The Learning Nook

I went to the FPEA convention in Orlando with 2 wonderful friends this weekend. It was both a WONDERFUL experience, and a discouraging one. I am so thankful that I decided to go with like-minded friends to this conference. A three-some at any age is usually awkward, but I feel that we all got along well and could read each others moods enough to know when we needed space, or when we needed closeness. I could not ask for a better experience.

It also helped to be with these like-minded friends because all 3 of us felt the inevitable us vs. them delimma. None of us are Christian and it was a very in-your-face kind of conference. Though this organization proclaims to be secular, the majority of vendors are Christian and a full 50% of workshops are labeled faith-based. Read that again: 50% are LABELED faith-based. Of course, we steered clear of those. Yet, of the workshops we attended, all of them STILL mentioned faith, often as a core concept. One art talk started with prayer. One music talk proclaimed new agers to be dumbed down. The workshop on Lesson Planning gave the first step as "Pray for Wisdom." The workshop on ways to trigger the brain provided us with a handout offering us pamphlets such as "Sarah's Beauty Secret" (if you are submissive to your husband you will not have worry wrinkles) and "Miscarriage - The Drama in the Bathroom" and "The Biblical Headcovering: Scarf of Hidden Power" and a favorite, "Let a Woman Keep Silent in Assembly: Some thoughts and observations on the rich rewards of a gentle and quiet spirit in the congregation" remember, these were the NON-faith workshops!

I have decided that I am going to work for change. I am going to petition the FPEA, get others to join the cause, and generally become a pain in their ass until they return to their secular mission of supporting EDUCATION. I picked up a few suggestion forms at the FPEA table and I plan on using them. I am drafting a letter demanding a change. I am also going to include a list of workshops and speakers I would like to see:

I want to hear John Taylor Gatto speak!!

Secular Homeschooling in a Christian-driven industry

Dating and Responsible Birth Control (Twice they have offered Courtship & Abstinence workshops - I think this is only fair!)

Unschooling Your Child - Educational Freedom

Nurturing the Free Spirit in Every Child

Comprehensive Study of Alternate World Religions (paganism, humanism, wiccan, muslim, judiasm, whatever!)

Single Parenting and Homeschooling

How to Teach Character Education (SECULAR)

Evolution Science

How to Encourage Your Childs Spiritual Quest Without Interfering

Using Mainstream Media for Education

Getting the Most From Your Support Group

How to Set a Healthy Example of Balanced Male/Female Roles in Marriage

Give me time. I'm sure I'll think of more!

Read the rest of 2006 FPEA Homeschool Convention

READ ALOUD: ??? 1 1/2 hour total estimate

Gymnastics Camp

Weekend with Dad (Mom went to the FPEA conference)

Played Totally Tut (a math board game) with Mom

Played Somebody (a human anatomy game) with Mom. Discussed body part functions.

A lot of creative art and handwriting practice

Computer work

Swimming

Used new Perfumery Science Kit to create new perfume fragrances.

LOTS of writing in diary with new invisible ink/UV light pen.

Discussed Memorial Day and it's meaning

Cut out and played with American Girl paper dolls

Created sentences with new refrigerator word magnets

Worked with Color experiment Kit

Played with GeoBoard

Started illustrating a book for me to bind into a hardback using our new kit (she is just TOO excited about this! like her Mom!!)

Read the rest of Friday, May 26 through Monday May 29, 2006

READ ALOUD: 1 hour

Gymnastics Camp

Completed 2 word search puzzles I created from Puzzlemaker. Then she made a word search for me to complete.

Acted out the Rainbow Magic story as Tom or I read aloud.

Music with instruments (particularly liked the accordian today)

Read the rest of Thursday, May 25, 2006

There used to be a day when babies were born into families and generations of women were surrounding the newborn with love. The new mother was supported and cared for. She was taught in a loving environment how to handle her new bundle. If she made mistakes, someone was able to gently guide her. Someone could calm her fears. Mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, sisters, aunts, neighbors, friends, everyone gave advice and help as needed.

