Unschooling-Unchristian?

I had a homeschooling friend tell me a while back that after thoroughly researching unschooling, she decided that she could not do so because “ A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. " Actually the whole verse states: Pro 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. That is fine and good. Just because God leads one family a certain direction doesn’t mean he will necessarily lead every family the same way. Only God knows the particular training and circumstances each child will need to fulfill his will for their lives. I judge no one.
Perhaps she was nicely trying to show me the “error of my ways”, I don’t know. At any rate, I have since prayed and given much thought to this verse. I am quite convinced my children are not left to themselves. (Just ask them!)
Firstly, this verse, when taken in context is clearly talking about moral training and duty and perhaps even gross neglect- not necessarily the choice of academic style.
Now admittedly, I sometimes wish that I could leave them to themselves for even 30 minutes (for a break), but the truth is they do still need constant supervision (even my 14 year -old). If you are a parent with more than one child, you know that seldom is there a 10 minute time frame when there is not some infraction committed that needs judged, corrected , discussed, and brought to light of God’s truth. This of course, is very time-consuming and tiring, but absolutely necessary to the Godly training of children. We strive to not allow any bad habits of character, especially those hurtful to others, to be formed or to remain, thus searing young consciences and leading them even further down a path of destruction. It takes much diligence, truth be told. We never throw up our hands and say, “ Whatever! Let them fight it out!” Some may disagree with this, but we have seen that children when left to themselves to work out their disagreements will resort to the flesh, and the world’s way of solving problems. That is, the one that is strongest calling the shots. And they are usually not mature enough to put themselves last and do the righteous thing (unless having been thoroughly, and painstakingly trained for many years to do so.) Most often the strongest uses his strength or cunning to get his /her own way. Manipulation. Many cruel words are spoken and fuel keeps getting thrown on the fire until perhaps if not arrested, tempers can flare so hot the disagreement becomes physical. This certainly is not healthy for either or the relationship. Now, the temptations to deal with are triple. Unforgiveness, revenge, unrepentance, future judgementalness, not to mention developing ungodly behavior patterns where one child is continuously victimized emotionally and left helpless in their anger to the forming tyrannical bully, leaving neither to be able to restore their relationship to God or each other. It is a huge trap of Satan that I see them fall into over and over. We try hard to address and correct every cruel or unkind word spoken, every manipulation, and every unforgiving, unrepentant and angry attitude.

However, this is not what I was going to write about. Back to unschooling and children left to themselves. Now I cannot vouch for other unschoolers, but we do not allow our children to call the shots, make their own schedule, or all their own choices. They do not have unlimited free time to do whatever they will. We know that even a small amount of time allowing it makes them extremely willful and unsubmissive, complainy, and uncooperative. This environment allows for self to have full reign making them extremely self-centered and self-motivated. This would be very counterproductive to the Godly training we strive for.
No, our children have a basic daily schedule, that while not set ridgedly in stone, allow for a fairly consistent time frame for their day. They know what to expect, and what is expected of them and this gives them a certain amount of security and flow to our lives. We wake at around the same time daily. They have an hour to be fed, rooms/beds straightened, and dressed. (This includes teeth hair, different clothes-particularly undergarments, deodorant , etc. You may laugh, but this actually is asked every day, and takes quite a bit of training for 6 children of various ages.) They then must gather in the living room for family devotion and prayer time. This of course, is more training in simply being attentive and still ( especially for the younger ones) and we hope for participation. Next, we have a 30 minute cleaning spree we call “morning chores” usually assigned for a 3 week period. By then, if all goes well and there are no major crisis (injuries, fights to work through, spills or general devastation) They have an hour or two before lunch to pursue their own interests and learn about whatever they will. They know that this is more academic learning time and not movie time unless it is educational. All time, every day is learning in some way or another; the character training being more of a priority. But we have found that other “academic “ learning falls naturally within the flow of our daily schedule in certain places. Or you might say that they are free to learn in that way when it doesn’t interfere with set times of meals and chores. All this of course, is flexible to a degree. I mean I am not going to cut off the flowing juices if they are in the middle of a project that they are very excited about , or doing MATH( which is rare enough) just because it is bedtime. After lunch, the next time marker is 4:30 when any remaining chores must be finished before dad returns and we have family suppertime at anywhere from 6:00-7:00 depending on when dad gets home. After meal clean-up, that we do as a family, they usually have some time to play read, or finish whatever interest or project they were doing. A lot of times we read as a family, ( last night, Dad took them for a walk in the snowy night-cause mom was not feeling well.) Then we usually join for devotion/prayer led by Dad. This is also a time for everyone to reconnect and share with dad all of their day. So we have found that this relaxed structure with certain daily landmarks works well for us.
Now granted, there are times, that if I used my eyes only, it would appear that they weren’t doing much learning- and I will start to give nudges, ideas and suggestions or sit down with a child to play a learning activity- try to get the juices flowing. But I try not to worry and trust God ; these times usually don’t last very long. I’m starting to see that people naturally learn large amounts in spurts (I do as well) and then the brain needs time to digest and rest from academic learning. As long as we can still see and gauge tangible improvement /advancement, and most importantly a desire and love of learning, we are satisfied. We trust that God will equip, lead and guide them for His purpose in their lives.
Another negative remark I have heard about, is the statement that God is a God of order and structure and therefore unschooling can’t possibly be His will. But whose order? God’s order is not necessarily our idea of order, and certainly not society’s idea of when and what every child should learn. Every child is as unique as God’s plan for their individual lives, and only the Holy spirit knows what and when they are ready for something. We allow God the freedom to do this, and truly, I don’t see how He could otherwise. We have since seen an excitement and joy for learning, even the basic academic subjects, return slowly to the children. They are all reading many more books on various subjects (unprompted) and best of all their talents and gifting and callings are becoming apparent. We still feel confident that this is God’s will for our family.

Higher Standards

The Lord is drawing us to higher standards in our educational choices for our children. Basically, if it is not from a Christian source, it is not for us. Yes, that even means no National geographic or other educational dvds from the library. This is kinda hard as you can imagine; we depended on the library for a lot of our resources. We haven’t completely weaned off from the library yet, and sometimes we bend our own rule- but we are trying. There are still a few decent selections (diamonds in the rough )there, but they are getting increasingly harder to find and all the junk one has to wade through to find them! There are so many great Christian based resources/curriculum out there (not free of course) we need not worry about not getting great educational material. This new standard is forcing us to invest more money into the really good stuff out there, which is a good thing. The kids are excited to each get to choose some new, dvd, game, book, manipulative, or science kit each month. Dad and I are excited too! First on our list will be Diana Warings Ancient Civilizations package.

Another Week At A Glance

Yep, another update so soon. As I said, when it rains it pours! The kids have been getting quite a few lessons with Dad lately. He is always sharing with them some new and interesting thing, usually a video on the computer. This past week they learned/watched how cornflakes were made, about immigration and world poverty, and Eugenics. He also gave them a lesson on making coffee, which developed into where electricity comes from, and different types of energy, which also led to a lively discussion about what happens to people when they get electrocuted or struck by lightning. We then took them down to the laundry room to show them all the processes for doing all the laundry (I admit, I had been keeping this chore to myself-well actually Nathan was my helper and knows how to do it all.) German machines are different. They studied and talked about condensation, and about the electrical and plumbing lines down there as well. James is planning some survival excursions in the forest for next spring and a scavenger/treasure hunt using coordinates and a compass. I think we are going to take the kids on a letterbox adventure at a castle nearby. The homeschool group had planned it and then had to cancel- so we might do it as a family. Should be fun- that is right up Jacob’s alley.
Learning time with dad is a wonderful treat, as he doesn’t get to do it as much he’d like because of work. The kids are very responsive.

They also love to listen to preaching or teaching tapes while we are driving as a family. We just started Diana Warings History Alive series- it is truly fascinating, always prompting lots of questions and discussions. We are ordering her Ancient Civilizations package next month- can’t wait!

Friday, Jacob self initiated doing a lesson of math out of his Abeka textbook (instead of using all the myriad of manipulatives and games we have-hmmpf! go figure!) I guess I won’t get rid of all those textbooks after all- they keep getting them out and using them! He had the lesson completed (which was 100%) before everyone had even finished breakfast and getting ready for the day. I think he actually enjoyed it too! I told him it was like detective work, using the clues to solve a problem or mystery. He checked out some Hardy Boys books at the library yesterday. I think he is taking a break from the Circle Trilogy. He has also been writing in his detective journal.

Micah and Jacob made some cool, elaborate paper blow guns that they had learned how to do on youtube. They have quite a bit of force and distance- had to buy a lot more tape yesterday. Micah even attached an ammo box full of shrapnel on his and Jacob’s has a scope.

Nathan and Hannah have worked in their vtecs quite a bit this week, doing some of the games they hadn’t learned yet. Nathan is surprising me more and more with how many letters and sounds he knows. He goes around sounding out words all the time. The other day he was attempting to write words- he knew what they said, anyway. His favorite thing is when it is his turn to sleep with me, and we draw letters on each other’s backs. This is something I have always done with all the kids, sometimes with shaving cream on their backs while bathing. If I’m not mistaking the signs, he will show a real interest in reading soon. He and Eden did some painting this week, and made noodle necklaces and then painted them for the letter N. (I had a hard time keeping Eden from eating them later.) He drew some fabulous drawings of cats, tigers, zebras and other animals with quite a bit of detail, which would be something a much older child than 4 would do. I was quite amazed. He and Hannah got some new puzzles, and they were very excited to do them. Nathan only required a little help. His was a polar bear, and Hannah’s was a horse of course. Nathan picked out several books from the library of various animals, and even a large, thick animal encyclopedia. He also got some books on space and some magic school bus books. These he loves because when he was younger we had a few MSB videos.

Eden is going through a book phase. She has to carry a few around with her EVERYWHERE she goes. Upstairs, downstairs, to the potty, to the car, to bed-gets kinda annoying actually, especially when she screams when they are out of her sight, she drops them, or she thinks that someone is taking them. (We are working on her screaming habit.) She chose a couple at the library yesterday, and every person in the family had read them to her twice I think before the day was done. She barely let go of them to have them checked out. And what a fit she threw at bedtime when I wouldn’t let her sleep with them! Still, I’m glad she is taking an interest in books. She also goes around trying to sing her ABCs and sounding out words like Nathan does. I’m pretty sure she is just mimicking though-but maybe not, she is quite bright, and quite a drama queen! Her favorite thing is having me sing every song I know to her when it is her turn to sleep with me. And playing duck duck goose! She has also taken to wanting to give me massages lately and always wants someone to scratch her back. What a toot she is!

Hannah completed her doll and is so proud! This past week, she has been reading and drawing a lot! Quite frequently she asks me to help her spell some word, so I know she is writing too. Mostly I have been reading On the Banks of Plum Creek, which we just finished and she is so anxious to start the next one that we checked out from the library yesterday. She just loves this book series! I plan to buy her the whole set for her very own soon. Jacob and even Micah also conveniently shows up and hangs around for most of the readings and pretends to not like it by making fun of it a lot. (Jacob got mad one time when we read a chapter without him- and oh how he loathes Nellie Oleson being mean to Laura! That’s the hero in him.) They all go around quoting the books frequently. It has been a lot of fun and great learning!

And what has our aspiring writer been up to? A lot, as usual. When Micah is not working on his book, he is playing guitar, yo-yoing, making weapons out of paper, watching ed. youtube videos or reading. He has also independently been working in his math and grammar books this week. He went to a German church service with his German friend the other evening and was quite moved by the beauty and music. He also allowed me to read some of his book, which is quite fabulous and we had a long discussion about developing character, using similes, and plenty of 5 senses description to help the reader really be there. I was privileged, that he asked me to be his editor! He must have thought I knew what I was talking about. It is great to see him so motivated about writing. His talents and potentials seem to be unlimited. He is also after only two days of yo-yoing, an amature professional- amazing all of us with his death-defying tricks. I say death- defying, because he has come close to whacking a few of us in the head a couple of times. Still, he’s good!
Well, they will be trickling down from the bedrooms soon, so I should go start breakfast.

" I'm So Proud of You!"

The other day Eden( age 2) was mimicking how Nathan has been sounding out words. ex. b b b ball. She thought it was a great game. She made the d sound three times, then yelled out Dog! I thought I would join in and encourage her and said d d dDad! She clapped her hands and said, "Good! I'm so proud of you! You did it!" I quickly realized that she was being the teacher teaching me phonics!

Backwards Day

The other day I declared "Backwards Day" We did everything backwards. We stayed in our pajamas and didn't get dressed till that night. We ate in our rooms instead of at the table. I cooked pasta, rolls, and corn(no salad of course/ nothing healthy, that would be bad)in the morning for our "supper". We likewise had cereal and toaster strudles for "breakfast" that night. Poor James, didn't know what he was walking into when he got home. And the kids personal favorite-No chores or any responsibility!, and video games(nice educatioanl ones of course), during the week( gasp!) After each playing around of 20 min. however, the ugliness springing out of them put a stop to it pretty quickly. My point was to have fun in making a point, not to actually cause them any harm. They did not like however, when I said," Now, since we don't do structured"school" like the rest of the world does, normally, today we are! We will sit at the table with textbooks, and do every unrelated subject over the next 8 hours straiht, only breaking for lunch. I will cram as many facts into your head as I can whether or not you are ready developmentally for it and expect you to know them for the test later." Oh the look of horror and shock on their faces! Of course I did not follow through, like I said I did not want to harm the children, only make a point, which was made well enough by just proposing it. And what was the point you ask? Was there method and meaning to this madness?
Yes, actually.
The whole thing was an object lesson on Isiaih 5:20,21. Where God says " Woe unto them who call evil good and good evil, who call darkness,light and light darkness."(not exact quote)
We discussed many of the things the world says are good but showed scripurally where God says it is bad. Some examples were having lots of money( that's a biggie and sooo pervasive in our society) Getting lots of education so as to get the most amount of money and glory. Woman's rights, for ex.( not that I am for woman being abused wrongly by their God given authority,namely men)Rights such as abortion, equal ability/standing and pursuit of "fulfilling careers". Society implies that being a"barefoot and pregnant" housewife and supporting and being in subjection to your man is shameful. When in fact, the Bible teaches that we are to be keepers at home, submiting to our husbands, bearing much fruit(which the bible calls a blessing for women) and raising and training that fruit in the ways of the Lord. This is the highest calling one could ever hope for(and the most challenging and personlly fulfilling, I might add) These lies perpetuated in the world are a big part of why the infrastructure of the family and consequently society is deteriorating so fast. Women's selfish needs and ambishons for personal fulfillment have replaced there sense of duty to the detriment of there family. Some even put there kids in daycare as babies although they don't have to go to work, because as one woman told me, she "needed a break and didn't want to get burned out", as if children are a terrible burden instead of the most incredible joy that they are. Same said woman even said that the doctor, at her childs check up, and the child's psycologist advised her to keep her child in daycare so the child wouldn't be clingy, although there was known abuse to several children there, that even this woman admitted to me she had seen the adverse effects of in her child! Wow! talk about backwards! I hope my words had an effect on her. And we wonder why there is such vast rifts in parent/child relationships-duh!?! I didn't really mean to get on a soap box, but I guess I take it personally where the essence, purity, nobility, beauty and purpose of a woman is so perverted and destroyed and the children suffer for it.( And I daresay the woman too!) ( breathe, smooth red hair- If I were a preacher I'd be wiping the spittle off my chin and the sweat off my brow!-hmmpf!)
Let's not forget immunizations and modern medicine, especially the whole corrupt cancer racket. DON"T get me started on that- research it yourself!
There are more subtle things too, like industrialization and pasturized milk.

Things that the the world says are bad, that God declares "Good" are homeschooling(self-righteous wierdos), religion(what a crux for a weak mind!),rural living(how uncivilized, just a hand laborer), living simple with few possesions, and large families(gross,what's wrong with you? Are you ever going to get fixed" ie, willfully sterilized?!?!)I guess lots of kids would be bad if you viewed them as estranged, burdensome, little monsters(product of society and public school). Ouch that was harsh.(What's wrong with me today?)

Anyway, we know that human nature and the carnal mind is enmity against God, but woe unto them. It is our duty as parents to keep our children from falling into satan's traps though these false, anti-scriptural worldviews. Enough said. I think it was a very effective and eye-opening object lesson for the kids, who admitted that although some of these things might be fun for a day or so, eventually they would be sick of it, and not to mention run out of clean clothes and dishes. So although we may seem backwards to the world, it really just depends on where the front is and which way you are facing. So go and live a "backwards" life!

From a Poetic Genius

Wanted to share Micah's first real poem.(Even though he is a romantic visionary/entertainer, he is after all, still male) This is his first unrevised/unedited draft. Enjoy!

Monday, November 15, 2010Pipe Monkeys
This poem was inspired when my dad and I were doing laundry in a hotel we were staying at.
My dad pointed out a strange, taping sound coming from one of the sinks. I imagined that it was a monkey hitting the pipes with his hands like it was a bongo. Enjoy!


Pipe Monkeys

In the cabinet of the kitchen in the hotel where I am,
Some monkeys gather round and one begins to jam,
They all crowd around him and he hits the pipes,
Make'n a beat,
I move my feet and it feels so sweet,
I start to wonder, "who is this guy",
I love how he plays those pipes but why
I have to meet this dude,
But first,
I need to get some food.


So, after my snack,
I plan my sneak attack,
On knowlege,
My quesions fill my mind like a forrest is filled with folige,
I opened the cabinet under the sink,
Out seeped a horible stink,
"The monkeys!" I thought,
I was so happy I cried,
When I finished,
I stepped inside,
It was dark, there was no light,
Then suddenly it was bright!

The room was lit by srobes,
And red and blue probes!
Then the monkey's beautiful beat rang out,
It began with tap tap tap boom!
Then exploded into a flowing river of impressive piping moves'
That rang through the room,
"Wow, he's good!" I marveled,
I pushed through the crowd and stood at the front of the stage,
The monkey who played was a dark shade of beige,
He wore a blonde surfer's wig,
And a pair of sun glasses that Elvis would really dig,

All eyes were now on me,
The music stopped and the room was in a strange hush,
The monkey took out a combe and gave his wig a brush,
Then he spoke,
"Hello Mr.Mcgee. May, I call you Micah?"
I was shocked. Finaly I spoke "Sure" I said,
"Good. Now come on up here, and give these pipes a slide."
"Really? I can?"
"Yeah! I really like you human folk. By the way my name is Dan.",
So, I climbed on stage and played a beat that I learned,
I found the music gave my heart every thing for which it yearned,
Dan joined in and the monkeys were dancing again,
Then, when it was 2:10 p.m,
I played one last flop!,
Then the music came to a shattering stop,
I said I had to do chores,
And was met with a lot of "what ifs" and "ors",
I said I really must go,
and my departure was slow,
Then after promising to come back tomarrow for the last time,
I heard my cell phone chime,
I told my mom I was on my way,
As I left I told myself I would never forget that day,
When the pipe monkeys taught me how to play.
-Micah Mcgee


NOW I know why it takes him so long to do his chores!lol!

Aquadrom

We all went to the Aquadrom today for a field-trip with the homeschool group. All I can say is "WOW!" The Germans really know how to do these indoor swimming resorts. I think I counted 6 indoor pools and 3 outdoor ones- all heated, not including the suana. Indoor slides and diving boards, kiddiepools, and wading pools; there truely is somthing for everyone. Everyone's favorite was the outdoor circular, heated, saltwater therapy pool. Hannah especially swam like a fish here, even in water over her head, because she was so buoyant. Nathan used floaties and loved being independant. There was a whirlpool-like current around the outer edge, that you could ride around on. It also had a lounge area in the middle, sauna benches here and there, a massage waterfall, and bubbling geyers that spring up periodically. It felt wonderful! All our friends were there and it was so great for everyone to have an outing! We ended the day with a stop to the PX to get yoyos and pizza! They are all currently practicing yo-yo tricks in their rooms while waiting for lights out.

Riding the Wave!

This week has been especially full of activity and learning. It seems that it comes in bursts or waves, with times of intellectual resting in between.

Micah has been aspiring to be a writer. He has been writing poems, short stories, and is working on a book. He found a writing contest he plans to enter as well. He set up a computer in his room just for writing. He has been seeking out all the grammar, spelling and vocabulary books he can find and working in them. (He even asked me to buy more!) In addition, he has done a lot of research on line about publishing one’s work. He has begun his own blogspot (www.micahmcgee.blogspot.com) for sharing his works. He came up to me yesterday asking, “How did you get to be such a good speller.” I told him, “ Wanting to be, first of all, and reading a lot!” I’ve seen improvement in his spelling and mechanics already in this past week. He likes to come down after studying in his room and use sentences with new big words that he learned in a vocabulary book that we have, hoping to stump me. (He’s even using a thesaurus to better his writing!) He is bombarding his dad as well, with his writings and with much enthusiasm (at bedtime and when he’s at work as well). James loves writing, language, grammar, and prides himself on editing. (He is a court reporter, after all- one of the best!) So he is the guru around here. It is great to see them “bonding” through this common interest. Micah never does anything half way.( except perhaps sometimes his chores. lol) It is always a wonder and delight to see him on a learning streak.

This has in turn inspired Jacob who has started a detective business and is keeping a journal for it. He keeps begging us to hire him for jobs. He has solved a couple of missing items mysteries. (Which reminds me, I owe him some money.) He has been reading several detective mystery type books such as Jigsaw Jones and scientific books like Popular Mechanics for kids-how to make certain gadgets and electronics. He needs some black electric tape to make a homemade camera. This is the time to strike when the iron is hot. This is what I do; I help them when motivation is high (or encourage, motivate and direct when it is low), helping them find the right resources and tools, and library books to explore an area, before they move on to a new interest. Jacob also got interested in mine and Hannah’s doll-making. In one day, he drew up a pattern, cut, sewed, and stuffed all the pieces, and made himself a little super hero guy complete with cape. He drew on his clothes and face with marker. Jacob has seldom been without a little stunt figure guy, (you may NOT EVER call it a doll!) and well, since Woody lost his head and had to be trashed last week, Jacob just made his own. I was VERY impressed to say the least.
Hannah and I are finishing with her doll. WE sewed on arms, hair, eyes and lips yesterday. We have to sew on more rows of hair and then adjust the dress a little. She worked on a lot of it by herself, when I was doing other things. It is actually turning our very nice, and her stitching is greatly improving. WE also sat down one afternoon with a health/body book and learned all about the reproductive system. She had been asking a lot of questions lately and wondering what certain things were in the bathroom, so we sat down (Jacob joined us as well) and learned all about the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and all that good stuff. They were very quiet (in shock maybe) afterwards. Jacob later said he learned a lot.
She continues to read to Nathan almost every night. In addition to that, she and I have done a lot of oral math here and there. Also this week, she and Micah made a delicious chocolate cake all by themselves.

Everyone drew and wrote more letters to family and friends this week.
Also today, the boys read and learned all about the physics behind yo-yos. We are getting some for their educational enrichment!

Oobleck!

What a week!
The weather started out nice and ended cold and nasty. Still we had our outing to the base on Tuesday to meet friends at the skate park and got milk from the farm. Other friends came over on Wednesday and James was off on Thursday.

Jacob and Micah made up world's for themselves on paper. A new name, job(they were pro skaters of course with a million $ day income) they had a budget, complete with house payment, cars, grocery/ bills etc. They made detailed drawings of their mansions rooms( complete with game rooms and indor skate park, walls lined with skateboarding equipment in their pro shop) Many, many pages of detailed drawings and figures. I hadn't seen them so excited in a long time. James and I got a big kick out of it. However, I was a little disturbed to see what their dream life was like and what they valued. Anyway, I guess that can be classified as math.
James had them both do the budget with him and pay bills(which is probably what inspired them)More Math!

Jacob and Micah are reading the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekkar as well as Samuel Morris. This is adult level reading. They both have been writing in their journals as well.

Their use of the vtechs have slowed a bit.
Nathan slept with me one night and we took turns writing letters on each others backs and guesing them. He learned a couple of new ones and still remembered them and was able to draw them a couple of days later.
Nathan does several pages in his preschool book just about every day, and likes me to read to him a lot. He draws, cuts and colors a lot too. We(Hannah, Nathan, Eden, and I) played several indoor games yesterday. Duck Duck Goose, and Mother May I and Jesus Says. They were hysterical to watch! Eden had no clue what she was doing but she loved touching everyone on the head and saying "duck" and then running and screaming through the house. It was a blast- good exercise and listening skills anyway.
Hannah and I started a doll today that we had a pattern for. She plans to send it to her child she is sponsering in India. She has been itching to use her new sewing basket(complete with all supplies that she got for her birthday. Nathan hung out and watched and was very interested and even helped do some of the stuffing.
She and I did more abacus work and oral review of facts while sewing together.
I had a discussion with her about suffixes, prefixes, root words, and tenses.
She has started a habit of reading to Nathan and Eden at bedtime while I am getting ready for bed.

She and Nathan earned money for massaging my feet and back and put it in the can for GFA. AAAhhhhh

I took the 3 younger ones to the forest and field the other day and we gathered more plantain which is drying now. Hope to get a lot more nettle and dandelion before the weather gets too bad.
We made some eczema cream- WEeelll actually...., the first batch turned out to be OOBLECK because I added way too much actual insides of many aloe vera leaves. So now it is a rubbery, green slime- rubs in well though. The second batch turned out to be a lotion instead of cream, cause too much liquid. Think I'll stick to salves next time(sigh)The ingredients in both were: plantain, comfry, calendula, olive oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, tea tree oil, rosemary oil, water, and borax, and aloe vera in the goop. Big mess- Big fun!
In the oven we are infusing a very potent antibiotic containing, olive oil, garlic, olive leaf, oregano, thyme, basil, and comfry.(Sounds like it'd be good on pasta!) I will make a salve out of half and leave the rest as an oil to rub on externally or eat on pata and salad). Should be good!

Tonight the homeschool group got together for a potluck and Bunko! We had so much fun with our friends!!! Can't say we didn't get plenty of socialization this week!

Vtecs and Tobogganning

Well, it’s been too long since I updated. I have an ongoing battle with computers (and procrastination!)- I really dislike them. So, here is all that I can remember by now. Sorry, it’s gonna be long.

The kids and I made/wrote overdue Thank You and Get Well Soon cards last week.
Music continues to flow from Micah’s room on a continual basis. I bet if I bring the keyboard back into the living room the others will get into it again.

We are almost done with On the Banks of Plum Creek. It has provoked a lot of discussion. We made the vanity cakes, which were a big hit! We also checked out from the library The Little House Cookbook- I think we will make a dessert today.

I got a little antsy and made them all do some math recently- albeit was with manipulatives, not workbooks- still, I don’t want them forgetting what they already know. I was relieved to see that they hadn’t and that they were already at the next level of development in understanding concepts. Hannah has been adding and subtracting simple fractions with ease when we are cooking. She helped me make a big meal of chicken strips, mashed potatoes, gravy, buttermilk (kefir, actually) biscuits, corn on the cob, green beans, and iced tea. She is looking forward to being my Thanksgiving Dinner cook’s helper this year and keeps bugging me to make a menu. I showed her place values and she could see and understand thousands and adding in 100s with the abacus.

Nathan surprised me with being able to add and subtract with the dominoes. He then did a project of making his own paper dominoes. He is also showing interest in telling time. I don’t think he is ready to count in fives, but he could probably memorize the position’s names.

We got the kids laptop v- techs, which has produced mass amounts of time working with spelling and math. Jacob has a cool spy one (Micah even plays it) that even teaches French, German and Spanish, over a hundred activities, games, in every subject- they are truly amazing. Jacob has gone to the next level of division on it. Sometimes I have to take them away, so they’ll do other things. Hannah’s reading level has jumped probably a whole grade since we got these, and so has her confidence- she is reading most anything she looks at now- and initiating to even read in her green reader( these are good wholesome Amish readers.) Nathan’s has about 8 games in 5 areas including music which is Eden’s favorite (she thinks it is hers) Nathan is generous and shares it a lot. He is wanting to learn lowercase letters (he hasn’t quite got 100 % of uppercase yet, but I see no reason not to go ahead and teach him)
He has on a couple of occasions lately, gotten his preschool workbook out and done several sheets in them as well (he still loves his workbooks!-makes him feel so grown-up!) Yesterday when we were at the park he started drawing in the sand all the letters he knew. I was surprised that he knew some that I didn’t think he knew (like Q) I think I will give him more structure since he seems to want and thrive in that. He has enjoyed many animal books from the library such as, sea lions, pandas, marsupials and insects. It seems I read endlessly to them. He is always very interested in our Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day book and always has lots of questions.

Micah and Jacob read a couple of chapters in Samuel Morris (a missionary book) every night. We took a break from Amy Carmichael –they were getting a little burned out on it and it was very slow and uninteresting for the first half.

We have started a structured Bible regimen that I feel God is leading us to do. We started in Matthew and are reading a chapter a day and then reread it in the comic book bible. We occasionally do a different devotion if the Lord leads or we have a time issue. They seem to enjoy it. I no longer let Eden or Nathan roam or play on their own during this time. They are getting better, although I have to stop very often and ask Nathan questions to make sure he is listening-this is frustrating for the older ones, but great for building patience in them. (Double whammy!)

Each of the children has adopted/sponsored a child from Gospel for Asia ($30/month). They picked children that share the same birthday, gender, and close age. They have also vowed to give up junk food/eating out and do extra chores to earn the money. (I gave up disposable diapers-which has motivated me to finish her potty training-another double whammy!) Hannah put in her $5 euros for the ice-cream outing that she earned for finishing her reader. We have an old antique, rusty “seeds” tin that we are keeping the money in. We plan to put their children’s pictures on it. They occasional add it up and see how much they need to earn. WE also put out an ad on the homeschool website for additional odd jobs. I would love to see how long they stay motivated- hoping for perseverance.

WE all enjoyed a field trip; I guess you could call it, last Saturday. WE went on a downhill toboggan run for a friend’s birthday party. Two people per car could fit and they had total control of the speed and brakes, which made it fun for everyone. It was on a gravity track that wound down the mountainside- very beautiful!
The boys have spent many an hour in the woodshop (the floor is covered in shavings most times!) They have made swords, boats, and daggers. Jacob came up once with his hands covered in dark brown stain and couldn’t get it off!

Their skateboard phase is dwindling a bit. However they just built a whole skateboard park for their fingerboards and gave it to their friend for his birthday. These were elaborately and painstakingly made with rulers, cardboard, wire, and hot glue, and then decorated. Micah gave Jacob his PRO-BOARD! He felt led by the Lord to do so. I couldn’t help but be pleased; he really hears and responds obediently to God often. This, above all else, is our goal as parents/teachers. The generosity they often show each other also pleases our hearts.
Well, as you can see, we are all continuing to learn many things and grow together every day. They are truly a joy to be with, and I think I am the luckiest/blessed mom alive!

Willy-Wonka Golden Tickets and Apples

So what have we been doing lately, besides making kefir and skateboarding? WEllllll

Hannah and Nathan have been making elaborate Willy Wonka Chocolate bars (different flavors; looked so good and realistic, made me crave chocolate!) with wrappers and a select few with "Golden Tickets".(Leftovers from our movie-watching days..sigh...) She then made signs, invitations, and set up a store (making sure we all had money, of course) This took them many hours, and she now has the spelling to many more words down. Very cute. It was quite exciting, she really built up the anticipation and we all excitedly tore open our bars hoping to have a golden ticket! Micah did not get one, unfortunately, was upset and kept trying to steal ours. It was fun anyway.

A special "THANK YOU" to our landlords,the Heises,who are like grandparents to our children, for bringing the kids much needed skateboard gear, much used paper, and that wonderful, tasty, much-eaten pumpkin featured on previous blogs!!!!!! They also finaced our family to go to the zoo- we had not had such a nice family outing in quite some time. To see pictues go to our other blogsite www.matthewsfamilyherald.blogspot.com . Thank you again, Heise family!!!!( They were one of the main reasons we chose this rental house.)

We are all still continuing On The Banks of Plum Creek - entertaining and informative for young and old. The kids read other selections independantly every morning and night usually, if they have time.

Jacob started a new comic strip( he's getting quite good with the writing and illustrations.)James taught him place values of up to about 15 digits with the calculator in a casual setting, (and he has it down) what normally, the old style of teaching, would have taken me years of review to accomplish.

WE went to the meadow/orchard/local sledding place yesterday( it was sunny) and had a wonderful time. WE gathered apples, blackberries, and red clover for my cough tea. They ran and rolled endlessly down the steep hills. It was truely awe-inspiring. I simply must remember to take the camera on these outings.

We have all watched as a family three volumes of "Animals that Defy Evolution" I highly recommend these amazing, scientific videos.

Well, we have lots of apples to process and can and make into pies today and we must go to the farm for more fresh milk, so gotta run!

Kefir?

No not Sutherland. Soured milk basically full of probiotics, very healthy for you see http://www.yourkefirsource.com/kefir-benefits/kefir-health-benefits This past week we went to the farm and bought about 10 quarts of fresh, raw, milk(which didn't even last week!)and kefir grains from a friend. We have enjoyed many a kefir fruthie, kefir pancakes, and kefir bread. Basically any recipe that calls for buttermilk,plain yogurt or sour cream you can subsitute for kefir( not that you would want to kill all those healthy bacteria by cooking- but hey if you have a surplus... The grains are wierdlooking-like cauliflower. And they grow! Cool! Mine have almost doubled. You just strain them out and put them in more fresh milk, and Voila!- 24 hours later you have kefir.

Our Educational Goals

Thought I would share what our educational goals are for our family. Some people have asked and many more wondered I’m sure, “Does this educational style really prepare our kids for the “real” world, for college, for being a productive member of society in their well-paying 9-5 job to provide the American Dream for their children?” The answer is a purposeful, resounding “NO!”

We are anti- “real” (pseudo) world, anti-college, and anti-American Dream 9-5 lifestyle. When one’s ultimate end goal and priority is Not the American Dream then the educational paths and vehicles taking us in a different direction will look very different from the traditional, mainstream educational methods. We believe that this world and its system, including college and a material lifestyle are contrary to the Christian faith and biblical principles. Not only that, but scripture makes it clear that it will only become more hostile to Christians, so much so that one won’t be able to buy or sell without the “mark of the beast”. This is perhaps a shorter time away than we might think. Why would we prepare our children to fit into an anti -Christian system that is faulty and harmful in every way? Wouldn’t our time be better spent learning the skills necessary for survival ; (food ,clothes, shelter, and herbal medicine) and preparation for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom through outreach, service to each other in a community of faith, and preparing them for marriage and parenthood?

I have been appalled to realize the many years wasted preparing my children for the world’s system by pumping them full of facts that the “world” says are important to know with methods that the “world” approves of. Much of homeschooling, even by Christians is nothing more than secularized education geared for success in a secular world- which makes for very unhappy , and unhealthy families and relationships. Not our idea of success. You can put a Christian label on it, have a curriculum full of Christianese lingo, refute evolution, but basically the end goal is the same: to prepare the children to become successful in this world, servants to an un-godly , materialistic, self-serving society.

Our picture of success looks more like this. We want our children first and foremost to have a totally devoted and intimately personal relationship with God, demonstrated by Godly lives of obedience and service to others. This alone would be enough. With God’s leading, they would become and do everything God wanted them to be and do, whether it is a doctor, or pilot, or sanitary worker, farmer, homemaker, entertainer, artist, teacher or hamburger flipper . They would hear God, know and be submitted to His plan for their life and He would equip them through whatever methods He chose. We tell our children, that they don’t get to chose whatever they want to be, but that God already chose and wrote the days of their life designing inside of them the desires and talents necessary, before they were even born. (That is another worldly lie- “you can be whatever you want to be if you just believe in yourself!”) That is totally unbiblical. The Bible says to believe in God- not yourself. That is humanistic, “We don’t need God, we can build a tower to the sky ourselves” kind of thinking. This kind of thinking is very prevalent, not just in public schools and public educational television, but even among Christian homeschoolers. We don’t even tell our children that it is their job to find out what God wants them to be or do. We don’t want our children identifying who they are by the job they do- those titles are not who they are. They are a redeemed; second Adam generation, new creations. They are only to identify with their new life and identity in Christ (being crucified and raised with Christ, hid in Christ, no longer they that live, but Christ who lives in them).

