Here is another peek at our school week! Allowing others to look into our day brings quite a bit of vulnerability to any mama who teaches their children at home. Many people have strong opinions on how and where children receive an education. I tend to want to tuck my head and do as the Lord is leading our family with confidence and not engage in conversations that would attempt to deter my thoughts and heart with what we know is right for each of our children. I am surprised each and every week I receive phone calls, facebook messages, emails and face to face questions about how we approach school. We always said we would make an individual decision for each of our children with how we approach their education ever since Breanna, our oldest, was a baby. We said if we felt it was best to homeschool we would be willing but I really didn't think it would ever happen. But it did. Various and different reasons each for Maddy and Logan led us to keep them home for the past year and a half (perhaps another post for another day). We started homeschooling Maddy mid year during 6th grade and Logan started his 5th grade year. Breanna graduated from public school and Olivia attends a public school. I am not anti-public school nor wish to participate in conversations that declare an overall statement that everyone should homeschool or conversations on the other side of the pendulum that no one should homeschool. Sweeping statements of only one way to approach kids that are uniquely different cause me to cringe. We will continue to seek the Lord and be willing to do what we think is best for each of our children.
So here is a peek behind the scenes.
Madelyn creates her own projects and she will work on them during the day in between her scheduled studies (History, Science, Spelling, Literature, Civics, Grammar, Handwriting, Math, Health & more!) She enjoys learning, is passionate, innovative and has many dreams and ideas. She likes to create PowerPoint presentations as an avenue to teach others what she is learning. We have sat through various presentations over the past few years and we have learned so much in the process. She is currently working on a PowerPoint about GMO's. (Genetically Modified Organism's)
I love the picture of Maddy above, the way it captures her focus, determination and a little of her personality. Logan shot that photo. He has a growing interest in photography, videography and journalism. He recently set up his own YouTube Channel. We were reluctant to allow him to have this avenue but I am thankful we did because it has fueled his interest and creativity. You can check out his Channel here
Logan spotted a new bird at the feeder this week so he ran outside to capture a picture. As many of you know they participate in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Click here for the link (for kids and adults). All kids are different right? I decided at the beginning of the year I wanted this to be a consistent activity that they participated in during the week. Not all kids show an interest in what you might get excited about...at first. It's a challenge that keeps me intrigued and studying how each of our children learn. Madelyn will sit by the window and wait for the birds to come to the feeder . She will study the bird with a large bird poster and field manual. She might have a notepad beside her so she can do further research on that particular bird's migration pattern or other detailed information. Logan wasn't opposed to the project but not thrilled at first. It was a challenge for me to see how to bridge the gap with his interests and how he learns. So, I handed him my camera. He knows, I don't hand my camera to just anyone so his time of birdwatching and recording data is special. I had to chuckle this week when he was taking a picture and he said, "Look at this picture of this chickadee thingy." This weekly activity has allowed them time to slow down, observe, record data while participating with people all over United States.
Every week or so we make a quick trip to the library. Madelyn is just as predictable as Logan when we get there. She will quickly grab a couple fiction books and then race over to the garden/nutrition/fiber section. Logan knows the exact book he is going to get before he walks into the Library. He has laser focus and will not deter from his mission. He will search the computer for the location of the book, pick up the book and be ready to go within a couple of minutes. This was the first time that Logan has gone to the library and was content to sit patiently while waiting for Madelyn to browse through the books. He wasn't anxious to get on to the next thing or grumbling and complaining about how long it was taking. He sat down, put his feet up and relaxed. He didn't even notice me taking this picture. It was just one of those moments that I wanted to etch into my memory so I could recall it when I need to remind him to exhibit self control in the future.
I gave both the kids a rubric and set a date for a book report of their choice. Logan read three books in two days! This is a huge step as I recall the first part of the year he was so concerned about how much time he had to read or had left to read that he was not enjoying the actual book. I just watched him and thanked God several times for allowing me to see progress.
A few people ask me about our Math Curriculum. This year we used Teaching Textbooks. The kids have enjoyed the program. This is the only subject they do on the computer and it is a CD program. The program keeps a log of their grades as they complete lessons/lectures. If you purchase this curriculum for Math you can use the ID number for 4 or 5 times. We were not sure if you could buy this used but you can! Just make sure you ask how many times the ID has been used. Billy's parents purchased Madelyn's Math curriculum and we borrowed Logan's from a friend. We purchased the textbook/workbook with Madelyn's and I must tell you it is not necessary to spend the additional money for it. We haven't opened the books at all. The books duplicate the exact lecture that is displayed on the screen. There are additional "helps" but both our kids have been extremely successful with this program.
Olivia was out of school for President's Day so we took a field trip to the Whitaker Center.
Hands on demonstration about air. It's always fun to watch one of your siblings being included in the demonstration!
Could anyone not smile while doing a Grammar lesson with a bunny hanging out under their legs?
There are times that chores need to be completed before, during or after the school day. It is part of being a family and builds character.
Then some Physical Education looks like this! I should have ventured up the hill as he met up with some buddies but it was really cold.
I signed the kids up for a Science class at Messiah College's Oaks Museum
We enjoyed this activity and it was nice to see both kids participate and eager to talk one on one with the adults to gather additional information about what they were teaching. The kids did further research the following day and wrote a report on something new they learned at the Museum. There are a few additional classes that are being offered click here for the topics/dates.
Saturday we had another snow storm, so why did I post a picture of Saturday when we are peeking into our school day? It seems that learning is just a way of life and doesn't have to occur only between certain hours. Madelyn will go outside to play but she decided to work on her garden while it was snowing. She spent hours playing in the soil. She wasn't in any hurry to get the job done and move on to something else, she sat quietly and placed the seeds in each pod carefully and stopped to research about the plants to see what would be good companion plants. It has been a very cold winter and many people are ready for it to be over, but not everyone. Logan as you can see is one happy fella during the wintertime. He enjoys each and every snowfall and is eager to spend time at Ski Roundtop snowboarding. He has made a couple videos of his adventures so be sure to check them out here
We have some exciting things planned for the rest of this week...stay tuned!
