Golden Acorn Homeschool

I don’t know about you, but I hated timed math drills when I was in school.  They made me sweat, squirm, and hate life for 5 minutes a day.  Math was the one area in school where I didn’t just instantly “get” everything and I hated struggling.

Often, I hear homeschoolers talk about avoiding things like math drills in an effort to make math “meaningful.”  I agree that math instruction should apply to real life and be taught in ways that are fun and enriching.  We have certainly been known to play lots of math games and use food and manipulatives to keep things interesting.

But, I have decided that Cole will be doing timed math drills this summer.  As much as I hated them as a child (loathed, dreaded, avoided)…the truth is that they also happen to be really effective.  We both want him to memorize these math facts over the summer.  Cole is on board – he wants to be on target with his skills – but he is a nine year old boy, it’s summer, and he wants to maximize play time, too.  Timed drills give us both what we want.  He wants to spend as little time as possible doing anything related to school work (who am I kidding, me too!) and I want something effective with the ability to see definite progress.

I never thought I would be using these, but here I am.  Hopefully, we will see the results we need to see over the next 2.5 months.  When he can do 50 problems in three minutes, we will move on to the next set.  *fingers crossed*

I have been re-reading one of my favorite books – A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola, along with sections of Charlotte Mason’s own writings over the last few days.  Sometimes we get into a school rut, and even though things seem to be Charlotte Mason-y on the surface, I know in my heart that the spirit of her method of education can sometimes lose its luster in the day to day.  This is especially true if we have been fighting illness or dealing with other issues that suck up my time and energy.  Although we are going through the motions, *I* don’t have the same level of joy that I need to have, and consequently, the kids joy in learning is diminished as well.  It helps me to pull out my books, or log onto Ambleside Online, and read writings from Charlotte herself and Karen, who inspires me a great deal.  I regain my joy of teaching, I refresh myself on CM philosophies, and it renews my purpose in homeschooling the kids.

So this week I have been reading up on narration, and it reminded me of why I chose this method in the first place.  Aside from reading amazing books and having the rich education that teaching with the CM  method provides, the real beauty in it (for me) is not testing, but narrating!  My kids can tell me what they know, and be confident in their knowledge.  They are learning to actively listen to a story (or a selection), and to summarize it, and collect the important ideas.  They have time to digest these ideas, and then share with me what they have learned.  This allows them to make personal and LASTING connections to the material, and consequently, to make connections with other material later.  This method of learning, absorbing, and telling is the most natural way there is to learn.  It’s really almost organic.  What do people (and especially children) do when they learn something new?  They SHARE it with someone.  All of us are eager to share what we know and what we have learned.  Most of this happens spontaneously, and it is tailored to the strengths and weaknesses of each child.  Karen Andreola says in her book:

Narration works wonderfully with both the bright, talkative child as well as the slower or more quiet child.  In learning to narrate, each child will adjust, progress and accomplish according to his own ability in a most natural, gradual manner.  Some children cannot be lured to learn by the proposed plan…There will be times of seeming stagnation, when they will need to be refreshed with some diversion or play.  There will be obvious learning explosions (growth spurts) when all of a sudden their interest is piqued and their understanding quick.  In a homeschool it is easy to sense fluctuations.

I love that this education can be tailored to each child and move at his or her pace.  It can be easy going when it needs to, and formal when they are in a spurt.  When it comes to narrations, I don’t always take formal narrations after reading, but I do record many of them with a voice recorder and type them up.  This gives us a paper record of what they are learning for the dreaded county reviews, but also, the kids can go back and read their own narrations, or use them as copywork.  However, the narrations I treasure the most are the ones that come later, sometimes weeks or months after we have read something.  Cole, or Sydni often make a connection to something new we have read, with something we read in the past.  These come out of nowhere, but they are like little road markers that tell me I am doing something right.

The most beautiful thing, perhaps, is the fact that this method of learning and teaching leads to self-education in the future.  A child who can read a book filled with rich images of far away places, of noble ideas and intriguing concepts (and then tell back the information in some fashion), is on the road to being a life-long learner.  Once a child has learned to process the information available in books, and make it work for him, the entire world has opened up.  Karen agrees:

The day a child begins using narration is the day he begins to become an independent learner.  With narration, the mind poses questions to itself.  It is independent of the questionnaire.

Excellent books are what drew me to Charlotte Mason, but narration is what keeps me excited, amazed, and awestruck by what my kids are learning.  Sometimes, it’s hard to see, but I feel as if I a making the ground fertile, and the books are planting the seeds.  I am confident that they will take root and grow.

I have been meaning to post my latest success with my daughter Sydni’s hair, and I keep forgetting (well, it *is* on facebook).  However, as I was checking my stats on this blog tonight, I came across a search that brought someone here looking for “untangling nappy biracial hair.”  Hmm.  I am sure the post they found was not what they were looking for, but I can offer an amazing recent discovery.

Thanks to my friend Cyndi, who found the site, and super duper thanks to Teri who runs the site (and her struggles and consequent discovery) that made my success possible.