They may “do” many things throughout their lives to provide food, clothes, and shelter for themselves and their families. Learning how to provide these things without being dependant on others is ideal and gives them more freedom, especially as Christians. These are the practical skills we wish to teach our children. The journey, the purifying of Christ’s Bride, each and every step or moment walking with our God, being a light to those around us furthering the kingdom of God to which we are loyal citizens, IS our mission here on this Earth. In contrast to society’s mindset of preparing one’s whole life to reaching a pinnacle of occupational height or wealth, material goods or reputation (which are usually unreachable and at the cost of much family destruction and misery.) Man’s nature is such that it is never satisfied; not with these things anyway. God designed man to only have satisfaction and total contentedness, peace and Joy when being restored to Himself. Farmers, on the other hand, experience less divorce and health problems, and live a generally longer, healthier life with strong family bonds.

The other goals/skills we wish to train or teach our children are relationship skills, such as pertains to marriage and parenthood. Much of a successful happy life depends upon these two factors. Society does a good job at downplaying the family (which is their goal), but ask any married person (or divorced) or parent. They will tell you the largest bulk of their woes are related to their children and/or spouse (or lack thereof). We aren’t the perfect model of parenthood or marriage at all times, but when we blow it we acknowledge that to each other with apologies, and tell our kids that that is Not the right way to behave. As we grow in Faith to Walk more and more after the Spirit, these things take care of themselves, so everything, really, relates back to that walk with God. The children are trained and practice daily in with one another very vital skills, like: selflessness, preferring others above you, forgiveness, not returning evil for evil, self-control, patience/longsuffering, kindness, not being envious or jealous, generosity. These are the skills that will make for a happy, successful life as it pertains to all relationships whether it be your children, spouse, boss, co-workers friends, or neighbors.
This is the “socialization” we prefer to give our children. Not the dog-eat-dog, cliquish, competitive, cruel, me-first, sexually saturated, foul-mouthed, disrespectful to authorities, governmental/political; brainwashing and often violent socialization that the world has to offer( I know , I went to public school and things are 100 times worse now.) This is how children are trained in relationships in the world. Is it any wonder that more than half of marriages end in divorce and children are rebellious and estranged from the family? Well, I’ll get off this soap-box for now.

Do we think all other book learning is irrelevant? NO. Of course not. Reading , writing , and arithmetic, as well as history and science, all play a very important role in everyday life ( especially rural living). For example, when we were picking apples yesterday at an orchard, Micah, found too kinds of flavors he liked to eat together, came home and decided to plant some seeds, and got very excited when I told him how farmers breed two kinds together to get hybrids ( this is NOT genetical engineering , mind you!) So we will get books about how to do that at the library today hopefully. Jacob has a renewed interest in navigation( stars , compass, etc.), and Hannah, is enjoying her newfound freedom to make all kinds of projects and write letters to friends, now that she is writing independently. I mean, come on, deep down in every man, they long to build a log cabin with their own hands- it takes quite a bit of math and science there to do it properly. (Micah is itching to build his own skateboard ramp! I see a great geometry opportunity.)

WE love discovering how the gospel message, is hidden in all of nature, including every system of our body/ math and the sciences that have math and formulas all contain spiritual truths in them as well. Literally, EVERYTHING (in this natural world (natural laws included) SCREAMs to us “ILOVE YOU” from God. The Bible tells us this about nature as well in Romans 1:19, 20; “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them: for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His external power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

Generally, as a guideline our learning choices are based upon these three goals/priorities:
(a) To know God
(b) To be known by Him
(c) To make Him known to others

These are the reasons we learn anything that we learn: it keeps us on target, constantly vigilant to weed out the worldly, unnecessary things (there are many, many things to learn out there). We select only the best that line up with these priorities and the Christian Faith ( biblical, God-glorifying truths.) Truly, all the subjects can/are, used to fulfill these three criteria. I could list many specific examples; if you’re truly interested, just comment to this blogpost.
So we don’t learn “just for the sake of learning” or just because society says it is something you should know. We don’t learn for the end goal that most people get an “education”. Education being the cure-all to all man’s ills, is another very popular deception out there ( even among Christians, sadly). WE learn to learn more about God and how much he loves us, this in turn, leads to the second reason we learn- to grow in our relationship with God, and this in turn, leads us to the third reason we learn, to further God’s kingdom here on earth. We also learn, to be able to sustain life on this earth (independently of society, if need be) so that we can fulfill the first three goals. So there you have it- Our educational goals.

Hope this blesses and encourages someone or at least clears up some confusion. Happy Whole-life learning!

'Tis the Season!

Yesterday was a very cold, rainy day. We started out the day with steamy, creamy, blueberry oatmeal. We read a lot together,(Little House) and had fun building a tent in the living room. We made some homemade butter(yum!) We plan to obtain some raw milk from a local farm and try our hand at cheese, yogurt and keifer. My friend has some keifer grains and I discovered that our amazing nettle can be used as rennet. ( yah, we watched our homesteading dvd recently)

We also watched vol. 2 of Making Herbs Simple. I can’t wait to make salve! I might even be brave enough to try a Henna hair dye. The kids got a big kick out of that.

Jacob started reading Oliver Twist and is halfway finished. He had a lot to share and questions to ask. He is very big-hearted and would wipe the world of injustices, if he could. I can foresee a lot of great discussions later. Not on the literary aspects. For we do not praise these, but how people without God/hope deal with problems, and the sad truth of reality vs. fiction and romanticized tragedy. About how to recognize Satan’s tactics to discourage someone through his lies; that there is any good in man aside from God. And mostly how to wisely choose reading material that is lovely and pure, noble, and of Good report. I believe it is time for the Illustrated Classics to go. (Except perhaps Swiss Family Robinson, and Heidi)

Hannah realized she had missed a couple of her friends’ in the States birthdays, and made cards for them and wrote letters yesterday. She started to ask me how to spell some things and I made her do it. She was thrilled and surprised that she could! I have been so pleased to see her whole mindset shift about reading and writing (unprompted) from total disdain and aversion to joy and eagerness!

Micah spent most the day down in the woodworking shop carving a sailboat from a log he obtained in the forest a s a gift for someone. It is looking pretty good! And of course, I am making sure he learns diligence with the clean-up and care of tools.

Nathan spent a lot of time watching his bros and playing, making butter and being my general helper. We have been doing a lot of training with him on obedience, joyfully and willingly, without asking twice or whining. Eden as well. They get lots of hugs, praise and kisses when they do it right. When they do it wrong, we redo the whole scene. He was excited and interested to learn how to load the dishwasher (!!!!!) His siblings were excited about that.

I realized that I still have some secular educational ideals to discard when I was secretly pleased that they were doing things that were more “academic” for me to blog about. Either that or I still have a fear on how others will judge/critique us. Or both. I suppose it is warranted somewhat in the fact that the government can take your kids away if you are not teaching them the way they believe is the right way. Oh well, I suppose I will have to trust in God.

Today, I am Thankful that not one child coughed all night( causing me to have to get them some more herbal cough tea- which works within seconds, by the way!) Nathan was running fever a little last evening, so I gave him immunity tincture( in OJ, cause I made the mistake of making it with vodka instead of glycerin last year-Hey! We’re talking a half a teaspoon in a cup of juice here- Don’t call CPS yet!!) Not too tasty. I really had no clue how bad the stuff tastes. On the bright side, I don’t think they will ever be tempted in that respect. Hee Hee Hee. I have new cough and immunity tinctures brewing in glycerin that I made yesterday- will be ready in a month or so. Then I rubbed all his lymph nodes and feet with the infused garlic oil, that I made last week, and gave him herbal tea, and he was good as new before bedtime. And I had a good night’s sleep.

My poor little guinea pigs. I wouldn’t be surprised, if they drew up a Doc. Mom comic strip, with my apron instead of a cape. “ Is that a sniffle I heard?” ZOOM? SWOOSH!! “ Here Take this!” AAAHHH,
“But mom, I’m not sick!” “Take it anyway! To keep you from getting sick- It is the season!”
Ah, but I digress- time to go look on line for herbal oil diffusers for my new essential oils!

Fall Fun

Well, today we enjoyed an unusually sunny afternoon outside raking leaves and gathering the last of the hazelnuts from the tree in our yard. Although it was very cold, the kids enjoyed playing around in the leaves and learning to use the rakes- even Eden. This of course was rewarded with some very chocolaty hot cocoa.

The three pumpkin pies cooked just the day before yesterday are already gone! I still have a large amount of pumpkin left from the other day however. First, the kids threw the large pumpkin over the balcony to shatter it in pieces. Then we gathered the seeds to wash, and hauled the flesh pieces in a clothes basket to the tub to clean them and cut out the rest of the "guts". After baking them in the oven for a few hours we peeled the skin of the mushy chunks and blended it up. Micah made his first batch of cookies without any help from me.

He was proud and they were amazing topped with a cream cheese spiced frosting! We soaked the seeds in salt water for a few days and roasted them, (that was a very yummy snack for everyone on Sat.)During this we discussed why we dry seeds, and soak them to get the enzyme inhibitors off for digestion; and why we don't want them off the ones were saving for planting. They all enthusiastically helped with every step of the process- and we had a lot of fun.

