"school stuff"

March 8, 2005

So, this is what our kids have been up to today - their living classroom so to speak.

This morning we went to open gym which is a group of home schooling families who get together at the local Parks & Rec gym (like a large school gymnasium) weekly for fun and recreation. Nothing is reallly organized. Kids initiate games or just run around, adults sometimes help and play along. Laurent and Celine love going. Laurent especially loves running around. Today we brought some birthday balls - gifts he got for his birthday - a foam covered bat and foamy balls and a little soccer ball. Two older boys (around 9 - 11 years old) were trying to teach Laurent how to hold the bat and swing when they threw. It was so cute to watch as he soon tired of the lesson and wanted instead to just run around chasing his soccer ball. The older boys played with his bat and ball instead.

This is one thing I love about homeschooling - the age integrated activities. This afternoon while the kids waited for lunch Celine took up her crochet hook again. We both learned how to crochet the basic chain a couple weeks ago and have been trying to find someone to teach us how to crochet a basic square. Finally found a knowledgeable neighbor, who is also a homeschooling mom, whose daughter is around the same age as the kids. They are coming over Wed. to teach us how to expand our crochet skills. So, Celine kept herself amused both before and after lunch sitting on the couch busy crocheting. How much better is that then watching TV? It's so much fun to see her sitting there patiently crocheting.

Celine had another reading lesson with Daddy today, learned the oo sound. That was the formal learning of the day. After her rest Celine wanted to compare the lengths of her crochet chains so we measured them. She had to use her number skills Daddy taught her 2 weeks ago while we counted change. We were trying to find a penny with her date of birth 1999 and so Daddy explained how to count numbers up to 100. This came in handy today as she measured her two chains at 64 inches and 51 inches long. A very good demonstration that 64 is bigger, longer etc. than 51. Again, not part of a curriculum or lesson plan just part of life.

Then Laurent found the safety goggles in the science kit I keep in the bureau with all the craft supplies. He wanted to wear them and for some reason this inspired him to be a scientist who studies bugs, perhaps I mentioned that he looked like a scientist. Anyway, Laurent and Celine then role-played being entomologists and geologists. Celine wanted to be a scientist that studies crystals - we have a homemade crystal in the science box. So, I got out my old university text books - lab manuals explaining how to dissect bugs, worms, star fish etc, and my invertebrate zoology text book. They spread all their bugs out on the carpet, inspecting them with their magnifying glasses, not to mention Laurent with his safety goggles. They actually found one of their plastic spiders in the textbook and were quite excited to make this discover. I was equally pleased that their cheap plastic bugs are somewhat anatomically correct and species specific.

When they were done being scientists Laurent wanted to try the goggles out as scuba gear - apparently they didn't work too well. And then it was craft time in the dining room while I finished the menu and grocery list. Laurent and Brienne played with homemade play doh that we made together a couple weeks ago. Then Brienne hid under the table and ate the play doh - must be the salt. Laurent created crochet hooks and bugs. When not eating the play doh Brienne made a bumble bee (good thing she told me as it looked like a roll of play doh to me). The kids put together a paper puzzle stored with the crafts. Celine did a maze and stenciled a bouquet of flowers with some of my scrapbooking materials. So, that was school today, otherwise known as life.

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