Voting JJ

Learning the history of voting rights of African Americans with Jack and Jill was a great opportunity to learn about a sensitive topic in a "safe" place.  With the elections looming, it was a great time to introduce the concepts of voting registration, identification requirements, voting rights and rules, the history of how we arrived at our current situation, what needs to be done next....and get to 'practice' on REAL voting machines.  Great afternoon of learning.  

2014 School Photos

8th grade

1st Grade

3rd Grade

Music Theory Exam

6+ weeks of music theory study; multiple practice exams; extra lessons (cumulative time per week with piano teacher exceeds 3.5 hours for over a month) all in preparation for this SEVEN exam today.

Update 12/2014:  Results = >90% winning a Bronze Medal.  Way to go Haley!!
Up next - Theory test level 8 in February; World of Music exam also in February.

Happy Halloween

Trick or treating.  Fire-truck with candy and glow sticks for safety.  Candy and running wild at night in costume!!

Character and dance

Haley attends her first "party/dance" with peers.

Storybook character day:  Doc McStuffins and "Sled Wolf." 

Another afternoon at the park

Mid-day between choir and going home to do algebra, there's time for a park break in the beautiful sunshine on a wonderful afternoon.  

Free online learning

Resource link:
http://themindunleashed.org/2014/07/12-dozen-places-educate-online-free.html

Ian and his instruments

Ian has his first bass lesson.  He's having a GREAT time - very engaging and enthusiatic.  Actually, he's WAY more enthusiastic about bass than guitar, and his joy seems to be match only by swimming.

Taiwanese Mental Math ends

2 semesters of Taiwanese Mental Math ends for Ian this month.  He is VERY comfortable with addition/subtraction, and multiplication is almost there.  Now, time to change focus to more "pre-algebra" with division, fractions, etc.

He performed very well, but is happy to be done.

Happy Birthday Ian

Go karting with Jack and Jill

Great Wolf Lodge

Hana spends the night (her first slumber party) with friends from Jack and Jill at Great Wolf Lodge; Howl-o-ween celebration.

Hana and Mommy Girls Day Out

POV of adult homeschooler

I LOVE this nice description of the homeschooling experience!!

"I was never allowed to stop learning. How cruel is that? I was never allowed to shut the book, drop the pencil, pack it up and go home because I’d served my time for the day...."

"One of the very worst things about “home schooling” was the socialization.  Surprisingly enough. Most people assume because “home schoolers” school at home there isn’t any opportunity to interact with other people. I wish that were true.

You see, I’m an introvert. I HATE talking to new people, I HATE HATE HATE speaking in front of  a crowd.  I loath the thought of small talk. But when you homeschool you have to interact with everybody, your family, the other families in your co-op, the people at soccer practice, your voice teacher, your piano teacher, the people at the gym and Wal-Mart; you are almost always surrounded by people of varying ages and ethnicities.

My Mom was a special kind of cruel, you see, she MADE me take public speaking,knowing I hated it! She signed me up for speech classes and public speaking competitions. Do you know what that did to me as an adult? It removed every excuse my introverted-self had for shying away from leadership responsibilities in business, in charity work, even in sports. Now when the need arises for a speaker, for a leader, my training, my conditioning kicks in and because I’m able, it’s expected that I contribute.

Homeschooling forced me to become a well rounded and thoughtful adult. It stole from me the typical teen experiences. I was never bullied, which from what I’ve gathered is a character building experience. I never had the opportunity to spend hours (weeks, months, years) crushing on a guy I’d never really end up with. I never had the chance to get caught up in high school drama or participate in trivial gossip like a normal girl...."

"I have no idea how I survived the mental trauma of being raised by two people who honestly thought it best for me to pursue a few deep relationships versus having a ton of friends. Like, totally not cool. "

"...We were forced to help with family business." 

SOURCE:

http://teachinggoodthings.com/blog/from-a-homeschool-victim-who-obviously-survived/

choir

Decided to put the kids in choir.  Haley has been BEGGING to sing, and Ian...

