~Wordless Wednesday~

A Breath of Fresh Air #homeschooling

My husband and I just returned from a weekend at the annal FPEA Homeschool Convention. We've attended two conventions before, but I had forgotten how refreshing it is to be surrounded by thousands of other homeschoolers. Not to mention the plethora of curriculum available to peruse in the vendor hall. Or the speakers explaining their products or just giving encouragement. And of course there's the time away from the kids for the man and me to enjoy each others company.

After a particularly challenging year of schooling - which is not quite over - this was just what I needed. Something to bring back the joy of schooling. Because let's face it, when the kids are ornery, the work isn't getting done, the house is falling apart all around you, throwing the kids on the nearest school bus sounds inviting. So this weekend was a time of renewal and reigniting the passion. I came home with a renewed desire to teach the four kidlets who call me mommy. And of course, armed with new curriculum.

Over the past few months, we've realized that several things we're using haven't been working. With a few goals in mind, I attended grammar and writing workshops and we perused science books. Imagine my delight when talking with a vendor about science curriculum and hearing him tell the man exactly what I've been trying to tell him. Elementary science is about fun, learning about what interests the kids and not worrying about tests or mastery of facts. I'm absolutely positive that the boys will join my enthusiasm in finishing up their current science books and getting back to a more fun, hands-on approach to science. In fact, I'm so excited, I can't wait to start!

Alas, we do have to finish up this year, mail off report cards and attendance records and put together portfolios. Then there's that pesky summer break my kids are sure to beg for. This week I'm going over work, filing papers, and making end of the year goals. Next week, while relaxing on vacation, I'll be able to start setting up the new planning software that the man so graciously purchased for me. I'm sure he had his own motives, including his hope that it will help tame my wild, unschooling nature and get the kids into a more rigorous schedule. I'm just hoping it will serve as a way to get the kids more independent and self-motivated. After vacation and our church's VBS program, we'll settle back into our work and finish up everything to meet the goals I will set this week.

If you made it all the way through this and are still interested, check back next time for when I'll share our new curriculum choices.

Wordless Wednesday

Little Talker

Picture cards

In 6 days our baby girl will turn 2 years old. It's hard to believe it's been that long since we brought Liberty home. She's been such a joyful addition to our family. The kids adore her and her excitement over the simple things in life keep us smiling. She is definitely her own person with her own opinions and is not hesitant to tell you what she wants, likes and doesn't like. That brings up the topic of speech. When she was still little I warned the man that we're 3 for 3 with kids needing some type of therapy. Jacob had physical, Joshua had speech and Leanna had physical and speech. So it's been no surprise to me that Liberty has difficulty communicating. It started before her first birthday with screaming our of frustration at meal time. I had been signing with her since about 6 months old, but it wasn't until she got really frustrated that she started responding and signing back. She quickly learned milk/drink, please and more. She continued to babble and talk up a storm along with signing. Fast forward to now at almost two and I can probably count on two hands how many words she has that are ineligible to anyone other than immediate family. Unlike any of our other kids, she doesn't just pronounce words incorrectly, but also has made up her own words. For example, she calls bananas oyoyo and shu can mean shoe or fish. If she puts two words together, it's pretty rare. But she knows what she's saying and will go to great lengths to get her point across. It's not a matter of her not talking, it's that she isn't forming the sounds properly. So with her second birthday comes a call to Early Intervention for an evaluation.

Here's a video of her practicing her new picture cards. Enjoy!

A Time for Testing

I've been meaning to blog about this for over a week and other things keep coming up. Tonight I'm pushing everything else aside and getting my thoughts out.

If you know anything about me, you'll know that my homeschooling style is very eclectic and laid-back. I don't regularly test in most of our subjects and I don't adhere to any one set of standards. My methods aren't perfect, but it works. Until the man gets uneasy about whether or not the kids are actually learning anything.

