The Bug is reading!!! I am so proud of him. We have been doing Starfall 3 days a week for 10-15 minutes at a time and he is reading short /a/ and short /e/ books with mostly CVC words and sight reading some of the others... but he is doing it! So in my moment of joy, I started panicking that maybe I am not doing enough for him. I need to buy him a ton of curriculum ASAP! I have a genious on my hands. I started looking at McRuffy and Abeka and Sing, Spell, Read, and Write... figuring out which would move him along the fastest. 

 

And then my brain   s l o w e d   down and my common sense kicked in. I remembered that I am a Charlotte Mason mom. All formal lessons to be short. Focus on the 3 R's at this age.... and that CM is working for us. So is Starfall. The Cat is word building on there and loving it. I highly recommend Starfall to anyone who will listen.

 

Now, I DO think that I need to expand what he has learned and decided on the simple and inexpensive Explode the Code 1 along with some BOB books... but to keep it short and sweet and FUN. I want both kids to LOVE learning. I will let you know how those books workout for the BUG.

I go on different boards or see friends on FB and they have these beautiful school rooms for their little ones. I am green with envy sometimes. We don't have one and we don't have the room for one. Our living situation is unique in that we live with my parents. Partially because I was very ill last year and went through a divorce and partially because it works for us. After a traumatic year, the kids are HAPPY here. Without their father in their lives (for the most part), my parents and I offer stability as a family unit that the need desperately right now. And in return, I get a little more help than most single moms!

That said... WE STILL HAVE NO ROOM FOR A SCHOOL ROOM... and even though we are following the CM method, I think it would be nice. But we are living proof that  homeschooling can be done without one. I have a desk filled with the weekly things I plan on accomplishing and a walk-in closet with book shelves that are overflowing and a ton of ever handy rubbermaid containers. We utlize the dining table for arts and crafts and I have a folding table I found at a garage sale that I pull out almost daily... ok, somedays, it STAYS OUT. I don't claim to be a neat freak ;-) When the weather was a bit nicer, we spent most of our reading time and learning time at the picnic table on the creek. I think NOT having a schoolroom does make for a more nuturing learning environment and one a little less "school-like"... but for a girl can dream... and make do in the meantime.

    

                                 

Why French?

We had a great homeschooling moment today. I was asking the kids what they will say when they go out on Halloween and the answer of course was "trick or treat". I then prompted them by saying "and what do you say when you get the candy?" and The Cat pipes up and says "merci". She didn't think twice about using the American word, which of course she knows.

I have been asked (often) why I am choosing French as the second language for the kids to grow up with. Partially, I think because Miss Mason advocated it, although these days CMer's choose almost any language in it's place. And partially because I did some research and found out these interesting facts:

* French is the 3rd most frequently spoken non-English language in US homes and the second most commonly taught foreign language in the United States (after Spanish).

* French is an official working language in dozens of international organizations, including the United Nations, International Olympic Committee, and International Red Cross.

* French is the lingua franca of culture, including art, cuisine, dance, and fashion. France has won more Nobel Prizes for literature than any other country in the world and is one of the top producers of international films.

* French is the second most frequently used language on the internet.

* French is ranked the 2nd most influential language in the world.

So taking all this into consideration, I am very pleased with our second language choice... and even more please that the kids are picking it up easily and asking to learn more vocabulary every day.

For the Birds

Today was a great day for The Bug. He and his Papa (my dad) built a bird houses for the Swallows when they return in the spring. The Swallows nest here under our eaves and the kids and I go on famously with a pair of them who had two nests of babies. The kids and I watched them build the nests, found the eggs shells after they hatched, and watched them grow. Now, as a gift to them, they will have new homes to nest in.

Our Baby Swallows

We love wild birds around here and I am working on putting together a winter bird study for us. They is so much young children can learn from birdwatching... and Miss Mason felt knowing details about specific birds was an attainment children should reach by age 6. We are going to start with Wild Finches, move onto Blue Heron's, and then Canadian Geese. I am very excited about this because we will be able to see the bird first hand and not be relegated to tales in books or pictures on the computer. Once I put it all together in PDF, I will offer the file (for free) here on the site.

The Bug's Birdhouse Project

Wow... it's been a while since I posted on here... life just kept getting in the way!!! We have been getting ready to hunker down for winter by enjoying every last bit of fall that we can... from nature walks to a day trip up north for fishing and checking out the beautiful fall colors to getting the summer toys put away.

 

The Bug has been steadily working his way through MEP Reception math and Starfall for reading and phonics. Two fabulous and FREE programs. The Cat is working her counting. This is a child who can memorize a song after hearing it three times, is starting to sound words out, but cannot grasp the concept of pre-math. Today, though, she counted to five... and not from memory. She knew was she was doing so that was a huge "YAY" in this house.

 

Tonight I will get a bit more posted on some math and crafts we have been doing. I just wanted to check in and let everyone know we are still here :-)

Whenever I see my mom friends post pictures of their kids arts and crafts projects on Facebook, I inwardly cringe. NOT because I don't want to see their little angels wonderful creations... but because, compared to my kids art, their kids art is so perfect. The cutting, the pasting, the drawing freehand, the use of a glue gun.... wait!!! The use of a glue gun? In a 3 year old? Ok... so maybe those kids get a little help from mom. Or maybe a lot of help.

 

To me, it is so important to let The Cat and The Bug create what they want to create. Self expression is so important. I never tell them they are doing a craft wrong or that maybe the tree doesn't look so much like a tree afterall. If I do it for them, correct their mistakes do more than gently guide them, I am telling them that what they are doing or making isn't right. And that is not a message that any parent should send to a young child. I would rather have boatloads of hideous art that was made by my kids than a whole bunch of art I made for them.

 

Today, I let them go to town with some finger paints in fall colors and asked them to draw Fall Trees. This is what they made.... on their own :-)

 

 

"BUT what about socialization?"

I knew it was coming. I had thought of numerous ways to respond before I was ever asked. I had played every scenario out in my mind for months. And here it was:

 

"WOW.... you blog looks great! It is so great that you homeschool. But.... ummmm.....don't you think going to preschool would be good for their socialization? It's SO important, you know."

 

OK... I admit it. I drew a total blank. I ended up politely saying something that sounded like a cavemans grunt attached to a "ummm.... yeah" Just great. My chance to practice my defense was shot to heck. But wait, WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO DEFEND MY DECISION FOR MY CHILDREN? Oh that's right, I don't. I didn't have to say that the public school system is nothing more than a automated cookie cutter production. I didn't have to say that I have no desire to allow my children to be brainwashed with liberal rhetoric. I didn't have to say that even if I had the $7000 a year per child to send them to the Community School, I would never send my kids to a school that taught the theory of evolution.... not to mention elitism! I didn't have to say that over socialization is proven to harm children under 6. I didn't have to say that homeschooling with give me a special bond with my children in a way you could never understand.

 

Nope... I didn't have to say any of that. All I had to say was "thank you for your input" and leave it at that.