Today’s Divine Appointment

I love it when that happens!

Early in the morning at 9:00, (for a homeschool mom anyway!) I was sitting in my van outside the house where Nora has a class for an hour. My computer was open and I was proofreading a PowerPoint for a seminar I give on choosing homeschool curriculum. I came to a slide where I have photos of different unit studies for comparison. One photo was the sole example I could find online of the contents of a unit study on Obedience by my all time favorite curriculum, Konos. The photo was blurry and pathetic, however I justified it by noting how many different colored blurry indistinguishable items there were… showing volume…. not detail… AT ALL. I recalled scouring the web for a better picture to no avail. Small size it is almost clear, but blown up on a big screen, it’s horrid. That’s the gospel truth. Here it is:

When Nora was done, we drove downtown and visited my friend, Ana, who is the kind soul who processes all the homeschool affidavits for Maricopa County. (Can I just say that the view from her 12th story office facing north was FANTASTIC including a community garden, three beautiful brick Catholic schools and Camelback Mountain! WOW!) As we were chatting I noticed a brochure on her desk for the Covenant Homeschool Resource Center, which I knew was also downtown. Mentioning that I had never been there (not mentioning that this is my 15th year homeschooling) she drew me a map and insisted that I go, as it was only three blocks away. Perfect!

Nora and I found the little hole-in-a-wall resource center and ventured inside. To say that it is crammed to capacity of curriculum and books and resources is the understatement of the century. Fuller than a centipede’s sock drawer.

Right away we found Nora’s science books for next year and then I started chatting with my friend, Janet, who runs the place. (She’s probably the one who crams all the books on those sagging shelves!) I inquired about her married daughter and come to find out, her and her new husband are living in Lynden, WA. Being very familiar with Lynden as we used to live right across the border in Canada, I remarked about how beautiful it is there. But that’s not all, Janet’s son-in-law is working at Trinity Western University… where Rick and I met and went to college. What a small world. (Sing with me, “It’s a small world after all… It’s a small world after all…)

Oh, it even gets better. As we were commenting about the coincidence of that, over her shoulder I spied the curriculum box for Obedience… the one in my blurry photo from earlier that morning! I promise you, I heard angels singing. She let me take it down and set it all up pretty and she even took the photo with her camera and emailed it to me. Here it is:

I love it when that happens! Thank you, God, for answering a prayer that was a desire of my heart, that I didn’t even pray. Amen and amen.

American History Ends!

Yes, the Mayans were right!  2012!!  THE END!  American History was the topic this past year for my homeschool class of high schoolers… and it ends day after tomorrow.  We started in 1440 (Go ahead and guess why we started there!) and ended in the 1970s.  I told the kids if they want to find out what has happened in the last 42 years, they are on their own!  The Vietnam War ended and we were done.  Kaput.  Finis. 

We did add a bit of culture and art to the study to keep it interesting (for me!) and we debunked several idols from these youngsters’ minds.  “Like what?”  you ask.  Well, it seems of few of them were drawn to the hippies…. the Jesus people… the Kennedy’s… the Beatles… all for glamorous reasons.  Then we studied some of their lifestyles, choices, outcomes and habits.  Not too glamorous after all.  Perfect!  That is why we homeschool!  To look at REAL history.

Another homeschool mom (who might just be crazier than me!) and I sat together today and did some planning for next school year… which we decided will start two weeks after all the public schools here in Arizona.  Because we can!  Yet another reason to homeschool!  We were at an Abeka display/sale in a nearby hotel.  If you don’t know anything about Abeka, it is a Christian based curriculum that is EXTREMELY thorough… so thorough that it actually contains TOO much school work for the average kid to endure.  It is great, in my humble opinion, as a “pick one topic each year” curriculum.  So we used it for American History and I loved it.  Next year we are using it for spelling and vocabulary.

Anyway, back to the two of us rockin’ cool moms sitting at the table amongst sold-out Abeka moms. We had another curriculum opened that teaches Godly character… and we were talking through a list of national parks that we hope to visit this coming school year.  We were discussing weather and what time of year would be best for us to go to each one.  She was explaining, and I was listening, all the science teaching that can be coordinated with the findings at each park.  We were planning our weeks of study at home… and our week at each park.  Eventually we noticed that the workbook moms sitting around us were all staring lustfully at our plans.  One finally blurted out, “I want to school with you two!”  hahahaha…. why do you think we do this?  We don’t want to be bored!  We don’t want to use ONLY books!  We don’t want to wear out the kitchen table!  We want to live learning!  I wanted to scream “Abeka is boring!  Look out the window at what God made for you to enjoy!”  But I didn’t.  The salesman was quite an impressive figure and I wasn’t sure I could take him, if need be.  The looks in their eyes solidified WHY we do what we do!  My friend whispered to me, “I think they just do school at home,” implying that they aren’t truly “homeschooling.”

