Two wheelin'

Finally. Yesterday we finally convinced Noah to learn to ride a bike without training wheels. To be fair, we haven't really tried all that hard or all too often. This may have been the first time this year that we actually even got the bikes out. (Sad, but true.) So, after almost five years of having various bikes and one or two attempts previously without the training wheels (which lasted all of a few minutes), he got on the bike and started pedaling. And within minutes of Nathan helping him around the cul-de-saq, the boy was two wheelin' all on his own. And lovin' it. I told him so. ;)

Whew. I can now disregard that niggling little worry in the very back of my mind that we wouldn't get him on a two wheeler before he turned 10. ;) 

True to form, the younger two followed suit fairly quickly...not actually mastering the two wheel thing but happily volunteering to try it out without the training wheels. (This had been the sticking point with Noah...getting him to try for longer than a few minutes or at all.) Now that Noah's not anti-bike-riding any more (he'd gotten to the point where he never wanted to go out because he'd realized that most kids his age can ride without training wheels...hence the lesson today being while all the neighborhood kids were in school and Nathan was working from home), I anticipate that getting the other two on just two wheels won't be long. Hopefully. ;)

Note. Nathan and I were realizing today, as we were working with the younger two in particular, that those balance bikes (without pedals or training wheels...you can find them at a lot more places these days) are really an excellent idea. If we hadn't already invested in all these bikes, we'd go back and start with one of those for sure. So. If you happen to have a kid just about ready to want a bike...look into those balance bikes first, instead of something with training wheels that will become a crutch and make them apprehensive about learning to balance on their own. Really. I think it will work better. As a bonus, you won't spend your afternoon hunched over a kid on a bike trying to hold the seat and run up and down the street in the 90+ degree heat. All good things. :) 

Cheaper by the Dozen

So. I recently finished reading "Mr. Popper's Penguins" to the boys (based on the "Deconstructing Penguins" book that I've mentioned before). It's all part of my goal to do even more reading with the boys this year. (Sidenote to clarify that we do read a lot already, but I'd like to start reading more things that I choose instead of constantly reading about the periodic table or Star Wars, lol.) Anyhow, the boys really enjoyed it and got the point, and it was great. As we were discussing the book, we got to talking about what it would be like to have 12 penguins and somehow this led us to the book "Cheaper by the Dozen." 

I started reading it to the boys this morning. It's going well so far and the boys are enjoying hearing about times before computers for a change. ;) During lunch, then, I jokingly asked the boys whether they think we should have 9 more kids to make a dozen. Unsurprisingly, they all replied an adamant, "NO!" But. Then, they all said that they do think we could have one more, though. Excuse me? Obviously, I promptly asked them to explain themselves...wondering whether they've all been secretly longing for a little sister or some equally unrealistic thing, lol. At this point, Asher stepped right in to explain..."having four of us would make things like playing tag more fun." 

Ah. Of course. Gotta have priorities.

When I then explained that even if we had another child it would be 4-5 years before he or she would be able to play tag with them, Asher didn't blink an eye as he simply declared, "oh, in that case, I just wish we could clone me." Discussions of which boy to clone ensued. Man, reading is cool. ;)

Normal miscellany.

Random stuff:

Asher and Micah earned their white with yellow stripe belt at karate yesterday and were thrilled! From here out, though, the two of them will be in different classes, since Asher's moved up to the "kid" classes instead of the "pee wees." Asher will now go twice a week, but Micah will stick with once a week. Still so happy with this program!

Well, the local schools started back to school last week and our homeschool group had its first monthly planning meeting of the year last night, so I guess we're back to it. ;) Really, though, this whole "three weeks on, one week off" idea has been working pretty well for us. We're a little lopsided due to the trip in July, but it's all good. We'll take next week "off" and then our official start of the school year will be just after Labor Day. Woohoo! (And. The even bigger "woohoo!" is that the boys are doing well with it all and sticking with our "schedule" and we feel like we're actually homeschooling, lol.)

Question: Any ideas on what to do with a 9 year old who's going to be stuck sitting at his two younger brothers' soccer and karate practices all fall? Prior to this, he's also had his own stuff going on (so it felt more evened out) but has opted to take a break from that this fall. Seriously, ideas?? (He'll read for part of it, but we're talking about 5.5 to 6.5 hours a week.)

