Some thoughts on public school...

So, at R's first parent-teacher conference they were showing us his grades for reading and math.  He was improving in reading and doing fine in math.  His scores were up on the tests, yada yada.  So after a while she asks us if we have any questions.  I did.  I asked how he was doing in the other subjects like science, social studies, history, etc.  But mostly I was curious how he was doing in science since he loves it.

She got quiet for a moment and said, "We are not allowed to schedule time to teach those subjects."

What the...?  What?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I try to incorporate some of those principles in, but I have to do it in the context of reading or math."  She's obviously embarrassed at this point.

So, just so I'm clear here... "So he's not getting any science?"

"Not specifically, no. But next semester we'll do science experiments on Fridays.  I'll do that instead of Centers." She says.  Since they only get one recess and it's in the morning, Centers is their afternoon break time and it's indoors.  I'm disappointed that he'll miss out on the indoor free play, but experiments sound fun too.

But NO time for SCIENCE... I was horrified.  So I asked, "When are the teachers allowed to schedule science?"

"They are allotted time for science starting in the fourth grade."

So, my kid gets next to no science until the fourth grade.  I'm pretty much speechless at this point.  And a million thoughts popped into my head.

But most especially I thought, well, if I don't want to squash his inquisitive nature I'd better start teaching him at home.

Summer's gone...

And it seems like no time at all another summer is gone!

This year we have TWO children in school.  R is in the first grade at our local public school and S is in preschool at the University.

And just as soon as we sent them off to school, V turned one.

Homeschoolers to Afterschoolers

This has been a difficult year.  With both of us grown-ups working and going to school we've had to make some tough decisions and I don't just mean financially.  We pulled R out of preschool in the winter as we knew we'd need the nanny more to cover my ours teaching and working.  R didn't love his preschool, but I was sad to see him leave.  So for the entire Spring semester we just "maintained".  The kids played together and very little learning occurred.  When N got the full time instructor position, it was a huge relief to us.  Our savings were pretty much as depleted as our home rhythm.  Not to mention the exhaustion I've felt by being 34 and pregnant, taking care of the entire family, graduate school, working, etc.  Too much!

So when I brought up the idea of homeschooling the kids, N was not crazy about it.  We did a lot of talking and I even purchased some super cheap (used) homeschool curriculum.  But N couldn't be convinced.  So I reluctantly took my baby to Kindergarten Roundup in April.

Up to this point, I intended to homeschool in a Waldorf-inspired manner.  Saving intense academia for another year or two and just focusing on childhood and fostering creativity.  So starting in August we'll be Waldorf-inspired Afterschoolers instead of homeschoolers.

Then I started to have some anxiety.  With sending him to public school Kindy in the fall, it's become more clear to me that I need to "bring him up to date" so to speak with expected academics.  Here's where that used homeschool curriculum comes into play.

We are loosely following the Oak Meadow First Grade program.  And this week we started with "A" and will soon move on to "B".

As you can see in this last picture, R is distracted by something happening in the backyard.  That's because Daddy is doing a bit of his own learning.  He's attempting to filter rocks out of our soil with one of the trays from my worm bin (what? doesn't everyone vermicompost?).  This is only the beginning.  Huge muddy mess ensues...

And I'm okay with this sort of lesson too.  We still have another activity planned for when they get cleaned up and come inside.

A Waldorf Inspired Craft: Getting Ready for School

Since we haven't worked on letters much around these parts and it looks like we'll be Waldorf "Afterschoolers" I figured it might be a good time to work on the alphabet.

Also, on our double Graduate Assistant Income, we've got to be as frugal as possible.  Here's what I started with:

The little treasure boxes were a facebook trade.  I traded some modeling clay for theses boxes and some fabric.  So cost involved was only shipping.  The little chalkboards are from a resale group called The Waldorf Tag Sale (also on Facebook).  Cost with shipping was about $12.  The two boxes of chalk were purchased from a co-operative called Cedar Ring Circle.  I think they came in at less than $2 a box.

The little treasure boxes were rough hewn wood and needed a good sanding.  After the sanding and a quick woodburned letter, I "stained" them with some instant decaf (my favorite wood stain) and topped off with a nice coat of my homemade beeswax polish.  S had a good time painting the coffee on and helping me seal with polish.  Perfect messy craft for a 3 year old.

Coffee stain and wood polish can make any cheap wood look richer!

Here's how they turned out:

And here's a shot of our "homeschool" complete with Stitch sitting there in the window: