Letter to Santa

You know how hectic Christmas Eve is right?  We've been to church, have to get dinner and us parents, just want Bryce in bed so we can get all the presents under the tree.  Of course, I almost forgot that Bryce had to leave food and a letter to Santa!  Here he is hard at work at 8 PM.

 

Santa Train

Some of you may know that Andy LOVES trains.  You heard that right. . . . the almost 40 year old man, Andy LOVES trains.  They will always hold a special place in his heart because his grandfather built model steam engines.  So, when we heard there was a Santa Train south of Las Vegas from a friend late Friday night, we decided we had to go the next day! 

The Santa Train was at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City.  Here are some pictures to a wonderful family day on a beautiful December day. 

Bryce sending his letter to Santa!

We got to go on a short ride on the 1875 restored Eureka steam engine. 

The history of this train and restoration is amazing!

 

Bryce and Andy riding the miniature trains like his grandfather built. 

Can you see the smile on his face?

Pararescue Visit

Our friend, Paul Tower, is in a helicopter squadron here at Nellis who's mission is to rescue other military members in need.  Their motto is "That others may live."  It's quite an amazing and unique mission!

We were invited to their Christmas party where Bryce got to talk to a Perarescue operator!  The nice young man had all of his equipment that he uses and Bryce was fascinated.  He asked lots of questions and got to touch some of the equipment! 

Here Bryce is with the Perarescue Operator. 

Bryce is just a little excited to try on the helmet with night vision goggles.  Paul Tower's family --Kristin, Abby and Benjamin in the background. 

Bryce decorated a cookie for the operator to say thank you and gave it to him:)

 

The beautiful helicopter against a desert sunset!

 

 

The Nutcracker

We started the tradition of going to the Nutcracker in 2011 with Auntie Laura and try to continue the tradition every year that we can.  We got to go with our "Vegas family" this year. . .Kristin, Abby and her friend, Gabby.  Bryce's favorite scene is still the sword fight!

Las Vegas Wetlands

I know what you are thinking . . .a wetland in the desert of Las Vegas?  I was quite shocked too!  The wetlands exist on the city outskirts because it's a wash where all of the water in the city is directed. . .all the way from Mount Charleston to Lake Mead. The 210-acre nature preserve has wildlife, ponds and plants that is a habitat for over 300 species and animals.  In addition to the outdoor trails, a new visitor center opened recently that has many hands-on exhibits for children. 

Here are a few pictures from our December visit.  These are our friends, Doris, Edwin and Emmaline. 

 

Red Rock Hike

Our friend, Sandra, suggested that we limit our classes in December so we would have time to visit places around Las Vegas.  It sounded like a great idea to me, especially since she was willing to be our tour guide! 

So, one beautiful Vegas day, we went to Red Rock Canyon.  Red Rock is only about 45 minutes from us and has stunning views.  I felt a little guilty hiking and enjoying the warm sun while my family in Ohio were in a deep freeze:)  Vegas in the winter is pretty nice!

Bryce and his friends!

 

 

The picture is a little dark but you get the idea!

 

Nursing Home Concert

Bryce and children from his co-op put on a holiday concert for a few nursing homes in the local area.  Most of the songs were popular Christmas carols but some of the kids did a ballet and tap dance piece.  Bryce got to play the drums for Little Drummer Boy.  It was a nice way to kick off the holidays!

Las Vegas Philharmonic

Thanks to the Air Force, Andy got free tickets for the Las Vegas Philharmonic!  We had wonderful seats at the new Smith Center in Las Vegas.  The concert was a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  The concert started with a presentation of the colors by Nellis AFB's honor guard and a soprano singer performed the national anthem.  My favorite part was when Senator Richard Bryan narrated quotes from JFK interspersed with the orchestra.

Bryce was very excited to see his first orchestra!!  We were all surprised when Bryce spotted both his individual and group violin teachers on stage!  Ms. Melanie and Ms. Lee were 2d violinist in the orchestra.  Bryce had to have been the youngest member in attendance.  For a concert that started about his bedtime, he did amazingly well sitting and listening.  It wasn't until the very end, that he started to get very tired.  Overall, it was a great evening that I'll remember forever! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clark County Children's Choir

Bryce participated in his first concert with the Clark County Children's Choir!  This choir is AMAZING!  It's a non-profit organization where the children only practice one hour a week but produce some amazing music.  The older children are very impressive. 

Clark County Children's Choir

The concert theme was Americana - A Celebration of America in Music and Song.  Here are a few videos of Bryce.  The videos aren't the best quality but hopefully you can see a little bit of the show.  The first graders are the youngest children participating in the concert. 

Here are young children singing Rocky Mountain.

This video shows about half of the choir singing I Bought Me a Cat.  Bryce is hard to see since he is blocked by the piano and music teacher but I thought you might still enjoy it. 

Here is the whole choir singing God Bless America.

