2nd Nature Hike

Unseasonably warm, party cloudy and comfortable. Seven children climbed all over a HUGE red oak windfall in the part of the woods called forest cathedral. The trunk was as wide as a horse and spanned ravine top to stream bottom, at times 15' off the ground. Everyone was drawn to the challenge of shimmying up the 30 degree slope of the giant trunk. They each manufactured heaps of pride in their daring do. We did learn along with the climbing--how Quercus rubra is distinguished from Q. falcata and Q. alba by the leaves and drew diagrams of individualized quadrats. The moms and I reflected on what makes this such a powerful learning place. We settled on the absence of the dullness. Their adrenaline was rushing, the muscles working, the senses open. The forest ceiling in the cathedral is 100 feet high. The walls are ravines. The sanctum is a wide bowl of a floodplain but not wet.

Everybody loved it. School.

Starting Month Two

I suffered a sinking spell this weekend, got swamped by doubts, defensive in the company of finger-wagging, and impatient with the student. I said mean things. I fell asleep last night way out of sorts, woke up in a sweat (thank you Ms. menopause), and then the anger bubbled up. I was startled and then bolstered by the strength of my own conviction. I'm sure the vintage homeschoolers will recognize the syndrome and the unititiated won't get it but I recommitted to the idea of giving my daughter my best effort as a teacher. Today was the best day yet. We were studying the periodic table of elements, noodling around with brown and red lentils on file cards to model the number of electrons in each of the quantum shells. Then we arranged the atoms in the order of the periodic table.

"Look" she said, "there's a pattern!"

There ! was the visual explanation of why the noble gases were inert, and the halogens and alkali metals are so reactive. I had forgotten it. E discovered it. I whooped with joy.

It took all of my ingenuity, experience and perseverance for us both to co-learn/teach/experience the wisdom of the elements together. Yeehaw!

The Whole Point

The end of week three musings. Check this web site and then read on. http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/dev/default.htm>
I gave E a scroll--10 meters long, put the big bang on one end and today on the other and divided the length into a 10 logrithmic epochs. We are organizing our homeschooling based upon these ten units of time. At the end of each unit, Elise has to draw, diagram, label, or narrate "a meter of parchment' integrating all the events we've learned about in that epoch. (she loves Harry Potter). Naturally, we are still on the 1st meter. I like the themes and questions provided by SDSU website but wasn't sure where they were headed at the end. That, of course, is the BIG question, that we have to co-construct as a human race. That's where our children will take over for us. They need to be prepared by their parents and their society to ask the questions and identify the themes of what we have learned so far.

Week 3

Today was a good day. We did Care of Magical Creatures (horses) from 9:30-2 then 2 hours of computer work (E--geography assignment from Big Sam, L: revision of chapter 3). Then E went off to Defence Against the Dark Arts (fencing).

E had a great attitude today-energetic, willing and diligent. We do spend less money on gas, more money on food--wholefoods for breakfast, brueggers for lunch. Dr. Tashtego and his assistant Sweet Tea are now curled around either side of E, seeing that her shut eye is done correctly.

I like doing this. We are developing a rhythm.

Day 3

I'm too tired to say much. It's 9:30 pm and I just poured myself a cup of coffee in prep for an all nighter on my dissertation. Thursdays at noon is my weekly deadline for submitting stuff to my advisor. I got lots of emails from friends and relatives about this endeavor. 80% were finger wagging scolds that I shouldn't be doing this. They may be right. More later.

1st day

It's great one minute and frightening the next. I love the reduced carbon footprint of the homeschool. That makes me very happy. I didn't even buy a coffee today, just made my own. Naturally, I didn't get any of my own work done today, but I think I laid good groundwork. Have already joined a secular homeschool group for games on wednesdays and park visits on fridays. Elise got well into assignment 1 (see the wiki under human condition) and read 4 chapters of Huck Finn. We have been watching Roots and I found a homeschool group doing To Kill a Mockingbird. I think these 3 things will congeal into a great lesson on the great blemish on American democracy. Look for the essay from Elise soon.

Huck Finn

Read Chapters 1-8

Summarize the plot so far.

Create a Chart of characters and fill in the following:

1. what does s/he want most out of life?
2. what strategies does s/he use to get what s/he wants?
3. who has power in this community, who doesn't?
4. who has wealth, who doesn't?
5. who has repsect, who doesn't?
6. who has a skill, who doesn't?
7. who has is well educated, who isn't
8. who is well liked by people, who isn't?
9. who is happy, who isn't?
10. who is the most noble person, who isn't?

Decribe the decisions that Huck makes during this section of the book?

1. what was the problem
2. what was the solution
3. what was the result

Describe a decision you made in your life:

1. what was the problem
2. what was the solution
3. what was the result