The Longest Field Trip.... continued....

These are some of the photos from Day 4 of our extended Robotics "field trip" that we took from Texas to Michigan and back. I know it is late in coming, but I figured I would dish it out on a Friday when I'm supposed to be doing "Field Trip Foto Friday" anyway. If you notice, I actually took a photo of a cute SUBWAY on our trip as we passed by. Little did I know that Subway would soon be in 'homeschool headlines'. Gotta laugh at that!

We woke up on Sunday morning after a long sleep in a hotel in Michigan (which was badly needed after only 2 hours rest the previous night)... and we hopped in the car to go check out Detroit before leaving town. We got stuck on the Ohio Turnpike, met some nice people who gave us a church hymn CD and let us take their photo (not included here), stopped along the way for photos of barns... cemeteries... flowers... and whatever else struck our fancy. I got one shot of a union soldier statue (something you DON'T see in the SOUTH), but when I tried putting it on this collage, his head kept getting chopped off. I even took one of myself in the side mirror (which my husband promptly called me a DORK for once I got home). Hey - you do strange things when you are in a car for seven days. So sue me.

We passed through Ohio and in to Indiana amidst the sea of farms and barns and arrived hungry for dinner. Tomorrow I'll share with you our wonderful first night at the Dixon's house and show you what beautiful Amanda made us to eat! Country girls really know how to treat a guest with home-cooked hospitality!

Have a super weekend.


Quick Links
Trip Dashboard
Goodbye
Day 1 of our Robofest Trip (Texarkana)
Burritos for Peace Program
Day 2 of our Robofest Trip (White Line Fever)
Day 2 & 3 of our Robofest Trip (Down Home on the Farm)
Day 2 of our Robofest Trip (too many states for 1 day)
Day 2 of our Robofest Trip (LaGrange, KY)
Day 3 of our Robofest Trip (Robot Competitions)
Day 4 of our Robofest Trip (Swap Present Pick-up)
Day 3 & 4 of our Robofest Trip (Texan in Detroit)


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If Subway Can Apologize, So Can I

I read Subway's apology letter a few times on different email lists as it made its way around the virtual homeschool sphere. I felt sorry for them having to eat so much crow. I have also read a few blog posts in varying viewpoints about the Subway madness since I posted my original mention earlier this week. I don't think there's a homeschooler out there who doesn't know about this ordeal. If nothing else, this proves that homeschoolers can spread news faster than CNN. We may be "independent", but we certainly seem to have a collective voice.

It is that collective voice that concerns me, however. I must be frank - my voice wasn't the most level-headed of the bunch. I cringed after re-reading my own words as a commentor fed them back to me. I used the word 'hate' twice and that was just plain inexcusable. So not only did I write a nice letter to Subway thanking them for their apology,... but I removed the "hate" from my post and updated it with a request for homeschoolers to thank Subway for their efforts. I'll even go one step further this week. I'm going to go eat at Subway and personally thank our local Subway owner for their company's apology. I'm going to let the sandwich be "on me". I hope you will do the same.

After all, we homeschoolers should know best that the way to a librarian's heart is through smiles and home-baked cookies... not frowns and harsh words. Those are biblical principles, too. I wouldn't want someone to say I hated other people (even if I am prone to mistakes just like the next guy). I shouldn't have accused Subway in such a harsh way, either.

I'm glad that there are so many level headed homeschool bloggers out there who are helping to prevent us all from giving up our 6-inch cold-cut trios on honey-wheat.

A kinder, gentler way to educate. Who would have thought? Sounds like homeschoolers virtually homeschooling other homeschoolers.

Stop over at Amy's Subway Post or Cindy's Subway Post to read more...

P.S. If you want to see a real mountain rather than a small mole-hill issue, please focus your attention on the OTHER post I wrote for today (the one about DC)...



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Calls Needed to Stop Unnecessary Regulation of D.C. Homeschoolers

Read this article and make a few phone calls tomorrow in between Math and Reading! Don't take your homeschool freedoms for granted. This call may be one of the most important learning experiences that you AND your kids have at home tomorrow!

______________________________________

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:

Calls are needed immediately to stop what would be one of the most onerous changes to homeschool regulations anywhere.

The District of Columbia is poised to enact restrictive homeschool regulations. One particularly onerous provision in Section 5208 gives the Office of the State Superintendent (OSSE) the discretion to terminate a homeschool program. The section then requires that parents re-enroll their children in a public or private school at the discretion of the OSSE. This approach fails to duly respect a parent's fundamental right to educate their children and gives the government too much authority and discretion.

Even if you do not live in the District of Columbia, we are asking you to call because the federal government has jurisdiction over the city and HSLDA has exhausted all our behind-the-scenes efforts to seek reasonable accommodations for homeschoolers in D.C.

If we do not act collectively as a homeschool community, these regulations will go into effect and severely restrict homeschool freedom for District homeschoolers and potentially set a damaging precedent.

