- Frum homeschooling conference is in Baltimore this Sunday. I can't wait to meet others in the same boat and see how they swim. I am looking forward to getting some tips and ideas. I am also looking forward to the drive and (hopefully) to the arrival of a car fridge to make that drive more pleasant. Oh, and to a couple hours to kill in Washington on Friday. Which Smithsonian institution should we visit?
- We are organizing sun room as official homeschooling space. I made a shelf for the boys with all their books and notebooks. Each boy gets a half. Next step: a cubby-like area for pencils, glue, erasers and for ongoing projects. Finally, I will be moving in all art supplies in hope of corralling them into one area instead of three.
- We are getting a drum set for 8 yo. He had very good practice today and has been consistently practicing, so time has come for a junior drum set.
- 6 yo locked me and all three kids in the utility room this morning. At least my husband was around to hear our banging and to let us out. I am pretty sure the kid did it just to see what would happen if all of us are locked in that room. This takes me back to the time my 8 yo was 1 and locked a pregnant me in the basement. He was so little that he could not open the lock, so I was on one side of the door and he was on another. Luckily, I picked the lock with a screwdriver.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
something to look forward to
Very exciting:
Saturday, April 28, 2012
the perfect boy
The perfect boy would wake up on his own, put his pajamas in the laundry and quickly get dressed in matching outfit showing all that he's a perfect boy.
The real boys sometimes have to be awaken and sometimes wake up the entire house much too early. They lounge in their pajamas, and, when they finally take them off, the pjs end up anywhere but in the designated areas. They need to be repeatedly nudged to get dressed, and their attire screams: I picked it out myself!
The perfect boy would get his bowl, spoon and cup and sit down at the table to a quiet nutritious breakfast, low in sugar and high in protein, vitamins, fiber and all those other brain-boosting things.
The real boys take multiple trips to get their breakfast items. They make poor food choices. They spill. They take too much. They sit with their legs on the chairs. They talk and talk and talk. They forget to make brachot. They do not want to bentch.
The perfect boy would immediately get his siddur, enthusiastically open to Mode Ani and daven with such kavana that anyone could take his picture and post it as the davener of the day. He would want to daven more and more.
The real boys do not want to daven. They much rather read/play/do nothing. They cannot find siddurim. They have to be pushed and prodded and encouraged with davening treats. They do not want to add to their davening. Their photos would belong in gymnastics catalog or marching band. They will fight over being a chazzan and then try to daven less.
The perfect boy woud know where all the school supplies are and would dive straight into his lessons. He would finish then promptly and neatly. Of course, there would be no mistakes. He would eagerly takcle unfamiliar material.
The real boys cannot find their pencils. Once they find them, thei drop them, roll them, lose them. They do not want to do things that are hard. They need to be reminded again and again and again to stay on task. They make mistakes and get frustrated. They vent their anger. They do not do their best. Sometimes they do not do good enough either. Heck, sometimes they do not do at all.
The perfect boy would be unfailingly polite, even-toned and mild-mannered.
The real boys are too busy with themselves to notice that manners are required.
The perfect boy would never make a mess.
The real boys do not notice the mess they make.
The perfect boy would never disappoint.
The real boys are constantly told how they disappoint. They do not measure up. They are too loud, too rude, too inattentive, too impulsive, too lazy.
The perfect boy would never dig in a sand box--he would not want to get sand all over his clothes. The perfect boy would read only at designated times, lest his parents have some other activity planned. The perfect boy sounds boring.
And the perfect boy sounds too much like a girl.
I have real boys. Instead of trying to make them perfect, I am trying to keep it real.
The real boys sometimes have to be awaken and sometimes wake up the entire house much too early. They lounge in their pajamas, and, when they finally take them off, the pjs end up anywhere but in the designated areas. They need to be repeatedly nudged to get dressed, and their attire screams: I picked it out myself!
The perfect boy would get his bowl, spoon and cup and sit down at the table to a quiet nutritious breakfast, low in sugar and high in protein, vitamins, fiber and all those other brain-boosting things.
The real boys take multiple trips to get their breakfast items. They make poor food choices. They spill. They take too much. They sit with their legs on the chairs. They talk and talk and talk. They forget to make brachot. They do not want to bentch.
