She blinded me with...

SCIENCE! OK that was dorky. Sorry. :)

Aaaaanyway --- today's post is indeed about Science.  I will readily admit that Science, especially Biology, is not my cup of tea.  I did not enjoy dissecting a worm (all I can remember about that is I smashed the poor thing's gonads when I sliced it open), and I can will never forget the scent of formaldehyde along with the image of someone making their frog do a funny dance, when we were doing THAT exciting lesson. Blech.  I have always been much more interested in the "why" rather than the "how", when it comes to humans and animals.  What I mean by that is -- I'd much rather dissect (ew) someone's behavior and figure out what past events or hereditary traits are causing their current state than delve into their brain and talk about neurons and DNA and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...  And on the flipside from boredom, hearing about someone's broken finger or sprained ankle or, heaven forbid, WOUND (just typing that word made my wrists go weak and I had to stop typing for a moment) makes me have to put my head between my knees.  In my mid-20s, I had to bring my mother along with me to my pre-tonsillectomy doctor's appointments because when he started talking about what they would do, I turned green and the world turned fuzzy.  They even had to pull out the smelling salts at one point.  In summary, Kiki + Biology = no bueno, and being a nurse or doctor was never on my list of dream jobs.

However, I did always think it would be cool to be a storm tracker.  And earth sciences are pretty darn interesting.  Tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanoes --- COOL. (or hot, really, I suppose)  The stars, planets, space -- also cool.  So I'm not totally a buzzkill about the sciences. :)  Just the ones that deal with innards, I guess.

My dad was a Chemist and now my brother is, too.  Chemistry can be interesting - cool experiments and analyzing, figuring out how many electrons are needed for bonding, etc (I love math, so I did enjoy all of that) - so I thought we would start with a Chemistry program I found online.  We dove right in and.... Snoozefest 2013.  Buggy did find the basics of it interesting -- what matter is, atoms, thinking about how tiny they must be -- all that good stuff.  But then... eyes glazed over.  For both of us, frankly.  The experiments and lessons are pretty dry. In my opinion, more for 5th grade than K-4.  Sooo -- we finished our lessons about matter, atoms, and bonds, memorized some terms, and then shut the book (literally) on that one.

We are now doing something much more exciting and FUN! Our homeschool group has a Science Club.  September was all about Weather. So - we kept a weather journal at home with the high temps, the wind direction, the barometric pressure, and the rainfall.  We looked at the journal and discussed any trends we noticed.  We poked around online and talked about earthquakes and tornadoes.  We watched some tsunami and flooding footage.  I showed Bug all the stuff about tectonic plates and fault lines.  Then, we went to our Science Club on Monday, and Bug made a tornado using two 2-liter bottles. So. AWESOME.

See the cute & tiny tornado?

Of course, it's glittery blue water, which makes it even more epic. :)

The kids also made lightning and thunder and learned about rain, and it was just all around pretty darn cool. The conversations that these kids had while doing everything were really neat.  I was glad we had learned about electrons, because there was discussion about electrons inside clouds in the lightning group.  Buggy was able to put together what she had learned with this and it made sense to her. :)

October is all about Animals, so Bug is a bundle of excitement about that!! In the weeks leading up to that next meeting, we are going to learn about animal classifications and habitats, and do all sorts of fun things.

Because Science = SUPER AWESOME FUN at the Cactus Schoolhouse. :)

Lovely Lulu

Going into this homeschool year, I had a pretty good idea of how things would go with Bug.  I spent a few years being her teacher before she went off to Kindergarten, and even then we did some activities in the afternoons together. I know how she learns, and she is a dream to teach. :)  Lulu was the wild card - partly because she is 3, and I was wondering how that would work, teaching a 2nd grader with a not-quite-a-preschooler underfoot.  But also because she has nuances to her personality that are different than her big sister's, and I knew I would have to get to know her in an educational environment to see what activities work best for her.  That is one of the many reasons we are homeschooling -- tailoring the girls' education to their personal learning styles!  A lovely bonus to just having two students. :)

As I have mentioned before, we are using this Letter of the Week program.  There is a LOT in there, so I printed out the things I thought Lulu might want to try, and we're going from there. So far, she has been a big fan of the Leap Frog Letter  Factory DVD, reading books (this is a newer development, sitting still for a story or two), Play-Doh, and coloring.  She also really enjoys painting, whether it's on paper with watercolors, or with water on the walls.  From the LOTW program, here are some pictures of what she is loving (and asking for each week!):

Circle magnets to fill in the letter of the week

Do-a-Dot markers in the shape of each week's letter...