Action Requested

Please call the people listed below and express your opposition in your own words. Be concise and courteous. Here is an example:

“If enacted, the proposed D.C. homeschooling regulations would be among the most onerous in the country. They give too much discretion and authority to education officials to determine whether a family may homeschool. We support the D.C. homeschoolers’ request that the OSSE and other education officials continue to work to improve the regulations, in ways such as removing the high school diploma requirement, increasing assessment options (if indeed any are needed), and providing for real due process in the event of a dispute between homeschoolers and education officials.”

The regulations should not be passed in their current form. Please ask the OSSE to go back and work with homeschoolers to improve them.

Read an analysis of the proposed D.C. regulations >>

CONTACT NUMBERS

Office of the Mayor Mayor Adrian M. Fenty Phone: (202) 727-2980 Email webpage >> Victor Reinoso Deputy Mayor for Education Phone: (202) 727-3636 Email: victor.reinoso@dc.gov Office of the State Superintendent Deborah A. Gist State Superintendent of Education Phone: (202) 727-6436 Email: Deborah.gist@dc.gov Fonda Sutton Director of Policy, Research and Analysis Phone: (202) 727-9882 Email: fonda.sutton@dc.gov

D.C. State Board of Education Phone: (202) 442-4289 Robert Bobb Elected Board Member Term Expires December 2008 Email: Robert.Bobb@dc.gov William Lockridge Elected Board Member District 4 Member (Wards 7 & 8) Term Expires December 2008 Email: William.Lockridge@dc.gov Lisa Raymond Elected Board Member District 3 Member (Wards 5 & 6) Term Expires December 2008 Email: Lisa.Raymond@dc.gov Laura Slover Appointed Board Member Email: Laura.Slover@dc.gov Ted Trabue Appointed Board Member Term Expires December 2008 Email: Ted.Trabue@dc.gov Sekou Biddle Elected Board Member District 2, Wards 3 & 4 Email: Sekou.biddle@dc.gov Mary Lord Elected Board Member District 1 (Wards 1 & 2) Email: Mary.lord@dc.gov

Background

1. Responding to the Banita Jacks case, the District of Columbia embarked on a crackdown of homeschoolers. D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty publicly promised to regulate homeschooling. Read “Tragedy Prompts Calls for Heightened Scrutiny of Homeschoolers.”

2. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has authority to propose regulations and did work with HSLDA and other D.C. homeschoolers. They agreed to include certain language and provisions. However, the published regulations fail to deliver on assurances and promises that were given to D.C. homeschoolers.

3. Numerous homeschool families have testified before the State Board of Education (SBOE) and received high praise from Board members. The State Board has authority to approve the proposed regulations. In its hearing, the State Board was interested and seemed receptive to finding a solution that dealt fairly with homeschoolers. We want them to direct the OSSE to go back and work with homeschoolers to improve the regulations further.

4. Current D.C. regulations call for parents to simply notify the District that they are homeschooling. We support this approach as an excellent way to solve the current impasse.

Thank you for standing with us for homeschooling freedom!

Sincerely,

Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.
HSLDA Staff Attorney
______________________________________


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More Garden Torture, Including Photos...

Here are the rest of the garden project photos from Tuesday. We've got to get back to our regularly scheduled program: homeschool... so we'll be putting off the garden seed planting for another day or two. YES, I realize that I'm extremely LATE starting this garden. I prefer to see it as really early for the September planting instead. They won't sell me tomatoes, so I'm going to have to plant some from seed. Wish me luck in the hot Texas summer... with a black thumb...



First we rolled up the grass near the driveway to create our walkway (we had already been walking in it every time we got out of the car). I covered the ground with landscape fabric and pinned it while Dad returned the sod cutter and picked up the garden dirt. I then had 30 million pounds of crushed granite delivered. OK, just seeing if you are listening. It wasn't really that much. We put in our granite path in front and back (see the nice golden-brown pathway below?) and have a mountain of it still to figure out what to do with. I guess we'll sell it.



Great shot, eh? I'm behind the bush... putting more landscape fabric down around my already established Texas Lilac Bush (Chaste Tree/Vitex). I love them... which is why I have THREE. Originally they were for the front of the house, but we thought they died. Apparently they are drought and idiot resistant. Thankfully we didn't toss them before planting them in the back. The one near the patio is now surrounded by garden soil mix and will be in my herb and flower bed until it gets so big that the herbs have to move. Those purple bushes turn in to trees eventually.



The picture above is Kevin putting garden soil around my Vitex. Morgan took this shot from inside near the kitchen table (when she was supposed to be doing the dishes so she could stay in and not die from a heat stroke like everyone else). There's no telling how much Gatorade we consumed in the past two days. It was over 95 degrees, people. In May. Don't let these happy photos fool you... there was profuse sweating and much misery going on.



Kaden asked me, "Do I look like a Mexican?" I burst out laughing. The reason he said this was because we saw some guys doing landscaping one day that had towels on under their hats. They happened to be Hispanic. Strange how kids remember these things and imitate them. I think it made an impression on him - making him believe having a towel under your hat would cool you off when you were sweaty. I guess it worked - he didn't say. But sorry, he's no Mexican. The boy is as red as a lobster now. Even with sunscreen. I had to give him ibuprofen and coat him with aloe vera jelly. If only we had Mexican skin. It is no fun stinging for days and then peeling like lizards.