We want our kids to love learning, to see creation as an organized and amazingly ordered system that WORKS, to appreciate great men and women who have endured and suffered and succeeded and lost and lived out their beliefs. But most importantly, we want them to know God.  To love God.  To serve others.  To use their individual talents for the kingdom.  THAT is why we do what we do!

History Nerds UNITE!

I simply had to share my excitement for next school year.  American History for highschool is what I will be teaching, as well as casually guiding my two younger kids through American History literature.  OH, I’m so excited about all the books we will be reading this coming year!  I’ve already announced to my two sons, who do not love reading YET, that this will be a foundational year for them and their reading careers.  Yes, they both rolled their eyes at the woman who gave birth to them!  Sheesh.

My planning is almost done and for the first time in ten years of homeschooling, I’m branching out to try a few different curricula.  Of course, I’m still using Konos for History of the World 4: American History.  Nothing beats the activities in HOW!  Nothing.  But for the youngers, I’m trying a few more structured choices that will enable them to be a bit more independent.  I’m stretching myself here, believe me.  I’m a control freak, and I’m giving up some control somewhat willingly.  We’ll see how this goes!

I’m so glad all of next school year is written down and organized and planned and structured and ready!  Whew!

H.O.W.3

Today I read on a Konos loop that History of the World 3 will be available this month as an online download.  It makes me sad.  I hoped and prayed for several years that it would be available for this coming school year RIGHT when we needed it.  And it is.  My high schooler has done HOW1 (Ancient History – Founding of Rome) and HOW2 (Medieval World) ….. then when early Spring rolled around and we were making class decisions for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year, I realized that my Arizonan children do not need HOW3, or more specifically, they do need certain history requirements that don’t include four successive years of world history.  The gap in their education that I have feared for nine long homeschooling years has finally surfaced….. Renaissance, Reformation and Revolution.  Oh well. 

My kids will be taking Government and the History of Arizona for their junior year of high school.  We found a YMCA government class where the kids actually participate in AZ government.  Sweet!  And I plan to teach History of AZ.  Both are one semester (although we’ll have to dig deep to come up with a semester worth of AZ history…. the baby state)… and necessary…… buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, I’ve heard that HOW3 is Jessica Hulcy’s best work.  Her magnum opus.  I’m tempted to get it just to use it as a literature course.  The books chosen for all of HOW are amazing, giving the student a well-rounded view of history with samplings from so many great works… the classics…. the books I never read in high school, let alone in college.  Books that my husband has never heard of…. but I digress.

For the school year 2011-2012 we will be doing HOW4 – American History…. and get this…. I’ll have TWO high schoolers!!!  Where, oh where, has the time gone????  Weren’t they 7, 4 and 2 just last week when we started homeschooling?  Back in the good old days when it seemed like reading was going to be the missing gap.  Oh, we’ve come a long way, baby.

School Has Started

Can you tell?  I’m still not quite caught up with everything, but by next week I’ll be golden.  Konos, grammar, math, worldview and Larisa’s History of the World are all going strong.  I still need to decide what to do with Spanish for the boys.  We’ve been using a highschool level course, that has been ok, so far, but someone gave me an elementary version, so I need to give it a looksie and pick one or the other.  Larisa needs more of my time than he got last semester, so my blog time is limited.  (I wish my love of math was transferable to  non-math-loving children.)

The naked house is slowly getting dressed.  The family room was put back together today as we needed the end table to stack our library books.  The pewter picture frame collection for the entry table is out… but not set up quite right.  Next week…. golden.

Please stand by for exciting hockey news.

HOW1 is Done!

The last Konos History of the World 1 class ended today (Ancient Civilizations through the founding of Rome, in case you’re wondering).  I’m happy and I’m sad.  I’m happy because it was nine grueling months of trying to stay ahead of three high schoolers.  Let’s just say, it was also my first time through Mesopotamia, Sumeria, the Promise Land and Greece.  I read more literature on the subject this year than the rest of my life all added up.  I’m so smart now… ask me anything about hoplites, mastabas, murex snails, and chitons.  Then again, as any good teacher would say, “Look it up.”  I never could figure that out… if you don’t know how to spell a word, how can you look it up????  Please!

I’m sad because I love this course and I’m not teaching the HOW2 class next year.  Our little Zaza will hopefully be here consuming large amounts of my time.  But I do love the Konos curriculum because it engages every style of learner, especially the hands-on type.  Our 10th grader will still be taking it, but not in a class setting, and we all know how consistency is improved with peer pressure!  Or student pressure as the case may be.

