Autumn 2010 Ebooks Available!

Autumn 2010 Art and Music Appreciation: Edgar Degas and Sergei Prokofiev

The Autumn 201o Art and Music Appreciation:
Featuring Edgar Degas and Sergei Prokofiev

• Complete plans for including art and music appreciation using Edgar Degas' artwork and Sergei Prokofiev's music.
  
• Suggested artwork with links to view the art online. There are large images included in the ebook as well for viewing.
• Suggested follow-up activities for each painting studied. Materials list provided.
• 9 notebook pages, 4 coloring pages.
• Suggested song selections with links to online listening and several follow-up activities for Prokofiev.
• 28 pages.

Autumn 2010 Art and Music Plans Sample:
Autumn 2010 Art and Music Sample


Autumn 2010 Art and Music Appreciation Plans Featuring Degas and Prokofiev:
Contains all plans, notebook pages, links for viewing artwork and listening to the suggested music, coloring pages, and follow-up activities.

28 Pages for $3.25

If you have any questions, please email me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Autumn 2010 Ebooks-Update

I have had numerous emails asking me how to purchase the new ebooks. For some reason when you get my blog entries in an email or in a Google Reader, the Paypal buttons do not show up. This means you will need to pop over to the blog to find the buttons.

Harmony Art Mom

Sorry for the extra step.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: It Does Grow On A Tree

Last week's assignment was to sketch something that lives at the zoo. You all came up with some great ideas and they are very well done. Thank you so much for sharing your drawings and I would also like to welcome all the new sketchers!



Here is your slideshow: Zoo Dwellers

This week's assignment, due Monday, September 6th:
Sketch something that grows on a tree.

Make your sketches and send them in by Monday, September 6th and I will include it in the slideshow on Tuesday morning. All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Participate as much as possible and make sketching a weekly habit. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.

Thanks again,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

You Can Paint Like The Masters: Book Review

Yes! Finally a book that I recommend that I really, really think will be a help to many parents! This was a great find on Amazon.com that I am going to be working my way through and probably adding it to one of my grades of Harmony Fine Arts plans.



You Can Paint Like The Masters by Amy Runyen is a great book for beginning painters. It also is a great supplement to your artist study with step-by-step projects for popular artists like Van Gogh and Cezanne. If you click the Amazon link above you will be able to view the table of contents.



This book includes many projects and more than one project for each artist. It uses easy to find materials (acrylic paints) and it explains the various art terms and methods used in reproducing great works of art. There are even mini biographies for each of the artists presented in the book.


I love the look and feel of this book. It gives just the right about of visual instruction to help the child get started and then to complete a wonderful reproduction all their own. There are ideas for personalizing the art projects as well as an idea of the process of reproducing any other painting you would like to in the future.

This book will make you feel confident in offering a positive art experience as you study great artists as part of your art appreciation courses.


All the templates are included in the back of the book if you want to even make each project easier. I would say this is definitely for middle school ages and above, even adults. Younger children could use this book with some help from a parent or alongside a parent if you wanted to give it a try.

Hope this helps you in your art plans this year.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Teen Smart: Driver's Education -Don't Miss This Review!

If you have children approaching driving age or young drivers behind the wheel, you may be interested in this review.

Our auto insurance company recommended Teen Smart driver's education course in addition to the one we already completed as a way to reduce our auto insurance bill for our soon to be driver. I was skeptical at first about completing another program with my son and he was not too happy about it either. What helped us decide? Our insurance company gives a "good driver" discount to any student that successfully completes the course and for our son this amounts to about a $400 per year savings in insurance premiums. Also, if they keep a good driving record they get to keep the "good driver" status for the next three years. Over time, this course will be saving us big money.

I would call my insurance company and ask if they give a discount for students who complete the Teen Smart program. We have AAA insurance and it looks like there are several others that might give you a reduction in premium. Here is a LINK.


Here is a link to a YouTube that gives you an overview of the course.

