I have spent the past many, many days preparing for two lapbooking units for my two boys.  This is my first real effort in creating study units.  We are going to be gone for a month and I figured what better- and less cumbersome- way to take on these units than through lapbooking.

In my quest for information I have found some amazing stuff.  People are doing great things in lapbook and thankfully recording their efforts in the form of blogs and flickr.  Which I too shall do so as to assist others new to lapbooking in the process… because, surely, if I can do it… anyone can.

There are printing pages for animals…. There are free map pages, outlined maps specifically, also for printing…. and places to spruce up the lapbook itself with all kinds of creative little book ideas of all shapes, sizes and complexity!

The tough part for me was finding free stuff.  Sure I could go and drop $20 bucks a pop on ideas and templates, but really, people, it’s all out there free for the searching!!  Fellow homeschoolers as well as other organizations and institutions, education advocates all, are tremendously generous in what they provide.

We are taking Mayan Civilazation and Oceans on the road with us.  We are going to our beach shack- truly a shack, I assure you- in the Yucatan… so these are particularly relevant to our experience there. We may also do up smaller versions on the impending federal elections- Canada and U.S.
We’ll catch up with B.C. Explorers when we get back.

There isn’t much time left. Time’s a-wastin’!

Check out Kids Know Stuff for a great give-away!!

Yes, you!  Go, now!

Husband recently spoke with a colleague about our homeschooling.
Well, holy schmoly. You’d think he’d announced he was newly initiated member of FLDS, taking on new wives and handing off underage daughter child to middle aged prophet, while also busy campaigning for immediate release and pardon for Charles Manson.

The questions. The doubt. The concern. We are obviously off proverbial rockers, engaging in mad, misguided experiment with children’s precious futures. Ack!

In response: No, other than knowing my children and their needs, academically and otherwise, I am absolutely not qualified. And no, trying not to be concerned with not being qualified. Ill prepared? Oh yeah… without a doubt! Do I know calculus? Um… nope. Will I? Probably not. How will they be appropriately socialized? They won’t. Part of our program is locking children in cage in deepest, darkest corner of basement… feeding them cracker crumbs and Kool Aid and making them watch Three’s Company on continuous loop. Mad experiment, remember….

And the kicker: “shielding them from reality”… right. Seeing up close and personal what happens in a day full of work, expectation, working through conflict with us and each other, chores, how we make our money, going to the bank, shopping for groceries, demands of the day, etc., etc., etc., leaves them blind to the realities of life. Ahem. Believe me, they see it all. We are merely shielding them from the daily grind of classroom management with disruptive delinquents, fruitless stress of trying to keep up with peers, and Christmas concerts. Daaaay-ummmmb.
Structured? Hell, no! But, this winter we sure put in an earnest effort. Since? Out. Window.

Our schedule? Play. Exercise. Lots of gardening. Taking pictures- Beasley has recently caught the bug. Errands. Chores. Outings. Reading. Art. TutorVista sessions. A workbook here or there. Travel. Camping. Time to discover new and varied passions.
OK… so there’s a bit of mad experiment involved. But my eldest, previously non-reading, child… is now reading. Voraciously! OK, so they’re graphic novels. But they still have words. And he’s reading them. Voraciously! Honestly, on this issue… I don’t care if he’s reading Penthouse Forum- just as long as he’s reading.

After much mulling, haranguing and debate we have come to a conclusion about whether or not to pay for lady’s specialized instruction.  What did we come up with?

Well, very reasonably and with an uncharacteristic show of common sense, we decided we would use her services on a trial basis to see what Beasley and I get out of it.  Four hour session, by four hour session.  I am anticipating about a month’s worth of work with her, where I can develop an adequate aresenal of tools and approaches that might better acommodate the learning challenges associated with his lack of Visual Memory.

I am rather relieved.  He and I should come out of this time with her much further ahead…  I’m excited about it.

What better way to get in the mood for spring… than to get gardening?  February 1st?  Sounds pretty good to me.

School, today, consists of heading to the local hardware store garden centre and getting stocked up on the beginnings of our herb garden, or, business, if you talk to the Beasley man!  Whatever gets him engaged in his learning, I say.

He’s so excited.  Ask this child what he wants to be when he grows up?  A farmer.  Let’s do it!

Well, all in all, a really good first week.  I read recently the importance of de-schooling a child who is transitioning from the conventional school system to being schooled at home.  Well, de-schooling would certainly characterize this week.

While I don’t know that a whole helluvalot got accomplished, we spent some good, concentrated one on one time together, exploring a variety of subject areas.  Very free-flowing, all over the freaking place, if you will.  At the very least this time right now, as we get our bearings, is serving as an opportunity to reconnect.

While I will readily admit I am currently flying blind, what I do know is that I can feel the relief on both our parts.  It’s as if a huge burden has been lifted from his little shoulders and with that alone, I know this is the right decision.  I have been waiting a long time to take this bull by the horns and it feels damn good having done so.  We are truly taking control of our children’s education and, while I am really tired, it has been nothing short of exhilarating!

We meet with our local homeschool support/liason/go-to gal this afternoon and I expect some good advice from her as we start along this new path. 

Interesting timing:  I will be away all next week, so daddy-o will be holding down the fort.  Interesting.  I’m hoping for some good Beasley posts…  “Ack!  I’m hanging from the ceiling. Toenails… toenails… Ack! Magic Treehouse. Times tables. Jacques Cartier! Ack!  Toenails… toenails… coming… loose!” 

I jest.

Well, first day down…

It was a great first day.  We started with Cartier… Oh God!  There’s a reason I forgot this stuff.  I’m sure it was in my subconscious as he did it:  Fling pencil at screen.

Anyways, a half hour of Cartier and we were on to other far more interesting things.  History of BC for one.  Who knew the Spaniards had such an interest in our coast 300 years ago.  OK, most people probably.  Isn’t the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juans and how many other Spanish names a dead giveaway?!?

I think it’s pretty clear Beasley’s not the only one gonna be learnin’ stuff!

Yes, the quest continues.  Mine, that is.  For every bit of resource that might be helpful as we embark on this new journey.  What I am finding most helpful in allaying my fears is how flexible the ‘program’ can be.  If you even want to call it that. 

I am intrigued with the Unschooling methodology, but also find the Charlotte Mason approach really interesting and quite in line with what I envision homeschooling to be:  nature, art and literature focused.   There’s got to be a nice combination in there somewhere.

I’m certainly feeling more confident that we will find our way…

I guess we’ll begin the week sort of taking it as it comes.  I meet with our local (and his former) school on Monday to order his curriculum materials.  I will use these as a guideline, as well as the BC Ministry outcomes.

Luckily we have a ton of learning activities stocked up. Stuff that I buy with great intentions for kid-mummy time that never really came to pass.  Using the stuff that is.  Anyways, now is our opportunity… and I have shelves full of the stuff.  This should get us started.