Another question: Any good leads on how to dry multiple paintings by boys without taking over my entire kitchen? Last week, we hung them with clothes pins from a drying rack thing, but not all paintings can be hung, kwim? Plus, I won't be able to hang stuff outside all year round. (We happened to have a nicely non-windy, non-rainy day.) I've seen these...which seem perfect. But I don't really want to pay that much. Ideas? (ETA: Ooooh. I just had an idea! I'll check it out and let you know if it works.)

Why do the beautiful house things that I covet cost so much? ;) For example, why do these (and these and these) cool knobs cost more than a good book? Okay, I know they aren't outrageous...but it all adds up, right? And, what if you want more than just one, like enough for the cupboards in your bathroom? And you know if you put new, pretty knobs in one room you're going to want to do all of the rooms so the other cupboards don't feel jealous. ;) We continue to work slowly on house projects around here but I find it difficult to balance wants and needs (who doesn't, right? LOL) and have a hard time, too, because there are also so many cool educational things I'd love to buy. ;)

That was all for now. Just wanted you to know I'm still here. ;)

Homeschooling miscellany.

Okay, last homeschooling post for a bit. Probably. ;) I just wanted to list some of the books and websites on homeschooling, itself, that I've found particularly useful. Here goes:

• The Well Trained Mind (by Susan Wise Bauer): This was one of the first homeschooling books I read and it made an impact. It focuses on the classical approach to homeschooling and sets out a plan and the rationale behind it. I don't remain a classical homeschooler today, but I still remember this plan and loosely follow tenets of it. I haven't revisited this book in years, but somehow remember the feeling of empowerment that I had after reading this...back in those early homeschooling days, reading this made me feel like it really was possible. ;)
• The Way They Learn (by Cynthia Tobias): This book isn't about homeschooling but does touch on an important aspect of it. By figuring out your child's (and your own) learning style, you can guide your homeschool journey better. 
• Bringing up Boys (by James Dobson): Okay, this one has nothing to do with homeschooling either but it's one of those that remains constant on my bookshelves. It's a great guide into the minds of boys and how to best serve them. 
• Your Child’s Strengths (by Jenifer Fox): This one pointed out what was afterwards obvious. ;) Basically, it talked about how schools focus on the weaknesses of children rather than their strengths and reminded me yet again of how beneficial homeschooling can be. 
• Hold Onto Your Kids (by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate): Such a great message in this book. It was like preaching to the choir for us, but I appreciated the explanations and examples. If you're looking to homeschool but are coming up against family or friends arguing with you about socialization, give them this book. ;)
• The Well Adjusted Child (by Rachel Gathercole): While this one was a fairly dry read for me (since I already agreed with much of what was being argued), it's a great book if you have any concerns about socialization and homeschooling. 
• Games for... books (by Peggy Kaye): These books are jam-packed with fun ideas and are particularly suited to young kids. Even if you don't end up playing the games, the books provide lots of ideas and insights into different ways to teach certain concepts. 

• The Pioneer Woman
• Simple Homeschool
• Five J's

On those last three (blogs), I just like reading about other families' homeschool journeys and appreciate the reviews and resources to be found. I know there are plenty of others out there, but have primarily limited myself to these for the sake of not being on the computer all day, lol. 

So. That should get you started if you're looking for homeschooling reading material. ;) Do you have others that aren't on my list? I'd love to read them! 

Last few subjects.

Hey there. Remember once upon a time when I was posting about the various stuff we've used in homeschooling? Well. I got a bit side-tracked there, didn't I? ;) (You can catch up on the previous posts over under the homeschooling category on the left.) Sorry about that, but I've got a couple more posts to go. This first one covers the miscellaneous subjects I've missed:

GEOGRAPHY
We've not really focused on geography until recently. Since we follow a chronological history, I've been reluctant to use the various geography curricula I've come across. Most of them focus almost exclusively on reading a map and then on the United States alone for elementary years. Instead, we've simply made a point to talk about geography in everyday life and other subjects (the Story of the World program comes with decent historical maps that coordinate with the lessons). Beyond that, here are some other things I've found useful:

• We've taken advantage of world events like the Olympics and the World Cup...finding the various countries on the map and discussing them throughout the competitions.
• Another great resource are the Junior Ranger programs available at most national parks. The boys love earning their badge/patch, and I love that along the way they have to learn about the park itself and the geography of the land and reading maps and similar things. So far, we've done these numerous times and I truly believe that learning on site helps tremendously with understanding and retention.
• We also play the "place game." I'm not sure if it's an official game, but it's one I remember playing growing up. One person names a place. The next person must name a place that starts with the last letter of the previous place. It's simple and fun and a terrific opportunity to just introduce a bunch of places and throw in little tidbits about them. You can make it trickier by requiring that hte place be part of a certain category (like only country names now, or only places you haven't been to, for example). Great for in the car on the way to one of those national parks or even just on the way to soccer practice. ;)

For this coming school year, I'm trying to take a more organized approach to geography and have created my own plan drawing from many sources. Basically, I made a list of the things I wanted to be sure to cover and have divided it out into lesson size chunks. I'll find a resource for each as I go. ;) (One that I already have at the ready is The Geography Book.) Since this is one of the subjects I do with all three boys together, I expect that some of this will be very much review for Noah but am thinking I'll simply have him help me teach it.

ART
Surprisingly, given my own artistic background, art isn't a subject that we've been routine with at all. I've definitely gone in spurts and also relied on the fact that the boys receive art instruction at Options weekly as well. This year, though, I made a plan incorporating projects from three books:

• Artistic Pursuits (book 1 of the K-3 group): I love the planning of this curriculum and the presentation of each lesson...providing basic talking points, examples from art history and a very doable project for kids.
• Discovering Great Artists: Art history was one of my favorite classes in undergrad, so this book just drew me in. I wish that the examples from the artists were in color but figure I can always find more images online. Here, though, I can start with a short biography and assignment. The book contains many more projects than I could cover in a year, so I look forward to working this into future years as well.
• Science Arts: This one seemed a no brainer when I saw it. What could be better for my science-minded boys than art projects that also teach a scientific principle? ;) Again, there are an incredibly lot of projects in this book, so I'll be using this one in years to come as well.  

I'm so excited about this! (And, I got to go buy art supplies, lol!)

PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)
Um, I don't do a routine PE time with my boys. I figure they get enough of that with soccer and karate and swim lessons and their weekly PE class at Options, not to mention all the chasing each other they do at home. ;) Here, though, are a few other things that I've found to be awesome:

• Speed Stacks: The boys were introduced to these at Options and love them. Initially, I was confused as to how they counted as PE, but the coordination required really is an exercise. Plus, they're fabulous for rainy days when boys can't get outside to play...keeps them active without requiring much space.
• Squidgies: Okay, that might not be the actual name. But these are a great alternative to frisbees or footballs or baseballs for tossing around in the front yard. Because they're soft, they don't break windows or hurt hands. 
• Liquidators: Again, not sure on the name. During the summer, though, these are wonderful for front yard water fights...much easier for young kids to use than water guns that require tricky refilling. We just fill up a kiddie pool and a big bucket with water, creating stations around the yard, and let them loose.
• The Ultimate Homeschool PE Game Book: If you still need ideas for PE, this book has some great alternate takes on classic games...allowing you to play more traditional PE games even when it's only you and your homeschooler.

LATIN
Finally, Latin. I haven't actually started this yet. So. I'll just tell you that right now these two resources are on my bookshelf:

• Minimus program: I've heard great things about this little program and am particularly happy that it deals with Roman history as well as just language, helping kids put it all in perspective. Some of the other programs I looked into used contemporary settings or were simply too dry to be inspiring.
• Song School Latin: This just sounded fun. ;)

In case you were wondering, I settled on Latin as an additional language to start with because 1) I don't know any other languages so will be learning along side the boys regardless, and 2) given how much they love science I figured that being able to better sort out the scientific vocabulary might be useful and Latin will help with that. Already in our science lessons, we've had a number of Latin roots that we've studied. 

Do you teach Latin in your own homeschooling? What are some other good programs? I'm hoping this is a good start but will need further materials as we progress. Since my boys are all young yet, though, I'm not too worried about it all. Mostly, I want them to simply be excited about learning another language.

Okey-dokey. That's that for now. Any additional suggestions? :)