I started to put some rock between the path and the flower bed. I still have mulching to do, also... and the pile of sod needs carting off. We only got half of it taken care of. So far we have the following plants in the garden that we had in pots on the porch: 1 Carrot, 2 Chives, 4 Garlic cloves (sprouted), ... and in the herb flower garden I have chocolate mint, gerber daisies, and red begonias. The flowers were given to me and needed a home. They don't look all that great, but I'm not complaining.

I have a rosemary bush to plant, too... and a Texas Purple Sage... but those will have to wait. Until I can move my arms again. I actually nearly cried when I sat down on the toilet earlier. The backs of my legs are soooo sore (along with the rest of me). My husband is in bad shape, too. Poor thing has to go to work bruised and broken tomorrow. At least we can stick around here and do school in bed - with ice packs, Bengay, and pain medicine.

I wonder how long it will be before you get your next garden update? Time will only tell. In the mean time... let me know what your favorite garden veggie, herb, or other plant is that you grow in your garden. Make sure it is tolerant to Zone 8 before you tell me, though... or I'll just be whining because I can't have it, too. You don't want me to get garden envy this early in my gardening experience, do you?


Quick Links
Part 1 of this project



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Buzz Words: homeschool, project, gardening, Texas, plants, landscaping, Texas Hill Country, backyard, yard work, horticulture, Square Foot Gardening

Spider Bites, Sunburn, and Numchuck Bruises

I don't have anything on my body that doesn't hurt after yesterday's yard torture. I feel like a Ninja snuck in my house last night and beat me to a pulp. So while I go out and finish helping to complete the project anyway, please enjoy the photos that chronologize our adventure yesterday. Pray that I don't end up in a body cast when this is over. I think I may die if we don't actually get a good vegetable crop out of this thing.



The plan is to put in two eight by four feet Square Foot Gardens (loosely Square Foot - I'm going to just use string to mark it off). They are raised eight inches off of the ground. The garden pathway will be crushed granite. Sounds like a bunch of money for granite, but the granite is only 20$ from the place we are getting it. (Nasty Update: There was a huge error on the part of the clerk in figuring the granite price. Lucky for her we had already dug the path up - or we might not have purchased it in the first place... we had to fork over the cash and do it after we already pulled the yard apart.)



We used untreated wood to prevent chemicals getting in our veggies. Kev put them together with gooved nails and brackets. The flower bed up front will hopefully have herbs and edible plants if I can find them cheap enough. I spent about an hour looking at my glossy plant dictionary last night and drooled over all the amazing things we might plant. I can't wait until the planting phase!



We covered the areas we dug up with landscape fabric. We ran out of pins, so we'll have to get more before we finish it. We had to give up on the extra large flower bed behind the garden near the house and the one next to the garden path by the boxes. It was just too much work for this weekend. It stinks, but we'll get to that some other day. We just did the garden, the path around it, and the flower bed by the patio. You can still see the spray paint in the grass in the areas we gave up on. We have a plan for the yard, but it is happening very slowly due to time and money constraints.



Today my husband took off work so we could finish this... and obviously we are taking off the day from homeschool, too. Or I could call this a Science Project? Whatever works.


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Buzz Words: homeschool, project, gardening, Texas, plants, landscaping, Texas Hill Country, backyard, yard work, horticulture, Square Foot Gardening

What are You Up to on Memorial Day?

We have enjoyed a lazy morning around here, but our day is about to get really busy. The cat may be the only one who has a "relaxing" holiday. The yard won't be the same after we are finished with it today. Daddy is going to dig up the sod for us to put in a large flower bed, a raised garden, and a gravel pathway along the driveway out front. I read through the "Square Foot Gardening" book at Half Price Books this past week and we decided to go with a raised garden. It may not be the cheapest way to start out, but if you do the work yourself and get creative, it isn't that expensive. We already have quite a few plants started from seed, and are excited to do more. This will be our first garden experience with the kids (besides at friend's houses, family's houses, and field trips).

I'd love to hear more about your garden tips, success stories, and maybe just some sympathy for us starting out on a new quest. I'm one of those "black thumb" people that can manage to kill perfectly healthy house-plants. I already feel sorry for my plants (not just because of my lack of talent with horticulture and agriculture, but because our soil is about 98% rock). We are having to truck in 8 yards of garden and flower bed soil (properly aerated with sand and compost) to fill our cedar-boarded garden and the flower bed beside it. The vegetable garden will be about 8 inches high (big enough to grow a few carrots and sweet potatoes above ground) and surrounded by a gravel path to keep weeds at bay.

I'll probably post some before and after pictures if I have any energy left later. My mother-in-law and I dug a hole for a rose bush this weekend back there and went through solid rock. It took nearly an hour for one small rose pot and I got about 20 good landscaping rocks out of the ground UNDER the spot the rose is sitting now. I am not sure how these oaks grow out here in the Texas Hill Country. It certainly gives you a new respect of any of the native plants that make this area their home. Hardy would be an understatement when describing the flora around here.


