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I didn't want to tell anyone about this until I actually read the article. I wanted to be sure that the article wasn't bashing homeschoolers. Last January, I received a phone call from a reporter in New York. He explained who he was and said that the periodical that he writes for (a Swiss financial journal) is doing an education issue and he wanted to write a story on homeschooling. We set up a time for him to come and interview my family and me. He was a wonderful person. When he realized that we were Steelers fans, he told us about his interview he did with Ben Roethlisberger! I thought that was really cool. Any time I get the opportunity, I try very hard to choose the right words when talking about homeschooling. I had a couple of weeks to prepare for this interview. In the end, it was a lot of fun. He interviewed 3 other families for this article and I think the facts are presented well and that homeschooling is put in a good light with the article. Here is the link to the article: Credit Suisse Bulletin Feb 2008 One of my favorite parts of the article is where my husband talks about the disadvantages of homeschooling. |
Posted in History Readings
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My dearest friend told me recently about trying on one of her dresses from high school and it still fits her!!! As she described the dress to me, I could clearly see it. I think we must have gone to the prom the same year. Even though I poked fun at her at a homeschool planning meeting, it was nostalgic to think of and I hope one day to get a chance to see her dress. In the meantime, I reminisce about the 80's with all the things I experienced as a teen - growing up afraid of the Russians, seeing Mount St. Helen's explode, Ronald Reagan being shot, the space shuttle going up for the first time, big hair, MTV, etc., etc. What a plethora of history I have seen in my own lifetime that can be shared with my children and future generations. All of us have stories of where we were on important days in history. Write them down. Teaching history should come from primary sources. If you write down your personal experiences, you are creating a primary source! It's inexpensive and a wonderful way to liven up your history curriculum. Speaking of the 80's - here is a picture of me in 1986 at the age of 17. The first thing my girls said when they saw the picture was that my hair looked the same as those ladies in the Walk Like an Egyptian video. (Yes, I pulled that video up on the internet when we studied ancient Egypt. It was fun dancing around the kitchen to that tune and walking like an Egyptian.)  My mom, me and my brother |
Posted in Art appreciation
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Either next week or the following week, we will start taking a close look at art masterpieces. Over a period of 2 or 3 months, we will focus on one artist and look at his or her works. As anyone who has visited an art museum knows, nudity comes along with the territory of art appreciation sometimes. Over the years, I have not covered the nudity in order for my girls to see the whole picture. I've heard of some moms putting a post-it note over the parts they didn't want their kids to see and I feel that takes away from the art and puts too much emphasis on the nudity. I do try to find pictures that don't contain nudity, but sometimes (as in Michelangelo's "David") it's unavoidable. It's a piece of art that identifies very clearly with the artist and something would be lost if it were covered or not even looked at. After we have studied a piece of art, my girls will often cut out a pair of shorts (or other piece of clothing) from construction paper and cover the parts they don't want to see. The following is a refrigerator magnet I purchased when we studied Michelangelo. Forunately for us, we live in the 21st century and have the internet. Ambleside Online is a wonderful resource which provides a schedule and pictures for study. Some have a little nudity, but AO offers a detail of such pictures that doesn't have nudity and can be used as an alternate. |
Posted in Summer
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Our homeschool group has playground days every summer - one each month in June, July and August. There are no planned activities. The kids just play and the moms get a chance to sit around and talk. Some families bring bag lunches. There is a pond and stream that the older kids love to explore. Today was our last playground day of the summer. I absolutely love summer (even those hot and humid days) and it makes me a little sad that summer is coming to a close already. While at the playground, I was taken by surprise that my 4 year old son had no qualms about chasing down a toad and catching it. I guess that's what it means to be "all boy". He desperately wanted to hang on to it - tightly! We finally talked him into giving it to his 11 year old sister. As much of a tomboy as she is, she didn't handle it with the ease that this guy did.   Ahhh childhood. Embrace it!!! It's so temporary. |
Posted in Day to Day
