Often times if you want something done you need to do it yourself!
Today it was proven that taking the bull by the horns can really pay off.
My friend and I have been trying all summer to put a support group together for other HSing families in our area. It's been a bit rough. No shows to playdates, no interest in other activities, etc. It can be discouraging, but we felt there was a real need in our community for a secular group that includes everyone.
We sent and e-vite to everyone who had previously signed up on our group.
Well, we had a great turn out. About 6 families came, about 15 kids, all ages. They played, we bbq'd, they played, we talked, they played...
As of todays shindig, we now have planned and on the books: A Fall Festival Themed/Halloween party, a farm visit, park days, and lookin into 4-H.
We exchanged phone numbers and now we have faces to go with the e-mail addresses!
I have been trying to find my own little "niche" ever since I moved to NC. It's been difficult to find like-minded people.
I think I'm finally starting to feel that sense of "community".
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
DE/UNschooling myself is...
HARD!!!! I believe in the philosophy SO much, but this is proving to be quite a struggle.
I was a pretty good student during my time in school. Thinking back though, I played the "game" really well. I usually did what was required, without too much effort. I have one of those brains that remembers A LOT, usually the first time I hear or see something. I hardly "studied". I found if I paid attention in class, I'd do very well on the tests. School was not a nightmare for me - in the academic sense.
I guess what I'm trying to figure out in my head is the academic (if any) approach I want to take with A. He is so smart and capable of almost anything. What he lacks is the motivation!
I'm trying to let him decompress. I'm trying not to impose my OC personality on him. And that's where the conflict tends to come in. I have a huge need to accomplish certain things in a day. I want A to accomplish certain things in a day! What wrong with that?
Granted, we haven't been doing this all that long. And we've been traveling almost constantly since we pulled him out of school. So maybe I need to lighten up on us.
I'm probably just going throught one of those phases I've read about. Wondering if I'm doing enough. Fearful of falling behind. Wanting so badly to give my DS the environment to learn whatever his heart desires! Without my hang-ups getting in the way!
So here's what we've been working on the last few days:
Times Tables as well as other math facts.
Grammar, including adverbs, homophones, plural & singular verbs, adjectives & pronouns.
Our Time Line for our trip. We kept track of all the states we traveled through, when we entered and left each state and the interesting things we did and saw along the way.
Joural writing and spelling words.
History - researching the Alamo and it's prominent figures.
Science - we have a couple monarch butterfly catapillars that we're observing and tracking it's phases.
Guitar practise.
Plus all the other cool things we do. We bake bread, we take walks, we pick our fruit in our garden.
Maybe the freedom of HSing is still trying to sink in! haha
I'll continue to remind myself the reasons we decided to follow this path! FREEDOM
I was a pretty good student during my time in school. Thinking back though, I played the "game" really well. I usually did what was required, without too much effort. I have one of those brains that remembers A LOT, usually the first time I hear or see something. I hardly "studied". I found if I paid attention in class, I'd do very well on the tests. School was not a nightmare for me - in the academic sense.
I guess what I'm trying to figure out in my head is the academic (if any) approach I want to take with A. He is so smart and capable of almost anything. What he lacks is the motivation!
I'm trying to let him decompress. I'm trying not to impose my OC personality on him. And that's where the conflict tends to come in. I have a huge need to accomplish certain things in a day. I want A to accomplish certain things in a day! What wrong with that?
Granted, we haven't been doing this all that long. And we've been traveling almost constantly since we pulled him out of school. So maybe I need to lighten up on us.
I'm probably just going throught one of those phases I've read about. Wondering if I'm doing enough. Fearful of falling behind. Wanting so badly to give my DS the environment to learn whatever his heart desires! Without my hang-ups getting in the way!
So here's what we've been working on the last few days:
Times Tables as well as other math facts.
Grammar, including adverbs, homophones, plural & singular verbs, adjectives & pronouns.
Our Time Line for our trip. We kept track of all the states we traveled through, when we entered and left each state and the interesting things we did and saw along the way.
