Learning Pockets

I've just stumbled across Evan-Moors "Pockets" series. These things are awesome! I feel like, "Why didn't someone tell me about these?" so I am telling you!

Pockets come in "History Pockets","Literature Pockets", and "Theme Pockets", and are available in different grade ranges. The History Pockets cover an event/time period, i.e., Colonial America, Exploration, The Mayflower, and include facts, a picture dictionary, craft ideas complete with reproducibles, writing assignments, like "pretend you're on the Mayflower. write a letter home describing your voyage" (I made that up but you get the idea). Then you assemble all your work together into a folder, or "Pocket".

The Literature Pockets include topics like,  Caldecott Winners, Aesop's Fables, Folk Tales and Fairy Tales, and Nursery Rhymes.

"Theme Pockets" cover the months, seasons, and weather.

These are exactly the kind of things I've been looking for. I prefer to read the kids library books as opposed to textbooks, but I need some sort of guideline so I know I'm not forgetting something. Now I can get the Pocket, check out corresponding books, and the cool crafts are already included!

The Pockets run between $10-$15.

Amazon's "Buy now with 1-Click" is very dangerous for me.

 you can get Pockets by following this link: gimme pockets!

Drop some A-bomb in your baby's mouth

Our rejection of traditional schooling as a family really has less to do with school itself and more to do with the machine running the school: the state. Call us crazy. Call us conspiracy theorists. Call us paranoid. We just don't appreciate big government telling us what to do, what to think, and especially...what to feed our kids.
So I was a little troubled the first week of kindergarten when Gracie brought home a permission slip to go to the nurse's office for weekly fluoride treatments. It just seemed very...Orwellian.

I've never given my kids fluoride. My mother fed me little pink tablets every morning at breakfast faithfully, starting when I was three years old. You know what? Almost every tooth in my head is filled. So when I had kids, it wasn't so much that I was opposed to fluoride; I just didn't think it worked. But when the doctors wanted to prescribe my baby drops containing the stuff to squirt in her mouth, it made me uneasy. Maybe it was the warning on the toothpaste label not to ingest fluoride? hmmm...I started researching it on my own, and everything I read confirmed my suspicion that I shouldn't feed this to my babies. But I'm just a dumb housewife, what do I know? At every well visit the doctors tell me I should get a prescription for Poly-Vi-Fluor, and every time I say no thanks. It's been like this for years, but they won't relent. One time I assured the doctor that even though I didn't give them fluoride, they still took multivitamins. "Well great!" the doctor snorted angrily, "but that's NOT going to help their teeth!"

Last week I took Luke to get routine bloodwork. To my surprise, the doctor called me the next day and said he was slightly anemic. His iron was off by one point. Ok, I thought, I can puree up some spinach and cook him eggs for breakfast... the nurse said they would prescribe him an iron supplement. I picked it up two days later.

Poly-Vi-Fluor with Iron.

Big Brother strikes again.

I told myself it was really no big deal. I took fluoride and I don't have cancer(yet). He's not going to die on the spot if I squirt some fluoride in his mouth.

I opened the package.

I looked at Luke.

I can't do it.

Call me crazy, but I can't squirt rat poison in my baby's mouth. Did you know fluoride is one of the main ingredients in rat poison? But don't worry, there's only a little rat poison in fluoride supplements. Stalin used fluoridated water to subdue prisoners and Hitler followed his example after he saw the mind-numbing effects it had on people. It was also the main ingredient in the atomic bomb. The government started marketing fluoride to the public as a cover-up to avoid pay outs for damages caused by fluoride during the making of the A-bomb. By making everyone believe it was beneficial, there was no case left against them. And what do you do with all the extra fluoride left over after making an A-bomb? Dump it in the water on military bases, of course! And so public water fluoridation was born.

Fluoride is a proven carcinogen, causes brain damage, bone damage, lower IQ, bone cancer in males, ironically- tooth damage- the list goes on. I know I should probably cite all kinds of sources here, but I'm lazy. Of course, all the sources I've read may not be true. I got a lot off the internet. They could all be fabrications of conspirators like myself. What makes me believe they are true? The FDA's track record.

Interestingly though, the American Dental Association has publicly announced that fluoride should not be given to infants under one.

I called Luke's doctors back and they were helpful. Even though I feel like they push it sometimes, I do like them. They do respect my decision and gave me some alternatives.