My little Sydni has very tightly curled hair.  Some might call it “nappy” but I call it gorgeous.  I have worked really hard to instill pride in her about her hair, in its natural state.  I have had some heartbreaking moments where she was walking around a play area in the mall trying to smooth her hair down like a little caucasian girl, or telling me she wants hair like “Ariel” and… agh!  It just killed me.  So I went on a mission to show her lots of beautiful women of color with natural hair.  I REFUSE to relax that baby’s hair, or hot comb it, or put weaves in it, or anything damaging.  There is nothing wrong with her hair that needs “fixing”…it’s beautiful, unique and perfect just the way it coils from her darling little head.  So my husband and I both have made an effort (along with many others) to cherish her ‘fro.  But she is 6, and not really up to taking care of a ‘fro, and neither am I on a day to day basis.  Besides, an afro is not exactly what her hair wants to do naturally anyway.  It wants to be curly…I have seen it during every bath for the last 6 years.  It wants to be curly and silky and fabulous.  I just didn’t know how to accomplish what her hair wanted to be.  Now I do.

Biracialhair.org

Teri owns and runs this site, and it pretty much chronicles her struggles with her hair, and how she came into her own.  She now loves and cherishes her hair, and it is FIERCE!  Her hair is just gorgeous.

I quickly set out to try her techniques on Miss Sydni, and we had great success.  This is not just for “biracial” people either, but anyone with tightly curled hair.  SUPER KUDOS go out to Teri.  Sydni LOVES her hair, and we are looking forward to it growing out long and lovely over the coming years.

We just finished!

Look at those curls!!!

This has been slept on two nights!  It still looked good at the end of 7 days by following Teri’s tips!

I think she likes it.  ;-)

So go!  Read the site, use the tips.  It’s worth every minute.  Thanks Teri!

“Compliant” is a word I long to hear twice every year, and I cannot tell you the joy I feel (and much relief!) when I hear it.  Maryland requires that all homeschool families be reviewed twice a year (up to three times, actually, but they only ever do two) to determine if they are teaching the eight required subjects and to determine “compliance” with Maryland home education laws.  Or, families can choose to pay and be part of an approved “umbrella” group, and avoid the county review, but be reviewed in some manner by the umbrella.  I chose to save money for actual books and school needs, so we do the county review with the school system.

Today was my 4th review since starting to homeschool (it’s been two years already???), and I always hate getting ready for these reviews.  I have always been found “compliant,” but I still feel very stressed preparing for them, and trying to show on paper and quantify all we have been learning and doing.  We don’t follow a textbook model of learning, and I don’t favor workbooks and worksheets and “busy” learning that yields very little educational value.  Showing learning via the Charlotte Mason method is a challenge, and I hate the fact that they have the “power” to determine my right to homeschool *MY* children.

So, I am relieved that we are, in fact, “compliant” by the state’s standards, but in the same breath of relief, I wonder why they don’t seem to hold themselves to the same standard of “compliance.”

Why are kids in the public school system being taught how to pass tests as if their lives depend on it?  Or better yet, why do their academic lives depend so much on testing?  Why are kids losing more and more recess and PE time, when every study shows they need MORE of those activities, not less?  Why is art and music being diminished in favor of exams?  Why is homework increasing dramatically in elementary years, when studies show it provides no additional benefit?  Why aren’t children being taught how to be independent learners and thinkers…to sort out ideas for themselves, and seek knowledge for the sake of seeking?  Why can’t America see its educational shortfalls, and fix them?  Our model of education in the US  is clearly not working very well, despite the wealth of this nation and the excess of money we pour into the education of each child.  Other nations work with half (or less) of the financial resources we have, and they are getting better results.

Who can we review for this educational model that is failing, and demand they find a new way to come into compliance?  It’s a question worth looking in to.

We have been very busy lately now that Spring classes and activities have started back up.  Not only are we trying to make it to the park to play every chance the weather is nice, but now Cole is taking fencing classes, and Sydni and Zoey are taking beginner tap and ballet.  This is in addition to co-op classes, and our regular school work.

Here’s  a sneak peek:

He just seems so small to me, but the class is a beginner class for learners ages 7-72.  He wasn’t thrilled about the first week, which was all talking, and minimal instruction.  But this is from week 2, and when we got home he couldn’t stop talking about it!

I can’t be in the classroom while the girls are in their dance class, so I can’t get very good pictures.  You better believe when we have the recital, I will be ready with my camera to catch every cute twirl and tap!

My girls are the only ones in black!  HA!

Sydni is tapping and walking.  I cannot tell you how many times she slipped!  LOL…

Zoey is looking around to make sure she is doing the right thing.  She is one of the younger girls in the class.

I love this stuff.  It’s so fun for me to see my kids having a chance to do things I didn’t have the opportunity to do.  They are so cute!  I just want to freeze these moments forever.

