I just spent the evening going through the A Beka Lesson Plan books for second grade. I know that the year will begin with review but feel like I am not going to introduce much new at all to G this year. I am not the person to decide the curriculum as that is the job of her parents. I like the program the bought and it is laid out well for me to follow but it seems very a-climatic at this point. I am going to have to use my imagination to keep it fresh for her and I really think I will need to skip the stuff that makes her feel like she is in kindergarten again and purchase the 3rd grade Language curriculum. I no longer worry about the parts we did not achieve in math during 1st grade either as it really is too basic and I may have to skip ahead by 59 lessons.
I believe in review and reinforcement but not to the point that we are all bored. There is another materials display in the area next week, I will have to attend this.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Boring compared to others
I have decided that we must be boring home school educators. I read about how much effort that others are putting into their lesson plans and choosing the items for each subject. They seem to be devoted indeed.
Then I look at us. I have found that I justify our use of one curriculum. WHAT? That is just crazy I tell myself. We all have similar yet different reasons to homeschool and our children learn in many different ways. I find that one set program gives me direct guidance to assure that G and F are meeting certain outcomes. I also find that I supplement their lessons with other items as well to enhance and enrich the experience.
Their books and the lesson plans for this year have arrived but I did not dive into them yet as so many other things seem to be happening. I am setting a more specific schedule and have determined out start date will be August 29th. That will still be about a week after the traditional schools and end sooner. We have built into the schedule extra school days as we know that the baby coming will put an unexpected break into our pattern. I have cautioned the girls that this year we are more prepared about what to expect and what we need to do better at teaching. This is only our second year to homeschool.
First, I am going to begin sooner in the day rather than later. It seems once lunch break happens no one is as interested in learning and I know I was not as interested in teaching. SO we will begin on a traditional time schedule of 8:30 am.....ok maybe 9:00 (haha). Each subject will have a reasonable lesson time and time to complete work. Work that is not completed will end up being evening homework for them. Well, at least for G that will be the case as it is rather unfair to expect more from F than I did from G in the same class--and F is very young yet to push that. F will need direct lesson time like I did last year for G. I also know that some lessons were just to draggy and needed to move along more, with some lessons being combined to just one lesson. G can take it, she does not like to be bored and I am afraid I did that as the year went on. So this year I am going to be better at planning ahead and know when to combine several lessons into one. Building onto knowledge is one thing but we must move on. It seems we have been teaching the same stuff for a long time at the end of the year. I so expect to find that we begin the 3rd grade language before the end of the year.
I know that I am going to expect more from G in her writing efforts and improvement in the neatness of her written work.
We will once again participate in the co-op's enrichment program they title Master's Lyceum. One parent will be using the Magic Tree House books and G loves that series. I bought her the whole set for her birthday but then halted her reading them so she could be part of this group. I am not sure what F will be excited to participate in but I think she is ready to leave the Learning Centers program and move on to the FIAR series.
F is beginning the first grade curriculum but will still need to master more skillful reading before I start the first grade books. She completed the K phonics and will go on in the 1st grade book there however. I hope to see a better flow of phonics blend rather than a breakdown of each word. Her math will be all 1st grade.
We will also seek a Daisy troop for her to join. She is young but she will be 5 by the end of October so I do not see why she should hold back there.
Finally, we will pray that my health keeps up and we can keep doing this. I want to get my grandchildren to college age via homeschool. I think F may want regular school at some point but I do not think that G will ever consider it again.
Well, those are my thoughts for today. No exciting strategic moves in our class, just some real old fashion teaching and learning. Of course we will keep doing the programs at the zoo, the magic house and the science center as well.
Then I look at us. I have found that I justify our use of one curriculum. WHAT? That is just crazy I tell myself. We all have similar yet different reasons to homeschool and our children learn in many different ways. I find that one set program gives me direct guidance to assure that G and F are meeting certain outcomes. I also find that I supplement their lessons with other items as well to enhance and enrich the experience.