Here's a link you can read for yourself, recommended by me, the homeschooling-anti-fluoride-take-down-big-government-let's-go-shoot-some-guns-wacko:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/

The Name War

The moment I found out I was pregnant with Gracie, I knew two things: I was having a girl, and we would name her Gracie. I don't know how I picked her name. I didn't go through a list or agonize over it like I did my boys (we decided on Caleb's name in the hospital parking lot), I just knew it. I never considered any other names. But as my due date grew closer, we decided we should make her given name Grace, because it would sound more mature when she grew up, and call her Gracie. So from day one she was Gracie to everyone but the doctor's office, who have to call her what's on the birth certificate. No biggie.

Fast forward to kindergarten.

At kindergarten orientation, her teacher gave me a name tag that said Grace. I took it and said, "Oh just so you know, she goes by Gracie." She looked at me very seriously and said, "We don't use nicknames. Children need to know their proper name."

Oh.

So all year the school called her Grace. I continued writing Gracie on everything- backpack, lunchbox, notes to the teacher, permission slips- but they refused to call her Gracie. Now I know technically, I named her Grace. But can't I call her whatever I want? What about all the Roberts called Bobby? Or the Williams called Will? the Amandas called Mandy? the Katherines called Katie?

But now kindergarten is behind us. We have no one to report to, no stuff to label. Gracie doesn't even write her name on her papers. I could call her Boogerhead if I wanted. Sometimes I do.But guess what? Gracie will not stop writing Grace. Or introducing herself as Grace. She has been reprogrammed that she is Grace.

I gave her the choice. I asked her which she liked better. She shrugged and said, "either one's fine". So I told her to stick with Gracie, but she still goes back and forth.

It really bugs me. It's not the name itself so much as the knowledge that someone from outside our family made her switch. If she decided all on her own to be Grace, I would have no problem with it. But it was kinda forced on her. I've actually entertained the idea of legally changing it to Gracie, so there would be no more debate. But really, what a waste of time and money over an "i".

Now -this may sound like I'm making a huge deal out of nothing- but it seems to me like a good illustration of how school as a state institution undermines families. It's like while she was in those four walls I didn't even have a say in what her name was. And if I don't have a say in something as deeply personal as that, what else don't I have a say in?

Butting Heads

I've been having a frustrating day. No, week. Month. Actually, it's an issue that has always been present, it just "flares up" more from time to time. When it flares up, it skews my view of my kids, myself, almost my whole life. I guess that sounds dramatic, but it's how I feel from time to time.

Caleb is my little buddy. He worships the ground I walk on. In his eyes, I can do no wrong. According to him, I make the bed good. My hair "wooks" good. He actually thanks me after I wipe him in the bathroom. He holds the door for me when I unload groceries, without being asked.  He is all hugs and kisses to me. His name is the literal word for "dog" and carries the idea of faithfulness. That's Caleb. If  anybody crosses me, they better watch out. They will have 30 lbs and 32 inches comin' at them.

Gracie on the other hand, seems like she is always out to prove me wrong. She loves letting me know when I forget things. She loves correcting me if I misquote someone. She is a know-it-all, and loves to be the boss. Sometimes I feel like she's just waiting to throw me under the bus. The problem is, we are too much alike. We both have strong personalities, and as a result, we butt heads a lot, and it makes homeschooling really difficult sometimes.

Just this morning, she was working on a craft. She tried to glue something, turn it over, and then color it. The glue was running everywhere, and she was frustrated. I tried to show her that she had to let the glue dry, and I got excuses why it would work the way she planned. I told her to practice piano, and when I corrected her hand position, (at her teacher's request!) I got excuses why it was too hard that way. And so it goes for most of our life- if I correct handwriting, she says she's doing it the way her teacher in public school showed her- if I correct math, she will explain that, in fact, when she used the counters, the sum WAS nine. She is so very worried about being wrong, that she will just give up and not try. If she doesn't know an answer immediately, she doesn't want to think through and venture a guess. She wants to to be right. She cannot, she WILL NOT, be wrong. And it gets under my skin like nothing else. It makes me angry, and disappointed. It makes me want to scream and punish.It makes me feel like a horrible teacher, and a horrible mom. It makes me feel like giving up and sending her to school.

But then I think, What would that solve? What would that teach her, except, "yeah mom is wrong and you need a school and teacher to learn things"?  Or worse, "mom gave up on me"? As frustrating as it is, I think it shows that she needs homeschooling more, so she can learn to respect me. And I think she does, for the most part. I think the problem is maybe more about herself than me. I think she has a pride problem. I think she's also a perfectionist and being wrong embarrasses her. I think as she matures and grows in the Lord she will learn, as I did, that she doesn't know everything, and she'll experience the freedom that realization brings. I think I'm probably an easy target for her know-it-all-ness. I think we all probably treat our moms the worst of anyone in our lives, because we know they are the one person, the only person, who will truly love and accept you just the way you are. The only person who will forgive you for all the times you dump on them.Your dad, your siblings, your spouse- they all have their limits. But your mom never moves, no matter how hard you push her.

