I’ve finally decided to give up on continuing this blog. Although I absolutely love the community Andrea and Ron have created here, honestly, I just don’t have the energy to keep up two blogs, and my other blog has more readers. Besides, trying to keep up consistent learning logs — for me — is a recipe for guilt. *Sigh*

On the good side, I’m expanding the other site — which was intended strictly as a book blog — a bit. I get bookish visitors who are curious about homeschooling and unschooling and ask questions about it. What the heck is an “unschooler” anyway?

So I’ll continue posting about homeschoolish stuff here — http://starkravingbibliophile.blogspot.com and see how that goes. Please stop by and bookmark the site or add it to your feed reader! I have some photos up today. The theme is “snow.” *LOL*

Thanks for visiting!

Math is not really about arithmetic — that would be like saying that learning literature is all about rules of grammar. Math is really about patterns.

We reviewed multiplication facts today by making patterns with circles. I got inspiration and direction from this video:

First we did the ones, connecting each of the facts with a line: 0 (1 x 0), 1 (1 x 1), 2 (1 x 2), etc.:

Nothing fancy — it just goes from one point to the next on the circle.

Then we did the twos, connecting 0 (2 x 0), 2 (1 x 2), 4 (2 x 2), etc. When we reached “10,” we looked at the second digit, as explained in the video above, and started again with 0 — then 2 (12), then 4 (14), and so forth, so it created a repeating pattern in the shape of a pentagram:

Then we did the threes: 0, 3, 6, 9, 2 (12), 5 (15), 8 (18), 1 (21), 4 (24), 7 (27), then back to 0 (30) — then the pattern repeats. It makes a flower-like star.

Then we did the fours: 0, 4, 8, 2 (12), 6 (16), and so forth. It creates a repeating pattern in the shape of a 5-sided star:

The fives: 0, 5, 0 (10), 5 (15), 0 (20) …

And so forth, through the 9s:

The three kids figured out which designs “matched” — 1s and 9s, 2s and 8s, 3s and 7s, and 4s and 6s, and the older kids quickly figured out that all these pairs add up to sums of 10. O.K, I am a total nerd … but I think it’s COOL! When he figured out the the 9s pattern is the same as the 1s, except backward (9, 8 (18), 7 (27), 6 (36), etc.) James said, “I just retaught myself the trick for multiplying 9s!” –

When you do the times table for “9,” the digits always add up to “9″ –
9
18 (1 + 8 = 9)
27 (2 + 7 = 9)
36 (3 + 6 = 9)
45 (4 + 5 = 9)
54 (5 + 4 = 9)
63 (6 + 3 = 9)
72 (7 + 2 = 9)
81 (8 + 1 = 9)

By the way, it works for larger numbers, too.

for example, 9 x 142 = 1278 (1 + 2 + 7 + 8 = 18, and when you add those digits, 1 + 8 = 9)

42,003 x 9 = 378,027 (3 + 7 + 8 + 0 + 2 + 7 = 27 and 2 + 7 = 9) Always works. And yes, I have a calculator on my desktop — I didn’t multiply 42,003 x 9 = 378,027 in my head. I’m not Rainman!

(Trishy, James and Sarah: Math: Patterns/Algebra; James and Sarah: Math: Computation: Multiplication)

Trishy, James, Sarah and I played PIG. I noticed that Sarah still adds by “counting on” (5 + 4 … 5,6,7,8,9) which surprised me.

At one point, Sarah rolled two dice and got “snake eyes” (two 1s), losing all her points. I asked the older kids what were the odds of that. They understood that there is a 1:6 chance of rolling a 1 when you roll one die. But they didn’t remember how to work out the answer to my question. So I showed them how, using a tree diagram (or something like a tree diagram — if anything, it looks more like a row of shrubbery):

There is a 1:36 chance of rolling two dice and getting snake eyes.By the way, that’s Trishy drawing, in the photograph above. She wrote “Mom” and “Dad.” Then she made up some sort of hypothetical dice game, drawing dice to show what each of us rolled. I’m not sure what it was all about, but I thought it was cool.

Then we worked out the odds, when rolling two dice, of getting at least one 6 (11:36).

(Sarah, James and Trishy: Math: Computation: Addition; Probability/Statistics: Probability)

We all played Mastermind (Sarah, James and Trishy: Math: Logic: Deductive Logic) Then Sarah and James took turns solving easy multi-digit multiplication problems as we completed Math-U-See Lesson 21A. The multiplication was pretty easy for them, so tomorrow we’ll jump ahead to the cumulative review (Lesson 21D).

