrestrial gravitation. A catapult worked by winding a chord or part of the machine to build force. The trebuchet generally was weighted on one end. The 'bucket' end was hooked in place to be filled. Then the soldier would release the hook and the weight would fling the arm upright. Then it was up to the momentum and gravity that would carry the material to its destination. This was way more effective than the catapult. The catapult distance and height (trajectory) was really based on how many turns soldiers could make in the chord. The more twisted the chord the more 'umph' behind the projectile. Therefore they were limited by the strength of their men, and it would take time to twist the chord and load the projectile. The trebuchet could project up to 300lb stones! Which was 5 or 6 times that of the strongest catapult. It only took a stone of about 50 or 60 lbs to damage the strongest stone wall of a castle or tower. The other difference from a catapult was the end design. A catapult had a hollow or cup shaped end, where soldiers would place the projectile in that hollow. A trebuchet had a sling, this upped the amount of momentum and centripetal force behind the projectile. Changing from a cup to a sling effectively doubled the power behind the projectile.

Building a Trebuchet:

Supplies -
* Glue (hot or wood, NOT superglue)        * 1x3 inch rectangle of a plastic shopping bag.
* about 20 Popsicle sticks.                          * string
* Fishing weights.                                       * fishing wire
* Small bounce ball                                    * power drill
* 1 finishing nail.                                       * regular school glue
* 1 metal paper clip

Process -
1. Cut about 5 Popsicle sticks in half
2. Glue 2 Popsicle sticks, with one of the short sticks in the middle. This will become the throwing arm.Set aside to dry.

3. using 6 Popsicle sticks, make the base gluing 4 sticks into a square, then using 2 more to reinforce 2 sides.
4. Make the arms. Glue 2 Popsicle sticks together. Set aside to dry.
5. Finish the throwing arms, inset a Popsicle stick into the open end of the arm. Changing the length will Change the distance. A great side project is to determine the exact length that will produce the maximum throwing distance for the projectile you want to throw.

6. Arm Cross Beams. This is one of the trickiest and yet most important parts of the Trebuchet. Don't be stingy on the glue, make sure they are VERY strong to prevent breakage. Using 2 of the 1/2 pieces glue one so it will be parallel to the table when upright, the other is a support beam.Set aside (w/ something under the cross beam) to dry completely.

7. Once arms are dry, glue them upright opposite each other on the base. This is the trickiest part. I prefer hot glue for this. Apply the glue and hold in place till the glue is set enough to support them as you work on them.

8. Arm structural supports. Using 2 1/2 Popsicle sticks, angle them at the base of the arms, gluing them to the base. You want these bases of the arms to be strong to deal with the vibration and force of each throw.

9. Cut the ends of the plastic rectangle to diamond points.
10. Cut one sting to be 3 inches, cut another one to be about 31/2 inches. Tie a mini circle in the end of the longer string.
11. Glue the ends of the strings onto the pointed ends of the plastic to make basket.
12. Straighten the paperclip, then bend it into a J
13. Glue the paper clip so the top of the J sticks off the end of the throwing arm just a little bit (about 1/4 inch) Also glue the non-knotted basket string to the throwing arm. (When loading the Trebuchet to throw, you slip the circle knot over the end of the paper clip.)

14. Drill 2 holes in the thick end of the throwing arm. One at about 1/4" the other at about 3/4" from the end. Be careful not to split the wood!
15. Insert the nail through the 3/4" hole (the hole closer to the middle of the arm)
16. Using PLENTY of glue, glue the ends of the nail to the cross beams. This is is the most vulnerable part of the Trebuchet.

17. Using fishing wire, feed the wire through the open hole on the end of the throwing arm. Slip fishing weights onto the string and tie. You could glue the ends of the wire to the throwing arm, but I like to keep them free so we can experiment with the weights, adding more.

18. Wait until all the glue is totally dry before using!!

To use your trebuchet, hold the arm to the 'basket' is on the table. Load paper balls, bouncy balls, whatever, into the basket. Slip the circle knot over the end of the paper clip. Do a countdown then let the arm go!

Experiment with the counter weight, and see if you can make your Trebuchet throw things higher, or longer, or heavier!

