Last week's assignment was to sketch something the color brown. Wonderful job done by everyone....so many great ideas! Thank you very much to all the families that participated during this busy time of year.
This week's assignment due Monday, December 5, 2011: Sketch something in a science lab.
All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, December 5, 2011 and I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.
Ready for an update on our timeline? It is really turning into a great "book of centuries" project where Mr. B is pulling from literature, history, art, science, and whatever else strikes his fancy each week.
Book of Centuries Timeline Pages Entry
This is a totally open-ended project where I am leaving the how's and what's up to him. He prefers to pull images from the internet to print out and then attach to the pages. I require three entries per week but there really is no reason to monitor it since he enjoys this project and it is one of the first things he works on each Monday.
Notebook Pages for Elaboration
High school narration can take many forms and the timeline is a great starting point. I take a look at it each week and have him narrate to me why he picked an event or person, what was the significance, and how the items relate to each other (if they do at all). I do not read everything that is assigned to him so having him recap his week in this way makes it simple and interesting for both of us. I love seeing his enthusiasm and leaving the assignment open-ended gives him a measure of control and input into the angle he takes when doing his reading and follow-up.
Notebooking Pages Lead To Formal Writing
From there, he is asked to elaborate on timeline entries in the form of notebooking pages. The notebook pages will build on the topics he chose for the timeline. Now for the great part! The notebook pages can be then used to make a more formal writing piece. High school level timelines now are the spark for oral discussion, informal, and formal writing. It doesn't get much more personalized that this and my son seamlessly ties his reading and written work together using this sequence. If you want to learn more about our notebooking, you can click over to my Notebooking in High School lens on Squidoo.
We are using NotebookingPages.com's Book of Centuries pages for our timeline and history follow-up. This set is part of the Treasury Membership so take a look if you own the Treasury already or download it to your computer so you will have it to pull up as the arises. (I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com.)
Last week's sketch was something with a logo...excellent sketches this week! So many great ideas and the biggest variety too. Thank you to all who participated and I hope you can make time this week to sketch again.
This week's assignment due Monday, November 28, 2011: Sketch something that is brown.
All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, November 28, 2011 and I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.
I am now a contributing writer on AboutOne.com. My first piece is "Tips For Frugal Family Travel". I invite you to pop over and take a look at that post and everything else as well. It is full of great tips for moms on all topics.
Sitting at my keyboard this morning, attempting to write a Weekly Wrap-Up post, I got a little nostalgic. In cleaning out some cupboards the other day I had found a photo of my family in 1996. This was the year we actually started homeschooling. I decided to put the photo up on my corkboard right near my computer just so I could gaze on the adorableness of those four cuties from time to time (okay, five cuties).
1996 - Our First Year Homeschooling
That photo made me journey back all those years ago to when we were just stepping onto the homeschool path. I couldn't see far down the trail and was not really equipped like so many of you are today. In fact, I was terrified to even tackle the project. I had little direction or support but I did have the fervent desire to have my children home where we could do some real learning together as a family.
Our homeschool today looks nothing like the homeschool of 1996. I would dare say nothing we do today is like that first year, especially with only one child left homeschooling. Mr. B has adopted a very interest-driven, project based, Charlotte Mason relationship-building style way of educating himself (for the most part). It is as close to unschooling as we have ever been.
Mr. B spends most of his days reading, writing, ranting, and researching....not much can be shown with photos anymore. Writing a summary of our week is sort of hard, unless I show you his notebook pages.
WW1 Notebook Pages
I had him pick a few of these World War 1 pages that are available on Scribed (I think I originally got the link from Jimmie.) These pages made for some really good discussion and a place to jump off for some additional research.
Mr. B started writing a formal essay as a follow-up to his finishing The Grapes of Wrath. I found a quote that I wanted to share in relationship to offering more gritty books to our children. I think it sums up my feelings very well.
"I don't think we allow life and normal circumstances to just naturally occur in children's lives. We control too much, as if we were shielding little lambs from the wind. We shelter them from knowledge about pain, sin, need, suffering, disease, death and other hazards in ordinary life. I'm not saying we should expose children's tender souls to distress with careless abandon, but we should recognize that life has a calling for them, as much as it does for us."
