Just say no!

This was a slogan put out by the Health Dept of Western Australia, quite a few years ago now. It was aimed at young people and was part of their safe sex programme.

As you can imagine the slogan attracted a lot of comment. Many people felt it was unrealistic to ask young people to say no to relations outside marriage or to say no to casual sleeping around.

Why am I writing about this?

Yesterday, two homeschool friends and I were talking, while our teens were at band practice and the younger ones were war gaming.

One friend mentioned that her church recently hosted a talk for teens/young people on the issue of abstinence - or not.

She said that, later, her own children asked her about her experiences - had she abstained before marriage.

And, yes, she told them the truth - and her reasons for her choices.

So, we three mothers got to talking. Is it hard to expect our children to wait until marriage ( if, indeed, marriage is in the picture for them).

What is a Christian viewpoint?

The other friend told how some young people in her church are married young - presumably as a solution to the abstinence?

Both friends asked me about my older sons and their thoughts - they are young Christians who are not married. What choices are they making - and why?

Now, obviously, this is a matter between my older sons and God.

But over the years Gerry (dh) and I have talked about why the Church encourages us to wait for marriage - or to be celibate if that is where we are called. About avoiding occasions of possible temptation, where possible.

And all parents know that, ultimately, young adults will make their own choices. We can pray but they are their own people and have their own relationships - with God and with others.

They will make their choices - prayerfully, and sacramentally, we hope - just as we made and continue to make ours.

Can they just say no?

Here are a couple of articles .Everyone has his own gift from God, suited to his vocation - Pope John Paul 2

Pope John Paul 2 - Paul's teaching on the sanctity and respect of the human body

A Christian View of Sex

Mothering.

Reading Genevieve's blog has made me think.

I have been haunted a bit by her post.

What is it that we want our children to remember? How will they think of us as mothers - what will they think of their childhood?

What type of mother do I want to be - and what type of mother am I?

I admit to having visions, visions dancing in my head, of the mythical, perfect mother .

She is calm. She is gentle. She is smiling. She is nurturing.

Well, my children usually get the smiling mum. But the other attributes ?

In my dreams, the mother I want to be is a bit like Ma in the Little House series of books. Cooking. Baking. Loving. Always present. Fair.

The reality of my mothering traces a different path.

I love my children and I have fun. But I get overly enthusiastic - definitely not calm and placid. I like to be busy. I like pop/punk/rock/hip hop music.

Is my energetic nature not nurturing enough?

And let us not go down the cooking and baking path. Although I *am into light sabre fights and basketball.

I try. I strive. But my mothering never meets my standards.

I like some things I do and some of my mothering - but I never am quite there, never quite there at my mothering vision.

Scott Hahn offers me words of encouragement in his book "Lord Have Mercy". He writes of spiritual growth and I think his words apply to my growth as a mother.

"Let's face it: Spiritual growth, like physical conditioning, doesn't come easy. We'd all like to shed our sinful habits overnight, just as I'd be pleased to drop twenty pounds by tomorrow morning or triple my muscular strength by next week. But changes in character are, like changes in our bodies, rarely discernible from week to week or month to month. Only over the course of years or decades do we notice a difference. We need to have a regimen, and we need to stick with it over the long haul."

Current listening - I'm on a roll here.:-)

Currently watching - well, some of us are watching some of these. :-)

We are currently reading..silently...quietly...on our own...

The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerald

The Corporation

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J K Rowling

Julie and Julia

Break No Bones Kathy Reichs

Surprised by Truth Patrick Madrid

Lord Have Mercy Scott Hahn

The Return of the King J R Tolkien

On Being Catholic...

...is the title of a book I have recently read. It is by Thomas Howard and was loaned to me by a priest in our parish.

Thought I'd share a quote from the Envoi -

"No religious man, surely, will ever make the claim to have arrived; or, if he does, the rest of us demur over what looks for all the world like presumption on his part. Perhaps he is a high-level initiate in some arcane Gnostic sect. So be it. But, for the general run of religious people, Jew and Muslim as well as Christian, the semse of being en route is very much to the fore.

.......to be Catholic is to see oneself as for, not against, the world. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved" ( John 3:17).

Interesting.

As is this blog, with the title - being Catholic is SO punk rock.

Jonathon will love it.


being catholic is so punk rock

Self Portraits

Thomas and Anthony - and perhaps Alexander and I - are working on self portraits this week.

We have been using the lesson plan ideas from the San Diego Museum of Art - I like the thought of the symbolic self portrait, the collage one and the three dimensional portrait.

San Diego Museum of Art

This is one of Jonathon's stylized self-portraits. One of his uni courses has been an Art one ( Visual Art) and he had to produce a lifesize self-portrait, using ink...

Cumberland State Forest

This is where we went for our nature walk on the weekend.

We have recently experienced rain and were hoping that some of the creeks would now have water - sadly, still mostly dry, even though it is winter in drought stricken New South Wales.

We all enjoyed the family walk - one son started off complaining but got into the family hilarity - even when he fell off the path and into the mud!

He took this photo with his mobile phone - we were intrigued by the lichen on the slim tree trunk. And we talked about mosses and lichen...I need to look up more info as I think I was a bit sketchy in my details!

Bragging rights!

Son number five ( Alexander - just turned 15 last week...) has won a writing competition! He is one of five secondary school age winners from Australia.

This was run by Kumon Education Australia and the theme was "World Peace and Me".

Kumon Education aims to contribute to nation building and world peace through education of the whole child. Thus the theme.

Alexander's work will be displayed in Bangkok at the Conference in August. His work may also be used as part of Kumon's promotions.

And here is his poem....

“They create a desolation, and call it peace”
Tacitus*

A desolation they call peace,
Floating on the breeze.
Tearing through the streets,
Softly whistling through the trees.

A desolation they call peace,
Means nothing to you or me.
Peace is sharing, peace is caring,
Education for you and me.

A desolation they call peace,
Disappears without a trace.
A tear slowly forms,
Then trickles down a face.

We look for friendship,
Togetherness at least.
Instead they create
a desolation and call it peace.



* Tacitus was a prominent historian of Roman antiquity, with his style as an author characterized by an uncompromising boldness, and a sharpness of wit. The above quote, from his book Agricola, is influential when thinking about peace.

Funnily enough, the theme makes me smile because I remember the film Miss Congeniality - Sandra Bullock and the beauty pageant applicants ALL want world peace!

My current passions.

My two current passions are my two FAVE workouts.

I do these on DVD as home workouts but both are available in gyms as classes. Home workouts suit this homechooler's schedule better, right now....And her budget.

Tae Bo has has been a long time favourite.Billy Blanks really works you hard and is a great inspiration.

Billy Blanks and Taebo


Taebo fan's page

Turbo Jam is a new fun workout for me - its like dance and kickboxing together.
Turbo Jam


And Chalene's TJ blog

Am I a workout addict or what? My early morning workout is my daily time for me - before the busyness of the day begins. I never miss a day - I love it so much and have a fun time. I feel like a kid again - and if my kids are awake they like watching me workout or trying to outdo me in push ups or sit ups or punches and kicks.

Tae Bo even has a kids' workout. Way cool, baby doll! ( lol!)

Thomas' and Anthony's castle

Chemistry

This term, in our homeschool group - Group Learning - we are studying Chemistry. I think it will have a focus on cooking and kitchen chemistry.

I am thinking about follow up activities at home. We have some Chemistry textbooks and Alexander ( just turned 15! last week!) can use those as a framework. We can all do many of the experiments from these books.

I thought it might be fun to look at some famous scientists. I know Nicholas ( son number 3) wrote a book with bios of several famous scientists, and illustrations, when he was around twelve. Luke ( son number 1) wrote a Chemistry book for younger students, when he was around 15.

[We write a book each year , based on Valerie Bendt's book "Creating Books With Children.]

Anyway, I don't think we'll be making books this term. But I have found some fun Chemistry related websites - and am open to more website suggestions. :-)

A Chemistry based lesson plan, using Dr Seuss books

A Chemistry portal - many good ideas here



Mind you, this all fits in with our recent Harry Potter movie/discussion marathon - we could look at Chemistry and the HP books! Hence the pic...