I don't have the solution. There probably isn't one. This is who Gracie is, and this is who I am, and all we can do is work through times like this. Deep down I know I'm not a failure, but I sure do feel that way sometimes. And I know Gracie loves me and looks up to me in a lot of ways. But she can frustrate me so quickly!

Ironically, Gracie being proud keeps me humble, and Gracie being a know-it-all shows me...I don't know-it- all.

Practical Tips

One of the most challenging aspects of homeschooling is not finding curriculum or making space in your home for the books, it's simply fitting it all in. You're a mom, so you already have meals to cook and bathrooms to clean, errands to run and laundry to fold. Throw teaching into the mix, and something's gotta give. While I'm not even close to perfecting a system, here's what I'm finding helps the most.

Get up earlier than the kids
A lot of moms do this anyway, but this was the most challenging for me. When I started in September, I had a five month old baby who wasn't sleeping through the night. I took all the sleep I could get. He sleeps good now, but his brother still gets up about 6:30 every morning. Beating the kids out of bed is not easy for me, but it's always worth it. Even if I accomplish nothing but getting dressed and having coffee, I feel like I'm a step ahead the rest of the day.

Make the kids do their share
My kids have chores to do every day but Sunday. They're easy tasks, but they save me time. They make their beds and put their jammies away. They clear the table after meals.They feed the animals and Gracie cleans the bathroom sink. Caleb helps match socks and Gracie folds towels. We also have a rule that all their toys stay in their bedroom to keep the rest of the house neat.

Complete at least one load of laundry every day
Laundry is a constant thorn in my side. There's always so much of it! I have a bad habit of washing four loads, piling them up, and ignoring them for days. Instead of waiting until the hamper is full, I've been doing one load from washing to folding every day. It only takes a few minutes to fold and everything is where we need it so we're not digging for that missing sock Sunday morning.

Work with your schedule, not against it
The first thing people seem to say about homeschoolers after "they get no socialization" is they're "lazy and don't start school till ten o' clock". Well call me super-lazy, but we don't start till one, because that's when Luke takes a nap! In September we were starting at nine. The whole time I was trying to teach Gracie I was also trying to feed and pacify a very needy baby. I was back and forth between Gracie and Luke, giving neither of them my full attention. The result: everyone was frustrated, except Caleb who just does his own thing most of the time... I quickly realized we would be better off waiting till Luke went to sleep instead of trying to force it because that's when you're "supposed" to start. Now we have two solid hours to focus, and by the time he wakes up, Gracie is working on things she can do independently.

Do all your shopping/errands on one day
Instead of running to the store as I need things, I'm learning to plan out trips better so I can go out once a week instead of several small trips. If I need to go grocery shopping, I'll also return library books...stop at the post office...that kind of stuff. If I run out, I'm learning to just do without it for a few days. Jeremiah does have to stop for milk on the way home, but going once saves time and energy, not to mention gas!

Multi-task
Even though I have Luke's nap time set aside for school, I'm not sitting by Gracie's side every second. I learned early on that watching a first grader complete math problems is like watching paint dry. So now I use that time to straighten up the kitchen. I sit and teach her, then when she does the exercises, I start cleaning. The dining room is right off the kitchen, so she can still talk to me and I stop whenever she needs a hand. But it gives me a chance to get stuff done, and teaches her to do her work without me hanging over her shoulder.

Don't let homeschooling define you
There's a difference between "a homeschooling family" and "a family that homeschools". It's very possible to become consumed by it. You want to do a good job, you don't want to be judged, so you pour all your thoughts and energy into until there's nothing left over. I know a family in which the mom got so obsessed with homeschooling they almost got divorced. She ignored her husband because she was always making lesson plans and craft projects.When they did spend time together she wanted to talk about homeschooling. It's important to remember that you're a family, not a school. You have a life to live, and education should flow as a natural part of it, not dictate your every move. So don't worry if you want to take a day off, take advantage of nice weather or a visit from friends. Isn't that part of the reason we want to homeschool in the first place? I for one want to enjoy my kids while they're young, and while I do enjoy watching them learn, I also enjoy watching them play, relax, and be silly. I enjoy watching them be kids. And when they're grown, I don't want them to think of me as a good teacher. I want them to think of me as a good mom.

The Good, the Bad, and the Boring

As our "school year" is winding down and I find myself starting to look ahead to second grade (wow did I really just type that?!) I've been thinking about the things that worked and things that didn't...

Our math curriculum has been awesome. So much better than I expected. We used Modern Curriculum Press and I will definitely get the second grade book. It uses a mastery approach, so the student fully understands one concept before they start the next, but they also review the concepts so they don't forget.

