I have been avoiding work lately. Part of it is the usual summer thing; enjoying vacation and not wanting to think about the school year looming ahead in September, but part of it is what is known as burnout. I just completed my eleventh year of homeschooling...but if you include all my kids, I have homeschooled twenty one grades! That is a lot of planning and reporting, and part of me is sick and tired of it. Not sick and tired enough to throw my kids to the school system, mind you...just sick and tired of the hoops and keeping all my ducks in a row. Next year marks the first year where I must report all four kids to the school district (although Emma has completed her Kindergarten year, she won't be 6 until August, so by law I only have to report her this coming school year) but thankfully, I only have to report Rachel for two more school years (you can stop at the end of the year the child turns 16, since school is not mandatory after that.) Still, two years of reporting four kids still adds up to 8 letters of intent, 8 IHIPs, 32 quarterly reports, and 8 end-of-year assessments or 8 standardized test requirements. Jeez.
As usual, I am reading the Rainbow Resources catalogue from cover to cover (although I am skipping all the religious topics and much of their science section-- allowing terms as "secular" and "mentions evolution" to catch my eye...the OPPOSITE of what they intend, but very useful for me!) I spent the first few years of homeschooling using various sites, message boards, and catalogues to plan my syllabus--but once I discovered Rainbow I never went back. There is so much information in there; because the family who runs the company is so vast, they have used almost everything and they describe in minute detail. I don't always buy my books from Rainbow--I can often find them gently used or cheaper somewhere else--but I use them for the decision making.
This year, as in most years, we are making a few changes. The best part of homeschooling is that you can change whatever you want depending on the needs of your kids. The first change will be in history and science. Now that I have three kids of elementary age (!) I have decided that we are going to work these subjects together. I am getting programs geared to Julia's age, since she's the eldest, and Ben and Emma will work with us at their own levels and pace. History Odyssey seems to be the program I will get; science is still undecided. It is quite simply too irritating to not only plan three levels of history and science, get all the books and supplies needed, but to actually help them along at three different levels is mind boggling for me. We can take turns reading things aloud and work on projects at the same time. I think this will cut our frustration levels to almost nothing. History Odyssey also has a high school program, so Rachel can work on the same meta-subject but at her own level.
The other major change is that I plan to cut out some busy work. Language Arts is the prime example. In the past, each child has had spelling, grammar, literature (reading and writing in whatever capacity) of various sorts, proofreading, handwriting and vocabulary in different combinations. While these are all worthwhile things and need to be studied, my kids are, quite frankly, really good at all of these things. I am seeing less and less value in workbooks that are at their grade level, but pose no challenge at all. I am going to focus more on the literature side of things and less on the time wasters, because reading helps all of those areas and endless drills are boring.
Hopefully I will have my IHIPs together in the next 2 weeks, and my books ordered. I hate walking into Target in the middle of July and seeing BACK TO SCHOOL all over the place, but I have to admit that summer flies far faster than any other season and I have to be prepared. And in the meantime, we are enjoying all that summer has to offer!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Life Is A Blur
I haven't written in a while, I know that. A friend and fellow blogger recently commented that the North Fork Bloggers have been verrrryyy quiet of late. I'm glad I'm not the only one! When I began this blog (at Rachel's urging) its original purpose was to be a family journal, something to look back on and relive all the memories we have as a family. I have kept "real" journals most of my life, although in a fit of self conciousness I threw the early ones away when I was about fifteen. I couldn't stand looking at my childhood self, all the things I thought were so important but that were really boring or truly humiliating. In my second half of high school I didn't keep in journal (which I truly regret now!) and then began to do it again in college. I still have those, and have not submitted to the urge to toss them, although some of what I wrote is embarrassing or boring or painful, in some cases.
When Rachel was born, my journal writing efforts started to change. I still wrote about my own thoughts and feelings, but there wasn't enough time in my day to mull things over the way I once did. And as my other children were born and the decision to homeschool was made....well, then time really became a precious commodity. I lived for several years on a kind of autopilot, with infants and toddlers and preschoolers and nursing and lack of sleep and play dates and homeschooling (and I put homeschooling last because really, homeschooling only Rachel in those early years was SO simple! One of those things that seemed hard when I was doing it, but as my efforts have multiplied over the years, I see how truly easy it really was...) However, even in my mommy-haze I recognized that the years are fleeting and that I wanted to preserve memories of what my beautiful children were like at every age, how they spoke and the adorable things they did, the vacations we went on and the birthday parties and Christmas gifts and the trials and tribulations. I usually wrote once every couple of months, but would fill pages and pages with anything and everything I could think of. It seems impossible to believe, but computers were only a part of life then. Sure, we used email and shopped online, and researched some topics when needed. But it was not the all-consuming presence it is now, for better or for worse.