Charlotte Mason, volume 3, page 183
Now the Fun Stuff:
Listened to Stravinsky.
Started a unit on Cubism.
Read and memorized some Robert Frost poetry.
Watched numerous videos from Khan Academy on Python Programming.
My son is loving these videos and my Kindle Fire has been non-stop in the evenings with video after video. I think Mr. B is going to be like his older brother and take to computer programming like a duck to water. If you have not checked out Khan Academy before ..... run, don't walk over to the website and see if there are lessons you can use with your kids. There is a series of basic math videos as well so don't be deceived into thinking this is only for older kids.
We have a full weekend ahead with lots of family stuff planned. The weather may play a part since the forecast is for snow but we will take it as it comes. The leaves are falling down as I type and it makes me want to go make a cup of cocoa and spend some time looking out the window. Perhaps a walk will happen if the we can manage to squeeze it in this afternoon. Hope everyone else has a great weekend!
I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon building my new art wall. I had been hung up on purchasing the frames. In my perfectionist heart, I wanted all the frames to match which meant I needed to purchase new ones for the artwork I had chosen. Of course, there is only so much money in the budget and there were more important things on the wishlist (Kindle Fire) so the frames moved lower in priority.
Here are the six pieces I ended up with on the wall. I think I like oil pastels....
So I dug around in my art studio, gleaned a few frames from other parts of the house, and now I have my brand new art wall. The blank wall in our formerly empty room, now turned to family living space, has similar black frames of varying sizes filled with colorful artwork I can see from our workspace.
Doesn't this make you smile?
The process of choosing which pieces to hang up was much harder than I thought. Should I pick pieces that matched in style, art medium, or artist? Did I need to pick artwork from each of the kids? Did I need to make sure they all were portrait or landscape? In the end, I chose pieces that had some sort of memory attached, not paying attention to anything else. The memories of our picture study and the fun times we had learning about each artist were more important than any perfectionist desire.
It is after all MY art wall.
Look quickly....the desk is cleared off but not for long.
Mismatched frame sizes and all.
I love it.
If you want to see more art display ideas, I keep a board on my Pinterest account with an abundance of art display images for you to check out. Have fun!
As homeschoolers, we don't often label our children gifted or advanced but strive to meet them where they are academically. This means a little extra attention to finding great resources that allow for thinking and learning that are on a level with our child's ability and interests. Whether we like it or not, children will let us know when things do not fit right, especially when it comes to academics. With my four children, I learned that each child learns in their own way and each one has special needs.
Cindy West's new book from Prufrock Press titled, Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners, stresses this important fact throughout the book. She answers questions about how to get started and how to pick a homeschooling method. There are many examples, specific explanations, and charts to help a new homeschooler get on the right track with any child whether gifted or not.
Parents of specially gifted children will enjoy the specific techniques she outlines in the later chapters. The question of how to socialize a gifted student when you homeschool is addressed. The parent is given good direction for online sources of learning to meet the gifted student's passions and strengths. Online courses, specific curricula, and suggestions for going a step farther than normal are given in a well organized manner.
Sections I Found Especially Helpful
Advantages to Homeschooling Gifted Children - Table 3, page 7
Why Homeschool a Gifted Child? - starting on page 5
What If Your Child Is Smarter Than You? - starting on page 44
Each of the "For Those Who Excel" sections in Chapter 4
Project Based Learning section starting on page 95, especially Table 6, page 96
What About Socialization? - Chapter 8
Should Gifted Children Consider Early Entrance Into College? - starting on page 123
My experience has shown me that homeschooling gifted children is not an easy road and there is no "one size fits all" curriculum that has been created for us to use. It takes patience and intuition to even attempt to meet the needs of a gifted student. It is not impossible to educate gifted children at home in the 21st Century, especially with great resources and information available to parents. Cindy West has done a good job of pulling a lot of useful information together for parents who find themselves with a gifted or advanced student in their home. This book will give you a direction to aim for and a map to get there.
As part of this review, I was given one copy of the book to share with another family. If you think this book would be helpful in your homeschooling, please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter your name in my random drawing to be held 11/21/11.
Last week's assignment was to sketch something made of fabric. Lots of great ideas and I love when whole families sketch together...what a great family activity! Thank you to all who participated.