The program is a mix of computer video lessons, follow-up questions, parent's assignments, and then actual on the road activities that you do with your children. The lessons incorporate more than driving rules but also connections between how your lifestyle influences your driving habits. Are they always running late? Are they distracted? Are they taking too many risks? It was very well done as far as content in my opinion and my son and I really enjoyed the program after we got started.

My son and I only had one gripe about the video lessons, much of the camera work is purposefully sort of shaky and fast paced....sort of like a music video. We both got tired of that aspect of the filming of the lessons but we lived with it to get through the course.

It takes about ten hours to complete but that includes lots of driving assignments that you can work into your everyday errands and travels. The program makes you personalize the lessons by asking you to find dangerous spots in your community for driving and then practicing those spots. We were able to finish the program comfortably in about three weeks just using our regular times spent behind the wheel running errands and going about our daily business.

The cost is a $120 but our auto insurance company gave us a $40 off coupon. With the $400 reduction in our auto insurance premium for the year, this program paid for itself.

After completing the program, I am convinced more than ever that this child is ready to drive. For more tips for helping your teen be a better driver, I invite you to read my post: Help Your Teen Be A Better Driver.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

FYI: I purchased this program with my own money and this is an honest review of our experience with the course.

Savoring The Moments #2 Favorite Hat

Just a shot of his favorite hat and that crazy orange sweatshirt.

Sketch Tuesday: Zoo Dwellers

Last week's sketch was to sketch something that is alive in the garden. Wonderful, wonderful submissions this week. Thank you so much for your participation.

Here is your slideshow: Alive in the Garden.




Next week's sketch, due, Monday, August 30th:
Sketch something that lives at the zoo.

Make your sketches and send them in by Monday, August 30th and I will include it in the slideshow on Tuesday morning. All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Participate as much as possible and make sketching a weekly habit. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.

I appreciate every drawing sent in and the slideshows have been wonderful!

Thanks again,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

For No Particular Reason...Except I Think It Is Clever

My oldest son sent this video to me...a mockumentary. He is helping me with Mr. B's videography course by sending us videos he thinks we might like to see.



The Majestic Plastic Bag

These are the sorts of video projects I can see my son working on this year as part of his course.

Enjoy.

Weekly Wrap-Up: My Goal This Year

I know with the increase in sophistication and content of high school comes a measure of responsibility on my part. Becoming lax is always my weakness...allowing things to slip through the cracks and assignment due dates to be flexible. Life does happen but for the most part my boys should be able to meet their required due dates for longer term projects. I am determined to stay on top of these projects this year and to participate in a larger way, even if it is just to be the cheering squad.

As part of my increased desire to stay on top of things, I am holding myself accountable for entering in completed assignments and scores on Homeschool Tracker. I realized at the *end* of last year that I had not been faithfully recording things as we went along and it took me about four days of my summer break to catch up on report cards and transcripts. There is no reason for letting it go that long. So far, after day number nine of the school year, I have only missed one day of recording completed assignments. I think that is a record for me and I am encouraged that it really is not all that much of a big deal, taking only about 5-10 minutes per day to click through the assignments that are already entered in the system.

Ready for some highlights?


Robotics for Mr. B started off with a dragster project from the Lego Mindstorms NXT One Kit Wonders book. He is finished building it now and next week he will build the track and hopefully start testing his car.




Creative Writing for Mr. B is going to be awesome. Believe it or not, I am using this book for the spine for at least the first twelve weeks of school.



Write Your Own Science Fiction
At first glance this book seemed a little too simple to be used for high school writing but at closer scrutiny I decided it could work. It is a perfect fit for Mr. B since he is such a great lover of science fiction. (There are other topics in this series if you have a budding writer. You can follow the link above and then scroll down on that page to see more genres.)

Here is an excerpt from a free write that he did this week:
"The once verdant landscape was now pitted and scarred. The devastation caused by the golden sun was told by the view in a way words only dreamed of. Ashen clouds of dust and dirt drifted lazily across the sky, propelled by a voiceless wind. Twilight fell, first one star then another winked on until the sky was studded with long ribbons of light."

I am looking forward to reading this child's writing this year...so glad he is home and I am audience to his voice on paper.


