Week 2 is wrapping up while we have thoroughly opened it...

We have had an exciting week and I can't believe how it has sped by. Our studies consisted of the following:

~2 Timothy 1:7 (writing and reciting daily)

~Vocabulary words including "timidity," "discipline," "swarm," and many others

~Completing the verses of "The Ants Go Marching," such as "The ants go marching eight by eight, the little one stops to hockey skate..."

~Practicing multiplication of sixes using ants on a leaf

~Practicing addition and subtraction facts

~Math worksheets which involved adding double-digit numbers, counting money, and telling time

~Writing a folk tale about "Why bugs disappear in the winter"

~Geography of New England

~Telling time to the minute (found an interactive clock online at www.shodor.org which gave Wolf some great practice)

~Time riddles (another interactive website which shows three trains and departure times; Wolf had to choose the train which would bring the passenger to her destination at a specified time)

~A large book from the Art Institute of Chicago of assorted artwork (we mostly focused on the Renaissance)

~Listening daily to Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris"; studying his brief life

~Practicing handwriting

~Discussing and creating similes

~Doing watercolors

This week's reading selections






Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende Devlin
rating: 5 of 5 stars

My husband practically jumped with excitement when he saw this book in our library stack. His mother read it to him frequently as a child and she insisted on cooking the bread recipe in the back of the book every Thanksgiving.

We came across this while using our "Five in a Row" curriculum. The story involves a grandmother and granddaughter who each invite a guest to their Thanksgiving meal. Maggie invites a kindhearted and very hairy gentleman named Mr. Whiskers whom she has known all her life, though Grandmother judges him very harshly based on his uncouth appearance; Grandmother invites a very refined gentleman who turns out to be a thief.

While the illustrations are not as engaging as many of the other books we've been reading lately, the writing itself holds our interest and has a layer of depth not always encountered in children's literature. We have found plenty to discuss in the areas of vocabulary, literary devices, character, and geography. There's even a built-in activity in the form of the recipe in the back of the book which we will be trying soon, minus the raisins.

The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story by Joseph Bruchac
rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think Wolfgang would give this book five stars. He enjoys reading it and has done so several times now. As far as folk tales go, it has the potential to teach a lesson about the perils of judging based on appearances, a popular theme in the books we've been reading lately. The bat's punishment of the birds seems rather harsh. The best aspect of this book, in my opinion, is the art work which was created by utilizing samples of paper from all over the world.

Ant by Rebecca Stefoff
rating: 4 of 5 stars

The pictures in this book are creepy and vivid. I had no idea that ants keep other insects captive and milk them for their body fluids periodically. These types of facts and pictures kept Wolfgang fascinated, and he has mentioned it frequently since reading it a few times. He especially likes the concept of being able to carry me (the book asks, "Can you pick up your mother and carry her over your head?"). Ants is a great science book for my six-year-old.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
rating: 2 of 5 stars

I hope it goes without saying (but just in case, I will say it here) that I am not giving Frost's poem two stars. I LOVE Robert Frost, and I love this poem. But this book doesn't excite us at all. The illustrations are sweet but it bothers me to have to read the poem so slowly. Also, I don't feel the poem needs illustrations and prefer it without. The kids weren't engaged in the book at all (while finding the snow angel slightly amusing).

The Story about Ping by Marjorie Flack
rating: 5 of 5 stars

My kids love this book, which I had never encountered until our "Five In A Row" unit. While the story is simple (a little duck chooses to avoid his punishment of a spanking and consequently gets lost), the story contains fascinating details such as ducks which have rings around their neck and are used to catch fish, and sweet and compassionate little boys who are thrown into the water at the end of a string in order to catch ducks. Ultimately, a young man saves this duck and Ping gets reunited with his family. Since reading this, we have read many books which take place in China and are looking for more.



Liang and the Magic Paintbrush by Demi
rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of our new favorite children's authors, we are enjoying each of Demi's books. Her illustrations are meticulous and interesting; her writing style concise and straightforward while also captivating. This book tells the story of Liang who is gifted with a paintbrush which he uses to create gifts for the poor. Ultimately, the emperor kidnaps him and attempts to exploit him. The story has a satisfying end, although not for the pacifist.

The Magic Pillow by Demi
rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another superb Demi book with gorgeous illustrations, this one tells the story of Ping who is given the chance to experience wealth and worldly glory in a dream state. Upon waking, he realizes what is truly important.

There is much to discuss in this book with children: the rise and fall of power, the fleeting nature of wealth and fame, exponential growth (remarkably rendered on the page), and the theological differences between Buddhism and Christianity.

Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
rating: 5 of 5 stars

We are enjoying many books set in China right now. There are discussions online about whether this story is, in fact, true, and whether it is culturally accurate. There is evidence this is a Japanese, not Chinese, folktale, as well as many arguments that it is not historical at all.

Either way, we enjoy this book. What I love about it: 1) My husband got VERY excited when he saw it! He immediately broke into song from the memory of the book-on-tape; 2) The character's long name is a blast to say, and a child's attempt to remember it quite sweet indeed; 3) the artwork is interesting; 4) the mother makes most "real-life" mothers look like angels; 5) very few children's books open the door for discussions about CPR (this one does); and 6) the ending certainly isn't "happily ever after." It's surprisingly realistic~~at least, as much as a children's book can be.




Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes by Nina Simonds
rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chinese folktales intermingle with fairly simple recipes and interesting crafts such as kites, lantern riddles and pinwheels. The illustrations throughout are colorful and engaging. Altogether, "Moonbeams" accompanies our recent selection of Chinese folktales in a beautiful and accessible format.

Schedules, resources, and brains

This last week brought many ongoing transformations for us. One is that we have continued to work on creating a more stimulating and vibrant area in our home dedicated to schooling. The entire downstairs has begun to wear more color. Either the curtains or the table cloth have to go, but in the meantime, the clashing blue and green seem to work just fine with the maps we have hung on the walls.

These maps have proven endlessly entertaining for all of us. If we are sitting at the table, it is not long before we are gazing at the map behind us and looking at the countries and oceans. We have also drawn and colored symbols for the books we are reading and taped them in the appropriate locations so the kids can relate to where these settings are in the world. A sweet duck is now waddling across China right around the Yangzte river per The Story About Ping, and a snow plow named Katy sits in the middle of Alaska.

Whenever a location comes up in the course of our conversations, it is, of course, very easy to demonstrate where it is. I'm rather surprised the opportunity happens as frequently as it does. The kids love reading the names of the countries and studying the flags. Another map-related project is our Statehood Quarters collection, which is steadily growing (especially thanks to a recent unexpected quarter windfall :) ) and are displayed around a map of the U.S.A.



Posting a schedule has been a very helpful development. As you can see below, Wolf's Transformers just ache to intermingle with our schoolwork, so posting a schedule on our white board shows him that there is a time for school and a time for playing and exactly when those are. One of my favorite moments this last week occurred when he was doing his math work. I gave him three worksheets and told him that when the timer went off, he was done with school for the morning and could play. When the timer went off, he called out to me, "Mom! I only have three problems left!" and proceeded to do them before stopping. I made sure to let him catch me talking that moment up with his dad later on in the day.



There are probably homeschooling parents who feel "school" and "play" are one and the same and that this type of separation isn't holistic. I don't embrace that idea. "School" is still fun but, especially in the morning, does call for discipline. Once we get started, he has a 3 hour chunk of time which involves reading, writing, and reciting a verse of Scripture, and then reading and math. Reading involves both of us reading aloud, as well as discussing the vocabulary, spelling, and subject at hand. Math thus far is mostly practice of addition and subtraction facts; he is adding columns of three numbers, and also working on counting money. The worksheets are not incredibly exciting but they're holding his interest because he enjoys the subject. In the afternoon, our schedule is far more "organic" and creative...each day has a specific focus and our time together entails reading, discussion, art, and projects.

