Presents for a Braniac

Birthdays Can Be Treacherous

We're mid-birthday-month right now. Naomi and I have birthdays at the beginning of October, which involved nearly a week's worth of festivities this year, and Leviah's is at the end of the month. Birthdays can mean an onslaught of plastic nonsense that clutters are hallways and bedroom floors. Sure, they initially have a special place in the closet but the '1 toy at a time' rule is just so darn hard to enforce! We're trying to think of some new approaches, this one is particularly intriguing...

Anyway, after purging a ton of toys, games and clothing before the birthdays (as is a yearly tradition) the last thing I wanted to do was restock on unnecessities. So, we went basic. 

Mancala (she squealed with delight)

Turnabout is Fairplay

Origami Paper

Yarn 

and my personal favorite, a Fraction Circle. This thing is awesome! She put off playing with until I forced her last week. I knew when she opened it she's too old for me to dupe her into thinking learning toys are good gifts. But, she thanked us and quickly opened another. 

When I finally did encourage her to pull it out to see what it was all about we all fell in love! I'll let the pictures give a better idea:

there's an empty circle frame to which you add from the many fraction pieces that came with. 

you can see how having 12/12's is the same as 1 whole circle, like like 2/2's. 

Plus you can mix and match fractions. 

 Everyone took a turn coming up with things, comparing 2/8's to 1/4, etc. 

Which piece of pumpkin pie do you want? 

Anyway--this inexpensive manipulative (and everything in Sima Design's shop) does make a great gift!

Homeschooling on the Homestead

 I'll likely never feel like we have homeschooling all figured out. People sometimes ask me for advice, or what we do, or how we make it work...well, I'm always intimidated by these questions. Someday, when everyone has grown and I no longer feel responsible for what my kids know, maybe then I'll feel qualified to impart 'wisdom' on this topic.

As it goes right now, we are most likely 'unschoolers' if labeling came into play. On occasion we have a spare minute to sit and learn, but generally we're moving around too much. Sure, we try to make the most of 'learning' opportunities, but sometimes I irritate myself with the 'why's' and the 'did you notice's'.  Honestly, I'm in a spiral of letting go when it comes to schooling.

Perhaps Naomi is to blame, she has taught me a little boat loads about how learning doesn't have to look like what I think it should--as free-spirited as I like to think I am. And then there's Leviah, who will likely teach herself to read one afternoon in the hammock.

So, between chopping down trees, feeding chickens, adopting new livestock, training puppies, hiking, removing ticks, collecting tadpoles, catching lizards, building birdhouses, identifying wild herbs, gathering dandelions, planting trees, potty training sister, visiting new cousins, swinging, cleaning creek beds, dancing, gathering eggs, reading stories, occasionally fighting, feeding worms, emptying the dishwasher and sometimes remembering laundry we're often lucky to fit in dinner. As to homeschooling...well these days it's more of an all-hands-on-deck style of learning. We review our multiplication chart from time to time, throw in some phonics...that's about it.

(this girl is 2 today and needs no schooling in the art of devouring strawberries)

Not everyone is sailing along in the same 'homesteading' boat as we are, maybe because you're not called to it, or it's on the horizon, now that we're here on this plot it's obvious; more important for our family than the homeschool room (which don't get me wrong, I envy the notion) is the outside space, I know because the more time my children spend outside the more settled and content they come to be. Surely, as the NC summer heats up to unbearably hot we'll likely retreat and return to more regularly structured 'learning' time, but this spring, though at times overwhelming, has proven just how much being 'country folk' suits us. These kids are learning and interacting with the world around them so intimately--it's impossible to think that strapping them to a desk for any set time would benefit them more. 

Our Math Methods

As an update I wanted to share some images from our Math by Hand experiences. We have LOVED using these math resources. It is a great fit for our family.

making pipe cleaner numbers--Leviah (age 4) following along in the background

Admittedly, Naomi is behind her age group in math, we have taken it very slowly. I have a fear that she will despise math if I push her. 

(bremen town musicians take on the number 4)

We're finally nearing the end of the first year of curriculum, and moving through it faster than ever. We had some hiccups what with moving and getting settled and all, but having nestled into a more structured rhythm, I'm thankful that Math By Hand has been such a simple, steady and reliable way to strengthen Naomi's concepts of numbers, their qualities, and the 4 processes.

 

bringing out the pipe cleaner numbers, the four processes gnomes, and the bean satchel counters to work on equations.

(the closest image is of a 'square numbers' chart recently posted on the Math by Hand Blog--it's FULL of terrific & free resources, as is the e-newsletter & the facebook page)

Having no prior experience with the Waldorf approach to math, it has been so comforting to have a place to turn and detailed instructions on how to introduce age appropriate information. From clay, pretzels, pipe cleaners, felt, and many other forms of handcrafts included in the curriculum and materials, Naomi has pouches and workbooks and form drawings under her belt I would have never pulled together on my own. Not only instructions, but the supplies to create tangible numbers and counters and costumes all to bring math to life. Not to mention the accessibility to the creator of this great resource, Marin Lipowitz. She has been so helpful and supportive with any question that arises. 

