While reading Doomed to Fail: The built-in Defects of American Education by Paul A. Zoch I came across this quote from William James,
"The Sovereign source of melancholy is repletion. Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us; Our hour of triumph is what brings the void."
This quote really illuminates the recent exponential explosion of need for anti-depressants in our society, doesn't it? We are a society that spends our time and money striving to eliminate struggle in all things, and in nothing moreso than education. Challenge and rigor are dirty words used by elitist, sadomasochist families who want to live vicariously through their children instead of letting them languish their way into a media-soaked, consumptive frenzy of ignorance, depression, and unhappiness like everyone else...right?
-EH
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
"The Science Museum from Hell"-- no, excuse my characteristic hyperbole, ..."The Science Museum from a Third-World Country"
I am not sure I have the heart to complete this post, so full of woe am I.
We finally went to the local Science museum, Insights. I had been bugging my husband to go with us since last year.
I refused to go without him because I pictured some big, modern museum with a days worth of fun science stuff to see and do.
BIG dissapointment.
Very Bad.
It was one room, think HS gym. VB. About 12 broken exhibits, some not plugged in, dirty, non-functioning,. I am so upset by this I can not even speak in coherent sentences but must ramble on without punctuation and interject Bridget-Jonesish abbreviations (VB.VVB.)
Apparantly they were working with a budget somewhere in the negative numbers, so I won't be too harsh on the poor state of their displays, the disorganization, the broken exhibits, missing puzzle peices, peeling paint, or piles of wood and other random debris. But maybe they could *try* to hire someone who knows more about science than my 7 year old? That would have been nice.
(sigh)
It is rare for me to long for my childhood home in PA, but this really did it. I wanted to hop directly on a plane and take my kids to the Franklin Institute.
(double sigh)
They had some fun, though. Just like they have fun playing with a bucket of mud or a unrolling a roll of toilet paper.
Thosethings have more science to them, though.
Oh yeah and they don't cost twenty bucks plus gas.
(sigh)
We finally went to the local Science museum, Insights. I had been bugging my husband to go with us since last year.
I refused to go without him because I pictured some big, modern museum with a days worth of fun science stuff to see and do.
BIG dissapointment.
Very Bad.
It was one room, think HS gym. VB. About 12 broken exhibits, some not plugged in, dirty, non-functioning,. I am so upset by this I can not even speak in coherent sentences but must ramble on without punctuation and interject Bridget-Jonesish abbreviations (VB.VVB.)
Apparantly they were working with a budget somewhere in the negative numbers, so I won't be too harsh on the poor state of their displays, the disorganization, the broken exhibits, missing puzzle peices, peeling paint, or piles of wood and other random debris. But maybe they could *try* to hire someone who knows more about science than my 7 year old? That would have been nice.
(sigh)
It is rare for me to long for my childhood home in PA, but this really did it. I wanted to hop directly on a plane and take my kids to the Franklin Institute.
(double sigh)
They had some fun, though. Just like they have fun playing with a bucket of mud or a unrolling a roll of toilet paper.
Thosethings have more science to them, though.
Oh yeah and they don't cost twenty bucks plus gas.
(sigh)
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Song of Longing, or The Broken Goodwill Piano
I am a goodwill-junkie.
My junk-of-choice is books, and our goodwill gets a terrific selection of teacher and homeschool cast-offs, so several times a month you will find me at my local goodwill scavenging like a crack-addict bag-lady searching for old smack in a dumpster.
This is hysterically ironic to me since I distinctly remember the grade-school taunts about the ultra-uncoolness of such places, and the shame associated with a family member allegedly seen frequenting such a house of ill-repute.
(Where's you get that shirt, the goodwill? I saw your Mom at the goodwill last night, she was buying you underwear! was particularly cutting.)
But as in everything else, my brainwashing must have went askew because I love going there with a passion that might embarrass some of you more religious types.
Mmm.
Cheap books. Er, exuse me a moment...
I just need to...
uh......
...
Where was I?
Ah.
So I head to visit mi amor, la tienda, on Friday, sans kiddos since DH is around for once, and lo and behold they had a ....
dum-da-da-dum...
piano.
Now my piano covetousness goes back at least 20 years, but had lain dormant until that very moment.
Now I needed a piano. I could wait no longer. My children MUST have musical education starting NOW and it must, must , must include a piano.
Any piano.
This particular piano was most likely found in the bulk garbage pickup from some seedy 70's strip club deep in Juarez or something, it was sporting at least one broken key, and acres of tawdry graffiti, carvings, scratches, and neglect.
Did that stem my unholy piano-lust?
Good news/Bad news
The good news is they WAY overpriced it and I haven't been able to talk my husband into buying it.
The bad news is they WAY overpriced it and I haven't been able to talk my husband into buying it.
(sigh)
-EH
My junk-of-choice is books, and our goodwill gets a terrific selection of teacher and homeschool cast-offs, so several times a month you will find me at my local goodwill scavenging like a crack-addict bag-lady searching for old smack in a dumpster.
This is hysterically ironic to me since I distinctly remember the grade-school taunts about the ultra-uncoolness of such places, and the shame associated with a family member allegedly seen frequenting such a house of ill-repute.
(Where's you get that shirt, the goodwill? I saw your Mom at the goodwill last night, she was buying you underwear! was particularly cutting.)
But as in everything else, my brainwashing must have went askew because I love going there with a passion that might embarrass some of you more religious types.
Mmm.
Cheap books. Er, exuse me a moment...
I just need to...
uh......
...
Where was I?
Ah.
So I head to visit mi amor, la tienda, on Friday, sans kiddos since DH is around for once, and lo and behold they had a ....
dum-da-da-dum...
piano.
Now my piano covetousness goes back at least 20 years, but had lain dormant until that very moment.
Now I needed a piano. I could wait no longer. My children MUST have musical education starting NOW and it must, must , must include a piano.
Any piano.
This particular piano was most likely found in the bulk garbage pickup from some seedy 70's strip club deep in Juarez or something, it was sporting at least one broken key, and acres of tawdry graffiti, carvings, scratches, and neglect.
Did that stem my unholy piano-lust?
Good news/Bad news
The good news is they WAY overpriced it and I haven't been able to talk my husband into buying it.
The bad news is they WAY overpriced it and I haven't been able to talk my husband into buying it.
(sigh)
-EH
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Zen and the Art of Homeschool Maintenance Subtitle: Dealing with Distraction Sub-subtitle: Daddy's home
We are running a full curriculum even with Distraction-Daddy lounging on the couch, interjecting peanut gallery-esqe commentary, flying paper airplanes, and generally making a nuisance of himself to get attention.
Or, okay, I guess I should say we are trying to.
