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On a side note:
My blogging efforts have been wimpy at best, I know, but homeschooling and photography are consuming me right now. I'll be back to sharing later this week. First on my list...thoughts on my latest read which you'll see in my sidebar - Francis Chan's Crazy Love. It's rocking my world and prepare for it to do the same to yours!
Labels: books, home schooling, photography
Off to college....sort of
Since kindergarten we've talked about it and planned for it. Well, today is the big day. Andrew's first day of dual enrollment at Palm Beach Community College!
As parents we've all done it. Especially when they were young, we'd compare our children with our friends', trying to keep up with who's smarter, faster, cuter, more polite and most likely to succeed. I remember people asking me, "Do you have a savings plan for Andrew's college expenses?" It appeared everyone around me was "saving" for college for their preschooler. It seemed so far off at the time. But even all those years ago we hoped to take advantage of our local dual enrollment program so he would have two years, near an associate degree, under his belt before ever graduating from high school. All for only the cost of his books. That was our savings plan.
And so we begin the last of his high school years and the first of his college years, simultaneously! I can't believe we made it! Take note all you parents of young children, your time is just around the corner!
Labels: family, home schooling
Homeschool Convention Weekend
Every year on Memorial Day weekend is the
Florida Homeschool Convention in Orlando. My pattern is to go every other year. Usually it goes like this.... We go as a family and have a blast! It takes place at a huge resort with lots to do and the rooms are first class. It's a real reward for making it through another year!
The next year, I decide I don't have to go. My excuses are numerous - too expensive, I'll just buy things I don't need, I already know what I'm doing with the kids next year so what's the point in looking at more material, and on and on...Then I realize it's not just about the vendors. There are great break-outs with renowned speakers to encourage the weary heart of the homeschool mom. I also find out that many of my friends are going. Then I wish I was going! That's where I stand this year.
So if my pattern stays true, I will go next year, but not with the whole family. I go with two or three other friends and split the cost of gas and the room, making it more financially feasible. Then I'll get up there and start missing my family and wish they were with me. That's when I decide that the
next year the whole family will go enjoy the convention together. And so the pattern goes!
Labels: home schooling
Home School Testing, Day One
Day one of home school testing is over! After making it through the morning with weak knees and queasy stomachs, we all survived and actually escaped major injury despite what we were feeling (yes, that WE includes ME!)! Every year I find myself more nervous & jittery than the kids....except this year....Benjamin, I think, had me beat, poor kid!
So, one day down, one more to go! Friday will be a breeze now that I know that Benjamin can sit through two hours and now that he knows what to expect. Chalk one more year up for home schooling! YEAH!
Labels: home schooling
History of Presidents' Day
As a homeschool mom, I love interesting historical facts and this being a national holiday I was compelled to find out the root of why we mark Presidents' Day on our calendars. According to
Patriotism.org, a Miami-Dade County Public School website, the history of Presidents day is as follows:
The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington's birthday in 1796 (the last full year of his presidency). Washington, according to the calendar that has been used since at least the mid-18th century, was born on February 22, 1732. According to the old style calendar in use back then, however, he was born on February 11. At least in 1796, many Americans celebrated his birthday on the 22nd while others marked the occasion on the 11th instead.
By the early 19th century, Washington's Birthday had taken firm root in the American experience as a bona fide national holiday. Its traditions included Birthnight Balls in various regions, speeches and receptions given by prominent public figures, and a lot of revelry in taverns throughout the land. Then along came Abraham Lincoln, another revered president and fellow February baby (born on the 12th of the month). The first formal observance of his birthday took place in 1865, the year after his assassination, when both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address. While Lincoln's Birthday did not become a federal holiday like George Washington's, it did become a legal holiday in several states.
In 1968, legislation (HR 15951) was enacted that affected several federal holidays. One of these was Washington's Birthday, the observation of which was shifted to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd. This act, which took effect in 1971, was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process.
Apparently, while the holiday in February is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as "President's Day." This has made the third Monday in February a day for honoring both Washington and Lincoln, as well as all the other men who have served as president.So there you have it! In spite of having a glorious day off from work or school, you've had a condensed history lesson, compliments of "Things Pondered"!
