Ed Fairs--The Culmination of Project Based Learning

The Educational Fairs at our co-op were a huge success last Friday evening. As promised, I am posting photos of my kid's displays.




This is HoneyGirl's art display. She had done a reaearch paper on Vincent Van Gogh, and as such it contains the usual information: timeline, famous works, comparison & contrast of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism and famous quotes. She went the extra step to make the project unique.



She made miniature repoductions of each using Shrinky Dink plastic and Sharpie markers. The results are lovely, pendant sized pieces of art. She has already been taking orders to make more from parents at the show!





This is BuzzBoy's display on his research project on Biofuels. He introduced the latest research with three alternatives that do not come from food crops: kudzu, jatropha bush, and alage. His knowledge on the topic was amazing, although he admits that his poster does little to reflect that (and more to reflect the 20 minutes he had left to spend creating it due to procrastination! ;)


The next display is HoneyGirl's tornado machine and poster. If you look

closely, you can almost see the tornado like vortex created inside the box in the picture. The little kids had her running the machine all night; they were so fascinated with it!







This is BuzzBoy's display for his research project on the "True Causes of the Civil War." He did an excellent job on his research,and made a very visually appealing display. But best of all was his passion and ability to present the information to the judges. He rocked this one!

This is HoneyGirl's favorite project, "Tattoo Around The Globe."
She added to the research she had done for her term paper last year. She gave written and pictoral description to the historical tattoo of different countries, then used the world map to show the location. Moreover, she easily conveyed her passion and knowledge in the interviewing. She got amazingly high scores for such an unconventional topic. (can you tell she totally raided my scrapbook supplies to make this one?)


The kids did quite well scoring against the rubric, coming home with four blue ribbons and one red between them. HoneyGirl also won a trophy for the Most Unique project, bringing in votes in that category for both the Tattoo and Van Gogh projects. Way to go, kids!!!

The Big Buzz on BuzzBoy

We have an official announcement....Buzz Boy will be graduating from the hive in just three short months! He is chronologically a junior, but recent situations have come to light that have altered things.

You see, I was always a big believer in the apprenticeship concept. I wanted my high schooler to have the option, their senior year, to have the majority of their classes behind them. If they were considering a career path where an apprenticeship might help (ie. graphic design or engineering), they would have that option. Or, they could begin college early taking dual enrollment classes.

This year, I have really stepped back with Buzz, realizing that I was doing neither of us any favors by acting as a constant warden to his education. We had a great meeting outlining his duties and mine, and all was understood. I had moved off nagging and punishing for missed deadlines, and made him take a quiz or two on Monday's mornings when he had chosen to stay up all weekend playing video games or text message friends instead of study.

He has performed with relative diligence for his four teachers at the co-op, and is doing fairly well. But the four classes he is doing at home with me have been dismally disregarded. Just Wednesday, he handed in an amazing paper on the true causes of the Civil War. I would have given it an "A" , if it hadn't been due on Jan. 15th ! But he is sorely behind in his college and career planning elective, as well as German. And he is sporting a lovely "D+" in biology. At this point, it is doubtful if he will even get credit for the class without changes! Ugh!

He is fully aware that all these grades go on his permanent record, but continues making bad choices. This week, when I talked with a counselor at the community college, I learned that in order for him to participate in the dual enrollment program as a high school student next year, he needs to have a "B" average in every class. With only twelve weeks left in our year, there is little chance that he can achieve that in biology.

Which led King Bee and I to a big meeting this weekend to lay out options. I morally refuse to give him a grade other than that his efforts have produced. I would be more tempted to do so, if he has been working hard and could not understand the concepts. But his choice to spend no more than two hours a week on biology shows in his tests and quizzes. He certainly has been taught how to study diligently, but refuses to do so despite promised all along to step it up.

There were only two options we could see for next year, without dual enrollment:
A) He would take all his classes traditionally- This idea is problematic, in that I am unable to help him at all with subjects like calculus and advanced chemistry. There are few classes offered for him at the co-op, as he took them early on in the rotation. Then, there is the reality that he does not respect me at all as a teacher.

B) Graduate early, and start next year as a freshman at the community college- Since we pushed early on, he indeed has more than enough credits to graduate through the diploma program in our state. He would basically be doing the same classes he would have had through dual enrollment, with the addition of two others.

