Our Lifestyle of Learning Progress

This is an honest view of our LOL education progress over the past couple of weeks. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I think we are headed in the right direction. I wanted to share how it was going with each child.

K (9)- She is the easiest, but I'm not sure why. After searching on the internet for log cabin models to go with our read aloud, I came across some very talented kids that make popsicle barns for their Breyer horses. I showed these to her and she immediately wanted to make her own. This also included homemade saddles and bridles. We learned that 1,000 craft sticks don't go as far as you would think. I also picked up a nice sketch pad at the Goodwill, which inspired her to start a horse notebook. I have a feeling that if she were in school, she would be given a label, but she is very motivated to learn despite the fact that she struggles with reading and writing. She also wrote a fairly long letter to big sister to go along with a package she is sending. She also decided that she would make some Breyer horse movies -- who knows where this will lead. The movie did not go well since I had some technical issues with my camera. I tried not to panic, realizing that all the kinks and issues are part of our education.

J (He may be 11 (10/31) by the time I get this posted)--his main interest now is war, so his writing is mostly his war story. I suggested that he make a diorama of a famous battle scene. I wasn't going to press the issue. I am still tempted to want something to "show" that he is learning, I admit. After showing him some diorama ideas from the web, he decided to make a scene of Afghanistan. He has been tempted to buy more guns, minifigures, etc. for his diorama (using some birthday money), but I encouraged him to look around and see what he already had. One goal is to teach him to be creative, and not run out and spend more money.

He is also working with clay, adding uniforms to the lego guys. I really wish he would make a battle scene from WW II, and then maybe write a summary--we will see. I will require some type of book report on his independent reading, Snow Treasure (kids that smuggle gold during WW II). He plans to do that.

J (12) --She is reading a book, Fever 1793 (yellow fever). Once she is finished, I want to try and go to our local museum which has a yellow fever exhibit. She plans to write a book report. She is also working on painting one of those solar system kits, writing two stories, and learning the keyboard. She has always shown interest in geography, which I regret not encouraging. She has a penpal from Sri Lanka, which has prompted her to learn a little about the country. That may be another route to take. She is also copying smoothie recipes in a little recipe book. We are learning about herbs and adding them to our smoothies. I want all of my kids to have a knowledge of herbs and how to use them.
She is so athletic and active, which can be a challenge. Since sports are her main interest, it is tempting to just give her a stack of textbooks.

R (7)--He is a little more challenging, for various reasons that I won't get into :( He is interested in sea creatures, dinosaurs, etc. Collections, as suggested in Wisdom's Way are an easy way to gain knowledge. I bought him a State Series Quarters collector's map. If anything, this will hopefully inspire collections in our family.
I also put him in charge of our mini nature museum (prompted by his finding a turtle shell). He decided to draw pictures of what we had collected so far. I did suggest writing the names of our findings. I also plan to keep doing Five in Row, with all the great topics to explore, which will create some new interests. The good thing, he is just seven!

I (5)--she enjoys doing anything K (9) does! She took off on the popsicle stick crafts, even using them to make her name! Five in a Row is the core of her learning for now. She loves to go on what she calls "adventures." We may be headed for a big adventure if the land (pictured in a previous post) comes through :)

I have two read alouds going, The Great War and On the Banks of Plum Creek.

This is just a beginning. I know that I still have the traditional school mindset. One challenge is for me to not worry about what will come next, to be patient while guiding and observing. Also, I have to remember that process is more important than product.

Thanks for reading!

**Math, copywork, phonics, etc. are not mentioned but still very much a part of our days.