Labels: fun facts, home schooling
Congratulations Mollie & Benjamin!!!
I'm so proud of Mollie and Benjamin! They both received Grand Champion Ribbons for their 4-H Exhibits they entered a couple of weeks ago. Ben received GC for BOTH of his! Mollie entered just one exhibit and received GC for that! So when being judged on their own, they were given 1st place blue; when being judged with a group of others in their category they received 1st place amongst their competitors!! Well done - I am delighted for you!
Labels: family, home schooling
4-H Exhibit Judging
Today we had General Exhibit Judging for our local 4-H chapter. Our club, The Eagles, is studying Florida History which allowed us to have a lot of freedom in our exhibit choices. Benjamin decided to do a 3-D rendering of Castillo De San Marcos. It is actually the oldest fort in the US, located in St. Augustine Florida. He did a great job, with a little help from dad, and ended up with a blue ribbon.
Mollie and Benjamin both submitted an Earth Weaving project we did at one of our meetings. It's basically a wall hanging made with weaved twine and natural elements we found in our backyard. After questioning by the judges, they both ended up with blue ribbons for those as well.
I'm so proud of both of them! Their projects will be on display in the 4-H pavilion at the South Florida Fair where they will be judged against other exhibits in their same category. They have the potential to receive ribbons for that, too. I'm sure I won't be able to help myself and will just have to do a post on the outcome at the Fair...stay tuned for more!
Labels: family, home schooling
Homeschool Fun
On New Years Eve we rediscovered a fun game from the past...Boggle. Since then I've been playing it often with the kids and have found it's a great brain exercise. It sharpens their critical thinking and sparks creativity & memory skills. And on top of that it's FUN! No rolling of the eyes or begging for mercy when I pull out the box...they actually WANT to play! Give it a whirl and see for yourself - it's great for all ages, too!
Labels: family, home schooling
4-H Earthweaving
Yesterday was another 4-H day in our home. One of the mom's taught about Florida native plant life and then lead them in an "earthweaving" project. You can see in the photo Benjamin eagerly concentrating on his assignment. The idea is to wrap twine in vertically one direction around a cardboard template and then weave it through horizontally the other direction. After a few rows of twine you switch the material to pieces of native plant material such as palm fronds, strips of cotton, grasses and such. After the board is full you slip the ends off onto a twig on either end and you end up with a wall hanging full of plant material. It's a fun little project and the kids participated well. I think the fact that they were able to work on it outside and it was a gentle 82º rather than the blistering 95º we've grown accustomed to was a plus!
Labels: family, home schooling
Class Picture Day....homeschool style!
Thought I'd share the kids' 2007-08 class pictures. I try to do these every year for our 4-H group and this year we did them at the park on Monday. Homeschool class pictures are very different than traditional school pictures in a couple of ways. First of all we usually get them to pose toward the end of either playing football or tag or something else that would cause red cheeks and dirty perspiration. Forget the perfect outfit for picture day! Mom's don't even care if they've combed their hair. Food in their teeth? No problem, just "airbrush" them clean! Honestly, we're just grateful to be able to document the fact that they had a school year, whatever the grade!
Labels: family, home schooling, photography
4-H Field Trip
Yesterday our 4-H group had their first field trip of the year. We made our way to a local park for a picnic & I took "class pictures" of the kids. We loaded into our cars and caravaned to John MacCarthur State Park, just a few miles up the road. A park employee ushered us into a small air conditioned theater where we were shown a short video of the park, its history and habitat. A park ranger then lead us on a walking tour of the Lake Worth Lagoon, over a long pedestrian bridge, through a winding wooded trail, over the dunes and onto the beach. As you can see it was a magnificent day, a little warm (hot by the whole groups estimation!), but gorgeous just the same. We all were educated on the local plant and wildlife, actually walking away with some fascinating facts. Did you know that mullet jump and slap the water to remove bacteria that grows on its scales? I never new that! All in all it was a terrific interactive component added to this years 4-H study of Florida History.
Labels: home schooling
1st Day of 4-H!
