our little world

I'm finding as my kids get older, that I don't feel a need to make as many play-dates with friends, as when they were toddlers. We love hanging out with friends, and I'm a very social person, but what I've found is that I really enjoy talking with these little people, alone! We have all these fun places we like to go, and little traditions we've started, and games that only we like to play. We often build up a little world around ourselves, that others just wouldn't appreciate as much, or go along with!

Today was a beautiful day at the farm! I eagerly listened to the boys, as they told me all about the wonderful things they were seeing and hearing. Both Odin and Zadok are so detailed and descriptive about the observations they make! And so excited, too!

"Look, that box-elder beetle is making his home in a groove in that tree!"
"Look, Mom, the bees are pollinating that pansy!"
"And look! Those ducks are being territorial and chasing the geese away!"
"I can hear a pidgeon calling. Maybe it's a mating call!"

We walked as slow as we wanted, waited for each other while someone saw something they liked, and listened to each others' stories. We stopped to see some ants carrying twigs, then we observed a mama goose sitting on her nest, then we wandered over to the big tree to climb and relax.
It's nice to have a little family. It's nice to leave all the distractions behind and enjoy them, even if that means friends. I think each family has a little world of their own, with special things they love to do, at a pace they like to do it.

I love spending time with these boys, and I really like our little world.





I took these pictures back in March, hence the snowcoats. I can't remember if I've shared them. Sorry if these are repeats=mama brain.
And here's a little disclaimer about my post, which I thought of afterward-- some may be thinking, "oh great, this is just the beginning of un-socialized homeschooling!" Ha ha! But really, we are a very social family; with friends, and our church, and our neighbors. All I mean by this post is that it's nice to step away from all that and enjoy just us.

morning routine

We needed some structure to our morning really badly, so I've come up with a plan that seems to be working!

You think kids have short attention spans? I used to be the worst one! I have huge tendencies to wake up in the morning and try to do fifty different things at once! Then I get distracted, go back, get distracted again, lose something, start a new project, walk back and forth, find what I was looking for, answer 100 questions from the kids, start breakfast, get distracted, start a cartoon,look for something else, go back, burn the pancakes, start a new project....get the idea? It can be so EXASPERATING to be me.
But, I am so, so much better than I ever was, and I attribute my organizational skills to having 3 children and a husband who demand and need structure from me. When we feel better organized, we all feel happier.

So, look at me now:

I have a special place to keep my cell phone at all times.
I don't start any new projects if I can't foresee them getting finished.
I force myself to follow a morning routine of order, before I allow any other distractions in my life like the Internet, or making phone calls, or new projects.
I don't answer the phone unless I know who's calling and why.
I force myself to let go of things I just can't do or get done.
I force myself to stay focused on the moment instead of getting carried away.
I carefully lead my children through a morning routine, that helps us all stay focused, stay organized, and start the day feeling awesome!

Sometimes it is REALLY hard to stay focused. Structure and organization doesn't come naturally to me. It is one of those skills that I've had to develop out of pure necessity. Everyday is not perfect, but I've seen the wonderful difference it makes in my family when I do.

So, we start by getting all our "important things" done first!

First we eat breakfast. I love sitting at the table with the kids in the morning. I leave the computer and TV off. I focus on them. We pray together. They ask me questions. We talk about our dreams from last night. They tell me jokes that don't make any sense. It's awesome.

Then we do the following things, in whatever order we choose:
brush teeth
brush hair
do our chores
get dressed for the day
Morning hugs and kisses for Mama (that's me!)
morning prayers

After we finish everything we meet on the living room rug to review. I get out my playful, authoritative Mama voice and shout out, "Raise your hand if you brushed your teeth!"
The boys giggle and fall to the floor, hands raised high in the air.
Then,"Raise your hand if you said your morning prayers!"
And again, they giggle and roll all over, hands raised high.
I do this for all of our important things, until all hands are raised. If a hand isn't raised, the boys hurry and go get it done. It is a fun game for them, I think.