James has been asking to take stuff apart — an interest he claims was sparked by Joe Sullivan who taught a fabulous Makers Class, one day, for that very purpose. Thursday, I asked John to provide him with some tools and gather some things for him to dismember. He completely took apart a jigsaw. (James: Science/Construction)

We also had math class Thursday. Sarah, James and I did Chapter 2 in The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat, on square roots and irrational numbers. (Sarah and James: Patterns/Algebra) Trishy, James, Sarah and I played PIG, which was a lot of fun, though Trishy tends to get frustrated when the luck of the dice is not in her favor.(Sarah, James and Trishy: Math: Computation: Addition; Probability/Statistics: Intuitive Experience With Probability)

Trishy had a playdate with her friend Abigail, and she also hung out with some new playmates, Maya and Xena. She had a BLAST! There was a lot of imaginative play and running around the house. Trishy also rode Abba’s tricycle and played a Bingo game with Abba’s mom, Jennifer. (Trishy: Social and Emotional Development: Imaginative Play; Cooperative Play; Gross Motor Development)

Friday, we went on an NLSV field trip to the Science Museum of Virginia. They have an interesting exhibit on Newtonian Physics and Outer Space. We had fun playing with this contraption, for example, which demonstrated movement through releasing air from a balloon:

They had some great activities in “Science Unplugged.” The boys built structures taller than themselves with large blocks. There was a station where the boys tried to build a block structure that would withstand a “windstorm” and another structure that would withstand an “earthquake”:

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Trishy had fun with this:

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Another highlight was the rocket science lab. The kids got a crash course in Newton’s laws of motion and launched rockets made of straws:

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We saw some reptiles and rats, including a rat basketball tournament. The younger kids also explored a shark, a sea star, a horseshoe crab in touch tanks and browsed a bat exhibit.

(Sarah, James and Trishy: Science: Physics; James: Science/Constructive Play; Sarah, James and Trishy: Science: Biology)

James had Aengus sleep over, and they seemed to have a great time. They played video games, played with Hotwheels, and built Lego vehicles. (James: Science/Constructive Play)

He’s been playing war-themed video games with his friends (James: Strategic Thinking; Collaborative Problem-Solving) and listening to audiobooks. He finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (James: Reading/Literature)

Sarah has been browsing movie sites and writing a story. (Sarah: Reading and Writing) She has also been doing some interesting computer art. (Sarah: Computer; Art)

Trishy has been into video games and movies lately. We always watch movies with Closed Captioning, which reinforces reading skills. Lately Trishy has been constantly asking us to translate the small words for her (“What does “w-e” spell?” “What does “a-l-l” spell? She has also been trying to master all the intricacies of the remote control (“What does “o-n” spell?” “What does “o-f-f”  spell?”) (Trishy: Reading) She has also been doing some computer art. (Trishy: Computer; Art)

This is one of our favorite games, something I picked up from math educator Marilyn Burns. all you need is pencil, paper, and four dice.

Object: The first person to reach 100 points is the winner.

How to Play:

1. Start the game by rolling the dice. Each player can choose to roll one, two, three or four dice. If a one is rolled, then the player’s turn is over and he loses any points he had for that turn.

2. If the player rolls anything other than a one, then the player gets to decide to take that number as his score or roll again.

3. If the player decides to roll again, then he continues to add up the face value of the dice for each roll until he rolls a one and loses it all, or decides to stop and pass the dice.

4. Once a person stops to pass the turn to the next player, then the scorekeeper writes down his total number of points. He continues to add to this score, with each turn, until he reaches 100. Whenever a one is rolled, then the player’s turn is over and he loses any points he had for that turn. if he rolls TWO ones, he loses all his points for that game, and his score returns to zero.

We had our first family history club meeting today. Sarah and James were there, along with their dad and me. Our first topic is the two world wars. As World War I started in Europe, and since everyone in this family suffers from the deplorable lack of geography knowledge we Americans are famous for, we started by playing several rounds of Ten Days in Europe. Trishy played too. (Sarah, James & Trishy: Strategic Thinking; Geography; Map Skills)

We made a chart on the white board of things each of the two older kids knows about the two world wars and things they’re curious about. Considering the units Sarah has done on the world wars and the holocaust, and all the discussions that have been sparked by James’s World War II-themed video games, I’d expected the knowledge lists to be longer. *LOL*

Sarah Knows –
1. Winston Churchill was prime minister of England.
2. Adolf Hitler committed suicide.
3. Franklin D Roosevelt was president during the first part of WW II.
4. Joseph Stalin was leader of Russia. He was a dictator who tried communism. When it didn’t work, he started killing people..
5. The Nazis killed Jews, gays, retarded people, mentally ill people, gypsies, Czechs(??), blacks, people with various disabilities. She knows many gory details about the holocaust.

