Teaching through Daily Routines

Last night I was busy sorting laundry and starting to fold when Elliot came into his bedroom by me with a blanket. He said 'I do I make it Mama?'. He wanted to know how to fold the large fleece blanket. So, I showed him how to 'match' the corners, using his language, and how to smooth out the wrinkles and lay it down and continue matching the corners. He was very pleased with the end result and carried the blanket out to the living room. I continued on with my laundry and thought about how interesting it was that he had suddenly shown interest in folding. Within a minute he was at my side again dragging my 'God' blanket (what he calls my blanket with the Lord's Prayer written on it) and is asking how he can match that blanket, the one that also has fringes. So, again we go through the steps to fold this blanket and his enthusiasm is growing! He is proud of himself and I only intervene if he asks for my guidance. He proudly held up the folded blanket, smiles, and struts out of the room while clutching it to his little body with his arms wrapped all the way around it and takes the blanket out to the living room. I found later that he had stacked them as neatly as you can expect a 5yo too, on my footstool.

When Elliot returned to the bedroom a few minutes later I was about to start hanging up his shirts on his little white hangers. Elliot asked me to show him how to hang his shirts. I was quite happy with his interest in these tasks that I am blessed with, yet seem mundane. Elliot however, is an eager listener and is very engaged in watching me do a demonstration. Showing him which way to face the hanger, how to prepare the shirt for hanging (tag on the bottom, picture on the top) and how to straighten the shirt once it is hung. I start with his basic white undershirts. Once he successfully hangs those correctly and lays them aside neatly I tell him that 'Now you get to do a shirt with a picture on it', and I present him with his white 'Planes' Disney shirt. He then progresses to colored shirts and the 'more difficult' long sleeved shirts. Then, we have a tricky one, it is a long sleeved striped shirt. There is no picture on it. So, how do we find the front and the back? He remembers! 'Look for the tag!' he exclaims. So, we carefully look for the tag and he hangs the shirt correctly. After this, we have a sweater, and finally, the most difficult one, a sweater with a hood and a zipper. 'Elliot', I say, 'This sweater is going to be the most difficult shirt to hang tonight, are you ready?'. I present him with the zippered and hooded sweater for him to figure out. He lays it out on the floor correctly and I ask him what will he need to do next 'Zipper it!' he exclaimed. So, he zippers it with a little assistance from me and then he gets his hanger ready. I show him that he can unzip it a little bit so that it is easier to slide the hanger in, and then zip it up the rest of the way, and he is pleased with the thought of extra zipping. He hangs the sweater all by himself and is really pleased. I send him to Emily for assistance in hanging it on the high closet rod, and he has a difficult time because he wants to do it himself. He relents and becomes satisfied with taking two tops at a time to Emily to be hung.

 

A job well done Elliot. Two new tasks learned.



Later that night I found my children snuggled up reading a book together. I love all of the moments, but some I hold a bit closer to my heart.

 

 

As I go about my daily tasks I try to be mindful of the little ears in my house. Little ears are listening all the time, even when they seem so engrossed in an activity. Emily and Elliot have both been eager to help with chores from a young age and I try to encourage them to enjoy these activities that don't seem as fun as we age. Elliot has a mop that I bought at the dollar store and then used a saw to cut down the handle to child size, he loves to get that out and sweep the kitchen! He has an apron that I gifted him Easter 2014, and asks for help putting it on so that he can wash the dishes. He may not do the chores to my personal standards, but he is learning about being a part of a family and doing his part to help. Emily, being 12 now, is quite used to having chores that seemed so fun not too many years ago, but she gets them done and has pride in her work. I teacher her how my Dad always taught me to 'Do it right the first time and you won't have to do it a second time.'. And as I have picked out dishes that are not quite clean over the years for her to redo, she has learned to be more thorough in her dish washing and other chores.

 

I am grateful that I have a home to clean and simple chores to do every day. I hope that I will be able to make that more evident to my children and more conscious of how I approach these tasks.

 

 

God bless,

Tara

 

Proverbs 22:6

Living Books

Today was fantastic! Emily did her regular coursework and also had computer lessons. She finished out her day by going back in time! She really enjoys learning about the different Native American tribes and the history of our continent. We have started our book on America's story, a Living History
book, this week. Living books are used in the Charlotte Mason approach to learning and really engage the learner through art, vocabulary geography, history and narration. This year we will do a lesson weekly from the ancient American all the way through the gold rush!

