Today's Strength

When your little one tucks herself back into bed, you know the schedule for the day is going to change.  Thankfully, the "nurse's office" at Homeschool Schmidt is right down the hallway.  The words, "I don't feel too well, Mommy," always make me shudder just a bit.  I don't think that reading WebMD qualifies me even remotely to having the title of "nurse" or "doctor."  I do, however, have an understanding of the "ripple effect" with illness.  If one kiddo gets something, the chances that the others will get it the next day and the day after that increase exponentially.  I know this because my kiddos swap cups, share food, have their hands in their mouths (have I mentioned that I have a two-finger sucker), and, therefore, share germs probably more willingly than they share toys.  I know now that I pretty much just need to wipe my calendar clean for the next couple of days and brace myself for a whirlwind of laundry...not a whirlwind of lesson plans.  Frantic Clorox Wipe sterilization at the point of one child being sick has proved ineffective in the past, so rather than spread chemicals all over the house where germs have already done their damage, I let my mind wander.  What if Mommy gets sick?  The world will not cease to turn when Mommy gets sick.  Mommy will still be expected to function at her optimum...sick or not.  What if Daddy gets sick?  Big patients are sometimes more challenging than little ones.  Chicken noodle soup and Disney princess or pixar movies don't always make the grade for big patients.  What if I go into labor with Baby #4 and the whole house is sick?  And, then, I stop the madness of a whirling "what if" thought process.  What if I just stop worrying and embrace that a little virus isn't going to bring Family Schmidt down?  What if I count my blessings that our kiddos are typically healthy and that, in the whole scheme of things, a little bug is NOTHING in comparison to what so many families are having to endure with children who have life-threatening illnesses.  What if I reflect for just a moment on Corrie Ten Boom's quote, "Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength.  It's carrying two days at once.  It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time..." We've called in sick today at Household Schmidt, but a three-year-old, twenty-one-month-old, baby-in-womb, mommy, and daddy are all still healthy, so we are not going to move into tomorrow ahead of time.  Right now, we're going to focus on getting our kindergartner better.  Make-up work for school will be no problem, lesson plans will wait, and tomorrow's load doesn't need to be carried with today's strength.

How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?

How big could your pumpkin grow?!?!  Well, apparently, VERY big.  Our "little" pumpkin in the womb is not so little anymore, and this momma feels like she is about ready to burst.  It's the "my maternity clothes don't fit anymore; I'm really stretched beyond capacity; surely this baby will arrive soon; how big COULD this pumpkin grow" kind of feeling. Here's some proof:

Even Brynn's drawings of Momma have changed from the usual stick figure to stick figure with BIG belly.  Here is what Brynn presented me with just yesterday.  "Look, Momma!  I drew you!"

I LOVE children's artwork, and I will especially treasure this masterpiece for so many reasons.  I love the crazy hair, the fingers and toes, the big belly, and the SMILE!  Through it all, she still sees me smiling...even through the discomfort and incredibly stretched belly.  I rest assured, through prior experience, that this pumpkin in the womb WILL arrive and this body WILL revert to some semblance of normalcy again, but for now, I am treasuring this sweet drawing from our oldest daughter...this interpretation of how big she thinks this pumpkin in the womb will grow! 

And, these little pumpkins?  Well, they've grown quite a bit lately, too!

This past weekend, we ventured to Wilson's Apple Orchard once again this season after a surprise visit from Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt.

We were greeted not only by apples this time but, also, by many pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, and I began to reflect on the children's book, How BIG Could Your Pumpkin Grow by Wendell Minor.  It's a fabulous children's book that states, "You never know where you might find giant monuments-and giant pumpkins.  Be on the lookout when you travel.  Use your imagination-and think big!" Throughout the book, children travel to fourteen different states to discover that giant pumpkins could be anywhere!

