One of the reasons we have chosen to learn at home...

"Research indicates that imagination starts with a child's play-instinct. This is the ability for children to recreate something with themselves as a centerpiece...Perhaps the sorriest part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is the fact that the total emphasis is on standardized testing results and offers no incentives for the creative. Not that these are two mutually exclusive goals, but given a limited amount of time in a school year, it is easier to just stress the cognitive data rather than salute both inductive and deductive solutions to problems from a variety of perceptions." 


from...

Ten Steps for Tapping Into Your Child's Imagination

By Alan Haskvitz

http://www.brainy-child.com/article/child-imagination.shtml

100 photos: books: eleven--sometimes my dreams come true

100 photos: books: ten--chooses to read

Six impossible things

The Queen of Hearts said, "Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." --Lewis Carroll (Happy Birthday L.C.)

The six impossible things that sustain me...
1. That the time I spend teaching my children each day will make a difference in how future generations will see the world.
2. That we could just pick up and move to the Farm at any moment.
3. That the calories in the special cheesecake we receive from a friend every Christmas don't count.
4. That I will someday complete all the half-finished art projects in the attic.
5. That I have found the one person in the world who was meant to be my lifelong partner and friend.
6. That all living things are connected by the same Light...namaste.

Impossible, I know, but some things in life are better taken on faith than proof.

What are your impossible things?

100 photos: books: nine--thomas reads

Packing

Arrange whatever pieces come your way. --Virginia Woolf

My Dad and I both have this knack for packing. What my father-in-law calls packing ten pounds of potatoes into a five pound bag. We are both the official packers in the family because we've been know to squeeze in and extra two pounds after everyone else says, "No way!" When there are three kids, two adults, pets, toys, diapers, strollers, cameras, and school books, one has to learn to pack it well; arrange the pieces.

I've noticed that, as in packing, there's always some extra pieces that have to be arranged to fit. Like that extra pair of shoes someone forgot to put in the suitcase, there's always one more thing that has to go in, that needs to stay together, that must be arranged before the trunk can be closed...and to continue on the trip, the trunk has to be closed.

As in packing, I work hard to find a place for all the pieces that come my way. Some of those pieces are not what I envisioned for myself when I was younger. Marriage isn't all romance...but something deeper and more satisfying. My career isn't about promotion and nice shoes (though I do love nice shoes!). Motherhood has turned into so much more than giving birth...and I am so thankful for those unexpected pieces. I have been lucky enough to have a loving partner, a nice home, a beautiful family, and the luxury to follow my own path in life...to choose many of the pieces I've arranged.

But, as in packing, no matter how talented the packer, there comes a time that some pieces just can't be slipped into the small space between the portable crib and dog kennel. It's nice, and necessary to accept as many mismatched pieces as possible, but sometimes those extra shoes mean leaving the diaper bag behind. At some point, though they'd probably fit, some pieces are better off left on the curb.

So, while I am exceptionally good at accepting whatever comes my way in life. I am exceptionally untalented in my ability to let things come into my life briefly and then slip away. This includes stuff, this includes responsibility, this includes worries. So (word of the year) ENOUGH! I am going to try to arrange the human pieces first...friends, family, kids, husband...find a place in that five pound bag for them. In doing so, I am going to try to stick to seven or eight pounds instead of twelve. That means the stuff...the unnecessary responsibilty...the worry...the things that make me wonder if the trunk will close...on the curb!

Wish me luck! And why not look in your own five pound bag...I bet there's something in there that can be left behind!

JG

Granny...Nana...your grandkids in their natural state! CRAZY!

Update: response to this post...from my Aunt Martha..."Embree you know you don't eat meat!"

Crazy little things...

So, Brice got this toy guitar that plays popular rock songs by Sting, the B52s, Queen. The big kids are fascinated with it and want to hear the real versions of the songs. Tonight they asked to hear Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen. I googled it and came up with a video of it, Freddie Mercury at his best and topless to boot!

Reeves: Hey!

Embree: Uh! But! He’s not wearing a shirt! In public!

Reeves: If I become a famous rock star can I not wear a shirt?

Embree: Uh! Uh! Uh! Daddy would never allow that!

(Reeves rips off his shirt.)

Reeves: Wahoo!Yeah! I feel like a rock star already!

A brief self-indulgence...

We are home again after an unplanned trip to Tennessee to join my family in a hospital vigil for my mom. Luckily, we got what can be considered really good news, if not ideal. What we all feared did not come to pass and for that we are all thankful. The kids and I spent a couple of extra days there, along with my aunt, to make sure there were no complications and to keep Mom company in her 24hrs of bed rest. With three kids, it’s difficult to be of significant help, but the kids played games and watched movies on the bed with her and we were able to take her to a doctor’s appointment, so I guess just being there may have helped the time pass if nothing else. Once we were able to exhale with the good news, it was nice to see all of my family and just sit and talk in the waiting room. No meals to prepare, no place to be, just a chance to talk and laugh and catch up.

