Community Helps

Thank you for the opportunities

I am still grateful for our homeschool community. This year was full of changes for us all and we found it harder to get together with all of our busy schedules. But we did find time and we went on some great field trips. 

A chemist lights gas on fire!

Above the large aquatic tanks.

It doesn't hurt to ask, right? We asked if we could to the "behind the scenes" tour at the aquarium (normally reserved for older kids) and they said yes! So, all our kids got to see how they feed the fish, clean the aquariums, and care for sick species. 

(written July 31, 2015)

It Takes a Community

The Village

Tie Dye * Dairy Palooza * Geography

This fall, four families, including ours, have decided to join together for group activities. Each mom takes a turn leading a project or learning session. So far we've each had a chance to lead a session and experience three other mom's leading. While planning my own session to lead has been a little stressful (Always wanting to please kids of a vast age range and their parents!), the month has been great. I have thoroughly enjoyed going to someone else's group to relax while someone else takes the helm!

Colors

Learn Locally

Eat or Shop Locally? Why Not Learn Locally, Too?

Today's field trip took us to a local wheat mill. The tour included a lot of hands-on activities. The kids saw the big mill grinding the wheat into flour. They were able to make their own label and fill a bag oby f wheat to take home. They even ground their own wheat by hand. It took a LONG time by hand... maybe making a tablespoon each in about 5-10 minutes. Fun as an activity on a tour, but none of us were sure we wanted to do that as a way to survive, although we thought about what we would do while making flour (tell stories, gossip, sing).

We're On Fire

The West Coast Is Burning

Northern CA

This summer we witnessed fire up close and personally. While we were visiting relatives in Northern California, a neighbor set their trash on fire and it got out of control. Really out of control. The fire burned more than 50 acres of land. I don't think any structures were lost or people hurt. But it was a very scary afternoon for us all, especially my family whose home was threatened. 

Something I saw, and I hope my children saw it too, is what Mr. Rogers has always been quoted for, the helpers. There were so many helpers. My cousin, my brother, the ranch hands, the homeowners. All were out there helping where they could, even if some were just standing nearby, they were ready to jump in and help with whatever was needed. There were those who were protecting the children, getting ready to leave at a moments notice. And thank goodness for the help of cell phones keeping us in touch with groups splitting up and the constant change that fire brings. The community definitely came together and with the BIG help of the local fire department, the afternoon fire was contained by dinner time and the hot dog feast was ON!

Just a few days later, The Rim Fire began and quickly became the third-largest wildfire in California's history. Camp Tuolumne was devoured by the fire, a place I went to with my family as a child. Having seen, up close, what fire can do and how fast it can move and destroy, made The Rim Fire even more sad and scary to us. 

I'm posting about these events, because the feeling of community, and their fierce desire to protect their homes, has stayed with me. The surreal feelings from our day at the "front lines" were so mild compared to the California wildfire and yet our feelings were "big". It is definitely a day that has left its imprint on in my memories and my children's memories. I definitely see it as a BIG day of learning about people and their will to survive and strength to rebuild. 

Around 1979. Camp Tuolumne, Berkeley Family Camp.

Is It Summer Yet?

 Can't Conentrate Anymore

I planned to be engaged in our routine until early or mid-June with the local public school system. However, this year, we went on a big family vacation at the end of May. Since returning home, I have NOT been able to get back into routine-mode. So, for our family, summer routines started early.

Thank goodness for a homeschooling community that continues on and invites us on wonderful field trips to local museums.

Take Apart Day

I read about "Take Apart Day" in one book about homeschooling. I forget the book now, but as I search on the internet, I see it's something that kids do all over the country. I liked the idea, so I organized a day within our homeschooling community.

Kids came with items to take apart. We had zip drives, CD players, cassette tape players, computer mice, keyboards, and more. The kids had a lot of fun hammering, prying, and unscrewing the items. They said it was fun to do something that mom and dad usually say "No" to.

We were lucky that one homeschooling dad joined us with his son. The pair of them had strong knowledge of electronics and were able to explain things to us. The day was a success, with many happy kids, and only a few needing bandaids!

Sharing Knowledge

Another thing I am loving about homeschooling, is the fact that peers are not necessarily learning the same things at the same time. Each family is making their own decision on what to learn and when. So, when peers get together, they are able to share their knowledge with each other. Each peer brings something new to the relationship enabling each to take turns being a teacher or a student.

One morning, while we were playing at a nearby park with friends, the daughter of the other family spotted owl pellets. We had seen them before on a tour, but never really touched them, opened one or anything more than just see them. To be honest, it looked like a dust ball or small tumble weed, but our friend knew instantly what they were.

The kids immediately found sticks to pry the pellets open and find what was inside. The two oldest kids were able to identify the different bones inside and got a good idea of the size of the animal the owl had eaten.

Just a few days before, we had seen actual teeth of a beaver, where parts were ivory and parts were orange. This helped us to identify the teeth of the animal found in one of the pellets. I love how each field trip seems to link to something else we do. It makes it "real" for the kids and they are able to connect to what they are learning.

And Now a "Not Back to School" Picnic

I've now joined another homeschooling community, this one geared more towards the unschooling side of things. I've been thinking about unschooling and growing more and more to like it. Over the summer, I felt myself relax and really open my mind to unschooling. I'm not there yet, but I feel I've crossed the middle line and lean more towards unschooling than not. We are still planning using our math books, and will begin with a handwriting and spelling curriculum. I still like the idea of thematic units. The kids will begin music, swim and circus classes. Sounds very structured and the opposite of unschooling, but it feels more unschooling to me. We tossed all our workbooks over summer, and dropped a few classes to make room for a more relaxed time. 

This new community we have joined hosted a "Not Back to School" picnic for the families. We had a great time joining in and meeting new people.

Blowing Bubbles

Today, we hosted a Bubble Day at the park. It was a great turn out for the homeschooling community. The kids had a blast playing with bubbles we made ourselves and reconnecting with friends.

Finding Moments

Or is it moments finding us? I had seen that there was a local rocket club, one of its members was also a member of our homeschooling community, and I was curious. I saw that my niece and nephew were starting to get involved in this community as well. Today we decided to check it out.  It was great weather, perfect for staring into the sky as you followed a rocket's trajectory. It felt like a mini-air show as we sat in our lawn chairs cheering each rocket's successful launch and safe return to earth. 

That night, a partial eclipse of the moon was scheduled to occur. We spontaneously invited family over to watch the short eclipse. There were rain clouds coming and going, so we were worried we wouldn't see anything. However, the clouds thinned, and we were able to see it with the naked eye, as well and through our experimental paper holes.

What a fun filled day it was.

Joining a Community

Pumpkin Pals:

For a few weeks now, my daughter (9) has been asking to join the local homeschooling community. She has been craving company (other than her brother) and misses her old school friends. While we try to have friends over, with fall schedules well under way, it's hard to find time after their school and extracurricular activities.

We chose the pumpkin patch for our first activity. It was the first year in a while without a school scheduled pumpkin farm field trip. The kids had a great time and we met a few families with children the same ages. We even re-met a family who had been to our same public school a few years ago!