In about a year, the $50 Million National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies is projected to be up and running.  Its goal is to bring “education into the 21 century.” Cited in US to back 21st century learning by Maggie Shiels, BBC News.

While this is a laudable goal, I just can’t imagine that American students will see any impact in their schools for years to come.  Perhaps when the next generation of teachers take over, themselves Digital Natives, we’ll see a change.

For now, too many teachers fear the learning curve of technology to put out the welcome mat.

Fortunately, for those of us who are willing to learn with our children, either as full-time homeschoolers or part-time supplementers, we don’t have to wait.

The Federation of American Scientists said, “The creativity that developed extraordinary new information technologies has not focused on finding ways to make learning more compelling, more personal and more productive in our nation’s schools…

The FAS said that learning scientists and educators have known for years that people learn faster if education can be personalized and if students are motivated by seeing how their knowledge can help them solve problems they care about…

“Today’s generation is very comfortable with using tools like iPods and computers and gaming, but when they go into the classroom none of that is there and there is this sense of an opportunity we are just not grasping,” explained Mr Kelly, the Federation’s President.

From US to back 21st century learning by Maggie Shiels, BBC News

Home educators are already finding ways to use technology for learning.  We encourage our children to play online games, write blogs, “read” audiobooks, and collaborate in virtual worlds.

Every day we find compelling new ways to learn and explore our interests.

Just a Few Homeschooling Online Suggestions:

Is Your Child Computer Literate? - Kids are not learning technology skills at school, but they can learn at home.

Who Is Optimizing Their Reading Potential? - Using RSS Feed Readers.

Reading On The Road - Discuss an audiobook on a road trip.

Thisissand.com - Easy to elaborate virtual sand art projects.

Moodstream: Create a soundboard using images, music, and film footage that fits your mood.

Zipcode Zoo - Identify the flora and fauna in any area, and learn lots about animals.

Green Dimes - Stop unwanted junk mail and share ways to “green up” our world.

Kids Cooking Activities - Ideas and resources to inspire budding chefs.

Wordle - Turn your words into a work of art

Animoto - Create a music video with your photos.

Instructables - Discover instructions for all kinds of projects - from recipes to robots - or post your own.

Mr. Picassohead - Unleash your inner abstract artist.

Hulu - Watch a movie or catch up on your favorite TV shows on your computer. See the good movies on Hulu list.

Would you like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by Email? (Click this link. Fill out the form. Don’t forget to click on your verification Email. Look for this in your mailbox.) You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

On Day 4 of The 30 Day Challenge, we were introduced to one way to make money online - affiliate marketing.

Step One - Finding Stuff To Sell And Test Video

It’s a tad sleazy, but the idea is to earn a commission by driving readers to a product website.   And, if they buy something, you’ll get a larger piece of the pie.

To get our feet wet, and to assess the sales potential of items related to the niche we selected previously, we were asked to find related products within one of two affiliate programs, ClickBank or Amazon.

Well, I’ll tell you right now, I’m not encouraging anyone to buy ClickBank products.  I wouldn’t buy any of that ***, and I’d hate for anyone to waste their money there.

Now, Amazon, on the other hand, that’s a marketplace I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  I love it so much that I had to take the Amazon Button off my toolbar, because it’s just too tempting to hit 1-Click ordering when I spy another book that I MUST have.

Step Two - How To Write Your First Piece Of Slippery Copy Video

Anyway, getting on with The 30 Day Challenge program, our next assignment was to write copy that would compel a reader to buy the chosen product.

In this video, Dan Raine, of The Immediate Edge, walks you through writing gripping copy.  Basically, he recommends writing a short piece that follows this general format:

Discover the real value of _____.  If you’re a _____, this is the essential guide that will literally save you thousands of dollars.  Get your copy today!

As I watched this video, I thought of all the times that I’ve mentioned books on this blog, and I wondered to what extent did I entice the reader to purchase those items.

Looking At My Copy

I went way back into the archives, to one of my first articles, when I asked, Are You Living By Learning?

In that post, I provided a list of some of the books in my homeschooling library.  A list. Titles and authors.  No more.  No copy.  Nada.

In my defense, that’s all I ever need to find more books to buy.  I can tell from the title if it’s worth investigating, or not.

