The Mindful Homeschool

We have had a few moments over here that are notable.  Today my dd was able to read the Chinese character for “mountain” on my Chinese tea box.  All but the name of the tea, which by the way was “Lingtou Single-Bush Tea” (???), was written in kanji and she spotted a character that I had taught her months ago.  That was so cool!  They really are learning!  And I am not just blowing air when I am talking to them.  By golly, they must be listening to me!  I felt somewhat like Helen Keller’s teacher when Helen started to talk.  I taught her something!  Now I gotta teach them more and am more inspired to fill their minds with as much as I can.

She also surprised me the other night when she recommended that we read this book that is actually part of her brother’s CM/AO curriculum.  It is called American Tall Tales and she read it and then listened to it on audio CD when we were travelling last week.  She has been mentioning tales that would be appropriate to read for different events.  The other night as we were sitting around our backyard campfire/ring she told me which tale would be good to read at that moment.  She mentioned that we should read a different story for another scenario but I cannot remember the details.  I just love that she is taking these stories to heart!  Tall tales about Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, etc.

Lastly, my son who has been struggling with reading is now showing more signs of improvement.  It is thrilling to see your child read text fluently for the first time!  I am hoping his confidence will continue to grow.

Oh, and something my 3 yo told me tonight as I was lying next to him, trying to get him to sleep: 

“Mom, you know what ‘devour’ means?”  “To gobble down greedily”, he says, answering his own question.  When I asked him where he had learned this, he said, “Word Girl”.  !!!

Lucy

The trip to SD was an experience our kids will remember for a long time.  Well, maybe not our youngest, our 3 1/2 yo, but our other children will remember touring a cave for the first time, the Beautiful Rushmore Cave; and seeing the beautiful Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, among other things.

I am very proud of our children adapting to all the new situations and trying new things, esp. in the area of food.  C did have her moments where she was unwilling to do things that the rest of us wanted to do, things like watching the 20 minute video at Crazy Horse but these were balanced out somewhat with the times she was willing to try new things and go with the flow.  As a matter of fact, it seemed to be a “go with the flow” kind of vacation.   And hopefully the lesson she and the rest of us learned about going with the flow will be remembered for a long time.

Our camping at the Sylvan Lake campgrounds in Custer State Park was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  We hadn’t planned on camping in this particular spot but when a park employee told us that the campsites were “rustic”, our curiosity was piqued.  The campground was everything you would want, full of gorgeous ponderosa pine trees and plenty of privacy.  There was an open area behind our campground where we were able to gather wood for the campfire and do some exploring. 

The park employee that we met on our first night there, Tara, was a wonderful addition to the place.  She was the one who recommended our camp site and we started to rely on her for other recommendations for restaurants in the area and other activities.  And it turned out she knew her food too.  She recommended a place in Custer called the Sage Creek and esp. recommended their carrot cake.  We got it “to go” and it was one of the best carrot cakes I have ever eaten.  I am truly grateful for her presence there.  She helped make the stay so much better. 

The weather was sunny and warm but not too warm during the daylight hours.  At night it did get cold, really cold and that became one of the downsides.  The campground was up in the mountains so it was chilly at night and hence, mommy had no sleep that first night.  This was partly due to needing to share sleeping space with my very active 3 yo and partly due to the fact that our tent was on a sloping hill.  The next day, we were forced to leave this particular campsite because someone had reserved it online.  (The reservation process left something to be desired).  The kids were bummed that we had to leave this wonderful site until … we discovered perhaps an even more beautiful campsite higher up in the campgrounds.  It was gorgeous with lots of ponderosas and even more space and “hills” to explore.  Thus, the beginning of C’s “go with the flow” attitude. 

All the kids were awesome in their fearless touring of the old cave near Mt. Rushmore.  I think they did better than I.  The tour guides gave all of us the experience of total and absolute darkness for a few minutes during the tour.  My kids did really well and it seems touring the cave may have been the highlight of their trip. 

