We have now wrapped up our experimental homeschool year. I gave them the CAT (California Achievement Test). This is a test that many homeschool parents and private schools rely upon to evaluate the year's progress. It took about an hour or so. It was untimed and I put zero pressure on them about the results.
Henry and Charlie just finished first grade curriculum. Since I held them back due to their summer birthday, I went ahead and tried out the 2nd grade test. Henry's composite score was 3.8 (3rd grade + 8 months) and he was in the 99th percentile for 2nd grade. Charlie's composite score was 3.9 (3rd grade + 9 months) and he was also in the 99th percentile. Their reading is 4th/5th grade level and they only read chapter books now.
I gave Harrison the 3rd grade test. He took 3rd grade at a private school last year, but there seemed to be a lot of things that fell through the cracks there (I gave him an evaluation before choosing his curriculum), so I retaught 3rd this year. His composite score was 6.2 (6th grade + 2 months) and he was in the 99th percentile. He reads at an 8th grade level and loves reading even more than his brothers. He escapes to his bed at least once a day to read and I catch him laughing himself silly at his books. He has come a lonnnnnggg way! Homeschool has been great for him because you just can't beat 1 on 1 teaching. We also can zip through the lessons instead of having the day dragged out, where he tends to lose his focus.
We unanimously agreed to homeschool again for next year. Since their scores were high, we are going to skip them each a grade (which actually just brings them to their regular grade levels). If they go back to public or private school later, we can decide which grade to put them in at that time. Of course there are many factors that go into picking the right grade for them (I say "pick the right grade" because they are in that gray area birthday-wise where some parents hold back their kids - especially their boys). We will breeze through an outline of 2nd/4th curriculum before we skip it and then move on to the next grade in August or September.
We are enjoying some relaxing weeks of "summer" now. We have a trip to Grand Cayman in May/June and then Colorado in August. The boys are signed up for VBS and a stop motion animation camp. We also plan to do regular rock-climbing and indoor soccer. Since I turn the big FORTY next year, I am planning a big trip for us next summer to France, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. And what better learning experience for a kid?? The boys have seen a lot of countries and I have been able to tie their experiences in with the lessons. I hear parents hesitate with taking their kids on trips, but just do it! These experiences are wonderful for a developing brain and personality. Their love of travel and different cultures will last a lifetime. We have also started a new raised garden and are growing squash, tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries. We also grow herbs, figs, and citrus (although the figs and citrus haven't been quite edible as of yet).
Here are a few little positives that I have noticed through the year about homeschooling.
- We wake up when we wake up. Granted, it is still early. But we wake up when our bodies have had adequate rest instead of being woken up by an alarm clock.
- Cheaper travel at better times - trips don't have to be planned around Spring Break/Summer/Christmas. If Adam gets a break at work, we can just take off and take advantage of great rates.
- Healthier food - no more trying to figure out how to pack a healthy lunch that actually tastes good by lunchtime!
- No buying random stuff throughout the year! No keeping up with a million emails from a million teachers and parent associations and field trip instructions and party instructions. We (the boys and I) control it all!
- The boys get to focus on their hobbies. I insert things they love into their centers, like Scratch (coding).
- More playtime outside.
- They are involved in some of the curriculum planning. I ask them regularly what they want to learn and incorporate those things.
- If there is a struggle (i.e. multiplication tables), I can focus unlimited time on that. If it takes 15 lessons to nail it, that's fine. On the flip side, if there are subjects that are already mastered, we can skip past those. Individualized instruction!
- I have set aside more time now for playdates, so the boys have at least 2 big fun playdates each week.
- No homework! When school is done each day, it's done and free time begins.
- Most importantly, we have more time together as a family and are closer than ever before.
I am so glad that we tried this experiment and I have learned just as many lessons as they have. Happy Summer!!!
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Thursday, March 22, 2018
March Update
I haven't posted in awhile because I haven't had much to say! All is well in our little homeschool world. We are entering that wonderful time of year where we can be outdoors more. The boys go out to play twice a day, usually before lunch and again in the late afternoon/early evening. We have created the ultimate backyard for them...a giant storage box full of balls and nerf guns, the pirate ship playground and playhouse, trampoline, ninja line, swurfer swing, hugglepod, and a lot of space to just run and play with the dogs. We spent some time by the lake on the first day of spring (which was perfect weather). Unfortunately Charlie took a hard fall on the playground but luckily it just scraped up his face and no broken bones (thank you Woodlands Park for having adequate ground cover!) Good weather means more little injuries, but it is what it is. They ask nearly everyday if the pool is warm enough to swim in. Not yet, but soon!
I have purchased the California Achievement Test to give them in May. This will help me decide what to focus on in the summertime and how to structure next year's curriculum. I tested their reading levels also. Henry and Charlie are 7 years old and tested at a 4th grade reading level. Harrison is 9 and tested at 7th grade. Reading/phonics/comprehension etc remains their strongest area academically.
We put in place some rules for video games that require them to either play outside for an hour or read for an hour to earn an hour of video games (not to exceed 2 hours/day). So far so good and they are reading like crazy. They are still doing their Scratch projects regularly and even convinced me to join so I can learn some coding. The boys have empty books that they write in daily that they can use however they wish. Harrison is writing a book series and its coming along really well. Henry and Charlie are playing soccer again. Adam is their coach. They scored 5 goals between them on their first game. I am still working on piecing together summer activities and camps but they will likely include swimming, rock climbing, indoor soccer/football and/or gymnastics, and VBS in the neighborhood.
The boys skied for the first time in Vail in February. That was quite the undertaking but they LOVED it. We hope to make it a yearly winter trip. We will wrap up school toward the end of May and celebrate with a trip to Grand Cayman and then a summer trip to Colorado in August.
All in all I am just super proud of them and love spending more time with them. I feel like I have a better understanding of all 3 of them. We decided as a family to extend the homeschooling one more year and then evaluate after that.
I have a unique perspective on education. My husband and I have combined our public school experiences with our kids experiences in public school, private school, and now homeschooling. We can really step back and see the strengths and weaknesses of all of them. With public school, the parents have to make sure the kids aren't getting lost in the shuffle, that they aren't overstressed, and that their individual needs are being met. With private school, parents have to make sure their kids are getting exposed to people that are different than them. Some private schools have a good combination of different kids, but its not the norm. And with homeschooling, parents have to make sure that their kids are being exposed to different kids/cultures/ideologies and are gaining the social experiences that are necessary before sending them out into the world. There has to be effort put forward for playdates and activities with other kids. As long as the parents are on top of these extra duties, all education can serve them well. If a child has parents that love them and are involved and are giving them a well rounded education and experiences, most kids will be prepared for what lies ahead.
I'll post again end of May. I am so happy that some of you have shown an interest in what we are doing. I am very happy to share if it helps and we welcome visitors to the classroom :)
I have purchased the California Achievement Test to give them in May. This will help me decide what to focus on in the summertime and how to structure next year's curriculum. I tested their reading levels also. Henry and Charlie are 7 years old and tested at a 4th grade reading level. Harrison is 9 and tested at 7th grade. Reading/phonics/comprehension etc remains their strongest area academically.
We put in place some rules for video games that require them to either play outside for an hour or read for an hour to earn an hour of video games (not to exceed 2 hours/day). So far so good and they are reading like crazy. They are still doing their Scratch projects regularly and even convinced me to join so I can learn some coding. The boys have empty books that they write in daily that they can use however they wish. Harrison is writing a book series and its coming along really well. Henry and Charlie are playing soccer again. Adam is their coach. They scored 5 goals between them on their first game. I am still working on piecing together summer activities and camps but they will likely include swimming, rock climbing, indoor soccer/football and/or gymnastics, and VBS in the neighborhood.
The boys skied for the first time in Vail in February. That was quite the undertaking but they LOVED it. We hope to make it a yearly winter trip. We will wrap up school toward the end of May and celebrate with a trip to Grand Cayman and then a summer trip to Colorado in August.
All in all I am just super proud of them and love spending more time with them. I feel like I have a better understanding of all 3 of them. We decided as a family to extend the homeschooling one more year and then evaluate after that.
I have a unique perspective on education. My husband and I have combined our public school experiences with our kids experiences in public school, private school, and now homeschooling. We can really step back and see the strengths and weaknesses of all of them. With public school, the parents have to make sure the kids aren't getting lost in the shuffle, that they aren't overstressed, and that their individual needs are being met. With private school, parents have to make sure their kids are getting exposed to people that are different than them. Some private schools have a good combination of different kids, but its not the norm. And with homeschooling, parents have to make sure that their kids are being exposed to different kids/cultures/ideologies and are gaining the social experiences that are necessary before sending them out into the world. There has to be effort put forward for playdates and activities with other kids. As long as the parents are on top of these extra duties, all education can serve them well. If a child has parents that love them and are involved and are giving them a well rounded education and experiences, most kids will be prepared for what lies ahead.
I'll post again end of May. I am so happy that some of you have shown an interest in what we are doing. I am very happy to share if it helps and we welcome visitors to the classroom :)
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
November 1
We are still trucking along in homeschool land! Some may not believe this, but I know ZERO people who homeschool, which probably makes me even crazier! As I have mentioned, I have curriculum which follows the basics of what every other public/private school kid is teaching. This curriculum even tells me exactly how to teach it. I don't follow it perfectly though, as my kids already know some of it OR we may have to linger on certain concepts longer. I also add to it.
We have started doing centers after our morning routine. They are Spanish, reading, some kind of physical activity (today it was jumping on the mini-tramp and chasing the dogs since its raining), the Splash Math app, Scratch (coding), and writing (I assign a topic). We have Spanish workbooks but I prefer using Duolingo.com. I teach Math in Focus daily (which is Singapore Math), but I think Splash Math is a great supplement that would benefit every child.
I belong to a Facebook Austin homeschool group and am able to bounce ideas off of moms there. What I have discovered is that there are a million ways to educate a child and every parent does it differently. I didn't realize until last week that some parents are very hands off with the teaching, giving assignments and then letting the children finish them at their leisure during the day. No judgment there, but I classroom teach. We have textbooks, I teach from the board, we watch documentaries together, and take field trips. The hours are flexible. Sometimes we get started early, take a long lunch and get out of the house, and do the core lessons in the afternoon. Sometimes we cram it all into the afternoon. Some days we double up on lessons and some days we take the day off. We are very fortunate to live in a state where we have that freedom (yay for rights and parental freedom!) and I don't have to report to one person about what I am doing.
We spend about an hour and a half doing centers together and an hour and a half doing individual core lessons/math (so for example, I will teach the twins their core lessons and math and then I will teach Harrison his core lessons/math). That may not seem like enough classroom time, but I am able to teach two days of lessons - all subjects - to the twins during this time. I teach between 1-2 lessons to Harrison, as he gets more worn out by the intense focused learning. That may be hard for some people to understand, but imagine that all of the gaps in a school day are removed - the bathroom breaks, the waiting in line, the cafeteria, the transitions, all the times that a teacher has to pause to focus on one or more students who might be struggling - we don't have that. So our time is condensed. I teach subjects back to back. The only pause is getting out a different book.
They are going to a weekly coding class in Westlake and seem to enjoy it. Coding is done daily at home at their own will and they are learning so much from MIT's Scratch program. They love it and don't realize they are learning :-) We are wrapping up soccer and football for the fall season. Henry is going to stick with football in the winter (brrrrr.....) and Henry and Charlie will concentrate on soccer in the Spring.
We have also decided to go to France this May or June. We are going to start in Paris and then take the speed train to Provence. From there we will visit St. Tropez, Cannes, Nice, and Monaco. We are already watching documentaries about France and will soon start learning some basic conversational French that they can use there. Why France? Adam and I went 2 years ago and there are many things there that we want the boys to experience. I am most excited to take them to the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles. They did very well and asked many questions at the Accademia Gallery in Florence and even withheld their giggles at the Statue of David, so I say they are ready! They have gone on trips to 10 different countries and we plan to add on a few each year. They learn so much on each trip and gain perspective and experiences that they didn't have and would be hard to have without travel.
