Tag Archives: jewish homeschool

A movie, park, and nature center

homeschooling,

We’ve had a busy day today! Until now we’ve been so busy with work on the patio that we haven’t really done any trips or outings for Camp Wernerific. But today we did. We started off by going to the free movies – every summer theaters around the nation offer free showings a couple of days a week of two movies, one rated G and one rated PG.  The showings are in the mornings and filled with young children – none of the typical movie going atmosphere.  I’m not into movie watching – except for this, our kids have never gone to the theaters and I don’t plan to change that.  We don’t even watch videos at home very often – it’s hard for me to find videos that fit my criteria for our monthly video night, which is why it turns into having a family video night every two months or so instead.  Anyway, today we  saw Horton Hears a Who. We got there about ten minutes after it started, so we had to find seats in the dark, but everyone managed. It’s rated G but I didn’t really care for it; it’s like a lot of cartoony movies, overdone and kind of pointless.  I didn’t end up seeing the last 40 minutes of it, though, because ds22 months didn’t want to stay in, so I took him from ds16 and went out with him and the baby. We went into the empty theater right next door, which was very relaxing. I fed the baby while ds explored.  Then he wanted to go out, so we went into a couple of other empty theaters until everyone came out of the movie they were watching.  We’ll probably go to one other movie this summer – there’s one on the schedule that I’m particularly interested in because I think would be valuable – but we’ve never attended more than two in a summer.

Then we went to the a lovely park which is just a few minutes away from the theater. It’s perfect because there’s a very nice playground for the younger kids and also a large field where ds16 and ds10 could bat to each other. The weather was perfect for an outdoor day – sunny with a pleasant breeze, in the 80s. We had a snack-like picnic lunch there (apples, carrots, Wasa crackers, and granola bars) and after a couple of hours decided it was time to go.  

Since we were so close by, I wanted to go look at the heritage breed chickens I remembered seeing three years ago at the nearby nature center in the outdoor coop.  (I’ve been reading up on chickens in the last couple of days.)  We drove to the center (just two minutes away), and as we started walking up the path to the center, we saw a deer just off to the side. It continued eating as we watched it, and it was interesting to be able to observe it so clearly.  Then we looked for the chickens, but at first only saw two turkeys. It seems that a fox got into the coop at some point and had a nice chicken lunch, so there are now only two chickens there.  The kids learned how to identify males and females while we were there. 

After we looked at the turkeys and chickens, we noticed someone watering a garden nearby, so I went over to ask her about it. It’s a new exhibit called A Walk Through History that isn’t quite finished, with several different gardens each planted with native plants representing a different time period in this state. She gave us a tour and told us about the plants, a lot of which were medicinal.  I wasn’t familiar with a lot of them but was pleasantly surprised that I recognized some of them, as well as knowing how to use them. I have to learn more about native plants for my garden and she made a good suggestion for a website to explore.  So much to learn, so little time….. 🙂 

While I was speaking to her, some of the kids were picking berries off the path we had walked down on (they were wineberries, which they learned to identify during last summer’s Junior Rangers program), and then they found a teeny tiny frog in the pond right next to the garden. It was so small that it was about half the size of the tip of your pinky. She also pointed out a 3 Sisters garden (corn, beans, squash), but I didn’t feel like going over to observe it since they got it started late and I’m already familiar with the concept.  

Then ds4 needed the bathroom so ds16 took him into the nature center, and I figured once the two of them were there we might as well all join them.   On our way up the path, we found two dead shrews – I’ve never seen a shrew before. It’s about the size of a mouse but has a shorter tail and a longish snout. Very interesting.  The kids are in the middle of reading the Redwall series which is about mice and other small woodland creatures, and based on that immediately were able to identify the shrew.

While we were in the nature center, the kids observed all the animals there, live and stuffed.  The volunteers are very good about telling you about the animals you see without waiting to be asked.  From one we learned about terrapins and another was holding a snake and told us about it (though none of the kids took her up on her offer to stroke it).  Ds3 is the perfect age to introduce all of this to, since he understands so much but is wide eyed and excited about all of it.  Ds22 months is happy just to be able to run around.  I haven’t been to this nature center for several years, and want to plan a trip for local homeschoolers there this fall.  I organized a couple of group trips there three years ago that were fantastic.  What I especially appreciate about trips like this is how seamlessly learning is integrated into a fun family outing.  No one thinks about doing ‘school’, but they’re all learning naturally and easily.  And that’s when learning is most effective, because it’s the most fun! 