Baking is a new course that I have pulled together for Mr. B. He is interested in learning to be a chef, either for fun or for a career. There is a course at our local adult ed school that is for pastry chefs that he could take next year if he decides he wants to pursue this interest.



This year we are trying this subject out as a way to see if he has continued interest and perhaps even a talent for it. We are using Williams-Sonoma Kids Baking as our spine cookbook.


The above Apple Galette was his first assignment and it left us all begging for more. This week he is making Apple Turnovers.



Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? is a book and the start of a series of books that we have never read or discussed. I decided to incorporate it into our study of high school economics using the book and the accompanying guide. The guide is more than questions and answers and includes supplementary reading selections. With these additions the guide definitely enhances and steps up the level of work for high school credits. My husband and I are enjoying the material and discussing it with Mr. A. I am feeling like it might have been a good decision to wait until high school for this series.....very meaningful as my teen steps out into the working world.




Chemistry was great this week and we are loving The Joy of Chemistry as our guide to doing some hands-on labwork. The book outlines demonstrations for you to conduct and then accompanying explanations afterward.


I asked what the boys thought about the course so far and they both say they are enjoying the "real lab equipment and using chemicals". (Hat tip to Theresa at La Paz Home Learning for the recommendation of The Joy of Chemistry.)


The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe

They also both mentioned that they love this book as a jumping off spot to learn more about the periodic table and the elements. My visual learner is making his own periodic table as he reads about each element and the other son is making a simple notebook page highlighting the elements with images and bullet points. I think this book is the coolest thing ever and it now resides on our coffee table where everyone in the family is reading it in their spare time.

So much more to talk about but I won't share everything this week. I think these wrap-up posts are a great way to not only share what we are doing each week but let you see how the books and materials actually play out in a regular sort of homeschooling family.

I am busy with my new Autumn art and music plans.....hopefully they will be ready to offer to you on 8/30/10. Stay tuned.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Charlotte Mason High School Daily Schedule

One of my favorite bloggers (LaPaz Home Learning) has posted her son's 10th grade CM Style schedule. I am inspired to share what we do for 12th grade in our CM style high school.

• 20th Century History/Economics and 20th Century Literature: M-F with a meeting on Friday to discuss the week's reading. This time also includes his formal essay writing and literature terms/analysis. Literature also includes poetry and Shakespeare.
• Bible Study: M-F
  
• Geometry: M-F (He is almost finished with this text...he will then use the time for a course in American Government next term.)
  
• Chemistry: M-Th (Wednesday is lab day)
• Art/Music/Trumpet: T-F, 30 minutes of trumpet each day and the other two subjects alternate.
• Welding and Metal Fabrication: M-F

We also are focusing on reading wonderful books and doing lots of narrating. The books I have chosen seem to lend themselves to lots of discussion so just picking the right books puts you on the right path that leads to narration of all sorts. I also have my son read aloud from some of his books everyday, sometimes his Bible reading, sometimes his poetry, as well as from his history and literature books.

I think the biggest difference I see between what Theresa is doing with her son and what we are doing here is my son does more written narration. Mr. A has become quite good at a quick written narration in a form that makes sense for him. He summarizes, writes quotes, or gives some sort of response to an assigned topic. For instance, he is reading the Grapes of Wrath and as he reads he is keeping notes on the theme of "Man's Inhumanity to Man" as he goes along. I will be having him write a formal essay in weeks 10-12 from his notes.

We are using "slow reading" of books where we spread a novel or book out by reading only about 20-30 pages per week in each book. This means we are reading several literature selections per week. I waver on this Charlotte Mason idea from year to year. My son would rather devour a book in a few days so slow reading is tedious to him. The jury is out on this concept in our home. At the end of the year I will try to remember to post about how the slow reading effects our learning.

Like Theresa, I feel like you need to wade through a lot of Charlotte Mason information to get to the heart of the ideas behind her style of homeschooling. Ambleside Online can be overwhelming, especially the pages for high school. I try to look at the whole thing as an Idea. An Idea of how to shape your learning...a framework. Once you understand the Idea and get your framework on paper you can fill in with books and experiences that fulfill your goals for your particular child. I honestly think that is the beauty of a Charlotte Mason style homeschool. It is not the particular books or courses you offer but the living, breathing ideas that fill up the space you have provided in your life for helping to educate your children.

