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February 28 Greg Tang rocks math like a vandal!If mathmaticians were rock stars, then Greg Tang would be Bono.
He has a series of books: "The Grapes of Math" "Math For All Seasons", "The Best of Times", "Math Appeal", "Math-terpieces", "Math Fables" and "Math Potatoes". If the colorful illustrations and captivating prose don't catch your attention, then his goal certainly will: "my goal is to inspire kids to seek a deeper, more satisfying understanding of math. It is this journey of learning that truly is the best of times!" he continues, "I am working to develop a more intuitive approach to teaching math, one that combines problem-solving and arithmetic and integrates math with language and art."
I found "The Grapes of Math" last year at the library. I checked it out because of the interesting title, but had very little hope that a 'math book' would inspire my kids at all. However, we were all hooked and ended up reading a page from the book every night...often they would beg to read another, and another. I make it a point to try to check out one of Greg Tang's books every time we leave the library...even though we have read each book multiple times, they still never tire of the riddles & illustrations. I think they also like how quickly they can solve the challenges by breaking big numbers into groups. They way my children's capabilities with math and numbers has increased from a year ago makes these books a resounding success in my house and Greg Tang a hero in my eyes. Finally, math taught the way my children can understand and enjoy...while giving them a strong foundation based on a solid understanding instead of rote memorization.
Thank you Greg!
February 27 A few of my favorite Links.Have you seen the Dominoes commercial where a group of guys are sitting around eating pizza; one with a big nose, the other with a big mouth, and the last one with big ears. They are all discussing the same thing...a cheesy pizza...but each of them are filtering it through their biggest sensory mode. The guy with the big nose appreciates the smell, the guy with the big mouth appreciates the taste, and the guy with the big ears appreciates the sound. It's a brilliant analogy for learning styles. What if you were the guy with the big mouth, but were forced to focus on what the pizza smelled or sounded like. Would you enjoy it as much? Would you get as much out of the experience of eating a pizza? What if, when the discrepancy was noticed, the big nosed & big eared people sat you down and made you continually repeat smelling it or listening to it...taking away from your precious 'tasting it' time? Would you eventually 'catch on'? Would your mouth eventually shrink, and your nose eventually grow? Or would you learn to dislike pizza and avoid it? School, for my daughter, became something to avoid. A rigid and mismatched application of one particular learning style above her own.
Here are a few links worth following! Understanding each of these ideas about "learning styles" has been invaluable to me as a parent and homeschooler!
or...how do you and your child learn best? By seeing and visualizing it? By hearing and listening to it being spoken? Or by getting hands on, using your hands and/or movement to work and figure things out?
a quick excerpt:
"Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the school-aged population remembers what is heard; 40 percent recalls well visually the things that are seen or read; many must write or use their fingers in some manipulative way to help them remember basic facts; other people cannot internalize information or skills unless they use them in real-life activities such as actually writing a letter to learn the correct format."
a quick excerpt:
"Every child is a genius according to the original meanings of the word "genius," which are: "to give birth" (related to the word genesis) and "to be zestful or joyous," (related to the word genial)Essentially, the real meaning of genius is to "give birth to the joy" that is within each child. Every child is born with that capacity. Each child comes into life with wonder, curiosity, awe, spontaneity, vitality, flexibility, and many other characteristics of a joyous being. It is imperative that we, as educators and parents, help preserve these genius characteristics of children as they mature into adulthood, so those capacities can be made available to the broader culture at a time of incredible change."
a quick excerpt:
"The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These intelligences are:
February 26 Once upon a time......there was a girl who would. not. sleep. Not as a newborn, not as a toddler, not as a little girl. She hated her dreaded crib so much that she launched herself over the side and careened to the floor by 14 months. Night after night, and nap after nap. Pitiful cries floated out from under her door. "Mom! Dad! Is anybody out there? Somebody? Anybody!" The girls parents, concerned for her safety and hoping to get one night's sleep, arranged a 'sleeping place' on her floor with a mattress and some pillows. The girl, sensing her parent's sleep induced weakness, figured out that if she would creep into bed with them and lay still, no one would put her back in bed.
For 5 long years the parents searched high and low for a wizards ointment, enchanted wand, or magic spell that would get their daughter to fall asleep early and stay that way through the night. Sadly, the 'Night Terror' monster visited often, causing the girl to cry and scream hysterically throughout most nights. No one in the land could help, and it caused much heartache in the home.
In due time, the girl could share a room with her younger brother, which pleased her. She also grew big enough to send the 'Night Terror' monster away and he was heard of no more. But the sleep STILL would. not. come.
10 long years the girl suffered with sleepless nights and early mornings. The mother had tried relaxation techniques, calming books, soft music, night lights, lavender scented sheets, biofeedback, positive self talk, and 587658764872364 other things to help her daughter, to no avail. Desperation set it. And then, like a light shining on the sword in the stone, an answer arrived from the most unthinkable place.
How could something so simple, so mundane...so tacky...be the miracle cure?
Behold, the power of the lava lamp.
The girl was amazed by its gooey, bubbly appearance. Waiting patiently for the light to warm up the gobs of green, she would peer over the side of her bed, mesmerized by its flowing, glowing powers. Soon, she was relaxed and drifting off to sleep...often before the bubbles had time to ooze up and down.
There was rest in all the land. And she slept happily ever after.
The End. Well, this is refreshing!After googling "dyslexia CU" to see if there were any programs/studies going on in our backyard, I came across an article here. It's not often that dyslexia is discussed with such candor and 'glass is half full' mentality, even while emphasizing the inadequate way the school systems are handling it... "Ms. Root expresses concern about how schools view dyslexia. "I know from my experience that teachers are dedicated professionals who will bend over backwards to help a child succeed. I also know that school systems shy away from the term 'dyslexia.' Thereality is that until we understand and accept that there are distinct signs of dyslexia, that dyslexia affects 1 out of 5 children in a typical classroom, and that people with dyslexia learn differently, we will continue to fail them. 20% is too big a number to ignore, in my thinking." Root and Pike don't refer to dyslexia as a disorder. In fact, it is a difference in brain structure and genetic make-up. This uniquenesscarries many gifts, while at the same time causes reading and spelling difficulties that disrupt learning-- unless the person receives the right kind of instruction. " Amen, sister! February 25 Sorry, Mr. Wells."My son and I started reading your book, "The War of the Worlds". He was very excited to begin reading it, as the front of the cover has a cool looking machine-type thing with tentacles coming out of it, what appear to be guns on top, and lots of people running away. It really grabbed his imagination!
However! Within a day of reading the part about 'deadly heat rays', big martian machines taking over England, and people dying all over the country, Carter now refuses to go anywhere by himself. He will not go downstairs if everyone is upstairs. He will not go upstairs if everyone is downstairs. He will not brush his teeth in the bathroom if no one is in there with him. He has come into my room every morning by 4 am unable to fall back to sleep.
We are on page 81...we haven't even gotten to the 'Black Smoke and Instant Death!' chapter. I fear he will never sleep again if I continue any further. And so, I have decided that we will leave your book, unread, on the shelf for now. Please don't take it personally. You are a good writer...too good, actually, as Carter is absolutely terrified of your martian death rays and big machines. And just because we finished "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" doesn't mean we like Jules Verne any more than you. In fact, maybe we'll try your "The Time Machine" next. Or, perhaps we'll pick a nice adventure novel like "Robinson Crusoe" and get back to your stuff later.
Respectfully,
Tiffani"
"Dear Tiffani,
What about this book made you think it was going to be appropriate for a 7 year old? The subject matter is dark and depressing, the violence continues throughout the entire book, and it is based on the invasion of Tasmania--when European settlers managed to hunt down and kill most of the primitive people.
Have you also forgotten the mass hysteria Orson Wells caused by reenacting this book on the radio? And those were adults listening, not impressionable children! I'd also point out the Spielburg movie adaptation of the same name, but I'm hoping you had good enough sense to skip that altogether.
I think it's wise you put this one aside for a bit. I'd also recommend staying away from "The Island of Dr. Moreau".
Wisely,
H.G. Wells" February 23 "I Spy..."Does anyone else have a problem with "I Spy"? Is it just me? I know kids love it and can play it in perpetuity...I go along with it, but after an hour of guessing "a house", "a tree", "a rock", I want to cover my head with a pillow and make it stop. But with my mental block I'd failed to realize that when kids get a little older, they spy surprising and unexpected things. And also? It's actually a really great way to get kids into a dynamic learning stage...almost a frenzy of hyperfocus on what's around them! For example:
Traditional method of teaching:
Me: "What is a sphere? Do you know what it is? Here it is! Look at it...let's write down the definition of a sphere. Let's draw a sphere! Let's write the name 'sphere' 5 times!"
Carter: frustrated.
Brooke: frustrated.
Me: frustrated. Asks self: "What if they don't want to draw, write, color, or define a sphere? Can they still know what one is?"
"I Spy" method of teaching:
Me: "I Spy....a sphere!"
Carter: (running around frantically for a while) "Oh, hey, mom...what's a sphere again?"
Me: (describing sphere and noticing that he is assuming he knows what one is but just forgot!)
Carter: "Cool!" (continues running around to find one which he does).
Everyone: Happy!
Here's the brilliant thing about it...1) it got HIM to ask ME something he wanted to know...practically begging me to tell him. And anytime a kid asks a question, they are involved and motivated to hear the answer. 2) because the focus was on finding it, and not on whether he knew it or not, it was pretty effortless learning. 3) Because he learned something and then applied it in a real way ("I found the sphere!"), his retention of it was immediate and lasting!
It's a bit like speed reading or speed dating...a lot of information in a few seconds flat. This is perfect for 2E kids who get frustrated very easily when the focus is on learning something they don't know. And it's information that they realize they have a need for and so are begging to get the answers. "I spy a synonym of something large", "I spy the color you get when you mix blue and yellow", "I spy something similar to the antagonist in 'Moby Dick'" (that one was fun, because we were looking for different things...I meant the whale, Brooke thought I meant Capt. Ahab!)
February 22 Math!Today I felt the antsy feeling I get when I wonder what more I can introduce to my kids. Specifically, it bothers me that Brooke and Carter have huge phobias with Math. I always knew Brooke was Math averse--counting sequentially, skip counting, rote memorization...all of these are incredibly difficult for her. Technically it's called Dyscalculia, and is a specific form of Dyslexia that involves math computation. Carter suprised me, though...going into Kindergarten he loved everything about math. Adding, subtracting, multiplying, problem solving, skip counting...he was intuitive about it and did amazing things simply just in his head. By the end of Kindergarten, he was hating it. From what I can figure, he was 1) bored with the repetitive nature of doing simple patterns and simple problems over and over, & 2) he thrives on mental math, coming to his answers intuitively, and balks at anything that requires written work or 'showing how he got to his answers'. I've learned this is very common with visual/gifted/2E (twice exceptional) kids.
So, I started googling things like, "twice exceptional math curriculum" to see if there was anything out there that would introduce math concepts with this learning style in mind. Something I could put out there to help expose them to a math that reduces their anxiety while increasing their interest. My criteria: fewer problems on the page, big graphics, less repitition, more concepts, less memorization & rote learning, more intuitive. Both Brooke and Carter have amazing theoretical aptitude, and a natural understanding of math concepts...but the devil is in the details with them. Brooke more so than Carter, but either way I wanted to find something with a high mathmatical interest.
Usually, I don't stick workbooks on my kids..it's so counterproductive. But, if I could just find the right material, I want Brooke to understand that she has a great mathmatical mind! And I want Carter to feel comfortable with his mental math and know that it's OK to think like that! He was so joyful doing problems in his head before Kindergarten...I want to get him to that place again. In sticking with the true nature of unschooling, this is something that will be an elective: I will have it available but will let the kids determine when/if we use it. Which is why the pressure is on to find something really great.
As an added bonus, I found this article in Fortune magazine from 2003. It highlights people like Richard Branson & Charles Schwab, and is one of the best written articles about both the hardship and the brilliance of dyslexia. February 19 "Don't push me, 'cuz I'm close to the edge..."Brooke continually surprises me with memories and feelings I had no idea she had. Sometimes they are happy, like when she told me all the details of her 3rd birthday party--including the flowers that were trellised around an overhanging deck and what she was feeling when her uncle swam her around the pool on his back. Sometimes they seem impossible, like when she recognized a toy I brought out when our youngest was born. "Mom!" she said, "I remember hugging that toy in my crib when I was little. I remember I looked up because the big bright moon was shining in the window, and I wasn't very good at sitting up yet and I tipped over!". I estimate that she was about 9 months old in that story.
Recently she made the statement: "Mom, I was so close to acting out in school! I was on the edge, Mom, and one more year in that place would have pushed me over!"" I called her bluff and pointed out, "Brooke, you were always so quiet and kept to yourself in school. You also were very aware of the rules and never got into trouble! What would you have done?" She gave me a steely look and said, "Well, I knew that I wasn't going to know anything they were talking about during the day, but I knew that I knew how to get back home. And one day I was just going to walk out the classroom door and keep on walking until I got home."
I started to ask her why she didn't tell me she was so miserable, but then remembered how she would cry every morning before school. The stomachaches. The insomnia. The tears after school when it was time for homework. On the days when she would claim to be sick but I knew she wasn't really, I would have her clean the house all day. I figured that anyone would choose school over a long day scrubbing the floors, vacuuming the carpet, and rinsing out the toilets, and would tell her that she could return to school any time if she felt 'better'. She never felt better, and actually was the happiest scullery maid the world has ever known.
Not knowing of any alternatives, I felt panicked and heartsick over her failure to thrive at school. I pushed her out the door with a cookie in her mouth saying, "You can't cry if you're chewing a cookie! Don't miss the bus!". I was disheartened at the school districts policy that it would take 'a few more years' before she would qualify for special ed or an IEP plan. It was a traumatic event to realize that no one was advocating for my daughter, and that she was being hurt by the very thing that I thought had a responsibility to nurture her. In the long run, though, that trauma is probably what made the decision to disconnect from the system so completely. If my kind, attentive, sweet, nurturing, curious daughter was pushed close enough to the edge to consider delinquency at school (not to mention her new found love of cleaning all day...which is way more disturbing!), then we needed a different path. February 18 "If Love Were A..." GameThis is a game that has slowly evolved from one of our family's favorite bedtime books, 'I Love You As Much...' The premise is similar: naming objects to show how wide, deep, far, or soft, etc., we love each other. It goes something like this:
Me: "If love were rings, I'd love you like Saturn!"
Brooke: "I'd love you like onions!"
Carter: "I'd love you like a wedding ring." (Boys are so sweet when they're little!)
or...
Todd: "If love were planets, I'd love you like Jupiter!"
Carter: "I'd love you like Mars. No, wait, that's not very big...I'd love you like Saturn!"
Me: "I'd love you like Uranus."
Us: hahahahahhahahaha!!!
or...
Brooke: "If love were ferocious beasts, I'd love you like a hawk!"
Carter: "I'd love you like a tiger/lion/wolf combination! With the head of a tiger, the claws of a lion, and the body of a wolf!"
:we all pause to picture it in our heads:
Todd: "I'd love you like a T-rex!"
Sometimes we can keep a thread going for quite a while...either commenting on what someone's said, disagreeing about something, coming up with more ideas, or just letting the topic wander from one topic to the opposite of it, and then back again. It's a great game to play in restaurants or when we're all sitting around together. It's been really interesting to see the older kids progression from simple comparisons ("I love you like the ocean is wide") to more complex ideas and connections. Sometimes I don't even know they know something until they bring it up during this game. Lots of times I'll play this game when I start wondering if not being in school or having a set schedule/curriculum for the kids is really working out...you know, the moments that I start imagining my kids getting to be college age and unable to tie their own shoes let alone exist capably in society. It's a particular kind of freak out that home/unschoolers share every once in a while.
I'll say, "If love were an explorer, I'd love you like Columbus" and see what kind of response I get. Without fail, their replies calm my panic attacks and I feel assured that they are very capable, curious kids who learn a whole lot on their own. "I love you like Captain Nemo!"..."I love you like Cortez!"..."I love you like Jules Verne!" (to which Carter expressed his doubts that Verne is an explorer since he only wrote about things. Brooke replied that Verne explored new ideas and worlds in his head and helped take us there in his books, which opened up a whole new definition of explorer.) My favorite is when the kids are heading off to do something and shout back in passing, "Mom, if love were space I'd love you like a galaxy!", or something else of their imagination.
So, go ahead and try it. It gives an interesting insight into little minds that are sometimes difficult to figure out! Come up with a topic and see what they connect it to!
February 16 Horse SenseBrooke takes riding lessons two days a week. We started this up when we moved to our current house 'in the country' (or, at least, 'country' compared to Las Vegas) and Brooke saw horse farms...and people riding horses...and horses grazing...around every turn. Todd's good at math, and quickly deduced that paying for the lessons for the entirety of Brooke's childhood ($50 per hour * 2 times a week @ 1 1/2 hour per lesson * 365 days a year * 10 years = bankruptcy) would be quite a drain, we went on a search to find someone who was really good with both horses and children, and who wouldn't force us to take out a second mortgage on the house. So, after quite a few lessons at quite a few places, we ended up driving up a long, dusty road to Planeview Farms. The first thing I noticed was a truck with the decal "Farm Bitch" on the back. I started thinking this could be a really good sign (she was fiesty! spunky! fun!) or a really bad sign (she was mean! tough! hard-core!) but the thought of a reasonably priced riding instructor urged me on.
That was a year ago, and we've grown to love Bridget. She's tough, hard-core, straight talking, spunky, fun and fiesty. She has a farm full of ducks, geese, dogs, hogs, and horses. Every time I watch Bridget with Brooke, I'm reminded of Rocky Balboa's coach...and how boxing became a giant life lesson in the end. I watch Brooke up on this huge beast of a thing (yeah...horses aren't my bag, baby!) and watch her learn how to love it, and respect it, but also to control it, guide it, assert herself with it. Bridget talks most of the lesson...either with encouragment or reminders or instructions, and these are some of my favorites from a few days ago:
Bridget's Bon Mots:
"That horse is bigger than you, he's stronger than you, but he's not smarter than you. So use that brain of yours to figure out a way to get him in line!"
"You aren't in control of much in your life...you have teachers, parents, and other people telling you what to do all day long. For this one hour, YOU take control."
"You're horse doesn't want to listen to you Brooke. So you either take the next 20 minutes to try to make him come around, or you take the next second to use the crop in your hand and tell him you mean business."
"Brooke, you need to come to an understanding with your horse...have a little communication with him. You communicate through your legs, your hands, your attitude, and that crop in your hand. Use what you have to make him listen to you."
I love that for 1 1/2 hours, Brooke is being taught how to take charge and control something that is potentially out of her control. I love how confident she is, and how proud it makes her feel at the end of the lesson.
February 10 2/6 library books--BrookeWhy Do Horses Neigh?, Joan Holub
Baby Cougar, Beth Spanjian
Big Cats--Jaguars, Elizabeth Vogel
Leopards, Dan Greenberg
Jaguars, Anne Welsbacher
Tigers, Anne Welsbacher
Wolves and Other Wild Dogs, Mary Reid
Arabian Horse, Gail Stewart
Praying Mantises, Margaret Hall
_________________
About 4 years ago, Brooke found a praying mantis in our backyard and kept it as a pet for a while. She let it go, and that was it. She came across the Praying Mantis book in the library and put it excitedly into her bag. This is how it works with my kids...because they have an exposure or experience with it, they then connect it in their minds and are interested in it the next time they come across it. There are thousands of insect books in the library, but the one the sparked Brooke's curiosity is the one that had to do with a prior memory. When I would sit them down with a 'lesson' without a previous experience, they both ytended to shut down. I figured out that my job is less 'teacher' than it is 'facilitator'--bringing them to experiences that become part of a vast web in their minds. It's what makes 'unschooling' so magical for me to watch....through actively living our lives (not only at fun places like the zoo but even on errands to the store) and connecting with as many things possible, everthing eventually falls into place with an almost audible click. Carter loves reading an Usborne A-Z encyclopedia with tons of pictures. At first, he liked the illustrations but would thumb through it quickly. Now he brings it to me all the time with these newly formed connections..."Mom! That plane is like the one I fly in 'Battle for the Pacific'...it's talking about WWI!" "Mom! This looks just like Shackleton's ship from the antarctic movie we saw!" "Mom! This is the Great Wall of China!"...and on and on. When the connections (learning) happen there's this electric energy that I can almost see, and that's very exciting to watch. 2/6 library books--MeBe Your Own Astronomy Expert, Guillame Cannat. (This has ways to build your own telescope, and other hands on activities.)
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table, Cindy Neuschwander. (I'm a sucker for any book that is subtitled, "A Math Adventure".)
The Universe, Seymour Simon. (I think one of the kids slipped this into my library bag when I wasn't looking.)
The Hershey Fractions Book, Jerry Pallotta. (I'm a sucker for any book that is subtitled, "Milk Chocolate Math")
Q is for Quark-A Science Alphabet Book, David Schwartz. (Everything you wanted to know about science broken down into one page summaries that are easily understood and humorously illustrated.)
Polar Bear Math, Ann Whitehead Nagda. (Brilliant book series that writes stories about animals at the Denver Zoo on the right side of the page, and then uses the story information using math equations on the left side of the page. This one uses fractions...there is a Tiger Math that uses charts. SO GREAT!)
___________________
I pick books from the kids section that my kids haven't seen but that I'm pretty sure they'd find interesting. In our book club during the week, we each get to bring a book to share and take turns reading our selections (or, having me read them), so I get to read mine and hopefully pique their interest. If not, it's no big deal!
When I found 'The Hershey Fractions Book' I was rather excited...math AND chocolate...but when I held it up, Brooke turned white and had an immediate reaction of horror. "Put it back! I hate that book!" she exclaimed. In our family, the word 'hate' is only used when other adjectives can't describe the feeling (like, frustrated, annoyed, disgusted, freaked out, etc.) and so it conveys quite a strong emotion. She continued, "in class, I had to read that book in front of the whole class, and do the math, and I couldn't do either one and I hated it. I felt so stupid and I don't like that book AT ALL." There are moments when I hit a buried memory that Brooke has that contributes to this primal anxiety that stops her cold. Before she can move on to doing fun mental math gymnastics, she needs to get those associations out and put new enjoyable memories in their place. Emotions play a part in learning for all children, but particularly for a kid with dyselxia. The positive OR negative emotional connection matters almost as much as the information. And so I said, "Brooke, lets take a moment to realize the trauma you were caused by the terrible Hersheys people who dared make you do fractions using their Hershey bars"....we both laugh but at the same time pause to respect her feelings of sadness and frustration. "But mom, I didn't use Hershey bars with the book' she explained, "the teacher just had us read it out loud, not use Hershey bars too." So I said, "Maybe the problem wasn't with this book, maybe it was just the way they were asking you to learn it...what if we check out this book AND use some Hershey bars along with it?" Which made both of us happy.
And, all's well that end's well on our library outing.
2/6 library books--CarterEndangered Tigers, Bobbie Kalman
Uranus (!!!), Rebecca Stefoff
Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids, Seymour Simon
Tigers, Ann O. Squire
Uranus (again!!!), Luke Thompson
Wildlife in Danger--Tigers, Louis Martin
Cats, Barbara Taylor
The Wonder of Hawks, Rita Ritchie
Eagles-Hunters of the Sky, Ann C. Cooper
Falcons & Hawks, Penny Olsen
_____________
We try to get through the Uranus books without laughing, but our juvenile sense of humor prevents it.
Carter: Mom! It's amazing what you can find 2 layers into Uranus!
Mom: ...hahahahahaha....
Carter: ....hahahahahahha...
He has an excuse, because he's 7...apparently I'm just very infantile.
Lately, tigers and eagles are on his mind. He's really concerned with the diminishing numbers of certain kinds of tigers in the world, and is hoping that conservation efforts can help them like they helped the Bald Eagles. February 06 The joke that keeps on giving.First, I would like to thank the astronomers who believed that Greek & Roman gods would make great planetary names. Second, I would like to thank the people in charge of naming planets for picking Saturn to be a planet. Third, I would like to thank those same people for rejecting the names "Georgium Sidus" or "Hector" for the 7th planet. Fourth, I would like to especially thank the astronomer who believed that it was only fitting that the greek god who was the father of Saturn would be perfect as a planetary name. Yes folks, I'm talking about Uranus. Or, in our house, "Your ANUS". It wasn't too long ago that Uranus came up in our dinner conversation. It was the first time it ever got a reaction from Carter, and in the midst of the milk spewing from his laughing mouth, I realized that 1) he'd figured out that another word for 'butt' is 'anus', and 2) his sense of humor was developing nicely.
Stargazing is a hobby over here, so we have lots of stuff about space. We also go to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to look at their space displays. So, you'd think that in the year or so since Carter got in on the joke, I'd be immune to the Uranus references. And you'd be wrong. It really is the joke that keeps on giving. I'm sure you want in on all this, so here are a few examples (but please say it properly as 'Your ANUS').
Carter, walking through the space hallway in DMNS: "Hey, mom, is that Uranus on the wall?"
Cater, earnestly: "Mom, what's the most popular planet?"
Me, thoughfully: "I think it's Uranus."
Brooke, questioning: "Dad, do they have laws for planets?"
Dad, confused: "Laws? What kind of laws?"
Brooke: "You know, to explain why the earth is slowly moving towards Uranus."
Carter: "Mom, I can't find Orion"
Me: "Why not?"
Carter: "Because Uranus is in the way."
I totally walked into that one.
And so, it continues. On any given day, someone will throw "Uranus" out there and it continues to bring the house down. February 05 Denver Museum of Nature & ScienceThis weekend, Brooke and Carter were SO EXCITED to plan our Saturday. The IMAX theater at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has a movie-thon of top IMAX movies. Because Dakota is too little and rambunctious to sit through 5 minutes of anything let alone an hour of a movie, this is something we haven't been able to do during the week. But with Todd home for the weekend they were excited to leave her with Dad and run off to the museum. In the car it was all they could talk about...Shackletons Antarctic Adventure! Everest! Cosmic Collisions! (that one was in the Planetarium). It was like we were going to Disneyland.
Did you read the post where I talked about my super sweet schedule I had all of us on when we were using a homeschool curriculum? I forgot to mention that I had things divided up into 'educational' and 'uneducational'. As in, "Did you finish your educational work?" or "If you're finished with your educational stuff, you can do something off the uneducational list". Yes, I had a list for that kind of stuff.....worksheets, reading, writing, math, educational videos & computer games were on the green "Educational List". TV, other computer games, laying around doing nothing were on the "Uneducational List". This idea worked so well that Carter started grouping things according to being Educational or Uneducational. My great idea backfired when I noticed that everything he hated to do was educational and everything fun was uneducational. To the point that if it even SMACKED of being educational his attitude was....."Cosmic Collision? Is that science? That's educational, right? Naw, I just want to sit here, I did my science this week"....I really wondered if that was the message I wanted to send to him...."do this boring thing, get it out of the way as fast as you can, so you can do something fun that you really want to do". Isn't there a happy medium, I wondered, where the fun things that you really want to do are also things that you learn most from?
I didn't only notice this division between educational and uneducational at home, but also when my kids were in school. Their attitude quickly became, "Alright, I put in my 6 hours, now don't make me think anymore." Going to the museum, or zoo, or watching Discovery channel made them think of science, math, and other things that they associated with sitting at a desk, being bored. So, they didn't want to do it. It was as if their brain only had a certain capacity for learning, and they stuffed it full during school but didn't have room for any curiosity during the time they were out of school. I wanted more for my kids...for them to find the excitement in Science, and the patterns of Math, and the joy of self-expression in writing.
Fast forward a few months, and there I found myself sitting for 3 hours in a museum with my kids. Laughing, wondering, questioning, marveling, and enjoying. Life doesn't get much better! A great articleEver notice how much easier it is to link to something already written than it is to think it up and write it out yourself? With that in mind, here's an article I really related to, after watching my kids both in school and now unschooling. Enjoy!
February 04 Catching up!I know how busy my life is by how sparce my journal entries become. This habit started when I was 15--I can look back in my journal and see huge gaps and then a mad rush to fill everything in. So, here's the mad rush!
The year I spent homeschooling Brooke, Carter was in Kindergarten. Not showing any of the dyslexia symptoms that Brooke did, I figured he would thrive at school. He had a great teacher, and great friends, but still managed to NOT enjoy it. He started the year being passionate about math--he would frequently challenge me to write him math problems to complete, and then try to do Brooke's math when he finished up his. By the end of the year he refused to do any more. "I hate math!" he told me over and over. He didn't like reading, didn't like writing...the only thing he enjoyed was recess and the bus ride. This was an unexpected turn of events! But, because Brooke and I had already started homeschooling, and I knew there were other options besides sending my kid to a place they didn't love (for 6 hours!), I pulled him out of school at the begining of 1st grade (last year) and enrolled him in the COVA program I was already doing with Brooke.
I knew I needed to be organized and structured with 2 homeschoolers and 1 toddler. Honestly, those traits are not my strongest, but I rallied and made calenders, charts, time sheets, daily goals, cubbies, and even more charts. I had us timed down to the minute! I structured it in a round robin kind of way--Brooke for 15 min. while Carter did his workbook, then Carter for 15 min. while Brooke did her workbook, etc...then computer time, then reading time, then snack time, then repeat over and over until our daily work was done. It was a good system, we got all our work done, the kids lmemorized the curriculum. But! I realized some things. 1) Workbooks and my kids will never be friends. 2) My kids would rather talk things our than write things down. 3) My kids do not learn linearly. Their minds are like that old TV show, "Connections" (remember that?!)--trying to connect things together into a coherant story. If it doesn't relate (to sometimes seemingly unrelatable things) , then it doesn't compute. 4) My kids really enjoy going out and doing rather than sitting home and 'learning' at a table. 5) That kind of structure and discipline was killing me. Sad, but true.
I started wondering...could they still learn without a curriculum? What would that mean in the future? What about high school? What would happen if we disengaged from a traditional school day completely and made homeschool into something all of us enjoyed? Did people even DO that? Could WE do that?
Our trip to Yellowstone in Sept. 06 made my decision for me...but I'll save that for another blog. Suffice it to say, here we are, happily unschooling now for the relatively brief time of 6 months. But, I feel like it's been what I've wanted for my kids (and myself) for as long as I can remember! February 03 Every so oftenUsually, late at night when the kids are asleep and the house is quiet, I slip into the kids rooms and watch them from the doorway. I usually wonder whether they are happy, and what kind of childhood they will remember having, and if they will have any regrets or unfilled needs. Childhood is such a short time, and yet it is such an important foundation for the rest of their lives.
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