Keeping Busy While You Wait

 First, a confession.  I have not been doing a good job of taking pictures lately.  Therefore the photos in this post are merely representative of what has been going on!

We are working on cleaning up  the backyard which includes splitting wood, stacking and getting some ready to sell.  We won't need ALL this wood as we won't be using it to heat with.  There is only one wood-burning fireplace.  If anyone local needs firewood, give us a call, we'll be happy to deliver it for you.  It is all oak and maple.

 Today, Michelle got up early to bake pies for a local contest.   She was tired and discouraged when she didn't win.  They looked great and I am sure tasted delicious.  They were all GF.  Congratulations to our friend Joanne B for winning 2nd prize!

 We are busy sorting and discarding.  Large art projects, such as this are being photographed and discarded.  Elizabeth painted this window about a year ago.  We just don't have space to store everything in the new house.  Downsizing is a lot of work and is very stressful to my slow decision making brain, but in the end it will be freeing.

 Why this photo?  Because this weekend Paul is away at a christian camp helping to run the upper ropes courses and zip line for a group renting the facility.

 If our guests from last night see this.... don't be offended.  This picture represents hospitality.  We have been having company lately.  Last night we had some dear friends over to dinner.  They brought their 8 children who still live at home.  The 'children' (aka teenagers and young adults) had such a good time playing 'ultimate frisbee' and other games in the back field.  I was really proud of the children.  They all participated in making the meal.  T-Bob made the chili, JoAn made the pasta, corn on the cob, cornbread and salad, and Thomas made the apple crisp for desert.  It was such a pleasant evening.

 JoAn has been busy studying for her tax course.  I am really working to get all the school stuff organized and ready to go.  With all the delays I have to start school whether we are in the middle of moving or not.  Otherwise, school won't start until Thanksgiving.  The children haven't been too disappointed in having a later start, but it is time to get going!

One of our projects for today is to get the garden weeded and the plants that are finished cleared out.  I am still sorting and discarding clothes.  I need to get our homeschool notification in Monday, which means I need to fill in my list of proposed curriculum.  I think I will work on that during the OSU Buckeyes game.  Tomorrow is Grandparents Day!  Need to work on getting Sunday dinner prepped for tomorrow.  At least I know what I am going to make.  That is always the hardest part of the battle.

OK,  I am done talking about it and I am heading off to get it done.  Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow!

New Semester....

Same Scholars.

Thomas loves to stay by the stove and warm himself. He is a freeze body. He is doing well in his studies.

Paul is working slowly through his schoolwork and it is still a matter of debate whether he graduates this year or next.

Michelle likes to burrow under pillows and blankets, reading or doing her handicraft projects.

JoAn will often stop in and join pray with us at devotion time. She is a joy to have around!

She is working hard at her studies. She has 48 semester hours of college credit since October through College Plus.
Barefoot T-Bob plays legos during school. He loves to be barefoot and wear a hoodie with the hood up.

Elizabeth is doing well with her reading and writing. She does a great job on scripture memory also. We are memorizing Hebrews 11:1-20.

We are also busy getting ready for the next debate tournament. Two more to go. We are anxious for spring to arrive and regular views of the sun as well. This has been a LONG winter! The only spring flowers that have bloomed so far are the early crocuses.

~Mom

Grandparents Day at our Homeschool

This fall, the concept of Grandparents Day crossed my personal radar in regards to schools. I really liked the idea. Public and private schools have them at least once a year. I started to think that it would be nice for our homeschool to do it too. I pondered and researched what was involved and it wasn't that hard. For years my Mother in Love would come in August and we would go over what I was planning to do with the children that year. It was such an encouragement to me. I have missed that as my in-laws are no longer able to travel up to see us.

Grandparents have always played an important role in my life. I think it is so important for children to have lots of interaction with older adults. (think grandparents). Grandparents give them the extra time and loving that parents sometimes miss. It is important for children to learn their spiritual heritage.

But what if you don't have any local grandparents? If you have a Home school grandparent's day you have a limited pool to invite unless you think big. We invited some of the grandmas and grandpas from our church and a others that have played a role in our family life. I wanted them to see a home school in operation and to appreciate what the children are learning and doing. For many it is a relatively new concept. I wanted them to see this important part of our life and become more comfortable with it. We ended up with six grandparents present. That fit neatly into our schoolroom along with myself and the children.

So what did we do? Here's a general outline...

