school and life as one

Here is what I know today, 6 years down our homeschooling path: learning is our life and life is our school.  As I was trying to figure out how to share what Beach has been up to in the education department I realized not only have I been too busy to post about school I have been somewhat ashamed for how little "show+able+work" we were getting done. But when I look, really look, and listen, I know we are on the right path here.     

 

Part of what has been making me doubt myself is how easy it is. 

Homeschooling can't be this easy!! We must not be doing it right.

But that is just it, it is this easy. In the middle of the chaos of meet season we threw out all the stuff we felt we didn't need. All the outside expectations went away, with the intent to reinstate them as soon as we had time. I know that is laughable but true. 

Without all the other stuff weighing us down we have hit a prefect stride and a lot of things have fallen into place. With improvements in her vision via contacts Beach, for the first time since Kindergarten, is close to reading on grade level! it makes everything so much easier!!! 

   

Beach is even spreading her wings and taking a class without me. She is taking art lessons with my friend Sarah, who also happens to be Sophie, Boo's best friend's mom. Sarah picks Boo up on Tuesday mornings after dropping Sophie at school. Takes her to the adult art class Sarah teaches. Boo watches and listens and helps take care of little B. Then they go back to Sarah's house for a whole day of painting. I usually show up after freeing Sophie from school to run gym taxi for all of us. 

The quality of her art is impressive. What is even more impressive is what the Art Day does for Beach. Sarah is a gentle and patient teacher and Beach is a hyper focused little soul. Together they get lost and found in art.

   

Sarah gives my child something I cannot: art and younger siblings. 

When Beach is with me we play with science, numbers, and words. STEM is one of our new favorite ways to spend time.

 It is a good thing I took these pics because someone went and ate the bridge!

 Book work is here. We spend no more than 2 hrs a day in books. 

(not including literature) 

I might have already mentioned that skill wise Boo is ready for Algebra but now isn't the right time...so until it is time her math is all fun and games, the abstract and the practical. As far as math/game books we absolutely love Mathmania!!!    

 Boo spends a lot of time playing in the land of the tree house. Making tiny items out of clay for her small people. 

Her papa and her made the tree house together after she found a similar item at the flee market but refused to pay the $30 price tag the vendor was asking.

Typically she wakes early. Plays and reads in her room.  Feeds her rabbit and plays with her bird before breakfast. We do a little book work, play a game of cards, and some house chores. Maybe run errands, prep dinner, bake, or go for a walk, some days we do all of the above. We eat lunch and read, play a few more games, watch a documentary or an old movie. By 2 we are in gym mode. Boo takes a shower, fixes her hair, and has a snack while watching kid programs on PBS. By 3:29 she is with her team running laps around the floor warming up for the 4 hr practice. Home by 8-ish pm for a small dinner and bedtime.   

 It is all so seamless.  Everything feels exactly as it should. This is what I was looking for when I was searching for answers about what home schooling REALLY was like. I wanted to know what it felt like. 

It feels like living :) 

how we organize our school days with numbering stations

On school days at our house laid out on the kitchen table you will find piles of of books. Each pile a different subject that contains the books and supplies needed for that's day course work. 

At some point before we begin school Boo will happen by and number her stations in the order of how we will work through them. I have override power but seldom do I have to use it. She is pretty good at putting her work in a workable order.

The average school day we have 5 to 6 stations/subjects. Some days we don't clear the table and that is okay. In fact yesterday was one of those days. We didn't school on Monday so I put out 2 days worth of work and hoped for the best. In the mix was Jr Great Books Little Daughter of the Snow with an art project, history with a Nova special, and science with a 3D art project. We also had other reading, a new spelling list to learn, and math. That is a lot of work!    

And we may not have gotten through it all (sorry math!) but once again that is the beauty of home school. We can get to next time or fit it in at breakfast before the next school day.

 Hands down using numbered stations is our favorite and most productive way to organize our school days. Not only does it help us meet our daily goals it helps us meet our bigger long term goals. Currently we are on week 3 of school (we started the week before most of the states schools started) and we are on track to complete our first series (4-5 week plan) of educational goals. Feels mighty fine :)

working with her

After her school work was done I set Boo free to play. She visited the rope swing behind the chicken coop composing a few new songs as she glided back and forth through the air. She spent some time petted Owen. Then returned to the house to play with her Pinterest stables...or if we lived in a state which required me to account for our learning I would check it off as creative writing, reading, and spelling. 

What she is doing: Boo has invented a whole series of stable stories to go along with photos of horses. Created and named at least a dozen riders and horse all with unique personalities, back stories, and show names. Organized and documented on the various charts she generates each time a new rider or horse is added to the stables- so let's check off penmanship as well.

I will let you in on a little secret behind the origins of that incredibly complex, imagination based creative writing project of hers. It came out of allowing her time to be bored. It emerged out of unlimited Kindle screen time. Hours of shows like Kicking It With You and Kitchen Nightmares. Eventually she found a way to actively entertain her own mind.

 The point of all of this is we spend 2-3 hours learning (for now) my way, with books, structured games, and papers. And the other 12 hrs or so of the day are hers. (Well, plus or minus the 4 hrs she likes to spend at gym) 

Yesterday after school ended we dug up the last of the potatoes, we washed them, baked them, and ate them for lunch. Boo's idea sparked from reading about potatoes earlier in our science lesson. Where do you file experience like that? Science? Nature? Agriculture? Nutrition? Home Economics? Lunch?

All of the above. Home school :)

Time is the key to learning. Not just taking the time to learn something but providing the time and space for learning to organically grow...just like a garden- space, love, light, energy, and time.

  

Monday with love

Yes, it is true we are officially back in school. 

Our morning started with harvesting a field of fresh clover for Owen,  Boo's rabbit. Not quite the traditional way to start school but this a farm home school.

Welcome back to home school reading:

English lit this year includes Jr. Great Books. We are pairing each story with an art project. Today we started with The Master Cat. 

 Cat faces art project.

To help her foster independence Boo is doing her weekly spelling practice mostly unaided this year. She is responsible to set aside the time she needs to work in her speller and do her silent/aloud reading each day. 

Today she did her math work by herself too.   

Our first science unit this years is based on One Small Square Backyard. The perfect way to practice observation skills and enjoy exploring our own backyard. 

Slow life lunch line:

Homegrown grapes 
mini carrots

Homemade basil & cheese pizza on a whole wheat oatmeal crust 

Homemade cinnamon roll 
green tea 

Dessert pizza rolls are one of Boo's specialties.

After lunch mixed media: Antboy (in place of swimming). We rented this DVD over the weekend thinking we would find time to watch it but we never did. I gave Boo the choice between the pool and the movie and she picked movie :) 

Probably a B movie but the science info (which went very well with our science lesson) & the good message made it worth watching at least once.

Great start to the school year. With school work done all that is left is a little downtime then off to gym early for a Parent Gymnast Coach meeting.