Here’s another noteworthy article relating to homeschooling and socialization. It’s titled: “It Depends on What You Value.”
http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2010/01/it-depends-on-what-you-value.html
And I also have to recommend this essay titled “Why Nerds are So Unpopular.” It’s long but very interesting.
http://paulgraham.com/nerds.html
In case you missed it, this post of mine also talks about homeschooling and socialization as mentioned in a recent Washington Post article.
Happy reading!
Someone recently asked me if homeschoolers ever get snow days.
By my measurement, that’s a deep question. So I guess it requires a pretty deep answer.
Consider the beauty of a snow day: Catch up on sleep. Hang out all day with people you love dearly. Take a break from the usual routine of school or work. Stay home. Wear your pajamas all day. Sip some hot chocolate in the middle of the afternoon. Slow down and enjoy a new experience outside like sledding or building a snowman.
Homeschooling is a lot like that. A flexible schedule allows homeschoolers to catch up on sleep when they’ve been deprived. They hang out all day with the people they love dearly. They can wear pajamas all day, though we never make it much past 8 a.m. in ours. Homeschoolers often have time to enjoy a new experience as a family, whether it’s through a book that’s read-aloud, a field trip to the theatre or museum, or a science project worked on together.
Also consider the classic book Snowy Day, written by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s a simple story of a little boy who wakes up to a winter wonderland of snow. Since school is canceled, the boy spends the entire day exploring and playing in the fresh snow. Among other things, he experiments with his foot prints, makes a snowangel, and eventually discovers that snowballs melt when brought inside. That one day he learns more about snow than he ever would learn about it in a classroom.
Likewise, when there’s an opportunity to sink deeply into a certain subject,
homeschoolers have the freedom to wallow in it for a while.
They also have the freedom to step back and view it from a totally different angle.
Don’t get me wrong. A classroom can be great for practicing handwriting and studying spelling words and reading all about this incredible world our Father created. But often a textbook experience falls way short of a true learning experience. And that’s what’s great about education that isn’t trapped inside the four walls of a classroom. That’s why it’s essential for students to have the freedom to go out into the world to learn about it up close, first hand!
Most folks agree, enjoying a snow day is the safe, cozy thing to do when the snow is really piling up outside. And for our family, homeschooling is a safe and cozy way to truly learn about this great big world God created.
Yes, homeschooling has its ups.
And homeschooling has its downsides.
But we strive to enjoy the ride anyhow.
And we are thankful for friends who help us up when we reach the bottom.
Together may we reach new heights every day, whether it’s a snow day or not.
Socialization is one of those words that usually gets a reaction from someone who homeschools. Some are known to laugh and roll their eyes; others are ready with a list of weekly activities they are involved in to ensure interaction with other kids; and still others get defensive and start spewing facts and figures.
Good or bad, socialization is usually not a topic I like to debate with someone who has their kids in public school. But I’m sure I join homeschoolers everywhere in liking this Washington Times article about two studies that demonstrate socialization is not a problem.
“Both “Homeschooling Grows Up” and “Fifteen Years Later” amply demonstrate home-school graduates are active, involved, productive citizens. Home-school families are leading the way in Canadian and American education, and this new study clearly demonstrates home-school parents are on the right path.”
You can read the full article here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/dec/13/home-schooling-socialization-not-problem/
Our whole family participated in the children’s Christmas program at our church last Sunday. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun, but we are all glad it is over! Whew!
Linnea played the part of the youngest daughter in the family. She had seven lines, and she was quite a convincing little actress! I played the part of the mom. A real stretch, I know. I was glad I only had three lines!
Laurel performed several songs as part of the children’s choir.
And Michael performed three songs as a caroler and as part of a trio.
You can check out more photos of the dress rehearsal simply by hopping over to our church’s blog. Enjoy!
Home. They say it’s where your story begins. And they say there’s really no place like it.