The perfect boy would immediately get his siddur, enthusiastically open to Mode Ani and daven with such kavana that anyone could take his picture and post it as the davener of the day. He would want to daven more and more.
The real boys do not want to daven. They much rather read/play/do nothing. They cannot find siddurim. They have to be pushed and prodded and encouraged with davening treats. They do not want to add to their davening. Their photos would belong in gymnastics catalog or marching band. They will fight over being a chazzan and then try to daven less.
The perfect boy woud know where all the school supplies are and would dive straight into his lessons. He would finish then promptly and neatly. Of course, there would be no mistakes. He would eagerly takcle unfamiliar material.
The real boys cannot find their pencils. Once they find them, thei drop them, roll them, lose them. They do not want to do things that are hard. They need to be reminded again and again and again to stay on task. They make mistakes and get frustrated. They vent their anger. They do not do their best. Sometimes they do not do good enough either. Heck, sometimes they do not do at all.
The perfect boy would be unfailingly polite, even-toned and mild-mannered.
The real boys are too busy with themselves to notice that manners are required.
The perfect boy would never make a mess.
The real boys do not notice the mess they make.
The perfect boy would never disappoint.
The real boys are constantly told how they disappoint. They do not measure up. They are too loud, too rude, too inattentive, too impulsive, too lazy.
The perfect boy would never dig in a sand box--he would not want to get sand all over his clothes. The perfect boy would read only at designated times, lest his parents have some other activity planned. The perfect boy sounds boring.
And the perfect boy sounds too much like a girl.
I have real boys. Instead of trying to make them perfect, I am trying to keep it real.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
overdoing it
I wish I could say today was better...I went to work out at 6 am. I came out exhausted instead of energized.
I packed up everything the night before, planning to go to coop classes and then to the zoo which is in the same park as coop. Everything except the ipod which I use for music during story time. The ipod was in the car, so I sent kids out in the morning to get it so I could update playlist. It took three kids 15 minutes and minute instructions to find it.
Then we got to the classes. I led the toddler class, while the boys did Destruction and Fun with Numbers. 8 yo came out of his class with a Shmusophone, which he proudly wore around his neck and extracted interesting sounds from. 6 yo came with number kite which he took for a flight outside.I spent the next class time cutting out bunny ears for next week's story time. Then the boys made sugar cube pyramids held together with frosting. They were convinced that it is not kosher, but I checked with the teacher and reassured them that they can eat it.
Then we went to the zoo and lunched there. I told boys the could have five sugar cubes off their pyramids. I printed out a page asking each one to find five kosher and not kosher animals and to write them down. Then, at home, we were supposed to look up their names in Hebrew. We started with pandas which were awake and sprawled on their backs, eating bamboo. I told boys to try to sit/lay in that position and eat.
Next was tigers/carnivores. 6yo got his head inside a giant skull. Then we walked to Komodo dragon, and 6 yo wrote it as his non kosher animal. He camped out next to the sign and copied it. We spent a while in the reptile house, and boys found lots of non kosher things there.
Then they complained that there are no kosher animals in the zoo till 6 yo remembered the giraffe. On the way we saw a duck, so that also made the kosher list. The giraffes were amazing, trying to eat leaves off the tall tree with their long purple tongues. That's where 8 yo's list got blown out of his hands and into giraffe's enclosure. He got very upset and I was hoping he would come up with some kind of solution.
Parakeet house was next. I was tired and thought that my whole idea of a list was a bad one. The boys, meanwhile, found some sticks with a few grains still stuck to them and tried getting parakeets to come and sit. There is a lot of patience required in waiting out a parakeet. I did not have it then, but boys persisted in holding their sticks and luring the birds.
Next, I walked the boys to the farm and the remembered that sheep and goats are kosher. 6 yo checked out the hooves and they both brushed them. 2 yo was very tired by this point. She is also afraid of goats, but this time, she asked to go in.
For the final activity, we did a train ride and a carousel ( our zoo has passport program where if you come very month for 6 months, you get the rest of year carousel and train for free).By the time we got home, 2 yo was fast asleep, 6 yo was complaining about the song in the car and I was done. I asked the boys to help me bring in all the objects from the car. That's when 8 yo kicked a 6 yo and marched everyone home and declared pajama time. By the lack of complaints, I know it was a wise choice.