  

One of the stops in the book is Bemidji, Minnesota, to visit Paul Bunyan and Babe.  Who is Paul Bunyan and why does he have a blue ox named Babe?  The girls were very intrigued by this giant and ox, and they wanted to learn more.  As we read the book again today, and they inquired about these mysterious characters, I began to soak in one of the joys of homeschooling...spontaneous learning.  I can guarantee you that Paul Bunyan, Babe, and Bemidji, Minnesota, were NOT in my lesson plans for the day, but hey...why not add them?  Off to the Internet we went to search for the legendary story of Paul Bunyan.  Here is what we found:

The Story of Paul Bunyan: An American Folk Tale retold by Greg Worswick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6IIkVyBLr0 

The girls really enjoyed listening to the American Folk Tale, and I thought that it was neat how the particular page in How BIG Could Your Pumpkin Grow? that referenced Paul Bunyan has now come alive for the girls.  "The legendary Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe, were giants too.  They liked to think BIG!  If they gave you giant pumpkin seeds, how big could your pumpkin grow?...Who knows?  Isn't it fun to imagine giant pumpkins everywhere you go?"  (Wendell Minor)  Even this momma is imagining a giant pumpkin in her dreams.  The doctors have informed me that I am on track for my biggest pumpkin yet, and how ironic that Pumpkin's arrival is scheduled for the BIGGEST pumpkin week of them all...HALLOWEEN!

Budding Writers

It is not always the case, but, oftentimes, once a child strengthens his/her reading skills, his/her writing skills will blossom as well.  Immersion in literature and exposure to an array of literature is so pivotal in a child's growth as a learner.  In Household Schmidt, we start the reading in the womb....not necessarily during a designated "story time for the one in the womb" on the school day schedule, but I can assure you that Baby Schmidt #4 has heard an abundance of stories read to him/her as I have read to Brynn, Clare, and Elle.

Recently, our little Clare even made the local newspaper while exploring books at the grand opening of our community's library.

I love the caption...."Young patron Clare Schmidt peruses the stacks in the children's area..."  And, do you see Elle's little blonde-haired head barely clearing the book shelf in the background?  Already she, too, is exploring book after book.  Clare and Elle might not be able to "read" yet, but they sure do enjoy pretending that they are reading, and they love picking books off of the library shelf.  It's all part of the developmental process.  

I've mentioned before that Clare enjoys playing doctor.  The other day at her doctor office, I noticed that she was taking notes about her "patients" (you know, Buzz, Woody, Jessie, Baby 'Sippi, randomly selected stuffed animals).  

Already, without even having an ability to interpret the meaning of print, she grasps that print does, indeed, have meaning, and she is transferring that understanding into writing of her own.  Believe me, Clare could tell you verbally what this whole doctoral dissertation says.  In fact, it might even be written more legibly than the average doctor's notes.

Now, let's shift to five-year-old Brynn.  Brynn has taken off as a reader.  She yearns to read to me almost more than she wants to be read to these days.  (This has been a tough one for the momma, but I am encouraging her even if it does mean that she is growing up.)  One day, during playtime, Brynn approached me and told me that the next day, she was going to write a book.  She had been thinking all about it.  She was sure to remind me first thing the next morning that it was her designated "Book Writing Day," and when there was a break from "school time," she began frantically capturing all of her ideas on construction paper, illustrating the ideas, and insisting that staples be placed on the side for the binding.  She had published a book in a matter of minutes having never been explicitly taught the writing process, and, she was, AN AUTHOR!  Not just a reader anymore...AN AUTHOR!  She was SO proud.  Her momma marveled at how this learning happened all on its own, in its own time, when SHE was developmentally ready (not when some district-mandated curriculum map said she should be ready).  Here is her first written masterpiece:

The Tooth Book by Brynn

Once upon a time,

there was a little girl,

and she was Brynn.

So, she was 5, and she lost a tooth.

And, she was SO happy!

And then she had a GREAT idea.  She was going to give it

to the Tooth Fairy!

Oooohhh...the Tooth Fairy has my tooth!

And so the tooth fell out and Brynn

put the tooth in the tooth bag, and the Tooth Fairy

came.

She is writing about what she has experienced recently all on her own, conveying her ideas on paper, and sharing the story over and over again with her two little sisters.  She's an author!  

Then, one day when Clare wasn't feeling too well, Brynn made her little sister a "get well" card.  

I must admit that my favorite part of this is the picture that Brynn drew of Clare.  See Clare with her twirl atop her head?  Clare is a hair twirler, and it is not uncommon to find her with a twisted chunk of hair atop her head just like Brynn depicted in her drawing.

Through much loving, Clare has even styled her favorite doll, Baby 'Sippi's, hair in this fashion.

Brynn drew herself and Clare holding hands!  See Clare's hair again standing straight up?!?!  TOO CUTE!

Knowing that Brynn was ready to roll with writing, one week after having read to her How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, by Marjorie Priceman, I began teaching the writing process to Brynn as we wrote "How to Make an Apple Pie in Iowa."  She was using a professional author as a model for her writing along with her own personal experiences of baking an apple pie.  

First, we began with the writing trait of "Ideas," and we brainstormed the various steps in making an apple pie by creating a brainstorming web.

Then, the next day, utilizing a color-coded four-square system, Brynn drew pictures of four main events that happen while making an apple pie.

On day three, we discussed transition words.  As Brynn told me the story orally using her pictures that she had drawn the day prior, I paused her when she naturally put transition words in her speech and jotted them down for her in the appropriated squares.

Then, we began actually writing her piece on the fourth day beginning with the main idea.  On day four, she only wrote the main idea.  Handwriting is exhausting work for little people, so each day, Brynn added only one more sentence to her story.  As we worked through the each of the four squares, we reviewed the writing process, the meaning of transition words, the meaning of a main idea, and punctuation.  You will notice that she is still writing in all capital letters.  This is because we are currently working on only capital letters.

  

I thought that it was cute how she added her own "voice" at the end of the story by writing, "MMM!"  The writing process took over a week, but helping Brynn to break the process down into little steps prevented writing from getting overwhelming and kept writing FUN!  

From growing readers to budding writers, the girls are developing an understanding of the beauty of language!  

All in a Week: Debunking the Myths of Unsocialized Homeschoolers

It is touted as a detriment of homeschooling.  This adage of lack of socialization surfaces often, and if it isn't vocalized by those whom you encounter, it might be reflected upon silently.  But, is it valid?  When I jostled with the idea of homeschooling, I will admit that one of the deterrents for me was that I didn't want our children to miss the school "experience..." the interaction with their peers, the classroom parties for holidays, the field trips, the exposure to so many neat resources.  Then, I began to reflect on my endless hours in an elementary classroom as a teacher.  Was the "socialization" that transpired always positive?  As much as I strived to create community in my classroom, the little people are microcosms of, dare I say, a fairly dysfunctional society where love is definitely not prevailing.  Sometimes, I was baffled as a classroom teacher in regard to how kiddos treated one another or how the little people could be so judgmental and degrading.  Each year that I taught in the classroom, I did an activity with my students that involved a trial-sized tube of toothpaste, a drawing of a cartoon school-aged child, a piece of masking tape, and a tongue depressor....four simple items that typically left a classroom of kiddos speechless after the activity was completed.  One volunteer got to squeeze ALL of the toothpaste out of the tube that had masking tape around it labeled "yucky words."  The toothpaste got squeezed out over the cartoon character and smeared all around the picture.  The children would giggle because when else were they ENCOURAGED to squeeze the contents of an entire tube of toothpaste out?!?  This would have surely landed them in time-out at home.  Unbeknownst to most of the children though, as this toothpaste was squeezed out and smeared, the volunteer was demonstrating how the "yucky words" that people say truly stick.  Then, another volunteer was selected and asked to put the toothpaste all back in the tube.  In a sense, the person was tasked with taking back all of the hurtful words.  Cramming toothpaste back into a tube is not really a feasible task.  Correcting the damage done to one's self-esteem by hurtful words is not an easy feat either.  "The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever is understanding is even-tempered" (Proverbs 17:27).  I can say, from experience, that this is not always practiced by children in the classroom.