Harry Potter

This week is mid year school holidays for the school system. While many of our usual homeschool activites cease for the school hols, we find that we still homeschool - we still read, do some Maths, do some writing, do activities, watch movies and talk.

We "school" ( homeschool/unschool) year round...

Over the course of this week, we have been watching the Harry Potter movies. Again.

And discussing the characters, their growth and change. The differences between the books and movies - the pathos we feel when we read about Cedric's death in book number 4 ( I cried). Was that same degree of pathos captured in the film?

The different directors each built a slightly different set and thus created a smidgen of difference in the films.

What was our favourite HP book - and why?

So our talk has flowed. Isn't this the beauty of homeschooling - the learning and talking never ends.

Why do you blog?

I was reading a blog the other week - on thoughts on blogging.

What makes a good blog?

Why do we blog? What makes a good blog, a great blog - or does that even matter? It's not a competition, is it?

We blog simply as a way of keeping in touch.

We have moved. A lot. The blog helps us connect with friends and family - and especially with our older sons, living interstate.

We also share with our internet friends - new and old.

So, by this definition, our blog isn't good or great - it is just us. Telling a little bit about our weeks and our homeschooling and our reading and movies and activities.

Why do you blog?

The Middle Ages

An update on our Middle Ages rabbit trail. Alexander is writing a book called "On Architecture" - it is about the architecture of the medieval world.

The castle ( via Thomas and Anthony , with some help from Dad) is still in its early stages.

And here is one of Thomas' shields - he has been reading a bit about heraldry ( and arms and armoury - the Middle Ages from a military viewpoint? !).

Posting and thinking

I do not seem to get time to post. Life moves at a fast pace. And I wonder why.

Why do we do so much?

I am a gregarious person, so I guess that plays a part.

And I like to be busy. On Mother's Day I took the opportunity in the afternoon to do a few jobs - and I enjoyed myself. I realized that I like work.

However, I think this term, while still being busy, will also be a more restful term. We are looking at dropping a few of our outside activites - we might be home one more morning a week ( this is unusual for us!).

This will also give us time for more spontaneity and flexibility. I find that very scheduled weeks leave little room for serendipity. For the spur of the moment dropping into the library or baking cookies or walking to the park.

I think it is this spontaneity that I am missing the most.

I read blogs of people with simpler lives and more flexibility and I yearn for the same for myself. And for my children.

But do they yearn for this themselves? Hmm.

It may be that this is the Holy Spirit calling us to take time out and listen.

I am thinking here of St Frances and his simple enjoyment of nature.

Or of St Therese and her Little Way.

Reading part of "Seasons of a Mother's heart" last night ( Sally Clarkson) reminded me to take time out for beauty and the enjoyment of beauty.

Can I do this and still keep up most ( not all) of our activities and work on my To do List?

We will see.

Some geography and history ideas.

Or - Society and Environment ,as these combined subjects are called in Australian curriculum documents.

We attend a once a week group with other homeschoolers. We call it Group Learning but it most probably is similar to many of the homeschool co-ops mentioned in the US.

We have a theme each term and mums take turns planning and teaching on the theme. There are three age groupings - preschoolers, primary school and secondary school. Although last year we broke the primary school group into older and younger readers.

This term our group has been studying India, Kenya and children living in poverty. How we can make a difference. The group has been using the free lesson plans from the Kids4Kids site - and we have made leaky tins for water dispensers, produced our own elastic band balls, made lapbooks, tried an African stew - and many other things. Fun lesson plans, especially with the addition of library books and the use of our DK Encyclopedia of World Geography.

www.kids4kids.org.au

At home, in addition to any follow ups from our Group Learning theme, we have been into a Middle Ages rabbit trail. It started with Anthony and perhaps his interest was piqued by a documentary on Foxtel. Or perhaps it was piqued by his rpgs set in medieval times.

Regardless, the Middle Ages has been our trail.

We found many books on our shelves on this topic. We read a bit from the DK Encyclopedia of World History. I am looking for some Middle Ages related movies - we love watching DVDs together - and talking non stop!

Thomas and Anthony are making a castle out of balsa wood, using plans from the site Build Model Castles.

http://www.buildmodelcastles.com/index.html

And we wrote a Middle Ages timeline.Here is page one from Anthony's notebook. The scan is not very clear but at least you can see some of the colour in the time bands!

I am reading aloud "The Writing on the Hearth" by Cynthia Hartnett, as our "Middle Ages read aloud." I read this to the older boys when Jonathon was about eight. A good book.

A Quote from Billy Blanks. :-)

Billy Blanks = Taebo.*

"Discipline is remembering what you want most, not what you want now."

I have been thinking how this applies not only to fitness but also to education, habits, routines, pegs..our daily life.

It has many applications. We begin with the end in mind ( Stephen Covey) and we remember this in our daily choices and interactions.

Outer and inner discipline.

*http://www.billyblanks.com/homepage.asp

Post Confirmation photo...

Teaching With Movies

This is the name of the new book I have written for the Australian educational publisher, *Ready Ed Publications.

Gerry ( dh ) and I have written a series of maths books for this publisher in the past. They mostly publish resource books for teachers, often with many photocopiable activity sheets.

Anyway, Teaching With Movies was fun to write last year - and my sons enjoyed doing many of the activities here at home.
*http://readyed.com.au/index.php

Confirmation

Three of our sons will be confirmed this week - and each has an older brother as a sponsor.

We finished our confirmation lapbooks back in February and they have been read and re-read numerous times this week.

What did we include in our lapbooks?

* A small book with a biography of their Saint names.
*A flip chart on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
* A poster on the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
* Diagrams and pics illustrating the theological and cardinal virtues.
* Reproductions of appropriate artwork - each chosen by the individual son.

St Athanasius, St George and St Andrew pray for these three confirmation candidates.

Books as Friends

"The sources of our comfort are legion, and cannot be counted, but if we attempted the impossible and tried to make a list most of us would place books very high indeed, perhaps second only to faith, for reading is not only a pleasure in itself, with its concomitants of stillness, quietness and forgetfulness of self, but in what we read many of our other comforts are present with us like reflections seen in a mirror. If the light of our faith flickers we can make it steady again by reading of the faith of the saints, and hearing poetry sing to us the songs of the lovers of God. In the absence of children we can read about them, and in the cold and darkness of mid-winter look in the mirror of our book and see flowers and butterflies, and spring passing into the glow and warmth of summer."

Elizabeth Goudge, from the Preface to 'A Book of Comfort'.

The Zoo

We visited the Taronga Park Zoo last weekend and were most taken with the Komodo Dragon, from Indonesia. Doesn't he look almost prehistoric?

Although the autumn day was cloudy with a few smidges of rain, the zoo was was a great family outing. There were less people there than normal - mostly tourists, judging by the English and American accents.

In our backpacks, we carried nature journals and pencils and our camera - of course. We each chose one memory to record in our journals. I may scan some of these later , to share.

And the views of Sydney, from the zoo, are superb.

Literature, Themes and Homeschooling.

Recently, I joined a group of fellow homeschooling mothers at an evening meeting. We had gathered together to discuss our plans for home education for the next term.

A number of us described our homeschooling as relaxed, natural learning, Charlotte mason inspired – with themes. A definite eclectic blend of homeschooling styles.

Our discussion of themes lead several mothers to ask - “How does one take a non textbook, interest driven, theme approach?”

Well, in our homeschool, our themes and current interests and passions often revolve and evolve on literature.

“In literature, perhaps than through any other art from, we are able to get into the other man’s shoes.” Susan Schaefer Macauley, in “For the Children’s Sake.”

I find that relationships form the basis of our home education. These relationships, relationships with ideas and with life and with knowledge and with each other, are formed as we share books together.

We use books and real life activities in our home school and couple these with a follow-up on interest areas and, thus, almost inadvertently, include curricula areas. These basic curricula areas are often studied in the light of a whole, interesting, living book. Children can see how all learning and all areas inter-relate and can grasp the wholeness of knowledge and skills. Those skills considered basic can be learned in the study of an interest or a passion – a theme related to a good book.