When Rachel made this blog for us and told me I should use it like my handwritten journals, I was at first nonplussed. It seemed so impersonal, so self-important, like I was putting my family online and wanted people to actually read about us. Matt and I debated about using our real names, and whether or not photos should be included. I pressed for them, because in my mind this was a family scrapbook. I didn't intend for anyone other than family and far-flung friends to read it. But then that idea appealed to me--here was a way for relatives to see photos, artwork, and hear about the day-to-day, things that are easily forgotten when you're talking. Grandma would love it! So, slowly, I got into it. I still have the idea that someday we will print it all out (how much ink will THAT take?) so that we can have the satisfaction of actual pages in our hands rather than a website to browse.
My posts were almost daily in the beginning, and often very short. A snapshot of something that happened that day. These provide me with wonderful memories when I do look back. Now, however, my life has changed. My kids are growing up--Emma is finished with Kindergarten and will be 6 in just two months. No more babies! We have been finished with nursing and diapers for years now, something I could barely conceive of for ten years running. Everyone knows how to swim, to ride a bike, to read...everyone has lost two or more baby teeth.... everyone sleeps all night... Rachel is practically an adult...Julia is careening into preadolescence....the milestones are fewer when all this happens. They still do and say (what I think) are adorable and clever things, so in theory my posts could be similar to those first years of the blog. The biggest difference is, I guess, that I have much less time on my hands! Homeschooling four kids is a lot of work, there are always chores and errands to run, we have a lot of activities and friends to attend to--and hey, I like to have time to myself too!
We've finished school for the year, and as always, this is a huge relief. The routines were getting dull and we all needed a break--plus as the weather warms, there is nothing better than getting outside. We have been swimming and going to the beach and to Splish Splash and gardening and riding bikes and walking the dog and reading and sleeping late and having sleepovers and going fun places. I am starting to plan for next year--Rachel will be in 10th grade (!), Julia in 6th, Ben in 3rd and Emma in 1st. I am on the lookout for anything that will make our lives easier and more fun in regards to school work...my kids simply don't need all the busy work! I have resolved to look for books that pack a punch while not boring us, and to find movies, documentaries and books that will bring subjects to life. One of the reasons we homeschool is to give them a specialized education, but unfortunately, since homeschooling has picked up so much speed in recent years, and as more and more parents decide to pull their kids out of a not-satisfying school experience, homeschool curricula seem to have become more schoolish.
My kids all read and write above their grade level--not certain exactly how far above, but let's just say well above grade level. So this past year, when Ben was doing a spelling program meant for 2nd grade, he was understandably bored and frustrated (and I didn't blame him--I think that 2nd graders probably can handle more than 3-and-4-letter words!) Emma did 1st grade language arts material in November and was also bored. I am trying to make next year the year where nobody does a book just because it's expected of them at that grade, and where pointless activities are banished. A perfect example of this would be one of the language arts books I used with Ben this year. It was literature based activities using the "Magic Tree House" books, which if you don't know, are fantasy books about time travel that teach about history topics. Ben loves the books, so I thought it would be a great fit. However, I didn't take into account that most of the activities listed were a waste of time. Like school, they were geared to the average student, and Ben was beyond it. We tried for the first couple of books, and then finally I just got him the books and we talked about them.
When I was finishing up the school year, I was looking through one of Emma's workbooks and thinking about how she wouldn't finish this one--we'd started it at the end of winter when she was finished with what she'd been doing, and although she liked it it was one of those several hundred page "complete curriculum" books that a friend had given me. Even though it was 1st grade we'd already skipped lots of the material because it was a review of Kindergarten (really? Do we need a review of Kindergarten?) but still there were probably a hundred pages to go. I wondered if I should hold onto it for next year, or if we should go crazy in the last few weeks of school and try to actually get it all done...and then I remembered that hello! it's all busy work anyway! Emma can read anything she puts her eyes on, she can draw better than I can already, and she has an imagination that boggles the brain. She can learn more from taking a book off the shelves and reading it than she can in any workbook, and I let it go.
I will try to write more. I will try to post something cute the kids do or say at least once a week, and I will try to write about what next school year is shaping up to be like. These are my summer resolutions....though I also resolve to enjoy my vacation thoroughly because I know September will be here far sooner than I'd wish!