This week's assignment, due Monday, November 21, 2011: Sketch something with a logo.
All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, November 21, 2011 and I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.
"What the student needs from his teachers is moral and mental discipline, encouragement, and direction. "
Charlotte Mason, volume 3, page 170
This quote is going in my planning binder. It should be at the top of every page in my planner. It should roll off my tongue whenever I tell people what homeschooling is about. It should be the focus of my life as a parent.
Isn't homeschooling just an extension of our role as a parent? Who knows our children better then we do or has as much interest and influence? Really it is a privilege to be the moral and mental guide, the encourager, the direction-giver. Charlotte Mason could explain the role of a good teacher, understanding it was more than handing a child a text and hoping that they could pass a test at the end. She wrote, "When I say that life should be full of living, I mean that we should be in touch and able to relate with some genuine interest no matter where we are, what we hear, or what we see. This kind of interest isn't something we give to children."
I have seen how this sort of living of life, done in our home, has led to children who are eager and excited about learning. When you take the boring textbooks and worksheets and fear of multiple choice exams out of the environment, filling the home with interesting books with living ideas and having face to face discussions, there is an eagerness to learn. There are no boundaries. They don't have to wait until next year to learn about geometry because we are too busy trudging through the algebra book. We have room in our day to answer questions to satisfaction, even to encourage more questions. Things become so intertwined that we don't see where our school day begins or ends. It is just parents and kids, books and ideas, learning and living.
So this wrap-up is not filled with practical ideas from our week this time. It is more about an idea that keeps returning again and again to my heart as my son and I work through our year. This idea keeps me going when I am having a bad day. My job (privilege)? Keep the ideas flowing. Keep making connections. Offer him something to think about, to be interested in, and to stand up for. Correct wrong thinking when needed by conversation and example. Don't just give him an education....encourage, guide, and direct.
We can make lots of excuses for neglecting art appreciation. But why would we skip art when for children it can be such fun and bring joy to the whole family? The key is to have something interesting to share with them and then to have an easy follow-up activity to help build a memory of the picture study in their minds. Do you want to give it a try?
Have you heard of the Fauvist painters? Here are some basic facts about the Fauvists, four paintings to view, and some simple to understand instructions to guide you in your art appreciation. Printable instructions are included at the end of this blog entry.
The Fauvists were a small group of painters that were colorful and adventuresome.
Many people did not like this style of painting from the early 20th Century. In fact, that is where the word fauvism comes from. It means "wild beasts" in French. It is pronounced FOE - vi - zim or you can listen HERE.
Henri Matisse and Andre Derain were the leading Fauvist painters and I would love to share four of their paintings with you and your children.
I invite you to enjoy this mini art show: Four Fabulous Fauvist Paintings.
1. Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse. 1905. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
View this wonderfully colorful portrait of a woman in a hat with your children. Have them describe the painting with as much detail as possible.
Ask them if they think it is realistic (like real life or did Matisse change things).
Can they make up a story to go with the painting? Give the woman a name. What is she thinking or feeling?
Use colored pencils or oil pastels to recreate your own woman in a hat.
2. Open Window by Henri Matisse. 1905. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
This painting is such a great way for even the youngest artist to express himself. The easy to identify objects, the colors, and the feeling of this painting make it easy to talk about.
View the painting and then give your child a sheet of paper. Have them draw a big rectangle in the middle of the paper just like the window in the painting.
Spend a few minutes looking at the view from inside looking out a window in your house. Now have them draw something inside the rectangle, showing what is outside.
Finally they can draw the walls, curtains, or furniture that would be on the inside of the window. Remind them to use some Fauvist style by using colors as freely as they wish to express feeling and emotion.
3. Self Portrait by Andre Derain. 1903. National Gallery of Australia, Sydney.
Children love to draw portraits and a self portrait is always fun, especially when you can pick crazy colors and your own setting. Explain what a self portrait is if needed.
Spend a few minutes viewing this painting, observing the way that the artist used color to give a certain feel to the painting. How does the artist view himself? Why do you think he painted himself in this setting? Is it realistic? Did he use lots of detail (look at the face and hands)? How did he use black in this painting? If you could title this painting, what would it be?
