Hanson's Ridge
Well, we're one week into the school year. And how are things going? Well, we had a small hiccup after our awesome first day. I wasn't feeling 100% for a little while, so we did alternate educational experiences. In other words, I introduced my children to the first three Harry Potter movies and the BBC Earth series, "Life." Monday was a perfect example of a homeschool day gone wrong. We were supposed to go to Wal-Mart for me to have lenses put in my 18th century style glasses, but they couldn't do it. I was in a bind since my own glasses were broken and my new ones hadn't arrived. I took the optician's recommendation and went to LensCrafters at a mall 45 minutes away. They wouldn't do it either. We spent most of the day in the car and in eyeglass stores. School went out the window. But, in the car, AW was examining this tulip poplar(?) seed pod she'd found. She made observations about it's texture, hardness, and function. Then we had a long talk about human development in utero (she's very curious about her time in utero and infancy). It was a good lesson that school can happen anywhere, any time. After quiet time yesterday, AW and I both wanted to do school, but I had a splitting headache. Ivy Box to the rescue! All the activities are ready to go straight out of the box. Here she is making a night scene for some fireflies, using scratch paper from the kit. We also made a tissue paper lantern and a glow-stick firefly light. My involvement was minimal. Then, she and DC worked together to make a tissue paper firefly collage. ThThis morning, I finally felt like a regular human being again, just in time for a trip to the park with a friend. This is one of our favorite parks because it's shady, small, and secluded. We usually have the place to ourselves, and it's geared towards 1-5 year olds. AW used a bag and collected "nature" as she calls it, and then returned it all back to nature. She discovered an earthworm wriggling at the bottom of the slide, and a spiderweb tucked away in a corner. We took pictures of a few things for our science journal. They also worked on their gross motor skills, but they would have just told me they played on the playground.
So what's going on at this exact moment? She's coloring in the library and he's playing with Little People in the basement. I'm thrilled, even though it's a little early for quiet time. This afternoon, we'll have snack and then try out a new sensory bin: water beads with a frog life cycle play set. It's part of the AYOPS curriculum set. Speaking of AYOPS, some of the work for this month has just been part of our daily routine. In the Home-Life category, one skill is clearing the table. We've been doing this for awhile, but I've been much more intentional about reminding her to do so. DC likes to do whatever AW does, so he's working on that skill too. We're also working on hand-washing duration by singing Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star. The first week may have been little bit rough, but it's coming together. I'm sure we'll have lots more ebb and flow this year. But that's the great thing about homeschooling--we don't have deadlines. The goal is lifelong learning. I think we're getting a pretty good start on that.
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AuthorHi! I'm Stephanie Hanson. I live with my husband, Himself, on Hanson's Ridge in Virginia. Archives
September 2017
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