Homeschool Curriculum

Many of you have asked about what homeschool curriculum we are using. Two months in, and I really love what we are doing right now. It took me a little while to find my way amongst the all of the vastly different homeschool curriculums and education philosophies. I can't say it's right for everyone, but it's really working for us for now. I'm sure we will evolve as life continues to change.

My educational philosophy is a buffet that offers a little of everything - un-schooling, literature-based, classical, Waldorf, Montessori, and probably others too. I had a love-hate relationship with school, and I really want to pass on the good parts of my educational experience and withhold the negatives for my own children, while morphing my curriculum to meet each child's individual interests and learning styles at their level. I'd like to skip the boredom, repetition, compartmentalization, in-applicability, and lack of self-direction that can be present in compulsory education. And I want my children to love to learn. I want to foster creativity, independence, self-motivation, exploration and a passion for life and learning. I want them to feel challenged and for them to feel like there is always room for growth and expansion.

And I want my children to be happy, care-free, and enjoy life, while still being prepared for whatever dreams they want to pursue.

As an over-thinking, introspective, perfectionist, I have spent a great deal of time thinking and searching for how to practically turn my vision into every-day life. After obsessing about homeschooling a little too much, I finally found peace when I started following my children's lead: looking at what they love to do and what they get excited about.

And as far as being prepared for life beyond childhood, I realized that if you can read, write, and reason well, then you can be successful at anything. So, I think that sums up a lot of the theoretical that I have been thinking about. Here are the specifics...

The Specifics

Sonlight

Sonlight makes up the core of our curriculum. It is a literature based curriculum that focuses on reading classic literature. By reading books, we are covering history, reading, and science. Right now, we are finishing up P 3/4 and are starting P 4/5  While I love that Sonlight does all the planning and scheduling for me, and I can fall back on it if I need to, we are currently moving at our own pace and I am letting the boys direct what and how much we read. (Hence, why we are finishing up our year of curriculum after only two months...they really love reading)

We ARE editing some of the curriculum. I'm not using a few books, and I'm adding to it in areas that are lacking. For instance, Dmitri is very interested in the earth, dirt, bugs, worms, etc. So I have added 6-8 books on those specific topics. (Like this cool Beetle Book!)

Math
We use math every day. When they help me bake, when we count, when we look at the clock or read the page numbers of our books. They like to play with money. Right now, I feel that is more than enough.

When Dmitri has learned to write his numbers, we plan to start Life of Fred. I wish I had this when I was in school! (Maybe I wouldn't have hated math.) It makes math applicable and humorous, and avoids laborious homework assignments. Seriously, I am in love with this math curriculum.

Handwriting
Dmitri has a Handwriting Without Tears workbook that he works in when he wants to. He enjoys using it, as if it were a coloring book.

Projects
Sonlight is not very hands-on/project oriented, and this is something that my boys and I really enjoy. So we add in fun activities that we come up with together. Last week, we traced and cut out the boys bodies, and then taped on all of the body parts (which I had printed) that we had learned about in the human body book that we had just read.

Field Trips
I try to find field trips that are related to something we are learning about. A few weeks ago, we drove to Atlanta for a Peter Rabbit Puppet show (we just finished reading "The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit"). They loved it, and so did I!

Extra-curriculars
The boys go to an open gymnastics once a week, which they absolutely love. Once they outgrow this weekly event, I think they will want to take gymnastics classes. It's such a great way for them to get out some energy and test their physical limits.

In the Spring, we plan to do a wilderness program once a week (where they hike in the woods for 3 hours). I adore the idea of a forest kindergarten, and I think this will be a great addition to our week.

All of that say, homeschooling is really just laid back and fun as I follow my littles' natural interests and pace, and we are learning so much. And there is just enough structure that this planner doesn't go crazy.

The First Week with Three (Three and Under)

-Eleanor sleeps, eats, and poops. A lot.
-She is so quiet and sweet. David is worried that her "crier" is broken.
-When she is awake, she is ridiculously strong and active. Dmitri says, "Look! The baby is learning to swim!"
-Dmitri and Damon are smitten. And surprisingly gentle.
-They have given me a few scares- trying to carry her, accidentally jumping on her, "sharing" tomatoes with her. Well-intentioned, but I feel like she isn't safe unless I'm holding her.
-Where am I supposed to lay her down?!
-My boys cannot handle being out of routine. That part has been really rough.
-David went back to work yesterday. I wasn't ready, but he sure was. It will be nice to try to navigate and figure out our "new normal" life though. I just wish I had another week to rest first.
-We had our first public outing to Treehouse Kid and Craft (one of my favorite Athen's stores) a couple days ago.
-I took all three little ones out by myself for the first time yesterday to playgroup. It went pretty well, but wore me out. I could have gone to sleep at 6 PM.
-It's so strange having three carseats. I love our van so much though; it's so easy to get all three littles in and out.
-I have been singing, "Five in the bed and the little one said, roll-over, roll-over." It's our new family theme song.
-Cloth diapering from minute one and going great; I feel like we finally have it down!
-I'm going to need a much bigger diaper bag.
-I feel like a first time mom all over again.
-I had forgotten some of the joys of breastfeeding...like engorgement and leaking milk.
-Her birth story is in progress.
-I am loving taking photos of our new littlest one. Hopefully I will get to take her "official" newborn ones in the next day or two.
-I'm so thankful for our community right now; friends have set up a meal train which is such a blessing. I have felt so loved and supported during this pregnancy, birth, and post-partum period.
-We are going to survive. I think. = )

This Season.

