The Eyes of My Heart

Real Life

I was getting on a roll there, posting more frequently, studying my Reggio book, minding my own business, when some Real Life began to happen to me in a big way.  First, my brother became ill with what appeared to be double pneumonia possibly caused by swine flu.  We all thought I'd have some r&r in the hospital, and get out in a few days with his trusty antibiotics or anti-virals and be on his merry way.  This was more than three weeks ago.  Basically he entered the hospital and hasn't left since, ending up on a ventilator and being transported to Columbia Presbyterian in NYC.  So stressful!  The doctors didn't (and still don't) know why this is happening to him.  All flu tests have been negative, in spite of the fact that they have repeated them more than once.  He finally appears to be stable and beginning to get better, but it has been a day by day kind of thing.

We live 4 1/2 hours upstate from them, but wanted to help, so we took his 8 year old son here to stay with us until things settle down.  This allows my sister in law to be available to my brother all of the time.  Generally it has been fun for the kids, although it has been a bit of an adjustment for me, having four kids here instead of three! 

The other big thing that happened is that our parish school is going through a crisis.  This is the school I used to teach at , the school my kids attended prior to homeschooling.  I left the school for various reasons, one of which was that I perceived a negative non-Catholic attitude prevailing.  I also couldn't leave my son in there, as he was the only boy in his class, and it was NOT working.  In any case, there has been a changing of the guards, so to speak, and, in an attempt to save the school from closure, our parish priest has asked for the support of the parish.  For me, that means enrolling Mary in the school next year.  It also means helping out with the possible expansion of the pre-k program (given my degree and experience, this is a service I can offer for free to the parish).  This has been a decision I haven't made lightly.  I love homeschooling my children, and do believe that, for the long haul, it is the best option.  However, we live in an area where homeschoolers are rare, we have no support groups, no co-ops, no forms of socialization outside of organized activities, of which we don't do many.  We have no children living nearby.  It can get isolating, and my daughter is a bit of a social butterfly.  This has been weighing on my mind all year long.  I know she has been lonely.  The friendships she has are with girls who go to the parish school.  They are nice girls, and I do so want her to experience the joys of friendship.  The third grade teacher is a good one, and the school encourages lots of parent involvement.  The school may have to close after this year anyway, but I do feel like I should do my part, both for my own daughter and for my parish.  The school only goes up to fifth grade, and, should she make it that far, Mary will be back home with me at that point.

It feels like such a huge thing, and it does make me sad, in a way.  If I lived anywhere else, where we had support and homeschooling groups, I wouldn't be doing this.  Matthew has his few friends and is happy that way, but I have to put aside my own desire and give Mary what she needs, too.

So, next year I will be at home with my two boys.  There is another homeschooling family with four boys who will be joining us for science.  Our two 7th grade boys will do chemistry together, it should be fun!  I'm hoping to have some time to dedicate to creating a really fun learning environment for Sam, too.

Adding to the mix, DH has been under tremendous job stress, and there may be changes ahead in that quarter, as well.

And to think that I somehow thought that this would be the summer of getting my act together!  This is the third stressful June I've had in a row.  I can only imagine what will happen next year!

I'll be back later with my regularly scheduled Reggio post about "environment."

Reflecting on Reggio

Sarah has been reading this book recently, which prompted me to dig out my copy of it a couple of days ago.  In the beginning of my graduate studies, when I was still teaching preschool, I did some in-depth study of the "Reggio" philosophy of early childhood education. ( For a much better explanation than I could ever provide, visit Camp Creek, there is a wealth of info there! )  In any case, I really embraced many of these ideas as a teacher, and have wanted to incorporate some of them into our homeschool.  This can be challenging, because even in Italy the Reggio schools are early childhood schools.  So the method could never really be used in its pure form with a 12 year old.  Although I use the word "method" here, it's important to note that Reggio is not really a method as much as a philosophy, grown out of specific beliefs about what children are like, and what childhood should be like:

" In Reggio the child is viewed as strong, powerful, rich in potential, driven by the power of wanting to grow, and nurtured by adults who take this drive towards growth seriously.  The curiosity of children makes them question and research the reasons for all that surrounds them....This understanding of children, education, and childhood influences everything that happens in the Reggio schools." (p. 16)

So the actual practice of Reggio grows organically out of their philosophy.  In other words, if a teacher doesn't truly share these beliefs, she can change the environment to have a Reggio appearance, but the outcome - the program itself, the children's behavior, the learning that happens - will not be similar to what you would find at a true Reggio school.

I don't necessarily buy into everything that Reggio entails, but I do think that children are curious, and do have a drive to grow.  I think a child's curiosity should be respected and taken seriously.  In the US, we often think of the teacher as "facilitator."  In Reggio, the teacher strives to stimulate learning, rather than facilitate it (the word facilitate denotes making something easier, while stimulating learning means making it more complex and engaging).  This is important to me as I observe and work with my own kids.

Thinking of children and learning in this way can be a challenge for parents and teachers.  Most of us did not grow up in an environment that held this type of philosophy, most of us went to "regular" schools where we were told what to do and did it.  Wurm says "In some ways we  must abandon what we think we know about educating young children to permit ourselves and the children freedom to explore."

It can feel strange and uncomfortable to let the children loose, so to speak, but it is very freeing, as well!

Having said all of that, I am certainly not a Reggio purist.  We combine these ideas with classical, Charlotte Mason, and unschooling, to make a mix that is uniquely ours!

Sarah reflected on her program to consider what was working and what was not.  I thought this would be a good time for me to do this, as well.

What's Working

• Kids are relaxed and don't "hate schoolwork"
• By combining various methods we seem to have a well rounded "curriculum" of sorts.  Learning is happening in all subject areas.  The children seem adequately challenged and are not bored.
• We've done a number of child initiated projects this year.
• The children have lots of time to pursue their interests.
• We have limits on screen time.  Kids watch no tv except for movies on occasion (their choice - I do not enforce this, but did move the tv upstairs, so noone wants to use it anymore!)
• Kids are doing tons of reading
• We use the minimum of textbooks we can get away with (math, for example)
• Kids feel involved in the planning of their own learning
• Our routine has improved this year - we are finding the balance between structured and unstructured learning
• Quiet time during the baby's nap - it saves my sanity!

We Need to Work on:

• Finding math programs we are happier with
• Documenting all of the wonderful spontaneous learning that happens
• Finding real ways to involve the toddler without spoiling the activity for the older ones
• More activities based on the liturgical year - I need a book to help me here.
• Tea time on a regular basis -the kids love it, I fail to arrange it often enough
• Meal times - they could be calmer and more pleasant
• Nutrition - some kids are better with this than others
• Putting more "handwork" type stuff into our week
• I'm sure there's more!

Thanks, Sarah, for prompting me to sit down and do this!

Finishing Things

In my world, I have a lot of unfinished business.   A house that never really gets clean, and is in varying stages of renovation, for one.  A never ending master's degree.  Lesson Planning, which, for me, has no real beginning or end, but is a constant process.  And, of course, raising children, with all of the ups and downs, "stages", accomplishments, and disappointments that come along with it.  If I let myself, I can easily become overwhelmed by it all.  Nothing ever feels really "done," I just get up in the morning and try to make at least one baby step of progress during my day.  If I do, I go to bed feeling somewhat successful.

And then there are times when I just need to feel the thrill of actually finishing something.  That's when I turn to knitting.  Each time I finish a knitting project, I have such a sense of accomplishment.  I guess you could say it kind of provides me with a (false) sense of control over my life.

I've been knitting socks for family members.  It's very therapeutic, let me tell you.
The pink ones at the top are the pair I just finished for Mary.  She is easily the most grateful knitted item recipient I have ever met.  She loves her handknit items and absolutely relishes wearing them!  It's very gratifying.  I'll knit anything for her, and she knows it!

We finished something else today, as well.  We "finished" our school year.  Matthew, in particular, has a real need to have an actual "last day of school," and today was it!  We began cleaning out our learning space, and making room for next year's books.  I also ordered a box of books from Amazon for summer reading.  These two are such avid readers, they are chomping at the bit to see what will be in the box (I haven't revealed the book lists to them).  They will not be disappointed, I'm sure.

While we won't continue any formal studies over the summer, we do have some interests brewing which we will pursue:

• Matthew has an interest in Japanese language and culture.  We'll be working on Rosetta Stone Japanese in the Fall, but he has begun to study all things Japanese in the meantime.
• Mary continues to have a strong interest in astronomy, and we have plans for our telescope this summer!
• Matthew has several writing projects brewing, it is so much fun to watch the quality of his writing improve!
• Mary continues to pursue a strong interest in first aid and all things medical.  I will be thinking of ways to support this.
• We have plans for constructing a new hutch for Sparky, as well as "playground type toys" for him.
• We all plan to work on learning to play chess or playing it better, as the case may be.
• Lots of gardening
• Lots of fishing
• Lots of bike riding
• At least one camping trip
• Plenty of hiking, reading, making ice cream, and doing NOTHING!!

The Creative Habit

A month or so ago, I ordered this book by Twyla Tharp from Amazon.  I think I saw it on someone's sidebar, maybe here?  The book has been hiding in my tbr pile since then, and this morning I decided it was time to check it out.  I'm feeling overwhelmed by all of the things I need to do (housework, fixing up the 100 year old house, cooking, child care, homeschooling, thesis) and all of the things I want to do (knitting, sewing, reading, playing the flute and piano, writing, learning to take better pictures...).  There is just too much going on in my head, and sometimes I end up just doing nothing because I can't figure out what to do next!  Having a very active 2 year old puts limits on what I can do, but even when he is sleeping, I find myself frozen, unable to decide how best to use my time.  Let's face it, I could easily give all of my time to the house and still never get done with it.  So the trick is finding the balance - how much is enough time to give to the house while still leaving time for other things?  When I'm riding on the creative edge, so to speak, everyone benefits.  I'm energized and can give more to everyone and everything else.  But the trouble is getting there without taking time away from the family or my other responsibilities.  This is where Twyla comes in.  Her book is for anyone, not just "real artists."  I'm only in the first chapter and already I feel like she understands what I'm going through.  She talks about making creativity a "habit" and being disciplined about it.  For example, she describes how writers often routinely get up early to do their writing "...when the world is quiet, the phones aren't ringing, and their minds are rested, alert, and not yet polluted by other's words."  I think polluted is kind of a strong word, it kind of puts a negative spin on things, but I do know what she's getting at here.  Sometimes I'll get an idea in the night, wake up with it, only to have it vanish early in the day as I interact with everyone and go about my business.

So this week's goal will be to get up before the kids ( I can't tell you how many times I've tried this), and use some of my mornings for thesis work and some for other creative pursuits.  I know that when I can manage to do this, it makes life seem so much more balanced for me, so I'm hoping I can make it work.  My second goal is to do my creative work away from the general messiness of the house, because I find it impossible to ignore the mess, and before I know it I'm walking around cleaning up clutter instead of doing what I meant to do.  The clutter will always be there, no matter how many hours per day I work at it.  I don't want my kids to come away from their childhood remembering me running around cleaning all day.  I want them to see that I like to create and learn, just as they do.

Wish me luck with that one.

I leave you with my most recent baking adventure:  gluten free chocolate chip muffins (from the same book as Friday's cookies).  Absolutely delicious!  Maybe, dare I say it, even better than muffins made with white flour!!???

 

The Same, but Different

Sometimes I need to move things around, change them up a little to find some fresh motivation.  I find that this works with the kids, as well.  Yesterday we needed to move some furniture around in the living room, in order to do a little creative prevention for our budding rock climber.  That kid can scale any climb-able surface faster than you can yell "No!!"  In the process, I also weeded out many of the toys in the room, to cut down on the visual clutter.  I also moved our easel, which has been largely ignored lately, near the front window.  Not long after moving it, I came back into the room to see this:

We'll keep it there, for now, to provide some inspiration for the summer.  At least until Sam figures out that it can be used as a ladder!

In the same vein, I decided to do the big "desk clearoff" that I have been avoiding since before vacation. To me, there is nothing quite as inspiring as a clean desk.  I really need to get the thesis momentum going for summer.

Note that The Book of Yarn is sitting on my desk.  Everyone needs a distraction now and then!

For now, we are off to meet some friends at the park on this beautiful day.  Since these kids have gluten issues like I do, I decided to make some cookies that everyone can eat:

Does that look like deprivation to you?  I think not!  The recipe is from Gluten Free Baking Classics (see my sidebar) and it is amazing!!  I sure do not miss wheat flour when I eat these.

Home Again

Well, actually we've been home for a week, but it has taken me that long to get back to this space.  We had a whirlwind of traveling: our first family plane ride, fun visiting family in Charlotte, and a beautiful week at the beach:

The beach house we stayed at was gorgeous!
While at the beach, we had a good time at the NC Aquarium.  They have an awesome touch tank for kids!

Here the naturalist was showing the kids the underside of a horseshoe crab.  There were also lots of sting rays in that tank - very cool!

Then we also did lots of swimming in the pool, and exploring at the beach, of course:

All in all it was a very satisfying trip, yet I am, as always, so glad to be back home!

Now we are working hard to finish up our school work.  Math is nearly done for the year, and we will complete history on Friday.  That leaves just a few odds and ends, and then major clean up for next week.  This has been my second full year of homeschooling, and I feel much more confident about the whole thing now.  I've been working to find the balance between "school work" and "unschoolish" type stuff that is right for us, and I think I've come pretty close.

Now we're ready for a bit of a break from the schoolish stuff.  This summer we'll be trying out something new - gardening!
We've taken on a plot at the brand new community garden here:

I have to say, we don't really know what we're doing, but we're having fun with it so far!

In other news, the master's thesis is still moving along, although slowly.  My new projection date is finishing it up by December.  We'll see.  I'm at a "thinking" phase right now, where a lot is going on in my head but hasn't yet made it to the page.

Also in the works is the planning for next year, which I'm pretty excited about, and my never ending efforts to cut gluten out of my diet for good, which is an ongoing struggle!
Hopefully I won't wait a full month to get back on here again!

We Made It!

We made it through the year of religious ed. classes, in spite of sickness and travel, and yesterday morning, Mary received her first Holy Communion.  It was a beautiful ceremony, and she loved every bit of the day!

Please do notice the knitted cape she is wearing! : )

We are all truly exhausted from all the running around and preparing we had been doing this week.  We'll have a brief rest this week and then pack up for our beach vacation on Saturday.

The other big news has been that spring has finally sprung here in the Adirondacks:

What could beat sitting out in the warm sun right on the ground??  It is a novelty to be able to do this without snowpants on !  Sam has been walking all over the yard exclaiming "grass!  grass!" (Kind of sad, I know).

For us, spring also means starting to prepare for next winter!  It has taken me almost 10 years of living here to appreciate that fact and not resent it!

I am continuing to work on next year's plans in my head.  I have a notebook I use to jot down every idea.  Then, as time goes on, I will narrow them down and sculpt them into a workable plan.  It is a sporadic process for me, but then I am kind of a sporadic person in general!  : )

What I've been doing instead of blogging

What have I been doing instead of blogging these days?

Well, we had Easter:

We played around:

Made some things:

We also did our standardized testing (California Achievement Test).

We did A LOT of reading, including The Canterbury Tales (Matthew) and tons of great chapter books (Mary).

We kept working, even through spring break, anticipating our beach trip  in May.

I did lots of knitting, which I need to take pictures of.

We visited family in the lower part of the state for a couple of days, and I didn't get any pictures of that either! 

So, I've been somewhat slack with the camera.  But I have done work on my thesis, so that's something.

Next:
Grandma is coming on Thursday, to help celebrate Mary's first Communion on Sunday:

That's a shot of her veil - she is thrilled with her dress!

Then, next week we fly down to Charlotte for a visit, and then spend a week at the beach!
So we will have some time off, although I will bring a few things to do while we are away.
Then, back home in June to finish out the year.
Plans for next year's schooling are in the works right now.

I hope to get some pictures of the knitting up next!

Spring Fever

Well, it has been nearly 60 degrees for three days in a row, the snow is just about gone (for now, anyway), AND quarterly reports are due on Friday.  All of this adds up to a very light week of school.  The outdoors is just calling a little too loudly right now:

Hiking,

Mary has been making "dens" for her stuffed bunnies:

And even made each rabbit a special blanket:

Meanwhile, Matthew has been busy constructing "sky wires" for his bionicles, which run straight across the living room (luckily they go up and down easily):

How can we get the school work done with all of this great stuff going on?  I'm not too worried about it.
In the meantime, I've been taking stock of what we've accomplished so far, and adding a few little things to perk up the rest of the year:

I ordered a few things from Catholic Heritage Curricula.  Mary has blown through her map skills book, which she loves, and her spelling book, which she enjoys, is way too easy for her, so I bumped her up a couple of levels.  We needed new grammar and handwriting, as well, and a book of writing prompts.
Now we're all set for the fourth quarter and beyond.  I'm beginning my planning for next year, as well.

Lest you think we forgot about St. Patrick's Day, we did spend the morning listening to Irish music, and making this terrific gluten free irish soda bread:

It was delicious!

Late Winter

Here is the view out our window this afternoon, in spite of the fifty degree weather yesterday.  Was I really naive enough to believe that the snow was gone for good?  I suppose not - not after almost 10 years of living here, but one can always hope!

We are just trying to get through the worst season - the mud season, around here.  It's really mud-and-ice season.  You're either slipping all over on the ice or sinking into the mud!  With some snowy days and below zero temperatures thrown in for good measure.  April will be better, but spring doesn't really arrive here until May.  For now, we are just hoping for more sunny days.  The lack of sunlight can be very tiring, so when we do get a sunny day, we are sure to get outside for a bit.

For school, we've been continuing right on time with math, doing lots of reading, and lots of history.  The Middle Ages is such a fascinating time period!  We are loving it.  We are still working on reading Robin Hood, and last week started constructing a castle from a kit.  It has lots of shiny tiles, which really makes it look cool.

We still have to put it all together.
We've been doing so much reading, it's hard to get it all on here, but one fun book we're reading together right now is The Saturdays, by Elizabeth Enright.  What a fun book!  It was written in 1941, so I can't believe I  never read it as a child, but that's one of my very favorite parts of homeschooling - getting to read all of the great children's literature, some of it for the first time.  There are four books in the series, and they have a sort of Penderwick feeling to them, although of course in an old fashioned way.  We've had lots of interesting conversations about what life was like at this time, and we're really enjoying it.

We've also been starting some rock identification, using a kit I had ordered from a montessori site.  The kids are loving it, I'll get some pictures of that tomorrow.