Homeschooling One - Art

As I homeschooled my son, I came to realize there was much more to the label "Art" than I had previously thought. Using the Ambleside Online curriculum, much of the "Art" that we covered was more Art History, in the form of artist study and studying an artist's specific works.

This suited me just fine, because as an older mom, I no longer enjoyed cleaning up messes after art projects were completed.

However, it became clear that the student likes to do hands-on stuff, too! So sometimes he got to do that at Home Depot workshops. Sometimes art projects took place as part of 4-H.

and sometimes we worked on art curriculum where he was learning specific things such as primary/secondary colors, shading and depth, etc. Often he just tackled projects because the County Fair was coming and he wanted to have art projects to enter.

One of the girls in our 4-H Club was taking art classes and learning wonderful techniques. I wanted to sign my son up for classes, but he didn't want anything to do with it. He did not want group classes, and he did not want to be taught or be required to do a certain type of project at a certain time. He wanted to continue his art "free style".

As he got older, the line became fuzzy between "art" and "craft". He no longer does paintings, seldom does drawings (although occasionally he comes up with an amazing drawing). 

Now, though, he is a craftsman of whips made out of paracord -- bullwhips, snakewhips, and I don't know all the names of the types of whips he makes. He got a blue ribbon and a champion ribbon on the bullwhip he entered at the county fair.

He has started his own business selling his whips on line (Eagle Whips on Instagram). And he loves making them!

So what I learned about art while home schooling my lonely only is to let the student lead. I don't expect him to have a career in Art when he picks his career, so what does it matter if he ever learns how to draw a picture with depth, or create a landscape with pastels, or that red paint mixed with blue makes purple? My goal as the teacher, in addition to directing my son in ways that he can learn about art, should be to introduce art in ways that help him love the art! And my son was able to pursue what interested him and then specialize in what he loved. And that is why we home school!

Homeschooling One - "Socialization"

Following my theme of home schooling with only one student, today I will focus on "socialization".

For many home schoolers, however in my home school a day arrived when we began to see a need for changes in this area. Through no fault of the student, there had been a season of less-focused parenting. One day, when he was six, I received a call that my dad had died.

That same year my step-dad had been in and out of hospital, nursing home, hospital, and ultimately hospice. Six months after my dad died, my step-dad died.

I was struggling to home school, with a senior in a private school (using my car), and I was now responsible for my dad's estate, selling house, condo, collections, stocks, properties out of state -- I was over my head. I assumed my mom would handle my step-dad's estate. She did not. And six months later we learned she was terminal with lung cancer, and seven months after my step-dad, my mom died.

I'm not making excuses, but I wasn't doing well, and I needed some sort of help, some group activities for my son. I had done 4-H with my older (now adult) children, so I started my son in 4-H Clovers, and then 4-H as he got older.

In spite of the fact that I knew how to "do" 4-H, it was never a good fit for my son. For years we continued with 4-H, but we made efforts to branch out in other ways as well. We tried going roller skating with other home schoolers every Friday afternoon. That, it turns out, is still a rather solitary activity. We joined a home school field trip group, where we went on a group field trip twice a month, but it was also not a good fit.

We tried home school co-op classes. Not a good fit. Look at that face!

We finally found a groove in Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts.

We finally had some constructive activity to help us shape his character, direct his activity and energy level, and something he enjoyed doing.

But as the years passed, he came to enjoy it less. To a degree it still came down to some difficulty dealing with others (boys). There was even some bullying going on (our son was short for his age, and for a time he was stout), and there was difficulty with adults and scouts thinking he was younger than he was.

He was also not happy with the disrespect the boys showed to other scouts and to the adult leaders. When the Senior Patrol Leader said, "Line up!" my son wanted the other scouts to line up at attention and quietly listen for instructions. They didn't.