Medieval History Fun

As usual i've over extended myself..lol.. I agreed to teach a medieval history class. Since the class can be a lot of lecture while i read through books like Usborne Medieval History ans Story of the World, i decided the kids would focus on making their own authentic period costume. The girld made brats & wimples. The boys made cooky hats. All the kids made tabards w/ a collar they decorated (as if it were embroidered). They also made swords, trebuchet's etc.

I'll post some pics later today. We are planning a tournament for the last class. Should be fun!!

Ahh, February is FINALLY over......

February was quite possibly the worst month i have had in a long time. With my vascular issues, changing seasons can be a tough time for me. Usually i'm in pain in March or April, but with the unusually mild winter we have had in the North East, we are going from Spring to Winter over and over. So, for most of Feb, i was confined to my bed.

I've heard from thousands of new HS'ers. Some have medical isues like i do, others are dealing with rough pregnancies, anxiety, depression, etc. many of these mom's stuggle to home educate during these times, then stess out that they are failing.

Here are my Top 5 Tips to dealing with complications to HS like these:

1) Take some time off!! IMO, you could take off up to 3 months a year and still be getting more education than PS kids. If you are stressed out, then you probably wont have the patience to be an effective teacher. Don't sweat it, take some time to heal/recover and you will be that much more effective when you're recovered.

2) Sign up for independant computer learning programs like www.theheadoftheclass.com or www.time4learning.com this will keep the kids into the routine of 'school' without your brain and body being overwhelmed by having it all on your shoulders. I don't like these programs as stand alone curriculums, but they are fine for a few months.

3) Learning Baskets. When i was on bedrest AND suffering with hyponemis (so i lost 25 lbs) i was exhausted & miserable, so not the best teacher ever. But, especially during my pregnancy when my oldest was 3.5 y/o, i couldn't just leave him infront of a computer. (aside from using time4learning on the laptop next to me) i kept stocked education baskets next to my bed & couch. These baskets were packed with coloring materials that coincided with a book (also in the basket), educational movies, etc. I really only had to exhert myself by reading the book, then popping open the crayons.

4) School Year Round. My medical condition is chronic, so i always have to plan for events like Feb - where i might be in too much pain to teach. By schooling year round we only have do school for an hour or two a day. And i don't have to deal with the stress of feeling like a failure for taking some time off - most PS schools Take off all summer!

5) Ask for help!! Let's face it. As HS'ers we spend a lot of time telling people we are good enough to be the kids main source for education (even though most of us struggle with doubt from time to time). Therefore, asking for help from someone (even a spouce), can feel like you are conceding defeat and admiting to failure. But that is not the case. There is nothing wrong from giving your DH the math assignment the kids need to learn.

Plan for every eventuality, and don't stress. It will all work out. I took nearly 1/2 a year off from formal learning when i had my youngest. I just made sure the kids had tons of videos, art supplies, etc. basically we were unschoolers while i was exhausted and nursing.

You can accomodate any complication as long as you plan ahead!

Hugs & Blessings!

My new obsession

I've been a very bad blogger lately (Bad Shannon!). We are just wrapping up our fall session at coop - and had tons of fun! The boys had really gotten into it this year! I taught 3 classes - which has totally burned me out (Physics, Geography and Latin). But the kids all seemed to have a great time.

I just signed up as an Usborne books consultant. These are the best books for kids out there - everything from awesomely illustrated reference books, to great early readers, to learning kits for science, math and art. Check out  my website www.theusbornelearningfairy.com . I just can't believe that I can feed my book addiction and make money at it! It's awesome! I especially love that you can get library bindings on the books. I'll never forget some of the board books my boys loved as toddlers (especially Sandra Boyton's The Cow Says Moo) and how sad we were that the bindings all fell apart! I had been hoping to keep them for when my boys have children, as a keepsake (I have a couple of the books I loved as a kid) but the books completely fell apart. I was so sad. So I love that families can get books that will last with little hands playing with them. And whomever illustrates the books are amazing - they are so colorful and beautiful and don't cost any more than a normal kids book.

Looking forward to the holidays!
Shannon