This was a funny moment. We have a light mounted near the ceiling and it cast a shadow onto our white board of Psalm. I did my best to trace his silhouette, which was quite challenging due to his wiggly nature. Zoya then proceeded to draw his brain and hair. This all worked out well because we were having a conversation at the time about the sun and shadows and what a "long shadow" is in The Story About Ping.



Topics/materials we covered last week included the Presidential Inauguration, "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "O Captain! My Captain!," leadership, elections, the digestive system, Ping, reflections and motion in water and how they are represented in art, a creepy and detailed account of Ants, scientific method, science experiments (variables, methodology, creating a chart, and documenting results accurately and adequately), 2 Timothy 2:24 and associated chapter, several books pertaining to body systems and processes, shadows, earth's movement, differences between rivers and lakes, discernment, compassion, and writing details in a story.

One of my hopes is that Friday will be dedicated to writing, a Writing Workshop day. We started this Friday, although I think it should have happened in the afternoon. Our day got a little too crammed in the first part with some plans we had made, as well as the baby waking up early. We sat with our notebooks and discussed story-writing and how to explore and describe details of our story. Here is what Wolf came up with, along with a picture:

Once I went in a gassy and cold cave. I needed a light, air, a warm suit, and gas mask. I felt sleepy because of the cold but I got out by my light.

Yep, three sentences. :) Time pressures made this process more strained than it should have been. We enjoyed it but should have scheduled more space around it in which to relax and get comfy. Psalm, on the other hand, was content to make stationery:



One thing that I've noticed over the course of this transition is how easy it is to get wrapped up in methods. I, as a parent/teacher, have a lot of excitement about methods, curricula, scheduling, and all the ways to "make it work." Now that we are in the midst of it all, it has become clear that homeschooling works better for us when I let go of MY ideas, take a breath, and relax.

Recent pictures of the brood

These are from earlier this month when temperatures dipped down to 20 below zero for a couple weeks. After warming up freakishly to the 40s, we have now settled down in the 15-18 degree range.





We took a lovely hike today along Peter's Creek and marveled at the river bank in the winter while the snow flowed down. It was the first snow in awhile and a fair amount, although it stopped as soon as we got in the car to return home and hasn't come back since.

Gob is the answer to your questions

I'm laughing at Psalm's enthusiasm about our new white board. He wrote the word "Gob" in big letters and let us know that God is the answer to our questions. :)

Homeschooling has been going very well. Sadly, I have already been outdone by my husband who handled the schooling yesterday. Wolfgang told me that he really wanted Daddy to be his teacher now! Sigh. When Alex and I met, he was teaching at the preschool level and also has a lot of experience with special needs children. I have always viewed him as kind of a Pied Piper because kids love learning from him. He gets very animated and excited to teach something~~apparently, more exciting than me!

However, this did encourage me immensely. While we were pondering this decision, we had to take nursing school into consideration. I will be starting a 20-month program in 15-18 months. While praying about this, I realized I had a total me-complex going. God told me, "This isn't all about you. I have plans for your children and husband too."

That sure was eye-opening. :) And very true.

There is much to write here but not a lot of time at the moment. I have had the computer off almost every day and that has been a blessing. Here are a few random thoughts I wanted to jot down:

Prince Caspian: Very description-heavy, with a huge focus on setting over action; the children are more restless with this one and we are getting through but I feel certain we will be taking a break from this series as soon as we're done. I thought they would have abandoned it by now but then they want to keep going. Next stop: A.A. Milne.

Five in a Row: We have read through two books in depth while using this curriculum as a guide: Katy and the Big Snow and The Story About Ping. The curriculum is providing us with some creative direction in regards to the literature but I haven't been sticking to a rigid schedule. Now that we do have a schedule, we may use it more "by the book" as it is intended. Katy has mostly enriched us in the area of map-making. Ping has intrigued us greatly; we are learning more about China, the children in China (the young boy in the story has a very interesting job!), and the characters' choices, etc.

Scheduling: I continue to strive toward having a schedule but I've loosened up a lot on my expectation that we will have clearly marked time-frames for studying certain things. Writing is getting wrapped up with Scripture. Reading is closely tied in to every other subject. More later on this.

Altogether, I am excited about how our homeschooling life is developing and progressing. I want to put an exclamation point there! But that would belie the fact that we have also been "in process" and have been working out kinks and letting go of the idea in favor of reality, as is the case during every major change.

A rainy welcome back to AK

I couldn't believe it when Alex called me to let us know that the land we were returning to on our flight yesterday was now under an ice advisory~~all schools were closed (2nd time I can remember that happening in three years) and the roads were like ice rinks. Our weather, which had been well under zero for two weeks (-20 to -10 below) had given way to fluffy snow and now rain, and lots of it. It has been storming and blowing all night. My twins are stranded at a friend's house (they live atop a very steep hill and we have decided to wait a little longer before attempting to retrieve them!) and the house is making creaks and groans. I woke up with the baby in my arms in a pitch black house last night when the power went out, and we stumbled to bed.

Enjoyable AK slideshow

This slideshow with narration shows scenes from Anchorage. I have to agree with him...when the warm, grey skies return, I will miss the sun and that memory of heat that comes with it!

Yep, give me that knowing look.

Hi all. It's been awhile since I've updated this site because we really haven't been thinking too much about homeschooling. We've had Noah here in town staying with us and school has been the last thing on all our minds, other than the compulsory hour-a-day of reading that Noah has to do for his school, complete with a written response. But the other day, I started looking back over my plans and tried to get jazzed about them.

As I've spent the last year taking science courses at our state university in preparation for nursing school, I've been rather indifferent about incorporating the humanities into our homeschool (probably not the best position, by the way, but the science was starting to crowd out any appreciation for the necessity of fine art, music, and other "pleasantries"). Thankfully I realized this, of course, and was able to find my inner academic decathlete. I think I also may have felt guilty about approaching homeschooling without much of a plan, so I had started compiling material and decided to start with a unit about animals. Yep, "Amazing Animals." Because that was the name of the first unit in a textbook I plan to use with Wolfgang.

But the problem is that animals are just not that interesting to either of us. I had to talk myself into the topic (the anthology itself has many charming and interesting stories about animals working alongside humans, etc.) and couldn't find any true engagement with it until I started considering the spiritual possibilities. That was certainly fun, and at least up my alley. My main concern was simply having a place to start. I discussed a fear with Alex today: "What if it's cutting teeth every day? What if we just can't find that sweet spot?" Meaning, what if Wolfgang and I drive ourselves crazy and can't stand being with each other once we start homeschooling?

This is highly unlikely. We have a great time together and I feel we can hang out in a mutually enlightening, enjoyable kind of way. But still. We have taken the leap and now it's time to get started. Auuughh! What if! What if!

So I decided to try to pump up this animal topic tonight. And he looked at me with this look. Like, huh? He was obviously less than thrilled with the topic. So I~~get this~~asked him what he wanted to learn about.

Shocking, I know.

And this was the list he came up with:

• The human body


• The brain


• Dissections


• Lungs


• The senses


• Reptiles


• The 50 states and other countries


• The digestive system

Well, this is stuff I'm into too, wouldn't you know. And I ran to the library when I had a moment and brought home about 20 books on the subject of anatomy for kids. The best one is called "Make It Work~~The Human Body" and is a book of projects to help kids create models of each of the body systems. We delved right into studying the model of the heart on the page and discussing the flow of blood through each of the chambers and to and from the pulmonary system. We also discussed the structure of the eye and talked about doing a dissection. This leads me to the quote of the day:

"Yay! I get to use a pupil! Oh. Wait. That's not right. A scalpel! I get to use a scalpel!"

:)

The kids were very interested in the dissections I did for my class. By far, the most intriguing and inspiring one for me was of a cow's eye (but none of the kids were awake for that one). WOW! Anatomy and physiology remain two of my favorite subjects and never fail to bolster my faith in a Creator. The eye dissection was one of those things that sounded fairly unexciting and turned into a huge experience for me. I think I expected it to be fragile and delicate, from years of hearing parenting mantras such as "Careful! You'll poke your eye out!" or "It's always fun until someone loses an eye."