1. Clean house so that everything looks presentable!

2.We started the morning with an overview of our homeschooling philosophy and how we arrived there ( Charlotte Mason and her ideas, Not just doing 'school' at home, I forgot to talk about the importance of discipleship with your children- something for next year!)

3. We then went through a slightly abbreviated typical morning for us. We shared prayer requests and prayed together, We read our chapter of scripture, We then sang a hymn for the grandparents.

4. I asked both of my parents to share their testimonies with the children.

5. The children each recited a chapter of scripture individually. We memorize a chapter every semester, so they just brushed up on one.

6. We had a little break and served tea and a coffee cake. During the break the children stood by their books which we had set our on different tables through out the house. The guests went around and looked at them and asked them questions.

7. The children also recited some poetry which we had learned.

8. The children went over some of their lists and Paul finished up by reciting the Gettysburg address. (I know it's not a list, but that's where it gets included in our memory work.)

9. The two older boys then gave an overview of their debate cases and Paul explained how their debate teams and tournaments work.

We started at 9:30 and finished up at noon. We did make invitations and gave them out ahead of time. The invitations stated that the children would be available for lunch dates on that day. (hint hint). Those that didn't have to run off took the children altogether to Chipotle for burritos.
I gave the children the afternoon off from their schoolwork. We ended up going sledding. The children proclaimed the day a success and are more than willing to do it again another time. I must commend the children, they did what they were asked and had good attitudes! It was a positive experience for all. The grandparents came away with a new appreciation for what we do and for the children.

The highlight of the day for me was my Dad's parting comment. He said that he wished he was little again and could be homeschooled in a school like ours. He said he wondered how much more he could have accomplished in his life. Thanks Dad! That meant a lot!

~Mom

McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, Canton OH

This is part 3 of our field trip, the unplanned part. After we struck out at Zoar Village, we had some extra time to do something else. We had seen the William McKinley Museum earlier and decided to go there and check it out. We had a great time.
We arrived there only an hour and a quarter before closing time. I asked the lady at the desk if we could see enough of the museum in that time and she assured me that it would still be worthwhile. This Library is not part of the Ohio Historical Society, so we had to pay admission. They charge $7 for adult, $6 for Seniors, and $5 for children. She did give me a discount based on the goodness of her heart and only charged me $22 to get our gang in, instead of $39. It does pay to ask. Incidentally, this library has reciprocal privileges with a number (over 300) of science museums.

We had a marvellous time! As we started into the museum we weren't sure where to start. We began wandering into the history section. Suddenly, an older gentleman, with a gleam in his eye and childlike enthusiasm, (and a guide badge on) accosted my children and wanted to show them all the neat things in the museum. It was a real blessing from the Lord! He demonstrated a number of different pictures on the stereoscope.

He showed us the 'transitional piano', one of only five in the whole USA. He played it and told us how it was the transition between the harpsichord and the piano. He told us the story of how this transitional piano was bought for a little boy's fifth birthday and cost his parents $1,000. Back when men were only earning a dollar a week. The gentleman also played an old Gramophone for us. We got to see and hear some neat things.

Then he took us to the vacuum powered lift chair. This portion of the museum was sponsored by local businesses and their products. (Hoover, in this case)

Timken, the bearing manufacturer, has sponsored the spinning tea cup for the children to ride in. It is to demonstrate how smooth their bearings are.

Since this is the William McKinley Museum, there are several displays dedicated to him. They have electronic robot reproductions of them that talk together and to the 'visitors'. They had his desk there and a number of other items and paintings. I also read that Mrs. McKinley took to making slippers after William died. I remembered that one of the items at the Hays presidential museum, was a pair of slippers made for him by Mrs. McKinley. Kinda neat.

Our guide took us into some of the exhibits that you were only to look at from the door and allowed us inside them to show us some of it up close and let us touch it. The museum tells as much about Canton OH, as President McKinley. They have a life sized village built, with all the stores and offices, of downtown Canton in the 1920s. They even had a fireman's pole for the children to slide down.

They have a huge model train display with the trains running. This set up is made of different scenes from the Canton area in the first half of the 1900's. It took eleven men five years to build it. (I think they may have only worked on it in their spare time.) It is pretty amazing. Our guide went to the control panel in the center and turned it all on for us to see. Our time was quickly running out so we needed to go down to the Science portion of the museum. (We had 19 minutes left until closing).