Emily will be journaling as she goes through this book, writing reports and making some wonderful projects!

We use Living Books in science as well. Emily is studying two science courses this year.
~And It Was Good
This is a Creation science study that will help Emily to learn and understand better why the Bible is true in its account of Creation, and why evolution can't be. This study focuses on a young pastor and wife who take over a small country church.

~Let The Rocks Cry Out
This book teaches geology, and focuses on volcanoes, lightning, rocks, earthquakes, storms, light, sound, clouds, weather, the laws of thermodynamics and so much more!

Even Elliot is at an age where he can learn concepts from these books! Homeschooling with Living Books is so wonderful as it is easy to adapt for differing ages and abilities.

Cross Country

Welcome everyone to my first blog post!

         I had my last cross country practice today and I am proud of the progress that I have made this season! When I was younger I had asthma and could not do much with out coughing and having to take a break. Now I have grown out of it and decided to join cross country to build up my endurance. I was not able to race at all this year but that's okay. I'll get them next year!

At the beginning of the season, I could only run about 600 m. But now I can run 2 miles with breaks!! 


         Emily
         (Official Blogger)    

Be Flexible and Adapt

One of the great benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility. I like to keep our schedule as best as I can, but life happens. This last week both kids had appointments in Madison on separate days. Emily had to get some stubborn baby teeth pulled on Wednesday and spent part of the day resting afterwards. By dinner time she was feeling pretty good and most of the numbness had worn off!

 

 



 



Thursday Elliot had a follow-up appointment at the Children's Hospital and we wanted that day for family. We had a wonderful time with my sweet sister and were able to spend several hours with my grandparents! Around dinner time we headed to my sister and mom's house to spend time with them and my little niece. What a great day we had!!

 

Elliot got measured a few times and got 3 Thomas stickers!

 

 

Kids took a break.

 

Then we bounced around with Aunty Tiffany in the movie room!

We always have so much fun at the Children's Hospital!

 

Elliot and I stopped into Hyvee for some snacks.

Elliot and Kitty Louis were great shoppers!

 

 

 

What a great day and beautiful weather we had! We were all tuckered out when we got home!

 

 

Friday was another day on the move. I was helping a friend with her daycare and Emily had lots of things to do. Testing at 10:30, home for lunch and then back to school for band, gym and cross country! Emily had to practice her clarinet also and prepare for her first performance that night, playing with the high school band at the football game! After cross country she had to get home, shower and dressed for the game and Elliot and I arrived home in time to get a pizza in the oven, eat and take her back to school!

 

Emily did great that night and our team won! It was a great experience for her. They played in the stands and then they marched on the field during half-time. She said that she was nervous, but it sure didn't show!

 



 

 

Saturday gave us another fun and busy day! It was the fire station's open house so we went there with Emily's friend in the morning. We enjoyed having beautiful weather for it this year and playing on the fire trucks, hovercraft and many other activities! We had to forgo a hike in order for Emily to finish up her school work from the last 3 busy days so she could go spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa! But, that's okay, we have a gorgeous week of weather ahead of us and will go another day when we aren't in a time crunch.

 

Emily practiced her pitching skills, 26mph!

 

Elliot tried on the shooting range with a plastic gun and bullet-proof vest!

 

We are in the bucket of the fire truck!

 

Emily got to be a 'patient' and even get her heart monitored.

 

The kids and Emily's friend hanging out in the hovercraft!



 

Thanks for reading and being a part of our lives! Have a great week in Christ!

 

Love,

The Woodruff's

Proverbs 22:6



 



Our Curriculum

I thought I'd write a small post on the curriculum we are using. It is mostly the same as the one we used in fourth grade. We changed our Math curriculum from Singapore Math to Life of Fred. Our other subjects remain the same, Queen Homeschool.

Life of Fred mathematics is a different approach to learning math. Their slogan is 'Math...as serious as it needs to be!' and that describes it perfectly. This math curriculum makes 'math come alive for the student with lots of humor, clear explanations and silly illustrations that will stick in the students mind'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lygp8l0DUiU#action=share

www.lifeoffredmath.com


The rest of our curriculum, Queen Homeschool (www.queenhomeschooling.com), is Christ based and a Charlotte Mason approach to learning. It encourages the education of the whole person, not just the mind. She has a three-pronged approach to learning, in her words, 'Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.'

