(Warning: This is a ridiculously long post – made longer by this warning. But I loved this last skill. Back to short and sweet tomorrow.) We were at a birthday party last week when one of the girls from Zach’s 1st grade class asked him, “So you have school in your house now?” “Yeah,” he answered as his eyes lit up. “Well, do you learn anything there?” she asked skeptically. “Mmmhmmm.” “Do you know who Mahatma Gandhi is?” This was... Read more
(Note: I took a break today from reviewing the life skills described in Ellen Galinsky’s new book, Mind in the Making. I will finish up with the final skill tomorrow.) Today was Day 31 of this one-year experiment. And when you say it that way, it sounds like we’re only one month in on a twelve-month journey. But, legally, I only have to homeschool for 180 days. So I am actually 1/6 of the way there. “I can do... Read more
Zach was talking to his grandmother this weekend on speaker phone, and she asked how homeschool was going. “It’s good.” “It is? What are you learning?” “Nothing. It’s easy.” “It’s easy? Well, aren’t you learning writing and math and history?” “Nope. We don’t do those. Everything is easy. Which would be bad news if it were true. But it’s not. It’s just that Zach has to say that everything is easy to maintain his sense of himself as being good at... Read more
“Mommy, why do the leaves fall from the top of the tree first?” Ezra asked this question in the car last week, and before I could say anything in response, he and Zachary started spouting off theories about what could cause this phenomenon. Which is good, because I had nothing to say. I had never noticed that the leaves fell first from the top and was trying to decide if it was true. But sure enough, as we drove on... Read more
“It’s so amazing, Momma. Your bum is so large it can cover up the entire stool.” “Yes, thanks for noticing.” “Seriously, it covers like the whoooole thing.” Ezra seems to find no end of things to which he can compare the size of my “bum.” The stool comparison happened this morning, while we were homeschooling at Starbucks as our car was being repaired. According to Ellen Galinsky, the author of Mind in the Making, I should probably have followed up... Read more
Fell asleep at work today. Homeschool, work, life. Mommy needs a nap. Will resume tomorrow. Read more
“This is where it happened.” That’s how Ezra began one of his tall tales last year. As he and Jeff were walking by a corner in Central Square, Ezra launched into a story of how my mother was mugged the last time she was in town and crossing the street with Ezra on that very corner. The story was full of just the right details: She said not to tell anyone because no one got hurt. My mother would absolutely... Read more
On our first visit to the MFA two weeks ago, Jake asked the boys, “Do you know the three rules of an art museum?” Ezra responded quickly and exuberantly. “No violence!” “OK – four rules,” Jake replied while laughing. I don’t know what kind of kids Jake normally gets at the museum, but for my boys No Violence has to be at the top of the rule list. They just can’t keep their hands off of each other. They sleep... Read more
“Can we please focus?!” This is a plea the boys hear many times during a typical morning. And the answer always appears to be no. They are too busy trying to stay in their seats, sometimes literally gripping the sides to keep from bouncing up. They are too distracted by their brother’s work and what number he is on and using that information to prove something about their innate goodness or lack thereof. They can not stop rolling the pencil back... Read more
Do you find yourself talking about executive function skills at cocktail parties these days? OK – neither do I. But only because no one invites me to cocktail parties. If they did, though, I might ruin their soiree by blathering on about the latest trend in how to obsess about having the perfect child. When I taught public high school in NYC, the veteran teachers would grumble each year as the latest school reform effort. But not me. I loved... Read more
The Homeschool Chronicles
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In