Another important factor to me is how involved the state is in our kid's education. We chose to enroll in Allendale Academy so that we are accountable to them, not the state or school district. They don't require annual resting until 4th grade so last year was the first year we were required to have any kind of testing done for Jacob. We had him evaluated by a certified teacher and turned that evaluation into Allendale. One of the nice things about homeschooling in Florida, although kind of scary, is that the only thing you have to show is that the student made progress during the year. Since I'm not too concerned about whether the state thinks my kids are meeting certain requirements at certain grades, I've never been too concerned about standardized testing. I'm with my kids almost every single day of their lives. We have made learning such an integrated part of our life that it is involved in almost everything. Learning isn't just about schooling, it's a way of life. I know what my kids know. When you're that in tune with your kids, you already know their strong and weak areas. But back to the man. Since he's at work every day, he isn't as in tune as I am and needed some kind of concrete proof that the kids are learning.

So on to the testing. One of the ways that Allendale suggests for annual testing is to use the 1970 edition of the California Achievement test sold by Christian Liberty. They offer a paper version - they mail it to you, you proctor it and mail it back, they mail the results - and an online version - after you pay online you get an email with a link to the test, test is proctored using the testing website, and results are emailed immediately after all portions of the test are completed. Being the instant gratification person that I am, of course I chose the online test. The entire testing process was done in one day starting from ordering the test to having the results in my hand. The actual testing was probably 1-1/2 to 2 hours, although maybe not even that long. Each section was taken and timed separately. I really liked testing this way. I was able to look over his shoulder a little and see what the questions were testing him on. He seemed very comfortable with the test and he liked working at his own pace. He couldn't believe that when I did SATs we had to wait for the entire allotted time and couldn't go on to the next section. Booooring!

Now I'm guessing that you're thinking 1970? Really? Isn't that outdated? Those are exactly the things the man was asking. Christian Liberty does an excellent job of explaining why they still use the 1970 CAT.

Reasons for Using the 1970 CAT

Reason #1
We still use the older version of this nationally normed achievement test because the newer editions reflect a lower academic standard. Most educators will acknowledge the fact that our nation's educational standards, as far as student achievement in the basic skills is concerned, have dropped considerably since the early 1970s. It is our professional opinion that the more recent versions of achievement tests simply do not demand as high a standard of achievement because too many of today’s students are ill-equipped to handle the level of evaluation that was common in the early 1970s.

Reason #2
We are convinced that the older achievement tests reflect a standard much more in keeping with the academic level of our curriculum.

Reason #3
The older achievement tests permit us to compare our students on a national level with students in the public and private schools who were tested prior to the period of the steady decline in student achievement in the government schools during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Reason #4
The older versions of the CAT still accurately measure the basic skill development of students in the time-honored subjects of Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar and Composition, Spelling, and Mathematics skills. Therefore, state officials who insist that private home school students be tested to determine whether they are making satisfactory progress in the basic skills can still rely upon the 1970 CAT. After all, the supposed purpose for state-mandated achievement testing is simply to determine whether children are receiving an education that will permit them to be functionally literate and, therefore, not a burden to themselves or society. The simple fact is that the basic skills have not changed much since the 1970s. In large measure, reading, writing, and arithmetic are still the same as far as the basics are concerned.

Reason #5
To the best of our knowledge, there is no distributor of achievement test materials that will allow any homeschooler to use the latest editions of their tests. Most providers of current achievement tests must approve test administrators before shipping their tests. Suppliers of the achievement test materials most often utilized by homeschoolers and home school organizations will usually not permit their tests to be used without a government-licensed individual being directly involved in the testing process. In such cases, parents are often unable to oversee the testing themselves; they may be required to use proctors to administer the tests. We view this stipulation as an unnecessary intrusion into the privacy and sanctity of Christian home schools in general, and our testing service in particular.

