Dignity Champion!

A quick post... I'm coming up for air between writing a report and trying to get our house on the market... yes many changes afoot in this household.

The Man of the House (MOTH) was nominated as a Dignity Champion by Age Concern. In going to accept the award, the MOTH thought it might be an opportunity for Miss K to 'socialise' with elderly members of the community. If we'd been in school, this chance would have been completely missed. The MOTH often explores how the children can be involved in the things he's doing, and I think he's doing an amazingly creative job!

On the morning of the presentation, Miss K carefully selected her outfit (a vintage Japanese school uniform - yes, it was mine), explained the style of hair she wanted (compliantly provided by me) and headed off with great aplomb with the MOTH. The MOTH reported back that she behaved impeccably. Miss K reported back that it really wasn't something her brother would have sat through as there was a lot of talking, there were some tea and cakes and that she got a kiss from a nice old man.

Taken from the Kapiti Observer

When she saw the photo in the paper, Miss K was most surprised, then noted: "Oh the man said he would take our photo and put it in the paper and what he said was true!" She has since taken an increasing interest in things that appear in the local newspaper!

You can read the paper's take on it here.

Happy learning days!

What I'm learning everyday

It's a bit of a sad state of affairs when I realise that it's been over a month since my last post. It's not that we're not doing anything, we seem to be doing a lot of all sorts of things, I just haven't had as much time to capture, record and blog, and I think the need to prove to myself (and the rest of the world) that we're doing 'learning stuff', has slowly started to subside.

I'm learning that the choices we make are good ones. What we do might not look like 'school' to anyone else, but that's okay. It doesn't have to. What's important is we know what's taking place, at what pace and the balance and joy that resounds in our household because of it.

I'm learning to respect and trust my children's desire and capacity to direct, manage and focus their 'learning'. My enthusiasm is appreciated, but not always wanted. I'm learning to accept that!

I'm learning that I have found an inner peace in making this choice. That's good for me (and consequently everyone around me).

I'm learning I still need to work out how to respond to those who try and 'test' and to some extent 'teach' (in a well meaning 'schooly way') our children. That'll come, it's early days.

I'm learning that there is much love and support for our whanau, from friends, colleagues and so many in the wider Kapiti Community.

I'm learning to take each day with more intent and presence. It's tiring, hard, but worthwhile work. And while some days it looks like utter chaos, there's a lot of peace too.

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!