C and the other children became quite good at adapting to new places and food.  One particular incident stands out:  Eating Mexican food at a restaurant in Hill City.  They ate food that they never would have tried in our hometown.  Of course, maybe the fact that we ate our meal at 8:00 had something to do with it.  They were hungry!!!

We took some 500 photos and I will try to post some of them later.  We are already thinking about our next camping trip, somewhere much closer to home.  The summer may be particularly short this year so we gotta make the most of it.  I am going to be doing a lot of list making over the weekend.  Making a list and checking it twice… gonna make this summer especially nice…. 

We went bird banding on Wednesday at the local nature center.  It was difficult getting out of the house for the all day event for a number of reasons:  A) H-man said that he didn’t want to go (?!); B) C-chan’s hair needed some serious de-tangling and C) I had to pack lunches for the four of us!  Not something I am used to doing early in the AM!  And my options were very limited, our lunch packing supplies were low, and I heard a little grumbling about the p & j!  But we made it there.  I drove the mini-van while practicing a little pranayama (!) and of course, once we got there we had a great time! 

H-man and I were in a group separate from the older kids which we hadn’t planned for.  The center had not informed us that the kids would be separated by age.  Uggh.  But it worked out fine mainly due to the fact that W and C were able to hang out with the older kids’ group and be with their fellow HS buddies.  (Even though technically W was supposed to be with the little kids group of kids who were 3 - 7 yo).  My good HS friend Cathy was in the group with the older kids.  I am very thankful that she helped coordinate the outing with all the other HS kids from my semi-local group and helped keep an eye on my kids. 

It was really wonderful to be able to watch the naturalist and bird banding volunteers (a HS mom and daughter team, nonetheless) band two chickadees, a hairy woodpecker, and a yellow rump warbler (also known as a myrtle warbler).   We watched as the birds were released back into the wild complete with their new “ankle bracelets”.   All of us had the opportunity to hear a chickadee’s heartbeat; it sounded like a faint purring.  The bird banding volunteer, herself a HSing mom, held the chickadee up to each person’s ear so that we all, even my 3 yo, got a chance to experience it.  The children had a good time doing all of this with other HSing peers. 

I really enjoyed seeing some HS moms I haven’t seen in a long time and enjoyed chatting a bit with some moms I have recently gotten to know.  When we got home I had lots to tell my hubby.  H slept on the back seat of our van which was parked in the driveway while I told Phil all about the day’s events.  I definitely want to go back and see more of the bird banding.  Heck, maybe we could become bird banding volunteers! 

At the end of the day, in addition to the birds that were banded, we saw a red bellied woodpecker, red-winged blackbirds, a red-tailed hawk, a pair of trumpeter swans, and a pair of goldfinches.  At least that is all I can remember right now…. 

We will be back to see more.  We heard that this particular nature center is known as the best birding place in the metro area.  And it is not too far from where we live.  Lucky us!    

I consider myself very fortunate to have this awesome, talented, and gorgeous yoga instructor teaching at our local fitness club. (26)  She is smart; she is knowledgeable; she is strict; she is beautiful; she is strong and she is one of the best yoga teachers I have ever had.  I have learned so much from her and she has inspired me to take my practice farther and deeper.  She has also encouraged us to practice carefully/mindfully so as to avoid injuring ourselves.  (She told us that she wants us to be able to continue doing yoga with her decades from now!) 

Today I was able to go to one of her classes and I had a great workout. (27)  I even attempted bird-of-paradise and was able to do it rather well. (28)  Not perfectly, not even close, but well enough for Kristina, my teacher, to say, “Gorgeous, Lucy!”  Now I know that you are not going to see me on the cover of Yoga Journal doing bird-of-paradise anytime soon but nonetheless, there is something to be said about being complimented in a class full of other students.  Being acknowledged for attempting the pose and being somewhat successful is a huge day brightener!

I told my dh not too long ago that if it weren’t for yoga, I would not be HSing.  Now I cannot say that with total certainty but I do know that yoga helps me relieve stress.  It helps me stay clear-headed enough to deal with all the extra stressors that parenting and HSing bring on.  I remember that in one of my first classes with Kristina, she complimented me on my practice and my flexibility.  Well, it is true that a good compliment can last a person a week or more.  That compliment was one of the first genuine compliments I had had in months, maybe years.  As a SAHM, and as a HS mom, I find the compliments on my work as a parent and a teacher to be extremely rare.  So hearing those words of praise from this gorgeous instructor made my heart sing and kept me flying high for quite a while.

Yoga seems to be something my body cries out for.  After practicing for about 18 months or so, I can tell when my body needs a good stretch.  Doing sun salutations and other basic poses make me feel so good.  Through my study of yoga, I have learned more about what makes a good teacher.  I have learned about Sanskrit, about what poses are good for what conditions, and how to do certain poses safely.  My children have been learning right along with me.  They know a lot of the poses and they know some of the sanskrit words used to describe certain the different asanas or poses.  They are also learning that the learning you do in life does not stop when you reach a certain age.  Learning is a life-long journey we all need to embark on.  Daily.

I hope that I will never grow tired of yoga.  Studying and practicing yoga has been a life-transforming experience and I hope that my enthusiasm for this ancient practice will inspire others to check it out for themselves.

Biking with training wheels (3 yo)

Biking on snow and ice and thru puddles!

Digging big caves in the huge snow pile by our cul-de-sac

Writing the number 3 correctly, not backwards! 

Multiplication tables up to 6

Phonics (from Phonics Pathways)

Fractions (multiplying and dividing - mom needs a review)

Hawks: red tailed, goshawks, marsh hawks, and black hawks; falconers; coopers; bald eagles; owls; and other raptors

Reading Hop on Pop, d’aulaire books on Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln and George Washington, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and Pippi Longstocking, all kinds of books on fairies, Nancy Drew and The Magic Attic Club

Playing with Polly Pockets and their water fountain

1000 pc. puzzle of a cabin in a snowy wooded area

Zen Shorts and The Little Prince, and Chicken Soup with Rice copywork

Decluttering, organizing and Feng shui in the children’s bedroom

Correcting bad habits, one habit at a time

The difference between an American omelette and a French one (The French one is flipped, not folded and doesn’t have the extra ingredients cooked inside; they are placed on top after cooking.)

Watched a PBS/Rick Steves’ show on Europe and saw great works of art, including Davincci’s The Last Supper

Trying to go tech-free one day a week

Blowing bubbles in above zero temps!

Learning the lyrics to Teegan and Sarah (sp?) music

Listening to more classical music on the classical music station

And mom is working on/learning:

Balance

One new habit (which is trying to keep a daily yoga practice)

Ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Easter

Patience, acceptance and the ability to let go (even if it is just a little)

Dd’s math work book problems (fractions, yikes!)

Charlotte Mason philosophy and ways to implement

Time management

Well, let’s just say I am not a technophile, if there is such a word.  I was pretty happy with life before computers and Windows and email and all that stuff came into “vogue”.  And it took a while before I was able to understand how truly wonderful the internet is.   So forgive me if it takes me awhile to get this blog looking good.  I apologize.  It (computer stuff) does not come naturally to me.  With that said, I want to let everyone know that although I am reading Meditations from the Mat (and I HIGHLY recommend it) that is not what my kids are reading.  (Although last night H-man did take a look at the book and laughed at the photos of people in yoga poses.) 

We are reading lots of different things.  Pippi Longstocking, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, the D’aulaire books on Benjamin Franklin, Buffalo Bill, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and Minn of the Mississippi by Holling.  Celia continues to read all sorts of books about fairies in her spare time.