That cow's eye was the sturdiest structure possible. It broke my scalpel! The entire rear hemisphere of the structure was thickly layered in fat and muscle, and the ball itself took a long time to cut through. I thought to myself that poking anything through the eye would be next to impossible. Then, when I finally did get into it, I found the most delicate, paper-thin lens and shimmery colors like gasoline in a puddle.

My confidence has been bolstered by Wolfgang's enthusiasm and our immediate dive into the subject matter over the dinner table. I think we'll make our way through that entire book of projects and learn as much as we can. He can get his writing practice while labeling diagrams and writing details of stories using each of his five senses. He can multiply the numbers of the bones in the hands and feet.

"The silence that bludgeons you dumb"

My friend asked me what -15 degrees feels like in an email recently, although it's been more like -20 the last couple weeks.

It's painful. It hurts. My face hurts. I left my gloves at the twins' preschool and when I went to pick them up again, my hand felt like it was going to stick to the metal of the door handle. It's COLD!

And yet, it is so beautiful. Sometimes, I like to lie down near a window and look up at the trees outside, where several inches of snow balance lithely on each branch and twig. We went sledding down at Kincaid and stayed until dusk, when no one else was there. I sledded down to the bottom of the hill and just sat there for several minutes in the silence. It is such a unique experience for a former big-city girl and a busy mother to ever experience that level of silence. It is utterly peaceful.

The kids do well with it. The baby seems to love it most of all. She is thrilled to be outside in her triple layers of clothing: a onesie, a warm full-body fuzzy set of pj's, and then a thick snowsuit. But stick her in the jogger stroller and she will not make a peep. She simply loves it. She outlasts me, that's for sure.

I'm reading a book called Arctic Schoolteacher and it's confirming a bug I can now publicly admit to: I have a longing to get out further into Alaska. The book quotes a Robert Service poem which danced on the page:

The strong life that never knows harness,
The wilds where the caribou call,
The freshness, the freedom, the farness,
Oh God how I'm stuck on it all.
"The Spell of the Yukon"

It is in these "further out" places that the weather gets so much more desperately cold... -40 is perfectly normal this time of year. It is sparsely populated and with not nearly as many of the comforts of modern life. But still.

I love that line: "The freshness, the freedom, the farness." Here are some more Robert Service poems, just for fun. I've never spent much time reading him (although I think an old friend told me he wrote a lot of limericks). Here is the next stanza of that poem:

The winter! the brightness that blinds you,
The white land locked tight as a drum,
The cold fear that follows and finds you,
The silence that bludgeons you dumb.
The snows that are older than history,
The woods where the weird shadows slant;
The stillness, the moonlight, the mystery,
I've bade 'em good-by -- but I can't.

He then goes on to write about the "land where the mountains are nameless/And the rivers all run God knows where..." When my friend Kari came up and visited, we took a drive out to Matanuska Glacier, which took us a good three and a half hours or longer (me being pregnant at the time and having three kids in the car). We must have passed a hundred mountains and three dozen rivers. That is no exaggeration. They truly are "nameless" and "run God knows where." And when I looked at a map at the end of it all, the tiny little fraction of a fraction of Alaska that we had seen that day was laughable. I think it was a circle no bigger than the letter O on the map of the state! I felt floored at the magnitude of the land. How many mountains could possibly be pushed up into one place? Too many to count on just that drive. Here's a picture of the boys climbing on the glacier. Flickr's acting up but I'll try to get more up on another day.

Happy birthday, Alaska

We went downtown to AK's 50th birthday celebration downtown the other night. It was, in a word, cold. The kids had fun though, slipping and sliding all over the outdoor ice rink and finding the Primera booth with the handwarmers. :) Here are some pictures.

The kid can cook

We got Noah a cookbook for Christmas and he picked three recipes to try while he's up here. The cookbook, by the way, is this one, and is just perfect for his age-range (10).

