-
Tricks of the Trade. 2.
Clearly, after my questions post yesterday, it is evident that I am still treading water most days in the parenting realm. But, like any profession, there are a few bits and pieces I’ve picked up here and there that seem to be working – at the moment. And those are the types of morsels I’m sharing in this Tricks of the Trade posts. Here it is . . . . Consider carefully what posters/art/decorations you hang around the bed of your sweet child. It’s subtle – but those wall hangings will probably be etched on their brains and as familiar to them as the sound of their own nickname when…
-
let the school year commence
Today. It’s the first day of the 2010-2011 school year here at our home. And this year the School of Keigley has a record number of students. Three. A second grader. A first grader. And a kindergarten student. (Not to mention that we also manage and maintain a very elite preschool and a rather crème de la crème nursery as well. So sorry – all vacancies are filled.) Ahh – the new school year. The books we cannot gather locally are ordered from our school’s personal suppliers- a.k.a. Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The classroom has been tidied. (Read: the kitchen counters are cleared and the sunroom table is free…
-
Is This A Test?
We try to learn a few verses together as a family. I write them on the chalkboard wall near the dinner table and we read them out loud together before each meal. This week I wrote out James 1:19-20 – “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” And let’s just be honest. When I picked this little nugget of a verse I was targeting a handful of sometimes short tempered, angry-word-shouting siblings. I was trying to preach when I should have been quiet. And so maybe this day just serves…
-
Close Enough
Last week we visited our new favorite field trip place again – Pisgah National Forest and the Pisgah Wildlife Center. The kids attended a class about opossums. Apparently, Bergen was paying attention. Today I asked him to return some math toys to their proper basket. After he had completed his chore, he said, “Okay Mom – I have returned them to their native habitat.”
-
Speaks For Itself
I’m not sure I run a great homeschool. Although I don’t think I run a bad one. There are a lot of things I do poorly. (It would be too detrimental to my psyche to list them.) But I think I do one or two things pretty well. (Probably because they are my favorite so they’re easy for me.) This is what we do well. We read. A lot. And a vast variety considering my homeschool’s median age is probably four. (Math is not something I do well.) I love Charlotte Mason, a British educator whose philosophy I have snagged as my own. A major part of her educational foundation,…
-
School Days
You know what I love? Borrowing ideas from people far more clever than I. I saw a picture of my friend Kate’s children playing with spaghetti noodles at a table. I took her idea. And did it at my own table. With my own kids. At first, they couldn’t get over the novelty of the fact that Mommy had just dumped noodles all over the table and actually instructed them to play with their food. It was great. London spelled her name and underlined it. Hawkeye spelled a “b” and asked me to help him form the remaining letters. Mosely created a large head with an ultra-squiggly beard that made…
-
From a Song to Art
Inspired by Ben Harper’s song on the Curious George soundtrack, the kids and I made a little art last week. (Yes, the Curious George soundtrack. Get it. It isn’t just for kids.) We had so much fun painting and cutting and pasting. Even Little Wilder left his mark – a mostly smeared orange hand print. The art was fun. But the song is even better. I think it’s a great anthem for our family and all of our little hands. I can change the world with my own two hands. I can make it a better place. I can make it a kinder place. I could make peace on earth…
-
What I Want To Do
What is now proved, was once only imagined. – William Blake There are some things that I long to feed my children every day. And it isn’t food for their stomachs. I want to offer them a sense of mystery. The incredible blessing of a vivid imagination. The gift of simple joy. The beauty of anticipation. The knowledge of a powerful and loving God. The appreciation of nature. The ability to be still. Food for their brains. Their hearts. Their souls. I know I fail miserably every day with these lofty ideals. And I always fail more dramatically on days when I forget to pursue these things myself. When I…
-
The High Cost of Education
This is a warning. A disclaimer, if you must. This is a post about homeschooling. It’s not the best educational choice for every family. It may not be for yours. That’s not what I am saying. But it is a choice that our family has made for the past four years for our oldest daughter Riley. And it has not been an easy one. Not at all. (Few important choices are really easy – right?) This year is different. On so many levels. In light of, because of, not even having to do with some of those differences, we made a different choice for Riley this year. Riley is attending…
