So the "school year" is wrapping up, so it's time for another little update, but I'm finding it very hard to want to focus on listing academic achievements just now. I've been doing some pretty heavy reading the last couple of days, and it's really changing my focus. Or more accurately, sharpening it.
See, I'd like to lead off with the reassuring statement about how Tex has become a darn proficient reader now, in his own time, and is even starting to think of himself that way. We were going through our rarely-read children's books to find some to give away for victims of the recent tornadoes, and something happened that has never happened before: Tex wanted to keep books so that HE could read them. He's never talked about wanting to read independently before. Ever. He has clung to the idea of me reading to him for years, in fact I think he was planning to have me in the dorm room next to his if he goes to college, so that I could read text books to him at bedtime. :-) "Insecure about reading" doesn't even begin to describe him. "Hostile" maybe comes closer. So it's with no small amount of joy that I realized two days ago we had had a banner day: Tex told me all the jokes off his Popsicle sticks after HE read them himself. He didn't ask for help before trying, he gave it a shot and it made sense for him, he comprehended the words and was able to express them accurately to me later.
But that doesn't really change the basic fact that Tex is not naturally proficient at language-related tasks, and I really want to start actively playing to his strengths as a spatial learner. I love that he's brought himself this far and that he's starting to feel confident about something that's been a big challenge for him the last couple of years, but I'm also worried that I'm not doing enough to support that learning and help him feel powerful and intelligent. I feel like if he could take it to the next level, having some concrete tools to employ when trying to decode language, then he would feel even more self-reliant and independent, and wouldn't look to me to be his savior in these situations. But he's so resistant to any kind of pressure that I've been hands-off in order to let him know that I don't expect his brain to operate on my timeline. And that's kind of what the whole point of homeschooling was with him, was to get him to a point where he felt well-equipped to handle what would be expected of him in public school, and not feel abandoned or neglected. And that's not to say he would be forced to go to school once he reached that point, just that it wasn't an option until then. And now I'm seeing that with a little more focused work on my part, there's a light at the distant end of the tunnel. That's pretty cool. But more on that "urge to push" in a minute.
Speaking of reading, it turns out Noodle is just one of those kids who "get it". I was like that; I don't know what age I started reading, I just remember that words on a page made sense to me. It appears Noodle is much the same, as his reading has gone from basic C-V-C words last summer to full on reading of whole paragraphs at present. Of course he struggles with the odd word, but most of them just flow right in his eyes and out his mouth without a break. I realize now what a gift that is in this world, to have words just open themselves up to you. I think it will allow Noodle a lot more choice for a while, and I hope I don't forget that he still needs my interest in what he's learning even if he doesn't need my help.
Okay, now that the reading is covered, what else have we been doing? Well, the big thing that was coming up after my last entry was Disney World! I can't believe what a burst of imagination has come on the tails of that trip. The kids still watch the Disney behind-the-scenes videos on Netflix at least once a week, they talk about their favorite rides and what they're going to do next time when they're bigger (we're hoping to take another trip in 3 years or so), and the other day Tex and I even had a conversation comparing the strengths and weaknesses of Disney and Universal as we saw them. He argued that while WDW definitely has the best rides for kids his age, Universal had the more impressive architecture, citing Hogsmeade/Hogwarts in particular. I maintain that Universal should only get credit for having hired the staff from the movies to design the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and that overall Disney does a much better job of selling their themes. Then he pulled out the Dr. Suess area at Universal and I rebutted with Epcot's World Showcase. In the end we agreed to disagree.
Anyway, it's been a fun surprise to me to see what caught each child's fancy at WDW. While we were at the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor on our last night at Disney, and Tex got asked by a monster comedian what he wanted to be when he grew up, he answered without hesitation "a costume designer". Now, dressing up is something that Tex has always loved to do, and we maintain well-stocked dress-up boxes for all the kids, but it's like our trip to the theme parks really brought it to life for him. He focuses on the little details of the costumes he sees in movies and tv shows, and on figuring out how we can recreate them at home. This is one of those times I wish I was good at sewing.
But now, let's go back to the sharpening of focus I told you about. I suppose it's natural as one begins to live out the Unschooling lifestyle, but I've been thinking more and more lately about what is really important to us. I was in the bookstore yesterday and I picked up The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I had heard about the book and it's author, and even read a couple of excerpts on the internet, heaping scorn on the head of the woman who would do such things to her child for the sake of being thought to be a good mother because her children were successful. For shame! But in reading the jacket of the *actual* book instead of just relying on the internet (funny how that works), I saw that this wasn't just a clueless, disconnected mother feeding her own ego. Amy Chua parented her daughters the way she did, forcing them to practice lessons and achieve greatness at the cost of their own relationship, because she thought that being successful was more important, would be better for her children, than having a strong relationship with her built on unconditional affection. Part of me feels overwhelmingly sad that she thought so little of herself, that being a whole person to her children seemed worthless, but that's not really the point. She wanted the best for her babies. And by her definition they have been successful, so I guess that's a comfort to... someone.
But here's the thing. I'm going the other way. I've made just as conscious a choice and I'm choosing the relationship. This is not to say I'm going to give my children everything they want in the hopes they'll like me, it just means that I'm choosing explanation and honest discussion over manipulation and extortion. I've recently discovered that the phrase "you're not your child's friend" really rubs me the wrong way. No, I'm not going to ignore the fact that I have more life experience and (hopefully, sometimes) wisdom than they do, but I'm not going to pretend that my voice is the only one worth listening to. I wouldn't do that to a friend. Not one I wanted to keep, anyway. So I'm not going to choose paths for my children and push them so hard down them that in my ignorance about my children's desires I push them away from me. I won't sugarcoat the realities of life, but I also won't pretend they don't have a choice about which lessons to learn on their own. I choose being a safe haven over being a driving force.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Catching up and looking forward
It's been months, I know. Sometimes I don't post because I'm busy, sometimes because there's just not much new to report. Lately it's been the former, for sure! Seems like ever since the holidays started we've just been going-going-going around here and I don't have 30 minutes together to sit down and post. But it's getting ridiculous even by my loosey-goosey standards, so here we go! As usual, forgive the bouncing around, I guess when I go this long without posting I forget what all I want to report. :-)
Tex is just amazing. No, the kid isn't the most socially able, and I admit I have a hard time with that, but his brain is freakin' awesome!! He has an innate understanding of mathematics and physics that I could never even dream of having. He can recite (and more importantly, understand) Newton's Laws of Motion, he's still doing multiplication and division in his head for fun, and he's started exploring geometry and angles now as well. A lot of this new geometry information comes from doing woodworking with his grandfathers and uncle, and the physics knowledge gets a workout as both Tex and Noodle recently designed their Pinewood Derby cars for Cub Scouts.
Also for Cub Scouts, we recently went on a Fire Station Field Trip with a homeschool group, and let me tell you how much my boys impressed me. The tour leader, Tory, was asking kids about what to do if there's a fire. Tex is an old hand at fire safety, so he piped right up with the "stop, drop, and roll" technique if one's clothes are one fire. But then Tory asked, "what do you do if there's a fire in your house?" And oh, my Noodle. I wish you could hear his squeaky little voice explain: "well, you could... well, this wouldn't really be possible, but if you could get a big jar and put it over the house, then the fire wouldn't have oxygen and it would go out!" Tory's response: "Get this kid an application." ;-) They then had a great time exploring the whole fire house and three different fire trucks.
In other news, both boys are now reading very capably. It obviously comes very naturally to Noodle, while Tex has to work a little harder, but they're both doing really well. I'd say that Noodle is a little above grade level and climbing fast, while Tex is right at his grade level. The great news is that Tex still loves a good story, and we're about halfway through the newest Rick Riordan book, The Lost Hero, which picks up where the Percy Jackson books left off, but now with a Roman bent instead of Greek. This has really captured Tex's imagination and just today he asked me to pick out some books on ancient Rome and Greece at the library. He also wants to add some ancient Greek and Roman dates to our timeline, like the building of the Colosseum and the eruption of Vesuvius, so we need to get some thumbnail pictures printed out to go with those dates.
Tex's love of dinosaurs and World War I and II aircraft has recently been rekindled as well. We recorded a couple of shows off the Military Channel, one on Pacific theater WWII aircraft and one on the European theater, and he's been watching the show Dogfights with his grandfather again. It's been a couple of years since I've seen him staging dogfights with his toy planes, so that's been a treat. And he's really looking more into the paleontological side of dinosaur study, and says that he'd like to be a paleontologist when he grows up. There's no doubt in my mind that he'd be great at it with his attention to detail and ritual, seems like those traits would be useful in a profession that requires meticulous cataloging of findings.
Noodle's big obsessions lately have been animals and Club Penguin. A new series of shows have become popular in our house: Dogs 101, Cats 101, and Pets 101. They detail the characteristics and needs of a variety of species and breeds of animals, and since the thing Noodle wants most in the world is a pet of his very own upon which to lavish large amounts of love and time, this is good preparation for him. We've made multiple trips to PetSmart for him to look around and design the correct habitat for a variety of animals including hamsters, fish, lizards, hermit crabs, dogs, and cats. He also plays "puppies" with his friends a lot, and they'll make themselves a doghouse and get bowls of food and water and have a grand old time. Of course the "teacher" in me makes note of the fact that this meets the national standards of learning about animal habitats. ;-)
And who have I forgotten? Oh, yes, the Monkeygirl. The silly, smart, loud, joyful, kind Monkeygirl. She is such a blessing on our house!! Of course at 3 years old she's learning through play all day long, so it's hard to make up a laundry list of all she knows. But she's got numbers, letters, colors all down pat, and lately she's been pointing to words and asking me, "Mommy, what dis say?" She's also an excellent singer, and we are treated to choruses of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" all. day. long. Sometimes we just get "eieio, eieio, eieio" for a minute straight, but sometimes she regales us with the sounds of llamas, roosters, and even babies on the farm. Monkeygirl's sense of humor is amazing, and her compassion and concern for others is truly beautiful. I love to see her and her brothers interact because the love shining off them when they're together makes my heart feel full to bursting! Oh, and the Sunday School coordinator at our church tells me repeatedly that she is the most articulate 3 yr old she knows, which is always nice to hear.
So, we have a big adventure coming up in a month and a half. We are going to Walt Disney World!!!! I cannot wait to get my kids in those parks and watch them have a blast. Tex is charged up about Epcot with all its futuristic rides, Noodle is charged up about the Kim Possible Secret Agent mission in Epcot's World Showcase, and Monkeygirl is just barely aware that we're going to be going on a special trip one day. I'm excited to see all the live animals at Animal Kingdom and go on the safari with the kids, and yeah, okay, I'm also excited to be a Kim Possible secret agent. I know that whether it's planned or not this trip is going to provide some huge learning opportunities for my kids. It already started tonight when I explained Tom Sawyer island in Magic Kingdom, and the fence-painting scene that inspires the WDW cast members to hide paint brushes all over the island for visitors to find and exchange for prizes. So there ya go, a little bit of classic literature with your vacation planning. ;-)
Tex is just amazing. No, the kid isn't the most socially able, and I admit I have a hard time with that, but his brain is freakin' awesome!! He has an innate understanding of mathematics and physics that I could never even dream of having. He can recite (and more importantly, understand) Newton's Laws of Motion, he's still doing multiplication and division in his head for fun, and he's started exploring geometry and angles now as well. A lot of this new geometry information comes from doing woodworking with his grandfathers and uncle, and the physics knowledge gets a workout as both Tex and Noodle recently designed their Pinewood Derby cars for Cub Scouts.
Also for Cub Scouts, we recently went on a Fire Station Field Trip with a homeschool group, and let me tell you how much my boys impressed me. The tour leader, Tory, was asking kids about what to do if there's a fire. Tex is an old hand at fire safety, so he piped right up with the "stop, drop, and roll" technique if one's clothes are one fire. But then Tory asked, "what do you do if there's a fire in your house?" And oh, my Noodle. I wish you could hear his squeaky little voice explain: "well, you could... well, this wouldn't really be possible, but if you could get a big jar and put it over the house, then the fire wouldn't have oxygen and it would go out!" Tory's response: "Get this kid an application." ;-) They then had a great time exploring the whole fire house and three different fire trucks.
In other news, both boys are now reading very capably. It obviously comes very naturally to Noodle, while Tex has to work a little harder, but they're both doing really well. I'd say that Noodle is a little above grade level and climbing fast, while Tex is right at his grade level. The great news is that Tex still loves a good story, and we're about halfway through the newest Rick Riordan book, The Lost Hero, which picks up where the Percy Jackson books left off, but now with a Roman bent instead of Greek. This has really captured Tex's imagination and just today he asked me to pick out some books on ancient Rome and Greece at the library. He also wants to add some ancient Greek and Roman dates to our timeline, like the building of the Colosseum and the eruption of Vesuvius, so we need to get some thumbnail pictures printed out to go with those dates.
Tex's love of dinosaurs and World War I and II aircraft has recently been rekindled as well. We recorded a couple of shows off the Military Channel, one on Pacific theater WWII aircraft and one on the European theater, and he's been watching the show Dogfights with his grandfather again. It's been a couple of years since I've seen him staging dogfights with his toy planes, so that's been a treat. And he's really looking more into the paleontological side of dinosaur study, and says that he'd like to be a paleontologist when he grows up. There's no doubt in my mind that he'd be great at it with his attention to detail and ritual, seems like those traits would be useful in a profession that requires meticulous cataloging of findings.
Noodle's big obsessions lately have been animals and Club Penguin. A new series of shows have become popular in our house: Dogs 101, Cats 101, and Pets 101. They detail the characteristics and needs of a variety of species and breeds of animals, and since the thing Noodle wants most in the world is a pet of his very own upon which to lavish large amounts of love and time, this is good preparation for him. We've made multiple trips to PetSmart for him to look around and design the correct habitat for a variety of animals including hamsters, fish, lizards, hermit crabs, dogs, and cats. He also plays "puppies" with his friends a lot, and they'll make themselves a doghouse and get bowls of food and water and have a grand old time. Of course the "teacher" in me makes note of the fact that this meets the national standards of learning about animal habitats. ;-)
And who have I forgotten? Oh, yes, the Monkeygirl. The silly, smart, loud, joyful, kind Monkeygirl. She is such a blessing on our house!! Of course at 3 years old she's learning through play all day long, so it's hard to make up a laundry list of all she knows. But she's got numbers, letters, colors all down pat, and lately she's been pointing to words and asking me, "Mommy, what dis say?" She's also an excellent singer, and we are treated to choruses of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" all. day. long. Sometimes we just get "eieio, eieio, eieio" for a minute straight, but sometimes she regales us with the sounds of llamas, roosters, and even babies on the farm. Monkeygirl's sense of humor is amazing, and her compassion and concern for others is truly beautiful. I love to see her and her brothers interact because the love shining off them when they're together makes my heart feel full to bursting! Oh, and the Sunday School coordinator at our church tells me repeatedly that she is the most articulate 3 yr old she knows, which is always nice to hear.
So, we have a big adventure coming up in a month and a half. We are going to Walt Disney World!!!! I cannot wait to get my kids in those parks and watch them have a blast. Tex is charged up about Epcot with all its futuristic rides, Noodle is charged up about the Kim Possible Secret Agent mission in Epcot's World Showcase, and Monkeygirl is just barely aware that we're going to be going on a special trip one day. I'm excited to see all the live animals at Animal Kingdom and go on the safari with the kids, and yeah, okay, I'm also excited to be a Kim Possible secret agent. I know that whether it's planned or not this trip is going to provide some huge learning opportunities for my kids. It already started tonight when I explained Tom Sawyer island in Magic Kingdom, and the fence-painting scene that inspires the WDW cast members to hide paint brushes all over the island for visitors to find and exchange for prizes. So there ya go, a little bit of classic literature with your vacation planning. ;-)
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