It was a really nice relaxed day, and everyone was so tired that they fell asleep in the car on the drive home.  I got my nap when I got home.  Tomorrow I hope I’ll be able to order several tons of sand and then we can go on to the next step in the patio – but I will have to spend some time in the morning calling around to places to find out who can deliver. We’ve hauled 14,000 pounds of bricks and 10,000 pounds of gravel ourselves in the last week and a half, and I’m quite happy to have a truck bring us the sand.  🙂

Avivah

How do my kids stay busy?

homeschooling, parenting,

>>What do your kids do when school isn’t in session, in the afternoon? And what do your youngest ones do? Especially curious, since I have a 3 year old and an 8 month old.<<

I’m assuming you’re asking what the kids do when not busy with academic work, right?  The truth is that this is the case most of the day, all year round, since academic work doesn’t take an especially long time!  (Except for the kids ages 10 and up – but they still all have the afternoon free.)  Because the kids have learned to entertain themselves, I don’t have to entertain them.  The two women at the camp where my dd12 was working last week told her her that Saturdays and Sundays were their worst days, because their kids were home and drove her crazy because they were so bored.  My dd told them, “It’s because they go to school that they’re bored – they’re used to being entertained all day.”  The mothers were both taken aback by her answer – “Really???” – they clearly had never thought about it.

It’s true, though – my kids aren’t unusually self sufficient.  Kids learn to entertain themselves by being given the free time to structure on their own.  When kids are in school all day, they learn to wait for the cues of the adult in charge to tell them what to do.  This is something that can take a while for kids to learn, but they can learn it from a very young age. 

Practically speaking, here’s what I notice them doing.  Those who are old enough read, play board games, play outside together (biking, playing ball, rollerblading), work on projects, and listen to audio books (this tends to be a winter activity), and go to the gym (swimming, game room, ball playing).  When dd14 goes to the pool, she often takes dd8 and ds3 – now that she’s at camp, they’re missing that!  They have independent projects that they take on – like ds10 with his cookie selling business, dd12 and dd14 are now planning a production as a community fundraiser, and ds16 (his birthday was yesterday :)) just got a job for Thursdays and Fridays.

The little ones hang around their older siblings and watch them and interact with them.  They have books read to them and games played with them.  The two littles (ds3 and ds22 months) play with each other a lot – they seem to make anything they do a game!  When the baby is old enough, he’ll join them and then they will be a threesome.  Though we have a huge amount of books and games, we don’t have a very large collection of toys – I haven’t found most of them worth the space they take up and have given a lot away.  Or if they get left out long enough or often enough, my decluttering gene goes into overdrive and they’re swept into the garbage.

When school friends or neighborhood kids are home, they play with them, but I limit that a lot since I don’t find so much peer to peer socialization positive in the younger years.  (I’m right now having an issue with my ds3 who wants to play with a 4 year old neighbor all the time – they would happily play together all day long, but I feel that peer play should be a side dish, not the main course.)

With the summer here I’m planning to do more outings and trips with the kids, but this past ‘school’ year I haven’t done that much.  Some years I do a lot more than others – it depends on the ages of the kids and where I’m at.  This year because I was pregnant and tired, I didn’t feel it was the best use of my limited energy to orchestrate family trips on a regular basis, and during the winter everyone seems to enjoy cozying up at home, anyway.  Then it was Purim, Pesach, the baby was born – and now it’s already the summer and time for outings!

Every day looks different, but here’s some of what they did today.  My ds7 discovered Monopoly a couple of weeks ago, and every day it seems like he’s getting someone to play with him.  After the morning with the dining room table covered with board games, they went out to play in the front yard.  Then the two littles took a nap while everyone else had a snack/lunch, and went back outside.  Dd8 and ds10 went bike riding together and picked wineberries growing wild (they learned last summer in their Junior Rangers program to identify them) and brought back a bunch.  Meanwhile ds16 played baseball with all the youngers – it’s so sweet to see him play with all of his siblings.  He’s teaching ds7 and ds3 to hit the ball.  After that ds16 played Monopoly in the back yard with ds7, while in the front yard ds10 played Candyland with ds3 and his four year old friend.  Dd8 was deeply engrossed with a book, while dd12 has been making plans on the phone all day, trying to figure out a way to get to upstate NY for camp visiting day to see dd14 this coming Sunday.  Then I took ds16, ds10, ds7, ds3, and dd12 with me to get some free gravel from someone who’s redoing their landscaping.  (I want to build a patio in the backyard with the kids to replace the platform deck we built when ds22 months was born, and am looking to do it on the cheap, like everything else! :))  They spent quite a while shovelling and hauling gravel to our van, and then they did the same thing in reverse when they unloaded it in our yard.  After that they had a late dinner in the back yard, and watched part of The Ten Commandments with dh. 

