Happy New Year! May you and yours be blessed in the New Year!

Peace for Your Heart

God often uses my husband to bring His peace to my heart. Richard puts out a podcast called "Notes From the Way" that blesses me. I hope this one blesses you, too.

Nim's Island--A Review

Title and Review by Samuel, age 6 1/2

First, we knew the Buccaneers were coming to invade the island. They were coming back in two days. When they came back, Nim threw rocks down from the volcano, and then she accidentally got the biggest rock inside of it. It made ashes rush up into the air! Then the buccaneers were grabbing and pushing stuff. They were pushing everyone to the boats.

So, I thought it was a good movie! I think it would be appropriate for big kids because little kids might get scared.

But my favorite part was when the daddy came back.

More reporting soon!

Q: How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?

A: First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life. Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill. On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill. Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed. And there is light.

~Author Unknown

Brain Development and Children

Interesting report about children and brain development on NPR.

Our Girls Rock the House!

Our girls joined a band (ON STAGE! Oh, they are so brave!) to sing the blues. Click here to see my husband's post--and cute pix!

Back to School (Not!)

We start official "schooling" a bit early in our family--because we love taking off the entire month of December for Christmas festivities! Here are a few of the things we did this week:
















Sam is trying to figure out why it's dark on the other side of the world when it's light here. The flashlight represents the sun.















Here we are mailing letters that they wrote to family.

(Sam decided that now that he's a first-grader he needs to wear a button up-shirt. That only lasted a day!)















Soccer at our YMCA (the girls enjoy playing in Kids Club during soccer!)...















Swimming is a favorite activity at our house.















Practicing penmanship...















Our Kindergartener jumps right in...















Our two-year-old will not stand for being left out! I love the concentrating lip-action!















Experimenting with light refraction...















How'd they do that tap step?




















Oh! That's how!

Next week: pictures of everyone in gymnastics!

The Graduates

Sam and Grace both graduate this Spring. They were excited to try on their gowns and mortar boards!

We enrolled Grace in preschool one day a week--she loves all the fun messy painting activities that I don't always have time to set up and clean up before going to work in the evening.

Sam's ISP (Independent Studies Program) offers an optional Kindergarten graduation. Would we pass that up? I think not!

Easter Break at Our House

We were on Easter Break last week. I thought it would be interesting to jot down what Sam does when we're not schooling. Here's a quick list of his free activities:

• Climbed his tree
• Created a pulley system through trial and error in order to take books and water up into his tree
• Read some of his Magic Treehouse books aloud (He was reading chapter books, people--this is my kindergartner!)
• Put together a puzzle of the United States
• Built with KEVA planks
• Went to the zoo, located places on the map, and read the signs
• Read some signs on the freeway
• Went to the grocery store, weighed produce, learned to read prices (Those pesky decimal points are important--who knew that onions weren't really $99 a lb.?)
• Cooked and washed dishes
• Drew and wrote in his journal
• Rode his scooter
• Learned to jump on his skateboard
• Attended swimming lessons
• Counted by 2s, 5s, and 10s just for fun
• Worked on teaching his two-year-old sister to recognize A
• Explored the properties of water
• Built with zome tools
• Organized his books for the sheer pleasure of it (He said he wanted his "research" books to be in their own special place.)
• Browsed through the dictionary

This isn't even a complete list! It's amazing what kids will do when learning isn't treated as something to be done in a school building. I'm so excited to see my kids view learning as a fun and interesting part of everyday life.

Disturbing Video

You need to see this post on my husband's blog. It's a disturbing look at evil...

NPR Reports on Play

Take time to listen to this wonderful report on Old-Fashioned Play!

Considering Homeschooling, Part 2

When deciding whether or not to homeschool, it is vitally important that you spend time thinking about your family's dynamics. Several things come into play here.

1. Do you enjoy your children? Do you truly delight in their personalities, creativity, and zest for life? Does it give you joy to see them conquer skills that they've struggled to learn? Do you have fun together? This doesn't mean that your children don't sometimes drive you batty or that your never have times of frustration or impatience. But if you really do not like being with each other it may be best not to homeschool. But don't discount the possibility that more time spent together may increase your family's capacity to enjoy one another.

2. How do you discipline your children? Do you get angry easily and regularly? Do you spank your children? If you do spank, how do you spank? Dr. Sears, a prominent pediatrician, has some very helpful guidelines for those who choose to spank, as well as some very compelling reasons not to spank. If you are spanking in anger or out of frustration, YOU ARE AT RISK FOR ABUSING YOUR CHILD. Get help. Be accountable to someone. Dr. Sears offers this advice to help parents handle their anger. Do not homeschool your children if you do not successfully handle your anger. Do not homeschool your children without being committed to building a full "parental toolbox" that includes a variety of noncorporal ways to discipline your children.

3. Do both parents agree to homeschool? Homeschooling is a big decision that takes everyone working together. Both parents must agree in order for it to be successful. This is especially true in divorced or separated families.

4. Is your family currently encountering stressful times? Are you dealing with lost wages, a death, or serious illness? Are you facing a divorce or separation? Will you encounter any other major life changes? If so, it may be best to put off homeschooling for a year or so.

Considering Homeschooling, Part 1

The other day a friend asked for advice about homeschooling her child. These kind of inquiries always throw me off a bit because there are so many things to consider: legal aspects, curriculum choices, physical education, socialization, the physical space used for schooling and storage, costs, record keeping, family dynamics...the list can be daunting. Richard and I spent an entire summer actively researching homeschooling options--the year before our son was to enter kindergarten. Because of all the information swimming around in my head--and the fact that I am so very new at it--I often just mumble something about loving it. But that really isn't enough information to facilitate good decision-making. So, finally, I think I can articulate what I think is the first, most important thing to consider before homeschooling:

MAKE SURE YOU DO IT LEGALLY!!! Do not put your family at unnecessary risk by ignoring the law.

Homeschool regulations vary from state to state. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association provides summaries of the laws for each of the United States. Click here to find out about laws in your state. State homeschool organizations can also be a good source of information. Research your state department of education. In my state the education code can be accessed directly through the department of education's web site. I was able to read the law myself and feel confident that I wasn't merely making choices based on someone else's opinions.

The state in which I live has a few ways to homeschool legally. We chose to enroll in an ISP (independent studies program). There are many types of ISPs, so it's important to find one that is a good fit. Ours provides us with administrative support (including filing paperwork and keeping cumulative records), opportunities to socialize (through Friday school and field trips), and the fun "trappings" of a traditional school (graduations, year books, etc.). It gives us flexiblity by respecting our freedom to choose our own curriculum according to our son's needs and interests. Our ISP provides testing resources and experienced people to look over lesson logs. The tuition is reasonable. So far it has been a very good fit for us.