Golden Acorn Homeschool

So, the kids and I were so enamored with skating, that I stopped by Kmart on the way home from our Black Friday exploits and bought a pair of rollerblades (which were cheaper than an hour long session of ice skating!).  I wanted regular skates, but none of the stores seem to carry them in adult sizes.  Well, Kmart and Target don’t, anyway.  I still don’t like rollerblades, but they will do for now.

Anyway, we made a date to go rollerskating all together this afternoon.  First, we went to the top level of the Target parking garage.  No one ever parks there, and it seemed like the perfect place to have a little skate fest.  Wrong.  Although it was empty and essentially debris-free, they were very lazy in the way they poured the concrete and it was just too rough.  We skated for about 45 minutes before deciding to try a different location.

So, we headed to Rockville High School.  The parking lot was empty and since it’s fairly new construction, it was really smooth.  However, there is a big sign hanging on the building that says no skating is allowed, and we were there all of 10 minutes before a police cruiser pulled in.  *sigh*

Our third attempt was the black top behind Cole’s old elementary school.  It was nice and smooth (other than some dangerous wood chips), so we ended up skating there for about an hour.  The girls got tired, but they just took off their skates and played on the playground.  We all agreed that skating would be a regular weekend activity.  It was so nice to spend the day out of the house and being active.  The kids were also very confident on their skates after ice skating on Friday.  :-)

I think next weekend, in addition to some skating, we will head down for a hike at Great Falls park.  It’s another “must see” place on my DC list.

No, I did not go shopping on Black Friday, and I never do.  This means you won’t be hearing about my amazing deals.  LOL!

I do have a lot of time to fill with NOT thinking about my husband who has started his new job 2000+ miles away.  (He totally loves it, by the way.)

Yesterday, I just knew we had to get out of the house, so I looked up events and activities in the area and decided on a tree lighting ceremony down at the National Harbour.  It’s one place we have never been, and there were fireworks and an ice skating rink.  The Gaylord Hotel is A-MAZING!  I have never seen anything like it, so the trip was worth it for that alone.

We went ice skating (of course) and ended up having a fantastic time!  It was the first time any of us had been ice skating.  I used to be an avid roller skater back in the day (which means about 18 years ago, of course), but I was surprised that I was able to skate without falling on my butt.  The kids also did really well, and in spite of many falls, they continued to get right back up and keep going.  I was a proud mama!

Zoey was really brave.  She stayed pretty close to the wall, but she was definitely going for it on her own and wouldn’t even hold my hand.  She decided to strike a pose for me here.

Sydni always tries for a model pose…LOL!  She fell more than anyone, but continued to get up over and over and over again.  By the time our session was up, she was going around the circle with the experienced skaters and doing so well!

Cole skated about half a lap before he decided to try and skate with the big dogs.  He fell a lot too, but he was doing fantastic by half-way through the session.  My kids rock!

After skating we went down for the tree lighting ceremony, but it was so windy we ended up seeking hot chocolate at Mayorga Coffee.

TWENTY minutes later, we had hot beverages and walked back down by the marina again.

I would say this is a new Black Friday tradition, but we will have to find something similar in Las Vegas for next year.  Woo hoo!

I have a confession to make: Today I feel a little like Joan Crawford, a.k.a. “Mommie Dearest.”

No, I didn’t beat any of my kids with wire hangars and I didn’t even scream at them (today, LOL!).  But I did make my girls stay in their room this morning until it was cleaned up.  No breakfast, no juice, nothing.  The only thing they could do was use the bathroom.

It sounds harsh to my own ears, but this is a LONG brewing battle between the girls and me.  We have run the gamut of disciplinary actions and methods.  They have lost toys, lost privileges, had their room stripped to beds & dressers only, been spanked, been separated while cleaning, and the list will go on and on and on.

On Monday, I was hosting book club and the girls had managed to clean their room up pretty early in the day.  They also kept it pretty clean on Tuesday.  Last night I went in to say goodnight to them and found a nightmare – they had trashed it in a matter of hours.  I was furious, and completely battle-weary.  I am tired of yelling, scolding, begging, & pleading with them to keep it cleaned up.  I threw down the ultimatum before bed: either clean the room up, or don’t bother coming down stairs in the morning.

I should also add that they have bins, buckets, drawers, & shelves for everything in their possession.  And, after the last time I took all their stuff away temporarily, I only gave back 1/2 of it and donated the rest.  There really is no excuse.

They woke up this morning around 9:00 and crept downstairs.  I think they must have thought I was kidding; surely mommy wouldn’t be so cruel as to deny food?  Wrong!

I sent them back upstairs.  I heard a lot of noise that sounded like cleaning, but I had my doubts, and I was right. They were playing.  This was at 10:34.  I made it very clear that they would not get anything beyond a cup of tap water from the bathroom sink until they got serious.  I think I finally managed to get the message into their hard little heads.  By 11:00, the room was clean enough to warrant breakfast.

