May 25, 2010

Structure Time, not Content

In the Leadership Education model of education, one of the 7 keys to great teaching is Structure Time, not Content.  Doesn’t that sound wonderful?  Visions of everyone productively working on projects that make their hearts flutter are filling your head right now.

I once read a veteran homeschool mom say that one day in ten is perfect and I think she is about right.  One day in ten I see that vision a reality.  But what about all the other days?  Some of my children are working hard at projects, and some are doing what appears to be NOTHING.  This is when the conveyor belt hangover kicks in and I want to structure all of the content all day.  Problem is, everyone needs a little time to get bored and think before they create.  Sometimes those down times are exactly what we need.  Even if they look like time wasters from the outside.  Nobody can be 100% visually productive all the time.  Think of the law of the harvest.  We have to plant a seed (Inspire) and let it germinate, then grow, then we weed and water, and then …we harvest.  There’s a lot going on under the ground that you can’t see!

Here are a few things I have found helpful in structuring time, not content:

Work first, choice time after.  This is our current method of operation.  I have found that doing a little work every morning to keep our home running smoothly makes everyone more productive.  Let’s just say they can’t wait to start choosing something else to do :) .  First thing, we have a morning devotional with the whole family that Papa runs.  Then breakfast and morning chores.  We work most of the morning together and then eat lunch, have read aloud time and then they have about 4 hours of choice time.  During that choice time I take time to work with each child individually on something and I use the rest of the time to set an example of scholarly behavior by studying. (Scholars have a different routine)

School time first, free time and chores after. When I had younger and fewer children and a smaller home, this is how we scheduled our time.  We started the day with a devotional and kidschool, had choice time until lunch and then we had free time and chores the rest of the day.  I changed from this because I found myself nagging about chores in the afternoon (by then, who wants to do that?) and it was interrupting my own studies.

My studies. My study time is an essential part of the structure.  Sometimes I am working on a writing project.  Sometimes I am working on a teaching lesson, or a service project, or a household project that I need to finish quickly.  But the majority of the time, afternoons are study time for me too.  When we are all there together an expectation hangs in the air that this is what we do.  This is how you get a liberal education and show others how to do it.

Remove distractions. This is an ongoing project for me right now.  I read an e-book titled Headgates that helped me better grasp how to remove distractions.  Another resource for this is the lazy organizer.  I think there have been a lot of positive and negative things said about Headgates, but I have found that by taking what works for my family I am already seeing great progress in the right direction.  If you don’t remove distractions and make available the things with which you want to inspire your children, you will have a big muddle of structure time, not content.

I’m Bored! At my house I rarely hear these words.  If they are uttered I have an automatic response.  More work!  There are always more jobs to be done and if someone is going to pester me they get to do one.  The verbal notification lets me know to put a little more effort into inspiring them around something interesting.

A few things I think structuring time and not content teaches students:

Trust – We trust them to make good choices.  We also value their interests.

Responsibility – They are responsible for their own education.  That is a simple truth.  You can’t make your student learn, they have to want to learn.  Choosing not to structure content gives them the responsibility to find their way.

Learning is work – You don’t learn by always taking the easy road. Learning isn’t entertainment.  You can’t sit back and have someone entertain you into knowledge.

For a very brief beginners intro to the Leadership Education 7 Keys of Great Teaching visit Simple Homeschool.  For a solid introduction to Leadership Education I recommend reading A Thomas Jefferson Education and Leadership Education by the DeMilles.

Photos:

Pictures of our outing to the local chapter of The Society for Creative Anachronism’s Renaissance Faire.  The kids got to do some fun hands-on creations as you can see, but the highlight was the sword fighting.  My crew  could have stayed all day.  They got to battle adults as well as other kids in the ring…using foam swords thankfully!

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May 21, 2010

Dumbing it Down Doesn’t Work

I taught a class recently on studying the scriptures.  The comments made by many of the class members struck me as a bigger problem in our country.  We were discussing how to inspire our children and grandchildren to love the scriptures.  Some of the suggestions made were to: watch videos about the scripture stories; get picture books and board books on the scriptures; etc. And there was an over all deflation around what to do with teenagers.  I was nearly speechless. And that is only because I felt it necessary to hold my tongue.

I don’t think dumbing the scriptures down is the way to be inspiring around the scriptures.  The youth of today are begging us to STOP dumbing things down. They are writing books about it.

