Community Homeschooling

Yearly Celebrations

2011-08-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

Now that life has settled down a little I am going to put together a list of monthly celebrations. I checked out a really lovely book called "Days to Celebrate" by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Each month is a chapter and starts with a calendar with birthdays, important events, and holidays listed for each day. Following is several pages of poems by authors who were born during the month or commemorating events that occurred during the month. The book is mostly Euro-centric, so I hope to find a multicultural resource that is similar.

These are the subject areas I plan on adding to my list:

Holidays
Festivals
Famous authors birthdays (if they are age appropriate)
Famous poets birthdays (if they are age appropriate)
Historical events, including inventions, discoveries
Musician birthdays
Season changes

I am sure there will be many more categories as I go along but this should be a good start. Check back for updates!

Welcome to Holland

2011-08-27T14:23:00.001-08:00

I saw this on the blog Letters From Holland and thought it was a wonderful description of not only the experience of raising a disabled child but also the grief of living with a disability. When you are young you have dreams of what your life will be like and living with a chronic disability is isn't one of them. You don't necessarily want to change your experience because of everything you DO have, but there is a loss of your dreams and it can be difficult to let those go.

Welcome to Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Can I really do this homeschooling thing?

2011-08-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying I'm having a rough week. It has not been the physical pain, though that is always there, but the psychological pain of wondering if I have failed as a mother to my wonderful children.

Blue, my oldest son, started Play Therapy last week because of some behavioral issues and unexplainable fatigue. At this point she believes it is anxiety, and I am sure I am a big cause of it. In the past year I have spent so much time at various doctor appointments that when I get clothes and makeup on the kids ask if I am going to the doctor? Not grocery shopping, not to the library, the doctor! He knows I am "sick" but he has become obsessed with me dying. I went through a long phase of this myself when I was young and can remember the overwhelming fear I had of my mother dying. It is horrible to hold him as he is sobbing "I want to die when you do Mom, I want to die when you do". I have tried to explain to him that yes I am "sick" but I'm not dying, it is so hard to know how much or how little to tell a 4 1/2 year old about these things.

Yellow, my twin son, was just evaluated by the local school district and has qualified for the special education preschool because of several issues: expressive language and articulation, personal/social, and daily living skills. I knew he was behind, and knew he would most likely qualify, but it was still difficult to hear someone else tell me he was. They were explaining the services they could provide in the preschool environment and mentioned a small yellow bus could transport him there and back. That was when the tears almost took over. I just imagined my angelic and quirky little boy alone on the "short bus" heading to his special ed preschool.

When you have children you dream of what their futures will hold and all the adventures this life will take them on. Maybe because of everything I have been through my wishes for my children were simple, I wanted them to be healthy and happy. They could be a sanitation worker or an engineer, I didn't care I just want them to be happy. Right now Blue is not happy, and Yellow is struggling and frustrated.

Are all these issues they are having my fault? In some way have I caused them or contributed to them? I see how much other mothers do for their kids, and it makes me feel inadequate. Some days I can barely care for myself, and I wonder how in the world I am going to educate my children? Then I'll have a good day and think that even if I can't teach them everything I want to they are still learning through play and life, and are surrounded by a family that loves them. Something I don't think public school can provide them.

So we're back to taking it one day at a time...

Coming full circle

2011-07-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

After spending the past several years researching homeschooling philosophies, methods and curriculum I am back to embracing unschooloing. It has been a long journey of self exploration into my own feelings and concerns of being unschooled as a child. I had always looked at my experience through the eyes of an insecure child and now it was time for me to look at it through the eyes of an adult and parent.

How will I define "unschooling" for our family? I know how my parents did it, and I know how I lived it, but will it be the same? My parents were what is now called Radical Unschoolers (RU). I just found a wonderful forum for RU http://familyrun.ning.com/forum and it makes me smile that all the ideas supported in the RU community are what my parents did organically 28 years ago.

Will I call myself a RU? I don't know? From all the reading I have done on RU it seems that there is a box you have to fit into to be considered one. Don't flame me :-) I am sure this isn't always true, and it is probably my interpretation from the sites I have visited. I just want to do what is right for my children and occasionally what I need to do to keep myself healthy. If I was stronger and healthier I could make those sacrifices for my children but after 34 years I know I'm not. If I overdue it it's my children who are going to pay with a mommy in bed for a week.

