Angry bird day!

We have at least one Angry bird obsessed hatchling in our home.

He is, in fact, our angry bird champion.

One of the wonderful parts of this whole home education program is the ability to customise to the needs and wants of each child.

Some how math problems become easier to solve if there are disney princesses standing beside each equation.

It may not make complete sense, but I have seen it happen first hand.

Hence, we are doing school work angry birdy style over here.

Perhaps, you might have a hatchling who would enjoy these sheets too.

I would really encourage you to visit this website link as I can not figure out how to directly link the materials here. The maths book was very well received by our four year old hatchling.

http://www.kindergartenteacherresources.com/2012/08/04/angry-birds-math-worksheets-for-kindergarten/

Other printables can be found at these websites:

http://yhwhleads.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/angry-birds-printables/

http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/AngryBirdPrintables.htm

And there are excellent colouring pages here:

http://coolcoloringpages.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/angry-birds-coloring-pages.html

Buttons

Buttons are under rated.

The joy they bring to a hatchling when you pour out a beautiful treasure trove.

Great for crafts, math counters, game pieces, and more.

Such a great learning tool too.

From find this colour button, or can you find a matching button to this one?

We lay out patterns of buttons blue... red..  green... blue...

What comes next?

Look at this big black button.

Can you find a smaller one?

Look this button has four holes.

Can you find one with only two holes?

And so on.

The hatchlings love buttons

and on a rainy day,

buttons keep him amused 

and

he's learning at the same time.

Home education is...

And it is not 

like this.

It is 

like this.

But it isn't anything like

this. 

It is a lot more

of this.

Tall people are not inherently smarter

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2012/05/02/nine-dangerous-things-you-were-taught-in-school/

Get out of their way

Get out of their way, let them cause disorder in the name of science... excellent, now, I have a reputable explanation for my house.

I'm not coping

Not once, twice, or even a half dozen times this week, I have been asked, 'Bet, you can't wait for them to go back to school.' And from those who have children, 'Only X more days until they go back to school. It is better than Christmas!!!!'

Thanks, your comment is so thoughtful, said right in front of my children. 

I hope you don't say that to your own children.

But you do, don't you?

Ouch.

And when my children inform you that they do their school work at home, you frown and say, 'I don't know how you cope.'

That's because I'm not coping.

There is nothing to cope with.

Children, contrary to everything our society projects, are not chores. 

They are not problems which must simply be endured. 

They are not a burden. 

They are a gift. An amazing blessing, to be given the opportunity to be present at the start of someone's journey, to be their friend, guide and protector through their most wobbly steps. To build a relationship with someone who comes in to the world, looking to build a relationship with you.

I am told, 'You really should send them to school. You need a break. Every parent needs time away from their children.'

You know what, I agree, everyone needs a little space. (Perhaps that is another post.) 

Yet, I disagree. I do not believe simply because a person is younger than I am, a child as it is defined in our society, that they must be institutionalised. For my benefit? That is quite the statement to give our children. 

Just pause and imagine if the person you trusted most in your life, the person you felt you need and rely on most, told you in no small way, that they couldn't wait to be rid of you. 

Isn't that everyone's worst fear.

And it's coming, getting old is a bitch.

But hey, they are just your children, right?

Those people you spend the most time with, they are the ones who become your most treasured friends.

My children are not just small people for whom I am responsible. 

They are my best friends and I could not have asked for more wonderful people with whom to travel this journey with. 

And I would like to point out that just because someone is younger than you are, does not make them stupid. If you would not speak to your work colleague like that, damn well don't say it to your child. 

A child is not a vase to filled but a fire to be lit

Why home educate/ unschooling?

But the school has so many more resources than you...

Are you scared they couldn't compete?

But what about socialisation?

The thing is that what we all need is to be loved, to be believed in and to have someone out there take the time to listen to us.

We have created a society that holds holy reverence of institutions, and yet speaks crassly of family, religion and morals.

Kindness, empathy and original ideas are stomped flat, thrown out and replaced by nice neat conformity.

Sit still, sit straight, don't talk.

Take your number, get used to being a number, you are only worth the number we give you.

What is up with that?

When did we decide that anyone but a parent is the best person to guide a child into adulthood?

What about freedom of mind?

Most would agree we should all have the right to think, feel, and believe on our own terms. Without someone else prying continually into our heads. And yet, children are experimented on with one educational system after the next, prodded and tested, measured and evaluated.

Does that build confidence in our children?

Does this nurture them and help them to grow better?

My job as a parent is to try to do the best I can. I have set my priorities and I value my family over someone else's agenda.

I can not see how freedom is gained by handing my children over to strangers and then having to ask permission to spend time with them.

I do not understand how one teacher can take the time to work through the sheer volume of course material, and let's be honest the giant millstone of busy work they throw at these poor kids, and still manage to listen to each child every day.

This is part of why I wake up each day and make the choices I am making. I do not expect anyone else to make the same choices I do. I do not judge or compare you to myself. 

