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Sunday, October 15, 2006
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Crafty Mama has a new home
Once again I am making changes to Crafty Mama. This time, I took it over to the new Blogger beta. It has a lot of really cool features. There are not many posts up yet because I spent the last two days working on getting the template the way I want it.
Go on over and check out Crafty Mama's Homeschool!
Go on over and check out Crafty Mama's Homeschool!
Friday, September 29, 2006
Epilogue
We had a great time yesterday.
It was just what we needed.
It was just what I needed.
It was what I needed to remind me why I am doing this.
It was what I needed to remind me that I need to just forget about what I am going to do to prove myself to the state next spring when I re-enroll for the home study program.
The kids learned more on our trip to the woods than from a week's worth of book work. I will post about it on their blog later and link to it.
When the time comes, I will have plenty of stuff for their portfolios. I did last year. After all, they are learning every day.
It was just what we needed.
It was just what I needed.
It was what I needed to remind me why I am doing this.
It was what I needed to remind me that I need to just forget about what I am going to do to prove myself to the state next spring when I re-enroll for the home study program.
The kids learned more on our trip to the woods than from a week's worth of book work. I will post about it on their blog later and link to it.
When the time comes, I will have plenty of stuff for their portfolios. I did last year. After all, they are learning every day.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
When Things Are Hectic
I finally put up the categories section in the sidebar. It breaks down the posts into the basic areas I want to post about on this blog. Now all I have to do is make the time to post.
Things have been hectic here this week. The little talked about truth is that homeschooling is really hard and sometimes things fall apart. Maybe not for everyone, but they do for me.
I can't seem to get the kids to do a darn thing I say. They just keep on, like they can't hear me. The house is a wreck, they are behind on their work, they fight all day. I haven't had time to take care of some other commitments I made. I entertain the thought of sending them back to (GASP!) public school. UGH!
I know this is just temporary, but that doesn't make it suck any less.
How come I never read this on other homeschooing blogs? Don't other people have bad days, or weeks, when they feel like they don't have what it takes to continue homeschooling?
Okay, now that I have had my pity party, here is what I plan to do to turn it around. First, we are going to get out our bikes and take a bike ride to the woods. (No, I'm not going to lose my kids in the woods.) Then, we are going to spend some time wandering around and checking out all of the cool things that are happening in nature during this great time of year - fall. If we are going to be behind in our school work, at least we can have an awesome science lesson.
When we get home, we are going to have a snack together. When they have rested, we will get the main living space cleaned up - well. If I get nothing else done today, that will still qualify as a good day.
I think the time away will help us all. Sometimes we just need to get away and what better place than the woods on a beautiful fall day?
(Category: Our Homeschool)
Things have been hectic here this week. The little talked about truth is that homeschooling is really hard and sometimes things fall apart. Maybe not for everyone, but they do for me.
I can't seem to get the kids to do a darn thing I say. They just keep on, like they can't hear me. The house is a wreck, they are behind on their work, they fight all day. I haven't had time to take care of some other commitments I made. I entertain the thought of sending them back to (GASP!) public school. UGH!
I know this is just temporary, but that doesn't make it suck any less.
How come I never read this on other homeschooing blogs? Don't other people have bad days, or weeks, when they feel like they don't have what it takes to continue homeschooling?
Okay, now that I have had my pity party, here is what I plan to do to turn it around. First, we are going to get out our bikes and take a bike ride to the woods. (No, I'm not going to lose my kids in the woods.) Then, we are going to spend some time wandering around and checking out all of the cool things that are happening in nature during this great time of year - fall. If we are going to be behind in our school work, at least we can have an awesome science lesson.
When we get home, we are going to have a snack together. When they have rested, we will get the main living space cleaned up - well. If I get nothing else done today, that will still qualify as a good day.
I think the time away will help us all. Sometimes we just need to get away and what better place than the woods on a beautiful fall day?
(Category: Our Homeschool)
Friday, September 22, 2006
About the Light Posting
I am sorry that I haven't posted much lately. Thank you to all who come by to read. I promise, I will start posting more often.
I have been really busy lately with my political blog She's Right. I just went through a process of setting goals for myself around what I want to do with that blog. I need to do the same for Crafty Mama.
Do I want to focus on homeschool rights news stories? Do I want to focus on posts about what the kids and I are doing? Do I want to talk about how to homeschool? Do I want to talk about educational philosophy? Do I want to post about all of those things?
Then there is the fact that crafting season is coming back. I craft a lot when the cooler weather sets in. That's why I started this blog originally, before I started using it for homeschool posts. Maybe I should set up some categories like I just did on She's Right.
At any rate, I am going to think about it this weekend. With She's Right, setting goals has helped me to be more focused and post on a more frequent basis.
I have been really busy lately with my political blog She's Right. I just went through a process of setting goals for myself around what I want to do with that blog. I need to do the same for Crafty Mama.
Do I want to focus on homeschool rights news stories? Do I want to focus on posts about what the kids and I are doing? Do I want to talk about how to homeschool? Do I want to talk about educational philosophy? Do I want to post about all of those things?
Then there is the fact that crafting season is coming back. I craft a lot when the cooler weather sets in. That's why I started this blog originally, before I started using it for homeschool posts. Maybe I should set up some categories like I just did on She's Right.
At any rate, I am going to think about it this weekend. With She's Right, setting goals has helped me to be more focused and post on a more frequent basis.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Flash Cards: Bad, Bingo: Good
This is my entry to win a camera in the "Capture the Educational Moment" Contest sponsored by Spunky and Academic Superstore.
This year Painter and Jokey are both in grade 4 math. We are using Switched-on Schoolhouse, which is a computer-based curriculum, for that subject. They are both doing well with it. The only problem is that they take forever because they do not have their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts fully committed to memory. It frustrates them (and me) that it takes so long.
I take care in deciding what I am going to force them to do, and it is very little. There is really no subject at this time that I have not been able to make enjoyable for them. Sometimes they put up a fuss over language arts, but once we get into it, they are fine.
So, when the idea of using flash cards to learn their math facts sunk faster than a lead balloon, I started searching for a better way.
I bought an electronic "game" called Math Wiz, but they rejected that too, saying it was the same as flashcards. Painter called it "baby stuff," meaning "too easy," yet he still does not have his math facts down.
This morning, I pulled out a math bingo game I picked up at a book sale. I set it up and we started playing. After a few rounds, the answers started coming so much easier to them. I am going to play it with them every morning (or so) until they get the facts committed to memory. If that game gets boring, I have a couple other math fact games in mind.
It is unbelievable to me that I ever spent hours fighting to get them to learn something a certain way when it is so much easier to find a way that works for them and makes learning fun.
This year Painter and Jokey are both in grade 4 math. We are using Switched-on Schoolhouse, which is a computer-based curriculum, for that subject. They are both doing well with it. The only problem is that they take forever because they do not have their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts fully committed to memory. It frustrates them (and me) that it takes so long.
I take care in deciding what I am going to force them to do, and it is very little. There is really no subject at this time that I have not been able to make enjoyable for them. Sometimes they put up a fuss over language arts, but once we get into it, they are fine.
So, when the idea of using flash cards to learn their math facts sunk faster than a lead balloon, I started searching for a better way.
I bought an electronic "game" called Math Wiz, but they rejected that too, saying it was the same as flashcards. Painter called it "baby stuff," meaning "too easy," yet he still does not have his math facts down.
This morning, I pulled out a math bingo game I picked up at a book sale. I set it up and we started playing. After a few rounds, the answers started coming so much easier to them. I am going to play it with them every morning (or so) until they get the facts committed to memory. If that game gets boring, I have a couple other math fact games in mind.
It is unbelievable to me that I ever spent hours fighting to get them to learn something a certain way when it is so much easier to find a way that works for them and makes learning fun.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Carnival of Homeschooling # 38
I can't believe that I haven't posted since the last Carnival of Homeschooling was up, but alas, another week has passed and another collection of homeschool blog posts is available over at The Thinking Mother, host blog of this week's carnival.
Stop on over and check it out.
Stop on over and check it out.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Homeschooling rocks
This morning, the kids and I biked about a mile to the electric department, where I voted in the primary election. (Actually, it was 1.1 mi. each way, according to Yahoo! Maps.)
Civics and gym class all in one. Sweet.
And I got to cross "voting" off my list of things to do. And I got some exercise.
I love this homeschooling thing.
Speaking of loving homeschooling, be sure to stop on over to the 37th Carnival of Homeschooling and see what other homeschoolers were up to this past week. It's over at Principled Discovery.
Civics and gym class all in one. Sweet.
And I got to cross "voting" off my list of things to do. And I got some exercise.
I love this homeschooling thing.
Speaking of loving homeschooling, be sure to stop on over to the 37th Carnival of Homeschooling and see what other homeschoolers were up to this past week. It's over at Principled Discovery.
Monday, September 11, 2006
The wait for approval
On August 18, I finally got around to mailing in my enrollment to the Vermont State DOE Home Study Office.
It had to include a detailed curriculum for each child. I described the legal requirement and what I included this year in this post.
It also had to include an assessment of last year for each child. I decided to try doing a parent report and a portfolio of the children's work. That is one the options we have. The others are: an assessment by a licensed teacher or standardized test results (from state approved test) and parent report.
I am very much opposed to state regulation, so I was not going to give them too much information. I included about six math samples from different times in the year, some language arts and phonics worksheets, four multiple-choice science quizzes, the names of a couple of history books we read and a picture of one project we did, a maple sugar house we visited, a couple of pictures of artwork, and a partial reading list - all for each child. I also listed in the parent report what we did for art, music, health , and phys. ed., but did not include anything in the portfolio for those topics.