Their books and the lesson plans for this year have arrived but I did not dive into them yet as so many other things seem to be happening. I am setting a more specific schedule and have determined out start date will be August 29th. That will still be about a week after the traditional schools and end sooner. We have built into the schedule extra school days as we know that the baby coming will put an unexpected break into our pattern. I have cautioned the girls that this year we are more prepared about what to expect and what we need to do better at teaching. This is only our second year to homeschool.
First, I am going to begin sooner in the day rather than later. It seems once lunch break happens no one is as interested in learning and I know I was not as interested in teaching. SO we will begin on a traditional time schedule of 8:30 am.....ok maybe 9:00 (haha). Each subject will have a reasonable lesson time and time to complete work. Work that is not completed will end up being evening homework for them. Well, at least for G that will be the case as it is rather unfair to expect more from F than I did from G in the same class--and F is very young yet to push that. F will need direct lesson time like I did last year for G. I also know that some lessons were just to draggy and needed to move along more, with some lessons being combined to just one lesson. G can take it, she does not like to be bored and I am afraid I did that as the year went on. So this year I am going to be better at planning ahead and know when to combine several lessons into one. Building onto knowledge is one thing but we must move on. It seems we have been teaching the same stuff for a long time at the end of the year. I so expect to find that we begin the 3rd grade language before the end of the year.
I know that I am going to expect more from G in her writing efforts and improvement in the neatness of her written work.
We will once again participate in the co-op's enrichment program they title Master's Lyceum. One parent will be using the Magic Tree House books and G loves that series. I bought her the whole set for her birthday but then halted her reading them so she could be part of this group. I am not sure what F will be excited to participate in but I think she is ready to leave the Learning Centers program and move on to the FIAR series.
F is beginning the first grade curriculum but will still need to master more skillful reading before I start the first grade books. She completed the K phonics and will go on in the 1st grade book there however. I hope to see a better flow of phonics blend rather than a breakdown of each word. Her math will be all 1st grade.
We will also seek a Daisy troop for her to join. She is young but she will be 5 by the end of October so I do not see why she should hold back there.
Finally, we will pray that my health keeps up and we can keep doing this. I want to get my grandchildren to college age via homeschool. I think F may want regular school at some point but I do not think that G will ever consider it again.
Well, those are my thoughts for today. No exciting strategic moves in our class, just some real old fashion teaching and learning. Of course we will keep doing the programs at the zoo, the magic house and the science center as well.
Monday, August 1, 2011
We took a trip to Tennessee:
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| G finds fossils |
A tiny, insignificant spot called McKinnon, Tennessee to be exact. Located in McKinnon, or just above it on the ridge you will find 107 acres of heritage. My heritage to be exact, which passes onto my grandchildren G and F. I am certain that I cannot find the words to tell this entire story but I will attempt it anyway.
We got on the road on Monday morning and met up with some cousins at a motel in Erin, TN. By 3pm we were at the family cemetery. Wait a moment, I must back up first in order to better reveal why being at the cemetery was a moment worthy of memories.
We met with Lisa and her son Kade. I met them two years ago for the first time. Lisa would be my second cousin, once removed and Kade her change of life child. They are from the Detroit area and as a child Lisa would travel to Clarksville, TN to visit the "other" side of the family. But she never came to the Mathis side. You see, her mother left the area after the death of Rosa Mai. Rosa Mai was my grandfather's sister. Without a lot of detail let me just say that this family lived life as hard as one could ever imagine. They were extreme in many ways and there are many family tragedy stories in their past. So Lisa's mother, named Rose did not return to the Mathis homestead. She was only 14 when she left and traveled to Detroit area. It seems that many left the area and either went toward Detroit, MI or to Granite City, IL; both cities with iron or steel industry which had been a large part of the McKinnon, TN experience.