We have been purging our book collection…er, library would be a better description.  We have SO many books.  As we have been boxing up books, I have found my children have the easier time letting go of the dumbed down stuff than me. For instance, abridged versions of any book.  They don’t want them.  They want the whole story.  Even my eight year old is disgusted by the abridged books we apparently have been housing on our shelves.

So, how do we inspire them to love the scriptures, or math, or music, or history, or ……?

We love it.  We have to love it.  If we want to inspire, then we have to be inspiring around that subject.  That means we find our own passion and we share it.  It’s You, not Them! And yes, it can be difficult.  But don’t you think we should show our kids that we can ‘do hard things‘ and succeed?

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May 4, 2010

The Sound of Things

Last week I wrote about wanting to Be the Change in specific areas in my life.  I have found a great tool to use in this project.  It’s gratitude. Intentionally focusing on the things for which I am grateful makes my attitude SO much…sunnier.  As I was fixing dinner one night, I discovered I really like the sound of a lemon squeezed with my vintage juicer.  In an effort to appreciate life more I have decided to focus on some sounds that bring me joy.

The serious business of children drinking.  I love how out of breath a toddler is when they take a break from guzzling a glass of water.

The sound of a good lemon squeezed with my lovely green glass juicer. I know there are more convenient ways to do this job, but I love this juicer.

The heavy breathing of my five-year old when he gets sleepy while I read to him. It almost puts me to sleep.  His mandatory quiet reading time is really for me, so I can hear him breathe and feel peaceful.

Ice cracking as water fills a glass. So nice on a warm day.

My children practicing their instruments. Yes.  Really.  Of course, nobody at my house plays the violin.  I love hearing them struggle through a piece and then I feel this little joy for them when they have mastered the tough part.

My family singing hymns in the morning.  I can carry the sound of their voices with me through the day and have something to reflect on when the sounds change from hymns of praise to shouts of (fill in the blank).

The dish washer and clothes dryer running. It’s the beautiful sound of work getting done…that I am not doing.  And I am so grateful to have the luxury.

How do you spark feelings of gratitude in everyday work?  What sounds do you love?

Join the 30 minute blog challenge at Steady Mom.

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April 30, 2010

Weekly Wrap-Up, April 30, 2010

Monday



Wednesday

Go figure.

I am the Queen of Sapa, in case you were unaware.  I have relatively NO authority in Sapa, where the King is supreme.  Geography quiz: Do you know where Sapa is?  No?  I’ll tell you – I don’t know either.  This is the country my five year old made up this week.  We have a national sport called Shove.  It’s very exciting.  My eight year old made it up – you play with a soccer ball and old shovels and cones and if you get hit in the nose with a handle because you are taller than all the other players you simply have to leave the game so they can’t see you cry.  In Sapa our national delicacy is Dandelion Fritters.  Truly.  They’re good with mustard…try them.  Our language is a combination of Spanish, French and English…but only the king speaks it.

I know, we are weird.  But the biggest joy for me this week was this experience.  My five year old dressed the part of the king and sat on his throne.  The next time I passed through the throne room my 13 year old was doing her school work, but had been bedecked in the royal clothes of Sapa.  Then the eight year old joined in by making up the national game and then my 11 year old made up another game…more dangerous and I can’t remember what it’s called but it involves shovels and plain broom handles.  It was great to see the creativity and cooperation bounce back after our two weeks of work, work, work.

We worked on purging our toys this week and I have to say it was wonderful.  Everyone has one box of toys of their choice to be responsible for (the 13 year old opted out – she wants NO responsibility for that stuff, I can relate!).  Everything else is awaiting delivery to the local donation center or is packed away in the storage closet awaiting further judgment.  So much simpler.  So much tidier.  So much more room for creation.  Ahhh.  Purging is a true principle. The books are next…much bigger job.

Visit Kris where weekly wrap-ups abound!

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April 27, 2010

Be the Change

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.  – Gandhi

I have always loved that quote.  I don’t even care who said it…I know it’s true.  The best part about it is that if you change the last word it is just as true…and maybe hits closer to home. 

Try this: You must be the change you wish to see in the school. (Am I showing my kids how to love learning by being excited about the new things I am learning?  Do I demonstrate how to dig into something challenging and not give up?)

You must be the change you wish to see in the relationship. (Am I expecting someone else to change in order to get along? Am I sharing the love I wish to receive?  Am I forgiving quickly?)  

