Mystery gloop!

This was just too cool not to share it!

1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
ziploc bag
measuring cup
plastic spoon

Pour the cornstarch into the bag and add the water. Have your kid mush it around in the bag. Then pour it into the measuring cup and play! This is really neat - it pours like a thick liquid but then solidifies in the cup or on your hands. We had a lot of fun being gross with it. It's messy, but if you homeschool your kids, you're probably expecting a mess! Very easy to clean up.

We just made it for fun, but it can also be valuable when teaching about matter. We're not quite there yet. Example:

Me: "Water is an example of a liquid. It runs, like this goop runs off my fingers."
Becca: "Like I run! I'm a liquid!"

Er, not quite... we'll get there soon enough! LOL

(Becca is reading over my shoulder right now!)

Oh, for pete's sake...

Why can't I ever make a cheap mistake? I feel like I should slog it through a little longer, but I think that Saxon Math is just wrong for us. It employs a spiral, or incremental approach - so a new concept is introduced, then reviewed - kind of one step forward, two steps back. Somehow it didn't connect in my mind that this might be a bit boring for Rebecca. To be honest, it's kind of boring for me. I get something; I don't want to keep going over and over and over it.

A mastery approach would be better - learn a concept, understand it, move along.

My only consolation is that I can try out a math program with this mastery approach for a LOT less money than I spent on Saxon. I think I'm going to order a Singapore Math workbook and see how it works for us. I'm also very intrigued with Miquon Math and their approach of regrouping numbers for mental math. I'm understandably reluctant to buy another set of manipulatives though.

On the bright side, I found a more structured science program that works with the classical approach. It just basically organizes it for me, so I'm not adrift on my own trying to figure out which 20 animals to pick out of the encyclopedia for further study. I bought it from another homeschooling mom online and I can't wait to get it! It's Living Learning books Life Science curriculum.

Re-writing the book

Oh, goodness... Becca, Becca, Becca. I have painstakingly evaluated texts and planned out a nice little first grade curriculum, and she's already throwing boomerangs at me. How fast does this child's mind work? How much review does a five year old of Becca's intelligence need? I'm teetering between expecting too much and underestimating her. Underestimating Becca = bad thing to do. Okay, maybe not underestimating so much, but just assuming that a quick review of things would be painless.

I chose the Saxon math course for her because it was widely regarded as solid, thorough, and easy for parents to use. I'd hate for her to have any "gaps." I looked at the kindergarten text and decided that would be way too easy, so I checked out the first grade materials. They begin at a level where I feel comfortable starting with Becca - she's familiar with the start of it, but there are things deeper in that will challenge her. They use what is called an incremental approach, so there is a lot of review and new concepts are introduced slowly.

Did I just make an expensive curriculum blunder????

Time for me to re-think things. I have a nice little script but I have to go off the beaten path! I have to color outside the lines!!! Oh, the HORROR!!!!

Stop laughing, dad!

I'm going to keep reading the Saxon teacher's manual and try to figure out how to condense some lessons or just skip them altogether until we get to a part that will hold Rebecca's interest. Don't bore the child!

On a side note, we found a quick little reading level test online - it doesn't measure comprehension or anything, just word decoding. Becca is at a fourth grade level. Wow.

The will of a 3 year old

I'm seriously in crunch time here with Sylvia. Yes, she is 37 months old and still not potty trained. I know I shouldn't, but I feel like it's a personal failure of mine. Becca was 100% trained at a little over 2.5, and the standard approach worked with her. We let her watch Potty Power, bribed her with suckers and stickers, and she worked it out.

Sylvia is Sylvia, and it is just not working with her. She has no developmental delays and is a very bright little girl, but she is stubborn and willful as they come. She sat happily on the potty at around 16 months, but never got into it. I've had a few go-rounds really trying to PT her and all have failed. She's oblivious to bribes. I tried just putting her in big girl undies and she blithely peed (and pooped) in them. I can think of better things to do than chase her around, mopping up pee.

She can go potty. She is perfectly capable. She has stopped herself and realized she had to pee, and we've made it there in time. But she doesn't always care to do it. And the poop - somehow she's gotten herself crossed up and thinks that it's pooping in the potty if we dump it in there from her diaper. Let's be honest - I can lead her to the potty, but I can't make her go. And until she wants to train, there's not a lot I can do - give her a diaper or clean up a lot of pee and poop.But she's over 3 now, and she could start gymnastics this summer - if she potty trained. I have already signed her up for preschool in August - but she can only go if she potty trains. I'm starting to get worried that I'm going to have to ask for my registration fee to be refunded because the child will not go potty!

Here's the plan

I thought it might be nice for everyone to see this - my (tentative) plan and curriculum list for Becca this year. I'm planning out first grade work, figuring that it's easier to scale back than amp it up. And it's always a good idea to keep Becca busy! For a closer look at any of these titles, just look them up on Amazon.