Is It a Book Review or Is It Affiliate Marketing?

So, to practice my new skills, I thought I would try to write copy for some of my most worthwhile homeschooling books.  However, there is a reason that I didn’t go into Advertising.  I suck.  Big Time.

Succinct hyperbole just isn’t my thing.

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide To Classical Education At Home - by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.

I picked up this classic when my first child was in 3rd Grade, just to see what I could do to supplement some of the holes in her education.

Beware, this is a dangerous book.  It has propelled me on an odyssey that culminated in switching schools for one child, and homeschooling for another.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of a classical education, with book lists within each subject that are sorted by age-level.

It’s well worth the purchase just to get the chronological resource list for ancient to modern history, but you’ll also find that this connects to the resource material in literature, science, art, and more.

It’s only drawback is that it is exceedingly comprehensive.  It would be unbearably exhausting to try to to cover all the material.  Even the authors discourage you from trying this insane notion.

As a reference resource; however, The Well-Trained Mind is unparalleled.

Okay, that’s my best shot.  What do you think?  Would you buy this book?

Would you like to receive more articles about homeschooling online?  Sign up to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by Email.  (Click this link.  Fill out the form.  Don’t forget to click on your verification Email.  Look for this in your mailbox.) You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

Procrastination is no stranger to my life, but I’ve mostly tamed it until now.

The end-of-the year homeschool reports were due on Monday, and I finally Emailed them in tonight, one full day late.

Why am I late?  Is it that I am: Too busy? Summer fever?  Sheer disinterest in analyzing and quantifying our lives? All the above?

I’ve definitely lost interest in justifying our choice.  It’s working.  He’s learning.  I’m learning.  Isn’t that enough?

Our learning lives have evolved over the year, to the point that we don’t have much of a schedule anymore.  Alex has daily math and random assignments, but now he is mostly free to learn as he chooses.

With this freedom as our current mind set, it feels like I’m crossing a mind-numbing divide to fulfill New York State’s bureaucratic requirements.

There is an advantage to waiting until the last minute. 

Suddenly, I’ve gained a certain clarity, and a kick in the … from Homeschool Superhero John Munson, who advised me (and anyone else citing the homeschooling.families.com NY State requirement guidelines) that I really don’t have to fill in grades, or percentage of material covered, on the quarterly reports.

Since this guy has definitely done his homework figuring out exactly what is required in NY State, I decided to save myself a lot of grief and use his sample quarterly report and annual assessment.  You can find Munson’s forms in the files section of the NYHEN Yahoo Group, or you can just look at my reports below.

Homeschool Quarterly Report - 2nd Grade, 4th Quarter

Name: Alex

Blog Website: http://alexhomegate.blogspot.com

Grade: 2

Hours of instruction this quarter: 247.5+

Math:

In completing Singapore Math 2B, Alex studied the following: Multiplication and Division (by 4, 5, 10); Money (Adding; Subtracting); Fractions (Writing fractions); Time (Intervals); Capacity; Graphs (Picture); Geometry (Flat and Curved Faces; Making Shapes); Area (Square Units.)

Language Arts:

Alex read several books, including: Dragon Rider, Inkspell, and Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke; Beyond The Lemonade Stand: Starting Small to Make It Big by Bill Rancic; a selection of Brer Rabbit collections; and various poems, magazine articles, and other material. He has been developing paragraph and essay skills and posts much of his writing on his blog.

Social Studies:

Alex completed an extended study of the ancient history of Mesopotamia. He has gone on to read about ancient India, China, and Africa.

Science:

Alex completed a Gifted Kids’ Network Space Colonies class where he learned about various factors to consider when creating a habitat that can sustain human life. At the Children’s Science Museum, he took the Turning the Tides class where he discovered how to assess water quality based on present organisms. At The Tang Museum, he explored Molecules That Matter with a bubble wrap project workshop. He also pursued various hands-on interests investigating plant and animal life and looking for the invasive species that he learned about in The Invader exhibit at the State Museum. Additionally, he presented a science poster at the Education Fair on “Autotomy: The Tale of a Gecko’s Tail.”