So, I'm very grateful to the internet for helping me stumble on Math By Hand those many months ago--and I'm really hopeful that sharing about our great experience here will lead to many more kids enjoying the process of learning these concepts. Learning can be fun, and there are so many other ways to explore it beyond worksheets and flashcards!

Even for those non-homeschoolers, these resources are so well priced--they'd be a great tool to supplement and help kids grasp math in a more concrete way. 

Circular Perpetual Calendar

We made this little project yesterday and it was fun. The girls haven't quite finished theirs, and it's admittedly much too difficult for Leviah (age 4) who really enjoyed the cutting out portion. But, I really like what we ended up with and I think the visual relationship really helps them see how the Gregorian (modern calendar) and the Hebrew calendar and the seasons all interact.

The only small change I still want to make is to mount it to something more solid than just the paper, potentially with a pointer like this one I found via pinterest.

It's a good time of year to talk about calendars and time passing, etc.

We used three different plates as templates for the circles, and brad to hold the three together. I love rotating projects like these. I'm hoping to make a few life cycle ones--perhaps in the spring when so many life cycles are just beginning.

An Ode to the Blackboard

School.
Can I simply say that a school without a black board just isn't a school?

That may be an exaggeration, but sharing ideas with my 'students' has much simpler with a piece of chalk and a large empty black board. Visually demonstrating my instructions, writing out math problems, jotting down bits of copy work, drawing my silly drawings to show that perfection doesn't mean flawless...

Yes. 'Perfect isn't always flawless'. I'm going to need a wall-hanging with that.

I just wanted to make sure you all knew, in case you don't have one. I'm making a pinterest board for chalkboard use--if you'd like to share, let me know. I'll send you an invitation.

Winner! & Our Appliance Search is Done

Winner of the book giveaway, comment #34: 

MamaWestWind said...

Awesome! We love these books and have a couple more to collect yet. Thanks so much!

Thanks everyone for entering! I encourage you all to run off and read some of Reg Down's collection of children's books. They are fantastic!

Here are a few images of the house. Right now it's MUCH closer to being home. We finished up installing our oven just a little bit ago, so now there are no more excuses to not have good dinners--so I'm told. Here I'm  going to run down the appliances we got because they are SO difficult to pick and someone somewhere may be looking for suggestions. Skip it if you have no interest...If nothing else you may find some inspiration to save on your next purchase because, while we spent a lot, we saved in several ways too. My original plan was actually to get a vintage stove and fridge, but while there are several great places to find them refurbished, I couldn't justify the nearly 4x usage of energy it would take a year to power them. Bummer, 'cause they would have been amazing...

Fridge--this is the one I'm a little less than thrilled about. I wanted a smaller one, and we even bought one, but it was broken when they tried to deliver, I suppose on of the risks of shopping at the Sears Outlet. Anyway, I thought it'd be a more efficient use of the space and keep us from letting things go bad if we stuck to under 20 cubic feet, but alas, when it came down to it we couldn't wait for the one we wanted to be shipped up to 4 weeks. So, one morning I packed up the kids and went fridge shopping at the local H.H.gregg. I did save a bit because of a sale and because it was an 'open box', but, having gotten the fridge from somewhere other than the outlet I feel safer. Fridges have a lot of breakable things and parts that seem irreparable...Oh, and first tip on saving money. Haggle--nearly every place selling appliances or anything for that matter can haggle. Can't hurt to try, and I saved us about $200 just by asking.

Dishwasher--Now, we got a lot more than we bargained for on this. We've had it lined up for a few weeks, but we had no idea we were getting the Cadillac of dishwashers. Being from the outlet, sure there's the nagging feeling that anything and everything might go wrong in an instant (i.e. first fridge), but the price was less than 1/4 the sale price and there is a warranty, not to mention we went for the extended plan, so we're good for at least 5 years. And, this puppy is CRAZY quiet. And, it beeps and bops and shines lights in places I didn't know possible.

Oven--So, before we even moved I knew I wanted a Jenn-Air because I'd read they make models that have a dehydrating feature. Well, Sears Outlet had one, and we went back and forth on it because even though it was 30% off retail, it was still way more than we'd anticipated, especially since I'd been considering used/vintage pieces. Well, it came down to not having time to shop around elsewhere on this one, and boy am I glad it did. The girl at the store said it didn't have the dehydration feature--she was wrong. The girl didn't mention a built in meat thermometer--wow. It's got convection, which we knew we couldn't live without, and though we've only used it to warm leftovers so far, I'm really stoked. Oh, and it's got a modular cook top and a downdraft air vent. I'm not sure about the air vent, but the modular cook top--I'd forgotten, but it's just like my Grandma's. There's a grill attachment, a griddle attachment, you can get a smooth top and coil top cooking eyes. We can't run out and buy them all right now, but Grandma has had her Jenn-Air for over 30 years. Seems like a good investment, after all, unlike our last house, we know we will likely be here a while.