Encyclopedia Britannica defines socialization as "the process whereby an individual learns to adjust to a group (or society) and behave in a manner approved by the group (or society).  According to most social scientists, socialization essentially represents the whole process of learning throughout the life course and is a central influence on the behavior, beliefs, and actions of adults as well as children."

Miram-Webster Medical Dictionary defines socialization as "the process by which a human being beginning at infancy acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society through education and training for adult status."

In which case, after reflecting upon these denotations, my level of concern skyrockets.  Socialization is not necessarily positive.  In fact, socialization can not only be detrimental to an individual but, ultimately, to a society.  Having our children conform to societal standards and acquire societal beliefs is not the goal when a society exudes wrong.  Worldly perceptions are far from biblical truths.  

Let me reiterate that I am not opposed to public education.  I have worked alongside some phenomenal educators passionate about their work and the children that they interact with.  I am, however, deeply concerned about societal trends that are imbedded in children LONG before they even enter the classroom and that can harmfully alter the perceptions of individuals that they share the classroom with. There is MUCH truth to "[starting] children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).  The Biblical story of the wise and foolish builders rings loud and clear, too.  "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matthew 7:24-29).

Our desire is to start our children off with a strong foundation in the hopes that they can be lights in the classroom when they are older.  Will our children still make mistakes?  ABSOLUTELY!  Will they still fall short of HIS glory?  WITHOUT A DOUBT!  Will our children see their teacher/momma make mistakes?  DAILY!  However, through it all, we can hopefully guide our children in positive socialization.  Through this homeschooling journey, our children are DEFINITELY being provided with opportunities to socialize with others, form relationships with others, and learn that people they interact with aren't always loving.  We are not homeschooling to shelter our children from the realities of the world.  We ARE homeschooling to build a strong foundation so that they can delineate right from wrong.

Our schedule is frazzled but not chaotic.  We are committed to activities but striving to not become overcommitted.  And, in each of theses activities that our children are involved in, they are blessed to interact not only with children of their ages but, also, with adults.  Here is what a week looks like at Household Schmidt:

Sunday:  
Each of our children interacts with children at their age level when they attend Sunday School.  Then, they get to interact with adults during the church service.

Monday:
Brynn attends ballet and tap dance!  This is something that brings her GREAT joy.  The other kiddos are in tow with Momma interacting with siblings of Brynn's dance classmates while we wait for Brynn's dance class to finish.  

Tuesday:

Every other Tuesday, we attend MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).  When I am meeting with other moms, the girls are each in their own class interacting with children of their own age and learning a bible story.  On the Tuesdays when MOPS doesn't meet, we are often meeting with other MOPS' mommas for play dates.  Once again, this gives the girls an opportunity to interact with other children.

Tuesday evenings, we meet with a "Faith Family" at another home. The adults have bible study while fifteen kids of all different ages play together while being watched by some brave babysitters!  The kiddos and the babysitters have always managed to survive and thrive thus far. 

Wednesday:

The girls and I attend story time at the library in the morning and select a plethora of books to read for the week.  

And, this week, the girls have started a month-long soccer clinic at the local recreational center.

Here is Elle learning the art of patience as her sisters learn the art of soccer.

Clare, our Southwestern diva, did NOT want to wear sweatpants OR tennis shoes, but once she got to soccer, she decided the crazy-mommy-dictated attire was all worth it.

Here's Brynn learning how to kick the ball.

Brynn was all smiles, and I was happy to see that she was enjoying trying something new.  She tends to  err on the side of seeking perfection (sigh...like her momma....sigh...), so it is often difficult for her to attempt something that she isn't able to excel at immediately.  (Have I mentioned that, oftentimes as a parent, it is difficult to see your faults glare right back at you through your children.  It is definitely eye-opening.  I so do not want Brynn to be plagued with the desire to attain a level of perfection because it is neither healthy nor realistic.)

One giant kick for Clare.

Could they be anymore different?  They even lead their kicks off with different feet.

