Another Magic House Monday

Within this children's museum is an interactive display that supports our recent lessons on Lewis and Clark.  I told the girls that since that is a topic we have recently studied I would like them to go there first today.  They knew exactly how to get there and they spent one hour in that area.

They dressed in period dress and did all of the activities including a few that they imagined on their own. Overall, it was once again a great experience. Following that area they went to the Magic Tree House area once again and enjoyed themselves very much. While Faith spent most of her time being Clara Barton, Grace spent her time a a Pilgrim and being Sara.  Eventually they made their way to the other story area but did not go through the rest of the museum this time.  They were very focused in the quality of the experience. 

It seems that Grace wants to learn more about Egypt and Faith wants to learn more about penguins so just as I had been anticipating the girls lessons are beginning to separate according to interest and learning ability.

As usual my camera is out in the car so I will post pictures of today's activity tomorrow.

We enjoyed a lunch with friends as well. I sure wish that we did not live so far away from each other but then again we are both so busy with our own home school schedule that even if we lived down the road it probably wouldn't be much different.

On a side note the girls got a good Samaritan lesson today. On our way home a man was a hit and run victim on the interstate and I did CPR until EMS arrived.  I do not think he was going to live but I had to try anyway.  Poor Grace was upset by the blood that I got on my clothes and hands.  Sometimes you cannot shelter them from all of life but there was one lady there that did a great job at talking to the girls and distracting them from watching me.  So they did not see a lot and a few others went ahead and stood right behind me to help shelter the girls from seeing the horrible sight.  I cannot believe that someone would drive away from such a terrible accident. Let's face it, no one expects a person to be in the middle of an interstate so an accident is just that, an accident.

Oh yes, we also decorated the boxes for the valentine exchange with the coop.  I call it a good day.

Can I keep the momentum going?

It has been a very eventful and progressive learning environment at the Geralds Learning Academy.  There are eager learners and a teacher who is on a roll.  Now that it has calmed down again the girls are easily focused on what needs to get done.  So what have we done in the past two days?

Since Monday was Chinese New Year we stayed true to the theme of our studies and did not have our KTM (Kitchen Table Monday) activity. KTM usually involves lots of cutting and we could not use knives or scissors so I had to do something else. My mind wondered what sounded like a spur of the moment field trip and I chose the eagle watching along the Mississippi River around Alton and Grafton, Illinois.  As we drove that way the girls caught a glimpse of the Arch. At the same time the asked me if we could go to the Arch instead.  It did not take me but half of a second to reply "yes".  Eagle watching was going to be a cold event and a long drive to reach our destination. We got a later start as I am dragging on Monday's and the Arch was only ten minutes away from us at the time. 

I know that God intervened in our day as it was a much better choice considering our class time lessons. We have been reading and discussing the move to the west. It was rather light hearted as it was intended to be the first introduction to the topic.  For those who do not know this, you enter the Arch underground and there is a large museum, two shops, and three theatres in that area. The museum is called The Great Westward Expansion Museum.  Lets face it, there were very few people there this time of year. We attended the National Geographic movie about Lewis and Clark. We meandered through the museum viewing wagons, buffalo, bear, yokes, peace medals, typical prairie home layout, and a replica of the wharf of St. Louis where supplies were bought. That is only a small list of what they experienced.  Best of all, it was all  about things we have been learning about in class.

Following the museum experience we continued on with our Chinese New Year celebration by eating lunch at a Chinese Buffet.  The girls were bothered by the fact that the ladies had to work on their holiday.  We did have a discussion of how many times ones culture begins to blend with another when they leave their homeland. But wait, there's more.....they recalled the lesson when the pilgrims first went to Holland and left because of the influence on their children and the Indians and pilgrims who realized their children were influenced by one another and the changes that took place.  OH YES!  It appears we have begun to understand sociological impacts. 

Our class is decorated for the Chinese New Year as well and they made a dragon puppet yesterday. G played with the puppet in front of the new baby and realized he liked it a lot. It was brightly colored with yellows, reds, blues, and other unknown blends.  It also was capable of a variety of motions. 

I feel so blessed to have such rich experiences with my grandchildren. K is ready to return to teaching, so she says, but I find she is still so busy with the business of a newborn, busy house, and grabbing some sleep that I think she should relax and enjoy the fact that her mother is handling it.  Well, that just sounds silly!  She knows we are having a blast and knows she is missing out on the little things that are happening.  She wants to be a part, even if it means a little bit dirtier house or a little less sleep. I do wish she would nap a bit when the baby does but she keeps pushing through each day without a nap.  I do not know how she does it but so many other mothers of many do.  Me?  Well, I spread my simple two children out by six years which is so much different that her experience.