I hope this helps another family in their high school journey. Thanks to Theresa for inspiring this post.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Apologia Chemistry: Why Not?

After writing our 12th grade plans in THIS POST, I sort of expected someone to ask my why we are not using Apologia Chemistry this year for our chemistry course. Sure enough, I had an email asking about it so I am going to post my response here on the blog in case you are interested in knowing our thinking.

Here is the question:
I have used Teaching Company Chemistry as a supplement when teaching Apologia Chemistry, and I really like the explanations and demonstrations in the new version. I know you have used Apologia texts in the past; would you be willing to share why you chose not to use Apologia Chemistry?

Here is my response:
Honestly, my oldest son, now 23 years old, used Apologia Chemistry and I had a discussion with him that helped me to come to a decision about the text. I asked him what he remembered about chemistry and how he liked the course. He said that he honestly didn't remember much, he felt like he would need to take it again to say he understood chemistry, and he was not impressed either way about the text.

Sort of ho hum.....not the response I wanted. So, it made me rethink using Apologia and how to go about making chemistry a bit more meaningful.

Apologia Chemistry has been somewhat like my experience with the Classical Astronomy book. As much as I tried to just schedule it out and have the boys use it this year, the more I couldn't convince myself. My husband and I decided that our goal is to make chemistry something interesting and to keep it simple. Both of our boys are both having a school year where they are focusing on other subjects so chemistry is sort of taking a backseat. They will more than likely take a chemistry or related class at college so my aim is to give them some exposure, make it interesting, and have them understand the world around them a little better. Neither boy is much interested in chemistry so that is another factor.

One son would rather take astronomy and leave chemistry behind but we made a compromise with the lighter schedule for chemistry so he could study astronomy at the same time. He is only in eleventh grade so we are giving him a little more freedom this year to choose subjects and how to go about studying them.

I still love Apologia and would recommend it for families looking for solid courses in science. I like the format, the style, the voice of Dr. Wylie, the labs are fine, and I think we have had a great experience using Apologia products. It is just the topic of chemistry that has bogged me down.

Now you know.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Just as a note: We used Apologia Flying Creatures and Astronomy in the grammar years. In middle school we used Apologia General and Physical Science. In high school we have used Apologia Biology, Marine Biology, and Physics.

Sketch Tuesday:Alive In the Garden

Last week's sketch was to sketch something with words on it. We decided that there are a lot of things with words! In some ways that made it easy and in some ways that was a challenge. Thank you so much to everyone who participated this week.

Here is your slideshow: A Little Wordy


This week's sketch assignment, due Monday, August 23rd:
Sketch something alive in the garden.

Think of something that is alive in your garden: plants, insects, birds, people, gophers, rabbits, etc. Make your sketch and send it in by next Monday, August 23rd and I will include it in Tuesday's slideshow. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com. Please read the tab at the top of this blog for complete instructions for participation.

Just an additional note: There is a distinct possibility that I will not have the slideshow up as early as usual on 8/23/10....I promise I will get it up as soon as possible.

Thank you so much for your support,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Savoring The Moments #1 Back to School

I decided that as part of my trying to be grateful and happy about my Mr. A's last year of high school, I would start a series of "Savoring the Moments" entries. I will try to keep them sort of like the Wordless Wednesday entries that so many other bloggers do.

Here is the first of the entries:

Savoring the Moments #1 Back to School


This is the first day of school during lunch break. I love the haircut...the first time he has tried this cut and I think it suits him. Look at the bare feet and the dog bringing her favorite throw toy. What is it with boys and their dogs?


After some outside time, Mr. A brings the dog inside to help with homeschooling as they finish their lunchtime break. Really, they are honestly working....he is listening to some classical music as he spends some time with his favorite animal in the universe. (I think they are listening to Prokofiev.)