The kids have been playing in the cul de sac by our house a lot lately.  There is a huge pile of snow that they have dug out and made into dens, for lack of a better word.  They are having a ton of fun every day doing this and they spend a lot of time with the neighbor kids working on it together.  This afternoon they are outside taking down icicles by the house and collecting them in a sled for a future use.  Hmmm.  Maybe I need to check on that.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that we are doing more than reading daily meditations.  And I will work on getting my blog looking better when I get some free time.  I am really working on practicing yoga daily, meditating, staying in the moment, staying healthy and trying to put together a routine that incorporates a lot of the Charlotte Mason ideas.  Buying healthy food, cooking, cleaning, reading and fostering a learning atmosphere leaves me with little extra time.  Plus, having a three year old in the house and all the clean up and laundry that goes with it makes for a busy day.  I know I need to make a list of what I really want out of this year, this life and spend my time accordingly.  But it is SO much easier said than done.  So with that in my mind, I shall sign off and do a few stretches, maybe write in my journal and hopefully clear my mind.  

Namaste!  

In honor of my birthday, we took a mini-vacation last weekend.  We stayed one night at a lovely cottage “treehouse” in Wisconsin.  It was awesome.  Everything we wanted it to be and more.  But no real easy way to describe it.  The treehouse cottage was built into a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and it took 86 steps from the parking lot to our cottage.  And it was one of the closer cottages to the parking lot!  The other cottages would have required even more climbing. 

The cottages overlooked the Mississippi river and the views were gorgeous.  We didn’t see any bald eagles from the windows of our little home away from home but outside we did see wild turkeys and my dear husband saw bald eagles flying high above the bluff.  It was magical.

I cannot wait to go back and spend more time there.   The only downside was that the accomodations were a tad expensive and so it was hard to justify staying there more than one night.  That was one of the main reasons we have never gone there even though we have known about these cottages for about three years.  It just seemed so extravagant, especially for our family.  But vacations are so important for the health of a family, I do believe.  It is what the children remember when they are grown up.  W had a hard time leaving, I think.  He and the other children really wanted to stay longer.  That was the only bummer on the trip.  Leaving.  But I told the children that we would come back.  I just need to figure out when and how.  Celia has requested that we go back for her birthday which I am considering.  She said that she would want to stay two nights because she will be turning double digits this year!  I guess we better start serving more peanut butter sandwiches. 

Of course, I want my dear children to have a much longer vacation too and I plan to work on finding a way to travel more with our kids.  But this was a great start.  It helped whet the appetite for some more family adventures and made me even more cognizant of how much everyone enjoys them.

Now we are thinking about taking the kids to see Mount Rushmore.  I have never been there but I have heard good things.  That would make for an awesome family adventure, I do believe.  In preparation for the trip I plan to do a lot of reading about the great presidents and the history of our country.  Educational and fun, now that’s a good thing! 

Can I brag just a little? 

This winter the three children, Papa and I have been skating on the ice down by the marsh every chance we get.  And I am afraid that our skating days may be numbered.  So it is with great pride that I will announce that this winter we have made skaters of them all.  This has been one of those unconscious goals of mine for a long time. 

Everyone, I am sure, has ideas of what experiences they want to share with their kids, right?  Well, one of mine has been to raise kids who were comfortable swimming in a pool or lake in the summertime and also able to skate across an icy surface in the winter time.  And enjoy ice skating enough that you wanted the frigid cold days of winter to last just a little longer just to be able to skate outdoors just a little longer. 

Today we all skated outside on the pond.  It was glorious.  The sun was out part of the time and we warmed up enough to take our jackets off and skate in our sweatshirts and long-sleeved shirts.  Glorious. 

One of the neighbor’s grandparents saw W skating out there and commented that W had “style” and had a future in hockey.  That was a nice compliment to hear.  And there were no lessons, not even informal lessons.  We paid no money, other than what we spent on buying the skates.  We just laced them up and sent them out onto the ice.  We took them ice skating every chance we got.  And this year we were lucky, yes, lucky, that it has been cold up here in this neck of the woods. 

