January School Days

Very Proud of Our Flowers!

We had so much fun with the paperwhite project. It was exciting to watch the pods swell  and then burst forth with flowers. All of the children decided that growing flowers inside is something that we need to do a lot more of. It really does give you a wonderful opportunity to witness the hourly changes. 

At one point they were measuring how quickly one pot was growing vs. the other and tried to figure out why. 

Their findings were inconclusive. :o) 

I enjoyed the discussion and found their deductive reasoning skills to have grown since the last time I saw them in action.

I love the small hints of progress.

Auri's Classroom

Auriana often holds school sessions in her room for the babies. I find this to be a lovely way to "assess" what she's learned. 

Much more informative than any test I could give her.:o)

(I also have to add that I find it nothing short of AMAZING that she can keep the hooligans attention for the amount of time it takes her to tell a story. The littles love their special time with Auri.)

Acting out the Story that Auri told

Then she always invites them closer to become a part of the retelling. When I watch Auri interacting with her little brother and sister I can see what a great mom she's going to be.  I am so happy that all this hands on experience will be something she can rely on as she builds her own family.

Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to have children and just KNOW what to do with them without having to read a zillion books on the subject? 

KNOW how to homeschool without having to constantly research and research your techniques as you struggle to bring a living education to your child?

KNOW how to knit without having to find the videos on YouTube?

KNOW how to draw without having to reference a book? 

KNOW how important warmth is?

KNOW that less can be so much more?

These are the important lessons. The history may one day be forgotten. Much of the math may never be used. Sentences can be built without knowing the differences between noun and verb. 

But the meals that they will cook each day, the children they nurture, the LIFE they will build....These are the skills that are so important that they CAN NOT be placed to the side.

They must be the CORE subjects. 

If culture is to grow then LIFE must cease being an extra curricular. 

LOVE must be so important that nothing else is allowed to take its place.

CURIOSITY must be nurtured.

DILIGENCE must be addressed.

CREATIVITY must be focused on. 

I'm glad that we have the freedom to keep these front and center.

 

Sometimes our Classes look like this...

Sometimes like this....

Kissy loves music any way she can get it.:o)

Auto shop I

Oil Change

Looks like it's about done.

Always remember to put the plug back in.

Oil filters are hard to remove.

I just got my hands wiped off so I could get them dirty?

This is much trickier than it looks.

If you think oil filters are bad, Tires are worse! 

You have to be a ninja with superhuman strength!

It's the only way.

Tyler may not have ninja status, 

but he can air up a tire with the best.

And it does let him exercise his superhuman concentration.:o)

Today I'm thankful for boys 

who take the time to learn basic car maintenance 

and 

the men who take the time to teach them!

My Handwork Class

Class Supplies

It took more than one basket to take all the yummies to my Intro to Fiber Arts class today. I wanted to give the children an overview of different types and classes of fiber. 

So I took a little bit of everything.

The Hidden Treasures

Superfine Merino

Superfine Merino with Bamboo

We did a lot of compare and feeling of different grades and types of fiber. Cotton, Alpaca, 8 different wools in several different grades. Went over micron counts and prickle factors. Looked at raw wool vs. processed wool and compared all of those to the acrylic I took in too. It sounds very complex, but I think they got a pretty good idea of the topics.

Two Ply Handspun.

I showed lots of different plys and the how's and why's of plying. Talked about balanced yarns and how it affected the final product. Which led us into different types of drop spindles.

My limited examples of drop spindles.

Then we moved into our project for today. Which was picking our wool apart to card next week. We went over how clumpy it is when you start and how it looks when you finish. The how's and why's of picking were discussed.

The Starting Point.

Then I made the one boy in my class VERY happy as I brought out the "Box of DEATH". Which is the only way I can think of my picker. I love it because it's safer than any of the other's I've seen. It was also much less expensive.

The Box of Death.

Each child had a turn with their wool. Then they labeled their bags and I did a teaser demo with the drop spindles that they will be working with next week. They all seemed really excited. I hope it's as fun. They're a great group of kids.

 

Ready for carding and spinning.

The comedian's wool.

                                                  There's always at least one.:o)

School's In Session

Interrupted by Mom.

We've spent the last couple of weeks working on reviews and  the beginnings of new projects. We warmed up the first day with super easy math reviews and reminders. We started our rhythm of 'Math Mornings' and it's been a huge success!

One of the things we've struggled with in the past was our math practice. I had it scheduled at the end of the morning and it was the WRONG place for it. We were more concerned with what we were having for lunch than we were with building our skills.:o)

Now we jump into math right after breakfast. Not only is this keeping us focused, it also ensures that we actually get it done. Another thing we've had trouble with in the past. 

That's something that I didn't realize when I started homeschooling. How very fast the week would get away from me. It seems like I plan things on Sunday and then all of a sudden it's Thursday and we've not completed as much as I'd hoped.

That was something I really evaluated before we began this year. Was I planning too much? Too little? What exactly was the problem? My rhythm? My expectations? Behavior? What did I need to adjust?

I think so far that my evaluations we on target. Although I will always observe and adjust throughout the year I'm excited that I might finally know what I'm doing.

Or it might just be that I finally have a supportive environment to do the things that I want the children to do. That is something that has often been missing from my life and I have to say that having it is a truly wonderful thing.

Auri creating a math story for the littles.

Auriana has been creating math stories for the children. I hope that it isn't too awakening for them. Not that I've done a great job of guarding their 'sleep'. But it's something that I'm aware of now, so I see it a lot. 

I wish that I had understood how important reading Steiner is back when I first fell in love with Waldorf Education. I don't know if it would have made a difference, but I might have had more conviction about my choices if I had learned some of the things I'm learning now.

 I know I will be amazed if I ever get to attend actual teacher training one day. I can only imagine how wonderful having like minds and a nurturing environment would be.  

Then again, I might find it too judgemental and restrictive. You can never tell until you're there.

So for now Auri's reinforcing things she knows while practicing her drawing and story crafting skills. And the little ones are eating it up.:o)

 

Tyler Occupies the Littles.

I asked Tyler to take Ronan and Kiska for an outdoor adventure so that Auri could have some peace while we began learning what multiplication meant. 

I saw them whizz by on the bike on their way to the track. All three of them on Tyler's bike. Kissy was wearing my 'muddy boots' and hanging on for dear life on the back. Ronan was wearing Kissy's 'muddy boots' and hanging on for dear life on the front. Tyler was struggling to pump the pedals and control the handle bars with his 'burdens'.  

I said nothing, except for a little prayer that there would be no broken bones or stitches, took the picture then got on with our lesson.

They made it back in one piece, with the children in high spirits over the specialness of Tyler being in charge. 

Ruddy cheeks, shining eyes, big smiles. 

The marks of outdoor pleasure.

Kissy's two best friends.

"BATTLE!!!!"

Our Beloved Chess Board in Action.

We are FAR from chess masters, but this is the most common game in the house. I would say that we have at least 20 games a week.....often more. Ronan LOVES the chess set. 

He knows that the pawns go on the front line and the king and queen go in the middle of the back but the rest of his setup is open to imagination.:o) 

He knows that the pieces "battle" but he's not all that sure of how each piece is supposed to move. Since he's only four I only request that he play the pieces "properly" with me. The big kids try a little too hard to get him to have some kind of strategy. That wasn't working out....lol. 

So with them, he just plays.

 

It's kind of a modified checkers....sort of...and he doesn't use the pieces properly.  But he has a lot of fun.

Auri has learned to join in the spirit of the game.

Because when Ronan "does battle"......

It's ALWAYS exciting!