Thomas Edison and Picasso

I assume that the activities that go on in our house are not new to the converted and are probably carried out by the curious about homeschooling, but that's kind of  the point...you don't have to a home educator to channel Thomas Edison or Picasso and get nice and messy! So what did we do today?

The Science Bit...

Akira manipulates gloop

GLOOP!

We recently acquired (by this I mean bought as a result of my bag-a-book bargain addiction) an early 'chapter book' about Thomas Edison as a young boy. This has sparked discussion about history (in particular steam trains and transport) and a healthy interest in experiments, laboratories and science in general. Pulling out one of our 'things to make' books I found a recipe for 'gloop'. Keilani perused the same book and discovered a 'volcano', so this morning became a bit of a 'science' morning, although our kids called it 'making stuff'.

If you haven't tried making gloop, it's fascinating. It involves measuring and mixing (maths - tick) and discovering what happens with 'collodials' (that's the science bit).

To Make: Mix together -1 cup of cornflour 1/2 cup of water and a drop of food colouring, then experiment stirring it fast, running it through your fingers and banging it. It's not too hard to clean up and diluting it with water means it does wash away OK. Lots of messy fun.

We are currently building our volcano with salt dough pushed around a plastic bottle. Just waiting for the dough to dry, which might take a wee while given current weather conditions! We'll keep you posted as this develops.

Building the volcano

The Arty Bit

Since homeschooling Keilani had been expressing a real reluctance to draw. After some discussion, it emerged that she didn't like drawing because she 'couldn't draw real' and other people's drawings were better than hers. She had been quite an avid painter (painting her face and entire body at kindergarten once in khaki green - she was being a dinosaur) and I was curious if talking about and looking at other styles of painting and art might encourage that creativity again. We came across a book in the library called The boy who bit Picasso.  After thoroughly enjoying the account, we've found some other books about Picasso and Keilani is fascinated by him and his work.

I also read somewhere that homeschooling parents should worry less about buying books for their children, and invest in books for themselves that inspire them. By exploring what you are interested in will encourage children to see and learn from that enthusiasm for your interest/passion (a thinly veiled justification for book acquiring). They might not want to do the same thing, but as a 'tour guide' you make the offering. I love art and creating. I borrowed the Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas from the library (added it to my wish list on book depository). Keilani has pointed out several things she wants to try (hurrah) and I think it might be fun to try at least one new art medium a week, or fortnight, or month... maybe...

Artists at work

This week we tried blow painting. Wet watercolour paper with water (available really cheaply at the 'Gold Store' or the 1-2-3 dollar shop), drop food colouring onto paper (highly recommend pouring the colouring into small containers and using an eye-dropper after several near messy accidents), and using straw, blow colour about. We're also going to try with diluted water colours.

Keilani likened her efforts today to that of Picasso - YAY :-)

After being arty and scientific, we had a play date and went to ballet - tick boxes for 'socialisation' and 'culture and physical education'.

By the way... we just got to the bit in the book where we learn... Thomas Edison was homeschooled!

Measuring a menacing bird

Visitors to our home will currently encounter a long sheet of brown paper, measuring three metres in length, attached to our living room wall. This is the wing span of the Hasst's Eagle.


The MOTH and children with Haast's Eagle wing span sheet, viewing YouTube...

 The children have been fascinated for some months with the Haast's Eagle, discovered in an Encyclopedia of NZ wildlife borrowed from the library before Christmas.

Given their fascination and Keilani's concern for extinct wildlife, I picked up a copy of New Zealand's Wildlife of the Past by Dave Gunson in a book sale. There has been much pouring over the pages of dinosaurs, birds and plants, particularly the Haast's Eagle. Akira had been enquiring why it is called the Haast's Eagle (it's also known as the Giant Eagle, but referred to as Haast's Eagle, as it was first described by Julius Von Haast in 1870, according to Wikipedia)

Measuring the wing span led to measuring people in the house. We know the MOTH is the tallest person in the house and Tama is the shortest. We also have a reference point when measuring other big creatures (like a 2 metre tall Moa, and a 30 metre dinosaur). Unfortunately, there are also some negative aspects to pursuing the interests of small people.

As a rule, the family watches very little television. Keilani and Akira had been asking to see what a Haast 's Eagle flew like. As a resourceful mum, I found a very short YouTube clip of a re-enactment of the Giant Eagle's attack (on unsuspecting Maori). Despite peering at it on my smart phone (which is ridiculously small), and knowing it is extinct (dead, gone, kaput, no more here), neither of them will go to the letter box alone at the moment for fear of the stupid bird! Beware what you share with you kids in the name of learning!

On the upside, we are able to talk through the fear and comfort them when they are afraid. I am reminded that each child has curiosities that still need boundaries, and that their sensitivities and concerns, no matter how irrational may seem to us as big people, are still real and valid for them.

And that a major plus side of home educating is that  everyone in the family gets some benefit....

Tama learns about noise, shape, texture and ripping with the brown paper!

Serendipity

Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it. (wikipedia)

Homeschooling has somehow made me much more open to serendipitous events. Perhaps it's because I spend time looking for meaning and reassurances now, particularly when there are moments in the day where I start to question what I'm doing. In the midst of the struggle to juggle paid work and 'everything else', between yo-yoing from frenetic haus frau to bohemian-coolchick-homeschooling-mum (in my head), I do, like most homeschooling parents, have the occasional 'spaz out'.

We've had a bit of a 'feral' week. No goals, plans or predetermined outputs. It's ok for a bit, then I start to spaz out. I start to worry about all the things I think we (or I) should be doing, mentally going through the lists of learning outcomes and stuff we should have achieved and fretting that we haven't. And then serendipity finds me. Three times today.

Serendipity one

Eight month old Tama has suddenly become a cling-on. For every minute he spends commando crawling around, he spends at least two attached, or demanding to be attached, to me. Whilst cuddling him, I heard the two big kids counting to 150 together as they emptied the dishwasher. Numeracy and co-operation covered.

Serendipity two

Before we began homeschooling this year, Keilani could recognise the letters in her name. Other letters were a mystery. There's been very little direct teaching of letters (I tried and got as far as about 'c'), but resources have been laid about and made over the past few weeks (like the salt dough). I found this on her blackboard, completed sometime this week.  :-) Literacy ticked off.

Serendipity three

A lot of our days are spent reading - reading together, looking at books, me reading, Keilani spelling out words to read, Akira 'reading' his train books. I 'll blog about the books we're reading, but I'll focus on just two today, the serendipitous ones (both available in the Kapiti Library):

Why is the Sky Blue by Sally Grindley and illustrated by Susan Varley tells the tale of an old wise donkey 'teaching' a young bunny who is so excited to learn everything that he goes off on tangents. Old Donkey expects young bunny to sit still and listen. In the end, it's not just the bunny who learns!

The Wild Child by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Lorna Freytag. A beautiful book with a real hidden message for a homeschooling mum... 

Why am I hiding and why must I run?

The grown-ups will catch me and ruin my fun.

They caught the wild children and put them in zoos

They made them do sums and wear sensible shoes...

They took all their wisdom and wildness away

That's why there are none in the forests today.

My wild children can count to 150, do the alphabet and revel in the joy of magical stories. The wild Mama needs to learn to focus on what is being done, not what isn't. Homeschooling is as much attitude as aptitude!

May serendipity surround you today ;-)