I hope this project is going to help me focus on the small little moments that add up to the big picture.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Weekly Wrap-Up: The Beginning

I realized as I sat down to write this post that I am going to have to work hard at not being sentimental in every entry. It is as if I hold it all inside until my fingers hit the keyboard and then those feelings well up inside and need to be expressed. I will restrain myself as much as possible, no promises on how many times those reflections will spill out inside the words of each post.

Week One ended better than it started for us. Monday was emotionally charged with lots of feelings that surprised me at first but now I realize that I am dealing with more than the usual feelings of inadequacy. I have chosen our courses and materials with the best intentions so hopefully as our weeks play out I will relax a bit about whether I am capable of teaching high school anything.

For the first time in a long time my boys are working separately for most subjects except chemistry. For the Weekly Wrap-Up posts I decided it would be way too much to cover every subject so instead I will touch on highlights or other interesting aspects of our week.



The highlight of my week was literature. I am trying to stay astride both boys with one of their literature books assigned each week. Alongside Mr. A I am reading The Grapes of Wrath and with Mr. B I am reading Ancient Egyptian Poetry: An Anthology. I have read quite a bit of Steinbeck over the years but I had forgotten how much I like The Grapes of Wrath. I feel like I am drinking the words in as I read the pages. Steinbeck can paint such a vivid image in your mind and I find myself drawn into his descriptions of nature... a complete chapter on a land turtle crossing the road and pages about dust and the landscape. The gritty parts even seem to be poetic upon reflection. Mr. A prefers his Edgar Allen Poe short stories to Steinbeck and this week he read The Purloined Letter. The Egyptian poetry was surprisingly interesting and easy to read. What a relief.

We started off our chemistry study with a couple of lectures from the Teaching Company series and two demonstrations from The Joy of Chemistry. I think we are going to like the approach of this book, having a demonstration first to build interest in the chapter discussion and explanation.


I did not realize that my boys had never made oobleck...water and cornstarch. That is what happens when you get to the last of the children homeschooling and your mind starts to blur about what you have and what you haven't done with each child. Both boys *loved* playing with the oobleck and on some level I think this sort of demonstration and the principles behind it are lost on little ones. Now that the boys are older they have some experiences and knowledge about physical properties and vocabulary to attach to the oobleck, thus making it very meaningful. Playful and educational experiences are always a good thing.

We will skip talking about math...enough said.

History, no matter how hard I try to make it otherwise, takes a center stage in our family. Perhaps it is because we tie so many interesting aspects into our history that seems to draw us in. After taking a year-long break from formal history study, both boys dug in and got started with different time periods. Mr. A is focusing on 20th Century history and Mr. B is at the other end of timeline with a study of ancients. We all like the materials chosen so far and in a future post I will relate more specifics.



Mr. B and I have made a pact to keep art at the center of his homeschool day. He has over an hour of art and music everyday of the week. I have designed a modified version of my HFA Ancient Art and the Orchestra for him to use as his base plan but we built up from there.


This week he worked with watercolor pencils using Artistic Pursuits Grades 4-6 Book 2.....jumping off from the print included to view some of Bierstadt's paintings and making two reproductions for his notebook. He also is connecting Egyptian art with his history using the Ancient Egypt Drawing Book. Lots more to come and I will be sharing projects as they come up in our weeks.

Mr. A started his welding and metal fabrication class this week. He goes every single afternoon for most of the afternoon. We miss him.



So there you are, a few reflections and the highlights of the week.

One last item to mention. Thanks Homeschool Tracker for making my life easier as we start this new year.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom



Photo from the last week...we had a picnic in the mountains the Saturday before school started. It was glorious until the thunder and lightning started. :)

Week one done, thirty-five more to go.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

I'm Not Going School Supply Shopping

For the first time ever since starting my homeschooling adventure, I am not doing any back to school supply shopping.

Yes, you heard me correctly.

The Queen of Art Supplies is not going to be purchasing anything new at the start of this year.

My husband doesn't believe that I can do it so this started out as a personal conviction and now it has morphed into a straight-up challenge to prove my husband wrong.


