Extra-Curricular
Activities
Homeschooling
isn’t always about being at home. Because we control our schedule, we can fit
in all kinds of field trips, classes, and play dates. We’re able to give the
kids quality family time, as well as eye-opening “real world” experiences and
time with their peers.
We’ve got
several activities planned for Isaac and Simon this fall, with the intention
of developing their natural gifts and interests, giving them time with adult
role models and instructors other than Mom, and providing an opportunity to get
to know some of their peers in the community.
Isaac is
taking junior karate lessons at the Round Kick Gym in Carroll on Thursday
evenings. He’s also participating in the Outdoor Adventures Club on Mondays
and the Carroll Champs 4H club. Starting in September, he’ll be part of a
First LEGO League team with other homeschoolers.
Simon is
taking art lessons on Tuesday evenings from Laura Comito at the Artworks Studio. I took lessons from Laura many years ago and still has fond memories
of putting construction paper in the blender and weaving yarn and sticks.
Did You Know?
We learned
some pretty cool stuff this week, which, in an ideal world, the kids would be
able to affirm by answering these questions correctly:
What are
the first 14 books of the Bible?
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles
What are the two rivers that supply the Fertile Crescent with
water?
Tigris
and Euphrates
What was the earliest form of writing called, and why was it
called that?
Cuneiform,
which means wedge-shaped, because the writing was done with a stylus on a clay
tablet, forming wedge-shaped marks in the clay
What We’re Learning
This week,
we learned what happened after the Flood – how the world changed and the
population grew, and how the earliest forms of writing developed. We reviewed
the story of the Tower of Babel, and we talked about how people dispersed from
Mesopotamia across the globe.
We also did some experiments with light, including cracking
Wint-O-Greens in the coat closet to see the sparks and hiding a penny under a
glass of water.
The boys practiced drawing ellipses for art
class, and Esme learned the letters “i” and “d.”
Spotlight:
Staying Organized
Keeping
everyone organized and on track during the school day can be a challenge - or,
it was a challenge, until we discovered Sue Patrick’s workbox system (http://www.workboxsystem.com/).
Sue Patrick
developed this system for use with her own kids, and it’s designed especially
for children with ADD, ADHD, Autism, and for large families. The goal of the
system is to gear children toward “independence and greater focus.”
Basically,
I stick each assignment in a clear plastic shoebox, then number them in the
order in which they are to be completed using Velcro numbers. Once someone
finishes an assignment, they stick the Velcro number on their clipboard (which
has Velcro spots for each number), so they can keep track of their progress
throughout the day.
We don’t
have a lot of work that’s completely independent, but the workbox system has
been very effective during our group time, and the kids love having a visual
representation of what they’ve accomplished and what they have left to do.
I also fill
out a personalized agenda for each child for each day, which they haven’t been
paying much attention to. It’s great for me, though, and a good way of
recording our progress for posterity.
Where is the “classroom”?
Last year,
our classroom was almost exclusively downstairs. That’s still our headquarters,
but we usually move upstairs mid-morning, because the change of scenery helps
the kids re-focus, and it’s nice to be up in the sunlight. We do our Bible
study together in a circle, using some comfy chairs and a loveseat downstairs,
then we work for a while at the dining room table. In the afternoon, we usually
do our read-alouds and independent reading in the living room so we can spread
out and lounge.
