Teaching or Learning?

And here we come to one of the really damaging myths of education, namely, that learning is the result of teaching; that the progress of the child bears a direct relation to methods of instruction and internal relationships of curriculum. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

From "THE LIVES OF CHILDREN
The Story of the First Street School
By George Dennison"

This quote is so true. As I "teach" my children and really begin to understand how they learn I have found that most of their learning is not due to my teaching but despite it. As a mother and a homeschool teacher my ego would like me to think that I am Very Important in the process of my children learning but I have learnt that I am here to facilitate, encourage, guide and love only, not to teach. What teaches my children is not inside me but is inately within them. Their strengths, their interests, their view of the world!! All this is a much bigger part of what they learn and how, than what I am as a teacher or the curriculum I use.

Best wishes
Jen

Technical Drawing

This is a particular passion of mine. All my boys will be doing at least level one outlined below. I think these skills are just so necessary to be able to communicate to someone what you want or need from an item in three dimensions.

My opinion of what needs to be covered:

First level (and almost essential IMO)
- plane geometry (possibly covered elsewhere if you have a good maths program), things like dividing a line of unknown length in to 5 even segments, or dividing an unknown angle evenly in half, proportionals, polygons, tangents, little tricks for doing things like drawing a line parallel a certain distance from a line you already know
- involutes, archimedian spirals, cycloids, epicycloids, hypocycloids (at least an understanding if not necessarily a strong knowledge)
- orthographic projection - at least first angle, ie plans, elevations, sections and an understanding of the different line styles used to represent hidden parts etc
- understanding of scales, tolerances and fits
- basic architectural drawing (just in case they ever choose to build or extend their home)
- basic isometric drawing (horizontal lines represented as 30 deg to right and left to show a 3D image)
- how to create either orthographic projections from isometric drawings and vice versa
- basic perspective drawing with only straight lines

Second level and beyond
- any of the above that will require circles and curves, could be hard for a fine motor skills challenged kid
- more complex orthographic projections of two solids intersecting and being able to show the shape of the cut into one to fit the other, think gutters intersecting and knowing the shape of the "hole" if the main shape is rolled out flat
- true shapes of truncated simple solids

I am currently looking into what text to use. This may take some research but I will get back to you on this.

Best wishes
Jen

PS Aha, found the text I used in a slighter younger version. Check out this one available through Booktopia in Australia.

Bathroom safety tips!

* never store plugs on the bench or where anyone under the age of 4 can reach (ask how I know not to do this! lol)

* store only bath mats, hand towels and face washers under your sink, avoid nasty and dangerous chemicals down low

* keep all razors up high above the height even an 8 year old can reach (my 8yo has no eyebrows thanks to mum's razor!)

* spread the shower curtain out when finished, don't leave clumped at one side of the shower

* use a small coloured plastic basket per child for their toothbrush, a cup and any other little personal cleaning items; place each on the tiled shelf usually at the end of the bath or next to the shower

* never put fancy soap beside the basin, and definitely not soap with a plunger

* keep benches as clear of clutter as possible as it makes it easier to clean up the inevitable puddles

Best wishes
Jen

"Hedge trimming" your children

I have been walking each morning for the last 2 days. I live in an area that has some beautiful manicured gardens and some not quite so manicured yet still beautiful gardens.

I was looking at some hedges around the area and realised something that relates to my calling as mama. The hedges that looked the best were compact and no big gaps in the greenery. Others were shaped but had obviously been left for quite a while before being trimmed back, probably with a trimmer in a "hacking" manner. The end result was that the shape was good in a superficial way but it didn't have a good "body" to it.

Training my kids works in a similar way. If I leave teaching and guiding them until they are "scraggly" and overgrown with bad habits I can "train" them back to the right shape, usually with a bit of "hacking" but they aren't whole with good "body". There will be gaps in our relationship where I have to prune roughly just to get the shape to look right. If I instead prune gently and pay attention to when a "branch" or habit is starting that could lead to a really straggly shape/character, then my "hedge" will have better shape and will look good with strong structure/character under the good looks.

When I have let some bad habits creep in I need to remember to gently prune them away, bit by bit, consistently. If I try to "hack" my kids into shape when I have let things get out of hand I will damage the end result, ending up with a character that is hole-y and not as strong as it could be, even though the shape looks good and our relationship will suffer.

Now to figure out how to stop one child from being bossy and another being a complainer. Ah, the joys of motherhood, one of the hardest jobs on earth, but the rewards are immense.