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Okay, spawned by a discussion I had this afternoon with some ladies, I am asking this question to a wider group to get more feedback. Up until now, I have followed Kevin Leman's idea on giving kids an allowance. Each week they get an allowance in which the dollar amount is the same as their age. (e.g. an 8 year old gets $8). Out of that comes savings and tithing. The rest is for them to spend. My sis in law says that giving a set allowance is "Mommy Welfare" because no matter how much they work, they still get the same amount. She has been telling me about this program by David Ramsey called Financial Peace, Jr (they have a homeschool curriculum). It is where the kids get paid by the chore. The more work they do, the more money they earn. She sent it to me last week and we are trying to implement it in our home. My problem with this method is that the kids won't do anything around the house if they aren't paid. (I can assure you that issue is addressed with the kids with this program. According to this program, the children still have to do chores that they are not paid for because they must contribute to the household. The whole point of the program is to teach children how to manage their money and not go into debt.) When I mentioned it to a group of moms this afternoon, I felt that this method is looked down upon and it's making me question what to do. Also in the last week, I received my copy of Managers of their Homes and Managers of their Chores by Teri Maxwell. (Excellent reading!) What I want to know is what others are doing so far as teaching their children financial responsibility in this time in our country of debtful living. Furthermore, I would like to know what systems others are using to be sure that all the children in the house are contributing as far as keeping the house running. Is there a way to get the kids to do their chores without the monetary gain, and yet have them earn money so they can learn to manage it? |
Posted in Field Trips
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The last Saturday of July is always the Hanover Dutch Festival. There are lots of food vendors, craft vendors, etc. This particular festival had a German flair to it. The area was originally settled by German immigrants. During the festival you can listen to a German band and see german dancers. Of course we enjoy doing all of this and again, I count it as school in my mind, but don't tell the children. They just think they are having fun. We are able to count the music and dancing as music appreciation and social studies (world cultures). Any time I go to one of these festivals, my husband teases me because I like to get italian sausage and funnel cakes. He tells me the festival is an excuse to indulge in these treats. So now, I'm trying to figure out a way to include the funnel cakes and italian sausages in our portfolio. ;-) This year, as part of the festival, I learned that there were many facilities in the area giving free tours. Yesterday we went to the firehouse that houses a museum and we went to the post office. While we were at the fire house, the newspaper arrived and today we are in the paper. I'm not sure how long this link will be any good, but I'll post it anyway because the paper quoted me. I tried to choose my words very carefully and I feel they didn't misrepresent anything I said. http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_10005912 We truly did enjoy the tour. My husband is a professional firefighter and it was neat to see some of the antique stuff and how it worked. |
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I don't know about you, but our summers are filled with activity. This year, we started homeschooling July 1 and it's been great. I did this for a couple of reasons. 1. It's hot and it's nice to stay in the AC 2. There are lots of free summer activities in our area (see below) 3. We started last year in Sept and had to go all the way to the middle of May. We don't want to repeat that. 4. We want a long Christmas break 5. I want to be finished by May 1 so I can completely focus on evaluations. So , back to the topic of summer... We started July 1. There are many activities going on this summer that I am incorporating into our homeschool. 1. My kids are taking a class at the local state park on Thursdays in July. The class is free and all about birds that you can find locally. The kids are loving it and seem to be getting a great deal from it. 2. VBS!!! They do get a lot out of VBS. For our homeschool, this covers music and art and sometimes Bible history. 3. Harp lessons - Our local state park is offering free autoharp lessons on Wednesday afternoons. 4. Free movies - We have been reading and doing activities with Charlotte's Web by E.B.White and the movie is free this week at a local theater. 5. Library Summer Reading Program - The library system in the neighboring county is offering an awesome summer reading program. They have all sorts of special programs from health and nutrition to sign language to astronomy classes and so on. 6. Fourth of July in Gettysburg - see previous post on this one. Life is learning. These are the things my kids will remember much better than anything I can "teach" them from a textbook. Even after the summer is over, I will continue to search for opportunities such as these. |
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Call me a paranoid, right-wing, nut job, but when the law doesn't require something from me, I don't typically volunteer it. When I buy gasoline, the law doesn't require that I produce a driver's license to prove I can drive, so I wouldn't dream of volunteering to show it. Nor would I show it if the gas station attendant came out and asked for it, because it's not required by the law. I am within legal parameters to buy gas without proving that I can drive. I have private tutored my children for the last several years without incident. This year, I am taking two students from different families that I will private tutor in my home. Despite the fact that I have submitted all that the law requires (copy of teaching certificate, background check, etc), their school districts of residence have both asked me for a yearly letter in the spring stating that I will continue private tutoring them. Today I called the one school district and asked about this "requirement" . She told me that the reason I need to send the letter is so that she can be sure the children are being educated. I asked if they require the same from students who attend private schools. I was told that they do not. I asked, "then how do you know those kids are bieng educated?" Her reply was - "We don't". She asked why it was such a big deal to write a letter when all the other private tutors in her district send in the annual letter. I explained that when school district requries something of everyone that is not the law, and everyone complies, then the school district will start asking for a little more and a little more, and it doesn't stop. Home School Legal Defense sent a letter to my home district (since this is one of the districts asking for this letter) that states:"...there is no provision that the private tutor submit the required documentation or any related notice to the local public school superintendent on an annual basis." If you are homeschooling under the Private Tutoring Provision of the Pa School Code, I beg you to please not hand in anything that is not required by the law. It raises the bar on what the schools will ask for. Even if you are not homeschooling under the Private Tutoring Provision, be sure you know the homeschool law inside and out. As an evaluator, I am aware that most of the school districts in the area "require" you to submit more than what the law requires and it's maddening. If you don't submit what the law doesn't require, there is nothing they can do to you. Period. |
Posted in Field Trips
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The 4th of July in Gettysburg is an event that lasts 3 or 4 days (at least). Typically, we stay home away from all the crowds and tourists. In the evening, we usually trek over to Hanover, Pa (about 7 miles away from our house) to see fireworks. This year, the weather forecast is calling for rain, so I figured fireworks were not a possiblity this year. Instead, we decided to go to Gettysburg to see what we would find. Here is what we found: A surgeon's tent where he showed us the bone saw and a metatarsal knife. I actually started getting light headed so I had to quit listening. I felt I couldn't leave because the kids were fascinated. There was also a bowl of (fake) hands and feet sitting on the ground next to this table.  A woman making lace by hand that dd9 had to get her picture with. Notice that dd had to dress according to this occasion, but I would be shocked if she didn't.  The Lincoln Train Museum where we took a virtual train ride with Abraham Lincoln.  The Rupp House where we learned about how a woman hid with her six children in the basement during the battle. Then she decided to cross town with her children and her valuable possessions through enemy territory to a safer place. (I have a great respect for this woman considering I have a hard enough time going to the grocery store with 3 children.) This gentleman at the Rupp House is showing us a gun used during the time.  At one point, ds4 spotted what we call a "real-life army guy". This was an active serviceman in his fatigues. Ds kept staring and the soldier waved to him. I turned and shook his hand and thanked him for his service to our country. I explained that our family appreciates the freedoms we have and realize that it's because of his service that we have them. He actually started to tear up. He took the American flag off his uniform and gave it to my son. (Note: I thank those guys every chance I get. Toby Keith's song Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue runs through my head when I see them. Especially the part where he says "...There's a lot of men dead so we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our heads") I didn't tell my children that any of this was school. I purchased paper doll books for all three kids and it's neat to see them so interested. Dd9, my reluctant reader, keeps reading and "teaching" me all about 19th century clothing. On the way home, we stopped by a homeschool family owned fruit stand/pottery store and purchased corn on the cob for our 4th of July "feast". Now we are home and it's raining. The girls are cutting out paper dolls and ds4 is playing with his plastic Civil War soldiers that he got today. He has informed me many times that his soldiers have "saved the day". It's been a good homeschool day. |
