Girl Can Cook

Before her eyes are completely open, while the pillow-print is still on her face, she dashes to the kitchen. She dons her apron and begins gathering her supplies. And then she asks, "Mommy, can I make my own breakfast?"

I nod, and she continues to make sure she has all of her supplies.

an egg
pre-cooked bacon
a fork
a bowl
and one of these silicone cups:

Once she has all of her supplies, she climbs up into a kitchen chair and sets to work. Carefully she cracks her egg into a bowl, and then she stirs it with a fork. This isn't her first time, she's done this three days in a row now. The pre-cooked bacon was a new addition today, her own idea. She crumbles it into the beaten egg and then pours the mixture into a silicone cup.

She needs a little help here, as moving the silicone cups to the microwave can be a little tricky since it is so full of liquid. She sets the timer on the microwave, 45 seconds, and then stands back to watch as the egg grows bigger and bigger, outgrowing the sillicone cup by double and then triple. But as soon as the microwave stops the egg shrinks back down.

She sits down at the table with her egg&bacon-in-a-cup, a banana, and a cup of milk. And she feasts, and praises her self for what a good cook she is! As each of her brothers wakes and stumbles into the kitchen she greets them with a smile and offers to make them an egg & bacon cup as well.

There are several other recipes in the Cook It In a Cup book that she wants to make. She's urging me to go shopping for her ingredients.

(Thanks Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Rich for the great birthday gift!)

Monday Musings--Aug. 30

You might have noticed a strange silence coming from my blog last week. I took a short break from my blog, a much needed break that also included a break from a few other things in my life. I spent the time listening to God and heeding the words of Psalm 46:10, Be still and know that I am God. 

He is working on my priorities right now and showing me I've had things backward for quite some time. It's time now to get things right and let the main thing be the main thing.

Even though I took last week off from blogging and a few other responsibilities, we still had a great time with some fun science projects. As I've said before, Luci and Ben are learning about birds throughout this year using Jeannie Fulbright's  Zoology I (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day). Our current module's emphasis is on the different types of feathers and so far the they've done two experiments to enhance what they've learned.  

The first was an experiment that helped them understand how a bird's tail feathers help it to land safely. Using a timer Gavin and I timed them both running from point A to point B. This was our control. Then, with an umbrella held open behind them, we timed them again as they ran from point A to point B. The umbrella created a drag that slowed them down considerably, making it much harder to build up or maintain any speed. 

Their conclusion: A bird's tail feather's help it to land safely by slowing it down just before it lands.

The second experiment was designed to show why God designed birds with the ability to waterproof their feathers using a preening gland. Ben and Luci lightly coated one feather with cooking oil and left one feather in it's natural state. Then they submerged both feathers into water and looked at the results. The feather with oil on it repelled the water, allowing a few drops to bead up on the surface, but none to penetrate to the feather. The feather without the oil was saturated with water and as a result, was heavier.

Their conclusion: A bird can use it's preening gland to oil it's feathers so that when it swims it's feathers do not become soaking wet and drag the bird under water. 

I know that I promised a couple of weeks ago to share our Day in the Life post, and I apologize, but that really had to take a backseat to a few other things. I plan to get to that soon though, and at least give you a glimpse of what goes on here on a normal (is there such a thing?) day.

Review: Peterson Directed Handwriting, Cursive

The Product



Peterson Directed Handwriting is unique among the available handwriting curricula. It uses a multi-sensory, movement-based approach to handwriting. Instruction begins with teaching students the basic strokes in letter formation, but instead of tracing or copying these strokes, the student draws them using his or her forefinger in the air. What makes Peterson even more different is the addition of vocalizing these strokes. As a stroke is made the student says the name of the stroke (round top, loop top, etc..). Once this step is mastered the student moves on to finger tracing the strokes, and eventually to writing them. The written strokes are large to begin with but as students progress through the course the size of the strokes and letters becomes smaller. Once the various strokes are mastered the students then learn how to begin forming cursive letters. The same approach is used: air writing, followed by finger tracing, followed by writing.

Peterson Directed Handwriting is quite a bit more parent-intensive than most other handwriting programs. It requires a great deal of reading in order to learn how to teach the program to your children. I didn't mind this aspect of the program, but it is important to note that it is not a handwriting program that you can just hand over to your child for independent work.

Our Experience

I used Peterson Directed Handwriting with my 4th grader, Ben. When I introduced Peterson Directed Handwriting to him he was initially excited because it required far less actual writing than his current handwriting curriculum did. Our first step was to go over proper pencil grip and paper placement. His pencil grip was fine, except for being just a little low on the pencil. Teaching proper paper placement, however, was a bit more of a challenge. He's been writing with his paper perfectly straight in front of him instead of at an angle. Once we got this corrected we moved on to trying to learn the basic strokes that make up cursive letters.

We did not have much success, however. Ben felt like the "chanting" as he made each stroke was confusing and maybe a little silly.  He was unhappy about re-learning the cursive alphabet as well, feeling like it was a waste of time since he already knew how to form all of his letters. I can't say I didn't agree with him. If it had been either of my other two children I might have pushed more for them to use this program longer. With Ben, however, I know that it's best to stick with what is working for him already. He doesn't appreciate change, and anything that creates more frustration for him is best left out of his day.

The Bottom Line

Each Peterson Directed Handwriting course is available for purchase for the reasonable price of $19.95. Because these workbooks are electronic, it is a non-consumable item that you will be able to use again and again with your children, making this an excellent value for your homeschool dollar. There are a variety of other products, and combination packages as well. The website is not very user-friendly, however, so I'd recommend consulting the company for advice on which products you might need.

This program would be ideal for those who are just beginning to learn handwriting or for children who are struggling. Students who have already begun handwriting and are not having difficulties might find it confusing and/or frustrating to switch to this approach. I wish that I had discovered Peterson Directed Handwriting sooner in our homeschool journey. My results in using this might have been very different!

I received this product for free as a member of TOS Homeschool Crew. My opinions are solely my own and are not influenced in any way. I am not being reimbursed in anyway for this review. What I have shared is simply our experience, your mileage may vary.

Not Back to School Blog Hop 2010~Student Photos Week

This week at Heart of the Matter the Not Back to School Blog Hop's theme is student photos. Stay tuned, because next Monday's theme will be 'A Day in the Life'. 

Gavin

Grade 7

My witty, scientist, almost-teenager, musician. 

Ben

Grade 4

My intense, affectionate, brown-eyed, logical, karate-kid.

Luci

Grade 1

My creative, imaginative, growing-up-too-fast, girly girl. 

Monday Musings--Aug. 16

Fish
A few weeks ago Luci and I started a new read aloud at bedtime, Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary. Beverly Cleary's books about Henry, Ramona, Beezus and all of their friends on Klickitat Street were among my favorite books growing up. (I'm REALLY excited to go see Beezus and Ramona in the theaters soon!) I loved reading about Henry's clubhouse, his paper route, and his dog, Ribsy. I loved how Ramona was always finding trouble, and Beezus was always digging her out of it.

Now, with Luci, I'm enjoying some of these adventures again! In the second chapter of Henry Huggins, Henry finds himself standing outside the pet store looking at a sign that read:

Special Offer: 1 pair of guppies, fish bowl, 1 snail, aquatic plant, and a package of fishfood. ALL FOR 79 cents!

Henry declared that was a bargain and felt around in his pocket for the silver dollar he'd been given by his grandfather. Of course, if you've read the story, you know that Henry did indeed use his silver dollar on this bargain. But the adventure came later...when the pair of guppies began to multiply. And multiply. And multiply. Until finally, Henry had taken all of his mother's quart sized canning jars to hold his collection of guppies.

Of course, by the time the chapter was over Luci was convinced she needed a goldfish. I didn't expect it would be easy to convince her daddy. This girl apparently plead her case effectively though, because she is now the proud owner of two pet goldfish.