Phonics, on the other hand, has been a drag. We used "Adventures in Phonics" from Christian Liberty Press and it is the most boring book ever written. Not adventurous at all. I dread it, so I can't imagine how much more Gracie does. You literally do the EXACT same exercises on every page, only with different letters/digraphs. I thought it was good at first, because it taught the rules and seemed really thorough. But as the year went on, it dragged...and dragged...and dragged...I can't wait to be done with this book. I would quit it now, but after doing it this long, it's kind of pointless. I am almost decided on Abeka for Language Arts next year, because they seem to have a more interesting approach and they include spelling with it. I also really like their readers. I shied away from Abeka at first because so many people said it's too "text-booky", but I don't see any way around that for Language Arts or Math.

We started the year with Five in a Row, and I have mixed feelings about it. I love the stories, the kids love the stories, and I love how every thing ties together. I also love that you can customize it and do the projects that work for you.  However, halfway through, I stopped being able to find the books. Our library just doesn't have some, at any branch, so my only option is to order them. But...some of them are out of print! One book costs $40 used on Amazon! I also kind of felt like there were holes...with one book you could study China, with another Ohio... it was fun, but I felt like it jumped around, lacked continuity. I'm thinking of just using the book list next year as extra reading instead of the core curriculum, and not worrying about the books I can't find.

I used Christian Light Education for Bible. Actually, I ordered their Science and Social Studies too, but they were so awful I abandoned them after a few lessons. There was nothing to them. It seemed like preschool level work. There were about five sentences to read and maybe three questions. Science started with colors. "Name some things that are red" Seriously? My kids did that when they were two.
Bible seemed a little better. It was kind of dry but not too bad. Until this week when I tried to find the Easter story and discovered they completely left it out! It went from Jesus' miracles to his ascent into heaven. I was pretty disappointed and will be searching for something else next year.

History is tricky for me. I love History, I just don't know where to start! Do you start with America? do you start with the Garden of Eden? It's also still hard for Gracie to grasp the concept of the past. She understands things happened before, but she can't quite get the idea of "a thousand years ago" yet. In place of History we've worked on Geography and map skills, which has been really fun. We're using "Daily Geography" from Evan Moore. It starts with maps of rooms, schoolyards, streets, and moves on to the U.S. and the globe. Then there are exercises to locate things on the maps using directions and a compass. Pretty cool. I'm thinking of expanding it next year and working out some unit studies for each country.

I think the highlight of the year has been the classes at the Wetlands Institute. We go once a month and it costs $8. Gracie enjoys it and has really learned a lot ( I have too!). It jump started a lot of interests that we were able to dig into more at home and I hope they offer it again next year. I'm also planning on using Apologia Science next year.

So I'm pretty much scrapping everything but Math...I had hoped to be more "settled" by this point, but at least now I know what doesn't work. I feel like I have a better idea of what to get for next year, and I'm excited about finding better books and curricula.

Just as I wrote that, I realized how important that is...that I'm excited. One year is almost done, and I'm not discouraged or burned out. Not everything worked, but overall, homeschooling worked, otherwise we would be frustrated and ready to give up. All things considered- what more could you ask for?

But if you have curriculum suggestions, keep 'em coming!

English is Weird

One of the things that worried me most about homeschooling was teaching math.I was never good at it, never enjoyed it, and the thought of trying to teach it to my kids almost prevented me from homeschooling at all. Jeremiah and I even talked about it before we made our decision and came to the conclusion that we may have to "outsource" that subject someday.

English, on the other hand, was my strong point. I've always been a great speller, and consider myself somewhat of a grammarian. I feel a twisted sense of superiority when I find a grammatical error or misspelling in a published work and sometimes amuse myself by mentally correcting a speaker's grammar. When George W. was in office, I was in my element.

The problem is, there's a chasm between knowing something and trying to transfer that knowledge to someone else, and, ironically, I'm finding it much easier to teach Math. Math is made up of facts. Concrete, unchanging. There's a reason for everything, and that reason is usually pretty straightforward and easy to show to someone. English on the other hand, is starting to seem like a lot of mumbo-jumbo. I know how to spell, speak, and write correctly, I just don't always know why. I before E...ever heard of weird?! Why do ought and aught sound the same? We're on modified vowel sounds...are,ear,air,ere,err...they all say "are" as in "square". Do you know what it's like to try to make this make sense to a seven year old?!

Luckily Gracie is reading well and seems to just pick up which sound the modified vowels are making based on context, which in the end I guess is pretty much how everyone learns it unless you're a studying Latin. But every time we sit down for phonics, I'm reminded of this "I Love Lucy" episode. Ricky, you have my sympathies...