Those who know our family probably know that we don't watch television. In fact we don't even have a tv. We made this decision long before we had children because we were concerned about several things. Most of our reasons are probably obvious, but they include concern over wasting time, addiction, and moral value. As a teenager I found that I had better things to do with my time, and gradually stopped watching tv altogether. It had nothing to do with those concerns back then. I simply had more fun that way.
Over the last few years, I've been pleasantly surprised at the good things that have come to our family because of that decision. We eliminated tv because we were concerned about keeping certain things out of our lives, but hadn't anticipated the good things that would enter. When we are home as a family, we automatically spend time together. When my children have down time, they either play or look at books. Even as babies, they would all spend hours looking at books on their own. I've always received comments about what long attention spans my children have and how they are so good at entertaining themselves. I've heard/ read several studies that indicate a correlation between attention span and tv time, and I'm convinced it's true. For a few weeks, we were going to a YMCA that always had a tv on in the child care area. When I asked them to turn it off they said they would, but never did. It was incredibly frustrating because when we returned home each day, Logan and Annie were whiny and couldn't focus as well. There was a very marked difference in their behavior and their attention spans. So we started using a different Y and their behavior and attention spans immediately improved.
In recent experience, I've become very grateful that I don't have a daily battle with my kids over how much screen time is okay. In fact, although we watch movies sometimes, they rarely ask to watch one. I have seen what a big battle that can be and I don't envy those parents in those moments. When we do watch a movie, we really enjoy ourselves. I've noticed in myself as I've watched less and less over the years, that movies become more fun; they are more of a treat I suppose. Interestingly enough, I'm also a lot more sensitive to anything degrading or inapproprate in them. Perhaps being desensitized was bliss, but I wouldn't change that now.
Another huge blessing is one that we hadn't anticipated at all, and why this appears on our school blog. Lack of tv has made homeschool a lot easier! We don't have that distraction in our home making it difficult to keep their attention. I also wonder if they enjoy school so much because they are so able to focus. I'm really grateful for that, and anticipate it will become a bigger deal when they are older. I'm actually realizing that we had unknowingly prepared ourselves for homeschool six years ago when we got rid of the little, three channel tv that we had.
Now I'm not saying that tv is a bad thing or it's bad to own one. This was the best decision for our family, and it has blessed our lives immensely. It probably wouldn't hurt me to watch a show every now and then if I really wanted to. However, I don't actually want to now that I've spent so many years away from it. I know that it is possible to limit screen time and to filter shows if that is important to a family.
So why did I post this? Because it really is an important element in our home education, and it's been so incredibly positive for us. That's all.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Field Trip!
Everyday when I go to the Y, I pass a sign for a county park, and everyday I've been wanting to take that road to check it out. So yesterday as we were heading home I took the detour. The weather was perfect and I discovered an arboretum at this particular county park. I wasn't much in the mood to be indoors on such a nice day, so we had a spontaneous field trip. IT WAS AWESOME. I was very surprised at how much fun and learning took place. The kids ran from tree to tree wanting to know what kind each was. They hunted for seeds and fruit underneath each. I was fascinated. And I've finally determined that Jim was right; the tree in our backyard is an oak.
Today we dug through our finds (not enough time yesterday) and the kids organized them into categories.
Here we have a walnut from a black walnut tree, a chestnut, and three other walnuts. The tree had a different name (which I forget) but it was in the walnut family, and if you open the fruit you find a walnut in the middle!
The top two leaves are from an oak tree; I now want to find out what is growing on each leaf. The red ones were really beautiful yesterday although I don't remember what they came from. I think we definitely need to go back in the fall to see the colors! The little seeds were found under some willow trees.
A fresh and a dry seed from one tree. I forget the type again...
Acorns! The kids loved hunting for acorns under the oak trees.
Pine cones! I was impressed with how many different types of pine cones they found.
Finally, we have crab apples. During our whole walk they were wondering if we'd find any fruit trees because I'd read on the county park rules that you were allowed to pick fruit as long as you didn't harm the mother plant. There were lots of crab apple trees and they took samplings from several types. One tree had lots of ripe fruit, so they even ate one while we were there. We brought home a few of those ripe ones to enjoy for later too. I'm thinking that I'd like to go back sometime to pick a lot of the ripe crab apples, so we can have crab apple jelly...yum!
Here they are with their display!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Feeling Good
Three years ago, I noticed I was feeling grumpy in general, and didn't like what I saw in the mirror (I wish I saw that now in the mirror...). So I started exercising again. I'd been in an inactive slump since Logan was born, and my emotions were definitely feeling it. After a few months of struggling to exercise in our little apartment with two small ones wanting my attention, we signed up for the YMCA. That was much better; I had more exercise options, my kids were safely playing while I worked out, and I felt better in so many ways. I loved going to the Y, and we went several mornings every week. I even went all the way through my pregnancy with Alex. Awesome. It was probably the only time I really felt good during that pregnancy.
