Peek and see

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! 

The Whitaker Center is a great place for hands on learning. If you have a family membership the IMAX documentary films are discounted $2 per ticket. We didn't see a film on this trip due to it being a holiday they were only showing the movie Frozen...uhhh no, thank you. We hope to go back soon to see the Jerusalem Documentary. 

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!  

Whiteout- Are you in one now?

Last week one evening I found myself driving in a "snow squall/whiteout" with two of my kids in the car only a few short miles from our home. The snow happened suddenly and it was extremely unnerving as we were on a busy road unable to pull over in a safe place. I quickly tried the high beams in order to gain some sort visibility and it only took a split second to realize it made the situation worse.  So, with a deep breath and determination I cautiously proceeded keeping my gaze in front of me as far as I was able to see which was only a few feet. I kept driving forward in an uncomfortable situation trusting there would be time to maneuver the vehicle in the case of a sudden change. I noticed headlights in the median from a few cars that had veered off the road nearly hitting one another. This gave me further assurance it was best not to stop or pull over so that we too would not become a target. We missed the first entrance to our neighborhood even though we have taken it numerous times. It was  hidden and unrecognizable so we made the next turn and made it safely to our home. We all let out a deep sigh of relief and a sense of victory with a fist bump as we pulled into the driveway. We were all relieved and thankful the storm had passed and we made it safely through. We were not eager to jump back into the truck but we knew we had learned a couple things through the experience that would help if we found ourselves in a similar situation.  As the days passed I couldn't help but think when sudden trials and circumstances hit our lives and the storm rages without warning we should keep the same gaze during the storm on Jesus.

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left turn your foot away from evil. 
Proverbs 4:25-27

A friend of ours describes this passage as "aggressively holding the position." Just like in the whiteout while gripping the wheel trusting my path would be illuminated in time I held the position and proceeded forward. The same is true with personal trials when we have surrendered to Jesus and to His sanctification process in our lives. When we find ourselves in a difficult circumstance we can trust our steps will be illuminated despite the apparent darkness. It's difficult in these moments to aggressively hold the position without desiring our own control, self reliance and comfort that may lead us to veer off the path. (Colossians 3:2) Swerving to the right or to the left during a storm often places us in danger. During a trail this is a playground for the enemy to prowl with doubts, confusion and lies. This leads to a lost gaze from our goal, Jesus. 

We all do it, we all lose our gaze.  We are human bent toward sin and there would be no point in the cross if we could walk through life perfectly without being pruned and the opportunity to be in awe of grace.  Besides, if we never struggled or wrestled with sin or fell short we might be tempted to believe we are not weak, in constant need of a Savior. If you are currently in a storm, coming out of a storm or getting ready to go into one we can glance in our rear view mirror to remember the Lord's faithfulness in the past. Then we can turn our gaze directly in front of us recalling His promises and knowing God is sovereign, God is good and He loves you in the midst of the storm.  If and when you have veered off, grieve over your sin, repent and reset your gaze toward Jesus while resting in the finished work of Christ. 

My sisters and brothers, on the other side of this journey I envision giving you a fist bump (like the one we gave one another once we made it home after the whiteout). If you are reading this and haven't surrendered your heart to Jesus, I pray you will.  You too will go through storms and there is hope that you can know that nothing in your life is wasted. It all has a purpose and will produce an unexplainable joy. This can only come by surrendering your heart to our Creator. I hope if your reading this post we can give one another a victory fist bump one day when we are home in eternity. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

(Picture taken a few weeks ago)
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your  feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left turn your foot away from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27

School Days

Madelyn and Logan are plowing through the school year and it is hard to believe that evaluations and end of the year testing is quickly approaching in April. There are many late nights of planning, grading and organizing the kids school work as well as full days explaining, guiding, training, challenging and encouraging them in their work.  I can say, some days can be down right challenging and tiresome but today has been good. I mean good.  Today we started out by watching a video (I will post at the bottom) that created an avenue for a deep conversation about sharing their faith personally and even an opportunity for me to hear about some recent challenges they have had sharing their faith with friends. The conversation has continued throughout the day during their studies and it has been a productive day. Today I have seen growth in Logan by working with integrity, managing his time wisely and working ahead because he was enjoying his assignments. Several people have asked what a typical day looks like so I snapped a few pictures over the last few days and thought I would share. 

Many, many days and nights the table is covered with agendas, calendars, projects, reports, papers to grade and books.  I took this picture late last night as I was putting dates on the calendar for book reports, research projects, daily work for the week and placing work in the portfolios. 

We have attempted several times to create another space in the house for a "school room" however all the books seem to migrate quickly to the kitchen table. We start out the mornings together with Devotion/Bible, Current Events/Civics, Creative Writing/Journaling and additional activities as they arise. 

  

Madelyn will retreat briefly to her room to work at times when Logan reads orally. It doesn't surprise me that she has her science book in this picture. I really think she has already read it from cover to cover. Can you guess what her favorite subject is?

Throughout the day in between studies or after school work is complete the kids stay busy exploring many different interests. Logan has been working and perfecting his skateboard wax. (It certainly stretches me allowing a messy kitchen in order to encourage innovation.) The wax has been a hit at the local skate park and he is working with a few buddies on a project. He was so focused he didn't even notice that I was taking this picture. 

Madelyn has already started working on planting seeds for her cold crops. She has been studying and watching several documentaries about gardening and nutrition. I just asked her what her favorite documentary is currently and she said, "GMO OMG" on Netflix and she would suggest everyone watch it : )

The kids continue to participate in the Cornell lab of Ornithology as citizen scientists. They observe our feeders, record data and enter it on the Cornell website every week. Madelyn ran out of the house hardly dressed to capture this picture of a Red Tail Hawk yesterday.  

Learning new skills and.....

How cool are these leg/boot warmers?!!

Even though Olivia goes to school, learning continues to occur throughout most evenings at home when they are not filled with activities/club meetings. We haven't had a TV in our living room for years and we have found that our kids usually hang out in the same room we are in so without the TV many creative activities occur spontaneously. 

Ohh and here is the video we watched this morning. Perhaps this might be a resource for you to use as well to encourage conversations