We will have our final gathering, Greek Night, on Saturday night and then after grading the final projects I’m officially done with school for three months… but like I said before, who’s counting??? (besides ME!)  This is always a joyous time for me as a homeschooling mom.  This wraps up our ninth year of teaching our kids at home… and I still L-O-V-E  it.  With the HOW1 course, this is the first year that I have felt somewhat successful when the year is over.  As homeschool moms, we know what we could’ve, should’ve, would’ve done better… after the fact.  But with teaching the HOW class with OTHER people’s kids, I really made sure we studied all the goodies.  Ahhhhhh.  I can already feel the load lightening.  Sweet relief.

And yes, I’ve started reading Quo Vadis already for next year.  You can never start reading that gigantic book too soon.

Oh, and please pray for Jessica Hulcy, the author of Konos.  She was in a car accident yesterday and has multiple injuries.  Thanks!

Studying the Hebrews

There are three homeschool high schoolers who are digging their way through Ancient History with me on Tuesday mornings.  I give them a Weekly News sheet that gives the details of our study for the coming week to keep them on course and make sure they are using both sides of their brains.  Immediately upon getting the Weekly News in their hot little hands, their beady little eyes go directly to the section titled ‘What We’ll Do Next Week.’  I enjoy making their lives interesting so I put little hints in there like “bring your dancing shoes” and “wear grubby clothes” and “bring sunscreen.”  I do it for my own entertainment… and it works.  I smile every week when they read it and ask what it means.

They are strong.  They are brave.  They are smart.  And it was all put to a test this week as we learned about when the Hebrews split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah.  During this time, for your historical information, the Children of Israel built walls around their cities to fortify them.  What better way to learn about building walls…. than to build a wall???  My thoughts exactly! 

Wandering around our yard, I couldn’t find a place for a block wall flowerbed that didn’t require major sprinkler line running.  So I phoned my parents and asked it they needed a block wall.  Well, boy howdy!  They sure did!  Bring on the cinder blocks and the mortar.  Here I give you a photo essay of the HOW Wall.  (History Of the World = HOW) 

Here is my daughter sifting dirt while the men look on…… (hmmmm).

Again, the GIRL using the heavy tramping device that probably has an appropriate name, but I don’t know what it is. Good posture!

They mixed the mortar.

They laid the blocks.

They leveled every single block side-to-side, front-to-back, and vertically.

This is Mortar Man Matt.  He perfected the art of mortar patty-cake pancakes that could be easily rolled onto the tops of the blocks.

They even drove rebar (which stands for RE-enforcement-Bar) into the corner blocks.  Vocabulary and masonry all mixed into one delicious lesson.  Oh, that makes my motherly homeschooling heart pound with glee.

Ta-Da!  The 3 1/2 hour block wall flowerbed…. constructed by three 15 year olds.  My dad plans to put red brick along the top for a decorative edge.  Mom wouldn’t stand for open block holes…. heaven forbid.

I’m so glad these kids have the opportunity to learn life-skills outside of the classroom.  They laughed.  They played ti-tac-toe in the wet mortar.  They sprayed each other with the hose.  And they learned how easy/hard it is to lay block.  On the way home we passed a block wall that crossed about 12 backyards.  The kids were in awe of how long that must have taken to build!  Fine job, my pupils!

Where is Mary when I need her???

I don’t know if Mary would have been much help, however, because this was not a little lamb.  Yes, today the seven pound fleece arrived in the mail (thank you, eBay!)…. this is for our homeschool study of sheep and weaving, for those who aren’t in the know. 

Can I just say that sheep stink and now I know why.  They have their fuzzy coats on for a year while they lie in the dirt and grass and walk in the barnyard… and I don’t think they wipe after they you-know-what.  I divided the wool into four semi-even pieces and bagged three of them for my fellow homeys.  I proceeded to pick off the poopy ends of my 25% and threw them out.  We picked out grass and hay and weeds and sticks and dirt and straw and twigs and … you get the picture.

That picture makes it look kind of clean… IT WAS NOT!  So I proceeded to put the smelly pile of wool into the kitchen sink…. I’m on sink #6 of clean water… HELP!  I don’t think this will ever be clean.  I used L.O.C. (liquid organic cleaner) but there is so much dirt and stick and pieces of undesirable tidbits.  Does anyone know what I should do?

The game plan is to dye it, card it, spin it and look at it…. I’m not sure if we will get to weaving or knitting at this point.  Please email your fellow sheep farmer and ask how they get their fleeces clean for me, OK?