None of this is going to be of much help to you right now, though, since you’re at the stage of life where you do need to actively keep your kids occupied and supervised most of the day.  When your baby is a little older and the two of them can play with each other more, you’ll start to find things get easier.  When I was at the stage you were at, I read to them a lot, baked with them, had them help me with my chores like laundry, and daily walks to the playground or to a friend helped keep us all busy. 

Avivah

My postpartum homeschooling schedule

homeschooling,

Someone asked me to write about how I handled homeschooling with a newborn in the immediate postpartum period.  At this stage in our lives, homeschooling postpartum is pretty much the same as any other time. 

When the kids were younger, I’d designate time after birth as ‘vacation’.  That was more to reduce everyone’s expectations than for anything else.  Now I don’t take a break; my kids continued pretty much with their regular schedule right away.  The baby was born Thursday night, and our official homeschooling days are Mon – Thurs, between breakfast and lunch.  By Monday morning I was back to being downstairs where I could supervise them.  Before you start mistakenly crediting me with being supermom, I’ll explain how I structure our academic time.  (This is basically the gist of the talk I gave at the conference on teaching the multi-age family.)

>>In terms of how you teach- how do you do it? Do you have text books and the kids teach themselves if they’re old enough and come to you for help? Do you teach a lesson a day? Do you have a set aside time for schoolwork?  Do you make assignments for your kids to do? Reports? Essays? Tests?<<

I don’t see my role as a teacher of academics, but rather as a facilitator for the learning in our home, to guide each of our children according to their needs and abilities.  I believe that independent learning skills are very important, and for the last three years have consciously taught the kids how to learn independently, each at their own level.  I’ve thought about what I feel the basics I want them to have are, and have summed them up as reading and writing in English and Hebrew, and math.  Reading is obviously done independently, except for my dd8 and ds7, who both sometimes read Hebrew out loud to me from their readers.  Ds7 sometimes reads his English books to me, too.  That was more in the beginning of the year than now; as their skills get stronger, they naturally need me less and less.  For writing, until age ten they do copywork; I’ve explained what that is already.  The older three use different writing programs (ds likes Writing Strands, but the girls really dislike it), and sometimes ask to do independent writing instead. 

For math, I use Singapore for the elementary age kids, which uses what is called a concrete pictorial approach that is very user friendly.  It’s meant to be taught to a child, but I’ve found the kids are able to use it for the most part without my help.  Right now dd8 and ds10 are using this, and come to me once in a while for help when they don’t understand something.  For the older three, they are all now using Videotext Algebra.  It covers pre-algebra, algebra 1, and algebra 2, so it’s like a 2 – 3 year math program.  It’s a very solid program – I started off a couple of years ago with ds using Teaching Textbooks, but I initially liked but then felt it wasn’t vigorous enough and switched to this.  It’s a video based math program; the lesson is on screen, and they can rewind parts where they have questions and watch it again and again until it makes sense to them. They can also ask a sibling who is further along for help, all except for dd14, since she’s the furthest.  (Ds15 really would be the furthest along, but the detour in school last year caused him to lose time and I asked him to start at the beginning of algebra 1 again this year so that he could systematically learn algebra without gaps using this program instead of the other two he used.)  This is wonderful because it’s very empowering for them to know they can learn higher level math without their mother’s help; it builds their confidence in their own learning skills. 

Everyone does their work at the same time, though the older kids obviously take much longer because they have more work.  Ds7 doesn’t yet have much official work, just some writing and reading with me, so he finished fast.  While they are all working, I start the day by sitting with my ds3 and ds22 months and read something with them, or sometimes play something with them.  I find it much better to right away give them my time and attention than keep them waiting for it for hours. 

As soon as ds7 finishes, I read out loud to him (now we’re half way through Dr. Dolittle).  This is honestly a bit distracting to the older kids because they find it so interesting that they end up listening while I read, too, but they don’t mind.  (They do their ‘seat work’ in the dining room, but we have an open layout on our main floor, so the couch in the living room where we read is just a few steps from the dining room where they’re working.)  Usually I wait for dd8 to finish before I read with him, or tell her to take a break from her work and to finish up after our reading time.  I take advantage of when things are quiet with the youngers, and that’s the main factor that determines what point in the morning we do our reading together.  Then I read dd8’s read aloud with her.  When there’s a break in between, I sit either at the table with the kids, doing my planning or writing type work, or do what basic computer stuff, like quick emails or online bill paying.  I don’t like to do things like writing here at that time, researching, or anything that takes a solid amount of time and mental focus, because my time until lunch is for the kids, and if the kids were to ask me something in the middle of being very focused on my computer work, I might get annoyed or brush them off.  That wouldn’t be fair to them.  But if they need any help, they need to ask me before lunch; I’m not responsive to any requests for academic help after that time. 

