ThadenPierce School

The kids made up beds to watch a science DVD so Mommy could rest.

My kids are watching Bill Nye the Science Guy DVDs from the library and I’m counting that as a science lesson for the week. This is what we call survival homeschooling.

I’m grateful we worked out a good system with lessons and schedules that’s relatively easy for me to do from the couch. I can read off spelling lists and I can supervise handwriting. Each of the older three knows which book & binder is their math and they bring them to me for math lessons. We’re spending lots of time outside since the weather is warming up and we’re reading books aloud. I’m about 8 weeks along and optimistic that by 14 weeks I’ll get the second trimester energy and be able to do more involved lessons but for now, I’m trying to take it easy and remember a kind and patient mommy is more important than getting all the book work done.

We plan to do lessons year round as usual and that means in my second trimester over the summer we’ll try to be really consistent about lessons 4x a week. Come October, November & December we’re going to be on a lighter schedule for my maternity leave and in January we’ll pick back up with 4x a week.

In many ways I think homeschooling through this pregnancy will be even easier because I’ve got three readers and the kids are all two years older than they were in my last pregnancy – far more independent and self entertaining. I’ve got more children now, yes. But the older kids are a HUGE help with the little ones. And this time around I’m not at all worried about taking the time off postpartum – I know schooling year round makes up for that time off and we’ll just enjoy that new baby and worry about lessons later. I plan to get a couple good novels to read to the kids while I’m nursing and we’ll cuddle and read and I’ll nurse and we’ll do some life skills work like learning to change diapers! That is going to be handy…

Since I’m pretty sure I won’t actually be gardening this year (beyond the containers on our front porch) I was excited when Joanna shared this link with me – Free Gardening Course from BYU. I can learn about gardening (and see if it’s age appropriate for our older kids) and hopefully next year we’ll get a good garden going.

From my sister’s librarian’s suggestions:

Sister Anne’s Hands – by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Freedom Summer – by Debbie Wiles
The Other Side – by Jacqueline Woodson
Fishing Day – by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Henry’s Freedom Box – by Ellen Levin
It’s Okay to be Different – by Todd Parr
Yo! Yes? – by Christoper Raschka
White Socks Only – by Evelyn Coleman

The first and last my library didn’t have but we’ve requested the rest of them and I’ll post about them later.

First, here’s the very unrevised and not at all current plan we wrote up years ago.

Second, the steps from the lovely book Parenting Breakthrough along with my notes for implementing said plan:

1. Create your personal plan w/much spousal input and kids’ thoughts if appropriate. Keep a separate list for each child to check off and let them see if any of the (age appropriate) tasks strike their fancy.

2. Introduce the new skill far in advance, give them much warning and talk it up.

3. Pick a trainer, it does not have to be you – extended family, friends, older siblings/cousins, church leaders are all resources. Offer to teach a skill to their child in return, “I’ll teach your child how to make bread in exchange for you explain the stock market to my kid!”

4. Hold several training sessions, repeat, repeat, break down into baby steps, make it fun, repeat. Be nonjudgemental, explain this is to help them develop skills for being an adult and don’t get emotional or frustrated or impatient. Just keep trying and assume they’ll need you to train them on this skill for a long, long time. Don’t offer high praise or value judgements on their work, just make observations and offer instruction and let them decide how they did. Correct as needed but in a matter of fact manner.

5. Incorporate into your life, don’t let that skill go to waste. They can teach rarely used skills (how to change a flat tire?) to other youth/siblings. Guideline is if they can do it for themselves then they should. (With exceptions for gestures of service & love like making them breakfast or helping with laundry while they study for exams.)

More to come…

To explore – here.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Make a list of things you would take on a threeday trip with your family, then pack these items in a bag or suitcase.
With an adult’s help, figure out the cost and miles to complete a trip to a place of interest using the family car or public transportation.
Research at least five places to visit during a trip to a place of interest. Explain what you learned to your family.
Academics Pin

Earn the Family Travel belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Go on a trip with your family that includes at least one overnight stay. Keep a journal of your trip and then share it with your den leader.
Play a travel game while traveling in a car.
With an adult, review the Guide to Safe Scouting, chapter XII, “Transportation.” Then make a list of safety rules to follow when traveling in the car or while using public transportation such as a bus, plane, boat, and train. Share the list with your den.
With the help of a parent or adult partner, use a computer to look up an airfare from your closest airport to a city in a foreign country. Calculate the total travel time, the day and time you will leave your home, and the day and time you will arrive at your destination.
Visit a travel agent office or look up a travel Web site.
Using pictures, explain to a family member how people’s forms of transportation have changed in the last 300 years.
Visit with an adult who has driven in a different country. List five things that the adult found to be very different from driving in the United States
Make a list of occupations that people have that are related to traveling. Describe the position you would like to try. Explain to a family member why you chose that occupation.
Learn how to apply for a U.S. passport. With adult supervision, read an actual application and complete as much of the form as you can.
Change $1,000 U.S. dollars into pounds, Euros, or pesos.
With an adult, conduct a motor vehicle inspection of the car designated for traveling. Use the checklist provided in the Guide to Safe Scouting called “Annual Motor Vehicle Checklist..” The appendix to the Guide can be found at www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gssax.aspx.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Develop a list of jobs you can do around the home. Chart your progress for one week.
Make a poster showing things that you can do to be a good citizen.
Participate in a family, den, or school service project.
Academics Pin

Earn the Citizenship belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Interview someone who has become a naturalized citizen. Give a report of your interview to your den or family.
Write a letter to your newspaper about an issue that concerns you. Send your letter by mail or e-mail.
Create a collage about America.
Make a list of items to check for a home safety or energy audit and then inspect your home. Talk with your parent or adult partner about correcting any problems you find.
Visit your local site of government. Interview someone who is involved with the governmental process.
Visit a courtroom and talk with someone who works there.
Go to the polls with your parents when they vote. Talk to them about their choices.
Take part in a parade with your den or pack.
List ways you can recycle various materials and conserve and protect the environment.
Attend a community event or visit a landmark in your community

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Begin a collection of at least 10 items that all have something in common. Label the items and title your collection.
Display your collection at a pack or den meeting.
Visit a show or museum that displays different collections
Academics Pin

Earn the Collecting belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Give a talk about your collection to someone other than your family. Give a description of your collection, including a short history. Explain how you got started and why you decided to collect what you do.
Show how you preserve and display your collection. Explain any special precautions you must take including handling, cleaning, and storage. Note precautions for dampness, sunlight, or other weather conditions.
Read a book about what you collect and then discuss it wth your den or an adult family member.
Start a new collection of at least 20 items. Label the items, and title your collection.
Explain to your den or an adult family member what numismatics and philately mean.
With your parent’s or adult partner’s permission, join a club of collectors who share your hobby. This club may be a group of your friends.
Find out if there is a career that involves what you collect. Find out what kind of subjects you need to study to prepare for such a career.
If you collect coins or stamps, make a list of different countries in your collection. Explain how to identify each country’s issues. Make a list of “clues” that help you identify the origin.
With an adult partner, visit an online auction and look for items you collect. Discuss what it tells you about rarity and value of the things you collect.
Create a method for organizing and keeping track of your collection. Use a computer if possible.
Help a friend get started on a collection of his or her own.

Belt Loop

Complete these three requirements:

Tell a story or relate an incident to a group of people, such as your family, den, or members of your class.
Write and send a letter to a friend or relative.
Make a poster about something that interests you. Explain the poster to your den.
Academics Pin

Earn the Communicating belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:

Write an original poem or story.
Keep a journal of daily activities for at least seven days.
Listen to a news story on television or the radio. Discuss the information with an adult.
Go to the library. Use the card catalog or computer reference system to find a book, and then check it out.
Read a book that has been approved by your parent or teacher. Discuss the book with an adult.
With a friend, develop a skit. Perform it at a Scout meeting, family meeting, or school event.
Learn the alphabet in sign language and demonstrate it to your den or an adult family member by showing how to sign 10 words.
With an adult, use the Internet to search for information on a topic of interest to you.
Watch three television commercials and discuss the information in them with your parent or den leader.
Read the directions for a new game. Explain to a family member or friend how to play it.
Learn about “reading” materials for people who have poor vision or who are blind. Tell your den or an adult family member about what you have learned.
While traveling, make a list of road signs, animals, or license plates that you see. Tell your den or an adult family member about what you have learned.