- We thoroughly enjoyed conference. We had a really great Easter weekend curled up on the couch together watching conference on Alex's projector and screen from work. I took pictures, but oh well.
- Alex's sister Francine will be will us for two weeks. She leaves this weekend to start attending BYU-I. She's very excited to go and we have loved having her visit us! Since she's from Pennsylvania we get to see her for all the holidays and breaks. We are home base now since we are only 2 1/2 hours from Rexburg. Yeah!
- Ken, Alex's dad, was here for a weekend visit. Alex and him had some great matches in golf in and ping pong. We can't wait until he comes back again!
- We acquired our second horse. Olivia is so excited. She works hard with them, knows tons about them, and her passion hasn't died since it started four or so years ago.
- We still have 8 puppies. We will start advertising for them to get good homes this week.
- This weekend is Stake Conference. We are spoiled to get a member of the Seventy come again this session. We love to hear from them!
- Olivia is excited to go to girl's camp this year. This year I'm the the ward camp director so it will be fun. We have already started having meetings. My assistant is my 1st counselor from when I was the Young Women's president and the YW presidency member going up was my camp director, so we are excited to have fun times!!!
- It's snowed to many times to count in the last two weeks. It's cold and it keeps blowing. We are grateful for the moisture and we are trying to keep positive thoughts about the wind and cold. It's just blowing in more moisture we keep telling ourselves.
- Alex's campaign is going well. He continues to meet with people throughout the district and discuss their needs. He is meeting with the state leaders again in Boise tomorrow. He's enjoyed speaking and meeting lots of new people.
- Our trips scheduled this year include: Colorado/Arizona, Tennessee/Georgia, and Virginia/Washington DC. We have discussed a Boston trip, but we might do that one next spring. We are excited to see the historical sites again. Last year we didn't spend a lot of time in DC. We hope to spend a little more time this year and Olivia wants to do Baptisms for the Dead in the DC temple. We will also see Jefferson's, Washington's and Monroe's plantations this time. Also lots of family in the other trips. We asked the kids once if they ever wanted to go to Disneyland. They looked at us like we were crazy! No Way! We went to Legoland once. We were planning on going for two days. At the end of the first day they said, "Do we have to come back here tomorrow? Can't we just go to the ocean and play in the water?" That was a long time ago. We've learned our lesson since.
- We are reading The Hobbit and Silas Marner out loud together right now. Loving it.
- I made my family blog public again. I had been the only who could see it, so it wasn't personal to anyone. I'm just not planning on post much there.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Happenings
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Sketch Book
There are so many good discussions going on here and on several other blogs I follow regarding the ebook Headgates! So fun to hear what you all have to say. I have really enjoyed several things, but I have certainly found several things that we will keep the way we already have them. (The Lego's and The Lord of the Rings series aren't going anywhere! : ) )
I've greatly reduced the art supplies and so they are no longer overwhelming. We no longer have a huge box of crayons-we have a little box of crayons! How many yellow crayons to we really need? My kids have never been much into art projects anyways. (Gee, I wonder why? Could it be because I loathe them? I've never found value in worthless crafts.) They do however thoroughly enjoy drawing one stick figure on a piece a paper with: "To Mom: I love you. Love, Luke" written on hundred pages.
So to solve this bunch of wasted papers and satisfy their desire to give me a love note I recently bought sketch pads for the kids. I told them how much I enjoyed all their love notes, but I kept loosing them and they were all over the place. So I said I wanted them to draw them in the sketch book. I wanted their best work and then when they were done they could give me the sketch book and this way I would be able to keep them always! I told them that whenever there was one they really wanted me to see all they had to do was show it to me. They were so excited. They all have enjoyed drawing pictures for me that I will get to keep forever. Luke told me he was excited that I wouldn't be able to loose them this way. He also said he liked just having one place to keep everything. Jared also has made nice little drawings that he wasn't interested in before. So simplifying our craft supplies as made them focus on real projects that are nice. Success!
We put up all their extra notebooks. They still have their names on them they are just in our empty closet so they are still here. They only get to have one notebook out to keep notes in and write whatever they want. They have really liked knowing where their books are and not feeling overwhelmed with all the paper.
I have found that has I've gotten rid of things that they are actually becoming happier, more productive, and better behaved. It's all really amazing.
For our family the fruits have been tremendous. While I haven't agreed with everything I have enjoyed the ideas generated and the discussions on all the blogs!
