Visiting Jamestown

Samuel tries on a 1607-style military helmet and vest.

Hands-on history? What could be better? Except Jamestown Settlement has improved over the years.

Since we last visited, the foundation has constructed a beautiful new exhibit hall and visitor center that includes a first-rate movie about the England's first colony in the new world. Script-writers carefully wove their way through the delicate issues of slavery and European encroachment on the Indians, and side-stepped the myths perpetuated by Disney and others regarding Pocahontas.

In bad weather, a visitor likely could still learn much about the settlement through the film, photos and items stored inside facilities constructed for the 2007 anniversary of Virginia's founding. For us, making the 200-mile trip from Northern Virginia, it was worth waiting for nice weather.

Uriah also wandered about in
military garb while in the fort.

The outdoor exhibits have remained much the same since we first visited about 15 years ago, although I think the ships may have been rebuilt. Re-enactors stroll about and demonstrate the life-style skills of the early 1600s in the fort, Powhaten village, and ships that brought the original settlers. Because the tools and buildings are reconstructions, children are much freer to explore and play than they would be at a typical historic site. This is a crucial distinction for kids, especially those like Samuel that are extremely impulsive.

Those traveling greater distances often combine trips to Jamestown with visits to Virginia's early capital at Williamsburg and Yorktown, the site of the final American continental army's victory over the British. For us, one major historic site was plenty any given trip!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We're Back

We've been reintroduced to homeschooling in an odd way. No we never stopped, but we tried to. We talked to several local Christian schools, one even has a program to accommodate different learning styles. Teachers were enthusiastic about the work Samuel did last year. Then they started talking about test scores for IQ generated in a clinical setting. "We don't think our school is a good match for Samuel. Sorry."

From the beginning, I have been convinced of Samuel's capability, even when initial testing as a three year old placed him in the severely impaired range for a few skills. (This was a child with communications difficulties taking tests that required language to respond.)

Since we've homeschooled all the way through, I've been able to meet his skills, backing off where he needed more time to develop (especially in tasks involving handwriting) and plunging ahead where he excels: math and science.

Maybe that's what he needs: someone who really believes in him and is willing to take the time to find out what he can do. Someone like Mom.

Next time: some goals for our school year which begins next Tuesday.

Hey Mom, What is This?

The Wall Street Journal this morning reports the latest in math education: teach math concepts to preschoolers and kindergarteners rather than simple skills like number recognition. To me, this is another example of trying to overcome the weakness of placing young children in an incredibly sterile environment.

Because children are not in a working home, they miss the opportunity to easily learn from the world around them. Educators have to make up for this by creating pseudo learning experiences rather than the tangible, imitative learning that is most natural to children.

Let me give you an example of the latter. We missed a fair amount of planned lessons with family in town and the Thanksgiving break. But in that time, Samuel began to learn percentages, the difference between the Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales and adding fractions.

The percentages came from pursuing a few toys sales. What does this mean, 40 percent off? Well, a few snips with the scissors and I had 10 strips of paper and could visually show him the difference between the whole, 100 percent, and a portion of that, 60 percent.

The temperature scales came from his looking at a thermometer on the fish tank which gives both. Why does it say 27 C? A brief explanation and a few examples of typical winter and summer temperatures and Samuel began to grasp the idea of different measuring systems.

The fractions came from the ubiquitous cookies. (I'm convinced my kids will grow up thinking that "cookie" is a formal mathematical term since we use it in so many examples: you have a pile of 3 cookies here and 5 cookies here; which one would you rather have, which one is greater?) A question about halves --  can you have three halves? -- quickly led to a few paper cookies cut in half and examples of adding up fractional parts to make wholes.

By homeschooling, we can take advantage of a child's natural curiosity whether or not we are working through a set curriculum. Even better, the child doesn't have to wait until he's back in a "learning environment" to explore the concept again. If I find water on the floor, I can be sure the boys have dragged out my cup measures and gallon pitcher to re-enact the measuring exercises we did last year.

Education at its finest.

OK, we've hit Monday morning with a thud. After having grandparents visiting and the Thanksgiving holiday, our schedule has been uneven for weeks. Both events were wonderful for the kids, but difficult for homeschooling. So, now I have to get back to full curriculum after moving ahead in some classes while lagging completely in others.

One thing that has continued: Samuel shows a natural talent for math. He has been asking questions regarding fractions and percentages. I find ways to illustrate the concept (cutting up circles in one case so he could see that three halves equal 1 and 1 half) and find he quickly grasps the concept. I suppose that is the foundation for any schooling at home -- taking the opportunities as they come.

