The future
Time was shared today between academics and the beach. The temperature was so cold to me, but the kids still insisted on wearing their swimsuits. I am using our spring break time to teach in between other activities. With recent schedule changes such as traveling to Hawaii and prepping for Excelsior, I don’t need to take off several days from school. I guess my kids are used to my ways since they don’t complain too much.
My husband and I have been giving some serious thought lately on how we want the next several years to look for our kids and for us. We’ve talked about buying property for retirement to moving to another country to renting a Winnebago and touring the US. Our children are at prime ages to expose them to a wide range of experiences. Lots of unknowns for us right now, and we don’t presently have a clear direction on how to best proceed. Sometimes I really dislike the unknowns.
The Tortoise and the Hare
Excelsior, the Classical/Charlotte-Mason cooperative we are a member of, attended a play of Aesop’s Fables performed at the local community college. The kids really enjoyed watching the performers, one of which was the talented daughter of a homeschooling girlfriend. The rest of our day was spent enjoying some holiday munchies and rotating classes of science, music history, and language arts. My oldest son delivered his oral presentation of Thomas Edison to his peers. I had one of those surreal moments as I watched him speak thinking how he’s growing up so fast. It’s those moments that encourage you to continue with this homeschooling business.
Encouraging reading while on vacation
We have enjoyed our trip over the holidays being with friends and family, and I’ve enjoyed the break from teaching our daily academics. However, most homeschoolers know that you don’t really ever stop teaching, and if you’re good, you’ll try to use any life experience as a teaching tool. Maybe that experience will trigger an interest in something that they would have never known otherwise. My kids have done and seen several new things this week while being with family. I don’t know if the experiences fostered a new course of learning for them. Sometimes it’s just beneficial to have fun as a kid and enjoy your loved ones. That being said, now that the cousins have gone back home, I’ve encouraged my crew to get back into reading. The older boys were up at midnight enjoying a good book. Tomorrow, they will be writing several thank-you notes as well as working on some school projects before we return home. My oldest is presenting on Thomas Edison next week so there is much to learn and do before then. I just found a free book to download on Edison-love to save on books! Well, it’s 1a.m. as usual. I’ll be up for a while reading a bit on Edison myself. I try to learn with my children as they are learning new things.
History in the making
I took some of the kids with me today to vote. They were very excited and helped me push the buttons for the various candidates. My daughter didn’t understand why Romney and President Obama weren’t there to greet us. We watched the news tonight as we observed history unfolding. Some people shown on tv were celebrating Obama’s victory while others were sobbing that he was re-elected. So, we did this in the midst of academics and outside activities. My second son gave a speech on pond animals in our home, and we discussed the various aspects of what an effective public speaker looks and sounds like. Boy, do you ever have to be an eloquent speaker to be in public office these days. I’m so tired (again)..
Grab your telescope
There was a beautiful moon seen tonight, so the kids and I had the telescope out trying to observe the surface. It was fun to watch them do so.
Anybody listen to Romney tonight? Watching the recording right now..
Ivy League Homeschooling 