Pokemon Math

I am feeling quite pleased with myself. I have been trying to figure out how to use Pokemon as a teaching tool and I think I have done it. I had Jason sort his cards and remove all but the Pokemon cards themselves. We then played WAR with the face cards using the hit points as the value. At the end of the game, I had Jason sort the cards by value. He then multiplied the face value by the number of such cards and added all of those together to achieve the final value of the hand. I did the same and the higher number 'won' the game. How is that for creative thinking!!!:>

The reprecussions of Home Schooling

Okay


Now, for those who are unfamiliar with the art and practice of home schooling, let me explain that there are many many different approachs and philosophies. We are what one might term 'eclectic unschoolers'. Unschoolers are folks who follow the advice given by John Holt, one of the earliest advocates of home schooling and an ex-Public school teacher who specialized in teaching reading. Holt argued that it was the structure used in schools, as well as the 'one size fits all' mentality that causes many of the 'learning problems' in schools. Holt argued for 'child led' learning, in which children choose their interests and parents supply the materials they need. This, Holt argued, would allow children to retain the joy and excitement of learning -- and with a little creativity, parents can make sure that kids meet state 'learning standards.' Holt believed that children, by nature curious, often learnt faster and better when their interests drove them.


The eclectic part comes from a variety of other philosophies which I have grafted on: (1) Charlotte Mason was a 19th century educational reformer. Like Holt, she believed that learning should not be forced, that children learn best what interests them. She advocated the 15 minute lesson -- unless the child was fascinated by the topic in which case she suggested that they be allowed to indulge their interest to its fullest extent. She argued for the need for 'nature study' and for the use of what she called 'living books' as opposed to 'twaddle.' Into the latter category, she placed such items as the McGuffy readers, and 'dumbed down' versions of classic literature. For the harder books, she suggested that parents read to the children until they could read them themselves. She also included the idea of narration for early readers -- having the children explain what they had heard/read in their own words, first in the spoken form and then later in the written form. She believed that one understood better if one could process ideas in one's own words. There are many other aspects of her philosophy but these are amongst the most central. (2)Classical -- this approach argues for the inclusion of latin and greek and for the study of classics. It argues for the use of copy work -- also an element in CM -- having children practice handwriting skills by copying actual sayings/writings of classical authors. Poetry too is included in the classical method of study. The Classical method is rather more rigid in its scheduling than CM and much more so than unschooling but there are aspects of it that fit well with my own preferences and beliefs so we include portions of the approach in our 'school'. (3)Core Knowledge -- this is the most modern of the approachs, deriving from the idea of academic standards of learning. The CK approach presumes that there is a body of knowledge that children must encounter in order to be comfortable/productive in their own particular society. This last approach I include mainly because of testing needs -- children unfamiliar with these standards might well find themselves in trouble should they ever have to deal with the PS education system. It is also one of the most pre-programed of the approaches which makes it an easy fall back for those times when I am too tired or sick to create my own curriculum.:>


Now why the mini-diss on approaches used? Well, I was thinking about how children learn -- and this because of both boys. Jason is learning to spell but NOT using standard spelling approaches. He is interested in writing -- stories, poems, signs etc. When he wants to spell something, he asks me. Usually, unless the word is hard to figure (like 'wear') I help him sound it out. He is quite remarkably good -- I suspect in part because he reads so much that he has seen the words he wants many times over and just needs a little reminding to see them in his mind.


Well, here is the latest news on that front: Xander, who LOVES letters and numbers and the writing of them, has picked up Jason's habit. Just a short time ago, he decided that he wanted to write the word 'Stolen' so he asked me how to spell it! It was really rather funny to watch him, pad in hand, writing out the word 'stolen' but he did it. Turns out he was creating a story about some robbers who were running around stealing letters...


At the moment, Jason is very kindly reading to his little brother. This is included in his 'schooling' as I believe that reading out loud is helpful in many many ways. So while I write this and handle 'business' matters, Jason is doing some 'home work'.