Posted in Philosophy of Education
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A little over a year ago, a friend was telling me that her daughters were having a hard time with history. "They just don't seem to retain anything," she explained. Then she asked, "What history textbook do you use?" I stopped and thought for a moment. It was a quick moment. However, in that moment, all the resources I use reeled through my head. I then answered, "None." She actually looked shocked. "None!?" I went on to explain that we use the library as our primary resource for history and science. Then the next question came, "How do you know you aren't missing anything?" I answered with another question, "How much do you remember from your textbooks in school? Do you remember how dry and boring they were?" Then I asked, "Do you remember any books you read as a kid?" Of course she did. I do evaluations for homeschoolers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Every year, I have a new homeschooler who feels they didn't cover art or music or whatever. I love talking with them and helping them to remember shows or other experiences that would be considered art and music (or whatever other subject they think they missed). I also get phone calls from new homeschool moms who are panicing and asking me which curriculum (or workbook) they should have their preschooler or kindergartener in. My reply is always, "None." With children that age, you should take out the play dough or the building blocks and let them play. Take them on walks and let them explore. Talk to them about all that you do and encourage them to talk to you. That is how they will learn best.
These are just a few ideas and as I read others' blogs, I get so many more. |
Posted in Habits
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How many times have we gone to a homeschool function and felt that "I am so glad that this event isn't at my house." We look around and feel that everyone else has it so together. How many times have you told someone you homeschool and they say "Oh, I could never do that. I don't have the (patience, organization, discipline, etc., etc.)" I try not to put up a facade, although I often feel that others don't really care about my daily "hardships" so I don't burden them with it. I do have people over to my house and they get to witness the disaster area first hand. When others say to me "You are so organized". My rebuttle is "Have you seen the condition of my house lately?" So I try to convey that I am no June Cleaver. Okay, I like to post pictures on my blog. So just to prove that I don't have it all together here is a current picture of my kitchen / dining area. This needs to be cleaned up. So what do I do? I ignore it while I make popcorn and blog. Now don't get me wrong, I will get to it.  This picture is of what the FLY-lady would call a hot spot. It is ALWAYS blazing!  My popcorn. I make it on the stove. The microwave stuff tastes fake after living on this stuff.  On the upside, I am in the proccess of building habits. I've learned that this doesn't happen over night. So I am starting with routines in the morning and at bedtime. I feel those are the easiest times to start a routine. If a bedtime routine is in place, it's easier to instill a morning routine. Once the routines are established, the habits follow closely behind. Honestly, it wears me out just to think about it. So if I have disappointed anyone by confessing my shortcomings, I'm truly sorry. So far as having it together, I didn't even really mention how I talk to my kids when I am stressed out over (finances, closest relative living 4 hours away, the value of our home, etc., etc.). Maybe that will be another post. |
Posted in Field Trips
We decided to visit my mom for her birthday this year. We hadn't been to Pittsburgh since last August and I felt it was time to go. Although it cost us $100 in gasoline (a reality that occurred to me at the end of the trip), it was well worth it. On the day we arrived, we celebrated her birthday with food from the grill and a chocolate peanut butter cake the kids and I made. The next day, we took the "T" downtown and walked around the city for a bit and met my mom for lunch. The city is getting ready for the Three Rivers Arts Festival (that we attended last year).
Here is a picture taken at One Gateway Center.
 Then we headed over to the Gateway Clipper for a sightseeing tour. The weather couldn't have been better. It was in the mid 70's with little humidity. Perfect!
 Oh, and when visiting Pittsburgh, you cannot get away from the Black and Gold. It's just everywhere!
 While eating lunch with my mom at Macy's, my kids and I couldn't help but notice the bookstore right there. After we ate and my mom had to go back to work, we went to check it out. To my amazement, all the books were bargain priced. The books were all new and most were priced between $1 and $3. Since we will be studying Ancient Rome and Astronomy next, I scooped up a bunch of books on those topics. They also had nature field guides with list prices of $5 to $7 all for $1 each. I purchased one of each. I love finding a good bargain. The only problem was that we were on foot and I had to carry these books for the rest of our day. Dd (10) and dd(9) actually offered to help me carry them.
