in like a lion, out like a lamb

So, last Monday, the 2nd of March, we had a snowstorm that blanketed us in white and got Jup a much appreciated snow day. We frolicked outside and sledded a couple of days later. I contemplated Miranda's snow pants thinking that it will probably be the last time she wears them and next year she can wear the pair that is too small on Jove and causes frozen ankle-itis.

Fast forward five days and it was a balmy 65 degrees with sunshine and warm breezes. Mud abounds and small flowers are showing themselves. We spent the day at the Botanical Garden with our good friends hunting for signs of Spring. We saw a few patches of crocus and many had bees on them from a nearby nest in a tree hollow. The Japanese Witch Hazel was in full bloom with its small chartreuse flowers (pictured above). The American variety usually blooms earlier in the winter. We had a serendipitous encounter with Dino (i.e. the bird whisperer) who gets black-capped chickadees to feed on seeds and nuts out of his hand. He taught Jove and his friend how to do it and both were successful. I was too embarrassed to ask for some nuts for me to try it. We followed a red-tailed hawk as it flew from branch to branch in the forest along the path. It felt wondrous to be outside and see so much life.
The Spring equinox is March 20th; also the day Miranda will be two years old. Such an exciting time... to be continued

a fun day at the Long Island Children's Museum

Space mission completed

I found out a couple of months ago about the Hudson Valley Challenger Center that does simulated space missions to educate the public about our space program and astronomy in general. Jove and his friend, who is also very interested in space, went on the mission Rendezvous with a Comet today.

It was an amazing experience. Jove and I worked together as scientists at the isolation station aboard the spacecraft. Jove got to use a robotic arm to move samples of a panel that had been hit by meteoroids and we counted the amount of impact holes. We sent our data to mission control where it was analyzed. There were also a few emergencies on board and we got to participate in some group activities. We also spent a portion of our time in Mission Control receiving and analyzing the type of data we had just sent. Jove was so excited the whole time and was really able to understand the job that we were doing. Jove and his friend wore their astronaut helmets and we all got flight jackets.

I was so impressed with the amount of accurate science that the kids were learning and the type of work we got to do on the craft. We may go back for one of their other missions in the future. Signing off!

while Miranda sleeps...

Two or three afternoons a week, after Miranda has fallen asleep, Jove I work on some sort of project. Jove is usually tired after morning activities: a class, a play date or outdoor time; and with a belly full of lunch he has the focus to sit and work on something. Sometimes he has an idea of what he would like to do and sometimes I suggest something.

Jove is very interested in outer space and space travel. We have been learning about the Earth-Moon-Sun system (day and night, moon phases, etc), the solar system and, of course, how astronauts experience life in orbit.

Jove has made small models of the planets out of homemade dough and painted them. I have him write the name of each planet which he is so much more excited about than practicing letters for no reason. We have finished the inner, rocky planets and have quite a bit more work to do. Jove is fascinated by the de-classification of Pluto as a planet and he loves that some of the planets are visible in the night sky.

We had a homeschooling lesson here on the solar system. The kids all designed their section of the rocket above and I was their "guide" on their journey through the solar system. We don't have astronaut costumes so they had to wear fire hats and a cowboy hat, but they were very excited.

The excitement of playing outside in the snow seems to have diminished for Jove, but he still seems to need to be getting messy or building something to be happy. So this past week, we made comet ice cream cones where he got to mix stuff into ice cream with his hands. And he wanted to make our own marble run out of stuff around the house after playing with one at a friend's house. I took Nanimal's idea on this one; give them a roll of masking tape and some containers out of the recycling bin.

I know that our days will be very different as it warms up in a couple of months, but for now I am excited about all of our indoor adventures. If Miranda only knew...

this Winter

Why I Am Loving This Winter

1. A changed landscape of muted hues of gray, blue, brown and white

2. Feeling like I should be nowhere else when I am cuddled up in blanket on the couch reading to Jove and Miranda

3. Reading children's books about winter

4. Watching snow fall out my front windows in my rearranged living room specially designed to maximize snow viewing.

5. Watching the cardinals, doves, sparrows, blue jays, tufted titmouses, starlings and squirrels battle over the bird seed we throw out for them in the backyard.

6. Winter hikes in the woods and snow walks through the neighborhood with lots of snow eating by Miranda and a lot of snow crunching and ice sliding by Jove. And, every once and awhile they both lay down and look up at the sky.

7. Making and eating soup.

8. Feeling like I can catch up on things like photo albums and reading because the garden is sleeping.

9. Following squirrel tracks in the woods and wondering how they don't end up with a rear end full of snow when they land their hind legs in front of their front ones.

10. Waiting with anticipation for Spring to come: wet mud smells, poking plants, buds swelling...

Raising Miranda

Miranda has been exhibiting, let's call them, nurturing tendencies. She carries a doll around like Lourdes (featured above) or a stuffed animal. She sometimes gives everyone in the room a doll or animal to hold. She kisses them, pretends to feed them, covers them with a blanket, seats them in a chair, etc. Jove has never done this with the exception of brief cuddling with a stuffed animal at bedtime. Miranda is also obsessed with real babies whenever we see them and she tells everyone over and over again that there is a baby in the room. She is a world unto herself that I am just starting to understand.

my homeschool life

The logistical
I read once that someone described their homeschooling as homeschooling by library card and I thought that summed up how accessible materials and ideas are to someone who wants to learn at home (or learn in the world, as some call it). All of my ideas for topics to explore with Jove come from books we have read or places we have gone. We recently went to the Natural History Museum and Jove was particularly interested in some composite panoramic shots of the moon landings that we saw while waiting for the bathroom. I checked out a bunch of books about the moon and the solar system for Jove and he is so excited about it. So, this week we are talking about the moon and doing stuff related to it. I always seize any opportunity to encourage writing, word recognition, drawing, counting or any other basic skill that can be used in what we are doing. We record what we do in a learning book that includes a lot of Jove's ongoing illustrated stories, my written descriptions of activities and other odds and ends. About two days a week we have days where we do a lot of learning activities. Other days are spent going places, meeting up with friends, taking classes and spending time outside.

I take full advantage of the amazing library programs in the area: art workshops with artists, storytellers, puppet show and story time with crafts. I love the library system here: anything and everything is available. We usually go to a library program once a week.

A lack of socialization with other kids is a concern that I hear from manyy people about homeschooling. It would be possible if someone lived in a remote area or didn't participate in any activities to have this experience, but I haven't met yet a homeschooled child who doesn't have lots of time to play with friends. I think Jove may get more time to play with friends because he is not in school (you just have to find homeschoolers). I think a lot of parents don't realize how little play is allowed in school once kids get past 1st grade. The overlooked benefit of homeschooling is that siblings get to be together.




The philosophical

I have finally gotten to the point in my journey homeschooling Jove where I have started to relax and truly enjoy it. I am enjoying it so much that it makes me sad to think that I will not be able to continue with Jove or provide the same type of experience for Miranda.
Let me say that all parents home school their children to varying degrees whether it involves explaining things to them, reading to them, going over homework, making projects, etc. So, in that sense I will always be a homeschooling parent.
A lot of creative and interesting things can happen in a school, so why does it seem so much better to learn outside of a classroom to me? Well, there are many reasons. First of all, schools present topics and activities to all students at the same time as if all kids would be interested in the same thing or learn the same way. In many instances this approach is pretty harmless because some activities are fun enough or general enough that almost all kids would want to do them. So why is it a problem? It doesn't allow kids to make connections between what they already know and what they are doing and it stifles creativity. For example, Jove and I did an experiment where we made craters by throwing rocks of varying shapes and sizes into a pan filled with flour and cocoa powder. After we made and measured our craters, Jove said that he wanted some water to mix in with his flour and he proceeded to make a giant mess. Then, he said he wanted to make planets out of the dough and he made all of the planets and we baked them. They are waiting to be painted and will be made into a solar system model. I asked him what color we will use to paint them and he said we will look in our book about outer space to see what color each planet is. These type of learning opportunities teach him more about how to learn than how to complete a pre-planned project.
My experiences with Jove have caused me to reflect upon on my experiences as a classroom teacher and I can now see that the way material is presented in school (to be absorbed, copied, memorized) really doesn't allow students to think for themselves. As we were reading a book about the phases of the moon, Jove was explaining to me about how people on the other side of the planet would not be able to the moon at the same time as us because they are facing outer space. This concept has confused so many of my Earth science students over the years, even though it really isn't complex at all and I believe that students in a traditional classroom expect to be given the answer, told what is right, shown the model--- they are rarely expected to figure it out for themselves.
I have heard so many teachers and administrators discuss the apathy of students and that many of the students who do work hard care more about their grade than anything else. I understand that grades are the great motivator in school, in fact, I can't imagine a traditional school without them. I would argue that teaching kids to work hard to learn to earn a grade teaches them very little about what they are capable of as a human beings other than earning grades. In fact, the saddest part of being a teacher for me has been teaching very accomplished kids that have no idea what they are interested in, what they like and don't. I have also had students who are amazing and know who they are and they have all had defining experiences outside of school. I think a progressive school that allows kids to experience as much as possible in its real context would allow kids to figure out what they like and have an aptitude for.
My biggest fear for Jove as he enters school next year is that he will be quieted, his creative spirit will have no space to work in and his ideas will fall on deaf ears. I would be happy to put Jove into a small, progressive school but the only ones here are too far away and too expensive, maybe I'll have to start one....