The Arts:

Alex continued with his piano lessons, practicing daily, and performing at a recital. He loves to draw, especially dragons and monsters, and has been developing cartoon drawing skills. Lately, he has started to take an interest in digital photography and editing, in addition to videography. In the past quarter he has attended several shows, including a school performance of Greek plays and The Laura Ingalls Wilder Story at the Albany Egg.

Health and Physical Education:

Alex has been expanding his cooking repertoire by experimenting with different ways to make eggs, in addition to learning safe egg handling techniques from Alton Brown’s cookbook. He also enjoyed learning how to decorate cakes, and the chocolate tasting class at the Hershey Factory. Meanwhile, he’s been getting lots of exercise walking the dog, practicing his upper body strength training and stretching for his gymnastics class, playing tennis, swimming, biking, hiking, indoor caving, and exploring our world.

Home Instruction Annual Assessment

June 30, 2008

Name: Alex

Alex has made admirable academic progress this year. Some highlights of the year include: participating in workshops at various local museums, winning the NanoWrimo Young Writer’s Program, service learning with his Cub Scout Wolf Den (and his sister’s Girl Scout troop,) a stellar piano recital performance, developing his weblog, exploring our natural world, and unlimited time spent reading. For more details, see the previously submitted quarterly reports.

“What really matters is what you do with what you have.” ~~ H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946)

Would you like to read more about our homeschool journey? Take a peek at our first year in these articles.  Or, sign up to receive future articles of On Living By Learning by email.  Just click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

In the wired world, you get to meet all kinds of people who share your interests, but express this with incredible diversity. 

One of my favorite homeschool bloggers, Tammy Takahashi of Just Enough, and Nothing More, is inviting homeschoolers to share their stories in Homeschoolers Tell All. 

Tammy was inspired by Alasandra who was inspired by Marserinitatis, and so on and so on.  Six degrees of separation takes on a whole new meaning online!

Marserinitatis, a fellow Stargate enthusiast, recently posted a blog article about Homeschool stereotypes and how we don’t fit into them…  Well, bloggers are a social bunch, so it wasn’t long before Alasandra’s Homeschool Blog Awards, invited homeschoolers to a mixer.  Yeah, it’s a party!

Okay, well, there won’t be any refreshments or dancing, but I’m looking forward to celebrating our diversity.  So, I’m playing along and answering these relevant questions:

1. Why do you homeschool?
2. What technique or curriculum do you use?
3. Do your kids work above or below grade level (or both!)?
4. What is your educational level?
5. Do you feel that your education level has an effect on your teaching (both limits and abilities?)
6. What does your daily schedule look like?
7. Are your kids always polite and ready to learn?
8. Do the kids (or you!) get frustrated?
9. How has this affected your parenting?
10. How much free time do they have?
11. What do they do during their free time?
12. What hobbies do they have?
13. What difficulties and challenges do you have with homeschooling?
14. What makes homeschooling enjoyable?
15. How do you get involved in the community?
16. When do you have opportunities to interact with public or privately schooled children?
17. Would you like more of these opportunities?
18. How can they be created?
19. What is your least favorite homeschool stereotype?

I love these questions!  They cover the gamut of questions that I’ve been asked or that I thought about before I started homeschooling.  Here we go!

Why do you homeschool?

At the beginning of the year, I listed several reasons for our homeschool choice including providing room for creativity and meeting the needs of the Gifted & Talented in the No Child Left Behind Universe.

Those reasons are still valid.  However, now I would add the freedom to be whoever you want to be. 

Friends have argued that we have to fit into the fabric of society, but I strongly disagree.  Why should we?  It’s not like you can please everybody, or anybody. 

That’s a good way to end up a miserable pretzel.

It’s possible to be a nonconformist within the school setting, but we’re loving being free outside of the school box.

What technique or curriculum do you use?

It’s eclectic, but I like to call it the “Whatever Works” method. 

In New York, you have to provide an IHIP (Individualized Home Instruction Plan.)  Our IHIP is more of a goals and resource list that we’ll be referring to for several years.

Over the year, I’ve also realized the importance of adaptive learning and wired skills (the ability to use digital tools.)

As a result, I’ve put a lot of emphasis on finding ways to encourage my kids to enjoy and create online media.