From www.simplycharlottemason.com:

An Atmosphere, A Discipline, A Life

By “Atmosphere,” Charlotte meant the surroundings in which the child grows up. A child absorbs a lot from his home environment. Charlotte believed that the ideas that rule your life as the parent make up one-third of your child’s education.
By “Discipline,” Charlotte meant the discipline of good habits—and specifically habits of character. Cultivating good habits in your child’s life make up another third of his education.
The other third of education, “Life,” applies to academics. Charlotte believed that we should give children living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts. So all of her methods for teaching the various school subjects are built around that concept.


I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our homeschooling world! Any questions, just ask!

Band, Home Economics, and Fitness!

Emily is continuing her clarinet lessons and is really enjoying learning her instrument. Recently she was found sitting outside practicing on a beautiful late September afternoon!

 

Emily treated Elliot, myself and our neighbors with some yummy little cupcakes two weeks ago!

 

 

Here is Emily after running 2 miles! Way to go girl! She is enjoying the challenges cross country is giving her!

 

Three Years Later....Welcome to 7th Grade!

So much has transpired in the three years since my last post! Emily was not interested in the blog so much back then, but now at 12, she sure is!

So, to recap, Emily homeschooled for 4th grade and went back to St. J for 5th and 6th. When she returned in 5th grade at the first conferences it was brought to my attention by two teachers that there was a meeting for all of her teachers prior to the school year. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss with the teachers how to get Emily 'caught up'. with their curriculum. Apparently, it was expected that we did not 'keep up' and that Emily would need some extra help getting on track. Well, we did not spend 4th grade twiddling our thumbs!! That's for sure!!!  Those two teachers both shared with me that Emily was not behind in her studies at all and all of the teachers were very impressed at her transition back into school!

Fourth grade came with it's challenges but we really did have a wonderful school year. Emily progressed very well in her studies and we had a lot more family time at night since her schoolwork was already completed for the day. I had a daycare to run and special needs son to care for. It was difficult but we made it. With many tears, prayer and love for my daughter I decided it would be best for her to reenter school at St. J in 5th grade. Unfortunately the same issues that caused me to school her at home were still present, and much more fierce. Emily's spirit really diminished in 6th grade and by December I was praying again about the course of her schooling, knowing we could NOT go on as we were. We do LOVE St. J, but if parents will not parent their children and put an end to the bullying, no matter how much effort the staff puts in, it still happens. Emily who had maintained Honor Roll every quarter since she started middle school in 5th grade (so much for her being 'behind'!) had a dramatic drop in a few of her courses by December of 6th grade. Nearly every day she would have some event of bullying to tell me about. But, the next day she went back to school happy and excited. She loved school, but the problems with her peers persisted. The children even tried to bring a new girl into their web and after a few weeks the new girl told Emily that she thought she was just a nice, sweet and normal girl, not like what the kids were saying. Emily and I had a nice long talk about this newest escalation and prayed about how to deal with it.

Christmas of 2013 we tried to just relax our minds from the persistent issues at school and enjoy our family time, start the new semester and year fresh. Soon I realized that this was not going to be enough. I started getting emails from her teachers asking for work that wasn't turned in or wasn't completed. We met face to face with her teachers and I personally escorted her to her teachers to hand in her completed work for a week. Emily had always been a great student so this was puzzling to all of us! I had friends and family speak with Emily so she wasn't just hearing it from me, and she got better at turning her work in completed. Her grades continued to suffer though. It wasn't that the work was too difficult or that she didn't understand it though.

Emily and I started to discuss schooling options for the next year together by February. I had her make lists of the positives and negatives of returning to St. J, public school, or homeschool. On April 22nd this is what she typed up:

Home school

Positive

·         I would be able to spend more time with my favorite Mom.

·         I would be able to play outside more.

·         I would have a teacher that is more understanding because she is my Mom.

·         I would be able to learn at my own rate.

·         I would be able to see my friends more often.

·         I could do schooling with Noah , Ezra, Maisyn, Mykenza and Tavin

·         I wouldn’t feel put down.

·         I can do schooling all year or not.

·         If I am sick I can still do homework and won’t miss a day in school.

·         I would make more memories with my friends and family.

 

Negative

·         I would be able to spend more time with my favorite Mom. Hahaha

·         Scroll down more (not a negative)

 

Build me up

·         I feel more comfortable.