It was a good day in Pittsburgh!
Our trek back home was via I-68 that goes through West Virginia and Maryland. I wanted the kids to see Sideling Hill in Maryland (south of Breezewood, Pa - I think). There are picnic tables there and a little museum (free admission) displaying the various types of rock in the layers that can be seen in the cut. On a clear day, you can see for miles from this spot. It is absolutely beautiful.
To my amazement, the kids actually seemed interested in this. I think it's because I didn't tell them it was "school".
 "Little Man" really liked the bears inside the museum.
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Posted in Field Trips
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We enjoyed 4 fabulous days at Cowan's Gap State Park near McConnellsburg, Pa. In Pennsylvania we are blessed with our state parks. We went to Cowan's Gap on Memorial Day and stayed in one of their cabins for 3 nights. Our favorite cabin is cabin K because it has an outdoor patio under cover with a fireplace. So if it rains, you can still have a fire. This time, we were in Cabin C, which was just as enjoyable. We like the week right after Memorial Day since it's still considered off season, but it's warm enough to swim (usually). The cost of renting a cabin in a Pa state park is only $33 a night. There are no bathrooms in the cabins, but they are close by and they are clean. I don't know about other state parks, but Cowan's Gap's cabins have a full size refrigerator and an electric stove with oven. This helps to keep the cost of this vacation very low. Here are some pictures of our trip. My husband taught the girls how to make a fire with flint and steel.
  We took many nature walks and found abundant wildlife.
  One day, some good friends of ours came to visit. When I took ds(3) to the bathroom, he found a snake on the driveway that was flattened. He picked it up with a stick and couldn't wait to show his friends. When we arrived back at the cabin, his friend found a snake just like my son's except his was alive!!!!!
  This one found a salamander.
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Posted in Opinion
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Parade magazine has posted a poll online about homeschooling and teacher credentials. Before you vote, keep this quote in mind.
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Posted in Philosophy of Education
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There is a woman in my life who has homeschooled her two sons all the way through. One she graduated two years ago and the other is 17 (I think). The other day we were talking about homeschooling and she said that when her boys were younger she "tried very hard to make that line between school and real life as fuzzy as possible." Didn't Charlotte Mason say, "Life is an atmosphere"? As I sit here and work on my goals for next year, these words keep scrolling through my head. This past year, I have put way too much emphasis on the 180 days that my children need to complete to be in compliance with the law. I think next year, I just need to put our attendance chart out of sight. I plan create a habit of math and copywork every day along with reading lots of books. We will also take up handicrafts in the afternoons. I'm hoping each girl will finish a quilt next year. There will be art and music appreciation incorporated into our days as well. |
Posted in Opinion
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Yes, I deleted my entry about Subway. Immediately I began receiving not-so-favorable comments and decided that I don't have the energy to deal with it, so I deleted the entry. I think perhaps that I didn't word my thoughts very well and it appeared that I was being close-minded and not looking at the whole picture. Anyway, my conclusion is that there are far more pressing things in this world to worry about than an essay contest. So our family won't be boycotting Subway. I'm happy to discuss my views with anyone who wants to discuss and not lecture me.
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Posted in Field Trips
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We attended a Greek Festival in Camp Hill, Pa today and we had a blast. It took us about an hour to drive there, but it was worth it. There was lots of food, Greek dancing, music, art and a tour of the church which included a history of the orthodox church dating back to 25 A.D. It was fascinating.
 The food was amazing. They had an "A La Carte" section where we ordered. We put all of the food on the table like a little buffet and everyone got to taste everything. I didn't try anything I didn't like. Did I say the food was amazing? Oh yes, and they had desserts, too. Just amazing. I even tried a Greek coffee. It got a little gritty toward the bottom of the cup, but it was very good. I guess I drank it around 4:30. Right now it's close to midnight and I think I'm still feeling a little buzz.