For dinner, we were supposed to have fish and chips. I told boys that if they peel the potatoes, I will fry them, otherwise, it will be something else. 6 yo started on peeling and promptly peeled his finger. 8 yo took over, but got distracted in the middle by a bug in the sun room. I figured that if he does not come back, the potatoes are just not happening. He returned after 10 minutes and finished those potatoes.
Right after dinner, I collapsed onto the couch.
Each part of the day was fine, but altogether, it was too much.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
April 24th
It's been a hectic couple of days here. Strawberry picking on Sunday, full day of schoolwork on Monday, followed by gymnastics followed by pizza, library today... I like my days full, but I am wondering whether they are overflowing.
Before Shabbos I did not get around to mopping the kitchen. It would not have been a big deal except that's the only day I mop the kitchen. But then I did not get to mopping it on Saturday night or on Sunday. On Monday morning, 2 yo spilled a full cup of milk. By lunchtime, 6 yo spilled his smoothie, so I was cornered in: after lunch I kicked the kids out of the kitchen and mopped. I also discovered snot on the bathroom floor, so that got mopped, too. Right before bedtime today, 2 yo spilled kefir, which ricocheted halfway across the kitchen. As I was spot-cleaning, I saw a short summary of today's dinner on the floor: broccoli, lasagna, matzah crumbs from lunch...
I do not have cleaning help, but I am seriously considering getting someone. Maybe after our Israel trip ( my quip is that by NOT paying for cleaning we saved up enough for this trip).
Another homeschooler runs a blogs called sustainable jewish schooling. I know that what I am doing right now is unsustainable.
Before Shabbos I did not get around to mopping the kitchen. It would not have been a big deal except that's the only day I mop the kitchen. But then I did not get to mopping it on Saturday night or on Sunday. On Monday morning, 2 yo spilled a full cup of milk. By lunchtime, 6 yo spilled his smoothie, so I was cornered in: after lunch I kicked the kids out of the kitchen and mopped. I also discovered snot on the bathroom floor, so that got mopped, too. Right before bedtime today, 2 yo spilled kefir, which ricocheted halfway across the kitchen. As I was spot-cleaning, I saw a short summary of today's dinner on the floor: broccoli, lasagna, matzah crumbs from lunch...
I do not have cleaning help, but I am seriously considering getting someone. Maybe after our Israel trip ( my quip is that by NOT paying for cleaning we saved up enough for this trip).
Another homeschooler runs a blogs called sustainable jewish schooling. I know that what I am doing right now is unsustainable.
Friday, April 20, 2012
April 20th
Today was a bit of unschooling and a bit of schooling.
The day started with me finally giving out new allowance amounts. I give a quarter per every year of age, so both boys ended up with new amounts. This meant new maaser. 8 yo figured out his quickly, and then they worked together with base ten blocks to figure out what's one tenth of $1.50. They did figure it out.
Then 8 yo built a couch cushion house for his sister and used Snap Circuits to light it up. Then we went to the chiropractor, and when we got back, we went on a manic cleaning spree. The living room needed it, but mostly, I was annoyed that one component of Snap Circuits was missing and nobody seemed to know where it went.
We had a discussion about how proper definitions. 8 yo said that everything in the world is our slave since it does not charge us anything to be seen. I explained that we have to define what a slave is. Then we talked about how a car could be considered our slave.
Then we did parsha, the only formal school for today. I found a powerpoint on kosher and non-kosher animals, and we went over it slowly. It had pesukim, so I got both boys to read some of them. Then I told them to make a poster divided into kosher and not kosher animals. We have a box of old magazines, so they had plenty of material. All three of them sat down, cutting.
In the afternoon, I cooked and cleaned and told boys to do whatever they felt like. They roamed the backyard, made a tepee. They fought over holding and not holding poles together at just the right angle. Each one came to complain separately, but then they joined forces. 6 yo pulled out weaving loom and worked on a potholder. They used cardboard to make a house for a toy lizard. 2 yo got out stamps and did that; then she pulled out dinosaur stickers. Both boys sneaked around to read.
I was asked what's the most dangerous thing in the world. I said, stupidity. 8 yo piped in, radioactivity. I said that being smart around radioactive material will keep you safe. Then there was a discussion of noble gases and how they are full of electrons.