Back to the cemetery: So there she was. Elderly, gray and unsteady on her feet making her way through the terrain and looking upon her grandparents headstone for the first time in her life. Her memories a bit sketchy overall as she was raised in Clarksville and had only come once each year for a week when her father had vacation form work. She recalls a small cemetery but of course it only had a few graves present. She had two Aunts and several babies there when she was a child. Since then it has of course filled more. My grandparents rest there as well. She had never thought this was something she would ever see.
From the cemetery we went down ridge/hill to the creek. To reach the homestead you had to actually ford the creek. Once again with the assistance of Lisa, Rose made her way to the creek. We placed a chair in the cold spring feed creek and Rose sat with joy as the cold water rushed across her feet and ankles. The water remains crystal clear as it flows across the red river rock, the "Dover limestone" and the many fossils found as well. Rose was very quiet about the experience but you could see in her aging blue eyes the moments of reflection into her past. She looked off into the far distance with a peace upon her face that can only be seen to understand.
After hours of play in the creek we headed back to the motel. Rose was exhausted and Lisa and I were concerned that she had done too much. But Rose was a go-getter and kept telling us to stop worrying about her. This trip was important to Rose, he spouse of 66yrs has just passed and she wanted to get to Tennessee before she passes too. Funny thing about "old age", you have a direct, realistic view of life and how precious the moment is.
The next day we actually made it onto the homestead (living quarters) location. You can no longer ford the creek to get into it as a tornado came through years ago several very large trees now block that access. But there is an old wagon trail way that we called the back way in. You travel along the base of the ridge and cross one small stream from the many springs the feed the creek. We needed the four wheel truck for this. When we reached the clearing Rose could only see the space where it all once stood. The original well is still there and the rubble from the chimney is all that remains. I drove her to the spot that the old root cellar was at and parked there. When I told her we were right where the root cellar was she had some reference to it all. So we took a chair to a location that would have been the porch and she looked upon the ridges. She recalled the barn that was there for a while when I was young and other structures that were never there when I was a child. Once again she sat back in her chair with reflection of past in her eyes. She told me how they use to take the train from Clarksville and would be picked up by a mule and travel on the buckboard to Granny's place. They would ford the creek on the buckboard. She recalls the long narrow table in the screened room and that others would stand behind them during the meal swinging sticks above them to keep the flies away. I do not recall any sheep on the farm but I was there after 1961 and she was there in 1930, she says they would slaughter a lamb for the occasion of a visit and have a wonderful feast. This was the one week every year she looked forward to. He mother was a nurse and her father was a grocer. My own mother recalls Rosa Mai coming to give the kids their shots each year.
We also spent the day at the creek the second day, my sister and her daughter joined us. My niece lives only about one hour away and my sister was taking holiday for the week at her home. It ended up that my sister stayed one night with us and went to the 1850's farm located on the LBL area (land between the lakes). It was a hot day so a bit hard to enjoy since we got a late start of things but enjoyable anyway. As a homeschooler you find that everything you do tends to have a lesson in it. That was no different in this trip. There were lessons about family heritage, "pig iron" blast furnaces made of limestone and eventually, a farm of the 1850's. They had already spent the day on our homestead so we could use our imagination and put this typical working farm in our holler and suddenly you have a realistic lesson.
We do intend to return for a regular field trip in the fall. Kelley will not be able to participate but I am sure I can find other co-op friends who would take the trip. Also in that area is Fort Donnelson, where a grandparent lost his life in a Civil War battle.
On the last day of our trip we said out good-byes to Rose and family at the motel. We then went to the creek near the spring and played until it was time to hit the road and return home. It is only 232 miles away and an easy trip. If gas prices were not so high we could enjoy this more often. OH yes, the spring is a spot that comes from a rock under a large old tree. Many years ago my grandfather put a pipe in the crack of the rock and the water has been flowing every since then. This was the only running water my mother ever knew for many years as well. They went to the spring to gather the water for the home then carried it back, UP HILL when the buckets were full.
So as a cute gesture G wanted to do the same She filled a 6 oz cup with spring water and walked all the way up the hill to the location of my mother's childhood home.
