It's That Kind of Day

It's That Kind of Day is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube,  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+!

Yes, today was that kind of day.
Crazy kid chauffeuring, ugly weather, no mental traction.
Can you relate?
The picture shows our official reading for today... Mama said there would be days like this!

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Let's Talk Spring Fever

Let's Talk Spring Fever is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube,  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+!

I almost had a heart attack yesterday when I realized it was May 1st already!
Where has this year gone? Just a quick glance at my last post shows you that I have lost track of time. Not sure about you, but this is typical for my school year.

Spring Beckons my children and me to come outside and play.
There are weeds to pull, birds to watch, hills to conquer, gardens to plan and plant, adventures to be embarked upon. Who wants to do "school"?

Not me. And certainly not my boys.

I love Spring.

• It reminds me of the teacher I really want to be. 
• It frees my sons to be the learners they are born to be. 
• It releases me from any of the "curriculum webs" I have woven around myself that cause me to chain my energetic and enthusiastic learners to my kitchen table.

Even though I have a clear vision for the education of our 5 boys, I find myself continuously fighting the impulse to see what everyone else is doing.
I am not sure how to fight this. Do you?

I know my kids as well as you know yours. No two kids in my home love the same subjects or have the same learning styles. I need to dig in and plan next year, yet I also know I need to do some serious reflecting.

Grab a journal and a cup of something warm and comforting (or cool and refreshing depending on your weather).

Ready? Let the kids build a fort in the living room while we chat and review this past school year. Answer each question honestly for yourself, then click on the question itself if you want to see my personal reflection post. I'll be posting my reflections "as links" as I answer my own questions.





     Let's Be Honest...

Is my home more peaceful now than when the school year began?

When I walk through my home, do I see order or chaos?

Do the kids have a healthy glow on their faces from spending hours outside playing every day?

Do we have fun memories and photographs of a few places we have explored together?

How many books did I read aloud to my children this school year?

How many books did each of the kids read quietly to themselves this year?

What educational "rabbit trails" did we take because either the kids or I had an unquenchable need to know?

How many letters of encouragement did each of us write to friends and family this past year?

How many mind blowing science experiments did we participate in: both scheduled and surprise?

Did I incorporate living math into our daily lives?

Do my kids know their math facts inside, outside, and upside down?

Did I love and nurture my husband, or silently ask him to take a back burner in my life because I was busy "teaching"?

Did I serve healthy homemade meals most of the time?

Are my children enthusiastic learners or bored students?

What did I learn about myself this past year?

How did I grow as a teacher this year?

What was my biggest hurdle? How did I deal with or ignore it?

Am I happy with the subjects, curriculum, and adventures that our family exposed our kids to?

How do I want to manage homeschooling next year?

Share some of your experiences with us in the comments below. We learn from each other as we homeschool our children!


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Let's Be Honest: Do the Kids have a Healthy Glow on their Faces from Spending Hours Outside Playing Every Day?

Let's Be Honest: Do the kids have a healthy glow on their faces from spending hours outside playing every day?is a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube,  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+!

I can almost say, "YES!" to this one. A fellow homeschooling mom shared an article about schools in Finland comparing them with our wonderful educational system in the United States. Interestingly enough, Finland’s kids have the highest test scores, yet their kids spend much less time in an actual classroom each day.

News Flash:
In Finland, the kids spend a short amount of time studying a subject and then they are sent outside for a 15 minute recess. Rain or Shine. I immediately tweaked this to apply to my household of boys.

Multiple times a day during "school" I send my boys outside to play. At first there was almost a full scale revolt. I didn't realize how much I had chained them to the kitchen table until I began sending them out during school.

Benefits:

• They are getting plenty of exercise.

• They are starting to get along better on a more consistent basis. (Except right this second. One child is copying one of his younger brothers and it has caused some drama, but no one is perfect). The boys are basically best friends most of the time. The rest of the time they act like little tyrants, giving me plenty of time to practice patience and creative parenting. Anyone else in my boat?

• That healthy glow is not photo-shopped. The kids not only seem happier, but they look healthier as well. There's nothing quite like a daily dose of fresh air.

Surprisingly Challenging:
I found that over the years this is one of those areas that I overlook and neglect. There is always one more book to read, one more paragraph to write, a few more math facts to perfect, chores to be done, and errands to be run. The simplicity of letting the kids get outside and play wasn't a simple thing for me.

I have to purpose to let the kids play. Its so very important, not just for their ability to get out some of that energy, but for their problem solving, creative, and eager little minds. They are better when they have played outside (OK, usually). Quite honestly, I am better when they play outside. It allows me a few moments to form an individual thought, make dinner, or simply regroup.

How about you? Do your kids get enough outside time?

Evaluating What Works and What Doesn't.
Click here to read "Spring Fever" to help you take a good look at what you are doing.


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Let's Be Honest: When I Walk Through My Home, Do I See Order or Chaos?

Let's Be Honest:  When I Walk Through My Home, Do I See Order or Chaos? is  a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube,  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+!
I definitely have some spring cleaning to do! At a quick glance my house is tidy, but I'd never pass a white glove inspection! As I do a self inventory of my home I am fighting the urge to clean everything so I can tell you I have stayed organized this year. Nope. I said Let's Be Honest, Right?
 I see multiple areas that need attention:

School "Stuff"
I have an eclectic homeschooling style. I love to tailor the books and materials I place in front of my children based upon their passions, talents, gifts, weaknesses, and my own curiosity. I also am blessed and cursed with an embarrassing short term memory. I have no idea what I wore yesterday, what chapter I am on in any of our current readers, or even what color my own house is unless I write it down in my journal. (See, anyone can homeschool as long as they are determined to learn and never quit!) I have piles of projects, worksheets, books, readers, lapbooks, books, and more books that I simply leave visible so I do not forget them. What does that look like?

Embarrassing photo #1

 Yes, that right. This is our school area.
Although I have created worse messes in the past, currently everything is piled and mixed up. Sure, that closed door hides more of the mess, sure my high-schoolers supplies are not in this picture, sure I have a bazillion reasons why I stack and not file.
Being Honest: I need to go through everything in my school zone and purge what is unnecessary. Its amazing how chaos creeps in, isn’t it?

Do you collect curriculum and art supplies throughout the year? 

How do you deal with these intruders?

More School Stuff. Well, more like art supplies...


                                                                        Embarrassing Phone #2

I am not a shopper, so I do not have tons of supplies pouring out of my cupboards, yet what we do have is a mess! My 7 year old is like a tornado through our supply cupboard.


I have to admit this is a bit humbling. Since my kids have a laminated chore chart posted on my fridge, I fully and naively assumed that I'd have a clean child's bedroom to report:

Embarrassing Photo #3

This is our 3 Musketeer Room. Apparently a bomb went off, because there is no other explanation as to why I should be tormented through the necessity of sharing this disaster with you. What a mess! The issue goes back to the title of this post, Do I see Order or Chaos.
Yes, I see chaos.
 It's late in the school year. We need to fix that broken picture frame (casualty of the latest Nerf battle), purge a few thousand toys, and pull out summer clothes with the goal of getting rid of torn pants, donating things that are too small, and somehow convince all the young boys that being handed down their older brother's clothing is a blessing. This chore is way over due, but always nags me at this time of year.

That's all the "Full Disclosure" my time (and pride) will allow. My honest answer to this question is that I can see through the piles of chaos. I know with a few days of hard core organizing and purging and a reward of something sweet and wonderful we will soon whip our home back into shape.

The order/chaos battle never ends and effects more than my pride.
I find it hard to think straight when the home is in disarray.
I am less patient and easily distracted when the piles grow faster than I can sort them.
It's a wonder we get any school done in an atmosphere of disorder... Yet, somehow or other, we do.

Your Turn:
What condition is your home in right this second? 

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Let's be Honest: Is My Home More Peaceful Now than When the School Year Began?

Let's Be Honest: Is my home more peaceful now than when the school year began is  a post from Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool where we learn to train our children to become lifelong learners. If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Bekki on YouTube,  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+!

Most days it is. I find that the more I have pre-thought the day, then better it runs. The days that I invite the boys to the table and begin fumbling around for what "schoolwork" I want them to begin are chaotic and counter-productive.

What works best for me in regard to nurturing a peaceful home?

Quiet time.
I really need to have my heart right before I try to coach, train, teach, encourage, rebuke, or correct anyone else. It doesn't seem to matter for my sanity whether I get this quiet time in the morning or in the evening. As long as I have spent time with my Lord, read His word, Prayed, Worshipped, or sat silently before Him... I'm good. And when mommy's good, it makes life a whole lot betta!

A Purpose for everyone.
Everyone in the home needs to have a purpose each and every day. They need to know they have done their best and added value to their lives when they fall asleep at night. The younger kids need time to play. We all need to conquer something: learning, cleaning, growing, or exercising.

A Learning Plan.
Even a loose learning plan is better than no learning plan. The kids do not necessarily need a stack of worksheets to complete, but they do need some sort of learning direction. Whether you are an unschooler or a classical educator we need to make sure we live each day purposefully. Spontaneous discovery is beautiful. So is knowing the answer to if I work 5 hours and my mom pays me $9.47 and hour how much more will  I have to earn to pay for my day at Disneyland in July with out smoke billowing out your ears.

Focus.
I am the queen of distractability. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to focus, I mean really focus on one thing at a time. I am purposing to give whatever I am doing, or whoever I am talking to my full undivided attention. UGH. I fail miserably, but I begin again each day (or minute). I owe it to my God, my husband, and my children to give them my best. Notice the order?
I do not need help doing it the other way: children, hubby, God. That's my default.

Marriage.
My husband works really hard everyday and trusts me to plan and execute the "education" of our children. I find it easy to become absorbed in this effort and to neglect him altogether. Its exhausting to be "on call" to teach, train, and mould our boys, right? Yup. I talk myself into that truth all the time. Truth is, without my wonderful husband we are not a family. Nothing works without him. He is my best friend, my love, and my partner for life. Yet, all too often he gets my leftovers. With 5 boys and a dog, there is nothing left over. That means unless I purpose to focus on him and make time for his needs and wants, they never get met and he starves in our home. One of my biggest priorities is to keep our marriage in balance. Without God, its not possible. With God, I struggle because I get in the way. But I still focus and try.

Teamwork.
There are too many of us for all the household, cooking, cleaning, and teaching to all fall on my shoulders. I am Not. All. That. I need help. Shoot, the boys need to feel like they are part of a team. In our home that means pulling your weight. We do chores. We have rules. We have them laminated and posted on the fridge for weekly review. We all feel better when the house is clean and we know what is expected of us, don't we?

Peace.
Want the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding? I DO! I read and apply Philippians 4:6-7 backwards...
Here's the verse:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Here it is my way:
Do I want Jesus to guard my heart and mind? DO I want God's peace? Then present everything I would request to God, being thankful. Be prayerful in every situation and turn every anxious though over to Him...



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Teaching Homeschoolers to Write Computer Code: Lesson 1

Lesson 1

What is SCRATCH? A really cool program designed to teach basic
                          programming to children. Really easy top learn, lots of
                          YouTube tutorials that will allow your kids to teach you...

Getting Started: I pulled up a simple SCRATCH YouTube tutorial, had my
                          hubby add scratch and python onto our computers, and
                          watched the videos on our tv using apple tv (Apple TV: worth
                          looking into). We were able to plug through building a quick
                          and simple animation. The kids were hooked immediately!

GO! I handed the computer to my 11 and 14 year old and had them try it. They understood everything and were able to follow the tutorial and then were hungry for more...

My First Program

Hi! I am excited to share this with you and your kids. Remember I am teaching my boys how to program, only I have no idea how to program?

Today I wrote my first little game. (Well, copied it from the book Hello World! The reason I said "wrote" was because I had to edit the code a bit to get it to work on the version of computer language I am choosing to learn. I feel really accomplished!

I want to share it with you. Do not laugh at how simple it is. This is a big deal.

Go to Python and download a free, safe copy of the Python Computer Programming thingamabob. (I hate the look of their website by the way. It reminds me of some of the reasons I resisted programming in the first place. Do like I did, ignore their site for now, but take your free/safe copy:))

Got it?

Open python and then open what they call Python Shell

It will look like this.
click on FILE and open a new window.


Now copy and paste my little program  called "Bekki's Number Guessing Game" into this new window.

Here's what you copy: (Now, do not be afraid. I am not writing code to randomly take over your home and cause your children to suddenly clean their rooms without being told (yet). I just want you to see that even I can do this!)
Copy everything in between the borders, do not copy borders:

**************************************************

import random

secret = random.randint(1,99)
guess=0
tries=0

print ("AHOY!  I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts, and I have a secret!")
print ("It is a  number from 1 to 99. I'll give you 6 tries. ")

while guess  != secret and tries < 6:
    guess = int(input ("What's yer guess? "))
    if guess < secret:
        print ("Too low, ye scurvy dog!")
    elif guess > secret:
        print ("Too high, landlubber!")
    tries = tries + 1

**************************************************

It will look like this:


 you'll have to save it.
Call it bekkis game.py (or junk.py)
then press the F5 button above the numbers on your keyboard...
follow directions on the other window (Python Shell).

I know it's simple, but...
Did it work?
Did you win?

Is this something your kids would like to learn? Mine are thrilled to learn this stuff.

I cannot over recommend the book Hello World!
The only issue I am having is that I have to edit it for my version of python, which I am confident others will not want to do...