I debated for a long time on how to approach chores in our home. I think it is important for children to learn how to do work around the family house and take personal responsibility for themselves, but I didn't want it to be something they resented or hated.
So, I made these simple, nothing-fancy-charts, that I nonchalantly hung on the wall for them.
Micah and I chose 6 things that they could do easily around the house, like spray the windows, fold laundry, vacuum with the hose, wipe a dirty wall, pick up toys, and take out trash. I drew some little pictures on construction paper, and I give them a sticker when they complete it, just to mark it off.
There is no offer of rewards, and no punishment for not doing it. It has just become part of our morning routine. They are both really proud of their chore charts and look at them often!
So this has been our morning routine, for the past while.
It works for us and we are happy this way! Most importnatly for me, I start my day off feeling like we already accomplished something good, and it's only 8 o'clock.

What color eyes does a goose have?

The questions from my 5 year old are flying at me faster than I can keep up:
"Does a squid have lungs or gills?"
"How many eggs does a Platypus lay?"
"How does a cat drink water without it spilling from it's mouth?"
"What is the defense mechanism of a Walrus?"
"Why do female ducks look different than males?"
"Why do Octopus squirt ink?"

At first it was really overwhelming for me, especially to think that my child actually believed that I knew all these answers! I started keeping a running list on the kitchen counter, of all the things he was asking me, so I could look them up and tell him later. Wouldn't that make me look so smart? ha ha. But that really isn't the point, is it?
These past few months a light has ignited within our 5 year old, spreading into a giant, burning, bonfire, of learning more about everything animals!

It has been really exciting to see him begin to focus on learning about something he feels truly passionate about.
I just keep thinking over and over, "So this is when the homeschooling fun begins!"

Well, our goal is really to help him learn how he can expand on that passion to learn more. I don't want to provide all the answers. I couldn't even if I wanted to! I want him to reach out into the world and find the resources he needs to learn more, get excited more, and do more!

It is all just really cool.



Some things we have been doing to enhance his desires, and encourage him to learn:
Observing animals in natural habitats and farms,
Reading animal books from the library,
Watching animal-nature movies and TV shows,
Frequent trips to the Zoo,
Keeping an animal-science journal,
Incorporating animal facts and stories into everyday life
Pretending to be animals and putting on puppet shows
Talking about our personal experiences with animals (With an ex-zookeeper Dad, that isn't too hard, and Zadok adores all his animal stories.)


But most importantly, we are allowing him the freedom to learn all these things with his own creativity attached! You see, one of his sole motivations in learning more about animals, is because he wants to build "creature power suits". He is pretty serious about it, and it is no laughing matter in our house. He is collecting the data he needs to build the greatest, most powerful creature power suits in the world!
Right now he is making blue-prints for a dolphin and a Giant squid:

Here's the owls, and Draco-gliding suits:

And every morning when I wake up, I don't know what animal he will be
pretending to be that day. Will he be a duck, a wombat, a shark, an alligator? Usually something with a great defense mechanism.

I love this. I love all of it! I love that the excitement to learn more about animals from our 5 year old son, has involved the whole family to learn and get excited, together. I mean, I never imagined that I would be so intrigued to know that a Platypus is one of two mammals in the world that lays eggs and makes milk! But, it's cool! And homeschooling is cool, too. :)

Homeschooling Hop

I am really enjoying this 10 Days of Homeschooling Blog Hop, and have been reading many of the blogs, hosting this blogging carnival. If you click on that link you will find 16 different bloggers who have dedicated 10 days to writing about different homeschooling areas they are experts in. Their subjects range from homeschooling boys, to Socialization for Moms, to Montessori method, to homeschooling Pre-schoolers, to getting started as a homeschooler, to un-schooling, to many other areas that I can relate to.

I hesitate to talk about homeschooling with my family and peers because I'm not really sure what exactly what we're doing as a homeschooling family. But, as I am learning, that's okay. It's okay to figure things out as you go, and learn as part of the journey. What I do know is that all the stereotypes, labels, myths, and negative stigmas about homeschooling need to be thrown out the window as you're beginning your homeschooling journey. Homeschooling my kids isn't about what my neighbors are doing, or what those homeschooling relatives did, or what crazy story you heard on the news about un-schoolers. To me, homeschooling is about knowing my kids, praying for guidance, and meeting our needs as a family. It isn't even about public school vs. private school vs. homeschool. It's just about us, and what we feel is right.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned as a parent is that there isn't one way to do things, the world is not black and white, and learning and growing in life isn't limited to the classroom institution.