“Integrating classics and historical novels into your unit studies is an effective teaching method; however, reverse this technique, allowing the classics or novels to be the main emphasis of your study.” Valerie Bendt, in “How to Create Your Own Unit Study”

I can skim a booklist, or skim books on shelves at home or at the library or at a bookstore. Often, I find a book that relates to a current interest. Or one that relates to a topic or a time period or a place or a curricula area.

Last year, weread aloud from “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen and from “Tomorrow When the War Began” by John Marsden. These books easily lead into questions on science, nature, survival, personal issues.

Earlier this year, we read together from the picture book “Michelangelo” by Diane Stanley. This book gave us an historical focus.

I can simply choose a good book, a good read. A book my children and I will enjoy and thus benefit from. We can read this book and explore “rabbit trails” (curricula areas) as they flow from our reading and discussion and outings and movies.

If one takes a “post programming” approach to homeschool documentation, it is easy to check the outcomes for your children’s levels, with regard to your state’s curriculum documents. Check these after your theme reading and activities, at the natural closure of your theme. These guides are usually available from the relevant state education website. Alternatively, you can look at a scope and sequence guide online or in a book on home education and tick those areas/skills covered via your book and life explorations.

What if you want a pre-planned theme?

With book in hand, you may skim through the pages, noting down any key people, events, places, inventions, discoveries, trades – you name it. My high school age children enjoy this project and it often becomes a race to see which connections are made.

On your next library trip ( in real life or using the online catalogue), you and your children can peruse the resources for suitable biographies, non fiction books, picture books ( an excellent picture book is good for all ages), art or music or craft books., CDs, poetry, cooking books, DVDs, science experiment books….

Look for online resources with a Google search. Scan Australian educational and homeschool suppliers for book ideas.

You can do one or all of the things above.

Then, try to select one or two key books as your “basic texts”, to round out your shared literature. Perhaps you may find fiction or non-fiction in the same series or by the same author or on the theme topic.

On paper, list the eight curricula areas . Jot down any ideas for each area - you will have ideas, your children will have ideas, the books from the library or the websites you have collected will have ideas. .

Keep this brief as it is good to be open to what I call serendipity – the leading of our children and of our daily life and our reading and discussion, for follow-up activities.

Don’t exhaust yourself in trying to cover everything on a theme. There is always another term and another theme. Check the scope and sequence or outcome statements for your children’s “levels”, note the areas you are covering, and glean ideas for possible future literary themes.

It is hard not to cover the usual subject areas when reading good books together and sharing our day to day lives. As we read literature, enjoy excellent movies and picture books, visit parks and museums, cook and talk and play, we find many interesting and varied details. These provide both children and adults with an array of interesting material to explore and learn.

How does this work in our homeschool?

During the winter last year, we read “Hatchet”. We looked for books on rivers/ponds/oceans and on rocks and minerals (geology).

We found many interesting DVDs – some movies (Journey to the Centre of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The Core, Volcano!, Whale Rider). Some documentaries – The Deep, Discovery Channel Sharks, for example.

We found several good fiction and non fiction books on our themes – the Heinemann Australian Investigate series from the library, books by Isaac Asimov, Kon Tiki, The Black Pearl…..

An internet search revealed websites with complete themes for primary grades and activities and experiments for older children.

Already, a theme had developed. We could cover many usual curricula areas via our reading, writing, drawing, and doing.

We learned about Karst topography and made a sugar cube model. We made an earth bowl pie. We planned a dinner using foods from the seas and from rivers/ponds. We decorated menus for the dinner. We made paper fish models and labeled oceans in English, French and German. We visited the Sydney Aquarium and the museum.

In educational terms, the children practiced many of the Basic English and Mathematical skills and outcomes; additionally, we covered outcomes in Human Society and Environment, in Science, in Technology, in Languages, in Arts.

And we all had a great deal of fun. I, and my sons, learned a lot during this literature based theme.

What are the advantages of creating your own literature based themes?

For us, it has been not only economical to use themes rather than textbooks, but also educational. The children become interested and see learning as connected. We all learn together, as a family. The workload is minimal for me as learning and reading and doing together becomes a way of life – just as it was when the children were toddlers. Pre or post programming, with the aid of a scope and sequence or outcome statements or typical course of study, takes a relatively short space of time at the start or end of each theme (or term). Journaling our daily or weekly or monthly activities becomes a family memory time.

And, in the words of Valerie Bendt – “For several years now, my family has been using the unit study [theme] approach to learning. My children’s attitudes about schoolwork have changed. They are interested in our studies and eager to learn. We occasionally have problems but not nearly so often as when we used textbooks and workbooks…My attitude has changed because I, too, am eager to learn. I see my attitude reflected in their eyes. We must set a good example for our children to follow. They know that much of the material we are learning is new to me also. We’re learning together…They aren’t bound by graded textbooks or by learning labels. They are free to learn at a rate that is appropriate for them…” ( from “How to Create your own Unit Study”)

Some art?

Thomas and Anthony ( youngest two) with some of their art creations. They love the educational TV show Art Attack and get many ideas from the corresponding website.

Belle..

Here is our kitten - isn't she gorgeous?

Homeschool surfing lessons

.. every Thursday morning.

Nature Study at Home.

About two months ago we acquired a kitten - part Egyptian Mau, to be exact.

I am now NOT the only female in the house.

Belle is a constant source of amusement and cuddles and of endless conversation.

She has even provided good material for our nature journals. Thomas and Anthony added in some notes on cats, from their current research into cats and pets.

Books and Movies.

We recently watched ( or I should watched AGAIN) the BBC series of Pride and Prejudice.

This is such a favourite for us - and several in our family are big Jane Austen fans. I am one!

I find that, as younger children grow, they begin sitting in on more and more of the extra evening video time. There are definitely some films that are family films and some films that are best viewed only by older members of the family.

This time around, my youngest son showed understanding of some of the satirical comments in Pride and Prejudice - and he had many questions about the mores and conventions of Austen's time.

We followed our viewing of this BBC production with the newer production of Pride and Prejudice, renting it from the video store on Sunday evening.

There were some great camera shots in this film - the scene where Mr Darcy first proposes to Lizzie is exquisite - an outdoors shot, in the teeming rain.There is also an alternate ending for the U.S. audience!

However, in our family's opinion, the film failed to capture Austen's pithy quotes and witticisms. A poor shadow of the book.

Several of us, however, have been inspired to re-read some of Jane Austen. One son is re-reading Pride and Prejudice. Another is re-reading Emma. I am re-visiting Sense and Sensibility.

Oh, and the youngest ones are reading Asterix and Tin Tin ! Not quite Jane Austen but fun and clever, to boot.

Update - RAH

Well, I blew it.

I didn't remember the Right Way or the Happy Way.

I began talking to this son about attitudes in Mass .

And then he got The Look.

You know, that look that means that I am not listening and you are wrong.

I lost it.

And I am not proud of that. Here I am talking about RAH when I can't even apply it myself....

Later on in the evening, before we all went out to the cinema, we apologized to each other and agreed to start over.

Thank you God for the grace of an apology.

BTW, this is more art by Jonathon - a black and white collage - and no, he is not the son with whom I had the discussion!

RAH

Today I posted at the 4 real message boards* about RAH.

This was in response to a post on less than stellar attitudes in ourselves and in our children.

I think we need a RAH reminder here, right now.

One son hates to make the sign of peace with others at Mass. He is squirmish about touching people's hands.

I understand this. But I think the attiutde he displayed at Mass last night, when someone proffered their hand for the sign of peace, was, well, less than stellar.

He needs to think of the other and less of himself.

He needs RAH.

And so do I, as I address this issue with his son.

Oh, what is RAH, by the way?

A prompt about attitude and work -
RIGHT WAY
ALL THE WAY
HAPPY WAY.

*http://4real.thenetsmith.com/

Note - this artwork has nothing to do with RAH but is a still life recently drawn by Jonathon, son number four. I like it!

Wonder Homeschool

I recently discovered a marvellous website - called Wonder Homeschool *, it is full of wonder at the joys of learning.

There are many articles and links to explore, as the author shares her thoughts on homeschooling under the influence of Charlotte Mason, Waldorf and John Holt.

The related blog, too, has a peek into one of the controversies of homeschooling - Thoughts on Watered-Down Waldorf.
http://wonderactivist.blogspot.com/

I smiled when I read this entry. I have been on many lists with many arguments about Pure Charlotte Mason and Pure Unschooling.

