Archive for May, 2006
May 20, 2006 at 12:21 pm · Filed under home education
Our 15 yo guest bought an ukulele to take home with him. B has been teaching him how to play, and so far he has mastered Diana (…oh, please, stay by me, Diana…), Opihi Man and Jamaican Farewell. They are making grand plans for putting together a band in the near future.
What I love about this is that it’s unschooling in its finest form. B shared his passion with his friend, inspiring him to try something new. Without any influence from anyone, they have been working tirelessly to learn skills that are important to them. Of course, it’s not math, but it is learning.
As for music, one thing that I will not do is prod anyone about practicing an instrument. If the kids want lessons, I’ll drive them and pay the bill. But their practice has to happen without involvement from me. And, if they are not practicing, the rides to lessons will no longer be available. It’s a simple plan, but it seems to work. Now if I can just find a taiko drum teacher for E….and some ear plugs.
May 17, 2006 at 9:41 am · Filed under home education
Check out Here and There Japan if you’re interested in taking a peek at Japan but airfare is beyond your means. The author has lived in Japan for 18 years and shares photos and information about daily life in Japan. I love seeing amateur photos of different places - it’s a real insider view, I think.
May 17, 2006 at 7:58 am · Filed under publishing, home education
Wow! This is very cool, and free to boot. Google Notebook takes just seconds to install (even on dial-up!) and allows users to copy text from a website into a notebook, so that little bits of information are all compiled in one place. The notebook keeps track of just where the information came from and also allows users to add their own personal notes. This will make creating a bibliography SO much easier for students who do reports or writers who need to keep track of such things!
May 15, 2006 at 9:18 am · Filed under My Musings, home education
*note: we are hosting a fifteen year old friend for almost three weeks, adding one more boy to the mix. I am SO outnumbered.
- They are forgetful. When faced with instructions to pick up their shoes or put away the dishes, if anything – anything! – enters their eyesight before said task is complete, they will be distracted and the task will remain incomplete until they are reminded again. And again. And again.
- They have a mind like a steel trap. When it is mentioned ever so casually that we might stop for a shave ice, the words shave ice will come up in conversation every 2.6 seconds until they have lips the color of an alien monster.
- They cannot use the butter without turning the cube into something that resembles a failed attempt at carving Mt. Rushmore.
- They say “Dude!” at least 78 times each day.
- They always have it together. If I try to remind them of anything they might need to bring with them, they tell me they have it under control.
- They are better actors than planners. It is guaranteed that when we get in the car and back out of the driveway, one of the kids who had it under control five minutes ago will say, “Stop the car. I forgot ________!”
- No matter if it’s a short trip to the market or a day out at the beach; they will begin getting ready to go exactly four minutes before time to actually leave.
- They think the inside of the refrigerator is an image to be watched for extensive amounts of time, without ever moving.
- They do not do laundry until the only possible clothing option is pajamas sans underwear.
- They really don’t mind hanging out in pajamas all day.
(Did I mention how much fun we are having 
??)
May 15, 2006 at 7:36 am · Filed under home education
There is a great post up at Life Without School, an online magazine written by a number of homeschooling parents. Tammy’s post makes a point that is something that I completely agree with. It’s easy to fill in any gaps in knowledge that kids may acquire over the years. It’s not so easy to fix their psyches. Kids who don’t have a confidence in themselves, a belief that they can do anything and a strong support system are going to struggle in life, even if they have all of the facts. Educating our kids is about more than just filling them with knowledge.
May 12, 2006 at 7:21 am · Filed under island life, home education
My son’s friend arrived from California with a cold, which has generously been shared with the rest of us. So, while everyone wants to get out and explore, there’s not much energy to go around. So far we have managed to spend two days in the ocean – one boogie boarding, another snorkeling.
Yesterday we did muster the energy for a short hike to an amazing field of petroglyphs. These are ancient Hawaiian renderings on a large expanse of lava. It’s pretty incredible. No one is exactly sure why these images are here. Historians do believe that the early Hawaiian people had to walk a long distance (barefoot and over rugged lava) to get here. I love pointing this kind of thing out to the kids, so they have an awareness of how things were done before Nike and Nintendo came along.
The kids discussed the possibilities. One thought that perhaps the petroglyphs were made as an offering to the gods. Another thought perhaps it was the destination for a rite of passage requiring men who come of age to walk across the baking lava fields with no available water and make a mark. It’s interesting to think about, and I was glad that the boys could come up with some scenarios.
May 11, 2006 at 4:45 pm · Filed under My Musings, publishing
I always lamented the fact that babies don’t come with operating instructions. Matter of fact, with a ten and thirteen year old, I’m lamenting this fact all over again. I knew What to Expect When I was Expecting, but not after. With little baby experience, and even less baby BOY experience I trusted my instincts and absorbed advice from friends, hoping that I was somewhere in the ballpark of “doing it right”.
I would have been so happy to have had a book like Why Babies Do That: Baffling Baby Behavior Explained when I had babies. When my cyber-friend Jennifer Margulis asked if I’d participate in her blog book tour for the book, it was easy to agree. The book is beautifully done (great baby shower gift!) and I can see parents reading it to find out WHY their baby sucks her thumb, or bang hers head or plays with her poop*. Each page of text is balanced by a photograph of a beautiful baby - some featuring acne, even, when we’re wondering Why Babies Have Acne.
Many of you are probably curious about what the heck a blog book tour is, anyway. Well. I could describe it, but Andrea Buchanan, another cyber friend and book author has already done so, beautifully.
You’ll see by reading Andi’s description that without the name recognition of, say, J. K. Rowling, an online book tour really makes sense.
*I was not ever faced with the dilemma of a poop-playing baby but a friend of mine was. She asked, “Why? Why does she play with her poop?” See? If Jennifer’s book had been available then, she’d have had her answer.
May 10, 2006 at 1:32 pm · Filed under home education
The Homeschool Country Fair is up, many thanks to Doc who has also added a new member to the animal barn.
May 9, 2006 at 7:50 pm · Filed under home education
Don’t forget - the contest to win either Team Challenges: Group Activities to Build Cooperation, Communication and Creativity or Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid’s Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece runs through the end of May. All it takes to enter is an email - see details here.
May 9, 2006 at 7:46 pm · Filed under home education, Uncategorized
Tomorrow night I’m stopping by a meeting of Boy Scout leaders to introduce myself and volunteer to lead a one-hour long team building workshop for any interested troops. I’m not sure what to expect, as I’m truly not familiar with the Boy Scout program other than recognizing the uniforms. If any of the leaders take me up on the offer (and I think they will) I think I’ll use this challenge – it’s a good one for boys who like to move! Anyone have experience with scout troops? Is this something that would suit scouters?
**Use your Noodle**
Challenge your team to solve this task for some instant fun!
Materials:
Foam swimming pool noodles, cut in half (you’ll need one half noodle for each team member)
Masking tape
20 blown up balloons
1 laundry basket
Set Up:
Use the masking tape to mark a line around the center of each half noodle as shown. Scatter the balloons on the floor in an area roughly 20′ square. Place the laundry basket in the center of the space. Give each team member a noodle. Read the team instructions out loud to the team.
Team Instructions:
Your task is to move as many balloons as possible into the laundry basket in three minutes. You may not touch the balloons with any part of your body. You must use only the noodles to move the balloons. You can hold onto only one end of the noodle; your hands must not cross the line taped on the noodle at any time. You will be notified when you have one minute remaining. You will receive two bonus points for every balloon in the basket at the end of the allotted time.
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