She doesn’t know why WW I started.

James Knows –

1. The Germans, with the MG42, generally didn’t survive long enough to fire the whole clip, because the clip was so huge and attracted so much attention when it fired (He saw this on the History Channel at Aengus’s)
2. The MP40 was half made of plastic
3. A tank called the Tiger, made by the Germans, was one of the most feared tanks on the battlefield. They were slow and heavy because of all the armor. The American response was mines. Russia helped make a much faster tank. The Tiger’s downfall was that it used too much metal in the armor. The state couldn’t afford it.
4. Many mistakes were made at Omaha Beach, and this prolonged the war.
5. WWII started because of WWI. Hitler promised to fix up Germany to how it used to be.
6. He’s heard of battles, like Omaha beach and the Invasion of Berlin; he knows the names of too many WWII weapons to count.

James is Curious About –

1. Why did Stalin help us against the Germans?
2. How many bullets are in the clip of a PPSH (Russian weapon)?
3. If you lasted for a long time on the battlefield, how would you get food?
4. Everything about World War I.

We also talked about my plans for the club, and I tried to get ideas. James is all about the weapons. Sarah agreed to find some relevant movies.

(Sarah and James; A Feeble Attempt (On My Part) at Collaboration; History)

Other Things We’ve Done:

Last night, we had a family meeting about learning at home and how we’re scheduling our lives. I won’t go into the ins and outs, but in short, we decided nothing we’re doing is working worth a damn. So there you have it.

John and I made some changes, with input from the kids. After that, John and the kids played Mario Karts and other video games, and we all played Pictionary. Playing this game as a family is SO much fun, and Trishy plays surprisingly well for a 5-year-old. She doesn’t read, but she can fast-draw along with the best of us.

Today, we had breakfast at the crack of dawn (ahem … around 8:30), during which the older kids looked like heavily drugged zombies. Then I had math class with the older kids. Each of them took a placement test for the Math U See curriculum. It looks like they’re both at about the Gamma level. Even though Sarah, who is 4 years older, is much more advanced in many ways, there are still gaps in her skills, and she could benefit from a review of multi-digit multiplication. James also practiced math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) through treasure hunts (he followed trails of flash cards to hidden prizes). (James and Sarah: Math: Computation)

We also did the first chapter from The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat, on the binary number system. James seemed curious and engaged during the lesson, especially when I told him binary numbers are the basis of everything electronic — that Garden of Eden around which all good things revolve. Sarah seemed bored, though she seemed pleased when she was able to work out the pattern on which binary place values are based: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 … (she and James both realized 32 came next, followed by 64, 128, 256, 512, and so forth). Both the kids worked out how to translate a few simple binary numbers into the base ten system. (James and Sarah: Math: Computation, Number Sense & Patterns/Algebra)

James played Modern Warfare II online with Aengus, and he’s gearing up for a much-anticipated playdate with Sam. (James: Strategic Thinking; Collaborative Problem-Solving). Recently, he’s been gaming a lot and listening to plenty of audiobooks. He finished listening to Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, which he said was hilarious (middle-school boy-humor). I had wondered whether he’d relate to the humor, since he hasn’t gone to school, but apparently he did. I was told that in one of the high points, a kid ate a piece of moldy cheese that had been in the cafeteria for an eternity. He also finished Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and he’s re-reading the first two books in the “Harry Potter” series — he finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. (James: Reading/Literature, Auditory Comprehension Skills)

James and I had set aside some time, this afternoon, for writing but we decided to start tomorrow instead. He’s conceded that he needs to spend more time practicing his writing, and he thinks he may need to study grammar and spelling as a separate subject. We agreed to hold off on the formal grammar and spelling for now and focus on writing more often. If he gets frustrated with mechanics and WANTS some extra instruction, we can do that. He also wants me to help him learn cursive.

Sarah worked up updating her Netflix lists and ran errands with her dad. She and James both “pianted” pictures on the computer with Microsoft Paints (Sarah and James: Art, Computer). We have set aside some time this evening for writing.