Driving to see Mom last week, I thought a lot about my life and if I am living it in such a way that I would be at peace if the last time I saw or spoke to a loved one was the last time. I mean to live in this manner. I don’t always succeed and I know it is cliché to think of it in response to the possibility of losing a loved one, but so be it. It’s time.

So I am going back to my word of the year, ENOUGH. We never get enough time with the people we love, but can we spend that time so that if something unexpected happens then that time is enough to sustain us and keep that person alive in our hearts?

I long to make everyday special with my children I don’t mean by giving them more things or by making each of our schools days super exciting, but by making sure that if that was the last day I got to spend with them that they’d know that I loved them and knew them and was happy being their mom. The same goes for my husband (who probably gets the least of my attention), my parents, my sisters, my in-laws, my extended family, and my friends. Would they know?

I am lucky enough to know and for me, for today, that’s enough.

How she sees the world

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Yesterday, Embree and Todd were watching the Cowboys' football game on t.v. As the commentators went to commercial Embree said that she liked the guy in the pink tie. After questioning her in several ways, Todd still couldn't figure out who she meant and asked if he was black or white. Embree responded, "I don't know...the one in the pink tie."

How do you see it?

100 photos: books: eight: it's in his nature

100 photos: books: seven--a reader you are

100 photos: books: six---sit stay read

...the living

Anais Nin said, "We write to taste life twice." This is certainly true for me. I write to share with you, dear reader, but I write in order to savor the happenings of my life. I know that this precious day will pass in the blink of an eye and the moment I take to remember it and write it is my second taste. When I am old and my children are grown and I am sitting on the the front porch of the farm with Todd, I can look again at this writing and sample this day once again.

I am trying to live in the moment and hope beyond hope that I will continue to do so when my life goes from caregiver to friend with my children. I look forward to spending time with my children as adults and in making memories with them then that are just as precious as the ones we are making now. So I quickly write the things that I want to remember and get one with the living. I'll go back one day when they are busy, when I'm still and quiet or cross and discouraged. I will have my next taste then and be thankful for my life...and then, once again, get on with the living.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

100 photos: books: five--reading on the run

100 photos: books: four - waiting for a reader

Sketching Assignment

Each week we take the Sketch Tuesday challenge at http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com/. This week's challenge was to sketch something made of leather. Of course, this concept was uncomfortable for Embree, so she went directly to the source for inspiration...

100 photos: books: three--Martin's Big Words

100 photos: books: two--salads p.43

100 photos: books: one--classroom favorites

Story jar:: First of many

Today at lunch I dropped the first passage into my new story jar. I think these comments were inspired out of the guilt my meat-loving son experiences living with vegetarians...
WRG:: I wish you didn't have to kill the animals to make meat. We could have a beef stick farm. I'd always be out in the garden.

Help for those in Haiti

If you want to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti, you will find a list of relief foundations at Take Part -- http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/01/13/what-you-can-do-to-help-in-haiti

If can help only in a small way, there are foundations where you can text a code and $10 will be charged to your next wireless phone bill.

If nothing else...please send your thoughts, prayers, meditations, love their way today. It all counts!

Peace, Jeannie

Ice Sculptures Finale

It's been a really warm day - 32 degrees! - and Reeves was the only one interested in a final look at the ice sculptures. Things were pretty as they emerged from the ice.

100 photos

In search of a creative outlet that doesn't require a sewing table, easel, or stock in the art supply store, I have been inspired by this website http://onehundredphotos.blogspot.com/ to pick a topic and take 100 photos. I want to start tomorrow. Now I have to decide on the topic of the first 100. It's like starting a drawing or painting...I just have to make the first mark on the paper. The blank paper...the beginning...is the scariest part of any creative endeavor. So, my first thought, for better or worse, was BOOKS. I love to read and have lots of books going at once on any given day. So, to make that first mark on the paper, that will be the theme.

Now, I need some ideas for the next project. All responses from you, dear readers, are welcome.

See you soon...

A good dream

I walked into the living room this morning and Reeves was sitting quietly on the sofa gazing into space with a faint smile on his face. Usually, he’s either playing his DS or trying to convince me to let him play Xbox before school. I asked him if he was ok. He said he was. I asked if he was meditating. He said he’d had a great dream and he just couldn’t get it out of his head. We should all be so lucky.

Enough fun for a cold winter day...

Today, after our lessons, we gathered our stale bread and rode over to the park to feed the geese. Embree misplaced the edge of the pond and walked out on the ice...I almost had a heart attack...but she came running back when she heard me screaming! :)

Afterward, we went to Peddler's Mall (an antique, flea market, junk store). We haven't been in months and it's one of the girls' favorite places to while away an hour or two. Brice loved spotting all the trains...

Reeves rode in the buggy and played DS!

I had a little birthday money left over and thought I'd find some treasures to brighten a few corners of the house...here are our finds:

A funky candelabra...green (my favorite color) with lovely green crystals. 

