Journey to Excellence

Now we are getting to it ... What do we do about this problem??? Chapter 12. Where Will Future Stewards of Nature Come From? "[What is the] extinction of a condor to a child who has never seen a wren?" ~ Naturalist Robert Michael Pyle This question in the title of this chapter has followed me around through the first 11 chapters of the book. If children don't know nature, who will be a steward for nature when they are adults? On Page 146 it says, " ... as the acre of nature increasingly becomes an intellectual concept severed from the joyful experience of the outdoors ..." Learning vs. Experience. This was the main point I pulled from Chapter 11. Page 147 continues by pointing out that, "One overlooked value of children is that they constitute the future political constituency, and their attention or vote -- which is ultimately based more on a foundation of personal experience than rational decision-making -- is not guaranteed." Childre...

This is the last post in the HSV Garden Challenge. I have posted all about our garden over at Taulman Times . You can go there to see how our garden has grown this summer, and how we have used it for schooling.

Only a homeschooler would have SCHOOL on a National Holiday like 4th of July. But, we are. Why? There are always such great unit studies and activities that come out for Independence Day, but we are always on summer break. Sure, we learn about these things during the school year. But, wouldn't it mean more to learn about it on it's anniversary? Now, this day will be fun, and won't even really feel like school (for the most part). We will count this as Day 4 of our 180 day school year. Here is what I have planned: Literature . The cornerstone to all we do is literature. I always try to mix in both non-fiction and fiction books. We will be reading ... Independence Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Trudi Strain Trueit The Fourth of July (Wonder Books) by Kathryn Kyle Independence Day (Rookie Read About Holidays) by David F. Marx Hurray for the 4th of July by Wendy Watson Henrietta's Fourth of July by Syd Hoff Happy Fourth of ...

I won't even start the whole socialization debate about homeschooled children except to say that I don't think children in happy homes with siblings need much socialization. In the pioneer days, when family units were the strongest, children worked and played at home with their families. And, it was enough. And for our family, it mostly is. We do get together with pockets of friends from our Co-op. But, for the most part, my kids are happy just being together. And I honestly hope it always stays that way. But what about you, mom? Do you need Socialization? I know many women/moms who do. They crave "girl time". They go out for coffee, or to lunch, or shopping, or to weekend getaways regularly with their girlfriends. These women never go anywhere with their kids that they don't have another mom and her kids with them. I am not one of those women. I have one child who has already left the home and it was just two days ago, it seems, that she was in braid...

Day 3 of the 2012/2013 school year happened on a SATURDAY! I recently posted about the Family Summer Camp provided by Bass Pro Shop . We attended three workshops: Wildlife Exploration , Backyard Adventures , and Archery . At the end of each workshop the kids answered four questions on their activity sheet and then went on a scavenger hunt in a designated area of the store to seek the answers to two questions. Once those were completed they received a pin for that workshop to attach to their lanyard. In between workshops, Eli and Brynne painted a ceramic bear track ... They practiced shooting guns, a bow and arrow, and casting a fishing pole ... And then they looked at all of the boats (a couple of times). Eli says he no longer wants to be a Ninja or a Golfer when he grow up. He wants to be a Boat Driver. Rick met us at the end of the day for dinner and s'mores. This one needed a shower when she was done. She enjoyed every bit...

Have we just completed the 6th week of summer? That means we have less three weeks until we start our next school year and, um, I'm not ready ... not even close. In my life this week ... We got back from vacation on Sunday night, and Brynne woke up first thing Monday morning with strep and a staph infection. After a trip to Urgent Care, a long nap, and some good antibiotics, she was back to her normal self on Tuesday. Dawson worked Tuesday and made $140 in 8 hours at his job at the car wash! It was 105* that day, so it was hard work! We logged a school day on Wednesday, and then had Keeper's Club and piano lessons yesterday. I have also been getting us unpacked and repacked so we can take off to Kansas City when we get the call from my sister that she is in labor. We have to be ready! In our homeschool this week ... We did lots of reading on Tuesday. On Wednesday we learned about foods, food life, kitchens, family traditions, and restaurants of past versus present with...

We now embark on Part III of the book titled "The Best of Intentions: Why Johnnie and Jeannie Don't Play Outside Anymore". Chapter 9. Time and Fear. I can honestly say that at times I feel selfish and lazy. I value my free time so much that I don't look for ways to schedule my kids' activities because I don't want to be scheduled. But in my heart I know that it's more than that. It angers me to see parents so hell-bent on their kids being sports stars or honor students or nationally-ranked band prodigies, or in other words, perfect at something. I often believe that it's the parents wanting themselves to look good and get attention at the expense of their kids. I have shocked parents when I say that I don't care if my kids go to college. I want my kids to do what they are passionate about and what makes them happy so that they won't dread getting out of bed in the mornings. If they can accomplish that without a college education, so b...