My infrequent blog posts are becoming more of a normal thing than I would like. On the one hand, I miss blogging more. But on the other, the reason I've been more quiet is because of how full my life is right now. Mostly in a good way. Little thoughts that could be longer posts, but a look into life right now:

Dmitri and Damon have become even more rambunctious and demanding of my time and intervention. I think that I was quite lucky that they played so well together from the time Damon was 6 months until nearly 2 years old. Over the last couple months they have become increasingly more challenging. I am not sure if it's just their own developmental stages or less structure in our lives over the last couple months, but some days it just seems like the day is one constant fight. Navigating this has required us to make some lifestyle and schedule changes- honestly, just keeping ourselves more involved, busy, and playing with friends. They both love to "go." The last thing that Dmitri says before we say goodnight is "Let's talk about what we are going to do tomorrow." In the morning, Damon wakes up saying "Ready?!!!!! GO!!!!" I am eternally thankful that we had children when we did, even if it was younger than we originally planned. I am not sure that I would have the energy to keep up (and at full-term with baby # 3, I feel like my head is bobbing under the water rather frequently these days).

Friends. We have some wonderful old friends, and are continuing to make new ones. I feel so lucky to live in a place where there are kindred spirits to be found. I've really felt recently how important it is to invest in relationships and build community. I don't think it comes naturally, and I choose to make this a big priority for me and the little ones too.

Springtime is here, and is probably the busiest season for us. I think it's my favorite (although, I think I say this every time a new season comes!) There are so many fun things to do in Athens this time of year. Farmer's market, festivals, enjoying the outdoors before it's too buggy, muggy, and wretchedly hot.

With the fading of winter, I am ready to be done with all of the illness that we have been dealing with since last August. One (or all) of us has been sick every two weeks since August. I have been researching and reading, seeking any and all knowledge on the immune system. I have always been fairly health conscious, and we eat a whole foods diet, so it's not new to me. But something really needs to change for us. It's greatly effecting our quality of life. The first steps we are taking is extremely limiting all added sugar (pretty much no sugar with the exception of what occurs in fruit and a small amount of dark chocolate), making sure that we are getting a minimum of 30 minutes of direct sunlight every day, going to bed earlier, and eating less dairy (and switching to raw dairy) and less, but only, whole grains. All in all, we are just trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. We will see where this leads us and what we need to do next. Here's to hoping for well children this summer, and a well new baby!

And springtime means planting. My "planting day" yesterday is clearly becoming a planting week. As long as my garden is in before the baby arrives, I will be content. Hopefully sooner though. My belly gets in the way, my back aches, and the heat is already bothering me (It is in the upper 80's in the afternoon!) I've spent a couple hours each morning weeding, composting, and digging, and I have one bed fully planted. Just three more to go...my seedlings are looking happy and the only plants that I bought this year are a couple of tomato plants. I'm excited about re-arranging my garden layout and I'm going to give some pretty crazy trellising a try to maximize my garden space. I am also planting a bigger herb garden this year, which I am excited about. We will be growing 7 varieties of tomatoes, cucumber, yellow squash, okra, kale, brocolli, eggplant, melon, and watermelon (plus herbs). Not a huge variety, but they are all things that we eat a lot of! I would love to try to do some potatoes if I get around to it.

Aside from gardening, we are still busy pre-baby project-ing. Several building projects are close to finished, and we are installing a farm fence around our property this weekend. I am excited to have a contained space for the little ones to play. I'm hoping that it will put less stress on me, as I re-learn taking care of a newborn while chasing 2 other growing ones around. And hopefully I really will have some photos soon.

Speaking of photos. I have an SD card thief on the loose. I am suspecting that Damon has been taking my SD card out of my computer after I upload photos. I've lost two in the past two weeks this way....and so my photo taking has been limited. I need to find them so that I can 1. Post photos to the blog 2. Take a bunch of photos of my two boys while I only have two boys and 3. Be ready to take a gazillion photos of baby # 3 (I'm getting the photo props ready! Pom pom hats, hair bows (?))

For now, iPhone photo dump:

 35 weeks on Easter

Honeypops - our Saturday morning farmer's market ritual 

A little sneak of one of our building projects. This laundry basket organizer is seriously changing my life.

Happy Easter

Wishing you a very happy Easter weekend!
Here are some shots from our Easter photo shoot a couple weeks ago.

All photos taken by me with my Nikon D7000 & f/1.8 35mm & 50mm lenses.

Our Easter bunny will leave a jelly bean trail to Easter baskets filled with books, art supplies, and pez dispensers (an Easter tradition when I was a child!)

