Tuesday, September 24

Moms don't get days off. Just about anyone with offspring has said this, but it is especially true of homeschooling moms. So when I messed up my back over the weekend, Monday morning schooling came all too quickly.

I had handled this before with our older kids. You can do a fair amount flat on your back, and my little guys thought it was pretty cool to spend the day in my room. We skipped English composition but otherwise got everything done.

At times, homeschooling parents have to get creative. After back surgery 12 years ago, I spent several weeks watching movie productions of Shakespeare plays with our second-oldest daughter. To this day, she enjoys Shakespeare. I have to wonder if the results would have been the same with a more traditional approach to studying literature?

Today I'm up, but being really picky about what I'll do.  Lord willing, this will soon be a forgotten blip on our homeschooling year.

Sunday, September 15

Is It Christian Curriculum?

After being away from a major Christian education publisher for a few years, I've had a fresh look at the examples given in the curriculum. The A Beka grammar books provide an excellent, traditional approach to the subject. Our oldest told me the lessons gave her a solid foundation for college writing.

Baby Samuel "helps" brother Isaac with math.
This year marks my first year using their language arts materials with Samuel and Uriah. During the first two weeks of school, a slight uneasiness crept into my mind, but it wasn't until the end of last week that I could identify the problem.

The textbooks give random selections of scripture quotations in the artwork. (I have to say in passing, that the books are very attractive and appealing and these attributes are a major selling point for us.) Sentence examples often draw from Biblical characters or use modern evangelical jargon: "Suzy Smith accepted Jesus as her savior."

None of these things by themselves are a problem. But I have a sense that these materials are presented as "Christian" because of the use of this language. In other words, if the examples or poetry side-notes were not specifically quoting from the Bible or using scriptural examples, they would no longer be "Christian." If you scatter enough Bible in, you've made the curriculum "Christian."

This contradicts what we teach our children. All of life is under the dominion of Christ. When they draw pictures of flowers it reflect as much upon their faith as diagramming a sentence with Noah as the subject. A formula in math reflects the orderliness of God's creation as much as a reflection on the Genesis narrative. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against quoting scripture in textbooks or anywhere else. But I get uneasy when I sense a divide between our faith and the so-called secular world. We will continue with these books, but I will need to make sure that the children aren't lulled into making the same distinction.

Thursday, September 12

A Spark of Genius

Baby Einstein videos flew off the shelves when they first came out about 10 years ago. Parents hoped to spark genius in their babies. Statistically, especially if that baby were a boy, about 1 in 100*  ended up with some form of autism diagnosis. An even tinier percentage proved to be both autistic and genius.
Jacob Barnett who was 12 when
 this picture and videos were made.

That makes moms give their children a second look, especially when a boy like Jacob Barnett comes along. Jacob is that rarest of children who shows talent beyond wildest expectations after an early-childhood autism diagnosis. If you haven't seen his video take a look at this budding mathematician and scientist. 

I definitely see a little bit of Samuel is him, particularly the memory, interest in math and science, and that irrepressible, nervous, friendly energy. A theory, shared by people like Temple Grandin, suggests that the autistic mind is simply wired differently. While that can surface as social difficulties, it can also make shortcuts in the brain that allows brilliance.

Sadly, that "different wiring" can result in children who have no ability to interact with the world around them, and no real way to discover or develop talents. 

I have no idea what Samuel will be able to do in his lifetime. I can cheer for the Jacob Barnetts of the world and remind mothers that they can be the best advocate for their spectrum kids. This video from 60 Minutes shows why.

* The autism statistics vary wildly, not helped at all by changes in how these kids are diagnosed.

Tuesday, September 10

Last night, while researching a future field trip, I came across a gem: the Smithsonian sponsors a nation-wide free museum day that extends well beyond its own museums and the confines of Washington D.C. With a little planning, you may visit a participating museum nation-wide and encounter no admission costs for one person and her guest. This is one day only, Sept. 28.

I've not participated before, so I cannot vouch for this activity, but will likely try it. By visiting the Smithsonian Magazine site, you may see which museums participate and print a required ticket to visit.

Note that this only gives you admission to a museum and does not cover any associated costs, such as parking. In some cases, this will give you no savings at all. For example, the Udvar-Hazy Center near us, never charges admission, but does charge $15 for parking before 4 p.m. You'd still have to pay this parking fee.

However, the Museum of the Shenandoah would normally cost $10 for an adult and $8 for a child. So that's a big savings. I also noticed several science and children's museums, which also normally charge admission.

The site gives you several search options. Since we're studying Virginia history, I searched within the commonwealth.

Monday, September 9

Making Music in the Mountains

Campers awoke to a foggy morning at the
 Rockbridge Mountain Music Festival
The music continued long into the night at last weekend's Rockbridge Mountain Music Festival. To the west of my tent, cloggers and contra dancers tapped along to a four-woman string combo. North, the sonorous tones of a bass fiddle thumped in the darkness. To the northeast, two women tried to sound significant in their duet. They didn't always succeed, but the rest of their group sounded sweet and happy.

What were the boys thinking? Snug in their tent about 18 inches away from mine, they likely reveled in camping for the night after an adventurous day. Or perhaps they remembered trying to make old time mountain music.