So, all these things in place really makes me want to bake and fill this house with warm homey smells. And, there's a hinting air of fall lingering about that excites me. Time to get some mums and gourds, time to prepare for the fall holidays, and time to really start in with some 'school' time. That's right, eventually these kids will need some sort of instruction from me, beyond 'empty that box' or 'go feed the fish'. There is some learning going on here. Lots. In readjustment there is so much to learn about ourselves, from our new surroundings, and about what's important to us and why. We've purged so much over the last few weeks, I can see even the girls reconsidering what they have as they pull it from a box that's been sealed and forgotten. We're all doing a lot of that, and taking breaks with a fishing pole...

More than Just a House

It's easy to get caught up in the house right now. So much to do--the list keeps growing, and our wallet keeps thinning...anyway, I need a little break from that. So, I'll share a bit about the outside--which is what charmed us into this 'ranger station' in the first place. 

there's been some fishing.

and some catching

some discovering 

(really excited to see this full grown praying mantis since we hatched them in the spring--this guy is probably more than 1 year old)

and some squirming...

But overall, this place is full of treasures we couldn't have imagined. A pond and it's ecosystem weren't something we set out to find, but now I am so glad we did. It's a schoolhouse of its own with learning that only the wonder of nature can inspire. 

As the house transforms we are more and more grateful  for the disappointment we faced a few months ago; this is no old farmhouse but I'll trade that house for the squeal and giggle from a girl who's dangling finger has just been nibbled by a tiny turtle. I'll trade it also for the threats of friends and family to be around more often. Or the unending opportunity to have animals, a few hiking trails, unending plants to discover and wildlife to investigate...I can deal with this ranger station. I'd dreamt to small.

p.s. looking for recommendations for the best plant and bug identification field guides.

p.p.s. enter to win.

Butterflying

We had a great field trip to the local butterfly farm. It was a wonderful homeschooling adventure, lots of learning and exploring. The information part was nearly as good as the learning, plus we picnicked and enjoyed field games. We highly recommend it!

before we went we made this pretty butterfly craft.

ours turned out great!

Kinda buggy

Today I was sitting on the floor playing with Eliza, the big girls were outside and all was relatively quite, except this pesky tapping. It sounded a bit like dripping, which made me think it needed further investigation. Then, several visions of a plague like the one Laura Ingalls Wilder describes when swarms of grasshoppers descend on the prairie popped into my head--I've admittedly had some trepidation since our praying mantis larvae arrived a few weeks ago. "75-200 nymphs could hatch" conjures an image in my mind...

After finding this kit on clearance several months ago, it was finally time to order the egg pod a few weeks back. We love Insect Lore, and when I see different kits on sale, I can't resist. So, we've just been waiting since the seed pod came in, and just when we aren't paying attention we have a net bag packed full of hundreds of these creepy/cool little nymphs, the tapping was a bountiful hatching of the tiniest little asian looking bugs you've ever seen, not nasty like maggots or grubs or other baby insects, but kinda cute--just mini-praying mantids. (yep, learned that's the plural of mantis too).

coaxing leviah to hold one.

You have to release most of them immediately. They're carnivores, and if they're hungry they eat each other. They can be fantastic for the garden, and we're hoping the countless ones hopping all over our garden right now stick around to keep the pests down. (well, maybe not all of them, there are SO many) But, we kept 5 in the netting to watch them grow. Fortunately Drew was home early to help the girls out with this project. I'll say, we were all warming up to the little guys though.

The difficult part is they will need constant nourishment from other bugs. We read you can feed them raw meat, so we put a smidge of that in right now as catching tiny bugs like fruit flies is tricky. Soon they'll be able to eat larger bugs--we're hopeful ants will work. Heaven knows they won't starve in our house if they eat ants...

in search of good food for them.

Anyway, so now we're learning about praying mantises and how magnificent they are.
:: They're the only insect that turns their neck to look over their shoulder. One did this on my finger today, it was crazy! nearly 180degrees to spot prey.
:: If you raise one, it can be semi-tame.
:: "They use their front legs to snare their prey with reflexes so quick that they are difficult to see with the naked eye. Their legs are further equipped with spikes for snaring prey and pinning it in place." from here
:: The list goes on and on. This site has loads of records and such.
:: kid friendly praying mantis fact site.
:: and a decent coloring page. (there were loads more just googling)

homeschoolin'

We've found a very cozy groove with our homeschool.
We have fun, we relax, we color, draw, craft and play. Having a second kid helps so much, now that she's 3. (note: babies don't really help. Babies are demanding of both time and energy, but they can teach a great deal about patience, helpfulness, and of course love.)

