The Ins and Outs of Home Education

As each year ends, newspapers and magazines publish their lists of "ins" for new year and "outs" from the old. I have compiled my own list of fashionable and not-so-fashionable ways of getting some learnin' done in our house:

OUT

• Yelling--that would be Mommy yelling. Besides the fact that it has no effect, it probably does not help encourage a love of learning. Mommy really needs to work on this one.
• Chapter books, for now. Pretlow really enjoys reading. He goes to bed with a book almost every night. But it doesn't seem to be time for chapter books yet, which is fine. I'm just glad he's a reader.
• Trying to get three children--ages 3 to 6--to sit still and quiet for 15 minutes while I read them a history or science lesson. I know that other 3- to 6-year-olds can do this. But mine do not. So let's try something else.

IN

• Multi-tasking: It seems very obvious now, but there's no reason why the kids can't color maps or draw pictures while I'm reading the history lesson. And we finish the lesson that much sooner, which makes everyone happy. Mealtimes have also proven a great time for multi-tasking. While they eat, I can read to them or review something we have learned. It also forces me (sometimes) to sit down with the kids while they're eating, instead of trying to get other work done or surfing the net.
• Music: This also seems obvious, doesn't it? It's amazing what children can memorize (books of the Bible! countries in Africa!) if there's a song for it. And I'm memorizing these things, too. Sometimes we even work on the songs while we're eating! How's THAT for multi-tasking??
• Rewards: I've made a reward chart to encourage music practice. After earning a certain number of stars, the kids will be able to choose prizes like picking dinner or having a slumber party in the living room. We are having mixed success with this one. It doesn't seem to be very motivational for Zoe yet. But I'll call it an "in" because Pretlow seems to enjoy filling up his chart.

In case I don't write again this year, thanks for reading about our year of learning. I look forward to sharing more in 2009!

We All Scream ...

I've finally signed up for the summer reading program. I think Pretlow will enjoy entering his book titles on the library website; it's very cool.

Last night we went to a place that serves Italian ice AND ice cream. Perfect for our family! I think everyone was pleased.

Let the Games Begin!

We're back from the library, having cleared our delinquent accounts. :-) The sign-up line for the summer reading program was quite long, but I can do that online later. At the end of the summer, the kids can each get a certificate for reading or being read to. Among other titles, I checked out Great Big Book of Children's Games. It has over 450 indoor and outgoor games--that should keep us busy! One of them is called "Blow Soccer," "a lively free-for-all" in which "players propel a 'soccer ball' by blowing through drinking draws." We'll see about that one. Something else called "Spider Web" looks like a lot of fun. I haven't read through all of it, but the book warns that it "must be set up well in advance by an adult." But right now I'm about to play "Shouldn't You be Taking a Nap?" with Victoria. :-)