Older Autism

I've been asked about autism in adults. While my interest has been directed toward children, I can share bits and pieces I've learned over the years.

First, autism is generally first recognized in children. It is unlikely that the disorder develops later in life, but hits at a critical age when children are developing language and social skills.

The spectrum of disorders are now far more likely recognized in educational and medical circles. Before about 1980, autism was generally recognized as an acute disorder. So instead of being considered a spectrum kid, Samuel likely would have been labeled a "late bloomer" and a disruptive child. With our expanding knowledge regarding autism, more children are recognized to be on the spectrum at an earlier age.

That said, it is likely that folks older than about 30, may have gone un- (or miss-) diagnosed as children. Sadly, many were considered mentally unstable and even if diagnosed, unable to be handled outside of an institutional setting. (Temple Grandin's story is sadly typical of the 1950s. Without her mother's intevention, great talent would have been lost.)

I think it unlikely, that an adult would be severely autistic without someone having recognized a problem at an earlier age. However, a milder form, or Aspergers, may will have been missed. In trying to "diagnose" after the fact, family memory is likely the best guide. If others remember that a person was slow to start talking, made few friends, or was generally considered "weird," current autistic behaviors may well have been a life-long challenge.

You Shall Teach Them

Yesterday at lunch, our youngest observed that the crackers he ate looked like the bread our church uses for communion. I told the boys about matzoh and its use in the Old Testament during Passover. We talked at length about God passing over and protecting the little ones of Israel. That led to discussions about God's people and about worshiping in the way God prescribes.

This is the very essence of why we home school. This is why our family embraced the challenge of educating an autistic child. Yes, having a Christ-centered curriculum keeps a child's worldview intact, not dividing the "religious" from the "secular." But the real importance comes in these day-to-day interactions when a child's questions lead right into the heart of our faith.

When we contact the local school board regarding our decision to home school, we cite such scriptures as Deuteronomy 11:19: "You shall teach them [God's laws] to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up."

Quite frankly, the responsibility of this scares me. But I am delighted to see God working this out in our home, to see how He is working in my children's hearts to ask the questions and to discuss my responses.

October 31, 1517

"...we will not fear for God has will His truth to triumph through us."

These words, part of Martin Luther's A Mighty Fortress is Our God, always catch my eye and ear. This is particularly true given the number of people who suffered great hardship to stand for the truth of the Bible during the Reformation. Let's take the time to remember them this eve of Reformation Day.

Let it .... what?

We have snow in the forecast!?! We typically get our first snow around the first weekend of December, and here we haven't started November. Samuel has figured out that I have not purchased winter boots yet and has been rather miffed. My boys really like those suede boot with fleece lining, but they wear right through them even when I purchased a better brand last year. I guess this is our wake up call for winter. I'm hoping the weather doesn't interfere with our plans for a Reformation Day celebration on Sunday. 

Math in Fact

I don't know why I didn't think of this a million  years ago. If we do our math speed drill last, Samuel has plenty of motivation to move rapidly through the problems so he's done with school for the day!

We have pages of simple additional, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. The idea is to get the student to where he doesn't have to stop and remember each math fact -- it comes to mind naturally and rapidly. "Rote" learning is not popular these days in education circles, but for math, it is important.

This proved itself recently for our second oldest daughter. Esther had an accounting exam in a college class, and she forgot her calculator. Taking the test later was not an option. So she sat there and did all the calculations by hand taking advantage of the speed and accuracy she'd gained doing speed drills all those years ago!

Natural Learning

Any home school reflects its own family. I don't just mean values with an upper case V, but the interests that develop within a particular home. This specialized knowledge adds depth and dimension to a home program. Since my background includes work with the US Forest Service, birds, trees and snakes are a comfortable part of our school

Our oldest daughter had a great field botany class in college. So each year in early spring, she takes the boys and me on a hike over at Balls Bluff, a park that overlooks the Potomac River. We hunt for ephemeral flowers, the ones like trout lily, wild ginger, and trillium that take advantage of the sun that reaches the forest floor before the trees leaf out.

I made the photo at the top of this blog last spring during our flower hike. The boys mostly ran around enjoying the fresh air, splashing in (cold!) creeks and climbing over fallen logs. But they also began to develop the ground work for knowing and appreciating the tiniest flowers and plants.

A Sunday Rest ...

... the calm before a busy school week.