So, here's our yard plan for Memorial Day Weekend:

Dig up the soil with a sod cutter
Lay landscape fabric (5 year warranty - cheapest stuff) inside garden boxes
Build Cedar garden boxes with brackets and untreated cedar lumber (2x6x8 & 2x4x8)
Lay landscape fabric on pathways to garden, between both 8x4 garden boxes
Lay landscape fabric along driveway path
Return sod cutter
Tomorrow - buy dirt, crushed granite, mulch and lay over pathways, garden, flower beds
Plant already growing veggies and flowers in beds and garden
Clean up messes
Buy and plant seeds, herbs, veggies this week


I better get going so I can go down and help when Kev gets back from the lawn and garden store. Be sure to leave your tips in the comment section if you have some ideas I haven't thought of. Have a safe and fun Memorial Day and don't forget to pray for our military and the families who have lost loved ones in war.

Let us know what you are up to. I'd love to know how you spend your Memorial Day!


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Buzz Words: homeschool, weekend, gardening, Texas, plants, landscaping, Texas Hill Country, backyard, yard work, horticulture, Memorial Day

Subway Excludes Homeschoolers

Subway is having a contest for kids (any school aged kids that aren't homeschoolers).

From the Subway website:

"ELIGIBILITY. Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States who are currently over the age of 18 and have children who attend elementary, private or parochial schools that serve grades PreK-6. No home schools will be accepted."

That's right, folks... they are discriminating against homeschool children! So I guess we need to discriminate against their sandwiches. It won't be hard to boycott them for our family. We personally enjoy eating at the many other sandwich places around town anyway.

Instead of Subway, why not try:

Jason's Deli (cheapest kids plates in town and it's hard to beat their salad bar - try the Amy's Turkey-o, Ranchero Wrap, or BLT - extra crispy!)

Manny Hattans (heavenly knishes - my very favorite is Ebbot's Field Knish)

Quiznos (chipotle Sammie is yummy)

Schlotzsky's (the best home made sour dough bread - I get the Turkey Original)

Which Wich (every kind of sandwich you can imagine - even an Elvis banana, honey and peanutbutter... Kev's favorite is the Hummus Sandwich)

Chic-Fil-A (wraps or chicken salad - check for your local "kids eat free night" dates)

Chipotle (ok, so it's not a sandwich, but who needs a sandwich when you can have a burrito?)

If you can think of some other good sandwich places to add to the list, let me know! No reason to give money to homeschool excluding sandwich makers, now, is there? Get out and try something new! You'll be glad you did. Then maybe we can enlighten Subway on just how many homeschool families (that enjoy eating out at lunch) there are out there.

Update: Go sign the Subway petition and let them know you want them to include homeschoolers. There are already over 600 names!

Update again: I changed the article name and the link below to excludes rather than hates. I feel that hate was a bit over the top! Thanks for your comments everyone. Yes, Subway made a bad decision, but we don't hate them! The purpose of spreading the news about this is to EDUCATE, not badger Subway.

Update yet again: Subway has apologized to homeschoolers and said it would include them in future contests! Be sure to thank them.


Quick Links
National Home Education Research Institute


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Buzz Words: homeschool, boycott, parenting, fast+food, Subway, sandwich, discrimination, homeschooling, contest, education, home school

Expelled Interviews at Growing in Grace

Don't miss the wonderful interview series that Amanda Dixon is doing over at Growing in Grace. I answered her questions for her and she included me this week. I hope the movie goes to video so I can buy a copy of it. Or 20.

My son's response after the movie when we walked outside was, "I am SO PUMPED UP, mama!" Great to hear that from an 11 year old. I recommend seeing Expelled if you haven't already seen it. Everyone who loves freedom of speech should make it a priority.


PS Amanda is also hosting a Homeschool SENIOR Giveaway on her personal blog! Deadline is May 31st!


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Field Trip Foto Friday: Arkansas Arts Center

Not much else beats browsing an art museum, listening to the chirping birds, and basking in a garden. Art museums are my favorite. In fact, with field trips, I find it hard to pick favorites, so they all become my favorites. Field trips are like homeschool dessert. Such a treat. This field trip was in November of 2006 during our '06-'07 School Year. The kids were 7 and 9. Boy, time flies!



This particular field trip was full of colorful surprises and strange sights. I won't ruin the trip for you by telling you about ALL the artwork. I have only taken a couple of photos because you really shouldn't take pictures while inside. Not only did I take few pictures, but I had forgotten my flash-card at home, so the quality of the photos was minimal at best.



In the modern art area, we did see a Picasso and a Monet. Morgan loves Monet but the photo of the kids in front of the picture was without flash and too dim to display here. I did capture the Picasso... but I doubt it was the "real deal". If I remember correctly, I think they also had a Rembrandt. The children enjoyed the strange teapot robot and the man sticking out of the wall with his animated shadow.