Joural writing and spelling words.
History - researching the Alamo and it's prominent figures.
Science - we have a couple monarch butterfly catapillars that we're observing and tracking it's phases.
Guitar practise.
Plus all the other cool things we do. We bake bread, we take walks, we pick our fruit in our garden.
Maybe the freedom of HSing is still trying to sink in! haha
I'll continue to remind myself the reasons we decided to follow this path! FREEDOM
Saturday, September 20, 2008
POW-WOW!!!
Today we went to an Indian pow-wow. Near our home is a national historical site called Town Creek Indian Mound. It was so fun. There was dancing, weapons demonstrations and fire-making! A got a pea-shooter(oh no, look out!), B got an Indian doll and I got a totem charm necklace. It was such a cool experience to see these people expressing their heritage. I got chills when they were chanting, drumming and dancing. We were invited to join the dancing, but B was a little intimidated by all the "big Indians" with all the feathers and face-paint. It's not every day you get to see something like that!!!
Being part Cherokee myself, I found it very inspirational. At some point I want to try and trace my Indian heritage. BUT...one thing at a time, right?
Being part Cherokee myself, I found it very inspirational. At some point I want to try and trace my Indian heritage. BUT...one thing at a time, right?
Friday, September 19, 2008
Grapes, glorious grapes!
We got home just in time to start picking our muscadines. It's really unbelievable how many there are.
I'm going to make our first pie of the season tomorrow. If you've never had muscadine pie before, you a really missing out. It tastes similar to cherry pie. And the color of the filling is so beautiful. It's a stunning hot pink!!!
HS: A started his times tables today.
Also worked on adverbs & pronouns.
Our neighbor Ms. Helen, a master gardener, grows specific plants to attract certain critters, like butterflies, catapillars and birds. She has given us a couple of monarch butterfly catapillars to observe. As of tonight they have attached themselves to the top of the container lid. Next they will curl into a "J" shape and start to form the crysalis. Then we'll wait for our butterflies to emerge!!!! Keep ya posted.
I'm going to make our first pie of the season tomorrow. If you've never had muscadine pie before, you a really missing out. It tastes similar to cherry pie. And the color of the filling is so beautiful. It's a stunning hot pink!!!
HS: A started his times tables today.
Also worked on adverbs & pronouns.
Our neighbor Ms. Helen, a master gardener, grows specific plants to attract certain critters, like butterflies, catapillars and birds. She has given us a couple of monarch butterfly catapillars to observe. As of tonight they have attached themselves to the top of the container lid. Next they will curl into a "J" shape and start to form the crysalis. Then we'll wait for our butterflies to emerge!!!! Keep ya posted.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
SOOOO glad to be HOME!
We arrived home Sat. night after a long, but enjoyable trip!!
We have since unloaded the u-haul, finished 5 loads of laundry(ugh!) and started to get back into a routine. B started pre-school today. She was so excited. She really enjoys "school" right now. It's fun and the teachers let the kids be kids. The program is very child-led.
It also gives me a chance to focus on A and his HSing projects. Lately we've been reviewing a lot of language and grammar. He read a whole Capt. Underpants book in one sitting! He is SO into his guitar right now too. He practices all the time and asks Rick to teach him new chords. He's so proud of himself when he masters a new song! We are too:)
TRIP UPDATE:
One of the projects we wanted to accomplish during our roadtrip was to document our itinerary. A wanted to keep track of each state we entered and exited, how long it took to get through each state, etc.
So since the trip was too chaotic to actually post every day, here it is now that we've been home for like 2 months!!!! haha
8/17/08 Sun. - 9:15am Left our house in NC
10:00an Entered SC
1:00pm Entered Georgia
4:15pm Entered Alabama
6:30pm Entered Mississippi
9:30pm checked into hotel WOW what a day!!!!Sleep well!
8/18/08 Mon. - 9:15am Checked out of hotel
9:20am crossed the Mississippi River in Louisiana
12:00noon Entered Texas
5:00pm Arrived in Austin to meet with our friend Marcus.