I felt that this wasn't very much information, but that it was enough to see that we did something and that they made "appropriate progress" for their ages/abilities, something that is required by statute.
Still, I thought they would ask for more information. I did not believe that they had a legal right to require more information, but I really thought they would ask for it.
I also had concerns about the curriculum because I was not specific with the topics, since I am doing some subjects in a child-led sort of approach. I was, however, specific with the skills that I wanted them to attain.
The state has 14 business days to respond, plus mailing time. I tried not to think about it, but as their time was almost up, I was rushing to the mail every day.
The envelope finally came on Saturday night. I got it Sunday morning, since our mail comes late and is delivered at a common location in our development.
I knew based on how thin it was that the impossible had occurred. Sure enough, when I opened it, my enrollment was approved on the first try!
This was awesome news since this was my first year of doing an assessment and only my second curriculum.
After reading the frustrated parents on the homeschool message boards, who got requests for more information, this was a pleasant surprise.
I still think that the state has no right to require home educating parents to submit a curriculum and assessment to them, but now that I have been through it and I know that I do not need to feel stressed about having enough samples for the state, I don't resent it quite as much as I did before.
I am just glad to have it behind me so we can focus on this year!
It had to include a detailed curriculum for each child. I described the legal requirement and what I included this year in this post.
It also had to include an assessment of last year for each child. I decided to try doing a parent report and a portfolio of the children's work. That is one the options we have. The others are: an assessment by a licensed teacher or standardized test results (from state approved test) and parent report.
I am very much opposed to state regulation, so I was not going to give them too much information. I included about six math samples from different times in the year, some language arts and phonics worksheets, four multiple-choice science quizzes, the names of a couple of history books we read and a picture of one project we did, a maple sugar house we visited, a couple of pictures of artwork, and a partial reading list - all for each child. I also listed in the parent report what we did for art, music, health , and phys. ed., but did not include anything in the portfolio for those topics.
I felt that this wasn't very much information, but that it was enough to see that we did something and that they made "appropriate progress" for their ages/abilities, something that is required by statute.
Still, I thought they would ask for more information. I did not believe that they had a legal right to require more information, but I really thought they would ask for it.
I also had concerns about the curriculum because I was not specific with the topics, since I am doing some subjects in a child-led sort of approach. I was, however, specific with the skills that I wanted them to attain.
The state has 14 business days to respond, plus mailing time. I tried not to think about it, but as their time was almost up, I was rushing to the mail every day.
The envelope finally came on Saturday night. I got it Sunday morning, since our mail comes late and is delivered at a common location in our development.
I knew based on how thin it was that the impossible had occurred. Sure enough, when I opened it, my enrollment was approved on the first try!
This was awesome news since this was my first year of doing an assessment and only my second curriculum.
After reading the frustrated parents on the homeschool message boards, who got requests for more information, this was a pleasant surprise.
I still think that the state has no right to require home educating parents to submit a curriculum and assessment to them, but now that I have been through it and I know that I do not need to feel stressed about having enough samples for the state, I don't resent it quite as much as I did before.
I am just glad to have it behind me so we can focus on this year!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Crafty Mama's Yummy-licious No Bake Treats
There comes a time in every woman's life when she NEEDS some chocolate and there is none in the house.
For me, that day was today.
I have been dealing with a head cold/sore throat/headache for days and my husband came home early from work to take the kids off my hands. I rested for about an hour and then I wanted some comfort food to make me feel better. (Yes, I know. That's bad.) I was really craving chocolate, partly for the comfort and partly for the energy my body was lacking, I think.
Since I have been watching what I eat lately, the only chocolate we had was an old square of baking chocolate, unsweetened.
I decided to play around with inventing a no-bake cookie recipe.
First, I melted the chocolate square and a half-cup of butter in a double boiler. You don't have a double-boiler? That's okay, neither do I. I actually placed a metal mixing bowl on top of a sauce pan with a couple of inches of water in it. Boil the water, then turn down the heat to a simmer. The steam heats the bowl and melts the chocolate without burning it. You can also microwave it, if you are into that sort of thing.
Then I added 2 T of peanut butter. You can add more or less depending on your taste. I added a small pinch of salt, too. Use more or less depending on how much PB you use, since PB is salty.
At this point, I took it off the heat.
Then I played around with the sugar. I added it until I liked the taste. I ended up with 1/2 cup of sugar.
Last, I stirred in some rolled oats. You can use instant or quick cooking if you want it less oaty. They are thinner sliced. Personally, I like to be able to taste the oats. I ended up adding 1 1/2 cups of oats.
I then lined a baking sheet with wax paper and sprayed a tiny spritz of cooking spray on it. I used an icecream scoop to scoop out the mixture onto the wax paper. It needs to be pressed together tightly to hold its shape.
Baby Smurf loved them. So did Painter. Jokey thought they were too oaty. Papa Smurf said that it took a couple of bites to really appreciate them. I thought they were great - especially since there was no other chocolate in the house.
For me, that day was today.
I have been dealing with a head cold/sore throat/headache for days and my husband came home early from work to take the kids off my hands. I rested for about an hour and then I wanted some comfort food to make me feel better. (Yes, I know. That's bad.) I was really craving chocolate, partly for the comfort and partly for the energy my body was lacking, I think.
Since I have been watching what I eat lately, the only chocolate we had was an old square of baking chocolate, unsweetened.
I decided to play around with inventing a no-bake cookie recipe.
First, I melted the chocolate square and a half-cup of butter in a double boiler. You don't have a double-boiler? That's okay, neither do I. I actually placed a metal mixing bowl on top of a sauce pan with a couple of inches of water in it. Boil the water, then turn down the heat to a simmer. The steam heats the bowl and melts the chocolate without burning it. You can also microwave it, if you are into that sort of thing.
Then I added 2 T of peanut butter. You can add more or less depending on your taste. I added a small pinch of salt, too. Use more or less depending on how much PB you use, since PB is salty.
At this point, I took it off the heat.
Then I played around with the sugar. I added it until I liked the taste. I ended up with 1/2 cup of sugar.
Last, I stirred in some rolled oats. You can use instant or quick cooking if you want it less oaty. They are thinner sliced. Personally, I like to be able to taste the oats. I ended up adding 1 1/2 cups of oats.
I then lined a baking sheet with wax paper and sprayed a tiny spritz of cooking spray on it. I used an icecream scoop to scoop out the mixture onto the wax paper. It needs to be pressed together tightly to hold its shape.
Baby Smurf loved them. So did Painter. Jokey thought they were too oaty. Papa Smurf said that it took a couple of bites to really appreciate them. I thought they were great - especially since there was no other chocolate in the house.
Here is the recipe:
1/2 c. butter
1-1.5 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2 Tbsp peanut butter
pinch salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a metal mixing bowl placed on top of a pot of boiling water. Add peanut butter and salt. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Mix in sugar until smooth. Add oats. Stir to coat completely. Shape with hands or ice cream scoop onto waxpaper lined baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Chill until firm. Makes approx. 8 cookies.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The 36th Carnival of Homeschooling is now up
The 36th Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Why Homeschool.
Stop by and check out what others in the homeschool blogging community have to say this week. The theme is Labor Day.
That reminds me of a funny Labor Day story. On Friday, I did a little lesson on Labor Day using the materials on About Homeschool. I told them the story of Peter McGuire and how bad the factory conditions were at that time.
After we were finished, one of the boys asked, "Why do people get the day off?"
The other added, "Yeah. It would make more sense if they had to work a 12 hour day in a factory to see how good they have it!"
That's not exactly what I expected them to get from the lesson!
Stop by and check out what others in the homeschool blogging community have to say this week. The theme is Labor Day.
That reminds me of a funny Labor Day story. On Friday, I did a little lesson on Labor Day using the materials on About Homeschool. I told them the story of Peter McGuire and how bad the factory conditions were at that time.
After we were finished, one of the boys asked, "Why do people get the day off?"
The other added, "Yeah. It would make more sense if they had to work a 12 hour day in a factory to see how good they have it!"
That's not exactly what I expected them to get from the lesson!
Monday, September 04, 2006
Fun Dough
Today, I made some really neat play dough for the boys. It was pretty easy. Mix 1 cup of corn starch, 2 cups of baking soda, and 1 1/4 cups of water in a sauce pan. Over medium heat, continue to cook and stir.
It starts out like the consistency of milk. It seems like it is taking forever, then all of the sudden, it thickens to the consistency of white glue. Within seconds, it becomes like instant mashed potatoes. At this point, I heated and stirred for another minute. I poured it out onto the counter, where it is supposed to be kneaded, but it was too hot. I let it cool a bit, then kneaded it.
The dough can be colored with food coloring, which we did, or used white and then painted when dry. It takes 24-48 hours to dry. It has not been that long, so I can't vouch for what it looks like when done, but I was told the creations can be finished with a sealant or clear nail polish. This is supposed to be good for making pins or magnets.
I will update you with how they came out. The most important thing was that the boys were busy and having fun!
It starts out like the consistency of milk. It seems like it is taking forever, then all of the sudden, it thickens to the consistency of white glue. Within seconds, it becomes like instant mashed potatoes. At this point, I heated and stirred for another minute. I poured it out onto the counter, where it is supposed to be kneaded, but it was too hot. I let it cool a bit, then kneaded it.