We had a few beautiful days in October and spent them outside. We went hiking on our neighborhood trails one day and went to Sweet Berry Farms on another. Anytime the weather is ideal for hiking, we go outside and skip class and learn in the real world! Its amazing how many times on a hike that I can remind them of something they have learned in science.
I only blog when I feel like I have something meaningful or helpful to say. I am happy to always answer questions for anyone that is interested!
We have started doing centers after our morning routine. They are Spanish, reading, some kind of physical activity (today it was jumping on the mini-tramp and chasing the dogs since its raining), the Splash Math app, Scratch (coding), and writing (I assign a topic). We have Spanish workbooks but I prefer using Duolingo.com. I teach Math in Focus daily (which is Singapore Math), but I think Splash Math is a great supplement that would benefit every child.
I belong to a Facebook Austin homeschool group and am able to bounce ideas off of moms there. What I have discovered is that there are a million ways to educate a child and every parent does it differently. I didn't realize until last week that some parents are very hands off with the teaching, giving assignments and then letting the children finish them at their leisure during the day. No judgment there, but I classroom teach. We have textbooks, I teach from the board, we watch documentaries together, and take field trips. The hours are flexible. Sometimes we get started early, take a long lunch and get out of the house, and do the core lessons in the afternoon. Sometimes we cram it all into the afternoon. Some days we double up on lessons and some days we take the day off. We are very fortunate to live in a state where we have that freedom (yay for rights and parental freedom!) and I don't have to report to one person about what I am doing.
We spend about an hour and a half doing centers together and an hour and a half doing individual core lessons/math (so for example, I will teach the twins their core lessons and math and then I will teach Harrison his core lessons/math). That may not seem like enough classroom time, but I am able to teach two days of lessons - all subjects - to the twins during this time. I teach between 1-2 lessons to Harrison, as he gets more worn out by the intense focused learning. That may be hard for some people to understand, but imagine that all of the gaps in a school day are removed - the bathroom breaks, the waiting in line, the cafeteria, the transitions, all the times that a teacher has to pause to focus on one or more students who might be struggling - we don't have that. So our time is condensed. I teach subjects back to back. The only pause is getting out a different book.
They are going to a weekly coding class in Westlake and seem to enjoy it. Coding is done daily at home at their own will and they are learning so much from MIT's Scratch program. They love it and don't realize they are learning :-) We are wrapping up soccer and football for the fall season. Henry is going to stick with football in the winter (brrrrr.....) and Henry and Charlie will concentrate on soccer in the Spring.
We have also decided to go to France this May or June. We are going to start in Paris and then take the speed train to Provence. From there we will visit St. Tropez, Cannes, Nice, and Monaco. We are already watching documentaries about France and will soon start learning some basic conversational French that they can use there. Why France? Adam and I went 2 years ago and there are many things there that we want the boys to experience. I am most excited to take them to the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles. They did very well and asked many questions at the Accademia Gallery in Florence and even withheld their giggles at the Statue of David, so I say they are ready! They have gone on trips to 10 different countries and we plan to add on a few each year. They learn so much on each trip and gain perspective and experiences that they didn't have and would be hard to have without travel.
We had a few beautiful days in October and spent them outside. We went hiking on our neighborhood trails one day and went to Sweet Berry Farms on another. Anytime the weather is ideal for hiking, we go outside and skip class and learn in the real world! Its amazing how many times on a hike that I can remind them of something they have learned in science.
I only blog when I feel like I have something meaningful or helpful to say. I am happy to always answer questions for anyone that is interested!
Thursday, September 28, 2017
1 month down
Our classroom is ever evolving. I am able to knock out math and core subjects quickly so we have time for the other subjects - Spanish, critical thinking, life skills, health, and RECESS! The boys made vision boards. We also are planning to write a book so several times each week we spend time brainstorming and planning. I feel so much peace in the classroom. I am able to zip past the items that my boys have mastered and spend more time on the things that are more difficult for them. I taught the boys how to tell time and I taught Harrison how to finally understand subtracting with carrying (not the easiest thing to teach!) I also love the dedicated 1 on 1 time that I get to spend with them. I feel so rewarded and zen. I can only hope that they will continue to choose this for their education.
Several people think homeschooling must be very stressful. I have actually found its the opposite in my case! There are so many difficult things that were a part of my life that instantly vanished when I made the decision to homeschool.
1) I don't miss waking up at 6 am to rush around making breakfast, lunch, snacks, waters, make sure backpacks are ready and zip them off to 2 different schools. It usually involves me ending up yelling because of the length of time it takes to make this all happen. Instead we wake up when we wake up. Instead of just frozen waffles, I have time to make them something more substantial. We go to the classroom after that, but no rush. Our schedule is based on our needs, not someone else's.
2) No more emails from teachers, parent council, the school district, I could go on but everyone knows what I am talking about. The different themed outfits for each day of a week are a favorite - ha! Its endless. And a lot of times its pointless. I need a planner just to keep up with all the things I am required to do for my kids to go to school.
3) The boys were typically grouchy and exhausted when I picked them up for our ride home. Its a long day for a kid. Not an ideal time to have quality time.
4) Vacations! No more planning vacations around specific dates that are always overpriced! We can go whenever we want! (and make it a learning experience too)
5) I don't miss the constant worry...Did my kid pay attention today? Did that kid steal his pokemon cards today? Is he actually learning? What is he learning? (because he won't tell me). Why doesn't the science teacher know how to communicate with parents? Also why is she a jerk? Why do my kids have to do this project that doesn't make any sense? Is the campus safe enough? What are their emergency procedures? I could literally write a book but this is what goes on in a mother's head (or some version of it) every day.
6) Sickness. So many sicks kids at school. I don't have that yucky thought of snot getting on my child anymore.
So yes, this sounds like its all about ME, ME, ME. Well Mom's happiness is pretty important but the kids have less stress too. More importantly I am able to teach them twice the curriculum than what they can learn at school simply because its 1 on 3 (sometimes 1 on 1) instead of 1 on 24. My boys will each complete 2 grades this school year. No transitions. No busy work. Its amazing how much can be taught when all that other stuff is removed. I feel so calm these days because our lives are just more...efficient.
Do they miss hanging out with their friends at school? Harrison misses a special few but the twins could care less. They all still get to see their friends. Its just at different times than school. Between our upcoming coding class, soccer, football, and playdates, socialization is not an issue. They get more free time now and that makes them very happy.
I know its not for everybody but I am very glad that we found what works for us! You just don't know until you try!
Several people think homeschooling must be very stressful. I have actually found its the opposite in my case! There are so many difficult things that were a part of my life that instantly vanished when I made the decision to homeschool.
1) I don't miss waking up at 6 am to rush around making breakfast, lunch, snacks, waters, make sure backpacks are ready and zip them off to 2 different schools. It usually involves me ending up yelling because of the length of time it takes to make this all happen. Instead we wake up when we wake up. Instead of just frozen waffles, I have time to make them something more substantial. We go to the classroom after that, but no rush. Our schedule is based on our needs, not someone else's.
2) No more emails from teachers, parent council, the school district, I could go on but everyone knows what I am talking about. The different themed outfits for each day of a week are a favorite - ha! Its endless. And a lot of times its pointless. I need a planner just to keep up with all the things I am required to do for my kids to go to school.
3) The boys were typically grouchy and exhausted when I picked them up for our ride home. Its a long day for a kid. Not an ideal time to have quality time.
4) Vacations! No more planning vacations around specific dates that are always overpriced! We can go whenever we want! (and make it a learning experience too)
5) I don't miss the constant worry...Did my kid pay attention today? Did that kid steal his pokemon cards today? Is he actually learning? What is he learning? (because he won't tell me). Why doesn't the science teacher know how to communicate with parents? Also why is she a jerk? Why do my kids have to do this project that doesn't make any sense? Is the campus safe enough? What are their emergency procedures? I could literally write a book but this is what goes on in a mother's head (or some version of it) every day.
6) Sickness. So many sicks kids at school. I don't have that yucky thought of snot getting on my child anymore.
So yes, this sounds like its all about ME, ME, ME. Well Mom's happiness is pretty important but the kids have less stress too. More importantly I am able to teach them twice the curriculum than what they can learn at school simply because its 1 on 3 (sometimes 1 on 1) instead of 1 on 24. My boys will each complete 2 grades this school year. No transitions. No busy work. Its amazing how much can be taught when all that other stuff is removed. I feel so calm these days because our lives are just more...efficient.
Do they miss hanging out with their friends at school? Harrison misses a special few but the twins could care less. They all still get to see their friends. Its just at different times than school. Between our upcoming coding class, soccer, football, and playdates, socialization is not an issue. They get more free time now and that makes them very happy.
I know its not for everybody but I am very glad that we found what works for us! You just don't know until you try!
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Welcome to Home School!
Our first week of homeschooling had its share of challenges. I had strep throat. I had to figure out how to balance 2 different levels of curriculum. After teaching each day and making lesson plans for the next, I had to quickly switch gears to do my other "job" which is the charity. Its a lot to cram in one day. But by the end of the week I had figured out how to be more efficient with our time and we settled in really well.
Over our last vacation I went back and forth over which curriculum to use. I finally went with Calvert, which has been around for over a century. Calvert is secular and follows common core and seemed to be the closest curriculum to most other schools. It also teaches Singapore Math. If/when the kids go back to regular school, I wanted to at least know that I was getting the basics in so the transition back would be seamless. There are a lot of text books, something my kids haven't really experienced yet, but they seem to like it.
One immediate advantage of homeschooling is that I get to learn more about the boys' strengths and weaknesses, as well as finding the best way that they learn. I can tell in one week that I am going to learn even more than I expected. The twins are in 1st grade and reading chapter books. However, the curriculum has them sounding out words like c-a-t. These parts I really zip through or skip. Harrison is starting 4th grade but I wanted to review the 3rd grade curriculum first. Since he was in private school, I wanted to make sure that he didn't miss anything (since private school curriculum can vary from common core). Other than his hesitancy with writing, he is zipping through too. Because of this, we are going to attempt to double up the lessons so that we can finish this grade by the halfway mark. And then start the next grade (so 2 grades in 1 year). That might seem unnecessary but I want them to be challenged. The twins are old for their grade since I held them back due to their summer birthday so it really just catches them up.
I have learned that one of the biggest upsides of homeschooling is more TIME! I can get through the core subjects with Harrison in about 2 hours. Then another 2 hours with the twins. Of course in addition to math and other core subjects, I am working in Spanish, critical thinking, health, and life skills. But these aren't long classes and we make them fun.
We start the day around 8:30 after breakfast. Sometimes we are in pajamas. My calendar helper for the week tells us the time, day of week, season, weather, month and day in English and Spanish with a wall calendar. Then one of the boys draws any picture he wants on the dry erase board. Then all the boys write 5 sentences about it. This has been great for improving handwriting, placement of capital letters, and punctuation. They love when its their turn to draw. After that, Henry and Charlie each grab a book from the bookshelf and they read silently for 30 minutes. They can lay on the rug, the bean bags or however they are comfortable. While they do that, Harrison and I do his math lesson and his core subjects. After the twins read for 30 minutes, they have free time. Its wonderful because I get quiet 1 on 1 time with Harrison and he learns very well this way. Then we either have recess or PE. (Recess is making them go outside). PE can be exercises in our little exercise room, swimming, rock climbing at main event, running outside, hiking, etc etc. So many choices! We do PE 2-3/week. Then we have lunch (no more rushing around making 3 lunches and 3 snacks every morning at 6:30 am!). Harrison is then turned loose for free time while I work through the core subjects with the twins. Then we reconvene and do our extra subjects - 1 or 2/day. These don't take long. The days will be quicker and quicker as we get in a rhythm.
We plan to take one little field trip each week. Last Thursday we went to deliver clothing to a neighbor who was on her way to help her friends in Houston. Then we shopped for Austin Pets Alive and delivered those supplies. It was surreal to see all of those dogs being frantically ushered in. Hurricane Harvey offered many teaching moments.
Since Adam is not working for Labor Day, he is going to observe us at school and participate a little. I absolutely love my little classroom. Its hard to imagine it ever not being a classroom!
Wish us luck next week!
Over our last vacation I went back and forth over which curriculum to use. I finally went with Calvert, which has been around for over a century. Calvert is secular and follows common core and seemed to be the closest curriculum to most other schools. It also teaches Singapore Math. If/when the kids go back to regular school, I wanted to at least know that I was getting the basics in so the transition back would be seamless. There are a lot of text books, something my kids haven't really experienced yet, but they seem to like it.
One immediate advantage of homeschooling is that I get to learn more about the boys' strengths and weaknesses, as well as finding the best way that they learn. I can tell in one week that I am going to learn even more than I expected. The twins are in 1st grade and reading chapter books. However, the curriculum has them sounding out words like c-a-t. These parts I really zip through or skip. Harrison is starting 4th grade but I wanted to review the 3rd grade curriculum first. Since he was in private school, I wanted to make sure that he didn't miss anything (since private school curriculum can vary from common core). Other than his hesitancy with writing, he is zipping through too. Because of this, we are going to attempt to double up the lessons so that we can finish this grade by the halfway mark. And then start the next grade (so 2 grades in 1 year). That might seem unnecessary but I want them to be challenged. The twins are old for their grade since I held them back due to their summer birthday so it really just catches them up.
I have learned that one of the biggest upsides of homeschooling is more TIME! I can get through the core subjects with Harrison in about 2 hours. Then another 2 hours with the twins. Of course in addition to math and other core subjects, I am working in Spanish, critical thinking, health, and life skills. But these aren't long classes and we make them fun.
We start the day around 8:30 after breakfast. Sometimes we are in pajamas. My calendar helper for the week tells us the time, day of week, season, weather, month and day in English and Spanish with a wall calendar. Then one of the boys draws any picture he wants on the dry erase board. Then all the boys write 5 sentences about it. This has been great for improving handwriting, placement of capital letters, and punctuation. They love when its their turn to draw. After that, Henry and Charlie each grab a book from the bookshelf and they read silently for 30 minutes. They can lay on the rug, the bean bags or however they are comfortable. While they do that, Harrison and I do his math lesson and his core subjects. After the twins read for 30 minutes, they have free time. Its wonderful because I get quiet 1 on 1 time with Harrison and he learns very well this way. Then we either have recess or PE. (Recess is making them go outside). PE can be exercises in our little exercise room, swimming, rock climbing at main event, running outside, hiking, etc etc. So many choices! We do PE 2-3/week. Then we have lunch (no more rushing around making 3 lunches and 3 snacks every morning at 6:30 am!). Harrison is then turned loose for free time while I work through the core subjects with the twins. Then we reconvene and do our extra subjects - 1 or 2/day. These don't take long. The days will be quicker and quicker as we get in a rhythm.
We plan to take one little field trip each week. Last Thursday we went to deliver clothing to a neighbor who was on her way to help her friends in Houston. Then we shopped for Austin Pets Alive and delivered those supplies. It was surreal to see all of those dogs being frantically ushered in. Hurricane Harvey offered many teaching moments.
Since Adam is not working for Labor Day, he is going to observe us at school and participate a little. I absolutely love my little classroom. Its hard to imagine it ever not being a classroom!
Wish us luck next week!
Sunday, July 30, 2017
The Grand Experiment
There has been a nagging feeling in my gut since the first day I sent my oldest son to school. "Is this right? Is this what is best? Sigh, well...I will try it. This is how it is supposed to be." It has been 6 years and that feeling never went away, even though I constantly brushed it aside.
We all (should) have an idea of who we want our little ones to be when they walk out the door at 18. I am not talking about goals such as "Get into an ivy league school, make good grades, and become a doctor". Those are impressive goals but that isn't what I mean. Everyone's goals differ but when my boys are "official" grown ups, this is my wish list:
- They will be independent critical thinkers.
- They will have life skills and be self sufficient.
- They will have work experience - even by age 18.
- They will understand the importance of serving their community.
- They will know how to approach projects (because if you understand that, you can do just about anything)
- They will be respectful, have good manners, and communicate effectively.
- They will understand money, budgeting, and finance.
- They will have a solid grasp on their talents, strengths, and weaknesses.
- They will be well traveled and exposed to places very different than home.
I think about my wish list and I understand that I only have 9 and 11 years left until that day. I want to make sure that not only their home life but their education is going to help us reach these important goals and whatever goals they desire for themselves. There are certainly other avenues to do this so please don't misinterpret this as me saying that homeschool is the best choice. That is something that I do not know. But I need to make sure that OUR choices will support OUR goals.
So here we are. Harrison is set to enter 4th and Henry and Charlie are set to enter 1st. We are headed toward the end of summer and I just don't want it to end. The flexibility. The removal of school stress. Me trying to fully understand what goes on at school drives me nuts (kids aren't the best with feedback, are they?). Their schools are fine. I just think its possible that I could do better being 1 on 3. Adam and I have been discussing this idea for the past year, so a lot of thought has gone into the possibilities.
We want to build additional subjects into the curriculum that aren't traditionally taught, such as nutrition, gardening, life skills, communication, coding, cooking, and critical thinking to name a few (yes, I am ambitious). PE (exercise) will be a daily priority and will never involve a gym - hiking and nature walks, Just Dance (a family favorite), tennis, soccer, football, running, trampoline, swimming, yoga, weights, gymnastics, obstacle courses, and rock climbing. We will reach out to professionals to teach piano and S.T.E.M. because this mama is not capable of that! And their wonderful daddy will teach history/citizenship as he is a rock star in this area.
I know that some people have the impression that homeschooled kids are socially isolated. I read an article recently that changed my perspective on that. Parents of homeschooled children tend to actively line up play dates and field trips so that they are interacting with their peers. And because homeschooled kids tend to have more time with adults, they can end up being even more socialized than their peers overall. Either way, the boys thankfully have good friends that aren't going anywhere!
Of course, the whole family will benefit from the flexibility...traveling whenever we want instead of choosing between summer/spring break/Christmas (and oh yeah, its cheaper that way!), sleeping a little later and skipping that stressful morning rush, and FIELD TRIP FRIDAYS! The twins are super excited. Harrison is hesitant but coming around.
So I view this as my grand experiment. I don't know if we will want to continue at the end of the school year. But I do know that we will ALL learn many lessons. I will better understand their learning styles, strengths, weaknesses, and so much more.
I have several friends who have considered homeschooling and I have some who may not understand this kooky idea. That is why I am going to blog about our progress weekly. I don't want our schooling and lives to be a mystery to our loved ones.
Now off to research which curriculum I will use. Please wish us luck :-)
We all (should) have an idea of who we want our little ones to be when they walk out the door at 18. I am not talking about goals such as "Get into an ivy league school, make good grades, and become a doctor". Those are impressive goals but that isn't what I mean. Everyone's goals differ but when my boys are "official" grown ups, this is my wish list:
- They will be independent critical thinkers.
- They will have life skills and be self sufficient.
- They will have work experience - even by age 18.
- They will understand the importance of serving their community.
- They will know how to approach projects (because if you understand that, you can do just about anything)
- They will be respectful, have good manners, and communicate effectively.
- They will understand money, budgeting, and finance.
- They will have a solid grasp on their talents, strengths, and weaknesses.
- They will be well traveled and exposed to places very different than home.
I think about my wish list and I understand that I only have 9 and 11 years left until that day. I want to make sure that not only their home life but their education is going to help us reach these important goals and whatever goals they desire for themselves. There are certainly other avenues to do this so please don't misinterpret this as me saying that homeschool is the best choice. That is something that I do not know. But I need to make sure that OUR choices will support OUR goals.
So here we are. Harrison is set to enter 4th and Henry and Charlie are set to enter 1st. We are headed toward the end of summer and I just don't want it to end. The flexibility. The removal of school stress. Me trying to fully understand what goes on at school drives me nuts (kids aren't the best with feedback, are they?). Their schools are fine. I just think its possible that I could do better being 1 on 3. Adam and I have been discussing this idea for the past year, so a lot of thought has gone into the possibilities.
We want to build additional subjects into the curriculum that aren't traditionally taught, such as nutrition, gardening, life skills, communication, coding, cooking, and critical thinking to name a few (yes, I am ambitious). PE (exercise) will be a daily priority and will never involve a gym - hiking and nature walks, Just Dance (a family favorite), tennis, soccer, football, running, trampoline, swimming, yoga, weights, gymnastics, obstacle courses, and rock climbing. We will reach out to professionals to teach piano and S.T.E.M. because this mama is not capable of that! And their wonderful daddy will teach history/citizenship as he is a rock star in this area.
I know that some people have the impression that homeschooled kids are socially isolated. I read an article recently that changed my perspective on that. Parents of homeschooled children tend to actively line up play dates and field trips so that they are interacting with their peers. And because homeschooled kids tend to have more time with adults, they can end up being even more socialized than their peers overall. Either way, the boys thankfully have good friends that aren't going anywhere!
Of course, the whole family will benefit from the flexibility...traveling whenever we want instead of choosing between summer/spring break/Christmas (and oh yeah, its cheaper that way!), sleeping a little later and skipping that stressful morning rush, and FIELD TRIP FRIDAYS! The twins are super excited. Harrison is hesitant but coming around.
So I view this as my grand experiment. I don't know if we will want to continue at the end of the school year. But I do know that we will ALL learn many lessons. I will better understand their learning styles, strengths, weaknesses, and so much more.
I have several friends who have considered homeschooling and I have some who may not understand this kooky idea. That is why I am going to blog about our progress weekly. I don't want our schooling and lives to be a mystery to our loved ones.
Now off to research which curriculum I will use. Please wish us luck :-)
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Mystery Solved, Case Closed
I never take the time to gather my thoughts to blog anymore. That is how it goes with 3 little ones! However, I did want to share an experience of mine in the hope that I can help another parent in a similar situation.
When my son, Henry, and his twin brother were 14 months old, the tantrums began. It was a little sooner than "average" but I assumed that was just due to having 3 boys ages 3 and under. Less Mommy to go around! Henry is an emotional little boy. When he was born, he cried the loudest scream that anyone had ever heard. When he was mad, everyone on the block knew it! He is also incredibly sweet and sensitive. If someone cries, he cries too. If someone is hurt, he is there to comfort. He adores cats, dogs, babies, baby dolls, and stuffed animals. He even tucks his animals in each night with a kiss and a sip of water. He was already developing empathy at the age of 2. His sweetness and kind spirit truly make him one in a million. When his tantrums began to escalate, I assumed that it was just because he was my emotional child.
However, as time went on, it was clear to me that the tantrums were abnormal. My google research had me convinced and terrified that he had psychological issues, bipolar, even schizophrenia. We were having many days with three 2-hour tantrums. It had become the norm. Nothing could stop his screaming. Nothing. It was very clear to me that he had no control over what was happening in his body. I would ask him why he was so upset. He would sob with his head in his hands and say "I don't know". I believed him. He really didn't know. I brought this up at a checkup with his pediatrician. She stared at my blankly and shrugged it off as him just being a toddler. I pushed for a vitamin deficiency test because I knew deficiencies could cause abnormal tantrums. She talked me out of it because he appeared to be healthy. I knew deep down that she was wrong. My pediatrician was useless to me in this situation.
Leaving our house became nearly impossible. Our family's quality of life was plummeting because we had to endure hours of screaming, toys flying through the air, biting, hitting and pictures getting knocked off the wall. My husband and I were both punched in the face a few times. I called these his "episodes". They were psychotic. I felt like I was dealing with a mental patient. Although impossible, he needed to be restrained for his own protection sometimes. I would cry in desperation. It wasn't really because of the insanity of our household. I knew something was wrong with my child and I couldn't fix it. He needed tests, but which tests?? I researched every possible mental disturbance that could cause this and nothing quite fit. His normal personality was very laid back. He was developing normally. He had a strong immune system and no other health issues. I was just doing my best to weather the storm and hope that it would get better. I continued to research but I had no answers. All I had was my mother's intuition telling me that something was wrong and he needed me to help.
At long last, I started to unravel the mystery. Although I don't like to medicate my children, I would give Henry ibuprofen when the tantrums were extreme. Within 10 - 15 minutes, his tantrum would always stop. He would snap out of it completely. It happened too many times to be a coincidence. This was my biggest clue. Something was causing him pain or inflammation. I had no doubt in my mind at that point.
My first thought was gluten. Around this time I read a mother's blog who had my same issue with her little girl. She removed gluten and got her child back. I started researching and found tho same story from other parents. I cleared the pantry of all gluten as an experiment. Within 48 hours, we saw a positive change in him. Within 2 weeks, things were 90% better. I will never forget when his swim teacher asked me "Who is this new child???"
While he was 90% better, that wasn't good enough. While the tantrums were much less frequent, he would still have some episodes that were not normal. Since his reaction to gluten was so strong, I suspected Celiac Disease instead of gluten intolerance. I asked his pediatrician to test and she did. It was negative. I was shocked by the result but accepted it. However, I was still in search of why we would still have fits of rage. I reintroduced gluten in small amounts and the result was always horrendous tantrums. I should have never even tried it, but I still had my doubts that gluten could cause such an extreme reaction. Its hard to believe!
A friend recommended that I see a local doctor who specialized in nutrition. He told me that the test that the pediatrician gave Henry would not be reliable since he was already gluten free. He instead recommended a genetic test because he also suspected Celiac. To have Celiac, you need specific genes. Gluten is the trigger for this autoimmune disease. The results of this test showed that he had the 2 main Celiac genes (his brothers do as well). This puts them at a 16x higher risk than the rest of the general population. That combined with his reaction to gluten landed him a Celiac diagnosis. To cover all bases, I saw a second integrative doctor who confirmed the diagnosis. We were indeed dealing with Celiac Disease.
The nutritionist also encouraged me to do an allergy blood test at Any Lab Test now through Meridian Valley Labs. This was a superior test to what an allergist would give him. It tested for multiple kinds of allergic reactions for 190 foods. I was doubtful. Food allergies? I was uneducated about food allergies. He didn't get hives. He never had breathing issues. I had no idea that allergies and intolerances could present themselves in many different ways. Finally, I took the test because I had nothing to lose. As I waited for the results, I kept a food journal and started becoming suspicious of eggs, dairy, and soy.
When the results came back in, I was shocked. 17 food allergies total including beef, eggs, casein/dairy, chili powder, garlic (his highest!) and coriander. There is a theory that when you have celiac (and the leaky gut that accompanies it), food particles enter the bloodstream and your body makes antibodies to fight these "invaders". My nutritionist told me to remove these foods for 3 months and then reintroduce them one at a time to look for reactions. While its true that we may have some false positives on the test, I have observed strong behavioral reactions to garlic and beef in particular and these reactions last for days!!!
I removed these foods about a month ago. It has certainly been a difficult lifestyle change, but Henry is 100% better. Any tantrum he has is normal and thankfully rare. He has control. Most importantly, he no longer hurts.
It has been surreal to witness food having such an impact on the brain. I can honestly say that I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it firsthand. Friends and family didn't seem to really understand what was happening and assumed we were exaggerating the situation. There is a lot of skepticism behind eating gluten free. I can tell you that not only has it changed Henry's life completely, but my brain works better without gluten too! Although eating gluten is detrimental to a Celiac, I truly believe that it is not good for anyone.
The experience changed the way I look at food. Food is powerful. Every food that goes in your body is either helping it or hurting it. Through all of my research, I can tell you that there are many common behavioral issues and conditions that can be FIXED with dietary changes. For this reason, I am switching to a pediatrician that focuses on causes of illness and nutrition, instead of just prescribing a pill to treat the symptoms. If I wouldn't have figured out the cause of his problems, a doctor would have eventually labeled him and put him on drugs. I have no doubt in my mind. Doctors should search for the cause of symptoms, test appropriately, address diet and potential intolerances and LISTEN to the parents. The children in this country are facing terrible health problems and I can promise you that this is one of the many reasons. If your doctor doesn't take your concerns seriously and isn't educated about nutrition, move on. FYI, a year after requesting the vitamin deficiency test for Henry, I had one done for him on my own. There were 4 deficiencies that we had to address. A parent must always question their doctors. It is our ultimate responsibility to keep our children healthy. Never entrust another human to exclusively do that.
The biggest point that I wanted to drive home to parents is that there are many types of allergic reactions and they present themselves in many ways, not just hives or anaphylaxis. If your child has issues with aggression, focus, severe mood swings, hyperactivity, etc, get the right tests done and start experimenting. It could change their life and you have nothing to lose. In fact, its your duty to do so as a parent.
Although we can't really go to dinner anymore or eat whatever we want, our entire family is healthier because of this experience. And I have my sweet angel back.
When my son, Henry, and his twin brother were 14 months old, the tantrums began. It was a little sooner than "average" but I assumed that was just due to having 3 boys ages 3 and under. Less Mommy to go around! Henry is an emotional little boy. When he was born, he cried the loudest scream that anyone had ever heard. When he was mad, everyone on the block knew it! He is also incredibly sweet and sensitive. If someone cries, he cries too. If someone is hurt, he is there to comfort. He adores cats, dogs, babies, baby dolls, and stuffed animals. He even tucks his animals in each night with a kiss and a sip of water. He was already developing empathy at the age of 2. His sweetness and kind spirit truly make him one in a million. When his tantrums began to escalate, I assumed that it was just because he was my emotional child.
However, as time went on, it was clear to me that the tantrums were abnormal. My google research had me convinced and terrified that he had psychological issues, bipolar, even schizophrenia. We were having many days with three 2-hour tantrums. It had become the norm. Nothing could stop his screaming. Nothing. It was very clear to me that he had no control over what was happening in his body. I would ask him why he was so upset. He would sob with his head in his hands and say "I don't know". I believed him. He really didn't know. I brought this up at a checkup with his pediatrician. She stared at my blankly and shrugged it off as him just being a toddler. I pushed for a vitamin deficiency test because I knew deficiencies could cause abnormal tantrums. She talked me out of it because he appeared to be healthy. I knew deep down that she was wrong. My pediatrician was useless to me in this situation.
Leaving our house became nearly impossible. Our family's quality of life was plummeting because we had to endure hours of screaming, toys flying through the air, biting, hitting and pictures getting knocked off the wall. My husband and I were both punched in the face a few times. I called these his "episodes". They were psychotic. I felt like I was dealing with a mental patient. Although impossible, he needed to be restrained for his own protection sometimes. I would cry in desperation. It wasn't really because of the insanity of our household. I knew something was wrong with my child and I couldn't fix it. He needed tests, but which tests?? I researched every possible mental disturbance that could cause this and nothing quite fit. His normal personality was very laid back. He was developing normally. He had a strong immune system and no other health issues. I was just doing my best to weather the storm and hope that it would get better. I continued to research but I had no answers. All I had was my mother's intuition telling me that something was wrong and he needed me to help.
At long last, I started to unravel the mystery. Although I don't like to medicate my children, I would give Henry ibuprofen when the tantrums were extreme. Within 10 - 15 minutes, his tantrum would always stop. He would snap out of it completely. It happened too many times to be a coincidence. This was my biggest clue. Something was causing him pain or inflammation. I had no doubt in my mind at that point.
My first thought was gluten. Around this time I read a mother's blog who had my same issue with her little girl. She removed gluten and got her child back. I started researching and found tho same story from other parents. I cleared the pantry of all gluten as an experiment. Within 48 hours, we saw a positive change in him. Within 2 weeks, things were 90% better. I will never forget when his swim teacher asked me "Who is this new child???"
While he was 90% better, that wasn't good enough. While the tantrums were much less frequent, he would still have some episodes that were not normal. Since his reaction to gluten was so strong, I suspected Celiac Disease instead of gluten intolerance. I asked his pediatrician to test and she did. It was negative. I was shocked by the result but accepted it. However, I was still in search of why we would still have fits of rage. I reintroduced gluten in small amounts and the result was always horrendous tantrums. I should have never even tried it, but I still had my doubts that gluten could cause such an extreme reaction. Its hard to believe!
A friend recommended that I see a local doctor who specialized in nutrition. He told me that the test that the pediatrician gave Henry would not be reliable since he was already gluten free. He instead recommended a genetic test because he also suspected Celiac. To have Celiac, you need specific genes. Gluten is the trigger for this autoimmune disease. The results of this test showed that he had the 2 main Celiac genes (his brothers do as well). This puts them at a 16x higher risk than the rest of the general population. That combined with his reaction to gluten landed him a Celiac diagnosis. To cover all bases, I saw a second integrative doctor who confirmed the diagnosis. We were indeed dealing with Celiac Disease.
The nutritionist also encouraged me to do an allergy blood test at Any Lab Test now through Meridian Valley Labs. This was a superior test to what an allergist would give him. It tested for multiple kinds of allergic reactions for 190 foods. I was doubtful. Food allergies? I was uneducated about food allergies. He didn't get hives. He never had breathing issues. I had no idea that allergies and intolerances could present themselves in many different ways. Finally, I took the test because I had nothing to lose. As I waited for the results, I kept a food journal and started becoming suspicious of eggs, dairy, and soy.
When the results came back in, I was shocked. 17 food allergies total including beef, eggs, casein/dairy, chili powder, garlic (his highest!) and coriander. There is a theory that when you have celiac (and the leaky gut that accompanies it), food particles enter the bloodstream and your body makes antibodies to fight these "invaders". My nutritionist told me to remove these foods for 3 months and then reintroduce them one at a time to look for reactions. While its true that we may have some false positives on the test, I have observed strong behavioral reactions to garlic and beef in particular and these reactions last for days!!!
I removed these foods about a month ago. It has certainly been a difficult lifestyle change, but Henry is 100% better. Any tantrum he has is normal and thankfully rare. He has control. Most importantly, he no longer hurts.
It has been surreal to witness food having such an impact on the brain. I can honestly say that I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it firsthand. Friends and family didn't seem to really understand what was happening and assumed we were exaggerating the situation. There is a lot of skepticism behind eating gluten free. I can tell you that not only has it changed Henry's life completely, but my brain works better without gluten too! Although eating gluten is detrimental to a Celiac, I truly believe that it is not good for anyone.
The experience changed the way I look at food. Food is powerful. Every food that goes in your body is either helping it or hurting it. Through all of my research, I can tell you that there are many common behavioral issues and conditions that can be FIXED with dietary changes. For this reason, I am switching to a pediatrician that focuses on causes of illness and nutrition, instead of just prescribing a pill to treat the symptoms. If I wouldn't have figured out the cause of his problems, a doctor would have eventually labeled him and put him on drugs. I have no doubt in my mind. Doctors should search for the cause of symptoms, test appropriately, address diet and potential intolerances and LISTEN to the parents. The children in this country are facing terrible health problems and I can promise you that this is one of the many reasons. If your doctor doesn't take your concerns seriously and isn't educated about nutrition, move on. FYI, a year after requesting the vitamin deficiency test for Henry, I had one done for him on my own. There were 4 deficiencies that we had to address. A parent must always question their doctors. It is our ultimate responsibility to keep our children healthy. Never entrust another human to exclusively do that.
The biggest point that I wanted to drive home to parents is that there are many types of allergic reactions and they present themselves in many ways, not just hives or anaphylaxis. If your child has issues with aggression, focus, severe mood swings, hyperactivity, etc, get the right tests done and start experimenting. It could change their life and you have nothing to lose. In fact, its your duty to do so as a parent.
Although we can't really go to dinner anymore or eat whatever we want, our entire family is healthier because of this experience. And I have my sweet angel back.
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