Science NetLinks: The Busy Brain

Science NetLinks: The Busy Brain

Today!

I am living today one second at time.................it's a ride that I am enjoying.
...........I made a vow to allow Holy Spirit to guide my steps an leave yesterday there.... Let's just say I passed leaving  Yesterday where she lay, with some of the colors flying (cheeze) !....and  some moments of the day were extremely successful  while "following" Holy Spirit &  others were DI-F-FI-CU-LT!!! I'm living in the moment though and I'm excited to testify that I am "winning" in the following department RIGHT NOW!.

Now back to our scheduled blog!!!!!


We are embarking on a "Rock Exploration", Learning about different types of rocks, and creative ways to orchestrate them into our daily curriculum. We (I) made a KWL chart and my three oldest kiddos discussed what they already know about them. I Incorporated an engaging teaching style and allowed them to lead the way (most of ...ok ok ok ,SOME of it I'm getting there! :) ) in order to hold the interest of 5 different aged children (2 moths- 10 years of age), about igneous type rocks and investigating to see if they were either intrusive (developed beneath Earth's surface) or extrusive(developed on Earth's surface) We made up a rock game in which we used a die, marbles/ ballies (broken ones, we save parts of old hair accessories and find a later use for them), and we made mazes with the rocks with a few bridges, and serious obstacles, piling different grades of rocks  on top of their opposites.You would lose a turn if you knocked any down, or touched them as you navigated your marble/ballie between the "rock" course. We roll the die to see how may times we got to move or blow (since the ballies were so  light and would get stuck under the little rock bridges, our fingers wouldn't fit)....Now this was happening on our do-everything- dinning room table.

Yes We Are!

We are having a fabulous learning day!!!!

My four year old is finally showing interest in "learning" to read,; I usually read to my youngins' before bed (if I'm not self indulged), so last night she says " Mommy will you read to me (.....I was taking to long), because "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO read by myself" , I laughed and seized the moment. I rushed to her aide and read to her, but it was very short a passage from a children's Bible, regarding Genisis2- 20(I think). in one short paragraph it summed up how God created eve! I love how straight to the point the short read is. When Tie'Leis (my lefty/Baby) asked me t read to her and stated her reason why. It motivated me to engage hr more since now she notices the importance and relevance in being "independent"   .......... It worked, This morning she watched her phonics video and participated like never before ( mostly because her instructor is her 9 year old BIG sister and she is very serious about making a 1 year old and 4 year old participate and get it) . I am so excited, on so many different levels. They are not realizing how much they're gaining from all of these "mundane" lessons through life happening. Tie'Leis read a couple of simple sentences from remembrance but,  You can't tell her or TieQue that the child is not a reader. as Tie'Que putts it"she just needs a little more work"! It turned me way up!. Tie'Leis  is remembering some phonics, Tie'Elle is learning to pee and poop in the pot (which she independently went and used today), as well as becoming more of a self starter, she is also being taught how to use her indoor/class room voice while sitting still!!!! (all at the hands of their big sis keeping them engaged while they "play school", and enabelng Mommy to orechestarte their upcoming events & deal with the newest edition of our crew Tie'Rell Monk (born pre-maturely on time).  .....HUMHMM!  You can't sell me no mumbo jumbo about straight across the board education. I am witnessing genuineness at its best  education occurring on an accident or unknowing basis. But I will enlighten the crew, they need to know how valuable what they are doing is, and how impressed Mommy/ Instructor of the worlds greatest learners, is!

More Structure

So, The older Chillies are embarking on a couple of new journeys this "school" year?!............I recently added another bundle to the crew, ((cute little fella),, (I should call him Grunter, since that's most of what he does.  However, his name is Tie'Rell Monk Miller, his middle name was derived from his Great Uncle Monk). I have signed the othree oldest, Tie'Sere 1, Tie'Que 9, and Tie'Leis 4 up for a lot of interesting on line "sites for uhmmmm, math games, science lessons etc. mostly because I  believe that this season of our "Un-Schooling" year needs a bit of typicalness. (did I make that word up?...lol). I  w't my children to not feel so  discombobulated with "societies facts" that their  views are a fixed on meaningless structures and volumes of un resourceful materials..So for peace sake I will engage my "Life Learners" into some spicy curriculum (mostly life) and the other part I'll label as fillers, with Unschooled methods leading the way! However it may be Learning will ALWAYS OCCUR! Later

Field Trip?!?!

