Schooling Outside the Box

Chelsea and I have a plan for this new

school year.  It involves a field trip per

week.  Not just random field trips, mind you.

We are going to visit cafe's and eateries 

all over our area.  

You see, it is Chelsea's dream to open a 

Cafe' one day.  I can think of no better way

to do research and plan than to go to see 

what others have done.  Perhaps we will work

up the nerve to speak with the owners.

We will have a list of questions prepared 

in case it is convenient.

In any case, Chelsea will have a notebook

and pen, with an assignment of writing down

the top three and bottom three observations 

at each establishment.

I know that she is serious as her first notebook

is getting to be full of lists of coffee drinks and 

baked goods she wants to offer.  Next on her 

agenda is to work to develop her own recipes for

each of these items.  She wants to be as original 

as is possible.  

I think this is lining up to be a very fun

and tasty school year at Hospitality Lane!

Working Together

This past week has been wonderful.

I have seen such growth in Jonathan and Chelsea.

You see, we had several large projects that 

needed to be completed.  Warren and Mikey 

are at work all day so that left Chelsea, Jonathan

and me to get them done.

It has been a blessing to work together.

To strategize.

To implement.

And occasionally to rethink.

We have made lists.

We have delegated.

And then we have flown by 

the seats of our pants when

things didn't work out as we had 

pictured them.

It has been good to leave a lot of 

the planning in the kids' hands to 

let them work through the process.

They have come through very well.

We are pleased.

This did not used to come 

easily to me.

I am the type that would

rather do it myself.

However,

the kids are earning my

trust each and every day.

Are you raising young people who 

are able to troubleshoot, process and plan?

We don't do them favors by hand holding them

past a certain point.

My philosophy is to give them enough 

freedom to prove themselves but to 

be available to help 

whenever and however they ask for it.

This is all a part of the learning 

process.  They are not going to 

get it perfectly right every time

but we should see 

progress.

Reviewing The Past Year And Looking To The Next

www.allposters.com

The school year is officially finished.  Today, I turned in the evaluations for Rachel and Emily and the required 5th grade testing scores for Rachel.  They did well.

I don't know about you, but at the end of every school year I like to take some time to review how the year went and to spend time planning for next year.

This year was a weird year to me - it seemed so often like we weren't working as diligently as we should and yet the kids learned and grew both academically and spiritually.

Sarah, had been struggling with her reading and was getting frustrated.  So we set it aside for a time.  I know that may be shocking to many of you but in my 16 years of experience teaching my children, I have found that it works!  By the end of the year it was all starting to come together for her.  She was bored with her math this last year, so we are going to try Teaching Textbooks for her this next school year.  She also wanted to improve her drawing skills and so she worked at it, asking Lindsay for help now and then, and we all could see a big improvement!

Rachel, who reads so well, struggles with her math, but I got smart this year and set aside what she had been using and tried a different workbook with more variety and then also did Teaching Textbooks for her and she started to take off!  Why is it that we cling to the old thing that is not working?  Lesson relearned for me!

She also grew in her ability to work on her own.  This is a wonderful thing for students!

Emily doesn't love academics but before this past year started she realized that she hadn't been trying very hard and wanted to stretch herself this year, and she did!  Biology, Advanced Literary Analysis, British Literature...this on top of doing some intermediate level sewing, creating Fraktur art, and working a summer/autumn job at a local adventure farm.

The longer I home educate my children, the less curriculum I use.  Oh, I use a math curriculum and science books as well, but for real learning of history, and language arts and government etc., I use real books - living books.  Ones that have been written by someone who loves the subject they are writing about.  Books that can capture my children's attention and get them thinking.  Then we do a lot of discussion, and processing and relating the information to our lives.  

I believe this teaches them more than anything how to be life long learners.

This next year, I will be starting Kyle on a bit of formal education and am now responsible for Sarah to the state.  But we will continue to learn together as we have always done.  Always our goal is that of discipling our children, to love the Lord and to walk with Him always.  

What a terrible thing it would be if we taught academics and college preparation and yet the hearts of our children were far from the Lord!  So as this next year of learning starts, I hope to encourage you to focus on the eternal things, gain the hearts of your children first and foremost.  The rest will all fall into place.

Deanna

The Learning Doesn't Stop

The great thing about learning is that it is a 24/7 kind of gift.

While we can put the books down and stop recording every

little thing we do for "school" we can have the most fun and 

find the most interesting of things all around us.

Our chickens are a hoot.