If you only knew how much I love art supplies....fresh markers, gel pens, crisp pads of drawing paper, new binders, Sharpies, and my beloved Post-It notes.

What made me decide on the art supply fast? I cleaned out my craft stuff and my desk drawers. I have enough. I have more than enough. We are not going to be running low on anything so I am challenged now to stretch it out as long as I can.


I will keep you posted. Yesterday I received the Office Max back to school advertisement in the mail and I threw it into the recycle bin. Deep breath.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Homeschool Space: Clearly Undefined

Okay, so it is *that* time of year when everyone is sharing new curriculum and schoolrooms. I see some blog posts with photos of school areas that look like they came out of a catalog...the set-ups are like real schoolrooms or libraries. I just can't get over how fancy and elaborate some families get with their homeschooling spaces. My goodness there are a lot of things you can buy now to equip your home to look like a school.

I guess I have always wanted my home to feel like a home and for our homeschooling to blend into our everyday life. I like that we have a learning atmosphere without the public school look. Honestly, our little end-of-the-family-room area for school stuff has always been enough even when we had four children of varying ages learning at home.


Besides, I don't know about your family but in ours not much time is actually spent sitting in a desk and chair or in our case at the table with a chair. I will admit that as high schoolers my boys spend more time now than in the past actually sitting in a chair like normal people. Most often they can be found completing math on the sofa, laying with their feet over their heads off the reclining chair, draped over beds with books on the floor, or outside at the patio table. They eat and read at the kitchen table, sit on the floor with their journals so the dog is within reach, sketch and listen to music in their bedrooms, and stand at the kitchen bar to finish a writing piece with the laptop.


I would feel terrible if I went to all the trouble to make an elaborate schoolroom and they didn't use it. In reality, the best reading space is in our living room where the morning light is just right for enjoying a good story or an episode in history.


Our school is not contained by a few walls but it creeps into many corners and spaces of our home. I sort of like that our map is in our living room and their books are strewn on the coffee table. I love that their artwork hangs nicely framed in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Once we finish our homeschooling years, I will miss seeing the boys schooling on the back deck, or in their older brother's room, sitting on the front steps with a cat or dog, or in my big comfy desk chair. I smile when I find their school books on my bed or in the backseat of the car. These are all reminders that we are a homeschooling family.


I wouldn't trade our cozy little house with its itsy-bitsy school area for any polished and shiny new schoolroom. Our house is our schoolroom...or better yet our neighborhood is our schoolroom...no wait, the universe is our schoolroom. Okay, so the universe isn't exactly our schoolroom but since we are covering astronomy this year we can sort of say that the universe is our schoolroom. :)


A big part of our homeschooling life is the time we spend discussing things we are learning about or reading at the moment. We talk best when we are outdoors, riding in the car, or just sitting at the table after dinner. (Honestly sometimes I feel like they really want to talk when I am in front of my laptop....I have learned to grab the opportunity and set aside what I am doing in order to hear what they are wanting to talk about.) Dinner conversation includes their dad so he gets to be a part of the grand educational process too. Visitors to our home often comment that our teens have a lot of interesting things to talk about and I think that here lies a clue to what is at the heart of our homeschool. We have always talked to them...now if they were sequestered off and learning only was to take place during school hours or in a certain location, look at all the wonderful stuff we would all miss out on!


No thanks. I will continue to be content with my set-up and not even think twice about all the fancy looking stuff that is available out there for homeschoolers. This post reminds me of my post last year about workboxes. It isn't aimed at any particular blog entry or writer. It is not meant to try to change your mind about any school supplies or equipment you may be thinking about acquiring. I just felt like writing about our crazy, wonderful homeschooling life for anyone who wanted to read about it.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: A Little Wordy

Last week's assignment was to sketch your two favorite art or school supplies. I must say that some of us really love our art supplies.....new art supplies are exciting. So without further ado....