Trishy has been playing Sims Animals for hours on end during the past few days. (Problem Solving; Animal Habitats) I’ve been working on my ability to help her express her wishes and frustrations without whining or screaming, and we had a better day. (Social and Emotional Development)

She wanted to “do school,” so we played Rat-a-Tat-Cat (Trishy: Math: Computation: Addition and Comparing Numbers, Memory), Feed the Kitty (Trishy: Math: Computation: Basic Addition and Subtraction Concepts) and Mastermind (Math: Logic: Deductive Logic) As we were counting out mice, during Feed the Kitty, I modeled counting by twos and she seemed to find that interesting, so I picked this book to read to her: Two Ways to Count to Ten by Ruby Dee illustrated by Susan Meddaugh. We also read I am Really a Princess by Carol Diggery Shields, illustrated by Paul Meisel. (Trishy: Reading/Literature; Auditory Comprehension; Math: Computation and Patterns/Algebra (counting by twos).

History Club: World War I-II

Time: Mon-Fri 10:00 a.m. – noon

Participants: Mom (age 43), Sarah (age 15) and James (age 11)

My Lofty Goals:

1. Learn about the history of this period
2. Explore various sources of information about history, including historical fiction, movies, nonfiction, and primary sources.
3. Look at similarities and differences between the past and present, and to understand how the past influences the present
4. Understand why certain events are considered historically significant, a key ingredient in understanding the study of history, and to understand the causal relationships between historical events.
5. Nurture perspective-taking, a vital skill for critical thinking as well as social and emotional development, by:
   • Discussing the opinions presented by Richard Maybury, a libertarian writer who opposes foreign intervention, and comparing them to other views, emphasizing that divergent points of view are interesting, and there is not necessarily one “correct” interpretation.
   • Debating questions raised by our reading and discussion, among ourselves, exploring the reasons each of us may have a different, and equally valid, opinion.
   • Exploring multiple perspectives held by people who lived through these historical events, understanding why people in the past did not all see things the same way.
6. Connect history to current events, including the effects of military alliances, imperialism and other issues.
7. Learn to critically evaluate statements made by government leaders, journalists and writers, which is essential to being a thinking citizen.
8. Do hands-on projects that reinforce collaborative problem-solving skills, through building things together, possibly sparking an interest in scientific principles.
9. Help James delve into his interest in military technology/weapons and strategy games.
10. Capitalize on the natural desire of a young boy (and his dad) to play with fire and blow stuff up real good.
11. Build on Sarah’s interest in movies and my passion for books.
12. Practice goal-setting, prioritizing, and scheduling by deciding collaboratively what we will accomplish each day
13. To nurture an appreciation for social justice and peace.

Resources:

World War I: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, rev. edition by Richard J. Maybury

World War II: The Rest of the Story & How It Affects You Today, revised edition by Richard J. Maybury

The First World War (Strategy Board Game)

Graphic History Series — Hat Tip: Lexamom

Proposed Schedule:

Week One: Jan 4 – 8, 2010

A. Reading/Discussion

1. The 58-Year Persecution (Maybury)

2. The Grim Statistics (Maybury)

3. Is Now the Time to Learn About War? (Maybury)

4. First Ideas, Then Battles (Maybury)

5. Whose Truth? (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology — Cannons, Artillery and Trench Warfare — Project: Build a Potato Cannon

C. Movies/Literature — My Boy Jack (2007; features Daniel Radcliffe)

Week Two: Jan 11-15

A. Reading/Discussion

1. Why We Fight (Maybury)

2. Conquest Creates Weakness Not Strength (Maybury)

3. Typical Garden-Variety Wars (Maybury)

4. Deadly Ideas Lead to War (Maybury)

5. The Pax Romana (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology – Air Warfare — Projects: Make a Hot Air Balloon, If we’re insanely ambitious — Make an Airship Out of an Egg

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Three: Jan 18 – 22

A. Reading/Discussion

1. Fascism (Maybury)

2. What Date Did the World Wars Begin? (Maybury)

3. Franco-Prussian War (Maybury)

4. Ancient German Ambitions (Maybury)

5. Political Power (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology — Tanks/Internal Combustion Engines and caterpillar tracks — Project: Make a Tank

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Four: Jan 25-29

A. Reading/Discussion

1. Global Protection (Maybury)

2. Interests (Maybury)

3. Cost Externalization (Maybury)

4. Manifest Destiny (Maybury)

5. The Splendid Little War (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology — Naval Warfare — Project: Make a Submarine

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Five: February 1-5

A. Reading/Discussion

1. Guerrilla War (Maybury)

2. Guerrilla War Examples (Maybury)

3. Never Surrender (Maybury)

4. Killing Women (Maybury)

5. Take No Prisoners (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology — Flame Throwers — Project: Make a Flame Thrower (yes, seriously!) — if I were really brave, I might try this one!! Hah!!! :-0