Here are some photos of our experience, including the walk up hill with a glass of water. LOL--
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| F plays with niece's dog |
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| coming back downstream |
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| f dresses a pioneer |
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| g dresses a pioneer |
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| THE HOMPLACE at LBL |
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| kitchen as I recall it at my great grandmother's at Tennessee |
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| Loom at THE HOMPLACE |
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| G and F meet Rose |
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| There is a spring at the bottom of this hill and the girls are carrying a glass of water up the hill like their Gram had to when she was little. HAHA next time they should try two full buckets. |
Thursday, July 21, 2011
History and Culture Lesson
So this will be my last entry until my trip is completed. (if you take the link at the end listing location you will find my heritage)
Next week we will head out to the homestead in Tennessee. It is a beautiful place and has remained in our family for five generations. I spent much of my childhood there. It has never had electricity, running water or any comfort items that I grew up with in my home. My mother was born there and even as late as 1950's she still did not have comforts that one would think of for the time.
There are two plots of land, one is almost 100 acres in the middle of the Tennessee Ridge and the other is 10 acres owned at one time by my grandfather and now shared with my mother, aunts and uncles. A clear creek called Hurricaine Creek flows through the middle and it includes an area called Cinder Ford and has an old Iron Ore Furnace on the land called the Eclipse Furnace. So much history sitting in one hollow. There is a spring that comes from a rock under a large tree, many years ago my grandfather put a pipe in it and that was the running water that my mother had. The water was about 1/4 mile from the house and when the bucket was full it was a steep walk back.
I know it all sound cliche' but it is real. She even attended a one room school house and was not permitted by culture to continue school during her sixth grade year as she came into her womanhood. NO JOKE!
I hear tell that there are still several families in the Appalachians like how she was raised.
So I am going with G and F to the family cemetery. We will meet with a cousin that I met two years ago via ancestry.com but this time she is bringing her mother. Her mother left the hard luck, hard life area a long, long time ago and did not return. She has not ever been the her grandparents graveside and does not recall how to get there. I am going to take her. She recently lost her husband of 66 yrs and now wants to return to home for one last visit. It is a bitter sweet moment.
In the meantime, we will all be enriched by this experience. I will take G and F along, they have been there once before. I also am going to stop at THE HOME PLACE along the Trace of the LBL area. It will be a learning opportunity for them. I will take them again to the area where Danville, TN use to be prior to the TVA flood and to the cemetery moved for the flood.
I will post pics if I get any good ones. I expect that the copperheads will be near the creek with this heat so rather than a lot of photo ops at the creek I will be on the look out and carry my "snake charmer". When I was a child my grt-grandmother had a snake dog named Tony that always went ahead of us. He always seemed to get them. No one lives on this land anymore so the pathways will not be well traveled.
I will put up the location on this post. THIS is my heritage!!!
Next week we will head out to the homestead in Tennessee. It is a beautiful place and has remained in our family for five generations. I spent much of my childhood there. It has never had electricity, running water or any comfort items that I grew up with in my home. My mother was born there and even as late as 1950's she still did not have comforts that one would think of for the time.
There are two plots of land, one is almost 100 acres in the middle of the Tennessee Ridge and the other is 10 acres owned at one time by my grandfather and now shared with my mother, aunts and uncles. A clear creek called Hurricaine Creek flows through the middle and it includes an area called Cinder Ford and has an old Iron Ore Furnace on the land called the Eclipse Furnace. So much history sitting in one hollow. There is a spring that comes from a rock under a large tree, many years ago my grandfather put a pipe in it and that was the running water that my mother had. The water was about 1/4 mile from the house and when the bucket was full it was a steep walk back.
I know it all sound cliche' but it is real. She even attended a one room school house and was not permitted by culture to continue school during her sixth grade year as she came into her womanhood. NO JOKE!
I hear tell that there are still several families in the Appalachians like how she was raised.
