Going a Different Route

I have to say that I really enjoyed the ease of having the Little Boy's curriculum all planned out for me through the Calvert School program. However, this program is not working well for him and it's not the approach I wanted to take for educating my children at home. We gave it a try and Calvert School certainly does offer a magnificent curriculum and support system, but I am planning a different route for the Little Boy's fifth grade education.
I still want to have him enrolled in a program that offers some organization with regard to basic academic curriculum. I also like the idea of being able to keep records through an online system offered by certain programs.
The biggest change I am looking to make going forward is reintegrating spirituality. When Suaemoc did not follow a structured program, we focused a great deal on spirituality. That aspect was extremely enjoyable for me and the children. Neither of the children's programs offer any spirituality in their education and sometimes even deviates from what we know of our Creator.
The Young Lady will continue with The American Academy because I chose that program for her based on its electives and career focus. She will earn an accredited high school diploma through American and I like that the course has a level of difficulty that provides a challenging curriculum for her.
The Little Boy, though, will be switching over to Pear Blossom School in the fall. One area I have been trying to work on with the Little Boy is doing his own research. Pear Blossom promotes self-directed learning and making use of technology to enhance learning options, including internet research, computer aided instruction, multimedia presentation, and communicating with others. Pear Blossom also encourages being responsible, active citizens demonstrating involvement in the local community. In higher grades, Pear Blossom will afford the Little Boy the opportunity to get credits from his participation in the Theocratic Ministry School and in field service. Being graded by submitting his assignments and receiving a transcript from Pear Blossom School is another perk to enrollment. Calvert School offers the same, though the service is not included in his general enrollment in their program and costs extra. Based on the extra cost for that service through Calvert, I opted out this year.
In the younger grades I was against the traditional grading system. I believe that both children are at a point where they understand the importance of achieving high standards and are able to accept that grades received reflect their effort. What's nice about education at home is that they don't have anyone else to compete with. Neither one of them need feel bad about receiving a "lower grade" on an assignment. Rather, they may simply see these as opportunities to increase their efforts. 8)

Iowa eagles about to hatch!

Watch: Iowa eagles about to hatch - CTnow This is an amazing live stream of baby eaglets about to hatch. We've been watching the momma eagle sit on her eggs and continually prep her nest for the arrival of her babies. Every so often, the daddy eagle flies into the nest, bearing gifts of nest materials for momma to use. There are three eggs that momma eagle is sitting on and the video is being shot in a resolution high enough that the cracks in the eggs will be visible. Really, this is a fascinating thing to witness! 8)

❀◕‿◕❀ April Showers ❀◕‿◕❀

Suaemoc survived New England's winter of 2011! 8D Spring's rejuevenation inspires new ideas and creativity. It also brings forth the opportunity for outdoor exploration again and doing fun springtime projects. 8)
As with last year, a foal is on its way at the farm, expected to arrive before the end of April. The mare, named "Stormy", is getting settled into the birthing stall. After the winter we had, "Stormy's" foal should be named something like, "Surviving the Storms", "After the Storms", or maybe "Too Many Storms!" ;P In any event, the birth of a horse never gets old and is an especially grand learning experience for the Young Lady with her equine career goals. We appreciate the opportunities like this which don't come to a public school classroom.
The experience of birthing a foal is in line with how Suaemoc is embracing life and loss, as our hamster fell asleep in death over the winter. Our respect for God's creatures caused us to want to place her in a small box in our freezer until she could be properly buried. This, too, brought forth the Little Boy's curiousity to learn how the freezer keeps things from going bad for a while. He conducted some experiments on mold growth and learned about the factors necessary for molds to grow. He has now become a little obsessed with expiration dates and keeping things fresh. ;)
The children are being encouraged to take initiative and venure outside of their comfort zones. As always, we're keeping focused on valuing morals and responsibility. Striving to strengthen our convictions to uphold high standards for ourselves is also driving us to take advantage of the nicer weather and take part in cleaning up our neighborhood. Hopefully, we'll have an impact on others. It's important to take care of our community in whatever ways we can and the children are learning that it just takes one person to begin a chain of making a difference. 8)
This year, we've seen the brain's and body's incredible power to heal, giving a hard lesson in determination. As we enter springtime, renewal and revitalization sprouts forth, and no matter how many changing seasons we see in our lifetime there's always going to be amazing wonderment to behold and learn from.

Home's Still Cool In 2011

I wish there were fun gadgets when I was a child to use with my schooling and make learning that much more interesting and accessible. The Young Lady and the Little Boy have such a wealth of information right at their fingertips all the time. I'll admit that I often become jealous and begin to flip through the courses offered online in the mailings we receive from local colleges. When knowledge is so readily available, who wouldn't be excited about taking it all in?
I honestly feel that Suaemoc offers so much more to my children that sending them off to a public institution because of technology. In a public school environment, you don't see the children making complete use of what's available to them through these amazing mediums. As homeschooled youths, a question gets asked and it opens up the opportunity for exploration. The children have fun trying to find their answers and many times it leads to more questions, more answers, and an inspiring growth of creativity. When learning isn't confined, children flourish.
Tell me you wouldn't have been more inclined to read "The Scarlet Letter" if you could lay in a comfortable place with your Kindle! The Young Lady and the Little Boy don't have one, but if I had the money it would be a serious consideration to add this device to our homeschooling materials. One bonus would be availability, since the Young Lady and I have been to the local library on several occasions to try to get a book that's required for her course and it's never there.
Am I saying it's necessary to have the latest and greatest in order to successfully homeschool? Not at all! Simply having internet access opens up endless possibilities in learning. Something as simple as this wasn't even available to me as a student.
God has given us these amazing brains which are just hungry for information. Technology empowers us to feed our brains with so much! Yes, there are places we don't want to go to, but a properly trained conscious, along with the loving, watchful eye of "mom", will enable our course to keep clear of the ditches. This is why I happily allow the children to explore and encourage them to "look it up" when they wonder. Every "why" can lead to a fascinating adventure in education! 8)

The Golden Girls

The children and I have been loving our new DVD set! I was surprised that my kids laugh along with me. Are we learning anything while enjoying the witty antics of Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia? ;) Well ~ the Young Lady says it's funny to see how things were in the eighties. The Girls often make mention of people the kids never heard of, so questions get asked when the Mayor of Palm Springs is made fun of. ;P Hey ~ Dorothy's an English teacher! 8D Above all else, nothing beats a good family laugh. ♥

SAHM - An Endangered Species?

It seems to me that being a "stay-at-home mom" is becoming quite the faux pas. More people are demonstrating prejudice against those of us who absorb ourselves in our families.
Homemaking could arguably be the most important volunteer occupation for the benefit of society. Yes, occupation.
The definition of "occupation" is that which takes up one's time. For those who do not agree that homemakers are occupied, I challenge the role reversal. Your boss is your family and they expect peak performance. Throw in the aspect of homeschooling and there's an even greater intolerance of error.
Some sign up for the assignment. Others find themselves thrown into it. Either way, the heart and soul that gets poured into the role of stay-at-home/homeschooling mom is unsurpassesd by anything else. A role that requires twenty-four/seven, three hundred sixty-five days per year committment. A role that is built on and dependant on love to sustain it.
The pride in homemaking is realized through the products created. A well-loved and cared for family who trusts the matriarch to deliver the best advice, provide the warmest comfort, and show the greatest understanding. A home the entire family can be proud of. Children who get complimented on their use of manners, outstanding behavior, love for God, and respect for others. A husband who doesn't have to worry about the well-oiled machine running at home while he labors at his full time job to provide monetarily for his family. The solice of knowing in your heart that your loved ones are receiving your very best.
Not to say that mothers who work outside the home don't love their families. I just want to point out that homemaking is a career, too. It's nothing to scoff at. It's an intense labor of love to keep things within the family operating. It's an immense responsibility to be in charge of molding your children's futures through their education and well-being. Its only pay is its many rewards, which are sometimes only recognized by the one who's working so hard toward their achievement. Like secular bosses, the family vocalizes the wrongs and often forgets to praise the rights.
Don't shy away from a career at home if it's in your heart to do so. Don't mock another's choice to be CEO of their family.
Thank a stay-at-home mom for volunteering to put her all into raising the next generation.

Paper Snowflakes ~ A Learning Experience! :)

Every December 1st, Suaemoc decorates for the winter season with snowflakes and snowmen in the windows and in the yard. One of our favorite activities to prepare for decorating is making paper snowflakes. :)
Is it possible to incorporate learning into this fun wintertime craft?
Absolutely! ;)
There are cool scientific things to know about snowflakes. There are factors which influence the shape and size of a snowflake. You can discuss geography by talking about the coldest places on earth. Explore why we should care about snow types through an investigation why avalanches happen. Discuss the 7 main classifications of snow crystals, then when it snows you can collect snowflakes on a sheet of paper. Before they melt, look at the crystals under a microscope or powerful magnifying glass to try to find all 7 basic snowflake shapes. Explore how plant and leaf development resembles snowflake formation and reflect on the magnificence of the One who created all these things. :) Research the chemistry of falling snow.
Enjoy fascinating high-resolution images of snowflakes while exploring the wonders of such beautiful precipitation. :)
For more creative snowflake making ideas and learning resources, visit http://www.papersnowflakes.com/. Happy learning! :D