Think! Challenge

Week Thirty-Four -- Geometrical Shapes
Place a box/bag of straws and a box of paperclips on the table. Tell your students to make the largest geometrical shape that they can (preferably 3D). Remind them that there are more shapes than a simple cube. They may use scissors in construction but not the solution.

AH grudgingly accepted this challenge and created the Triangular Pyramid below: (P.S. Mom just told AH the challenge and neglected to tell him it had to be as large as possible...Oooops!)

We found a great website to identify the actual shape. AH thought it was a pyramid, but since the only pyramids we knew had 4 sides, we weren't sure. So we were off to the computer to find out what he had created. We came up with this information on pyramids. What AH created is a triangle pyramid! A four sided pyramid is a rectangle pyramid. Here is a link to the main page of Interactives 3D Shapes Geometry.

Tug of War

I'm experiencing a lull.
AH doesn't seem interested in much. He grumbles and hems and haws about doing "stuff " escapes to the backyard anytime he thinks I'm not paying attention and is generally making himself very annoying.I realize I've drifted perilously close to "school at home" which I did not want to do with AH. He learns much differently than most kids and learning in a more hands on and visual way is the path I need to take. Instead, I am doing exactly what the school was doing to him and the reason we fled to homeschooling! He is close to shutting down again and it's my own darn fault!

I'm trying to back off.

But an internal tug of war is waging in my mind. On one hand I want him to find his own interests and we can explore them together. On the other hand I have a voice inside telling me that this is not the way school works! Where are the worksheet and reports and spelling lists? That way I have something to show for his "learning!"

We are taking a break from work sheets, problems and memorization. I feel guilty, though. I'm worried my husband will think that our days are filled with nothing but play and that we are wasting time. I know deep inside AH needs space and a more creative presentation of knowledge. Unfortunately, my husband looks at the notes AH leaves for himself and others and is appalled by AH's spelling. He wonders why we haven't worked on spelling. Why doesn't AH know his multiplication tables by heart? In these areas I guess I have been found lacking as a teacher. Don't get me wrong. Doug has been very supportive these past 2 years. And I know that those aren't the only measurements of a child. AH has a fantastic vocabulary, he can make reasoned arguments for a side or viewpoint, he has a memory that is almost infallible (until we deal with multiplication!) he has a sense of humor, he is reading on his own now and becomes a stronger reader every week. He loves history and geography and nature studies. Yet I still struggle for a balance between structure and spontaneous learning. I believe it is a struggle to me (and for Doug) only because I only know about learning from my own school background. All I know is worksheets and tests. But I also know that I didn't really learn much in school. I've forgotten most of it. Most of my knowledge has come from time spent with my mom and dad and adults I trusted. Books were so important to me (and still are) and I've learned from them. Experiences, travel, practice, trial and error. When I really think about it, those have been my real teachers in life!

I am trying to let go of my traditional thoughts on learning, albeit, slowly, and in spurts. I take heart in the fact that, at the very least, I'm moving in the right direction!

To that end, here are some of the wonderful learning experiences we've been sharing for the past week and a half:

Making Easter decorations.

An Easter T-Shirt

Easter Egg Coloring

Abstract Landscape
We have found a wonderful resource online, Art Projects for Kids, filled with ideas for teaching art to children. We are enjoying creating our own abstract art (in fact, this is something that AH has NOT complained about!!)

Happy Easter, Everyone!

International Bird Day

We are celebrating International Bird Day today! Look what we did:

Sketched:

Hung treats for our feathered friends:

Bought and hung a hummingbird feeder right outside AH's bedroom window, made our own nectar and filled it(sorry it's so fuzzy, I couldn't get it to clear up):

Put some egg candles around our Easter snow globe. Maybe we'll add some Easter grass to make it look more like a centerpiece!We read about birds in our Science Encyclopedia and looked through our favorite birding book: Wild About Birds: the DNR Bird Feeding Guide, by Carrol L. Henderson. Today we read about raptors moving in to urban areas because there are plenty of song birds (food) near feeders. There is always something interesting to read or to do in this book!

Hope you are all having a good day!

"His Wonderous Ball"

Many of you know that my husband, Doug, gave me a poem for Christmas. In it, he describes the relationship between our son, AH, and me. In it he mentions "his wonderous ball" which references the exersize ball that is key to AH's learning. I've promised to write about it, so here goes.

I was sitting with a group of homeschool parents at an indoor soccer center during our weekly indoor play afternoon almost 2 years ago. I was new. New to it all: homeschooling, education, the group. They were so very welcoming and inclusive. Somehow the conversation turned to the differences between the way boys learn and how girls learn. Someone mentioned that she had read an article about a study done in this area. She mentioned some boys learned more effectively by moving. This peaked my interest because my son, I had noticed since starting to homeschool, moved constantly. It drove me crazy. She mentioned that in the study they had given the boys exersize balls to sit on during school and their schoolwork had improved dramatically. Okay, I thought. I've already gone over the edge by homeschooling, why not try this idea, too?

I've never doubted that decision.

Well, that is not completely true. One afternoon about a month after we got him the ball, we were studying the revolutionary war and listening to Johnny Tremain on CD. AH was moving more than ever, doing flips on the ball, jumping on then off again (yes, it is possible to do that) and basically driving me insane. I was sure he wasn't listening at all. I stormed to the stereo, hit pause and asked him what was happening in the story. The answer I recieved was a calm and precise narration of the recent events of the story. I was shocked. He had never before given me such a detailed and articulate response in my requests for information. I sheepishly walked back to the stereo, pressed play, and I have kept my irritation to myself! It can still drive me crazy at times, but I know it works for him and I know my comfort cannot be the deciding factor in this issue.

Here are some pictures of AH on his wonderous ball, none of which do justice to the skill and coordination he has mastered! He's usually not this active when we are learning, but it's pretty cool what he can do!

School in the Waiting Room

AH and I have been sitting in this waiting area of a local hospital for 6 hours today. My father is having a procedure done to destroy prostate cancer cells they discovered 3 weeks ago. The nice thing about our homeschooling is that we can take school with us wherever we go. The bad thing about homeschooling is that we can take school with us wherever we go!! AH isn't able to move around as much as he does at home and it really shows in his attitude and his ability to process new information (and his patience...and, for that matter, mine, is nil!!!) So he isn't really a poster child for homeschooling today. We've gotten some strange looks, but overall, we've had a good day. We've done some fluffy stuff (more than usual): origami, Hans Christian Andersen author study, and logic puzzles along with the meatier subjects, but those went by the wayside fast. I now know how important his exersize ball is to his learning. He explained to me that he gets sleepy and lethargic when he can't move around! I'll post later about his ball...we are off to lunch!

Spring Break Time!

Ahhh. Spring break came at just the right time for me this year. I was feeling overwhelmed, agitated, frustrated, and tired when we walked onto the airplane that was to take us south. It seemed that the minute we walked out into the steamy night, my worries dissolved into the heat. We were to be in Florida for one blessed week. No schedules, no worries, no cooking, and no laundry!!! Funny how we managed to learn A LOT in that one week...just by having fun! AH and AN saw the shuttle from their window seats on the plane shortly after its launch!

We visited the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

We chased waves in Madiera Beach.

We challenged the waves on Cocoa Beach!

We fed Giraffes!

We watched a very brave (or very stupid) man feed alligators.

We fed baby alligators! We found shells.

We visited the Kennedy Space Center with an old college friend.

We read on the beach,

we tasted new seafood, we learned to get along with each other again!

My daughter spent time with our friends (who are also baseball parents) and told us she really likes our little group.

And we remembered why we love each other and why we can also drive one another crazy!!! I learned not to text my 17 year old son too much. This was after being lectured by my 23 year old daughter. I learned how big a hole there is in our family when one isn't there with you!

AD, our 17 year old son, went on his own vacation with his high school baseball team. They went to Cocoa Beach, Florida to practice and scrimmage with teams from all over the United States.

AD pitching

AD batting

Of course we managed to get over to that side of the Florida peninsula to watch him play. But I missed him being with us. I missed his humour, his wit, and his ability to get me to believe just about anything he says!!!

Lucky for me, his sister, AN, joined us on our vacation, so the hole wasn't gaping wide. It was nice to spend time with my oldest, who is on her own now. She actually made it through the week without having to go to a psychotherapist during the week (I can't claim she hasn't gone since we got back!!!). I got to rediscover the beautiful person she is! She made me laugh, got me to do some girly things with her (Shopping...then more shopping), and joined me in a cocktail or two. (yes, she is legally able to drink, she just looks young!) AH enjoyed having her around. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed spending time with her littlest brother. He was only 6 when she left home to go off to college. She and her dad, my husband, are completely nuts together and the jokes and sarcastic comments flowed freely. I haven't laughed so much in a long time.

So here I sit, now at home. I have a new perspective on life, school, and my family. Breaks are a very good thing!