After a period of viewing and narrating, use oil pastels or tempera paints to create a self portrait. Make sure to title your painting!
4. Charing Cross Bridge, London by Andre Derain. 1906. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Allow time for your children to enjoy this painting by viewing it large online. First have them list colors and then have them list objects. Don’t tell them the name of the painting and have them give it a name.
This looks like a marker project so get out all your markers and have your children pull out the colors that they see in this painting and set the rest aside.
Give them a large sheet of paper and turn it landscape.
If you would like to direct them in this project you can have them use the following sequence: Draw the bridge (horizon), fill in the top with a city-scape, add the water (make sure to use dashes and dabs), and then add a few boats. Don’t forget to fill in the sky.
I have created a printable file for you that includes links to the paintings and instructions for this mini art show: Four Fabulous Fauvist Paintings Study
Download the pdf and have it on-hand for an afternoon of art and fun!
(If you have trouble opening the file, try right clicking, saving the file, and then opening it on your desktop.)
Each project will be unique and colorful just like a Fauvist!
If you like this study, you may wish to check out the Harmony Fine Arts Mini-Units on my blog sidebar. There are currently three available and they include artist and composer study along with fun follow-up activities. Each mini-unit is no more than $3.95 and is appropriate for children of all ages.
Last week's assignment was to sketch something from a bike shop...which I thought was a little difficult. But, as always, all the sketchers had creative ideas and showed that this was indeed a good topic. Thank you so much to everyone who sent in sketches, especially one young sketcher that just happened to sketch my favorite bike from my own childhood.
Next week's assignment, due Monday, November 14, 2011:
Sketch something made of fabric.
All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, November 14, 2011 and I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.
"To keep a child in this habit of the thought of God––so that to lose it, for even a little while, is like coming home after an absence and finding his mother out––is a very delicate part of a parent's work."
CM volume 3 page 141
"The habit of hearing, and later, of reading the Bible, is one to establish at an early age."
CM volume 3 page 142
I didn't realize it at the time but when I became a Christian I had some good habits to establish. There were habits I needed to learn for myself and then pass on to my children. I had the desire for my children to have a close personal relationship with their Creator and not the sort of "just go to church on Sunday" up-bringing that I experienced. Crucial to our relationship with God is having knowledge (John 17:3) and if we are really going to get to know him and be pleasing to him we need to look into his Word regularly. I also yearned for my children to feel the joy that comes with reading the "letter" that their Creator wrote to them, hoping they would listen and live a long time (Eph. 6:1-4).
Introducing the Bible to my children at an early age, we established the habit of Bible reading as a family. First thing each day we gather for our Bible time and over the years we have read both children's versions of the Bible and straight from the Bible itself. We use a modern translation as well as an Interlinear Bible.
"The field of the habits of the religious life should afford many valuable matters for reflection and teaching; as, for example, the habitual thought of God in a family; the habit of reverence in thought, attitude, act, and speech; the habit of prayer as regards time, place, manner, matter; the habit of praise and thanksgiving; the habits of attention and devotion during a service; aids to devout habits; the habit of devotional reading."
CM volume 3 page 144
In my experience, the most valuable part of raising a family of Bible readers is that we learn Bible principles, applying and connecting the accounts and counsel we study to our everyday lives. This habit over time builds up a firm foundation and leads to behavior that is governed by the principles rather than a long list of rules. What was learned as a young one can grow with them and inside them, affecting how they react as teens. They allow themselves to be molded by the words they trust and not by outside peer pressure or even adult pressure. They can stand up for their beliefs because those principles are solidly a part of who they are and what they stand for as a young Christian.
"You will cause me to know the path of life.
Rejoicing to satisfaction is with your face;
There is pleasantness at your right hand forever."
Psalms 16:11
Memorizing scripture is important and allows the holy spirit to recall verses to mind when needed but having the ideas and principles in their hearts is the tricky part. In our family, we don't just read scriptures. I have learned to ask them questions as a follow-up.
What do they think about a verse or account?
How does it apply to them?
What did they learn from reading the account?
And the biggest one of all....do they believe what they read?