8/19/08 Tues. - Spent the day in Austin TX
Went to see a band with Marcus
9:00pm Left for San Antonio TX
8/20/08 Wed. - Day in San Antonio Tx
Went to our friend John's art gallery
Alamo and Riverwalk then dinner at ChaCha's with John and Yulia.
8/21/08 Thur. - Day playing music at John's house. A & B both had some guitar lessons and John gave each of them one of his paintings!
4:45pm Left San Antonio
11:15pm checked into hotel
8/22/08 Fri. - 9:00am left hotel
10:30am Entered New Mexico
1:30pm Entered Arizona
7:00pm Entered California
9:45pm Arrived at Mom & Dad's in Upland!!!!! YAY we made it!!!!!
8/23/08 Sat. -
8/24/08 Sun. - Taking it EASY!!!! RESTING!!!!
8/25/08 Mon. - DISNEYLAND!!! Our NOT-Back-To-School Celebration!!!
8/27/08 Wed.- Pool Party at Uncle Jim's house. Meet a bunch of new relatives.
8/28/08 Thur.- Visited Auntie Evelyn at her assisted living facility.
8/30/08 Sat. - VENICE BEACH!!! Hollywood, Guitar Center, sightseeing!
8/31/08 Sun. - Went to Grandma Marina's house to meet more new relatives
9/1/08 Mon. - Party at Christopher's house. AWESOME pool with waterslide!!!
9/2/08 Tue. - Hollywood to go see Uncle Sam and have Indian food.
9/4/08 Thur. - Dinner with Nanny and Poppy with Grandma Marina and Great-Grandpa Del!
9/5/08 Fri. - Say goodbye to Nanny and Poppy, left Upland at 12:30pm.
4:30pm entered Arizona
10:30pm checked into hotel
9/6/08 Sat. - Met Great-Grandma Polly for the first time!
We had a cookout.
9/7/08 Sun. - 9:00 left hotel
11:00 entered New Mexico
6:40 entered Colorado
6:45 saw deer eating on the side of the road.
10:00 Arrived at Monique and Christian's
9/8/08 Mon. - Day of resting! Then we went to downtown Colorado Springs.
Monique made dinner
9/9/08 Tues.- Trip to Garden of the Gods and Old Colorado City and out to dinner.
9/10/08 Wed. - Ghost town, wild west museum and panning for GOLD!
Ate Vietmanese food for the first time. Yummy!
9/11/08 Thur. - 9:30am left Co. Springs
12:00noon Entered Kansas
8:45pm entered Missouri
10:30pm checked into hotel.
9/12/08 Fri. - 10:00am left hotel
11:58am saw Gateway Arch
12:00noon entered Illinois
2:25pm entered Indiana
6:30pm entered Ohio
10:30pm checked into hotel and met Ross & Cherie
9/13/08Sat. - 11:30am Brunch with Ross and his family.
1:00pm left Ohio
2:30pm entered West Virginia
5:30pm entered Virginia
6:45pm entered North Carolina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:30pm ARRIVED HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!
Whew!!!!
OK, I also want to write a little bit about the learning that went on during our trip. Of course there really is TOO TOO much to write about, but here is a sampling:
Map Skills
Time Zones
Geography
History
Geneology
Music
Art
Physical Ed.
Reading
Geology
As well as many workbook pages, and journal writing!
The world is our classroom!
We have since unloaded the u-haul, finished 5 loads of laundry(ugh!) and started to get back into a routine. B started pre-school today. She was so excited. She really enjoys "school" right now. It's fun and the teachers let the kids be kids. The program is very child-led.
It also gives me a chance to focus on A and his HSing projects. Lately we've been reviewing a lot of language and grammar. He read a whole Capt. Underpants book in one sitting! He is SO into his guitar right now too. He practices all the time and asks Rick to teach him new chords. He's so proud of himself when he masters a new song! We are too:)
TRIP UPDATE:
One of the projects we wanted to accomplish during our roadtrip was to document our itinerary. A wanted to keep track of each state we entered and exited, how long it took to get through each state, etc.
So since the trip was too chaotic to actually post every day, here it is now that we've been home for like 2 months!!!! haha
8/17/08 Sun. - 9:15am Left our house in NC
10:00an Entered SC
1:00pm Entered Georgia
4:15pm Entered Alabama
6:30pm Entered Mississippi
9:30pm checked into hotel WOW what a day!!!!Sleep well!
8/18/08 Mon. - 9:15am Checked out of hotel
9:20am crossed the Mississippi River in Louisiana
12:00noon Entered Texas
5:00pm Arrived in Austin to meet with our friend Marcus.
8/19/08 Tues. - Spent the day in Austin TX
Went to see a band with Marcus
9:00pm Left for San Antonio TX
8/20/08 Wed. - Day in San Antonio Tx
Went to our friend John's art gallery
Alamo and Riverwalk then dinner at ChaCha's with John and Yulia.
8/21/08 Thur. - Day playing music at John's house. A & B both had some guitar lessons and John gave each of them one of his paintings!
4:45pm Left San Antonio
11:15pm checked into hotel
8/22/08 Fri. - 9:00am left hotel
10:30am Entered New Mexico
1:30pm Entered Arizona
7:00pm Entered California
9:45pm Arrived at Mom & Dad's in Upland!!!!! YAY we made it!!!!!
8/23/08 Sat. -
8/24/08 Sun. - Taking it EASY!!!! RESTING!!!!
8/25/08 Mon. - DISNEYLAND!!! Our NOT-Back-To-School Celebration!!!
8/27/08 Wed.- Pool Party at Uncle Jim's house. Meet a bunch of new relatives.
8/28/08 Thur.- Visited Auntie Evelyn at her assisted living facility.
8/30/08 Sat. - VENICE BEACH!!! Hollywood, Guitar Center, sightseeing!
8/31/08 Sun. - Went to Grandma Marina's house to meet more new relatives
9/1/08 Mon. - Party at Christopher's house. AWESOME pool with waterslide!!!
9/2/08 Tue. - Hollywood to go see Uncle Sam and have Indian food.
9/4/08 Thur. - Dinner with Nanny and Poppy with Grandma Marina and Great-Grandpa Del!
9/5/08 Fri. - Say goodbye to Nanny and Poppy, left Upland at 12:30pm.
4:30pm entered Arizona
10:30pm checked into hotel
9/6/08 Sat. - Met Great-Grandma Polly for the first time!
We had a cookout.
9/7/08 Sun. - 9:00 left hotel
11:00 entered New Mexico
6:40 entered Colorado
6:45 saw deer eating on the side of the road.
10:00 Arrived at Monique and Christian's
9/8/08 Mon. - Day of resting! Then we went to downtown Colorado Springs.
Monique made dinner
9/9/08 Tues.- Trip to Garden of the Gods and Old Colorado City and out to dinner.
9/10/08 Wed. - Ghost town, wild west museum and panning for GOLD!
Ate Vietmanese food for the first time. Yummy!
9/11/08 Thur. - 9:30am left Co. Springs
12:00noon Entered Kansas
8:45pm entered Missouri
10:30pm checked into hotel.
9/12/08 Fri. - 10:00am left hotel
11:58am saw Gateway Arch
12:00noon entered Illinois
2:25pm entered Indiana
6:30pm entered Ohio
10:30pm checked into hotel and met Ross & Cherie
9/13/08Sat. - 11:30am Brunch with Ross and his family.
1:00pm left Ohio
2:30pm entered West Virginia
5:30pm entered Virginia
6:45pm entered North Carolina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:30pm ARRIVED HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!
Whew!!!!
OK, I also want to write a little bit about the learning that went on during our trip. Of course there really is TOO TOO much to write about, but here is a sampling:
Map Skills
Time Zones
Geography
History
Geneology
Music
Art
Physical Ed.
Reading
Geology
As well as many workbook pages, and journal writing!
The world is our classroom!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Sunny Colorado
While having my morning cup 'o coffee thought I'd catch up on some writing.