You must be the change you wish to see in the home. (Ah…this is where the rubber hits the road for me right now.  What is happening in my home that I don’t like?  Am I being the change?)   You must be the change you wish to see. (period)

My own attitude, temper, facial expressions, you name it IS the state of our home.  Imagine the environment if my own thoughts are focused on negative things.  That translates into a whole bunch of unhappiness.

Here are some things I want to be the change around and some people who have ideas to help…

Organization. I want everyone in my house to be organized. That translates into: I need to be organized. Sometimes I’m doing better than others.  For years my dear, dear friend Dawn has been my organization mentor.  She has helped me change some bad habits and has helped me let go of a lot of stuff.  It’s been great.  She should have been paid a lot.  Problem for me is, I moved away.  I can’t call on her to come sit with me and make me clean out a closet anymore.  What to do?  Though there is nobody like Dawn, here is someone with some great ideas and I love the name of her blog : the lazy organizer

Healthy Choices. I want everyone to be making healthy choices for their bodies.  Which means…I have to stop the two o’clock chocolate fix. Who am I kidding?  My kids KNOW if I am eating chocolate at two.   What kind of example am I if I sneak around eating “red light foods” in the middle of the day?  Yeah, I need to change that one pronto.  I happened across a few ideas on what to do with ten minutes…instead of rummage the cupboard for stray chocolate chips at live bold and bloom. And exercise. If I do it, I’m happy.  And I don’t need the two o’clock fix quite as intensely. My children see the importance of keeping their bodies healthy when I keep mine healthy. There is also the added bonus that I may be able to avoid complete embarrassment come summer at the pool.  It really can be as easy as running out the front door for an early morning walk or run.  Or on the next library trip checking out a pilates dvd.

Service. I want my children to see ways to be of service to others without being asked. So many people have been great examples of service to me, like my neighbor who spent too much of Saturday helping us out with car trouble. I think we create goodness in this world when we take a few minutes to think about someone else and what they really need. We can serve in our homes: clean the car out for hubby,  take out the trash if he normally does,  make the bed,  pull our neighbors garbage can in for them,  do a chore for a kid when they aren’t expecting it,  pull some weeds for an elderly neighbor.  I guess it’s just taking the time to look around and see where there are needs and what you can do that is kind and unexpected.

Peace. I want more peace in my home.  Not the quite kind, necessarily, though it is always welcome.  I want that inner peace of things being right in the world. I want to be a better peacemaker in my home.  Peace in the world won’t come as long as there isn’t peace in the hearts of people.  For me, that means I need to take time in the morning to pray, connect with God, read scriptures and feel gratitude for all I have been blessed with.  And then when I feel at the end of my rope ( most likely after two when I haven’t had chocolate or a nap :) ), remember those moments and bring that feeling of peace into all the craziness.  I am also taking on re-reading some of the Arbinger Institute books with a study group. 

Are you trying to be the change in something?  How are you doing it?

You can visit more mom’s taking on the 30 minute blog challenge at steady mom.

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April 23, 2010

Weekly Wrap-Up, April 23, 2010

Not sure if it’s Spring in the air (which it finally is…thank you green grass, thank you yellow daffodils, thank you little birds)  or the nearing-the-end-of-the-homeschool-year fizzle, but my crew has been squabbling.  I don’t like it.  We really don’t have much fighting amongst the ranks, but the past weeks have been too much.  I’m just going to blame it on too many grandparents spoiling the kids :) .  Something had to be done and so…we worked.  We didn’t get around to school each day until the garden beds were weeded and cleared, rooms clean, laundry done, floors swept, bathrooms cleaned.  I think we are all energized by the work and the kids are miraculously more interested in school and getting along now than the past few weeks. Work is such a blessing.

Our work turned into fun learning….

I left some kiddos in the garden weeding while I put the baby down.

When I returned I found an arena, a pit and a few gladiator ants being run through the gauntlet. The biggest ant was fondly named Lem (Carry on, Mr. Bowditch).  True…not much weeding happened when I was absent, but they were collaborating on a fun project.  We also found various beetles and then identified them.  Upon discovering the main meal for one variety are the ants in our garden…he was promptly released to eat his fill.

Work can be fun!

And it feels like things are right again…

Speaking of work…what do you and your kids do?

More weird fun weekly wrap-ups here.