Today we are sterile. We get all of our information from books written by anonymous people who do not know us, our family, or our babies. They tell us what we MUST do and MUST NOT do and turn us into complete and total lunatics. Paranoid parenting. That's what I call it. Today we live in a world where we treat with skepticism any advice from family or friends. We believe a doctor we barely know more than the women who know us. We distrust our instincts and follow the advice of a stranger.

Why is that? When did this happen? Who convinced us, as a whole, that authors and doctors were the ones with all the answers? Why do we put up walls whenever we get advice from someone without a PH.d.? Never mind they have 6 kids. No PH.d., no dice. Why is it that we can't accept "I remember when...." and "Your really ought to..." for what they are? An attempt to make a human connection. An effort to share in this incredible energy of life.

My sister is pregnant and I am SOOOOOO happy for her. She is going to be an amazing Mom. But she has been angry lately with people who offer her unsolicited advice (not me; sort of ). I am so sad for her. I can see how much richer life would be if we all just put down our shields and allowed each other in. I'm not knockin' my sister. Not one little bit! I was the original, "I read in a book...." or "My doctor said...." kind of girl. I never asked for advice and never wanted any - unless it came from a book.

I am just starting to be able to hear others opinions without immediately getting defensive. I can see that they are not criticizing me, not judging. They are sharing their experience so that my life can be made easier. So that I can see an issue from another angle. So that I think of something that I hadn't. So that their struggle was not in vain. So that I am not alone.

I love my sister so much. I love her new baby already. I hope she knows that she is not alone.

Read the rest of It takes a village…

I got some insight today that I just wasn't expecting. Syd has been going to gymnastics camp with a friend (a boy) this week and today when I picked them up, J told me about his new male coach. I was pretty upset about some of his "discipline" techniques and could feel myself getting wound up about it. But I talked with D. and (she is such a breath of sanity) she helped me see that on the whole, what the coach required wasn't BAD, just not MY way of handling kids. And though it seemed harsh to me, to try and shelter children (mine in particular) from people like that really does her a disservice.

If she never knows that there are people out there who don't think everything she does is perfect; or are completely fair with everyone; or controls for the sake of control, then she will have a rude awakening as an adult. Better to gently introduce her to mild cases that we can discuss now, at a young age.

Read the rest of Smothering

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes

Gymnastics Camp

Visit with friends

Drama class (last one before summer)

Created some word searches for me. Graphed out the words I was to find, filled in with random letters, and then gave me the list of words.

Looked through What's Wrong With This Picture? book

Discussed digestive system; specifically, the intestines. Talked about a friend who was hospitalized with a collapsed intestine and we used hollow tubes to show what happened and how the doctors fixed it. Syd was very concerned this problem would recur in her friend.

Read the rest of Wednesday, May 24, 2006

READ ALOUD: 15 minutes

Gymmastics Camp!

Went to a friends birthday party. Tried ice skating for the first time and was shockingly good. She's a natural!

Read Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi

Read the rest of Tuesday, May 23, 2006

READ ALOUD: 25 minutes; 15 minutes; 45 minutes

Completed Lesson 1 (2 pages) from Singapore Math K 2B

Stepping Stones - 3 pages (these are getting more complex and often have 2 levels of patterns now)

Handwriting Without Tears - began with Primary level today. 3 excruciating pages!

Read aloud 1 chapter of Heidi while Sydney colored.

Swimming

Colored Mandala while I read aloud

Looked through Word Search book and tried a few

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***** May 21, 2006 *****

IHN End-of-Year Sock Hop & promotion ceremony!!!

Read the rest of Monday, May 22, 2006

I've started my hand at scrapbooking. I hesitate to admit that because, in my mind, all scrapbookers are kind of geeky women in mauve colored houses and Precious Moments collections in the cabinet. Blech! Of course, I should know that is not the case. Just like all homeschoolers are NOT fundamentalists with 16 children.

