I Could Not Homeschool

Homeschoolers are familiar with comments from non-homeschool parents saying things like I could never do that  and You must be so patient  and things like this. Comments that suggest that homeschooling parents have talents and skills that other parents don't have. But I surmise that parents have come to believe that certain people should teach their children certain things and other people should teach their children other things.

The truth is, we've been kind of taught to believe that we are generally not qualified to teach our own children. The truth is, we're just out of practice. I ran across this meme today and had to run here to post it.

Give it some thought.

You CAN do it.

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The Kids Should See This

Do you or does your child always want to know HOW, WHAT, WHY?

This video is super interesting and I, particularly, LOVE factories with so many stations and whatnot. But, in addition to this video, PLEASE check out the main website called TheKidsShouldSeeThis. The site has THOUSANDS of videos of so many different subjects, from sciences to musics, to particles, to animation, to, well, you name it, with a special focus on STEAM—science, technology, engineering, art, and math! 

Created and developed by Rion Nakaya, a photoblogger-turned-design director that loves storytelling, sustainable tech, well-designed spaces, and wandering the halls of small science museums and science center...sound like someone else I know... Rion's many interests and works include practicing some of her interested by producing excellent videos for exhibits and projects for children's museums around the world. She created The Kids Should See This website in 2011 by bringing in videos from all over the webverse to create this amazing website for your kids! Rion's website is dedicated to kids and adults and seeks to inject the WOW  factor into learning in all facets!

The website is a true gem; it is fascinating and will occupy you and your kids for literally YEARS. My sincere THANKS to Rion for occupying my kids and ME for nearly nine years.  💗

Pass it on! 

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Rediscovering the Love of Homeschool

In the past week or so I've (still) been looking through old boxes and cleaning off my shelves. Many of the boxes contain our homeschool files from 2005 to now. I kept work from all disciplines in nicely organized folders.

*pats self on the back.

It is obvious that I don't need to keep all of these papers, but I have to keep some of them!!! The adorable early efforts at sentence writing, paragraphs, essays, stories, artwork, etc. Drawings of self and family and home. Doodles, attitude, and boredom. Some of these papers I would walk through a burning house for because they are a chronicle of the development of my children's identities. It's remarkable to see from this vantage point.

While looking through each file folder and reading page after page of the kids' work and page after page of my own notes, I feel like I've rediscovered a few things that I want to pass along to you if you are still in the early throes of homeschooling.

For example:

Doing lessons with kids is so much fun if you let it be. You truly don't have to struggle and stress about every little thing. You are in the process of teaching your children how to think, NOT what to think. You are teaching them that they may sometimes disagree with you, that they may stand alone at times and there is value in that, that learning/knowing more is FUN and feels amazing, that popular opinions aren't always the only options available, and you are teaching them that they have the ability and the responsibility to learn more, always more. They don't need to memorize state capitols and presidential dates. Learn the facts, yes, but learn the facts within the context of learning and thinking humans.

And there is math and science and art and music in every single day.

And you are teaching them that they can trust in you, trust in logic and reason, and ultimately trust in themselves. I recognize that it was my interactions with my kids that they took away from each lesson, in addition to the content of the lesson.

Did I leave them with:

You can do this, Momma, Dadda. You have the love, willingness, and heart that it takes to see your child as a unique individual with unique skills and challenges. Noone else can do this as well as you can with your child. Have patience with them. Have patience with yourself.

Tomorrow is another day.

Your thoughts on this?

Our Estate

So with Mom's very fast death, I've had alot on my mind. She was so ill and unable to breathe at the end there that her final breath was a real relief for her. It was painful to watch her trying to breath.

With my very pragmatic siblings making the decisions, Mom's house went on the market a few days later. And sold.

Suffice it to say, it has been alot to process in a very short amount of time; our heads are spinning.


In the meantime, as we are all being called on to figure out what to do with Mom's things, I started thinking about the things that Jerry and I own.  
Our estate. We truly have alot of shit. Closets, garage, basement, spare rooms, storage rooms... The thought of our kids going through our boxes of shit, looking at each other with quizzical looks, sniggering, pointing to the trash container, and rightfully pitching our shit has been keeping me up at night. I immediately got busy.

I've already emptied four boxes of papers into recycling.

In going through the many, many folders of homeschooling work from my kids, I've got a few reflections on the kids, their work, homeschooling...the works.

First, and I've been telling my kids this all week, the kids were amazing students! Their work was average, above average, exemplary. I was, again and again, amazed at their ability to do the work in their clever, determined, inimitable ways. Their individuality almost always shined through every page they were asked to write. I will probably never throw away the writings I asked them to do; I love the minds of my kids.

Second, I was a decent homeschooling mom. I devised clever ways to get my son to put pencil to paper. I created pretty cool unit studies that both engaged and informed the kids. When I look back at my work, of which there was ALOT, I'm impressed with myself. It's very clear that I gave their lessons a great deal of thought and generally had a method to my madness.