These points seem moot to me.

Surely connection with the child and with the family and with God is paramount, regardless of the purity of the educational method?

*http://mysite.verizon.net/res2216j/wonder/

Home Away From Home

We have moved many, many times over the years of our marriage. In fact, we have moved more times than the the number of years that we have been married!

There are many adjustments to be made upon each move; there are also many advantages to constant moving. I know that we tend to see the world with a feeling of being open - moving and meeting new people and experiencing new communities has shown us that there are many choices and opinions and lifestyles.

I reflect on this today as it has been one year since our last move. Our older sons are still interstate so this has been a difficult move.

And I read a friend's blog - she has moved from Australia to Canada and so has many new things to experience. Many new things to which to adjust.

If you would like to check out her adventures, see the link below.

And if any of you are moving, I send you many happy moving thoughts.

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/saknightau/128980/#c241067

Toadstools and Nature Journals

We found toadstools in our autumn garden yesterday. Just as Gerry ( dh) was going to toss these into the garden rubbish, I remembered a tip from Karen Andreola, in one of the old Parent Review magazines.

Mushroom spores!

My mind went back to Gnowangerup, a little country town. Our oldest was 17 and youngest 2. We had many toadstools in our damp garden and when the Parents Review magazine popped in our mail box, with its articles on mushrooms and toadstools, I knew that nature study was set for the week.


Mushroom spores!

So, as history does repeat, again and again in homeschooling a large family, yesterday, Saturday, we re-visited toadstools and mushrooms.

I gingerly removed the stalks from the toadstools and lay them, underside down, on white computer paper. The toadstools were damp with dew.

By the close of the day, we saw patterns and swirls - artwork left by the damp toadstools and their spores.

This is one sample above. I have put our scanner to good use - imagine how these look now they are in our nature journals!

We cut and pasted our paper into our nature books - a treasure trove of family memories, not just nature journals. More discovery journals, to quote Karen Rackliffe from the book :"Wild Days."

"To notice the painting on a flower, the shape of a cloud, the song of a thrush and the cool smoothness of the bark on a birch tree, these are the memories captured in a nature journal. Nature studies are an integral part of the living atmosphere of a classroom. Without them, trees become merely pictures, flowers lose their fragrance, birds are without song and movement, and life exists only outside the window. To know nature is a source of refreshment and pleasure for every person--teachers and students alike.

Within my own classroom, nature studies have been a biweekly habit of picking up our notebooks and colored pencils and heading outside to be still, quiet and thoughtful. Afterwards, we use a field guide to identify our new discoveries. Oftentimes, these moments are the most productive of the entire day, and they serve to provide the much needed mind-food for other academic disciplines."

Teaching the Fun of Science.

This is the title of a book by Janice VanCleave. It is a great book and one a few of us are enjoying right now.

The book is described as being for grades 4-8, but I think the activities are fun for younger children and can also be extended into research for older ones.

To my shame, I purchased the book four ( yes, four) years ago - from Border's in Adelaide - but only picked it up this month for our Science foucs. I should have picked it up sooner!

I need to use more of the resources we own - you know, the ones that sit on the shelf, pining to be used but that are often ignored.

Teaching the Fun of Science has dozens of activity pages, with ready-to-use reproducible activities and projects. None of these require elaborate pre-preparation or purchasing of many materials.

There are teaching tips, vocabulary, standards for different grades, extension activities for each mini topic.

The mini topics are grouped in sections - PHYSICAL SCIENCE, LIFE SCIENCE, EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES.

A few of us are picking and choosing our way through the Life Science section.

Last week, we designed our own classification system. This week, we made models of cells, using zip lock bags ( cell membranes), lemon jelly ( Jello - cytoplasm) and peanut M and Ms (for the nuclei).

Yummy and fun - oh and learning too! Two of the kids wrote definitons and drew diagrams in their notebooks.

Another pic....

This is Luke, eldest son, and I - before we went to the Rolling Stones concert!

Easter Sunday Lunch...

I'm the one in the middle - of all the sons. :-)

Cooking

Thomas and Anthony, the two youngest in our family, love to cook.

Last year, Wednesday evenings were a highlight in their week - they watched the TV cooking show Beat The Chef on the ABC.

And what is more - their older brothers are friends with the son of one of the chefs!

Thomas tried a couple of the recipes from the sbow and also regularly visited the website for new cooking tips.

This year, both Thomas and Anthony are cooking all or part of our dinners, two nights per week.

Anthony made a Garden Lasagne for his older brothers during Holy Week, and Thomas served us all a delicious Chilli Con Carne.

On the 4 real message boards, there has been a discussion on bread baking. Apart from helping to knead bread, these two sons have not yet experimented with the other processes involved in bread baking.

I thought they might like to become bread bakers!

And a good place to start might be Damper - I baked two round loaves of damper to eat hot with our Easter Sunday barbeque lunch.

Aussie Damper

Use 1/2 cup self raising flour per person. I tend to use half wholemeal flour and half white flour.

Add milk to mix into a soft dough.

Knead gently on a floured board.

Place on a floured baking tray. Mould dough into a round cobb shape - one or two loaves, depending on your preference. Score the tops of the loaves with a knife, typically into six or eight sections.

Brush with beaten egg or milk.

Cook in a hot oven until dough is cooked, not soft in centre and nicely browned.

Traditionally, this was cooked in the coals of a camp fire and can still be done so today - I tend to cover it wth alfoil first!

You can make a simpler loaf with just flour and water or you can provide a richer loaf by adding -

1-2 tablespoons butter per person, rubbed into the flour.

grated cheese, herbs, chopped bacon, diced onion, sultanas or other dried fruit to the dry mixture.

Some damper links -
http://www.abc.net.au/northtas/stories/s512810.htm

http://www.roebourne.wa.edu.au/culture/picturedamper.htm

http://www.grainfoodscrc.com.au/documents/Try%20your%20hand%20at%20making%20damper.pdf

Holy Week

Holy Week is here already.

It appears that I have blinked and moved straight from Christmas to Holy Week and Easter.

Where did the period of Lent and of Ordinary Time go? They went in what seems a blink of an eye.

This week, tomorrow and Wednesday, our older sons arrive from Adelaide. This adds an extra dimension to our Holy week and Easter.

What have you been reading for Lent?

I am reading "First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and in the Trinity" by Scott Hahn. Only a few days left in which to both finish and savour this book, to meet my self imposed deadline of Easter Saturday. Hahn builds on the words of Pope John Paul II. : “God in His deepest mystery is not a solitude, but a family, since He has in Himself fatherhood, sonship, and the essence of the family, which is love.”

Gerry is reading The Times Book of Saints and finding many personal inspiring examples.

Jonathon is reading a chapter from the Bible - the Book of the Apocolypse or Revelations each night.

Alexander read a concise volume titled 'The Catholic Faith." It is one of the first books on the Faith that I read after and during my conversions.

Thomas read a biography of Blessed Miguel Pro,a priest from Mexico in the early 1900s.

Anthony devoured a book on the priest Charles Garnier, a preacher to the Indians in the early days of the colonization of America. Preaching while retaining many parts of their culture.

And the older three boys? Luke, Greg, Nick. What have they read? I'll ask and let you know....

What we are up to.

Two sons have been to a painting workshop for painting Warhammer figures - they get to go on a school day so are the only kids there - and they love it!

We have been watching all the Star Wars movies in succession at night, over this week - still have some more to go. Having lots of discussion on the development of special fx and of the characters.

We are listening to the CD of Book 4 of A Series of Unfortunate Events while driving in the car - having great talks on vocabulary, stylish consistency and the humour in the book. I got this set of CDs from the younger four boys for my birthday this week. :-)

Still reading aloud Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin ( almost finished - we are reading the Young Reader's version of the autobiography).

I just began reading, for myself ;-), Book 4 in Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World series. Quite interesting. I was thinking we might save up and get these on CD, to listen to in the car.

We are going to hire the new Harry Potter DVD tonight.

And we are looking at Science activities this month of April - Alexander wants to build a motor and make a battery and I suggested he type up the info and physics principles for the portfolio. Anthony and Thomas and I found a kit at K Mart yesterday - Build Your Own Model of a Space Station - so we thought that would be good for this Science focus - and with the addition of the favourite Magic Schoolbus series.