Halloween Concert

Bryce's music teacher, Melanie, hosted a Halloween Violin Concert.  Here is Bryce doing his solo piece and also a duette with Ian.  He played variations from Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star from Suzuki, Volume 1. 

Poems

As part of our curriculum, Bryce memorizes a poem per week. Here are a few videos of his poems!

Auguries of Innocence by William Blake

 

Flint by Christina Rossetti

 

October by Maurice Sendak

Pictures of the Classroom

I thought I would post pictures of our classroom.  It's actually my favorite room in the house!  I love to be able to curl up on the coach with a book or sit at his table to do math work or handwriting.  I also love his shelves which contain all of his books and school material.  (We originally bought the shelves for toys but now use it all for school:).  I also love our timelines! 

Article: "Military bases open their doors to home-schoolers"

Homeschoolers in the Military

This article is very true for us.  The numerous moves is certainly a main reason that we've chosen to homeschool.  I see that it rings true for many other military too.  I'm glad to hear that many bases are welcoming homeschoolers!

Baseball Camp

On Friday mornings, Bryce has been doing a baseball camp.  A teenage boy, Braden, and his family have been hosting a two-hour camp to teach kids the basics of baseball.  The 6-week session ended in a game of the kids vs the adults.  Needless to say, the kids won!  At the end, Braden, gave a little speech about each one of the kids.  He described Bryce as always having a good attitude and doing his best:)

 

Bryce and his friend, Johny.

Tale of Desperaux

As one of our read-aloud assignments, Bryce and I just finished the "Tale of Desperaux" by Kate DiCamillo.  We loved this book and it may just become one of our all-time favorite books!!

I'll admit that I was a little surprised that this book was to be read to a 6-year old. It's part of the first grade curriculum from Build Your Library that we're using as  a guide for school.  Many of the themes are quite mature for a young boy.  It begins with the Queen dying.  Then Desperaux's family rejects him for not confirming to the mouse culture and is sentenced to the dungeon  where the rats will eat him.  Mig is a mistreated child who's mother dies, her father sells her for almost nothing to her "Uncle" who gives her "clouts" to the ear daily.  The princess is kidnapped by the rat and taken to the dungeon that could make me have nightmares. 

Sounds like a great book, doesn't it? 

But through all of the adversary is a tale of a mouse who is smart, courageous and forgives his family.  A princess that sees the best in others.  Mig, who maybe retarded, but still deserves love and respect.  A rat who's heart is broken and struggles to make the right decisions.  A king that worships his daughter and misses his wife. It's a book about light and darkness.  A story about courage, bravery, heroism, honesty, honor, pride and self-esteem.

As we read the book, we discussed the topics.  Bryce cried a few times at the thought of family rejection and being mistreated.  However, he also rejoiced in the chivalry and bravery of Desperaux and the forgiveness of the Princess. I often wonder how a "privileged" child like Bryce will  get to experience adverse events in order to build character.  Certainly, you don't want your child to experience mistreatment.  Maybe. . . just maybe. . . by reading a book and feeling empathy for others, he'll build character without the negative life experiences. 

Once the book was over, we were excited to watch the movie together.  Of course, the movie was not nearly as good as the book! 

Spring Preserve

We have found a place in Las Vegas that we love! The Spring Preserve's is a nature oasis in the middle of Las Vegas. It has science and nature exhibits, botanical gardens, hiking trails and live animals! Granted, it's still the desert but it's pretty nice.
Spring Preserve

We go on Thursday's for story and craft time. Then we visit the Nature Exchange where Bryce can bring in anything nature related. The staff help identify rocks and plants. Bryce gets points for bringing  things in and for knowing anything about the items. He then gets to use his points to "buy" something in the Nature Exchange.

Today, Mr. Chris taught Bryce how to identify rocks that have iron, copper and aluminum in them.  Actually, he taught both of us how to do it:) Bryce is reading a poem this week about flint so we asked Mr. Chris if he had any flint.  Sure enough, Mr. Chris taught Bryce about flint and gave him some to make fire! 

Bryce also loves the playground where he gets to climb all over the rocks. We've met another homeschool family who have been going there for years. It's been wonderful to have a guide!

 

 

Crush on the Library

I think I have a crush on the library.  Every library visit, I always think how much I LOVE the library. What an amazing place it is where you can get books, movies and research for free! I would like to thank Andrew Carnegie for bringing so many libraries to the U.S.

We go weekly to the library now. I think we currently have out nearly 40 items! I love being able to put books on hold at the library. Then on Thursday, we walk in and a pile of books are ready for us! I love watching Bryce carry a big pile of his new library books off to read them.

I will also give credit to Clark County. As much as I don't like the public schools, their library system hasn't disappointed me:) Can't wait for our next library visit!!  

LOVE Story of the World!

I tried to love Sonlight's history curriculum.  I even exchanged their Core A for Core B curriculum thinking it was just the subject matter that I didn't connect with.  But I still didn't love Core B even though it was Ancient times which I knew I wanted to study this year. 

