We've Reached the End...

The end of Downton Abbey, that is. Yes, at long last, we are watching the final episode. We're actually about two-thirds of the way through, trying to savor the final moments. I will say, we have really enjoyed this series, and the kids picked up a lot about history—from world events, to fashion, cars, living styles, manners, and much, much more—fairly effortlessly. 

***SPOILER ALERT***
I am little disappointed that the last season seems somewhat hurried. We got to know Matthew, and watch his relationship with Mary slowly develop. But the relationship with Henry... well, it doesn't exist one moment, and the next, she is full of adoration for her new husband. And the other plot lines are moving in a similar, fast-paced manner. But I still love the show!
***SPOILER OVER***

Anyhow, now we have to move on, find something new (while waiting for The Gilded Age). Shows up for consideration are Mercy Street, War and Peace, Doctor Thorne, or ??? The problem is finding shows that are as visually and historically rich as Downton, without excessive sexual scenes. We're not uncomfortable with some nudity here or there, or suggestions of sexual stuff, but I'm not ready for them to watch anything like Rome, or The Tudors, you know? Maybe we'll watch Manor House! It might be interesting for the kids to see how modern people attempt to adapt to an Edwardian lifestyle. And then there are shows like Bleak House....

In the meantime, we're off to the park today to hang out with friends (if the rain stays away). And M's birthday is Monday, so we are gearing up for that! Have a great weekend!

Unconcerned...

I use to worry about gaps in my children's educations, as if they were somehow in danger of falling into the abyss if they weren't exposed to everything; as if they were dependent on a vast knowledge of every historical event, every scientific principle; as if without a certain kind of education, they would be in danger of losing their grip on the world.

image courtesy of sellinginteriordesign.com

Certainly I read comforting articles like this one, and this one. But still I worried. Was I failing the children because I didn't make them memorize the kings and queens of England? Or the weight of each element?

My worry has definitely faded over the years as I have watched my children become capable of finding needed information themselves, of supporting their own interests. For example, The Girl loves animals. She searched out David Attenborough documentaries, found books at the library, delved into all of it and taught herself more about mammals, dinosaurs, and sea creatures, by the age of 13, than even I know at the advanced age of 43. The Boy knows cars from a distance—old and new—just from their silhouette. As for history and science, we have watched documentaries, read books, talked through the scientific method. We've studied art casually hung on the door of the fridge, listened to music that spans centuries, and enjoyed many period films.

I've seen over the years that if you teach a child to read [and do math] and you model for them how to find information, they become capable of doing just that, finding the information they need.

As for knowing every detail, I can honestly say that never in my life, since childhood, has anyone quizzed me about which president served when, or the order of the the periodic table of elements. To function, as a teacher at the college level mind you, I don't need to know who Marie Antoinette's sisters and brothers were, or in what year a specific battle took place.

I do think children, and adults, should be aware of the general flow of history and the basic tenets of science. They should have a basic familiarity with names, countries, events, and such. They should know who Napoleon was, or Hitler, and why we celebrate every July 4th. They should know where major countries are, how weather and seasons work, the basics of physics, and how plants grow. 

There are so many things overlooked when we focus on strictly an academic approach. As well as being able to write a decent essay and understand geometric proofs, they should be able to balance a checkbook, change a tire, cook a meal, sew on a button, do their own laundry. They should be able to follow their interests, and above all, learn how to find information. I'm not advocating a hands-off approach with learning, rather that perhaps priorities need to be reviewed and shifted on an occasional basis.

If my children graduate able to communicate easily both verbally and in writing, able to understand higher math (at least to a certain point, that being whatever level it is they need), can generally take care of themselves (life skills), and are able to search out the next pieces they need, I think I'll be comfortable. Learning doesn't stop when I stop explicitly teaching them. They will continue learning throughout their lifetimes, and surely that will allow them to fill in some "gaps". They'll leap, with my support and the support of others, across any abyss, or chasm.

image courtesy of apsalar.com

Remediation...

This is a somewhat difficult post for me to write. It is not easy to admit...well, not failure, but...maybe a lack of success. 