The dough can be colored with food coloring, which we did, or used white and then painted when dry. It takes 24-48 hours to dry. It has not been that long, so I can't vouch for what it looks like when done, but I was told the creations can be finished with a sealant or clear nail polish. This is supposed to be good for making pins or magnets.
I will update you with how they came out. The most important thing was that the boys were busy and having fun!
Friday, September 01, 2006
Best. Wiki. Ever.
I just found the best use ever of Wikimedia: Wikimedia Cookbook. What a brilliant idea.
I found it while searching for an apple oat muffin recipe.
I decided that healthy muffins would make a great Sunday breakfast. Saturday has been pancake day, since the beginning of time. Monday through Friday is cereal (or peanut butter toast for Jokey sometimes) day. I wanted something else for Sunday. Something good, yummy, wholesome, and easy to make before church. (We go to an 11:15 service, so I can still handle baking something. We are so not morning people.) I bought some organic oats and locally grown early red apples I am dying to use. I'll let you know how it turns out and link to the recipe if it is good.
Update: I ended up making the muffins and they turned out great. The weird thing is, I cannot find the recipe on the Wikimedia Cookbook now.
Here it is, with my changes:
Apple Raisin Oat Muffins
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (or 1 c. white flour and 1/2 c. wheat)
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. brown sugar (or 1/4 c. brown, 1/4 c. white. I used all brown)
1 whole egg
1 c. milk (2% is fine)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 c. grated apples (a food processor works great for this)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I do not like nutmeg, so I only used a small sprinkle)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. raisins
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Grease muffin pans with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder, and baking soda.
In another bowl combine remaining ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until just combined. Using your hands works well, but is messy. As will all muffin recipes, do not overmix!
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full (or a little more - these are dense and do not rise a lot).
Place on top rack of oven and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F.
Rotate pan after 10 minutes; check for doneness after 15 minutes.
Muffins usually take 20 -25 minutes.
Allow to cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan.
I found it while searching for an apple oat muffin recipe.
I decided that healthy muffins would make a great Sunday breakfast. Saturday has been pancake day, since the beginning of time. Monday through Friday is cereal (or peanut butter toast for Jokey sometimes) day. I wanted something else for Sunday. Something good, yummy, wholesome, and easy to make before church. (We go to an 11:15 service, so I can still handle baking something. We are so not morning people.) I bought some organic oats and locally grown early red apples I am dying to use. I'll let you know how it turns out and link to the recipe if it is good.
Update: I ended up making the muffins and they turned out great. The weird thing is, I cannot find the recipe on the Wikimedia Cookbook now.
Here it is, with my changes:
Apple Raisin Oat Muffins
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (or 1 c. white flour and 1/2 c. wheat)
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. brown sugar (or 1/4 c. brown, 1/4 c. white. I used all brown)
1 whole egg
1 c. milk (2% is fine)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 c. grated apples (a food processor works great for this)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I do not like nutmeg, so I only used a small sprinkle)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. raisins
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Grease muffin pans with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder, and baking soda.
In another bowl combine remaining ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until just combined. Using your hands works well, but is messy. As will all muffin recipes, do not overmix!
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full (or a little more - these are dense and do not rise a lot).
Place on top rack of oven and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F.
Rotate pan after 10 minutes; check for doneness after 15 minutes.
Muffins usually take 20 -25 minutes.
Allow to cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
The Homeschool Carnival is Now Up
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Category Five. The post starts off with an interesting research presentation about weather conditions along the Trail of Tears. It ends with a round-up of homeschool blogging posts.
Be sure to check it out.
Be sure to check it out.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Do you have what it takes?
Saturday, there was a column in The Columbus Dispatch written by a mom who does not think she has what it takes to homeschool.
What I want to know is why these prerequisites were not told to me by the Vermont Department of Education?
And I just had to laugh at her notion that the kids have to get up early to do homeschool. One of the reasons I wanted to homeschool is that my kids hated getting up for school. They are up by 7:00 now, but when they are teens, I bet that they will really benefit from the extra sleep.
My typical day doesn't include as much TV as her imagined one did, but I am willing to bet that hers wouldn't either. At least after the first week. There are days, though...
If you are thinking about homeschooling, don't believe the myth that you need to be a perfectly patient and organized mother or that you have to get up early and undergo a rigorously scheduled day of book work. True, some families fit that description. I do not know any of them, but they do exist I am told.
In my family, we view homeschooling as a way of life. Learning happens all of the time, not just during set hours. We do have certain written work that must get done during the year, but it gets done when it gets done. Why spend a beautiful sunny day doing book work when there will be plenty of rainy or snowy days that we will not mind staying in?
A lot of what we do for "school" is done on a whim based on what we want to do. The subjects that are more structured, like math, they devour when they are in the right mood. They might work through two weeks of math in a single sitting and then not touch it for another week or two. That's okay. That is why we homeschool.
You might not like the unstructured way we do it either. It might seem too unordered. That's okay, too. It's your home; it's your family; it's your homeschool. Do it your way!
Just don't get too attached to your sanity!
(Hat Tip: Homeschool Buzz)
"I don't think I have what it takes: the patience of a saint, an organizational style not based on procrastination and the ability to find a No. 2 pencil with an eraser anywhere in the house."Oh no! I don't have any of those things either. I guess I shouldn't be homeschooling. No one told me that I had to have the patience of a saint. I fail that one. And no procrastination? Gee, I fail that one, too. I wonder how we got through the first year. And pencils readily available at all times? There were days that the kids had to do their work in crayon!
"I couldn't teach my kids and retain my sanity, too."I'm supposed to have my sanity?!?
What I want to know is why these prerequisites were not told to me by the Vermont Department of Education?
And I just had to laugh at her notion that the kids have to get up early to do homeschool. One of the reasons I wanted to homeschool is that my kids hated getting up for school. They are up by 7:00 now, but when they are teens, I bet that they will really benefit from the extra sleep.
My typical day doesn't include as much TV as her imagined one did, but I am willing to bet that hers wouldn't either. At least after the first week. There are days, though...
If you are thinking about homeschooling, don't believe the myth that you need to be a perfectly patient and organized mother or that you have to get up early and undergo a rigorously scheduled day of book work. True, some families fit that description. I do not know any of them, but they do exist I am told.
In my family, we view homeschooling as a way of life. Learning happens all of the time, not just during set hours. We do have certain written work that must get done during the year, but it gets done when it gets done. Why spend a beautiful sunny day doing book work when there will be plenty of rainy or snowy days that we will not mind staying in?
A lot of what we do for "school" is done on a whim based on what we want to do. The subjects that are more structured, like math, they devour when they are in the right mood. They might work through two weeks of math in a single sitting and then not touch it for another week or two. That's okay. That is why we homeschool.
You might not like the unstructured way we do it either. It might seem too unordered. That's okay, too. It's your home; it's your family; it's your homeschool. Do it your way!
Just don't get too attached to your sanity!
(Hat Tip: Homeschool Buzz)
Christian Homeschoolers
The other day another homeschooling mom I know made a comment about "Christian homeschoolers," that she did not understand them. You had to hear the inflection in her voice to really know what she was saying, but it was not good. She has a picture in her head of the rigid schedule, the all-day memorizing of scripture, the shut-ins who cut themselves off from the rest of the world.
I felt kind of uncomfortable. I am a Christian homeschooling parent. Should I say something? Should I call her on her prejudices?
I decided not to because I am not one of the weird ones that she was thinking of. I just happen to be Christian and homeschool, but I am not one of those "Christian homeschoolers" that she is talking about. I don't even use Christian curriculum.
Then later that night, I was reviewing the Learning Language Arts Through Literature book, so I would know what we were going to be doing. I noticed that the first passage was about God and the Bible. Ha! I guess I do use a Christian curriculum!
And Switched-on Schoolhouse, which we are using for math is from Alpha Omega Publications - a Christian curriculum publisher.
I began thinking about how I did not notice that before. I guess it's because God is such a part of our life that a passage in a book that talks about God and the Bible does not jump right out at me or strike me as strange.
We read the Bible. We pray together. We discuss things through the lens of a Christian world view. We use Christian curriculum. I guess we are "Christian homeschoolers."
The problem was that I was prejudging other Christian homeschoolers. I also had this stereotype in my head of families who shelter their kids from the world. I know we are different than that. Partly because we have not always been Christians, or homeschoolers for that matter, and partly because that's not where God is leading us.
The truth is, if I had been a Christian before my kids went to school, I probably would have sheltered them a while longer, too.
I also know that there are as many different kinds of Christian homeschooling families as there are Christian homeschool families. Some choose to use a strict schedule. Some unschool. Some use an entire curriculum that is Christian. Some use secular materials. Some choose to keep their kids sheltered from the ways of the world until they are older. Some are out in the world early on. Each family needs to decide what works best for them and God leads each family down a unique path.
It was wrong for me to fall into the trap of judging other Christian homeschoolers by a negative stereotype created by people who are hostile to our values and way of life. I am sorry for that.
The next time I speak to this homeschooling mom, I will let her know that we are Christian homeschoolers.
I felt kind of uncomfortable. I am a Christian homeschooling parent. Should I say something? Should I call her on her prejudices?
I decided not to because I am not one of the weird ones that she was thinking of. I just happen to be Christian and homeschool, but I am not one of those "Christian homeschoolers" that she is talking about. I don't even use Christian curriculum.
Then later that night, I was reviewing the Learning Language Arts Through Literature book, so I would know what we were going to be doing. I noticed that the first passage was about God and the Bible. Ha! I guess I do use a Christian curriculum!
And Switched-on Schoolhouse, which we are using for math is from Alpha Omega Publications - a Christian curriculum publisher.