Diligence

What is diligence? And why am I pondering it?

I was reading a blog today about homeschooling and how homeschooling consists of one part scholarship and five parts love. *

I was thinking about the scholarship bit.

How does this term "scholarship" fit with unschooling? I know radical unschoolers would say that children will learn diligence and scholarship via application to their interests and so in real life.

But what about learning diligence through something you don't particularly want to do - and then, through the application of diligence, finding out that you do enjoy the activity and find it worthwhile.

How important is this diligence, this one part scholarship?

* http://mentalmultivitamin.blogspot.com/2005/08/morning-meditation-what-i-live-for.html

Simple routines

Reading a wise friend's blog made me stop. Ponder. Smile.

The value of simple routines in the homeschool.

Of avoiding over planning.

Read the post in full -

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/paminoz/97325/#c195391

Anarchy

Well, its not that we live in a home of anarchy - but then, again,maybe it depends on your definition of anarchy.

My computer dictionary defines anarchy as
1. lack of formal government
or
2. a chaotic situation.

Although we sometimes look like definition 2 above, in reality we have many little routines and pegs to our day - and , as for me, my To Do list is my informal government.

This informal government also rises from our daily and weekly meetings and our spouse and child dates. So, we may appear to have a lack of formal government but we have lots of informal direction and leadership.

And, as Christians and Catholics, we have the guidance of formal, sacred governance.

Why this talk of governance and anarchy?

Jonathon and I noticed billboard posters for a new film with Viggo Mortenson ( or Aragorn, the chick magnet, as Anthony has labelled him!).

Jonathon did a search for the film - V for Vendetta. Apparently small groups of anarchists have been handing out leaflets at showings of the film - they feel that it is a film in support of anarchy.

I commented that, sadly, today's anarchists seem to be depressed and desolate - to them, anarchy seems to mean not only a chaotic situation but also death and destrution, with no hope for the future.

This would make Kropotkin turn in his grave.

Thus followed a long discussion between Alexander, Jonathon and I on Kropotkin and anarchy. Kroptokin was a Russian anarchist who gave up his royal rights and believed in anarchy as a system of no national formal government. Instead, he believed in the strength of rural communites - each setting their own parameters and learning to live in harmony.

One of my older sons, Greg, has read some of Kropotkin, after we watched the old movie Sneakers - Donald Sutherland plays a character who knows a group of French anarchists and who "talks Kropotkin."

I have been interested in the concept of anarchy since the original release of the Sex Pistols song Anarchy in the UK. ( deep dark secret time)

Yet, I feel that that Kropotkin's idea of anarchy is unrealistic. I gave the example last night to the boys of the unhealthy government portrayed in the small community of the film The Village.

I am not an anarchist.

We are not anarchists.

Our family is not anarchial.

But the discussion has been good!

Mental Muscles

I have been to two conferences these last two weeks - last week to a Kumon Education Conference and this week to a Home Education Conference.

At the Kumon Conference, a speaker discussed the film Pay It Forward. I have hired this film for our family to see. Maybe tonight?

The premise of the film is - what would happen if you do a favour that really helps someone and tell him or her not to pay it back, but to pay it forward to three other people who, in turn, each pay it forward to three more - and on and on into a global outpouring of kindness and decency?

This is one of the goals of Kumon - to encourage students to pay it forward - both in education and in being a better person in our community.

At the Home Education Conference one of the speakers discussed high school education, specifically high school Science and the SAT and university entrance. As he discussed his rigorous programme, he used a didactic manner. "Your child must do Saxon Algebra 1/2 at the same time as General or Physical Science. Then Biology. Then serious Science - Chemistry after Saxon Algebra 1."

And so on.

The women around me fidgeted. We looked uneasily at each other. I know I was feeling inadequate and also bored - imagine how bored my students would be!

Then onto the dais strolled the next speaker. Her words were like a breath of cool air for us all.

Her topic was "Building Mental Muscles."

She also mentioned SAT scores and high school homeschooling.

However, she talked about homeschooling as a family lifestyle. As a discipline, yes, but also as an atmosphere and a life ( to paraphrase the educator Charlotte Mason).

The mothers in my row took an almost audible sigh of rest.Here was home education at its best - family centred while still academic and soul oriented.

I have experienced the type of education described by the second speaker - in fact, she describes a fair amount of our day to day life over the years.

And my children have grown and achieved. Are still growing and achieving. As are my husband and I.

What was this type of education? How did the speaker build mental muscle ?

She stressed seven areas -

HABITS
APPETITES
LANGUAGE
CREATIVITY
CURIOUSITY
REASON
WISDOM

All stressed via every day life, some formal work and lots of discussion and sharing of books.

Three Books.

This week we have had several discussions on books, throughout our days - and usually while we were working on other activites or driving in the car.

One son is reading "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. Its been awhile since I read that book, but I remember enjoying the satire. We talked about Swift's depression and bitterness and how this coloured his life. Very sad.

Another is re-reading "The Deerslayer" by James Fenimore Cooper. When he last read this, this son was eight or ten - he is now a teen. He is shocked by all the racism in the book - and so we discussed why there is value in re-reading books .

Yet another son is devouring the newest book in the Redwall series - we had a Redwall-fest several years ago .

Plants

The Australian Kangaroo Paw....



We are part of a homeschool group that meets on Wednesday afternoons. This is a structured group, although there is an hour in the middle for lunch and play and social time.

We missed the first week this term ( wew were in Melbourne) but have been to the last two sesions.

The theme this term in Plants. The Juniors ( under 12s ) and the Discovery group ( preschoolers) are taking part in the teach/talk time and the activities. The Seniors ( 12/13 and up) are organising either the science experiments or the crafts.

So, at home, I dragged out our Linnea books - Linnea in Monet's Garden, Linnea's Windowsill Garden.

We borrowed library books on plants, esp to help the three who are planning activities. All these books sit in our sitting room.

We have a bean experiment out on the clothesline - can beans grow without soil, with water and in a plastic bag? I'll keep you posted!

We have saved an avocado seed and are trying to sprout it, while it lies balanced over a jar of water.

Oh, and here is a fun craft for stems - Alexander is going to try this with Anthony and all the other Juniors at Group Learning -

<>>

I am a Mean Mum???

Really. I never thought of myself that way.

But I think I was a bit of a Mean Mum today.

We had surfing lessons . This was the second lesson for Anthony and Thomas ( Jonathon and Alexander have surfed before).

The surf was rough. They got dumped. They wanted to come in and sit down.

And I wouldn't let them.

Horror!

I didn't beat them but I did cajole them. Or maybe, in St Paul's words, I exhorted them.

I sort of ordered them. I felt bad about it but I felt pushed to do it myself.

I knew that, if they could just get over the hump, over the difficult bit, they would feel progress. They would feel proud of themselves.

I see it all the time in myself - if I push a little harder and don't give up with my Bootcamp workouts, I feel great about myself. I feel like I can accomplish anything.

And, eventually, I can do it! The squat thrust, the duck walks, the many pushups or situps...

I told the boys - "Go for it. Stay in. Don't give up. No pain no gain ( Thanks Billy Blanks!). You can do it. Little steps. I have faith in you."

And I cheered when they got up on their boards. And commiserated when they were dumped.

And bought them lunch out afterwards.

A Mean Mum? Yes, in some respects.

But you should have seen their smiles at the end. Anny text messaged his oldest brother, Luke, with his achievement.

We talked about another of *Billy Blanks' maxims - "Where I am today is where my mind put me. Where I'll be tomorrow is where my mind'll put me."

http://www.billyblanks.com/homepage.asp

Billy Blanks taebo website

Letter writing

We had a slow and peaceful morning.

I enjoy those kind of mornings, especially when I know we have several activities and errands scheduled for the afternoon.

It is Nicholas' birthday today ( third son) - we rang him and passed on happy wishes and happy thoughts. He is in Canberra, the capital, for work this week.

We sat down to write or type letters to friends.

This is always active for us - we not only want to send a letter but like to include a recipe, an activity, a puzzle, a picture, a photo - anything small and different.

It is said that letter writing has gone the way of hand kneaded bread.