Do your kids work above or below grade level (or both!)?

Both, although this is a tricky question due to how subjects are covered in different schools or curriculums. 

Alex is clearly reading well above grade level, but he is working on grade level Singapore Math.  However, Singapore Math covers material in greater depth than Alex’s former public school.  So, while he is on grade level for Singapore Math, he is above grade level when comparing his work to that of that PS. 

Then, again, if you are comparing his math work to that of students in the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where we have friends in the same grades as my kids, then Alex is on or even below grade level.

What is your education level?

I have an MIA (Masters of International Affairs) from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and my husband has an MD from CPMC.

Although we both have degrees from Columbia University, he followed a traditional path from prep school to doctorate while I took the scenic route.

By 10th Grade, I was already taking college classes for fun.  Then, I skipped my senior year to attend the College of the Virgin Islands as an Early Admissions student.  After a year, I attended the University of Delaware as an exchange student.

Instead of returning to CVI, I enrolled in Columbia’s School of General Studies for non-traditional students.  It took awhile to complete the BA since I had to fund it myself, but I did.  Afterwards, I enjoyed being a full-time student in the two year MIA program.

We both have attained high education levels at a prestigious university, but we’ve discovered that there are many paths to attain the same goals. 

Do you feel that your education level has an effect on your teaching (both limits and abilities?)

Yes, our education level does have an impact in that we are confident learners.

I’d say that we share the ability to comprehend elementary, middle school and high school subjects with our combined strengths in liberal arts and science. 

However, my confidence stems from the knowledge that we are capable of learning, and the humility to ask others when necessary.  No one is capable of knowing everything, but we can learn anything.

As a result, we are comfortable learning with our children.  We’re partners-in-learning, not fountains of wisdom.

What does your daily schedule look like?

A daily schedule doesn’t work for us, at least, not for me.  Something always comes up that takes precedence over any set schedule.  Sometimes it’s a field trip with my daughter, or a special class or activity for homeschoolers.  There is always something going on. 

Instead of a schedule, I’ve set our daily requirements. 

Alex is required to practice his math and piano every day, and to complete some science and history work each week.  He also has writing projects that we work on regularly.  And, on some days, he has gymnastics, piano, or other lessons.  That’s it. 

Of course, he reads every day and works on his own projects just for fun. 

Are your kids always polite and ready to learn?

Yeah, right.  Actually, Alex is always ready to learn, but he is never ready to practice math or piano.  For him, those are daily chores.  He is usually polite, but sometimes he isn’t.  Then, again, I’m not always polite either.

Do the kids (or you!) get frustrated?

Sure, some days learning is difficult, especially when we’re introducing a subject.  However, this makes the reward of “getting it” even sweeter.

Of course, there are those days when I have to get work done, when I don’t even try to work with Alex.  Then, I work on my own projects while Alex does his independent work.  He reads, plays computer games, watches educational TV, or just plays outside. 

There were even a few days, usually after a big trip, when we were both burned out.  Those are usually reading days, although we also had an extended Stargate Learning period this past winter.

How has this affected your parenting?

I don’t think homeschooling has affected my parenting, but it’s forced my husband to take on more responsibility with household chores.  Between the homeschooling and the writing, I just don’t have as much time as before.

How much free time do they have?

Alex has a lot of free time.  His daily work only takes a few hours, maximum.  However, some days we get a very late start on desk work or we get involved in a project that takes all day and evening.

What do they do during their free time?

In his free time, Alex is always coming up with creative, imaginative projects.  Last week, he took a dislike to the roofers, so he set “traps.”  One of these, was a growth stimulator to turn his seedlings into man-eating plants.  Really.

What hobbies do they have?

Currently, Alex’s hobbies include: Reading, GameBoy and Wii Video Games, Computer Games like Zoo Tycoon, online games like Runescape, Videography, Tennis, Skiing, Frog Catching, Digging, Gardening, Cooking and all things Pokemon related. 

Of course, he picks up new hobbies all the time.  For example, a day has passed since I filled this out, and now Alex has started sewing pillows for his Pokemon plush friends.

What difficulties and challenges do you have with homeschooling?

Maintaining balance is always a challenge, but not just with homeschool.  We’re always discovering new things that we want to try.

