Well, it was a rough start with both kids resisting big time to getting back into it. They both couldn't understand how I could be so cruel ! I mean, fancy getting them off playstation and computer games to do WORK! I try to be so nice, but in the end, they just gotta do it. Then its all over and we can do the fun stuff. But no, they had to do it the hard way.
Well, dh and I read the riot act, said no more bullying mum, whinging etc, and lo and behold it worked. The rest of the week has gone beautifully, we covered lots of work, and they are enjoying it! We discovered Jared can remember his times tables up to 7 (all he has studied, apart from 10 and 11) even though he hadn't heard or looked at one for 3 months. He also remembered the words to the Owl and the Pussycat even though we hadn't really tried so hard to memorise it. And, he can write more than he could last year, and took an interest in it. Amazing. Such a thrill to see them improve. It sometimes seems like, particularly with my pencil allergic son, we are never getting anywhere. Then, wow, there's a jump in ability.
My daughter loves calligraphy, poetry, and writing stories on the computer (and finding ilustrations for them). She doesn't like Saxon maths, but I mix it with Singapore and she does it. She doesn't seem to have any weak areas particularly, just clear preferences! But she is such a joy to work with, because she is very responsive and enjoys a large part of her work.
So, its been a good week. Only thing missing are the social activities, the music/ gym/Latin/Scout classes. That starts next week. I am so looking forward to the school kids going back to school so we can have the supermarket, the pool, the beach, the parks etc back to ourselves during the day!
We just finished reading King Arthur and the Round Table, and we are just starting the Hobbit together. I just love that part of the day. Jared is reading Dr Dolittle and Gen has just finished the King of Ireland's Son. We are all enjoying Medieval History. We didnt enjoy Beowulf so much, but it was ok. The kids are doing big artist sketch book projects for history this year, and they are already looking great.
OK, I need to get off the computer now. Today I got off most of my yahoo groups. I need to back off and stop doing so much research and online socialising, its time. Its so addictive. I feel like I have my act pretty much together this year, I can just relax and coast and begin.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
my latest thoughts
First thanks to those who commented on my rantings. I havnt worked out how to talk back to you yet, but I appreciate your comments.
I also havnt worked out how to put links down the sidebar of my blog. Can someone tell me?
I have been limited by my family to 2 hours computer time a day. They convinced me I was addicted, and after answering a Sunday Newspaper quiz, I realised I probably am. The kids are restricted to 2 hours, so so am I.
I thought that would be a breeze. It takes my about an hour and a half to read and answer my emails and read the WTM boards. So thats half an hour for other stuff. I realised though that I used to just leave my computer on most of the day and come back to it whenever. Now, I turn it off after my 2 hours, and write myself notes about what I want to do or look up next time I get online. I do crave it, and I don't know what to do with myself sometimes. I think I was addicted. More cleaning is happening though!
I downloaded Homeschool Tracker Plus a couple of days ago. That is great, but is taking more time to fill in all the information.
Today however, I wanted to make time for my blog. I barely have looked at other people's blogs yet. I think I will have to cut back on my email groups.
We are supposed to be starting back to 'school work' next week, a week earlier than the school kids here in Australia. My excuse (not to appear too enthusiastic) is we get started early in order to take a week off mid term (we have 4times 10 week terms here). However my husband spat the dummy yesterday when he found out my intentions- he just loves it that we are hanging out at home all day (he works from home). He wants that extra week! Once I get back into working with the kids, the whole vibe of the house will change. He thinks I push them too hard, they need the full 6 weeks of school hols to just be kids and play. He thinks I am obsessed with homeschooling and need to learn how to relax and do nothing. He's very sweet. We will see what happens though, I am very keen to get started!
I have been reading a lot. I joined the Latin centred curriculum email group, just to see where they are coming from. But I am heading back towards Classical Lite I think, and I am more open to using the more modern resources (can you tell I am a bit burned out on CW?) I am still wondering whether to do CW at all. No, I dont own CC, and in Australia its not so easy to get hold of, although I would love to compare.
One thing I was inspired by recently though is to roll Literature, History and Science into one subject called Reading/Writing. I really want to focus on writing with my kids this year and that seems like a great way to do it. I am also thinking to do History and Science on alternate weeks.
Well, its another hot sunny day here in Perth. We have had bad bushfires here the last few days, with the heat and the wind. At the moment the cit is thick with smoke from the fires just outside the city, the smoke is so thick I have a headache. The heat here is dry, actually Perth is really on the edge of a desert. The weather is great normally, and we do have air conditioning.
What a lucky lucky life.
I also havnt worked out how to put links down the sidebar of my blog. Can someone tell me?
I have been limited by my family to 2 hours computer time a day. They convinced me I was addicted, and after answering a Sunday Newspaper quiz, I realised I probably am. The kids are restricted to 2 hours, so so am I.
I thought that would be a breeze. It takes my about an hour and a half to read and answer my emails and read the WTM boards. So thats half an hour for other stuff. I realised though that I used to just leave my computer on most of the day and come back to it whenever. Now, I turn it off after my 2 hours, and write myself notes about what I want to do or look up next time I get online. I do crave it, and I don't know what to do with myself sometimes. I think I was addicted. More cleaning is happening though!
