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Little Moments that Change the World

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I’m finding more and more that flexibility is the key to truly creating an environment that is conducive to educating my children. I truly don’t know how public school teachers are able to teach large groups and stay on task. My little ones have so many questions and we end up deviating from my lesson plans just about every day. I have ended up delving deeper into topics I had no idea my children would be so interested in.

Lately, my kids have been super interested in the religions around the world. Each religion started in one region, and spread across the globe. Hinduism is the topic of conversation right now, and we are learning about the many different gods and their purposes in the lives of the Hindu people. It’s fascinating to watch my kids devour information on people around the world and begin to understand the reasons why we are different and yet so much the same.

About three weeks ago we were covering the reality of poverty around the world. My children have never faced a night of going hungry, and I wanted them to understand just how wonderful a blessing it is to have an abundance of food. I didn’t think the video I chose would have the intense impact on my children that it ended up having. Seeing the conditions many people live in, both within the United States and around the world, had my children in tears. I had not intended to put them into a state of total despair, but that’s where we ended up.

My daughter looked at me as soon as the video was over, and with tears streaming down her face she declared that we must somehow make a difference in these children’s lives. We have decided, as a family, to put aside more money each month to donate to those in need. One way my kids have helped make this possible is by slowing down on the amount of food that is wasted in our home. Their commitment to change has had an enormous impact on our budget. I was amazed at their commitment and ability to make such a huge dent in our weekly finances.

Again, this was one of our many tangents in education. We spent hours researching what poverty looks like and how we can help make the lives of those who struggle just a little less difficult. I’m so incredibly thankful to have the time and opportunity to work with my sweet children as they learn about the world around them. Who could have possibly known that a lesson on cultures could take us down the path that would lead my children to a place of empathy and love? I want them to believe that one person can make a difference, and it is a priceless experience to watch them pursue their plan to make the world a better place. Such a sweet moment as a mother and as a teacher.

Another Year Of Homeschooling

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Choosing curriculum, each year, proves to be more than a little overwhelming. My first year I made the mistake of walking into a giant homeschooling expo in the Phoenix conference center…by myself. My first mistake, I should have had some backup. By about the third isle of brightly colored books and every conceivable workbook, I was ready to curl up in the fetal position and cry.

My second mistake was going to the expo needing to purchase materials. After wandering around that conference center for five hours, I went ahead and made my decisions. I purchased everything and had it shipped to my home. What I should have done was pay a little extra, and gone to a bookstore for homeschoolers to have the privilege of choosing my materials with the option of returning anything I was less than pleased with.

The expo was filled with books and binders from floor to ceiling, and every single sales person claimed their materials were the best on the market. I could not get a single sales rep to give me one downside to their program. I’m a big fan of companies who are willing to admit to the pitfalls of their products. I tend to be more trusting if there is an acknowledgement of possible buyer’s remorse.

I am only in my fourth year of homeschooling my kids, so I have not had to make these decisions for very long. The first two years I struggled to cut away from public education and opted for an online version of the brick and mortar schooling my children were used to. The second year of online public schooling was torture and we opted out of that insanity. I have kids in every phase of the schooling experience. We have had to find a high school, middle school, and elementary school options for the kids.

 

We are utilizing BJU Press for the following courses for both 6th and 3rd grade.

Heritage Studies

Science

Reading

English

Spelling

Evan-Moor has some wonderful writing and editing course work. We are using their materials for both 6th and 3rd grade for the following courses.

Vocabulary

Writing

Language Fundamentals

Paragraph Editing

I was sad when I heard the public schools were starting to do away with handwriting curriculum. I have two boys, and they both need to practice their handwriting, or they will only be eligible for work positions that require prescription writing. We have done Writing Without Tears for two years. I’ve only cried twice.

Saxon Math is the program of choice in our home for both my 3rd and 6th grader. It has a strong building block methodology. The new material is taught and then tested over and over. I still believe that repetition is the master key to most learning. And Saxon has that down.

We have been reading Story of the World, by Susan Wise Bauer, for the last two years and will continue again this year. She lays out the history of earth from the beginning through modern day. It is a chronological layout of the big and important wars and times of great peace that shaped the world we now live in. I have a feeling the kids are going to want to go back and reread all four books once we get through round one. It is a favorite in our home.

If I could go back and give myself some advice four short years ago, it would be to go to Mardel Book Store, or one of a number of other homeschooling supply stores to make my purchases. Those stores are happy to tell customers what others have said about each program carried by the supplier. They will tell you the good, bad and ugly of each education style. They will also accept returns on items you are not thrilled with—just keep your receipt.

 

 

Museums

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One of my favorite aspects of homeschooling is the flexibility it affords us. I love working hard on the days we are completing a normal class schedule and then taking a day off to hit up a museum or some other field trip. We recently made a little trip over to Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville Arkansas and had a complete blast.

The hiking trails around the museum are amazing and the museum itself is absolutely incredible. Our favorite exhibit was the “100 Unknown Artists”. This particular exhibit showcases the works of artists who are not well known and all of them are from the United States. It was fun to see all the “out of the box” thinking that comes with artistic freedom. My personal favorite was the pigeon knitwear. I have recently taken up knitting and crocheting and neither of these things is particularly easy for me. But the intricate costumes this designer created for pigeons were off the charts amazing. I can only assume this person has patience that goes beyond most humans, because these things were detailed beyond belief. I would pay good money to witness a NYC fashion week “pigeon walk” of these designs.