In conclusion, while we are not inherently opposed to using newer tests, we are not in favor of using more recent achievement tests that would be an inadequate evaluation of our customers’ students or require proctoring by individuals who are state sanctioned or licensed. Therefore, for the reasons listed above, we have continued to use the 1970 edition of the nationally recognized California Achievement Test. 

I agree with all five reasons they list, but one and three particularly stand out for me. I'm not here to bash public education, it has its place, but I think anyone would agree that the standards of education have been slipping. (Recent FCAT results anyone? Students fail so we lower the passing grade. Srsly?) It only makes sense that more recent tests would not demand as high a standard of education. Going hand in hand with that would be that since standardized tests use comparisons, an older test with older results would reflect the higher standard of education. After discussing these reasons with the man, he was more than happy to trust my judgement in choosing a test.

Now to the best part - results! Like I said above, within minutes of him finishing the test I received an email with his scores. I admit, at first I was a little nervous about how he would do. This could either make or break my confidence as a homeschooling mom. Nervousness aside, he did exactly how I knew he would do - or better. His highest scores were in math and spelling and his lowest were in Language usage and structure. Exactly what I told the man his strong and weak points were. But for $25, he has peace of mind, I have renewed confidence that I'm not totally screwing up our kid's education and we have our annual testing results ready to mail in. All in all, it was a good experience and most likely what we'll do in the future.

Wordless Wednesday...a little late

A New Look

I've spent the last days working on a new design for the blog. I finally got the look I wanted, but now I don't have all the cool widgets and things that can be used with the Blogger templates. I'm pleased with the design and layout, but I'm going to try and tweak things to get all my old stuff back. 

Like the new design? Easy to read? Would love some feedback.

Catching up...

It's been awhile since I've taken the time to write anything so here's my attempt to catch up. I'm still on my journey to a healthier me. Since my initial weigh-in at the gym, I've lost 16 pounds and 4.1% body fat. More importantly, I've gone down two pant sizes and I know I'm getting healthy. Do I feel any different? Yes and no. I can tell my stamina, endurance and strength have increased. When I first started I could barely pedal backwards on the elliptical. Now I can easily do 15 minutes. As far as increased energy and feeling rested, nada. Supposedly exercise helps give you energy and not so run-down and exhausted feeling. Well, that hasn't happened here. I still sleep fine, but wake up exhausted. While I would love to not feel exhausted all the time, I'm not disappointed enough to give up. I know I'm healthier than I was 4 months ago, even if I can't feel it.


I'm still running. Crazy, I know. The 5K I had planned on running was unfortunately canceled. It's ok, I'll find another one. I'm still running 3 miles at a time, at a pace of about 13-15 minutes per mile. Just today I took the kids to a nearby paved trail and we ran/jogged/biked 3 miles together. Even with two kids on bikes, one running with me and pushing one in a stroller - and don't forget everyone's water bottle - we managed 3 miles in about 45 minutes. Not bad for a run in the hot Florida sun. I really enjoyed taking the kids and while I think it was a challenge for them, there was no complaining and everyone stayed together. They all seemed to enjoy it also. One of the best things about making these lifestyle changes is that my kids have noticed. I feel much better about the example I am setting for them by showing that healthy eating and exercising are both important. I want them to know that working out is not just something you do to lose weight, but something you do to stay healthy. 

Jacob's print fossil

In other news, homeschooling is going well. Most recently the boys are learning about fossils and rocks. Jacob was able to make a print fossil using clay and a seashell, which he then used to make a cast fossil. Joshua grew salt crystals and examined them with the magnifying glass and microscope.

In history we've reached the Age of the Crusades and the Diaspora. We still love The Story of the World and the activities that go along with it. Next, we'll be heading back to Asia for the invasion from Mongolia. I'm looking forward to making Chinese hanging lanterns and building a ger. That would be a Mongol home, similar to a teepee, that the nomads would pick up and take with them. 

Eating with chopsticks after reading about Asia

Next time I get a chance to blog, I'll share the excitement of our new hobby, geocaching. But for now, it's my bedtime.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday