A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

We just finished the last chapter of our history book !  This accomplishment officially marks the end of our school year.  (Just to review--we took several months off last fall for the birth of our little I.8) I am a bundle of mixed emotions. Relief .  The burden of organizing the kids through daily school is lifted.  I can breathe more easily. Dread .  Temperatures still climb over 100 each day.  The idea of having housebound, unorganized children is enough to make me want to hide my head in the sand. Anticipation .  Now I have time to research and plan for the semester ahead.  I love planning. Hope .  I'm hopeful that my E12's requests for more independent work will bring a light and joy to her life that will fuel a true love of learning. Satisfaction .  I love learning with my children, and knowing we're making progress makes my heart happy. Here we go.  Into a break that includes Cousins' Camp and lots of empty days ...

Last week we finished our Astronomy book. I loved doing astronomy with the girls.  Next week is the Perseid meteor shower, so hopefully we'll get a good look at the "falling stars" while we're out in the country at my sister's house.  I hear the girls talking about planets and space travel, so I think they learned some good stuff. But I'm glad to be done.  Many homeschoolers admit to not finishing books and there are ever so many books that we have not finished, but when we can complete a course of study, I feel good about it. I like finishing a task.  I like starting a new one. Chemistry is next on our list. (But not until after our August break)

This weekend was our homeschool association summer family dance.  80s themed.  Everyone was invited to come in costume, and my girls were determined to accept that invitation.  So on Saturday, after chores, we dug through our closets and costume bins to find what we could, then we headed out to a local thrift shop to fill in the gaps. While we were there I found a pair of tennis shoes for A5.  Hers disappeared a month or so ago.  We've turned the house and van upside down trying to find them all to no avail.  I bought the shoes; they're pink . . . with laces. So far in her short life A5 has only had shoes that fasten with velcro. The adventure has begun. We sat down on Sunday to learn to tie shoes.  I was determined to work slowly and patiently.  She was convinced she could do it perfectly the first time. Shoe tying is hard work. I watched her pudgy little hands--still baby hands in so many ways--struggle to copy what my experienced ha...

Getting computer time at our house is very important; I limit computer time severely because I realized one day that the daily 1/2 hour turns I thought they were getting were actually 2 and 3 hour screen-time fests as they watched one another take turns.  Now the older kids get 1/2 hour turns every other day with intermittent turns to request library books or check facts here and there.  The little girls use the computer every day--unfortunately, as a babysitter.  [It's a bad habit that we're working on breaking.]  At any rate, when Mom says yes to the computer, it is cause for much rejoicing in the land. Today J8 and S9 were working on their Individual Pursuits; they're working their way through an Usborne science experiment book.  They love it!  Today they were in the middle of building a contraption out of a yogurt container, string, hard candy, and sundry other items when it was time for S9 to have her turn. "Would you like to have your turn later s...

Little I.8 is teething.  He is more miserable than any baby I've ever had.  Frozen blueberries, ice cubes, and frozen peaches seem to work the best, but they can only be used intermittently, and he won't nurse well. He's not sleeping either. So when he was screaming in misery as I tried to lead a history lesson, I turned to E12 and asked her to read aloud to her sisters as I attended to the baby.  She wasn't happy about it, but she complied.  I left the room hoping to return to at least find all of the older girls still in the same place I left them. It only took 5 minutes to see that I.8 was going to need my full attention for quite some time.  We're trying to finish school by the end of the month so that we can take a break in August.  I wanted to get that lesson completed, but my wiser side finally admitted that my baby was far more important than my schedule.  I walked into the kitchen to release the girls from our afternoon lessons and found...

We went to the library on Friday morning.  H2 selected her basket of books and retired to her favorite rocking chair to look through them while she waited for her sisters to make their own selections.  I walked across to the periodical section to see what homeschooling magazines might be offered.  As I browsed, I turned to look back at my H2. She was not where I left her. A quick glance revealed her new location; she sat in a miniature chair with her book open flat on a miniature table in front of her.  She held her hand in a small fist with her index finger out as she pointed to the words on the page.  She was "reading." My heart caught in my chest as I saw my small daughter working so seriously at being big. ************************* E12 found a book on fashion drawing.  At first glance she was dismissive.  But later she pulled the book out, and soon she had a stack of clean paper and freshly sharpened coloring pencils at hand.  She stu...

Temperatures are crossing the 100 degree mark every day.  Today was just too hot to head outside and continue working on our bird house. Soooooo . . . what to do for Matters of Interest? I pulled out a book on my shelf and looked up something quick and easy and "cool." We hung spoons on our noses. While the girls were finishing up their copywork, I hung one on my nose and just sat quietly.  It took at least 3 minutes for anyone to notice me, but when E12 did, smiles erupted all around. "How do you do that?" "I've done that before!" "Mom!  What are you doing?!?!" I smiled enigmatically and told them to finish up. When they were done we all hung spoons from our noses.  It was hardest for E12.  She persevered.  She succeeded. Along the way M10, S9, and J8 had a blast hanging spoons from their noses and seeing how long they could keep them up.  J8 was even able to jump gently a few times before it fell. A5 and H2 watched us ...

First we found a cute bug template via an online search.  Then we dug out all of the broken crayons we could find and scraped them into little shavings.  This took a tremendously long time and a huge effort.  Along the way we made an enormous mess of the kitchen table and three of my butter knives [which are in the dishwasher now--I wonder if they're coming clean]. Oh, well.  A5 has been practicing her reading a lot on her own.  It is no problem to let preschool go long.  We chatted happily about the wonderful creation we were about to make. Moving into the living room where the ironing board was set up, I plugged in the iron, traced the bug image onto waxed paper and helped the little girls dump a variety of crayon shavings onto the outline.  Then came the moment of truth!  Melting the shavings! Though I tried to be careful, the colors blurred together into rather a muddy shade.  "Its beautiful, Mommy!" said A5 as I expressed some doub...

My darling M10 loves to knit. She loves reading about knitting and daydreaming about creating the beautiful things she sees in knitting books. Yesterday I told her to pick up her knitting needles and yarn and actually practice the things she was reading and daydreaming about.  I promised to buy her yarn and supplies for projects if she practiced what she talked about. She talked about knitting for several more minutes.  I finally said, "Go knit!!!  Go practice!!!  Go knit!!!" "Can I use the computer to watch that video about how to purl?" "Yes, but you have to have your knitting needles in  your hands as you watch, and you have to practice as you go!" "Okay." 15 minutes later she came upstairs triumphant, "I can purl!  I can do it!  Look at what I'm doing!" She practiced the rest of the day. Seriously, her work looks good, and if she'll keep it up, she could really become a master.  The next step is  to learn h...

I found a fun science experiment book--just little activities that can be done easily to illustrate random scientific principles.  I thought it would be fun to use for Matters of Interest here and there. Yesterday I was all set to illustrate Bernouli's Principle by using a hair dryer to blow air across the top of a roll of toilet paper that was loosely looped over a broom handle.  The air was supposed to cause the toilet paper to rise and blow forward and cause the roll to unroll. It sounded fun! It wasn't. The air blowing across the toilet paper did nothing more than cause the loose end of the toilet paper to rise and flap in the breeze.  We tried higher air flow.  We tried lower air flow.  We tried nudging the roll a little to get it going. Nothing worked. I tried to salvage the moment by showing them how cool it was that the TP would at least lift with all that air on the top and describing how this principle works over airplane wings.  E12 s...

Our little girls are gone on an outing with Grandma today.  It is supposed to be an unforgettable day--complete with petting puppies at the pet store and choosing a special lunch at a mall food court [they've never done this before].  I'm quite sure they will come home with stars in their eyes. In spite of a teething baby, it is rather quiet around here without them.  School for the big girls has gone relatively smoothly without interruptions or tantrums. However, S9--who fights with the little girls the most--said as she swept the kitchen floor after lunch, "I kind of miss the little girls.  I thought it would be great to have them gone--you know, no crying or teasing or tempter tantrums--but it's too quiet around here.  I wonder what they're doing.  I miss them." My mother-heart sang within. This is why we homeschool--at least one of the reasons--to nurture family relationships and build eternal friendships. I'm quite sure that crying, teasing,...

I just watched J8 teach A5 and H2 about why an orange will or will not float.  It was one of the dearest exchanges I've watched between sisters. "Look at how deep the water is!  You can touch it." They touched. "Now see this orange?  I'm going to put it in the bowl.  You want to do it?  Okay." Eager fingers grabbed hold of the orange. "Ooohhh!  Are you holding the orange or is it staying up all by itself?" They smiled and told her it they were not holding it. J8 pulled out a peeled orange and asked what the difference was between the two oranges . . . at which point another child called for me and I reluctantly pulled myself away. Watching my children teach one another is one of my greatest joys!

My darling little J8 loves junky fairy books. Not wonderful fairy tales--those I love and encourage my children to read! I'm talking about cheap little fairy books that come in a series of something like 100+ and all have the same plot. It makes me crazy that she reads them and loves them. I mostly keep my mouth shut and let her determine her own reading path, but sometimes I'm pushy and try to point out that what she is reading is yucky, empty-calorie candy and wouldn't she like to read something more nourishing? She smiles and tells me that she still has ever so many of these wonderful books to enjoy! But . . . I found her immersed in The Indian in the Cupboard this week. She devoured it in almost every free moment she had. Today I found her curled up with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . She couldn't hear me calling her even though I was standing 5 feet away. I walked away smiling.

Today started in an unexpected way.  A good way.  But unexpected nonetheless.  That threw off my plans for the morning, so I started to panic a little bit.  Then I realized what an inspired blessing this schedule of ours really is, and everything fell into place. We found out yesterday that the state nursing board has no record of my husband's transcripts.  That means he cannot take his board exam which must be passed in 29 days or else he loses his job as a nurse. We've been waiting for 61 days, being reassured along the way that all is well. Fear! The kids picked up on our fear, so we spent some effort reassuring them of the power of faith and prayer. Then this morning I accidentally read Luke 11 when I was supposed to be reading Mark 11.  Then I realized my error and read Mark 11.  Reading both chapters helped me pay attention to the fact that both chapters emphasize the power of prayer.  I felt as if a light had turned on in my head!...

This morning Grandma went on a walk.  On her way home she stopped to visit with a neighbor.  The neighbor was cleaning out toys that her great-granchildren have outgrown, and Grandma brought home a darling pink baby carriage for H2. That meant that H2 and A5 were in dolly heaven--they each have their own stroller now! I considered following my plans for preschool today.  Then I got smart and joined my darlings; we played mothers and babies together. I rarely play with my children.  I read to them.  I feed them.  I applaud them as they perform "shows" for me.  I bathe them.  I kiss them.  I take them on outings.  I do a lot of great things.  But I don't play pretend very well. Today I made the effort. Their happy little faces made my heart sing. We dressed our babies. We fed our babies. We had a birthday party for one of the babies! My little girls' eyes sparkled as we sang "Happy Birthday" to a small dolly dress...

Today we wrapped up our science chapter on Pluto.  The recommended activity in the book was to make ice cream and talk about the chemical reactions between the ice and salt.  It was rather a weak link to Pluto, but my kitchen was filled with half a dozen happy girls shaking their bags of rock salt, ice, and sweetened whipping cream.  Science?  Perhaps not so much. Fun? Yes, quite a lot. I asked if they would always remember that Pluto is very cold as a result of doing this activity.  E12 answered, "Everyone knows Pluto is cold.  I didn't need ice cream to remind me of that!" "Perhaps we should have skipped the activity," I replied dryly. "Oh, no!  Then we would have just been mad!" Thank goodness they're not mad!!!