We did hear a little about our Master's Lyceum this semester.  It will be at a different location and will begin MAYBE Feb. 17th.  This is driving me crazy as I hate last minute plans. I love spur of the moment activities but this is too big of an event to have so much dangling this late in the game.  The schedule has not yet been released since they just got the approval for the new location.  I look forward to the semester to teach the classes I have planned. I have heard from several parents who plan to participate if the schedule permits. Sometimes there are ongoing classes that get scheduled at the same time so a choice has to be made.

Well this is a long enough post for now.  I hope others are feeling the winter revival that we are experiencing.

My Perfect Day

Today we took a hike in our vastly wooded area next door. My neighbor is the Kaskaskia Fish and Wildlife Area. What a good neighbor they are as I have access to a wealth of nature resources to share with the girls.

The leaves are perfect, the weather was perfect and so off we were. I had the day off from my job because we did not have enough patients in the ICU. On our hike we found owl pellets that we explored, mussel shells, newly fallen trees that have created a terrific tree house and jungle gym, fresh kill of some feathered critter with some scattered fresh remains, beaver signs, animal tracks, somebody's deer stand, camouflaged tree frog, and great examples of hitch-hike seeds.

I love where we live. Life experiences are great especially when you have curious and eager learners at hand. It was not a school day but the way the girls were into things you sure would think it was. The told me all I would want to know about so many things that my mind is still spinning. Every day is an opportunity to make new memories with them and I am lucky to have made many today.

Each girl made me a fall time sensory box today.  It is filled with pine cones, pecans, acorns, pine needles, moss, drying leaves that crunch small branches with tiny red berries but they caution me not to eat it.  I am so lucky to have such excellent teachers.

One week later...

Last time I  posted was one week ago. Not a big deal but funny because I last commented that I need to post often or risk forgetting or creating too long of a post.

Yesterday was Magic House Monday and the girls enjoyed the experience as always. We met a new family last week that homeschools and went apple picking. That was a huge success. The family has girls of similar age and everyone got along terrific. I see future gatherings with this crew.  We got back into the classroom and got some traditional lessons again. We went to the Dolphin Tales movie with our SCCCHE co-op.

F is still a sound it out slow reader but is reading. She does very very good at her phonic testing. G is still frustrated with math but is very capable, thinking of taking her to Sylvan to evaluate this process for us and maybe get her some help and build her confidence.

So that is how things are here in a nutshell and gotta run again.

First day of the semester at our enrichment program

So today will be the first day of group classes.  We will do this every Friday for ten weeks.  G and F will participate in several learning opportunities and gather with others while I will monitor two classes to promote good behavior and teach two classes. 

I want to take a moment to tell all about it and how it went. I know I will be too exhausted to write in the blog at the end of the day and of course I work my job on Saturdays and Sundays.

We got to bed later than desired the night before so I woke very tired and needing to prepare our sandwiches for the day as I generously offered to help. I began this blog then at 0550 to tell you now while I am at my most rested point. 

Guess what, this does not work!!!  (haha) You cannot blog about an event before you are exhausted by the event; but wouldn't it be nice to have a crystal ball sometimes? SO off to the showers with me so that I am at the girls home in one hour.

More than what is learned in a classroom

This past week the television has not been on. We, as on extended family, have been getting the house in order. Not my house but the house that G and F live in. It took all of us but everything is in its place. Well almost everything, we have a clean learning area but the items in that area need to be arranged for the new year. I let G and F know right away that we needed and expected their help. I gave them the excuse that K is pregnant and I am getting too old to crawl along the floor picking up things but then I also told them that they really need to take on the accountability in the family to help "make it go".

They really seemed to take on the teachings this week and did not complain about what needed to be done. When we reached their toy area I sat back and gave direction on how to manage and clean the area. They need that right now, we all understand how it is when you look at a task and are not sure where to begin.  I hope that this is an ongoing thing. I believe that one other advantage to home education is that it is more about developing a complete independent effective adult. To do that you include them into the daily grind of homemaking, you take the extra minute it takes for them to help pay for an item at the store, you cover a grocery list and assess the needs of the household, you develop a menu together, you fold laundry and put the items where they belong.  This is an area that I know I failed as a mother. I went to work, gave them everything and expected nothing. WOW, let me tell you that it has shown in both of my adult children.