So even though I am looking forward to spending more time outside in warmer, spring weather and I am looking forward to playing outside without having to spend a lot of time dressing for it I am not ready to say goodbye to ol’ man winter just yet. 

It has been so wonderful to see my children skating faster and more confidently on the ice.  It has been a great way to play outside on these cold days of le bons hivers.  (That’s the good winter, n’est pas?)  We have taken photos.  I have blogged about it.   And we have made memories sharing good times with family and friends on our frozen pond. 

When it is time to go, we will wish it a fond farewell.  But not until then.  We will be out there every day we can, trudging down the hill with our sleds, water bottles, bubble gum, skates and shovels.  Making winter memories for those hot, dog days of summer that are sure to come, but in their own good time. 

On Wednesday night we ended up having a “o-tsukimi” party.  At least I think that is what the Japanese would call it.  Papa made his famous homemade pizza and then later we watched a beautiful lunar eclipse from our front yard in the frigid air, running outside to look at it and then back inside to enjoy the warmth of a fire in our fireplace.   

That same night I also taught the children some basic kanji.  The children had seen Sagwa, a PBS show about a Chinese cat, where people were practicing kanji and it showed people learning one of Celia’s best remembered Chinese characters, the kanji for rain.  This was enough to inspire the kids to practice writing these beautiful Chinese characters. 

We practiced again on Thursday and both Celia and William have really neat writings to prove it.  I taught them the few that I know including moon, day, rain, river, mountain, book, eye, and rice paddy.  Makes me glad that I studied kanji enough to share this with them.  It is amazing how what I have learned is able to be passed on.  Bit by bit.  Makes me wish I would have studied harder!  Well, I guess there is still time for that.  Maybe HSing gives all of us that second chance.

C had her art class on Friday.  She was one of three students in the class which meant she and the other students had more individualized attention from the teacher.  She, as usual, had a lot of fun and created some really neat art, a Fante flag.

The Fante people of Ghana, West Africa, have been making brightly colored patchwork flags for over six hundred years.  The flags are paraded through the streets of towns and villages at festivals and at the funerals of important people. 

Fante flags are sometimes made of cotton, silk, satin or felt.  Sometimes they are embroidered to give them an even more interesting texture and look.  There can be as many as 15 different colors on one flag.

The pictures sewn on the flags tell stories of historical events or African proverbs.  They show details of the beliefs and traditions of the Fante.   

Each student in C’s class made a flag of their own from felt applied to a very thick piece of paper.  The flag C created has a bright red border with a dark black and blue rectangle at the upper left hand corner.  The center of the flag is blue with a white unicorn in the middle of it.  There is a colorful rainbow in the lower right-hand corner of the blue rectangular center. 

“The magical menagerie” is the name of the company on which her flag is based.  I plan to ask her more about how she came up with the name and what it means.

While C was at art class, H, W, and I went shopping.  We picked up some Valentine clearance items, including some adorable “Sweater bears”.  They are polar bear plush toys with soft sweaters with hearts on them.  The children have been playing with them ever since they got them.  These bears are so cute that I am starting to play with them!

W has been interested in polar bears ever since he was little.  He received an adorable plush toy one from Santa one year.   He reminds us to pray for them during bedtime prayers every night.  He is concerned about them becoming endangered species.  He knows that global warming is affecting their living conditions and that this may be reducing their numbers.  

We have learned a lot about polar bears over the past few years and like W, I pray that the effects of global warming will be reversed and the polar bears will once again have lots of ice on which to roam.  Polar bears are the largest carnivorous mammals in the world.  They are famously devoted mothers and stay with their cubs until they are 30 months old.  They “attachment parent” and nurse their young for up to 30 months.  It is only when the cubs are ready to hunt and fend for themselves that they are separated.  Once I was asked the question, “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?”  I told them I would like to be a polar bear because they are such good mothers.

God bless these animals and keep them safe.