More than ready...

So. Local public schools here started two weeks ago. We've been homeschooling through the summer. Asher will bump up to doing karate twice a week now (Micah's still at just once a week). Our first soccer practice of the fall season is later today. But. The boys' Options program (one day a week during the school year) doesn't start until September 13.

The boys are tired of waiting. ;) 

On the plus side, yesterday we had the Options "orientation" to pick up class schedules and all. The boys are stoked. Noah's pleased with his schedule...he got most of the classes he wanted and will be taking:

• Investigative Science 
• PE
• Art
• Gadgets & Gizmos
• Music/Drama
• Ameritowne

Technically, this year Noah is in fourth grade. At Options, all classes for that age range are 4-6th grade combined classes, so it works well for us. Asher's similarly happy. Though this is technically his second grade year (given that summer birthday, we'd have waited a year to keep Asher and Noah two years apart in school), he takes third grade classes at Options. He'll have:

• Science
• Reading
• PE
• Recorder/Chimes
• Music/Drama
• Math

And Micah. Well, Micah's pretty much thrilled that he gets to go this year.  We went over to meet his kindergarten teacher (one we have experience with, as she taught Noah a couple years ago for science and reading). Got to talking (as she was gathering information on her students). And, apparently, we're going to bump Micah to the first grade classes for reading and math. He'll stay with the kindergarten class most of the time, but will join the first graders for those two classes, as he's already beyond what she'll be teaching in kindergarten. :) Yet another reason I love this program. So willing to work with the individual student needs. :) Hopefully it'll all be good. (I think so.)

Sidenote. Part of me is reluctant to let him join the first grade classes. He only just turned five at the end of July after all. If we were enrolling him in public school, we might well wait another year before starting kindergarten. Okay. We probably wouldn't wait with this one. ;) But. It's only one day a week and I already do higher than kindergarten level stuff with him at home all the time. So. I suppose it just makes good sense to continue to challenge him while he's willing and able. Just hard to think about my baby being ready for kindergarten, let alone first grade. Sigh. :)

As further proof that the boy is just growing up too fast...here's a replay of a conversation overheard yesterday:

Noah: “What’s 9 times 9?”

Micah: “81. I know because there were two tree houses and one grew 8 apples and the other grew only 1. That means that one tree house grew 7 more apples than the other.”

Noah: “How did you figure that out?” (I *think* Noah was looking to see if Micah knew that he'd multiplied and subtracted.)

Micah: (looking at Noah in a baffled sort of way) “With ease.” Duh.

(Note: Micah's "story" that helped him figure out the multiplication problem comes from Times Tales. The boys use Times Tales as a math supplement and it’s awesome…has a little story for each multiplication problem...totally easy and quick to use. I think I neglected to include this in the post I did on what we use for math...serious oversight.)

So. Yeah. They're ready. ;)

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!