...which ends up looking like this when she is done :)

Counting something that coordinates with the letter of the week (Apple seeds for A), finding the number, and gluing it to the page next to it.

We have also played some learning games (Memory, Dominoes, Candy Land), and she really enjoys those as well.  So far, so good -- her attention span is obviously shorter than Buggy's, but each week she gets more into it.  Whew!  I'm always looking for ideas on occupying a preschooler while an older sibling is learning -- so please share. :)

The Big Reveal...

As promised, here is the finished project from my last blog post. :) It's a Texas Covered Chuck Wagon!! From our Road Trip USA curriculum.

Wasn't that exciting? :)

Week 1 - Alice, Apples, & Atoms, oh my!

We did it! We survived our first week of homeschooling.  And --- we had a blast!!! :) It was everything I dreamed it could be. I know it's only the first week, but it really felt so perfect.  The rhythm, the learning, all of it - we just settled right in and found our groove pretty quickly. Whew!

So, here are some highlights:

A is for Apple!

Ten Apples up on Top

Some of Week 1's handiwork

The number jumping game was a hit ~ and Buggy even joined in as the "number caller".  Which leads me to one of my favorite things about this week.  When Bug finished up her work, she helped me lead Lulu in her activities.  :)  It was very sweet!

Thanks to the Internet, I found a creative way to reinforce the lesson about atoms.  The curriculum we got may be a wee bit too dry, but it's very comprehensive and Bug **loves** science.  Thanks to all my friends out in the Facebook world, we also now have many neat ideas for experiments and ways to keep science FUN!

Speaking of science, we had our first official Cactus Schoolhouse field trip, to the Arizona Science Center!  What a great place!!!! We walked around for 3 hours, and still didn't see all there was to see. We will definitely be returning sometime soon.

Sesame Street Feet!

We have to get one of these!!!! SO cool.

You know my girls loved to be able to talk about poop without getting the "bathroom talk" lecture!!!

If only Lulu would actually eat this healthy! :)

Making a vortex - SOOO cool.

Feats of strength

Spinning around & around & around...

This was my favorite. So cute :) Dust trees "dancing" to the music. :)

I see you!

And.... stay tuned to see pictures of Buggy's first lapbook (Alice in Wonderland), and to find out what this will become! :)

'Twas the night before homeschool...

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!! Bug's first day of 2nd grade AT HOME, and Lulu's first day of Tot School or Preschool or Tagging Along School. :)  

So, before we dive into all this fun enriching goodness, I thought I would take a moment to share what curriculum/programs we are using for the girls. 

Ms. Buggy:

Math: Math in Focus (Singapore Method) - Level 2A

Grammar: Growing with Grammar - Level 1 (starting out at 1 because I don't think she learned some of the items in this book yet - back to basics!)

Spelling: Basic 2nd Grade Spelling Lists

Handwriting: Handwriting Without Tears

Reading Comprehension: Houghton Mifflin Reading and Houghton Mifflin Practice Book

Reading: Classic Literature Units

Social Studies: Road Trip USA

Science: Focus on Elementary Chemistry

The "extras": World's Greatest Composers and World's Greatest Artists

P.E. & Music: Bug will join swim team in October and start some sort of music class this fall as well (along the lines of choir or piano lessons). We will also be doing a weekly P.E. day with the homeschool group. We are taking September "off" from any extras so we can settle in and find our groove before over-committing!

Lulu Monkey:

Letter of the Week

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Lapbook

Whew. I think that covers it! :)  I think I'm ready to go.... I am equal parts excited and terrified.  Thanks for all the support!!!  I'll be back with a report later this week!!!

Kiki

Big News!! (Finally...)

If you have had a conversation with me that lasted longer than 5 minutes in the past four years, chances are I have mentioned that we considered homeschooling.  If you have read my blog(s), you know that the word "considered" could be replaced with "obsessed over and tried preschool at home... then we almost did Kindergarten at home, and then didn't, and then obsessed some more... and read lots of books & blogs & statistics... and then didn't homeschool... but really wanted to... " and on and on and on.  From the day I first realized that the schools down here in my state were made of different stuff from the ones I went to in Illinois & Pennsylvania, even before I had children, education has been a hot topic for me.  Every Spring, I do mass amounts of Google searches to see what next year's budget cuts look like.  I check the latest school scores & test results.  I discuss education with anyone who wants to talk about it (who is practically every mom I meet here, it's on all of our minds!) to see what their kids' experience has been in their school.  At least once or twice a year, I come back to the idea of homeschooling and longingly read homeschooling blogs and check in with my homeschooling friends.

But both hubby and I would both get stuck at the final roadblocks of: "It's just so weird" and "What if we screw up our kids?" And we couldn't get past those two worries.