KingBee and I both feel it is an easy decision. Buzz is both excited and disappointed, only because he wanted to have a "lazy senior year " to play on the mountain and hang out with friends. KingBee kindly reminded him that he did that this year, so he isn't getting short changed at all! He started to contradict, and was quickly met with by KingBee. It was so nice to hear him remind Buzz that if he had not been so pre-occupied with social ,fun pursuits, he would have easily been eligible for the original program. "This is a good lesson learned, and one that best remembered. If you treat your academics the same next year, your future plans will depend on it. "

And I am quickly thrilled, realizing that the student-teacher relationship that caused us so much strife is soon to be over! I cannot tell you how relieved I am to just be able to be mom to him. He is certainly capable of the work, if he choses to do it. Ah...this will be my last portfolio for him!!!
I better start thinking about a graduation party!!!

Bring on the Projects!

While we do a great deal that is educational in our homeschool, it generally falls into two categories: incredibly planned out lessons, complete with syllabus, or totally spontaneous. Given the differing learning styles of my children, this has worked for the most part.

But we have one major focus that brings a third, and my favorite style, to the forefront: project focused learning for our educational fairs. At our co-op, we are having a huge edcuational extravaganza on Friday night, combining a traditional science fair , social studies fair (with history, government, and geography) and an arts & crafts fair. This event was been on the calendar since September, and even has its' own committee! Many of the teacher give student participation high priority, so the buzz this last month at co-op has been high. Even better is that I managed to get one of the parents who works for Lehigh University to bring a travelling planetarium, sponsered by NASA, to give a nice live-feed planetarium show to the kids while finally tabulation takes place.

The kids had all fall to ponder ideas for both science and social science portions of the fair. BuzzBoy decided to focus on researching alternative energy sources for his science fair display. He had a lot of ideas for history, but finally decided that he was most fascinated with the "real" causes of the Civil War, choosing that for both his research project and display.

Honey Girl , a fan of the show "Storm Chasers" , decided that she wanted to do her research project on tornadoes. She also wanted to create a display for last year's geography research paper, "Tattoo Around the Globe." And, since she was doing a big research project on Van Gogh for her art history class, she opted to go a step further with it to enter.

So, in January, both kids started working on research papers for their various subjects. I don't know a proper term for it, but I like to think of it as project-focused learning. They infuse themselves in the subject...through the internet, books, and magazines. They search through netflix for more info and we visit museums and research labs online. Honey completed a paper on both tornadoes and Van Gogh in early February. (Buzz, on the other hand, assured me he had it covered.)

The first time we did this, I showed them step by step how to dig deep into a subject. NOw, they take off on their own, often calling me in to share new and interesting discoveries. HoneyGirl did some searching on the internet early on, and found the plans for this amazing tornado box. She and KingBee spent time building it over the holiday break, where she proudly did the measuring and ruined her favorite pair of jeans with wood stain. KingBee thankfully decided it was be to use the circular saw for her.
We will be doing a lot of dry runs with it this week, to get it working as she hopes it will. Tomorrow, she will be creating a display on fold-out display board about tornadoes to complete the visual.

Buzz will be finishing his research papers this week on both subjects, and creating display boards for the fair. He had found some plans for building samples too, but never got around to doing anything with them this year. But at 16, I'm not nagging. As it is, he is frustrated enough with himself for procrastinating on the research papers three weeks late!

Honey also had an idea to add a hands-on portion to her Van Gogh research paper. We had unearthed a gift she had been given last year while organizing the craft closet, Shrink Art Jewelry. She had the idea to take five or six of Van Gogh's works and trace them onto the shrinky dink paper, then color them and shrink down. She is going to make a charm bracelet that after displaying at the fair, will be a gift for me. Her social studies display should be rather quick, since she did all the research last year. She is hoping to master the art of henna tattooing in three days, so that she can give small ones to the people who visit her display.

I am forever amazed at how much both kids learn through their projects. It is perfect for mid-winter, when we would be all but beating our heads from the tedium of traditional studies. The culmination at the fair seems to recharge them for the rest of the year as well, which is very nice.

I promised that I will take lots of pictures Friday night for sharing!

Out of Hibernation-and Onto a Big Project

I've been on a sort of self-imposed hibernation. We've had some temporary changes here. Since my last post, KingBee has been working out of state during the week and coming home to us on the weekends. It is amazing to me how drastic a difference in household dynamics can come from such a change.

I have purposely been trying to focus on this, instead of rushing around busying myself. I've been giving myself over to a lifestyle that feels natural for the three of us. It's been an experiment of sorts, for us to note the differences during the week.

We've realized that we miss his humor and conversation at dinner. After the third night of staring at each other, we decided that it would be best to watch movies while we ate. This was hard for me, as I have always made the family dinner table a sacred time. But, the reality is that the three of us are together and talking all day long, and are frankly talked out! So during the week, it will be "dinner and a movie" for us.

At the same time, it has made the weekends all the more special. Lots of meal planning and baking take center stage on Thursdays, as does a group effort to pick up and clean. There is time for sharing the week's work and catching up. Even something as simple as walking the dogs together takes on a new energy.

I have made one discovery that is quite startling. We are enjoying a freedom from time constaints. We are delving deeper into projects and school work, taking breaks in the middle of the day to walk the dogs or grocery shop. There is no longer a time table of doing algebra before 4pm, nor a rush to stop research because it is time to start cooking.

We are playing a ton of board games. We're doing lots of painting, and leaving our creations to dry all over the tables (since we are eating in the living room!) . We're reading lots of fiction and snacking on popcorn with quiet music in the background. Bedtimes have become whenever we get tired. It's been lovely!

I had never really realized how much of our days were centered on his schedule. I'm always rising early to get his coffee and lunch ready, then making sure that all schooling was completed and dinner was ready early in the evenings when he arrives home. The odd thing is that he has often asked me why I didn't just set the coffee timer and make lunch the night before, and I oddly resisted, feeling that I needed to wake extra early to get everything accomplished.

So why did I feel the need to cram so much into the day? I mean, my DH is not the demanding sort. Only rarely will he call in the late afternoon to see if we can eat as soon as he gets home, as he had to work through the lunch hour and was starving. Many time he will come home and if I hadn't gotten things done, will change out of work clothes and just start cooking with me.

The only answer I can find is that when the KingBee comes home, he immediately brings the noise of the dreaded television from the minute he walks in the door until he goes to sleep. I knew that it irritated me because it was so different from how I was raised. In my home, we turned it on for one or two shows a week, and maybe on rainy Saturday afternoon matinees of Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis movies. The rest of the time we enjoyed the silence, or opened the windows and listened to the sounds of nature.

I had no idea how deeply it effected me, or how anxious it makes me. At the same time though, I also respect that this is how he relaxes. He hates silence as much as I embrace it. He likes to just let the images take his thoughts away from the stress and worries of his week past and week ahead.

We've tried making compensations in the past. I have tried to sit and spend time with him during the evenings. I actually took up crochet and knitting are part of it, as it is so difficult for me to sit still doing nothing. He has learned to watch and even enjoy shows that I can sit through...such a Discovery and History channel fare. I even like a few shows like Lost and Heroes, and I love football. But we really need to find better ways to deal with these differences.

This weekend, when we were halfway through a Saturday noise marathon, I got out a set of earplugs so that I could do some research on the computer. HOly cow! While not as nice as listening to the birds, I was able to concentrate and be productive.

I asked BuzzBoy and Scout about this realization, and got two different suggestions. Buzz, who also loves constant noise, suggested that I start doing more of my errands in the evening, so that I give myself a break from the noise, and also gift myself with more of the daytime quiet. This is a fine point, and one that I am going to take.

HoneyGirl encouraged me to keep striving to create a quite place in the basement and focus on my hobbies at night when the television noise gets to be too much. As such, we are going to work extra hard at getting the basement areas rearranged by the middle of March, when KingBee will be back living iwth us during the week.

How do you all handle such differences?

Towards an Unencumbered Home...

I am on a bit of a quest. A friend of mine recently got news that she was moving cross-country to Florida. She took a fresh eye to her home and its' possessions, and began donating / selling all the things that she didn't need or love. The transfer fell through, but she admits that she is so thankful that it gave her the push she needed to create a home that is unencumbered by "things." I have visited her home since, and it has a peace and comfort unknown before, simply because all the "stuff" that made it somewhat chaotic is gone.

I have been feeling a real need to get out from under all our stuff as well. The kids, now teens, desparately want to turn part of hte basement into a game room/lounge where they can entertain friends and comfortably have sleep overs. I would love this, as we no longer have a comfortable place for guests to stay. But until I can let go of a LOT of accumulated goods, there is just no room.