Enough for now. I am going to include a picture of the chyrsalis that we found on Tom's cherry tree. We collected it in a glass jar and watched it over days.



We all made guesses as to what it might be. In the end, it turned out to be.....

A lady bug!!!! How wonderful. I had never thought about it before but it is lovely to think that ladybugs are living on Tom's cherry tree.

Some new stories -- September 2008

Sigh, it has been awhile. I shall try to do better at keeping up with this blog but life has a way of challenging my time management skills.

Where to begin? Well, Jason is 7 now and in March will be 8. That, in the HS world 0f Washington state, means that I need to start thinking about submitting a DOI. I actually have the thing written and printed. I will need to submit it the first term that he is 8. I am thinking that that probably means Spring Term. Hmmm...

Now, thinking about this, and about the fact that with the submission of the DOI comes the requirement that Jason have yearly assessments of his progress done, I went ahead and did some home 'assessments' using ones I found on the web. His math skills need work, not a surprise, but his reading? According to the San Diego assessment, he is reading at the 11th grade level. His vocabulary and comprehension are truly impressive. The words whose pronunciation and meanings he stumbled over are ones that many adults would miss. What most impressed me, however, was his understanding of word meanings and his ability to communicate those.

And then there is Xander -- he really wants to learn to read, for the same reason that Jason started reading independently, he is tired of waiting on other peoples' convenience. So we are going to work through the 'Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons' and see how that works.

Last night we read some books on Ancient Greece for part of our bedtime reading. The first book, count your way through Greece, sparked all sorts of interest. So... we are going to make Greek food Sunday night, boys are going to help. They want to make bahklava. We will see on that one!

I did find instructions on how to make Rose Water, a primary ingredient in the recipe and darned expensive if one was to buy it. That would be fun -- and a good lesson in condensation as well. Think I will see if I can find all the bits for it.

And then there are the Art projects -- Xander saw the pictures of Ancient Greek Metal work and decided that that was what he wanted to do. So I told him that we would flatten and stretch some coke cans and he and Jason and I can tap designs in them. He, of course, wants to build the Tin Woodman out of the cans. That is a little advanced for any of us at the moment... And then there are the Greek Red/Black Vases. I told the boys that we would make our own clay, create the vases, fire and paint them. Now I have to come through. Looks like a trip to the Art supply store is in order -- we need to get paints and I need to locate some flourescent fabric paint (white) for Xander's Halloween Costume. (He has decided to go as a Ghost Pirate Skeleton...)

Another thing that came out of reading the book was... skeletons. Yep. The book was talking about the two major industries in the Greek Islands, fishing and sponge collecting. The first is in trouble because of over-fishing and pollution but the second is a growth industry. Bad news for the sponges. However, the book also mentioned that sponges are the skeletons of Marine animals and so I found myself promising the littlest one that we would find some/buy them, and compare them with cellophane sponges as a 'science' experiment. Hmmm... the things I get myself into!

Okay, enough for this update. Will write more tomorrow.

Fish Lips

May 14, 2008

Timing is everything -- and children know timing! Classic example was the other day in the car -- the adults were all feeling tense. All of a sudden, into the vibrating silence we hear Xander say reflectively 'I think now is a good time for Fish Lips' -- I glance back from the passenger front seat and sure enough, there he is, making 'Fish Lips'. We all cracked up. Sigh.

So... I had surgery on my left knee on April 28th. Mom very kindly came down to stay for a month to help us. It has been hard -- the house is small and everyone has been trying to adjust to new routines. I have been chafing at the bit: my knee hurts and I cannot bend it. I cannot run and when I trip or turn the wrong way, I scream. I feel badly for my family, having to go through this frustrating time with me but I am very grateful that they are here to do so... selfish, hmm?