Until now.

Starting this fall, we are going to homeschool the girls.  Buggy will be in 2nd Grade and Lulu will start what many online call "Tot School" -- she is 3, and will mainly do manipulative activities and shapes and letters.  And just tag along for a lot of Buggy's lessons, too, I'm sure.

To answer the inevitable questions:

1. No, there was nothing wrong at either of Buggy's schools.  We loved her Kindergarten class.  The teacher was amazing, and it was a great experience.  12 kids, half day... perfection.  But even during that year, her teacher and I talked about the state of education and how homeschooling can be a great alternative.  She encouraged me along this path.  We switched from that school during 1st grade because ... it got kinda boring.  It wasn't an enriching experience overall for Bug.  So, I decided to not drive a total of 2 hours every day (which Lulu HATED) for something that wasn't worth it.

The second school was also fine.  Although we lost art and science (I recently discovered that they did not do any science experiments there during first grade, eek!), we gained a *fantastic* and challenging reading program.  Bug loves to read, and this was the extra "something" she had been missing at the other school.  We also loved being part of our community.  And a lot of "extras" that rounded out the educational experience.

But... it still wasn't as amazingly wonderful as I envisioned homeschooling to be.

2.  Yes, we will socialize!!! I am starting a Brownie troop this fall, Bug is on swim team, and we will do other classes/activities/clubs at the Y and in our community.  We do church activities.  We also have several homeschool groups available - we just have to find which one is the right fit for us.  These groups meet every week, have clubs, PE classes, get together for group events, etc.  There is a big group of homeschoolers in my area, and that will be a blessing to us as we find our way.  But, we will not be hermits, and my kids will be "socialized".

3.  We are not going to "unschool".  We are using math and language curriculum.  We are doing Social Studies (this year so far I have planned Road Trip USA with hefty doses of American history, and then moving on to world history) & Science (chemistry to start, then biology), art history, and music (piano lessons, and also learning about composers)... There will be daily creative writing in a journal. There will be spelling tests. I have a daily schedule (of course! :)) and the lesson plans for this fall all planned out day by day.  Not that there is anything wrong with unschooling, it just is not for us right now.

I'm very willing to answer more questions if anyone has them. I realize that this choice is different than what the majority of my friends are doing, and if I were you guys, I would be curious! :) This has been a long process to get here, and I am excited and terrified at the same time.  Despite my fears, I am diving headfirst into this, hoping and trusting that this truly is right for us.

Thank you for the support you all have given me on this journey.  Keep the support and prayers coming please!! :) I need it now more than ever. :)  I will be using this blog to document our adventure, so stay tuned!!!

xoxo
Kiki

We're baaack. :)

We disappeared for awhile, because we switched Buggy's school after Thanksgiving last year.  It was a great decision and we have no regrets.  She now gets to ride the bus and go to school with the kids in our neighborhood & from our church.  She is more challenged at this school, so we no longer are doing "after-school school".  Partly because her brain is ready for a break when she gets home, and also because she has about an hour of homework each night.  So she comes home, has a snack, PLAYS, and then does homework.  This school has more opportunities for after-school activities and "extras", too, which we love.  Everything feels much more well-rounded, and we are all happier.

We made the decision to keep Lulu home for (3 year old) preschool, at least for the 2013-14 school year.  Buggy's new school has full-day Kindergarten as the default, so I am pondering what preparation Lulu needs for that.  Whether schooling @ home and going to structured activities during the week would be enough, or if she would benefit from some preschool in a school environment.  We will revisit that next year at this time, I'm sure. :)

So I am sorting through all the preschool materials that I used with Buggy, and checking Pinterest to see what other fun ideas are out there.  I am very excited to work with Lulu and figure out her learning style.  So far, we have done manipulatives, patterns, Memory game, puzzles, etc.  Just your basic hands-on pre-math and pre-reading activities.  She is a funny one -- likes to choose the wrong answer to be comical, randomly jumping up and doing a dance, or grabbing the pieces and taking them to the other side of the house to add to her toy stash.  She also is much more outspoken than Natalie, so this will be an adventure!!  She now is more into crafts, too -- we do painting and Play-doh quite often around here.  She was not feeling the Letter a Week program, so we put that on hold for a bit.  I will probably break that out again this summer, along with Buggy's Road Trip USA.

I'm very excited about starting Lulu's education journey, and about getting back to this blog.  Life at home with two little ones is an interesting experience, and putting something in writing about what we are doing helps my Type A self see what we are accomplishing. :)  Because some days? It feels like nothing gets done!!!

Happy Spring!