I began thinking about how I did not notice that before. I guess it's because God is such a part of our life that a passage in a book that talks about God and the Bible does not jump right out at me or strike me as strange.
We read the Bible. We pray together. We discuss things through the lens of a Christian world view. We use Christian curriculum. I guess we are "Christian homeschoolers."
The problem was that I was prejudging other Christian homeschoolers. I also had this stereotype in my head of families who shelter their kids from the world. I know we are different than that. Partly because we have not always been Christians, or homeschoolers for that matter, and partly because that's not where God is leading us.
The truth is, if I had been a Christian before my kids went to school, I probably would have sheltered them a while longer, too.
I also know that there are as many different kinds of Christian homeschooling families as there are Christian homeschool families. Some choose to use a strict schedule. Some unschool. Some use an entire curriculum that is Christian. Some use secular materials. Some choose to keep their kids sheltered from the ways of the world until they are older. Some are out in the world early on. Each family needs to decide what works best for them and God leads each family down a unique path.
It was wrong for me to fall into the trap of judging other Christian homeschoolers by a negative stereotype created by people who are hostile to our values and way of life. I am sorry for that.
The next time I speak to this homeschooling mom, I will let her know that we are Christian homeschoolers.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
How nerdy are you?
What's your nerd score? The score is the percentage of test-takers who scored lower (less nerdy) than you. I scored 81. That's right, I am 81% nerd.
I know that it is just another stupid internet quiz, but to a former math and science nerd, who was once a rising star in the UVM Physics Department (albeit very briefly), turned stay-at-home mom with no outlet for her math genius other than to try and produce a new generation of math nerds, it is great to have someone call me "MIT material," even if it is just an automatically generated response from an on-line quiz.What does this mean? Your nerdiness is: High-Level Nerd. You are definitely MIT material, apply now!!!
So, how nerdy are you? Take the quiz and report back via comments.
(Hat Tip: O'DonnellWeb)
The Carnival of Homeschooling is now up!
This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Patricia Ann's Pollywog Creek Porch. Stop on by and enjoy a mosquito infested tour of the Florida Everglades, while browsing links to some of the best posts the homeschool blogging community has to offer. (And I'm not just saying that because I have a post in there!)
Monday, August 21, 2006
A Crafty Post
I just realized that I have not done a crafty post in a really long time. By far, the fall and winter months are the time when I do the most crafting, but I still do crafts during the summer.
Just so I don't have to change the blog name to "Homeschool Mama," here is a quick crafty post.
I had this thin box lying around that an AOL trial CD came in, so I thought I would jazz it up a bit. I got out a bunch of wrapping paper samples that I had torn out of catalogs and taught the boys how to decoupage. They tried the technique out on empty cereal boxes.
The way I like to decoupage is simple. I use Mod Podge in the matte finish. Basically, I make sure the surface is clean and if it is really slick, I might rough it up with sand paper. With a paint brush, I apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the object and to the back of the paper I am sticking on. I place the paper onto the object and then I smooth out the paper using the same brush, applying more Mod Podge if necessary to hold down the edges. I repeat until the object is covered. When it is finished, I cover the whole thing with another layer of Mod Podge. Do not worry how it looks at this point; the Mod Podge will dry clear.
This process may need to be done in sections so that the object has a surface to rest on while drying. If you coat the whole thing at once, you won't be able to put it down! If you do it in sections, you may need to do additional final coats to get the desired look.
This brings me to reason #347 why I love to homeschool: every crafty mama should get the chance to spend the afternoon teaching her sons how to decoupage.
Just so I don't have to change the blog name to "Homeschool Mama," here is a quick crafty post.
I had this thin box lying around that an AOL trial CD came in, so I thought I would jazz it up a bit. I got out a bunch of wrapping paper samples that I had torn out of catalogs and taught the boys how to decoupage. They tried the technique out on empty cereal boxes.
The way I like to decoupage is simple. I use Mod Podge in the matte finish. Basically, I make sure the surface is clean and if it is really slick, I might rough it up with sand paper. With a paint brush, I apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the object and to the back of the paper I am sticking on. I place the paper onto the object and then I smooth out the paper using the same brush, applying more Mod Podge if necessary to hold down the edges. I repeat until the object is covered. When it is finished, I cover the whole thing with another layer of Mod Podge. Do not worry how it looks at this point; the Mod Podge will dry clear.
This process may need to be done in sections so that the object has a surface to rest on while drying. If you coat the whole thing at once, you won't be able to put it down! If you do it in sections, you may need to do additional final coats to get the desired look.
This brings me to reason #347 why I love to homeschool: every crafty mama should get the chance to spend the afternoon teaching her sons how to decoupage.
Homeschool Planning
I tentatively plan to start school on Monday. I wanted to have a school calendar with 36 weeks in order to accommodate the Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) program (which has 36 weekly lessons) and make it easier to map out targets to make sure we finish everything we need to do by the time the other kids in the neighborhood are out of school for summer next year.
Thirty-six weeks works well because it breaks into four 9-week quarters, three 12-week trimesters, or two 18-week semesters. This gives me lots of options for how to organize the material. (And yes, I am a math geek.)
I sat down this weekend and sketched out a plan for the year, so I could stay on track. I am trying to be less rigid with the schedule in terms of what day and time things need to be done, but I wanted to see what needs to be done each quarter in order to finish by the end of the public school year.
We are starting on August 28 and running through June 8 (the week before the school lets out). We are taking a week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas, one week in February/March (when the school does), and one week in April (when the school does).
Last year we took off from Thanksgiving to New Year's, but that was too much time off. This year we will continue with language arts, science, and math during the last week in November and the first two weeks in December, but we will probably focus on Christmas gifts and crafts and the meaning of the season in place of the social studies subjects.
Instead of buying a planner like I did last year, I decided to make my own in a three-ring binder. I used a hard cover one with a clear pocket in front and I painted a picture to put in it to personalize my binder.
Then I thought about what kind of features I liked in my planner last year and what new ones I might want. I printed out a year at a glance page to outline targets in each subject by quarter, month, or trimester, depending on subject; a book log for each child; month calendars for each month; weekly lesson plan pages; and a weekly activity schedule to list standing appointments, practices, etc. I also printed out a copy of the public school calendar from the school district's website and a copy of each child's curriculum that I submitted to the state, for reference. I hole punched all of these and put them in my binder along with some loose-leaf paper for notes and stuff.
I marked the monthly calendars with holidays and quarter end dates. These I will also use to keep track of what we do/need to do, but I want to wait until we start. I have found that setting a schedule does not work as well as settling into a schedule that works for us does.
The big thing I did was set up the year-at-a-glance page. I took each book that I included in the curriculum and divided it into sections. LLATL is set up with 36 lessons, so I planned on one per week. One of the science books we are using is in three sections, so I planned on one per trimester. For other books that were not set up in a particular way, I just divided the pages into four parts, one for each quarter. The four sections were not always equal because I wanted to make sure we ended in a logical place. This is meant to be a guideline so that we can finish everything that needs to be reported to the state by the time summer comes. I do not want the disruption of the neighborhood kids while we are trying to wrap up our portfolios.
All of the planner pages I used I was able to find on the Microsoft Works program we have. A helpful hint for anyone who wants to buy a copy of Microsoft Office. You can buy Works cheaply (we paid like $40) and then buy the Office upgrade. (At least you could on the upgrade we bought. See package to make sure that the upgrade works with Works.) This is an inexpensive alternative to purchasing the full version of Office and is totally legitimate. Another bonus is that in the end, you have Office and Works. Works has lots of cool templates for household management.
Of course if you really wanted to save money, you would use open source software like my husband does on his computer.
If you don't have Works or another program with templates, you can find free planner pages on the web with a quick search. For the non-search savvy, here is one I found at The Homeschool Mom and one from Donna Young.
Thirty-six weeks works well because it breaks into four 9-week quarters, three 12-week trimesters, or two 18-week semesters. This gives me lots of options for how to organize the material. (And yes, I am a math geek.)
I sat down this weekend and sketched out a plan for the year, so I could stay on track. I am trying to be less rigid with the schedule in terms of what day and time things need to be done, but I wanted to see what needs to be done each quarter in order to finish by the end of the public school year.
We are starting on August 28 and running through June 8 (the week before the school lets out). We are taking a week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas, one week in February/March (when the school does), and one week in April (when the school does).
Last year we took off from Thanksgiving to New Year's, but that was too much time off. This year we will continue with language arts, science, and math during the last week in November and the first two weeks in December, but we will probably focus on Christmas gifts and crafts and the meaning of the season in place of the social studies subjects.
Instead of buying a planner like I did last year, I decided to make my own in a three-ring binder. I used a hard cover one with a clear pocket in front and I painted a picture to put in it to personalize my binder.
Then I thought about what kind of features I liked in my planner last year and what new ones I might want. I printed out a year at a glance page to outline targets in each subject by quarter, month, or trimester, depending on subject; a book log for each child; month calendars for each month; weekly lesson plan pages; and a weekly activity schedule to list standing appointments, practices, etc. I also printed out a copy of the public school calendar from the school district's website and a copy of each child's curriculum that I submitted to the state, for reference. I hole punched all of these and put them in my binder along with some loose-leaf paper for notes and stuff.
I marked the monthly calendars with holidays and quarter end dates. These I will also use to keep track of what we do/need to do, but I want to wait until we start. I have found that setting a schedule does not work as well as settling into a schedule that works for us does.