Anyway, I don't know why, but I am just so psyched about this book. It is for our trip to Disney in February. I've finished 3 pages and I like what I see. This is a huge breakthrough for me because I like very little of what I produce, creatively. I have issues with anything even remotely related to art. Seriously. Sydney draws better than I do.

Anyway, I am grateful for an artistically based creative outlet. Albeit, a terribly expensive one!

Read the rest of Scrapbooking….

READ ALOUD: 10 minutes; 15 minutes

Went to Sydney M's birthday party at the pool

Visited with Ms. Melissa

Had Jordan over for an evening playdate

Reading practice

Read the rest of Friday May 19 & Saturday May 20, 2006

READ ALOUD: 10 minutes

Drew a picture and cut it up - creating a puzzle for me to complete (it was hard!)

Play Clifford Thinking Skills CD-ROM

Independent reading

Read the rest of Thursday May 18, 2006

READ ALOUD: 30 minutes

Read Sir Cumference and the Knight of Angleland - we drew angles and measured them. Discussed where angles are in every day life. Talked about the importance of angles.

Beaded necklaces

Drama class

Wrote in journal

Independent reading

Read the rest of Wednesday May 17, 2006

***Chapter 1***

Sally was cleaning up her room when she found a map. Is it for a pirate treasure? Is it for a sunken treasure? Is it to find somewhere you're going? She wondered.

"I must follow this map and see where it leads me." So the mischievious self went off to see where it brought her.

First, she saw the pond and wondered if she had to go there. It did say she had to go there.

Then she went up to her room (it was on the twentieth floor) to get her bathing suit. Her bathing suit was pink and purple dotted, and it was orange.

"Silly Me! I forgot my towel," she said after she got her bathing suit.

***Chapter 2***

She went to the pond. She got on the diving board and dove in. She thought she saw something glinting. She zoomed out of the pond and got her Dad's shovel. His name was Mr. Brown.

Then she zoomed back to the pond, hopped in, and started digging. Is it a piece of gold? Is it a treasure chest? Is it a big, big, big jewel?

The she went to the run-down area and she ran. (heehee!) She found another thing glinting! She started digging and she found a key!

Then she ran back to the pond and turned the key in the lock of the treasure chest. A big, big, BIG bubble appeared. It said, "You must go to the castle and give the duke this treasure chest and you may go through. But beware of the ghosts. If you use your courage, you may go through...."

***Chapter 3***

Well, she had to go to the castle to give the duke the treasure, but she did not know where it was. She looked on the map and it was gone!

Maybe one of the ghosts took it. Maybe I lost it. Maybe I left it at home. Maybe I have to go ask Mrs. Spencer where the castle is because she used to work there.

So she ran to Mrs. Spencer's house. "Well, I forget where the castle is, but I have a map and a zip to help you get there," said Mrs. Spencer.

Then she ran to the castle. She used the zip, but she did not know what the duke was on, what he looked like, so she went on to search. Suddenly, she bumped into someone. It was the duke!

"Hello. Did you bury a treasure?"

"Why, yes, I did! Did you find it?"

"Why, yes," said Sally.

"You can go passed," said the duke.

So Sally did as she pleased. Then she found a little girl. Her name was Princess Gal.

"Oh, why hello," said Princess Gal.

"Oh, why hello," said Sally.

"I'm so sorry I bumped into you," said Princess Gal.

"I'm sorry too," said Sally.

And then they became best friends forever and the duke looked on.

THE END

by: Sydney P. - (nearly) 6 years old
May 16, 2006

Read the rest of The Adventures of Sally Siplin and the Lost Treasure

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes

Singapore Math - K 2B - Lesson 1, 3 pages

Stepping Stones - 3 pages

Read To Root, to Toot, to Parachute - What is a Verb? by Brian Cleary and then identified (andd performed) verbs

Wrote and illustrated a rather elaborate chapter book (2 pages per chapter) entitled The Adventures of Sally Silpin and the Lost Treasure. Syd created a map of the town and character intro pages. She also illustrated the book and created the text (I did the handwriting).