We shall see how this new decision will change our course, but I am excited for the journey!

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

2011-05-05T22:39:00.000-08:00

This is such a wonderful program that gives children age 0-5 a free book every month regardless of income. The books are age appropriate and have the childs name on the address label, so it is their own personal book.

My kids really enjoy receiving their books and many of them have ended up being some of their favorites. The program is available in communities with affiliates set up so just go to their website and enter your zipcode http://imaginationlibrary.com/. If your community does not have one maybe you can start one up :-)

Broken Heart

2011-04-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

I think Blue is starting to realize something is up with my health problems. I've been doing OK the past few days but have been really tired in the evenings. Last night while OM was putting the twins to bed I was sitting in my recliner and Blue said "I really want you to get better and stop sitting in that chair", then he went on to tell how if I ate good grow food I would feel better. He also thought (in his childhood logic) that maybe I ate too much candy and that is why I am sick and hurt :-( Ugh, it broke my heart. I pretend they are too little to notice but obviously not. So sad...

Handbook of Nature Study - Free Copy

2011-04-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

I found a free copy of the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock on-line today. The one I found is at archive.org and is offered in many different formats. Enjoy!

War & Peace Pushed Me Over The Edge

2011-04-07T11:37:00.001-08:00

OK, so not really, but ever since I finished it in December I have been doing nothing but reading junk! I was reading wonderful books last year good fiction, classics and nonfiction, but now I feel like an addict, I just can't stop myself! I have been reading apocalyptic fiction and detective novels, I am embarrassed to even post what I've been reading. So how do I break this addiction, any suggestions on books to transition me back to the light? In the meantime I have a new trashy book to read on my Kindle App...

Homeschool Skedtrack

2011-04-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

I was looking on-line for a free homeschool scheduling tool and came across Homeschool Skedtrack. It took me a few days of playing around with it and watching the video tutorials to really understand how it works, but now that I do I quite like it!

I particularly like it because we are so relaxed that we don't follow a stringent schedule. If we do math one day great, if not that is fine as well. So if I don't check off the math lesson for that day it just moves it over to the next day. It also lets you add in field trips, science experiments, etc so everything is in one place. You can also upload Excel documents into it, which I find very helpful!

Another tool I particularly like is that you can "copy" the same coursework for different children. So with my twins I don't have to retype the entire year if they are doing the same work. I was going to be very annoyed if I had to do everything twice :-)

The only thing at this point that I don't like is that it isn't always intuitive how to use the program. The videos definitely help but it still takes some getting used to. Overall for a free program I am pleasantly surprised with how powerful this scheduler is!

Lego Separator for Arthritic Hands

2011-04-03T22:50:00.001-08:00

I initially bought this Lego separator for Blue to help him separate those annoying flat Lego pieces. What I did not anticipate was how well it works for me! I am having a lot of dexterity problems again with my hands and this thing is fantastic. Now I can sit and play Lego's and not be completely useless :-)

First Homeschool Purchase

2011-03-10T12:20:00.000-09:00

I just made my first homeschool curriculum purchase last night! I am so excited that I finally got up the nerve to just do it. I bought RightStart Deluxe Level A, and the Deluxe A-B Add On. Who knows how long shipping will take to get to Alaska but I won't start looking for it for another several weeks.

Blue is in 2 day a week co-op preschool but will be increasing to 3 day a week next fall. I don't know how much math we will get to but I wanted to start reading the text. This way I can discuss math with him in our everyday life using their terminology and concepts.

I am so curious if he will be a mathy kid. He loves puzzles and Lego's and seems to have an engineering type of personality. I figure if this isn't a good program for him it will work for Red or Yellow. That is one nice thing about having more than one child, if you mess up on a curriculum choice you have more shots at having someone like it.