Our overall approach is derived from The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. This is called a "classical education," emphasizes reading, and advocates teaching history in chronological order, cycling from ancient to modern times 3 times from grades 1-12. I really like the chronological approach - it's just more... logical!

I'm also getting a lot of guidance from Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp. It's got clear and helpful guidelines for learning goals at each grade level.

Language Arts texts:

Spelling - Spelling Workout level A
Grammar - First Language Lessons For the Well-Trained Mind
Writing - My Printing Book (Handwriting Without Tears), Draw Write Now book 1
Phonics/reading - Explode the Code book 2, plus assorted books


Math:

Saxon Math 1 with manipulatives - this is a thorough and comprehensive self-contained math curriculum. Becca may advance quickly through it if she chooses; it starts out with some things she's already doing.


History:

Story of the World, vol. 1 - ancient history; with corresponding activity guide
History Odyssey - ancients
History Pockets - ancient civilizations
Reference books: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of History, assorted individual texts fitting with the time period


Science:

The Well-Trained Mind also suggests a life science focus for the first grade, so that's what I'm planning.

Reference books: The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia, The Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia

We will also cover basic plant learning - the girls will be involved with my (valiant attempt at) gardening. I haven't yet decided on any text or written reference material for this.


Where's the fun? Well, I also plan to enroll Becca in a program called Fine Arts Friday, which is a full day of Spanish, art/pottery, literature, music/cooking, and praise dance/cheerleading. This is offered by her umbrella school.

What's an umbrella school? My basic beginner understanding is that it provides legal covering for home educators, hence the term. They will keep all records for me - I report twice a year with grades, attendance, and curriculum. There are 3 options in my state for parents who want to educate their children at home, and I am taking the third option. In a nutshell, this allows me the most freedom and the least amount of state intrusion.

The school we are registering with offers on-campus classes for homeschooled students, which is what the Fine Arts Friday is a part of. They also offer regular (non-arts) classes twice a week, but I don't plan to take advantage of that quite yet.

What is poor Sylvie going to do? She will be going to the preschool Becca attended for the last 2 years. And when she's home, she'll be helping out with projects and activities or doing her own little workbooks.

We're under no pressure to finish all of the first grade work (and I say this partly for my benefit too!). She can take two years to do this, or complete parts of it and move at a more leisurely pace on others. This is a learning process for me maybe even more than it is for Becca.

And if you're wondering how Becca feels about this, she's loved her preschool time and is now excited about "mommy being her teacher."

I figured I should do this

As long as I've been on computers, I still don't have a blog. Aside from my dad, I'm probably the last person on earth to finally get one. Okay, my husband too - he's not the most tech-savvy person around.

Anyway, as I am beginning a huge journey, I thought some friends and family might appreciate a peek into things now and then. This can also serve as a place for me to think things through. Sometimes I just have to type it out.

What journey am I undertaking, you ask? Well... I'll just say it. Homeschooling. Get that picture out of your head! You know you have your own little ideas of what homeschoolers look like, but I can pretty much guarantee I don't look like it. If I ever do fit into that mold, you may shoot me.

This came about because my older daughter Becca just turned 5 last month. Here in our state and most states, that means it's kindergarten time! But we've had doubts for a couple of years about her going into kindy. She'd be 5.5 by the time the school year started, and without a trace of mommy pride, I can say that she's past that learning stage now. (Er, okay - a little mommy pride!) Who knows where she'll be in 4 more months? If we had been able to "test" her into kindergarten last fall, we could have sent her then without too many reservations. But she's had another year of preschool and another year of being a little voracious sponge of a learner! As much as she loves preschool, she's showing signs of boredom right now and even the teacher would have concerns about sending her right into a regular public school kindergarten.

And I also started to truly think about this. Your kid turns five, you send him off to kindergarten. That's what people do, right? Are we doing it because that's what you do when your kid turns five, or because it's the right and best thing for our child?

I admit to some parental anxiety about scooting my little Becca off to the "big bad world" as well. She's not sheltered; no I'm not a "helicopter parent," but it just seems like a huge thing to do; sending your five year old into a big school with kids more than twice her age. Times have changed, people - it's not the same as when you were a kid. I pictured it like this: We have nurtured a beautiful, radiant, perfect yet delicate flower. Putting her into a public school is like putting that bit of perfection into a towering thunderstorm. Would she survive? I mean she, the Becca we know and love, that awesome little personality. We want her to be Becca and nobody else. We never want her to sacrifice that for the sake of fitting in.

And I have to thank some online friends, who opened my eyes to the fact that - YES! - you can love dressing your kids in Gymboree and the like and still be a homeschooler. Some things, you never even think about!

So after a LOT of research, reading, asking, thinking, discussing... we came to the conclusion... and we are homeschooling Miss Becca.