I don’t use tests; that seems to me pointless since I can assess what they’re doing and what they know pretty easily by virtue of being there while they work every morning and talking with them about what they’re learning.  Their writing assignments sometimes include essays; I’ve never assigned a report.  A report would naturally be done if someone had valuable information to share with others; to have them prepare something for no purpose but me to mark it is to undermine what a report is about. 

Of course, there is a lot of learning that goes on outside of the above.  My ds15 and ds10 learn mishnayos together every morning.  Ds15 spends another three hours every afternoon learning at a local shul.  Dd12 and dd14 both have Torah topics that they independently have chosen to pursue and do that in the evenings after dinner.  Then there are the many, many things that are integrated into our daily lives, and these things are probably the most meaningful kind of learning that there is.

So now that you understand how I structure our academic time, you can also understand how I can continue our same routine right after birth. 🙂

Avivah

Is it easier to just do it yourself?

homeschooling, parenting,

Yesterday I took my dd14 shopping for last minute camp supplies.  Nothing too major since we got whatever clothes she needed before I gave birth- she needed toiletries mostly (and if I ever get around to writing about coupons and health and beauty aid alternatives, I’ll share with you the kind of things she took).  I really love spending time one on one with each of the kids; it makes doing any errand enjoyable.  This is something I’ve only been able to do for the last three years.  One really nice thing about having older kids is that your efforts in raising kids with good middos, thinking skills, and strong values are already paying off in a big way and spending time with them is like spending time with a good friend – they’re so enjoyable to talk and be with. 

I was up late last night helping her with last minute camp preparations – even though we were both tired, it was so fun and at one point we both started laughing so much that we had to stop looking at each other – every time one of us glanced at the other, we started cracking up again!  But we finally got her packed up and ready, and were at the camp bus at 6:30 this morning.  

Today’s home atmosphere was already really different – dd14 was gone, ds15 spends a few hours out in the morning at shul learning, dd12 is working at a camp for 2 year olds this week, and ds10 slept over at my in-laws.  That meant that there were only five kids at home and the oldest was 8.  Usually I do a lot of delegating and directing, which I don’t especially love but I think it’s important for children to learn how to run a house. And it’s also really important that kids learn that their homes aren’t hotels and their mothers aren’t slaves put on this earth to fulfill their every whim, so they need to participate and help out for no other reason except that they live here.

Anyway, with all the older kids out, it means fewer hands to help out and more work for me to do in their absence. That might sound like a negative, but I actually enjoy it.  I like doing what needs to be done more than telling someone else to do it.  I do it, I know it’s done, and it’s easy to stay on top of things.  In many ways it’s more work to delegate everything – I have to remember who I told to do what (and some people require several requests/reminders), when, check that it was done, and in the end it still might not be done the way I’d ideally like it done.  The payoff is in the long term and I very much feel the time and energy invested in teaching them to help out is worth the effort, but sometimes I enjoy not having to put forth so much effort in that area. 

Last year the oldest three all went away to camp for the same 4 weeks, and it was so nice.  They couldn’t believe I told them I enjoyed doing all the work all of them usually do and that I found it more relaxing than having them do it – it seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it?  People think I’m so lucky to have kids who help out, and that having helpful older kids is a natural outcome with a large family, but it didn’t happen by itself and plenty of mothers of large families can tell you that they made the mistake of not getting their kids involved in helping out because it was too much work.  I’ve put a lot of time into teaching my kids how to be helpful, and even now, a lot of effort goes into staying on top of so many children and all the details of running a house. 

It’s not that the kids don’t help at all during this time – they still help alot.  But I adapt my expectations of myself and of them.  For now, I’ll enjoy the satisfaction of accomplishing something, and when it’s time to kick back into gear, I’ll be ready to actively get them involved!

Avivah

Our First Torah Homeschooling Conference – a success!

homeschooling,

Wow, what a full day!  As I was getting all my kids up and dressed much earlier than usual this morning, I was thinking it felt like getting ready for a bris. Of course that wasn’t the reason we were all up – I needed to get my youngest 4 (except the baby) to my inlaws and get to the place the conference was being held by 8 am with everyone else so we’d be there before anyone checking in.