To good health

2011-01-20T14:39:00.001-09:00

What a year 2010 was! I finally received a diagnosis of Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, most likely Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis. After a year and a half of worsening hand pain, stiffness, and loss of mobility I finally have an answer. I definitely went through a phase of feeling like I was a hypochondriac or at the worst crazy. I am on several medications that have helped the hand pain but have unwanted side effects. I hope once I have this disease better controlled life will start being a little easier :-( It has been a very hard couple of years and my body is tired. So here is to a healthier 2011~

Coming out of a major flare

2010-08-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not updating lately, I have been in a major flare the past two months. I hope I am coming out of it but am still recuperating. Looking forward to getting back into blogging!

Mila and Hambone

2010-06-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

I just found another book trying to explain to young children about Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The first is "Why Is Mommy Staying in Bed Again Today?", and the second is "Why Can't Sharon Come Out To Play?", discussing pediatric Fibromyalgia. To order check go to Fibromyalgia Treatment Center.

My oldest son is starting to ask questions about why Mommy is still sleeping, and why Mommy can't do this or that? It is so hard to know what to tell him. Do I tell him I'm sick, do I tell him I'm tired? I just don't know what to do.

Grocery Shopping with a disability

2010-06-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips I've come up with for grocery shopping with Fibromyalgia and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

For numbers 1-5 do these on separate days so you don't get too tired or have someone else help you.

1. Clean out refrigerator to make room for what you are going to purchase.

2. Make a menu schedule for the week.

3. Write down a grocery list according to area - baking, soups, produce, deli, frozen, etc. (this cuts down on wandering around the store in a fibro fog haha).

4. On your calendar write down what day you are having what, which cookbook/recipe, and page number. This way whomever is cooking knows right where the recipe is.

5. Get ads, coupons, grocery list, and re-usable bags together and put in car.

6. Drive to the store and park close to the door, *don't forget the items from step 5 Wink!

7. If having a bad day use the electronic wheelchair at the front of the store, don't be embarrassed when it makes that beep, beep, beeping noise as you are backing up.

8. Make sure they bag frozen foods together and anything that needs refrigerating.

9. Have a bagger help you out to your car and unload your groceries.

10. Once home take in the frozen foods and those that need refrigerating. If you have the energy unload the rest, if not take a break and finish later!

11. Yay, you did it!!!

Does anyone else have suggestions for making grocery shopping easier?

Read-A-Louds

2010-06-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am ready to pull my hair out!!! How in the world do you decide what books to use for read-a-louds for your children. There are so many book lists I am completely overwhelmed and I am just looking at PreK-1st! I 've looked at lists from:

-Ableside Online
-Simply Charlotte Mason
-Living Books Curriculum
-Oak Meadow
-Tanglewood
-Winter Promise
-The Well Trained Mind

And of course numerous books that have more book lists! So what I am trying to do is to go through these sites and some books and try to find the books they all have in common. Then I am going to make a list of the fairy tales, story books that I want to purchase and then a list of books to check out from the library. Once I compile this it should be smooth sailing for the next couple of years...of course until another book list comes out :-)

Intolerance

2010-05-28T13:21:00.000-08:00

How do we create a harmonious society out of so many kinds of people? The key is tolerance - the one value that is indispensable in creating community.

~ Barbara Jordan

I am deeply disturbed by some of the forum posts I see on some of the homschooling forums I frequent (not Secular Homeschooling). There are ignorant, intolerant, racist, bigoted people that post things that I cannot even believe people think, let alone believe are okay to post. I am starting to understand why non-homeschoolers have a bad taste in their mouth's for homeschooling.

I am starting to think that when people say homschool kids are unsocialized they mean they are unable to socialize with mainstream children because their belief system is drastically different and they believe it is okay to spout off their nonsense to anyone that passes by. I think public school kids at least know they should hide their intolerance and bigotry a little better!

So how am I going to combat this in my own home:

1. Talk about how people are different and that diversity is a good.

2. Have them learn about different religions, cultures, lifestyles.

3. Travel to other countries

4. Discuss intolerance and the problems it creates in society and in the history of the world.

5. Volunteer

6. Have a wide variety of friends and acquaintances.

This will be my one true test as a parent. If my children are not tolerant and kind than I have FAILED as a parent.

Quote found at betterworld.net

Mommy Is Too Tired To Play

2010-05-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

I saw this book on another Blog and thought it was very appropriate. It makes me sad though to see my life written in a book. Maybe some day there will be a cure.

