Finally submitted my application to the HEU to homeschool Jack - posted yesterday - now the waiting game to see if the application is up to scratch for at least provisional registration. Have been enjoying spending time with the kids, trying a few things out - basically what is referred to as deschooling and then unschooling.
We read together, watch You Tube videos, utilise online kids programs such as Clever Dragons and Reading Eggs (interactive learning fun for the boys - and Lily too!), CD Roms, jigsaws and most importantly a serious amount of time creating amazing things out of Lego.
Recently decided to get blood tests done to check for vitamin deficiencies - been mucking around with families diet for years now due to allergies and intolerances and have seen huge improvements being gf/cf and failsafe.
Jack was a shining star - said the needle didn't even hurt and sat so still while the nurse took 5 tubes of blood off him! Last time we had to get blood was a fight and his Dad had to hold him still :) As a reward we bought him a new wooden domino rally set we spotted in the chemist window on the way to get a new water pistol. Couldn't resist the wooden block set for Tom and a set of fairy wings for Lily either!
Our days are filled with spending time together and answering questions as the kids come up with them or I see a photo or video on facebook and it starts us off on a learning journey :)
Blood test results tomorrow - hope it's good?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
A simpler life!
I keep thinking lately about my babies - cannot believe my eldest will be 7 at the end of this coming September - I still remember cuddling him to sleep and trying the letting him cry and it breaking my heart - couldn't do it - all my babies get a cuddle when they need one!
Read this post just now and it had me in tears - how have we lost natural parenting and why is it so hard to find a way back?
As we embrace natural learning in our homeschooling life I wish I had had the courage to do what felt right and not follow the advice of some of the parenting books I chose to read and believe briefly when my eldest was a baby. Our third is very different - we are more relaxed as parents and she is having a fabulous time growing up with two big brothers.
There is too much pressure on families these days to have big houses, room per child shows wealth, new cars, boats, TV's gadgets etc ..... we have become so materialistic....I want more, indeed I need less....I was happy with my 7 year old mobile phone (only bought a new one because I moved country and my old one wouldn't work!), a TV that I don't have to sit 50ft away from because it is 'too' big.
I crave a simpler life with a plot of land, an easy care home with space for a vegetable garden and chickens.....not for me is suburbia and polite conversations with neighbours over fencelines.....need a little space and quiet to be a family!
Read this post just now and it had me in tears - how have we lost natural parenting and why is it so hard to find a way back?
As we embrace natural learning in our homeschooling life I wish I had had the courage to do what felt right and not follow the advice of some of the parenting books I chose to read and believe briefly when my eldest was a baby. Our third is very different - we are more relaxed as parents and she is having a fabulous time growing up with two big brothers.
There is too much pressure on families these days to have big houses, room per child shows wealth, new cars, boats, TV's gadgets etc ..... we have become so materialistic....I want more, indeed I need less....I was happy with my 7 year old mobile phone (only bought a new one because I moved country and my old one wouldn't work!), a TV that I don't have to sit 50ft away from because it is 'too' big.
I crave a simpler life with a plot of land, an easy care home with space for a vegetable garden and chickens.....not for me is suburbia and polite conversations with neighbours over fencelines.....need a little space and quiet to be a family!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Socialisation, anxiety and fear of dogs!
Today we attempted some socialisation as a family - we had been invited to a 41st Birthday BBQ (one of the ladies from my husband's work). I always get very tense prior to a planned social event, anxiety kicks in, I feel sick, clammy and try hard to think of any excuse not to go and usually we don't go. We decided this time to be brave and go.
She had two kids who Jack and Tom dutifully went off to play with, Tom saying, "Maybe they'll want to be friends with us?" They had a great time collecting eggs, jumping on the trampoline and ultimately watching some TV. Only horrible bit was towards the end as we were all showing the strain when the girl thought it would be funny to take Jack's cap. He politely and repeatedly asked for it back and she refused and kept running away - she wanted to put it on his head for him! Jack got very upset because he couldn't understand why she wouldn't give it back because he had asked her really nicely. I had to explain to this girl who when i questioned her, said "We were just having fun!" I replied, "It's not fun if the other person isn't enjoying the 'game'!" Hat was returned to Jack and she promptly ran off with Tom's - lesson not learned and cross Me got upset with her meanness and pointed out that making a 3 year old with asthma chase after you is just mean :( I just don't get why people have to be mean to each other.