....needs to get up and do something new.  :)

Tonight is a culmination of hours of hard work!!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG0j-58TiVk

Playing in the park

Afternoon at the park, beautiful autumn weather.  

Orchestral performance

Ian does Upright Bass

After a few tries Ian has found an instrument that he's interested in pursuing further:  The Upright Double Bass.  Classical, jazzy, strong, and unpopular.

There was piano - which he took for a summer during Summer Curriculum, and hated it.
Then there was violin - which he was okay with, but couldn't get excited about.  Also, the violin is a very popular instrument, and Ian is not one to be drawn to "what's popular."  Also, there's a lot to the violin.  It's complicated, and...difficult.  He wasn't interested in making that little squeaky instrument sound musical.

There is the guitar, which he likes, but it's not "classical" and is a more "for fun" instrument.  And now that he's getting a bit better (after 7 months, or so) he's finally picking it up in his "free time" and wants to keep it in his room (only his most valuable items live in his room).

We considered introducing a horn (trumpet, maybe) but, despite external appearances, horns are difficult to play.

Don't misunderstand, he's not looking for "easy."  Just..."uncomplicated."  Guitar is uncomplicated.  Even, to a certain degree, the piano is uncomplicated.  You just press a key.  Sure, there are LOTS of keys, and your fingers have to be coordinated, but its not really technically complicated to *produce a decent sound.*

So we went through the list of options.  Has to be something for which there is a local instructor.  We considered harmonica (which he was excited about), but there are no teachers (and no real future with it).  We considered the cello, but after investigating the upright base, we learned that the strings align with the guitar - making the transition for HIM much easier.  Naturally (with the bass guitar being very popular) the upright bass and guitar "go together."  AND he's a "big guy" with a low voice and is quintessentially a young man.  He's classical.  He's jazzy.  He's unpopular.  He is a bassist.

Projects and notes

Hana made some pretty awesome projects at school.  Wind-mill, and Jamestown.  

Ian gets recognition for being a class leader. 

orchestra practice

As a harpist there is no "sneaking in late" for rehearsal.  So Haley is typically the first to arrive.  Mommy sits proudly in the 2nd row using "sign language" to help motivate and direct the daughter through-out the practice.  The harpist is typically ignored, so Mommy is there to offer direction....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGpB2JEOK8A

College fair, college considerations

One of the perks of being in the company of great and talented people is, the assumption is made that YOU, too, are great and talented.  The universities present at the college fair at the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra were excited to share with Haley the opportunity to join their music program.  As a 12 year old, harpist, on the orchestra, they see a bright future for her at their respective institutions!!

Very soon, we begin our 'college prep' program for Haley.  Working on the details of that as we speak....

Junior Cotillion

Haley is participating in the National League of Jr. Cotillion program and is actually finding it very useful.  She spends lots of time eating out, and at social functions.  This course is designed to help her learn and practice refined social etiquette.  There are dinners and grand-balls...

...and in the future, should we decide to continue the program, she will be a very fine debutante.

Back on the wagon

Recovery.

We had a parent-teacher meeting with Ian's teacher yesterday and she *raved* about him, his leadership, and his math skills.  His Mental Math teacher said he's the best in the class.  If there was any skepicism about Mental Math before, its has all completely dissolved.  Ian is doing wonderfully, and his confidence in math is noticable.

His teacher suggested a math curriculum change, from current Math Mammoth, to Christian Light.  I ordered those books today after spending yesterday "trying them out."  Ian liked that he could "test out" of some of the chapters...and that motivated him to listen to the lesson in the hope that he'll acquire enough information to not have to sit and do the written work-sheets.  (Whatever works, right?)

Haley's History Books arrived.  We have not had the time to implement them with the Artemis Conference.  Interestingly, last week was so hectic, hubby and I focused on making the Artemis Conference successful (which it was) that we let Haley monitor herself.  The conference was a huge imposition on our regular schedule (Ian missed water polo and swim practice for 2 days; Haley missed fencing, and I had to reschedule harp twice; Haley missed debate club meeting;  Haley missed every percent problem on her math homework - once I got around to checking it; the piano teacher practically threw her books at her because she didn't know enough of the theory for the upcoming exam; and her harp teacher wasn't pleased with her progress....).  For education and enrichment for the children, its been a difficult disruption.  Haley DID totally rock her speech, however.  And that is an accomplishment to be proud of.