Unschooling

2010-05-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

I checked out Cathy Duffy's Approaches to Learning from the library and have just started to look through it. She has a quiz for Approaches to Learning and it gives you a personalized score based on what homeschool approach may work best for you. I was actually quite surprised at my scores:

Traditional - 14%
Umbrella Program - 18%
Independent Study - 29%
Classical - 65%
Eclectic - 67%
Charlotte Mason - 87%
Unit Study - 91%
Unschooling - 91%

To be honest I haven't even really looked at Unit Study and am surprised Unschooling was so high (even though I grew up an unschooler.)

I was asked the other day on the Secular Homeschool forum if I was going to unschool my children. I think I got so caught up in looking at curriculum's that I hadn't looked deeply at my thoughts on unschooling. I am not even sure how people define unschooling these days.

The way our family did unschooling was that I would find a topic I was interested in and I would check out as many library books as I could on the subject. I would read and read and read until I moved on to another topic of interest. The only real sit down academics we did were math and my mom would just work on a few things with us at a time.

I remember deciding I wanted to learn cursive and my mom bought me a workbook at the grocery store. I taught myself how to write cursive in several days because by God I wanted to learn and so I taught myself!

We also took lessons in art, piano, violin, and french. My brother was a star athlete and I was a very good ballerina. We made lots of friends through our extracurricular activities and no one ever worried that we weren't socialized :)

We also spent hours playing outside and building forts. It was a wonderful childhood and I hope I can create a beautiful childhood like that for my children.

Wee Sing Children's Songs and Fingerplays

2010-05-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

We just bought Wee Sing Children's Songs and Fingerplays and Blue LOVES it! It came with a CD and a 62 page booklet filled with all the songs and instructions for the fingerplays,. The twins like the songs but are still a little young to really appreciate the fingerplays but they enjoy watching big brother do it and they dance to the beat. Well worth the money and this is definitely a set I would give as a gift. I am going to have to check into the other Wee Sing titles.

Math for Preschooler

2010-05-22T12:08:00.001-08:00

I have been researching math programs for my preschooler and have finally decided on RightStart Mathematics. I love how it works with many different types of learners since I have no idea at this point how my children learn, and want a program that will hopefully work for all three. I also like that it can be started before children are able to write well since I hope to start the concepts used in it soon.

Blue is starting to be interested in counting and numbers and I would like to help him by using the concepts used in RightStart, from their website "the beginning level math lessons are best started at age 5, or even sooner, before the child develops a reliance on counting strategies. An early start also helps the child understand quantities based around 5s and 10s."So even though I probably won't start doing the lessons yet I would like to personally review it so I can help Blue use their counting process.

Growing up I did not particularly like math but during college I learned to love it! Had I not been worried about my GPA I would have continued Calculus and who knows where I would have stopped :-) I really want my children to enjoy mathematics and be able to go as far with it as they would like.

Has anyone used RightStart with a 3 1/2 year old? Did you actually do the lessons or just the games and the counting process used in the curriculum?

First Post

2010-05-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, there is so much anticipation for the first post, should I introduce myself, say something really deep and profound, jeez the possibilities are endless...I guess I will just start with my hopes for this blog.

I hope to chronicle our journey homeschooling while living with chronic pain and fatigue.

I grew up as an unschooler because of my health problems: Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) also know as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). I went to public school for kindergarten and part of 1st grade, but when the fatigue became debilitating my parents pulled me out and homeschooled me until my freshman year of high school.

When high school rolled around I really wanted to attend public school and see what it was like. I made it through 9th and 10th grade and then was unable to attend 11th because of the severe fatigue. I was able to go through a distance education program the school district had so I was able to do my school work at home. After that year I was able to return for my 12th grade year and graduate with my class.

I struggled physically through college and part of a masters degree program, but felt more prepared than my fellow students because I knew how to find information and was used to teacher's not feeding it to me.

My Family

I met my husband, Outdoor Man, at a bar, yes, you can meet people at the bar LOL! We've been married for 10 years and have 3 amazing children Blue our 3 1/2 year old son, and our boy/girl twins Yellow and Red. They have brought so much joy to our lives but it is definitely the hardest thing I have done. Physically I am at my limit and hope it starts getting a little easier.

Let the adventure begin...