Seeing this aspect of my son's personality (what he wanted seemed to be military discipline), and knowing Boy Scouts was not supposed to be a military organization, I started brain storming again. When I was a kid my brother was in Civil Air Patrol, and I'd seen blogs of others whose kids were in Civil Air Patrol, so I told my son about it and we checked it out. My son loved it and joined.

By this time, though, he had a lot invested in Boy Scouts and wanted to finish to Eagle. It was a tough go of it, with ups and downs in his motivation, but he finally did finish to the rank of Eagle.

The Boy Scouts program ends at age 18, unless you go into leadership from there. My son turned 18 during his senior year and was so busy he did not go into a leadership position from there. He has been working on his education, and is also working to achieve a similar honor awarded to Civil Air Patrol cadets, the Billy Mitchell Award. He can do this because Civil Air Patrol permits cadets to continue until age 21.

In addition, he is considering a career in the military. In college he will be participating in Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps).

My point in walking you through my experience is to encourage you to consider socialization, particularly if you are home schooling a lonely only. Maybe you don't need to, but we sure did. If you brainstorm and research you will find there are many activities available for you to consider. If you don't know where to start, you can try to find other home schoolers by posting a 3"X5" card on a bulletin board at your local grocery store! My area has home school groups for chess club, 4-H, Boy Scouts, field trips, co-ops, classes, and on and on. Find out what is available to you!

Homeschooling One - Nature Study

When you are homeschooling only one student, there can be challenges. To name a few:

• you can feel like there is no one you are accountable to on any given day, so you can slide into a loosey-goosey attitude where your plans are not concrete and the urge to change your plans can win at a moment's notice;
• these whimsical changes in result in you not getting as much done as you had hoped;
• when your student argues to not do something, it is hard to stand firm since you often feel like it really doesn't matter overall;
• there is not "competition" between students, so it can be hard for a student to be motivated to do their best or to do a better job -- it can become an attitude of just getting it done because mom assigned it.

 

 Some methods I employed over the years to combat these tendencies toward malaise:

• Make plans to do group activities so that there are set plans, a set time and date, and other students so that there is good peer pressure for the student to do a good job.
• Blog, and join blog rings where you post certain blog posts on certain days.

Overall, though, most of our days did just slide into slogging through it, just my student and I. So my friend became my daily lesson planner. If I planned it, I tried to make it happen.

For our Nature Study efforts, in the style of Charlotte Mason method studies, we were using the Ambleside Online curriculum. I discovered another blogger, Barb, over at Handbook of Nature Study, and she had a weekly Outdoor Hour Challenge (with a free subscription), and that kept me going for a long time. I loved being able to complete the challenge, write a blog post about it and link up on her blog. And Barb would comment on my blog posts -- a small thing, but it kept me going.

It is fun to look over my nature study posts. My student isn't in every post, but he is in many. It is fun to see his growth through the years. You can visit my nature study posts here:

• Monarch Life Cycle
• Leaf Study 
• Thistles
• Preparation for Winter - Plants
• Silent Walk Challenge
• Winter Bird Study - Chickadee
• Chickadee Study - Part 2
• Twig Study
• Mullein
• Snow! 
• Second Snow 
• Birds
• Nature Walk 1 - 2013
• Nature Study 2 - 2013 
• Nature Study Through a Window
• Slate
• Arizona Grassland Flora
• Arizona Grassland Fauna
• Arizona Sonoran Desert Flora and Fauna
• Reptiles and Amphibians
• Identifying Native Plants (Boy Scouts Requirement)
• Autumn Leaves 
• Bird Feeder
• Clean as New-Fallen Snow
• February Flowers
• How Does Your Garden Grow

Homeschool High School - Fitting it All In

I've come a long way since my first student was in high school. First time through high school, I was just trying to figure out how to complete the "required" high school courses. (The state of Maryland has required courses for public school students. I wanted to follow these guidelines in case my students wanted to go to college.)