So I sent all of Sonlight's history back to them.  Luckily, they have great customer service and will give 100% refund. 

Today, I fell in love.  In love with Story of the World.  The combination of their text book and activity guide is perfect!  Volume 1 is Ancient Times.  The "text book" is a living book.  It tells a story that pulls you into history.  Then the activity guide has suggested coloring pages, maps, additional books to read and questions to review the material.  It's perfect.  You can go as in depth on a subject as you would like.  The book is broken up into different chapters.  You can go as fast or slow on each chapter as you would like. 

LOVE, LOVE!

Story of the World Review

Math at the Park

On Wednesday, we had a pretty challenging homeschool day.  Bryce didn't really want to do school work and my patience must have been low.  It was just a bad day:(

On Thursday, I decided we needed a change of pace.  We start most of our days with a bike ride and walk for Brody.  Some days we go to the park near us.  I decided to pack up some of our school work and take it with us to the playground.  After letting Bryce play for a bit, I pulled out the math and we started doing it at the park.  Bryce still got frustrated but instead of loosing my patience, I told him to go play:)  After a game of tag, he came back and finished his math. 

We also had a few errands to run on Thursday and ended up at Whole Foods for lunch.  While eating lunch, we did our language arts.  He even did his spelling words at lunch:)

Needless to say, we don't have to do school work only in his classroom.  I'm starting to learn to take advantage of time we have anywhere. 

Kid's Zone

In between Bryce's co-op classes, he's been working with some of the other boys on something called the Kid's Zone.  Honestly, I had no idea what they were doing and figured it was just some kid thing.  It wasn't until after drama class where Bryce was insistent that he had to go to "kid zone" that I became interested.  Mostly because he had Geography class to attend and couldn't do this "kid zone" thing.  Finally another parent explained to me that after Geography the kids were going to have their "kid zone."

Apparently, the kids make up classes, events and things to sell all the time.  The other moms support these ideas and encourage the kids.  This one was the "kid zone" where they were going to charge everyone $2 to attend.  They had food, drinks and dance music.  It appeared to be a night club for kids. 

Here is video from it.  A bit dark since the lights were off but you can still see the kids dancing!

100%

Tiger Scouts & Selling Popcorn

Today was one of those days where you are incredible proud to be a parent.  Bryce wore his scout uniform for the first time today and sold popcorn at one of the local grocery stores.  Bryce was absolutely amazing approaching adults and asking them if they wanted to buy popcorn. He was articulate, confident and proud.  I wish I could have gotten video of it!

Bryce's pack trained him so well.   They spent a whole evening practicing with the kids on what to say, how to accept a purchase and how to handle rejection.

This was his basic script.  He would stand by the door as people left the grocery store. As soon as they would come out, he would say, "Excuse me, Sir/Ma'am, may I have a minute of your time."  Many people could not resist the politeness:)  Then he would say, "I'm Bryce from Pack 314.  We're raising money for the boy scouts.  Would you like to buy something."  Many times, people would say yes and then Bryce would explain all of the popcorn choices and the cost of each.  If people said no, he would tell them that they could make a donation to send popcorn to the troops overseas.  Some people gave something, even just a $1.  If people said they didn't have cash, he would say, "We take credit or debit cards."  I was amazed at the generosity of so many people who bought popcorn or donated money!  Some people would just say no and Bryce would just say "Thank you" without getting upset. 

Thankfully, Andy was at popcorn sales too because we were busy for over two hours!  He did all of the credit card sales and recorded everything.  Plus, it was just nice for Andy to get to see such a special Bryce moment. 

Another cub scout, Sebastian, arrived to help about an hour into our sales.  Bryce "trained" Sebastian and the two of them were an undeniable team! 

On the way home, Bryce said he like sales.  God bless him that he may always be unafraid to fundraise money for a worthy cause:)

Bryce's First Bike Ride

We took the training wheels off of Bryce's bike and he has taken off on his bike!  Below is a video of him after only riding a few times.  I guess he was ready this time.  (Probably need to expand the scene to see it well.)

Elephant & Piggie Books

Bryce LOVES reading the Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems.  Friends got Bryce these books for his 5th birthday.  He has now fell in love with them and we've gotten almost every one of them from the library!  Bryce loves to read them over and over again! 

 

 

Settling into a Routine

We are on week three of homeschooling.  For the first time, I'm starting to feel less anxious and like we're getting into a routine.  Can you see the big sigh of relief coming from me?  It's like I just let out a big breath of air that I've been holding in for weeks. 