Much of the conversation was around school bullying stories (a great reason to homeschool - we didn't bring it up), positive racism towards aborigines and lack of action by police in some nasty situations (so not having a night out in Gladstone's one night club), diets (obvious that we weren't eating hosts food-with multiple allergies and intolerances we never expect to be catered for and always take snacks for us and the kids). Autism is considered a disease by one of the guests - so we didn't take that conversation any further either.
Nice people, nice plot (lovely tour of the fruit trees, chook house, introduced to the cows and horse) - makes me want a lifestyle plot of my own with veg garden, pear and apple trees and room for a couple for cows, pigs, chickens and maybe a goat or pony. We found a dead bird of prey - possibly a falcon?
They had two friendly dogs and an elderly cat. Problem: Lily freaked out crying at the dog - seems her encounter a few months back with 3 untrained labradors may well have had more of an impact than I realised - damn! Had noticed that hearing the neighbours dog barking had been causing her to run away of late (but then the vacuum cleaner, big trucks, motorbikes and blender cause a similar reaction at the moment) maybe it is just a temporary noise fear?
When leaving we saw an enormous eagle? eating a dead kangaroo by the roadside - easily stood as tall as Lily!
Treated the kids to some gluten and dairy free ice-cream I spotted in the fridge at the local garage on the way home - and thanked them for being so well-behaved!
If you are not a regular follower of my blog - I should explain that we have Aspergers in our family and social situations are a challenge for us and we can now tick off socialisation for the month on our homeschool checklist!
She had two kids who Jack and Tom dutifully went off to play with, Tom saying, "Maybe they'll want to be friends with us?" They had a great time collecting eggs, jumping on the trampoline and ultimately watching some TV. Only horrible bit was towards the end as we were all showing the strain when the girl thought it would be funny to take Jack's cap. He politely and repeatedly asked for it back and she refused and kept running away - she wanted to put it on his head for him! Jack got very upset because he couldn't understand why she wouldn't give it back because he had asked her really nicely. I had to explain to this girl who when i questioned her, said "We were just having fun!" I replied, "It's not fun if the other person isn't enjoying the 'game'!" Hat was returned to Jack and she promptly ran off with Tom's - lesson not learned and cross Me got upset with her meanness and pointed out that making a 3 year old with asthma chase after you is just mean :( I just don't get why people have to be mean to each other.
Much of the conversation was around school bullying stories (a great reason to homeschool - we didn't bring it up), positive racism towards aborigines and lack of action by police in some nasty situations (so not having a night out in Gladstone's one night club), diets (obvious that we weren't eating hosts food-with multiple allergies and intolerances we never expect to be catered for and always take snacks for us and the kids). Autism is considered a disease by one of the guests - so we didn't take that conversation any further either.
Nice people, nice plot (lovely tour of the fruit trees, chook house, introduced to the cows and horse) - makes me want a lifestyle plot of my own with veg garden, pear and apple trees and room for a couple for cows, pigs, chickens and maybe a goat or pony. We found a dead bird of prey - possibly a falcon?
They had two friendly dogs and an elderly cat. Problem: Lily freaked out crying at the dog - seems her encounter a few months back with 3 untrained labradors may well have had more of an impact than I realised - damn! Had noticed that hearing the neighbours dog barking had been causing her to run away of late (but then the vacuum cleaner, big trucks, motorbikes and blender cause a similar reaction at the moment) maybe it is just a temporary noise fear?
When leaving we saw an enormous eagle? eating a dead kangaroo by the roadside - easily stood as tall as Lily!
Treated the kids to some gluten and dairy free ice-cream I spotted in the fridge at the local garage on the way home - and thanked them for being so well-behaved!
If you are not a regular follower of my blog - I should explain that we have Aspergers in our family and social situations are a challenge for us and we can now tick off socialisation for the month on our homeschool checklist!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Homeschool transition
We slowly continue the transition from distance education to natural learning. The homeschool Australia facebook page continues to be truly inpsirational. There is no right way to homeschool. There are so many different ways simply because all situations are different, each family is different, the children are individuals. I only hope that I emerge from this transition having some clue about where we are headed as a homeschool family.
Presently, we are working on strengthening the family unit after a traumatic year and a half post September earthquake in Canterbury, moving to a small rural community with close knit school of less than 10 children on to a move across the Tasman to Queensland. For a while we were lost and what we thought we needed we don't. Husband has read through the information on natural learning and as he sees how motivated the kids are and how happy Mum is at the moment he can see that it is right for us at this moment in time. Who knows about the future - we can't predict it we can only work with the path in front of us and try to make the best decisions for us at the time!