I downloaded Homeschool Tracker Plus a couple of days ago. That is great, but is taking more time to fill in all the information.
Today however, I wanted to make time for my blog. I barely have looked at other people's blogs yet. I think I will have to cut back on my email groups.
We are supposed to be starting back to 'school work' next week, a week earlier than the school kids here in Australia. My excuse (not to appear too enthusiastic) is we get started early in order to take a week off mid term (we have 4times 10 week terms here). However my husband spat the dummy yesterday when he found out my intentions- he just loves it that we are hanging out at home all day (he works from home). He wants that extra week! Once I get back into working with the kids, the whole vibe of the house will change. He thinks I push them too hard, they need the full 6 weeks of school hols to just be kids and play. He thinks I am obsessed with homeschooling and need to learn how to relax and do nothing. He's very sweet. We will see what happens though, I am very keen to get started!
I have been reading a lot. I joined the Latin centred curriculum email group, just to see where they are coming from. But I am heading back towards Classical Lite I think, and I am more open to using the more modern resources (can you tell I am a bit burned out on CW?) I am still wondering whether to do CW at all. No, I dont own CC, and in Australia its not so easy to get hold of, although I would love to compare.
One thing I was inspired by recently though is to roll Literature, History and Science into one subject called Reading/Writing. I really want to focus on writing with my kids this year and that seems like a great way to do it. I am also thinking to do History and Science on alternate weeks.
Well, its another hot sunny day here in Perth. We have had bad bushfires here the last few days, with the heat and the wind. At the moment the cit is thick with smoke from the fires just outside the city, the smoke is so thick I have a headache. The heat here is dry, actually Perth is really on the edge of a desert. The weather is great normally, and we do have air conditioning.
What a lucky lucky life.
Friday, January 07, 2005
change of heart
Today I have really been re-evaluating my determination to do Classical Writing, both Homer and Aesop. I have spent so many hours planning, re-reading and preparing from both books, ready for our new term in February. I have been very excited about them- and we have started them both at the end of last year. The kids love them. I find them hard work.
Ideally, yes, i think they are great. In reality, they may just be too much for me. Actually, Aesop doesnt seem like too much at all after starting Homer!
I am quite happy with Rod and Staff. Even though I have to be present for both kids while they doing it, because a lot of it is oral, its straightforward for me to teach.
I realised at the end of last year that my kids do really well when they know what to do, and they thrive on workbooks and projects they can just get into. They had their dad be their teacher for a couple of weeks, and I was shocked how much work he got them to do (I had set a bare minimum, and he had far exceeded it). The key for him was to raise his (originally my ) expectations and then bribe them with tv and computer and probably sugar!
What I am concerned about is that too much of our curricula is dependant on me teaching it, and yet my kids do well with workbooks, to a certain extent.
So CW is not heading in that direction, it is heading in the opposite. However, my kids love it. Particularly Genevieve, the oldest, she just loves writing out those stories, she asks for it!
So I will probably just keep going with it and stop trying so hard and just do it at the level we can, comfortably. What a process this has been. I imagine when Harvey's arrives ( I have ordered it) I will re-evaluate all over again.
I dont want to make this homeschooling harder than it needs to be.
Ideally, yes, i think they are great. In reality, they may just be too much for me. Actually, Aesop doesnt seem like too much at all after starting Homer!
I am quite happy with Rod and Staff. Even though I have to be present for both kids while they doing it, because a lot of it is oral, its straightforward for me to teach.
I realised at the end of last year that my kids do really well when they know what to do, and they thrive on workbooks and projects they can just get into. They had their dad be their teacher for a couple of weeks, and I was shocked how much work he got them to do (I had set a bare minimum, and he had far exceeded it). The key for him was to raise his (originally my ) expectations and then bribe them with tv and computer and probably sugar!
What I am concerned about is that too much of our curricula is dependant on me teaching it, and yet my kids do well with workbooks, to a certain extent.
So CW is not heading in that direction, it is heading in the opposite. However, my kids love it. Particularly Genevieve, the oldest, she just loves writing out those stories, she asks for it!
So I will probably just keep going with it and stop trying so hard and just do it at the level we can, comfortably. What a process this has been. I imagine when Harvey's arrives ( I have ordered it) I will re-evaluate all over again.
I dont want to make this homeschooling harder than it needs to be.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
my unusual life
I have such an unusual life.
This weekend my kids went to my stepdaughter's mother's place in the country (my husband's ex's) and we missed them today so we went for a country drive to visit them. They were a bit shocked, they were very worried we had come to pick them up early! Nope, we just missed them and wanted to give them a hug and say hello. They were relieved. We had a cup of tea and drove home.
My husband is a spiritual teacher, thats pretty unusual and not always a very comfortable thing to tell people, so I thought I would get it out here. He is very passionate about it, and he works from home. We live on the riverside in a city, and its beautiful. We rent, we dont own much at all. Our kids are very lucky. But, it is unusual and we are a bit odd for our neighbours.