Not here.
Not yet.
At least, not all the time.

Hmm, I must remember to log this in my homeschool journal.

Blogs. Kumon. What Do You Want For Your Children?

The trouble with blogging is...finding the time.

Seriously.

I aim to come here and write and keep in touch - but computer time seems to become more and more restricted.

Last week, I and four of the boys were in Melbourne. I went to a Kumon Education training course - I am thinking of getting back into being a Kumon Supervisor. I ran a centre in Adelaide.

Now, Kumon can seem the antithesis of unschooly education.

Ostensibly, Kumon can seem to be about only Maths and English, only drill.

In practice, at its best, with a visionary Supervisor, Kumon *is about the whole child - developing life skills and self confidence, especially for those children who must play the game of school.

Now, the whole child scenario fits well with me and with my unschool-ish tendencies. It fits well with Charlotte Mason's idea of "Children being born persons". It fits well with my personal goals of self development and with encouraging self development and self actualization in my children.

Re-reading "What Do You Really Want For Your Children" by Wayne Dwyer, at night in the motel in Melbourne, reminded me of these goals.

And gave me a lot to discuss with the boys, in additon to our discussions on their explorations of Melbourne.

Unschooling Catholics

This is the name of a new list, of which I am a member. It is open to everyone - really, anyone who wants to share about being a Catholic and being interested in unschooling....

Here is the URL -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnschoolingCatholics/

Routines

Last year, someone asked me what I require from the kids.

I was hard pressed to think of anything. I encourage reading. I read aloud. I encourage prayers and spiritual reading during both Lent and Advent. I encourage daily fitness. We all pitch in with chores but no-one is required to help.

Last year, we also tried to journal, in our journalling nook, each week. This fell by the wayside come Xmas and holidays.

I am, noticing, however, that our weeks this year are developing a new flavour.

Emailing a friend about routines made me realise that our current season looks somewhat different to the above.

Right now we have rhythms - well, we always sort these out and fall into a groove each move/each year.

I read aloud to the kids a couple of days a week.
I encourage them to do some exercise every day.
I encourage Anny and Thomas to practise piano a couple of days a week.

We do some written work around twice a week - Maths and Handwriting, LOTE or journal or nature journal or a project - currently a confirmation lapbook. J does his uni course stuff.

We have artwork on the dining room computer from our current artist - February will be Winslow Homer.*

And music around from our current composer - Tchaikovsky.

Bios of both on the refrigerator.

We are involved in several homeschool groups and outings. Part time work. "Extra curricular" lessons.

Each day is a living and learning and praying adventure - low key or high drama .

As today, when our discussion has centred on St John Bosco and on the cardinal virtue of justice.

No doubt these rhythms will morph into new beats as the year progresses.

*Monthly composer and artist ideas are suggested at the 4 real learning discussion forum.
http://4real.thenetsmith.com/default.asp

St John Bosco

Today is the feast day of St John Bosco.

Of all the saints, St John Bosco has been my role model, my saintlymentor, as both a parent and an educator.

I have shared these links elsewhere but thought I'd keep them here for reference.

Tired of the policing aspect of parenting? Read St John Bosco for a big, gasping breath of fresh air and for hints of another way.

Saint John Bosco

"Enjoy yourself as much as you like -- if only you keep from sin. "

"My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them. See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or willfulness.....

Let us regard those boys over whom we have some authority as our own sons. Let us place ourselves in their service. Let us be ashamed to assume an attitude of superiority. Let us not rule over them except for the purpose of serving them better.

This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized and still others to hope for God's mercy. And so he bade us to be gentle and humble of heart." from a letter by Saint John Bosco

In 1887 he wrote: "I do not remember to have used formal punishment; and with God's grace I have always obtained, and from apparently hopeless children, not alone what duty exacted, but what my wish simply expressed"

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj14.htm
http://www.memorare.com/saints/bosco.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm
http://www.salesians.org.uk/html/letter_from_don_bosco.html
http://www.heart-and-mind.com/archives/christlike.pdf

Blogs

I have been reading a few blogs recently.

Want to share a few quotes.

"Preserve order and order will preserve you"St. Maximilian Kolbe
http://mariancastle.blogspot.com/2006/01/preserve-order-and-order-will-preserve.html

"Guide their reading. Don't dictate it."
http://mentalmultivitamin.blogspot.com/2006/01/young-readers.html

"Too often we beat the love of writing out of our children with Too-Much-Too-Soon Curriculum and the voices never have a chance to develop."
http://www.dogdayafternoons.blogspot.com/

Lazy summer mornings..

I love summer.It is my "most favourite" season.

I particularly enjoy the summer mornings. The blue sky. The coolness of the morning, before the heat of the day. Exercising, getting chores done, closing the house before the heat arrives.

Having some down time before our day truly arrives, with appointments and outings.

Friday morning was just such a morning.

We had some time before we needed to leave for an errand. By some coincidence, the boys and I ended up in the same room - the sitting room.

On reflection, it was probably not coincidence but the call of the room itself. It has bright colours - one chair is bright red, a sofa is apple green. It is homey. It is cool. It is a comfortable room and has our piano, our keyboard, Alexander's new record player, one of our computers, many books on the wooden chest.

As I sat on the sofa, a natural progression seemed to be to read aloud. Jonathon listened while he finished his computer game ( sound down!).

I read a chapter from Our Life in the Church, a book we are using for Confirmation preparation. Our new Diocese has Confirmation at the same time as First Holy Communion, so three boys from our family will be confirmed this year.

We discussed the different beliefs of many of our friends, and thier different faiths, Christian or non Christian.

There was time to squeeze in a couple of pages from Mao's Last Dancer - and some chatting about life in a communist country. How would it be different to life in our country?

Then it was time to leave for our errands.

I left with a satisfying feeling of contentment with our summer morning.

Origami

"I think you fold it this way."

'No - maybe try it the other way around?"

"Dad, can you help?"

A few minutes later, dh ( Gerry) helped Anthony and I sort out our origami.

We were attempting to make a secrets parcel, to give to J for his birthday.

Last week, I found a book at the library - Step By step Origami. It was in the children's section and has large colour photographs so, ostensibly, should be easy to follow.

Perhaps Anthony and I are manually challenged - it tooks us many folds and some help to complete the shape.

But origami is fun! And what a great learning experience - spatial awareness, shapes, arts, maths, culture as we read about the history of paper and origami in Japan...

Yet another quote.

Okay, I promise not to bore you all with my favourite quotes, but I am writing my mottoes for the year.

These slogans or mottoes tend to be quotes or sayings symbolizing what it is that I wish to be/do/want from the new year.

They help me focus.

I usually write them in my daytimer/diary, as little reminders.

I often share them with others, children included. It is fascinating to hear their thoughts on my mottoes and to hear of their own possible mottoes.

So, this is another quote, that I am considering -

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do." ~Pope John XXIII

Note - Dictionary.com has this to say about mottoes -

mot·to n. pl. mot·toes or mot·tos
A brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal.
A sentence, phrase, or word of appropriate character inscribed on or attached to an object.
A maxim adopted as a guide to one's conduct.
[Italian, word, motto, probably from Vulgar Latin *mttum, word. See motom definitione of mottoes is "

Maria Montessori

"Supposing I said there was a planet without schools or teachers, study was unknown, and yet the inhabitants – doing nothing but living and walking about – came to know all things ....Well, just this, which seems to fanciful as to be nothing but the invention of a fertile imagination, is a reality. It is the child's way of learning."

Dr. Maria Montessori

January

January is definitely a time for the new.

The new , many times, means cleaning and sorting, mentally and physically and spiritually.

The physical part took the shape, yesterday, of tidying the art/stationery trolley and re-organizing our journalling nook. Between frequent rests for me.

The journalling nook was set up during last January's "sorting' time. And then the nook was moved to a new place after our move interstate and to a new home last March.

I think tidying and organizing can be part of strewing - strewing ideas and activities for ourselves and our children. Strewing doesn't have to be a physical thing - it can be mental, looking at what we have and where we are, with new eyes. A paradigm shift.

Tidying some of the clutter helps me discover the paradigm shift.

We sort and throw out, make a list of some new supplies to purchase and are encouraged to look again at some art or writing or drawing. Maybe.