My oldest graduated in 2004. My student was part of a co-op for History and Literature. I got her into outside classes (usually that means I paid someone else to teach her) for Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, Anatomy, Chemistry, Latin and flute. I created a chart of the requirements and turned it into a transcript, filling information in as she completed courses. She started some of her high school work in 7th and 8th grade, which gave her extra time in later grades to work part time and pursue many outside interests. 

She was passionate about violin, and joined the local Montgomery County Symphony Orchestra, which met once a week in the evening.

Getting her violin restrung, she was offered a part-time job at the violin shop and developed skills as a luthier. 

She was very active in 4-H, and loved baking, candy-making, and did a significant amount of sewing, crochet, and knitting.

Eventually she was crowned 4-H Queen of the Montgomery County Fair.

How did we do it? That is the question.

In 8th grade #1 began high school coursework through a co-op (Tapestry of Grace) in English Composition and Literature, Latin and History. #2 had co-op classes as well, which I helped run. She also took flute lessons. There was no child #3, and I announced my pregnancy in May.

In 9th grade, #1 continued in co-op, but I think we gave up the co-op for the younger group. #1 was also taking Latin at the same location, and taking Biology and flute lessons at locations near home. We may have been working on Algebra 1 at home, or she may have taken it at someone's home, I can;t remember.  #3 was born in November, days after we had a unit celebration of a Medieval Feast.

For awhile after the birth friends helped me out transporting #1 to classes. I did my best keeping #2 on track at home. Eventually I was able to get back to actively transporting her to activities again.

In 10th grade #1 continued on in the co-op, taking Latin 2, Anatomy, and flute as outside classes. Can you see a theme here? For most of high school I was a taxi. Since the classes she took were co-op, that meant I taught a class about every six weeks in rotation with other parents. She began working at the violin shop this year.

In 11th grade #1 took her fourth co-op year of high school level English Composition/Literature, her fourth year of high school level History/Government, and continued flute. She took Driver's Education and got her license. She took Chemistry outside the home as well.

In 12th grade #1 was done with most of her classes. She spent more time reading, playing violin, and working at the violin shop. It was 15 years ago, so I may have gotten some of the order wrong - she may have taken one of the earlier-mentioned math or science courses this year. She graduated with a group of home schoolers from our church's home school group.

As I think back on those years, I have glossed over the struggles we experienced, the tears, the stress, etc. I don't mean to white-wash things. It was a very difficult time for our family, and the stress on our first-born was huge, and she suffered as a result of it. We did the best we could. For us, getting it all done, fitting it all in involved a lot of outside classes. I know that doesn't work for everyone.

What is working in your homeschool high school?

Other members of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew are also blogging the 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement. To read more posts, please click the button below.

Can we talk about Field Trips?

Hands-on learning is the very best kind of learning, and field trips can be a very good idea to support hands-on learning.

As I consider beginning a discussion of field trips, issues that come to mind are:

• financial considerations;
• location;
• age and mobility/obedience of the kids

Financial considerations
Field trips can cost money, so if there is no money to spend you need to understand that field trips do not need to cost money! Or they might cost as little as the gas to drive your car. Ways to make a field trip free include:

• packing a lunch;
• everyone taking a water bottle;
• taking a gallon of extra water (or more) if appropriate and necessary.

Or none of the above if it is a short field trip! Examples of free field trips I have taken my children on include:

• visiting a local nature center;
• visiting a local farm to see baby goats;
• visiting another neighbor to see their chickens;
• taking a nature walk at a local park;
• visiting the local air port to watch planes land and take off;
• visiting the fire station when they hold an open house;
• visiting free museums and free zoo in the Washington, DC area (where I live);
• visiting local courtroom and sitting through a trial;
• visiting city council meeting;
• visiting train station and watching for trains.

