A lull in homeschooling

Well, we've been really busy at home with all sorts of things, though none of them on my 'original' plan. With spring bursting foward, all of us have been busy cleaning up our yard and readying it for planting. Every year I think I will plant early, and every year I end up planting in early May....hmmm. At any rate, the garden is an amazing source of inspiration to us as a family and as an artist. Its a time to contemplate, dig deep and meditate. Of course my girls love the worms and seedlings. Perhaps the most rewarding aspect is being able to watch our efforts become real throughout the summer months. Our garden is very small, but you would be amazed at just what you can grow in a small space! We actually don't have any real grass area in the yard anymore, with a park/ play structure down the street and a huge field there as well, we just decided to grow all we could. 

Now if only I could get some chickens! Of course with our goofy dog (hound) there would probably be an incident! In fact any suggestions on handling this would be appreciated! 

Speaking of gardening, this talk at TED on our relationship with nature was mind bending....that much production on 100 acres ...huh!

I'll post pics soon, we're off to get compost at the works department... 

Why climb the mountain of workbooks

I have come to the realization that there is no one program to fit all our needs. Not one new workbook that upon completion will fill the void in my daughters education. In fact, I many days want to scream at some of the workbooks/unit studies I have used. At the end of it, workbooks are like the favorite DVD you pop in so you get a moment of peace. Its there when you need it.

However, workbooks have given both my daughters a sense of accomplishment and control over their education. It is so solid and easy to measure progress with. At the end of the day, I use these resources as another piont of view coming into our home school. Afterall, I do not want to be the source of knowledge. I want each of my daughters to become guided by their own inner compass. Independent learners. 

The reality is that learning to read, write, and do basic math is just a matter of time and attention. But to have direction, creatively solve problems and take an interest from a thought and investigaate this subject fully; this is my goal for my daughters education.  This is where unschooling and Project-based learning come in. I've been using a journal to help give feedback to both Anya and Fi on their interests. It also means I don't have to remember every interest they have and I can see patterns of interest that have developed. 

Check out Lori's website (at the link above). It's fantastic and her resources are amazing.

Wow, this post has wandered a bit!