We ate our first batch of stinging nettles the other night. You simply boil them, adding butter salt pepper onion, bacon or however you would normally fix your favorite greens. Boiling gets rid of all prickles. Man were they tasty! Nettles are a liver and blood purifier, clearing up skin problems, healthy for hair, and helps with rheumatism. Not to mention,they're packed with vitamins and minerals. James and I especially are getting into wild edible plants. He even cut some cattail stalks and roots to try while getting water from the spring. We discovered you have to harvest them in summer to be edible. We made eggshell water by soaking 5-6 cleaned organic eggshells in a couple of cups of boiling water, adding a tbl of lemon juice to break it down. Strain off the shells and refrigerate the liquid. This is helpful for building bones and getting other vitamins and minerals. I like putting some in my fruthies or just drinking my vitamins down with some. It helps to have something with magnesium at the same time to help absorb the calcium. Nathan and Eden helped me with this project and had fun crushing the shells for me.
As a family, we have also watched the "Making Herbs Simple" Vol 1 dvd and "Homesteading For Beginners"vol 1. Everyone enjoyed these immensely and are looking forward to watching vol 2. We have also started reading the 4th book of Little House series, " On the Banks of Plum Creek" together. They usually beg for one more chapter.
Other learning interests going on include the ancient civilizations Treasure Chests I acquired not too long ago, we have one on Egypt, Roman and Aztec( Jacob is building the Aztec temple activity right now). These are full of activities,crafts, booklets and maps and all kinds of cool stuff.
They are also a bit into zoology and Micah is reading through the Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day, and always citing some new interesting tidbit of info to the family. Jacob is reading more worthy literure of a scientific or historical nature. This was a welcomed respite from his usual Garfield and StarWars books( Which James and I feel led to scrap now, because they are too worldly, and not much benefit to his spiritual growth.)Micah is now reading A Tale of Two Cities which is also under prayerful scrutiny.
Speaking of zoology, our landlords payed for us to go to the zoo here in Heidelberg. It was a wonderful, beautiful perfect day! Everyone had a fabulous time. This zoo had an added bonus of a petting zoo. Baby goats are so cute! And best of all, there was a huge field beside the park full of plantain. I dug out a few plants and transplanted them in our flower bed.
Hannah has finished her blue reader, and read 40 pages in the next level in one day! It used to be such a struggle to get her to read 5 a day. Nathan loves to get books and sit looking at the pictures when no one is available. At the library , he likes to get books about animals and Magic School Bus. These are full of evolution statements, so I am glad he doesn't read yet; I can paraphrase and edit as I go.
We are actually in the process of gleaning out all academic resources that have any anti- Christian, evolution, or non- glorifying to God statements in them( brownies with a little poop in them.) There are plenty of Christian resources that give God glory and are much more reliable out there. So, we are prayerful trading in the Ok for the best. Meanwhile we all are growing and learning together through LIFE!

Connecting Through Botany\ Health and Sports

The last week or so, since we have come back from “Holiday” as the Germans call it, we have been doing a mixture of things.

Hannah has really been blooming in the area of reading, spelling and writing. She borrowed an electronic laptop v-tech toy from a friend and has been amazing everyone including herself with her spelling skills. She is writing a lot more on her own and drawing other things besides horses. One thing she drew that really surprised me was apples being manufactured in a factory into applesauce with an array of different machines. Go figure!

The boys have mostly left their comic book, art phase for a skateboarding interest. Endless tricks, practice, you-tube videos, and skinned elbows and knees, has actually taught them a lot. Aside from the fact that they should always wear their gear as mom says, and the wonderful soreness of good old fashion physical activity, they have learned perseverance, courage, and “ a few choice phrases” as Micah jokingly said. They have experienced physics and laws of nature such as gravity, momentum, inertia, friction, oh and “an object in motion stays in motion unless otherwise acted upon by an outside force”- preferable not the pavement. This, although not on paper learning ,will be even more beneficial to them practically in everyday life as their reflexes improve and their body and brain will instinctively know how to accurately judge speeds and angles and force. I have learned what “dropping in, Ollie, kick-flip, 5-0, 50-50 grind, tail- grind, tail- slide, rock –to-fakey, and other skateboarding terms mean.” Knowing and being excited about what excites your kids is wonderful for strengthening relationships. They have been allowed ample time to improve their skills and be boys- I daresay it has toughened them up a bit and bonded them more as brothers.

Our main educational focus as a family late, has been herbs, nutrition, and herbal medicine. On our walks into the forest lately, we have gathered nettle, plantain, dandelion, and red clover. I have been teaching the kids how each herb is beneficial to the body, and what herbs to mix them with to make tinctures, teas and infusions for specific ailments, that we plan to make for family and friends. We have strung and dried, nettle, red clover and dandelion, and planted the plantain plants in the front yard. We have infused garlic oil, cold tea mixtures and calendula (marigold)/ comfry oil for Rachel’s, eczema lotion. Hannah and I also spent an afternoon making scented lotions. I find that most the time when I start doing these things, the kids all come around naturally curious and start helping, as I tell them what and why, even Micah.

We have had amazing results with these home remedies. Eden has had a cold and cough at night that clears up right away with the infused herbal tea( cooked on low for 24 hours) with organic wildflower honey. One night Hannah started running a high fever for no apparent reason that she could tell me or I could see. After giving her some of the tea and rubbing the garlic oil on her lymph nodes and feet, her fever broke within an hour and she woke up good as new. Yesterday, Hannah raised up under the window that was opened up to air out the house ( German windows open up inwardly and have sharp points on the bottom.) Well her head was bleeding from a cut on it, so I quickly chewed up some of the fresh plantain we had just acquired and plastered it on the spot- then I had to quickly leave and recover before I passed out( I don’t do well with head wounds for some reason) This stopped the bleeding and has really speed up the healing process. The plantain also came in handy when Eden tried to get on a chair and fell off hitting her mouth, and busting her top and bottom lip. ( I am beginning to wonder if having all these herbs and remedies on hand is causing a influx of illnesses and injuries) Either way, we have avoided having to go to the doctor.

Learning together and using this knowledge has been extremely unifying and satisfying for all of us.

Next post- PUMPKIN PROCESSING and eggshell water! HMMM- gotta go, Micah just made pumpkin cookies!

Update

Well, everyone is still in an art phase, which for the past week has been drawing comic strips. Many books on cartooning and animation have been borrowed from the library and read, mostly by Micah. Hopefully, soon I'll be able to share examples of their work. Micah has developed at least two comic strips with different characters. One is called Squiggles; it features a scraggly cat whose owner is an overdoting grandma. The other is a boy and his dog( reminds me a little of Calvin and Hobbs). Jacob's strip is called "Dan". He can also draw Charlie Brown exactly like the comic strip. This has boosted his confidence, as he is usually in big brother's shadows. He now knows he has talent and can come up with good ideas too.

The boys have read several articles out of a kids History magazine about polar exploration( that I conveniently placed in the bathroom.

Jacob seems to have left his war stage for now, which I am glad of. We felt he was beginning to be a little off balance with too much violent topics.

They are all still reading independantly a lot and not just comics. We are still on Amy Carmichael, but Micah, James and I are reading another missionary book as well.

Hannah is initiating reading more and more on her own and has gone through several lower level readers, including finishing a large reader book that we had previously been working on. She and I have baked a few things lately and I have her read the instructions and ingredients and find the right utensils. Of course , we doubled the recipee, so we worked on adding, multiplying and dividing fractions. When the dozen cookies came out, I inroduced her to multiplication by showing her the four rows of three and vice versa. she quickly ( and excitedly) found other math problems, like 6 two times.
Jacob, Nathan , Hannah and I have also played some dominoes, and I make them add up all their own points.
We started a point system for chores, which has all of them adding and subtracting as well.
Nathan and Jacob has used the usborn pallette and cards for math this past week.
A lot of time lately has been spent clearing our clutter from the house and our rooms,and extra clothes. Everyone has their personal posessions down to one bag and one suitcase for clothes. It has been freeing for everyone. Each person independantly began getting rid of their stuff( got tired finally of having to clean it all the time!) I was surprised a little but very pleased to see their ability to let go of things asnd their generosity towards others with it.
All in all, I feel they are learning a lot, even if it isn't all academics per se. We are also enjoying Dad being home on leave for a couple of weeks.

Changes

Things have been slowing down a bit, as the family has been spending time with Rachel ( now in the States) before she gets married. James had a 4-day, and we all just enjoyed time together.

A whole lot of art ( oil painting) has been going on since we watched videos of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross last weekend. A ton of painting and cartooning books were acquired and read from the library. Hannah hasn’t painted yet, but has drawn endless pictures of horses.

There has been plenty of sporadic keyboard abd guitar playing from Micah. His dad and I are surprised at how good he is getting. He composes his own music too.

The kids finished and mailed off letters to their cousins last week. Probably the most actual writing Hannah has ever done. They have also all written and posted on the bedroom doors, Hanukkah wish lists, which I am totally ignoring.

Micah, Jacob, and Hannah made more clothes for their teddy bears.
I have been watching knitting videos with Hannah online and we have been trying our hand at it.

