Today, we added pumpkins to our giant poster entitled, “Life Cycle of Living Things That Use Sexual Reproduction.” Underneath the title it reads, “by Zach and Ezra and Tara.” I discouraged them from putting my name on the poster. It was their project, their work, I tried to say. But they weren’t having it. When I turned my back, Zach wrote my name on the poster. Which everyone who has ever done a project with their child knows to be... Read more
DRAFT #1: Once upon a time there were two little baby panthers. They were playing and they got so tired there mom called them in for dinner. After dinner they went to bed. Later the next morning they woke up and they ate breakfast and went out to play again. That was the version Zach did completely on his own. But Ezra protested, “Nothing happens. You need a lion to eat the panthers.” After much negotiation, where Zach protested... Read more
Apparently I forgot how exhausting it is to take care of a one year old. I can barely lift my fingers to type. I did not forget, however, how sweet it is to rock a baby to sleep. So, so sweet. Just remembered the ‘sleep while the baby sleeps’ rule, and I’m gonna head to bed. While I’m asleep, it would be nice if someone wrote in with any kind of rule about how I’m supposed to homeschool while the... Read more
Yup. We’re having a baby. Well, not really. But we are going to have temporary custody of the granddaughter of friends of ours. She’ll stay with us for a couple of weeks while she awaits a passport to go and live with her grandparents. I’m supposed to feel bad (and the situation does break my heart), but the thought of caring for a baby for more than an afternoon has given me an unexpected sense of joy. I don’t know... Read more
Mayflower Story I How many times have you heard about the poor Pilgrims who didn’t know how to get along in their new home until Squanto showed them the way? The story where Squanto stayed with the Pilgrims and taught them how to hunt and farm and helped them interact with their native neighbors. I’ve heard both the rosy, America-the-beautiful versions of that story as well as the White-men-are-devils versions. But it never occurred to me to ask, “Now how... Read more
“I’m cutting you in half and filling you with poison.” I imagine the play therapists would have a field day with that one. Ordinarily, I would simply be happy that the boys were engaging in pretend play of any kind. But I was still thinking about our doctor’s visit from Friday. Jeff and I met last Friday with a doctor who works with kids who have a profile similar to one of our boys. He was encouraging and informative in... Read more
…is good news, right? I hope so. Because I can’t think of a single thing to say tonight. See you Monday! Read more
What do barbershops, winter, and dead fish have to do with the word miserable? What do board games have to do with homeschool? Making connections, of course. While Zach and I were in Houston, our host’s mother called to say that she was reading through the blog and had made it to October. She had ordered the book Mind in the Making from the library based on my reviews of it. Based on her mother’s interest, my host wanted to... Read more
Here are three small paragraphs that I read today. I found them in a book called A Perfect Mess, which is about the benefits of messiness. What if the costs of being neat and well organized often outweigh the benefits? What if being somewhat messy, in a broad sense, is a better deal? It sounds almost ridiculous to suggest that the world had been ignoring the fairly obvious concept that there’s a cost to being neat and organized. You’d think... Read more
Here’s how it was advertised: It’s a City for Kids, Run by Kids! Kidtropolis, USA marks a brand new spot on the map as a real-life kid metropolis complete with a skyline, city government, occupations and the systems that make a city work. Kids will keep the city running by taking on the roles of: city leaders; voters; workers; shoppers; and business owners. They’ll participate in a sophisticated, simulated economy where they can spend money on items and experiences throughout the city. But, like in... Read more
The Homeschool Chronicles
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In