to school or not to school

I am once again looking to next year. As much as I liked the oak meadow I think I liked doing our own thing better. I have also been working with the little ones. They love the workbooks I got from the dollar store for them. They are doing math(addition and subtraction) phonics, learning to read, and time and money workbooks. Eric is so funny about hs. in one breath he is saying I dont think they are learning enough. they arent doing enough. and then when I mention school he says no, I dont think thats a great idea because_______. I suppose I ought to get them a standardized test but I dont really believe that is the best evaluator of what they know. Eric however believes in them wholeheartedly. I think Cody especially wouldnt do great on a standardized test. chrysta could probably do fine on it. It isnt that cody doesnt know anything but rather he doesnt pay attention to details like if it says which one is NOT the correct answer or if he misses one answer row and then the rest of the test is off because he is answering question 23 on line 24 or 25. makes a difference. I considered public school. but the randomness of their rules really irk me. like you cant play on the slides when its wet or snowy. umm yeah thats like 3/4 of the year here! so they have this big playground just taunting them but they arent allowed to play on it? yeah THAT makes sense. and I know there is a lot of bullying that goes on and I know one girl in particular that tends to thrive on drama and who knows what she would come up with. add to that the fact that when I went to kindergarten round up last year to consider it the teacher said boughten. as in if you have already boughten this or that. Doesn't say a lot about the caliber of the teaching. And since they are already learning reading and addition and all that they do in K they might as well not go to K. So I am looking towards next year while trying to focus enough on this year to keep working. Spring fever tends to set in for me about now. I want to be done with school and I am scheduled out. I KNOW I am so tired of the scouts schedule. and 4H and gym class and museums and keeping up with the schooling too. If we moved I might consider them going to school. but it doesnt look like we are moving any time soon. so I better find a way to continue.

dick and jane

Ethan was reading dick and jane again tonight and wow! he did great! i need to get some more of these! he doesnt realize he is reading because if I point to a word and say what is this he shrugs as if he doesnt know and then says it. funny.

A little of this a little of that

last night Ethan was reading dick and jane. he always amazes me. He is biologically 6 but I think he is more like a 4 or 5 year old due to the early years and lack of stimulation. so I am always amazed at the things he learns mostly by himself. With a little guidance he just grabs information and remembers. Maia is doing a little workbook and has done half the book in just this sitting. I struggle with sending them to school for a moment of peace but they learn so well at home. How many other 4 and 6 year olds got to watch the inauguration. I never saw one in my entire life. never in school even! and my kids got to watch the entire thing. This was a historic day as well as the beginning of a new chapter in our country and they witnessed it. They sure as heck wouldnt get that at school. I worry about the older kids. they dont seem to enjoy learning like the younger ones do. Chrysta wants to go to school and Cody doesnt. If/when we move they could do PSEO perhaps. They are doing oak meadow but sort of loosely. it satisfies husband that they are studying enough subjects. since I have cut back on tv and computer time Cody seems to have picked up several intersts and projects. He has the aquarium ready for fish. he took care of all of it. from moving it to filling it and putting together the filter and adjusting the heater. It is totally his baby. He got some books at the library about coins and about wood. So maybe there is hope for him to have SOME interest outside the computer.

honey

I dropped the kids at preschool and on the way home Honey, by bobby goldsboro was on the radio. I cant remember a time I didnt love that song. but it makes me sad. it makes me miss the many people missing from my life. I miss my Carlie, I miss Gramma Peg, my regular gramma, grandpa John, grandpa Grapes. I cried all the way home listening to that song. but honey I miss you. and Im being good. Id love to be with you. if only I could.

its cold, its winter, im melancholy, im lonely, im depressed

we played crazy 8s and go fish this morning. ethan is getting better about taking turns. needs that constant reinforcement I think. Then we made homemade playdough and that kept them entertained for a good hour. Probably ought to get some writing in one of these days.

unschooling at its best.

My older kids were into workbooks. Ethan is so good at just FINDING things that I havent pushed the workbooks. I have some. but I am not sitting down working at them with him. Instead I put them in his room and when he thinks no one is looking there he can be found working on letters and numbers and thinking he is getting away with something. His piano is really something else. every once in awhile he starts out playing and you think OMG! HE IS PLAYING_____________!!! and then he changes and plays something else. he realy NEEDS piano lessons. so far he has taught himself to play winnie the pooh and row row row your boat. In the right environment I think he could take off with music. He used to talk about playing violin, even turning toys into tiny violins but there is just no one here to teach him. Piano would be a good place to start and he can transition to another instrument later. if I can find someone to teach it.....

unschooling at its best

Ethan is great at unschooling. He is writing writing writing all the time, all day every day. I have to ask him to STOP writing and eat. this is very different from brother who went to PS for a few years. I used to have to pull him from under the table when I asked him to write. Ethan has taught himself to tell time. He is learning to read. I do not do much in the way of formal lessons with him. Lapbooks and occasional letter practice is about it. I read to them often. we go to story time at the library. we go to the theater. we sing shoo turkey shoo shoo. its fun. way more so than lessons.