My own children learned much outside of their brick and mortar school as we were an active household. But it is only in the last two years that my 30 yr old son is taking full responsibility of his life. K, the mother to G and F is 24 yrs old and she is a great mom but it is only because she is now a SAHM that she is managing the homemaker skills. I just did not include them on a daily basis and so it was their disadvantage as an adult.

Last night my son took the time to teach G how to ride her bike without training wheels. She should have had them off before now but was too afraid. So, she did not ride her bike much as she did not find it a lot of  fun anymore. Of course, training wheels slow down a person of her age and size. Uncle D was wonderful, she was on her own in no time and then he taught her how to lean into a turn and get started on her own. She was so proud of herself, and told me that she did not know riding a bike could be so much fun.

Overall it has been a week of valuable lessons even though our structured lessons do not begin until next week.

OH, I almost forgot......... I got  the co-op email last night and they announce a group movie that include a 67 page lesson plan. It is a true story called DOLPHIN TALE.  We are looking forward to this. Even Grandpa wants to go.

They now actively learn!!

This has been our first year of home school.  It use to be that we went to museum activities and the kiddos would bounce from exhibit to exhibit thinking...wow that is cool.  Sure they were a bit younger, but I recall doing the same thing as a child and my own children doing it too.

In one year time, each child has become and active learner.  We, the teachers, turn on our teaching mode I guess and they stop and each exhibit and want to read about it, want to interact with it. 

We went to the St. Louis Zoo yesterday. Our zoo is still free to attend but they do have some exhibits or activities that have a fee. This Spring I joined the zoo as a grandparent member. It permits many activity tickets and makes the $12 parking free six times during the year. By the time I use all the benefits it more than pays for itself in a year.

The St. Louis Zoo is known world wide for its exhibits and conservation activities. The last lesson we did in science class was about insects. They have a great insectarium and butterfly house. The girls seems to enjoy it so much more after learning a little about insects. We also attended a sea lion show and now G is thrilled with them. I expect her to want to learn more about them.

The zoo is upgrading the outdoor exhibit for the sea lions and we are excited to see its final opening. They are also expanding the elephant area but the trees must first mature in the area or the elephants will pull them out of the ground. The St. Louis Zoo is built on the site of the 1904 Worlds Fair and several buildings are still original to that. There is also a display about the beginning of this zoo and the fair. The girls seemed to enjoy that as well.

I hope soon the do something different with their bear area as it is very, very old and not much like their real habitat at all. This zoo has really been busy making things more habitat like for the animals.

If you ever get the opportunity to check out the St. Louis sights be sure to add this one your list. It opens at 8 a.m. and if you get there in the first hour of opening you can go to the stingray cove to pet the stingrays for free, after that there is a fee. Unless you plan to do the zoo from 8-5 you will need to do it in two days. We tend to get there about 10am and leave before the traffic is heavy at 3:30pm and we cannot do the entire zoo in that time.

Should you ever plan a trip to St. Louis let me know, I have lived just across the river all my life. I recall the building of the Arch.  BTW did you know that there is a museum under the Arch all about the Westward Expansion.  So many things local to us. Now I am a bit further out so it takes me about 40 minutes to get there. Next to the Arch is a historic Cathedral with tours as well and the entire St. Louis riverfront is an architecture dream.

BACK to my topic.  Home school has changed us. We are becoming more natural teachers and they have become active learners.
Today begins the summer reading program at the library. Funny how summer vacation is not all about play but they still feel like it is.

Ta Ta for now.

Missed Wordless Wednesday so here is Photo Friday

Preparing the girls to take me seriously

Today they asked if we could begin school yet?  This is two days in a row.  I know I am not ready but thought that perhaps their eagerness should be my guide.  After all, they will have to take this grandmother more serious and pay attention when I begin to teach them on purpose.

I do so much every day with them that is a guide and teaching experience but that is life and love learning, not purposeful learning.

SO I told them that although it is not yet school time we will practice our listening skills, our cooperation and sharing of things and my attention and we will begin learning to relax during our practice school time.

We gathered at the table with some water colors. F needed one on one attention to begin this task and G was praised on her patience while I worked with F.

[caption id="attachment_83" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="Just one of the painting in a calm listening environment"][/caption]

  We all purposefully relaxed during this time and found that within only a few minutes the entire room was calm and attention was so good that I felt joyful deep inside.

Right now it is so peaceful as they use the water colors that I think I could nap.  And just as I expected. G is now teaching F about primary colors and what colors mixed together will make more colors.