Yesterday was our first 4-H meeting of the year! The group is about half the size of previous years, but it seems a bit more manageable since we are combining all ages (9 and up) for teaching time. In years past we had to divide the students in three teaching groups, which meant three mom's teaching three seperate lessons at the same time in different rooms. Preparation is less complicated and facilities aren't as much of a problem. We are all able to meet at our house!
Julie is our famous curriculum coordinator/teacher & magician! Without her expertise, we would probably just play games and eat!! I handle the administrative element of the club as well as the mom's meetings at the end of our 1 to 4 p.m. schedule while the kids are having a snack and playing outside.
Today I'll head to the 4-H office and drop off our forms and insurance payment for the year. It should be a fun year as we study Florida state history and science. Some field trips we are planning include St. Augustine, Kennedy Space Center, Lion Country Safari and Henry Flagler museum. Very exciting!
Labels: home schooling
Another great reason to homeschool...
According to
FOXnews.com fifth-graders at a Maryland elementary school who thought they were about to watch "Star Wars" on DVD, were actually shown a glimpse of a pornographic movie. The students' music teacher placed the DVD in the laptop and instead of the aforementioned movie, the projector displayed two naked adults on the screen! The scene was frozen for the entire class for about 10 seconds before the projector was turned off. An obvious question: Why were they watching a movie to begin with? School just started and the teacher has nothing to teach?? Oh, yeah, another question - pornography?? God save the children!
Labels: home schooling
Juggling
I've been homeschooling my three children for eight years now. I'm shocked at that number even as I type it, as I still feel like a novice! However, I am noticing that as more and more families are choosing to home school, more and more mom's are coming to me for advice. I guess in their eyes I would be considered semi-pro at this by now?! I sure don't feel I have much to offer, but as I consider their queries I am forced to reflect on what I've learned over the past several years.
Three things I know for sure must be assessed before committing to this responsibility: 1. Adding homeschooling is adding another ball to the mix of those in the air already...how many things can you juggle without dropping one? Does something else have to go? 2. It is an act of self-denial...am I willing to give up, without resentment, my job, shopping/having coffee with girlfriends, having a tidy house and any other number of things I enjoy? 3. It's a matter of perspective...you can't lose sight of the reason you're choosing to bring your children home. Every family has different reasons; decide what yours is and stick with it. When you get discouraged (and you will!), cling to your purpose without wavering.
So tonight I'll be gathering two groups of women for the purpose of creating a connection. The first group has just begun their home schooling journey. The second, has been at it for various numbers of years. Once you find out you're not alone in your quest to educate your children, you gain some assurance that it can be done and you have support. Two key realizations that can set you on your way to a successful homeschool adventure!
Labels: home schooling
Today's Happenings...
Today was a typical homeschool day. I saw my wonderful husband (aka "Supa Dave") off to work after enjoying a cup of coffee together. I jumped into my running attire and headed out for a jog around the block and, after catching my breath, man-handled the weights in our garage (okay, maybe I didn't man-handle them, but I gave it my best!).
I finished spreading the three bags of mulch left over from the twenty purchased on Sunday, pulled some weeds, swept the front porch and driveway, and shooed a snake off of the front door matt. Finally, I showered, dressed in my "mom-clothes" and rallied the kids together for school. This is not an easy feat after a normal weekend, nevermind a three-day weekend!
Once my students were engrossed in their studies, I allowed myself a few minutes to attack the pile of stink growing in my laundry room. Between explaining to my 9-year-old how to borrow from the hundreds place and letting the dog out to pee, I dusted the furniture and neatly folded the clean, warm laundry from the dryer.
We broke from our tasks for a lunch of corn dogs and pringles and then back to folding more laundry and taking a spelling quiz. Then it was time to pull out the ingredients for supper.
So here I am revealing my extraordinary day to my blogging audience as I wait for the rice to finish cooking so my 15 year old can fill his stomach before we load into the car and drive into town for his weekly Sea Cadets muster. All in a day's work!
Cartoon courtesy of:
gomommygo.comLabels: family, home schooling, ponderings
First Day of School!
Today was our first day of school! Andrew is officially in 10th grade, Mollie in 8th and Benjamin in 4th.