Then we started kidschool and I wasn't sure how to fit everything in. My kids all still take daily naps, so school or going somewhere generally doesn't happen in the afternoons. Initially I wasn't exercising at all because I couldn't seem to make time, plus we'd moved to a different state. Then I realized just how badly I needed my workouts. Without them I'm grumpy, unenergetic, and less clear headed. So we signed up for the Y here in Iowa. It took me a while to realize that I couldn't count on myself to go in the evenings; that's our family time, I'm tired, and we have often have other activities. I decided that I was allowed to go a few days a week in the morning and bump kidschool to the late morning/ early afternoon. I felt like I'd be shortchanging my kids if I did that every day, though, and that I'd wear myself out. We did that for a few months and it went pretty well.
During our eight weeks of moving, vacation, visiting family, and family emergency I didn't find any time to exercise and I suffered the consequences. I was feeling really grouchy, lazy, and fuzzy headed. Jim was complaining that he wanted his wife back. I started back at the Y last week and made it twice. Of the seven days last week, two were excellent and consequently our best kidschool days. Those were the days I exercised. I realized something towards the end of the week. Kidschool is usually better on the days I work out! The other thing I realized is that I usually get more done on those days even though I have less time. It was true in previous months, although I hadn't realized it. I have so much more energy when I exercise. I feel positive, refreshed, and creative. I want to do things. When I look in the mirror, I don't care about what I see because I feel good. All of these things translate into better time with my kiddos (and of course Jim). I'm much more inclined to get hands on and excited about our learning activities when I feel good. The kids, although they enjoy everything in kidschool, like those days the best and learn the most. Even though it means school gets bumped to a later time it really works out better for us. So now I think I'll start going to the Y five days a week (when possible)!
Then we started kidschool and I wasn't sure how to fit everything in. My kids all still take daily naps, so school or going somewhere generally doesn't happen in the afternoons. Initially I wasn't exercising at all because I couldn't seem to make time, plus we'd moved to a different state. Then I realized just how badly I needed my workouts. Without them I'm grumpy, unenergetic, and less clear headed. So we signed up for the Y here in Iowa. It took me a while to realize that I couldn't count on myself to go in the evenings; that's our family time, I'm tired, and we have often have other activities. I decided that I was allowed to go a few days a week in the morning and bump kidschool to the late morning/ early afternoon. I felt like I'd be shortchanging my kids if I did that every day, though, and that I'd wear myself out. We did that for a few months and it went pretty well.
During our eight weeks of moving, vacation, visiting family, and family emergency I didn't find any time to exercise and I suffered the consequences. I was feeling really grouchy, lazy, and fuzzy headed. Jim was complaining that he wanted his wife back. I started back at the Y last week and made it twice. Of the seven days last week, two were excellent and consequently our best kidschool days. Those were the days I exercised. I realized something towards the end of the week. Kidschool is usually better on the days I work out! The other thing I realized is that I usually get more done on those days even though I have less time. It was true in previous months, although I hadn't realized it. I have so much more energy when I exercise. I feel positive, refreshed, and creative. I want to do things. When I look in the mirror, I don't care about what I see because I feel good. All of these things translate into better time with my kiddos (and of course Jim). I'm much more inclined to get hands on and excited about our learning activities when I feel good. The kids, although they enjoy everything in kidschool, like those days the best and learn the most. Even though it means school gets bumped to a later time it really works out better for us. So now I think I'll start going to the Y five days a week (when possible)!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A History Lesson
Here's an interesting bit of information.
Public school was created to educate the poorest class of people. Its goals were to give them basic skills so they could contribute to society rather than be a burden on society when they were adults. The skills that were taught: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Children who attended public school were often considered crude in society.
Private schools were primarily used by middle class citizens who couldn't afford private tutors and who didn't have the time to attend to their childrens' education because they had to work long hours for their living. These private schools were much more rigorous than the public schools and prepared students for professional careers.
The rich upper class taught their own children at home and would sometimes hire private tutors or governesses to assist in their childrens' education. The father would typically teach the children to read himself. Boys would study higher math, Greek, Latin, science, celestial navigation (navigating ships by the stars), geography, history, fencing, social etiquette, and plantation management. Girls would study art, music, French, social etiquette, needlework, spinning, weaving, cooking, and nursing.
I thought this was really interesting. I'd known a long time before learning this that I wanted to homeschool, and a large part of my reasoning was because I felt like the public school system wasn't set up to teach my children what I want them to learn. It really can't teach much more than a few basic skills to such a large number of children. Is reading, writing, and basic math really good enough? I don't think so. That's all I'd learned when I graduated high school, though. One problem is that the public school system is set up with minimum standards, and those minimum standards don't challenge the majority of students. Another problem is that there is no minimum standard to teach a child to think and reason. If you look at the original goal of public school, however, it is still doing its job: reading, writing, and arithmetic. The big difference is that now the vast majority of children attend public school which means the vast majority of us enter adulthood with only basic skills. What kind of a contribution can I make to society if I can read, write, and do basic math? Not much because I don't actually know anything. I can follow directions really well. That may or may not be such a good thing.