When Rachel was born, my journal writing efforts started to change. I still wrote about my own thoughts and feelings, but there wasn't enough time in my day to mull things over the way I once did. And as my other children were born and the decision to homeschool was made....well, then time really became a precious commodity. I lived for several years on a kind of autopilot, with infants and toddlers and preschoolers and nursing and lack of sleep and play dates and homeschooling (and I put homeschooling last because really, homeschooling only Rachel in those early years was SO simple! One of those things that seemed hard when I was doing it, but as my efforts have multiplied over the years, I see how truly easy it really was...) However, even in my mommy-haze I recognized that the years are fleeting and that I wanted to preserve memories of what my beautiful children were like at every age, how they spoke and the adorable things they did, the vacations we went on and the birthday parties and Christmas gifts and the trials and tribulations. I usually wrote once every couple of months, but would fill pages and pages with anything and everything I could think of. It seems impossible to believe, but computers were only a part of life then. Sure, we used email and shopped online, and researched some topics when needed. But it was not the all-consuming presence it is now, for better or for worse.
When Rachel made this blog for us and told me I should use it like my handwritten journals, I was at first nonplussed. It seemed so impersonal, so self-important, like I was putting my family online and wanted people to actually read about us. Matt and I debated about using our real names, and whether or not photos should be included. I pressed for them, because in my mind this was a family scrapbook. I didn't intend for anyone other than family and far-flung friends to read it. But then that idea appealed to me--here was a way for relatives to see photos, artwork, and hear about the day-to-day, things that are easily forgotten when you're talking. Grandma would love it! So, slowly, I got into it. I still have the idea that someday we will print it all out (how much ink will THAT take?) so that we can have the satisfaction of actual pages in our hands rather than a website to browse.
My posts were almost daily in the beginning, and often very short. A snapshot of something that happened that day. These provide me with wonderful memories when I do look back. Now, however, my life has changed. My kids are growing up--Emma is finished with Kindergarten and will be 6 in just two months. No more babies! We have been finished with nursing and diapers for years now, something I could barely conceive of for ten years running. Everyone knows how to swim, to ride a bike, to read...everyone has lost two or more baby teeth.... everyone sleeps all night... Rachel is practically an adult...Julia is careening into preadolescence....the milestones are fewer when all this happens. They still do and say (what I think) are adorable and clever things, so in theory my posts could be similar to those first years of the blog. The biggest difference is, I guess, that I have much less time on my hands! Homeschooling four kids is a lot of work, there are always chores and errands to run, we have a lot of activities and friends to attend to--and hey, I like to have time to myself too!
We've finished school for the year, and as always, this is a huge relief. The routines were getting dull and we all needed a break--plus as the weather warms, there is nothing better than getting outside. We have been swimming and going to the beach and to Splish Splash and gardening and riding bikes and walking the dog and reading and sleeping late and having sleepovers and going fun places. I am starting to plan for next year--Rachel will be in 10th grade (!), Julia in 6th, Ben in 3rd and Emma in 1st. I am on the lookout for anything that will make our lives easier and more fun in regards to school work...my kids simply don't need all the busy work! I have resolved to look for books that pack a punch while not boring us, and to find movies, documentaries and books that will bring subjects to life. One of the reasons we homeschool is to give them a specialized education, but unfortunately, since homeschooling has picked up so much speed in recent years, and as more and more parents decide to pull their kids out of a not-satisfying school experience, homeschool curricula seem to have become more schoolish.
My kids all read and write above their grade level--not certain exactly how far above, but let's just say well above grade level. So this past year, when Ben was doing a spelling program meant for 2nd grade, he was understandably bored and frustrated (and I didn't blame him--I think that 2nd graders probably can handle more than 3-and-4-letter words!) Emma did 1st grade language arts material in November and was also bored. I am trying to make next year the year where nobody does a book just because it's expected of them at that grade, and where pointless activities are banished. A perfect example of this would be one of the language arts books I used with Ben this year. It was literature based activities using the "Magic Tree House" books, which if you don't know, are fantasy books about time travel that teach about history topics. Ben loves the books, so I thought it would be a great fit. However, I didn't take into account that most of the activities listed were a waste of time. Like school, they were geared to the average student, and Ben was beyond it. We tried for the first couple of books, and then finally I just got him the books and we talked about them.
When I was finishing up the school year, I was looking through one of Emma's workbooks and thinking about how she wouldn't finish this one--we'd started it at the end of winter when she was finished with what she'd been doing, and although she liked it it was one of those several hundred page "complete curriculum" books that a friend had given me. Even though it was 1st grade we'd already skipped lots of the material because it was a review of Kindergarten (really? Do we need a review of Kindergarten?) but still there were probably a hundred pages to go. I wondered if I should hold onto it for next year, or if we should go crazy in the last few weeks of school and try to actually get it all done...and then I remembered that hello! it's all busy work anyway! Emma can read anything she puts her eyes on, she can draw better than I can already, and she has an imagination that boggles the brain. She can learn more from taking a book off the shelves and reading it than she can in any workbook, and I let it go.