We saw one piece of "art" that was a torn sheet of newspaper that had been framed. On it was a blue splat of ink. Nothing else. The kids laughed about how they could come up with art better than that! I guess beauty really is in the 'eye of the beholder'. I'm quite sure I would have tossed that out and hung up my children's artwork instead.



Going to an art museum always fuels my fire to get back in to art at home. Usually we pull out the supplies and do extra artwork if we have been on a dry spell for a while. Visiting an art museum may be the trick you need to inspire your homeschool clan to create a masterpiece! You can talk about the different techniques that the artists used on each painting... about how the painting makes you feel... about what shapes and angles you see... about implied lines and the color temperature of the piece... even about what paintings are ones that your kids would consider hanging in their rooms!



An added plus to a museum is that they usually are a package deal. Not only do you get to see the inside, but most of the time the outside is also an attraction. This particular museum had a nice fountain and an enclosed garden with a few interesting outdoor sculptures. Morgan found a beautiful cottonwood leaf to take home and draw (in her hand above). The museum was within walking distance to a park and was close to downtown Little Rock. Best of all, the field trip was FREE.

Be sure to leave me a note in the comments section if you have a link to a museum trip of your own!


Quick Links
My BIG-Fat Homeschool Links List (find other art links)
Sprittibee's Homeschool Series Links (find other field trips)
Teach Your Students Art
The COOLEST Art Lessons for Kids


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Pick a Senator's Brain... Senator Cornyn's Homeschool Teleconference Today!

What would you say if you had a congressman on the phone and he was asking you to pick his brain?

I have an opportunity today to talk with Senator John Cornyn from Texas on a "homeschool blog conference phone call". There will be a "panel" of homeschooling bloggers present to discuss the issues with the senator. I am not sure that homeschooling will be the ONLY issue we discuss. I've made a list of other things I'm interested in asking him as well.

My kids told me to ask him if he had ever been in trouble with the law. Gotta laugh at that. They are worried about his character. I'm sure every good voter thinks about the character of the man they support. I know I do. Then Morgan asked me to see if he was a Christian. She made me promise to ask him. I guess I will.

So what would YOU ask Senator Cornyn if you had him on the phone? I'd love some extra questions to have before the call at 4pm!


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Wordless Wednesday: Boy

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Black Listed

 

I was sending an email to a public school webmaster yesterday about some links they had on an educational page. Somehow the lady in charge had accidentally discolored all her links so that they blended in to the tables she created and you couldn't read them. They looked like good links, so I was going to add them to my Big-Fat Homeschool Links List so YOU could surf them and serve them up to your munchkins. I thought I was doing her a favor by telling her that her links were nearly invisible. She did thank me after my initial email (which didn't include a link to my blog).

When I wrote her back to thank her for fixing the problem and to let her know I was adding her to my site, I let my auto-signature go out on the email. It included a link to my blog. A strange thing happened a little while after I replied to her. I got this error message in my email box:



Wow. Black listed.

I stared at it, wondering if public schools everywhere are quaking in their boots? That is a bit egocentric of me, eh? I'm sure it was a fluke... right? What would a public school be afraid of my little ol' blog for?

Yes. I know I'm a dork. I was 18 in the photo, by the way. I was a dork then, too. I just wasn't afraid to let myself be photographed dorking out back then.


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Elementary Grammar Curriculum Q & A

 

The topic came up this past week in my homeschool co-op about which grammar curriculum everyone used. These types of conversations happen every time you get a group of homeschool moms together. Everyone likes to share their experience and ask questions. It is neat to see how other families tackle different topics - especially if you have had a chance to be around their kids and see that they are proficient in an area. We all want to know each-other's "trade secrets". This kind of discussion is particularly heavy around "book fair season". Most homeschool moms are making purchases for next year's curriculum from around May through August!

I thought I would let you be a fly on the wall to hear the conversations that I have had about Grammar with other homeschool moms over the years. If you are wondering what I do for Grammar - or what other moms I know are using, read below:

Question: I need direction on a good grammar curriculum. Can you tell me what you use?

My friends' answers:

We use Easy Grammar (mostly because if it ever becomes necessary, they will be able to diagram a sentence with no problem). It's easy to do and they are very proficient when it comes to grammar skills. Correct everything they write with them watching, explaining how a sentence can be formed better or more correctly.

We also love Easy Grammar! I highly recommend the daily grams with it.

Easy Grammar is the way to go!! It’s easy!! I have used the 2nd-5th grade levels.

I used Mad Libs with my daughter and it was a fun way to learn grammar. This is basic stuff though..not something you would base a curriculum on. But it reinforces the parts of grammar you are teaching like nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.

Here is what I have used or seen:

English for the Thoughtful Child - this is not grade specific. It has about one lesson per day, although we sometimes took longer to do one. It is a gentle approach to grammar, punctuation, and writing. It has copy work, memorization, basic grammar, picture lessons, and more. It is not a workbook type curriculum. We used it for second grade, but you could easily use this with multiple ages. There is just one book, the student book. It is non consumable. It is secular.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature - this comes with a student activity book (consumable, under $30) and separate teachers guide (non consumable, also under $30). There is a new book for each grade. First and second grade teach reading. From 3rd grade on, each lesson lasts about a week, the lesson starts with copy work and then covers spelling, grammar, usage, mechanics, and some reading comprehension and writing. The third grade level introduces analogies. There are 4 book studies per year. It is a Christian curriculum.

