Conversational Spanish

The other day at Target, R heard a couple speaking Spanish. This is not a novelty to her, as she hears my hubby's family speak Spanish. She knows a few Spanish words, one of them being hola. So, she couldn't pass up the chance to start a conversation with the couple. R said 'hola' and waved. The lady smiled and asked R, in Spanish, if she spoke Spanish. R couldn't understand what she said, and just looked at her. I was able to understand what the woman had said to R, but I don't speak much Spanish, so I replied to her in English that R only knew a little bit of Spanish. The woman and I chit-chatted for a few moments, then we left to continue our shopping, with an adios from R to the couple.

I retold this story to my hubby, and he and I both agreed that we need to start making a conscious effort to teach the kids conversational Spanish along with individual words. He especially needs to work with them, being the sole bilingual person in our house, and I need to help guide him, being the trained teacher in the house.

At dinner last night, we worked with the kiddos on basic vocabulary: arroz, lechuga, maize, vaso, plato. We also worked on conversational use of these words:
Que estas comiendo?
(Yo) estoy comiendo _______.

Que colores de popsicle?
Mi popsicle es _______ y _______.

We also asked whose cup is this, and answered the cup is mine. But I've forgotten how to say it (*blush*, I'm learning too!), so I will have to find out the Spanish from T. I hope to keep practicing everyday language with the kids. I know T regrets not teaching the kids sooner and more fully. He grew up in an environment, though, where being bilingual was a bad thing and that stigma is hard to let loose. I hope he will see how our children benefit from his knowledge, and use that as his impetus for getting over his hesitance.

Co-op (maybe times two)

R and N started their homeschool co-op classes two weeks ago. R is in a K-1 Science class focusing on the human body. N is in a Pre-K class focusing on the alphabet. Then we have a one and a half hour break for lunch--we actually have time to go home to eat, which is nice--then they are taking a karate class together.

During week one R learned about cells and made a model cell out of jello cups and candy. I'm not sure she remembered any of the cell parts names or functions, but she sure did like that all that sweet stuff! This week she learned about skin and made pictures from fingerprints.

The first week was a tough one for N. When I picked him up the teacher said he had a 'meltdown' (her word) because he couldn't have the red marker during an activity (writing 'a' with dry erase marker on a white table, then cleaning off with shaving cream). He then refused to do the activity. Thankfully, the teacher was kind to him and let him practice drawing letters independently. We had a big discussion at home about obedience and not always getting what you want--something that is hard for me as an adult at times, and definitely a challenge for my just-turned 4 year old. This week N learned about uppercase 'A' and used apple cut-outs to make prints on a giant letter A. His A was red, and the paint he used was red. I think his teacher must have learned something as well! ;)

In karate both weeks, the kiddos learned how to make a fist, a four-part kick (knee up, kick, foot back, foot down), blocking up and down, and blocking side to side. The class is taught by a teenager. He's is great with the kids, makes them listen and practice obedience, and changes the activities every few minutes to keep the little ones engaged. R and N are enjoying the class; hopefully they will want to keep taking it.

This co-op is one that is run at a church near our house and is organized by members of a local homeschooling organization. We have also been invited to attend a co-op being run by our church. I don't know the full details yet, which will determine whether or not we participate, but from what I've heard so far it sounds excellent. The day begins with Bible study/devotions, then boys and girls split and work on practical skills (i.e. tools, sewing, etc.). Lunch is next, followed by academic enrichment. I think this sounds fun, but I'm not sure how it will work with S in tow. He is a good, easy-going child, but not one to sit and be quiet all day long. I think that co-op would also overlap with his naptime.

I'm very pleased with how our 'out and about' schedule is developing. On Monday and Tuesday mornings we go to the YMCA, Wednesday is playgroup, Thursday is co-op, and Friday is church co-op (if indeed it works to do this one). I think the schedule has helped allay my husband's fears that our children would not get enough social interaction because of homeschooling.

Out and About

Since my kiddos are still young, getting out there has mostly involved playing with other children. We meet with a Mommy and Me group at a local church once a week. It is mostly geared toward little ones, but there is one other homeschool family with an older child who attends occasionally. I like that it is fairly casual, and no one bats an eye when you mention homeschooling (or baby wearing, or cloth-diapering, or...oh wait, that's another topic for another day!).

We also go to the local YMCA twice a week. Not because I love to work out--I wish that was it!--but rather, I work there. Praise the Lord, I am able to take the kiddos with me. They love the different toys, games, and activities there, and they get to be around different children every time we go. Our kids also attend Y sports as we can afford it. They have participated in t-ball, and would like to try soccer and ballet.