Last month we visited the only place that I called “home” the first 22 years of my life. It’s the red-brick house my parents brought me home to as a newborn. In the pink bedroom, I shared a bed with all my dolls and listened to the whippoorwills and lonesome train whistles crying in the distance. In the cozy den, I listened to Mama play John Denver songs on the piano. In the backyard, I learned to swing and ride a bike and dig in the dirt. In the front yard, I played cars and trucks and cowboys and Indians with my brother. On the front porch, Daddy let me sit on the bucket as he cranked homemade ice cream on hot summer evenings. In the paved car port, I roller-skated with my headphones blaring Madonna tunes. In the kitchen, Mama let me lick the chocolate icing off the beaters, and Daddy shared his Dr. Pepper breaks with me. And through the big picture window, I often gazed dreamily, wondering about the future and waiting for the next package or the next visitor or the next season or just the next bus ride to school.
So last week, as we drove slowly down West 27th Street, I gazed dreamily at that red-brick house perched on two-and-a-half wooded acres bordering Lake Keystone. It had changed. In the front yard, many of the blackjack oak trees my brother and I played under were gone. Only their stumps remained. In the backyard, someone else’s swing set was placed closer to the patio than mine had been. And all around the house, new windows with white trim had replaced the old ones with brown trim. Even the big picture window overlooking the front yard was new and improved.
All those alterations seem subtle, though, when I consider how my view of home has changed since moving away from Oklahoma 12 years ago. Often, I’ve been confused. Is home where I grew up? Is home where my family is? Is home where I live now? Is home where my children grow up? Is home where everyone knows my name? Is home where I celebrate Christmas? Where is home exactly?
As a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom, I spend a lot of time at our home here in Minnesota. Linnea and Laurel do, too. For us, home is more than a house to sleep in. It’s a comfortable place to grow and learn and worship and play and eat and rest and entertain. And I love it here; I really do. I love the memories we are making as our daughters twirl around these rooms on their tiptoes, making music with piano keys, guitar strings, made-up songs and girly giggles. I am so blessed to be home with them, teaching them and making this a soft place for Michael to land when his work day ends.
Yet my heart still longs for home. I am still wondering about the future and waiting for what’s next. These days the Bible is the big picture window through which I gaze heavenward. The Bible says none of us are truly home anywhere on this earth because God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” -Philippians 3:20
Heaven is home. Jesus is from there, and He’s back there now preparing a place for us, just as He says in John 14:1-3:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Home is where Jesus is. And He’s busy preparing a place for me because my citizenship is in heaven. I’m just passing through Minnesota. How should I respond to that truth? Shouldn’t I set my mind on things above? Shouldn’t I prepare room in my heart for Jesus? Shouldn’t I trust Him with all of my heart?
Someday we’ll be together in heaven. But in the meantime, if Jesus is in my heart, then my heart is at home no matter where this earthly body roams. And no matter where you roam, we pray your heart may also be home in Christ Jesus this Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
As mentioned previously, Linnea is a fan of Alice in Wonderland. She has been reading the classic all by herself this fall and was on chapter 4 last I checked. Earlier this week I found The Nursery Alice online and read it to both girls. And then yesterday Linnea and I journeyed down the rabbit-hole at Stages Theatre in Hopkins to watch a live performance of Alice in Wonderland. It was curious and wonderful! I let Linnea wear her Alice costume, and after the show she met the actress who played Alice. Here’s a picture of Little Alice and Big Alice:
Yesterday we finally had a Dragon Tea Party, which Laurel has been requesting for several months now. We sipped cinnamon plum tea while we nibbled heart-shaped cucumber sandwiches and cheese sandwiches. We ate fiery rings of dragon’s breath (dried cinammon apples) as well as dragon teeth (shortbread cookies) and pink M&Ms leftover from Laurel’s birthday.
With so much help from Laurel and Linnea, the party required very little no actual planning on my part, and it covered both lunch and storytime. We might have to do a second one with actual, living, breathing guests, but this time around, we were content to have only stuffed dragons present.
Once we were as stuffed as our guests, we read three dragon books:
And, after all the dragons awoke from their naps, I let the girls watch Pete’s Dragon. Just because. I loved that movie when I was little.
Oh, and by the way, if you read about our Teddy Bear Stay-Cation this summer, I should mention that we have two more additions to our list of teddy bear books. They are:
Happy reading!
Last week we started memorizing John 6:35, talking about manna for the Israelites, and talking about Jesus feeding the multitude. We also had two science experiments involving yeast and balloons. Those were fun! And playing around with yeast just made me hungry for some homemade bread, which I usually only bake during the holidays. But, with the snow and all lately, it sort of feels like the holidays already. So last Thursday the girls helped me bake bread. We made more than two dozen brown-and-serve, clover-leaf hot rolls, which I froze, and also these three cute mini loafs. Yum!
