The Natural Noggin

My children absolutely LOVE projects.  In fact, many a morning, I am awakened with the words, “Mom! Can we do a project today?”  And, once a project is finished, they are eager for another.

Yesterday, we hit up Wal-mart and loaded up on crayons (only 22 cents), markers, paper, folders, and more.  They carried a box of watercolors around until they had to give them up in order to pay for them, and, once home, they begged to paint.  Please, please, pretty please Mom!

The other day, I purchased the book 365 TV-Free Activities by Steve & Ruth Bennett.  It has some great “projects” inside, most of which provide some sort of educational outcome.

I will shamelessly admit that most of our “projects” lately have bordered on child labor, ha!  As we prepare for our move to Houston, the children have assisted me in painting (which, at times, has been disasterous, but hey, it’s all in the name of learning), sorting, and packing.  I love that my children enjoy helping me.  They’d much rather tag along beside me and help me than play with their own toys.

On the subject of toys, we’ve been able to narrow down their stash significantly and donate it.  I think most toys are a waste of money.  We (as a society) have taught our children to be greedy- hoarding more and more and more toys, even though they don’t play with them.  

When it comes down to it, children will be happier with fewer toys than if they had all the toys in the world.  (And, you’ll be much happier because you will have less to step on, trip over, and beg your children to clean up.)

We started donating the toys by the bundle when I realized most of my children’s toys were crowding the livingroom, playroom, and bedroom floors not because they were being played with, but because they had to toss them out of the bin in order to find the “good stuff”. 

A couple days later, I piled the toys in the livingroom and told the kids, “Okay, we’re going to sift through this stuff and only keep the toys you really like.”  We divided the toys into three bags- dump, donate, and keep.  An hour or so later, we had filtered the toys, and had decided to keep only half of the toys.

About a month later, we went through the process again, and significantly narrowed down the keep pile.  It was a difficult process for me because I realized “good money” was spent on most of these toys. My friends and parents had spent hard earned money on these toys, and I felt guilty about giving them away.  Then it hit me that I should feel more guilty about hoarding toys that weren’t being played with when other children could enjoy them.

Soon after we did all of this, my son had a birthday.  I wanted to invite all his little friends, but I thought, “Man, they are going to want to bring him toys- toys that will probably end up at the bottom of the bin or broken.”  I didn’t want to come across as unthankful or rude, but I decided it would be best to tell our guests that they didn’t need to bring gifts, but if they wanted to, we’d prefer they give books, clothes, or even a movie (our kids love Veggie Tales), instead of a toy.

Most listened.  Of course, my parents gave him toys (it’s required of grandparents, I suppose), but most people did listen to our request.  One of our friends said, “Well, it’s his birthday. Won’t he be upset if he doesn’t get toys? Kids don’t want books! They don’t want clothes! They want toys!”

Well, my children get excited about new clothes and books just as much as, or even more than, toys.  Plus, there’s no better time than when they are young to teach them how wonderful books are!

If the toys are piling up in your household and you ache to ditch them, try this. Have your children help you sort through them just as mine did.  Tell them you are going to donate toys to children who don’t have many.  Explain to them that some children are not as fortunate as you are.  Throw away toys that are broken. 

Later, when your children are gone or in bed, go through the keep pile and set half of it aside.  Put it in another bin and stow it in a closet where the kids can’t see it.  A month later, if they have not asked about the toys and have not desired to play with them- donate all of it.

I know a woman who was able to get rid of six large garbage bags full of toys.  Her children chose to keep five toys each (like a box of matchbox cars, a doll, a box of costumes, etc).

Some people think we are crazy when they find out we don’t buy our children toys.  We don’t even buy them birthday gifts.  First of all, children get so many birthday gifts, I feel that it’s “wasteful” for us to get them something on that day.  I’d much rather save that money and purchase them something later when they’ll really enjoy it and the gift won’t have to compete with a dozen other gifts for attention.

Secondly, since we’re on a tight, limited budget, I find it’s wiser to spend money on an “event”- like a fun, educational trip the whole family can enjoy.

Seriously- gather all the toys around your house and pile them in the middle of the floor….. look at how much your family has accumulated.  Teach your children to give and be good stewards, not hoarders.  And, while you’re at it- look at your own junk that has piled up.  You probably have a lot of stuff you don’t use. 

Every time we move, I find so much junk that is just being stored, not used.  Get rid of it.  You’ll probably feel better for doing so.

How do you keep the toys from piling up in your home?  Do you have a game plan?

Every now and then, someone asks me, “How do you intend to teach your children to read?”

You know, I use to worry about this.  English is a very confusing language.  So many letters make several different sounds.  Some words look alike, but sound different.  Some words look alike but mean totally different things.  How am I going to teach them all of that?

The answer is pretty simple. Read to them.  Studies have proven that children that are read to on a regular basis have an easier time learning to read.  Maybe that’s because they have a love for books that helps them perservere, even when it seems frustrating and difficult. 

I don’t believe in pushing my children to read.  I know they are interested in the alphabet and writing.  My five year old now wants to sound out letters.  She likes to point out which letters are in our names. 

“Your name starts with the same letter my name starts with, Mommy!”

I know five year olds who can write and spell small words, but I’m not interested in how fast she can get it down.  I also see five year olds who have been pressured to write and spell and are struggling to do so. They don’t enjoy reading.  They are only interested in the pictures in the books.

Nowdays, children are reading fewer books.  They’re more interested in television and video games.  Parents don’t “have time” (or make time) to read to their children. 

As a child, I absolutely loved books.  It was like slipping away into another world.  My imagination ticked away as I flipped through the pages.

I believe, we do our children a great disservice if we neglect books.

If you haven’t gotten into the American Girl collection, then you need to.  Even boys will enjoy these books.  I remember when these books came out, and Addy was the first American Girl I read about and fell in love with.  When I saw these books at the library, I snatched them up.  We’ve been reading them a chapter at a time, then discussing it afterwards.  The kids really have a hard time understanding slavery. (Quite frankly, so do I.)  They just cannot imagine why someone would consider another person “less human” or “not human” because of their color.  We’re all the same race…. HUMAN!

Soon, we’ll visit an old plantation that is paused in this time period.  We’ll get to watch the workers do what they do (milk cows, make butter, repair building without power tools), eat authentic food for the period and culture (creole/cajun…mm), and (hey hey!) browse through the gift shop. I hope to do that within the next couple weeks.

In case you missed this, this particular article was my submission for Heart of The Matter’s June Edition.  I wrote it specifically for my own blog (in response to someone who said I was “sheltering” my children too much), and decided it would make a good post for HOTM’s homeschooling e-zine.

I also posted it on my main blog.  Here’s a small excerpt.

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life, and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 3:1-3

I believe in protecting my children from outside influences in their youth. However, it’s not enough to just protect them, but I also need to be teaching them the Word. As I keep them close to me throughout their childhood, I will have many opportunities to do this, which is why it is so important that God is first in my life. How can I ever expect them to put God first, if I do not live and walk that way myself?

Read the rest of it here:
Why We’ve Chosen to Shelter Our Children

 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted……. [Ecclesiastes 3]

For millions of children, school is out, and they are ready for the brain vacation.  For us, school doesn’t stop.  We don’t (ever) officially start or end “school” until the day they graduate. 

I feel that summer is a prime time for education, mainly because so many places, which are usually closed or limited to weekend hours throughout the year, finally open their doors all week for those hot and humid months in hopes of catching the summer crowd.

Spring and summer are a great seasons to teach our children about growth as our gardens flourish.  There’s much to maintain in the summer around our homes, and what better time to teach our children about God’s green earth then to help them be stewards of it as they help mow the grass (even if it’s just sitting on your lap on the lawn mower), pluck weeds from the gardens, pick fruits and vegetables, sow fresh seeds, and water plants.  Then, as summer comes to a close and fall begins to peek around the corner, we can teach them about the cycle of plant life as we watch leaves turn golden, flowers wither, and the growth of grass slow.  We can show them how different plants thrive during different seasons (as the bible says, there’s a time for everything) as we plant the fall crop.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to start my edible garden this year.  I’ve told my husband it’s “for the kids, educational purpose, you know”, but really, it’s for me.. because I desire to learn how to care for these things beyond the book knowledge I have.  I’ve never had much of a green thumb, but there’s something within me that wants to “get back to the basics”.

This is how we teach our children Ecclesiastes, chapter three, which is so much more effective than just reading it and expecting them to comprehend it.

I want to teach my children how properly plant fruits and vegtables.  I want to teach them how to grind corn into meal. I remember, as a kid, finding a few delicious strawberries on the bush in our backyard.  It was thrilling, and I couldn’t wait to tell my mom (which, sometimes they were eaten before she ever saw them).  I remember we tried to grow cantelope one year.  We may have gotten one or two, but they didn’t do all that great, as I recall.  One year, I went blueberry picking, and, boy, that was a blast.  My belly and my basket came back full, and then my grandmother made a pie.

We live in a day when you go to the store to buy a can of blueberry pie filling and dump it in a premade pie shell before shoving it in the oven.  That doesn’t build memories.  But… making it from scratch not only made lasting memories, I learned a lot of well, and those things still excite me to this day.

I was trying to tell my kids about the berry picking adventure I just wrote about.  I told them how delicious the pie smelled as I stood by the oven, waiting, watching, anticipating a slice.  My son tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Can we go pick chocolate chips for cookies later?”

If anyone has a chocolate chip bush in their backyard, please… share.

My dear, dear, rambunctious little booger boy was irritating playing with the dog, receiving little nips in return.  “Nolyn, becareful, I don’t want her to get a little too frisky and bite you!” I explained.  “Don’t hurt her, just play gently! Gently!”

He gave me this adorable dimpled grin and replied, “‘Cause den I’d have to go to da doctor and have a baby!”
I began laughing, especially when my daughter, hands on her hips and scowl on her face informed him that “babies don’t come from doctors. Nolyn, babies come from home and Daddy helps!!”

What can I say?  My daughter has been passionate about home births since we had an unassisted homebirth with Keagan!

I know, it’s been a wee while since I last posted here.  Shame on me.

I’m currently working on a home schooling article.  I was going to use it for my Heart of the Matter e-zine post, but I really feel it’s something I should post here, and if I post it there, then I can’t post the entire thing here.  Maybe I could, but I’d have to wait.

Hmm, maybe I’ll do that.  It really outlines my beliefs and not just the reasons we’ve chosen to homeschool, but the reason we’ve chosen to homeschool the way we do.

We went to the library today, always a joy… after I shell out money for all my fines.  We’re known for taking a book or two hostage, not on purpose of course.  I’m going to have to protect the books better and loan them out one at a time, then make sure that one is returned to the safety of the bag before the kids receive another.

We picked up IMAX’s Deep Sea DVD.  We saw it in 3-D at Imax, but the kids found the in-your-faceness of it a bit overwhelming and scary.  Nolyn couldn’t wait to get it home and watch it, which is what he is currently doing.  I find all of it quite fascinating.  These underwater creatures speak of God’s great creativity. 

In drawings, people make Heaven out to be a white place, I suppose for it’s purity, but I believe Heaven will be a colorful place. When I look at God’s creation here on earth, I am amazed.  Our Lord is truly awesome, and I am thankful for the things he made for us to enjoy.  Life would be pretty boring without all these incredible sights.

1. At church.  Sunday School programs are a great time for them to learn about Christ and interact with other children their age.  They’ve made so many friends in their classes!

2. Home school groups. When I was home schooled, I met some amazing people in my home school group.  Likewise, my children have found friends in fellow home schoolers.

3. Parks. It’s inevitable.  Every time we go to a park, my children find other children (of all ages) to play with.  They have so much fun, they don’t want to go home!

4. Playdates, of course.

Okay, forget the numbers and specifics.  Point is, my children have plenty of opportunity to socialize.  They are friendly little beings.  They don’t care if they don’t have someone “their own age” to hang out with.  They love people, they love to play, and they don’t care if you’re 9 or 90.

That’s what I love about them.  They’re genuinely interested in everyone. My daughter wants to know everybody’s name, if they have children, what their mothers look like.

Really, I loathe the word “socialization”.  Of course, that’s the biggest question of those who are clueless about home schooling.  How do you socialize your children?  Will they be socialized?  This is a ridiculous question. 

Kids in public schools really only learn how to socialize with those their own age.  I see so many children who don’t know how to get along with or properly communicate with those older or younger than themselves.  In fact, I’ve seen these children grow up to be adults who disrespect those younger than them.  It’s disappointing.

As parents, we need to teach our children how to get along with and be respectful of those of any age. 

I’m on a tangent here, so… yeah, I’ll stop now.

Psalm 91
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
       I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
       I will be with him in trouble,
       I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life will I satisfy him
       and show him my salvation.” 

Nearly every morning, as we enjoy our breakfast, the children and I do a family devotional.  Today’s devotional was focused on prayer.  After we finish our meal, we get ready for the day, then meet back at the table for “projects”.  The kids always look forward to these fun crafts and often come up with a few projects of their own.

Today, we traced our hands and made “prayer hands”.  I read a few verses in the bible about prayer, then we talked about what sort of things we pray for.  We closed with each of us praying.  I LOVE listening to their little prayers.

Nolyn’s went something like this, “Tank yooo for Mommy and Daddy. Tank yoo for letting me sleep in my bedwoom. It’s really cool. Amen.”

Merika’s was a little longer. “God, thank you for Nana and Poppa.  Please help  us to behave. Especially Keagan, because he can be a little booger because he cries sometimes.  Thank you for my ring. It has bunnies on it, and I really like it because I like bunnies, even though I don’t have any.  Bunnies.”  She said a few other things, which I cannot recall, before ending with, “Love you Jesus, thank you.”

Here’s my article for the May Edition of HOTM, a homeschooling e-zine.

Lately, the Lord has really been nudging me, reminding me, and pricking my soul. There’s a lesson to learn, one that I have to learn over and over again.

Where the Lord guides, He provides.

Sometimes God gives us a list of specific instructions. Sometimes He just points us in a specific direction, destination unknown. In I Kings, chapter 17, God tells Elijah to turn eastward and head for a brook near Jordan. There, the Lord would nourish him with water from the brook and food, which would be brought by the ravens. Elijah obeyed, and the Lord followed through on His word.

My Heavenly Father has been whispering in my ear, “Depend on me. I will provide.”

Often, as homeschoolers, we wonder how we’re going to do it. Maybe you feel ill-equipped…..

Read the rest over at Heart of the Matter! 

-Your children learn geometry from playing billiards (or pool, if you prefer).
-Fractions were figured out whilst making cookies, cakes, and casseroles.
-Your son’s first chemistry experiment occured when he figured out eating beets turned his “tinkle” an orangey-red hue.
-You sometimes have mini-panic attacks and think, “Oh my goodness, I need to load up on curriculum and teach these children something!”
-And then your children spurt out something amazingly intelligent and you think, “Ha, nevermind.”
-Yesterday’s lessons included stuff like, “How to get jelly stains out of the carpet”, “Where does poop go when it’s flushed down the toilet?”, “Oh, and what happens when you use ten times the regular amount of toilet paper, then try to flush it all at once?” along with “What sort of mental effect will this have on Mom when she sees we’ve flooded the bathroom?”. 
-You find out the reason your children speak fluent Czeck and a little German is because they’ve been calling Prague on your cellphone.  Hmm, that explains the outrageous bill.
-The excuse for everything gone awry is, “We were conducting an experiment.”  Unfortunately, the fire department doesn’t think that’s a great reason.

BTW…… I’m adding new blogs to my blogroll! Please, check them out!

My daughter’s birthday falls on this Mexican holiday, so we celebrate “it”, in a sense.  Her birthday parties usually have a special Spanish flair to them, as we combine the celebration of her years with the remembrance of the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  Some people believe Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of Mexico’s independence, which actually took place in September 1810.  Cinco de Mayo marks a David and Goliath type battle in which an ill-equipped Mexican army, made up of Mestizo and Zapotec Indians, defeated the sophisticated, well-trained French army.

Mexican history is very interesting to me, maybe because it’s woven into my own history as a Texan.  This time of year, I love to introduce new aspects of Mexican culture to my children as I teach them about this special holiday.

Growing up, I had quite a few Mexican friends.  On the bus ride home, a friend of mine would share tasty Mexican treats with me, like fruity suckers covered with chili powder.  Her grandmother would stuff me full of homemade tortillas, which I later learned to make with the help of a boyfriend’s mother.

In highschool, I learned to make piñatas (without a balloon), and this year, I plan on passing this down to my children.

First, you have to make a papier-mache paste.  There are loads of recipes available on the internet, most of which use just water and flour.  Google “papier-mache paste” and find one that suits you.  Some pastes require boiling, some don’t.

You’ll need lots of newspaper. Loads of it.  I like to wad up the newspaper to make forms (like a head, or a body, or even a star).  You can use masking tape to hold the form together.  If you plan on using this as a piñata, then you’ll need a hallow part to add candy.  You can do this in the back or at the bottom.  Once you’ve created the form you like, you’ll need to cover it with newspaper strips (1-2 inches wide, 4-8 inches long).  When you’ve finished covering it, you need to let it dry.

Once dried, you can either paint it or cover it with tissue paper (or both).  Decorate and design to your heart’s content! This is a great art project to make statues as well!

I’ll post pictures of our creation once we complete it!

I heard that bananas will last longer if you separate them from the bunch, so I tested it out.  Actually, it was a bit of an accident, but a learning experience for us all.

I bought two bunches of bananas.  The first bunch as just barely ripe.  The second bunch was slightly green.  Since my children are a bunch of banana-eating monkeys (see what I did there?), I figured the second bunch would be just perfect by the time the first bunch was consumed.

I separated the first bunch into “singles”, but forgot to separate the second bunch.  This morning, I realized the second bunch was already spotted, while the ones I had separated were a perfect shade of yellow.

So, even though the first batch was more ripened when I purchased them, because I separated them, the process slowed down.  The ones that stayed in a bunch ripened faster.

I have now proved the theory that if you separate your bananas from the bunch, they will last longer.

I think I’m more excited about this accidental experiment than my children, but I’m sure, once they realize this means this will keep our bananas from going bad before they are eaten, they’ll be just as excited too.

(Also, you can use your mushy, super-ripe bananas for banana bread.  I usually have good intentions to do this, but… well, let’s just say it happens now and then, but not as often as it should.  There have been many a banana who has found it’s way into the trashcan.)

Today we’ve been in a reading frenzy.  Some of our favorites:

This is a wonderfully educational book, even for younger children.  It asks them to do specific moments to feel the bones in their bodies and has a little humor thrown in for your funny bone (Get it?).  My critters loved it!!  Afterwards, Merika was walking to get water and said, “Hey! I can feel my bone moving!”

This is a cute, but simply worded book which shows you different ways animals carry their babies.  Since I often carry our little baby in a baby wrap, this is something the kids found quite intriquing!  Turns out, all sorts of animals have all sorts of ways of carrying their babies, whether it be on their back, in pouches, or on their tails!

This book is colorful, creative, and absolutely AWESOME!  Three thumbs up….

It’s Home Education Week!  Blog topics are hosted by Dana @ Principled Discovery!

My children really have no concept of what “school” really is.  In truth, the only school they understand is that little class they go to on Sunday morning.  In fact, when my daughter was asked where she goes to school, she usually replies with, “I go to Sunday School!” 

We’ve been talking about school lately, especially now that most of my daughter’s friends are now attending school.  I have explained that we are teaching our children at home, so they are “homeschooled”, while the majority of her friends are going to a building called a “school”.

Fortunately, two of her closest friends are also homeschooled, so she is not totally alone in this.

Merikalyn and Nolyn are getting to the stage where they want to do school work.  They ask me to help them write words and sentences.  My daughter is currently flipping through her workbook and pretending to teach students (which are invisible to me).  She’s teaching them about “Asleep in the Booty”.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read this short entry from my regular blog: “Asleep in the What?”.  You’ll also get a good laugh!

School is fun to them.  They learned their colors while taking walks with me and pointing out “red cars” and “yellow flowers”, instead of bending over a book and pointing at blocks of hues.  This is how most of our learning is done- by having wonderful conversations in which we talk about what weR