6 yo sang Maccabeats. 8 yo hummed "Give me Freedom, Give me Fire".
The boys watered the plants. 6 yo caught a ladybug and brought it in to show me on his finger. He and 2 yo wandered in the yard.
If I could only get them to clean up messes which their creativity produces, I would call our situation idyllic.
The day started with me finally giving out new allowance amounts. I give a quarter per every year of age, so both boys ended up with new amounts. This meant new maaser. 8 yo figured out his quickly, and then they worked together with base ten blocks to figure out what's one tenth of $1.50. They did figure it out.
Then 8 yo built a couch cushion house for his sister and used Snap Circuits to light it up. Then we went to the chiropractor, and when we got back, we went on a manic cleaning spree. The living room needed it, but mostly, I was annoyed that one component of Snap Circuits was missing and nobody seemed to know where it went.
We had a discussion about how proper definitions. 8 yo said that everything in the world is our slave since it does not charge us anything to be seen. I explained that we have to define what a slave is. Then we talked about how a car could be considered our slave.
Then we did parsha, the only formal school for today. I found a powerpoint on kosher and non-kosher animals, and we went over it slowly. It had pesukim, so I got both boys to read some of them. Then I told them to make a poster divided into kosher and not kosher animals. We have a box of old magazines, so they had plenty of material. All three of them sat down, cutting.
In the afternoon, I cooked and cleaned and told boys to do whatever they felt like. They roamed the backyard, made a tepee. They fought over holding and not holding poles together at just the right angle. Each one came to complain separately, but then they joined forces. 6 yo pulled out weaving loom and worked on a potholder. They used cardboard to make a house for a toy lizard. 2 yo got out stamps and did that; then she pulled out dinosaur stickers. Both boys sneaked around to read.
I was asked what's the most dangerous thing in the world. I said, stupidity. 8 yo piped in, radioactivity. I said that being smart around radioactive material will keep you safe. Then there was a discussion of noble gases and how they are full of electrons.
6 yo sang Maccabeats. 8 yo hummed "Give me Freedom, Give me Fire".
The boys watered the plants. 6 yo caught a ladybug and brought it in to show me on his finger. He and 2 yo wandered in the yard.
If I could only get them to clean up messes which their creativity produces, I would call our situation idyllic.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
When life gives you lemons...
 |
| Striking a pose like the clay figure in the back |
There is a problem when your kids keeps arguing with the docent about the displays. I am used to that in science museums, but this is a first in a history/art setting. I wished he would talk less and listen more, but this is my bias. I was brought up with the attitude that an older person has more knowledge, so you shut up and listen. He has guts? ego? self-confidence to think otherwise and to express his opinions and knowledge.
I brought a baby carrier for the toddler, I learned my lesson from chasing an overtired kid in Museum of Natural History. Only I'm not sure whether I gained anything, as most of the time it was "Pick me up! Put me on your back! I want down! Carry me!" However, even she enjoyed looking at Greek statues and wondering where the heads and arms went. Then we entered Central America and there were pots with feet. There she also looked for missing heads. Bottom line, the boys enjoyed the trip and I got suckered into buying everyone a scarab in the gift shop, although I milked it, making 8 yo calculate how much money I spent on those three scarabs.
 |
| Watching tree cutting |
On the 7 minute car ride back. the scarabs were relating their journey to each other in squeaky voices: "I'm glad to be out of that basket. This street looks familiar. Remember coming here on a truck?" I decided to make this into a creative writing assignment when we come home.
When we got home, the neighbors were having a tree cut down. There was a man, 30 feet up a tree with spikes on his boots and a chainsaw. They boys camped out in the backyard to watch. They even asked for picnic lunch, so that they would not miss any action.
I assumed that would be the end of schoolwork for today, but they came in when the tree people went for lunch.
8 yo did spelling. He filled in more dates on his timeline and marked off Egyptian epochs ( his idea). He did Lashon HaTorah and then we did Chumash. I talked it up into a mystery saying that he already dealt with the same story in Lech Lecha, and the end was the same, but the details were different. We did first four pesukim of perek Chav. He translated two pesukim without any help. We discussed that Avimelech got a nevuah but paroh didn't. However, what he was most interested in was the map of where Avraham traveled. His Chumash has one in the back. I found it interesting to see where Tzoar was: it is surrounded on one side by mountains and on the other side by the Dead Sea. No wonder Lot's daughters felt that there are no people left in the world.
