This Week's Homeschool Adventures

Claire's interpretation of a poem.

We seem to have grand adventures on a daily basis. This week started off with hanging with our friends and neighbors. There was the now infamous Nerf war, nature walk, a bit of activism and fun watching the kids explore. These excursions require a crock pot meal for dinner or something very quick. We always seem to spend the entire afternoon, into the early evening together. Whether there are science experiments going on, physical education, reading, critical thinking and imagination.

Evening of toad hunting. Ecology studying the habits of amphibians.

Home economics has involved learning how to make laundry soap, baking bread and cooking eggs. All of also involve science, math and a bit of art. We have been watching videos for history and science as well. There was a poetry reading and painting session followed by an afternoon of playing that ended in a trip to a local ice cream parlor for malts and cones. We have culminated our weekend with assessment tests for virtual public charter school and an exercise in engineering and design aka flooring frame for a fort.


We are doing a combination of public virtual charter schools and unschooling (some may argue that you can't do both). How are our children benefiting from this? We have opened the world up for them and are encouraging them to follow their passions. Those passions change frequently but we feel that giving them opportunity to explore each and everyone of them we are helping them gain experience and knowledge to become whatever they want.

Being able to watch as the light bulb goes on over their heads is an awesome thing.

3 Different Learning Styles

Every child learns differently. The number of learning styles in your family is directly related to the number of people in it. In our case we have 3 children and each one learns differently.

The Superhero

Stickers, Wii and Dolly, a perfect afternoon.

The Superhero must be in perpetual motion in order for him to focus. I think it has to do with being only 7 years old. He is also an auditory/tactile learner. While pictures, videos, etc do help, he really takes in the most by hearing and doing. While this makes it a little bit more difficult to learn to write, it has certainly helped him learn to read. Yes, he is finally really reading. I think he could all along but just needed a bit more time to realize he had the ability. Writing will come soon enough, though I do encourage all of my children to write. That's what happens when your mother is a writer.

The Forest Fairy 

Trying to look so much older and not really succeeding.

The Forest Fairy is a visual/tactile learner. I think one thing all 3 have in common is the fact that they have to touch it, smell it and even taste it at times. This is my artsy, eccentric child. If we can relate it in some artistic fashion she gets it right away. Practical applications work well, if she can see it and feel it she can do it. Her weakness has been math, however, through cooking, budgeting and various art projects math has become easier.

Writing for my Forest Fairy is second nature. Poetry, songs and short stories. She has gobs of them that she has written, most in need of finishing. I am not worried about her completing the stories, she still lives in her own world and uses her wonderful imagination on a regular basis. My most favorite thing is that she reads. Everything and anything she can get her hands on. Romance and mystery novels most especially.

The Bug Bite

Learning that it is ok to play in the dirt no matter how old you are.

Total auditory/visual/tactile learner. Her educational background until recently has been public school. Transitioning to homeschooling has been interesting. Finding out that she can learn about what interests her and include standard subjects as part of daily living has been an interesting experience. It has lead to long discussions across so many topics. There are, not surprisingly, gaps in some general knowledge. It is as if she was living in a tiny box and let out into the world for the first time.

Exploring options and discovering herself and her passions is definitely leading to some new adventures for everyone. It will be interesting to see where she goes. Our caterpillar is emerging from her cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. 

Reviving Ye Olde Homeschooling Blog

I think our homeschooling adventures belong back on our homeschooling blog. I love dedicating time just to sharing every part of what we are doing. In hopes to inspire others to find their passions and dreams. Those of you who know me well, I always have a lot to say and one place to write it all down just isn't enough for me!

I know I am masochistic in a way. Maintaining several blogs at one time. However, they are all connected. My followers are as diverse as I am eccentric so I feel that having a place for everyone is essential to my evil plan to take over the world.

Yes, I am raising liberal, free thinking activists who will affect changes in the world. So in order to put my evil plan into action I will be sharing our homeschooling adventures with the world here. It is crazy, I know and not everyone appreciates the undertaking of educating ones children. But my husband and I were our children's first teachers and won't be their last, however, we are instilling a love of learning and passion for knowledge that they will not get anywhere else.

Reintroducing the heathens:

Going clockwise: The Super Hero, The Bug Bite and The Forest Fairy.

Easing back in

There has been so much excitement over the holidays that we are going to ease back into school slowly. We keep a loose eclectic/unschooling type of thing going on anyway. The kids just seem worn out so trying to push will just take all the fun out of learning. Another day or two to relax and recover will not hurt anyone.

Light and Love

Happy New Year

We are still finding what works for us for school but so far we have had an interesting time. We have studied various cultures new and ancient. Reading has taken an interesting turn. We do not limit much with the kids as far as their desire to learn or follow an interest but the hard core anime and manga has been restricted. Forcing our daughter to explore other genres of literature. She loves non fiction as much as she loves fiction. Romantic books, fantasy, a little sci-fi, paranormal, all things she enjoys now. Our son is reading basic words and sentences, he has been trying very hard but not all of the skills have clicked yet. They will when he is ready but for having just turned 5 we aren't worried at all about when he will read on his own. We enjoy reading to him. Math is our son's strong point. Anything number related. I am thinking future engineer or architect maybe? Our daughter is discovering that math is part of every day living and getting better at various types of math. I am happy to say she has gotten over the whole math and science thing is for boys only. If we present math as an everyday thing or in the form of a word problem she breezes right through. Standard rote memorization of facts are just not her learning style.

Science, we really need to do more science. So hubby and I are going to sit down and find something that will really get the kids turned on to science. Writing is going well, our daughter is writing songs, poetry and starting a lot of short stories. She hasn't completed any short stories but has a good start with so many different ideas floating in her head. Our son can write his first and last name and a few words. Like with reading the knowledge is there the light bulb will pop up one of these days and he will take off.

Our daughter is expanding her art repertoire but her two best and preferred mediums are drawing (still experimenting with different utensils) and modeling clay. Her imagination is unbelievable and her skills are really developing. Our son can draw basic shapes, has learned how to mix colors, has a basic understanding of the color wheel and things of that nature.

I am going to add music theory and recorder lessons this semester. While I am a little rusty on it all I am sure it will come back to me. If not I do know someone that can definitely help us out. :)

Hopefully we will be able to get to going to park days regularly and we are looking at various memberships for this year, all with an education basis but still look like a lot of fun. Our goal is to do some kind of exercise for at least one hour per day. We have all gotten rather bottom heavy lately.

Home ec skills are coming along. Everyone can sort their laundry, our daughter can even wash, dry and fold hers (putting away is something else entirely). Basic cooking/baking skills are improving very well. We are going to look at investing in a small sewing machine since our large one is in storage still. Our daughter wants to make her own clothes. This should be a fun project. I think we are also going to work on crocheting and quilting as well.

Light and Love!