So I am going with G and F to the family cemetery. We will meet with a cousin that I met two years ago via ancestry.com but this time she is bringing her mother. Her mother left the hard luck, hard life area a long, long time ago and did not return. She has not ever been the her grandparents graveside and does not recall how to get there. I am going to take her. She recently lost her husband of 66 yrs and now wants to return to home for one last visit. It is a bitter sweet moment.
In the meantime, we will all be enriched by this experience. I will take G and F along, they have been there once before. I also am going to stop at THE HOME PLACE along the Trace of the LBL area. It will be a learning opportunity for them. I will take them again to the area where Danville, TN use to be prior to the TVA flood and to the cemetery moved for the flood.
I will post pics if I get any good ones. I expect that the copperheads will be near the creek with this heat so rather than a lot of photo ops at the creek I will be on the look out and carry my "snake charmer". When I was a child my grt-grandmother had a snake dog named Tony that always went ahead of us. He always seemed to get them. No one lives on this land anymore so the pathways will not be well traveled.
I will put up the location on this post. THIS is my heritage!!!
Fixin' tu get reddy
I just had to do it. I love hearing my Texas friends speak but wonder how in the world they ever teach their children phonics. Well, except for my friend Seresa, her phonics are clear yet I am not sure about her boys. :)
So yes indeed, I am getting ready for school I am awaiting the arrival of the curriculum but also looking forward to this Fall's Master's Lyceum (our co-ops group enrichment). Last spring I conducted a Curious George Rides a Bike lapbook class. It was filled right away with teachers children and many said they wanted to get in but it was full. So I will do it again this Fall and then offer it every other year. I am looking forward to two classes that another parent is conducting. She will have a Magic Treehouse book club and an Expedition Earth class. I know G will enjoy both of these classes, then she will continue ballet and art. However, G did voice an interest in the gymnastics so we will have to see how the schedule plans out. For F this semester I know that although she is young the Learning Centers program will really not be a challenge to her and I hope to get her into the FIAR program this year. This will be a good one for her for several years to come. G love FIAR but she will have so much to choose from and frankly we can do some good FIAR programs at home. The lapbook we did last year from Make Way for Duckling was very much a FIAR type of study.
I went through the math objectives listed on the ABeka web site and printed them out. You see, I have not been good about follow through with any summer lessons as I had thought. As it turns out we only missed three objectives which are shared objectives for second grade. Therefore, I must re-evaluate my teaching strategy a bit. It was very relaxed last year which was great but I also began making it the norm to begin closer to 10:00 a.m. This cannot continue as I have so much I want to get in and after lunch they are essentially done. So I am going to be firm about 8:30 start time, there is so much I want to do that can also be fun but when I get going to late it seems we just get in the required items for the day.
Kelley bought some great supplemental items this summer that will be here in mid August as well. I also think we will begin each day with a 5 minute exercise session. Get our blood pumping and the morning squirms out of the way.
They have a baby brother due December 3rd so we know we will have to be flexible. Kelley is doing good with this pregnancy, but this time she is also seeing a Perinatologist. Owen's beginning was a rough one but he hung in there and seems to be growing well now. It is possible that near the end I will loose my team teacher to bedrest as usual so I am preparing to manage on my own again.
I am so blessed to share in my grandchildren's education and daily life!
This year I am going to use the free version of Homeschool Tracker. Eventually I do think I will purchase the upgrade and use it to keep transcripts.
This will be a fabulous journey!!!!!!!!!!
So yes indeed, I am getting ready for school I am awaiting the arrival of the curriculum but also looking forward to this Fall's Master's Lyceum (our co-ops group enrichment). Last spring I conducted a Curious George Rides a Bike lapbook class. It was filled right away with teachers children and many said they wanted to get in but it was full. So I will do it again this Fall and then offer it every other year. I am looking forward to two classes that another parent is conducting. She will have a Magic Treehouse book club and an Expedition Earth class. I know G will enjoy both of these classes, then she will continue ballet and art. However, G did voice an interest in the gymnastics so we will have to see how the schedule plans out. For F this semester I know that although she is young the Learning Centers program will really not be a challenge to her and I hope to get her into the FIAR program this year. This will be a good one for her for several years to come. G love FIAR but she will have so much to choose from and frankly we can do some good FIAR programs at home. The lapbook we did last year from Make Way for Duckling was very much a FIAR type of study.