Spectrum Language Arts It is a consumable workbook (under 10$) - This seems to be a very complete (secular) grammar, usage, and mechanics curriculum. It covers one lesson per day, with the description of the skill or rule, practice, and then practical use of the skill. It has review tests. There is no reading or spelling instruction.

These last two are grade specific. However, what I have seen is that grammar is very repetitive over the the first four years of elementary school. It should be easy to adapt any program to multiple ages, depending on how close they are.

My 6-year old daughter is using English for the Thoughtful Child from Greenleaf Press. It is supposedly a more 'natural' approach to learning language. Exercises include copy work, memorization, narration, and descriptive writing. Basics of punctuation, capitalization, and using complete sentences are all covered. The language is someone archaic, which for some may be a turn-off, but for some may be a point of attraction. Each lesson is written directly to the student (if you read the lesson aloud, it will sound conversational to your child). Explanations and directions are clear and concise. There is no teacher guide, but none is needed. The workbook is consumable, but you can instruct your child to write on separate paper (as I do) and use it for several children. It is intended to cover 1st and 2nd grade, though some children will move through the book in more or less than 2 years. You could use this one book to teach several children simultaneously ranging in age from 5-8.

This year my 8 year old is using Rod & Staff English 3. The first thing is that the program is definitely religious. The publishers are Mennonite. The books use passages from scripture, other passages & sentences describe rustic farm life and reflect traditional Mennonite family structure. The illustrations (bw line drawings only) are of Mennonite families (think organdy head coverings, dresses on females, long sleeves & pants on males). We are Christian, but are very very far removed from Mennonite doctrine, but find nothing objectionable in the English books so far. (We actually find the books less dogmatic about 'doing good' than ABeka was). Now, if you are also okay with this then let me tell you about the program...

The lessons are well organized, covering one topic thoroughly before moving on. The explanations are incredibly clear and easy to understand, so even mom won't be confused. Diagramming is taught beginning in the 3rd grade book. You can order a free Scope and Sequence for all subjects, and a free Curriculum Sample for each grade level from the company.

The student text is non-consumable, and comes in a sturdy hard cover binding that will last through several children and still retain some resale value. There is a very inexpensive consumable workbook some may like to use to supplement the lessons with more drill, but they are not necessary. There is a teacher's manual, which you will not need in the lower grades if you have at least some skill in grammar (the explanations are *that* clear). All the materials are simple and inexpensive. You will not find glossy full-color anything in their books, and for easily distracted children (such as my dd) this is a very good thing. We have been very pleased with dd's progress, ease in understanding, and retention of information.

First, I went through and dictated all the passages that Ruth Beechick has in her books, "A Strong Start in Language" and "You Can Teach Your Child". This took a few months, but gave me the idea of what I was doing. Now, I find passages in books we're reading, or reference books from the library about our topic, and use them to teach certain aspects of grammar or writing. I use an age-appropriate or grade-level checklist to see what grammar and writing skills are expected at my kids ages (there's one in the Konos Compass).

For younger grade levels, I dictate one passage per day. (Either a sentence or two or a short paragraph) The next day, we look at any mistakes and talk about why they need to be a certain way. They practice writing it correctly or maybe write something similar. Spelling words get reviewed. (At lower grades I ignore the tougher sounds and just work on sounds they should be able to handle) If you're picking dictation from books, you can't always guarantee there won't be sounds they don't know yet. We run into spelling rules, homonyms, proper nouns, contractions, all kinds of things to teach.

The next day we dictate the same passage and try not to make the same mistakes. Depending on how many mistakes there were, we do it again, or put that one away and do another passage the next day.

You can teach different types of writing this way and then practice your own writing. For example, there is a great descriptive passage from Black Beauty in one of Beechick's books. After finishing the dictation work, you could assign a descriptive piece on your current Konos topic. How to write explanatory, descriptive, narrative pieces can all be practiced this way, as well as working on the technical parts, like grammar and punctuation.

KONOS has some great LA info in the Compass, and in their KONOS in a Box kits. I would encourage you to purchase some of Ruth Beechik's books, 3 Rs for grade 3 and under, You Can Teach Your Child Successfully for grades 4 and up. Cindy Rushton also has a lot of encouraging information from a Christian viewpoint. Cindy refers often to Ruth Beechik. You can get tapes to listen to from Cindy's website, which is a good thing to do while you are driving around on errands. I use both authors.

We are doing Daily grams, Easy Grammar and Spelling Power for Language. We also are using Writing Strands about every other week, just depending on the amount of writing I want to do with our current unit study.

My radical thought.....

What about not using workbooks?

We have spent the last 2 years finding out that we love to learn language and grammar from literature and dictation and discussion. We have actually had fun and my kids ability to express themselves creatively has blossomed considerably since we started using a whole language approach rather than workbooks.

