A Family that Knows How to Have Fun!

 

I believe that part of the joy of homeschooling is the ability to find more fun within the moments of your life.  As grandma, I honestly feel that creating fun is a special gift. Here are some pictures taken for a fun photo shoot they did.  Kelley and her friend like to play around with photography ideas and this is one of my favorites. 

 

The thought bubble says: "There is no hope for me! I am surrounded by fools."

 Tossing paint around can clearly be fun and a great photo shoot. Try it sometime!

Post that I should have made but didn't do until now.....

So I really need to buckle down and do more real school.  At least that is what I tell myself then I look back at some pictures sitting on the camera card and see that we have been doing lots of school even if we aren't at home.

I have mentioned the St. Louis History Museum before and they have attended a program on the Civil War in Missouri and St. Louis stance as well.  They also attended a great presentation on George Washington.  Here are a few pictures of those moment.

I have more to post from the past year but here are a few from just one half day at the museum curing the Civil War program.  As I look at them I can see we indeed DID do school.

Geography Fair- Their country: Australia

Grace introduces herself and her sister. She then tells the audience of about 60-80 people that they had spend their Mondays learning about Australia. They cannot show everything they learned but here are some of their favorite things.



This girl has come SOoooo far.  It has taken use three years to get back the child that we rescued from the public school system (after only one year there).  She was happy and not frightened at all to make the presentation.



Showing Ayers Rock and Alice Springs

 Grace tells about a photo she found on the Internet. It is a picture of the Great Barrier Reef from a space satellite.

 

 Displays her rock art.

 

 Here Faith explains dot art and the art she did.

 

 Faith explains about the didgeridoo.

She tells them how it is made, who would use it and that to make music with it you blow raspberries with your lips, like this.....

 

 

Finally, they end with a demonstration of the didgeridoo.

 

It was a great night and all the children did so well telling about what they had learned. They took a lot of pride in their display.  Of course, in homeschool there are no funds for awards like they give in the public school but it does keep all on an even field when it is all said and done. 

 

Interesting that Faith was not as outgoing and bubbly as she usually is when she faces such a large audience but she did very well as she told her portion of the presentation.

 

Not sure what we will do on our KTM now that the Australia project is completed.  Maybe some science experiments and some gardening skills.  Yes, that sounds like the plan!

 

 



Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.....

I recall Mr. Toad and his wild ride.  The title tends to fit the wild ride our family has been on.  In just the past four weeks I have been hospitalized and a slower than desired recovery, my mother (Grace and Faith's great-grandmother) then was hospitalized the following day and Kelley (their mom) needed some minor surgery but had to be put to sleep for it and had several days that she could not do much.

Education is never on the back burner however in a homeschooler's house.  Every opportunity possible small steps were taken that the girls continued to learn.  We have completed a long lesson plan about Australia and tomorrow they will also be able to present their project at a Geography Fair.  They are prepared and I will post pictures of the event. 

Their project board looks nice and they also have an Emu egg to sit on the table, their own original rock art to place on the table, and they each have a real didgeridoo to play as part of their presentation.  We will spend tomorrow preparing an Australian desert called Lamingtons for others to sample as well.  The also each did some dot art but that is on their display board.  I must say that they learned a lot that cannot possibly be put on display.

We are once again graphing our lion vs. lamb weather on a chart.  I think it may become a tradition at our school.  Faith has decided to stay forever in first grade.  I am not sure how that will work but I am sure I can give her second grade work and tell her she is in first grade all the way to high school.  She is such a funny child. 

On a personal note I am liberated by dancing to my own music in the homeschool world. So much has opened up to the girls with group activities once I do not limit myself to one single group that does not really fit our needs or values.  Let me tell you what they have done this past two months.

They have participated in several lessons that are prepared for the group at the Audubon Society at the Riverlands in West Alton, MO.  The lessons are spectacular and fun.  They have attended 3 classes at the Nature Institute in Godfrey, IL and have another one next week.  They are attending their St. Louis Zoo Homeschool Classes and have another one next week. They participated in the Civil War Homeschool Day at the St. Louis History Museum. They have archery lessons with a group of 18 other homeschooled children on Tuesday mornings and we have begun going out to lunch with some.  While we wait for the food I am teaching the children to play some card games while the mothers visit. Last week we had two of those trips back to back so we stayed in a hotel for the night and used the pool.  (It was easier for me since I have been ill to do that instead of trying to take the long drive back and forth).  It was a great way to treat cabin fever as well.  They have special class in two days as part of the Missouri Botanical Garden's outreach program called Butterfly Class but it will include other insects, craft time and experiments.  Then next week there is another special program they will attend by the local storm chasers.  They will learn about Weather Safety and extreme weather as well and do some experiments and get the opportunity to visit the storm chaser vehicles and  the equipment.