He picked "Gold Nugget Chowder," brownies, and chocolate sauce (with which to make sundaes! yum). He made a list and I offered to do the shopping, being out and about at the time. Today, he delved right in and started chopping up a storm. The soup~~glorious! We ate it for lunch on its own, and then at dinner with garlic bread and salad. We all felt completely satiated at the end of the meal.

He also made a batch of brownies, the complicated kind with melted chocolate, etc. I haven't tried them yet but they are calling out to us! :)

Pictures with Hank the Moose

Here is our family of goofballs, hamming it up atop Hank the Moose at the library fundraiser yesterday. We had a blast!

40 things to do in 2009

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. I am, however, a goal-setter and list-maker. I like keeping track of things and thought I'd participate in Sprittibee's encouragement to put it down on paper. Probably, this will grow in the next week as I remember more items to add to it. FUN! By the way, have any of you seen The Bucket List? What a fantastic movie. I watched it on a plane and made an utter fool of myself, laughing and sobbing away in my seat with my digiplayer. Sniff.

1. Do reading and devotionals every day with hubby
2. Have fun homeschooling!
3. Remember to be cheerful
4. Take the kids out of the house on hubby's sleeping days
5. Take the kids to North Pole, Alaska OR go clamming. Or both.
6. Camp near Denali
7. Have a yummy meal of stew at the public use cabin in the ER Nature Center
8. Go to Barrow and take a tour
9. FINALLY have an awesome vacation with JUST my hubby! (okay, we're spoiled!)
10. Organize and redo the kids' room
11. Keep up with all three blogs
12. Finish Bachelors degree (the Univ. of Iowa one)
13. Help Wolf with his Tiger Cub Scout badges
14. Reorganize upstairs medicine cabinet, downstairs drawers, entryway, and my closet
15. Write Noah monthly and fly down in March and October
16. Devise a decent photo organization system for my computer
17. Print all photos and arrange into books
18. Continue reading good books nightly with kids
19. Keep the TV off most of the time
20. Enhance my femininity in husband-pleasing ways
21. Continue meeting weekly with friends
22. Do more girly things with my girly daughter
23. Go berry-picking as a family at least twice
24. Outline book idea and schedule time weekly to work on it
25. Throw a birthday party for twins and Wolf
26. Continue getting back in touch with family members
27. Stay on top of dentists, physicals, etc. for kids and us
28. Keep up with menu planning and freezer cooking
29. Get the incorrect tax lien off my credit report and any other corrections
30. Continue sponsoring our sponsor kids and write them every month
31. Put some framed prints in our home
32. Finalize family documents
33. Get a passport (soon!)
34. Discuss, plan, and prepare to implement (and possibly implement) pregnant teen sponsor program
35. Go dip-netting at least once
36. Start sprouting seeds
37. Get mentored
38. Organize the emergency kits (right now, they are a mishmash of supplies)
39. Go to Iditarod kickoff in Willow
40. Have an outing or playtime with just one of our kids at least once a month

So what about you? Anyone interested in commenting below with a list of your own? I hope so!

We have room!

I'm very excited to report that my husband HAS DONE IT AGAIN! He has a gift for making room where there is no room. We have a rather smallish home with a lot of people living in it, and suddenly I feel as though we have a whole new classroom right here in our living room!

Now that we have a dining room table~~the real, wooden kind that looks "permanent"~~our picnic table has now been resurrected and has found a home in here as well, so that art and ongoing projects don't need to be constantly picked up in order for us to have a meal.

It's a big step for us. It makes me feel excited that we will not have to worry so much about "moving out of the way for life" as we go forward with our creative and scholarly endeavors. :)

What about you? What are your space issues and how have you resolved them?

What are your favorites?

A friend of mine over at Consider the Columbines discusses her own dearth of classical literature intake and goal to read more of it this year. Pay her a visit and leave your feedback in the comments!

The kidlets and I have moved on to Prince Caspian this week, and have also discovered the glorious world of Beatrix Potter beyond Tale of Peter Rabbit. What gems! I utterly love them.