Marshmallow, First the Egg, Modeling Beeswax, Left-Handed Scissors (for my TWO left-handed children), Glue sticks, & Hello Kitty Pez dispensers (by request).

Happy Spring!!!

Damon is Two.

It's hard to believe it's been two years since the day Damon August joined our family. I cannot even begin to express how blessed and lucky I am to have this rambunctious, delightful, adorable, hilarious, energetic boy as a part of our family.

Happy, happy birthday my sweet boy.
We love you so much!
I hope that you are as excited as I am about all of your birthday surprises and celebrations today!

Just because it's beautiful, and they don't stay little for long.

You know that little schedule that I have? Some days call for throwing it out the (open) window, and taking candid photos of sweet little ones on a beautiful, sunny, wishing-it-were-spring day. And that's ok. The dishes will get done, eventually. (And because of that wonderful little schedule, I'm not behind and don't feel the littlest amount of guilt about putting a few off to capture these precious boys.)

Happy Tuesday!

(Dmitri: 3.5 years old; Damon: 22 months)

Homeschool Days

Dmitri, who is 3.5, absolutely loves to read books. For hours. And hours. And Damon likes to join us, and when he gets bored he'll go play for a minute or two on his own, and then come back and read some more.

As I've considered different pre-school options and curriculum, I wanted most of all to follow my little ones' cues and interests. This had led me to procure a library card at our local library, and to create a book list of quality reading for pre-schoolers. Weekly, we've been going to the library and checking out  a stack of books. The little ones love it.  I love it almost as much as they do. And it's nice that I don't have to read the entire "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" Treasury multiple times per week.

And while I hope to incorporate some art projects, field trips, and other exploratory and hands on activities as a part of our little homeschool pre-school, reading makes up the bulk of it right now (of course, we also do our circle time, and our daily/weekly household activities- bread-baking, cooking, gardening, etc).

As I was thinking of a way to chronicle our readings, I decided a photo might be best of all for now. And so from time to time, I will post a peak into our little homeschool.

These are the books we read this week (many, many times each).

Dmitri's favorite: Winter Days In the Big Woods (adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder).
Damon's favorite: First the Egg by Seeger
Mama's favorite: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

But really, all of them were wonderful.

Handmade Christmas Gifts Round-Up 2012

Now that Christmas has come and gone, and all the gifts have been opened, I am looking back at my goal of having a 100% handmade Christmas and feeling very fulfilled. While I did not accomplish it (is 100% really a realistic goal?! Haha!), I came very close. And I had so much fun this holiday season. Since I didn't share much on the blog before Christmas (you never know who might read it and I sure hate to ruin surprises!), I wanted to post my favorite projects from this year - to cherish and remember, and maybe to inspire you for a gift-giving occasion in the future!

Waldorf Doll
This was by far the most time consuming of my projects. I've been working on my first handmade Waldorf doll for months. A few hours here, a couple hours there. I got design input from Dmitri (it needed long hair and had to be a girl). I primarily followed this tutorial here. And I used this hair tutorial.  I added a belly button on my own! And I knitted the little scarf. Hopefully she will have some more clothes soon. = ) And she will definitely be getting her own blog post with more details.

Dmitri with his doll and matching scarfs (more fox scarf photos below)

Kool-aid Dyed Playsilks
I ordered silk scarves from Dharma Trading Co. for about $5 a piece, and then dyed them with koolaid. There are a lot of tutorials online. I looked at several, but they generally followed the same concepts. I boiled them on the stove since I don't have a microwave (some use microwaves, some use stoves). I was really happy with how they turned out, and I must admit, it was super fun trying different colors of koolaid. I want to make more...the littles seem to like them too!!

Maps of France Tile Coasters
I made the coasters for about $3 using tiles from Lowe's, cardstock, and Modge Podge. I printed the cardstock with antique maps of France that I found via google, cut them to size, applied them with modge podge, and then sealed them using 6 layers of modge podge (I applied a layer about every 20 minutes, and then allowed them to dry completely). Pretty simple, and I love how they turned out. I want a set for myself!

Fabric Baby Book
This gift is for my newest niece, and was very time-consuming, but very rewarding. The fabric book features photos of all of her family (at least, immediate family, grandparents, and cousins). I printed photos using printable cotton fabric, sewed them onto pages, and then sewed the pages together with cotton batting in the middle. It is about 8 x 8. I was inspired by Soule Mama. But I mostly winged it, since I couldn't find a good tutorial. I will probably post more details in a separate post.

Felt Fox Applique Scarf
 I knitted this little scarf (my first completed knitting project!) for Dmitri using 100% alpaca. I then cut out pieces from 100% wool felt, glued them together, and then sewed them onto the scarf by hand. I found a little fox ornament made of felt, and used it as inspiration for cutting the pieces.

It was very fulfilling making each of these gifts, and I am so glad that I challenged myself to a handmade Christmas. I am looking forward to trying new things next year (soap-making?!), and improving my knitting skills so that I can give more knitted gifts. But one thing is for sure- creating leaves me feeling incredibly happy, and I should live always creating, in some way or another.

Happy Holidays!