Bird Watching
The morning after we set up the bird feeders we woke up and checked the feeders. We were so excited to see birds!


(No, Luci. We are NOT getting pet birds next.)

Design Squad
We had our first Design Squad meeting today! What fun! After talking a bit about electrical circuits the kids each made a motorized 'kick stick' that could kick a ping pong ball across the floor. It was a bit awkward getting started, but once the kids got to working it went great. I think they all enjoyed the class and we are all looking forward to next month!

Birders

Ben and Luci are studying birds and other flying creatures for science this year. We are using Jeannie Fulbright's Exploring Creation with Zoology I: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. 

Today, they filled their birdfeeders. It's something we should have done a couple of weeks ago, but because I've been so busy the task of buying birdseed fell to the bottom of my to-do list.

They talked as they worked, using their newly developed 'bird vocabulary'. They are junior birders.

They talked about what kinds of birds they might see, and how they will know them by their field marks.

They talked about where they wanted to hang their birdfeeders. Ben wanted to hang his high. Luci wanted to hang hers low ~ For the baby birds of course.

I am really glad that they are doing this science study together. There is something genuinely precious in watching them share the learning experience. 

Monday Musings--Aug. 9

Showcased

Kris, over at Weird Unsocialized Homschoolers, was kind enough to feature my Homeschool is Not for Sale post on her bi-monthly Homeschool Showcase. Be sure to check out what she had to say about my post and check out the other great links she shares.

Kick-Off to a Great School Year
Our local homeschool group held its annual kick-off meeting this past Friday night. If the number of new-comers is representative of the national numbers, homeschooling continues to grow by leaps and bounds. We welcomed many new members and are developing a plan to match new members up with a mentor.

Design Squad
I'm getting ready to launch our first Design Squad Club! We begin on Monday and our first project is to design a motorized kick-stick. I think all of the kids are excited about getting started. If you'd like more information about developing a Design Squad Club for students in your area, I'd be happy to tell you how I've put ours together. Send me an email at HomeschoolMusings.

Karate Dojo
The instructor at the karate dojo where Ben and Luci take lessons announced this week that she will be closing her doors as of September 1. We are very sad to see this happen. The dojo has become a regular part of our life and we'd developed a good friendship with the instructor. She is going to continue teaching a smaller group of students out of her home, and at this time we are pretty sure that will include Ben and Luci.

Excited About Math Progress
I just have to share how excited I am about Gavin's math progress. Because he plans (at this point anyway) to go to college and study engineering, I was looking to accelerate his math so that he could finish algebra before starting high school. Last year (6th grade) he used Teaching Textbooks 6, and while I think it's a decent math program for non-math/science majors, it is definitely not college prep, and seemed to be at least half a year behind the more rigorous math programs. He spent the last part of 6th grade and part of the summer using Aleks math to bridge the gap into a more advanced math. Last month he started on Saxon 8/7 with Prealgebra. It started out rough. His initial daily scores were around 50%. Obviously, I thought I'd made the wrong move. His mistakes were the careless kind. Either not reading the question completely, or making calculation errors that cause the final answer to be wrong. Whatever was the cause, about 5 lessons into it he suddenly improved. He's scoring near perfect now on his daily work and I couldn't be happier! Incidentally, I also changed Ben to Saxon (using Saxon 5/4 ~ he is in 4th grade) and he is doing wonderful with it as well. Ben has always turned in math papers that are so accurate that I often get lazy about grading them ~ He never misses a problem! However, he isn't always happy to do his math. Worksheets with distracting graphics and a lot of the same type problem make math frustrating for him. Saxon's plain, no graphics pages with 26 problems (and only a few of the same kind) are perfect for Ben. He finishes up his math papers quickly, and without complaint.

Not Back to School Blog Hop 2010~School Room Week

We've been back at school for about three weeks now, so the 'new' look has worn off of our homeschool areas. And in an effort to 'keep it real', I'm going to share these photos that I took without sprucing up the areas first.