 Moderate expense field trips would include things like:

• take the kids ice skating;
  
• go to a movie matinee;
• go bowling;
• take a ride on the local subway (just to ride the train!);
• take trips to historical sites that have small fee

 More expensive trips might be:

• Go to a glass blowing factory tour; make a glass ornament;
  
• visit museums that charge a fee, like a Children's Museum, Building Museum, Aquarium or Zoo;
• Go to a ceramics shop where you can make a ceramic item;
• Go on a "date" to a local coffee shop or restaurant

We've gone on many field trips through the years. Sometimes the parent (me) can get exasperated when the focus of the field trip (light house and marine museum) are not what the child is interested in (wading in local flooding).

In the early years, I was always looking for learning opportunities. Visiting Nana and Pop Pop in Florida, we visited Ft. Christmas. I was intrigued. My girls were bored to tears.

 We visited a Cabbage Patch Doll Factory.

 Two of my kids went to Space Camp

But some of our best field trips, I did not attend. My girls participated in a co-op, and the group visited Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (which I did attend)

New York City

and even Europe. Talk about expensive! The kidlet had to work to pay for that one!

But some of the best field trips were just plain free. When your kid just needs a break, sometimes it is just more productive to get out of the house and experience nature.

So look at your year. Maybe plan one Friday a month to set aside as a field trip day. Adjust this idea as you need to for your budget and for what is available in your area, but consider a schedule like this:

• September: zoo
• October: orchard/farm to pick apples and/or pumpkins
• November: Visit an area of early American interest (thinking of Thanksgiving). I might go to my local Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, MD
• December: attend a showing of The Nutcracker, or visit a living nativity or some special activity that has been scheduled for Christmas;
• January: Go ice skating;
• February: go to the local natural history museum or building museum;
• March: go on a nature walk and look for signs of spring;
• April: visit a location where you can observe cherry blossoms
• May: Go to nature center and take a hike. Observe three new bird species and learn about them.
• June: Go to a local park with a lake. Consider renting a canoe or paying for a ride on a pontoon boat.
• July: pick strawberries (June?) or blueberries at local farm. 
• August: go to county fair

Other members of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew are also participating in the 5-Days of Homeschool Encouragement blog hop. To read more posts, please click on the link below.

A Letter to the Struggling Homeschool Mom

Dear Home School Mom,

Get a cup of coffee and settle in for a Mom to Mom chat.

Ready? 

So I hear you are feeling overwhelmed. It is almost time for your school year to start, and you aren't ready. You have children you need to teach, but you have a baby in the house. 

You feel like you should already have a 36-week-lesson plan figured out for all your subjects, and right now you are just wondering if there are enough clean clothes for everyone and what you will serve for dinner tonight.

Well, let's start by breaking this down piece by piece.

• Laundry: Okay, so someone might have to wear something that's not exactly clean today. That is the beauty of home schooling. You aren't going anywhere (school), and this isn't a beauty contest. If Child #1 needs to loan a shirt to Child #2, or Child #3 needs to wear yesterday's outfit, life will go on. Get the kids each to grab an armful of dirty laundry and meet you at the washing machine. Put the baby in a bouncer seat on top of the dryer and start a load of darks in cold water. Now the only important thing you need to remember is to come back in about an hour and move the laundry to the dryer. Set a timer on your cell phone.
• Dinner: Take stock of your freezer and your fridge and see if you can pull something together. If not, call your husband and tell him the situation. Ask him if he 1) wants to get some stuff at the store on his way home from work; 2) wants to get something like pizza; or 3) wants cereal or pancakes or something like that for dinner tonight.

 Next, let's talk about planning. You might not have thought of it this way, but there are actually two options for filling out a "Planner" -- in advance, or after the fact. When you can't plan in advance, you write things down as they get done. It isn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be. So here's your basic plan, and you write it down as they do it:

• Math: Most of us purchase some sort of Math textbook. If you have a text book, it probably has about 140 lessons in it (more for higher grades). Public schools consider it "good enough" if they get through at least 75% of the textbook. There are 180 school days in a 36-week school year, so there is a lot of lee-way, even if you don't do a lesson on days when you give a test. Aim for a lesson a day 5 days per week, and when you do less, you record that you did less. That's all. No guilt.
• Science: Textbook or non-fiction library books, projects or interest driven, just try to record something "Science-y" in your "Planner" each day. It might be a weather record for the full year (which also covers "Math" by doing a calendar) with Cloudy or Sun, Rain or Snow, temperature, windy, etc. Consider reading books about clouds and what the different types of clouds mean (stratus, cumulo nimbus, etc.), books about what conditions cause snow, sleet, what causes dew. Take one "nature" walk per week and find one thing to focus on for the day, and come home and learn about it, whether an oak tree, a dandelion, a butterfly, a squirrel. Take a photo if you can. At home, everyone draw a picture of it in a nature journal (art).
  
• Reading: Right now might not be time to stress about Phonics, unless you are able to use an on-line program. Otherwise, consider some lovely books to read aloud to everyone. That still counts as "reading" -- it doesn't have to be that the child read to herself. Some of my early favorites were: Heidi, Black Beauty, Pinocchio,  Mary Poppins, The Saturdays, Winnie the Pooh, and A Child's Garden of Verse. Visit the library frequently; keep costs down.
• Social Studies: This can mean history, geography, and that type of thing. You don't need to do this every day of the week, but you can. You can cover material by time period/topic, or can cover material by more specific interest, like studying mummies and learning a little about Egypt as a result. You can keep it light and think of ways to make it fun. You can weave many subjects together, like read Little House on the Prairie (reading/literature), locate where they are on the globe (geography), follow an item mentioned in the book, like what is a prairie hen, and look it up (science), do something mentioned in the book like make a corn cob doll (art)... Just write it all down in the appropriate categories. It looks real impressive! 
• Phys. Ed. - most active play is Phys. Ed., whether it is riding the tricycle in the living room or chasing the dog in the back yard.
  
• Art: Pull out scrap paper and crayons at least once a week. Add more structure as you are able. Some glue and torn construction paper makes a nice layered picture. Add scissors and you can make paper chains. Get a craft book out at the library.
• Music: Play classical music in the background at various times during the day, like while everyone is eating lunch.
• Health: this doesn't need structure. We are teaching health every day at home. Just periodically note in your planner things like "Health: discussed the importance of washing hands with soap regularly to prevent the spread of viruses like colds."

In our early years, each day at the end of the day I would make entries in my "Planner" of what we had done. Example:
Bible: Read Psalm 17 and Eph. 3
Math: Made cookies. Worked with units of measure (teaspoons, cups) and fractions (1/2 cup)
English/lit: Discussed that sentences have a subject (or thing) and a verb (or action). Read Chapter 11 of Pinocchio. 
Social Studies: Discussed time (1800's) and place (Italy) of Pinocchio, when there was no electricity and heat was in fire place. Located Italy on globe.

Science: Studied square foot of ground in woods. Picked a fern. Brought it home and read about ferns.

Art: Drew and labeled a picture of a fern.
 "Health" - ate three well-balanced meals; discussed types of fruits and vegetables
Phys. Ed.: Walked around the block. 

On really rough days, have older kids read to, play with and take care of littles while you take care of the baby. Reading is still reading. Play and care of younger kids was part of a high school course when I was in school. What could be better than taking care of your own siblings.

For longer term survival, I recommend you plan a menu for next week, creating a shopping list at the same time. Ask your husband to help you by shopping for you on Saturday. Have your older kids help you work on dinner during the week days, allowing plenty of time. This is part of their education, too. An 8-year-old can learn how to scramble eggs, make a grilled cheese sandwich, or mix up a box of macaroni and cheese. A 12-year-old who has been taught can usually make an entire (easy) dinner, like baked chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli.

Hang in there. One day your newborn will be graduating, and all these days will be memories. Do what you need to do to make them fond memories for everyone!

Other members of the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew are also participating in the 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement. To see more posts please click the button below.