It is difficult to get in "regular learning" sometimes.  I feel spring just around the corner but we have had some level of snow or ice for weeks now.  My daffodils bloomed last week but got covered with snow.  Not having the energy to do anything about it I just let nature do what it does. 

On a final note: Girl Scout Cookies have arrived and I am so thankful that I had lots of help to get them all loaded, and unloaded, the divided for each girl. Most of all I am thankful that I do not have any cookies to deliver and I defer that tasks to parents.  Now to gather the money in two weeks, pay the bill and be finished with that stress for another year.  My troop did well, they will have a profit of almost $600 to use over the next twelve months.  I know that sounds like a lot but it will likely barely be enough and to do a program that I would like to do it will put a dent only.  Fortunately, I had all ready purchased the basic needs items myself.

So much more than I would have ever imagined:

I would have never imagined that homeschooling my grandchildren would enrich my life as much as I had hoped it would theirs. So many tell me that they could never do it, they tell me how they would end killing their kids.  In truth I am sure that homeschool strenghtens a family.  You do have to think more about how you talk with the children during school time.  I  try to recall how perfect  I want a teacher to handle them and try to reach half of that goal.  Of course there is sibling struggles but overall they seek each other to play and seek me to experience life with as well.

I had considered changing the picture on the top of the page but find  it is a reminder of how long we are doing this.  The girls have changed so much, not just grown but blooming into wonderful people.  I could not be more pleased with the progress of our school. 

There are a few regrets.  I know them but do not  drag the blog to the mud.  We find that we no longer do things with our usual co-op but have a great network either way. As an extension to our learning both girls are active in local girl scouts with Kelley being the leader for Grace and myself for Faith's troop.   I know many do not agree with scouts but we like the program and being leaders can be sure that we use the program as it fits our demographic needs.


OK SO I CREATED THIS POST WEEKS AGO BUT IT DID NOT PLUBLISH SO GONNA DO IT NOW AND THEN GO MAKE A NEW POST

Welcome 2013

Again I have a failure to meet my deadlines.  I wanted the new school house to be ready on January 3rd but it is a job I cannot do alone and do not seem to have motivated people to help me. 

OH well, guess we will move on with welcoming in the New Year with a few friends at the house with a beautiful, heavy, wet snow coming down.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Only 24 Hours in a Day?

I think I need more.  Not really, it all manages to get done and I am exhausted by 6pm every night so I am not sure I would want more hours.  I could use a double that can help to get more done but then I am afraid I will not really feel the experience if my double was to be the one in the experience.  Gee, the thoughts could go on and on.

We continue to make progress in our learning.  I think that I do not always see it as it is so often small, subtle steps that are easily overlooked.  Specific to both girls are map skills and a continuation of the Continent of Australia.  We will begin the lapbook creation of this study next Monday. 

Our KTM (kitchen table Monday) has turned into a bit of Grandma's bed Monday as well. Guess we can call it GBM in the middle of KTM.  Our lessons on the continent of Australia were not fully met to our needs in just a Hands of a Child lesson, so we have library books we are using as well.  Those are best experienced within our GBM portion of the day.

We are gearing up for Christmas!  The house remodel all completed has made my home beautiful this season.  I cannot begin to tell you the comfort of my home now. 

Owen has begun hanging around for portions of our day. Here is a picture of the little guy, poor thing, as Faith placed him on a toy bin to sit and not disturb her important work.  Her work began as some clock drawings but while my back was turned changed into some Alice in Wonderland style of clock art.

I also have been tending to the newest grandson, Graham, as his parents have headed back to work.  This is only a short term thing, as they live 25 miles away and I have to pick him up at 5am then get him back to them when they get home.  I hate that they live so far from me but I am not a young chicken and don't think I could last long if he was here everyday along with the schooling kids.  I applaud you homeschool moms who teach and nurse at the same time.  I cannot imagine the distraction it would cause if this was an every day affair.

 

Besides the school agenda we are busy planning a huge Christmas Party for the Girl Scouts of our service unit.  It looks to be a lot of fun coming up.

 

So off I go, the girls will arrive any minute now and I need to get ready for school.