When they are sufficiently motivated, they can (and do) clean up the worst messes in 15-30 minutes.  They’ve done it before.  So I ask you, am I just dealing with two of the most stubborn little girls on the planet, or am I a candidate for the lead role in a remake of “Mommie Dearest”?

This post got delayed and delayed while I dawdled getting the photos downloaded to my beloved lap top.  Still, I keep wondering how in the world it’s possible that my baby girl is five??  *sniffs*

I am officially the mother of three “big” kids as I was reminded by a friend the other day.  Thanks, Beth!  :-P

I look at all of my munchkins and I wonder where the time has gone, and if I am doing a good enough job.  Does every parent wonder about that?

Anyway, Miss Zoey had her party on Saturday, October 24th.  It was raining, so all my plans for outdoor party activities were shot.  There were FIFTEEN loud and hyper kids in my house for 90 or so minutes.  I was really happy when it was over.  ;-)

It was a Halloween Costume Birthday Party.  :-)

She requested that her cake match her invitations.  Mommy was on the job!

The whole gang!

Here, she is wondering why we gave her “diapers” for her birthday…too funny!

Ahhh!  It’s for the Baby Alive doll!

Monday the 26th was her actual birthday, and we celebrated all day.  First with donuts, then a short trip to Chuck-E-Cheese, and finally a family dinner at Clyde’s Tower Oaks Lodge.

Don’t they look EXCITED?!?!

It was all a good time, but I am always SO happy that the birthday festivities are officially over.  WHEW!

This is a conversation I had with Cole this morning, mid-mathematics.

Cole: School feels different this year.  Like, it’s much better.

Me: Really?  And why do you suppose that is?

Cole: Um, because I like doing it more?

Me: Ok.  So, are you saying you have a better attitude about doing what you need to do?

Cole: Yeah, I think that’s it.  I have a better attitude, and I like it now.  It goes by faster when you like it.

It’s amazing what a good attitude can get you.  *gasp*  ENJOYMENT!

On Friday we attended a FANTASTIC class at the National Zoo in Washington DC.  It was arranged by a wonderful mom in our homeschool co-op and we are very glad she did!

The class was held in a room that was divided into four areas: The Small Mammal House, The Commissary, The Keeper’s Office, and The Animal Hospital.  We divided our co-op into four groups and took turns rotating through each station while practicing various zoo jobs.  I had a blast, and I know the kids did too!

We identified some animals in the Small Mammal House, collected some scat to send to the hospital, and even caught a Golden Lion Tamarin!

In the Commissary, we created meals for the animals, and then loaded them up on the delivery van.  Of course, we cleaned up when we were done!

In the Keeper Office, we fed meal worms and crickets, made important phone calls, and learned to use the transponder to identify animals.  Among other things…

Finally, in the Animal Hospital we learned to care of sick and injured animals.  We were very worried about the corn snake and had to examine his x-ray to determine if he had been eating properly.  We discovered a rat!  Good job corn snake!

This is open to the public on weekends, and if you live in the DC area, I highly suggest you go and try it out.  Ms. K, our zoo teacher for the experience, recommends a rainy day since the zoo tends to be empty.  I plan to get back down there and spend more time in “How Do You Zoo?” very soon.  What else can you do on a rainy spring day?

I am still alive!  Really, I am!

I know that for those of you who read this blog (but are not my facebook friends) it must have seemed as though I dropped off the planet.  My last post was MARCH 3rd!  I have never gone that long without blogging before; it’s disgraceful!  It’s just that I find facebook SO much easier to keep up with these days.  I have also been a notorious Google Reader “reader” for all the many blogs I love and subcribe to, and I haven’t left comments in what feels like years.

But, Spring is here, all things are new, and I feel ready to blog again.  My college endeavors have been going well (I still have a 4.0), but juggling that, along with educating my kids and running my home, has been keeping me hopping.  I think that might be an understatement, actually.  We have also recently renovated the laundry room and had numerous other little “life” things happening.  Life is what it is.

On the homeschooling front, we have been doing things a bit differently.  In light of what I am learning about Cole and dyslexia, we have made some changes to our curriculum and learning style.  We are still using Charlotte Mason methods as our foundation, but I am incorporating other things as well (to a greater extent, as I have always been a bit eclectic).  Time4Learning is one of those things.  Cole has really shown a great deal of enthusiasm for getting his school work done by cutting back on some of the AO readings, and adding in 20 minutes or so of computer learning.  It also helps me facilitate one-on-one time with Sydni.

In addition to incorporating Time4Learning (for both kids actually, Sydni started using it last week too), I am feeling more confident in my teaching abilities, and I have resorted to using Ambleside more as a reading list guide, than a strictly followed curriculum and schedule.  I love AO, I really, really do.  I just can’t use it exclusively and have it work for my family.  Of course, no one said I had to, other than me when I began this adventure!  Ambleside is invaluable as a resource list and for all things Charlotte Mason, and I will definitely continue using it, often!  We will still be reading most of the books offered there, just working them into our schedule a bit differently.  I am also going to move toward planning our history and science lessons to be combined on the same topic, but different levels.  I can’t juggle World History with one child, American History with the other, etc.  It’s too much for me right now.  I want to use a few books a guidelines, and then plan lessons appropriate for each level.  We continue to adore Math-U-See and Sequential Spelling just as they are.  By far, the best money I have spent!