During the early days of our nation, those with private training entered adulthood well prepared to think and reason. They understood civilizations, history, government, etc. These were men and women who founded a nation which became great in a shorter time than any other in history. These were men who created our Constitution. When the people voted, they understood who and what they were voting for. In social gatherings, they didn't discuss the latest movie, they discussed the well being of the people and the issues of the day. They understood the world around them and were able to make the changes necessary for a strong nation. They were the majority.
Today, those like them are the minority. I wish I could class myself with those people, but I am severely lacking. Only now am I starting to learn, to really learn, something about the world around me. I've had nearly 30 years to learn already, and it's really astounding at how little I understand. I want a much better education for my children while they are children. Then maybe when they enter adulthood they will understand how to strengthen our weakening nation. They will have the knowledge to make choices that will benefit their fellowman. They will have that option. If I want them to learn this, I'd better learn it. So a big part of their schooling, is my schooling. I just have to keep at least one step ahead of them...wish me luck!
Public school was created to educate the poorest class of people. Its goals were to give them basic skills so they could contribute to society rather than be a burden on society when they were adults. The skills that were taught: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Children who attended public school were often considered crude in society.
Private schools were primarily used by middle class citizens who couldn't afford private tutors and who didn't have the time to attend to their childrens' education because they had to work long hours for their living. These private schools were much more rigorous than the public schools and prepared students for professional careers.
The rich upper class taught their own children at home and would sometimes hire private tutors or governesses to assist in their childrens' education. The father would typically teach the children to read himself. Boys would study higher math, Greek, Latin, science, celestial navigation (navigating ships by the stars), geography, history, fencing, social etiquette, and plantation management. Girls would study art, music, French, social etiquette, needlework, spinning, weaving, cooking, and nursing.
I thought this was really interesting. I'd known a long time before learning this that I wanted to homeschool, and a large part of my reasoning was because I felt like the public school system wasn't set up to teach my children what I want them to learn. It really can't teach much more than a few basic skills to such a large number of children. Is reading, writing, and basic math really good enough? I don't think so. That's all I'd learned when I graduated high school, though. One problem is that the public school system is set up with minimum standards, and those minimum standards don't challenge the majority of students. Another problem is that there is no minimum standard to teach a child to think and reason. If you look at the original goal of public school, however, it is still doing its job: reading, writing, and arithmetic. The big difference is that now the vast majority of children attend public school which means the vast majority of us enter adulthood with only basic skills. What kind of a contribution can I make to society if I can read, write, and do basic math? Not much because I don't actually know anything. I can follow directions really well. That may or may not be such a good thing.
During the early days of our nation, those with private training entered adulthood well prepared to think and reason. They understood civilizations, history, government, etc. These were men and women who founded a nation which became great in a shorter time than any other in history. These were men who created our Constitution. When the people voted, they understood who and what they were voting for. In social gatherings, they didn't discuss the latest movie, they discussed the well being of the people and the issues of the day. They understood the world around them and were able to make the changes necessary for a strong nation. They were the majority.
Today, those like them are the minority. I wish I could class myself with those people, but I am severely lacking. Only now am I starting to learn, to really learn, something about the world around me. I've had nearly 30 years to learn already, and it's really astounding at how little I understand. I want a much better education for my children while they are children. Then maybe when they enter adulthood they will understand how to strengthen our weakening nation. They will have the knowledge to make choices that will benefit their fellowman. They will have that option. If I want them to learn this, I'd better learn it. So a big part of their schooling, is my schooling. I just have to keep at least one step ahead of them...wish me luck!
A New School Year
I don't know if I'll actually track our progress in school years, but if I do I suppose this would be the beginning of a new one. :) Here's a little sampling of our first three days.
And since everyone else puts up their first day of school pictures, we have one too. Within the first ten minutes on Monday, we were creating a chemical reaction in the sink.
Yesterday my kids were thrilled when I pulled out the white board and started doing addition problems. They wanted to keep going and going and going with it! Who knew simple math could be so fun?
Today we planned to do an art project, but then Annie's fingers were smashed in the locked car door. I was pretty sure any art project was out of the question considering the first two fingers on her right hand (she's right handed of course) were splinted together and sore. However, after calming down she informed me that she wanted to do an art project and was devastated when I suggested we do something else. I'd already promised, so we pulled out the art supplies! This was a coloring, cutting, and glueing activity...perfect for these kids. Annie loves to color, Logan loves to cut, and they both love glue! Poor Annie made an attempt to color with her left hand and wasn't pleased with the results because she's really very good at coloring. So I ended up coloring and cutting for her. She instructed me on the colors and did all the glueing. Logan did his 100% by himself and was very pleased about it. These are frogs, by the way. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)