I've greatly reduced the art supplies and so they are no longer overwhelming. We no longer have a huge box of crayons-we have a little box of crayons! How many yellow crayons to we really need? My kids have never been much into art projects anyways. (Gee, I wonder why? Could it be because I loathe them? I've never found value in worthless crafts.) They do however thoroughly enjoy drawing one stick figure on a piece a paper with: "To Mom: I love you. Love, Luke" written on hundred pages.
So to solve this bunch of wasted papers and satisfy their desire to give me a love note I recently bought sketch pads for the kids. I told them how much I enjoyed all their love notes, but I kept loosing them and they were all over the place. So I said I wanted them to draw them in the sketch book. I wanted their best work and then when they were done they could give me the sketch book and this way I would be able to keep them always! I told them that whenever there was one they really wanted me to see all they had to do was show it to me. They were so excited. They all have enjoyed drawing pictures for me that I will get to keep forever. Luke told me he was excited that I wouldn't be able to loose them this way. He also said he liked just having one place to keep everything. Jared also has made nice little drawings that he wasn't interested in before. So simplifying our craft supplies as made them focus on real projects that are nice. Success!
We put up all their extra notebooks. They still have their names on them they are just in our empty closet so they are still here. They only get to have one notebook out to keep notes in and write whatever they want. They have really liked knowing where their books are and not feeling overwhelmed with all the paper.
I have found that has I've gotten rid of things that they are actually becoming happier, more productive, and better behaved. It's all really amazing.
For our family the fruits have been tremendous. While I haven't agreed with everything I have enjoyed the ideas generated and the discussions on all the blogs!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Headgate
I recently read a marvelous ebook which I mentioned in a previous post. The book is called The Headgate and it is by Brian and Keri Tibbets. This is all about applying Leadership Education. A lot of things were not new for me and we've been applying, but some I knew but didn't know how to apply and yet others were totally new, but they give me warm fuzzies and I just know it's the good stuff. (Anything that says crafting is only creating "little junks that only a mother could love" is going to be a bestseller here in my house).
Here are some some highlights from it that I wanted to share.
"The longer we home school our children we have noticed our home school becoming more a like a home than a school. In fact is has come to the point that there is now no school left in it at all. It is just a home. There is no part in our daily schedule that resembles school and there is no place in our home where school supplies are to be found. "
In order to create such a home and rear children in a classical education an environment needs to be created where children can grow and where they can become who there were born to be. Children in core phase work on mastering values and in their free time they play. Love of learners work on mastering the 3 R's and choose to spend part or all of their free time learning. The scholar with master subjects and spend all their time studying. (This is true! Our children follow this like it's scripted. It is so natural).
Now on to creating that environment. I hope in all that free time I have (harhar) to write more in depth essays on some of the ones that have been profound for us.
1. Create a House of Order
Order in the relationships. Dad provides for the family. Mom nurtures the children. Our society and communities have this so messed up.
Order in the appearance. How orderly are our houses? Are they filled with clutter?
Order in the schedule. Children feel secure knowing what the day will bring and their basic needs will be met. When families are focused on survival they are not productive and there is great depression among mom and children. I have seen this in so many homes! I am a huge advocate of structure and schedule!
2. Require Work
Did I type that right? Hmm. I better check that again. Yep, it does say that. I personally find it's easier to do it myself then to hear the "I'm a slave." Where did they get that anyway? Grrr.
Children do need to learn to work to develop self-discipline. Self-discipline will not only help them through the hard times in life but it will help them through the hard times of study. Once you have identified the job the system is: Do it with the child. Then do it near the child and finally have them do it independently. Don't forget to have them return and report.
So we've been working around here like they say. We've changed things up a bit again. I do everything with them now and make sure they know how to do it. There has been no complaining and whining (since I'm doing it with them). In fact Caleb said when he went to bed last night, "I liked cleaning with you mom it was a lot of fun." We cleaned for 2 1/2 hours straight. I could go on and on. Stopping though. Need to move on. Maybe in another post.
3. Inspire Daily.
My favorite. For me the easiest. Also the most covered and talked about in Leadership Education. I've always had really good and best books around. And I've always been very selective about what I read to them. I did realize that I am not always reading them the very best things those. So we've changed that up a bit. In the morning I am now reading them a very hard, worthwhile classic. (Silas Marner by George Elliot). In the evening I read them something fun they will enjoy, but it is still very worth while. (Right now it's Wrinkle in Time #4). Again, there's a lot more to cover in this step. Later.