When I first began, I was confident to a point, but it was daunting to carry the burden of my children’s education on my shoulders.  I am so glad I had tons of help and fabulous resources at my disposal.  I feel that now is the time to change gears and shake things up a bit – spread my homeschooling wings, if you will.  It is Spring, after all.  ;-)

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that statement since I began homeschooling my kids about 20 months ago, I would be a rich woman.  We are fortunate to live in a state – Maryland – which has great public schools.  Well, according to the standards set out for public schools, anyway.  We also live in a county in Maryland with some of the best schools in the state.  Schools that, arguably, rival the local private schools for excellence in education.

Why then, did I pull my kids out of the system and decide to homeschool?

That’s not a simple answer and I can tell you right now it’s not because I hate public schools.

I recognize that public schooling is one option, and it works for the majority of people in this country.  You can’t beat the price – free – and overall it has become *the* standard for education in America.

I also recognize that MANY people use private schools, religious/parochial schools, and charter schools with great success.  I wish all these parents and children well.

But, it seems, they feel threatened by my choice to homeschool.  Why, I cannot imagine.  I didn’t ask YOU to homeschool, and when I talk to people, I don’t even suggest such a thing, or imply that I am somehow superior.  I know I am not.  I am doing something that works for my family.

Do I feel that in ideal circumstances most kids would really benefit from one-on-one interaction with a single teacher and a curriculum plan that is tailor-made for them?  DUH!  Of course I do.  I think that many parents who claim they could “never” homeschool would actually be brilliant at it doing that very thing.  I also think some parents who currently homeschool should rethink that option.  It’s true!  I think some kids in public school would do better in private.  I think kids whose parents fork over thousands of dollars each year for private school would do just as well in a local public school.  I think what is really important for us as a nation, is to fight for is education choice.

I want to be able to teach my kids, to tailor their education to their individual strengths and weaknesses.  I want to include aspects of education that are important to me, and will produce the kind of independent minds I would like to see in my kids.  I want them exposed to the best artists, composers, poets and literature available.  I want them to learn real history, and not just white and revisionist versions of history.  I want their physical education needs to be met in a way that builds self-esteem at the same time it is building strong muscles, and possibly even creates a life-long interest.  I want to spend quality time with my kids because I truly enjoy them and I believe we are knitting our hearts more closely together.

That’s why I homeschool.  It has everything to do with what I want for my kids, and nothing to do with what you choose for your family.

When it comes to other education options, I believe that teachers should be paid what they are worth, and that better teachers should receive better pay.  I believe that the tax money citizens pay the government to educate their children should follow those children to whatever school the parents want.  Competition in education makes the entire system better, and promotes excellence.  That is what I want for America.  In addition, I want to be able to choose none of the above, and be left in peace to educate my kids.  I don’t want to have to jump through hoops or ask permission for doing what is my right as a parent.

So, the schools may be excellent here, and I won’t argue with that.  I agree with you, that as public schools go, they are first rate.  I just don’t want to use them.  I actually don’t mind spending all day with my kids, in fact, I prefer to.  I love teaching them.  I love everything about my choice.  I am not asking you to do it too, I am simply asking that you let me be, and stop trying to push us back into the status quo.  We don’t want to be like everyone else…

From my family to yours, may the joy and peace of the season reign in your heart.  We wish you a very Merry Christmas and good tidings for the New Year.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Sleep in Heavenly peace

Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy Holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth

Here is a book I purchased specifically for Diva and her upcoming CM school year: For the Children’s Hour.

I first saw this book on amazon.com, but I hesitated in buying it initially as I wasn’t sure I really needed it, or that it would be just what I was looking for. However, I did want a book that would provide me with plenty of short stories, using rich language and literary styling, and something I would not have to turn back in to the library every few weeks. I realize that Diva is Year 0, but I still want to expose her to the language and pacing of these books now, with stories that her five-year-old mind can grasp. Year 1 is the first truly “formal” year in CM philosophy and meant to be started no sooner than age 6, but I still have to meet certain requirements for my state which has a compulsory attendance age of 5.

Anyway, I did eventually order the book and I am glad that I did. It is organized in a very teacherish sort of way, by seasons, holidays etc, which means it will be easy for me to plan appropriate readings all throughout the school year. When I am looking for readings in the fall, I can just flip to that section and choose the appropriate number of selections. When I want Christmas stories, or Easter stories, or winter stories, it’s all organized for me. And, the stories are lovely, and not at all twaddly or dumbed down. You can also find this book for free on The Baldwin Project, I am just not fond of reading from the computer, or having to print all the time. My ink is expensive!

I think this book is a perfect edition to a library for young students. I am looking forward to using with with Diva this year, and Monkey in the coming years. I am sure Super-boy will even get some use out of it. It has a lovely name too, which conjures up images of sitting snuggled with my babies on a cold, blustery day and enjoying a good story.