The big thing I did was set up the year-at-a-glance page. I took each book that I included in the curriculum and divided it into sections. LLATL is set up with 36 lessons, so I planned on one per week. One of the science books we are using is in three sections, so I planned on one per trimester. For other books that were not set up in a particular way, I just divided the pages into four parts, one for each quarter. The four sections were not always equal because I wanted to make sure we ended in a logical place. This is meant to be a guideline so that we can finish everything that needs to be reported to the state by the time summer comes. I do not want the disruption of the neighborhood kids while we are trying to wrap up our portfolios.
All of the planner pages I used I was able to find on the Microsoft Works program we have. A helpful hint for anyone who wants to buy a copy of Microsoft Office. You can buy Works cheaply (we paid like $40) and then buy the Office upgrade. (At least you could on the upgrade we bought. See package to make sure that the upgrade works with Works.) This is an inexpensive alternative to purchasing the full version of Office and is totally legitimate. Another bonus is that in the end, you have Office and Works. Works has lots of cool templates for household management.
Of course if you really wanted to save money, you would use open source software like my husband does on his computer.
If you don't have Works or another program with templates, you can find free planner pages on the web with a quick search. For the non-search savvy, here is one I found at The Homeschool Mom and one from Donna Young.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Carnival of Homeschooling # 33 and other things
I can't believe that I haven't posted since the last carnival post!
Well, the new carnival is up at The Common Room. Drop in and check out what other homeschool bloggers are up to.
I just noticed that have to update my side bar because Baby Smurf just turned 3 yesterday! We are having a party this weekend with four of his little friends. This will be his first time having a bunch of same-aged friends over.
This week, we are trying to ease into the school routine with reading and art. I started with those two subjects because they can be passed off as fun and not work. I am hoping to rid them of their public school trauma and show them that all subjects can be fun and not work. We'll see how that goes.
I have learned that in our house "school" is a dirty word. If I say, "Let's do school," the boys groan, or worse. But, if I say, "Let's do a science experiment," they are excited. I wonder how many other kids learn to dread that word after a bad experience at school.
Well, the new carnival is up at The Common Room. Drop in and check out what other homeschool bloggers are up to.
I just noticed that have to update my side bar because Baby Smurf just turned 3 yesterday! We are having a party this weekend with four of his little friends. This will be his first time having a bunch of same-aged friends over.
This week, we are trying to ease into the school routine with reading and art. I started with those two subjects because they can be passed off as fun and not work. I am hoping to rid them of their public school trauma and show them that all subjects can be fun and not work. We'll see how that goes.
I have learned that in our house "school" is a dirty word. If I say, "Let's do school," the boys groan, or worse. But, if I say, "Let's do a science experiment," they are excited. I wonder how many other kids learn to dread that word after a bad experience at school.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
32nd Carnival of Homeschooling is up
The 32nd Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Sprittibee.
This week's carnival is a Wild West theme. Mosey on over and check it out!
"If you don't know what a posting carnival is... let me explain. You see, likeminded bloggers who share a common interest enjoy seeing what each other have to say. So some really smart blogger invented a way to have a sort of "open house" on the web for blogs of the same type."
This week's carnival is a Wild West theme. Mosey on over and check it out!
Friday, August 04, 2006
The Making of a Homeschool Dad
When I first got the idea to homeschool, Papa Smurf was very supportive and excited. He is a longtime reader of Thomas Sowell (and others) and has a great degree of disdain for the public school system. He e-mailed me pro-homeschooling articles and gave me encouragement when I got frustrated or burned out during the school year.
The only thing that I was not happy about was that he still did not get it that the learning needs to take place all of the time. He would often tell the kids the answer to something instead of encouraging and helping them figure it out themselves. I issued frequent reminders throughout the year about this, but it never seemed to click.
Then yesterday, Painter was adding 22,000 + 1,500 on the dry erase board to figure something out and he had lined the numbers up by the first digit. Papa Smurf came over to him and reminded him that it would be easier if he lined up the numbers from the ones place on, moving to the left. It was great watching how he guided Painter, but did not do the work for him.
And last night, when Painter took out a book to read that Papa Smurf thought was above his reading level, he chose five difficult words from a page and quizzed Painter. When he missed the word 'knapsack', Papa reminded him that the 'k' in 'kn' is silent.
He finally gets it! Now he understands that homeschooling is not just something that takes place during the "school hours" when he is at work. The boys are learning everything they need to know at home, a process that takes place all of the time.
As I told him joyfully, he is finally a Homeschool Dad!
The only thing that I was not happy about was that he still did not get it that the learning needs to take place all of the time. He would often tell the kids the answer to something instead of encouraging and helping them figure it out themselves. I issued frequent reminders throughout the year about this, but it never seemed to click.
Then yesterday, Painter was adding 22,000 + 1,500 on the dry erase board to figure something out and he had lined the numbers up by the first digit. Papa Smurf came over to him and reminded him that it would be easier if he lined up the numbers from the ones place on, moving to the left. It was great watching how he guided Painter, but did not do the work for him.
And last night, when Painter took out a book to read that Papa Smurf thought was above his reading level, he chose five difficult words from a page and quizzed Painter. When he missed the word 'knapsack', Papa reminded him that the 'k' in 'kn' is silent.
He finally gets it! Now he understands that homeschooling is not just something that takes place during the "school hours" when he is at work. The boys are learning everything they need to know at home, a process that takes place all of the time.
As I told him joyfully, he is finally a Homeschool Dad!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Carnival of Homeschooling # 31
The 31st Carnival of Homeschooling is up at PHAT Mommy. Stop by and check out her Galactic Adventures theme. The Carnival is a great place to get advice, tips, and ideas whether you are a veteran homeschooler or just thinking about homeschooling.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Children are boring?
I know I am late chiming in on this one, but I just had to say a few words about the Daily Mail column by Helen Kirwan-Taylor in which she admits that she is bored by all things mommy.
If you haven't read the actual piece yet, which has already been blogged about ad infinitum, you really should take the time to read it.
At first, I thought that this must be hyperbole. She details how she would send the nanny to take her kid to birthday parties and instead go out and shop or have her highlights done. I know that kid activities can become tedious, but this woman does not even engage occasionally, the way the piece is written.
Unfortunately, I do not think it was an exaggeration.
Not only does she not do birthday parties, but she goes on.
My children put away their plates and tidy up their rooms, too. (And vacuum, and wash the walls, and empty the dishwasher, and take out the recycling.) My children get bored and I make them entertain themselves (have you noticed the frequently updated blogs?). My children can make up stories. In fact, Painter won runner-up in the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest this past year.
I also attend birthday parties, go to all of their soccer games, and take them to the movies (or rather watch movies at home since we rarely can afford the theater). I read bedtime stories, daytime stories, draw with them, make Lego structures, play street hockey and 500 ball, play cards, make cookies together, take them to the park, and just hang out. And all of that was before I homeschooled! (I also did most of that stuff when I worked full-time.)
I love my children and refuse to cater to their every whim, too. They spend two hours in individual quiet time, IQT as we call it, every day, so I can have Me Time. That is not including my blog time or the time I spend reading the paper. I hardly center my life on their interests. The difference is that I do spend time involved in their interests, even if it does bore me at times.
That is what you do when you love someone (when you are not a self-centered). I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent bored almost to tears listening to my husband go on about his latest martial arts interest or the latest Linux distro.
And don't you think he ever gets sick of hearing about politics all of the time, or the latest post on PHAT Mommy, or how many Weight Watchers Points my lunch was? But he listens and so do I because we love each other. I know his interests are important to him, so they are important to me, even if they are not always interesting to me.
This is why I find this piece so...well, sad. The saddest part is that her kids have given up on ever having a mother who wants to spend time with them.
If you haven't read the actual piece yet, which has already been blogged about ad infinitum, you really should take the time to read it.
At first, I thought that this must be hyperbole. She details how she would send the nanny to take her kid to birthday parties and instead go out and shop or have her highlights done. I know that kid activities can become tedious, but this woman does not even engage occasionally, the way the piece is written.
Unfortunately, I do not think it was an exaggeration.
Not only does she not do birthday parties, but she goes on.
Then follows later with,My children have got used to my disappearing to the gym when they're doing their prep (how boring to learn something you never wanted to learn in the first place).
They know better than to expect me to sit through a cricket match, and they've completely given up on expecting me to spend school holidays taking them to museums or enjoying the latest cinema block-boster alongside them.
Research tells us that mothers drink the most when they have young children. Is that because talking to anyone under the age of ten requires some sort of lobotomy?Of course, she notes that a psychotherapist has vindicated her,
Psychotherapist Kati St Clair has listened to the frustrations of scores of mothers. 'Women now feel great pressure to enjoy their children at all times,' she says. 'The truth is, a lot of it is plain tedium. It's very unlikely that a mother doesn't love her child, but it can be very dull. Still, it takes a brave woman to admit that.'She goes on to cite some research that she feels backs her up, including
Research increasingly shows that child-centred parenting is creating a generation of narcissistic children who cannot function independently.and
Sometimes, apparently, the best thing parents can do for their children is to let them be bored.And concludes from that
This, of course, makes mothers like me - who love their children but refuse to cater to their every whim - feel vindicated. By sticking to our guns, we have unwittingly created children who can do things like make up stories (very few kids can any more).And
Because I have categorically said: 'I am not a waitress, a driver or a cleaner,' my children have learned to put away their plates and tidy up their rooms.It's so nice that Ms. Kirwan-Taylor is able to sleep at night by deluding herself this way, but in reality what she is doing goes far beyond making her kids self-reliant.