4. Understand Lessons and Daily Application
This step covers how to give them lessons. Also we need to make sure that we are teaching them skills that they can master in every day life so they can practice, practice, and practice. This is especially true for math. There's pages and pages of this step. So good. You really should just get the book.
5. Close the Headgate
Headgates, for those of you not in a farming community-and I am so I over course new all of this. (Yeah right). The farmer has water for his land. He channels where he wants to send the water by opening headgates that will allow the river to go to a specific field. So the question is what headgates do we have open? We need to make sure that our children are heading down the right headgates and ditches and not the wrong ones.
Yeah, I'm loving this. I've always kind of been a little obsessive about this step. I think it's so important. What I really loved about this was that she provides so many more ideas than merely saying, "no tv, no computer games, no Play Station," ya think? We all can agree that children will usually choose the activities that offer the most stimulation for the least amount of effort. (The wrong headgate).
Beyond merely limiting the obvious we need to look at all their toys and activities. Are our children's toys lifeless and thus allowing them to create? Or are the toys the push the button kind and they reenact the movie with the toys? Thus the toymaker and movie maker are the creators and the child didn't have to come up with anything. Very, very interesting. Hint: If it has batteries, it falls under this category. Sorry folks. This is where that cardboard box at Christmas is more fun than the toy you bought. I laugh though because my 9 year old's favorite toys are sticks. Yep, he always has sticks. He can find sticks ANYWHERE too. Nobody know how he does it, but they are all over the outside of our house. (and sometimes inside hidden underneath the couch or the bed)
Bye, bye organized sets. What? Are you kidding me? They aren't creating they are just following directions. Lincoln Logs, puzzles, bead kits, even pre-packaged science kits. (She mentions Lego's, but I'm going to pretend I didn't see that. I'm going to cover my eyes on that part. I promise that I will ponder it more though. Alex and I have talked about it. It makes sense, but it hurts. I have vowed to get rid of all the instruction booklets. That will earn a couple of points right? We have very few toys now, but we still have our 4 four-drawer Lego bins. We're a bit fanatical. Really though, I promise to consider).
She suggests only 12-15 toys total in the entire house. The only reason that there's a pull against it is emotional money attachment. Get over it. I had already gotten rid of of tubs and tubs. They picked all the toys to go, and they haven't missed them. It ended up amounting to 80% of the toys. Time to get rid of the other 15% I think. Like I said Luke just wants sticks. Olivia wants books, fabric and yarn. Jared doesn't know what he wants, he's like me. Caleb wants games. (The two of us played 19 straight games of Connect Four yesterday, I kid you not).
With their activities we need to get rid of the useless activities. Caleb liked to cut paper to just cut paper. Not only is it useless it is wasting time. If they can pursue useless, brain numbing activities they will never choose to pursue the best. (Remember many us have heard and reheard the concepts of good, better and best. Are we listening?)
When children pursue real and useful things their hands and minds are disciplined and they grow and learn. Things have a point. What is the end result of the activity? Was it simply to waste time? We have to many things to be accomplishing to be wasting time.
I'm going on and on. There is so much more to this step and I could write 10 blog posts about it. I probably will. They just will be disguised.
So many thoughts. The point. What is our environments like? What headgates are open that are the best and what headgates are open that are not good?
Here are some some highlights from it that I wanted to share.
"The longer we home school our children we have noticed our home school becoming more a like a home than a school. In fact is has come to the point that there is now no school left in it at all. It is just a home. There is no part in our daily schedule that resembles school and there is no place in our home where school supplies are to be found. "
In order to create such a home and rear children in a classical education an environment needs to be created where children can grow and where they can become who there were born to be. Children in core phase work on mastering values and in their free time they play. Love of learners work on mastering the 3 R's and choose to spend part or all of their free time learning. The scholar with master subjects and spend all their time studying. (This is true! Our children follow this like it's scripted. It is so natural).
Now on to creating that environment. I hope in all that free time I have (harhar) to write more in depth essays on some of the ones that have been profound for us.
1. Create a House of Order
Order in the relationships. Dad provides for the family. Mom nurtures the children. Our society and communities have this so messed up.
Order in the appearance. How orderly are our houses? Are they filled with clutter?
Order in the schedule. Children feel secure knowing what the day will bring and their basic needs will be met. When families are focused on survival they are not productive and there is great depression among mom and children. I have seen this in so many homes! I am a huge advocate of structure and schedule!
2. Require Work
Did I type that right? Hmm. I better check that again. Yep, it does say that. I personally find it's easier to do it myself then to hear the "I'm a slave." Where did they get that anyway? Grrr.