MEANWHILE... Little league -- yeah, I am coaching Jason's Little League team -- continues. The Blue Jays are doing better all the time. Our next game has had to be rescheduled because the other team isn't (there is a shindig at one of the elementary schools and most of the team will be at that) so they won't have BB this week. I know that the boys will be disappointed but it might be okay. We will have to see. I know that it won't hurt my knee to have more recovery time!

Hmmm.... and on Friday we will drive to Oregon for Ian and Grace's daughter, Abbey's, graduation from Pacific University. We had hoped that Matt and his gang would make it too but they have decided, reasonably enough, that since they wouldn't get to see much of Ian et al, they will save their money and plan to go to Hawaii next year. As it turns out, Tom has been traveling to Singapore enough recently that with his next trip in June, he will have enough frequent flyer miles to get four tickets to Hawaii... so now all I have to do is to budget for a hotel and car and food etc and then coordinate dates with Matt's family. Yikes!

I need to sit down and catch up on my posting. Seems like time is once again getting away from me. But in the meanwhile, remember -- 'Tense Times call for Fish Lips'!

Ah, from the mouths of babes

Sometimes -- no, much of the time, my children stun me. What I find most amusing, however, is when they do something to amaze others. The classic moment with Jason was when, at three, he told Jeff Brewer 'Now we must do something truly difficult -- we must walk the stone path of destiny.'

Xander has done it now too. The other day, while I was off with Jason at a Cub Scouts trip, Xander stayed at home here with his Nonna Donna. They were having a conversation when suddenly he looked at her and said 'Now, let us reflect on this: It is an interesting idea but you are wrong.' She was floored. Grin. When I heard the story, I just cracked up.

What is it about three year old children or is it just my three year olds? Perhaps it is because the statements they make are so adult -- and they are so definately NOT!

Newest mad moments

Sigh, it is really too early in the morning for this. I just clicked to the fact that our clock in the bedroom is set 1/2 an hour early. That means when we get up at '4 am' we are really getting up at 3:30! No wonder the coffee pot hasn't turned on yet...

Anyway, though I am wiped out and want nothing more than to return to bed and sleep, I figure I should use this quiet time to get something written here, there having been so many things that have happened recently.

First, a Xander story: I was talking with Tom the other night about having mercifully repressed the deaths of some of my animal friends. Xander, who listens even when you think he is not, suddenly piped up:
'When I was this (holding fingers barely a pinch apart) big, I had a pet that died.'
We looked at him, as deer look into headlights. 'Hmmm?'
'Yes. My pet cucumber.'
'What?!' with a choke.
' My Pet cucumber' he explained, 'She was a dog, and she liked cats and children. But...' he trailed off sadly, 'she died of alamonia.'
So now, I was caught. 'Alamonia'
'Yeah' he said 'Like in Hank'
(He is referring here to the 'Hank the Cowdog' series of books)
'Ah,' I said, light dawning, 'you mean Pneumonia!'
Tom, who had been listening to this interplay, couldn't resist 'What is so New about it? Its
been around for centuries!'
Xander looked from Tom to me, waiting an explanation.
I threw Tom a stifling glare and said 'Pneumonia is the illness, love. Alimony is something
else entirely.'
Xander, who can be VERY interested in words, decided not to pursue this particular line of thought, thank heavens and instead decided to expand on his 'Pet Cucumber' stories.

Flash forward: I take Jason to baseball practice. When we get home, Tom informs me that he and Xander had had a conversation about his ex-dog and that the dog's name was actually 'cucumber' but Xander called her 'Pet Cucumber' for short....
___________________________________________

In other news, Jason has decided to start writing poetry, again. There is a poetry contest through the local library system. People submit poems, they are judged and then, in May, there is a 'Poetry Coffee House' where people come and read their poetry to an audience. So now we are going to have a mini unit on poetry for the next week -- with lots of readings of poetry -- and Jason is going to keep a poetry notebook. When he has a satisfactory collection, he will select from amongst it and we will submit it. Should be an interesting process. Thank heavens for the electric typewriter. It makes it much easier for Jason to write.