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April 21, 2010

Five Steps to a Happier Life

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

That is one of the biggest lies of childhood. I can remember yelling that at the bully down the street as I walked home from the bus stop after school.  I wish it were true, but in fact words can have more profound and lasting effects than a good gut punch on the playground.

The words we use are important and potent. How we talk to those around us and to ourselves has a strong and lasting impact on our lives.

Recently I learned a powerful lesson in the power of words.  I had a very serious disappointment that shocked me completely.  Unfortunately, I didn’t deal with it very well and it has taken me nearly a year to get it sorted out.  In the process what I have learned is that what we say to ourselves affects the way we act.  Thoughts lead to actions.  I know, pretty basic.  But it is true.  So true that we don’t give it proper credit.

If our thoughts are focused on the negative, our feelings and then our words will follow.  Our words will miraculously manifest themselves in action, and not just our actions.  Our perceptions of what is going on around us will be negative and we will attract exactly what we are focused on.  Amazingly, other things will go wrong (the rain, our car breaks down, we get sick, we fail at something)

The other ugly truth is that our negative thoughts and feelings about others will turn into words that hurt. If we stew over how we’ve been wronged, irritating habits, problems, disappointments, etc. we will find a way to express those feelings.  We have power to completely ruin relationships, hurt feelings, and stunt growth.  When I think of what is at stake, I gasp. As parents, especially, we are creating patterns for our children to follow.  Not only is our brain development effected by our negative/positive thinking but their brain development is as well.

I had never been so depressed in my life.  Which means I recognize I created my own depression. I’m not saying all depression is self-created, but I am willing to bank on it that some is.  Focusing on the negative creates a physical change in our brains:

“If you are repetitively thinking negative thoughts, you are actually strengthening neural pathways in your brain that support continued negative thinking. Negative thinking leads to negative feelings, and negative feelings impact your relationships, work, motivation and sense of well-being.” –Barrie Davenport

If that isn’t depressing, I don’t know what is.  This is why it feels hard to snap out of it, we have created a path in our brain making it easier to be negative than positive.  We are the authors of our own unhappiness.

Once we recognize our negative thinking we can take steps to stop it. It isn’t easy when you have an established habit.

1. Recognize when you are falling into the negativity trap. It may take a while to see what triggers your negative thoughts, but spend some time trying to be aware.  Don’t push all the blame on to something or someone else.

2. Positive self talk that is specific. Whatever it is that you are struggling with, create positive thoughts and words to say to yourself.  Don’t be afraid to say it out loud if it helps.  When you are faced with your trigger fill your head with the positive stuff that is the antidote.

3. Write it down. If you write down all of your frustrations and anger you are only further committing it to your mind and heart.  Instead, write down positive things.  For example, goals in your relationships and life.  There are some great books out there to help with the details of getting it on paper so that it helps you.  I recommend Steven Covey’s seven habits and Leslie Householder’s ideas.

4. In moments of frustration, think before you speak. You know the old adage count to ten.  Pause for a moment and look at your child or husband or neighbor or friend and really think about who they are (hint: someone really special and amazing.  I like to take the big picture/eternal perspective on this).

5. Let the positive words sink to your heart. If you are thinking it then you can begin to feel it and when you feel it then it will come out in your words and actions. Once that happens life has a way of working with you.

Try it.  I think you will find even in circumstances that are beyond our control we can be happy if we are letting the positive take root in our thoughts, hearts and actions.  We can be the authors of our own happiness.


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April 13, 2010

Organizational Epiphany

My five year old always forgets to put his socks on when it’s time to leave the house.  This would be fine if I didn’t have to go downstairs to retrieve them while I am trying to get a baby in the car.  Today’s revelation was to put all of his socks in a basket in the coat closet…always handy.  Happy Mama.

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April 9, 2010

Weekly Wrap-Up, April 9, 2010

It’s Grandparent fun this week with my parents visiting.  School ended with their arrival mid week and the spoiling began.  A few highlights:

I love Easter.  I love that it’s a quieter more spiritual celebration than most others.  But I also love the coloring of eggs…it’s the kid in me.