Home/UnSchooling has been going really well! Dispite the crazy travel schedule A has been accomplishing quite a bit of "school". haha
That sounds so funny to me. Anyway, as for 3rd grade, we've been reviewing grammar, parts of speech like irregular verbs and past and present. Also reviewing more math facts before jumping into multiplication tables.
I bought 2 great books at a thrift store in CA. A ChildCraft book and also 1001 Q & A's World of Knowledge. A loves them. So whenever he starts to get a little stir-crazy, he just gets his new books and starts reading. The other day as we were driving through AZ and NM we went through a big storm with lots of lightning. A wanted to know how lightning happens, so he looked it up in his book!
Today, we're going to a Ghost Town in Old Colorado City. We're going to pan for gold!!!! Should be fun.
UPDATE: It was so fun!!!! We struck GOLD!!! Found 4 little pieces. Could have stayed there all day. I think this is a really great activity for someone with OCD!!! haha
Home/UnSchooling has been going really well! Dispite the crazy travel schedule A has been accomplishing quite a bit of "school". haha
That sounds so funny to me. Anyway, as for 3rd grade, we've been reviewing grammar, parts of speech like irregular verbs and past and present. Also reviewing more math facts before jumping into multiplication tables.
I bought 2 great books at a thrift store in CA. A ChildCraft book and also 1001 Q & A's World of Knowledge. A loves them. So whenever he starts to get a little stir-crazy, he just gets his new books and starts reading. The other day as we were driving through AZ and NM we went through a big storm with lots of lightning. A wanted to know how lightning happens, so he looked it up in his book!
Today, we're going to a Ghost Town in Old Colorado City. We're going to pan for gold!!!! Should be fun.
UPDATE: It was so fun!!!! We struck GOLD!!! Found 4 little pieces. Could have stayed there all day. I think this is a really great activity for someone with OCD!!! hahaTuesday, September 9, 2008
So much for blogging
It's already the second week of Sept. and I haven't written a single entry!!!
I'm finding the whole blogging thing much harder than I thought it would be.
Between the actual driving and getting from place to place, and all the outtings and festivities we've been attending - it's been pretty exhausting.
We're in CO right now and really enjoying being with our niece and her fiance in their new home.
Today we went to the Garden of the Gods. What a wonder of nature!! The visitor and nature center has a really cool, totally intact, dinosaur skull fossil, that was unearthed in 1878.
Then we went to Old Colorado City and the nice, little museum there. Old Colorado City was the next city to be established and platted after Denver. That was in 1859!
Garden of the Gods. One of the most beautiful places we've ever seen!
As far as updating the whole birth-family thing: It's been totally overwhelming, exciting, crazy, weird, confusing, etc...etc...etc.
I think it's going to take some time for me to process all the information I've aquired over the last couple weeks. When I can start to do that, I'm sure I'll have to get it out in writing. Quite a few people have even told me I should write a book or a screen-play. Stuff like this, you can't make up.
Truth IS stranger than fiction!
I'm finding the whole blogging thing much harder than I thought it would be.
Between the actual driving and getting from place to place, and all the outtings and festivities we've been attending - it's been pretty exhausting.
We're in CO right now and really enjoying being with our niece and her fiance in their new home.
Today we went to the Garden of the Gods. What a wonder of nature!! The visitor and nature center has a really cool, totally intact, dinosaur skull fossil, that was unearthed in 1878.
Then we went to Old Colorado City and the nice, little museum there. Old Colorado City was the next city to be established and platted after Denver. That was in 1859!
Garden of the Gods. One of the most beautiful places we've ever seen!As far as updating the whole birth-family thing: It's been totally overwhelming, exciting, crazy, weird, confusing, etc...etc...etc.
I think it's going to take some time for me to process all the information I've aquired over the last couple weeks. When I can start to do that, I'm sure I'll have to get it out in writing. Quite a few people have even told me I should write a book or a screen-play. Stuff like this, you can't make up.
Truth IS stranger than fiction!
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