Gymnastics Class - picture day, so Mom was allowed in the class and got to watch up close. WOW! Her teacher suggested moving to the pre-team class again.

Sydney went through my portfolio file of her work for the last year and a half. She had a great time reading her old books she'd made and looking at what work she had done. It was an excellent way for her to see her progress!

Experimented with new Pop Bottle Science kit. Syd filled up the sink with water and showed me how, when she submerges the pop bottle, bubbles come out. I asked if she knew how that happened. The kid goes on to explain to me about how the water is entering the bottle and displacing the air and causing the air to come out through the sinkful of water and form the bubbles. Jeez!

Read the rest of Tuesday, May 16, 2006

READ ALOUD: 2 hours; 1 hour; 30 minutes

Art Co-op - decorated T-shirt with fabric crayons

Shopped for friends upcoming birthdays

Created some bead jewelry

Looked at new Mythology cards

Drew pictures with Color Wonder paper

Read to me from Boxcar Children - The Mystery of the Purple Pool

Read the rest of Monday May 15, 2006

READ ALOUD: 15 minutes; 30 minutes

Practiced reading lines for play

IHN Park Day

Performed in the productions of The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Duke and the Lazy People of Earl

Attended Cast Party at friends house.

Field trip to Zoo

Had friends over for swimming

Played on computer - Disney Magic Artist CD-ROM

Read aloud to Mom from Scooby Doo - The Weird Water Park. On the fly, Syd changed words in the story to add me (Mom) in various places. We were joking because I was so tired and she added my character as a monster who needed sleep. Too cute!

Read the rest of Thursday May 11 and Friday May 12, 2006

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes; 15 minutes; 15 minutes

Created mazes on paper for Mom to complete

Gymnastics Class

Drama Class - dress rehearsal for final performance on the 11th

Listened to Spanish Fun for Kids CD

Played Clifford Thinking Skills CD-ROM

Made bead jewelry for friends

Read the rest of Tuesday May 9 and Wednesday May 10, 2006

READ ALOUD: 10 minutes

Singapore Math K-2A - Lesson 20 (finished 2A book!)

Made a large number line and played a game where we rolled a die and stepped on the line that many spaces. Then we rolled again and stepped forward that many more. Looked at the number we were standing on to determine the addend.

Read Hairy, Scary, Ordinary - What is an Adjective? Sydney identified adjectives in a picture at the back of the book. Then she came up with 2 words to describe Tigger.

Stepping Stones - A Path to Critical Thinking - 3 pages

Played Reader Rabbit CD-ROM - worked on multi-level patterns

Listened to Boxcar Children - The Mystery of the Star Ruby audiobook

Swimming with friends B & G

Played Guess Where? with Mom (excellent for deductive reasoning and critical thinking)

Read the rest of Monday May 8, 2006

READ ALOUD: 30 minutes; 20 minutes; 15 minutes; 20 minutes

Read from Usborne Greek Myths - Persphone

Played Apples to Apples with Mom & Dad (great reading practice)

Played Balloon Lagoon with Mom & Dad

Created a doll store - worked on coin identification and value

Swimming

Played Reader Rabbit CD-ROM

Listened to Schoolhouse Rock - Science Rock

Listened to Boxcar Children - The Mystery of the Star Ruby audiobook

Read the rest of Friday May 5 to Sunday May 7, 2006

READ ALOUD: 45 minutes; 10 minutes

King Center Show - Clifford the Big Red Dog

Played Clifford Thinking Skills and Clifford Reading Skills CD-ROMs Reader Rabbit CD-ROM

Listened to Boxcar Children audiobook

Discussed smoking and drug use at length. Syd remembered some of the bad things about smoking from previous conversations (bad breath, yellow teeth). Introduced concept of drugs and explained illegality compared to smoking. Tom discussed family history of cancer & emphysema due to smoking.

Created a medieval village consisting of multiple castles and knights.

Read aloud to me & Tom from Dear Tooth Fairy by Alan Durant

Read the rest of Thursday May 4, 2006