6 yo wrote a short song about his scarab and did Lama without much drama.
In the afternoon, we picked up some friends, watered our plants. They kids played outside. Then everyone made pizza for dinner. Ice cream for dessert, then group benching. Even 2 yo can do the first paragraph now and she tries to say brachot before eating. Some drumming before baths, some element watching before bed. Book reading. Discovering that 8 yo threw up in bed instead of toilet this morning. Unexpected laundry.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
April 18th
Today is coop day, aka we don't do a lot of schoolwork day.
8 yo made a sink and a robot in Destruction, light saber is in progress. 6 yo did math with even/odd numbers. In experiments, one came home with crystal-growing tree and another with green hands and density bottle. Then in Egypt they made obelisks with symbols. 8 you explained how Egyptians thought that gods communicated with them through obelisks and he was not sure that we should be bringing them home. After all the Greek mythology, I'm surprised at his degree of sensitivity.
Since it had been raining and we felt quite done by lunchtime, I only wrote down a few things, just Judaics. 6 yo did Lama; it took him about 45 minutes to complete a bunch on sentences. He also melted down in science class when he was asked to write. At least today he just took his time instead of screaming.
We finished the perek with 8 yo. He made sure that we're doing it the "light" way, but he breezed through the pesukim. He understood some of them as he was reading them. He said that he didn't realize that Moav is our cousin. He also noted on the source of the name. And he also sent me to check what Rashi had to say about all of this. I think we are Rashi-ready here.
Then we made challah dough, with oats, wheat germ and whole wheat flour. I'm a bit worried that this time I outdid myself and nobody will eat it.
By this point the rain had stopped, so we went outside to plant. I have been composting and we just mixed it with store-bought soil and some sand. The plants we got came in biodegradable pots, so the boys took turns snipping off the plastic, ripping the pots into pieces and placing the seedlings into soil. The watering was probably the favorite part. We also planted some impatients, which led to jokes.
After we washed off the mud, the boys settled down with books. But then 8 yo got up on his own to practice drumming. We have an ongoing dialogue about how you need to practice hard things to become good at them, how practice takes time and how things look easy but are difficult to do. He has been a bit disillusioned, since he expected that as long as he has access to drums, he'll make up amazing tunes. I was hesitant myself, as I am not planning on pushing him to drum. However, I am quite happy that he decided to practice on his own. I have seen quite an improvement since Sunday and I do hope that he'll get encouraged by his success.
 |
| crystal tree |
Since it had been raining and we felt quite done by lunchtime, I only wrote down a few things, just Judaics. 6 yo did Lama; it took him about 45 minutes to complete a bunch on sentences. He also melted down in science class when he was asked to write. At least today he just took his time instead of screaming.
We finished the perek with 8 yo. He made sure that we're doing it the "light" way, but he breezed through the pesukim. He understood some of them as he was reading them. He said that he didn't realize that Moav is our cousin. He also noted on the source of the name. And he also sent me to check what Rashi had to say about all of this. I think we are Rashi-ready here.
Then we made challah dough, with oats, wheat germ and whole wheat flour. I'm a bit worried that this time I outdid myself and nobody will eat it.
By this point the rain had stopped, so we went outside to plant. I have been composting and we just mixed it with store-bought soil and some sand. The plants we got came in biodegradable pots, so the boys took turns snipping off the plastic, ripping the pots into pieces and placing the seedlings into soil. The watering was probably the favorite part. We also planted some impatients, which led to jokes.
After we washed off the mud, the boys settled down with books. But then 8 yo got up on his own to practice drumming. We have an ongoing dialogue about how you need to practice hard things to become good at them, how practice takes time and how things look easy but are difficult to do. He has been a bit disillusioned, since he expected that as long as he has access to drums, he'll make up amazing tunes. I was hesitant myself, as I am not planning on pushing him to drum. However, I am quite happy that he decided to practice on his own. I have seen quite an improvement since Sunday and I do hope that he'll get encouraged by his success.
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