I just wanted to say that for our family, the language arts within Konos is really quite good!

As homeschoolers our priorities are different than the public school's. We can choose what is really important and most beneficial for our children. My daughter was rushed through so many books, poems and stories in public school, we were overwhelmed by the quantity and were robbed of the quality. I appreciate the slower pace of Konos because we are able to savor the story line, observe the character's development and explore the setting. The stories become memorable that way. A classic becomes a classic because we establish something a kin to a relationship with the characters- and relationships take time.Have you ever felt sad at the story's end because you will miss the characters?

The sentence to paragraph to paper sequence of the Konos style of writing provides applicable and adequate spelling, (without those endless, tedious spelling word lists), encourages critical thinking, rules of grammar, sentence structure, and more. Let's be careful that in our endeavor to provide our children challenging lessons, we don't over do it.

I believe that when you begin to Homeschool with KONOS, the Language Arts included within the Unit studies are sufficient. Some people may disagree with me. We each have to find our own way as to what works best with our own families. I have found that the suggested writing activities in each unit give my daughter the opportunity to write with a purpose, so that each paragraph paper, poem or report is meaningful and worthwhile to her. While she is writing, I have found that I am teaching Language Arts in a relevant manner. Rather than separating spelling, sentence structure, tenses, punctuation, contractions parts of speech grammar etc. into a 'subject" in and of itself, with endless workbook pages, spelling lists and drills, she is learning all this as part of the process. Her retention is high because she has internalized all these rules and they have become skills!

Whenever I go for a bike ride, I don't review the list of skills for proper cycling. I just hop on my bike and start to pedal off, with purpose and joy! That's how I want my child to learn Language Arts! Using the language in the Konos units and Compass does that for us!

We've used Winston Grammar. It is great, but I would caution you about using it with a child that is not reading fluently. If reading fluency is not present, it's not time to start studying grammar. It really would not hurt a child to wait to study grammar. Of course, you would still have them working with language (writing reports/stories, learning vocabulary, learning literature terms, that sort of thing), but you don't have to formally study grammar right away. The need to know grammar is to be able to communcate correctly and well. Some children are ready to learn that early, but most need lots of practice actually using the language before any of the grammar rules make sense. (I've heard someone say he didn't understand grammar until he studied a foreign language as an adult, even though he had years of 'grammar instruction'.)

Winston Grammar is one of the best, in my opinion. It is as concrete as you can get in studying an abstract concept like grammar. There are cards for each of the parts of sentences. Each card has hints on it on how to remember information about that part of speech. It also shows how to mark that part of speech on the worksheets. The student uses the cards like manipulative, laying them down in the order of the words in the sentences on the worksheet. If you haven't studied a part of speech, there are black cards that are laid down in that space. After the student 'puts the sentence together' with the cards, they then mark the sentences on the worksheets. I think this is a wonderful curriculum, making it possible to learn a difficult subject with hands-on learning, which is almost always best.

Another thing I like about it is that is is a complete program (there is a beginning and and end and it doesn't drag on and on for years) studying something that should be able to be learned in a few months. Grammar is the nuts and bolts of language. It is useful to know it, but the purpose of learning it is to able to 'build' good communication, not identify 'nuts' and 'bolts'.

I use the complete copies of Scott Foresman's Grammar and writing Handbook for grades 1-6! Each handbook has over 100 pages. They are in PDF format and can be printed from home as you need them. They look great as supplements and can possibly be used independently.

Higher Up and Further In wrote an interesting article about Charlotte Mason and grammar. I think I fall in to the Charlotte Mason camp with this subject. It is strange, but the worksheets really turned me off in those early years when I was new to homeschooling. Here's what we do for grammar now in the Sprittibee household:

We used A Beka Penmanship for cursive, handwriting and Christian character-based copy-work. We also use Scott Foresman online Language, Grammar and Writing Textbooks. They are free and dowloadable pdf files that you can print. I love them. We also rarely use the Draw, Write Now! curriculum for handwriting while teaching simple drawing skills. If your kids haven't seen School House Rock's Grammar Rock videos, I would HIGHLY suggest those, too - they are a worthy edition to your home video collection!

Ruth Beechick suggests not using grammar until your kids are out of elementary school. Many education specialists within the homeschooling movement say to focus on whole books and reading instead - using narration, copy work, etc. to reinforce the learning of grammar naturally (and spelling/vocabulary). That is mainly what we do. I find that we have done well with minimal grammar instruction up until this point. The kids have never taken spelling, either - and they seem to do fine due to our prolific reading. I require some sort of writing and reading every day, but it is rarely in worksheet form. I think that READING A LOT is the best way to learn language, grammar, vocabulary, etc. Reading is the key to success with school.

Other writers who support this style of language development are Charlotte Mason, Robin Sampson of Heart of Wisdom, and Clay and Sally Clarkson of Educating the WholeHearted Child. We fall in to more of the eclectic mode, though - because we do some Grammar worksheets when we feel like it!

