Journaling the Days

My plan this spring has worked out well, but I've felt a little dry and uninspired.  Last week we took the week off of school work (I still forced Finn to read aloud a few times for practice).  We are done with our Classical Conversations group and I've enjoyed having an 'extra' day free in our week. Yesterday we did a small amount of formal schoolwork and then spent the rest of the day on other things.  We took a walk and as I sat under the dogwood tree I thought I am tired of checklists. (This is huge for a list-lover like myself.) And as the children played with the fairy door and all the sweet creatures under my aunt and uncle's massive walnut tree I thought I'm not doing this anymore.

A little while later I was paging through Rebecca Rupp's Home Learning Source book. I love this massive book and would love to see an updated version of it--but even as an older resource it is great.  One of the things I love about it is the journal entries of her schooldays with her children when they were growing up.

I had a flash of insight and realized I should do this!

Some (most?) days we only do a smidgen of formal schoolwork and then we live our lives.  And then at the end of the day I feel a little anxious that I'm somehow missing something, that my children are lacking something. (Which is funny, given the fullness of homeschool life.)  When I read Rebecca Rupp's journal entries I feel encouraged that unorthodox days are okay.  {David and Micki Colfax are extremely reassuring as well.}

So I would like to keep a journal of our days. I think what I will do is keep the journal and type it up here at the end of the week.

When I typed the first day's journal out I realized I need to stop worrying.  We are learning!

Thursday, April 24
Finn did two pages of Miquon math--clocks and telling time.  We also used timemonsters.com to play around with learning the basics of learning time on the hour and half hour.  He then did two pages in his Explode the Code workbook...flawlessly.  We read the first chapter of Pippi Longstocking, which had us in stitches. We went on a walk and climbed the dogwood tree, played under the walnut tree, and collected blooms to press (mustard, daffodils, etc.). We hoped to photograph some birds, but didn't have any luck. Came home and pressed flowers. Finn finished reading Harry and the Lady Next Door--last chapter was a hoot.  Then we watched a cement truck pouring cement at our neighbor's house, and while we were on the front porch we read The Umbrella Queen and Hello, Bumblebee Bat (both books on Thailand, which we're casually studying right now; I'll do a full post on this later).  We read a book on volcanoes, hurricanes and tornadoes.  I drew a hurricane on the sidewalk with chalk and we discussed the movement of hurricanes and the wind speed, the anatomy of a hurricane, and I reminisced about Hurricane Hugo.  We watched a couple of short youtube videos on tornadoes. For dinner we had takeout Thai food. Bedtime story: Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Friday, April 25
Finn read a story from Mouse Tales aloud and then we read a chapter of two of Pippi Longstocking.  We played, then did some school, then played again.  Finn completed 3 pages of Miquon math, 4 pages of Expode the Code, and we read many more books together aloud (including Tasha Tudor's A Time to Keep...a favorite).  After a walk we played with modeling clay on the front porch for a while, and while I made dinner Finn and Annie watched a documentary on building the Hoover Dam (Finn is really into dams right now).

Saturday and Sunday: We don't school on weekends, but we do like to watch Planet Earth...Finn helped his Daddy plant green bean seeds, and we're almost done with Mr. Popper's Penguins....

This week I'll take notes on what we do each day and publish that next weekend.

I think this will help me as I reflect on what we're doing--and as I avoid becoming too intent on 'checking the boxes' because, after all, one of the reasons we're homeschooling is to have freedom, particularly during these younger years. But perhaps it will help someone else, too...I think it is easy to think of homeschooling as worksheets, desks, lesson plans, 8am-2pm.  That's why many people say "I could never do that!" and I must agree. I couldn't either, and I don't!

Her World is Getting Bigger and Bigger

Here is an essay so inspiring that I printed it out on Real Paper to keep in my binder.

An excerpt:

"Once I came home from college to discover my mother beating on our kitchen barstools with drumsticks. 'I'm taking a Taiko drumming class,' she explained. While still homeschooling my youngest sister, my mother has been taking classes on health and medicine in third world countries to prepare her for medical missions trips. She participates in runs and bike races.  She takes dance lessons and cooking classes.  She calls me to tell me what she's learning in her Bible studies. She speaks like her world is still getting bigger and bigger.

"I believe she loves me unconditionally and deeply. I believe my mother finds joy and fulfillment in parenting. Her dedication and sacrifices attest to this. My mother, however, is also a doctor, friend, chicken enthusiast, poodle lover, thrift store ninja, gardener, health and fitness nut, dedicated church volunteer and Bananagrams champion.  And I am so glad she is all of these things.  She sacrificed much--more than most moms, I think, if such comparison can be possible or moral. She homeschooled us. She didn't lose herself in us. Just when I thought she'd poured all of herself into us, she somehow proved that her soul was still individual and exquisite, working out her own salvation with fear and trembling, defining herself by herself and God and not by us.  She has never stopped becoming more awesome."

*THIS* is the kind of homeschooling parent I hope that I can be!