To buy or not to Buy

One of my absolute favorite things about Tapestry of Grace is the fact that we are using actual books. Even for lower grammar students (aprox. K-3) there are no "readers". My girls aren't reading random excerpts, but instead, complete stories. I have been pleased with the choices. Highlights from year 2 unit 2 have been - -
Children's' Shakespeare
Mother Goose (that took me by surprise; my 1st grader has enjoyed reading all of the poems in an over-the-top, animated way)
I, Juan de Pareja
Trial and Triumph

As I finish up a nine week unit my husband and I begin the "to buy or not to buy" discussions. Using real books is an educational joy and a financial strain. We live in a college town and have decent access to many of the books that are needed. Tapestry is purposefully designed to allow for book substitutions. In fact, the teacher's manual includes library call numbers, so that you do not have to work at finding similar books. That fact alone might lead you to ask, "what's the debate all about? Borrow the books and save some money." And you are right . . .I think.

My girls will reread books. My first grader has recently realized that she is actually reading. She has enjoyed returning to books from earlier in the year. She can measure her progress. She knows that she is reading something that was far too daunting in August. It is encouraging to her. My third grader is a devoted reader. The library is not large enough for her voracious literary appetite. A pile of great books seems like a reasonable investment.

So, here I am again. Weighing the pros and cons of purchasing verses borrowing.

purchase: creates a storage problem, means I once again wait for __________(random household item that, while not necessary, sure would be nice), means that if one child is sick and I don't make it to the library school can go on, and allows for the silly joy that comes with a pile of new books

borrowing: involves some extra work on my part, hello cute little house thingy that I keep not buying, can cause a set back if I am unable to make it to the library, teaches my children that they do not have to own every single thing

No matter the outcome of this debate, I can homeschool two children for half the price of sending one to a private school.

A New Room for a New Year

This fall we were able to finish our basement. What an improvement that has made in the functioning of our home. We now have a space devoted to school.



The is plenty of natural light. The black wall that you can see in the picture is a magnetic chalkboard. That wall is worth every coat of paint that it took to make it magnetic. The other huge improvement for us is the space around the table.

Join us as we set sail for the new world

We are packing our bags, filling our minds and generally preparing for a trip to the new world. Our boat sets sail in two weeks. Won't you join us?

Seriously, if you have considered using Tapestry of Grace, now is a good time to check it out. The free three week trial includes everything. Very few curricula offer such an in depth preview. We are finishing up week 18 this week. So, I plan to start week 20 January 25. Take some time to look over the sample materials. Pick up a few books from the library and join us on this learning adventure.

Let no set back go to waste

This morning was exactly what I imagined homeschooling would be like. When I brought my oldest daughter home I had a four year old, a 18 month old, and a 5 week old. I was terrified. I was lucky if dinner was ready. I had no idea how I would teach my daughter how to write a paragraph. Totally convinced that God was asking me to bring McKenzie home, I withdrew her from school. I braced myself for a "wasted" year.

At 10:30 this morning I was still cleaning up the breakfast mess. In my mind I was going over all of the academic things that undoubtedly would not be accomplished today. Then, my three year old broke a Christmas decoration. Okay, deep breath. Not a crisis. Not even close. However, it had to be cleaned up. (dirty dishes in the sink - -ok; broken glass in the carpet --not ok) By the time that I was ready to start school I already needed a mental break. I sent the kids to play in their room while I went to basement. While I stood in our unfinished basement I decided that the best way to start our school day was with something fun. Yes, we were "behind". Yes, I was anxious about fitting in two handwriting lessons. I also knew that I did not have the patience needed to guide the girls through their more challenging lessons.

Today, at the shameful time of 11am, we started our school day by reading "The Winter's Tale" from The Children's Shakespeare by E. Nesbit. The girls loved it. In fact, they were jumping up and down begging for "one more Shakespeare." My six year old said, "Shakespeare is better than dessert!"

We didn't have time for handwriting lessons today. I didn't hold up any math flash cards today. We didn't draw maps of Magellan's historic trip to the Spice Islands. Today we read Shakespeare. Today I offered up a prayer. God, despite my weaknesses, please let my children learn.

Ten years from now my girls might be sitting in a high school classroom. I hope that if their teacher hands them a copy of a Shakespeare play they will clap their hands in joy.

If success is measured by learning opportunities

Geography challenge #2 was, if nothing else, fun. I love that the most ordinary activities become exciting with children.

I let each girl pick a destination. My 6 year old routed us from our pick up spot to the "transfer circle". From there she guided us onto our next bus and pulled the bell when our stop was announced. When we reached our destination she looked up at me and said, "Thanks for planning this."

My 8 year old was also able to reach her chosen destination, but it took a little more work. She did not need to switch buses, but she really wanted to. After two attempts at navigating a bus transfer she agreed to stay on the main line and get off at the stop closest to her goal, the library. The ride back to the car went more smoothly.

I would like to repeat this activity. I think that I would be able to tweak it as they get older. Superimpose latitude and longitude type lines on the bus map, give the destinations in the form of coordinates. Also, it would be fun to ask them to be the tour guide for our town and have them plan a tour using the bus system. That idea would focus more on social studies and language arts.

Geography Challenge #2

At the beginning of the year I tried a geography challenge with the girls. It worked even better than I had hoped.

We are now filling the "geography adventure" jar again. For the next two weeks, as we read about Columbus, I will be teaching the girls basic map skills. Each morning I am asking them questions from the previous lesson. Along with the review questions I am throwing in world geography questions. For my first grader I am also asking her questions about our address.

My ideas do not always work. This one is working. For this homemade geography unit I am using a book called Maps and Mapping: geography facts and experiments. (check the J912 section in your library for something similar) I am also using TOG Year 2 map aids.

And the adventure that will reward all of their hard work? A trip on the Applcart! What? The Applcart is our college town's version of public transportation. Each girl will be given a map, pick a destination, and without assistance pick the bus route that we should follow to reach the chosen destination. They are so excited that it is almost embarrassing. You would think that they never leave the house.

I do not care to spend the entire day on the college bus with my 4 children, so I am highly motivated to teach well. I hope to take pictures of this adventure.

When the teacher is the student

Two and a half years ago my husband and I made an agonizing decision. We wrote a letter to the principal of our oldest daughter's school. We ordered a math curicullum. We drilled our friends with questions about home management. We called the president of a local homeschooling coop. And so began this quiet "unexpected adventure."

This week I have realized all the things that I would have never learned had I been unwilling to venture down this path. Here is the short list:

• I love history. My exposure to world history prior to homeschooling was a backbreaking textbook with dates, dates, and more dates. This year history has come alive for me. I love the books that we are using. Real books, not two paragraphs used to bookend another timeline.
• spelling - - -teaching phonics is greatly improving my spelling skills
• each fingertip has 50,000 nerve endings! Did you know that? Last night as I prayed for my children, I thanked God that he knows every one of those nerve endings.
• how to find the answer to analogy questions (wish I had had this one 15 years ago when I was taking the SAT)
• how to rejoice and live comfortably in the life that God has called you to, even if that is different from what you expected

What are you learning on the adventure that God has called you to?