We have learned valuable lessons about diligence,

motherhood and protectiveness as we have a new

chick.  We have observed the little one learn to drink

by carefully watching the hens and then mimicking their 

actions.  Such bright little eyes and a happy dance after

the very first drink.  Mikey wondered if the water acted

like an energy drink to the chick. It was very funny.

It makes me aware that always the kids' eyes are watching

and learning from my actions and attitudes.  This week

I found out that when we had last been at Sight and Sound

Theatre to see the drama about Joseph,

one of our sons had spent a lot of time watching me for my 

reactions because I had told him that there were many parts

that made me cry.  He was curious as to which ones.

Good grief!  

Now we have to take him back so he can 

actually watch the show.  It is just an example...but one I 

know to be so very true.  They are designed to watch and 

learn...just like the little chick.

What are your children observing in you?

You are teaching them just as much, if not more

from your life than you do from all of that nifty

curriculum you hope to re-sell someday.

Well, two other little eyes are watching me

at the moment.

Little Bandit needs to go outside...

desperately she thinks!

So, since I have learned from her past 

actions...I'll be taking care of that right now!

Happy Learning!

I Need Your Help...

Hello Again,

I am working on a Reading List for Chelsea.

This next year her History and Literature are

going to work together.  She will be reading 

books that feature Missionaries from all over

the  timetable and all over the world.  She will

then construct a journal of what impacted her

from each book including the time period, culture

and key lessons learned.  

She will study the geography of the country

that each book is set in.

I was wondering if you would be willing to 

share titles of books from this genre that you 

have enjoyed? 

Thanks,

Becky K.

Thr Fruits of Home Education

The days go by.

We work on spelling, science,

history and more.

At times we wonder if anything we

do means more to our students than

another day to check off their logs.

However, there comes a day when it

all comes together.

This has been a year of many such days

in our lives.

As the children get older and face new

experiences we are able to watch them

put their years of learning to use.

Sometimes it is how they relate to things

at a job or volunteer opportunity.

Sometimes it is just an outpouring of words

in the form of a poem.

Not an assignment.

Just an expression of intense emotion.

There's something about this storm,

that I can not ignore.

This is not the norm,

this is something more.

There's electric in the sky,

there's water on the ground.

There's thunder in the air,

it's beauty all around.

It's like a song

that's playing in my head.

It's like a strong command

that God has clearly said.

Electric beauty

What an incredible sight.

It is still the daytime,

but yet it's dark like night.

It is a symphony

beautifully composed.

it is truly wonder

fantastically exposed.

So, on those days when you feel 

like nothing is sticking.  

Don't quit!

When you are so very  discouraged at the 

progress of your little writers...

hold on!

If one day you feel inadequate...

You aren't!

YOU are making a difference.

YOU are teaching the future.

Be encouraged. 

The future looks good, 

if we judge it by the fruits of your labor!

Hugs, 

Becky K. (and Chelsea too)!

 

Working on Portfolios

In Pennsylvania the final thing most of us do each year is
to prepare a portfolio with and for each child.

These portfolios are then shown to our evaluator who
reviews the curriculum covered and confirms that the
required days were completed and subjects covered.

In the early years our portfolios were huge!
Massive.
At that time the kids were learning to write and
process math problems. They loved to produce art
projects and frankly their writing was huge.

Lots of paper...lots of trees consumed.

As the years have gone by our portfolios have
gotten smaller. One could get discouraged and
begin to believe that this means we are doing
less. To the contrary, we are covering so much
more material. Most of it verbally. Lots of it
in practical real life projects.
What is written is most often typed
and therefore is very efficiently
contained to a page
or a couple of pages.

That is...except for a story Chelsea is co-writing with
a friend. It is up to 27 pages so far. They take turns
writing chapters. Each girl is a character and that chapter
is written from their perspective. Cool stuff!

Anyway...I am deep in the midst of gathering our year's
accomplishments. To get it all together in one place,
organize it so that our evaluator can understand and
quantify it. Part of me loves this....Most of me hates it!

You know, if I had nothing else to do it is fun to review and
see all that has been done. But graduation is in just 11...
ELEVEN...days!!!!!

I must find a diploma to print out for the boys.
Sadly, I have not even sent out their invitations.
I've been sick for three weeks and just don't have
that get up and go that I should have. So...family
and friends...they are coming. Really.
But keep May 21st open...would you?
Two really special boys will be walking down the
aisle in funky caps and gowns.
You can all point and giggle.

I'll be the one blubbering
when they hand me a rose.
OH my.

Maybe I'll skip it.

NEVER!

We have worked way too hard.
It is going to be great!

That is what is happening around
Hospitality Lane....
What are you up to?

Becky K.