She is reading more and more on her own, (about 6 small books) a little bit harder level. She even offered to read some aloud to her younger sister. She and Rachel finished the Narnia book they had been reading before Rachel left.

We are still reading Amy Carmichael and enjoying it

Hannah asked me to show her on the globe where Rachel was going so we had a long discussion in geography, she located and named several countries and states. I showed her continents, countries, and oceans. This also led to a discussion about our independence from Great Britain. She was really interested for a longer than usual time.

It seems Jacob’s interest in the Revolutionary war has waned. It is resparking in the Civil War and French Revolution. They are currently watching Master and Commander; about English and Napoleon’s warships and battles.

We started a point motivational system for chores and such (more as an object lesson, but they don’t know that yet). It is helping the younger ones with math; addition and subtraction and estimating.

I bought a really nice abacus, and they all fought over it for a while. Hannah did much better seeing addition and subtraction, some really big numbers too. Jacob was amazed that he could do multiplication and division on it too. I would give them problems and they would demonstrate it on the abacus. Even Nathan was getting it. Great tool!

We did a lot of yard work as a family and really enjoyed it and the outdoors. Plenty of critter and plant discussion the whole time.

I have been noticing that after a huge wave of learning, they process and absorb for a while- like we all naturally do, I suppose-and have wanted to watch more videos than I would have liked. I guess another trip to the library is forthcoming. Or perhaps we have all just been focused on Rachel leaving the nest.
She gave Micah her guitar(her baby) and Jacob her ipod, and special gifts for everyone. She had been spending lots of time with them; sleepovers and makeovers with Hannah, archery with the boys. And I dare say we had very late nights of mayhem and giggling a time or too.

Mostly, we all really learned ( or was reminded) how very special, wonderful and loved Rachel is.

So Much Learning, So Little Time

I decided that too much learning was going on in the course of a week to try and recall it all in one sitting. So, maybe I'll post a daily summary from now on, or at least every couple of days. We'll see how it goes. So, this is the latest from inquiring minds.

Jacob made a whole army of "American Revolution" style paper-doll soldiers with generals, tanks, horses and everything. Great uniform design too, I thought! (See the pictures below.) He and Micah have spent a lot of time playing war with them in the hall, using a marble as a cannonball. I picked up several books for Jacob at the library on the topic, and he's already read a couple of them, sharing the info with everyone. (That's how they take tests, by the way; proof that they understood and retained the information. It is a "Charlotte Mason," founder of homeschooling, technique, geared to show what a child knows and not what he doesn't.) I was quite amused when Jacob admitted, somewhat apologetically, that he liked the redcoats better! The little traitor!





These photos were taken before we put them on posterboard to make them stiff and made stands for them.

One morning when Jacob woke up before everyone else, he read a book about gladiators and another book about Julius Caesar. Later that day, he then helped me think of creative, pictorial, rhyming multiplication flashcards; a fun project we're working on. Also, we drew up plans for a medicine-capsule filler that would fill six capsules at once. I discovered a need for a device of that kind while I was sitting in the kitchen tediously filling empty blue-green algae powder capsules with a drinking staw.

Many games of solitaire and rummy were played the last couple of days. I taught Hannah how to play and she picked it up rather quickly. This helped her in critical thinking, memory, judgement skills, and comprehension. It also served as a review in counting and adding in fives, tens and fifteens. The whole of the experience was, of course, fun, quality time!

Mostly, they have been taking turns for hours-on-end with the keyboard. Even Eden, who would be happiest singing or dancing or playing music all day long, enjoyed it all. Nathan made up tunes, but then told a story to go with what he was playing. I gave Hannah her first real piano lesson. She can play half the C scale with both hands and also "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with both hands. We drew out notes, along with their names and lengths, on staff paper. Hannah was able to the connection as to how the notes on the paper related to the keyboard.

Jacob, Hannah and I had a long discussion on diesel fuel, oil drilling and spills, and alternative energy. This conversation was prompted by Jacob, who out of the blue, asked whether or not our van used diesel fuel. He said, "Some kind of cooking oil would work if you add a couple of chemicals to it." Hmmm. I have no idea where or when he read or heard about that.

The kids received letters from cousins writing to be pen-pals, so Jacob, Nathan and Hannah made crafts and cards. Yeah, some actual writing! It was music to my ears to hear, over and over, "How do you spell such and such?" They didn't get finished writing back to their cousins but hopefully they will before the week is over.

I am most pleased to see that Hannah is now initiating reading times on her own(albeit with a book below her level). It has renewed her confidence in herself and her desire to read. She started to read an ABEKA reader full of short stories that get progressively harder one evening before bed. I bumped bedtime back and kept reading to Nathan as she tried to finish the whole 128 pages. She reached 84 pages before I finally said she had to turn off the lights. I formerly had to really push her just to read 5 pages at a time. The moment she woke up, she grabbed the book and started reading again before breakfast (or anything else)! She finished and we, and especially she, were quite pleased with her accomplishment. I honestly thought that I would have to wait a lot longer than that. She still dislikes reading aloud to anyone or reading anything that is a little more challenging than she's accustomed to, but I am pleased with her progress.

Nathan has had many library books read to him, including a book all about pandas. He has accomplished singing the alphabet correctly, all the way through. Additionally, he has counting to the number 12 consistently and correctly. Not that he can yet recognize all the numbers and letters by name; he currently only knows about half of them in that way.

Wednesday, we all went to the park on base for a homeschool get together and potluck. We stayed all day, had a lot of fun, and returned home at around 9:00 p.m. with new books and videos from the library, of course.

We started a new missionary book about Amy Carmichael this week and have been reading a couple of chapters aloud as a family each day. This always provides for much discussion, and Hannah benefits the most from the vocabulary, as I am always having to stop and explain some new word to her. (Although exasperated, the boys are learning patience and kindness.) During these reading times, Nathan and Eden are made to sit still and quiet and to practice self-control, even if they don't understand a word of it. So as you can imagine, it is a lot of work and somewhat time consuming to even get through one chapter!

Quality of Life

This was going to be a mid-week summary posting, but it's kinda hard to figure out when mid-week is. With organic learning, it is no longer a Monday through Friday, over-at-afternoon experience. Learning is going on all of the time now, even when lights are already out; it's a 24/7 deal. This makes for a lot of freedom, seemingly a lot more time, and certainly a much more relaxing atmosphere. I actually read 3 whole books this week and, of course, have had time to do all this blogging that I normally would not have had time to do.

But what I have really loved, now that the burden of planning lessons, gathering material, and teaching are gone is that I can focus on the kids more. I've been able to laugh, dance, play, tickle, giggle, play games, cuddle, read, and wrestle with them more. Especially the little ones, who I felt didn't ever get enough of that since I had to teach the older ones "school". I have been able to enjoy all of them more; I've learned new things about their personalities, interests, and talents. And I dare say, that they have too now that they've been given ample time to explore themselves and their world. I've had time to hear them; to hear their heart. It has had a profound effect on our relationships.

Just because someone is together 24/7 doesn't mean that it is always quality time or that you're really connecting with that person. Relationships seem to get swallowed up a lot in agendas and schedules. Seeing the kids delight in a topic or an interest and then initiate learning, and to be so creative, is awe-inspiring. I enjoy seeing them enjoy the whole day learning and just being together.

It's like someone let us out of a prison. All resistance is gone.(Not that all resistance in life is bad. We definintly train them to submit their will.) But it's a far cry from before when all day long, it was me against them, dragging them along and continuously trying to find ways to motivate them! That was a nightmare! And hard on the relationships between them and I. I guess I would describe it as legalism verses walking in the Spirit; your own strength verses flowing in the friut of the spirit naturally, effortlessly full of love. Maybe I should call this Spirit learning.

In the Course of a Week

During the course of one week, I have been amazed at how much the kids have initiated learning on their own concerning various interests. Below is a list of topics:

Music-Piano, guitar, and composition (mostly Micah, but Jacob too). (about 6 hours)

Electronics- Micah took apart several items, a radio, etc., to see how they work; he then read up on it thoroughly in science textbooks. He then excitedly showed Jacob and I what all the parts were, what they did, and how they worked. (2 hours)

Nathan and Hannah watched me strip and splice a wire that had broken in Nathan’s electronic train. We studied the inside workings thoroughly and discussed copper and conductivity, as well as circuitry (which I now understand thanks to Micah’s crash course). Nathan and Hannah both used screwdrivers to open and close the little toy train up. (30 min.)

History-Jacob and Micah both read a book on the French revolution (albeit it was a little geared to the gory side.) (15 min) They also watched part of an 8-hour video about Napoleon. (2 hours) Micah read about Stalin, Marx, communism, and researched Black Liberation Theology online. (2 hours)

Science- They all watched National Geographic videos on Wolves, Dolphins, and Forces of Nature. After that, they all watched Popular Mechanics videos covering topics such as rockets, submarines, sailboats, speedboats, lightning, volcanoes, and ice/water.

I read books to Hannah and Nathan about spiders, snakes, and bloodsuckers (fleas, leeches, mosquitoes, and bats). We studied, close up, spiders outside in their webs through binoculars, identifying different kinds. We also made spider habitats out of toilet paper in the living room and in the dining room.

