Last Friday I took a day off. It was supposed to be about packing for our camp trip, but it was a bit more.
I spent some time cleaning the front of the house, which has desperately needed it. Ruth joined me, but only to keep me company. Eventually she lost interest, and wandered back inside. I plugged along, and picked up an old vinyl table cloth from under the window near our front steps. I tossed it aside, and saw a single yellow jacket emerge from the wrinkles. As it landed, I noticed the nest attached to the underside. I left it 'be' and kept on plugging along.
A bit later, Ruth came out again. She was chattering away about this or that, mostly her newest interest, "The Hunger Games". All of a sudden she shrieked, "Mom, Look at those bees!" Over where the tablecloth used to 'be' (hehehe, I am having a bit of fun with that), there was a small swarm of yellow jackets. They were just flying around. "Why are they doing that?" Ruth asked. My response was to say something about the missing nest, and I showed it to her. There were no adults near by, so we poked it with a stick. (No, we could not leave it "be'. hehe)
There were yellow bulges in the holes of the nest, and we picked at them. How cool to 'be' able to check out the different levels of bee morphing? So, I encouraged Ruth to bring the nest inside and poke around to see what she could find. She took several photos, which I will have to attempt to upload at another point in time. She ended her project by lining up the different stages, and adding two more. (The last two stages included stingers and wings.)
Free, Fun, This is why I have ALWAYS wanted to home school!
YESSSSSS
I have no doubt that home schooling was the best choice for RuthE.
Today, she began to use her new curriculum. We decided to stay eclectic in style. So, we use a variety of materials to entice her. I like how they are set up so that it doesn't take a Master's Degree to teach. But, I digress from the YESSS.
I came home tonight after a very long day which ended with a meeting at church. It was near 8 PM. I was tired to say the least. Ruth had her work done and on the table. It is a good start. But, I was not amazed by it. Though, I must say it was a huge and wonderful change to hear "I can learn from my mistakes" come from her mouth when I pointed out some issues with math.
I was amazed by some sculpting she did using clay purchased for her pottery wheel. AMAZED! Several reasons:
1) They looked like an adult made them. Details, with precision. Okay, maybe not perfection, but still so wonderful!
2) She did them instead of watching television. This has been a long battle in my home. I get it, but I don't always like it.
3) Ruth accepted the compliments, and the critiquing. (After I was settled in, she made several other critters that needed some tweaking.)
These critters are both gifts, and for sale. Ruth has 4H goal to raise money for her cat sanctuary of choice. I believe she can do it. Most importantly, so does she.
Today, she began to use her new curriculum. We decided to stay eclectic in style. So, we use a variety of materials to entice her. I like how they are set up so that it doesn't take a Master's Degree to teach. But, I digress from the YESSS.
I came home tonight after a very long day which ended with a meeting at church. It was near 8 PM. I was tired to say the least. Ruth had her work done and on the table. It is a good start. But, I was not amazed by it. Though, I must say it was a huge and wonderful change to hear "I can learn from my mistakes" come from her mouth when I pointed out some issues with math.
I was amazed by some sculpting she did using clay purchased for her pottery wheel. AMAZED! Several reasons:
1) They looked like an adult made them. Details, with precision. Okay, maybe not perfection, but still so wonderful!
2) She did them instead of watching television. This has been a long battle in my home. I get it, but I don't always like it.
3) Ruth accepted the compliments, and the critiquing. (After I was settled in, she made several other critters that needed some tweaking.)
These critters are both gifts, and for sale. Ruth has 4H goal to raise money for her cat sanctuary of choice. I believe she can do it. Most importantly, so does she.
First things first
No, I am not discussing evolution.
More like eating dessert before dinner.
With the way are choosing to home school, this works for us.
Ruth and I went to see the dinosaurs before they disappeared. Literally, the exhibit ended on Sunday. :o)
What an awesome place to visit. I am glad we went without a group. Ruth was excited to go, and was rocking my shoulder at 7 AM to get a move on. Nope. See lessons below. We got there later than she hoped, and the place was hopping. But, it was not crowded. No concerns for her there. The lines were short for the exhibits. She was able to go from thing to thing and learn at her leisure. We took as much or as little time as she needed. We even stayed in one spot for me to sit and relax at the roof top garden.
Lesson 1:
Mom would like to sleep in on Saturday mornings as long as she can. Not a great idea to wake her before then without a cup of tea.
Lesson 2:
Follow your instincts for best learning. If you are beginning to feel anxious, move on. If a headache is forming, find a quieter exhibit. This works for all of us, and we both have things that we need. Give breaks when asked for, and voila', we want to stay longer.
Lesson 3:
Dinosaurs of my day were dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs today are big bird lizards.
(no, they were not yellow)
T-Rex babies are thought to have feathers like baby chickens.
Imagine that.
Lesson 4:
Learning with hands on is a great way to learn!
We can work on writing skills, and we will.
To start off the school year, field trips rock!
Why do schools wait until the end of the year to do this stuff?
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