I loved the generosity of the music-makers. One bunch of Richmond musicians invited us into their campsite and were happy to answer our questions. ("We're studying Virginia history, what can you tell us about the music?") When Samuel looked a little bored, one guy practically tossed a mandolin into his lap. This was a nice instrument, mind you, made by Martin.

Over the course of about an hour, Uriah and Samuel tried out a banjo, ukulele, fiddles, and several mandolins. My guitar is the only stringed instrument these boys have ever held, but they've had a chance to see violins and a cello played at church. Somehow, that was enough for them to know how to get a fairly nice sound out of the fiddles. As we walked away from the group, one woman -- a retired teacher -- was calling out exact directions to find a fiddle that would be the proper fit for each boy.

My tent. Just kidding. The Paxton House, built in 1831
overlooks the Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, Va., site
of the festival.
At the dance in the evening, I explained the moves as they were called and told the boys what I knew of the round dance that came over from England and evolved into our contra and square dances. Maybe, just maybe one of the boys will grow into being a partner for me at our local contra dance?

We had only been at the festival a short time before the boys started talking about "next year." Mmmmm. I suppose if we do American history next year, this music and dancing would fit very well, thank you.

Thursday, September 5

Science on the Wing

If you've been around Samuel for more than five minutes, you know he has become crazy about birds. I've decided to run with that interest for science this year.

Almost all field guides show you where a species is likely to occur. How do the writers know that? In recent years, birders have contributed much of this information. By following specific protocols, they can help ornithologists grasp how many individual of a species live in a particular area. Put these observations together, and you get the species' range.

What if that information changes over time? Studies such as the Project Feeder Watch run by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology allow scientists to monitor the number of birds in their native winter habitat. Increases or decreases in number can signal improvements in habitat, loss of food sources, increases in predation, and many other significant factors in a bird's life cycle or ecosystem.

We will gain much by participating in Project FeederWatch. Samuel has learned a great deal about the sciences through his own reading, projects with other youths, and participation in interactive programs at museums. Project FeederWatch will enable us to do science. We will have to follow specific protocols to create useful data, keep good records, and submit them electronically on a regular basis. We can also develop hypotheses, then watch to see if our data supports them. Is there any correlation between feeding patterns and incoming weather systems? Do we see more aggressive feeding territorial behavior on a rainy day? We could ask a million questions, and we have a whole school year to answer them.


We're also going to learn bird anatomy which can create a good foundation for all vertebrate zoology. And to round out this year's science, Brian wants us to do additional physical science too. I'm thinking about following the boys' interest in space. More on that later.

Tuesday, September 3

Eating a History Lesson

What's better than history you can eat?

The boys and I made soft gingerbread today, based upon recipes from the Washington and Lee families. "Soft," or cake-like gingerbread came into vogue here in Virginia in the 1800s, but at least one recipe is attributed to George Washington's mother, Mary Ball Washington.

The author of the recipe retained in the Lee's Family Cooking and Housekeeping Book gave us the basic recipe. The Washington family recipe suggested stoned raisins (imagine trying to get the seeds out) and alcohol; I used cream sherry which would have been well known at the time.

Families passed their recipes along physically usually in specified notebooks or diaries along with housekeeping information. Without writing it down, the older generation of cooks also could tell the younger cooks specific information or even pass along favored crocks or pans. That information is lost to us now. I tried a tube pan and a shallow rectangular pan and put the few remaining dabs in cupcake papers. The cupcakes were yummy; now I'm waiting to taste the larger ones, with plans to serve one on Sunday. We're following the suggestion to serve with whipped cream.

As usual, Uriah was the most interested in cooking. And I'm hoping both boys heard enough about two of Virignia's great families to begin an appreciation that we can build upon as we study Virginia history throughout the school year.

Monday, September 2

Goals

Goals for a home schooling year may seem simple: learn simple sentence diagramming, recount the settlement of Virginia ... however, for a spectrum kid, goals need to identify skills that other teachers may take for granted.

For example, last year, Samuel learned to work all the way through "speed drill" math worksheets, writing each answer legibly. However, he still cannot look at a math problem in a book, transfer it to his own paper, then solve it while showing his work. This has become a major goal for this school year.

Over the last two school years, Samuel has learned to use a simple technique to plan writing compositions. (We used the writing diamonds out of the Sonlight curriculum.) This year, he will need to be able to select composition activities, then complete them on regular notebook paper. We have a writing center so we can work hard on composition skills.

And while I don't think the typical classroom teach and test approach is always necessary in home schooling (I almost fall into the un-schooling camp in this regard), I do believe Samuel needs to learn to be responsible for the knowledge he has been given. I will begin to incorporate a minimum of  tests and quizzes and teach strategies for their successful completion.

Sunday, September 1

Healing Scars

Our pastor read an astonishing poem this morning that I believe can comfort any parent dealing with a special needs child.  I find little in cyberspace about the author, Edward Shillito, who apparently wrote this as he ministered to the troubled hearts of men returning from the battlefields of World War I.  I don't use words like "astonishing" very easily, but believe this warrants such a reaction both for its literary accomplishments and theological contemplation.

"Jesus of the Scars"

A poem by Edward Shillito (1872-1948), a Free Church minister in England:
If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.
The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.
If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.
The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.