Sometimes I assume my children get the point of a scripture but when asked a probing question, they crumble and waver. I look at it as just another opportunity to help them learn to rely on God's spirit and direction. We do some more research, perhaps looking up cross references, hopefully finding a way to reach the heart. It takes time and you really need to pray for guidance. My goal has always been to encourage my children to look to the Bible FIRST for advice and direction. Isn't that something we can all work on?
"When wisdom enters into your heart and knowledge itself becomes pleasant to your very soul, thinking ability itself will keep guard over you, discernment itself will safeguard you.." Prov. 2:10
Charlotte Mason gives us some good direction in using the Bible to train our child's thinking in Volume 3 of her series. Like all habits, they can be started at any time and it is never too late to establish this important habit of remembering the thoughts of God. You may be interested in reading about our progressive Bible study in this post: Knowledge that is Better Than Silver and Gold.
This post is part of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival scheduled for Tuesday, November 8, 2011.
Mr. A graduated last year but is still a big part of our day, especially our morning "circle" time where we discuss the day and have our family Bible reading. He likes being a part of our morning routine although I know at some point he will be too busy to join so I am savoring the time while I have it. In the meantime, he enjoys sneaking photos of me on my camera...found the above photo this week. After our family time, most mornings he is doing volunteer work and that is teaching him some valuable life lessons.
Mr. A has started riding his longboard to his afternoon job at a local tool shop....it is a big skateboard but better (he tells me). When the weather is nice, I drive him the few blocks to our walking trail (which really is a multi-purpose trail including bikes, skates, and horses too) and drop him off. The trail comes out about two blocks from his workplace so he walks that last bit. It cracks me up to see him with his backpack and helmet riding off to work.
He has several projects going in the shop and has started doing custom lathe work. He also has a partnership with a guy selling things at an auction...they purchase pallets of items from a company that deals in damaged goods (tools, hardware, toolboxes). They pull out anything they can fix or sell and then they take it to the auction house where it is sold and they receive a portion of the proceeds.
Much to my surprise, Mr. A is learning to play the drums. He has joined a local garage band and they get together every week to play music. Mr. A is very musical and plays the trumpet expertly but he has never picked up a drumstick before this in his life. He amazes me when I hear him play in his room downstairs on the drum set that his friend handed down to him. It is interesting to watch him self-teach this new instrument using YouTube and his own sense of rhythm.
He has found an instructor to finish his flight training. It took awhile to find a person whose personality fit my son's and he thought he could learn from so that is in the works now too. Oh yeah, he is planning on taking a couple of courses at the college next semester. He told me that the other day and I asked him how he was going to fit it in around all the rest of his life. He has that figured out already too. I am just sitting back and watching him be busier and happier than he ever has been before.
One last quick thing for my wrap-up post this week. This is another huge lesson from my experience with my boys. I should have figured this out by now but Mr. B reminded me this week of something important. He was working on a chapter test for his Auto Shop course. The lesson was on safety in the shop and the last essay question was about different automotive lifts. He wrote out a short rather over-simplified answer to "name the three types of lifts and how they work". I asked him to elaborate and he balked a little. I decided that if he could draw the lifts and name them that I would be okay with that. He promptly turned the paper over and drew the sketches above.Why do I always forget that these boys are visual/spatial learners? I homeschool. I can adapt the test to fit their strengths. There is a time and place for a written answer and there are times that another way of accessing mastery is totally appropriate.
Here ends another weekly wrap-up. Are the weeks going by fast for the rest of you? They seem to be speeding by for us this year. I guess that is a good thing.
The last sketch idea was to draw something you put into a stew. What a great group of sketches! It is so nice to see so much effort in your artwork and it looks like your families are having a good time sketching together...even moms are participating with more regularity and that makes me smile.
This week's assignment, due Monday, November 7, 2011: Sketch something you find at a bike shop.
All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, November 7, 2011 and I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.
I am now a contributing writer on AboutOne.com. My first piece is "Tips For Frugal Family Travel". I invite you to pop over and take a look at that post and everything else as well. It is full of great tips for moms on all topics.
As homeschoolers, we don't often label our children gifted or advanced but strive to meet them where they are academically. This means a little extra attention to finding great resources that allow for thinking and learning that are on a level with our child's ability and interests. Whether we like it or not, children will let us know when things do not fit right, especially when it comes to academics. With my four children, I learned that each child learns in their own way and each one has special needs.
