Homeschool Successes

For anyone reading this who homeschools, you know that sometimes you need every little success you can get. Between struggling with spring fever (It's definately easier to "do school" when it's too cold to go outside!) and the temper tantrums of 8 year olds, it's been a rough few weeks. So, I gotta celebrate those little victories when I get them.

First of all, Earth Day '08. We picked up trash near our house, along one of our usual walking/riding paths. We only covered about a half a mile, but managed to fill 5 bags! How sad is that? Anyway, I felt it was a success because the girls really got into it and we all felt good about helping the environment. And as a side note, the next time we went to Target, we bought 6 of their canvas totes for shopping with. Yeah...going green! :)

Our next success was our "tree bud field trip". We rode our bikes to a neighborhood park with paper, colored pencils and the camera. The goal was for them to draw pictures of different buds (I'd take pictures) and then we'll go back when they have leaves, do the same thing, and then see how they've changed and try to identify the trees. It was a success in my book because a) we were outside as a family on a beautiful spring day, b) it was fun, c) the ability to teach this way is, to me, what homeschooling is all about!

Next is a little one. Alana, who has always love to read and write stories, has been "on strike" you might say. Last week we were at my mom and dad's for a few days. On our first fishing trip of the year, Alana got bored (imagine that!). But, when I told her to read her book...she actually did it! And then, even read more in the truck on the drive home! Yeah!

And finally, Erin and math. She's good. She's a natural. Thank God. Anyway, yesterday, Alana was doing her math, and Erin says to me, "Mommy, I know what 6-7 is." Usually, kids don't understand numbers and think that whichever order you put them in (6-7 or 7-6) the answer is the same....1. But Erin says, "-1". Very good, I tell her. So she says, "Here, I'll show you." She runs to get paper and whips up a number line, with positive numbers and negative numbers, all in order. She then explains that 6-7=-2 and 4-7=-3. Wow! I asked her where she learned this, thinking that her Daddy had gone off on a tangent. With her most serious face and tone, she answers, "Cyber Chase". (a cartoon that teaches math, on PBS) Ok, so it may not be my fabulous teaching that deserves the kudos...but at least I now know that I'm not ruining my kids by letting them watch some PBS!