 

story time

cleaning

 

You'd think little siblings would make school-time more challenging because #2 can't do what #1 does, but there's ALWAYS a way to accommodate our activities--plus, #2's eager enthusiasm shuts down #1's belligerence with a swift grace that no coaxing of mine will ever achieve. It's miraculous.

 our very fun lesson about 4 with the Bremen Town Musicians. 

Well Written Words

sometimes I pick up this book when I have a spare minute. I snatched it from a friend's to-be-thrifted pile and am always glad i did.

I don't believe in heavily structured, teacher-directed activities at any age, but i think such activities are most damaging when forced on tiny children. Babies don't need to have flash cards flipped in their faces in order to stimulate proper brain development. There have been experiments conducted which proved that rats in a natural environment learned more and had better brain development than those who were being trained by experts in an artificial environment. I doubt that God made human babies less capable than rats.

--Mary Hood , Ph.D.

As a mother I have changed dramatically in my approach to 'teaching' my children so much from when Naomi was born. I was terrified that I was going to hold her back in some way if I didn't do my best to expose and 'teach' her things she might not otherwise learn. It's a good thing I had her first, now she's the only one of my children who will ever have suffered from the force-feeding of 'nutritional brain stimulation', but she's always been good at shutting me down.
As with any vitamin, learning from the real food of life is the only REAL nourishment available. What my kids learn from exploring the world with open eyes is more than I could hope to teach them on purpose. So, now we only sit down for stories and short activities--there may be more 'structured' time as they get older, but I truly now believe that the BEST thing I can do for my children is promote a joyful and eager spirit towards learning, that's all.
Giving them more freedom to roam, experiment, play, eat dirt, swing, dig, mimic, defy (to a healthy extent), get hurt even--the rest will likely take care of itself. Drew and I like to try and learn new things, demonstrating this is all they need.
I can say, in the experimenting I've done on child #1 and #2, no flashcards, no 'Baby Einstein', no constant 123's and abc's; they are excellent learners--it's obvious, even in our 10 month old. Naomi, she is too, but I often wonder if the butting of heads we go through from time to time isn't in part due to the throat-shoving I toyed with when she should have just been figuring it out for herself...

Routineishness

Nothing specific to say...

no matter how romantic it may seem--there is some amount of--ahem, poop that goes along with chicken keeping...but, at least they're laying!

from Martha Stewart, lemon-cornmeal sheet cookie

a little celebrating (the actual Tu B'Shevat dinner)

a little 'work'

Tonight's chicken curry and homemade Naan--yum. WAY cheaper than it comes at the restaurant, or even in those grocery store bags.

Math by Hand

Several months ago I stumbled across a math curriculum called 'Math by Hand'--I honestly don't remember where. However, I was intrigued. What caught my eye were the handmade manipulatives in the pictures--but then, I'm a very visual person. So. I found their website, joined their mailing list, checked out their blog and let it rest.
I should note, I'm not real big on curriculum. I like it as a reference, and usually I use it only for that reason. We are semi-unschoolers, unit-studiers and overall we follow each day where it leads us using the resources at hand and trying to make learning fit into the nitty-gritties of the daily routine.

However, I kept getting emails from 'Math by Hand' and they were great. Each one geared toward a specific grade level, I couldn't keep myself from reading the tidbits of wisdom about including math in a joyful way; a way that is bright, cheerful and sensible. So, with each email and craft idea I became more interested. Weaving, games, crafts, cooking, poems, stories, colors even. Math is everywhere, and doesn't have to be just flashcards and worksheets.

So, I now have in my possession the Grade 1 binder and I love it. Everything in it is useful and the ideas expressed within are so much like my own! If you want to win me over use this quote in the intro: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world." --Einstein. I really had no idea how enjoyable learning math could be, how logical and seamlessly it could be added to our routine.

Based on Waldorf methods and through movement, form drawing, play, construction and more from what I can tell 'Math by Hand' is a thorough way to make math work in my kids' minds. And, even though we're doing grade 1 level activities, they are so enjoyable that Leviah (age 3) joins in and loves it too. And, as most homeschoolers with multiple children know, catering to different ages is tricky...

You may have seen the new ad in the side bar--I'm thrilled to be able to have 'Math by Hand' as a sponsor here, and dually thrilled to have found such a good match for our learning style.

Did I mention how fair I think the prices are? I'll say as a do-it-yourselfer I could probably round all the materials up myself, but the information is far beyond what I'd find on my own, and the gathering of the materials would take longer and most likely be more expensive in the long run. What a convenience to have it all together, a convenience that moms of 3 are quite willing to take advantage of ;)