Chloe's Ballet Recital 2011

Our newest addition

She is a sweety. We named her petunia. She is now terrorizing the whole house. Good thing she is so cute with all that pug-ness

On the school front

How to make spelling fun? Let the kids squirt shaving cream all over the dining room table and trace their words in the foam. They had a BLAST :). Especially my very hands-on man-cub. I couldn't persuade a single one of them to break concentration and smile at the camera.

This was such a normal day for us. I have missed normal. Emma has struggled with vertigo since November. As you can imagine, reading and doing schoolwork while the room is spinning is pretty intense. But today it wasn't an issue, and I couldn't be more thankful. We played, all of us together, at the same time. All of my baby chicks in a clutch. It was peaceful, and we took total advantage of it. I can only hope it is a sign of things to come.

Down the Rabbit Hole....

The girls were in a production of Alice in Wonderland. They did terrific. Emma was the Cheshire cat and Chloe was the Dodo Bird. I was so proud of both of them.

They were both so very nervous going in. But they studied hard and learned all their lines. I couldn't have been more proud.

Especially for Emma. She is recently diagnosed with Meniere's disease. It makes her dizzy with vertigo and nausea. She had to give up dance because of it, and I know that made this play all the more important for her.

John's Pet Store

We have been studying domestic pets in school. The kids have learned all about their care, what the animals need, habitats and anatomy. John decided to open up his own pet store, and the girls thought that was an awesome idea too! I could not resist the chance to take pics of this. I think he chose to wear his glasses because it makes him look more trustworthy.

He also made sure to demonstrate for us how a snake would strangle a rat, or a boy.

Chloe put most of her faith in flashy signage. :)

Changes, Changes.....

So we have changed, or maybe change is too radical a word. What we are doing would probably be better described as "tweaking". I noticed at the end of last year/beginning of this school year that we were getting a little too wrapped up in worksheets, curriculum, activities, field trips and outside classes. This just wasn't working for any of us. Maybe we are just a family of wanna be hermits.

I think the only way to evaluate a curriculum or routine is based on how it fits in to my reasons for homeschooling. I also expect that as our circumstances change from year to year, what fits best into our lives will likewise change. Obviously, what we were doing was a square peg in a round hole.

I don't want to be rushed running from class or activity to activity and neither do the kids. We need the slower pace of life. Natural learning is the type that engages my children the best. Especially because both of my girls are "think outside the box" girls. Natural learning is what happens when I set up a learning center and they are able to use their natural curiosity to explore in depth, probe an idea and to ask questions. This requires more time from me as the teacher than cracking open a book and we need long periods of time without a bunch of activities breathing down our neck to allow the kids to relax and explore.

Another huge plus to homeschooling is the opportunity for a "whole" education. One that involves life skills and critical thinking. I didn't want anyone taking my children and "standardizing" them. Maintaining the closeness of our family, respecting the unique individual each child is, and deepening our family bond is probably my most important goal. None of the jives with a "go-go" lifestyle. It just isn't us.

I realized that I was potentially squandering an opportunity. During these elementary years I have the opportunity to do more child-led learning. We aren't in the high stakes game of high school. We don't have children with jobs, and college prep classes, volunteer work, etc. those things that come with young adulthood. All of that will come in time, I probably can't fight it off even if I wanted to (and I don't). So there is no sense in squandering this opportunity I have now. For now, I can watch the wonder, have the family meals every night, jump on every opportunity to chatter aimlessly with my babies while they are still all mine. Because soon enough they will be young adults with their own lives.

So we have embraced KONOS curriculum again. It has a unit study approach and we move through it at our own pace. If the kids want to linger on a topic, we linger. If they want to move on, we move through it. What I once found overwhelming, is a blessing now. Maybe it is because our house is stocked with more craft goods than an entire preschool could burn through in a year. Or it might be the dynamic of having three children to homeschool instead of just one. Either way, it seems to be the perfect fit for us right now. The kids are having a BALL.

Happy Halloween 2010