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Six: February 8 – 12

A. Reading/Discussion

1. The White Man’s Burden & The Ugly American (Maybury)

2. The Great White Fleet (Maybury)

3. Up Close and Personal (Maybury)

4. The First Casualty of War (Maybury)

5. Stealing Panama (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Seven: February 15-19

A. Reading/Discussion

1. Helping Crooks and Tyrants (Maybury)

2. The Usual Suspects (Maybury)

3. Boxer Rebellion and Russo-Japanese War (Maybury)

4. Choosing Up Sides (Maybury)

5. The Morocco Crisis (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Eight: February 22-26

A. Reading/Discussion

1. Alliances (Maybury)

2. The Glory of War (Maybury)

3. America’s Entry Into World War I (Maybury)

4. The Third Choice Ignored (Maybury)

5. They Will Fight Over Anything (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Nine: March 1 – 5

A. Reading/Discussion

1. The Treaty of Versailles (Maybury)

2. The Sound of Reloading (Maybury)

3. Hitler’s Rise (Maybury)

4. U.S. Invades Russia (Maybury)

5. Desperation and the Neutrality Act (Maybury)

6. Summary (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Ten: March 8-15 (Moving on to WW II: Who Were the Good Guys?)

A. Reading/Discussion

1. The Main Theater of the War AND Good Guys Against Bad Guys (Maybury)

2. Not Six Million AND World War II Was Nothing New (Maybury)

3. Millions AND Britain Was A White Hat? (Maybury)

4. British Conquests AND P.T. Barnum Knew (Maybury)

5. British Area Bombing AND Two Questions (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Eleven: March 15-19 (First Rumblings and The U.S. Enters the War) (Maybury)

A. Reading/Discussion

1. When Did The War Begin? AND Appeasement and Comparative Brutality (Maybury)

2. Carving Up Central Europe AND The French versus the French (Maybury)

3. Significance of the Higgins Boat AND Only Genghis Khan Did It (Maybury)

4. The Solution AND Events Leading to Pearl Harbor (Maybury)

5. Hiding Facts about the Brawl AND The Great World War II Myth (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Twelve: March 22 – 26 (The U.S. Enters the War)

A. Reading/Discussion

1. FDR’s Pearl Harbor Speech (Maybury)

2. A Secret Agreement AND Why Did The Japanese Attack? (Maybury)

3. Pearl Harbor: FDR’s Deceit AND The Flying Tigers and B-17 Bombers (Maybury)

4. “Caught With Their Pants Down” AND Planes Parked Too Close Together (Maybury)

5. The Prokofiev Seamount, The Necessary Sacrifice? AND You’ve Seen The Photos (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Thirteen: March 29 – April 2 (The Economics of the War) (Maybury)

A. Reading/Discussion

1. The Myth of German Might AND Focus On The Eastern Front (Maybury)

2. Of Photographs and Weather AND German Production of Weapons (Maybury)

3. Germany’s Unknown Second Army AND Tank Treads, Trucks and Submarines (Maybury)

4. Germany’s Wonder Weapons AND Oil and Rifles (Maybury)

5. Americans Were Less Intelligent? AND The Bookings Revelation (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Fourteen: April 5 – 9 (The Economics of the War and The USG Makes It Worse)

A. Reading/Discussion

1. Russia Invaded by Keystone Kops AND Omaha Beach, Bravery versus Heroism (Maybury)

2. The German Underground AND Unconditional Surrender (Maybury)

3. Why Did Roosevelt Do It? AND Rarely Questioned (Maybury)

4. 46. Why Was Nagasaki Bombed? AND 105 Aircraft Carriers (Maybury)

5. Surrender Near AND Fierce Fighters (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Fifteen: April 12-16 (The USG Makes It Worse and Effect On Us Today)

A. Reading/Discussion

1. The Russians React AND The Soviet Uprising (Maybury)

2. Arm Any Gangster AND September 11th and the Destruction of the World Trade Center (Maybury)

3. Blowback AND MAD (Maybury)

4. Policeman of the World (Maybury)

5. Summary (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Week Sixteen April 19 – 23 (Final Thoughts About War)

A. Reading/Discussion

1. The Needless Deaths of 35 Million (Maybury)

2. The Normal Conditions of Humans (Maybury)

3. The Cause of War (Maybury)

4. Minor League to Emperor of the World (Maybury)

B. Weapons/Technology –

C. Movies/Literature –

Monday – Friday (11/16-11/20) — Stuff He’s Done This Week:

• Played loads of video games with his online friends (Strategic Thinking; Collaborative Problem Solving)
• We went to the park, forcing him to suffer through at least an hour of non-electronic entertainment. I remember how smug I used to be about those parents who allowed their kids to become addicted to excessive T.V. and video games — something that would never happen in MY bibliophilic, nature-loving household. :-/ He had some fun,  though he wouldn’t admit it, playing with a shovel on levers. He is interested in building one at home, and took a bunch of photos of its parts. (Sensory Development: Proprioceptive; Strength; Bilateral Coordination; Science: Machines)

• He helped his dad build a model car which he’d bought at a deep discount at T.J. Maxx. His dad did most of the work, because it was difficult for him, but he seemed absorbed in the process. (Science: Building Stuff)

• Tuesday he participated in Family Writers Group, and beforehand, under duress, he did some writing. His story is about zombies. He’s composing it on the computer this time, instead of writing by hand, and I think the spell-check function is helping him a great deal. He has a rich vocabulary and fertile imagination, in my opinion: all the makings of a first-rate writer. What he struggles with is mechanics (grammar, punctuation, and spelling). And motivation. (“I don’t LIKE to write.”) He’s under enormous pressure here, being prodded to write a few paragraphs every week (*snort*) The hard part for me is having faith that this is ENOUGH. (Writing)
• He listened to the rest of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and he’s listening to The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan and The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau (Reading/Literature) He rarely reads print books, unless they’re comics; he prefers audiobooks and read-alouds. That probably explains some of his issues with writing mechanics. There seem to be plenty of interesting graphic novels out now; I wonder which ones he’s enjoy?
• Thursday he participated in Family Game Night. We played Blink, Apples to Apples, Feed the Kitty and “Place That Movie Quote.”

I’m having another go at these learning notes. I am frightfully disorganized and inconsistent , but at least I’m tenacious. These notes are for Patricia (age 5).

Monday (11/16/09) I was loading the dishwasher just before taking Trishy to school. She decided she wanted to play “I Spy” with me, so we did (“I spy something that’s rectangle shaped and black …”) using shapes, colors, and size to give clues about the objects we had in mind. (Logic; Math: Geometry: Shapes) One of the objects I described was a translucent cooking oil container. We talked a bit about the difference between “transparent” and “translucent.”

Then we left for school; she had a red cardboard cardinal, on a string, dangling from her hand. It was a gift from her granddad. We talked about why male cardinals are bright red, to attract mates, and female cardinals are dull brown, to be camouflaged in trees as they guard their nests. We also talked a little about what nests are made of (twigs? hay?) and whether they’re camouflaged in trees. (Science/Nature: Adaptations) That led to the question “what is hay?” We talked about how farmers prepare to take care of their animals during the winter. This reminded her of a recent field trip to Polyface Farms.

Photo lifted from Lisa Spector’s Facebook — Thanks!

She told me she had learned that cows can cope with cold the longest, pigs are second, and chickens can survive the least cold. (Science/Nature and Social Studies: Adapting to Winter; Farms) I asked her, “How do wild animals survive in winter?” and she said, “I don’t know.”

Trishy also asked me whether there is summer in the Arctic and Antarctic, so we talked about that a bit. (Science/Nature: Habitats)

When we got to school, I spun her around on the tire swing (Sensory Development: Vestibular) and she played with Moon Sand with some of her friends (Sensory Development: Tactile).

It sounds like she had a lot of fun at school that morning playing with her friends, with lots of imaginative play. (Social and Emotional Development: Cooperative Play; Imaginative Play) “Cat and mouse” role plays were a big hit.

That afternoon, the weather was gloriously mild, so she asked to go to the park. We did, dragging her siblings along with us. She did some swinging (Sensory Development: Vestibular) and played with a shovel with levers, though she didn’t quite have the strength and coordination to maneuver it. (Sensory Development: Proprioceptive; Strength; Bilateral Coordination) She was afraid to climb a small ladder or try any of the slides.

She also played in the leaves a bit. (Sensory Development: Tactile).

Tuesday (11/17/09) She went on a field trip to the JMU Planetarium where they “had T.V. on the ceiling” and to the Harrisonburg Children’s Museum. As far as I can tell, she didn’t really glean any astronomy from the experience, but maybe it put up a “coathook” on which to hang future learning. Perhaps at some point in the future, she’ll see a book on stars and the memory of this field trip will spark an interest in reading it, or she’ll want to go to the planetarium again. Who knows? In any case she had fun with her beloved teacher, Gleamer, and her buddies at school. Gleamer helped her count all her money, which was stashed in her purse ($24 and some change) and she chose a goodie from the gift shop at the HCM. (Math: Computation: Counting; Money Skills)

When she got home, she wanted to “do school,” so I got out a puzzle and some games. We put together a 33-piece puzzle of the world (Geography; Sensory Development: Fine Motor Skills; Visual Spatial Reasoning), played dominoes (Math: Computation: Counting) and played Mastermind (Logic: Deductive Reasoning). We did a “treasure hunt,” where the child follows a trail of flash cards to the hidden prize, which is generally a small toy. Her “flash cards” were cards with numerals on them — apparently she has no trouble identifying numerals 1-29. (Math: Computation)

We also played Ten Days in Europe (Geography; Strategic Thinking)

Later, we had Family Writer’s Group, and she had dictated this to me:

A dog runs to the door and chews on a boot. He plays with his brothers and makes the door swing and hits in view a dog. As it hits the dog, the dog goes flinging through the room. As one of the dogs runs upstairs, the house lights up and horses start running toward the house. With a boy running, he runs into a tree and a leaf goes flinging through the air. It hits a little light that’s making the sun. The boy runs back to the house and runs so fast that he gets dizzy.

What is it? Poetry? Prose? Random ramblings? Whatever … she seemed to have fun coming up with it.   (Prewriting Skills)

Wednesday (11/18/09) We went to Raw Learning, where there was more imaginative play.(Social and Emotional Development: Cooperative Play; Imaginative Play) One of the kids wanted to make a mini-garden on a plate, so we took a short nature walk to gather materials like small stones, weeds, sticks and lichens. As I was walking with Trishy and Riesling, Riesling pointed out what appeared to be a tiny tree emerging from a crack in the asphalt. We wondered whether it would grow big, and we discussed the fact that a plant needs plenty of soil to spread out roots which will collect water. (Science/Nature: Plants) The kids also watched a cement mixer and other construction trucks at work.

Later, Trishy, Riesling, and I pretended to be birds migrating; Trishy used a globe to point out where we were going (to Africa!) We talked about migration. An employee of the church where we attend school came along and saw the girls with the globe. He pointed out some points of interest (he’s worked in the Caribbean and in Africa) and talked to them about it a bit.  (Science/Nature: Adapting to Winter; Geography)

Trishy also glued some dirt and stones to a plate, handling a bottle of Elmer’s with minimal help, and Gleamer helped her unbutton her coat with minimal help. (Sensory Development: Fine Motor Skills)

Monday, Trishy and James spent the morning at Raw Learning. James took a science class, and Trishy played with her friends. When I came to pick them up, Trishy was swinging, spinning around on a tire swing, and playing with some colorful sand. (Trishy: Social and Emotional Development, Sensory Development: Vestibular & Tactile)

Sarah and I worked on our movie unit Monday and Tuesday mornings. She wasn’t that enthusiastic about it, but I am determined to keep her busy. We talked about World War I and the Roaring 20s a bit. We read about The Birth of a Nation, which led to a conversation about Reconstruction, racism, and the KKK. We also got glimpses of a few 1920’s movies including Buster Keaton clips and Disney’s first coup, Steamboat Willie

We also talked about Postmodernism (Sarah: Film Studies) We did some math, focusing on fractions concepts. (Sarah: Math: Fractions)

Monday afternoon, James went to his good friend’s birthday party. We hung out at Aengus’s house for a while. The kids played in the leaves and zoomed around in ride-on toys. I was happy to see James zooming Trishy around. I guess James pays attention to his sister when it involves an opportunity for hyperactivity. (Trishy: Sensory Development: Vestibular)

Last night, we had a Night from Hell, which I won’t talk about. Life is kind’ve a tightrope walk from one crisis to the next — I mentioned that, didn’t I?

James came home from his sleepover at noon, sleep deprived and happy. The climax of Aengus’s birthday party had been a trip to the midnight release party for a new video game. Today, when James got home, he found his dad had bought HIM a copy of the game. Needless to say, he went ape shit. Actually James is naturally ape shit anyway, but we went to the next level. He’s been doing lots of gaming, of course, with his dad and with friends. (James: Cooperative Problem Solving; Strategic Thinking)

Trishy went on a field trip to Polyface Farm. According to her, this was the highlight: “A chicken pecked me in the BUTT while we were looking at the pigs!!!” Life is good. (Trishy: Social Studies: Farming; Science: Farm Animals)

I’ve been trying to catch up by evaluating 30 student papers in 24 hours, keep up with two books tours, and everything else; John has been handling some of the kid-chauffeuring duties while dealing with various tradesmen involved in the installation of our new heating and cooling system.

The stress seems to be getting to me, plus I suspect I have PMS — I bought a 3/4 pound bag of dark chocolate M & Ms while I was picking up Sarah’s meds at Kroger. When I got home, the bag was ripped open, and half of them were gone.