I do not accept that there is one best way for all. I don't believe that institutions have our best interests at heart. Not because they are bad, or the people working there are not great at their jobs, but because I believe my children deserve my time, love and effort. Most of all, they need me to trust in them and believe in us.

Check out this TED vid if you are interested.

Duct tape

I was recently asked, how I do I mange the younger hatchlings while I spend time teaching, listening to and helping the older ones. 

I have found the application of a little duct tape goes a long way to keeping the youngest hatchlings out of trouble while I am busy. Packing tape works well too.

See what I mean?

It works equally well for older hatchlings, and it de - fluffs the carpet too!

And should you be in less of a rush, I have found hatchlings particularly like it if you shaped the track/ street/ maze/ whatever your children do with it, to spell their name, or favourite  character. 

I have promised a Thomas shaped maze for next week, if I remember I'll post a photo.

Happy Monday!

Distracted

Do you ever become distracted?

So much so, that maybe 

you loose just what you had fought so hard to get in the first place?

Now, obviously the goal is to never let it get quite so bad, but sheesh, does anyone else struggle with this like I do? I feel like I jump from one distraction to the next. 

Each, perfectly reasonable, and with good intentions...

I start off organising the paperwork, de - cluttering closets, and begin my week with a perfectly laid out work plan.

Then, I get side tracked, by cleaning out the car, and start a completely different work project entirely! (I am self employed, hence I have that luxury.)

Home education has been the biggest offender in terms of distraction for us. I will spend weeks researching, sourcing, and preparing for a term. And by mid - term we have gone off on some complete tangent. 

We were supposed to do biomes. We are now doing the periodic table.

We had meant to be revising multiplication to improve their automatic recall, instead we have strayed into geometry and area calculation. 

We had a day that was meant to be dedicated to lap books. Then we had a call to come see the seals giving birth on the beach just down the road from our house. Needless to say, the lap book projects were put off.

One hatchling was meant to be putting more effort into her sight recognised words, but all she wants to do is subtraction with carrying over. She is only 4, and to be honest, I am just happy she is enjoying it so much.

It isn't terrible, but it does kind make me feel like I do not follow through as often as I'd like to say I do. 

Life just does not seem to follow the plan I devised on paper. Stomps feet

Most of the time I am okay with it, but for that little voice that says, 'You should always finish what you started on.'

Do you have that voice? Is it really that important? Because I am this close to squashing my Jiminy Cricket. 

Now, I am not going to throw out my conscience.

But, today, I am not going to feel guilty for being guided by life. I am choosing not to feel frustrated that I am not always in charge. 

And I think I feel a lot better for it.

Life, it happens, and that is alright.

Summer days

Can you believe it is August? 

I can't.

The days whip past in a blur.

It is almost that time again.

Time to get out the pens and pencils.

And books.

I love books.

I have read so many other home educating families' plans for their upcoming year.

And I am catching the buzz.

It is so exciting, being a part of this learning and growing journey with my children.

This year we are focusing on 8 core subjects. 

We will probably bounce in the odd focus study, or lap book, but we are going to keep it simple. 

(Read, let's not burn out.)

Latin

Music 

Language arts (Reading, writing, dictation, spelling and grammar)

Maths

History

Science 

Basic skills (Sewing, knitting, cooking, and crafts)

Faith/ Family Values

We love art, which I am sorely tempted to add in, as one hatchling is currently deep in study of different painting techniques, but I won't. Sometimes, it is better not to have a formal category. It sort of limits learning so we don't study art, we just do it.

Happy new school year everyone!

Out rock pooling we will go!

Today, the hatchlings

went out

on the rock pooling course

with the ranger.

They had so much fun;

catching critters,

and learning with friends.

A lazy term

Moving house has led to the hatchlings having a bit of a lazy term schooling wise. (Lazy for me, as I have been doing less of the detail work in lessen plans.) I have relied more heavily on work books and more store bought lesson plans. Which I don't mind too much, it has added a firm back bone of structure in the back ground of the hectic. I am currently working on our next terms lesson plans, which I'll share once it is all complete.

Currently, we have been sticking with classical education based lessons. Reading, writing, spelling and dictation, maths, latin, history, theory of an educated mind, science, value/ morals/ religion/ philosophy(what ever title you want to give it) and unit studies (mostly running with what ever the hatchlings are currently interested in. ) We do a fair bit of art, crafts, and exercise just as normal everyday life so I don't really worry too much about its inclusion unless we are doing a unit study on it specifically.

I think we are just about ready for a change, a little something more out side the box for our summer term. Hmmm... the fun of home education is that the sky really is the limit here.

They are easy going hatchlings, enthusiastic learners, and pretty gosh darn hard working.

Even the little ones.

Those soft little baby fingers write such neat letters.

They have worked so very hard this term through all the change. 

I am really proud of you hatchlings!

(Please don't mind the messy hair. They had baths and 'brushed' their own hair.)