I did a little self-analysis, and realized that I have three major issues that I have to overcome. The first problem is that I suffer from crafting ADHD. I pursue a new craft, say knitting, and focus intently on developing it. As soon as I develop the smallest bit of competentcy, I go wild. I don't just buy some fun yarns for one or two projects. I buy enough yarn for two dozen projects, many far beyond my ability level. I somehow convince myself that I need every size needles, totes, and patterns. Then , after a few years and only a quarter of the planned projects completed, my interest fizzles out.

Meanwhile, the boxes and bins of accumulated craft stuff from previous craft infatuations---scrapbooking, stamping, cross-stitch, crocheting, jewelry making, decorative painting, and sewing---sit taking up space. It is time for me to give myself my own craft Ritalin...a reality check. Which of these craft flings truly satisfies me? Which am I merely keeping the makings out of guilt for having overspent?

I have determined that I truly love sewing, although more for crafts and gifts than to make clothing for myself. It relaxes me, and I get great satisfaction from it. Plus, I have this fabulous machine that I haven't even begun to explore (with an embroidery feature.) So, the sewing stuff stays.
Crochet also is a fun occasional diversion, and my hooks take up little space.

But knitting, scrapbooking and all the others just aren't doing it for me anymore. Yet I have so much stuff that I have avoided dealing with the pleasure factor. Scrapbooking especially holds this added guilt, because I was completely into it, creating wonderful books through ten years of memories. Now, I sit with the last 5-6 years of photos, waiting to be placed into lovely layouts.

Sunday night, I decided to attack the yarn. One of my students is an avid knitter, who spends hours knitting caps and scarves for patients in a mission clinic that her mother (a doctor) volunteers at each summer. I gathered up two huge bags full of unwanted yarn. I am so happy to know that by giving it to Meg, it not only brings her joy, but joy to many others as well. I kept one set of each size needles, but got rid of all the extras I had accumulated. I went through pattern books, and kept only those that had projects I loved in them, and donated the rest as well. Then, I gave myself permission to toss UFOs that just weren't working for me. AAAhhhh!

I plan to do that same with the scrapbooking material, and will then just put the photos into old fashioned albums. Maybe one day when the kids are grown, I might decide to scrapbook those years. If that day comes, I can just buy the materials then. No need to clutter up my world! I will follow suit with all the other goodies, until everything crafty will fit INSIDE the craft cabinet, without extra bins and totes all over the place.

The second problem is that I am terribly frugal, so I have tended to accumulate a great deal of gently used items, "just in case." It is really difficult for me to just get rid of our gently used coffee maker just because we won a nicer model in a drawing. But years of this "just in case" mentality has lead to overflowing cabinets and shelving units.

This can be easily remedied. Yesterday, I loaded up the truck and took an overflowing load to the local Battered Women and Children's shelter. Gently used housewares and linens are sorted and given to families starting over , for their new apartments and new lives. Double aaaahhh!

The third issue is that I am unreasonable passionate about collecting certain things. My book collecting has just gotten out of control. I have thousands, literally. While some are beloved favorites, many more I hold on to just because I love to collect books. Yet in a small Cape Cod within fifteen miles of FOUR amazing libraries, I need to address this addiction.

Two weeks ago, I went through one book case and gathered up 150 books that I took to donation. This week, I took another 100. I packed up another 50 of the children's favorites, to store in the attic for their children.
I also donated tons of magazine pertaining to crafting, and gathered up another box of Kids' Discover , Ranger Rick and Birds 7 Blooms for a friend with littles who love to make lapbooks.

I also began boxing up unwanted items for June's curriculum sale, and have another two crates to sell on ebay in lots. All totalled, I have just sorted out 500 or more. And I am not halfway through....triple aaahh!

Now, when I walk in the basement, I am realizing that I am very close to reorganizing the space to creating the kid's gameroom. More than that, I am feeling utterly unencumbered by all these accumulated goods. I have a feeling that the rest of the house will be getting a thorough thinning out this spring, because this feels GREAT!

Unexpected Developments...

We just got news that KingBee will be working out of Virginia for the next month or so. This week will be a bit of a scramble, trying to get everything he needs together and packed by Sunday. As one who works outside in the winter, he has so many layers and weather contingencies to plan for now, without the comfort of coming home at night to throw wet gloves in the dryer,etc.