Comics

Over lunch, two sons read aloud from a book of comics of Calvin and Hobbes.

We shared laughter.

We shared observations on life, life as a child, families.

Sometimes, comics mirror real life -we laugh and then we ponder.

Check out this comic. Telling.

http://www.thecowgoddess.com/archshow.asp?var=205

One More Thing

Oh, thought I'd share my One Thing for today - again, two things.

1. Read aloud from Our Life in the Church, with those boys who will be confirmed this year. I expect we will get side tracked into many other discussions.
2. Print some information about Manet ( artist) and Mozart ( composer) for the refrigerator door. In this, I have been inspired by the posters at the 4 real discussion boards* - these two have been suggested as the artist and the composer for the month of January.

We already have a print of one of Manet's paintings on the dining room computer, as wallpaper ( The Escape of Rocherfort) and have listened to some of Mozart while I ate breakfast and others read or played video games.
*http://4real.thenetsmith.com/

One Thing

I am feeling a bit under the weather, as they say. Tired, I have a sore throat, blood clots in superficial veins, on rest....

So, I am back to my One Thng.

One Thing for each day, to be and do with the children.

I first heard of the One philosophy when I was a young teenager, reading one of those ubiquitous magazines for young women.

The article was called One Bowl and was a dieting article - describing the philosophy of paring back. The ideas was to eat all one's meals out of one small bowl - thus cutting down automatically on portions. And learning to savour meals from the One Bowl.

Since then, I have read about the One philosophy applied to many areas. I have tried to keep to One Thing at many times, when everything else seems like too much.

One Thing can also be applied to housework, to habits, to homeschooling or unschooling.

Julie, from the Bravewriter Blog, describes it eloquently. *

So, what was my One Thing for unschooling yesterday?

Typically me, the One Thing was actually Two Things.

1.Read about the Epiphany Blessing and its traditions and meanings - Catholic Culture was one good source.**
2. Share my writing ideas with the dc - my thought of writing and drawing in our journals, about our holidays with the older three boys. About our dreams and wishes for 2006. Include photos and cut outs from leaflets collected on our visits in the holidays. Paste in snippets of Christmas cards. Pics of goals for the year.

Well, Anthony and I began this writing project. I think we will work on it over the next week or two. The others turned up their noses at the journalling - but jumped at the newspaper clipping I showed them. It was from The Catholic Weekly, on a writing competition for school aged students.

Write up to 1000 words, on a religious theme or topic.

Those interested immediately started brainstorming - current events, passions in the lives as young Christians, what does the CCC have to say about this topic? The closing date is in three weeks and I think the cash prize may be a motivator!
*http://www.bravewriter.com/blog2/
**http://www.catholicculture.org/index.cfm

Movies, Music, Letterwriting and Library Books

These all describe parts of our day today.

Jonathon borrowed, from the library , the soundtrack of the Bride and Prejudice movie - we enjoyed the movie and I found I liked a lot of the enrgetic dancing and Indian style of music. So, listening to the soundtrack has been a blast. ( I now want to get the Yoga Booty Ballet Bollywood workout DVD - if only they shipped here!)

Actually, our library trip yesterday was fruitful.

I suggested that we all try to peruse a different section of the library and see what we could find to borrow.

Yes, we all found our true favourites and current passions but we also discovered a few books that we may not have usually come upon -

Ancient Computing by Michael Worlds and Mary Woodes - mathematical thinking
The Best Ever Book of the Wild West
Giants of the Ocean ( whales, dolphins, sharks)
There and Back Again: A Behind the Scenes Look at LOTR by Sean Astin
My Name Escapes Me, by Alec Guinness

These now sit on our camphour wood chest in the sitting room, for reading and looking at and chatting about.

Lying nearby is our copy of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Anthony and I retrieved the book from the Christmas basket, after watching the DVD last night. We love the illustrations in the book. We enjoyed the animation of the film- although Anthony is hard pressed to understand why someone could not believe in Father Christmas!

Today has also been a hot day. I am on rest for medical reasons, the two teens have work at Kumon and the next two have newspaper delivery and folding. Anthony started making his model airplane, the one he recived for Christmas. Thomas emailed his brothers and worked a bit on his novel. Jonathon looked through the Open University handbook, for interesting and suitable courses to study this year. Alexander played and played his guitar.

And we all managed to find some time before lunch, and before my doctor appointment, to write and decorate thank you letters to frieinds and family.

Tonight there is Mass followed by Devotions to St Anthony in our parish and we plan to go - that constitutes rest , doesn't it?

On Mary and On Mothering.

A priest friend loaned me the book "Hail Holy Queen" by Scott Hahn.

I spent several hours today at the doctors, waiting for tests and test results.

This was a perfect time for me to read Scott Hahn's book about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

A good time to reflect on mothering, as we celebrated the Ephiphany yesterday, the coming of the wise men to honour the child Jesus, cared for by his mother.

A good time to reflect on mothering and on the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, as we come to the close of the Christmas season.

A good time to reflect on mothering, as we re-adjust to living life without our older three sons, to livng as a small-ish family of four sons and two parents.

Scott Hahn writes:

"Mothers are the most difficult people to study. They elude our scrutiny. By nature and by definition, they are relational. They can be considered as mothers only in their relationship with their children. That is where they focus their attention, and that is where they would focus ours."

I know that mothering *is all about relationship. I experience this daily.

And this is what I try to share day in, day out - my relationship with God, with my dh, with others, with my sons.

We listened to some Carly Simon in the car today, on our way to the medical appointments. And we got to talking about the lyrics of "You're So Vain."

As Thomas pointed out, if you knew Carly Simon and wondered if the song was about you - would you admit it?

In admitting it, wouldn't you be admitting that the song was true - you *are so vain that you probably think this song is about you!

I talked about how many people felt that this song was about the actor Warren Beatty.

Was he that vain, one son wondered.

Where was his mother, another asked. For surely mothers, of all people, are the one who would point out the fault of vanity?

As Scott Hahn said, mothers are mysterious and relational.

Synergy

I think there is a sense of synergy involved in unschooling/homeschooling.

Stephen Covey, of the Seven Habits fame, describes synergy as follows -

"Synergy...is the magic that happens when one plus one equals three - or more. And it happens because the relationship between the parts is a part itself. It has such catalytic, dynamic power that it affects how the parts interact with one another. ...

So, synergy deals with the part between the parts. In the family, this part is the quality and nature of the relationship betweebn people. ...

You might even think of this as a third person. The feeling of 'we' in a marriage becomes more than two people; it's the relationship between the two people that creates this 'third person'. And the same is true with parents and children. The other 'person' created by the relationship is the essence of the family culture with its deeply established purpose and principle-centred value system.

In synergy, then, you have not only mutual vulnerability and the creation of shared vision and values, new solutions, and better alternatives, but you also have a sense of mutual accountability to the norms and values built into those creations."

There is a synergy in unschooling that means that we are not just each individual, following our own interests. We are an entity - my current passion will be shared with a child; another child's interest will encourage strewing and this will rub off onto a sibling; the time spent tidying together is also a time for asking questions and thinking about answer.

Duties are not required but are worked out, within the family culture.

The influence of parents is huge.

But so is the influence of other siblings.

I think of the game of Kings that my boys played for years. It started when the older three were aged seven, eight and ten. It was played with another family. Rules and constitutions were written. Societies and governments forged. And active wars were fought!

As younger siblings in both famies were born and then grew, they were added into the game of Kings. The synergy of shared interests and culture. And Kings , in itself, became a separate entity.

All this reflection comes after a depressing farewell to our older sons. They had to return interstate for jobs and university, after a two week holiday with us.

The younger two sobbed . We all felt torn - a part of us is taken.

This happens in families, I know. But what is not often addressed is the effect of older children leaving home, on the lives of the younger children.

There is a hole.

On New Years Eve, we watched the children's movie "Because of Winn Dixie'. Jonathon and I had read the book earlier this year.

And the pathos in the movie spoke volumes to me and gave me the words to share with the younger four children, about the departure of their three older brothers.

"Its like Gloria says, in Because of Winn Dixie. She tells Opal that you can't hold onto those things or people that you love. You have to love them while you have them."