Ssgt eccentric, the airborne ranger /formerUS Marine is used to commandeering the attention of all and sundry when he comes to town, which all too seldom these last few years, thanks to Dubya. So he has had to make an adjustment now that the kids are busy at least until lunch. They're not babies anymore. Even if we weren't homeschooling they'd be off all day somewhere, not paying court to him. It's hard for me sometimes to acknowledge how much they've grown and I see them every day. He's been averaging a few times a year.
No, we are not divorced.
Yes, it is very, very hard.
The last few times he was home on leave we stopped lessons completely, we were already far ahead and the kids were so young still I didn't stress, but since he is home for almost a month this time I made the executive decision that we could not afford to miss a month of time.
We are planning a bunch of field trips for this month, science museum, Cattle ranch that has a petting zoo with a buffalo & a fancy restaurant, Duck races...These sorts of things are much better when Dad is around to help with logistics, but otherwise we will continue as if he isn't there, or try to at least.
It has been beyond bizarre to teach with someone watching.
I imagine this must be how the PS teachers feel when the principal comes in to "observe". It becomes even more difficult since my husband was not too keen on the homeschooling thing to begin with, even less keen on the amounts of money I spend (and always have since they were babies) on learning stuff, so I was very nervous he would he harsh or critical or even nag me to send them back to school.
He isn't an education-savvy guy either, more Homer Simpson than Homer if you get my drift, even though he is a very intelligent man (I suspect public school dumbed him down quite a bit) and I wasn't sure how he would react to our kids following such a rigorous and, well, somewhat classical curriculum.
I was afraid he's think that memorizing poetry, diagramming sentences, or learning Latin was a waste of time.
I was afraid he would be upset at how much money I have put into our supplies, our curriculum.
I thought he might try to put me on a tighter budget and I had armored myself to argue, to plea, to persuade.
All for nothing.
After watching us quietly for three days he said, "When you first told me you were going to homeschool I didn't like it. I thought it was weird, that the kids would end up...I don't know, weird, I guess. But now that I have watched you do it, and I can actually SEE what the kids can do...well, they are already weird, and you're weird, so they would end up weird in any case. And the stuff you teach them, it's amazing and they really enjoy it! Well, I am damn impressed, you are doing a hell of a job. They sure as hell wouldn't be learning that in public school, and even if they were I know for a fact they wouldn't like it."
So instead of the principal trying to fire me or cut my payroll, he surprised me with a beautiful, brand new, shiny black Chrysler Town and Country minivan with a DVD player!
I had told myself that it didn't matter what he thought, that I knew I was doing the right thing, but it was so nice to have validation (oh yeah, and a new car) from him.
Hurray, I get to keep my job. Now if only I could get that sexy principal to harrass me.
-EH
Or, okay, I guess I should say we are trying to.
Ssgt eccentric, the airborne ranger /formerUS Marine is used to commandeering the attention of all and sundry when he comes to town, which all too seldom these last few years, thanks to Dubya. So he has had to make an adjustment now that the kids are busy at least until lunch. They're not babies anymore. Even if we weren't homeschooling they'd be off all day somewhere, not paying court to him. It's hard for me sometimes to acknowledge how much they've grown and I see them every day. He's been averaging a few times a year.
No, we are not divorced.
Yes, it is very, very hard.
The last few times he was home on leave we stopped lessons completely, we were already far ahead and the kids were so young still I didn't stress, but since he is home for almost a month this time I made the executive decision that we could not afford to miss a month of time.
We are planning a bunch of field trips for this month, science museum, Cattle ranch that has a petting zoo with a buffalo & a fancy restaurant, Duck races...These sorts of things are much better when Dad is around to help with logistics, but otherwise we will continue as if he isn't there, or try to at least.
It has been beyond bizarre to teach with someone watching.
I imagine this must be how the PS teachers feel when the principal comes in to "observe". It becomes even more difficult since my husband was not too keen on the homeschooling thing to begin with, even less keen on the amounts of money I spend (and always have since they were babies) on learning stuff, so I was very nervous he would he harsh or critical or even nag me to send them back to school.
He isn't an education-savvy guy either, more Homer Simpson than Homer if you get my drift, even though he is a very intelligent man (I suspect public school dumbed him down quite a bit) and I wasn't sure how he would react to our kids following such a rigorous and, well, somewhat classical curriculum.
I was afraid he's think that memorizing poetry, diagramming sentences, or learning Latin was a waste of time.
I was afraid he would be upset at how much money I have put into our supplies, our curriculum.
I thought he might try to put me on a tighter budget and I had armored myself to argue, to plea, to persuade.
All for nothing.
After watching us quietly for three days he said, "When you first told me you were going to homeschool I didn't like it. I thought it was weird, that the kids would end up...I don't know, weird, I guess. But now that I have watched you do it, and I can actually SEE what the kids can do...well, they are already weird, and you're weird, so they would end up weird in any case. And the stuff you teach them, it's amazing and they really enjoy it! Well, I am damn impressed, you are doing a hell of a job. They sure as hell wouldn't be learning that in public school, and even if they were I know for a fact they wouldn't like it."
So instead of the principal trying to fire me or cut my payroll, he surprised me with a beautiful, brand new, shiny black Chrysler Town and Country minivan with a DVD player!
I had told myself that it didn't matter what he thought, that I knew I was doing the right thing, but it was so nice to have validation (oh yeah, and a new car) from him.
Hurray, I get to keep my job. Now if only I could get that sexy principal to harrass me.
-EH
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Mr. Toad's wild escape
Our first week of school progressed smoothly, Dodo was pleased with some of the new additions (Challenge math) and especially the subtractions (I promised we would only need to make one polished final written writing assignment per month, instead of polishing all of our Writing Strands Assignments, as long as she practices proofreading and revising on all the roughs. She cheered this news and I felt a pang of remorse for pushing her a little too much last year on her writing.)
And then, disaster struck...
Mr Toad, our firebelly friend and companion to our newly morphed frogs dissapeared from our tank sometime on Thursday night. He was bigger than the other two, and there is no way he was eaten, so that means he must have found a way out of the tank. He is so small (2") that we had no hope of finding him, even though we spent a good hour and a half trying, and it is unlikely that he could survive long outside the aquarium, especially as we are in the desert and he needs a high level of humidity to breathe.
We only had him a short time, so the kids were upset but not too devastated, but it was a sad day for all.
On Saturday we had our bimonthly trip to PetSmart for crickets (And boy, oh boy do my kids love PetSmart day). Ughabugha ran directly over to the Firebelly tank, which had been empty the last few trips, and became very excitedto see a few swimming around in there.
She hopped around and squealed, "See, Belly toad! I tole you belly toad get out! Belly toad go crickets!"
Scote gave her a sad, lopsided smile and said, "Ugha, Belly toads can't drive, you know." and Dodo said, "Yeah and besides, even if they could I think they would get arrested."
~EH
And then, disaster struck...
Mr Toad, our firebelly friend and companion to our newly morphed frogs dissapeared from our tank sometime on Thursday night. He was bigger than the other two, and there is no way he was eaten, so that means he must have found a way out of the tank. He is so small (2") that we had no hope of finding him, even though we spent a good hour and a half trying, and it is unlikely that he could survive long outside the aquarium, especially as we are in the desert and he needs a high level of humidity to breathe.
We only had him a short time, so the kids were upset but not too devastated, but it was a sad day for all.
On Saturday we had our bimonthly trip to PetSmart for crickets (And boy, oh boy do my kids love PetSmart day). Ughabugha ran directly over to the Firebelly tank, which had been empty the last few trips, and became very excitedto see a few swimming around in there.
She hopped around and squealed, "See, Belly toad! I tole you belly toad get out! Belly toad go crickets!"
Scote gave her a sad, lopsided smile and said, "Ugha, Belly toads can't drive, you know." and Dodo said, "Yeah and besides, even if they could I think they would get arrested."
~EH
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Back to...home?
We officially began our new school year on Monday, insanely early when compared with the mid-September date I always went back to school, but that's how they do it around here so we go along. I can still remember mornings waiting for the bus, September air at 6 am was downright frosty in the near-dark, my breath already misting up through the air...or was that just a ribbon of smoke curling from my belligerent teenaged mouth? Difficult to know for sure. Could have been both.
My smoking days lie long behind me, and thankfully so do those years of busy work and angst, but its that time of year again. Back to school. Sure we "school" through the summer, and weekends pretty nearly meet unschooling criteria, even as babies we were a "learning all the time" family, but it is totally relaxed (as in "we are already ahead so I don't have to worry, we can do whatever we want, so lets sleep in and watch educational movies all day in our pajamas") but now it's the *real* thing. We only did about 5 months last year, so this will be our first full school year. I also know we are in for a major upheaval when we move to Lousiana in November, so I want to get a good start before we have to be packing and whatnot.
Sunday I posted our new "schedule" which more aptly would be called a book, since each page shows an overview of one subject for the week, I found this was easier to follow than trying to shove everything onto one page.
Here she is:
Math
Monday: Textbook work + Mental Math Kids can't resist
Tuesday: Problem Solving (Primarily Math gifted problem solving unit, then when we finish that book we start No Problem! more advanced problem solving strategies.
Wednesday: Text + Mental Math
Thursday: math games
Friday: Enrichment math (Primary Grade Challenge Math)
Scote's K-1
Tuesday: workbook
wednesday: games
Friday: Enrichment Math (G&T series for 1st grade)
Language Arts (reading first thing everyday but that isn't on here, its understood and happens before and while I make breakfast, when we are still in PJs, plus I read aloud 45min each night)
Monday: Spelltime, Writing Strands 3(I think she's made her peace with it, she especially liked her first new assignment since the beginning of the summer, which had to be about a person playing tricks and getting caught.)
Tuesday: Grammar (Rod and Staff 3)
Wednesday: Word Roots, analogies ( once we get something new since she says "Analogies for Beginners" is "Lame enough for UghaBug" and does them in five seconds while rolling her eyes), or Wordly Wise
Thursday: Grammar from Rod &Staff 3+ dictation
Friday:Spelling Test, Writing Strands
Scote
Phonics (mostly planned by me but some OPGTTR) Mondays and Fridays
Grammar from First Language Lessons For the Well-Trained Mind Wednesdays
Guided Reading Tues/Thurs
Between the Lions 1/2 hour daily
Social Studies
Monday: History (classical, see The Well-Trained Mind)
Tuesday:Geography
Wednesday: History
Thursday: History
Friday: Yep, more history. She really loves it, she bugged me all summer to do more history.
Scote
Tuesdays: America Journal
Thursdays: Maps and Geography
Sometimes he listens and participates in reg History Lessons too, if he wants
Sciences
Monday: Lentil Science
Tuesday:Biology
Wednesday:Lentil Science
Thursaday: Biology Video or DVD
Friday: Observations, experiments, or Journals
Scote
same
Computers
Monday: Free choice (of my preselected software)
Tuesday: Rosetta Stone Latin
Wednesday:Free choice
Thursday: Rosetta Stone Latin
Friday: Logical Journey of the Zoombinis
Scote
Free choice M,T,W
Between the Lions PBS kids website games on Thursaday
and Zoombinis with Dodo on Fridays
Handwriting
Monday:Free day (since we do writing strands)
Tuesday: HWT Cursive (about 5 pages left in the first book, then onto "cursive success"
Wednesday: Draw Write Now
Thursday: HWT cursive
Friday: free day (see above)
Scote
Monday: writing his full name (our last is a doozy) worksheets
Wednesday: Draw Write Now with Dodo
Friday: HWT print
Logic, critical thinking, and other enrichment
Monday: Mindbenders (finish last 1/4 of warm up and move onto A1)
Tuesday:CPS for Kids
Wednesday: Creativity (Mind in Motion, Primarily Creativity, or Scamper)
Thursday: Puzzles and games
Friday:Zoombinis
Scote
Puzzles and games
Friday: Zoombinis
Fine Arts
Monday:Music Appreciation:classical
Tuesday:Music Appreciation:fun
Wednesday: Drawing
Thursday: Music Appreciation :classical
Friday: Art Project
Seems like so much, but she seems to thrive on it. We do alot of enrichment-esque stuff because she swallows the regular curriculm whole and I have no desire to see her in college at 12. Twice a week on math skills and she's still three years ahead, not to mention reading. So we're doing deeper, more fun math. I tried to keep Scote's light. No matter how bright he is, he is still only 4 (until the 31st at least). He also makes up his own stuff to do and has appointed himself as Ugha's PreK teacher.
Dodo ran right over when I hung up the schedule on Sunday, read through it and exclaimed "Horray, a real schedule! I was wondering when we could do that again. Can we wake up early too so we'll have more time or are you going to waste the whole morning drinking coffee and reading email? Oh and can we go through the pages in order and make check marks?"
I hadn't even thought of that. I wanted to pretend to be "winging it", going through however we wanted as if the thought of doing those subjects had just miraculously occurred to us. Drat. Now she is all hyped about a different color check for each subject and is devising a sticker chart for her brother. I wouldn't be suprised if she wants to sleep with the thing tonight.
It must have been that 1/2 a year in pulic school that ruined her. Oh well, at least I didn't put page numbersor actual assignments on there or I'd have to accept the darned thing as my future son-in-law.
Viva la schedule, (sigh).
I warned you we were a family of freaks.
~EH
My smoking days lie long behind me, and thankfully so do those years of busy work and angst, but its that time of year again. Back to school. Sure we "school" through the summer, and weekends pretty nearly meet unschooling criteria, even as babies we were a "learning all the time" family, but it is totally relaxed (as in "we are already ahead so I don't have to worry, we can do whatever we want, so lets sleep in and watch educational movies all day in our pajamas") but now it's the *real* thing. We only did about 5 months last year, so this will be our first full school year. I also know we are in for a major upheaval when we move to Lousiana in November, so I want to get a good start before we have to be packing and whatnot.
Sunday I posted our new "schedule" which more aptly would be called a book, since each page shows an overview of one subject for the week, I found this was easier to follow than trying to shove everything onto one page.
Here she is:
Math
Monday: Textbook work + Mental Math Kids can't resist
Tuesday: Problem Solving (Primarily Math gifted problem solving unit, then when we finish that book we start No Problem! more advanced problem solving strategies.
Wednesday: Text + Mental Math
Thursday: math games
Friday: Enrichment math (Primary Grade Challenge Math)
Scote's K-1
Tuesday: workbook
wednesday: games
Friday: Enrichment Math (G&T series for 1st grade)
Language Arts (reading first thing everyday but that isn't on here, its understood and happens before and while I make breakfast, when we are still in PJs, plus I read aloud 45min each night)
Monday: Spelltime, Writing Strands 3(I think she's made her peace with it, she especially liked her first new assignment since the beginning of the summer, which had to be about a person playing tricks and getting caught.)
Tuesday: Grammar (Rod and Staff 3)
Wednesday: Word Roots, analogies ( once we get something new since she says "Analogies for Beginners" is "Lame enough for UghaBug" and does them in five seconds while rolling her eyes), or Wordly Wise
Thursday: Grammar from Rod &Staff 3+ dictation
Friday:Spelling Test, Writing Strands
Scote
Phonics (mostly planned by me but some OPGTTR) Mondays and Fridays
Grammar from First Language Lessons For the Well-Trained Mind Wednesdays
Guided Reading Tues/Thurs
Between the Lions 1/2 hour daily
Social Studies
Monday: History (classical, see The Well-Trained Mind)
Tuesday:Geography
Wednesday: History
Thursday: History
Friday: Yep, more history. She really loves it, she bugged me all summer to do more history.
Scote
Tuesdays: America Journal
Thursdays: Maps and Geography
Sometimes he listens and participates in reg History Lessons too, if he wants
Sciences
Monday: Lentil Science
Tuesday:Biology
Wednesday:Lentil Science
Thursaday: Biology Video or DVD
Friday: Observations, experiments, or Journals
Scote
same
Computers
Monday: Free choice (of my preselected software)
Tuesday: Rosetta Stone Latin
Wednesday:Free choice
Thursday: Rosetta Stone Latin
Friday: Logical Journey of the Zoombinis
Scote
Free choice M,T,W
Between the Lions PBS kids website games on Thursaday
and Zoombinis with Dodo on Fridays
Handwriting
Monday:Free day (since we do writing strands)
Tuesday: HWT Cursive (about 5 pages left in the first book, then onto "cursive success"
Wednesday: Draw Write Now
Thursday: HWT cursive
Friday: free day (see above)
Scote
Monday: writing his full name (our last is a doozy) worksheets
Wednesday: Draw Write Now with Dodo
Friday: HWT print
Logic, critical thinking, and other enrichment
Monday: Mindbenders (finish last 1/4 of warm up and move onto A1)
Tuesday:CPS for Kids
Wednesday: Creativity (Mind in Motion, Primarily Creativity, or Scamper)
Thursday: Puzzles and games
Friday:Zoombinis
Scote
Puzzles and games
Friday: Zoombinis
Fine Arts
Monday:Music Appreciation:classical
Tuesday:Music Appreciation:fun
Wednesday: Drawing
Thursday: Music Appreciation :classical
Friday: Art Project
Seems like so much, but she seems to thrive on it. We do alot of enrichment-esque stuff because she swallows the regular curriculm whole and I have no desire to see her in college at 12. Twice a week on math skills and she's still three years ahead, not to mention reading. So we're doing deeper, more fun math. I tried to keep Scote's light. No matter how bright he is, he is still only 4 (until the 31st at least). He also makes up his own stuff to do and has appointed himself as Ugha's PreK teacher.
Dodo ran right over when I hung up the schedule on Sunday, read through it and exclaimed "Horray, a real schedule! I was wondering when we could do that again. Can we wake up early too so we'll have more time or are you going to waste the whole morning drinking coffee and reading email? Oh and can we go through the pages in order and make check marks?"
I hadn't even thought of that. I wanted to pretend to be "winging it", going through however we wanted as if the thought of doing those subjects had just miraculously occurred to us. Drat. Now she is all hyped about a different color check for each subject and is devising a sticker chart for her brother. I wouldn't be suprised if she wants to sleep with the thing tonight.
It must have been that 1/2 a year in pulic school that ruined her. Oh well, at least I didn't put page numbersor actual assignments on there or I'd have to accept the darned thing as my future son-in-law.
Viva la schedule, (sigh).
I warned you we were a family of freaks.
~EH
Friday, August 05, 2005
Top Ten Signs Your Child's First-Grade Teacher just may be a Moron
10. She says things like "When they ask me a question and I don't know the answer to it, I just laugh. They are so darn little and CUTE, and besides everyone knows kids just ask questions to get attention. Why, Why, why. So cute. They don't really want the answers, they just get so excited and want to talk. Maybe I should give them a sticker for stumping me or something. Lot of stickers, though. They're expensive. Hahaha."
9. She thinks pedagogy is what Michael Jackson does with HIS kids.
8. When your first grader's home spelling-study list has the word "mitt" on it spelled like this, "MIT" and the teacher laughes uproariously when you tell her it's wrong...and still tests them on the incorrect spelling saying, "They won't remember it anyway."
7. Her glazed/vacant expression whenever you ask her about her "methods" .
6. "I hate math. I actually became a teacher so I wouldn't have to take advanced math." Shivers. "I force the kids to do it, of course! We work so hard in here, even when its boring and useless."
5. At Fall open house she says, "This group is way better than last year's. Most of them had no grasp of phonics even by the end of the year!"
4. You ask detailed questions about the school's new much-hyped reading program and she shrugs and says "Well, it's new." by way of answer.
3. You ask about a crypticly vague report card comment and she admits she copies them from a "terrific" book of sample comments she had in college.
2. She thinks "multiculturalism" means changing "sit indian style" to "Let's all sit like the proud native american braves do while they wear their cute feathers."
1. She gives advice like, "Work on reading skills! Practice Skipping!! These children really MUST master skipping before they can learn to read . Oh, and have them crawl through tunnels to practice focusing their eyes." Yeah, parents, WHATEVER you do don't actually read to them. Saint Legume forbid. That makes too much sense.
-EH
9. She thinks pedagogy is what Michael Jackson does with HIS kids.
8. When your first grader's home spelling-study list has the word "mitt" on it spelled like this, "MIT" and the teacher laughes uproariously when you tell her it's wrong...and still tests them on the incorrect spelling saying, "They won't remember it anyway."