Whenever I read about other homeschooling families, such as on these blogs, I feel lifted up, and I feel inspired. I feel like I not only want to continue on the path of being a homeschooling family, but I also want to be a better organized, more thoughtful, more attentive, and wonderful parent!
A curious friend last week asked me, "So when do you start homeschooling? Around the time they start Kindergarten?"
My answer, "We already are!"
I believe learning starts the moment you enter this world, and doesn't ever stop. Learning isn't limited to Kindergarten registration, or a certain age you turn. Learning is happening now.

When we first moved into these apartments, our kids didn't know how to swim. It really stressed me out that they were 4 and 2 years old, and didn't have any water skills. I can still remember the first day we went to pool, hauling our kids in with all their flotation devices and arm floaties. They were both a little scared to get their feet wet at first, and I was scared to take my eyes off of them. I wanted them to know how to swim so badly, that I tried to give them formal lessons. "Now Zadok, this is how you paddle, and this is how you kick. Now try blowing bubbles, and stop splashing, your splashing too much. Now come here so you can hold onto me while I teach you to kick!" After several minutes of me giving orders, he was annoyed, and pretty much told me to leave him alone. So I did. Micah suggested that every time we go to the pool we just play, have fun, and enjoy our time as a family. I was still worried about them learning to swim, but was willing to let it go and just have fun for the moment.
After several trips to the pool I noticed our kids feeling way more comfortable in the water. Zadok started asking us questions about how to swim, so we told him. And he started practicing what he knew. While our family was busy playing, he would watch and learn, and we would tell him little tips on how to paddle faster, how to hold himself up, or how to blow bubbles. There was no coercion, or formality to it, just family talking to family.
So guess what? Six months later our Zadok is a happy and confident, swimmer. He loves to swim, and he has learned to swim. (I still vividly rememeber the first time he actually swam. He was beyond excited and kept shouting out,"I'm swimming! I'm swimming!!") And Odin is learning, too. They both love to be in the water, and have found a fun new skill that they enjoy doing!

This was the biggest testament to me that education doesn't have to be this formal engagement, with lessons, and classrooms, and authority figures. It's just part of simply living. This was the first of many experiences (these past 6 months) in watching our kids learn and grasp onto things, and me being able to finally throw out the idea that they need formal schooling to do that. I have learned that when you provide a happy environment for learning and growth; an environment where kids can ask questions, feel free to explore, and feel excited to learn, that is true education. For us, this will be done through family homeschooling.

Maybe someday our kids will want to enroll in a public school. That's their choice to make. I'm sure they will also be involved in many social organizations and clubs, community classes, and sports groups. Later on, I fully encourage them to enroll in college, earn degrees, or go to a trade school to learn useful job skills. But for now, homeschooling is the way to go.

Well, enough with writing, I have to get back to my blog hop! I guess I just wanted to say that I feel inspired this week, and am happy with the direction we are heading as a family, and the choices that Micah and I are making together for our children.

Micah graduated with his Masters in Science Education this past week! Yeah! And yeah for formal education that allows us to make more $$)

Junkdobots

What you get when you combine playdo with the junk drawer, and make robots.

Toys and things

Odin dragged all his "friends" into his bed with him a couple weeks ago. After he plopped them all down he got the saddest look on his face and cried,"Now where am I going to sleep?"
He was so genuinely upset and concerned. I tried hard not to laugh. Micah came in and showed him how to line them all up so everyone could fit. Here's a happy Odin, sleeping with his animal friends:

There's a lot of new toys around here which has been really fun! (thanks friends and family and secret Santa!) We were all really looking forward to Christmas so we could get some cool, new things for the boys to play with. We don't buy a lot of toys very often because we've noticed that things start to recycle themselves after awhile. For instance, nobody touched the stuffed animals for about 6 months, now all of a sudden they've become the most coveted thing in the house this past month. They've been carrying them about, making up stories about them, using them as props, weapons, and even cuddling them in bed. It just came out of nowhere! I'm so glad I didn't throw them out!
I've noticed that even if we buy a cool, new toy it is only as fun as their imaginations allow it to be. Most of the toys we buy aren't really used the way you'd think they should be! Our toy broom is a magic wand or sword most of the time. The rubber animals make great booby traps in the hallway, and the doll house is a dinosaur lair. We just don't need a whole lot of toy turnaround because 6 months later they'll turn their old toys into something new.
We do have some favorite staples, however, that we love to play with regularly:
playdough
puzzles
costumes
stuffed animals
board games
action figures
Random toys we find at the thrift store
ropes, strings, blankets, and handkerchiefs (for whatever)
flashlights
puppets
modeling clay
giant Leggos or other building/stacking materials

But, the most important thing we need is to relax, have fun, and play together. We could buy every new toy in the world but it just wouldn't be fun if nobody sat down and played.

un-crafting

I wasn't sure for awhile how much I should push crafts on my kids. Our oldest child wasn't showing any interest, and I was feeling guilty because, for me, coming up with creative craft projects isn't exactly my specialty. When I envisioned myself buying things like glitter, felt, beads, and trinkets from the craft store, it totally stressed me out. I figured we'd rather be outside building a mud castle and hiking in the leaves.

Another homeschooling friend I know said she doesn't feel it's necessary to do anything "crafty", unless they really want to, or if it's a life-skill you want your child to learn, like building with hammer and nails, making soap, or sewing a pillowcase. Otherwise, pushing crafts on kids is like making someone learn how to ski who just doesn't like the snow....totally unnecessary for life.

However, over the past few years I have been collecting all these craft supplies and keeping them in my cabinet. Lately I've found that when I nonchalantly put them out on the carpet in the morning, I find my boys hovering over them; cutting, pasting, gluing, glittering, and making all sorts of crafty discoveries. It's really fun to watch them busy their time away, creating art from the core of their imaginations......and I didn't have to push a thing.


watching and nursing while the boys get "crafty"

boxes and frogs

Our 4 yr old saw this box-car in a book and wanted to make it really badly. So we did, about 8 months ago, and he had a lot of fun with it. Then it got lost in the shuffle, broken down, and eventually thrown away. Now just this week, that same book emerged again out of the book shelf and his eyes beamed with excitement. "Mom, can we make this car?" His enthusiasm seemed to explode once more, as we found all the parts we needed for his car. Glue, paper, a cardboard box Micah brought home, paper plates, markers, muffin holder thingies, etc... His masterpiece was finished in several minutes, and since then he's been taking us on magical, driving adventures (mostly thru Zions National Park).

I love how excited he gets when he wants to do something that is his own idea. I admit I'm not one to wake up, blooming with crafty, creative ideas for the day. I find my inspiration comes in waves, and is usually being led by whatever we're doing that day.
I mostly love to be outside with the boys, exploring the world around us.

Right now it is frog season, which means all the local froggies are mating and laying their eggs. We have a special place nearby, where we love to go, to follow the life-cycle of the frogs. This past week we went and found the mating frogs, along with their eggs. The polliwogs are very tiny and fragile right now, so we will go back next week and see how they've grown.


Our kids are learning that the best way to learn about animals is to watch them. Micah spends a considerable amount of time teaching the kids to quietly observe nature around us, to respect all living things, and to walk quietly on the Earth, along with the animals. (He is strongly against going anywhere that allows recreational vehicles, and loud motorbikes, which tread roughly and carelessly across our Mother, and scare away the animals. So, we stick to quieter places.)
It is fun to watch him and the boys track deers, stalk up on birds, and catch lizards, as they maneuver softly and quietly through the woods. One of my favorite things is hearing our kids talk excitedly about what they saw, what they found, and how neat it all is.
My kids are happy with boxes and frogs, and we are learning together.



I took these photos at Zions several weeks ago, but that's not where we go locally to watch our frogs. It's just 20 minutes down the road at Kolob.