In homeschooling, I have to remind myself that this is a long-term project.  We don’t have to accomplish all our learning goals in a day, week, month, or even year.

What makes homeschooling enjoyable?

I love being free from the frustrations that we experienced with the kids in public school. 

I hated seeing the endless opportunity costs of a system where students have to slow down to work at the class pace.  When my daughter described the glacial-paced, monotone buddy read alouds, I was nearly in tears seeing how this was killing the joy of reading.

So, one of  the most enjoyable aspects of homeschooling is getting to read whatever, whenever.

However, the absolute best thing about homeschooling is that we are learning, exploring, and growing together.

How do you get involved in the community?

What I’d really like to know is how to get un-involved in the community?  I don’t want to sever all ties, but I’d love to have others take over some of my volunteer commitments.

Actually, I let go of several volunteer activities - Gifted Advocacy, Spanish Lessons, and Book Fair - when I pulled both kids out of our district public school.

However, I’m the Girl Scout Service Unit Manager for our area, and our troop leader.  My husband is my son’s Cub Scout Den Leader.  I also volunteer at my daughter’s new school as a Room Parent, and with the Scholastic Book Fair.

And, whenever the kids take on an activity - whether it’s swim team, theater, whatever - we always end up volunteering within that community.

When do you have opportunities to interact with public or privately schooled children?

Again, many activities - sports, music, scouting, etc. - provide opportunities to interact with children from other schools.

My son has several close friends from the neighborhood and from his school days.  Every Monday, we pick up one of his friends at the public school for their weekly play date.  And, we occasionally schedule play dates with his other friends.

This year, we also planned play dates with a neighborhood friend who switched from the same PS to homeschooling.  The boys enjoy similar interests and a shared experience, and they were free to play during “school hours.”

Additionally, area homeschoolers have organized events at libraries, parks, and other venues.  Perusing the local Yahoo Groups, it’s possible to find activities scheduled every day of the week.

Would you like more of these opportunities?

I think we have plenty for now.

How can they be created?

It’s easy to create these opportunities if you’re willing to reach out and initiate.  My son has been asking to participate in Odyssey of the Mind, so I might start a group for that purpose next year.  Fortunately, Yahoo Groups makes it easy to reach other interested persons.

What is your least favorite homeschool stereotype?

hmm… The stereotype that we are all incredibly brilliant, insightful people who love our kids and are trying to make the best choice for them?  Okay, I know, it’s not a stereotype if it’s true.

If you would like to join our learning journey, sign up to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by Email.  (Click this link.  Fill out the form.  Don’t forget to click on your verification Email.  Look for this in your mailbox.)  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

Homeschooling is a decision that we make each year. 

In New York, it’s not really a choice.  You have to send a Letter of Intent by July 1st as stated in Part 100.10 of the Regulations of the Commisioner of Education.

This first homeschooling year has been a bit of a roller coaster ride as we discovered what worked, and what didn’t work for us.   Overall, it’s been a fun ride, and we’re doing it again.

Here is our generic Letter of Intent sample:

Parents’ Names

Address

June 20, 2008

Re: Notice of Intent to Homeschool

Homeschool Coordinator

School District Administration Address

Dear Sir/Madam:

We intend to homeschool our son/daughter, ____________, who will be entering 3rd grade, for the 2008-2009 academic year.

We are sending this letter of intent as required of Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education.

For your records, the student is:

Name of Student

Address

Address

Phone Number

Email: ___________________

 

Sincerely,

Sandra Foyt

If you would like to join our learning journey, sign up to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by Email.  (Click this link.  Fill out the form.  Don’t forget to click on your verification Email.  Look for this in your mailbox.)  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

Some educators are attempting to transform the world of education to meet the needs of the 21st Century Student.

At a recent retreat organized by The Charter School Growth Fund, Anastasia Goodstein - author of Totally Wired and Ypulse - noted these emerging trends in Reboot Learning!:

• The educational experience should be more individualized and customized for the student… but …there has to be some structured goals/desired outcomes.
• The role of teachers will and must change.  As knowledge becomes more broadly available through technology, teachers are no longer the all-knowing beings they once were — they instead become more like “guides” or “facilitators” of learning.
• It’s about preparing them to be adaptive vs. having one job or career for the rest of their lives. We talked about the new skills needed for the 21st century like filtering/information literacy, project management, personal branding, thinking globally and the ability to adapt to rapid change. It has to be about more than just mastering subject matter or even learning one specific vocation.

As I read about these emerging trends, I realized that these worthy ideas permeate the thinking behind such disparate groups as Girl Scouts USA and Unschooling groups … and maybe, they aren’t really all that new. 

Girl Scouts USA counsels adult volunteers to ensure that programs are girl-led so that each girl can develop the “courage, confidence, and character” to be a leader.  There is a whole new initiative to create resources and pathways to ensure that Girl Scouts is a girl-driven experience.

And yet, when you talk to adult volunteers who have been in scouting all of their long lives, you’ll hear that this is not a new idea.  What is new are guidelines and materials enabling current leaders to learn to let go as the girls mature.

Successful Girl Scout leaders have been doing this all along.

Meanwhile, on the Unschooling Website, sponsored by Home Education Magazine, you get this unvarnished century-old suggestion from Anne Sullivan:

I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think. Whereas, if the child is left to himself, he will think more and better, if less showily. Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of, before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experience.

I’m reminded of an even older education idea.  If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.  If you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

I think that the best teachers have always known that their goal is to enable independent learners who are are confident, creative problem solvers.

What do you think? Share your opinion in a comment!

Book Resources:

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

My dog, Yoohoo, is fat.  “Morbidly obese,” says the vet.

He is so fat, that when he took a fall the other night, he couldn’t get up again in the morning. 

He doesn’t look like he’s seriously overweight, and neither do I. 

That’s a problem.

Yoohoo is a handsome Labrador Retriever with the stocky, muscular build that I associate with this breed.  He doesn’t look like he isn’t getting enough exercise.  I thought he was getting plenty of exercise playing in our backyard woods.  I was wrong.  His stocky body isn’t all muscle. 

And, after nearly a full academic year of homeschooling, I’ve lost a lot of muscle as well.

In the past few months, I’ve let the exercise program slide while focusing on creating a successful homeschool experience for my son.  I love to read, so I set aside lots of time for this.  However, I don’t really like to exercise so I haven’t made much of an effort to make this a priority for myself.  In fact, while Alex exercised, I used the time to read, write, or prepare lessons.

I just ignored the weight problem.  During the cold weather months, it’s so easy to camouflage those extra pounds.  But, Spring has sprung and I can’t hide the weighty evidence any longer.

Yoohoo and I need to lose some pounds.  Super-skinny Alex doesn’t need to lose any weight, but we have to include him in our exercise plans.

I guess we’ll be doing a lot of walking together. 

Do you have any suggestions for a canine and kid friendly exercise plan?  Post a comment.  I’d love to hear your ideas.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

It’s the end of another quarter, but it seems to have gone by much faster than before.  I thought that we hadn’t accomplished as much as usual.  Fortunately, this review pointed out that we’ve covered a lot of material, and Alex is learning and growing by leaps and bounds!

Quarter Beginning and Ending Dates: 1/26/08 – 3/21/08

Number of Hours of Instruction This Quarter: 225 Hours

Number of Days Present: 45 Days

Grade or Evaluation (O- Outstanding; V- Very Good; G- Good; N- Needs Improvement)

Language Arts:

Reading - O

A wide variety of reading material that includes:

• The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop.
• Lock by Paul Zindel.
• Alice in Wonderland with pop-up illustrations by Robert Sabuda.
• Bunnicula, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, and Howliday Inn by James and Deborah Howe.
• Book Club: Discussed and compared book vs. movie version of the Spiderwick Chronicles.
• Various non-fiction materials for Science and Social Studies.
• Alex is working through Reading Skills Grade 3 (Spark Publishing) to develop test-taking skills. So far, he has completed the units on Facts, Sequence, and Context.
• Alex loves to read, and enjoys a wide variety of books. We’re working on encouraging him to discuss elements of the books he reads. Also, he is learning how to pull information from readings.