So "The Chilly's" and I went to FTCC, in order for me to get a summer schedule; in order to begin  my Early Childhood Education/Kindergarten Teacher Certificate. We field tripped it on the local public transpo.... and well, it took us about 3 hours to get there; driving it takes about 20-30 minutes.....We had a tour in the ghetto and had a chance to witness the removal of micro braids being conducted on the "Great Public Transport"... Todays Lessons: How to catch the bus to the mall in Fayetteville Nc from our house 10. Lesson 2: Eat a super heavy breakfast before travelling in this neck of the woods. Lesson 3: It will always take at least an hour to get any place necessary here; so don't go on the children's soccer days, or they will be very angry because they will miss it due to slow transportation issues, and I thought I was slowwww... sheesh! Well, I got The Only Boy off to soccer practice and pic day, since I volunteered one of our neighbors to be the soccer coach for our sons team (whom by the way is doing a fab job), so he was able to ride with them. However, TieQue is disappointed because we came home to late for hers and there was literally nothing I was able to do about it. I guess I will make her some grilled cheese with clam chowder. All my little ladies are out playing in the yard , front/back I don't know which, but, Thank God for fences and discipline. They know their boundaries and that was learned via an "unschooled" "lesson" less " approach (as it relates to standard curriculum and structure) ......... I'm tired, and I have to log on to make some $$$$ ching $$$, but before I do a late dinner is needed! ..... so, Chow!

The "Homeschooling" Journey To "Unschool": Schooled To On-line Schooled To Home-schooled To U...

The "Homeschooling" Journey To "Unschool": Schooled To On-line Schooled To Home-schooled To U...: "From generation to generation learning, was more of a sit still, be quiet, do as your told, and not as you see sort of education, in my exp..."

Schooled To On-line Schooled To Home-schooled To Unschooled and Now!

From generation to generation  learning, was more of a sit still, be quiet, do as your told, and not as you see sort of education, in my experiences. That system did not work for my family; I am the mother of four children and pregnant; during my former uneducated years of life, I pressured my older two children (who are now 9, and 8 both soon to be a year older), to be the best the "School System" said they should be. Only excepting A's and B's, staying up night on night to ensure they were "getting it",  threating and promising trinkets for grade successes; All while, the lack of nurturing in their "God Given Abilities" suffered violently. Instead of my son, TieSere, (who will be a world re-known scientist one day) studying how to perfect his ability to understand nature and physics, he was falling behind in everything but science, because he HAD a lisp,refused to sit still for long periods of time and talked a lot (I wonder who "blessed" him with that talking gift..... hummm).  All the attention was being directed in figuring my child out with little focus on what he was actually focusing on.  Tie Que (pronounced Tie Kwee),  my oldest daughter has always been a pleaser and is going to be a phenomenal creative inventor .  She, was able to pass reading with pretty good grades but was oblivious to the phonics already learned  in her kindergarten and first grade years(which isn't major I "hear", but it was alarming to me).  So in the second grade she was blessed with a "Teacher" that did not believe in only passing children, but ensuring they soared; Every C she earned that year was far more gratifying to me than all the A's prior. However I wanted more..After spending about a year away from my children do to "field training"(another story for another post), I realized the importance I placed on what I learned, was so not worth the sacrifices I made my children endure. I  did some research and soon brought them home, and schooled them with an On- Line Charter School in their second and third grade school years. I soon learned it too was as or more  demanding in us meeting deadlines that were unrealistic considering my children's learning styles and was not at all concerned with what they actually retained. I then decided to do it myself; soon learning I knew very little and we all grew weary and frustrated with "my" demands which ironically were parallel to that of the school institution, however, mine were much more vigorous and too structured ?!GO FIGURE! So I soon began to cease to do anything, giving them a lesson in math became more kitchen measurements, flash card, and computer math games with an occasional worksheet or three."Observing God's World", stayed the same minus the 6 day a week "sit downs". English and grammar became, what do you not know and heres what is should look like.   Social Studies, well, became..... "Who in history are you interested in learning about"? and "We are going to study some of the worlds greatest leaders, in THE BIBLE"! Spelling test were replaced with spelling bees (their choice), tedious book reports became paid book review blogs (I don't pay another company does).... Gym is all day everyday; walking, bike riding, they are active in sports, choirs, and dance ministries. Grades, became, well, no grades. ......and so on and so on and  here and NOW! I am not an anti-school system type. I am however, a PRO-NURTURER, and nurturing has caused my children to flourish in  areas I could have never imagined. Our days are now filled with more strengths, while learning to improve our weak areas and stay balanced wrapped in day long love! I thank God for trusting and teaching me to be peculiar and to enjoy the journey and not resent it.