Cohesion and Adhesion: My thirteen year old decided to be teacher for the day and ran a much tighter ship than I.  Let’s call her Sergeant Sister ;) .  She filled droppers with different liquids: oil, colored tap water, rubbing alcohol and soapy tap water.  They put one drop of each on a piece of wax paper to test what each bump of liquid looked like.  In a ten ml graduated cylinder they dropped 50 drops of each liquid (one at a time – cleaning it between) to measure volume. The result let them know how the bump of liquid related to the volume in the cylinder.  Then they recorded the results in their comp books. I know, not a lot of detail…let me know if you want to try this yourself with more instruction.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch – We are reading this wonderful book by Jean Lee Latham.  It has brought about some of the best discussions with my children this year.  What a wonderful tale of what education really is.  Nathaniel Bowditch is a great example of how to be a scholar, or in scholar-phase, and that learning never ends.  This is a fabulous book for boys and girls, moms and dads.  If you want a story about never giving up, not making excuses for failure, how to learn anything you want to learn, how to find a mentor and being humble…read it to your kids.

Our family has been working on our Family Mission Statement for months.  It has been a fun process and we have about one more week to go in getting our raw material crafted into words.  We have used Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families and the Fifth Discipline Fieldbook to guide our brainstorming.  My five year old has had some of the most thoughtful input and I love that every member has contributed to every step of the process with meaningful ideas (well…the one year old has provided love and support and comic relief).  Related to mission statements….Two other books I have read recently are Free the Beagle and The Jackrabbit Factor.  Good stuff to think about. They are written in a way that is accessible for children for great discussion.   If you have a Beagle, as we do, you will want to read Free the Beagle for the title alone…fantasy.

And lastly…my favorite re-learning this week..it was time for me to re-read a homeschooling classic.  Great for any moms with wee babes and older children.  I’ve had it on a scrappy printout for years with no author name on it, but I found a link today.  When you feel you just can’t do school and meet all the needs, read The Baby IS the Lesson.

Visit Kris for some more inspiration!

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April 2, 2010

Weekly Wrap-Up April 2, 2010

“Quick! QUICK!  Get out of bed!  It’s snowing!  There’s no school today!” That is how my mother woke me up nearly every April Fools day of my life.  When you grow up in the lush (meaning rainy) Willamette Valley of Oregon you spend most of your winter school days praying for snow…because snow – even a dusting – means no school.  Feeling rather lost for a really great April Fools joke to get the kids out of bed with hearts pumping…we just reversed it.  “Quick, get out of bed, the sun is out and the snow melted…let’s go jump on the trampoline!”  Not quite the same effect, admittedly.

We started out the week with gorgeous sun, warmth (60′s :) , bikes and trampoline.  Ended it with new inches of snow and icicles.

Here are just a few highlights of the week:

Passover. We learned about the Passover by reading the story in the scriptures and reading on-line about how Passover is kept today.  Very interesting and we learned a lot about the symbolism behind each part of the passover meal.

My five year old took his first solo peddles on his bike!  And my one year old took her first solo steps.  It was a sweet week of firsts.


My eight and ten year olds  decided to open a shop.  They made things to sell and then sent their little brother to get money to buy the merchandise.  He said he needed five dollars and then explained it was to buy two little trinkets from the shop.  I gave him 41 cents and told him to bargain.  The shop keepers were disgusted that their amazing wares were being offered so little.  This opened a door for a fun economic discussion.  They have a better understanding of recession, falling prices…

Van Gogh‘s birthday was this week and we all made a Van Goghesque creation.  I love that my children didn’t feel at all confined to copying his work.  They picked the subjects they liked best and went to town.  We used oil pastels to get the rich colors and texture without pulling out the paints.

Eggs Eggs Eggs.  Our favorite science this week has been following the Peregrine Falcon we have watched for several years now.  It is sitting on a clutch of five eggs.  Check it out and you will get to see those eggs pip and hatch and the babies get fed and then take wing.  ( I highly recommend reading the My Side of the Mountain books)  An uncle turned us onto a barn owl who’s babies hatched this week.  It’s been fun to watch the action as she keeps those hungry babies fed and warm. We also had fun talking about atrical vs. precocial eggs and identifying all our favorite birds.

If you asked my kids what their favorite part of the week was they would say it’s the time we spent playing soccer and running track in the gym of our church.  With the cold weather back we had to have somewhere to get our wiggles out.  It’s never been so fun to sweat!

My favorite learning this week was an article I read by Stephani at Simple Homeschool about living in the margins.  She has a great idea for Fridays as a free day.  It sounds so wonderful and I’m trying to make a plan for how we can have Friday’s like that.

Click here to find more great ideas at the weekly wrap-up.

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