Part of the anxiety, I realize now, was just being new.  Every event we went to was new.  Every single day, I had to figure out where the event was located, what time it was at, what we needed to take and where to go.  One day, we were supposed to go to violin but I inputted the choir address into the GPS and went to the choir location.  UGH.  Luckily, violin was only ten minutes away and we still made it on time. . .barely:)

Figuring out where to go was hard but meeting new people at every new event was stressful too.  What I learned about homeschoolers is that there are as many different homeschoolers out there as there are people.  There are the strict, text-book homeschoolers who follow a strict routine to the unschoolers who think that their children learn just by living life.  Then there is religion which seems to unfortunately separate many homeschoolers.  Plus there are a dozen homeschool groups in Vegas which is great but overwhelming.  I looked into all the groups too!  The Freethinkers, Lifelearners, Connections, LV Homeschoolers, Common Ground Home Educators, Classical Conversations, etc. 

The first few weeks I drove us crazy going to different events in the different groups so I could figure out where we fit.  I have a better idea now where we belong but this will be an ongoing process and I've decided that it's okay to not attend every event:)  I'm confident we'll find our groove over time. 

Then you have curriculum choices.  I made decisions this summer based on what I thought I wanted.  But of course until I started using the curriculum I had no idea if I made the right decisions.  So during the first weeks, I've been analyzing if the curriculum works for us.  Luckily math works great.  I exchanged the history we were using with Sonlight. The language arts program works okay but I'd love to find a better phonics program.  The perfect curriculum search may never end but I've decided I need to press with what we have for this year. 

New to Vegas.  New to homeschooling.  What a combination! I'm glad the first few weeks are over and look forward to settling more and more into a routine. 

BTW, this is all my anxiety and perspective.  Bryce seems to be very content with all of the decisions.  He loves his co-op classes and seems to like homeschooling with me.  I'm super lucky that Bryce is such an easy-going child! 

How Children Succeed

In order to homeschool Bryce, I've been reading a lot about education.  It's also making me think about what my priorities are for Bryce and how we will achieve our goals.  One of the best books I've read recently is "How Children Succeed" by Paul Tough.  Below are my notes that I took while reading.  That's how much I LOVED this book! 

*******

Success is an inclination to persist at a boring and often unrewarding task.  The ability to delay gratification. The tendency to follow through on a plan.
 

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE).  Higher the score, the more sick.  Overloading the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, especially in infancy and childhood, can have serious and long lasting negative effects. 
 

Stress affects ability to regulates thought.  The prefrontal cortex and executive function.  

 

Allostatic load is a physical measurement of stress.  Stress determines executive function. 

 

Early childhood that our brains and bodies are most sensitive to stress and trauma. 

 

Prefrontal cortex can be influenced well into adolescence and early childhood.  

 

High quality mothering can mitigate the effects of stress on a child.  

 

The effect of the environmental stressors like overcrowding to poverty to family turmoil was almost entirely eliminated by mothers responsiveness.  If your mom was sensitive to your emotional state, stress had almost no effect on your allostatic load. 

 

Babies whose parents responded readily and fully to their cries in the first few months were more independent at one and more self reliant in preschool.  Warm, sensitive parental care created a secure base from which a child could explore the world.  Early attachment create psychological effects that last a lifetime.  More self confident, more curious, better able to deal with setbacks.  Attachment at infancy can predict future school success. Early nurturing produced a resilience that acted as a protective buffer against stress.  

 

If the mom had an poor attachment to her mom, it will be that much harder for her to provide a nurturing attachment to her child.  But a parent CAN overcome this but they need help.  

 

Scientists have demonstrated that the most reliable way to produce an adult who is brave and curious and okind and prudent is to ensure that when he is an infant, his hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis functions well.  How do you do that?  First, protect him from serious trauma and chronic stress.  Then, even more important, you provide him with a secure, nurturing relationship with at least one parent and ideally two.  

 

Involves a lot of comforting, hugging, talking and reassuring.  Helping to calm down after a tantrum or a bad scare.  Want to teach the child how to manage their inflamed stress systems and help repair them to a resting system.  

 

This attachment may have a bigger influence on his character and in his ultimate happiness and success than anything parents can do.  

 

Must also teach children how to manage failure.  Must learn how to deal with and learn from your own failures.  Must teach them how to learn from failure, how to stare at failure with unblinking honesty, how to confront exactly why you messed up. If you can do that, you will do better the next time.  Must have the ability to overcome failure and learn from it. 

 

Affluent children never have to make a difficult decision or confront a real challenge entered the adult world competent but lost.  

 

Self discipline and character are better predictors of success then IQ.  

 

Motivation matters in the equation to be successful.

 

Conscientious - people high in conscientious get better grades, commit fewer crimes, stay married longer and live longer.  

 

Self control in childhood matters to success in adulthood. But more self control can mean less creative people.  

 

Character skills for success:  grit, self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, curiosity. 

 

Build grit and self control through failure

By making rules, you sidestep the painful internal conflict between your desire for somethig and your willful determination to resist them. Before long,  rules and habits become automatic.  Metacognitive substitute.

 

Virtues are habits.  Habit and character are essentially the same thing. Some of us have good habits and other bad habits.  But that can change.  Habits allow you to exert yourself and not exhaust yourself mentally in order to do so.  

 

Surround students with character traits.  Work it into the lessons.  

 

Chess equals higher psychological and emotional intelligence or high level of executive function.  Higher order mental capacities. Requires cognitive flexibility and cognitive self control.  How to understand your mistakes and aware of your thought processes. Must look at games and figure out what you are doing wrong.  Learn from mistakes without beating themselves up and take responsibility.  

 

Babies need love and nurturing.  Teenagers need someone to take them seriously, believe in their abilities and challenge them.  

 

Behavior.  Slow down, examine their impulses and consider more productive solutions to their problems.  Students challenged to look at their own mistakes, examine them and think about how to do it differently.

 

Best way to improve is to play against the best, even if they take you apart.  

 

A lot of people with attention issues crave intense experiences and serious stimulation like chess.

 

Want vs choose.  Motivation vs volition. Crucial difference between wanting something and choosing it.  Reveal your choice through your behavior and determination.  Every action says This is Who I am.  

The dedication to a pursuit makes you feel productive.

 

Grit: self discipline wedded to a dedicated pursuit of a goal.  Liberating to be focused on one thing that they are passionate about.  

 

Flow: moments when a persons body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile.  Intense well being and control

 

US doesn't have a problem with college enrollment but with college completion.  US is second to last of 34 countries.  Leading the world in college drop outs.  

A college graduate can earn 83 % more then a high school diploma.  

Best predictor of college completion was high score GPA, not ACT scores, even if not from the best public school.  Who graduates from college isn't about who is the smartest but who has the motivation and perseverance to finish college.  

College success skills include non cognitive skills:  study skills, work habits, time management, help seeking behavior, social and academic problem solving skills. Need internal motivation and perseverance to make it through college.  

 

Many students don't have the non academic skills to succeed or the character skills required to succeed in college.  

 

Kids need resourcefulness, resilience, ambition, professionalism and integrity.  

 

Believe that the ACT measures how effective your education has been.  Not a good measure of intelligence.  

Noncognitive skills like resilience and resourcefulness and grit are highly predictive of success in college.  

 

In 1961, students spent 24 hrs a week studying.  1981, 20 hours a week and today, 14 hours a week. This can be an opportunity for success for a dedicated student who needs to catch up educationally. 

 

OneGoal program teaches kids how to be successful students.  Sit in the front row.  Pat attention and follow the lecture.  Introduce yourself to the teacher.  Ask questions.  Attend office hours.  Get tutoring.  Take advantage of math and writing labs.  Make 2 friends  in classes so you can study with them and ask questions. 

 

The idea of building grit and self control is that you get that through confronting real challenges and failure.

 

In affluent, high academic environments, no one ever fails.  

The lowest income children's biggest obstacle to success:  a home and community that create a high level of stress and the absence of a secure relationship with a caregiver that would allow a child to manage that stress.  

 

Hard to discuss these poverty issues because science is hard to understand, hard to talk about family dysfunction in low income homes and politically it is challenging.  The left would have to admit that family and character matters.  The right would have  to do more then just blame the family and nothing more.  

 

Author proposes new ways to support these really low income families with many interventions in the book.  He states that the current system is wildly broke, inefficient and doesn't work.  

 

Author said these kids can succeed but must have support.  All of us do.

Playing Math Games



I love our math curriculum!  Right Start Math is definitely the right fit for Bryce.  We've been playing math games to reinforce Bryce's math facts.  It is so much fun and he asks to play the games! 

 

This is "Go to the Dump" that is based on Go Fish.  Instead of colors, he has to match a number that equals 10.  So, if he has a 4 in his hand, he has to ask for a 6.  If a person doesn't have it, then he "goes to the dump."  Bryce uses the abacus if he doesn't have his math fact memorized yet. 

 

Fun Stuff!

 

 

Here is Bryce signing the RS Math Song, "Yellow is the Sun."

Sonlight Exchange

After the first week of using Sonlight, I decided that Core A didn't fit well for Bryce.  Core A's goal is to give children an overview of ideas, people and places.  It doesn't go into depth on topics and that superficiality is what I didn't like.  One day was dinosaurs, the next was cave men.  After three years of Montessori, Bryce understands his place in the world.  I think he is ready to start studying things in more depth. 

I contacted Sonlight.  They are allowing me to send back Core A and get Core B.  Somehow I owe them another $100 in the exchange but I think studying topics in more depth will be good for Bryce.  Core B covers the start of world history to the fall of Rome. 

I'm still not 100% sold on Sonlight.  They've got some great books to read so hopefully this will be a good switch for us. 

Over Scheduled

I have committed us to too many things.  Just thinking about the week's activities has caused me stress.  Which is crazy?!  I'm homeschooling so we don't have to be stressed.  I'm in control of this schedule.   I get to show up when and where I want. 

So, why don't I change our schedule? 

 

"Slay the guilt monster by saying ”No” more often.  The world will not end if we say no.  While many good opportunities come our way there is only enough space in our lives for the best.  It is okay to say no.  Do not feel guilty.  We don’t have superpowers so we shouldn’t try to live as if we do.  I have learned to say no to many outside activities and seriously consider the time involved before committing to a project."   Busy Home Blog

 

 Oh, it's guilt.  And good opportunities that I'm afraid to let pass.  But I like what is said above:  "only enough space in our lives for the best."   So, I should choose things that are only the BEST and supports our family PRIORITIES. 

  

Now, I just need to decide what in our schedule supports these things.  (Can I also add, "and won't drive mom nuts?")

Applesauce

Andy's Chief gave us eight apples from his backyard.  Who knew apples could even grow in Vegas!

So I decided to make applesauce.  Bryce helped peel, cut and mush the apples.  And eat the apples (his favorite part:)  With fall coming, we might be making more applesauce!

Music Study

Charlotte Mason believes children should learn to appreciate good music. 

"Music appreciation is done in much the same way as art appreciation. Simply listen to the music of one composer at various times throughout the week. Tell children which composer you’re listening to. You could play the music in the vehicle while running errands or play it at home in the background during a meal. Be sure to begin the album at different songs to make sure the children have a chance to hear more than just the first selection.  Continue to listen to pieces by the same composer for several weeks until the children become familiar with that composer’s style. If possible, read or listen to a short biography about that composer sometime during your study of his or her work.  Be sure to enter each composer you study into your Timeline."

CM Music Study

We don't have a specific time period that we are studying so I just had Andy pick an artist.  He chose Antonio Vivaldi.  Four Seasons was already on our ITunes so that was the CD that we're playing this morning:) 

Easy!  Assuming I can remember to play Vivaldi over time.  Maybe I'll actually learn something since I have no knowledge of classical music:) 

Charlotte Mason Seminar

Today I went to a Charlotte Mason (CM) Seminar at the RISE center. 

"Charlotte Mason was a British educator who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her method, the Charlotte Mason method, is centered around the idea that education is three-pronged: Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.  By “Atmosphere,” Charlotte meant the surroundings in which the child grows up. A child absorbs a lot from his home environment. Charlotte believed that atmosphere makes up one-third of a child’s education.  By “Discipline,” Charlotte meant the discipline of good habits — and specifically habits of character. Cultivating good habits in your child’s life make up another third of his education.  The other third of education, “Life,” applies to academics. Charlotte believed that we should give children living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts. So all of her methods for teaching the various school subjects are built around that concept. For example, Charlotte’s students used living books rather than dry textbooks. Living books are usually written in story form by one author who has a passion for the subject. A living book makes the subject “come alive.” She taught spelling by using passages from great books that communicate great ideas rather than just a list of words.  She encouraged spending time outdoors, interacting with God’s creation firsthand and learning the living ways of nature."

I really identify with CM's ideas.  I think the formation of habits and character are just as important as academics.  I love the idea of living books to learn!  Sonlight is a little bit CM with it being literature-based learning but not strictly.  Over the next couple of posts, I'm going to start exploring some of CM's ideas and how we can incorporate them into our life. 

Baseball

Bryce is taking baseball on Friday mornings with a homeschool group.  They are working on many of the basics of catching and batting.  So far, he thinks baseball is his favorite sport.  

 

First Week in Review

We have survived our first week of homeschooling!  A new friend who homeschools keeps telling me to just give homeschooling a try for a year.  I am just taking it day by day, week by week:)

Overall, I would call the first week a success.  The best part was Bryce seemed to enjoy learning with me and overall I loved our time together learning new things.  We never had the tantrums and the refusals that we had last summer when we were working on things.  Maybe it's the change in curriculum or maybe it's the fact that Bryce is more mature.  Whatever it is. . .I'll take it:)

The biggest challenge I have is that we are over scheduled!  Another homeschool mom said that I must be doing something right if I've over committed.  So I guess it's not unusual. 

I was so interested in the classes and trying to make sure Bryce isn't missing anything that we are busy!!  Monday afternoon is Connections Co-op. Tuesday is an insane day - creative writing, Spanish, choir and cub scouts.  Wednesday is pretend drama and geography.  Thursday is a great day  with only violin at 2.  Friday is baseball in the morning. 

This is our schedule without occupational and physical therapy thrown in there yet. 

So, I really need to drop something but don't want to:)  Luckily many of the things are on a monthly basis.  So I'm going to just stick with things for now and see as time goes by if we get into a better routine of if I really need to drop something. 

Curriculum review:
-  I love Right Start Math!!   I love the songs that we sing and the way they teach math.  I think this will be a good fit. 
-  Explore the Code:  Hate it.  Worksheets - blah! It's teaching phonics which Bryce knows well so I didn't worry about it this week.  I may try to figure out an alternative.  I would love something more Montessori like or hands on.
- Sonlight:  Overall, I like how the schedule is laid out and all I have to do is follow it.  The stories are short and Bryce loves the poems!  But I think we chose wrong with core.  Core A is an overview of cultures and the world.  I find the material superficial and I think Bryce got a lot of this in Montessori.  I'd like to go more in-depth with topics which means I think we're ready for Core B.  I'll talk to Sonlight on Monday about our options. 
- Language Arts:  The reading and spelling words are going well.  It's pretty easy for Bryce but I think a good place to start.  There is some short copywork that Bryce doesn't love but it's short enough he can handle.  I have nothing to compare this to so I'm going to trust Sonlight and Laura's opinion that it's good. 
- Handwriting:  We started capital letters this week.  I may switch to cursive.  I haven't figured this out yet.  Bryce hates handwriting!  So, I need to do this earlier in the morning and keep it short.
- Sonlight's Science:  Bryce likes the science!  Short and interesting lessons!

That's our first week! 

Suzuki Violin

Bryce has started his Suzuki violin lessons.  Last year, he took a different style, called Essential Elements.  We loved his VA teacher and honestly never would have changed styles had we stayed in VA.

But with a move comes a chance to try new things.  I've heard a lot about the Suzuki method so after an extensive search, I think we found a good teacher in Vegas.  (Finding a teacher was not as easy as in NOVA). 

 

Bryce will have a 30-minute private lesson once a week and a group lesson twice a month.  We've never done group lessons before so we'll see how that works!

 

Suzuki Method

Swim Break

This is our recess! 

 

 

Doubts, doubts and more doubts

As much as I think our homeschooling is going well so far, the doubts about if I'm doing the right thing runs through my head constantly.  Like this morning, Bryce is doing a "report" that he learned how to do in his Montessori school.  I think it's great he wants to do a report on his own and I'm thrilled he learned about it last year.  But then my next thought is . . ."what else is Bryce missing this year at school?" 

Doubts, doubts. . .I hear this is normal for many homeschool parents:)

Friends, Friends!

One of the things I most worried about was making friends while homeschooling.  Friends for Bryce and friends for me.  Especially being an only child, I really want to make sure that Bryce is getting enough socialization and "recess" time where he gets plenty of free play without mom hovering over him. 

Already, in our first week, I think this is something I don't need to worry about. 

In between classes at the RISE center, Bryce has found a group of 4-5 boys that are about his age.  Bryce introduced himself and the boys accepted him to their group.  The boys run and laugh and play.  It's his "recess" time.  Many of the same boys are in his boy scouts and will be at the Connections Co-op that starts on Monday. 

For me, I thought I would get "work" done during Bryce's classes.  But I'm too busy talking to the other moms:)  Many of the same moms that I have already met at last week's events. 

Also, last night we babysat for another homeschool family.  Bryce loved having friends over:)

Oh, there are more homeschool park days then I can keep up with.  I think we're going to have plenty of social opportunities! 

RISE Classes

On Tuesday, Bryce started his classes at the RISE Education Resource Center. 

The RISE center is AMAZING!  It's physically located at a Methodist church but is separate from the church.  It's function is to provide support and advocacy for homeschooling families.  I took an "Intro to Homeschooling" class there this summer. 

The super cool thing is that it's a place for homeschoolers to gather, hang out and/or take classes.  I felt like I was picking classes for college when I chose classes for Bryce!  They offer everything from drama, to Spanish, to geography, to chess, to sewing, to creative writing, to Shakespeare, to an equine class.  There are SO many classes to pick from that I'm afraid that we don't have time to do our actual school work:)

RISE Education Resource Center

On Tuesdays, Bryce is doing a Spanish and a Creative Writing class.  The creative writing class is taught by Marissa who the students adore.  Bryce is in the 7-9 year old class which I was a little worried about because Bryce's handwriting skills are pretty basic still.  But Marissa thinks from a maturity level it's where he belongs and she is going to have teenagers in the class to assist. 

Writing Adventures

Honestly, I'm a little disappointed in the Spanish class.  After Montessori, I was expecting things to be more hands-on and interactive.  So when she handed out worksheets I almost wanted to walk out:)  But her enthusiasm and passion for Spanish may just compensate for the worksheets.  I think it's still good for Bryce to learn Spanish and interact with the kids. 

On Wednesdays, Bryce will do a Pretend Drama and Geography class.  Just the Pretend Drama class made me think this homeschooling thing was well worth it.  The class is AMAZING!  The teacher, Cielja Kieft is from Amsterdam, where she was a theater director and drama teacher for 30 years.  At the end of each class, they do a improv performance.  Bryce was a knight of course in the first show! 

In the Geography class, the kids are studying a different state each week.  They started with Nevada of course!  During the 1.5 hour class, they learned about the background of Nevada, ate food from the miners' time, made a basket like the Indians and constructed "Hoover Dam."   It was a large, multi-age class that I think Bryce is really going to like. 

Pictures from the Drama Class. 

 

Making Hoover Dam

 

We survived the first day:)

We survived our first day of homeschool together!  Thank goodness!

Before school, Bryce did his items on his checklist and we went for a quick walk/bike ride around the block.  Amazingly, we started right at 8 AM. 

We started the day with a ritual of lighting a candle, saying a poem and doing a song.  I still need to find a good song.  But we've got a "start of the day" ritual started!

I chose math to start with because I wanted us to be fresh for that.  It took only about 15 minutes.  Then I let Bryce choose next.  He picked science!  We talked about the earth and how it spins around the sun.  We did it with our bodies and balls.  We also talked about how the Earth is made up of the crust, mantle and core.  Sonlight suggested we compare it to an egg.  We opened up two eggs looking at "our earth."  That was fun!  Bryce also drew a picture of the Earth. 

Bryce then wanted to draw his own picture.  So I let him.  He drew a picture of a knight and wanted to cut out a sword.  Random but I wanted to let him explore some too. 

We then did history where we read about dinosaurs.  Bryce traced a picture of T-rex, we talked about how long ago dinosaurs where and learned new vocabulary words. 

We then did the read-alouds from Sonlight of the Boxcar Children and a poem about opposites.

After 1.5 hours, we were both ready for a break.  We took a 30 min break where we ate a snack and jammed to music. 

Then it was back to work.  By this point, Bryce's frustration level was higher.  He still kept at things but it was much harder.  We still had language arts to do.  (Note to self.  Do earlier in the morning).  Bryce read, we did spelling words and copy work.  Then we did handwriting.  Basic capital letters and Bryce hated this! 

Most of the school work was done at this point.  We took a break by playing an Uno game.  We then did "sewing" where Bryce did a little on his pot holder.  I've also added "life skills" so we then worked on tying shoes.  Neither of these things took that long but I figure a little each day will go a long way over time. 

Then we finished with violin after a longer break (cause I thought Andy might be home on Labor Day to do it with him).  Overall, we were done by 1230. 

I consider today a successful first day of school!  Bryce didn't get too frustrated and I didn't want to quit.

This is a picture of Bryce working on handwriting. A hard subject for him. Next time we won't do it at the end of our school time. I'm going to move it first thing next to Math.
.


Whenever Bryce was reading or we read together, we would sit together on the big, comfy blue couch.  We both liked this:)
 

First Day of School

Today was our first day of school. We had to take the traditional "first day" picture! Here is Bryce going into first grade at the Huntoon Learning Academy. (Yes, we started on Monday, Labor day:)

Nagging & Daily Routines

I hate nagging Bryce about getting things done in the morning and at night.  You know those things. . . get dressed, brush teeth, make your bed, feed the dog, pick up your toys. . .oh, the list is long:)   I feel like I keep asking him over and over to get his responsibilities done.  Yes, I'm nagging.  Bryce hates it and so do I. 

Then we got a dry erase board.  I started writing his responsibilities on the board with a check box next to it.  Bryce likes it.  He still gets distracted and you have to ask him if everything is done on his checklist BUT he is starting to take ownership for things. 

However, writing the same items on the board everyday is repetitive so I decided to put it on paper in a page protector where he can mark it off with a dry erase marker.  The checklist is on a clipboard and Bryce gets to mark it off as we go. 

The goal is to create habits.  A habit like making his bed everyday.  The goal is that once these things are habits that Bryce won't need a checklist. 

Or we make a checklist for the next habit to instill:)  One thing at a time. . . .

Anderson Dairy Tour

Although we are raw milk drinkers, we went with a homeschool group and toured a local dairy processing plant.  Anderson Dairy has been in operation in Las Vegas since 1907.  They have a "barnyard buddy tour" specifically for kids and windows so you can see how the milk is processed.  Unfortunately, we didn't see any cows since they truck the milk in from Utah. 

But it was certainly interesting to see how they make milk and ice cream on a large scale.  It's very machine-dependent and I think the only two workers we saw are in this picture! 

I think we'll stick with our raw milk:)

 Anderson Dairy

Back to School Ice Cream Social

We continued our "not back to school" week by going to a homeschool ice cream social.  Bryce got to eat homemade ice cream that Andy made and he played in the splash park.  We're meeting lots of homeschoolers trying to make new friends in a new town with a new way of life:)

Cub Scouts

Every since Bryce attended a boy scout event with his cousin Joel, he couldn't wait to be a first grader so he could join Cub Scouts!  Last night, he went to his first cub event where they celebrated the "Magic of Scouting" with a magician and had a rock climbing wall. 

Clark County Children's Choir

Bryce attended his first choir practice with the Clark County Children's Choir. He is one of eight kids in the first grade "Cadet" class. The teacher, Miss Kelli has an amazing voice and I'm excited about everything Bryce will learn this year! The children’s musical education and creativity is based on the principles and philosophy of Zoltán Kodály. There will be a concert on November 15th and sometimes the kids get to do other performances. 

Clark County Children's Choir