Cert-ic-afit Time!

I just love the way G. says this! He was so excited to get his cert-ic-afit from preschool, so I decided to make one for C. too. She was very pleased. But technically I don't feel we actually finished. I want to finish the spelling/phonics workbook over the summer so that we can start on the next level in the fall, and she also needs to continue with math because there are some concepts she is still struggling with. But she felt special receiving her certificate, and that is all that matters.

















Anyway, G. loved his graduation ceremony. He gave a friendly wave as he came out in his graduation "gown" and sang all the songs with his superstar glasses.
He gave a handshake upon receiving the certificate and sat nicely with his sister for a picture.






























Now why, you might ask, did G. go to preschool instead of homeschooling? Because he is four - enough said.

But seriously, I was finding being with G. all the time to be so intense. I think we are just so much alike that we are in a constant struggle for control. I try not to be so controlling with G., but for a *controlling* person like myself it is difficult. And I will admit, he pushes my buttons and I am constantly trying to regroup and find better ways of communicating with him. But it is exhausting. And for our first year of homeschooling, I wanted to have some "one-on-one" time with C. because I was nervous about making it work. I am not one who thinks preschool is a must and I certainly don't give a hoot about "kindergarten readiness." I was very lucky to find a lovely place with caring people who believe that children should *play* - G. really thrived there and had a wonderful year.

I am very proud of both of them for a wonderful year. And I'm actually proud of myself. It was a year of growth for me, too, finding the confidence within myself to live the dream I have always had to homeschool my children. I always remember, though, that it is what is best for *them* that matters. And it's not just homeschooling, really - it is a total lifestyle. For now, I know C. is very happy being at home with her family and so am I. I can't wait for all the fun things we will do over the summer!

The First Rose of Summer...

What a beautiful sight - and a lovely scent. I put in this rose bush when we moved to our house 5 years ago. It is called "Peace" and is a hybrid tea rose. Now, some people think roses are fussy and a lot of work. I suppose they could be if I payed them any attention. But I just leave them be and tuck them away in the garden and I am occasionally rewarded with some lovely blooms throughout the summer. I garden organically, so no pesticides here. I wouldn't want a lot of roses in my garden, but I think every garden needs a few. And peonies. And lilacs. And veggies...

Happy Father's Day

We had a pretty mellow day here. After the excitement of C.'s recital and the party afterwards, we just kind of hung out a bit. The kids made some artwork for their dad. I stole the idea from this wonderful blog

First, I bought some canvases. I traced their feet and hands onto the canvas using pencils. Then they outlined and filled in with oil pastels, which they also used to write their names. Then we used watercolors to fill in the canvas. The oil pastels resist the watercolor so you can still see the hands, feet and names. George was very proud of writing his own name! They are very cute, but I think I should have followed the example and used smaller canvases because 1) it was too much work for George and he got tired of painting, and b) the paint would dry in areas and became splotchy looking. But I think Ron was pleased and they are very cute. Someday soon it will be funny to think of their hands and feet ever being that small...

Flying Irish!

Well, it was a very busy week around here. Between all of the rehearsals, and learning how to put on a wig, we finally made it to the big recital day. The Flying Irish Studio put on quite a show. It was wonderful and C. did so well and enjoyed every second of it. We weren't allowed to take pictures of her on stage, but here are a few pics of before and after.

Before the recital


With her proud parents


and auntie


and grandparents...


And with all the flowers she got after the show...she deserved every one of them



Carmella worked so hard all year, and she really deserved this special day. Way to go, Carmella! Videos added at the bottom of the blog!

Yes, she has friends....

Well, it finally happened. Not to my child in particular, but to a friend's child. Upon learning the child is homeschooled the adult says to child (in a worried and confused tone of voice) "But you do get out though...to be with other children?" And the child, with an equally confused face (but for very different reasons) shrugs and walks off to speak with someone who isn't so befuddled. The child, of course, is thinking of the 4-hour playdate he had that day with a group of friends, the karate class he had yesterday, the homeschooling art class, the field trip to the museum last week, the get-together he's having tomorrow morning with friends.....

The question is harmless, I suppose, but it is very indicative of most people's ignorance, not only about homeschooling in general, but about what normal socializing and socialization should look like for children. And generally speaking, most people don't know the difference between the two. Socialization is, loosely speaking, the process by which culture is learned, where individuals internalize a culture's social norms, and learn values about right and wrong. Socializing, on the other hand, is hanging out with your friends.

Do people honestly believe that being in a schoolroom for 6 - 7 hours per day, with the same group of children everyday, competing with one another for the teacher's attention, for grades, for boys, for the coolest clothes - do people really believe this is a healthy environment for children? This is not good socialization, people. My children play with children from babies to preteens, they interact with adults during our outings during the day, and I would argue that one afternoon playdate is more "socializing" with their friends than their schooled counterparts get in a week.

I would like to add that I am not anti-public school. And I am not arguing that homeschoolers are better socialized than their schooled peers. There are lots of freaky homeschoolers out there! But study after study shows how kids are bullied starting in kindergarten, I've seen the cliquey mean 7 year old girls on the playground, and I have to say no, thank you. Here in MA, public education is struggling under the weight of MCAS, a high-stakes standardized test that all children are required to take starting in third grade. The entire public school system is a slave to the test, and our children are suffering for it. But I digress...

Anyway, yes, my childen have friends. Yes, we leave the house. In fact, there are so many field trips, classes, activities, and get-togethers that this first year has been a real balancing act. I don't want to do so much that we are never home! And so the next time an adult asks my kids if they have friends or ever leave the house, I hope they shrug and walk away and look at them like they are clueless. Because, after all, they usually are.

The mummy!

You may recall that we did some studying of Ancient Egypt. We used the Story of The World as our guide. Carmella loved it - we read a lot of books, she especially enjoyed reading about the lives of women and children. Luckily our library had a wonderful kit put together that had books and videos we could take out for three weeks.

Some of the projects we did:

Clay cuneiform tablets - writing our names


Flooding the Nile! First line the riverbed with foil and add rocks. Put potting soil and grass seed on the sides. Then "flood" the riverbed and watch the crops grow.


I wasn't sure it would work, but the grass grew beautifully. I wish my lawn looked as good!


Then, or course, was the chicken mummy. It takes six weeks of constantly "resalting" the chicken to mummify it. We then rubbed it with oil and spices, and using a mixture of glue and water, put strips of linen all over it. Carmella wasn't too sure about touching it, so I ended up doing it myself. It definitely had a bit of an odor to it, not rotten, but not particularly fresh either.

wrapping the chicken


The mummy!


I'm not touching that thing!


These were a few websites we liked:

The Met
PBS - Nova
Some fun games

There were a few others but for some reason I can't get them to link.

Next up: The Wampanoag. But between C.'s dance recital and our trips to Hershey Park and Cape Cod, we probably won't get into it until July. But I know what C. will really want to do - dress up and act it out!