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Homeschooling Blog (Archive): August 2003
August 18, 2003
posted by Carol at
7:05 PM (Pacific)
I was talking to the kids last night about my plans to make paper at some point this week or maybe next. Biggest says to me, "We need denim."
Mom- "Denim?"
Biggest- "Yeah, denim" using that tone of voice that only a 14 year old can use with his mother. Like I'm some kind of squid from outerspace who doesn't have a clue.
Mom-"Why do we need denim for papermaking?"
at this point Middlest pipes up "Money contains denim fibers as well as........" here he names a laundry list of fibers that the Feds use to make the paper they use to print money on.
I'm dreaming of homemade paper and handbound books and they want to counterfeit money.
August 14, 2003
posted by Carol at
8:44 AM (Pacific)
I think our "project of the week" next week will be papermaking.
I've had the how-to book checked out from our library for a couple of weeks now, its probably overdue by now. I've always wanted to try my hand at making handmade paper. When we're done with making the paper I think we'll move on to book binding. I saw this fabulous book of handmade paper bound together with ribbon. It was beautiful. The binding was sewn together with ribbons and they left the ends long and hanging from the edge. I think I can do that. I can at least try.
If I was a good homeschooling mother, this papermaking experiment would then let to other studies: the history of paper, who discovered paper, the evolution of paper and book binding, etc, etc, etc. We could chase those rabbit trails forever. HA! We won't. I'm not that good.
~carol m.
August 8, 2003
posted by Carol at
1:10 PM (Pacific)
When we first started to homeschool I had this image in my mind of what it would be like. Perfect children, hair combed, faces smiling, seated at the (clean) kitchen table with their books, pens and pencils. I would be in my (clean) kitchen, neatly dressed, hair combed, stirring something scrumptious on the stove. My little pupils would be diligently at work on their algebra, philosophy and French, even though all three of them were under the age of 10.
Homeschooled children are all brilliant, aren't they? They can read at age 3, conquer algebra by age 8 and graduate high school (with honors) by age 11, right?
I've read all the articles, stories, books, websites etc. that tell of all the wonderful, amazing accomplishments of homeschoolers and their parents. I've been to the support group meetings, co-op classes, and have talked to other homeschool moms, have seen and hear what other families are doing. I am impressed, who wouldn't be? My thoughts would turn to my little brood and I would wonder to myself what was wrong with us, with me, that our family wasn't quite so idyllic?
My family is more like the Ozbornes, my sister once told me that we remind her of Malcome in the Middle. I'm surprised she didn't say The Simpsons.
My children, while they are smart, are not some child-geniuses. It will probably take them all 4 years to finish high school. My middle son did learn to read at age 3, my oldest son finally decided this year, at 14 , he can, will and enjoys reading. The only thing my youngest son is interested in reading is car magazines. My house is almost always a wreck, I have piles of laundry in the hallway and there are days when my hair doesn't get combed until after 2pm.
It took me awhile, but I'm okay with all that. Life is rarely as neat and tidy as all those magazine articles and news clips would have us believe.
~carol m.~
August 7, 2003
posted by Carol at
6:41 PM (Pacific)
Recommended Reading-
John Taylor Gatto-
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
John Holt-
How Children Fail
How Children Learn
Teach Your Own
Grace Llewellyn-
The Teenage Liberation Handbook
Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School
A word of warning: My kids got their hands on the Teenage Liberation book and that was the end to our public schooling days. I have to confess, though, I bought it and read it first. I left it lying around and the older ones eventually read it. The author runs a "Not back to school camp" in the fall. I wish I could send my crew off to it, but I think its held in Oregan and Virginia(?). Neither place is close enough to be able to attend and I'm NOT ready to send them off alone yet.
Guerrilla Learning is a good choice to read if you send your children off somewhere to school.
~carol m.~
August 2, 2003
posted by Carol at
7:38 PM (Pacific)
I read this today in a HS-ing magazine,
"All you need to have to successfully homeschool is love and a library card."
I really love that quote.
Its so true.
~carol m.~
August 1, 2003
posted by Carol at
5:01 PM (Pacific)
Well, lets see how this thing works here.
I choose to homeschool my children. I am a big proponent of making our own choices in life. We've done about an equal number of years in the public school system and homeschooling. We've never done private schooling for 2 reasons:
1. Cost
2. Lack of good non-religious based private school choices.
Where we live there are ZERO secular private schools. If there were, that would be an option. So, for now, we homeschool. If my children ever decide they wish to continue their education elsewhere, we'd discuss it, explore our options and make our choices.
A little background-
We homeschooled from about 95/96 till '98. We did public school '98 til 2002, Fall 2002 we started homeschooling again.
Its a whole lot different this time around. Everything is different. We have different reasons for even wanting to homeschool this time. My children are a lot bigger, older, more mature, I'M older and hopefully wiser and more mature. Even the public perception of HS-ing is different than it was just a few years ago. The curriculum, products and services, programs, etc. available now for HS-ing are seemingly limitless (depending on your pocketbook).
Thats enough of my spouting off for today, I think.
~carol m.~
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