Jamaica, mon!

We had the much welcomed opportunity to get away for a week at the end of November to Jamaica for a well deserved break.  We stayed at the fantastic Franklyn D. Resort in Runaway Bay, where the highlight is the Vacation Nanny they thoughtfully provide for you throughout your stay.

Kerise, our nanny, was with us every day from 9 am, until about 8pm every evening, and it was because of her that I came home feeling as if I'd actually had vacation ...something I haven't experienced in quite some time!  The resort has a fantastic kids' program, with activities ranging from daily fishing sessions off the pier in the mornings, to bug and frog hunts, shell collecting, shirt tye-dying sessions and beach olympics. 
 

The resort was the ideally sized and fully enclosed, which meant that Lucas was pretty much able to explore as he pleased, sometimes with friends his own age that he'd met there, but often on his own, spending hours patiently hunting for crabs amongst the rocky shoreline.

 

 

We read quite a bit about Jamaica before we went, everything from its history and current social and economic situation, to its indigenous flora and fauna, which is, of course, what Lucas had the most interest in.  We learned that the world's largest centipede, Scolopendra gigantea, also known as the Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede, can be found there (although we thankfully never encountered it, because they grow to be 30cm long!!)

We also were able to research many of the species of crabs and fish that Lucas was able to catch.  His favourites were the juvenile Sally Lightfoot crabs that enticingly sunned themselves on the rocks, within easy reach, only to scuttle away at lightning speed when approached.  With a little ingenuity, and using numerous leftover sausage chunks pilfered from the breakfast buffet as bait, he managed to catch a small one in a bucket and kept it as his prize for a few hours. 

We also found hermit crabs, ghost crabs, tree frogs, a turtle, and a huge carpenter bee, all of which we dutifully looked up and read about. (Thank goodness the resort had decent wifi so we could access Google!)

Although we often hung out near to one another, thanks to Kerise, Kiran could come and go as he pleased, and he was always under her watchful care, which meant that I could really relax, and actually read three (count 'em THREE) books that week.  And that was even with plenty of time spent dreamily gazing at the clear azure waters of the Caribbean.

In short, we all came back feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, and eager to get back into our school routine.  We loved it so much that I'm planning a trip back very, very soon!!

 

 

 

Interrupted!

It's amazing how life has thrown it all at us over the last couple of months!  Friends visiting from out of town, birthday parties, sickness, and finally a hurricane, complete with almost a week without power, closely followed by a howling, snow-dumping Nor'easter, have been formidable speed bumps and roadblocks in our educational flow to say the least!

Even Halloween had to be postponed for almost a week, which was weird, but ultimately a chance for the boys to wear their costumes several extra times, since most parties and parades were also postponed to various days...here they are finally getting to go trick or treating.  Kiran as a convincing God of Thunder, and Lucas as a Cyborg Alien, natch!

Fortunately, the past week or so has finally seen things settle, and our groove has been slowly rediscovered, with, I dare say it, more rhythm and more intentions made reality, perhaps because I had so much time to read, scheme, and think during those semi dark hours.

There were times, of course, that a certain kind of panic was felt by me, (although I'm sure not  by Lucas), that "school" just wasn't getting "done", but there were also many times when I just took a deep breath and tried to realize that there really was no other option than to be Zen about the literal and figurative storms swirling around us, and I was able to enjoy many precious moments with my two boys that would never have presented themselves had those storms not developed.  Roasting marshmallows and hot dogs in our fireplace, endless games of connect four, books read by candlelight and twenty questions under the cozy covers at bedtime proved that electricity is certainly not necessary for connection and fun.  If anything, it was a little sad to have the TV back on at the end of that week, and I'm hoping to rely on it less in the cold months to come with those alternative activities in mind.  It also didn't hurt that all the local schools were also off, so it wasn't like anyone else was doing much "schooling" either!

So, with our groove finally being rediscovered, we decided to take advantage of a fantastic nearby resource, the Liberty Science Center, this week.  Lucas and I watched an amazing IMAX movie about the migratory flight of the monarch butterflies, discovered how different animals protect themselves with camouflage and poisonous defenses, and even made our very own stop-motion animation film in an exhibit about the science of animation, sponsored by the Cartoon Network.

I also signed up for a year's membership for Lucas and me, so that we can go back at least once a month and really take advantage of all of the great programs the center has to offer; everything from live science presentations to an ever changing schedule of IMAX and 3D movies.  The LSC even offers workshops for homeschooled kids at various times throughout the year.  Lucas is, if nothing else, a hands on learner, so I'm hoping that this will be a museum that we will be taking advantage of for many years to come!

 www.lsc.org

The World as Classroom

One of the greatest things from a homeschooler's perspective is that the learning need not take place at home necessarily.  The world literally becomes your classroom!  Lucas thrives in an environment where his natural curiosity can prevail, and there is no better place I've found to bring this out than the great outdoors.  We're very lucky to have a ton of fantastic county parks, nature conservancies and centers, trails, ponds, and woodlands near us.

The majority of these nature centers and county parks have education centers, which offer programs to both regular schools and homeschool groups about subjects ranging from botanical identification, seasonal discovery, conservancy and the environment, and even native history and arts as they pertain to the wildlife and geography of the area.

We've been able to participate in a class at the Tenafly Nature Center which focused on trees, how they are changing with the season, what their life cycle is, what creatures make their homes there, and which kinds could be found in that park.  It was almost completely outdoors, with the group traipsing through the thickly wooded trails, the sounds of birds and insects on all sides, and the heady smell of ancient loamy forest all around.  This kind of learning, where every sense is stimulated, is a world away from learning science in a school classroom, from a book with, at best, nice pictures of trees.

Most public school classes experience one field trip per year, two if they are lucky.  We are aiming to get out and learn by doing and touching as much as possible, sometimes every day, at least while the weather permits.

We've started a "Nature Journal" where Lucas records the various species we may have come across that day, and for those he has brought home, such as a Wooly Bear caterpillar, we record what we find out about it, such as its diet, and what it will turn into after metamorphosis.

Our most exciting find so far is a huge (I mean HUGE) orb weaver spider which we found in our garden, which we've named Brutus.  He (or she) is almost 2 inches when fully spread out, and has a voracious appetite for the bees and flies we've caught for him.  He's absolutely fascinating to watch catch and eat his prey, and we've had some great research sessions into his habits and characteristics.

Orb weaver spider, similar to Brutus

We plan to attend another Autumn Discovery class at the Essex County Environmental Center in a couple of weeks' time, and have plans to hit as many of the other nature reserves in our area as possible before it gets too cold to be enjoyable.  Even then, there are a couple of great classes Lucas can participate in about winter survival and hibernation, although they may be a little chilly for me..(I'll be reading a good book at a nearby coffee shop I expect!)

Fortunately, I love the outdoors almost as much as Lucas.  There's something truly amazing about observing the natural world, the discovery of its secrets is delightful and fulfilling to both of us, I think.

Striking a Balance

Striking a Balance

One of the greatest challenges we are facing as new homeschoolers is figuring out an educational philosophy that fits with Lucas' learning style and satisfies my need to feel like he is learning what will be necessary in the future to be well educated and successful.  I have read a lot about the idea of unschooling, and I am really enamored of the concept. The unschooling philosophy is based on education pioneer John Holt's 1964 book "How Children Fail." Put simply, Holt wrote that living is learning. He believed children should follow their innate curiosity and passions rather than being forced to learn hordes of information they will never use.

I've read countless stories of families who have used this philosophy and have kids who grow up as capable adults, and ending up in jobs which reflect their personal passions.  What better way to define success than to be able to make a living doing something you love and have a passion for? 

This model of self education of course relies on a child's innate curiosity, and the idea that nurturing this curiosity and providing them with the support and structure they need to pursue their interests fully will allow for a well rounded and well educated child.

At the same time, I feel like in this time of transition from regular school, Lucas needs a certain amount of guidance and school-like structure.  He, for example, would never voluntarily ask to learn math, but I feel that there are some major concepts such as multiplication and division which are introduced in 3rd grade that I want him to learn and feel proficient in by the end of the school year.

So, we are trying to find a balance between the two.  I'm trying to help him explore things he's naturally curious about, and take what learning opportunities we can within those subjects.  For example, with his current bug obsession, we read about bugs, to practice reading skills, draw them, learn about their life cycle, which is science, and I have had him write stories about what it might be like to wake up and find he had been turned into a spider.   We also use Google to look up whatever questions he might have pop up, like how long does a scorpion live, or where is the Ivory Coast, where Emperor Scorpions come from.

We also do a more structured curriculum for math and language arts, which although not his favourite thing, allows me to feel that he is learning the important concepts that he should be at this age.  I also am making an effort to incorporate math vocabulary and concepts into everyday life, such as talking about percentages we may hear on TV, and what they mean, or look like represented on a pie chart, and also fractions, as in when we follow a recipe to make something.  Making him aware of these concepts allows him to start to see the patterns of math and how they apply in the real world.

In this way, I see learning happen organically, and I see him gain confidence in his ability to learn about the world around him.  This learning sticks, unlike most of what is being taught in school, which, unless the child has a genuine interest in what is being taught, is quickly forgotten.  I'd much rather have 2-3 hours of "school time" (which includes math and language arts) and have meaningful learning take place, than have him waste 7 hours at school and come home unable to tell me anything he'd learned that day.  This also leaves plenty of time for the physical pursuits that he really loves, such as soccer, hip hop dance, and tennis, all of which he's able to do as a part of various homeschool sports programs.

Hopefully this style of school, with some structure, but plenty of time focusing on what interests him as well, will continue to work well for us as we go along. I

The Adventure Begins...

So, it all begins with an idea...and mine was a crazy one.  I had the thought that perhaps I could bring my son, Lucas, home from school and become the teacher in his world.

I knew it wouldn't be easy, as nothing with Lucas ever is.  I knew it would not be boring, or like any of the scenarios in any other homeschooler's houses.  And I was right, it is none of the above!

Lucas has hated school since Kindergarten, and I've always felt a sense of helplessness when seeing him struggle with teachers he felt didn't understand him, endless days of needing to sit still when he wanted to be running around, and ridiculous amounts of "busy work" that all teachers throw at kids.  Ostensibly, the idea is that if you throw enough of this work at the kids, some of it will stick, hopefully the stuff that they will be tested on by the state, since these test scores determine everything from school funding to area house prices.

Over the last three years, I've seen the light go out of his eyes as far as school and learning are concerned, and the endless homework meant that he had very little time or interest in learning anything for its own sake.  The times I did see a spark were when he was on summer vacation, and he would spend his days and weeks learning about whichever insect he happened to catch that day.

After months of regular tears and begging me to homeschool him, I decided that I would give it a go.  I would see it as a grand experiment, and take it one day at a time, rather than think of where we might be 10 years from now educationally and emotionally.  And so, we said good-bye to the public school system this past June, and here I am, questioning my decision daily, trying not to be too hard on him, or myself in these early days. I know everything is trial and error right now, and it will probably always be this way to some extent, but I still feel positive and justified in my decision to try and help him rediscover the joy of learning....

I won't lie and say that the first two weeks have been a breeze.  Frustrations on both sides, and unrealistic expectations on my part have made me take a step back several times, to think about what I really want to achieve, what I want him to achieve, and how we will get there with the most fun and least tears.

We have had some great high points, though; a visit to Insectropolis, a bug museum in Toms River, NJ, where we got to touch several creepy crawlies, and even purchased a lovely framed assortment of bugs as a souvenir, and my favourite so far, a homeschool art class at the Montclair Art Museum.

At the MAM, the theme for the class was Katsina dolls (also spelled Kachina in the past), as can be found in native art in the Southwestern areas of the United States.  These dolls are given to their children, and are representations of the costumes used by adult members of the tribes during Katsina dances and rituals, which are generally prayers for things such as a bountiful harvest, rain or healing of a sick member.  We got to see several examples of authentic Katsina dolls, and then had a chance to make our own.

Here are a couple of actual Katsinas

And here are ours

 

The one on the bottom is Lucas' and mine is obviously the one on the top...

At some point during the project, I decided that my Katsina doll would be representative of my personal prayer as a homeschooling mom.  It goes as follows:

Please give me:
Ears, to really hear what's being said
A sunny disposition on the rainiest day
Wise eyes, that see the best in him
A smile on my face, and an open heart
Arms to hug, and hold my belly in laughter
Wings to help this endeavour take flight...

Let's hope it works!!