Elle so yearns to join in. Here she glances back at me as if to say, "Momma, there's a ball.  It's not being used.  Can I please join?"

So happy and proud to just hold one of the balls. (And looking mighty grown-up these days, too, I might add.)

So, as you can tell, we do not keep our children in a bubble.  We have them out and about exploring the world and interacting with people often.  They are getting socialized.  It might not be in the manner that our society deems "correct" or "normal."  Our culture has definitely lapsed into some fairly dysfunctional norms when it comes to what is socially acceptable.  Growth could definitely occur if we return to some of our moral roots, and that growth begins with helping children develop a strong foundation.  Even Albert Einstein said, 

And, so, the homeschooling journey continues at Household Schmidt....one....step....at....a....time.  At the end of the day, we do not question where our children are at on the spectrum of socialization, but, rather, we ask ourselves, "Have we pointed them toward you, Lord?"

   

Grandparents!

Grandparents are a family's greatest treasure, the founders of a loving legacy, the greatest storytellers, the keepers of traditions that linger on in cherished memory. Grandparents are the family's strong foundation. Their very special love sets them apart. Through happiness and sorrow, through their special love and caring, grandparents keep a family close at heart. ~author unknown

Isn't it true?  Grandparents' very special love sets them apart?  My husband and I both have so many fond memories of our special times with our grandparents, so when we began having a family of our own, one of our struggles was that our own children lived SO far away from their grandparents.  We yearn for them to grow up KNOWING their grandparents, EXPERIENCING their love, and CREATING fabulous memories with these special people in their lives.  We have flown across oceans, driven thousands of miles across states, Skyped for hours, talked on the phone, mailed letters and art projects (yes, we still utilize snail-mail frequently...even in this e-mail world), and strived to make long distances shorter in an effort to build relationships because my husband and I feel that relationships are essential.  We were designed to be relational people, and we are determined to not allow our society's acceptance of superficial Internet and mobile phone connections to impede our desire for true relationships to develop.  It is the main reason that we opted for Scott to attend school in Iowa.  IOWA?  People kept inquiring, "Why did you choose IOWA?!!?"  "You could go to Monterey, California, you could go anywhere in the U.S., and you chose....IOWA?!?"  To which we replied, "We're going HOME!"  It was our an opportunity to get our children closer in proximity to the grandmas and grandpas, an opportunity for Scott and me to spend more time with our grandparents, and a chance to be closer to family, and, as a result, for us, IOWA made perfect sense.  We wanted priceless memories to be formed.

I am a proponent of immersing children in literature.  Children's literature is all over for our children, and in the most random of moments, I glance up and see our children perusing through books....in their bedrooms, at the coffee table, on the couch, in their forts, in their "school room," in the car, and pretty much everywhere except the bathroom.  The concept of books in the bathroom has always kind of grossed me out, so we don't have them there, but if you look elsewhere, chances are, you'll spy a children's book!  Typically, I try to have the books that we'll be reading for school in the weeks ahead out and about, too, and one in particular caught Brynn's eye right away, Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say.  She asked me repeatedly when we were going to read that story.  She asked so much in fact that I changed my intended order of teaching to accommodate her yearning for this one particular book (which she had already read SEVERAL times on her own and practically had memorized before it even became the instructional book of the week).  Somebody LOVES her grandparents....can you tell? She initially coined them as "Pop Pop" and "Mop" (to the chagrin of the grandmas), but now it is "Grandma" and "Grandpa,"  and she knows that they are FULL of wisdom and willing to share it.

So, we delved into Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say.

Included in this week, was an interactive Keynote presentation that I created on the iPad with many imbedded applications for the girls to explore and learn.  Here are some snapshots of our learning:

 

 

The highlight of the week for the girls was definitely recording their interview questions for their grandparents on iTalk and e-mailing their recorded questions off.  The grandparents were all quick to respond to questions about their childhoods, teaching the girls that:

Grandparents definitely "keep a family close at heart!"  And, for the girls, exploring their own grandparents' journeys was priceless!