My children put away their plates and tidy up their rooms, too. (And vacuum, and wash the walls, and empty the dishwasher, and take out the recycling.) My children get bored and I make them entertain themselves (have you noticed the frequently updated blogs?). My children can make up stories. In fact, Painter won runner-up in the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest this past year.
I also attend birthday parties, go to all of their soccer games, and take them to the movies (or rather watch movies at home since we rarely can afford the theater). I read bedtime stories, daytime stories, draw with them, make Lego structures, play street hockey and 500 ball, play cards, make cookies together, take them to the park, and just hang out. And all of that was before I homeschooled! (I also did most of that stuff when I worked full-time.)
I love my children and refuse to cater to their every whim, too. They spend two hours in individual quiet time, IQT as we call it, every day, so I can have Me Time. That is not including my blog time or the time I spend reading the paper. I hardly center my life on their interests. The difference is that I do spend time involved in their interests, even if it does bore me at times.
That is what you do when you love someone (when you are not a self-centered). I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent bored almost to tears listening to my husband go on about his latest martial arts interest or the latest Linux distro.
And don't you think he ever gets sick of hearing about politics all of the time, or the latest post on PHAT Mommy, or how many Weight Watchers Points my lunch was? But he listens and so do I because we love each other. I know his interests are important to him, so they are important to me, even if they are not always interesting to me.
This is why I find this piece so...well, sad. The saddest part is that her kids have given up on ever having a mother who wants to spend time with them.
They stopped asking me to take them to the park (how tedious) years ago. But now when I try to entertain them and say: 'Why don't we get out the Monopoly board?' they simply look at me woefully and sigh: 'Don't bother, Mum, you'll just get bored.'
How right they are.
Friday, July 28, 2006
I finished writing my curriculum
I just finished my curriculum for the upcoming school year. It feels so good to have it done, but I can't send it in until I have the assessment done. I was planning on doing a portfolio of the children's work, but since I was not as organized as I had hoped, I am going with a teacher evaluation. I found a teacher on a homeschool message board and we will be getting together in early August.
I wanted to have the rest of the paperwork done and out of the way, so I sat down tonight and did the curriculum, although I have been gathering the information for some time now.
For those of you not in Vermont, there are 6 subject areas that we are required by statute to cover. They are: basic communication skills (which is reading, writing, and "the use of numbers," otherwise known as math), citizenship, history, and government in VT and the US, physical education and comprehensive health education, literature, the natural sciences, and fine arts.
As I mentioned before, I am using Learning Language Arts through Literature this year, which covers all of reading writing and literature, or at least I hope. For literature, I listed the four book studies that will be done with LLATL and added that the children will read other books for enjoyment to be chosen by each child.
In fact, in most subject areas, I listed the skills that I want them to gain, but the topics will be determined by the children. I don't know if this is acceptable to the Home Study Office, so I am a little anxious about what they will say.
For language arts, I included the scope and sequence of LLATL and for math I included the scope and sequence for Switched-on Schoolhouse Math.
For history the children will decide the topics, but I will help them if they need it and make sure it is appropriate. I want them to learn how to find information on the chosen topics, write a simple report or narrative to share what they learned, and make projects that are relevant to the topic. Hopefully, this is adequate. I know it is, but I just hope the state agrees because I am not sure what else I can give them. I am not going to force the kids to learn arbitrarily determined subjects when they should be able to follow their interests. I did list a few Vermont History topics, but they were vague. And we will do some geography as well.
For Phys. Ed., it will be child-led, but I listed a few activities I know we will cover, too, and for health I listed some topics I got from a sample curriculum I found here.
For science, we will be using an experimental biology book for kids that a neighbor gave me. It has brief explanations of each topic and an experiment to go along with it. I figure we can always get books from the library if we need to dig deeper. Then we will do a weather book I bought last year. It gets into the factors that affect weather and then teaches the kids to make simple forecasts. Finally, we will do something on the planets and stars, probably based on library books. Plus, the kids have been dying to make a solar system model.
For fine arts, Painter has a guitar that he wants to learn how to play and Jokey has a Djembe drum. I am also going to teach them some fundamentals of art, such as line, shape, color, value, form, etc. I think they would really get into that, especially Painter. The rest will be child-led.
So that's it. I'll see how it goes and hopefully they don't ask me for more than that because frankly, I don't know what I would add!
I wanted to have the rest of the paperwork done and out of the way, so I sat down tonight and did the curriculum, although I have been gathering the information for some time now.
For those of you not in Vermont, there are 6 subject areas that we are required by statute to cover. They are: basic communication skills (which is reading, writing, and "the use of numbers," otherwise known as math), citizenship, history, and government in VT and the US, physical education and comprehensive health education, literature, the natural sciences, and fine arts.
As I mentioned before, I am using Learning Language Arts through Literature this year, which covers all of reading writing and literature, or at least I hope. For literature, I listed the four book studies that will be done with LLATL and added that the children will read other books for enjoyment to be chosen by each child.
In fact, in most subject areas, I listed the skills that I want them to gain, but the topics will be determined by the children. I don't know if this is acceptable to the Home Study Office, so I am a little anxious about what they will say.
For language arts, I included the scope and sequence of LLATL and for math I included the scope and sequence for Switched-on Schoolhouse Math.
For history the children will decide the topics, but I will help them if they need it and make sure it is appropriate. I want them to learn how to find information on the chosen topics, write a simple report or narrative to share what they learned, and make projects that are relevant to the topic. Hopefully, this is adequate. I know it is, but I just hope the state agrees because I am not sure what else I can give them. I am not going to force the kids to learn arbitrarily determined subjects when they should be able to follow their interests. I did list a few Vermont History topics, but they were vague. And we will do some geography as well.
For Phys. Ed., it will be child-led, but I listed a few activities I know we will cover, too, and for health I listed some topics I got from a sample curriculum I found here.
For science, we will be using an experimental biology book for kids that a neighbor gave me. It has brief explanations of each topic and an experiment to go along with it. I figure we can always get books from the library if we need to dig deeper. Then we will do a weather book I bought last year. It gets into the factors that affect weather and then teaches the kids to make simple forecasts. Finally, we will do something on the planets and stars, probably based on library books. Plus, the kids have been dying to make a solar system model.
For fine arts, Painter has a guitar that he wants to learn how to play and Jokey has a Djembe drum. I am also going to teach them some fundamentals of art, such as line, shape, color, value, form, etc. I think they would really get into that, especially Painter. The rest will be child-led.
So that's it. I'll see how it goes and hopefully they don't ask me for more than that because frankly, I don't know what I would add!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Carnival of Homeschooling # 30
The Carnival of Homeschooling Week 30 is up at The Lilting House. Stop on over and enjoy this week's Schoolhouse Rock themed collection of homeschool blog posts. You are sure to find something helpful, interesting, or just plain entertaining.
Monday, July 24, 2006
It's official...we're homeschoolers
Last year at this time, homeschooling was the furthest thing from my mind. I had never even seriously entertained the idea.
Baby Smurf was born the August that Painter started kindergarten and Jokey started grade 1. Sending them off to school was the only thing I thought I sanely could do.
I never was happy with the public school. Despite the fact that we lived by the best, most award-decorated elementary school in the city, Jokey was miserable there almost from day one. Painter was little better.
The teachers and other staff was as helpful as they could be, but the problem was systemically ingrained in the modern paradigm of institutionalized learning and there was nothing they were going to be able to do to fix it. Let's just say that public school is not a good fit for some kids.
Two weeks before school was to start last year, I called the school to make an appointment to meet the boys' new teachers on the day before the first day of school, as all the parents are encouraged to do. That night, I was sick with anxiety over dealing with another year of school. Desperate for an answer (and some sleep), I prayed and asked God what I should do.
When I awoke the next morning, I had my answer. Homeschool. (Wait, are you sure God? Isn't that where I stay home with my kids all day every day and fight with them to do school work? Can you give me a different solution?)
I mentioned it to my husband - who is a huge critic of public schools - and it turns out he is a big advocate of homeschool. He even e-mailed me articles that very day about the benefits of homeschooling.
I asked the kids if they would ever want to be homeschooled and they ran around the neighborhood yelling, "We get to be homeschooled!"
"Okay," I thought, "I guess we're homeschooling!"
I spent the next two days on-line trying to figure out how one goes about homeschooling.
In Vermont, we have to submit a curriculum to the state Home Study Office for approval (which they say is not really an "approval," yet they have to say it is complete or else you are truant). I scoured the internet for guidelines, textbooks, standards, and anything else I could get my hands on to write my curriculum.
I submitted my paperwork to the state and then went in and told the school principal, who was surprisingly very supportive, that we would be homeschooling.
It was almost official. We were going to be homeschoolers.
Almost a year later, I can't imagine not homeschooling. It has been stressful and difficult, even maddening at times. There were times I questioned my sanity.
There were also great times; in fact most of the times are great. My kids and I are much closer. I am constantly learning more about them and from them. They are less stressed out. They enjoy learning. They are experiencing life. They are growing their gifts. They are following their interests. They have no desire to go back to school and I have no desire to send them there.
It is official. We are homeschoolers!
Baby Smurf was born the August that Painter started kindergarten and Jokey started grade 1. Sending them off to school was the only thing I thought I sanely could do.
I never was happy with the public school. Despite the fact that we lived by the best, most award-decorated elementary school in the city, Jokey was miserable there almost from day one. Painter was little better.
The teachers and other staff was as helpful as they could be, but the problem was systemically ingrained in the modern paradigm of institutionalized learning and there was nothing they were going to be able to do to fix it. Let's just say that public school is not a good fit for some kids.