I thought my blog posts needed catchier titles — what do you think?

Trishy spent the morning playing with her friends at Raw Learning (Social and Emotional Development: Imaginative Play; Parallel and Cooperative Play) . When I picked her up, she seemed to be having a great time, but she was full of attitude. When I told her it was time to leave, she took off a Mardi Gras necklace she’d scavenged from the Raw Learning dress-up cache and flung it on the floor. When I asked her to put it away, she gave me the look and walked away. That does not work for me. I took her hand and led her down the hallway so I could “help her put it away.” She complied cheerfully enough, and after that, she seemed O.K. Testing, much?

James decided not to go to his math and science class this morning. He spent the morning playing on the XBox with his BFF and some other online gamers. (Collaborative Problem Solving; Strategic Thinking) Then I kicked him off the game system for the rest of the day.

Sarah and I chatted a bit about books and movies. Lately Freudian ideas have been popping up, like the Oedipal Complex (I was telling her about D.H. Lawrence’s works, especially Sons and Lovers) and catharsis (we were discussing whether it’s healthy or unhealthy to watch disturbing movies). (Literature; Psychology) Last week, we started a “Movie Club,” at her suggestion. Each week, we’re to watch a movie together and “argue” about it. (Film Studies; Social and Emotional Development: Perspective Taking) The first movie we watched and discussed was Defiance. We had lunch together at Chiles last Friday, and a very charming and sexy waiter served us burgers and ice cream. We had a very interesting conversation about character development in Defiance and about World War II, the Holocaust, Belarus, and Russia. (Film Studies; Literary Devices; Geography & History). We also watched Lymelife together. Your basic dysfunctional family Indie movie. (Film Studies)

I should mention at this point that Trishy’s day started with my pulling a ginormous engorged tick off her neck. (Aren’t you glad you visited my blog today? Good thing you’re not squeamish.) I was very concerned, because I think it had been there for a number of days. So this afternoon, I put the tick in a baggie and hauled everybody to the pediatrician’s office. No one there wanted to look at the tick or the scab on Trishy’s neck. (I still have the bagged tick in my purse though, just in case). They didn’t want to see her, and they nixed the idea of preventative antibiotics. We’re just supposed to watch her for telltale symptoms of tick-related illnesses — fever, rash, etc. So we left. In the meantime, James had become quite fascinated with studying the tick and watching for signs that it was becoming less engorged. (Nature Study — Yes, really!) What sparks a little boy’s curiosity more thoroughly that something something vile and disgusting? C’mon — you know it’s true.

After that endeavor, I took the kids up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had lunch at a large picnic ground near the Humpback Rocks; then we took a short hike to a gorgeous scenic overlook, and Trishy and I collected leaves. (Nature Study) The older kids decided to climb among in the rocks and grottoes under our feet. I told them that was fine. I often let the kids do things other parents wouldn’t consider, like impromptu rock climbing and wading in creeks. I’m not sure whether that makes me one of those “free range kids” type of parents or a certified idiot.

Sarah and James collaborated on how they should climb back up the rocks (I heard Sarah offer “Plan A” and “Plan B”), and Trishy walked on some smaller rocks that had seemed scary to her a few minutes earlier. (Collaborative Problem Solving; P.E.) Anyway, Sarah and James survived their foray among the rocks, but Sarah somehow made it out without her shoes. Some hiker is going to come along, find a fairly decent pair of walking shoes, and think “Hmmm…”

I didn’t want Sarah walking without shoes, so I gave her mine, and I walked down the trail in my sock feet. It was rocky, but luckily, it was cushioned by a layer of crunchy brown fall leaves.

On the way home, Sarah and I had an interesting conversation about her favorite topic, movies. She was talking about a film titled The Living and the Dead, and I noticed she was studying subtleties in character development through clues like people’s facial expressions and reactions. (Social and Emotional Development: “Reading” Facial Expressions; Perspective Taking) I believe movies can allow a person to practice these skills without the distractions that surround real-life interactions.

After a good day, this evening, things really started to unravel on the anxiety and depression front. Why does life sometimes feel like a tightrope walk from one crisis to another? ‘Cause it kind of is? Sarah went to bed early and John, James and Trishy watched Bedtime Stories. We didn’t get any reading done today, but James and I are still plowing through The Lightning Thief for the third time, and Trishy and I just started Charlotte’s Web. (Books and Literature) We also had Family Writer’s Club Saturday. James added a bit to the zombie story he’s writing, and Trishy “wrote” a page full of letter-like characters, which she translated for me. (Writing; Pre-Writing Skills)