We started the morning with a general session by Molly B. Koch, a parent educator with over fifty years experience who’s still going strong at 81!  I bought her parenting book and am looking forward to reading it. She has a wealth of experience. 

I wish I could have been in two places at once and heard each of the workshops being given in each time slot because I know I would have gained from every one of them.  Every speaker did a great job and I’m looking forward to listening to the recordings of those I couldn’t be at.  (Making the cds will be the next project.  :))

After the first general session, we had a workshop on different approaches to homeschooling and simultaneously another on the benefits to the family of homeschooling.   After that was a session on socialization and another on teaching Hebrew reading and writing creatively.  After these workshops, Rabbi Menachem Goldberger of Tiferes Yisroel of Baltimore spoke.  Because of his communal position, he has to walk a fine line when participating in our home education conference because of his support of parents who choose to educate their own children – while not being perceived as being anti the school system.  It’s a precarious balance but I believe he succeeded.  He spoke about the importance of recognizing the needs of every child and educating him accordingly, and shared his experience of 20 years of dealing with homeschooled families in his shul.  

After that there was a lunch break for an hour, and though I reserved a lovely ‘eating together’ room for participants to spend time together during the break, since I spoke with Rabbi Goldberger right after his talk and then to a couple of attendees, I didn’t remember to announce the room was available until most of the participants had already left the conference room.  But I think everyone managed to connect during their lunch anyway. 🙂

After lunch we reconvened for three workshop sessions.  I participated in one of the first – the Veterans Panel – along with three other moms.  I think we could have easily gone for two hours instead of one if we had been able to accept all the questions people had.  Right after that I gave a talk on Teaching the Multi-Age Family.  I have to admit that I was very, very tired before the day even started, and before I gave my talk I told my dh that I was concerned about being able to be coherent in my talk because of my exhaustion.  I hope I succeeded; I haven’t listened to the recording of me yet and am not in any rush to do so!  (Do you think it’s fun to listen to yourself?  Instructive maybe, but not fun!)

My two teenage daughters attended my talk though I told them not to waste their time since they know how we homeschool and it would be boring for them.  Interestingly, though, they really enjoyed it.  One told me she never knew there were reasons for why we do what we do, that there was a thought out purpose in various ways I structure our academics; she just accepted that’s the way things are in our house.  So it’s nice that they now appreciate how we homeschool more than they did before attending. 

Then there was a final session before we closed, one on dealing with burnout and the other by my dh on teaching your kids limudei kodesh.   I got a lot of very positive feedback from those who attended the conference and I hope that everyone attending enjoyed themselves as much as I did.  A nice plus was getting to meet three of my until now faceless blog readers (waving hi to Sharon, Yael, and Julie), and realizing that one of them was a Shabbos guest of ours ten years ago when I lived in Israel!  

Someone emailed me tonight the following: “It was a lovely day! Thank you so much for all your efforts and organization which allowed this to happen. I definitely got the feeling that this was something that people NEEDED! A place to go and have questions answered in a relaxed atmosphere.”  And from someone else: “I was able to walk away with some new insights and chizuk. Thank you again for arranging today’s event. It must have taken up a lot of your time. It was a beautiful turnout. I just wish I had more time to speak to all the new faces. They seemed like such a warm, educated, well rounded and intellectually honest group of people.”

My biggest regret, if you want to call it that, is that I couldn’t speak to all the people I wanted to speak to for the time I’d like to have spoken to them for!   I enjoyed every minute with every person; it was really the people who participated as both speakers and attendees who made the day what it was.  My older three kids also really enjoyed it; as a plus, I think it’s valuable for children get involved in helping their community and am glad they had a chance to participate in organizing this with me.

With Hashem’s help I’ll soon decide on a date for next year’s conference so I can reserve the location!

Avivah

Busy with conference

homeschooling,

I wanted to pop my head in and let you know I didn’t disappear!  I’ve been busy yesterday and tonight with details for the conference, so I haven’t been able to post for these couple of days.  It’s not for lack of things to post about as much as lack of time!  Tomorrow night I’ll hopefully be back to posting, once the conference is over. 

For those of you in the area, please come – it’s going to be great!  (9 am – 5 pm at the Baltimore JCC, second floor, $20 for the day.) 

Avivah

Summer vacation has begun!

homemaking, homeschooling,

At the beginning of the week I told my kids that today would officially be the first day of summer vacation.  I never liked the concept of learning and fun being independent of one another, and I never made a clear demarcation between the two.  Our summer schedules tend to be more relaxed than during the year, but similar.