Here is your slideshow:
Two Favorites-Art or School Supplies



Next week's assignment, due Monday, August 16th:
Sketch Something With Words on It

Find an object that has writing on it and make your very best sketch. Send in your sketch by next Monday, August 16th and I will include it in Tuesday's slideshow. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com. Please read the tab at the top of this blog for complete instructions for participation.

Thank you so much for your support,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Don't miss getting your copy of this beautiful art calendar.

Tick, Tick, Tick....Counting Down Until the First Day

I've stood here before.....when my older son was approaching his senior year of high school. It was a good feeling to know he was beginning to shine on his own and would soon step out the door into the bigger world after homeschooling. I could see it slipping through my fingers, each day and minute I had left with him. It still felt as if I had a long road to go with his two younger brothers. Now we approach another senior year.


This time, with my middle son, viewing his senior year seems so much more *something*. Mr. A has been homeschooled from 1st grade and it feels a little different than it did with my oldest son. It is a time that seemed so distant when we started, like I had all the time in the world to get to know this guy and to pass on my love for learning. We have a different relationship because of homeschooling.

I am going to savor every minute of this year together. I am anxious to see how his trumpet auditions go for the local small symphony. I am looking forward to watching him get his driver's license and perhaps even his pilot's license this year. We are deep into re-landscaping our front yard together, he provides the brawn and I provide the brain. Oh and lots of interesting school too.... but homeschooling is so much more than books and pencils.


No, it is not always perfect.

No, it is not always the way I expect.

No, it is not always joyful and happy.

But, isn't that real life....no matter if we homeschool our children or not?

We are imperfect people who are expected to only do the best we can do with what we have. Imperfection is inherited and although we overlook our own imperfections, we tend to demand more perfection from our little children than they can sometimes muster up. I think many times we are afraid to let our children see our imperfections and homeschooling only gives them more opportunity to see those imperfections on a daily basis. I try not to hide when I am having a bad day so my children can see how I confess my imperfections, leave them behind, and try to do better. As they grow, I hope they can do the same.

Things don't always go as planned with life, health, curriculum choices, finances, or relationships. So what? There is a Bible scripture that tells us that we are made stronger by our trials and tests. Homeschooling has tested my attitudes about raising children and keeping spiritual priorities. I would rather grit it out at home with my kids than to send them off everyday to struggle with trials and issues at a public school. I am confident that at some point they will go out on their own but only when we all feel they are ready emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It is a different age of readiness for every child.


There is much to be written about how the joy in homeschooling is found in the little things. No field trip, textbook, or project really truly makes us happy. It is more about the way we grow to know more about ourselves and each other through those activities that makes homeschooling such a wonderful way of life.

So if you are like me and facing a new school year with a little trepidation, take heart and remind yourself of all the reasons you want to make it work in your family. Once again I am grabbing hold of the opportunity with both hands, bolstered by the power of prayer and eager anticipation. If you lack excitement, it is okay to fake it a little until the excitement comes. Many times I start off with a lack of enthusiasm but as the weeks go by I find that I really am enjoying the experience. There is always something new to learn, something to find a passion about, and new people to meet. The trick is to get yourself there and if you give up at the beginning and don't look for the opportunities, you will soon be one bored homeschooling mom.


Kiss the top of your child's heads each day and tell them you are glad they are with you. Mention their names in prayer at the start of the day. Keep your eyes up and your head held high, looking for the joy because it is there. I have never kept a gratitude journal, but looking back on my homeschooling adventure, I wish now that I had so I could page back to read what my thoughts were thirteen years ago. My heart has been filled with gratitude and I can imagine giving it a voice on paper would be even more powerful.

Our last day of summer break has arrived. One last day to be free of a degree of responsibility for books and plans. Monday will be a new chapter in the book.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: Favorite Two

Last week's assignment was to sketch something you see in a restaurant. Wow! Great job on this sketch by everyone!

Here is your slideshow: Something you see in a restaurant.



This week's assignment, due August 9, 2010:
Sketch your two favorite school/art supplies.

Make your sketches and send them in by Monday, August 9th and I will include them in the slideshow on Tuesday. All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com. For more details on Sketch Tuesday you can click on the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.

Don't forget to sketch this week!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom