Friday, September 27, 2013

Our first week of homeschool

 Noah and Avery on their first morning of school, eagerly anticipating...

 The kids and I just had a wonderful first week of home-school. This is my third year of planning and leading lessons. Noah is in second grade and Avery is in Kindergarten. Avery has been sitting at the table for lessons with us since she turned three, coloring, painting, stringing beads and playing with play dough. She is very excited to be five and "in school" this year. 

I have put an enormous amount of time into reading curriculum and planning and preparing for this year. As a result we had a smooth transition into a much more structured schedule and everything went really well and I think it will continue to do so. This year we are using the Enki second grade curriculum, mostly for their wonderful language arts program, but also for music, movement, art and some science. We had started with Oak Meadow for Noah's kindergarten year. Then last year we used Christopherus until half way through the year until switching and using Enki for language arts. Noah and I are on our third year of using Right Start Math, which is very different from Enki math, but it has served him well.

Thinking about this school year, my main challenge was how to balance two students, both of them needing my undivided attention for the majority of their main lesson time. Also, I really wanted Noah's stories to just be for him. I didn't want to have to pick them out thinking of younger sister also hearing them. I also wanted Avery's stories to be special for her without her brother groaning and complaining about how boring they were. Both of my kids thrive on having my undivided attention and they behave mostly wonderfully when we are one on one. So by setting time aside for each of them I am hoping to meet their attention needs and simultaneously make their stories, songs and learning more special and meaningful. 

In order to make this balance work I have work planned for each of them that they can do on their own without my help for twenty to thirty minutes of the morning. Noah is doing a weekly form drawing on the chalkboard each morning followed by either Handwriting without Tears, Explode the Code (language arts) or math worksheets from the previous day's lesson. Avery in painting, coloring, playing with playdough, form drawing or working with large wood pieces that make letters, or just playing as long as she does so quietly in the next room. 

In order for the day to flow smoothly, I made schedules. I was just going to make one, but I messed up on one and ended up with two that are a little repetitive, but one is more general and the other more detailed. I may just keep the detailed one. I also made a calendar that I'm excited about. I still need to make the weather cards that show what the weather outside is like for each day.
 

Our school days flow something like this: After our wake up time and simple breakfast we are heading outside to do farm chores by nine a.m. We have songs we sing at different times, one for heading outside, some we sing while milking goats and others for our walk up to the chicken coop and then one for coming inside. When I was first reading the Starting Up book for Enki, I was reading about the different forms of circle; song and moment time. After reading about all the different types of circles and walks, at the end there was a passage that explained that all of these song and movement activities are trying to re-create what one would experience if they had to go out and do farm chores in the morning, milk animals, chop wood, haul water etc., get the heart pumping and the body loosened up and limber, build strength and flexibility etc. As you can imagine I had an "Ah Ha" moment. And for the first time I really felt like I could embrace our morning farm chore routine as a significant part of our home-school routine. Whereas in the past we have rushed through our chores to get to the "important stuff".

Both kids each milked out one side of Zuri this week while I hovered nearby. The milk into four ounce jars which I dump into the pail, and that way we don't worry about a hoof in the pail. After milking we start a fire and Noah and I carry in a few armloads of wood. Avery and Noah take turns adding scoops of grain to our bucket along with kelp and water. When we finish with the goats we let the geese out and they follow us up to feed and water the chickens. This week we were back at the house within forty five minutes. We wash up, I filter milk, and we have a very quick snack if needed. I lay out Noah's work and we look through and discuss any questions he has. If he has any questions mid way through he just skips it and waits. Avery and I have five to ten minutes of songs and finger plays together followed by her story.

 Above are my cheat sheets. One for Noah's circle songs, one for Avery's and one for farm chores. I often just write the first line of the song as it helps me remember how to start.

For Kindergarten, Enki has you tell the same story each day for the week, with a parent led recall towards the end of the week. For our time together we have a silk that is on the table from the night before along with the candles and my cheat sheets. I light Avery's candle only and we sit back on the couch to read her story. This sets a very peaceful mood, and I've noticed that both kids get really deep breathing and sink deeply into their stories. When the story is out we blow out her candle and have a transition verse to our table work space. Because I'm still new to Enki, it is challenging to not work with the story right away as we've done in the past. The first day I have Avery doing painting or playing with play dough, in somewhat of an attempt to keep her from drawing the story. The second day we re-read the story and then she colors a picture. Our third day we are telling the same story again and writing a letter in her main lesson book that was inspired by the story. On our fourth and final day we recall the story together without reading it, and then continue to work with the letter by making it with dough or playdough or more coloring. We are deviating from Enki by doing any letter work in Kindergarten. If we were following Enki strictly we would just be reading and coloring and trying not to get into letters. I have put a lot of thought and debate into this decision and only time will tell whether I've made the right one or not. I do find that much if not most of what I read in Enki strikes a chord within myself. At the same time I don't always feel that what is best for most five year old's in necessarily what is best or right at the time for mine.

 Avery, waiting for her story.

Hopefully, If I've connected enough with Avery during her circle and story time, she is ready to go off and play while subconsciously digesting what she has just taken in. Noah and I have a more invigorating circle. He enjoys more challenging movements to accompany our songs and verses, in addition to riddles, clapping games and bean bag tossing. Enki has Second graders listening to and working with a balance of Trickster and Sage tales. I could go on and on about why and how, but for now, I'll just say that we are starting off with Native American Trickster tales followed by the Sage Stalking Wolf. To accompany this theme several of our songs are Native American in theme, and we will be doing some related crafts with bark and leather here soon. 

For the Trickster section, I read a short Trickster Tale on Monday, then we take a lunch break, followed by math. Tuesday we recall the story and do a short story summary accompanied with a picture. Tuesday afternoon we read a new Trickster tale, which we work with on Wednesday and so on. Noah is not a fan of the story summaries - and we've only done two. He did seem to get the hang of it quickly, and after doing the first one together he was able to summarize our second Trickster tale on his own, in about four short sentences - I was able to fit it on the blackboard while writing big enough that he could see it from his seat across the room.




We are doing wet on wet water color painting at least one afternoon a week. They are supposed to be standing to allow room to move, but they both prefer to sit. 

 Avery and her close friend and fortunately our within walking distance neighbor, Ingrid

On Thursdays we are supposed to finish by lunch time. We spend the afternoon with our Children of The Boreal home-school cooperative. We meet at Creamer's Field in the summers. It is a migratory bird refuge and old farmhouse. This Thursday was our last week outdoors. I have a hard time moving in for the winter. This week we peeled and cored apples for snack, and ground grain with a hand crank mill, that didn't quite work, but the kids didn't realize it.


 Avery and Aviva

 The kids put on a clown act, followed by a fairy/sprite show, followed by a lengthy and impressive  Snow White play - all child led and accomplished without my input.

What would I do without my big helper. When a job needs to be done, my son is ready to lend a hand. We finished digging potatoes in a mild panic. The top of the ground was crusty and as we dug the snow begin to fall.

Tomorrow we celebrate Michaelmas with Children of the Boreal. We helped make the most beautiful Birch bark medallions to give to the kids. I think it is going to be a spectacular sunny blue and gold day.  

2 comments:

Keren S said...

Great pictures! Glad homeschooling is going so well for you. Not there yet but time flies by so quickly. C will be one in a few days! Maybe I can visit soon?

cmm said...

Just found your blog and I am enjoying a peek into your life in Alaska. Your children are very fortunate to have you for a mom.

Keep up the great work with them, the farm and the blog.

Thanks for sharing.