Children do need to learn to work to develop self-discipline. Self-discipline will not only help them through the hard times in life but it will help them through the hard times of study. Once you have identified the job the system is: Do it with the child. Then do it near the child and finally have them do it independently. Don't forget to have them return and report.
So we've been working around here like they say. We've changed things up a bit again. I do everything with them now and make sure they know how to do it. There has been no complaining and whining (since I'm doing it with them). In fact Caleb said when he went to bed last night, "I liked cleaning with you mom it was a lot of fun." We cleaned for 2 1/2 hours straight. I could go on and on. Stopping though. Need to move on. Maybe in another post.
3. Inspire Daily.
My favorite. For me the easiest. Also the most covered and talked about in Leadership Education. I've always had really good and best books around. And I've always been very selective about what I read to them. I did realize that I am not always reading them the very best things those. So we've changed that up a bit. In the morning I am now reading them a very hard, worthwhile classic. (Silas Marner by George Elliot). In the evening I read them something fun they will enjoy, but it is still very worth while. (Right now it's Wrinkle in Time #4). Again, there's a lot more to cover in this step. Later.
4. Understand Lessons and Daily Application
This step covers how to give them lessons. Also we need to make sure that we are teaching them skills that they can master in every day life so they can practice, practice, and practice. This is especially true for math. There's pages and pages of this step. So good. You really should just get the book.
5. Close the Headgate
Headgates, for those of you not in a farming community-and I am so I over course new all of this. (Yeah right). The farmer has water for his land. He channels where he wants to send the water by opening headgates that will allow the river to go to a specific field. So the question is what headgates do we have open? We need to make sure that our children are heading down the right headgates and ditches and not the wrong ones.
Yeah, I'm loving this. I've always kind of been a little obsessive about this step. I think it's so important. What I really loved about this was that she provides so many more ideas than merely saying, "no tv, no computer games, no Play Station," ya think? We all can agree that children will usually choose the activities that offer the most stimulation for the least amount of effort. (The wrong headgate).
Beyond merely limiting the obvious we need to look at all their toys and activities. Are our children's toys lifeless and thus allowing them to create? Or are the toys the push the button kind and they reenact the movie with the toys? Thus the toymaker and movie maker are the creators and the child didn't have to come up with anything. Very, very interesting. Hint: If it has batteries, it falls under this category. Sorry folks. This is where that cardboard box at Christmas is more fun than the toy you bought. I laugh though because my 9 year old's favorite toys are sticks. Yep, he always has sticks. He can find sticks ANYWHERE too. Nobody know how he does it, but they are all over the outside of our house. (and sometimes inside hidden underneath the couch or the bed)
Bye, bye organized sets. What? Are you kidding me? They aren't creating they are just following directions. Lincoln Logs, puzzles, bead kits, even pre-packaged science kits. (She mentions Lego's, but I'm going to pretend I didn't see that. I'm going to cover my eyes on that part. I promise that I will ponder it more though. Alex and I have talked about it. It makes sense, but it hurts. I have vowed to get rid of all the instruction booklets. That will earn a couple of points right? We have very few toys now, but we still have our 4 four-drawer Lego bins. We're a bit fanatical. Really though, I promise to consider).
She suggests only 12-15 toys total in the entire house. The only reason that there's a pull against it is emotional money attachment. Get over it. I had already gotten rid of of tubs and tubs. They picked all the toys to go, and they haven't missed them. It ended up amounting to 80% of the toys. Time to get rid of the other 15% I think. Like I said Luke just wants sticks. Olivia wants books, fabric and yarn. Jared doesn't know what he wants, he's like me. Caleb wants games. (The two of us played 19 straight games of Connect Four yesterday, I kid you not).
With their activities we need to get rid of the useless activities. Caleb liked to cut paper to just cut paper. Not only is it useless it is wasting time. If they can pursue useless, brain numbing activities they will never choose to pursue the best. (Remember many us have heard and reheard the concepts of good, better and best. Are we listening?)
When children pursue real and useful things their hands and minds are disciplined and they grow and learn. Things have a point. What is the end result of the activity? Was it simply to waste time? We have to many things to be accomplishing to be wasting time.
I'm going on and on. There is so much more to this step and I could write 10 blog posts about it. I probably will. They just will be disguised.
So many thoughts. The point. What is our environments like? What headgates are open that are the best and what headgates are open that are not good?
Friday, April 2, 2010
Leadership Education E-book
I recently got my hands on a fabulous e-book about more in depth leadership education and simplifying our life styles. Such a fantastic read. I recommend it to all serious leadership families.