Hannah, Nathan and I took a trek into the woods to see the fort that the boys made. We gathered 11 different species of mushrooms on the way and later researched online for about an hour trying to identify them. We never did positively identify identify any of the mushrooms we collected, but we did learn about many different and poisonous kinds. (No, we didn’t eat any! I regret that I didn’t take any pictures before throwing them away!)

Hannah wanted to know “Why does sugar make you hyper" after she was told that she couldn’t have any ice-cream right before bed. Whether she was really curious about the workings of sugar in our bodies or not, I took the opportunity to look it up on the computer for her since I only had a vague idea of why in my own mind. We learned all about simple and complex carbohydrates, sugars, the structures of them, and how the body responds to them and why. The trick was to explain it in terms she would understand and to not be too lengthy in the time it took to do so. She was satisfied and I was then armed with real scientific answers for further such questions about sweets before bed.

Micah and Jacob built several rockets and launched them in the course of their ”play”. (2 hours) Micah read a lot about rocket science and began designing his own aircraft on graph paper using newly learned geometry, physics and algebra concepts. (2 hours)

Language arts- We read aloud a Russian Missionary story over several days, locating on a map all the places referenced in the story. I always stop and ask the kids lots of questions as we read in order to test their listening and comprehension skills. The children stayed very excited about the book throughout the reading and, at each chapter's end, always begged for the next chapter.

I read to the younger ones many fictional and non-fictional stories from the library, including excerpts from Uncle Remus.

The boys are both avid readers and read any number of topics and stories from the library. One such topic and story being all about the history of poop, plumbing, sanitation, disease, and how waste was dealt with throughout time. It really was fascinating to hear them share all of the dirty details. (Boys will be boys!)
I don’t believe that any of them did much actual writing this week that I know of. I might suggest a journal log book to the older ones for recording their thoughts and ideas, and anything else.

Hannah is so hesitant to read, even though I believe she reads well for her age. She lacks confidence in the light of her brother’s abilities and, so far, has shown hostile aversion to all my reading-related suggestions. She tends to do that with anything she struggles with or believes to be too hard. After only about 2 seconds of trying, she’ll shut her mind off. Probably fear of failure and ridicule from brothers is the cause. I am not going to push her, but wait till her need and desires outweigh her fear, and then let her rediscover the joy of reading that she once had when she first started.

Nathan continues to enjoy sounding out and recognizing letters. We use all sorts of manipulatives such as tiles, puzzles, flashcards, gummy candies, pretzels, alphabet noodles, and worksheets and activities ranging from gluing cereal or noodles in the shape of letters, to scavenger hunts. We have crafts, stories, songs, and countries all starting with a particular letter. He still loves ”doing school,” but learns just as much doing everyday life things.

Micah has not felt motivated to finish his Stalin paper yet.

Math- This week, Micah was motivated to learn and do several lessons in his algebra and geometry books and was very excited about it. I get occasional questions, but mostly he learns well on his own and will bombard me very enthusiastically with everything he is learning.

Jacob and Hannah learned how to play Solitary and Dominoes, thus reinforcing their adding and sequencing skills. That was all the math they felt motivated to do this week.

Creative and Practical Arts (This category will include arts/crafts, music, foreign language, fine-motor skills, sewing, cooking, woodworking and other life skills.)

Hannah cut and sewed a felt, stuffed teddy bear that she got the idea for out of a craft book (without any help)! She also drew many pictures of horses and made umpteen amount of snowflakes. She also designed and made clothes for her Barbies out of wet wipes. She, Nathan, and Jacob made many wonderful confectionary delights with her new Ice Cream Shoppe Playdough set that she received for her birthday. She also designed a saddle, bridle, and reigns for her play horse out of play dough.

Nathan colors and cuts endlessly, especially since he got a large box of crayons and new coloring books for his birthday. He also handles a saw and hammer as skillfully as his big brothers. W found that out when we went to see their forest fort. I got great delight seeing Nathan pound and saw trees to his heart’s content and exercising his little muscles. I really regretted not having a camera with me. He helped me make omelets that day as well. He always asks to help me in the kitchen. He worked with screwdrivers that day, helping to repair his train as well. He also played computer craft games.

Micah and Jacob had their Forest Fort project that they worked on with their German friend who stayed with us for 3 days. The boys’ German language skills are getting better and better; often times, the boys talk only in German. Jacob also designed and sewed a Revolutionary Soldier (Redcoat) costume for his bear. He also draws all the time, mostly battle or aircraft scenes, or "War of the Worlds" type stuff.

Micah read several books about training dogs for the dog that he hopes to have some day. We have discussed ideas of a dog training business some day as well.

And of course, everyday the kids practice their skills in the art of washing dishes, sweeping, cooking, dusting, cleaning toilets, laundry and other general cleaning skills; keeping their rooms neat, organized, brushing their teeth and changing their underwear daily at a minimum.

Besides all this, we have daily devotional bible reading and prayer time, as well as general character training ALL DAY long it seems. They learn the Godly way to treat one another. They practice patience, forgiveness, honoring parents, sharing, perseverance, diligence and all that good stuff, which if truth be told, will probably be far more important to learn than anything academic.
Whew! It’s been quite a week!

Forest Fort

What did we learn last week? The boys spent three days out in the forest building a tree fort in the rain. They didn’t really have big enough nails, but did the best they could using a lot of twine and a few small nails. They measured, cut, sawed, dug with shovels, ( they worked on a latrine and a bunker) cleared brush, and generally got filthy and worn out. It was marvelous! They got one floor up in the trees, pretty level and sturdy, with a support beam under it- enough for one or two people to walk on. They also built a very nice ladder. All said and done, I was impressed considering they had no knowledge, plans, experience or even nails. Other than physical exercise and learning to use tools safely; what I was most pleased that they were learning was how to physically work hard for several hours in a row, in unpleasant conditions, while dealing with their frustrations; starting over when needed and learning to cooperate; and with the critical thinking and problem solving skills they acquired, made this the most valued learning experience, that in my opinion, will equip them best for real life. It truely thrilled my heart to see them walking off into the forest each day with their packed lunches and man tools!

Spiderman's Toilet Paper

I gave Hannah and Nathan several rolls of toilet paper and we webbed the entire living room and dining room. Nathan would hide behind a chair. When anyone tried to get through and touched or “triggered” his web, he would jump out and pretend to bite them. This was very fun for a long time and even drew in some of the older ones. I got the encyclopedia and we looked up spiders and learned about different kinds, webs, and characteristics. He really liked the wolf spider and the tarantula, but finally decided to be a black widow. He thought it was so cool how some spiders blow a bubble and live in it underwater. Needless to say, I had found an interest for him and we loaded up on books about spiders and snakes at the library.

What About Math?

Well, that’s a good question. One that a lot of unschoolers answer with trepidation; or it is the one subject that they don’t unschool. Most assert that when the child needs the math to accomplish whatever goals they have or to accomplish something else they want to do that requires math- that they will learn it. Some simply out of curiosity and interest. I still had my doubts that they would ever be interested on their own, despite numerous stories ( true)declaring otherwise……until…..Micah bombarded me this morning with his excitement over ALGEBRA! He had apparently stayed up later last night with an algebra book, zipping through several lessons, become wholly engrossed( and obviously surprised at how fun( yes I said fun) it truly is. All this from a casual statement I made when he asked what math he would need to be a NASA engineer (did I mention they had been learning about astronomy lately too? That reminds me , I need to get more baking soda and vinegar) I explained to him that before he could learn the higher maths and sciences he would need to understand algebra and then geometry.( I had already gotten prepared by getting books and videos from the library and strewing them about invitingly-he he, he he, he he. Learning (even math) has suddenly become, “ the world’s best kept secret”.

Disneyland in Heidleberg?

Knowledge (via the library) had never held any appeal to them, with the exception of Micah. Our frequent trips were viewed as a necessary evil. After I informed them that we would no longer “do school,” that they would be in charge of their learning, and could choose what and when they wanted to learn, the library had suddenly transformed into DISNEYLAND.

Nathan, now 4, was astonished at all the cool books about snakes and spiders that he could take home. “No,“ he said laughing with a mischievous smile, ”We can’t take these home. They’ll put us in jail.” (Another learning opportunity which I quickly explained.) To my embarrassment, I was equally shocked that as many times as we had gone to the library, he thought it was only to pick out a new video. Jacob surprised me with choosing a biography on Leif Erickson so I quickly showed him how to use the computer to find more Viking books. Hannah choose mostly craft books and a few fiction stories. Micah will devour any and everything that has words. One of his choices that he was especially excited over (aside from the "History of POOP" book) was a video documentary on Stalin…

You see, our study on astronomy had led to the space race, which led to Russia, which led to Lenin and Stalin and communism, and Karl Marx, which led to Micah (totally unprompted by me) to write a paper on Stalin that he wanted to enter into a Reader’s Digest contest. It’ll probably win too, if he ever finishes it before his interest wanes. I had never seen such quality of writing from him, although I knew he was capable of it- I’m talking college level.

Anyway, our mound kept growing and growing, and I was thankful, for three things: That there was no library book check-out limit, that I had so many helpers to carry all those books out, and that there are never any late fees at military libraries! Twenty videos and about fifty books later, a happy troo loaded their treasures in the back of the van. Yeah, enough materials to hold us over for a few days.