The Museum has a planetarium and a movie about McKinley that we didn't get to see. Not enough time. The Science Museum is in the basement. They had a dinosaur dig and ecological center with live reptiles. They also provided activities (scavenger hunts) for the children, but we had no time to check it out.

They had a number of different activities that are pretty common to science museums. The children liked the 'Shadow Catcher' exhibit. There were more exhibits that we liked, but we were really racing through at this point as they were announcing that the museum was closing in a few minutes (4 PM).

Outside of the Museum, is the Mckinley Memorial. The top is where they have buried President and Mrs. McKinley and the two of their daughters who died in infancy. There is a long stairway up to the Monument. The children counted 108 steps. It reminded me of the training scene in 'Rocky'. There were also some football players running up and down the steps to complete the image. T-Bob went up and down the steps several times.

If you are in the area, I would say that this is a great way to spend a few hours (2.5-3 to see everything). If you can find a tour guide to show you through, it is even better! It really was a blessing.

~Mom

Memorization- A Learned Skill

One of my clearest memories from childhood is the time my father had us memorize Romans 5 as a family. It took us months! We would work on it after supper. We only learned the first 12 verses. I am afraid that we fought him tooth and nail. It is the only time we ever tried to memorize a passage as a family. He gave up. I am really sad about that. We did do BMA (Bible Memory Association) which had us learning verses a couple a week for 12 weeks. We learned verses for Sunday school and for Vacation Bible School. I never really learned passages. I lost out. We didn't do much memorization of poetry or other things in school. It was a lost opportunity.

As I started learning about Charlotte Mason's approach to education, I was impressed by the amount of memorization that she expected her students to accomplish. I wondered how she did that. I read some of the blogs of moms who were using her approach and their children were doing a LOT of memorization too. I had started with Joan as a 2 or 3 year old, doing an old BMA book for preschoolers that taught a verse for every letter of the alphabet. She did very well. We fizzled after that, and I let Sunday school and AWANA determine what if anything the children would memorize.

I decided that memorization would be a foundational part of our schooling. I chose to start in easy. We learned 1 Corinthians 13 (I figured that this would be pretty easy as the children were familiar with it already). I followed the Ambleside schedule of 3 - 12 week semesters. We would then learn a chapter of scripture a semester. In the beginning I kept the chapters to about 12-14 verses. I also had them memorize a long poem ( Casey at the Bat, Jabberwocky, passages from Shakespeare) and some shorter ones from a Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson ( I have a little Shadow, The Swing, The Friendly Cow). It was quite a bit! Once they realized that it wasn't going away, the children have buckled down and done well. It has gotten easier for them to memorize. We now will do chapters of 20-30 verses and they too are accomplished well in a 12 week semester.

This is what I have learned about memorization - The more you do the easier it gets. You do need to review the passages and poems, and this needs to be built into your schedule.

We do our memorization together. We read through the passage and then start learning the verses by repetition. We talk about unfamiliar words and what the passage is telling us, then we review what we have learned so far and tack on the new part. As they get farther, we will go around the group and have everyone say the next phrase or verse and this encourages them not to get behind. The thing that has amazed me, is how well the little ones, who are 'too young' to have to learn the chapter, learn the chapter. If an older one hesitates, the little one, very often, will prompt them, even as they sit in the middle playing with their toys.

We do the poetry in the same way.

Anyone can do this. It just takes some diligence and commitment.

There are many benefits:

I find the children are always more attentive when the preacher covers a passage or uses a verse they have learned. It helps them to learn as they are already familiar with it. They feel like they know it.

They have an easier time learning and memorizing other material.

It builds family culture and relationships as they can share, challenge, encourage each other in their memorization.

(Sometimes, I will give a reward when everyone can recite the passage)

They hide God's Word in their heart and that is reward enough (Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee Ps. 119).

They understand and recognize cultural and literary references to scripture and common cultural poetry. (Have you ever noticed how often The Jabberwock is quoted in literature or even in public speaking? I never did until we memorized it. Shakespeare is even frequently quoted in children's books and sermons.)

I am blessed to see some of the children go on and memorize, not just chapters, but books of scripture.

It is something you will never regret doing, but may regret not having done with your children.

Start when they are young! It will be easier for them as they get older, and it will just be a part of their life. Something that they do, like brushing their teeth or making their bed.

What have you enjoyed memorizing as a family? What scripture passage(s) are you working on? What has been your children's favorite poem to learn?

Thanks to Jessica for motivating me to share this post.