Two weeks before school was to start last year, I called the school to make an appointment to meet the boys' new teachers on the day before the first day of school, as all the parents are encouraged to do. That night, I was sick with anxiety over dealing with another year of school. Desperate for an answer (and some sleep), I prayed and asked God what I should do.
When I awoke the next morning, I had my answer. Homeschool. (Wait, are you sure God? Isn't that where I stay home with my kids all day every day and fight with them to do school work? Can you give me a different solution?)
I mentioned it to my husband - who is a huge critic of public schools - and it turns out he is a big advocate of homeschool. He even e-mailed me articles that very day about the benefits of homeschooling.
I asked the kids if they would ever want to be homeschooled and they ran around the neighborhood yelling, "We get to be homeschooled!"
"Okay," I thought, "I guess we're homeschooling!"
I spent the next two days on-line trying to figure out how one goes about homeschooling.
In Vermont, we have to submit a curriculum to the state Home Study Office for approval (which they say is not really an "approval," yet they have to say it is complete or else you are truant). I scoured the internet for guidelines, textbooks, standards, and anything else I could get my hands on to write my curriculum.
I submitted my paperwork to the state and then went in and told the school principal, who was surprisingly very supportive, that we would be homeschooling.
It was almost official. We were going to be homeschoolers.
Almost a year later, I can't imagine not homeschooling. It has been stressful and difficult, even maddening at times. There were times I questioned my sanity.
There were also great times; in fact most of the times are great. My kids and I are much closer. I am constantly learning more about them and from them. They are less stressed out. They enjoy learning. They are experiencing life. They are growing their gifts. They are following their interests. They have no desire to go back to school and I have no desire to send them there.
It is official. We are homeschoolers!
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Homeschool friendly candidates
The more we see cases like the one involving Abraham Cherrix (which I blogged about on She's Right), the more important it is for us as parents - especially us homeschooling parents - to know how candidates for political office feel about the parents' rights vs. the government's rights before we vote.
I am currently working on compiling questions to put together for a candidate survey that will be mailed out to all state-wide candidates in my home state of Vermont. This will allow homeschooling parents to determine which candidates share their views on the role of the state in homeschooling.
I was surprised to learn that there is no single view shared by all homeschooling parents. I hold the view that the government should play no role in home education, but I have come across other parents who feel that some government oversight is necessary.
Since there is such a wide range of views held by homeschooling parents, I would like to base the questions on as much input from the homeschooling community as I can, inside and outside Vermont.
What kinds of questions would you want to ask a candidate to determine if he or she is "homeschool friendly"?
You can respond in the comments field, or e-mail me here.
Thank you for your contribution to this effort.
I am currently working on compiling questions to put together for a candidate survey that will be mailed out to all state-wide candidates in my home state of Vermont. This will allow homeschooling parents to determine which candidates share their views on the role of the state in homeschooling.
I was surprised to learn that there is no single view shared by all homeschooling parents. I hold the view that the government should play no role in home education, but I have come across other parents who feel that some government oversight is necessary.
Since there is such a wide range of views held by homeschooling parents, I would like to base the questions on as much input from the homeschooling community as I can, inside and outside Vermont.
What kinds of questions would you want to ask a candidate to determine if he or she is "homeschool friendly"?
You can respond in the comments field, or e-mail me here.
Thank you for your contribution to this effort.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Adventures in sewing
I am finally getting around to posting some crafty pics.
I made a 5-tiered broomstick skirt from scratch. This is the first article of clothing I have made since Home Ec. in Jr. High School. I was quite pleased with the results, except that the fabric and color scheme is more geared toward fall.
I made a 5-tiered broomstick skirt from scratch. This is the first article of clothing I have made since Home Ec. in Jr. High School. I was quite pleased with the results, except that the fabric and color scheme is more geared toward fall.
Here is a close-up of the fabrics.
I used the left over fabric to make a matching purse.
You can see in the close-up, that the blocks are not even, but I made it in like an hour, so I wasn't going for exactness.
I also tried my hand at free-hand quilting on the light purple patches. I inadvertently used a real marker instead of my disappearing ink marker of the same color, so now I have to figure out how to get the purple ink off.
Other than that, this project came out great, in my opinion.
Another homeschool blog carnival
I just stumbled across another homeschool blog carnival called, "The Country Fair." This homeschool carnival provides an option for those homeschool bloggers who are boycotting HomeschoolBlogger over the issue of corporal punishment.
This carnival does not allow any links to HomeschoolBlogger or any submissions that advocate/support corporal punishment. They also ask that submissions are not overtly political or religious.
This carnival offers a great alternative for those seeking a straight up homeschool focus without any of the divisive issues thrown in.
The current Country Fair can be viewed here at the official site, along with submission guidelines.
It is published monthly.
This carnival does not allow any links to HomeschoolBlogger or any submissions that advocate/support corporal punishment. They also ask that submissions are not overtly political or religious.
This carnival offers a great alternative for those seeking a straight up homeschool focus without any of the divisive issues thrown in.
The current Country Fair can be viewed here at the official site, along with submission guidelines.
It is published monthly.
Buying books on eBay
I just had to give this update about my quest to buy Learning Language Arts Through Literature on ebay.
I ended up paying $10.73 for the orange book and $7.99 for the yellow book (prices include shipping). These books retail for $25.00 each and CBD has them for $21.99 each. I got both for less than the cost of one!
I will have to buy the student workbooks, if I choose to use them, but this was definitely a great deal.
I ended up paying $10.73 for the orange book and $7.99 for the yellow book (prices include shipping). These books retail for $25.00 each and CBD has them for $21.99 each. I got both for less than the cost of one!
I will have to buy the student workbooks, if I choose to use them, but this was definitely a great deal.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Carnival of Homeschooling #29
The Carnival of Homeschooling #29 is up now at "Nerd Family."
The Carnival of Homeschooling gives you a great opportunity to introduce yourself to a variety of homeschooling blogs, learn tips, make friends, and see that you are not so weird after all.
The archive can be found at "Why Homeschool" here.
The Carnival of Homeschooling gives you a great opportunity to introduce yourself to a variety of homeschooling blogs, learn tips, make friends, and see that you are not so weird after all.
The archive can be found at "Why Homeschool" here.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Do I need a really packaged curriculum?
I am in the process of trying to get together my final curriculum for homeschooling this coming year.
Earlier in the year, I made a wishlist at christianbook.com - the cheapest place to buy all your books (Christian or non) in one spot. My total was just over $500 for all subjects including art and phys. ed. for Painter and Jokey and some pre-school stuff for Baby Smurf. Not bad.
Only there is one problem. I spent the money I had saved for homeschooling books and haven't replaced it yet.
Then the other day I was reading a post on another blog about homeschooling for free using web resources. The more I thought about it, the more doable it seemed.
I went back and forth several times, then decided on this: I will purchase, as planned, SOS math for each of the two boys at CBD and I'll buy Learning Language Arts Through Literature on e-Bay. (I already got the Orange Teacher's book for $10.73 inc. shipping!) But the rest I will do using the library and online resources.
The thing that terrified me most was science. I kept thinking, "What if they don't learn enough?" I have always wanted to keep them at or above grade level in three things: math, science, and reading. I don't really worry about the other things because they can learn whatever else they need or want to as long as they can read.
If I have that level of confidence for everything else, why am I afraid about the science? I had 24 credits of university lab sciences - not the easy classes either - so I can't figure out why I am so unconfident in this area.
I think it is that popular concept that only professional teachers can teach. At least with a packaged curriculum, I know that I am doing it "right," but this unguided foray into science leaves me with no metrics by which to gauge my success or theirs. That scares me.
It shouldn't though. After all, the elementary science teaching is just an introduction to get their feet wet. It is not until the high-school level that they need to tackle a full year of physics, chemistry, and biology and hopefully retain some of it.
My focus at this age should be fostering a love of exploration of the natural world. Who needs a curriculum to do that?
Earlier in the year, I made a wishlist at christianbook.com - the cheapest place to buy all your books (Christian or non) in one spot. My total was just over $500 for all subjects including art and phys. ed. for Painter and Jokey and some pre-school stuff for Baby Smurf. Not bad.
Only there is one problem. I spent the money I had saved for homeschooling books and haven't replaced it yet.
Then the other day I was reading a post on another blog about homeschooling for free using web resources. The more I thought about it, the more doable it seemed.
I went back and forth several times, then decided on this: I will purchase, as planned, SOS math for each of the two boys at CBD and I'll buy Learning Language Arts Through Literature on e-Bay. (I already got the Orange Teacher's book for $10.73 inc. shipping!) But the rest I will do using the library and online resources.
The thing that terrified me most was science. I kept thinking, "What if they don't learn enough?" I have always wanted to keep them at or above grade level in three things: math, science, and reading. I don't really worry about the other things because they can learn whatever else they need or want to as long as they can read.
If I have that level of confidence for everything else, why am I afraid about the science? I had 24 credits of university lab sciences - not the easy classes either - so I can't figure out why I am so unconfident in this area.
I think it is that popular concept that only professional teachers can teach. At least with a packaged curriculum, I know that I am doing it "right," but this unguided foray into science leaves me with no metrics by which to gauge my success or theirs. That scares me.
It shouldn't though. After all, the elementary science teaching is just an introduction to get their feet wet. It is not until the high-school level that they need to tackle a full year of physics, chemistry, and biology and hopefully retain some of it.
My focus at this age should be fostering a love of exploration of the natural world. Who needs a curriculum to do that?
