Absorbing from one of the best
We took a field trip today to Thomas Edison’s museums in Menlo Park and West Orange. My oldest son is presenting an oral presentation on Edison next week, so I thought a visit to where he worked would be interesting. The kids did fairly well in paying attention to the park rangers although one ranger was so lengthy in her presentation that I had to excuse ourselves from her lecture. There’s only so much listening these youngsters can do before they break out into a full sprint down the halls of Edison’s chemistry lab. FYI-the park rangers don’t really like that.
Anyway, learning more on Edison’s accomplishments was fascinating. I smiled a bit to myself when I heard that his mother had taught him at home, and that he attributed much of his talents to her. Here’s hoping my homeschooled kids say something similar in the future-ha! I can only hope…
Inspiration from Thomas Edison
Tonight, after a long-winded day, I sat down with the kids to read a story on the life of Thomas Edison.
I found several of his quotes very interesting. Here are a few:
“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
“Restlessness and discontent are the necessities of progress.”
“Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.”
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
I especially love that last quote! Sometimes I ask myself why I’m spending the large amounts of time and energy that I do on this homeschooling stuff. I’m not sure I have a great answer for that one other than I just feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Maybe you could alter that answer a bit and say that it’s important not to have any regrets. Do I want to look back at these very important years with my children and wish I had given more effort or thought to the tasks at hand? I can even go bigger with that for my own goals in life. There are things I want to do for myself, professional goals and such, that I hope to accomplish one day-seasons, I tell myself, seasons. So, yes, I routinely feel discontent in what I’m doing, and I’m assuming that’s pushing me to try harder in whatever has my focus. Maybe that will pay off one day, but for now, sleep calls my name.
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.
Sandy’s aftermath
The hurricane brought roof and window leaks for us, but thankfully nothing worse than that. Lots of clean-up had to be done in the yard. We’ve been without power for a day now, and the rumor is we may be without power until November 5th! Took the kids walking through the neighborhood just to get some fresh air and exercise. The kids were excited at first, but the excitement is beginning to wear off.
In the midst of the disruption my oldest son is completing his standardized test that we have to mail back in very soon. Otherwise, I have to pay more money, so I’m pushing to get this done even with the chaotic environment.
Whew, it just doesn’t stop!
Ivy League Homeschooling 