“…I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
For the record, we also made homemade butter, as part of our history lesson, to serve with our homemade bread. Let’s just say that wasn’t quite so photogenic or yummy. But after all that butter churning shaking, Linnea and I both really appreciate Land O Lakes sweet cream butter on a totally new level!
Laurel turned 4 last week. Here’s a little profile on her, similar to this one we did when she was only 2.
What verses are you reciting? Genesis 1:1, Matthew 6:24, Proverbs 3:5, Psalm 1:6
What else have you recently learned to recite? the days of the week and the months
What are your favorite books? Sleeping Beauty and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
What is your favorite Bible story? Adam and Eve
What is your favorite movie? Pete’s Dragon
What is your favorite food? cucumber sandwiches
What is your favorite part of mealtime? when we pray
What is your favorite animal? zebra
What is your favorite thing to say? Can I play dress-up?
What are your hobbies? I like to play dress-up. And I like to do stuff with my mom without Linnea.
What do you do in your spare time? I play in my room alone, and I read books. Some books I read in my head; some books I read with my mouth.
What songs do you sing? “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “God of Wonders” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me”
How high can you count? up to 31…
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? to Frost & Steam for ice cream or Kwik Trip for an Icee
Besides being tickled, what makes you laugh? When people do jokes, make silly faces, when they do stuff silly to me…
What are your favorite colors? orange and light pink and black
What is your favorite game? Cariboo
What are your favorite subjects in school? science experiments and writing on pieces of paper
What is your favorite extra-curricular activity? dance class
What is your favorite new thing in preschool? my pink book
Who are your best friends? Grace, Samantha, Kelsey, the blue ballerina (Sophia), Julia, Annika, and Will
What do you like the most about homeschooling? paint dots and weather watcher
What do you like the least about homeschooling? not getting to do math with Linnea and Mommy
If you could live anywhere besides Minnesota, where would you live? Oklahoma
What characters do you like to dress up as? Cinderella and the Little Mermaid
Linnea will be turning 7 before we know it! Here’s an exclusive interview with her.
What verses are you reciting? Last week I was doing Psalm 90:2; and this week I am doing Isaiah 44:24b.
What are your favorite books? Alice in Wonderland, the Betsy-Tacy series, A Light Kindled, The Story of Priscilla Mullins, and The Courage of Sarah Noble are my favorites right now.
What is your favorite Bible story? My favorite Bible story, I think, is where God sends manna down from heaven.
What is your favorite movie? One of my favorite movies is Pocahontas. I also like Mary Poppins.
What is your favorite food? raspberries and Pizza Hut breadsticks and pizza
What is your favorite part of mealtime? the prayer
What is your favorite animal? horse
What is your favorite thing to say? love and Jesus
What are your hobbies? scrapbooking, reading, playing outside, playing with my sister or with my neighbor
What do you do in your spare time? read, play with fairies, doodle, and sometimes play with Lincoln Logs
What songs do you sing while playing piano? “Yankee Doodle” and “All Around the Mulberry Bush”
What other songs do you sing? “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “This Little Light of Mine” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong to Me”
How high can you count? at least to 130, maybe more
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Florida
Besides being tickled, what makes you laugh? when people stick out their tongues and make funny faces
What are your favorite colors? hot pink and purple
What is your favorite game? Go to the Dump (a math game)
What are your favorite subjects in school? math and science
What is your favorite extra-curricular activity? My favorite is piano, and I also love dance.
What is your favorite new thing in 1st grade? art class with Mrs. Henriksen
Who are your best friends? Lila, Evie, Will, John, Sam, Anders, Sarah, Chloe, Lilly, Vanessa and Ashley
What do you like the most about homeschooling? spending time with my mom
What do you like the least about homeschooling? handwriting
If you could live anywhere besides Minnesota, where would you live? I think I would live in Florida. (She’s never been there, yet.)
What characters do you like to dress up as? Tinkerbell, Alice in Wonderland, Laura Ingalls, mermaids and ballerinas
Starlight Writer 