Changing routines

I have usually schooled my 2 oldest boys one at a time. I would work with ds1 on a topic then send him away to work on his own while I worked with ds2 on some of his work and so on and so forth all day long. And it was long, and my ds3, 5.5yo, was not getting any real time for school. I didn't think he needs it.

But then kids have a way of changing our plans, don't they? Ds3 is zooming along with his letter recognition and his maths skills are improving along with his handwriting. It is time to include him in school.

This requires a change in routines. I am going to be doing one-room school house teaching. In other words all the boys will sit around the table for Language Arts first. I will guide each one on their work at once, going back and forth guiding each student. There will be less "losing" students to the backyard to play and we will work together. After a break we will then move on to Maths, break, Science and History, break and then Music or Art.

It does mean I need to get some more activities to occupy them at the table. I had never been a fan of workbooks, saw them as "busywork" with little value. This old theory of mine seemed to work for my older pencil phobic boys but I am realising that their skills are not as strong due to lack of repetition. Sure, filling in worksheet after worksheet can seem boring and just work to keep them busy but worksheets also fill the purpose of consolidating skills, of practicing and really getting that knowledge to sink in due to repetition. Looks like more than just my routines are needing to change, my attitude too?!

So, here I go, off to our local school supplier to look for workbooks for littles and bigs. And I will search the internet too. I have found some great sites over time. Just where did I put them though?!?

Best wishes
Jen in NSW

A winter bedding tip!

I have 2 wrigglers who always seem to wake up in the morning curled in a feotal position trying to be warm while all their blankets dangle off the side of the bed. As a kid I slept in a sleeping bag and thought this may solve the problem of the disappearing blankets. Well, a bedwetter and typically dirty boys if I don't manage to get them all bathed every night means that sleeping bags are out of the question. Just not washable or machine dryable like I need.

Funnily enough at the camping store the guy came up with a great tip. His mum was a foster mum and she had this trick. Bottom sheets are fitted single bed sheets and the top bedding is double bed sheets and blankets that tuck all the way under the mattress, creating a nice snug cocoon that doesn't unravel easily. I don't have double bed linen but for my littler guys I just tucked the single bed top sheet and a thinner blanket the normal way but then tucked a lovely thick single blanket across the top of the sleeping area.

Both boys slept well, and even though my bed wetter still wet his bed, he was happy with the snuggly cocoon bed. And still easy enough to do the washing as it was only my normal linen, just used differently.

Try it, it worked.

Best wishes
Jen in Oz

My 11yo does our shopping!

Inspired by a BBC show, Boys and Girls Alone, I allowed my 11.5yo son to do up a menu plan for this week and to do the grocery shopping through an online service while sticking to a budget. He did very well, juggling how many treats and what treats to get for his younger brother's upcoming birthday as well as meeting our family's needs such as TP and tissues in this season of colds and snuffly noses.

I have 4 boys and the long term plan is that by the time they leave home they will be fully confident in cooking at least 5 different types of main meals, 3 desserts, baking of biscuits and cakes and be able to do all that on a budget. I do not want to send my kids off to University (which is likely to be in another town) without these essential skills.

We do our children a great disservice by doing things for them. With our training from a young age they can go through the teenage years and into adulthood with confidence in their ability to look after themselves, and to share in the load of making a home with flat mates and in the future with a wife, and hopefully children.

I do not want them coming home to get their washing done. I do not want to be cooking all day long to feed hungry teenage boys. They are adults in the making and adults should be able to be independant, but that depends a lot on the training I do now.

Best wishes
Jen in Oz

A couple of updates

Well, thankfully the car squeak of last week was just the noises of an old car. They greased it and sprayed lubricant into bits needing it. And all for the great price of Nothing! Wasn't that great?

School has had a little pause while I take into account how my children are coping with the way I am doing things. A little assessment every now and then is a good thing. I have realised that my non-readers (8yo and 5yo) still like to have a list of sorts for the day. I have created a similar system to a workbox system and will post more about it in a separate post.

Financially I have been able to not go into my next week's shopping money early. I do hate how I would always be behind before the week even started. I am going to keep working on this. I know some serious menu planning is required to keep me on track. And also keeping up with my prep work so if the baby is upset around dinner time others can handle getting the meal on the table.

Not being prepared and not having a clean kitchen have been my two biggest hurdles for eating physically and financially healthy meals. The other day we spent $40 on Domino's for pizzas and pasta. What a waste! It has definitely inspired me to put together my own fast meals for the freezer. One idea is frozen cooked chicken meat, frozen homemade tomato basil sauce, fresh cooked pasta from the fridge, and some freshly cut vegetables like mushrooms, tomato and capsicum. I am also wondering about cutting vegetables up ahead of time for salads and keeping them separate until meal time.