There is also a book writing contest called 'Written and Illustrated by...' We have read a few of the books from the series and, in fact, one of Jason and Xander's favorite authors, Dav Pilkey, was one of the early winners. So I guess we are submitting for that as well!

All this writing and creative output comes on top of all of Jason's other activities: He is playing Little League (with me as coach), he is taking Tae Kwon Doe two days a week, he is in Tiger scouts every Tuesday, Swimming TTH, we have Earth Scouts once a month and Legos club twice a month. Man, I am getting exhausted just thinking about it all.

Little League Coaching

Occasionally I am overcome with bouts of complete insanity. That must've been the case when I signed up to coach Jason's little league team -- 13 seven and eight year old boys! Tom, thank heavens, can take Xander off, most of the time because he has announced that HE should be on the field as well...

So here I am. We have had two practices and we have more this month -- every weekend day and a couple of weekdays. Then games start on the 31st and run through the middle of June. Jason should be getting enough exercise though -- swimming starts today and he wants to take Martial Arts as well which are TTH and Saturday. (The nice thing about the Saturday class is that Tom can take it with him!)

Oh heavens! Wish us all luck! I am still sore from two days of running with/after little boys for an hour and a half each day. My one hope is that I may actually lose weight -- and do it without further injuring my knee... Well, my biggest hope is that Jason and the other boys enjoy playing:>

A Roman Vignette

Okay, so there I was, sitting on the couch doing schoolwork. Out of the hall marches Jason. He is swathed in scarves. He stops and poses before me smiling. I blink. 'I am a Roman Senator' he announces and marches off back down the hall. Then here comes Xander, also swathed in scarves. 'I am a Roman Senator too!'

'I guessed' I replied, 'What is your name?'

'Julius Ceasar' and off he marches.

I sit there blinking. Here comes Jason. He looks sad.

'I need a name too!' he tells me.

'Umm... how about Cicero?' (Now WHY did I suggest that?!)

Sunshine fills his face. 'CICERO! YEA!' and off he goes.

That evening, I tell Tom the story. He looks at me solemnly.

'Didn't Ceasar conquer Egypt too?'

' Well, yeah, I guess, sort of' I respond decisively.

He walks away, shaking his head and muttering 'This is getting spooky!'

Arizona Trip and Aftermath

February 22, 2008

Wow! It has been awhile since I wrote -- and so much has happened in the interim. Course since no one save me reads this thing, I don't suppose it matters much:>

Anyway, let me see:

We left for Arizona on Feb 7. Just days before Jason had woken with ear pain and when we took him to see the doc, it turned out that he had dual ear infections going. Now the current thinking is that one should leave ear infections alone but I said 'No, we are getting on a plane in a couple of days and I KNOW what can result from burst ear drums. No.' So the nurse practitioner put him on antibiotics. She also checked Xander's ears at the time. They were clear.... then!

Well, Jason woke at 3:00 am on the morning we were to leave -- which was fine as we had to be at the airport by 5 am at the latest. We ended up having to wake poor Xander though. He recovered from that, however, given the excitement of a car ride in the dark, a ride on a bus, a train and then a plane. Actually, by that point, he was close to ecstatic!

The flight was more or less uneventful. Jason and Tom spent it playing the DS and the Leapster L-Max. Xander spent it drawing. On the descent, however, I began to suspect that I had an ear infection -- and by the time we landed, I was sure of it. Ouch! On top of the discomfort, however, there was the fact that I was now deaf in my left ear. (Turns out, I still am!)

We picked up the rental car and our suitcases and drove to the hotel in Apache Junction. There was Mom, all primed and waiting. The boys, of course, did not fall asleep in the car as I had hoped so we told them that they had to rest for awhile before going out to the pool. Tom, Jason and Xander all fell asleep:> When they woke, several hours later, we dressed and went to the pool and everyone had quite a bit of fun. However, when we were getting out of the pool to go change for dinner, Xander began to complain of ear pain... and at dinner that night, he threw up. Sigh. He slept fairly well and the next day we went to the Ren Fest.