·         I have more responsibilities.

·         It makes me feel good to work at my own pace and go faster or I can take more time to learn something better.

·         I can learn more about real life.

·         I feel more independent.

·         I have more opportunities to do things in the community like volunteering and getting a small job when I am older.

·         I would feel proud to be able help out other people in the community.

·         I would be able to help my Mom if she needs help with her homework too.

·         I would do my schoolwork in an area that is more familiar and comfortable and that would help me to learn better.

·         I don’t have to stop working on an assignment to go to another class and change my way of thinking to go to a different class.

·         I can have more time with my family.

·         I won’t be distracted by other classmates (such as asking questions, talking etc……).

St John’s

Positive

·         Good teachers

·         A few friends not in class

·         Christian school

·         I like the learning environment.

 

Negative

·         Kids in class are mean and it makes me feel bad about myself.

·         I don’t have very many friends at this school.

·         There is no one to witness to because they already know who God is.

Build me up

I do enjoy talking to kids in class like Matthew S. and sometimes Hannah, and those girls in 7^th grade Emma, Emily and Kimberly.

I have a good interaction with teachers.

I am able to work with kids in my class and negotiate.

There are some things that I can talk about and feel comfortable talking about with my friends above and feel like they are not going to be mean.

 

Break me down

I don’t feel important when people say mean things about me and call me names. They call me annoying, mean, bossy, too dramatic, that I tattletale.

Showing me a card with a troll on it and asking me who it is, and then going over to a group of kids and laughing.

A new student eluding to me that the other students are saying untruths about me.

Austin R saying ‘Guess what my favorite grade was?’ The grades you weren’t here.

Public

Positive

·         I would have some good friends there already.

·         I would be able to spread God’s word.

·         I would be able to make new friends.

·         I wouldn’t feel put down.

 

Negative

·         The same thing might happen as the first time I started school, kids might not like me and be mean again.

·         The kids might not like that I am telling them about God.

This amazed me 6 months ago and still amazes me now. How perceptive Emily is and how much thought she really put into it. I spent much time looking into other Christian schools in the area up to 25 miles away also. I hope our readers can see how much prayer and thought we have put into this decision to homeschool again. I did privately make a decision close to the end of the school year, but I did not make it known to Emily until after school was finished on the last day. I did it then because she needed a pick me up from the last 3 incidences that she had to deal with on that 3 hour school day. She was absolutely over the moon and it brought much joy to me that she did not feel the burden she had been carrying for years anymore.

At this point I began working towards deciding on her curriculum for the fall. We did do some schooling throughout the summer, but only used supplies we could buy or use locally. Emily and I had several discussions about the option of public school still because I feel that at this age she is mature enough to help make the decision.

During the summer we moved 10 miles to a smaller town and we are very much enjoying our new home and community. I decided to contact the school system here and inquire about enrolling Emily for a few classes. I was delighted to speak with the middle school principal who is an advocate to homeschooling and was very open to our options. Emily and I decided that she would take band, choir, and gym, and would also join cross country! This has become a great balance for us and a month in she is really enjoying it! Emily is also in the process of taking MAPS testing and has scored very high on her tests! Standardized testing is completely optional for homeschooling families and I have my own reasons that I decided to have her take it. I will also be receiving the full results of the testing.

Due to some circumstances out of my control we have not yet begun our formal homeschool curriculum, but today I did receive her curriculum! Homeschooling means that we can start school when we want, take breaks when we need to and finish the year when we are ready rather than following the traditional school calendar. We homeschool in the morning and by 11 we are prepping lunch. Elliot and I leave for preschool at 11:30 and then Emily does her chores, schoolwork or relaxes until it is time for her to go to middle school for her activities. We also have time for both children to start violin lessons as soon as I am able to acquire the instruments!

I am truly blessed to be able to raise my children according to God's will. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Raise up your child in the way in which they should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it". This is the verse that I rely on as I raise my daughter and son. I have many difficult decisions to make but God is with me. Please pray for us as we continue on our journey. God is our shepherd and I call on Him to lead me as I teach my children to follow Him. God blessed me with two beautiful children on earth to raise in His ways. It is my duty and blessing to do so. Children grow so fast and I only have one opportunity to mother them as well as I can.

I hope that you will visit our blog to see what we have been up to! Or better yet, call and ask Emily or I what we are studying!