Saturday, July 08, 2006
How we view learning
The other day, I was chatting with another mother while my son was at swimming lessons. She noticed that Baby Smurf had something on his hands and asked what it was. I told her that it was food coloring because we were mixing different colors of water together that morning to see what new colors they made. Interested, she asked if I ran a play group or something. I told her, no, we homeschool so that's what I do. I want the kids to view learning as something that you are always doing, not just something that is done during certain hours of the day, so I often incorporate learning activities into our day.
That exchange got me thinking. First, that I might be a little snobby when it comes to education. But more importantly, it got me thinking about how our society views learning activities.
I know this mother was probably just trying to break the ice and start a conversation and this is in no way a dig at her, but it struck me that someone would assume that such an activity would not be done at home with just one child.
I have always done stuff like that with my kids. I guess that is why they were unchallenged at the public school and why we made the switch to homeschooling so easily.
It is funny to me that our society sees learning as something that happens outside the home in school, daycare, or playgroups. This is one of the reasons that homeschooling is so hard for some people to accept.
If we could just get all parents to embrace the idea of incorporating learning into activities at home, then I think that more people would be willing to accept the homeschooling way of life.
That exchange got me thinking. First, that I might be a little snobby when it comes to education. But more importantly, it got me thinking about how our society views learning activities.
I know this mother was probably just trying to break the ice and start a conversation and this is in no way a dig at her, but it struck me that someone would assume that such an activity would not be done at home with just one child.
I have always done stuff like that with my kids. I guess that is why they were unchallenged at the public school and why we made the switch to homeschooling so easily.
It is funny to me that our society sees learning as something that happens outside the home in school, daycare, or playgroups. This is one of the reasons that homeschooling is so hard for some people to accept.
If we could just get all parents to embrace the idea of incorporating learning into activities at home, then I think that more people would be willing to accept the homeschooling way of life.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Ch-ch-ch-changes.
Okay, I know that I have not updated this blog in ages. I can barely keep up with She's Right these days as it is.
There are some big changes to come. I have decided to turn this into, not only a craft blog, but also a homeschool and parenting blog, too. You will still see my crafty creations, but there will be a sprinkling of homeschool mama wisdom throughout. I think the end product will be good.
Coming up: I finally made a tiered broomstick skirt from scratch. It is awesome. I have another patchwork handbag to display. (Oh, wait, I never put up the picture of the first one!) And I have some thoughts for my first homeschool post.
Now if I could only find the time! I have to get outside with my niños.
There are some big changes to come. I have decided to turn this into, not only a craft blog, but also a homeschool and parenting blog, too. You will still see my crafty creations, but there will be a sprinkling of homeschool mama wisdom throughout. I think the end product will be good.
Coming up: I finally made a tiered broomstick skirt from scratch. It is awesome. I have another patchwork handbag to display. (Oh, wait, I never put up the picture of the first one!) And I have some thoughts for my first homeschool post.
Now if I could only find the time! I have to get outside with my niños.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Craft Space
I love Martha Stewart. Occasionally, I get to catch a bit of the show Martha, but I usually can only watch clips on-line, if I have the time.
One thing Martha always talks about is how important it is to have a craft room. Now, I don’t even have enough bedrooms for each of my kids, so I doubt I will have a craft room anytime soon. As of Monday, I now have the next best thing – a craft space in my room.
We just got a new desk for our books and computer, so I put our old desk in our bedroom and put my sewing machine and all of my craft supplies on it. It is so awesome to have a space to do all of my stuff; a space where I can keep projects I am working on and not have to pick them up and put them away. That way, I can go in and work on things a little bit at a time. It is great.
I already have something new that I did yesterday. I will put photos up when I get some new batteries for my camera.
One thing Martha always talks about is how important it is to have a craft room. Now, I don’t even have enough bedrooms for each of my kids, so I doubt I will have a craft room anytime soon. As of Monday, I now have the next best thing – a craft space in my room.
We just got a new desk for our books and computer, so I put our old desk in our bedroom and put my sewing machine and all of my craft supplies on it. It is so awesome to have a space to do all of my stuff; a space where I can keep projects I am working on and not have to pick them up and put them away. That way, I can go in and work on things a little bit at a time. It is great.
I already have something new that I did yesterday. I will put photos up when I get some new batteries for my camera.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Could it be any easier?
I love to wear tiered skirts when it's nice out. I have like a dozen of them. I thought it would be fun to make one. When I was looking at fabric at Wal-Mart one day I found this fabric, which is already sewn together in tiers and even has the elastic sewn into the waist. All you do is sew it up the back.
I bought a little extra so I could decorate this purse form to match.
I'll post it when it's finished.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Easter Tree
Here is a quick and simple Easter decoration that I made.First, I went out and found the perfect branchy twig. Then I put it in a small candle holder and filled it with small stones that I had lying around from an old bamboo plant that I once had, before I killed it.
Last, I hung these little eggs on it. I bought them at Michael's craft store for .99 for a pack of 6. They already had the ribbons on them.
Baby Smurf kept rearranging the eggs and the twig kept falling over, so I finally hot glued it upright in place.
It's really pretty. The picture does not do it justice.
Knit draw-string handbag
I decided to try to make a knit bag on the loom. It came out well, but I think the I-cord handles are kind of ugly. I haven’t decided yet.
Here is a close-up of the handles.
I used an all cotton yarn - Sugar 'n Cream in Midnight Magic.
Here is a close-up of the handles.
I used an all cotton yarn - Sugar 'n Cream in Midnight Magic.
Monday, April 03, 2006
More soap
I made some more soap. This time the lavender ones came out better because I let the mixture cool a little while I stirred it, so the lavender was more suspended. I added a little light purple coloring to it, too.
I also made this soap by first making a red bar, then cutting it up and putting it into a clear bar. I also added a fragrance to this soap.
They came out pretty good. I think I'm getting the hang of it! (I just realized that these pictures are not very good.)
I also made this soap by first making a red bar, then cutting it up and putting it into a clear bar. I also added a fragrance to this soap.
They came out pretty good. I think I'm getting the hang of it! (I just realized that these pictures are not very good.)
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Easter bunny update
Here is an update on the bunnies I am making. This is the body without the ears or tail added.
The pattern directions say to make all the parts before putting it together. I decided to put the body together - which is made from a knit square - before finishing the second ear and tail. It's a good thing because as you can see here, the ears are a little too big!
The pattern directions say to make all the parts before putting it together. I decided to put the body together - which is made from a knit square - before finishing the second ear and tail. It's a good thing because as you can see here, the ears are a little too big!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Projects in progress
Here are a couple of things I am working on right now.
I am making a patchwork pillow for my son Painter Smurf out of Batman fabric. Here are a couple of strips. I put it aside because I am making knit bunnies for the kids Easter baskets.
I am also making a new scarf on the Knifty Knitter round looms. Those things are awesome. I always wanted to get into knitting, but I have a hard time keeping count of my stitches with the kids are around - which is always. The looms are great because you can put it down and pick it right back up.
It only comes with instructions on how to knit a round thing, like a hat, but there are a lot of resources where you can learn to knit flat pieces and also purl, so you can do almost any stitch that you can needle knit.
Here is the scarf I am working on. I am going to have to get back to my bunnies (which I have no pictures of), so I will have to finish this later.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Klutz Quilting
I've always wanted to learn quilting, but I have never been able to find a totally idiot proof, super-simple beginner quilting book that comes with all of the starter supplies and is affordable. Then I saw the Klutz Quilting book at Michael's craft store. I asked my husband to get it for me for Christmas.
It is really neat and it comes with some pretty fabric and all the other supplies you need. It's made for teens, so it is really easy to follow. Now I feel like I have a base of knowledge to go forward with on to bigger quilting projects.
The first thing I made was this table mat. It came out pretty nice.
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Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Soap Making
Today I tried my hand at soap making. For my first experience, I decided to do a simple melt and pour glycerin soap. The soap comes in a big chunk and you cut it into smaller pieces and melt it in a double boiler. (You can also microwave it.) After the soap is liquefied, you pour it into a mold. You can add colors, fragrances or other additives.
For my first soaps, I left them clear and unscented. One I left plain, to one I added oats, and to the third, I added some dried lavender. They came out pretty good. In this picture, the lavender looks kind of dark. That's because all of the lavender floated on top, which is the bottom of the soap, when inverted.
Bob and Larry together again
I finally made a Larry the cucumber to go with Bob. Like Bob, he is made from worsted weight yarn knit on a round loom (smaller size), stuffed with Poly-fil, and his features are made from felt attached with hot glue.
Of course, Bob and Larry are characters from Big Idea Productions hit cartoon, Veggie Tales. Visit www.bigidea.com.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Bob the Tomato
This is a stuffed toy I made for Baby Smurf. It is Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales.
I made it by knitting on a round knitting loom with two strands of red worsted weight yarn. It is stuffed with Poly-fil. The features are made of felt and hot-glued in place.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Wire Tree Sculpture
This is a picture of a wire tree sculpture I made for my husband to keep on his desk at work. It is made out of 21 gauge paddle wire.
I learned how to do it from a book by wire artist Sal Villano. He creates beautiful wire trees, which you can view at http://www.salvillano.com/.
Before I started homeschooling, I had planned to make wire sculptures and sell them on the internet. That never materialized, but I still like to make them as gifts for people.
My New Blog
I am excited to start a new blog about crafting. I hope to start a blog with the boys about what we do for homeschooling, but I can only do one thing at a time. (Actually, two. I have a political blog, too.)
Nothing exciting here. I just wanted to write my first post!
Nothing exciting here. I just wanted to write my first post!
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