We HEART books

Several years ago I was standing in line at the supermarket behind a little girl and her daddy. All the Valentines decorations were up, enticing customers to purchase candy hearts, chocolates, flowers, and balloons, as they whisked out the door. This little girl turns to her dad and says, "Daddy, what is Valentines Day?" And his response: "It's a Hallmark Holiday--just a another marketing scheme to get consumers to buy more stuff."The little girl just sat there and said, "oh." like she understood all that!

I thought that was funny. And true.
But just like anything that has turned totally hyper-consumerism and commercial in our day and age (Ahem...Christmas), we have the power to take it back and make it special for our kids! I don't think totally secluding ourselves from all holidays is the answer. I think creating fun family traditions and enjoying it, is the key!

This year our friend Arianne planned a Valentines themed book party, for all the homeschool kids. Each child picked his favorite book, and made themed Valentines to go along with it. I thought it was such a brilliant idea and wanted to share.


One of our most favorite things to do is go to the children's section, pick up a pile of about 20 random books, and then come home and read them. This is how we have found some of our favorite authors and illustrators.
The week leading up to the party we went to the library and went through all our favorite authors in the children's books. We picked up everything from Dr. Seuss to Dave Shannon to Mo Willems to Mercer Mayer.

We finally settled on the "The Little Critter,"by Mercer Mayer which never grows old for my kids.

We made Valentines from one of the books we checked out. It was Zadok's idea to put popsicle sticks on them, so people could hold them up.


The party was really fun, hanging out and chatting with friends...friends who love books just as much as we do!

This year, Valentines reminded me how much we love books. I think this will be a great tradition to carry on in our family! Thanks Arianne!

Inspiration provided

This past week I've taken some real time to think about what's most important to me and my family. For whatever the reason, I was born with an intense need to evaluate and reevaluate myself to the point of exhaustion. "I guess that's just the way God made you," as my 3 year old would say. Yes, I guess so. So, since this is the way God made me, I find that I constantly need to stop and thank Him for providing me with the means to discover for myself what will ultimately make me happy. I can't imagine living in a world where I didn't know God was always there to answer my prayers and guide me in the right direction, and down the right paths.

This past month I really needed some inspiration in my life, down the path of homeschooling, and i received it.
This has probably been the hugest life-changing thing for me, since I was really struggling with feeling burnt out and overwhelmed with it all.
But, It is really all good now. I don't think it will ever be easy, my life as a homeschooling Mom, but I know it is right. And I feel that every family has the right to receive the inspiration they need for their families; to make the best possible decision for their families. All we have to do is ask.

I am so grateful for the inspiration I have received this past month.
The most important thing I want my children to always know, from everything we teach them, is that God is their provider.

He is the one who will provide for them everything they need, just like he has for me.

Out n' About Education

Yes, I concur, the term "homeschooling" needs a makeover. It just doesn't seem to describe accurately what it means to be a homeschooling family these days. A lot of people, when they hear the word "homeschool", immediately think, "weird-anti-social kids, seemingly-impossible-self-discipline for over-worked parents, and a struggle to fill time with books and worksheets, while sitting at home on your sofa." Not so.

When I think homeschool, I think hands on-learning, real life experiences, adventures and discoveries made alive through role play and experiments. I think P.E. that doesn't involve a locker room, but a mountain of ski slopes. Or a geography class that isn't a plastic globe, but a roadtrip across the States, or a flight to another country. I think of great English literature being read, discussed, and enjoyed as a family activity. I think of math and science as subjects that come naturally as we open our eyes to the complex world around us. I think of gaining hard work ethic, and meeting important deadlines, as an organic process that will be learned as we work together in this world. I think of kids who get to thrive on positive self esteems and good, moral peer pressure.

I think of a family who wants to spend time learning and growing together, watching each other become the people we are meant to be. And loving it.
This is the culture we would like to create for our family. It is a good culture. It is one that we should be proud of. It may not be what everyone else is doing, but we've never been ones to follow the crowd.

Non-institutionalized education? Independent studies? Organified learning? Home-based Ed? Un-schooling? Jackson funny farm? I like the term Out n' About Ed, because that's what I'm all about. Yes, I made that up myself. :)

Whatever you want to call it, it's gonna be awesome.

Educationally yours,

Sally