The weather was gorgeous, bright and sunny. We wandered at will -- Xander with me and Jason with Tom while Mom sort of wove in and out around us:> By noon, however, the littlest one was wearing out. Lots of noise and excitement. He declined the Joust -- was too tired and hungry so I left Tom and Jason to watch it and took Xander to find some food. Despite some miscommunications, we found each other in the end and were able to get everyone back to the car. Xander was asleep by the time we got to the hotel.

That night Xander woke complaining again of pain and this time, though it was Sunday morning at 2 am, I climbed in the car and drove until I found an all night Pharmacy. Got pain meds and decongestants and headed back. (Jason on Elepant)

The next morning, we got in the car and headed for Tucson. It was near lunch time when we got to the outskirts so we decided to stop at Tucson Mall and let the boys play at the playspace. That went well though Xander encountered a nasty 2 year old who went about pinching and pushing people. When his father was confronted with his behavior (for a second time) his response was that the other kids should've done it back. Gads! No wonder there are bullies in the world!

We ate lunch and headed to Mom's house. Once again, Xander was gone when we got there. He slept, poor tyke, and woke up fairly late -- but thrilled to be at G'ma Pat's. She is one of his most favorite people in the world. While we were in Tucson, he said 'I want to move here and live here. It has sunshine, warmth, and Gma Pat!' Such company my mother keeps!

We had a busy time -- the zoo, Old Tucson studios, the Desert Museum and an abortive trip to Urgent Care (never got seen) when I decided that I did not look forward to having both Xander and myself on a plane with ear infections. :? We even had a couple of not so busy days when what we did was go to the Bookstore and then to a nearby park. We saw Dad a couple of times but Joan was busy trying to arrange for her father's care and was unable to get away.

Then it was time to leave. Sigh. The good news was that we returned to sunshine, if somewhat colder weather. The bad news was that we left Gma behind and that Daddy had to go to work the next day.

And then, just to keep things even -- I got sicker. After some gentle nudging, I finally went to the Doctor on the 20th. He said that there was an ear infection and that it looked like, since it hadn't been treated, it had spread throughout my system. Oh, joy! So now I am on antibiotics -- Xander is too though in his case (Thank Heavens) the ear infection apparently cleared itself up and all he is battling at this point is a sinus infection! Gawk. And here I was thinking we'd dodged the winter bullet. No such luck, it seems.

Now we are home, the sun is still shining, the weather is still cold. I am deaf in my left ear and may have to tolerate that for a couple of months until the fluid behind the ear drum (if that is what is causing the deafness) gets reabsorbed. Xander is recovering with lots of sleep as is Jason and Tom, that iron man, is back to working late hours.

As it was, we messed up Tom's bday. I was sick and had a late doctor's appointment. We did get him a happy birthday banner and a cake but had to eat the cake the following night (late) because of how late we got home from the doctor's appt and dinner. And then, on Saturday we will go over to his parents' place for a small bday celebration. I pointed out that while it wasn't a great fantastic party -- it certainly is turning into a long one:> Sort of like most of our parties these days.

Update -- February 4

It is 5:53 am and here I am again, attempting to get some writing done before the crowds arise and the day begins.

Well, post ER... we all became sick. Tom slept, or at least, lay down, for most of the weekend. The rest of us went around feeling miserable -- me with a blazing headache and stopped up ears and the boys with sore throats, coughs and sneezles. The worst part for them, I think, was having sick parents. We weren't much fun, I know. Hopefully our 'lazy' days will ensure that we are healthy when we get on the plane on friday. MEANWHILE... I have a zillion things to do that didn't get done this weekend. Sigh. Isn't that always the case?

Nonetheless, I am happy to report that the boys are getting better and so am I. Tom, I worry about. He is still abed, still sleeping and plans to work from home today.