In our house we take a pretty relaxed approach to schooling. Not quite strict unschooling, but much closer to that than to “school at home”. However, it has always been my plan that we would gradually ramp up to a more formalized approach as the kids got older so that they would be sure to cover math through calculus, world and American history, learn a … Continue reading Speaking of preparing for a new school year
We have a mean flu bug working its way through the house. It hit my 6 year old pretty hard today. He’s been running a fever and this afternoon, he fell asleep for a couple of hours on the couch. When he woke up, his temperature was about 102. I asked him how he felt. He looked up at me with his flushed face and … Continue reading Mind over body
Over at the new blog “Robin’s Blue Skies”, there is a wonderful post about how kids learn in the real world vs. workbook learning. I know people who are “school at home types” and I know that some of them think the idea of not having the kids sit down to do their school work for several hours every day seems crazy. However, if my … Continue reading What if they learn without doing the worksheets?
Here’s a nice little article about a homeschool prom held outside Chicago. I loved this: “I don’t know how these people learned this,” the Elmhurst teen said, motioning toward a huddle of other students bouncing to the beats of a Ciara CD. Freshman Michael Naskrent, a home-schooler whose dervish-like twirls set his loosened necktie flapping, later whispered his secret to looking so good his first … Continue reading Homeschool Prom
began our day by throwing a major fit because I gave her a cup of milk rather than juice. Silly me. A few minutes later, she climbed into my lap with her blankie and spent 5 minutes cuddling and sweetly cooing at me before toddling off to wreck havoc throughout the house. Life with a young toddler! 🙂 Continue reading My beautiful, darling, sweet daughter . . .
The other day, I realized that I had a problem with my 6 year old’s math. You see, a year ago, when I ordered a pre-algebra workbook for his brother, he asked for his own workbook. So I got him the first Miquon Math book on the recommendation of a reasonably like minded friend. Collin loves his math workbook because he can flip through and … Continue reading My 6 year old’s math problem
Earlier this evening I had a very interesting conversation with my 10 year old son in which I was forced to flesh out and defend my ideas regarding the television as an educational tool. I thought I would share what I came up with here. First of all, my 10 year old son LOVES television and always has – it’s one of the things he … Continue reading TV and learning
Just last week at the YMCA, I watched my 14 month old daughter wander away from me to greet people walking into the building (and maybe figure out an escape route) and I joked with my friends, “It’s so sad how kids never learn to become independent unless you put them in daycare.” I, of course was being completely sarcastic. Unfortunately, there seem to be … Continue reading Raising independent kids
I’m sure everyone and their brother will have something to say about this Washington Post column today entitled “What’s Happening to Boys”, but I’ll go ahead and add my $.02 anyway. Boys aren’t doing well in our society today. 90% of Ritalin prescriptions are given to boys, they are more likely to drop out of school, be suspended or expelled, commit suicide, less likely to … Continue reading What’s happening to boys?
A few days ago I wrote about re-thinking our assumptions regarding young adults living with mom and dad. Today I came across a column Miss Manners wrote about the attitudes of parents and children facing a return home upon completing college. Her take is that the assumption that as our kids grow, they will come to have disdain for us is damaging to the parent … Continue reading Miss Manners’ take on "boomerang kids"
The Upside Down World 