Quick Links:
My BIG-Fat Homeschool Links List
Homeschool Tips from Sprittibee
Agreeable Grammar Article
Making Vocabulary Fun


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Blogged OUT

I didn't meet ALL my deadlines for posts on EVERY blog yesterday, but I tried. I missed my Foto Friday at HSBA. You'll have to check that post out on May 30th (I finished the draft at around 1AM this morning before I went to bed).

Just in case you didn't see me online at all the other places I was at today... here are some quick links:

Heart of the Matter Online - Field Trip Meme

Gathering Manna - Redneck Seafood Dinner

Mees-Alees - Guest Appearance on my Daughter's Blog

Stop in on those other blogs and say "Hello"!

Enjoy your weekend!


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Field Trip Foto Friday: Guitar Shop

About time that I get back to my series, right? We were studying about ears, sound, and music during 2nd and 3rd grades in 2006-7. My mom, the piano teacher was living a state away, so we decided to go to a guitar shop instead. For some reason we couldn't get it together to go to the orchestra, so we just listened to a ton of classical music instead. Our favorites were Mozart, Beethoven, and Handel. We read an awesome book about Mozart's childhood (older chapter book) and read an interesting book about the life and times of Vivaldi. It was fun to classify music according to the period it was created in.



The kids also enjoyed learning about blues and jazz. We found some neat links online that you can check out by visiting my post about ears, sound, music, and the 5 senses (in the Quick Links below). The PBS link had a lot of interactive items and a neat timeline that included slave music in U.S. history if I remember correctly.



These photos were taken in Jacksonville, Arkansas at a guitar shop where we got to visit with a guitar player, learn about chords, see all the awesome string and electric guitars, see a huge collection of antique instruments and toy guitars (very fun!), and actually play with some instruments! The red violin was one of my favorites. We enjoyed our "guide" who played some music for us on an electric guitar and told us about how he came to love and learn guitar music.



Even if you don't plan to learn how to play guitar, it is a fun experience to get to sit up close with a musician and listen to the various styles of guitar music. All in all this was a fun field trip that I would highly recommend if you have a guitar shop near you. Even better - take some guitar lessons and learn to play for yourself!

Quick Links
Ear, Sound, Music & Senses Links
Field Trip Foto Friday: Audiologist (Ear Doctor)
Sprittibee's Homeschool Series Links


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Buzz Words: homeschool, guitar, parenting, teaching, music, children, elementary, KONOS, field trip, learning, education

Purple Pineapple Weed

 

With all that researching over the past few hours, I felt like it was necessary to share my beautiful weed with the world. So I did. You can now find my "purple pineapple weed" at WikiSpecies. I even uploaded one of my photos there. So now the world can find "purple pineapple weed" with the click of a mouse. Here's the interesting stuff I found out via my comments section from the last post (after everyone told me it was a thistle!):

Everyone was wrong! It isn't a noxious weed, is native to the area, and is actually related to a carrot! The common name is "LEAVENWORTH ERYNGO". What an awful name for such a cool-looking weed.

Here's info from a Kansas site: Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

Apparently the Leavenworth Eryngo likes the limestone hills as much as I do:

"Habitat: Dry, rocky prairies, roadsides, open woodlands, and waste areas, most abundant on limestone or chalk soils."

Here's another photo site:
Eryngium leavenworthii - Common Name: Leavenworth's Eryngo

Here are some nicknames names for that genus:

beethistle
button snakeroot
eryngo
rattlesnake master
rattlesnakemaster
sea holly
spiritweed

I love "beethistle". "Rattlesnakemaster" sounds formidable. The plant itself is extremely unfriendly when touched - we found out the hard way. When I got the last photo (the one with the bee), there were multiple bees (one bumble bee and two honey bees) on one flower! I just couldn't get them to sit still long enough for a photo op. All four of these shots were in the months between August and November of 2007. I haven't seen any of this in bloom yet this year... but it is early, only May!

Here again are a few shots of the plant that I have taken:



This bee-girl loves her beethistle (that isn't thistle at all) and will continue to plant it. I still say it looks like a pineapple. So there!

Love in Him,



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Buzz Words: Texas, Pictures, Science, Weeds, Gardening, Plants, Flowers, Purple, Central Texas, Photos, Wiki, Information, Education, Wildflowers, Nature, Kids, Encyclopedia, Research, Nature Journal

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Seeds

After a few rain storms, these seeds might not make it. I do have one vine still hanging on. The idea was great, though. The kids loved making those sweet little flags. When we didn't know what the seed was for, we just drew the plant or the seed on it. The one up front is what we call "purple pineapple weed". I have no idea what the real name for it is. You can check out a photo of it fully grown by clicking the link. Bonus points if you can tell me what kind of weed it is.

*Update: This weed is actually related to a carrot, not a thistle. It is called Eryngium. It isn't noxious. This species' common name is Leavenworth's Eryngo. It loves limestone soils. Most species that live in Texas are also threatened and endangered.

Quick Links
Purple Pineapple Weed - Thursday Challenge
First glimpse of Purple Pineapple Weed
Nature as a Teaching Tool (most of my nature links)


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