My kids were totally amazed at some of the work shown in this museum. We have a small pottery wheel in our home, and my kids have truly tried to master the art of throwing a pot. Their work is displayed in our home, and they regularly complain about my pride in their original pieces. I guess none of them want to showcase their masterpieces, but I insist. The pottery and ceramic works this museum contains are beyond anything my children had ever seen before. It is one thing to read about art in a book, but it is a whole different animal when you actually have the opportunity to see the piece with your own eyes.

Hands-On Activities

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I absolutely love all hands-on teaching methods, and this is one of my favorites from the last two weeks. My 5th grader is learning about some of the most important advancements made in the world of transportation. I am blown away by all the educational materials available to my children. We can jump online or head over to the library and find an insane amount of supplemental materials for each topic. I had no idea the Wright brothers ran a bicycle shop full-time and made planes in the winter when the shop was slow. This is just one of the fun facts we learned while researching some of the amazing inventions and inventors from America’s past.

My son was particularly interested in Henry Ford and his amazing Model T. We talked all about the advancements made in production, and why this car made such a huge impact on the world of motor vehicles. The Model T was the first affordable car for the general population, and it was the beginning of a total shift in how we would mass produce the enormous number of items used by today’s consumer. There is clearly a down side to the mass market mentality, but we tried to focus on the upside of this new production method.

In order to show my kids just how much of an impact an assembly line can have on production, I challenged each of my three kids to produce as many candy cars as they could in just one minute. Each of the kids did their best to run around the kitchen and grab all the items they needed to create one car at a time. The outcome was one sloppy car from only one child. The other two were not able to create one single finished product in 60 seconds. Then each child chose their jobs, and we created an assembly line to produce the tiny candy cars. The kids were able to pump out three completed cars and one half finished product in just 60 seconds. It was a real learning moment for each of them. The amount of time and energy needed to complete this challenge diminished significantly when they implemented the “assembly line” mentality. I’m sure they could have pounded out a few more if we would have had access to a moving assembly line, but that was not to be… I hope they never forget Henry Ford and his moving assembly line.

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Homeschooling Away From Home

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One of the great advantages to homeschooling is the ability we have to take this show on the road. When we travel, so does our school. On our last trip, I think half of our car was packed with school supplies. My husband never complains about all the books he has to pack into our family car, but he always makes at least one comment about the number of shoes I claim are necessary for any getaway.

I know all our “school stuff” took up a good portion of our hotel room. I had crates of books, workbooks, paper, and other miscellaneous supplies all packed into our little hotel room for the entire trip. We sacrificed one corner of the hotel room to the two little kids’ supplies, and the coveted desk to my high schooler and all his materials. The only person who seemed a bit disconcerted with my stash was the sweet woman from housekeeping who somehow ended up with our room for a solid two weeks. But luckily she developed a cleaning method that included turning a blind eye to the piles of papers and books.

For the entire two weeks we got up early in the morning and completed an entire day of school well before noon. It was awesome. My kids were able to spend time with their cousins and not worry about falling behind in school. In fact, my oldest got so far ahead we were a little concerned we would run out of class materials before the two weeks were up. In hindsight, I think he figured out how to pace himself so that he could take a couple of days off–out of “necessity”.

I know that I say this all the time, but I am so thankful to live in a country where I am able to home school my children. As we sneak up on the launch date of my first book, I am looking at taking my kids on the road for a couple of months. Right now they seem to be completely excited about the potential this adventure holds. I will dig up information on all the interesting sights, museums, and educational experiences we can do as a family while we are on the road. It will be epic.

Autism News

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I just had to write a post on this little tidbit from the news. I don’t follow most news topics very closely. For heaven’s sake, my friend had to call me to let me know tornadoes were on their way, because she knows we don’t watch television.  She figured I would need the heads up. Thanks Mel!

However, I do follow autism news and April happens to be my favorite month. Mostly because of autism awareness, and I kinda dig all the chocolate that comes with Easter. This autism news report touched my heart in a way very few stories ever do. So, I am sharing.

Sheila Chako, a teacher from California, wrote the most beautiful letter to her students with autism. I can’t do the letter justice by quoting only snippets of it. So, please take a moment and read the letter in its entirety.

http://sprinkleteachingmagic.blogspot.com/2014/03/dear-autistic-student.html

 

“Dear Child With Autism-

 

You brighten each and every day.  You may not know this but I look forward to school because of you.  I know school is hard.  Every day I see the worry on your face.  School goes quickly.  Daily changes throw you off-course.  You worry.  About yourself.  You cry because you have no friends.  No one invites you to their birthday party.  You worry about the weather.  In a drought, will the animals suffer? You obsess…

 

…I am your teacher, and I will fight for you every day.  I just see you. Thank you for being you.

 

Love,

Your Teacher”

https://www.facebook.com/SprinkleTeachingMagic

http://www.pinterest.com/SheilaJaneIdeas/

Many teachers are so overwhelmed by the immense load they carry in the classroom, that they miss out on the little connections that leave a lasting impact. Ms. Chako has clearly mastered the art of living in the moment, and finding the simple pleasures in making children smile. She reaches out to the anxiety these children struggle with, and lovingly brushes it away. She clearly loves the little quirks and personalities each of her students brings to the class. I have to sing the praises of this teacher. I don’t know her, but this letter is a window into the classroom where she will write on the slate of each child’s soul.