The same applies to family, siblings, children leaving home, the empty nest and the synergy of unschooling.

Love it while you have it. And give it all to God.

Structure

Talking with friends about unschooling and structure.

Reading a blog about unschooling, which had many links to homeschool schedules.

These are not traditional post Xmas activities but are where I am today.

Structure can be developed, though. I like to do lists and 'getting things done." I just don't force my need for minimal structure onto my kids.

Instead, we discover rhythms and dances, meeting needs and wants and blending these in a large family. Especially right now, when all seven boys are at home.

Sometimes, too, my structure and example rub off onto others in the family.

Thomas mentioned that he never got around to the extra things he wanted to do. I suggested he make to do list at the start of the week, so he can write the things on a post it pad and stick it on his bedroom door. I have no input on this list and never check it myself but T likes the (minimal) structure, simply because it is his.

That is Thomas, in orange, in the photo. Anthony is the other - the one eating ice cream!

More on structure.

Father Xmas also gave Jonathon a diary , a cool Triple J diary. The idea being to encourage the jotting down of and keeping track of his Open University assignments.

We'll see. Perhaps he'll develop his own system. Or maybe he prefers the nebulous organic approach to university asignments - I have seen this work with his older brothers. Their approach to structure is diferent to mine, but still valid and effective.

Unschooling is..

I have shared this with others but wanted to keep the quote here, for a record. So I can look back and read and remember.

I like the description of unschooling in Rue Keam's book - Parenting a Free Child: An Unschooled life.

" We choose to live in ways that keep us conected and involved in each other's day to day lives. ..We believe that learning will happen in its own time and is not more important than loving or hoping or laughing. We live without subjects, in a world where life is not separated into neat little pieces but instead swirls and flows together in ways we could never design....Our unschooling is our parenting is our life together."

And Christmas was fun. Mass was beautiful. Having all the boys together is great.

And I got the book "The Taebo Way."

http://www2.billyblanks.com/book.html

Endings

Yessterday was the last Teen Group for the year - we went to the beach.

It was a seriously beautiful day. I loved the surf, the lunch on the grassed area was fun and the kids loved swimming and catching up with friends.

Christmas and Advent are always times of endings for us - it is the start of the summer holidays and many regular activities finish.

Some people finish homeschooling, with the aim for children to start school in the new year , at the end of January or beginning of February, when schools resume.

Other people plan to start homeschooling in the new year, so we know the new year will often bring new people to our outings and groups.

So, we are finishng off our Christmas crafts with decorating teddies - well, its mostly the youngest, but he is having a whale of a time and getting suggestions from the others.

Next week, the three youngest fly interstate to spend time with their older brothers. And Alexander will have his braces removed!

At home, it will just be dh, I and Jonathon. Weird having only one child at home!

Everyone returns on the night of the 23rd for Christmas - all nine of us will be home for Christmas.

I am planning on a Father Christmas photo for Christmas Eve.

Another Christmas Activity

We are aiming to complete at least one Christmas or Advent craft each week.

Now, I know one does not sound like much but the weather here has been HOT and we have been swimming and indoor ice skating ( both of which are a great way to stay cool in summer!).

We have the end of year drama presentations and rehearsals for carols at church - J and A are playing and singing in the youth band for the carols.

We have end of year teen group and time to catch up with friends ...Mmm...A minimum of one craft a week fits nicely.

This week we made miniature gingerbread houses. The original recipe called for graham crackers - what are they??? We substituted milk coffee biscuits.

We had trouble with the icing and decorations, as it was a hot, thirty five degree Celsius day.

Finally, everything "gelled". And we were proud of our creations.

Here are the instructions, in case you are interested -

http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/xmas/food/gbhouse.html

Art Attack

My younger two sons really enjoy the Art Attack TV Shows and the complementary website.

Last Friday, we made some Christmas Baubles for the tree, following the directions from the Art Attack website.

The Baubles were easy to make and look great!

http://www.hitentertainment.com/artattack/menu_artattacks.html

Our Day in Chinatown

Back, way back, in September, I posted about a Saturday spent in Chinatown and in the city.

Finally found some pics - here I am at the entrance to Chinatown, with Jonathon (16), Alexander (14), Thomas (12) , Anthony just turned 10.

See any resemblance to our older three sons? You can double click on the pic to enlarge..

A Fancy Dress Party

Awhile ago, Jonathon and Alexander were invited to a fancy dress party.

We tried to think of pairs, of characters that fit together, since the two were going to the party together.

We came up with the Blues Brothers, Starsky and Hutch and Neo and Morpheus from the Matrix, among others.

Our final decision was based on what was easily available at the op shop - A found a cool, inexpensive leather jacket, so the Matrix it was.

Here they are as Neo ( Jonathon, 16) and Morpheus ( Alexander, 14).

The Phantom of the Opera

We recently viewed the DVD of this opera. At Thomas' request.

It was magnificent. We all enjoyed the costumes and sets, the fade outs to black and white, the time travel.

Oh, and the music. The theme song haunted me for days.

Thomas and i want the soundtrack, now.

A Day in the Life of A Cheerful Catholic Unschooler

From an email and a day of last week -

Today we all got up late-ish. I exercised ( Taebo again!) and dh went for a walk. Alexander did his tai chi and yoga. Thomas and Anny played computer games, got themselves dressed, beds made, ate breakfast. At 8.30 am I woke up Jonathon as he and Alexander had a band practice today with hs friends and I knew we'd have to leave around 9.30.

Anny has been sick these last few days so he was going to stay home with dh and Thomas. I reminded them that later today was their piano and keyboard lesson so a practise might be a good idea. When I left, they were talking on the phone to their older brother Greg.

I know while I was gone, they played Uno with dh, played music, did some handwriting ( they both want to work on cursive writing), did their exercises ( we have a family fitness focus right now) and played games on the Playstation.

Jonathon, Alexander and I drove to a friend's house. Discussed the clouds and weather. They and two homeschool friends had a jam session, trying out a new song Jonathon had written and a new song another band member had written. I sat in the family room and had coffee and chatted to the other mums, the 17 year old dd of one friend and the friend's dh.

On the way home, it started to rain so we phoned dh and asked him to bring the others and meet us at McDonalds McCafe for a treat lunch. While there we talked about lower fat choices - eg skim milk iced chocolates for Thomas and dh and a skim milk decaf cappaccino for me!

Home again and Thomas made phone calls about some toys for which he is saving . Anthony read his book for Advent reading - More About the Saints. Jonathon got to work on writing more songs and readng a James Thurber book. Alexander played guitar and read some of his Advent book - Mere Christianity. I surfed the internet and wrote email!

They all played an rpg with Anny ( his love - Tunnels and Trolls) from 2- 2.45 , when it was time for music lessons. Anny wanted to divide 223 among 4 for the game so I showed him how to set out and complete division algorithms.Dh is on holidays so while the two boys were at lessons and the other two at home, we went for a walk. Together.It started to rain again!

Dh walked home and Thomas and Anthony and I went to the shops for some groceries and to hire a new PS2 game. We talked about the ethics of war and asassins!

Home again, dh was working on his hobby models , Jonathon and Alexander were using the computers, Thomas and Anthony jumped on the trampoline and went back to the Playstation. I did laundry and started dinner.

We had dinner watching Dr Who on the ABC and compared different Doctors. I cleaned the kitchen, including giving the cupboards a scrub. Then Jonathon, Alexander and I went to Tai Chi class .

Home from Tai Chi and Thomas said he had finished his Advent reading - Mary and Frances by Eleanor Spence, about Blessed Mary Makillop. Anny finished his reading and told me about St John of God.

We prayed the rosary and talked briefly about Christmas customs - trees, red and green. Then I read the next chapter from Mao's Last Dancer - and we all just had a long discussion about communism and capitalism and religion and culture. We looked up info on Marx and Engels and Mao Zedung and Lin Biao .

Anny is off to bed, after asking me to choose on of our homemade books for him to read in bed - I chose one Greg wrote whgen he was 14 - Australian Explorers. Thomas is playing the keyboard, Jonathon is writing and Alexnder is reading and Gerry is back at models and I am typing!

Its 10.00 pm and I think we have had a full unschooling day.

....So, there was our day. What do you think?