Just some day to day stuff....

I actually started this blog to keep track of some of the "educational" things we do, participate in, or talk about. Then it kind of evolved into my personal pulpit for a while...
Right now, I'm just kind of taking a backseat to life, and watching the goings on around me. I'm comfortable with where I am at, and not so worried anymore that I am "doing the right thing". I'm starting to see that there are many right ways to educate your children, and mine might not necessarily work for everyone out there for one reason or another.
I am loving how we do things and a lot more relaxed about where we are going. I read this great article the other day. It said that from the "research" that the authors have done, it has been "scientifically proven" that on the whole, kids cannot learn things like abstract Math (not connected to anything real) and Grammar (participles, diagramming sentences,etc.)from a textbook, before the age of ten. Now granted, they can memorize it, and seem to be doing the worksheets properly, but they "file" it in the wrong compartment of their minds, so that when they get into junior high, and their brain tries to access it to build on it, they cannot remember it, and have to relearn it anyway.
I put the words "research", and "scientifically proven" in parantheses, because so many people claim those words.... who knows what is fact or fiction. Anyway, I liked what the article said, and believe it to be true.
I am enjoying using my kids under 10 years to teach them real Math (concrete - as in actual objects or subjects that are in everyday life), and teaching them Language through everyday speech... Here are some examples:
The other evening, Travis comes into the living room and asks me, "Mom, what is heavier than an elephant, but can fly?" I thought for a minute, and said, "An airplane." Right!, He smiled. He had made up the riddle himself. So, then he asks James, "Dad, you make up your own riddle, and ask me.." (I'm paraphrasing here.)
James says, I'm not too good at making them up... How about, "What's black and white and red all over?" Travis doesn't get it. I help him out. Not red R-E-D, Travis... read R-E-A-D... what's black and white and "read" all over... I said, making a motion of reading a newspaper.. He got it. He learned the difference in how to spell red and read, how to use them in a sentence, and how to interchange them to make a play on words, in an instant. No textbook necessary.
This is such a minute example... there are sooo many times I hear the question, "Mom, how do you spell this?" I happen to be a good speller. But if I wasn't, you'd better believe I'd always have access to a dictionary! :) Maybe carry a paperback around with me! :) That question comes up constantly... Another example was when Travis wanted to sell his Hero Clix figurines. (He and Jesse had been arguing over the rules of the game a lot while playing, and he decided he was done. No more Hero Clix. "Jesse cheats EVERY game!"... Travis has a tendency to overdramatize... :)
Anyway, he got on Ebay, and had to look up some words, he'd never paid attention to spelling before... "Mom, how do you spell rookie? Experience? No, Experienced...." And at the same time he was learning these words, he was practicing his typing, and computer navigation.... Don'tcha just love learning while living? :)
A good example of learning real Math would be the cookie fundraiser we are planning to repeat this year. The kids are actually going to experience having their very own credit card! We are going to go to Sam's Club, and get one of their store cards, so that the kids can use it to buy the ingredients for the cookies. They (probably Jesse, mostly, maybe Travis... if he catches on) will be figuring up the cost of the ingredients which will involve A LOT of fractions, teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, multiplying, dividing, adding, subtracting,etc, etc... Not to mention the real world experience of calculating interest and having to pay it. I have a feeling my kids are going to argue about what they should buy in addition to cookie ingredients. Savannah and Travis will argue that they WILL pay the money back for that new toy, and Jesse will say, "No! We have to make the money first..." Or maybe the lure of credit will get him too... I'm excited to see! I'll update my blog as soon as I find out! :)
Cooking and/or baking are such excellent ways of teaching fractions and measurements. I know it's talked about a lot, but it's sooo true! The kids GET IT because it's right in front of them! It's not this circle on a page with lines through it marking halves, thirds, and fourths, which are words not connected with anything real, but the outline on the paper.... They associate fractions with REAL things. This cup is 1 whole cup. It'll take 2 of these half cups to fill it up with flour. It's soooo simple. I don't know why it's so hard for us to get that it could be that simple....
Learning days of the week, and months of the year, is such an easy to come by thing as well. My kids know exactly how many days it will be until Friday, because that is video game night! Savannah, Travis, and Jesse have it down pat. Aaron is learning by constantly asking, "What day is it?", and "How many days until Friday?" Or it's their friends, or cousins spending the night they are counting down to, or any other event... a field trip, Trick or Treat, the new baby's due date, etc.,etc...
Life provides so many opportunities for learning.
Another good example of learning language, is just the everyday conversation.. How often does this occur with your kids?... The kids says, "Mom, how come cats eat mouses?" You answer, "Because if cats didn't eat MICE, there would be too many of them around." Here, the child has learned about the food chain, the effects of its interruption, and they've learned that the plural of mouse is not mouses, but mice. Maybe you've never even paid attention to yourself doing this. But, believe it or not, you are teaching language much more effectively than any textbook (or teacher) ever could. Maybe your child won't remember that exact word the very first time (it just depends on their age). But over time, you will notice that the child naturally starts calling mice "mice"... not "mouses". If you want to, you can tell your child, (Like I did with this particular conversation with Savannah about mouses :), "Honey, the plural of mouse is mice... not mouses." And then continue to explain that plural means more than one. But even if you don't, they will come across that information sometime in their lives, and recognize it as the "educational" reason they say mice instead of mouses.
Well, that fulfills my blogging desire for the night. I wish I could write down every "educational" thing we discuss/do in everyday life... but alas.. I am tired. Good night!