7. Her glazed/vacant expression whenever you ask her about her "methods" .
6. "I hate math. I actually became a teacher so I wouldn't have to take advanced math." Shivers. "I force the kids to do it, of course! We work so hard in here, even when its boring and useless."
5. At Fall open house she says, "This group is way better than last year's. Most of them had no grasp of phonics even by the end of the year!"
4. You ask detailed questions about the school's new much-hyped reading program and she shrugs and says "Well, it's new." by way of answer.
3. You ask about a crypticly vague report card comment and she admits she copies them from a "terrific" book of sample comments she had in college.
2. She thinks "multiculturalism" means changing "sit indian style" to "Let's all sit like the proud native american braves do while they wear their cute feathers."
1. She gives advice like, "Work on reading skills! Practice Skipping!! These children really MUST master skipping before they can learn to read . Oh, and have them crawl through tunnels to practice focusing their eyes." Yeah, parents, WHATEVER you do don't actually read to them. Saint Legume forbid. That makes too much sense.
-EH
The results are in...
Mr. Potato Head
You have your ideal of how things
should look, but you're flexible enough to allow
for change. You are not bothered by changing
methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an
eclectic combination of curriculum sources.
Visit my blog:
http://www.GuiltFreeHomeschooling.blogspot.com
What Type of Homeschooler Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Curriculum Fiend
Why is it that I feel compelled...nay, driven, to spend every last nickel on homeschool stuff?
We are not a wealthy family, not even close. We are a one-income military family, so that should make it clear that in no way can we afford an eighth of the crap that I buy. But I can't help it, it's a sickness, an addiction.
It started so innocently, preparing for my first baby, those eight long years ago. I discovered educational toys, books on child development and parenting, started amassing a collection of my favorite books. Within two years I had enough of that stuff to start a daycare (eventually I DID have a home daycare in Germany, mostly so I could justify my expenses to my husband and so I could network with other daycare providers who also got giddy about cheap montessori materials from Ebay. ) but I didn't stop there.
Oh no.
Homeschooling was the natural progression, even though we did try school for kinder and part of first for dd, and PK for ds. So now the obsession has taken over, the inmate is ruling the asylum, and educational materials have seriously taken over our home, which is rather small. I am looking forward to moving to Fort Polk in November so hopefully I will have room for more bookshelves, which of course will be full within minutes of being assembled, and then I will want a bigger house for more shelves...and on and on. Will it ever end?
Everyone collects something, I suppose.
So while I feel like the worlds biggest freak of nature for spending every possible cent on ant farms and workbooks, is it really that different than those ladies who collect crystal? Or fill their houses with beanie babies or turtle figurines? At least my collections are put to good use. Yes, I am beginning to feel better. I have now rationalized the following (impulse) curricular purchase from Books A Million (I love that store, I buy almost all my new books there, they have great prices and free shipping over 25 bucks),
Vocabulary Boosting Jokes and Riddles by Justin McCory (scholastic)
Writing Like Writers by Kay Johnson
Scamper ( imagination development from Prufrock Press, a favorite publisher of mine)
Poetry a la Carte (also from the above)
CPS for Kids (Creative Problem Solving)
Alphabet Soup (Language arts enrichment)
DRAW WRITE NOW 8 volume set (I got a terrific deal on this, 50 bucks for the set brand new)
Red Hot Root Words Part 1
No Problem! Taking the problem out of problem solving.
Beginning Writing Lab (another prufrock/dandylion book)
Primary Grade Challenge Math
All this is basically enrichment since we are continuing with the following which I bought mid last year when we pulled her out of PS,
GRAMMAR-Rod and Staff Building English, finish 3, I already have 4 waiting( great program if you can handle the Amishy-ness)
MATH-Mastering Mathematics (A complete 1-8 curriculum, we are currently finishing Mastering Multiplication( Bk3 , and will start Defeating Division in about a month or two)
**Primarily Math-problem solving unit for grades 2-4, we are about halfway through
** Scholastic's Mental Math Kids Can't Resist (Note: They can actually resist a little, but a valuable course anyway) about 1/4th left
And Can you Count in Greek? Plus we read alot of books about math and math games software, plus puzzles, Mathterpieces, Penrose the Mathematical Cat, etc. And SHELVES and SHELVES of math games, flash cards, and manipulatives. Some faves- SET game, Moneywise Kids game, Geoboards, Cuisinaire rods, and pegboards.
HISTORY- Story of the World , with Activity Guide (I love the guides, worth every penny)
***many. many library books and movies, Usborne book of World History, and Kingfisher History Encyclopopedia, Timeline (We make a History Scrap Book, it is a really nice for review and as a keepsake. We put photos in and make pop-ups and little interactive pockets and things for some of out activities, along with her narrations, maps, and worksheets from the Activity guide...it is really neat. I highly recommend this program!
SCIENCE-Ongoing observations-newly metamorphed frogs, baby fish (fry), bean shoots, plus finishing a unit on metamorphosis and beginning another unit on Human Anatomy, TOPS Lentil Science (see earlier post), and Dodo's Hogwarts "Potions" Assigments ( FUN Chemistry) and we read a ton of library science books, and videos
ART- Drawing with Children (I give the kids drawing lessons, I am a passable artist if I have something to draw in front of me), and Art is Elementary: Teaching Visual Thinking Through Art Concepts (interesting book, if you can find it) I want to put together a Great Masters art appreciation class but probably won't get it running until next year. I want to use some of the Dover art postcards for some sort of game or flashcards and some nice oversized art books and picture books about art from the library, and maybe that activity book they have (I forgot the name) where the kids make thier own version of famous masterpieces, and Art Fraud Detective...OK I am rambling on this one, moving on...
MUSIC-Music Appreciation (strictly listening and responding this year, I got a great deal on a set of classics, plus Peter and The Wolf)
LANGUAGES-Rosetta Stone Latin (I LOVE LOVE LOVE this for my kids and for me.)
WRITING- Writing Strands 3 (halfway, she doesn't like this one much, complains the whole time, actually, when she mostly loves everything I put together...but she writes a bunch independantly, so I don't push it too hard. Actually I am hoping she will like the Writing Like Writers or Beginning Writing Lab so we can drop this one, even though personally I like it and will be sad to see it go. Maybe next year.)
GEOGRAPHY-myriad magnetic maps, coloring books, games, maps, a globe etc. She's got all the continents and the states down so this year we are going to work on Capitals and Bodies of Water.
CITIZENSHIP-For Scote the Goat he is doing a Kinder America Unit I put together from some pages I found in an old workbook at the goodwill (One of those Comprehensive curriculum throwaways) and Library Books. He does alot of scrapbook projects similar to Dodo's History projects. Dodo herself did an Early America unit beginning of last year, so her citizenship this year is learning American Geography and Some Presidents. We have Kids Learn America and Smart about the Presidents and we collect state quarters.
READING- I would be here all night trying to cover what we do, but it is a LARGE, HUGE, ENORMOUS volume of reading of all kinds and levels, some silent, some guided, some aloud, some independant book projects from Junior Literature Companion and some quizzes a la Accellerated reader online at BookAdventure. We borrow so many books from the library each week that I am bowed over by the weight of the large mesh bag I carry them out in and I get funny looks. Its worth it. We also do a lot of Poetry reading and writing. I have some Junior Great Books collections and some Harcourt Brace third and fourth grade textbooks that she likes to zip through for fun. (good to read some easy stuff for fluency) all this in addition to my own personal library of about 300 picture books and nearly 100 chapter books (newberries, american girls, juvenile literature and faves like the HP series) Scote the Goat is going to start using the Ordinary Parent's Phonic's program, he is already reading some, but I'd like him to learn the phonics throughly. He loves Dick and Jane. He also watches Between the Lions everyday and we sometimes borrow the movies from the library. From time to time give them worksheets from the Gifted and Talented series of workbooks too.
LOGIC- The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis Software (LOVE IT), Mindbenders, Marvelous Mosaics game, tangrams, a set of wooden blocks and wooden marble tracks pieces with marbles, Montessori-esque manipulative puzzles and activities, Primarily analogies, Chess basics
SPELLING-We use a freeware program called Ray's Spelling and Wordgames, which I program with words from her writing or from the Reading Teacher's Book of Lists (Fantastic Resource!! It is FULL of good stuff) and we play alot of scrabble and upwords for fun
HANDWRITING-without tears, cursive for Dodo, beginner printing for Goat
There is actually alot more but this is the stuff we use frequently.
-EH
We are not a wealthy family, not even close. We are a one-income military family, so that should make it clear that in no way can we afford an eighth of the crap that I buy. But I can't help it, it's a sickness, an addiction.
It started so innocently, preparing for my first baby, those eight long years ago. I discovered educational toys, books on child development and parenting, started amassing a collection of my favorite books. Within two years I had enough of that stuff to start a daycare (eventually I DID have a home daycare in Germany, mostly so I could justify my expenses to my husband and so I could network with other daycare providers who also got giddy about cheap montessori materials from Ebay. ) but I didn't stop there.
Oh no.
Homeschooling was the natural progression, even though we did try school for kinder and part of first for dd, and PK for ds. So now the obsession has taken over, the inmate is ruling the asylum, and educational materials have seriously taken over our home, which is rather small. I am looking forward to moving to Fort Polk in November so hopefully I will have room for more bookshelves, which of course will be full within minutes of being assembled, and then I will want a bigger house for more shelves...and on and on. Will it ever end?
Everyone collects something, I suppose.
So while I feel like the worlds biggest freak of nature for spending every possible cent on ant farms and workbooks, is it really that different than those ladies who collect crystal? Or fill their houses with beanie babies or turtle figurines? At least my collections are put to good use. Yes, I am beginning to feel better. I have now rationalized the following (impulse) curricular purchase from Books A Million (I love that store, I buy almost all my new books there, they have great prices and free shipping over 25 bucks),
Vocabulary Boosting Jokes and Riddles by Justin McCory (scholastic)
Writing Like Writers by Kay Johnson
Scamper ( imagination development from Prufrock Press, a favorite publisher of mine)
Poetry a la Carte (also from the above)
CPS for Kids (Creative Problem Solving)
Alphabet Soup (Language arts enrichment)
DRAW WRITE NOW 8 volume set (I got a terrific deal on this, 50 bucks for the set brand new)
Red Hot Root Words Part 1
No Problem! Taking the problem out of problem solving.
Beginning Writing Lab (another prufrock/dandylion book)
Primary Grade Challenge Math
All this is basically enrichment since we are continuing with the following which I bought mid last year when we pulled her out of PS,
GRAMMAR-Rod and Staff Building English, finish 3, I already have 4 waiting( great program if you can handle the Amishy-ness)
MATH-Mastering Mathematics (A complete 1-8 curriculum, we are currently finishing Mastering Multiplication( Bk3 , and will start Defeating Division in about a month or two)
**Primarily Math-problem solving unit for grades 2-4, we are about halfway through
** Scholastic's Mental Math Kids Can't Resist (Note: They can actually resist a little, but a valuable course anyway) about 1/4th left
And Can you Count in Greek? Plus we read alot of books about math and math games software, plus puzzles, Mathterpieces, Penrose the Mathematical Cat, etc. And SHELVES and SHELVES of math games, flash cards, and manipulatives. Some faves- SET game, Moneywise Kids game, Geoboards, Cuisinaire rods, and pegboards.
HISTORY- Story of the World , with Activity Guide (I love the guides, worth every penny)
***many. many library books and movies, Usborne book of World History, and Kingfisher History Encyclopopedia, Timeline (We make a History Scrap Book, it is a really nice for review and as a keepsake. We put photos in and make pop-ups and little interactive pockets and things for some of out activities, along with her narrations, maps, and worksheets from the Activity guide...it is really neat. I highly recommend this program!
SCIENCE-Ongoing observations-newly metamorphed frogs, baby fish (fry), bean shoots, plus finishing a unit on metamorphosis and beginning another unit on Human Anatomy, TOPS Lentil Science (see earlier post), and Dodo's Hogwarts "Potions" Assigments ( FUN Chemistry) and we read a ton of library science books, and videos
ART- Drawing with Children (I give the kids drawing lessons, I am a passable artist if I have something to draw in front of me), and Art is Elementary: Teaching Visual Thinking Through Art Concepts (interesting book, if you can find it) I want to put together a Great Masters art appreciation class but probably won't get it running until next year. I want to use some of the Dover art postcards for some sort of game or flashcards and some nice oversized art books and picture books about art from the library, and maybe that activity book they have (I forgot the name) where the kids make thier own version of famous masterpieces, and Art Fraud Detective...OK I am rambling on this one, moving on...
MUSIC-Music Appreciation (strictly listening and responding this year, I got a great deal on a set of classics, plus Peter and The Wolf)
LANGUAGES-Rosetta Stone Latin (I LOVE LOVE LOVE this for my kids and for me.)
WRITING- Writing Strands 3 (halfway, she doesn't like this one much, complains the whole time, actually, when she mostly loves everything I put together...but she writes a bunch independantly, so I don't push it too hard. Actually I am hoping she will like the Writing Like Writers or Beginning Writing Lab so we can drop this one, even though personally I like it and will be sad to see it go. Maybe next year.)
GEOGRAPHY-myriad magnetic maps, coloring books, games, maps, a globe etc. She's got all the continents and the states down so this year we are going to work on Capitals and Bodies of Water.
