It's the bomb-diggity

When you homeschool year-round, like we do, there is no ceremonial cleaning out of the desk and locker on the last day of school. There is no saying "goodbye" to a former teacher and eager anticipation of who will be your teacher during the next school year. There is no big revelation of which friends will be in your class, and there is no supply list telling you how many boxes of Kleenex and how many pencils you need to bring on the first day of school. There is no first day of school.

School just is.

It is a part of our day-to-day, breathe in, breathe out routine. Some days we breathe a little more or a little better than others. But it is there. Every day. Supply lists and school shopping are really just trips to the grocery, department, or craft stores.

Surprise! I'm your teacher...and yes, both of your brothers are still in class with you this year. So play nice.

I love this model of education. I love that we can take a day off whenever we need it, but we thrive on our daily routines.

As summer crept on, though, I realized that the boys were sliding into first grade without even knowing it. Without the big shift in teacher, classmates, classroom, and curriculum, without even a big summer break, there was no obvious transition from kindergarten to first grade. In a sense I like the seamlessness of this. I like that there is no artificial stoppage of learning and no major change to interrupt what progress is being made.

However, we live in a society that is full of boxes and labels, and the boys are having to field questions from grocery store clerks about their schooling (have I mentioned that people in Kansas are way too friendly? it gives a whole new meaning to #nofilter...but that's a post for another day). They were being asked what grade they are in, and they were still saying "kindergarten" because we haven't had any sort of last-day-of-school clean up (unless you count moving states).

So, what do you do when you are a homeschooler with no summer vacation and no major curriculum changes and you want to transition from one grade to the next?

We put a sign on the door.

 We gave awards certificates.

We ate cupcakes.

And we launched them down a grassy hill without training wheels.

So now, when they are asked what grade they are in, they can say "FIRST!"

Shorty, who was born right around the cutoff date, could be in kindergarten or pre-k, depending on which state's rules we want to follow. He's sharp as a tack, but doesn't like to follow directions. So, he has chosen to call his grade "cuckoo-kindergarten." It works for me.

They still look puzzled when people ask them how they spent their summer break. Sigh. I need to teach them to answer "year-round schooling is the bomb-diggity."

Volcano Day!

As I have mentioned before, we have Field Trip Fridays in order keep me sane augment our curriculum. It is generally a blast. This past week, we decided to forego our field trip and have a sort of at-home adventure. Nolan has been the proud and patient owner of the Lava Rock Volcano kit since Christmas.

Every few days he asks me about it. I have to admit, the idea of exploding fake lava all over my house wasn't really exciting to me. So, I may have been purposefully delaying the Big Day.

I finally decided that the poor kid had waited long enough. We started out with the physical construction of our volcano. It required strips of plaster to be draped over a plastic form. 

 The floors, the table, our shirts...everything was covered with plaster dust. But it made for a nice-looking shape of a volcano.

While we waited for the plaster to dry, we blew some bubbles and had a little contest to see who could pop the most. It had nothing to do with volcanoes. It was a lot of fun.

Back in the kitchen, we donned our smocks and got out the paint to artistically design the rocky mountainous surface of the volcano. It was a meticulous labor of love for these 3 boys who love to create.

While we waited for that to dry, we went to the porch and worked on our portable growth chart. They each picked the colors for the 6-foot plank and are quite excited to start marking it up with their heights. No tears as we leave behind some house where we have marked their progress on the wall. We will just take this piece of wood with us wherever we go.

We waited until Grandad arrived before making the eruption happen. During the wait time, we read Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne. The boys all love the adventures of their friends Jack and Annie, and we always learn a little something along the way.

Once he arrived, we got busy. First we got all set up with toy dinosaurs, the lava rocks, vinegar, and baking soda. It was difficult for little hands to squeeze the bottle, so Grandad needed to help out.

Mostly the "lava" flowed down the sides of the mountain, but occasionally we managed to get an explosion of lava that shot high above the mouth of the volcano. All in all, it was a great day. And now we have an active volcano that could erupt again any time. Be warned.

It's always a successful Field Trip Friday when some exhausted little boy falls asleep in a random place at a random time.

Field Trip Fridays

Who doesn't love a field trip? I know I do. I know my boys do. I hope you do.

I will admit that, when left to its own devices, my life tends toward chaos. Schedules and routines break down. Cleanliness? Well. The house begins to look a bit more like piles of slightly related stuff cleared off any surface the OCD clean freak very tidy (and actually, very helpful) hubby might need to use in the near future and shoved in the laundry room, the basement, or (for those urgent matters) the buffet.

I am 100% sure that the"coffee" was drinkable 2 days (at minimum) before this picture was taken)

Over this first year of homeschooling, I have found that this chaotic (read: disastrous) trend leaves school plans in shambles by the end of the week. Let's not talk about what it does to dinner. Or plans for a shower. For now we will stick to confessions of a homeschool mom rather than of a wife, housekeeper, homemaker, or just plain mommy. Or probably just confessions of a grown woman who has trouble taking care of herself. Yeah. Let's just stick to school.

In order to create a routine I will stick to, add some adventure into our week, and ease my end-of-the-week burden, we have started having Field Trip Fridays. So far, they have been the absolute highlight of nearly every week. We do our best to tie them into the lessons we have been working on, at least in part, and use them as a hands-on extension of the school week.

When we were studying A New Coat for Anna, we headed to the Magic House. In the book, Anna's mother takes yarn to a weaver, who weaves it into a bolt of cloth. I could have sworn there was one of those giant looms with ribbon and fabric there. We were going to see how long it takes, and what hard work it is to weave cloth. Well, we didn't find it. Now, the Magic House is gi-normous, so I'm not going to say I was wrong. It is possible that we just didn't find it. I might also have been thinking of our local children's museum. Oh, well. We had plenty of other things to discover there!

mixing cement

every construction worker needs safety gear

ready to build with bricks!

reviewing simple machines with Sid the Science Kid...this is how a pulley works!

Lego art

and more Lego art

art with stencils and shapes (while the brothers make Lego art in the background)

We may not have found what we were looking for, but we had a great time learning and playing together. I couldn't have asked for a better day. We decided to weave construction paper placemats at home, instead.

While we studied Wee Gillis, we took a field trip to the Watershed -- both the bike trail and the nature trail. Honestly, I think I just planned this excursion because it was a beautiful warm and sunny day. We haven't seen too many of those this spring. I really racked my brain trying to remember if there was some grand reason I thought of this particular field trip. I think the sunshine was reason enough.

W is dying to see beavers. Gnawed-off trees and wood shavings are as close as we got.

sunshine and my sweet little one -- he LOVES walks and hikes

Grandad helped with bicycle lessons

full steam ahead for these two!

We read Mirette on the High Wire, and the pictures are reminiscent of French Impressionism. It just so happens that our amazing (and free!) art museum is having an exhibit of French Impressionist artwork right now. I decided that we would stick to the few rooms in the main museum hall for our impressionist art, but there was plenty there to see and talk about. We ventured to the classical section to compare and contrast the styles. The boys do really well in museums for about an hour or two. Once we've been there for two hours, though, they start to grow weary of being told they must STAND BACK and NOT TOUCH anything, even if they find it beautiful, intriguing, or strange. So then we go run for a bit and they remember what a good time they had.

happy birthday, St Louis!!

the boys really, really wanted to climb through this piece of art/tunnel, but behaved themselves for a groovy photo op instead

The piece that tickled W's fancy that day was this Gauguin 

N and L really liked this galloping horse by Degas

The boys enjoyed reading Owl Moon and liked the idea of going owling. We don't have any woods near our house to venture out in at night, but decided to go for a hike at a nearby state park to see if we could see any animals or evidence of animals. We talked about being quiet and having silent steps just like the little girl in the book and her daddy. We discussed how loud noises and running can scare off any wild animals that might be nearby. They agreed that they wanted to be quiet and to see what they could discover. I'll just let you imagine how long that determination lasted with my wild boys. The desire to run, scream, fight is stronger within them than the desire to find a toad.

they stopped running for a few seconds so Grandad could show them some sap and talk about maple syrup

they found walking sticks that soon became swords

in an eagle's nest

happy to be hiking, even without seeing any wild creatures

I learned that the story of The Giraffe that Walked to Paris is actually, almost unbelievably, true. I love when I am learning right along side the kids. This world is full of amazing things, and I want to be a life-long student of it. Naturally, since that poor Giraffe went to the zoo, so did we. Once again, it wasn't exactly a "successful" field trip. That is, the giraffes were still inside for the winter, and we weren't able to observe them. 

here we are, outside the giraffe habitat, still smiling

We had had the goal of watching how they walk. Did you ever consider that they have to swing both left legs together, then both right legs together? Their legs are so long that, if they didn't, they would trip on their own feet. I had never thought about that before.

Despite that setback, we still saw tons of animals, and had a great time learning about them.

tiny box turtle

stretching lion

shiny peacock

ringtailed lemur, just chillin

chatting with the docent about primate skulls

 I had such a fun day in store for the Field Trip Friday that went along with the book Three Names. We were going to story time at the history museum. Then we were going to explore the exhibits at the history museum, looking at what life was like in the States long ago. Then we were going to purchase a bag of marbles, take them home, and learn how to play the "old-timey" game. It was even a warm and sunny day! Who could ask for a better day? The museum went off pretty well, the kids each got to pick out a shooter that they loved, and I filled the bag with enough marbles to play the game, plus some extras in case they got lost. I had all my bases covered. At home, we drew our chalk circle and went over the rules. The boys thought it was great fun!

Unfortunately, not every field trip has a happy ending. A friend just happened to be jogging by while we were playing. One of the boys decided to show off. "Watch what I can do!" he shouted as he picked up his shooter and threw it with all his might toward the driveway. We heard the crunch. We saw pieces fall the the ground. We thought, surely, he just broke that marble. He's going to be sad. We walked up to the back of the car to discover this:

Yeah. The boy wasn't the one who was sad.

I handled it all quite calmly and gently. I was stern, but showed grace. The boy learned a lesson on what "less than zero" means in regard to his bank account. There were apologies and hugs and forgiveness.

I was really thankful that our friend was still standing there. 

If she hadn't been, the scene may have been more colorful. There might have been screaming and tears. From more than one member of the family. We might have moved inside so that things could be said and done out of the neighbors' earshot. I might have been plagued with mom guilt for a long time because of how it was handled. Maybe I need to hire a witness for every day. I seem to be a better mom when others are watching.

And now I've literally lost my marbles. Honestly. I don't know where I hid them.

Reason #845

Today is another example of why I fall in love with homeschooling all over again about once a month.

We started out as usual. We ran some errands, exercised our bodies, read some Dr. Seuss to celebrate his birthday week, and read our storybook for the week. We discussed hyperbole and had plans to learn about tornadoes and vanishing point later today. We ate lunch, had quiet reading and phonics.

As the kids rotated out of our phonics station, it happened.

Our afternoon took on a life of its own.

One by one, they moved on from phonics. Each asked if he could color until time was up. 

I went out to check on them. To make sure they weren't using markers on the walls, the floors, the chairs or...each other. Amazingly, they weren't.

What they were doing was writing books.

Each of my crazy, silly, very active boys was sitting still, quietly writing an all-new mystery for Scooby Doo and the gang. They were developing villains, leaving clues, making traps, and catching bad guys. These books were complete with dialogue, description, and illustrations.

Twisters and vanishing point could wait.

There was learning happening. In a way that I couldn't have scheduled, planned, or organized. Their creativity and curiosity had lead them straight into what they wanted to focus on today.

They have taken over the entire living room. And I couldn't be happier.

Gross Motor isn't always Gross

One thing about homeschooling is that you don't have to take a snow day if you don't want to. So, while the rest of the country is having an extended holiday, our school is back in session, undaunted by the weather. In fact, it makes for short but effective recess when you can send the kids out to play in the snow.

As much as they love it, after 30 minutes, they are more than ready to come in and warm up with some cocoa and math facts.

I've spent some time talking about the more precious moments of homeschooling my 3 little men, as well as some of the difficult lessons we have learned along the way. I've even admitted to some ugly days we've had already this school year.

I'm hoping to have a little more fun as I attempt to describe what recess and P.E. have been like for my little group of rowdy boys. I have to say, one of the best parts about teaching them at home is being able to adapt to their needs. If I can tell that a lesson just isn't working, if I sense that one or more of us is getting tired of sitting and politely discussing whatever lesson we are on, I can declare that it is time for recess or P.E. It really is amazing what 30 minutes or so of physical activity will do for my boys' ability to concentrate. Granted, it might take us another 15 to slow down again, but it is well worth the time.

A lot of times, our physical education looks an awful lot like that of kids in school. We learn how to play sports like baseball and soccer. Shorty likes to sit in his official chair and be the "whistleblower" for his brothers, since he sometimes gets frustrated that he can't keep up with them.

 Or we hit the playground for some fun and exercise. A favorite game is for one brother to sit at the edge of the merry-go-round while another brother runs laps trying to catch him. It's rather like a dog chasing his tail.

There are times when I am not their teacher. They all love taking gymnastics at the local YMCA. Shorty is here, surrounded by girly girls, showing off his athletic skills (ahem). At least he is listening in this picture. He often says his job is to make people laugh, so...you can imagine.

 We are also regulars at the Y's swim sessions. I knew from early on that 3 littles this close in age would give me a heart attack in the pool if I didn't make them learn from somebody other than me. Now I fight the crowds of moms in the observation room, not daring to actually go work out or read. I know that as soon as I did, not one, but 3 little men would need help in the restroom. Ugh. But, hey, 2 out of 3 are turning into great little swimmers. Number 3, well, he likes to make people laugh. Especially sweet little girls who are next to him in the water.

 Sometimes we get to take advantage of the fact that a great little children's museum is just a few blocks up the street. It can be a nice change of pace to go spend some time playing there. The pint-size village complete with costumes is a big hit for my little men. We love imaginative play.

Also within a few blocks of our house we have some fabulous bike trails. When the weather is nice, there's not much better than learning how to ride on the straight stretch by the house or taking a little jog or nature hike. 

There are times, though, that our gross motor development takes a turn for the crazy. In my family, stair sliding is an essential skill. I know that some would argue that it is useless or juvenile, but I would have to question the kids' genetics if they weren't enthusiastic about giving it a go. Here the twins are perfecting their head-first belly slide. Thing 2 was bringing up the rear in the race because of the tactical mistake of putting his hands down onto the steps rather than elevating them to maximize his potential. As they get older, and if we locate an appropriately steep staircase, they will need to perfect the art of the backside slide. I will enlist the help of my cousin, who is the reigning stairslide champion of the entire known universe.

 Sometimes a kid just needs to run. And run. And run some more. The weather doesn't always cooperate, but a dining room table makes a perfect track. The kids are no more than a blur here as they speed around, counting their laps as they go. Needless to say, I am running with them...in my mind. That totally counts, doesn't it?

 Sometimes our physical education just involves being SUPER for a while. And why not?

Suddenly I feel like I need to get up off my hiney and move.