The clothes are just now getting washed.  Outfits and equipment for upcoming events were just ordered today (debate requires a business suite, but Haley is a size 000 with pantyhose.  Orchestra requires all black dress with long sleeves;  choir requires a long black skirt with the given polo;  cotillion requires "Sunday best" and then the Grand Ball (with daughter/Daddy dancing) which is black and white plus gloves, etc.  And then there's the "regular" 3 piano recitals/competitions this semester plus whatever is in-store for harp.  Next semester is more piano and for sure more harp).

The house was organized and cleaned just today (after having out-of-town guests with babies AND a conference)...and I am tired.  But I'm happy things are back to normal.

After 3 hours of algebra work re-do; 4 hours one day and 2 hours the next of piano and theory catch-up; make-up harp lessons and 3 hours of practice; choir practice make-up; 3 hours of debate research followed by 2+ hours meeting with her team-mate with fathers present getting everything together for her upcoming team policy debate tournament;  and guitar practice make-up...I think we're back on track!!  I am happy for the Artemis social and professional development opportunity (and the Jack and Jill leadership conference) but now with the upcoming holidays (and lots of performances and what-not) I would like to focus on our current full plate of stuff.

I have (unintentionally) put Latin, Spanish, and vocabulary on hold.  I have also decided (intentionally) to delay piano initiation for Hana (she's still too young, and the money plus the time it would take to work that in, is beyond what would reasonably "fit in" right now.  And, not knowing how to read, makes learning the music difficult, and there is really no rush...so we'll focus on supplementing Hana's curriculum with BrainQuest (she is finished with her work sooner, and loves worksheets, so, why not?).

Remind me and I'll post Haley's history curriculum, and Ian's new math switch-over info.

Day at the Firehouse with Jack and Jill

Kids talk to real firefighters about safety, 911, and get to see them all "dressed up" so they aren't afraid if they ever need to recognize them as the "good guy."  

Wash

Every parent knows that the laundry is a huge chore.  The sooner you teach them how to do their own, the "easier" things are for everyone.  The way I see it, if you can learn to operate the latest tablet, install and master the newest app, and beat the final dragon on the Wii...you can learn to use a washer and dryer.  

#GreatMen

New History

One of the positives about the hybrid school is actually a drawback in this instance:  too many cooperative 'projects' in history class!!

See, many homeschoolers enjoy "group projects" because it gives their child(ren) a chance to work with other students cooperatively.

However, this has two drawback for our family:

1.  Coordinating out-of-school "work time" is difficult with the busy schedules the kids enjoy.  So the projects are often rushed or incomplete.  The "lesson" is lost in the hustle and bustle.  And the "cooperative time" is time wasted because the kids don't actually learn anything but what their project covers, whereas...

If the kids just read on their own, with follow-up discussion (and when possible, take trips), more information can be entered into their brains in the same amount of time.

I guess, it primarily comes down to time, and how your student learns.  Haley likes to work on independent projects in the company of other people.  2.  Working WITH someone becomes a hurdle to overcome because middle school-aged girls are typically at their most vulnerable and tend to lash out.  Studies demonstrate that their confidence drops and their ability to engage in higher cognitive functioning is still immature.  This is a "set-up" for negative peer pressure derailing even the most competent students.

So we decided to have her do study hall instead of the classroom history.  We ordered the above (highly rated) books for her to read during the study hall time.  And we will discuss (and watch movies) along the way.  Of course she's starting a bit "behind" since we are already on school week 10.  The plan is to double up over breaks since the reading is "only 6th grade" level and the information is not complicated.


http://www.amazon.com/A-History-US-Ten-Volume-Set/dp/0195327268