Writing - G
• Blog Posts that include book reviews and journal entries.
• Frequent entries in his writer’s notebook.
• Story Unit project on Bunnicula that encouraged plot summarization.
• Several reading response paragraphs.
• I’ve been encouraging Alex to handwrite his paragraphs. As a result, his current writing is not as articulate as his previous dictations, but he is improving.

Mathematics - V

• Completed Singapore Mathematics 2A Unit 6 (Multiplication Tables of 2 and 3.) Currently working on Singapore Primary Mathematics 2B Unit 1 (Mental Addition and Mental Subtraction.) Also, we’re using flash cards and worksheet drills to build speed with math facts (single digit addition, subtraction, and x2, x3)
• Alex tries to avoid the “boring” math drills, but he is gaining speed and accuracy.

Science – O

• Life Science (Biomes, Food Web, Naturalists, Owl Pellet Dissection.
• Space Colonies (Gifted Kids Network): Extremophiles, Atmosphere, Water Cycle, Earth Layers.
• Virgin Islands Vacation: Explored Coral World Ocean Park; Observed UVI “love bug” experiment.
• Other: Chemistry Kit & Videos, Zoo Tycoon, Forces of Nature IMAX movie, various science TV programs.
• Alex loves to learn about science and he often initiates creative projects where he develops and tests a hypothesis. He also likes to observe the natural world, but doesn’t have the patience for lengthy observation such as what was required for Project Feederwatch. We’ll try again next year.

Social Studies – O

Focus on Mesopotamia:

• SOW Chapters on The First Sumerian Dictator and The Jewish People
• Read Find Out About Mesopotamia: What life was like in ancient Sumer, Babylon and Assyria – precursors of modern Iraq (Lorna Oakes, Annes Publishing, 2003) and tackled several art projects.
• Other: Horrible History DVDs; United Nations Tour; Discussion of International Relations and Politics inspired by Stargate SG-1.

Technology – O

• Type To Learn 3 - Continued Progress.
• Alex has started typing his own blog posts and is now using kid-safe search engines (bookmarked on his browser) to research topics. He is also taking an online course through the Gifted Kids Network that is requiring him to communicate in an online forum. All in all, he is making great strides in learning how to communicate online.

Music – V

• Weekly piano lessons with Lucy McCaffrey.
• Alex has progressed up to Level 1 in the Bastien series.

Visual and Performing Arts – G

• Visited the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Armor sections of The Met.
• Attended Dream, an interpretation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
• Pop-up art inspired by R. Sabuda.
• Arts & crafts from Mesopotamia.

Physical Education – V

Alex skied 1-2 times per week and was attempting Black Diamond runs by the end of the season. Less frequently, he also swam, hiked, and ice skated.

Confirm that we have covered at least 80% planned material for this quarter. Yes XXX No____

Signature of Instructor:

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

The 114th Carnival of Homeschooling is up on the PalmTree Pundit, a blog by a classical homeschooler in Hawaii.  On this week’s carnival, you can learn some interesting facts about March while discovering a variety of homeschool voices. 

I’m still amazed at the ability to create a community of homeschoolers from such a diverse group of people.  These homeschool bloggers come from all over the world, and from all walks of life.  And, we have so many different ways of homeschooling our children.  I love that we are able to share our thoughts and experiences on the blog carnival.

Trekking to our favorite corner of Brewer’s Beach (St. Thomas, USVI) we saw a man who seemed to be eyeing the poisonous fruits of the Portia tree.

On another beach, Diana and I would have jumped in to warn an unwary tourist.  This particular beach; however, is on the University of the Virgin Island’s campus.

There was a good chance that this man wasn’t a tourist.  So, we walked by very slowly and nonchalantly enquired if he knew what kind of tree it was.  

It was immediately obvious that he knew a lot more about the tree than we ever would.  It turned out that he was an UVI professor who was checking on his students’ comparative study of the love bug (pyrrhocorid) consumption of the Portia fruit.

I was thrilled.  Not about the bug study, but here was an opportunity for my son to see a real, live field science project.  I was sure that this boy - who has been planning a career in science, most recently as a herpetologist,  since he could speak - would be enthralled.

Well, he was only mildly interested. Even more horrifying, when we mentioned that this was the kind of study he could do as a scientist, he answered, “I hate science!” (more…)