Third, I am convinced that the kids had a very good, comprehensive, and unique education and that they are both well and prepared for college and for life. 

Fourth, I loved homeschool and the kids have both told me again and again that they were very pleased with their education and with the homeschooling lifestyle. We wouldn't change a thing.

...and that's all quite a gift from one little estate.

The Ultimate Homeschool Co-op Idea List

homeschool blog

Are you involved in a homeschool co-op? If so you are probably required to offer a class or two each semester to the group. The idea of offering a class can be intimidating for some. Co-op classes are a wonderful way to share your skills and to benefit from the clever families around you. 

A Co-Op means, Co-operative… sharing your passions and learning about the passions about others…for free or cheap. Exchanging strength for strength. For example, our family is heavy into the hobby of astronomy so we have often offered observing nights to our homeschooling friends, while they offer their skills to us. I am also a book lover so I have offered many years worth of reading groups to the kids in our co-op.

If you are new to this form of sharing-the-love, you might be experiencing anxiety trying to think of something to offer your group. I know the fearful questions in your mind:  Do I have a skill? What am I qualified to teach? What can I do?

LOL…listen, I've been there.  
Fear not, for you have plenty to offer.

As you experience the homeschool lifestyle you will find it easier to think of things that interest you and that you wish to offer to your group. For now, here are a few ideas you might like to borrow, keeping in mind that your children might have ideas of their own because your kids probably have some great ideas about what types of activities they would love to share with their new friends.  

Homeschoolers are all about field trips so I'm sure your family has had their share of trips to the museums, parks, zoos, nature areas, theaters, libraries, and cultural events.  Field trips have the added bonus of being a one-time activity, though I generally offer a list of field trips and activities to our co op. Although I have created this list mostly from my brainstorming, I have also included wonderful ideas that I have seen or heard of through my own or other homeschool groups. 

The kids with astronaut Sandra Magnus

 Have you thought about some of these places:

Field Trips

• Trash pick up along the highway or in a special place
• Use the schedule of your town's public transportation and go tour your city
• Creek or pond exploration using Peterson's field guides and magnifying glasses
• Bird watching
• Insect discovery
• Fish
• Geocaching
• Caving
• Learning the rocks
• Answer phones for public television or other fund drive
• Attend hobby clubs offered in your city: rock clubs, robotics, astronomy, ham radio, rocketry, 
• Toastmasters
• Attend civic meetings and political rallies
• Go to the airport
• Tour of Public Transportation with Surprise destination
• Art Museum
• Visit a nursing home and/or day care center to sing or entertain or read
• Explore your library system, visit each branch in your town
• Mini golf, or create your own!
• TV/radio stations, newspaper tours
• Control tower at a small airport..very cool!
• Follow a creek and discuss how is oxbows, erodes, changes
• Tour industries
• Tour the local university or college
• Tour a local quarry, utility company, city hall, water treatment, lock and dam
• Arrange Shadowing opportunities with local business people
• Tour historic homes, cemeteries, architecture, statues and monuments, museums

My experience with unique field trips is that my children have become familiar with how our town functions, they follow local news, they get to know local politicians and officials, and they have a real sense of belonging. We have formed real attachments to the places that we have visited and we notice activities involving these places. Also I have found that many of these places are more than delighted to have interested visitors. 

ART

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Art work can be expensive, frugal, or absolutely free. Use the resources available to you within your homeschool co op to find others who are interested in exploring the arts and combine your talents and resources. A clever method of offering good co op classes is working with another family within the co op in order to offer the best of both of your resources! So double up with a friend and make the activity even easier to accomplish!

• Guitar singing in the round
• Clothing design
• Create a drama club
• Tie dying
• Architecture Tour
• Batik
• Woodworking
• Create a Game
• Embroidering
• Study of abstract art or artists
• Artist a Week study
• Sculpture Walk
• Create large scale art pieces
• Docent-led tour of local galleries
• Journal making
• Papermaking    
• Mendi, henna
• Gourd decorating
• Cake decorating
• Beading
• Film noir
• International film study
• Make a video
• Paint a room
• Weave
• Clean up lot or yard of someone in need
• Learn a Bollywood dance number
• Play dress up
• Dancing lessons with a big dance at the end, invite family and friends
• Photography
• Beginning instrument lessons
• Explore poetry types
• Sewing/knitting/crochet
• Knots
• One family we know has the kids paint their car!
• Finger painting
• Anime' class
• Anything with glitter or glue
• Study a film genre' or two
• Friendship bracelets
• Victory garden, from design to dinner
• Create a co op newsletter
• Create a co op logo
• Make greeting cards
• Sing campfire songs
• Telescopes
• Write a one act play and perform it
• Make soap
• Healthy cooking
• Create art out of discarded junk
• Nature crafts

Outside Activities

As long as the weather cooperates, taking the kids outdoors is one of the best benefits of homeschooling. Knowing that we are in the sun and fresh air is a great way to remember this is why we homeschool! Playing in parks is a great activity, but there are more creative and fun ways to use outdoor fun as a co op activity. Here are some fun, easy, and cheap or free ways to take your lessons out-of-doors:

• Create an obstacle course
• Clean up the park
• Archery
• Fitness Class
• Cooking over an open fire
• Cooking underground
• Map making
• Geocaching
• How early man lived, survival
• Hayride
• Yard games
• Fort building
• Build fairy houses
• Clean a favorite lot
• Horseback riding
• Volunteer to manage an elderly neighbor’s yard or garden
• Scavenger hunt nature items without removing them
• One wonderful mom that I know stages a full-on olympics!
• Bike riding and nature hikes
• Photographing architecture
• Photographing the letters of the alphabet
• Rocketry
• Gardening
• Team sports
• Jump rope games and rhymes
• Kite building and flying
• Tulip bulb planting
• Water play day

 

 Academics

Obvious classes to offer are weekly or recurring scholastic skill building classes that build on certain skills. Of course these courses require more organization and planning but they are very productive, fun, and very welcome. Scout among the other parents and families in your co op to see what kinds of things they can offer the group.

• Current event, news review
• Math tutoring
• Poetry writing
• Reading Group
• Create a lecture series
• First Aid
• Toastmasters or public speaking
• Sexuality
• Fashion Design/costume design
• Architecture
• Philosophy
• Critical Thinking
• Anatomy
• Bookkeeping, Personal Finance
• Role playing Games
• Writing Group
• Constitution and government
• Drivers Ed
• I taught an excellent English 1 class
• Babysitting Skills
• Science Experiments
• Ethics
• Pet Care
• Poetry
• The Human Body
• Choir
• One Acts
• Learn the Presidents
• Electrical Circuits and magnets
• Biology, Chemistry, Physics
• Typing, blogging
• Price comparison shopping
• Budgeting
• Sign Language or other language
• Historical Fiction
• Pretend store using real money
• Exploration of history
• Measuring
•  Note taking and researching
• Math games
• Third World Countries
• Write and produce a newscast
• Research a new country each week
• Using your PC
• How Does it Work?  AKA:  DESTRUCTION
• Learn about marketing and propaganda
• Show and share
• Create your own service project
• Pokemon/Yugioh/other game
• Volunteer in the community
• Food pantry or soup kitchen
• Yoga or meditation
• Exercise class
• Careers, visit work places and learn about what they do

Include the Family

The homeschool lifestyle is so unique and inclusive. We can include our extended families and friends in our activities.! Groups of families and friends working together or playing together is another excellent thing that makes homeschooling such a rich experience. Talk to your relatives and see what skills or hobbies that they might like to share with your co op. One lovely woman that I know brings her mother to a gardening course on a regular basis and she helps us to appreciate the insects and other animals that share the garden space with us. Grandparents love sharing their knowledge and passion with their beloved grandchildren and their friends. Keep is simple and fun. Other family-pleasing ideas include:

• Golf
• Yoga
• Role playing games
• Game Night
• Movie Night
• Grandma and Me Tea
• Bingo
• Making Stone Soup
• Storytelling
• Formal dinner party
• Camping trips
• Caroling
• Dance Lessons
• Etiquette Lessons
• Raise funds for the community, donate to a community project
• Yard Sale
• Careers
• Learn history from real time stories
• Living History Museum
• Carwashing
• Bread baking
• Manicures and make up

Computers 

As the wife of an IT guy, I would be remiss if I didn't include some ideas about using technology and the computer. There is no doubt that the internet is an amazing tool that our children are lucky enough to have at their fingertips. Some websites have entire courses available; why not share them with the group? Here are a few ideas for using technology to offer a co op class:

• Create, update, maintain a co op webpage
• Learn to use MS Publisher or Paint or Photoshop or ...
• Create a membership list or helpful links for your co op
• Contact other HS groups and create a pen pal network
• News Reviews by reading news from the point of view of other nations
• Letter Writing
• General WWW usage and safety
• Kids teach adults
• Use the computer to send letters to political figures about topics that are important to you
• Create petitions
• Create Personal Books
• Resume writing
• Bookkeeping programs
• Play computer games together (duh)
• Design a menu
• Design a brochure or handout for the co op
• Create a calendar
• Make greeting cards

I guess that one key is to keep is simple, make it fun, and follow your own bliss. And consider including your children in the brainstorming and planning phase. My children have come up with some wildly successful co op class ideas, from a Power Ranger Party to swimming at the local pool to scavenger hunts across town. Children enjoying getting messy and creating things and most parents would be THRILLED to have these fun events happen at someone else’s house! Volunteer activities promote wonderful growth in our children and are much more fun when done in groups. Check out idea books at the library for even more ideas. If possible, get your hands on Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or other Scout handbooks for more great ideas, skits, and projects.

The simple classes are wonderful but let’s not forget academic classes that are structured and that offer prep for higher learning. Most parents sincerely appreciate academic classes that are difficult to teach. If you can offer something like that each semester you will be everyone's best friend.

  Can YOU think of any ideas to share?