Pumpkins!

Back in October/November we studied and worked with pumpkins.  (This is one of those catch-up posts!)  Here are a few of the activities that we did during the unit.  We checked out a few books from the library about pumpkins but I forgot to get pictures of them. 

Hammering tacks into a pumpkin.

3 part cards for the life cycle of a pumpkin plant

I printed a book about the life cycle of a pumpkin plant and then also the life cycle cards for him to practice setting up the life cycle with the control chart.

Dissecting a pumpkin and learning about its different parts.

Scooping pumpkin seeds for roasting

Bead stair, Teen Beads and Teen Boards

Once Bean had been working on 1-10 and then the concept of zero it was time to move on to the teen numbers.  I introduced him to the Montessori bead stair and he practiced identifying what amount each bead chain was and then putting them in order from 1-9.

Next I introduced the bead chain of 10 golden beads and then we worked on combining one golden bead chain (unit of 10) with each of the above beads to make the numbers 11-19.  We practiced not having to count the gold bead chain as we knew it was already 10 so we could start with 10 and then just continue counting the other colored beads. 

Next I introduced the teen board.  It starts with the number 10 in each space and then you slide a number over the zero to make the teen number.  After demonstrating how it works Bean then was given all the numbers 1-9 and asked to "make 11" or "make 12" and he would have to find the number and slide it into the board to show the number I was asking for. 

Next we combined the teen beads and the teen boards.  He had to both make the number on the board that I asked and then go back and put the correct beads next to it to show the number. 

A bit more math

Using sandpaper numerals to trace with his finger and then practicing writing them on the dry erase board.

Spindle box.  Putting the correct amount of spindles into each compartment.  Introduction to the concept of zero.

Putting the boards in order and then making sure each board had the correct number of pegs.

Reflections on the year so far

Well it's been awhile since my last post.  Luckily, just because the blog hasn't been updated doesn't mean that we haven't been busy with homeschool.  Sure, we've had a few slumps (especially around the holidays and family visiting), but we've been keeping quite busy.  The typical school year is half over at this point so it's a good time to reflect back on our path in this new adventure.  One thing is already decided-we really love homeschooling!  Don't get me wrong.  It's had some challenges but way more rewards.  A few lessons I have learned so far:

1.  Everything is more complicated when trying to do it with an infant.  And I anticipate it only getting worse before it gets better.  Pogo is on the verge of crawling and I have been looking at the classroom trying to get it baby-proofed.  Well, technically not baby-proofed, but at least baby-friendly.  Even my early attempts at rearranging work on the shelves have shown me we are in for some busy months of redirecting baby and cleaning up lots of messes. 

2.  You can plan-but throw expectations out the window.  At the beginning of this journey I tried to sit down and map out what I would like us to be covering during the year in the subjects of geography and science.  It runs a bit counter-intuitive to my like of letting Bean decide what he is interested in but it would be nice to have a framework of topics to help me prepare and request books from the library ahead of time.  That outline?  What a joke!  We've covered some of the areas I planned for but lately I have taken to asking Bean what he wants to study and it has been nice to capitalize on his interests and enthusiasm.

3.  Do what works, not what you thought would work.  When we started this year I was loosely modeling our home classroom on Montessori principles and set-up.  We purchased some Montessori materials (still loving them!) and set up independent work choices on shelves he could reach.  Although that is still our main set-up I have had to change some of the areas.  For instance, although he liked practical life activities I was finding that my efforts in setting up work for the shelves would be enjoyed once, perhaps twice, before it seemed to fall flat.  Perhaps the work was too easy?  Not interesting enough?  After months of changing this area around and continually tweaking it, we took a step back from having a practical life area in the classroom.  He still gets lots of practical life experience in helping around the house but it's an area we have let go of...at least temporarily, since it wasn't working at the time.

4.  Know when to lead and when to follow.  As much as I would like Bean to be a self-starter and choose work from the shelves it doesn't always happen that way.  I mean, the point of having out independent work is for him to choose work independently, right?  But I've noticed that he wasn't making choices in our classroom as he did at co-op.  Maybe it's because it's mom, or being at home, or not specific "school" days.  So sometimes I suggest activities or give him a choice of things to work on.  Again, this goes a bit counter to what I like about Montessori and letting the child lead, but he's receptive to it.  And sometimes it lights a spark for him and then he'll continue onward.  And then there are days when I would like to get a certain lesson done (such as studying shadows for Groundhog's Day) but he has other plans and gets lost in an art project or building project.  I'm learning to let him go on those days, knowing that there is always tomorrow for what I have planned.

5.  Forgive yourself!  We have no schedule of days when we do homeschool or times of the day (outside of mornings being the time that ends up working out best).  That wasn't quite my intention, but it's how it's worked out for the time being.  We are going at a much slower pace in some areas than I thought we would be.  There are many days when we all stay in our pajamas.  We don't get out socially as much as I would like us to.  There are times when Bean has to finish a lesson on his own or wait patiently while I tend to the baby or try to get him down for a nap.  It's not a perfect set-up but we're doing fairly well considering!  I know there's room for improvement and that things will constantly be evolving and I'm ok with that.

The most important part of this is that Bean is learning and loving homeschool.  One of the nice side benefits is how involved Daddy gets to be in homeschool.  Instead of a cursory "How was school today?" at the dinner table, Daddy is actively involved and knows what he's learning.  He gladly shows off his lessons and Daddy has even done a few lessons with him in the evenings and on the weekends.  And some of the best parts of homeschooling are the lessons and games we do as a family.  Another benefit is the bond between the two boys.  We spend all day together.  Sometimes we learn, sometimes we play-but we are always together.  Even though Pogo is only 8 months old I can already see the strong, brotherly bond forming and it's awesome.  If Bean was to spend an hour a day on the bus, seven hours at school, another hour doing homework, I'm not sure they would have the same type of bond.  It almost feels as if homeschooling is actually family schooling as well. 

So outside of wishing I had more time to update this blog I can't say I really have anything I would change about our decision so far.  We love it.  It's working.  And we're committed to homeschooling next year, but being flexible and open about the future.

P.S.  Hopefully there will be a lot of back updating of this blog soon.  We've been busy at work and it's my hope to slowly catch up documenting what we've been doing.