This is Luci's school desk and her workbox drawers. She has a small square (Wallies.com) of stick-on chalkboard where I put her spelling list for the week. She also has a vowel chart and a numbers chart (1-100). She's right outside our main school room so that I can keep a close eye on her as she works. She has a tendency to start doodling on her papers

Ben's school table is in our den. He works in the corner of the room, where, in theory, he should be the farthest from distraction. It doesn't always work out that way, though. Ben's corner includes a cursive writing chart, a US map, a couple of chalkboard squares for science vocabulary words, and his workbox drawers. Our Wii drums are stashed under his desk for lack of any free space in the den.

Gavin is using the desk that my dad built for me when I was about his age. It's seen many an assignment cross it's surface. I used this desk all through middle school, high school, and my years in college. Above his desk he also has a square of stick-on chalkboard (which, based on this picture, looks a little crooked!) and a place to hang his clipboard where he keeps his weekly schedule.

Our chalkboard hangs on the wall above our check in boxes. I LOVE these check in boxes. They are a new addition to our school room this year and they are working out great.

On the opposite corner is our markable map, globe, white board, and arts & crafts storage drawers.

This photo shows our main school storage area and computer work areas. Yep, it's a bit disheveled right now. I contemplated not sharing this photo. It makes me cringe to think of sharing it with the world wide web! I have another picture that was taken during a less chaotic time period and it shows very neat orderly shelves and desktops. Unlike this one. But I'm sharing this because, again, I'm keeping it real. Don't tell me your school area doesn't look a little 'used' from time to time. 

My work area encompasses the left side of this built in cabinet/desk combo. I also have a file cabinet, where I file school papers, with a storage area on top where I keep my working binders. This is also a new addition to my school room. Other than the fact that I am constantly rolling my chair into this cabinet, I like this addition. It is helping me to be more diligent about filing since it's very accessible. 

Looking forward to seeing all of YOUR homeschool rooms! Hope your all enjoying the Not Back to School Blog Hop, hosted by Heart of the Matter Online. 

Homeschool Is Not For Sale

Homeschoolers are weird. That's right, we are weird. And I've accepted that. Why else would the mere mention that we homeschool prompt such a flood of questions? Anytime I'm asked where my kids go to school, I know there's going to be questions coming my way. Fortunately, I like to talk about homeschooling, so I don't mind the questions. I figure the more educated people become about homeschooling, the less weird I become. The barrage of questions inevitably includes things like:

What do you use to teach them? How do you teach them? How long does it take? How do they learn to socialize with other kids? When do you do it? Do they have friends? Do you take them to school for the state's tests?  Do they learn what the schools learn? Can they get into college? How do you give them grades? What does your family think?  How do you know they are learning what they need to? How do you handle being with them all day? and finally, What, are you superwoman? 

Well, those questions are all easy enough to answer. (No, I'm not superwoman. If I was, my house would always be clean, the laundry would always be caught up, and the groceries would only take milliseconds to shop for because I'd be using my warp-speed abilities.)

In the last several conversations I've had, however, I've noticed another question creeping in there now and then. Once I've answered their questions and convinced them we don't need to be institutionalized (at least not anymore than the average population), they ask:

Can I pay someone to do it for me?

I guess it shouldn't surprise me. After all, we live in an era when we (use of the pronoun 'we' is in the general sense) pay people to do everything for us. We pay people to cook for us (and pay the price in excessive calories and wasted dollars), clean our houses, do our laundry, wash our cars, do our shopping, make (or alter) our clothes, plan our vacations, and mow our grass. Of course, this list could go on and on.

But homeschool? This is not something you can pay someone else to do. Of course, you can pay someone to teach your children. But that's called tutoring.

Homeschooling is more. At the heart of each homeschool family is a parent and a child:  A parent who knows his or her child best, and a child who is free to learn and explore within the safety of family.  School doesn't start or end when a bell rings. It is intertwined so completely into the family that it's impossible to tell where family ends and homeschool begins.

Homeschool is:

snuggling side by side enjoying a read aloud.
siblings cheering each other on as they develop new skills.
rabbit trails followed for miles.
family trips planned around history lessons.
a child begging, "Mama, one more chapter please!"
connections being made.
bonds being made stronger.
respect for family and others being modeled and copied.

Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not a marketable product.

Homeschooling is not for sale.

Monday Musings--Aug. 2

It's time for Monday Musings, where the topics are as random as my days are full!

August Looks Busy


I opened up my calender in iCal today to take a look at the month ahead. With only seven blank squares out of thirty-one, it only takes a glance to see that August is a full month indeed. August is the beginning of a great many activities that take place during our school year. Our homeschool group's activities kick off later this week as do our church's many activities for the adults and children. And at the end of the month deadlines begin to loom large for three TOS Schoolhouse Reviews. August is only the beginning however, so it's time to kick it into gear. The slow days of summer are about to disappear!

Measuring Up

Luci has been learning how to measure things in inches using a ruler. Today, during her morning break from school, she gathered up her Block People and sent each of them--babies included--for a height check. I didn't interfere at all in this activity, just observed with my camera in hand. She carefully measured each person against her ruler and then placed them in order from smallest to biggest. I love it when school 'just happens' like this.



Inventing Out of Necessity 

Boredom sets in now and then and drives my kids to do some unusual things to entertain themselves. They've written puppet shows, choreographed dances, made up new songs, and drawn enough pictures to pave the way from here to Florida. Last week their boredom and creativity merged again as they created a new game using counting frogs and a dishcloth. The name of the game was Hop Frog Hop Don't Stop 'til You Get Home. The object of the game, in case you haven't already figured it out, was to get your frogs to hop all the way home. It seemed to me that the rules involved some morphing of the rules of the game Sorry and the imaginations of two kids.

TOS Schoolhouse Reviews Coming

I've been incorporating some new products into our school routine and later this month you'll start seeing the reviews from those products. If your interested in taking a look at what we are reviewing you can start here:
Peterson Directed Handwriting
Time 4 Writing
Math Essentials--America's Math Teacher
I See Cards--PYRAMATH


Puppy Love

I'll end with this adorably cute ball of silky black fur we call Memphis! Does it get any cuter?

Not Back to School Blog Hop 2010~Curriculum Week

It's time for the Not Back to School Blog Hop hosted by Heart of the Matter! This was a huge hit last year among homeschoolers and I've been looking forward to participating again. This first week the topic is curriculum! I think all homeschoolers love to talk about their curriculum and take a peek at what others are using as well.

I have three students.
Gavin, 7th grade
Ben, 4th grade
Luci, 1st grade

Bible
Gavin--Sonlight Core 7 Bible
Ben--Sonlight Core 3 Bible
Luci--Family Time Bible

History
This year I am combing all three of my kids into one 'family-style study' of American History. To do this I have pulled together resources from Sonlight's Cores 3 and 100.

Math
Gavin--Saxon 8/7 w/Pre-Algebra
Ben--Saxon 5/4
Luci--Abeka Arithmetic 1

Science
Gavin--Apologia General Science
Ben & Luci--Exploring Creation with Zoology

Language Arts
Gavin--Grammar & Composition (ABeka), IEW Student Writing Intensive B, Wordly Wise, and Spelling Power
Ben--Language A (ABeka), Wordly Wise, Spelling Power, IEW Student Writing Intensive (following along with Gavin), and A Reason for Handwriting D
Luci--All Abeka: Letters and Sounds 1, Language 1, and Spelling 1; A Reason for Handwriting A,

Readers
Gavin--Sonlight Core 7 Literature and Poetry
Ben--Sonlight Core 3 Readers and Poetry
Luci--Abeka Readers 1

Electives and Extras
Gavin--Rosetta Stone Spanish Level 1 (continuing from last year), blogging, piano lessons
Ben--Rosetta Stone Spanish Level 1 (continuing from last year), Typing, Artistic Pursuits, Karate Class
Luci--Artistic Pursuits, Karate Class