Embree and I both agreed that it was just inexpensive enough to be a must-have 

to top our new lazy-susan.

A miniature hand-cut silhouette just 3"x3"...and an antique ball jar 

where I plan to jot down funny things the kids say and 

drop them for safe keeping. Happy birthday to me.

After dinner we all went to the library for family storytime. Tonight was dinosaur night! Todd & Embree took Brice in while Reeves and I read and played on the computers. Embree said Brice acted like the "King" of storytime...running around demanding that the librarian read the books HE wanted...never mind the ten or so other kids in the room! Also, he apparently corrected the librarian and kids on several dinosaur names when they got them wrong...ROAR!!!!

Monday...check!

a new way to get there...

Good Morning!

I've been thinking about the name of our blog - Discovery School Days. It's become about so much more than just school. It's about our life and the choices we are making for our children and ourselves. So, I've changed the name & address. If you are a follower or receive email alerts, this shouldn't matter. If you plan to share our link with others, please use the new one you'll find above.

As of January 11, 2010...we are officially on a new path...

Welcome to... taking the backroad

Sunday...

No real change in the ice sculptures today...it's supposed to be warmer this week, so we might see some treasures appear.

Until then, here are a couple more pages from the 2009 photobook...

Ice Sculptures Day 2

One more post for today...that's it!

It's a balmy 18 degrees here this morning.

No melting of the ice...just some added snow.

Maybe tomorrow we'll start seeing some surprises.

Embree has discovered that the red ice (made with a peppermint stick)

tastes yummy...but she found out what happens when

you lick something in the freezing cold!

(Don't know? Watch A CHRISTMAS STORY!)

Bionicles are still frozen...awaiting a warm breeze to free

them from their icy prison...

Just in case you needed a warning...

Stay warm!

Photo Book 2009

I have been working on a photo book for our 2009 year.

Thought I'd post a page or two each day for those of you who are interested!

Notice our MLK, Jr. mural in the dining room and Reeves

in his normal pose for playing DS (in the left corner of the

pic of the living room!

One Little Word 2010

A friend posted this site on Facebook. (Thanks Aja!)http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/2009/12/one-little-word-2010.html

Choose one word for the year and let it guide you.

My word this year – ENOUGH

...as in enough stuff, enough love, enough joy vs. never enough, more stuff, more responsibility, etc. I want to be able to say no and to be bolstered in the knowledge that my life is good...that it's enough.

What’s your word?

Ice Sculptures Day 1

We unwrapped and placed the ice sculptures outside this morning.

It was like Christmas morning!

We'll post the changes as they happen!

It's so cold, I don't anticipate much change for a couple of days.

Until then...stay warm!

Embree's Unschooling Day

Embree has been asking for a day when she would get to decide what we did in school. For those of you not involved in homeschooling...child-led schooling is often referred to as unschooling. We had planned a trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum and to see sweet Theresa today, but the weather caused us to postpone that trip. That left us with a nice snowy day at home and me with no plans. So, I decided to let Embree have her wish. We had a totally unschooled day (except for the reading I insisted upon). It was a pretty interesting day...though I think she ran out of ideas at about 3pm and then there was a great deal of pining away for the XBOX! But that had to wait until 7pm, as usual!

First, we made pancakes for breakfast using our new pancake writer (thanks Granny & Pop!).

A flower

A bee

Brice enjoyed the pancakes!!

Then we made molasses candy in the snow (like Laura Ingalls in Little House in the Big Woods)

The candy didn't solidify as expected, but Embree made us all molasses snow cream for lunch.

We all took a little time to play trains with Brice.

Then we made molds from recyclables, filled them with water and various treasures and glitter glue and set them outside to freeze. Tomorrow we'll free them from the molds and build an outdoor ice sculpture (pic will follow when complete.).

Ice mold with orange peels.

Ice mold with two fighting Bionicles.

Ice Molds with Christmas balls, sea shells, candy, cinnamon sticks...

Then we headed up to the classroom for an hour of reading and drawing,

followed by a few hours of work on our incredible mural of Martin Luther King, Jr. to start our study of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. We all helped (even Reeves!!) and we are all pretty proud of it!

After lunch we finished hanging the mural, played more trains, and painted with Brice. A neighbor dropped by with a gift basket filled with the fixings for pear gingerbread upside down cake, so we made that too. We put on a pot of black-eyed peas and some brown rice for hoppin-john for dinner and went outside to play in the snow and wait for Daddy to get home.

Embree...never without joy!

Reeves...never without apples!

A little snowball fight.

Snowy boots...

...and cold fingers.

I am happy with this day. It was a perfect wintry day to just follow our noses. I need to make sure we have the opportunity do this more often. It's good for our souls and good for the kids to have some say in our day. Guess it's Reeves' turn next. We'll be eating apples and playing DS all day, I'm sure!!

Hope you have the opportunity to follow wherever the path leads...sometime very soon!