~Mom

First Semester Homeschooling Plans

This semester has started out with more of a whimper than a bang. I didn't have everything together when we started. The printer has died on our computer, so that I can't print off the things I needed. That slows me down- A LOT! I have to go to the library to get it done. I didn't have our scripture passage copied, nor our poems selected. There were several other things that I had neglected, so I am still working on it this weekend. Fortunately, it is a long weekend, giving me an extra day. I need it.

This is our current group of scholars at the Mango Academy. They go from Senior in High school to first grader. It is a wide range. I have, as always, made changes in our school program. This year I have shortened our 'morning time'. The older children need more time free to get their individual school work done. We are still working on Bible Study and prayer, a hymn together, memorizing Hebrews 1, memorizing several poems including Browning's 'How Do I love Thee?' , One or two of Robert Louis Stevenson, and 'The Man with a Hoe'. I still haven't decided which 'lists' to memorize. We are reading a missionary story, 'Fallacy Detective' (again), and Jungle Doctor Story together. We are going to do our art and music study this year. Every year I start off with good intentions about art and music and fail, but this year I will succeed. I have a plan. Our artist of the semester is Albrecht Durer, one of my favorites, and the composer is Beethoven. I would also like to do a bit more in the Nature Study department. I will do more together things with T-Bob and Elizabeth. Including, Science and writing, and maybe a couple other things.

Joan is continuing to work part-time as a mother's helper. This fall she is starting college with College Plus through Thomas Edison State College. She is tentatively planning to study accounting. She and Mr. Boots are hoping to get to play some volleyball this fall and winter. She is also teaching at AWANA and helping with a CEF after school club.

Mr. Boots will be a busy guy! He is a Senior this year. He has to finish Biology and start Physics concurrently. He needs to do two years of Spanish in one. He is doing Algebra 2 for math. He is also going to be doing Speech and Debate with a Christian Homeschooling Speech and Debate Club. They also have classes in Christian Apologetics. Much of his schooling will be spent in debate prep. We haven't heard what this year's resolution is yet. Last year's was on US tax policy. He is still doing some yard work jobs in his spare time. He is looking forward to doing volleyball. We have been practicing in the backyard. We have a net set up there.

Michelle is the queen of babysitting. She really enjoys the children and does a great job with them. She is plodding through her schoolwork. Math, Science, Literature and writing. Keep her busy. She also is a quality cook and photographer. In other words, she is much happier doing artistic things rather than strict academic subjects. She must do both! The local homeschooling volleyball coach wishes that she had more of a desire to play volleyball - height can't be taught!

Thomas will be joining Mr. Boots in the Speech and Debate Club. This is his forte. He will only be able to do speech this year, as debate is restricted to 14 and up. He is doing Biology, Algebra 2, Spanish, and lots of reading. He too will be doing a lot of research and writing for the Debate club.

T-Bob keeps marching on. He would be in fifth grade. He is doing Saxon 76 math, and a lot of reading. I am definitely doing much more of a Charlotte Mason type education with T-Bob and Elizabeth. I just wished I had started earlier with the other children. Joan is sad that she only got one year of it. She plans to use that method when she has her own children to school. So T-Bob has lots of good books to read.

We have also started Nature Journals with the two youngest. I plan to really enjoy educating them. As the older ones start to move on in their lives, I realize that I need to treasure every moment with them and take advantage of the opportunities. Read more books together, sing together, pray together.

Elizabeth is doing first grade. I decided to commit to a Charlotte Mason Approach and actually sent the Rod and Staff books I had ordered back to the company. She is reading well already. She can easily read the Little House Books. She and I are reading through the first one together. I am using the Queen Family Language Lessons, this includes copywork, narration, phonics, and grammar. It is taught in little bits and is not stressful. We are also doing LOTS of reading together. We are continuing in Miquon Math for her. She is a joy to teach.

I am doing Apologia 'Human Body' for Primary students with T-Bob and Elizabeth. We are also reading a couple books together. I would like for them both to start Spanish (Rosetta Stone), but we will have to see how that works out.

I am also hoping to keep our field trips going. We enjoy them so much and it is a good way for us to learn history and science.

That's my plan for the year. What are you working on? How have your ideas and methods changed over the years?

~Mom

Socialization and Homeschooling

(Another beautiful photo by our Michelle - I really like her work)

At a recent gathering, a person asked me the infamous homeschooling question, "What about socialization?" The person asking it was truly curious and not at all belligerent, so I answered his question in a friendly manner. A lot of people have read in the newspaper or other journalism formats that homeschoolers are not properly socialized. How could they be if they are not in a school classroom setting? Let me attempt to set your fears at ease.

Here is Thomas with our next door neighbor.

Homeschoolers live in neighborhoods, go to church, play on playgrounds, and even play on sports teams and join scout troops. They do not generally live in a cave. They are around people all the time. However, I will admit that homeschoolers are differently socialized. They are not around their age mates the majority of the time. Are you? Really, once you leave school has there been a time when most of your friends are the same age as you? I know that I have friends of a wide variety of ages and life situations. A homeschooler's peer group is vertical rather than horizontal. By that, I mean that they are exposed to people of many different ages and they compose their peer group. Schooled children have a horizontal peer group composed almost entirely of children their own age. In my office I can tell whether a child that comes in is schooled at home or not in about 90 seconds. The schooled children come in and ask my children how old they are or what grade they are in and if it matches they want to play with them, if it doesn't, they sit on the couch and look bored or read a book. Homeschooled children may ask my children how old they are, but then irregardless of the answer they start to play together. I have seen high school boys who are homeschooled come in and happily play with a baby or toddler. Homeschoolers are also very comfortable talking with adults. They enjoy talking with adults and learning from them.

Homeschoolers enjoy playing with other children irregardless of their age. One of the highest compliments my children can give to another family is that 'they know how to play as a family'. I also chuckle as I remember one of the boys, when they were about five, commenting on some older children who had visited. He said, "They are just not properly socialized. Do they go to public school, Mommy?" Yes, they did. Homeschooled children are generally the ones organizing games on the public playgrounds. They tend to be more socially outgoing, because they haven't felt the intimidation, teasing and rejection that occurs frequently in a school setting.

The homeschooled child's strongest peer group is their family. This is the group that they spend the most time with. They are forced to learn to get along with their siblings or experience a miserable existence. The children forge strong bonds with each other. Yes, they have disagreements, but they learn to help each other. The older ones learn to help the younger children and be compassionate. The younger ones are taught many skills by the older children and to keep foolishness to a minimum. These are all good things.

The bottom line is that I feel the 'socialization argument' is not something that homeschoolers worry about. I have met far more children that have been 'wounded' by the socialization of a classroom setting than received scars from inadequate social interaction at home.

~Mom

I can't believe how much T-Bob looks like my Dad as a boy.

The Many Faces of Homeschooling

I am in the process of organizing all the children's assignments for the fall. Putting book lists together and writing up assignments. Rethinking our philosophy for the year. It's a big job! It makes me miss my Mother-in Law greatly. She and Dad are too restricted to make the trip this year. She was always my biggest encourager. She would sit and talk with me about all my plans and look at the books I was assigning the children. We would spend a couple hours doing this. She would express her appreciation and insights and it would make me feel really good about the upcoming year and what we were doing. But what exactly is homeschooling?

It has many faces and from year to year my philosophy evolves as the number of students and their ages changes. I am really looking forward to this year. Especially, schooling Elizabeth.

It is something that every family does. How's that you say? Yes, every family is responsible for the education of their children. We just vary in the amount of the schooling that we assign to others. I bring in teachers to instruct the children in music and volley ball. Thomas will be in a debate club this year. We are seeking help with high school writing skills. Some families hand over all the academic training of their children. God leads each family as to His plan for their children.

But honestly, I am more interested in educating than schooling our children. I want them to retain their native curiosity and joy of living. I want them to learn wherever they are, no matter what the clock says. I am desiring to provide them opportunities to learn whether on a field trip,

Or a family vacation,

Or even at a Reformation party at a friend's house. (They got to try stilts and folk dancing.)

We spend a lot of time reading. Not just textbooks but rather living books. Books written by authors who know and love their subjects. 'Twaddle-Free' as Charlotte Mason used to call them. Books that build a thirst for more knowledge.

We try and provide opportunities for sports and recreation. Time to enjoy playing and building relations with other people.

We teach responsibility with chores and household jobs.

Letting children be children. They wrote a play and acted it out with their cousins, just for the joy of it. They designed the costumes and even videotaped parts of it. They had fun and learned painlessly.

The children learn to get along with others of all ages and many practical skills. This is all part of their education.

Do you have a 'bucket list' of things you want to teach your children, not before they or you die, but before they leave your home? You should. What's on your list? No matter where they go to school, remember that the parents are the first and best educators of their children. Get going!!

~Mom