Ever the "Doubting Thomas"

My daughter is very smart. There's no doubting that. She knows so much more about animals than I could imagine knowing. She can figure out technology, apps, etc. She is creative, funny, and very passionate. She's also dyslexic, and has some processing issues.

But, when it comes to certain basics—namely math and, even more so, spelling—she lags behind where I'd like her to be. So I've come to the conclusion that eighth grade will be a Year of Remediation for her, before we reach high school.

I am trying to choose materials that I believe will work for her, and that will not make her feel "dumb" or "behind". Reading Horizons worked wonders for her reading skills. The fact that she's deep in the world of Harry Potter never fails to thrill me! She reads a lot of nonfiction too, hence much of the animal knowledge.

So what to do? What to choose? For spelling, I'm sticking with the approach that taught her to read... Orton-Gillingham. To make it simple for myself, I decided on All About Spelling, which is based on OT, and is a multisensory program (multisensory = good for my daughter).

As for math, I have a few options I am considering, with the current forerunner being AGS Basic Math Skills, which covers middle school math using 3rd-4th grade reading levels. While that is below her current reading level, I think it would make it all that much easier. I also like the layout, which is pretty uncluttered. If she didn't dislike it so much, I'd return to Saxon. Other options include CLE, or maybe Lial's Basic College Math, but would the last be overwhelming? I'm even considering Math-U-See, but really don't know that much about it yet (and there is the cost). I do think the hands-on nature of Math-U-See would work well for her though...

Anyhow, it is a journey we will undertake over the next year. Do I wish we had started sooner? Yes, but really, there is little to be gained from regret. Additionally, I think she is ready for this level of dedication at this time.

Sanctuary...

image courtesy of NWF

One of our summer goals is to be able to certify our yard (front and back) as a National Wildlife Habitat. We became inspired to do this when The Girl and I were walking around our neighborhood, and saw someone down the block with a small sign that designated them as such. So I've been doing research into this as a family project, and found that we need the following elements in order to obtain certification:

• Food (at least three sources, can include feeders, plants, etc.)
• Water (bird baths, seasonal water sources, and so on all count)
• Cover (we could put in a roost, or grow some dense bushes... two sources needed)
• Places to raise young (2 sources again... we're thinking nesting boxes and host plants)
• Sustainable practices (2 practices... we already grow drought tolerant plants, and native ones)

This doesn't seem that it will be too difficult! I'm researching native/host plants, and then as a family we will choose some to install in our yard(s). One host plant I know I want would be Dutch Pipe, or pipevine, good for swallowtail butterflies...

In the meantime, I've been planting some flowers, many of which attract a variety of bees. I love getting my hands covered in dirt, whether through planting or weeding. As M works for a wholesale nursery, we get discards (plants that are beyond their prime for sales), and we get a 20% discount on wholesale prices for other plants! Yesterday, we planted marigolds and lobelia; in the recent past, we've added a number of foxgloves to the garden. Lilies from a friend that I transplanted in have bloomed too, so here are a few pictures from my garden to enjoy!

We also have hummingbirds zipping in and out all day, as well as finches, crows, a mockingbird that sings for us every morning, Towhees, a few Black Phoebes, the occasional Western Bluebird, swallows, and more. One crow has taken to snacking from our dog-food bowls, and often hangs out on our back patio's overhang! That reminds me... I think I'll hand The Girl this book to read over the summer!

We always grow some veggies (mostly tomatoes, peppers, and herbs), so this will be a nice change from that. We're learning about the micro-climates in our yard (influenced by trees and more), and hopefully, we'll learn to identify many of the species of bird and insect that we attract. We'll also be amending our terrible soil (very dense), removing some invasive plants (the bindweed battles continue!), trimming up trees a little, and more! A dear friend of mine has been working on similar gardening goals, and she serves as a font of inspiration.

I'm looking forward to our summer of gardening!

Monday Musings... Metamorphosis...

Susan Seddon Boulet, Dreamworlds, 1990

I think my approach to this blog is shifting. For years, I have put up planning posts, Wordless or Wordy Wednesday notes, Weekly Reports, and so on, and so forth... but it doesn't feel natural or necessary any more. Our approach to learning has shifted so much, and so many times, over the years, that I think it is time this blog shifts a little with it! We've tried classical schooling, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, unit studies, and more, and I like to think we have found our own little path through all of it.