Well, that is all for now,
Jen in Oz

Spelling tests are challenging for me too!

I use AVKO Sequential Spelling for my 11yo. Today was not "fun". After having my hand held for several tests I am now having to create my own sentences. Ack! What do they think they are asking of a mother of 4 boys who generally has one bouncing around, one sitting in front of the television too much and another using the aforementioned mother as a mobile milk bar while she is trying to administer a test to a child who really would rather be somewhere else?

Needless my poor addled brain could not think of a sentence with "ins"! And a lot of the other sentences were mostly about food (need to go grocery shopping) and misbehaving children.

If anyone can tell me they use the word ins regularly I would love to hear about it.

Best wishes
Jen in Oz

"Mama MIA" real school days

I have been inspired after reading a friend's post about a "real" day homeschooling to describe my day to this point.

I woke up a little late with a headache and just haven't been able to kick it. Despite wanting to just hide in my room and watch NCIS and NCIS LA all day I am sitting here planning our next few weeks in HST+. So far today I have asked my eldest to do his maths, but oh no, apparently talking to his dad on the computer has been more important. I think he did do some of the worksheet but I am not up for cajoling (nagging leading to yelling) with this headache so it will probably still be unfinished until tomorrow.

Luckily for me meals here can be pretty self sufficient, especially when we have lots of leftovers. I always recommend having fruit, yoghurt, milk (for bowls of cereal) and bread in the house. Those, along with cold cooked pasta, seem to keep us going on those days when Mama is off with the fairies for whatever reason.

The weather here alternates between muggy and rain so I can't send the boys out to play. Normally they play lots in the dirt and on the trampoline on "Mama MIA" days. Today instead they are watching way too much TV. Thankfully it is a non-commercial station, but still I do feel guilty on these days.

I have in the past felt guilty for these "Mama MIA" days but we have been doing really well lately and I am sure we will get back on track again. It seems to me that being conscious of having a bad day and just rolling with it helps to make sure they don't linger into weeks.

Hoping your bad days don't turn into weeks,
Jen in Oz

PS One big bit of advice - be nice! It isn't the kids' fault your mood is not good. If you are nice they are actually more likely to give you more of the peace and quiet you need.

My Plan for School Days

My school year started this last week. We spent some time tidying up our binders and school boxes. I haven't always dated art work, big regret! But at least it is now in a box ready to be sorted and culled at the end of the year.

I have sat down with my two older boys, 11yo and almost 8yo, and explained my goals for them for the year. My eldest, M, was shocked at first that I expected him to get thru Singapore Maths 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B this year, but he was really quite pleased with the challenge of doing 7 lessons a week. I know he knows most of the work in these books.

I try to teach my kids maths principles a lot as we come across them in real life. I love maths! (Yup, loved chemistry, physics and accounting too, but wasn't always great at those like I was at Trig, Calc and Algebra.) He may not have "seen" this maths before but I am sure he will do quite well with the goals I have set.

This semester the goals have been decided by me but I am hoping that as the year develops that M will start to set his own goals to work towards.

Another "fun" thing I have done this week with regards to school is to work out a rotation for our subjects, making sure each covers the basics in the order best for them, and with breaks between "tough" subjects.


I like the Classical method so most of my curriculum is from Peace Hill Press. FLL is First Language Lessons Lvl 1 and 2. I use Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading for phonics and have added Sequential Spelling Level 1 and Writing With Ease for my eldest.

Seeing as he taught himself to read and really didn't take to phonics, spelling and composition are going to be interesting subjects this year.

Here is our second page.


I hope these images can be viewed clearly once I publish this. For now they at least give an idea of how I spent well over 4 hours. lol

This whole organising caper is really very full on - what with being a home manager and a home schooling mum. Some days it feels like my head is spinning but it does seem to be coming together. I really hope this year turns out as well as I would like.

Best wishes
Jen in Oz

Routines with Very Young Children

When your children are very young the clock can seem to be your enemy. Try this idea for managing your day. Organise your day with the idea of routines inside bubbles of time.

For example before and after breakfast routines that include making beds, cleaning teeth, getting dressed etc leading on to cleaning for you while he does independent play. The amount of time for cleaning/independent play flexes to a longer or shorter time depending on his ability to play on his own that day or how long the earlier parts of the morning routine took. End that bubble of time with morning tea at a set time of day.

Use the same idea for the next bubble of time between morning tea and lunch and so on.

It gives your little one a sense of structure and familiarity to each day but you are not clock watching or forcing an activity to continue when it is a lost cause.