I am actually welcoming this opportunity for a little change. He will actually be working fewer days each week, and will be traveling home to Pennsylvania on Thursday evenings. We will have an extra weekday together each week...a rare treat. We are hoping to take advantage of this to take some family field trips, something we haven't been able to do much of for years.

Today, I am going to take the kids and get another 1/2 cord of firewood, just in case, and call the chimney cleaner to help us with a clog in the ash shoot. It looks like we will be spending a LOT of time hibernating in front of the fire this winter, with another approaching snow storm tonight.
I might have to dig out the long handled, cast-iron sandwich makers, perfect for winter lunches!

Hooked!

Thanks Sara, for honoring my bloggy little heart by saying you are Hooked on My Blog!
The rules state that I must list 6 Things That Make Me Happy and Five Blogs I’m Hooked On.

1. Thrift Shops- Must be my inherited New England frugality, but I LOVE thrift shopping. I have a few favorites for the quality clothing , and others still for their treasures of milk glass or old furniture crying out to be redone. Thrifting also speaks to my ever-growing desire to care for our earth, for in using hand-offs, I am not feeding into the production machine. Even on the worst days, finding a Coldwater Creek sweater for $4 can make me grin like an idiot!

2. A Crackling Fire- I've mentioned our fireplace a lot on my blog, but I really have a passion for fire in general. Its heat, its flickering, gentle light, and its snaps and pops touch something very primal in my nature. We have a chimera on our patio that we light in the evenings in summer as well.

3. Girl Power- I am forever amazed at the confident girl my daughter has grown into as a young teen. She possesses a truth and wisdom that continually teaches me. She speaks out against peer pressure, and encourages her friends to love themselves. She even encourages me to do the same. I feel constantly blessed that we have hit the teen years and we are now standing side by side, looking outward together.

4. Handmade Treasures- I am a sucker for the handcrafted. Pottery, jewelry, fiber arts, you name it. There is something innately more pleasurable about drinking tea from a mug crafted by a young potter, or decorating the house with a needlepoint made by a dear aunt. I think it must be that in even the smallest handicraft flows creativity, and I love that!

5. Crocs- I know this might seem ridiculous to include here, but I couldn't live without my Crocs. For years, I have suffered with debilitating arthritis across the tops of my feet. It didn't matter how much money I invested in high quality shoes, nothing helped enough to let me stand for more than 4-6 hours at a time without terrible pain. It wasn't a tremendous hindrance, as a homeschooler I could spend most days barefoot!

But after putting on my first pair of Crocs two years ago, I have found the answer to my prayers. I can stay on my feet for 10+ hours and cover miles without the old pain. They are the most beautiful ugly shoe ever!

6. Intellectual Challenge- I live for this. I love ideas, books, and friends that will share ideas that encourage me to step outside my comfort zone and grow. Blogging does this for me in a very profound way, and I know that my friendships here have truly shaped me as much as the great books.

Now the difficult part. I have to pick 5 blogs (only five!?). I read close to forty on a regular basis! The task is eased in that many of my Fab Forty have already be tagged by others. One of the best things about these memes is learning about some special blog that offers tidbits of gold and inspiration that I wasn't aware of before. In that vein...some of my favorite blog buddies...

1. In These Hills- Sarah is a Waldorf inspired mom living in VT. She and her girls are wonderfully crafty, and weave days of inspiration in their hills.

2. Harmony Valley Homeschool- Lisa Anne is one of the most amazing ladies I know. She not only homeschoolers her darling daughter, but runs an organic farm in PA. Her waldorf lessons and garden wisdom keeps me coming back for more!

3. Camp Creek Blog- I stumbled across this blog about a year ago, as it is full of the most fabulous nature study ideas. The writer has shared many ideas and techniques based in Reggio, which until then I had never studied. I have been intrigued and inspired here!

4. Farm School- There is no better source for literature and poetry on the web than Becky's site. Not only that, but she finds a way to also post the most interesting political articles around. I readily admit that my children have developed a love of poetry simply by my sharing her weekly posts! I am forever indebted to her.

5. Twice Bloomed Wisteria-Though she hasn't posted much in the last weeks, Wisteria has always been a favorite of mine. She touches the inner farm girl in me each and every time she shares tales of her life, and usually with the most lovely photos. (I am secretly hoping this will encourage her to come back to blogging more often, as she is sorely missed! )