I'll likely still share book lists, as I love compiling lists of books I hope to share with my children. I'll gladly post accomplishments and milestones, as well as challenges and struggles. But there might not be so much focus on what I'm planning in homeschooling, or what approach I might try, as all that has more or less slipped by the wayside.

Oh, we still do math. We still work on writing, spelling, grammar, and more. Just not in such a regimented way, or necessarily as separate from everything else. We also experience life together in so many ways that can't be quantified strictly as homeschooling. I know, I know... that sounds rather esoteric. But I just don't feel the need to separate things quite so much into categories of this is homeschooling, this is gardening, this is playing a board game for fun.

So how about I just post about life?

Here's what we're up to, just living...

With weather in the 80s, it is no wonder my thoughts keep drifting to summer! This picture, though older now, is to me the epitome of summer satisfaction with my children...

Weren't they cute?

Now they're all tall, and older, and all that, though they still love watermelon!

I finish with my secretarial position in a mere three weeks, and while I'll be working at the junior college this summer (starting the week before I finish secretarial work), it will be a lighter schedule, since much of it, at least half, is done from home—the grading, the email consultations/advice, etc. So I've been thinking of fun things to do with the leisure time...

Work on transforming our yard into a certified wildlife habitat

Go to one of my soon-to-be-former coworker's house to swim

Head out to the river for swimming, and the beach for bodyboarding

Take a picnic to Golden Gate Park, where we can visit numerous attractions, such as the Botanical Garden, the Garden of Shakespeare's Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, the Carousel, and of course, the California Academy of Sciences (a day's worth of activities on its own), and the DeYoung Museum, another day's worth on its own.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, and visit Fort Point

Go to the zoo (we have two in the Bay Area to choose from!)

Read aloud to the kids... a lot

Play around with The Private Eye 

The Girl will keep playing on Prodigy all summer, and The Boy will be working on math a couple of times a week (still TabletClass)

Spend some time on my own in the hammock M put up in the backyard, reading, daydreaming...

The Girl spends too much time playing with her Kindle, so it will be nice when I am around more and can get her doing other things

The Boy has visited a couple of car shows lately, and is working on compiling videos for his YouTube channel. While I love that he enjoys filming/editing, he's spent a lot of time on the computer lately, and I'd like to curtail that a bit

The house is a mess, as always. When both parents work full time plus, and kids are home all day, that seems to happen. I really want to get a better system in place before fall!

Keep working out. I use our Bowflex and treadmill pretty regularly, as does The Boy, and we plan to keep that up

The Girl might try volleyball this summer, in addition to roller derby

We have a follow-up with the podiatry specialist scheduled June 13th for The Boy, as he is still having ankle pain

Compiling a 2016-2017 List of Books...

Some read-aloud ideas for summer and beyond!

Fiction (Literature)

Our focus for the year is stories referenced in the TV series Once Upon a Time, plus a few other books just because
Journey to the Center of the Earth (currently reading this!)

Around the World in 80 Days

The Twenty-One Balloons 

The Phantom Tollbooth (we quite possibly may listen to this excellent audiobook version in the car again)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Through the Looking Glass
Grimm's Fairy Tales (selected stories)
The Red Fairy Book & The Blue Fairy book (selected stories)

The Odyssey
Pinocchio
Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales (selected stories)
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights (selected stories)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Peter Pan
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Through the Looking Glass
The Lady of Shallot 
The Story of Mulan 
Beowulf: A New Telling
King Arthur & His Knights of the Round Table  
Rip Van Winkle

And for audiobooks, we're looking at:
 The Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings books one, two, and three
[I think I would enjoy listening to these as much as the kids would!]

Geographical books
One of the options for high school social studies in California is a year of world geography/cultures. So I'm looking at vintage books (listed first), and the more modern ones... Maybe we'll mix and match!
The Royal Road to Romance
The Glorious Adventure
The Flying Carpet
Seven League Boots

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe 
Notes from a Small Island 
A Walk in the Woods
In A Sunburned Country

I'll post more later, as I still have nature and science to cover!