schooling jaden

the past few months, i've fallen into the unschooling category. at first i was neurotic about it but when i started seeing all she was learning, i didn't worry too much about it. but, last week, all that changed.

one of the things jaden has learned to do is call her dad's cell phone. she has his phone number memorized. so, she started saying to him 'ask mom why we didn't do school today...' greg doesn't agree with unschooling so i couldn't explain that so i just said i'm taking a break.

after 2 days of this, and jaden telling greg about all the movies she watched that day (which really weren't many but still, we have gotten into a bad habit of watching movies daily which needs to STOP) and greg questioning about how many movies she watches in a day, i put my foot down with her and said 'no more!'

new rule: no movies unless school work is done unless they are educational related (muzzy for french and spanish, linnea for art history and an abc video we have).

boy, she threw a fit but i pointed out to her that she was calling her dad and complaining i wasn't doing school so i was just trying to go with her wishes to 'formally' school. she was grumpy the first day but then, i decided to try out the history odyssey 'try before you buy' option for ancient civilization and got to work tracking down all the resources they require. (thanks maria for mentioning this on your homeschool list!)

one of these resources is History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations, Grades 1-3. she LOVED it! it took us 2 days to do it because i had to go out and get construction paper but the first day, she colored all the pictures and did the copy work/vocabulary/etc and the 2nd she cut them out, glued them on the construction paper and assembled the pocket. she is ready to do the next section!

as much as i hate going through a lot of paper, if she is learning and enjoying it, i'm willing to work with it a bit.

math
for math we are still sticking with math-u-see for now. she is bored with it, she really does enjoy the art/creating side of schooling.


art/foreign language
she has been doing ballet once a week since january and loves it!
i may get the artistic pursuits books for art inspiration. although we draw, paint, etc., i like the formal learning part too (another maria suggestion)
muzzy french and spanish

language arts
and yet another maria endorsement: all about spelling

science
for science, i am going to start the r.e.a.l life science curriculum (put out by the same people who do history odyssey) as they have the same 'try before you buy' option. also, jaden has been really interested in herbalism lately and working with me to make herbal products. since i am trying to do formal study myself, i thought life science would be a good start to let her see what i am learning about the human body and this curriculum covers that quite well.
also, we go to willoughby weekly for my master naturalist volunteer work and she helps with that

general living skills
i feel these are very important. i encourage and welcome her help whenever i am doing any household stuff: dishes, cooking, laundry, cleaning, ironing, etc. and homesteading: gardening, milking, collecting eggs, tethering goats, etc.

independence days challenge year 3

this week i've been mostly focusing on the next issue of herbal roots and doing school with jaden. the days fly by in a blur. i don't have time to think, it's all just do, do, do. getting dizzy on the merry-go-round of life...

Planted: more medicinal herbs: lady's mantle, pasque flower, speedwell, viburnum opulus (crampbark), curry, parsley, thyme, red raspberries; strawberries got moved, not sure if they are going to make it because it took greg 2 weeks from the time i dug them to get the area worked up to replant...

Harvested: chicken and turkey eggs, milk, nettles, chickweed, dandelion greens, violet and dandelion blossoms, sheep sorrel

Preserved: attempted to make 2 large batches of dandelion and violet jelly but both flopped...so now i have about 24 jars of dandelion and violet syrup. i hope to go back and try to reprocess it next week

Want Not: purchased bookshelf for daughter at 2nd hand store; several homeschooling books for the kids (science, math and history) plus an anatomy coloring book for myself that was different than the one i have; water shoes for kids, roller skates for kids, shirt for sage, chair for my 'someday' office that matches another chair i already have - all from thrift shop;

Waste Not:  food scraps to chickens and/or compost (chickens dig in compost too),

Community: sold eggs, milk and yogurt to locals

Eat the Food: lots of nettles, eggs, milk (yogurt), violet flowers, dandelion flowers and greens, chickweed

independence days challenge year 3

hello! remember me?! lol still around just swamped with herbally goodness, spring and kids. i've moved the herbal portion of my blog over to my herbal website. i hope to keep this blog for homesteading and homeschooling activities.

jumping back in to the idc seemed like a good place to start.

Planted: medicinal plants: solomon's seal, jacob's ladder, celadine poppy. we have dug up all the raised beds to move them and clean up the garden a bit so i have buckets of strawberries, horseradish and asparagus to transplant when greg gets the beds finished.

Harvested: chicken and turkey eggs, milk, nettles, chickweed, dandelion greens, burdock roots

Preserved: Nothing this week

Want Not: purchased 3 large bottles of everclear for medicine making. other than that, i have been staying out of the the stores for the most part.

Waste Not:  food scraps to chickens and/or compost (chickens dig in compost too),

Community: held herbal study group at my house, worked on my community medicinal herb walk at willoughby farm, did a presentation on the medicinal uses of culinary herbs for a local teacher's sorority; sold eggs, milk and yogurt to locals; hosted a sheep shearing work shop so people could watch and join in

Eat the Food: lots of nettles, eggs, milk (yogurt), violet flowers, dandelion flowers and greens, chickweed