 The traditional dancing left me a little envious. My mother's family is Serbian Orthodox and all of my cousins had the opportunity to learn the traditional Serbian dances while we were growing up. If I lived closer to Pittsburgh, my kids would learn those dances as well. As it stands, we live in a cultural wasteland where zoning denies any culture from infiltrating into our area unless you count tattoo parlors as art. (Ooh, did I say that out loud?) Anyway, we had a great time and I highly recommend this festival as a field trip.
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After all the preparation and anxiety, the evening is over. I should have had an evaluation sheet that I passed out so I could get some immediate feedback. Overall, it seems to have gone well. Right after I finished, I began thinking of things that I didn't mention that I would have liked to. I had two focal points for the night: 1. Educating without textbooks 2. Getting a CM edcuation into a Pennsylvania portfolio This is just one aspect of CM but that's really all I could fit into an hour. I was able to pull together a power point presentation to go along with my talk and I think at a couple of moments, it was effective. There was a table set up with books by Karen Andreola, Penny Gardner and of course CM's original 6 volume set. There were also books that we use in our homeschool as well as my kids' Book of Centuries. (I forgot to take their nature notebooks.) Since the Pa Homeschool convention was this past weekend, I was able to get stacks of catalogs from Queen Homeschool, My Father's World and Math U See. I made up a hand-out with websites and book titles that I recommend and kept referring to Ambleside Online. All in all, I think it was a good evening. Quite a few people came to me at the end to tell me they were inspired. If I can help anyone use less textbooks in their homeschool, then I feel that I've accomplished my goal for the evening. |
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Over the past couple of years, I have had several people ask me about Charlotte Mason. When I find myself repeating information frequently, I feel it is time for a gathering. In the past I have had luncheons and dessert teas at my home to talk about Charlotte Mason. This time, I have reserved a space at a nearby church in which to do "An Evening With Charlotte Mason". I put an invitation out to my local homeschool group and it seems there will be a good turn-out. I am excited about this, but at the same time I'm nervous. I plan to talk about what a CM education looks like, emphasize non-use of textbooks and explain how to document it into a portfolio for Pennsylvania evaluations. I'm also making a power point presentation to go along with my talk.
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Posted in Day to Day
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Chicken update - The chickens now reside outside instead of in our basement. We had them in a huge rubbermaid container and one morning I walked into the basement and one was perched on the edge of the container. That night, they were outside.
Tadpoles - A good friend called one afternoon to tell me that she found tadpoles at our local park. I was thrilled. The first chance we had, we went over and scooped some up for a nature study. I was thrilled that even my 3 year old wanted to make a page for his nature journal.
Homeschool Evaluations - Evaluation season is starting here in Pennsylvania. I look forward to and enjoy this time of year when I get the opportuntiy to do evaluations. It's fun to see all the creative projects and field trips that families have participated in. Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival - Today, we went on a field trip to Maryland's Sheep & Wool Festival. It was a blast. We watched a demonstration of sheep dogs herding sheep. We also saw some unique art, listened to music that was fun and music that was beautiful and I was able to get a funnel cake (one of my favorite parts of any summertime festival).
The weeks ahead - May is a very busy month. Tomorrow evening I will be hosting a Portfolio Share at my house. This will be an opportunity for those new to homeschooling in Pennsylvania to see what goes into a portfolio. On May 12, I will be giving a seminar on what a Charlotte Mason education is and how to do it and still comply with Pa homeschool law. I am really looking forward to that evening. At the end of the month, we will be taking 4 days to go camping in a cabin at a state park that is about an hour away. I am really looking forward to that annual family event as well. Somewhere in there, we will be continuing to work on Ancient Greece and all that goes with it. Over the summer, I plan to have the kids do a math page out of their Math-U-See books each day except weekends. I am also planning lots of trips and other fun activities, but dont' tell the kids they might learn from it, because then they might resist. |
