Archive for February, 2007
February 16, 2007 at 12:55 pm · Filed under home education
I just ran across this article by David Brooks that discusses the fact that boys and girls in a classroom setting are taught the same, and with the same books, in spite of the fact that men have a tendency to like very different types of books than women. I thought this bit was particularly funny:
During the 1970’s, it was believed that gender is a social construct and that gender differences could be eliminated via consciousness-raising. But it turns out gender is not a social construct. Consciousness-raising doesn’t turn boys into sensitively poetic pacifists. It just turns many of them into high school and college dropouts who hate reading.
February 16, 2007 at 10:56 am · Filed under island life, home education
B has the opportunity to spend a weekend in March at a music workshop with a Grammy award winning musician and a multitude of other local musicians. This one, I can’t say no to, so I am furiously trying to generate an assignment that will pay for it. 
February 14, 2007 at 12:39 pm · Filed under home education
Not that anybody actually guessed. Of course, a clever person could have simply clicked on over to Flickr to see what it was. In any case, I didn’t want to leave anyone in suspense. This image is indeed the lazy man’s way to the top of Mt. Everest. Isn’t it far from what you envisioned?
February 14, 2007 at 10:33 am · Filed under publishing
I’ve posted on and off about the CYBILS - the Children’s and YA Bloggers’ Literary Awards - a brand new award for children’s and young adults books. I had the pleasure of participating in the project as a judge for the non-fiction book category award, along with Carrie, author Jennifer Armstrong, Tim Walker, and Andi at A Wrung Sponge. They all contributed insightful and concise thoughts on the five books we had to choose from. We quickly made our decision last month and have been holding our tongues about the winner of that category, and impatiently waiting for the complete list of winners.
Alright, Already! Enough of my blathering. Get on with it. The complete list of winners is up at the CYBILS site. Once you’ve seen the list, take a gander at Jen Robinson’s eloquent special request directly related to the CYBILS.
And for the record, I’d like to congratulate the winner in the non-fiction picture book category - An Egg is Quiet, written by by Dianna Hutts Aston and beautifully illustrated by Sylvia Long.
February 13, 2007 at 2:48 pm · Filed under home education
One of the trouble’s (or benefits – I suppose it’s a matter of perspective) of homeschooling is that I find myself a bit out of the loop when it comes to knowing what’s going on in the public schools. Sure, I hear about the newsworthy items, new legislation, and campus improvements. But it’s been so many years since I’ve been in an actual classroom that my mental image of what’s going on in one is a little fuzzy.
Last week, I had visitors. My niece and nephew (8 & 9, respectively) came with my sister to spend a week with us. A week in a different state, 2,500 miles from home. A different state with multiple ecosystems, extensive sea life, interesting history, geologic wonders and cultural diversity. They spent countless hours searching tide pools for shells and sea life, discussed the different types of lava found on the island, tried tropical fruits that they’d never seen before, and watched a hula show (among many other things). But, in between all this, they were required to sit down and do homework.
Before we could do any of the fun stuff, they had to finish pages of copying, alphabetizing, and circling prepositions. What is wrong with this picture? The teacher had a perfect opportunity to build on an amazing experience. If she must give the kids homework to validate their learning, why not encourage the kids to put together a scrapbook for show and tell? Or to take pictures of different sea creatures or other new things that they discover? Or to journal their adventure? It would have been the perfect opportunity for her to let the kids see how cool learning new things can be. Instead – worried about those all-important test scores – she separated life from learning even amidst all of these opportunities to gain knowledge.
Now, I know that homeschooling is not for everyone. This holds true for my sister. I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that her kids leave the public school system to homeschool. But seeing the value that her kids’ school places on test scores above all else, I’m again reminded of how ludicrous it is to teach kids this way. What a shame.
February 12, 2007 at 4:39 pm · Filed under home education
Do you or your kids participate in Odyssey of the Mind, Destination Imagination, First Lego League, or the Future Problem Solvers Program? I’m interested in passing along an e-book to teams who can use it. If you fit the bill -or know someone who does - contact me at teamchallenges ~at~ yahoo.com.
February 10, 2007 at 4:14 pm · Filed under publishing
We live in a world where books are pretty much readily available. As home educators, we use those books to our advantage, maybe more than the average family. We lose ourselves in fantasies, romances, and adventures. We absorb knowledge through piles (and piles!) of non-fiction books. But when it comes right down to it, books - as with anything else - are a business.
I’ve ranted about some quirks of the publishing industry before, but today the whole books as business thing was brought to the forefront again. Melissa Wiley, the author who let many of us continue our love of Laura Ingalls Wilder by introducing us to earlier generations in The Martha Years and The Charlotte Years, announced on Thursday that she will no longer be writing the stories of Laura’s ancestors. Today, she posts a bit of an explanation as to how that difficult decision was made, why it had to be made, and how consumers impact the publishing world.
“HarperCollins has made a business decision, and I disagree with it on principle, as an author, a reader, and a mother. I think chopping up the books is a mistake. But—and this is very important—publishers respond to trends in the marketplace. They make decisions based upon what sells. If you, as consumers (readers, parents, booklovers), want to influence publishing trends, you must do it (I am sorry to say) with your pocketbooks.”
It’s worth reading. And maybe it will inspire you to buy a book or two.
February 9, 2007 at 8:55 pm · Filed under island life
We found this on the beach last week in the tidal area. An eel? An octopus? I don’t think it’s either. We finally determined that it’s more than one thing - very sticky when touched with a stick, and each end opens up and sends out tentacles. Maybe some sort of anemone? We’re still trying to identify this one!
February 9, 2007 at 5:01 pm · Filed under home education
I played Boggle all the time when I was growing up. The other day, the kids and I found it at our local thrift store for $2 - a deal I couldn’t pass up. E took it with us to a homeschool event today, and I was shocked at the fact that no one knew about this game - I would think that homeschoolers would be all over it.
Players have three minutes to look at 16 letter dice, arranged in a 4 x 4 square. The goal is to write down as many words as possible from the letters in sequential order (in any direction). It’s great practice for spelling words, handwriting, and recognizng letter combinations. And it’s one of the games that I actually enjoy playing with my kids (I’m not much of a Monopoly gal).
February 8, 2007 at 5:26 pm · Filed under publishing
Chronicle Books is celebrating their best books of 2006 by giving some of them away. You can enter to win autographed copies of some excellent books (including the fabulous ‘An Egg is Quiet‘, a finalist in the non-fiction picture book category of the CYBILS) simply by emailing. Click here for details.
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