However, my ds10 has friends who are in school and who homeschool who have all made a clear end date, and I saw that he liked that.  And I understand the desire for clarity on what will be happening when, so I decided to make an official announcement, too. No end of the year parties or celebrations, but he appreciated it.  And as the kids get older, the academic schedule of each becomes more intense and I think everyone benefits from shifting gears and having time to recharge. 

Now I’m spending time thinking about outings and activities for the summer.  Today we spent hours with homeschooling friends at our monthly get together, and when I got home at around 5:45 pm I immediately took a nap.  I’ve been really wiped out this last week – probably from doing too much too soon and not taking my opportunities to nap when things are quiet – and I literally felt like I could hardly move.  One dd had a bas mitzva to attend at 6:30 and I guess she walked the mile or so to get there, because I didn’t wake up to take her (she told me before I went to sleep that she wasn’t going to ask me because she saw how tired I was and would make her own arrangements).   I don’t even remember closing my eyes – I was totally out for a couple of hours!  That was good, since as soon as I woke up it was time to go with the older two girls to our shul’s talent show for women.  It was a really nice evening, and when we got home at 11 pm, everyone else was still awake (except for the baby and toddler) – they had just finished a game of Monopoly.  And the house was a mess.  But they were all happy and I reminded myself that it’s vacation which was immediately a relaxing thought.  🙂

Before they went to sleep, I made plans with my three middle kids and wrote it on my planner to be sure it happens – I have a date with ds7 for a card game of his choice and some reading time, ds8 wants to read with me and we’ll watch A Little Princess (she mentioned it but it will be for everyone, not just her), and I told ds10 he could spend 2.5 hours with a friend (who invited him over today but he was busy with other friends). 

Then in the afternoon I’m going to try something new – I had an informal family meeting with my kids at the beginning of this week about preparing for Shabbos and making it more relaxing for everyone.  With these long Fridays it feels like there’s plenty of time to do everything, so there’s no sense of urgency and we end up doing too much at the last minute.  I felt there’s no reason for tension at the last minute, and the reason for the meeting with the kids was to get them on board so it’s not me imposing a new schedule on everyone, but something they’re invested in themselves.  We decided we’re going to do all the cooking on Thursday afternoon from 3 – 6 pm instead of Friday, except for challah and fresh salad.  Then on Friday morning we can do the cleaning, have time for a family trip, and still get home with plenty of time for everyone to shower and get dressed.  That’s the idea, anyway – I’m optimistic about it and we’ll see how the next couple of days go!

Avivah

Online textbooks instead of conventional

homeschooling,

I like when people realize their financial limitations and look for ways to cut their spending and live within their means.  And now the governor of CA is being forced to look for solutions of his own to his state’s disastrous financial situation (they’re expected to run out of money in about 2 months), and he’s looking for ways to cut back government spending.  (I often have wondered if govermental spending has any limitations, so it’s nice to see that there is a point when even government officials recognize they can’t keep on spending – too bad things have to be extremely desperate before cuts are considered.)  One of the things he’s planning is to cut out conventional textbooks.  What does he plan to use instead?  Online textbooks. 

I commend the government officials for trying to find solutions out of their dilemma.  This would be a big savings, and it was also pointed out that it will be better physically for the students since they don’t have to shlep around all those heavy books. 

As far as the value of the texts themselves, in my opinion, getting rid of most textbooks isn’t much of a loss.  I’d be hard pressed to think of less effective ways to learn than from standardized textbooks, unless it’s to listen to a teacher droning on and telling the students the exact information they could read for themselves in their textbooks.  But replacing them with online versions of the same dreary works isn’t going to improve student learning or retention.  Though I love to read, I see online reading as a necessary evil (I’m sure my kids would be surprised by this, since I do so much of it); it takes more time and I don’t think it’s healthy to spend a lot of time in front of the computer.  And while the kids wouldn’t have the physical strain on their shoulders from lugging around a heavy knapsack, they’d have eye strain to consider.

In our homeschooling, I try to avoid textbooks as much as possible.  Textbooks are designed to be politically correct above all else (and as such are a venue to promote values that I don’t share), and just as bad, their accuracy of the facts is often questionable (this isn’t a matter of opinion – do some research if you want to learn more).  

Some companies have tried to eliminate the political aspect by choosing selections that are more neutral.  When my ds was in ninth grade last year, I had the opportunity to review his English textbook – it was a kosher version of regular literature texts (Mesorah publishes them under another company name).  They use selections of classic works and stories that don’t have the less desirable elements of typical literature selections.  I thought it was a nice idea, and then I read through a good part of the textbook.  Gosh, it was dull – and I have a high comprehension level and love to read!  It didn’t suprise me when my son fell asleep repeatedly when reading the stories that were assigned.  In their efforts to take out anything objectionable, they weren’t left with much of interest.  I commented on this to the English teacher at parent conferences, and it was clear that though she didn’t want to say so outright, she agreed with me. 