I have read so much about homeschooling these last 4 weeks and in the previous 4 years when we first thought it might be an option, that truly my head hurts. I have finally handed in our resignation to BSDE and am posting their resources back tomorrow (Unit 3 never even got opened this term - we switched off around Easter holidays sometime).
My next challenge is to finish writing Jack's home education application and plan for the next 10 months or so. After 10 months I am required to submit a report on his progress. We hope that we will be accepted for homeschooling. We are leaning towards a Charlotte Mason, Montessori, unschooling approach and will use the next few months to find our rhythm!
Wish me luck!
Presently, we are working on strengthening the family unit after a traumatic year and a half post September earthquake in Canterbury, moving to a small rural community with close knit school of less than 10 children on to a move across the Tasman to Queensland. For a while we were lost and what we thought we needed we don't. Husband has read through the information on natural learning and as he sees how motivated the kids are and how happy Mum is at the moment he can see that it is right for us at this moment in time. Who knows about the future - we can't predict it we can only work with the path in front of us and try to make the best decisions for us at the time!
I have read so much about homeschooling these last 4 weeks and in the previous 4 years when we first thought it might be an option, that truly my head hurts. I have finally handed in our resignation to BSDE and am posting their resources back tomorrow (Unit 3 never even got opened this term - we switched off around Easter holidays sometime).
My next challenge is to finish writing Jack's home education application and plan for the next 10 months or so. After 10 months I am required to submit a report on his progress. We hope that we will be accepted for homeschooling. We are leaning towards a Charlotte Mason, Montessori, unschooling approach and will use the next few months to find our rhythm!
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Dinosaurs, mosquitos, turtles and Kookaburras!
What a wildlife day today was!
First we had the Erth's dinosaur petting zoo show. Pretty cool - no big dinosaurs as we were expecting, no T-Rex or Brachiosaurus. They had baby dinosaurs that the kids were encouraged to stroke, a gigantic dragonfly, small friendly one - can't remember it's name and then a Lianasaurus that was found in Victoria in 1999 and named after the discoverers daughter. Jack now desperately wants to discover dragon fossils so he can name them!
I was driving home past the gates of the Botanic Gardens when I decided an impromptu first visit was in order. We bought turtle pellets and fed most of it to the ducks - we tried to feed the turtles but they were trampled/swamped by the ducks. The map the information centre gave us was useless and we got very lost/disorientated whilst being attacked by mosquitos. Friendly brush turkeys and close encounters with Kookaburras made up for that though. Kids had fun on the playground and we all went home happy!
I was driving home past the gates of the Botanic Gardens when I decided an impromptu first visit was in order. We bought turtle pellets and fed most of it to the ducks - we tried to feed the turtles but they were trampled/swamped by the ducks. The map the information centre gave us was useless and we got very lost/disorientated whilst being attacked by mosquitos. Friendly brush turkeys and close encounters with Kookaburras made up for that though. Kids had fun on the playground and we all went home happy!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Pet a dinosaur?
Been super busy doing nothing much today!
Really looking forward to tomorrow though as taking the kids to see Erth's Dinosaur Petting Zoo at the Gladstone Entertainment Centre ~ very excited.
Found this video on You Tube - wonder if we'll be lucky enough to be sat on the stage?
Really looking forward to tomorrow though as taking the kids to see Erth's Dinosaur Petting Zoo at the Gladstone Entertainment Centre ~ very excited.
Found this video on You Tube - wonder if we'll be lucky enough to be sat on the stage?
Monday, May 7, 2012
I love Pinterest - sometimes you find great ideas, sometimes just an awesome picture. Tonight I found an image I really liked - I followed the chain of links to find the artists website and her Etsy store.
I ended up purchasing three prints because they are so beautiful and for three very different reasons.
1. The first image is "The Reader" and is apt as we encourage our 6 year old to read.
2. The second is because we really all should make time to sit down and just listen to the sounds of the world we live in - preferably the sounds of nature.
3. The dragon nest hidden in the box with the newly hatched dragon will be for Jack as he is infatuated with dragons and is determined to find evidence of their existence whether fossils or real lives ones. His favourite movie at the moment is "How To Train Your Dragon" - had a fabulous time watching the stage show in Brisbane a few weekends back.
I ended up purchasing three prints because they are so beautiful and for three very different reasons.
1. The first image is "The Reader" and is apt as we encourage our 6 year old to read.
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