We will begin attending our first co-op at the end of this month. I'm hoping that it will be a good experience for all of us. I'm not exactly for sure how it will all work out, but I think that our oldest two will enjoy learning and meeting a new group of friends. They are little social butterflies, so I'm sure they will have a great time. I would like to meet more homeschooling moms there, and possibly get some more ideas for fun "out and about times."

We also want to have a few educational field trips this school year. At the top of my husband's list is visiting Homosassa Springs and the Crayola Factory. I would like to go to the local zoo, as well as the St. Louis Zoo and Science Center (both of which are free!). We are pretty flexible, though, and love to travel, so we are open to just about any possiblities. And I think our kids will be happy with any place we decide to go, as long as it's not Home Depot or Target!

The Methods to Our Madness

We have been informally homeschooling since our children were born. We talk to them, read to them, play with them. We make it a point to answer their questions and give them active roles in our day-to-day lives.

As required by our lovely state, we are just beginning our first year of formal homeschooling. We plan to continue on as we have been, with the addition of a portion of "table-time" during the day. During this time we'll focus on phonics, handwriting, and mathematics. I'll have to get used to keeping more detailed records to compile into a portfolio.

I'm not sold on any one curriculum just yet, so I have compiled an eclectic list of materials.

For reading instruction: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, various Easy Readers from the library, homemade flashcards (upper/lowercase letters, consonant blends/digraphs, Dolch sight words).

For handwriting instructions: Alphabet worksheets, paper, pencils, easel, dry erase markers, Magnadoodle, workbooks from Sam's for variety.

Mathematics: Games from Family Math, bucket of various dice, different types of counters (beans, plastic animals--from the $1 bin at Target, shells, pebbles).

We will also be learning about science and history as we have in the past: through reading books of interest and through play. Only now we will be calling it 'research' and 'experimentation'. And we have plenty of paints and a new-to-us book, Mudworks, for our 'visual arts' portion of the day. We also intend to join our local co-op (but more on that tomorrow).

All subjects are loosely guided by our state's educational standards, What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know, Homeschooling: The Early Years, and what strikes our fancy at the moment.

This all sounds so loosey-goosey, well, because it is. At least at this point. We are going to see what works, what doesn't, and adjust accordingly. Ahhh...the beauty of homeschooling!

Our Choice

I think this pretty well sums it up:

1. I have a degree in education, so I know how to teach. I can't imagine a better teacher for my children than myself. Of course, that is not because I'm the best teacher ever--although I'm hoping they'll eventually think that! But rather, I know my children so well, and have their best interests and God's will in mind for them each step of the way. I can tailor lessons to each child's specific abilities and learning styles.



2. I've taught in public and private schools and was not impressed by the politics of mass-produced education.



3. Teaching also led me to appreciate homeschooling's ability to maintain a 3:1 student/teacher ratio. Much better than the 30:1 I experienced as a teacher.



4. We have the means to travel for free to many cool places. When the baby is a little bit older, we plan to make 'field trips far and wide' an integral part of our homeschooling.



5. Homeschooling allows a more flexible schedule. My husband has a constantly varying schedule, and homeschooling allows our kiddos a chance to spend time with daddy. It allows daddy an opportunity to participate in our schooling activities to a greater degree.



6. Although my husband struggles with the 'socialization issue,' I see homeschooling as a way to offer our children more natural and controlled (if necessary) interactions. As a teacher I saw a fair share of bullying and bad attitudes being overlooked by adults, even in a Christian school. I must say, this is *not* the primary reason we homeschool. I don't expect to shelter our children. But I don't want a majority of their time spent in a peer-to-peer culture.



7. We cherish the ability to bring God back into the classroom. I want to teach our children that God is the center of all, that He offers unwavering Truth and Wisdom (yes, with capitals).
   
   According to The Barna Update:
   
   Citing the findings from a just-completed national survey of 2033 adults that showed only 4% of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision-making. ...Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life. We're often more concerned with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance.
   
   I desperately want our children to be set apart, and be okay with being set apart. Nothing would please me more than to raise and educate them to see everything through a biblical lens.



8. Most importantly, we feel that God has called us to homeschool, that He has put this desire in our hearts. I pray that He will 'open the eyes of our hearts' to seek His will throughout our schooling days.

A New Beginning

I started this blog last year, with a different blog name and a somewhat different perspective. Then, our oldest was still 4, so I had a year ahead of me to play with curriculum, to experiment with routines. Little did I know that our world would be upset by jobs, house renovations, and an unexpected move. Sadly, we didn't accomplish much of what I had intended.

So, this is our new beginning. We are somewhat settled in our new house, and I've sent out the official "intent to homeschool" letter. Although we are not using a formal, packaged curriculum, I do have the books and materials I need to start kindergarten with our daughter. I'll also be using the same materials with our son who is 4.

I'm excited to be back in homeschooling mode! To celebrate, I plan on participating in Back to Homeschool Week over at Randi's place. Monday's theme is "What led to your decision to homeschool?" I'm looking forward to seeing others' perspectives during this coming week, as well as sharing my own.

handwriting lesson #1

Today we worked on writing the capital letters A and N. Some tips for myself for future lessons:

1. We used the kids' MagnaDoodle, which works well for writing practice because the pen doesn't write on anything but the writing surface. Next time, I think I'm going to have to disconnect the string from the pen. I hate to, because then I'll probably always be searching for it. But the string is too short for my lefty. Also, it is hard to correct mistakes, because whole sections have to be erased at one time rather than just the little part that gets messed up. When we start working on the concept of erasing, I'll think about using dry erase or chalk lapboards.
2. Use lots of praise. I have to figure out how to correct and guide but still be positive.
3. Keep the lessons short. I didn't time how long I spent on each letter but it was hard keeping their attention at the end. I need to look into how long a 4-year old and a 3-year old should be able to attend to an activity.

Randomness:

Today when N finished a really good set of N's, I told him what a good job he did. He wanted to show his sister, so we shared with her. She said they were "N-riffic!" :o)

I took a digital picture of their best writing sample, with their name and the date. I thought it would be fun to visually track their progress.

Flashcards v1.0 complete!

I made my first round of flashcards for the kids tonight. It wasn't too hard, just a little time consuming, but only because I made image cards and had to search for and resize the pictures. I used Word and formatted the pages into 3x5's. I made a card for each uppercase and lowercase letter, then made a separate image card. Each image card has a picture that corresponds to one letter of the alphabet and reverses to show the uppercase and lowercase letter. I used pictures of family members for some of the letters, which is cute. I'm betting N's will be the letter 'C,' though, since I used a picture of Lightning McQueen to represent the word 'car'.

I'm planning on using these for recognition of uppers and lowers, matching of the two, and then beginning phonemic awareness (aka, what sound does this make?). Eventually, I'd like to make similar cards for other phonic categories (blends, etc.)--first I need to find out what all those categories are! I also need to use the cards to discuss alphabetical order--I'm thinking some type of alphabet train game might work for that--including being able to insert a missing letter into an alphabet sequence.

I would also like to be able to incorporate the flashcards into some type of file folder game. Such games are new to me, but they look cute, portable, and good for a little bit of independent learning. The trick in this house will be to teach the kids to TAKE CARE of them and NOT RIP them and NOT TEAR THEM TO SHREDS so that Mommy finds pieces of our cute, portable file folder games all over our lovely home. Can you tell this has been a constant lecture here lately?

It all starts with the pencils...

Today I ventured out to Lakeshore Learning. My intention was to just pick up some of those jumbo pencils that fit so well into little hands. There was so much stuff that was cool (and educational, says that little rationalizing voice in my head) , that over an hour later ending up leaving with more than just the pencils.

Our new school stash includes:

• Washable tempera paints in the primary colors (red, yellow, blue), black, & white. They had some nice paint holders that coordinates to the paint colors, but I'm planning on using some of the 8 million egg cartons I have stored in the laundry room. I just *knew* I would find a good use for them one day!
• 3 kid-size paintbrushes
• 2 Daily chore charts & 2 packs of stickers (N picked smileys, R chose hearts) from Creative Changes, Inc. The hippy chick in me likes the reusable factor.
• 'Tiny Transport' stickers--these were a total impulse purchase. N was so excited by these little stickers, so I knew they would become a great incentive for him later. Plus, he's so cute when he really, really likes something.
• A pencil sharpener, which somehow in all our years of marriage we have somehow neglected to have in our possession. Makes ya think we're bold, ultra-decisive pen people, huh? Nah, T is a pen hoarder so everywhere he goes he ends up bringing home a stash that could keep those ancient monk scribes busy for decades. Only a slight exaggeration. Really.
• 2 different styles of pencil grips to encourage proper writing 'posture'

Oh, and can't forget,

• 2 jumbo pencils!

I also hit up Target for their super back-to-school deals. It's crazy to me that it's not even the middle of July and back to school is in full swing here. That's a definite reminder of yet another reason why homeschooling rocks! Anyway, I can't fully berate our crazy 200 day school year that starts in the middle of the sweltering FL summer, because yeah, whatever it takes to give me some rock-bottom prices! We got 10 boxes of crayons (they were that cheap!), colored pencils, watercolors, and blank index cards to make flashcards. And against all my house- and hair-preserving mommy instincts, I bought the kiddos blunt scissors--cool flame ones for R and a blue pair with a blade cover for N. I tried to convince him to get the blue flame version but no go. I may go get them anyway for S to use in the future.

Now I just need to start planning how to utilize our new supplies with some activities that are fun (and educational, says you know who)! ;)