I will try to write more. I will try to post something cute the kids do or say at least once a week, and I will try to write about what next school year is shaping up to be like. These are my summer resolutions....though I also resolve to enjoy my vacation thoroughly because I know September will be here far sooner than I'd wish!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Smeagol & Rabie Baby, a Picture by Emma
Emma made this picture today, and I was laughing so hard I had to share. It says "I think that Smeagol is the most handsome boy EEEEEEVER...." If you are uninitiated, Smeagol is Gollum's Hobbit name from "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy...and if you are uninitiated in Emma-speak, Rabie Baby is a character Emma made up for the eponymous game she plays with Julia and Ben. I personally love how they are kissing, and how Shelob (the spider from the LOTR books!) has a bow in her hair and is acting the part of the minister for their wedding: "You may kiss the bride."
This kid is a riot!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Emma lost her tooth! + Another note to the Tooth Fairy
Yesterday morning, Emma lost her first tooth, much to my parents' dismay, I'm sure. She was very excited and promptly put it under her pillow in hopes that the Tooth Fairy would pay her a visit while she was sleeping.
Well, the Tooth Fairy was a bit lazy and didn't actually collect the tooth until after Emma had gotten out of bed. (oops!) But she did receive a dollar, so all is well....Or so we thought.
Then, Emma presented us with a picture she had drawn, and we were dumbfounded to tell the truth. Here it is:
In case you couldn't read it, she wrote: "Dear Tooth Fairy, I don't want money! I want my tooth!!!!! Thank you!" Complete with smiley faces and hearts. At the bottom, she illustrated a beautiful fairy, and her pet dog and cat.
Well, I explained to her that after the Tooth Fairy takes your tooth, you usually can't get it back. She was a little sad at this, but sprung right back into her typical cheerful mood when I reminded her that she still has plenty of teeth to lose, and next time she can keep the tooth if she likes.
A photo coming soon of Emma with the space in her teeth. (:
-Rachel
Well, the Tooth Fairy was a bit lazy and didn't actually collect the tooth until after Emma had gotten out of bed. (oops!) But she did receive a dollar, so all is well....Or so we thought.
Then, Emma presented us with a picture she had drawn, and we were dumbfounded to tell the truth. Here it is:
In case you couldn't read it, she wrote: "Dear Tooth Fairy, I don't want money! I want my tooth!!!!! Thank you!" Complete with smiley faces and hearts. At the bottom, she illustrated a beautiful fairy, and her pet dog and cat.
Well, I explained to her that after the Tooth Fairy takes your tooth, you usually can't get it back. She was a little sad at this, but sprung right back into her typical cheerful mood when I reminded her that she still has plenty of teeth to lose, and next time she can keep the tooth if she likes.
A photo coming soon of Emma with the space in her teeth. (:
-Rachel
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Emma's Note to the Tooth Fairy
Emma got a loose tooth a week or so ago. Can I just say I was completely unprepared for this milestone? Ben hasn't been losing teeth for very long, so I was going along, thinking that it would be another year before Emma began. She is so excited--understandably, since she has been watching the tooth fairy in action her entire life! She has been longing for a fairy visit, so now she is wiggling that tooth incessantly, wondering when it will come out. Of course, she had to write a letter to express herself:
For those uninitiated in phonetic spelling, it says: "Dear Tooth Fairy: Please collect my tooth. It is loose. I can wiggle it. Thank you." I love the smiley faces and the hearts--they really show how happy and excited she is. She didn't bother to sign it, but of course, fairies know everything, don't they?
For those uninitiated in phonetic spelling, it says: "Dear Tooth Fairy: Please collect my tooth. It is loose. I can wiggle it. Thank you." I love the smiley faces and the hearts--they really show how happy and excited she is. She didn't bother to sign it, but of course, fairies know everything, don't they?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Lake Finback Dragon, by Julia
Julia's art lesson today had her drawing along with a DVD. The lesson was on drawing from imagination, and the example was a dragon. Now, if I were taking this lesson, my dragon would be a pathetic cartoonish rendering...but not only is Julia a superior artist to me, dragons have lately become one of her favorite things to draw. While she did go along with the DVD and copy the example dragon, she really shone when she did the assignment to draw her own dragon from imagination. Her dragon is called the lake finback dragon, and he lives underwater and breathes bubbles instead of fire. Perfect! I love the way she did this so I thought I'd share.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Forest Friends, a Picture by Emma
I love the fact that my five year old draws better than I ever have!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
by Emma, 5 years old. Not quite sure what Pokemon has to do with St. Patrick, but somehow it does in her mind. I got the whole lecture about Charmander evolving into Charmillion and Charzard...but I never retain it. Just thought I'd share!
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