Here is the link.
Happy reading.
Here is the link.
Happy reading.
Classic Awakening
I've been teaching the kids that all the great classics are the basis for so many stories in our modern society. We are always looking for examples.
Today Jared told me that the Peter and the Starcatcher series that he has been reading is a lot like Oliver Twist. There's a mean man using orphan children to accomplish his greedy purposes. Hmm? Interesting.
Today Jared told me that the Peter and the Starcatcher series that he has been reading is a lot like Oliver Twist. There's a mean man using orphan children to accomplish his greedy purposes. Hmm? Interesting.
Conference is Coming
Tomorrow is General Conference! (Like everyone who reads this blog didn't already know that!) General Conference time is our favorite two times of year. We set up the big screen (Alex's projector and screen from work), turn on the internet, and everyone in the family nestles in for two full days of journal writing and spiritual highs. So wonderful. I'm sure people are surprised that our kids watch all the sessions of conference. They have for a very long time and have always loved it.
I was wondering how they would feel when they realized they would miss the Easter Egg Hunt at the city park. They were not phased a bit and have been jumping up and down (literally) all week so excited that conference is coming.
Books from 2009 -2010
At the back of all my journals, (which I write in religiously everyday), I write down the books that I've read (not the picture books that I read to Caleb though) during that journal's time period. I feel like Louis L'Amour in "Education of a Wandering Man" I suppose. I started my current journal on 1/1/2009. From then until today I have read 153 books, I think I'm slowing down- but I'm reading harder classics. Of those books 20 were Greek classics written over 2,500 years ago. I thought I'd write down some notables. Feel free to look up my reviews on my goodreads.com account.
Favorites:
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Iliad by Homer
The Odyssey by Homer
Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
Trojan Women by Euripides
Approaching Zion by Hugh Nibly
Books the Boys Loved that I read to them:
The Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Greek Myths and the Trojan War by Usborne
Several from the Childhood of Famous American series
Greogor of the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Alex Rider #1 by Anthony Horowitz
The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
A Waste of Time: (AVOID)
The Pretties series by Scott Westerfeld
The City of Ember
The Choice by Nicolas Sparks
City of Bones by Casandra Clare
The Lost Symbols by Dan Brown
Pretty much every goodreads.com book I won (11 of them!)
Stargirl series by Jerry Spinelli
35 Clues: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
Leven Thumps and the Secret of Foo
Books I reread that I had previously read-So I must really like them!: (books with asterisk I read more than once during the last 15 months).
Richest Man in Babylon by George Claswson
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Work and the Glory Series by Gerald Lund
Twilight series* by Stephanie Myers (no comments, I know)
Sackett's Land by Louis L'Amour
To the Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour
Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour
The Weigh Down Diet* by Gwen Schambers
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Thomas Jefferson Education* by Oliver DeMille
Leadership Education* by Oliver DeMille
Intelegro Math* by Tiffany Earl
Power of Full Engagement* by Jim Loehr
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery
Percy Jackson #1* by Rick Riordan
I hope the list gives you some good reading ideas!
Favorites:
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Iliad by Homer
The Odyssey by Homer
Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
Trojan Women by Euripides
Approaching Zion by Hugh Nibly
Books the Boys Loved that I read to them:
The Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Greek Myths and the Trojan War by Usborne
Several from the Childhood of Famous American series
Greogor of the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Alex Rider #1 by Anthony Horowitz
The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
A Waste of Time: (AVOID)
The Pretties series by Scott Westerfeld
The City of Ember
The Choice by Nicolas Sparks
City of Bones by Casandra Clare
The Lost Symbols by Dan Brown
Pretty much every goodreads.com book I won (11 of them!)
Stargirl series by Jerry Spinelli
35 Clues: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
Leven Thumps and the Secret of Foo
Books I reread that I had previously read-So I must really like them!: (books with asterisk I read more than once during the last 15 months).
Richest Man in Babylon by George Claswson
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Work and the Glory Series by Gerald Lund
Twilight series* by Stephanie Myers (no comments, I know)
Sackett's Land by Louis L'Amour
To the Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour
Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour
The Weigh Down Diet* by Gwen Schambers
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Thomas Jefferson Education* by Oliver DeMille
Leadership Education* by Oliver DeMille
Intelegro Math* by Tiffany Earl
Power of Full Engagement* by Jim Loehr
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery
Percy Jackson #1* by Rick Riordan
I hope the list gives you some good reading ideas!
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