In place of textbooks, I prefer what Charlotte Mason termed living books – books that are engaging, written by people who care about their subject matter – not committees.  And of course, hands on learning opportunities can’t be beat for integration and assimilation of material. 

As far as CA and the choice they’ve made, while they won’t improve students’ learning, at least they’ll be saving money! 

Avivah

Taking kids on errands with you

homeschooling, parenting,

Our lawn mower broke a week or so before I had the baby, and though I’ve very much wanted to get one, it wasn’t at the very top of the list of priorities for the first two weeks postpartum.  But finally yesterday I went to buy one from someone on CL (I decided on one with a bagger so that I can easily catch the grass clippings for my garden as fertilizer).

When I do errands, I usually ask a specific child or two if they want to go with me, and yesterday I invited one child to come along. But as so often happens, three others chimed in asking if they could come, too (the two little ones would have come, too, but they were due for a nap).  I was thinking about how grateful I am that my kids like spending time with me, even if it means a long, boring drive in a hot van.  And I enjoy spending time with them as well.

So many times people ask about how I get anything done if my kids are around all day long.  Part of this question is how you get things done around the house, and that’s a topic for a different post.  The second part is how you get things done that require you to be out and about.  There seems to be an idea that errands done with your kids along must mean stress and aggravation for the parent and children.  While it’s definitely true that whatever you need to do will probably take longer when your kids are with you, there’s no reason that the time out should be unpleasant for you or your kids.  

Taking your kids with you to various places is the ideal way to teach them how to behave when in a store, a doctor’s office, when visiting the elderly.  They don’t learn about it from sitting at home and hearing you theorize about how to act in public.  Kids don’t instinctively know how to behave in different situations – it’s our active guidance and training that make the difference.  Grocery shopping can be fun for kids!  And if you’ve taught them to act nicely – no running, no yelling and whining, no grabbing things, no asking you repeatedly to buy them every treat they see – it should be enjoyable for you, too! (And a nice side benefit is that they can learn alot about math, pricing, sales, nutritional value of different foods, and anything else you want to integrate into your outings.)

For years I took all six of my kids with me everywhere I went (my oldest turned 13 shortly after ds3 was born, the legal age to leave him with younger children, and at that point I was finally able to run out to the supermarket without taking everyone).  My husband didn’t have a schedule that allowed him to be available to be home with the kids so I could go out.  But I didn’t see going out with my kids as a burden, and I didn’t view taking them to the dentist with too differently than taking them to the zoo.  They were all opportunities for an experience of it’s own and time together as a family.  Well behaved children are a pleasure to spend time with, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback over the years when out in public. 

Practically speaking, it helps to have something enjoyable to listen to in the car on your way to and from your destination – parsha cassettes, Jewish story cassettes, and audio books have been what we’ve enjoyed during our many drives.  It helps the time fly by, and sometimes someone will want to come somewhere with me just because they want to hear more of a certain story (this was the motivation of dd12 in coming along yesterday). 

Always take along food and water, and I’ve found it’s best to take more than you think you’ll need.  Hungry or thirsty children are naturally going to be cranky, and errands often take longer than you expect, particularly when you’re not prepared!  I like to take along an extra outfit for the youngest kids, because it keeps me from being cranky when someone spills something all over themselves or someone falls in the mud. 

It’s also helpful to take along a roll of toilet paper or a towel in case of a mess, and a couple of empty plastic bags to keep the garbage contained when in the car. I had one child who always got carsick and would throw up every time we went anywhere – I quickly learned to take a plastic basin lined with a plastic bag, along with some extra bags and an extra set of clothes for him (the first time it happened I was out all day and had to stop at a thrift store to buy him new clothes).  Once I started doing this, it significantly reduced the frustration of the situation.  I also at one time had a container of candied ginger (good for reducing nausea), but when it was finished, I didn’t buy more (now that it’s the summer, I’ll get some more, since car sickness seems to be more of an issue in hot weather).  You can also take along fresh ginger – dd12 is going on a several hour long drive later today and will take a piece along in case she needs it. 

Also, keep in mind your child’s sleeping and eating schedule.  If your toddler regularly naps after lunch, don’t think you can take him out without unpleasant consequences later on.  Do your outings early in the day or after his nap, when he’s well rested – it will be a lot more pleasant for everyone.  Try to time things so that you’re home for your regular mealtimes, unless you want to have a picnic in lieu of a regular meal. 

If you know you’ll be sitting around waiting for a while (like a doctor’s office), take a book you can read to them or a game for them to play with.  I had some useful manipulatives and learning tools that came in handy at these times.  It’s a shame to waste opportunities like these. When the kids are older, have them bring something they’ll enjoy; it’s good for them to take responsibility for their own entertainment.  Word find and crossword puzzle books are useful for times like this.  Being prepared for various eventualities makes a big difference.

Avivah

Getting things done…

homemaking, homeschooling,

A couple of weeks ago my dd14 told me that she needs more shirts, and finally yesterday I took her and my dd12 out to remedy that.  While I was out, I also picked up some things for the boys ages 10 and down, and some neutral newborn clothes (suprisingly, I just realized a few days ago I have hardly anything- I lent one person all my newborn girls’ clothes 20 months ago, but she said she can’t remember which are mine and was planning to sell everything at a yard sale, and I lent someone else all my newborn boy clothes, and she returned all the bottoms but none of the tops) but my focus was on dd12 and dd14.  It was nice to be able to get them things they’re happy with – neither of them are picky, but both have their own sense of what they like so I no longer like buying things without them being there.  And since exactly a week ago ds15 and ds14 decided that they’d like to go to sleep away camp again this summer, it gives me peace of mind to know that most necessary camp shopping is taken care of for dd.  Even though dd will be going at the end of June, I won’t have to rush around between now and then with a newborn, getting things done with her.  Amazingly, though they made their decision on Friday morning, I was so glad I was able to have all the camp paperwork completed and in the mail by Monday afternoon – including completed medical forms, which necessitated visits to the doctor first thing Monday. I prefer to get things done right away than to let them hang over my head. 

Today my ds15 went to speak to a prosthetist to learn more about what is involved in it as a possible profession.  He spent about an hour with him, asking questions and being shown the lab, equipment, etc.  I think I’m going to encourage my ds15 to do more of this – to actively seek out people and find out first hand what’s involved in training for a career, salaries, advancement opportunities, etc.  The next person I want him to speak with is an accountant.  I’d like to get him started this coming school year working towards his career path as far as college credits, so he needs to get some idea of what he wants to do to focus his energy appropriately.

Then I took my ds10 to a friend to spend Shabbos, and headed on to do some shopping.  The first fresh corn of the season is now out, and we love having it raw for Shabbos lunch – it’s yummy and refreshing.  While I was there, I found whole turkeys for 1.99 a pound, so I bought a few.  If we have a boy, we’ll have enough to serve for the seuda!  And if we have a girl, we’ll have turkey for Shabbos all month long. 🙂  It’s funny to have found them today – this supermarket advertised them at this price before Pesach, but both times I went the shipment hadn’t arrived.  I think the shipment and people’s Pesach needs must not have coincided, and that’s why they have so much still at the sale price – it’s not being advertised, though.  (At Superfresh, for those of you in my area who want to take advantage of the good price. :))

I also did some preparatory shopping for after birth while I was there – buying foods that are good for simplified meals.  Basically today that meant cottage cheese, plain yogurt, brown rice (we were almost out of it), and some corn tortillas.  I forgot to mention this when I wrote about preparing for the postpartum period – you can and should stock up on easy to serve foods, even if it means spending a little more than usual on food that month (though I hope to stay within my usual parameters).  I usually buy yogurt and cottage cheese, but wouldn’t normally pay the prices I paid today.   I couldn’t find much else that I would want to buy – I looked at the premade pizza shells for about 2 seconds but the price is so outrageous that I just can’t justify it.  Especially since it only takes a few minutes to mix up some pizza dough. 

I was outside when a neighbor came home from work, and she told me she and another neighbor were sure I must have had the baby and were keeping it quiet.  They thought that because neither of them realized I was pregnant until six weeks ago, and one of them had been to our house for a Shabbos meal just a couple of weeks before that.  (And today the neighbor who lives closest to me, whose little boys play with mine a few times a week, was there when the other neighbor asked my dd if we had a baby yet, and said, shocked, “You mean she’s pregnant?!?”  She just hasn’t seen me close up enough or it would have been obvious.)   I reassured her that I wasn’t trying to keep being pregnant a secret, and that my kids will be spreading the word as fast as they can once there’s news to share, so she doesn’t have to worry about it flying under the radar.  Actually, I think I’ll buy a balloon to put on my front steps that says ‘it’s a __’ so that anyone who goes by will know.  🙂 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Shabbos!

Avivah