I went through the math objectives listed on the ABeka web site and printed them out. You see, I have not been good about follow through with any summer lessons as I had thought. As it turns out we only missed three objectives which are shared objectives for second grade. Therefore, I must re-evaluate my teaching strategy a bit. It was very relaxed last year which was great but I also began making it the norm to begin closer to 10:00 a.m. This cannot continue as I have so much I want to get in and after lunch they are essentially done. So I am going to be firm about 8:30 start time, there is so much I want to do that can also be fun but when I get going to late it seems we just get in the required items for the day.
Kelley bought some great supplemental items this summer that will be here in mid August as well. I also think we will begin each day with a 5 minute exercise session. Get our blood pumping and the morning squirms out of the way.
They have a baby brother due December 3rd so we know we will have to be flexible. Kelley is doing good with this pregnancy, but this time she is also seeing a Perinatologist. Owen's beginning was a rough one but he hung in there and seems to be growing well now. It is possible that near the end I will loose my team teacher to bedrest as usual so I am preparing to manage on my own again.
I am so blessed to share in my grandchildren's education and daily life!
This year I am going to use the free version of Homeschool Tracker. Eventually I do think I will purchase the upgrade and use it to keep transcripts.
This will be a fabulous journey!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Time to prepare for the school year.
So we await the arrival of the new books and lesson plans in the next two weeks. Final payment is received!
I also have found that the co-op is gearing up for the Master's Lyceum program and they want the syllabus for the class I will teach already.
WOW the break felt short but then again we have been doing little things that teach all summer.
Nothing more to say for now.
I also have found that the co-op is gearing up for the Master's Lyceum program and they want the syllabus for the class I will teach already.
WOW the break felt short but then again we have been doing little things that teach all summer.
Nothing more to say for now.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Living with Great Danes
A moment away from my primary blog purpose:
I have been the owner of Great Danes for 22 years now. I enjoy other breeds but these gentle creatures are my favorite. I have a friend who loves Greyhounds and one who adores Beagles. I have owned other dogs and even until recently had a Rott with me for 9 years. But my last two Danes passed aways within the past 6 months. I had decided that I really did not want to start the pup routine again.
Then I accidentally came across a 2yr old Dane in a no kill shelter. She had be surrendered by her owners. Her story touched me and when I say her pictures I knew she was meant to be with me. This is not an easy decision as I also fear the possibility that my life is coming to a close and a commitment to a pet like a Dane is hard to make. Still, I made contact and she has been with me since June 24th now. She is beautiful, had I purchased her as a pup from the breeder her cost would have been no less than a grand and possibly more. So here are some pictures of Allie to enjoy. She has really filled my heart with so much joy and is a part of our family very quickly. It was like the love you have the moment you actually touch your baby, it was real, it was instant and it will be lasting forever.
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I have been the owner of Great Danes for 22 years now. I enjoy other breeds but these gentle creatures are my favorite. I have a friend who loves Greyhounds and one who adores Beagles. I have owned other dogs and even until recently had a Rott with me for 9 years. But my last two Danes passed aways within the past 6 months. I had decided that I really did not want to start the pup routine again.
Then I accidentally came across a 2yr old Dane in a no kill shelter. She had be surrendered by her owners. Her story touched me and when I say her pictures I knew she was meant to be with me. This is not an easy decision as I also fear the possibility that my life is coming to a close and a commitment to a pet like a Dane is hard to make. Still, I made contact and she has been with me since June 24th now. She is beautiful, had I purchased her as a pup from the breeder her cost would have been no less than a grand and possibly more. So here are some pictures of Allie to enjoy. She has really filled my heart with so much joy and is a part of our family very quickly. It was like the love you have the moment you actually touch your baby, it was real, it was instant and it will be lasting forever.
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