Our Outdoor Classroom

Ever since I started a homeschool blog, I hardly mention homeschooling on this site. Which really isn't fair since it is such a huge part of our lives!

Today, I thought I'd give you a look into our learning experiences which have nothing to do with books and ever so much to do with just living life.

All of these learning experiences happened during our most recent weekend camping trip.

Maybe this isn't turning out to be a homeschooling post after all? Perhaps it is just as I thought...whether you are 'labeled' a homeschooler or not, we are all teaching our children skills, facts, and lessons each and every day.

~ Dorie

Time in the Sun

 

Midway through the time we had the chicks, we took them outside for a bit.

Friday, they had to return to the farm. How unfortunate that we could only keep them through the incubation and hatching! {Alas, the rules of our local area do not permit us to have chicks as permanent residents. Housing chicks temporarily for educational purposes are permitted...which means, I'm likin' those science projects even more!}

Once we returned from dropping off the chicks, the mail carrier brought us these...

...another 'educational project'.
~ Dorie

Every Spring

Every spring, it is the same.
Azaleas bloom, lilac scents waft, and our children take standardized tests.

But this year is different.
Oh, the azaleas are in full bloom, I've breathed lilac aroma, and our children have sat through tests.

But this year, I am free.
I am free from the 'my child must score the highest possible score on a test and qualify for the John Hopkins gifted program with over a 95 percentile so I can feel validated as a mom, teacher, homeschooler, and person.'  I no longer feel like I am taking the test.  I am free from the expectation that my child's test accomplishments are the sole reflection, good or bad, upon my abilities. 

What has changed?
I am trusting Him and His ways, and resting in His peace.  Though a standardized test can give us valuable information, it is not the whole picture of my children's education.  So, I am leaving the score card of a standardized test in its proper place, as a part of the picture and not the whole.
~ Dorie

The Yak Campaign

Innocently, it started with a 'y' page from this handwriting book and an excerpt from this nature reader.  A sparked interest in how much a yak could carry spilled over into a dictionary search, which led to an animal encyclopedia reading.  All resulting in the Yak Campaign.

"We should get a yak," matter of fact, he states it, like saying we should eat more fruit or something.

It became the day's plea.  Despite my efforts to dissuade him, our preschooler would not relent.

My initial reply of "Honey, we can't have a yak.  They need a lot of grass.  Our yard isn't big enough," was met with a "We can get more grass." 

When I tried using the law to my advantage by saying, "There are ordinances against farm animals here," he simply replied, "Our neighbors have ducks."  I remained quiet, that was technically true.

Later, as I hauled wet laundry outside to hang on the line, I was met with "A yak could carry that, Mom!"  True, again.
 
I tried a new approach and told him to ask his father when he got home.  That brought about the visual aspects for his campaign.  He decided to create a poster. 

An after dinner discussion resulted in a change of heart for our youngster.  Though he still would love to have a yak, he'll settle for a different animal, if he must.  An armadillo will do just fine, or so he said.
~ Dorie

How Our Homeschool Journey Began

“Dinner time!”  Momma’s voice echoed down the hallway.  I sighed.  I didn’t want to leave.  I was having too much fun.   I was a teacher, giving my first reading lesson.  My students were amazingly perfect.  They shared incredibly well.  The one piece of paper and pencil was passed with my help from student to student.  They waited patiently, too.  Listening skills were optimal.  Silently they looked on, fully attentive as I outlined their tasks.  Amazingly, my students never made a mistake, or at least one that I caught.  They did everything exactly as I asked. 

“Dorie, dinner is ready!”  I heard her call again.  Time to go.  Climbing over the circle of stuffed animals, I descended the ladder from my top bunk and made my way to the kitchen.

“What were you doing?” she asked.

“Playing school,” I answered, and quickly added, “Maybe I’ll be a teacher when I grow up.”

...to read the rest of "How Our Homeschool Journey Began," please visit Growing Your Homeschool.  where, today, I am sharing the beginning of our homeschooling journey.
    

Sharing a Love for Art

The supplies bought.

A simple art lesson formed.

Appreciation and exploration intertwined.

A painting put up for all to see.

A few books selected.

Questions ready to ask.

Discussion points to prompt.

Project outlined.

Anticipation mounts.

Children called to join.

A deep breath taken to steady a wildly beating heart.

Will they like it?

Ever since I picked up a crayon at a young age, I have loved to draw.  The school I attended offered art classes from sixth grade until graduation.  I took almost every one, including print shop with the boys.  I learned about art history on my own until college.  Then enrolled in several classes.  The dull professor with a monotone voice and lengthy lectures did not squelch my passion. 

Today, one of my favorite pass times is visiting art museums.  Though I could spend many uninterrupted hours gazing upon beautiful paintings and sculptures, there is dinner to be made and lessons to be taught.   So, even as a busy homeschool mom, I still make time for art, often through teaching art classes (at home and in co-op settings) and leading field trips to art museums.  It is my hope to share my love for art with my children. 

Some of my favorite art resources are:

For Art Appreciation ~

I Spy Two Eyes: Numbers In Art, by Lucy Micklethwait

I Spy an Alphabet in Art, by Lucy Micklethwait

A Child's Book of Art, by Lucy Micklethwait

Look Closer: Art Masterpieces Through the Ages, by Caroline Desnoettes

Michelangelo, by Diane Stanley

Leonardo da Vinci, by Diane Stanley

books by Laurence Anholt like Camille and the Sunflowers and The Magical Garden of Claude Monet

The Life and Work of series (each focusing on a particular artist and their work)

How Artists See series, by Colleen Carroll (each book covers a topic like feelings or elements)

Come Look with Me series (each themed like animals, landscapes, and early America)

The Usborne Introduction to Art, by Rosie Dickins and Mari Griffith

120 Great Impressionist Paintings, published by Dover Publications

120 Great Paintings, published by Dover Publications

Art in History series (including Art of the Middle Ages and Ancient Roman Art)

Books that Include Art Instruction ~

Drawing with Children, by Mona Brookes

How to Teach Art to Children, published by Evan-Moor

Artistic Pursuits, by Brenda Ellis

The Usborne Art Treasury, by Rosie Dickins

Geography Through Art: International Art Projects for Kids, by Sharon Jeffus & Jamie Aramini

Online Resources ~

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: MuseumKids Explore & Learn

National Gallery of Art: NGA Kids

About.com Art History: Coloring Pages

The Notebooking Fairy: Georges Seurat and Pointillism, Bruegel, and Renaissance Art

~ Dorie

Related Posts:
How to Love Poetry
Teaching Music Without Any Musical Talent