Exploring has taken us into new territory.

My two oldest children started public school this week. 

While we get things in order; financial things, moving things, emotional things, mental health things, stressful things. I was finding too much going on and that I was easily overwhelmed and dysfunctional when it came to school. Unmotivated to motivate. I need a "pick up the pieces" break. Mike and I are at peace with our decision to enroll the boys in the local community learning facility... They are blessed to be in the same class and have a really nice teacher-this based on two days observation... but I am trusting my gut instincts, which is what it's all about.

As my friend Audrey said, "It's for the greater good." 

As my sister-in-law, Cindy says  "Even if it is a bad experience (public school) it will be a good experience." 

We learn where ever we are, after all. We will not stop learning from home during this deviance from our ideal world, into the "real" world, as some may have it. 

twinkle twinkle little star

This is our stepping off spot to our year of Local Canadian History. If you have any resource suggestions to send our way throughout the year we will greatly appreciate your input. I am excited to explore Canada's First People with the boys.
(edited to add: I realize that the Black Lodge Singers are american, but the Pow Wow is very much a "local" tradition)

money money money

Show me the money.
Reading, games, playing store, household management, coin rubbing, shopping, sorting, sums, fractions...

You can't buy a dinosaur with a dime. A book by Harriet Ziefert, was our jumping off point. It is about a boy saving his allowance (he gets .75 in 5 dimes and 5 nickels) to buy something at the store. 

It is problem solving, skip counting, practical everyday math. 

The book has additional suggestions for activities and conversation around money issues. 

Because the book deals with quarters, dimes and nickels: I made a chart with three sections, randomly grabbed up coins to count and chart.

I found the above clip art by googling "clip art canadian coin money" and used them to make up a few games, similar to bingo, simple dice/path games, matching and money worksheets. We pulled out the hundred chart and counted out how many of each type of coin made a dollar, 100 cents.

We set up a store. Using strips of paper (that I wrote amounts on) to draw from for prices. I gave each of the boys three dollars in quarters, dimes and nickels to spend. When they picked their purchase they drew a price and counted out the amount from their money.

The theme grew throughout the day and I stepped back and let them play money for most of the day. Self initiated activities included designing their own paper money, more dramatic play with bank robbing and policing at the store, baking cookies to sell in the store, discussions about allowance (we don't do it yet) and what chores are worth, our defined difference between helping your family as a responsibility (not paid) and doing things extra... above and beyond to save for desired items.

salty dog (unrelated)

A first for both of them. We filled up the wading pool this week. 

It was the source of much laughter, much fighting, much experimentation, much daring and mom-defying feats... and the avenue for Lenny's first bath... at least it started out as her first bath... we moved into the tub in the house with a sudsy dog that we could not keep in the pool. She much preferred the warm bath water indoors.

Today Jack baked his first soft pretzels (on the hottest day of the year-lucky Mike came to install the window AC unit at lunch)

They were more fun to make than to eat, we may have to tweak the recipe a little next time or try a different one, any suggestions?

The boiling (in baking soda and water) step was the most interesting, they puffed up larger than we expected.

more than a pinch of salt...

I thought they were okay, but the boys didn't care for them. They all tried them though, that is all we can ask right? Jack was warned to just sprinkle a wee bit of salt on them and in the end he figured they would be better with sugar and cinnamon. (they were REALLY salty)

Still a successful kitchen day.

food fun day.

Began with froot loops.

Froot loops are great for math concepts: charts, estimating, sorting, counting, skip counting and there are pattern cards to download here.
There are also a few games on the froot loop website.



continued with a weird lunch (idea found here)


This actually went over very well, I am sure it will make a regular rotation in our menu plans. Ephraim and Jack participated fully in the preparation as a surprise for Sol (our chef) who was in the shower at the time of lunch prep.

The Chef was most impressed. (his love language seems to be strange and wonderful food.) After three helpings, he raved and raved and spouted love all afternoon.

We agreed that they reminded us of something...

We spent a good deal of time exploring ocean creatures, giant squid, octopus, sea anemones, jelly fish... they all had a very close resemblance to our lunch.

We made a book of sorts about these gangly ocean creatures. Using some of these ideas and resources. 

and some crafty-pus came to play too... for which the froot loops made a reappearance.

warm... sun...

It has been decided that God is having backwards day in Heaven today. The kids prayed for a warm and sunny day for our co-op windup picnic in the park and we got postponed due to rain.

Sol suggested God speaks sign language, as we have been learning some basic signs with BABY.
So we are sending up some ASL messages to Yahweh...sun and warm

To curb our disappointment with missing our picnic in the park, we set to work making a park picnic setting here in our living room... complete with bugs. There was some discussion as to which bugs would be "invited"
In the end, these guys were employed to stand guard against any "uninvited guests"


We also did some paper weaving for a traditional red and white picnic blanket...


Daddy even came home for lunch, what a Special Picnic Day!

We have weeds.

I have always been a reluctant weed killer. I have the yard that the neighbours despise and say bad things about behind my back... or to me directly.

The thing is, I love the variety that a yard like mine gives, you can lie down in the grass and see bugs, clover, several kinds of grass and flowers, It is a wild urban jungle. 

Today we did a little experiment with our weeds. Inspired by Solomon, we made "paint" with our dandelion heads. 

Then we added some frozen raspberries from last year.

welcome to our home education blog.

We, as a family, are continuing to define what home-school looks like in our home. Now in the 4th season of our journey, I see more changes on the horizon. 

We began the adventure with a conscious effort to find community in like-minded families. I attended a monthly support group called SKIP (starting kindergarden in partnership) It was a group that paired "seasoned" homeschool moms with just starting out, thinking about it, moms. I gleaned much from those meetings and discovered that each household had it's own way of doing things and they all went through a journey of discovery and change, finding what worked best for them, their children and individual lifestyle choices. Meaning there was no RIGHT way to do school from home.

We joined a swim and gym group and developed relationships there that led to science clubs, planned field trips and twice a month co-op learning opportunities. While at the Y, mom's shared ideas, book suggestions, recipes, frustrations, encouragement, adult conversation... 

In addition to physical relationships, I have explored so many websites, blogs and books that offer curriculum, philosophies and advice covering the many facets of whole education for children. Gleaning ideas that resonate in my heart for my family. Adapting many different styles and curriculum to suit our natural cycles and interests, and switching midstream when thing cease to work or don't hold our attention. Some of that has made me confused and discouraged, feeling inadequate to complete a plan. Other times I have been able to step back from a failed idea and see that my expectations may have been too lofty or out of context for the age of my learners. Or that I am pushing my own agenda or a perceived agenda from others because of a need to prove what we are doing to the outside general public. Or that this just doesn't work for us and that's OKAY.

The key, I think, is to believe in what we are doing, to re-define it continuously for ourselves, being open to the evolution of learning. To always explore. 

This blog is about that exploration. 

-My own rants about the joys and hardships of constant companionship with the boys. 

-The ideas that I am reading about. Book reviews or suggested reading, as well as links to blogs that inspire me.

-The challenges I come across that change how I view the "truths" I take for granted. 

-The learning opportunities that get me jazzed, and re-enforce "this is why we do it".

-The inspiring people all around me.

-The dry spells and the harvest that define us as "School, if you want to call it that."

-A journal of how we do it now and how we will do it later, maybe you will find something that will work for you here, or maybe you will disagree with our process... 

In any case this is how we do it. Where ever we are.