Homeschooling has meant I dont have to worry about what the local mothers at the public school think when I forget to wear any shoes to pick up the kids up from school. Its a snobby, rich suburb, and i am pretty down to earth. I do feel, even though the homeschooling community can be quite conservative, and I am not, that I can be myself and not get wierd vibes. I feel more accepted than I did by the local school mums. I am so glad to be out of that environment, and that my kids are out of that environment.
We have been homeschooling for 18 months. I found the Well Trained Mind about a year ago and thats my rock, my spine, the thing I lean on to stop me completely drowning in the sea of information and beliefs about homeschooling that exists out there. In the first months I didnt know there was anything but natural learners out there because they are very loud on the net.
Its funny though, because I dont look like a classical homeschooler. I didnt realise that till the other day when I met a fellow homeschooler in a bookshop and they said they thought I was a natural learner, when I asked them about Latin. I fit that image more, I think. I am a bit of a hippy, a nature spirit, health nut, I wear colourful clothes- probably more your natural learner image, just to stereotype them all! However, thats not my inclination at all. I am not sure why, its just not! I think I myself had a fairly classical education (I did Latin for 2 years, went to a private Christian girl's school) and I come from an academic family, perhaps thats why.
Back to my unusual life. My husband runs spiritual groups from upstairs most evenings and some mornings. He teaches people how to be happy. The teaching is similar to Eckart Tolle's The Power of Now. Its good stuff, but hard to explain to people! Just over a year ago I quit my part time job, and stopped doing naturoapthy, to be with the kids full time, homeschooling. I just love it, and my husband loves having them home too, we feel so blessed.
We dont have a lot of the stresses other people have in their lives. We both love doing what we do, we have enough money, we walk along the river every day, we have dolphins out the front of our house, and we have plenty of free time to just hang out together. Unusual in this day and age.
Well, I am going to try and do this every day or so, and get into this blogging. I havnt worked out how to download pictures yet. I downloaded the program Hello but havnt worked the rest out yet.
This weekend my kids went to my stepdaughter's mother's place in the country (my husband's ex's) and we missed them today so we went for a country drive to visit them. They were a bit shocked, they were very worried we had come to pick them up early! Nope, we just missed them and wanted to give them a hug and say hello. They were relieved. We had a cup of tea and drove home.
My husband is a spiritual teacher, thats pretty unusual and not always a very comfortable thing to tell people, so I thought I would get it out here. He is very passionate about it, and he works from home. We live on the riverside in a city, and its beautiful. We rent, we dont own much at all. Our kids are very lucky. But, it is unusual and we are a bit odd for our neighbours.
Homeschooling has meant I dont have to worry about what the local mothers at the public school think when I forget to wear any shoes to pick up the kids up from school. Its a snobby, rich suburb, and i am pretty down to earth. I do feel, even though the homeschooling community can be quite conservative, and I am not, that I can be myself and not get wierd vibes. I feel more accepted than I did by the local school mums. I am so glad to be out of that environment, and that my kids are out of that environment.
We have been homeschooling for 18 months. I found the Well Trained Mind about a year ago and thats my rock, my spine, the thing I lean on to stop me completely drowning in the sea of information and beliefs about homeschooling that exists out there. In the first months I didnt know there was anything but natural learners out there because they are very loud on the net.
Its funny though, because I dont look like a classical homeschooler. I didnt realise that till the other day when I met a fellow homeschooler in a bookshop and they said they thought I was a natural learner, when I asked them about Latin. I fit that image more, I think. I am a bit of a hippy, a nature spirit, health nut, I wear colourful clothes- probably more your natural learner image, just to stereotype them all! However, thats not my inclination at all. I am not sure why, its just not! I think I myself had a fairly classical education (I did Latin for 2 years, went to a private Christian girl's school) and I come from an academic family, perhaps thats why.
Back to my unusual life. My husband runs spiritual groups from upstairs most evenings and some mornings. He teaches people how to be happy. The teaching is similar to Eckart Tolle's The Power of Now. Its good stuff, but hard to explain to people! Just over a year ago I quit my part time job, and stopped doing naturoapthy, to be with the kids full time, homeschooling. I just love it, and my husband loves having them home too, we feel so blessed.
We dont have a lot of the stresses other people have in their lives. We both love doing what we do, we have enough money, we walk along the river every day, we have dolphins out the front of our house, and we have plenty of free time to just hang out together. Unusual in this day and age.
Well, I am going to try and do this every day or so, and get into this blogging. I havnt worked out how to download pictures yet. I downloaded the program Hello but havnt worked the rest out yet.
My first blog entry
Wow my first blog.
I have two gorgeous kids, Genevieve who is 10 and Jared who is 9. We Classically homeschool, we started 18 months ago. I love it, I am passionate about it, I am so glad I found homeschooling and the Well Trained Mind, and all the wonderful other things we do. Life is blessed.
I have two gorgeous kids, Genevieve who is 10 and Jared who is 9. We Classically homeschool, we started 18 months ago. I love it, I am passionate about it, I am so glad I found homeschooling and the Well Trained Mind, and all the wonderful other things we do. Life is blessed.
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