We are a family of many traditions and getting ready for a new school year is no exception to our long list of rituals. Every year we take a day with my mom and head out with the kids to buy school supplies and a new first-day-of school outfit. This year the boys picked "The Punisher" t-shirts. They look a little creepy, but they were very excited about them, and knowing that he's a comic book hero makes it easier for me to swallow. Last year Andrew picked a Monty Python and the Holy grail shirt that said "I fart in your general direction". I'll take The Punisher over that one!
So our first day back after a long summer went pretty well. We are easing into our classes. Andrew started one of his four
Florida Virtual School classes, Geometry. Mollie started two of her FLVS classes, Science and Reading. Next Monday they will start their remaining online classes~Andrew - Chemistry, English II & American Government; Mollie - Language III & Science, as well as "Teaching Textbooks" Pre-Algebra. It's a heavy load, but it's also their third year doing the online classes, so they're semi-pro at it by now!
Benjamin is doing math and language with the "Switched on School House" computer program. It's my first year using something like this with him. I'm sure I'll have something to say about it in a future post. Besides that program, I'll be doing reading and history with him by reading historical novels (two birds with one stone--thank you SonLight!)
Most of the morning was spent organizing and scheduling. We also laid some ground rules for "The Devi'ls Triangle" (credit to Deb). This led into some negotiating as the boys have different preferences than Mollie when it comes to the technological threesome. Andrew and Benjamin decided on 1/2 hour in the afternoon and 1 hour in the evening of television; 1 hour in the afternoon and 1/2 hour in the evening of computer time. Mollie opted for 1 hour in the afternoon and 1 1/2 hours in the evening of TV, 15 minutes in the afternoon and 15 minutes in the evening of computer time. All three of them receive ZERO playstation time during the week. They do, however, have 3 hours of PS2 over the weekend which starts Friday at 4 p.m. and ends Sunday evening at 7 p.m.
Our last two components to this years program will be Rosetta Stone Russian (Andrew) and 4-H study of Florida history with our home school co-op. I feel fairly comfortable with the direction we're headed this year (key word "fairly"). I have my shakey moments of anxiety and doubt, but that's when my home-school mentor and dearest friend, Stacy comes in handy! She's a priceless resource and all home-school mom's should have one of her! Oh, wait, they can't, there's only one and she's mine!
Labels: home schooling
FPEA Home School Convention '07
Every year on Memorial Day Weekend, Orlando prepares for thousands of home school families to arrive for the annual FPEA Home School Convention. Over the past few years The Gaylord Palms Resort has hosted this event. What an amazing place that is for a family to stay! Great restaurants, fun places to explore, little shops and beautiful pools. We loved it!
This year FPEA moved the convention to a brand new resort, The Rosen Shingle Creek. Not bad. Definitely beautiful, big enough to hold the crowds. The elevators were an issue, though...very confusing with every elevator going to a different group of floors and certainly not enough of them to manage the people using them. The pools were nice and they had a beach volley ball court that our kids and their friends enjoyed. Amazing view overlooking a fabulous golf course. Any golfer's paradise. But this wasn't a golf convention. Our family's opinion...move it back to Gaylord!
Other than our missing the Gaylord, the convention itself with the workshops and vendors, was worth it. The convention floor was spacious, organized and I was in heaven with all of the choices of books, curriculum and manipulatives. I never even made it to a workshop desipite all of my planning and scheduling out the ones I wanted to attend. The vendors work like a magnet and I couldn't get out of their grasp!
I was able to, however, purchase two cd's of the workshops I missed. One was actually for my husband...something about how to help your wife home school. I made sure we listened to it in the car on the way home. The other one, for me, was on how to create your own transcripts. I've yet to listen to that one, as I'm no longer in the mode! Maybe in August!
We also got a little treat this year...we were able to attend the Graduation Ceremony. Two of our friends' daughters graduated. It was a little emotional for me to realized that we will be doing this with our Andrew in just three years! How the time flies!
Anyway, I always head off to the convention ready to quit homeschooling my three children. By the time I leave for home, I'm convinced, once again, that there's no better way to educate my little students. It's worth all the sacrifices and headaches and I'll never regret that I chose to keep them home and instill God's values in their hearts.
Labels: home schooling