CITIZENSHIP-For Scote the Goat he is doing a Kinder America Unit I put together from some pages I found in an old workbook at the goodwill (One of those Comprehensive curriculum throwaways) and Library Books. He does alot of scrapbook projects similar to Dodo's History projects. Dodo herself did an Early America unit beginning of last year, so her citizenship this year is learning American Geography and Some Presidents. We have Kids Learn America and Smart about the Presidents and we collect state quarters.
READING- I would be here all night trying to cover what we do, but it is a LARGE, HUGE, ENORMOUS volume of reading of all kinds and levels, some silent, some guided, some aloud, some independant book projects from Junior Literature Companion and some quizzes a la Accellerated reader online at BookAdventure. We borrow so many books from the library each week that I am bowed over by the weight of the large mesh bag I carry them out in and I get funny looks. Its worth it. We also do a lot of Poetry reading and writing. I have some Junior Great Books collections and some Harcourt Brace third and fourth grade textbooks that she likes to zip through for fun. (good to read some easy stuff for fluency) all this in addition to my own personal library of about 300 picture books and nearly 100 chapter books (newberries, american girls, juvenile literature and faves like the HP series) Scote the Goat is going to start using the Ordinary Parent's Phonic's program, he is already reading some, but I'd like him to learn the phonics throughly. He loves Dick and Jane. He also watches Between the Lions everyday and we sometimes borrow the movies from the library. From time to time give them worksheets from the Gifted and Talented series of workbooks too.
LOGIC- The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis Software (LOVE IT), Mindbenders, Marvelous Mosaics game, tangrams, a set of wooden blocks and wooden marble tracks pieces with marbles, Montessori-esque manipulative puzzles and activities, Primarily analogies, Chess basics
SPELLING-We use a freeware program called Ray's Spelling and Wordgames, which I program with words from her writing or from the Reading Teacher's Book of Lists (Fantastic Resource!! It is FULL of good stuff) and we play alot of scrabble and upwords for fun
HANDWRITING-without tears, cursive for Dodo, beginner printing for Goat
There is actually alot more but this is the stuff we use frequently.
-EH
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Early Enrichment, Eccentric Style
Why do people complain about twos? "Terrible Twos!" is one parenting lament I have never been able to comprehend. 16-18 months to three years is my very favorite age. Kids are so bright and absorbant and so many parents ignore it and it stagnates.
I watched it happen with my SIL's kids, watched the little lights go dim, watched them develop into vacant eyed-zombies. I love those kids, don't mistake me, they are good kids and their mothers meant well (we all do) but they were lacking that "nature to nurture" gene, the one that looks at a toddler and just knows he is only crying because he is frustrated trying to master a confusing world and gives him the tools to master it. The gene that causes uncontrollable impulses to teach your child things instead of watching 7 hours of daytime TV, or at least during the commercials.
If you're reading this blog, you're gene is probably turned on already.
Homeschoolers keep up that nurturing when the other ladies pass the buck onto a series of poorly paid strangers, I know that. But I have some ideas some of you might like to use with your little ones, things I have done with all three of my kids, starting young, and all three little spongy intellects have responded well to them. And just because we have the urge doesn't mean we know what to do with it.
Reading the hundred or so books and articles on the subject as I have helps but nobody trying to homeschool has that kind of luxury. I still read voraciously but most of the bulk of that stuff I read back when I was pregnant with the Dodo, and I had long, luxurious days of laying on the couch and eating bonbons (when I wasn't throwing them up that is.) Anyway, you can benefit from my reading.
Ladies, Do not forget your little toddler while you're homeschooling your older one!! It's hard, I know, but try. Never again in their lives will their minds be quite so receptive, look at how quick they grasp language! Nurture their minds now, stretch them ever so gently and in a few years when you are trying to teach them decimals or Latin conjugations they will have developed the neurons to absorb it more efficiently and it will all be easier for you! GROW a "gifted" child. Whatever that means.
TEN BRAIN BOOSTING THINGS THAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY HOME WITH A TODDLER
~BLOCKS- old fashioned wooden blocks, LEGOs, tinkertoys, bristleblocks...
~BOOKS-Board Books with clear illustrations of everyday things as well as classic children's literature.
~SENSORY EXPERIENCES-Don't have a sandbox? Try a rubbermaid under the bed bin filled with dry rice and measuring cups. Mud too dirty? Make "Clean Mud" in a dishpan or plastic bin shred a few rolls of toilet paper and use a cheese grater to shread a bar of Ivory Soap, add warm water and Voila! Clean mud. It feels and smells heavenly. Let them help wash dishes. Fingerpaint with a few drops of food coloring and cool whip on a cookie sheet, make paper prints to keep. The idea here is to FEEL and experience something besides primary colored plastic things. Play and experience with REAL things in a controlled environment. Playdough, clay...you get the idea. No they won't eat it if you show them what else they can do with it. Its nontoxic anyhow.
~SOMETHING WITH THE ALPHABET ON IT-so when you sing (you do sing it don't you?) you point to the letter. Why do we do this as two separate steps? It's silly. My kids learned the letters and the song together, not as "schoolwork" but as baby play.
~SHAPES-If you can point to a turtle and say turtle and your baby gets it, why not the letter X or an octagon? An octagon is not any more difficult or abstract than learning the names of Sesame Street Charactors, we think it is because we learned it later, too much later. It will be harder then. Show them the shapes of things just like you say "cup" or "dog" both of those things are generically abstract catagories anyhow, think of just how many bizarrely divergent things we call by those labels and not many kids have trouble identifying a mug or a glass or a sippy as a cup or a rottweiler, chijuajua, or Clifford the Anthropomorhic Red Giant as dogs despite that. Why? Two reasons, First because the human brain is MADE to make connections and identify patterns, its what humans DO, and second, because we take the time to tell them those words, many times in many contexts. There is no sane reason to avoid these things until kids are older. I don't advocate force-feeding it, but you do it naturally. "What's this? A cup. What's that? An X. What's that? A trapezoid." Its all the same mumbo-jumbo when you are two, but they learn to decode it!
CRAYONS ETC You homescool so you've got that stuff, just be sure it is available for the little ones as well. A lot is learned from this scribbling.
MUSIC-you've heard of the Mozart affect, but what about the Barney effect? Whatever you choose music enhances brain development. Singing, chanting, rhyming are all brain boosters for helping them make sense of language.
SOMETHING TO SORT collections of buttons, seashells, attribute blocks. Model how to do it and let them play, they will catch on faster than you think. Don't wait until Kinder! Have this stuff around for the little ones where they can see it, once in awhile take it out and play with it yourself and they will want to try it, guaranteed. My kids love this sort of activity at 2. A Jar of buttons, a tray and some ice cube trays and you are on your way to advanced math concepts.
MANIPULATIVES-try different bottles with caps, strings and something to lace (cheerios, beads, noodles) for very small ones let them lace bigger things on one of those big pipe cleaners. You can get macreme beads from an art store for WAY cheaper than educational stores sell wooden beads and they are the same thing, but with less glaring colors. Don't you get tired just looking at a room full of competing primary and pastel colors? So do your kids. Yes, they like color. Yes, they respond to it. No way should every last thing be those colors. Overkill, no? (Think ADD, have you SEEN some of those public school classrooms kids are supposed to learn in? It's overstimulation-city!) Twos should spend at least some of their time everyday "doing things" maybe just small chiunks of time at first, but real tasks. You can see when they are learning, their breathing changes, they get very focused. You want to encourage this, promote it, stretch it a few seconds longer when they start to lose interest. You are building neurons.
TIME WITH AN ADULT- a lot of time. A lot of talking. A lot of playing, not just with siblings but with you, the richest brain-boosting resource of all, YOU! Think about a lot of the educational toys on the market today. Most of them try to mimic a knowledgeable adult, endlessly patient, chirping "CAT" or "DOG" or "AUSTRALIA" with every push of a button. The toy developers know this. The best thing you can do to boost your child's brainpower is to spend time interacting with her. Really interacting.
Boy I'm overly didantic tonight, sorry for that.
-EH
I watched it happen with my SIL's kids, watched the little lights go dim, watched them develop into vacant eyed-zombies. I love those kids, don't mistake me, they are good kids and their mothers meant well (we all do) but they were lacking that "nature to nurture" gene, the one that looks at a toddler and just knows he is only crying because he is frustrated trying to master a confusing world and gives him the tools to master it. The gene that causes uncontrollable impulses to teach your child things instead of watching 7 hours of daytime TV, or at least during the commercials.
If you're reading this blog, you're gene is probably turned on already.
Homeschoolers keep up that nurturing when the other ladies pass the buck onto a series of poorly paid strangers, I know that. But I have some ideas some of you might like to use with your little ones, things I have done with all three of my kids, starting young, and all three little spongy intellects have responded well to them. And just because we have the urge doesn't mean we know what to do with it.
Reading the hundred or so books and articles on the subject as I have helps but nobody trying to homeschool has that kind of luxury. I still read voraciously but most of the bulk of that stuff I read back when I was pregnant with the Dodo, and I had long, luxurious days of laying on the couch and eating bonbons (when I wasn't throwing them up that is.) Anyway, you can benefit from my reading.
Ladies, Do not forget your little toddler while you're homeschooling your older one!! It's hard, I know, but try. Never again in their lives will their minds be quite so receptive, look at how quick they grasp language! Nurture their minds now, stretch them ever so gently and in a few years when you are trying to teach them decimals or Latin conjugations they will have developed the neurons to absorb it more efficiently and it will all be easier for you! GROW a "gifted" child. Whatever that means.
TEN BRAIN BOOSTING THINGS THAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY HOME WITH A TODDLER
~BLOCKS- old fashioned wooden blocks, LEGOs, tinkertoys, bristleblocks...
~BOOKS-Board Books with clear illustrations of everyday things as well as classic children's literature.
~SENSORY EXPERIENCES-Don't have a sandbox? Try a rubbermaid under the bed bin filled with dry rice and measuring cups. Mud too dirty? Make "Clean Mud" in a dishpan or plastic bin shred a few rolls of toilet paper and use a cheese grater to shread a bar of Ivory Soap, add warm water and Voila! Clean mud. It feels and smells heavenly. Let them help wash dishes. Fingerpaint with a few drops of food coloring and cool whip on a cookie sheet, make paper prints to keep. The idea here is to FEEL and experience something besides primary colored plastic things. Play and experience with REAL things in a controlled environment. Playdough, clay...you get the idea. No they won't eat it if you show them what else they can do with it. Its nontoxic anyhow.
~SOMETHING WITH THE ALPHABET ON IT-so when you sing (you do sing it don't you?) you point to the letter. Why do we do this as two separate steps? It's silly. My kids learned the letters and the song together, not as "schoolwork" but as baby play.
~SHAPES-If you can point to a turtle and say turtle and your baby gets it, why not the letter X or an octagon? An octagon is not any more difficult or abstract than learning the names of Sesame Street Charactors, we think it is because we learned it later, too much later. It will be harder then. Show them the shapes of things just like you say "cup" or "dog" both of those things are generically abstract catagories anyhow, think of just how many bizarrely divergent things we call by those labels and not many kids have trouble identifying a mug or a glass or a sippy as a cup or a rottweiler, chijuajua, or Clifford the Anthropomorhic Red Giant as dogs despite that. Why? Two reasons, First because the human brain is MADE to make connections and identify patterns, its what humans DO, and second, because we take the time to tell them those words, many times in many contexts. There is no sane reason to avoid these things until kids are older. I don't advocate force-feeding it, but you do it naturally. "What's this? A cup. What's that? An X. What's that? A trapezoid." Its all the same mumbo-jumbo when you are two, but they learn to decode it!
CRAYONS ETC You homescool so you've got that stuff, just be sure it is available for the little ones as well. A lot is learned from this scribbling.
MUSIC-you've heard of the Mozart affect, but what about the Barney effect? Whatever you choose music enhances brain development. Singing, chanting, rhyming are all brain boosters for helping them make sense of language.
SOMETHING TO SORT collections of buttons, seashells, attribute blocks. Model how to do it and let them play, they will catch on faster than you think. Don't wait until Kinder! Have this stuff around for the little ones where they can see it, once in awhile take it out and play with it yourself and they will want to try it, guaranteed. My kids love this sort of activity at 2. A Jar of buttons, a tray and some ice cube trays and you are on your way to advanced math concepts.
MANIPULATIVES-try different bottles with caps, strings and something to lace (cheerios, beads, noodles) for very small ones let them lace bigger things on one of those big pipe cleaners. You can get macreme beads from an art store for WAY cheaper than educational stores sell wooden beads and they are the same thing, but with less glaring colors. Don't you get tired just looking at a room full of competing primary and pastel colors? So do your kids. Yes, they like color. Yes, they respond to it. No way should every last thing be those colors. Overkill, no? (Think ADD, have you SEEN some of those public school classrooms kids are supposed to learn in? It's overstimulation-city!) Twos should spend at least some of their time everyday "doing things" maybe just small chiunks of time at first, but real tasks. You can see when they are learning, their breathing changes, they get very focused. You want to encourage this, promote it, stretch it a few seconds longer when they start to lose interest. You are building neurons.
TIME WITH AN ADULT- a lot of time. A lot of talking. A lot of playing, not just with siblings but with you, the richest brain-boosting resource of all, YOU! Think about a lot of the educational toys on the market today. Most of them try to mimic a knowledgeable adult, endlessly patient, chirping "CAT" or "DOG" or "AUSTRALIA" with every push of a button. The toy developers know this. The best thing you can do to boost your child's brainpower is to spend time interacting with her. Really interacting.
Boy I'm overly didantic tonight, sorry for that.
-EH
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