I have a confession to make. Shhh! Don’t say this out loud, but I haven’t really enjoyed reading The Little Duke this year, and neither has my son, Cole. Oh, I know. I KNOW! It’s an Ambleside favorite and according to many of the mothers there, the children have all just loved this book.

Well, I haven’t! I have hated it most of the year, and I have dreaded reading it.

I feel MUCH better now that I have gotten that off my chest.  So, let me tell you why I am glad I continued to read it anyway, in spite of my prejudice.

Yes, it is a difficult book.

Yes, there are chapters that I found painfully slow, and boring.

Yes, I broke some cardinal CM rules by explaining what was happening in “regular English” so my dear son could understand the plot.

Wait, I am getting to the good part.

While reading this book, somewhere between Richard’s father dying, and Prince Lothaire trying to put a hawk’s eyes out, I began to respect the book.  It did have some admirable points, after all.

By the time the Little Duke escaped King Louis’ clutches, I kinda liked it…a little.

By the end, when Richard forgives his worst enemy, I loved it.

Cole got so much out of this book, and while it may not be his favorite, he took away what was intended.  This book expanded his vocabulary.  It got him interested in learning about France, and Normandy in particular, and as a result, he learned where several European countries are located.  He began thinking about the responsibility Richard took on at the age of eight, and most importantly, it taught him an invaluable lesson about forgiveness and character.

This is what Charlotte Mason wanted for her pupils, and for all children.  For them to be exposed to rich (and yes, even difficult) language, to form connections to things on their own, and to enhance their character with good and noble ideas.

Is there any doubt as to why I think this method is amazing??

I didn’t think so.

:-)

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?

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…

Those of you who know me in real life (and even some of my online friends), know that I love getting things for free.  I don’t know why I have never bothered to look before…but this morning I wanted new music for my iPod and I didn’t want to pay for it.  So, I Googled “free iTunes music” and I some nifty little blogs popped up in my search results.

Who knew?

Well, I suppose some of you did know, but why didn’t you SHARE?  Sharing is just good manners.  Why would you hold out on the goods, man?  That just ain’t right!

Anyway, It seems that each week iTunes offers up a free song.  Not only is this is a great way to save your pennies for a rainy day, it’s really excellent for expanding your musical horizons.  Exploring new artists.  Discovering new realms of musical bliss.

If you hurry, you can download two songs today.  I personally really liked both.  One is a very groovy folk song, and the other is from Peru.

Go, download….NOW!  You know you want to!  And then add the blog to your reader so you never miss a free song again.

That is all.

I have to tell you, dear readers, my kids are getting the education I always wished for as a child.  They have no idea how lucky they are, but I hope someday they will appreciate what I am trying to do for them.  :-)

Our composer for term 2 is Franz Liszt.  I honestly had no idea who he was, not being one of the biggies – Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Haydn etc.  It’s always nice when I get to learn something new, which in all honesty, I have been doing the entire time I have been homeschooling.  I love it!  Anyway, I checked out LIszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies from the library and as soon as track two began to play, I knew it instantly – from cartoons!  It is his most famous piece, and has enjoyed frequent usage in many cartoons and movies.  Rhapsody No. 2 is featured in the following (source – Wikipedia):

The first such appearance was as part of a piano solo by Mickey Mouse in The Opry House in 1929 where he has to deal with an animated piano intent upon making life difficult for him.

Another notable early appearance was in the Max Fleischer cartoon A Car-Tune Portrait, featuring a lion attempting to conduct an orchestra of animals playing a variety of instruments. As the music progresses, the orchestra falls into disarray (to the conductor’s despair) and eventually ends with all the animal musicians attacking one another. The rhapsody made another early appearance, as one of several classical pieces, in Disney’s Farmyard Symphony.

It became a permanent part of cartoon history with its use in Friz Freleng’s Rhapsody in Rivets, where the construction of a skyscraper is synchronized to the rhapsody. Freleng used the piece in several other Warner Brothers cartoons, most notably Rhapsody Rabbit, which featured Bugs Bunny as a concert pianist playing the solo piano version. This film was clearly inspired by its first use in 1929 because many of the gags are similar. However, controversy followed this short’s release. Within weeks, MGM released Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera’s Tom and Jerry short, The Cat Concerto, which won the 1946 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. The short featured an almost identical plot, and the same Hungarian Rhapsody, being played by Tom the cat this time. Freleng was convinced that MGM stole the idea from him, and Hanna and Barbera were just as convinced that they were the victims of plagiarism.

Freleng continued to use the piece, though, featuring it in Back Alley Oproar and in an animated sequence for the Doris Day movie My Dream Is Yours. Disney would later use the piece again in 1969’s It’s Tough to Be a Bird. In the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, director Robert Zemeckis pays tribute to “Number 2″’s cartoon heritage by using the piece for the “dueling pianos” scene featuring Daffy Duck and Donald Duck.

There is more, of course, but you can read up on that for yourself.  We are enjoying the music of Liszt very much.  It always amazes me how many pieces of music I know from pop culture, and saddens me in a way that I don’t know them for the artist and the piece itself.  It’s never too late to catch up though!