Did I mention that I’m a city girl who only went on dirt roads with grandpa when he went to the dump in Heppner, Oregon?  (Read:  A little clueless here.)

HOW 1 ~ and HOW I’m Doing

HOW1 stands for History of the World and the 1 is the first of 4, making this Ancient History.  It is a homeschool High School course by Konos that includes History (duh!), English and Art.  Even though I’m feeling quite inadequate to teach this… I am.  I’m actually quite enjoying it… so far so good.  I have four students, all freshman, including my lovely daughter.  We have only made it through the four week introduction at this point.  Paleolithic… Neolithic…. AND next week is our first people group….  ooooooh.

Part of the reason I teach kids is because of the thrill of having them learn by doing.  I’ve read studies that show children remember 10% of what they read after two weeks, 30% of what they see and hear, and 90% of what they say and do.  I didn’t believe it seven years ago, but now I most certainly do. 

My children have been taught at home with Konos curriculum unit studies for seven years, so they think nothing of me announcing, “Today we are taping our thumbs to our hands for the whole day,”  or  “Today the boys of the family will be blind and the girls will help them,” or “We will be spending four hours in the playhouse as if it were the Mayflower.  Remember to bring rations,” or “Find the measuring tape, we’re marking off a runway at the park,” or “Make a medieval costume for yourself.”  You get the idea.  Not much rote book learning goes on here.  They have created Olympic events with skateboards and jumpropes.  They have floated out on a lake and taken soundings with their homemade equipment.  They have climbed through a WW2 B-52 Bomber and toured a tower at Sky Harbor Airport.  They have replicated every bodily function and noise with straws, balloons and tissue paper.  (My boys LOVED the Systems of the Body unit.)

Back to HOW1, not all of these kids have done this type of learning.  So last week I had them paint terracotta pots in some ancient art design.  They were so careful and turned out the prettiest pots.  Two days later I smashed them to bits and buried them in my backyard… for archaeological excavation, of course.  When they figured out what I had done, the shocked looks on their faces today were priceless!  I sent them out with brushes, dustpans, small hand tools and rubber gloves to excavate the flower beds.  They whined a bit about the heat, and it was a mere 95 degrees today.  I explained that in the regions we were studying it was hotter than Phoenix and those digging projects were years long… not 20 minutes.  Not air conditioned.  No breeze.  Just you and the paintbrush, lots of dirt, old bones and pots.  It’s not a pretty job, but some history-loving-nut has to do it.  The kids did make it fun, as highschoolers are known to do.

 I found ONE!

 I found FOUR!

 Am I in the right spot?

 I’m diggin’ this!

I’m not sure which brought more joy to my heart, the initial looks on their faces when they discovered potsherds or the final looks of disbelief when I told them to take them home and glue them back together for next week’s class.  Muuhuhuhhhaahahahahaha!  Archeology ROCKS!

An Ode to Homeschooling

This weekend is the AFHE (AZ Families for Home Education) convention downtown…. where thousands of women in denim jumpers and hair buns gather to share stories of how smart and ahead and brilliant their children are….  all due to homeschooling.  It’s awe inspiring.  Especially if you like denim.

I’m working at the Konos booth for the fourth or fifth year, helping the Hulcy family peddle their “Granddaddy of all Unit Studies.”  www.konos.com   It’s an easy sell for me because I’ve exclusively used it for seven years and KNOW it works.  Mi youngins aint flunked no subjekts yett.  An’ we’s jes gettin the ball bouncin’.

The Konos booth is a confessional of sorts for dismayed mothers who feel they have failed themselves, their children, their husbands, their relatives, and all mankind due to uncompleted unit studies.  They are amazed when I tell them that I have indeed failed with them.  And I’m proud to tell the story.  I’ve learned several ways NOT to end a unit.  Like hiding the book and pretending you never started the study.  Or rapidly closing the volume after at least one of your three children collapsed on the floor in grief when the ongoing unit was announced.  But I’ve also gathered several positive ending possibilities in my magic bag of tricks that the women drink in like living water.  OK, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but they are hungry for help, absolutely.

Here is my list of what I consider dumb questions that were asked of me today.  As my daddy always said, if you want a dumb answer, ask a dumb person.  Hey, if the shoe fits….

Q.  What happens if you skip third grade science?  A.  Do you remember what you studied in third grade science?

Q.  How do you keep track of where the kids are?  A.  Well, mine usually show back up at dinnertime.

Q.  Is there someone I can call for help at any time?  A.  Yes, dial 1-800-GOD-I-NEED-HELP.

And so the sarcasm continues in my brain as I stand there and smile at my fellow homeys.  I’m back at it tomorrow.  God, grant me the ability not to say what goes through my head… at least for one more day.  Amen.

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