Self-Initiated, Independent Study

Self-initiated, independent study?  WAIT!  Does that imply that I, as the teacher, do no work?  Mmmm...not quite.  Does it imply that a five-year-old is taking ownership of her education without any prompting?  Mmmm...I think it does mean that.  Baffling!  It is the kind of moment that makes Momma/Teacher smile from afar....smile with tired eyes at a very late hour....but smile nonetheless.  My five-year-old takes after her daddy.  She is a wee bit nocturnal.  I am not sure if it stems from her Daddy's Apache helicopter flying gene or if it stems from her colicky first year of life when she literally NEVER slept (ugh..there I go using that "never" word again....OK....she slept SOME....just not very much).  Regardless, Brynn is a night owl.  I am not.  I am a morning person.  I have zero problem getting up when the alarm clock goes off, but I can assure you that I am ready to crash by 11:00 p.m. exhausted to the core, non-functioning, can't-keep-my-eyes open-any-longer EXHAUSTED.  So, it was Daddy that first clued me in that our oldest child was reading secretly into the late hours of the night.  Of course it was him that clued me in because I had already fallen asleep, and, he, the nocturnal one, was still awake and in his prime.  With baby belly growing bigger, this momma is having an increasingly more difficult time sleeping.  Hence, I am slowly being forced into the nocturnal lifestyle, and I, too, have noticed that our oldest child is reading A LOT after bedtime.

Did I mention before that I have a plethora of children's literature?  It definitely increases our weight for Army moves, and as far as I know, the Army does not make moving weight modifications for former elementary teachers who just cannot seem to part with literature.  Our girls LOVE it though, and they peruse through books all the time...even, apparently, into the wee hours of the morning.  Most recently, Brynn has become very engrossed in the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne.  She can read the series independently now, and she is even a member of the website where she collects passport stamps after completing the comprehension quizzes online after each book.

Here's the site:  http://www.magictreehouse.com/

I have always been a proponent of this series.  It is highly imaginative, transports kiddos to different time periods and places, and delves into some really interesting topics that motivate children to WANT to learn more.  The other night, at a very late hour when a five-year-old should have been sleeping, I discovered Brynn reading The Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #7: Titanic from our "library" at home.

http://www.magictreehouse.com/bookdetail-Titanic#bookdetail-Titanic

She was enthralled with the book and could not glean enough facts about this massive ship that set sail in 1912.  Brynn had many questions about the great ship and the time period that it set sail, but she also had an abundance of knowledge that she had acquired from her self-initiated, independent study.  I supplied the materials, her interest was peaked, and she was on her own maiden voyage of READING TO LEARN.  I took her lead, revamped my lesson plans for read aloud for the week, and we began to do more and more research about this ship that set sail so many years ago.  Each day, she was engaged, inquisitive, and retaining more information than I could ever imagine a Kindergartner learning.  The key to learning is always motivation, and, oftentimes, the key to motivation is delving into a person's interests.

So, throughout the week, we reread The Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #7: Titanic together, we listened to online documentary stories of survivors, researched more facts online, learned about how the sunken ship was finally found, and watched the recovery expedition.  We talked about the people aboard the boat and the different jobs that people had to keep a ship running.  We discussed the class structure and why some rooms aboard the ship were fancier than others.  We learned about icebergs, geography, the ocean, and ship-related vocabulary.  And, eventually, we pulled out The Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic by Mary Pope Osborne:

No icebergs were hit during this self-initiated, independent study.  The whole learning process was definitely a maiden voyage that did not result in a sinking ship.   

How Does a Dinosaur Visit Household Schmidt?

She has been called the "Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century."  She has written over 300 books, and the little people LOVE her work.  OK...who am I trying to kid?!  The big people (who admittedly flock toward the children's section at Barnes and Noble before venturing to the other sections) are also infatuated with her work.  And, if you even remotely like dinosaurs, you are sure to have at least perused some of her adorable picture books.  She is Jane Yolen-author extraordinaire.

http://janeyolen.com/

So, when the topic of dinosaurs came up in our "Mystery of History" curriculum, she was one of the first authors that came to mind.  Here's a sample of her work:

I was drawn back into my days of co-teaching an after-school book club called the "Bookasurus Club."  I had the privilege of working alongside a phenomenal teacher, and together, we strived to help children enhance their reading skills by immersing them in a fun and creative thematic program about dinosaurs.  Thankfully, I had saved many of the "Bookasaurus Club" creations, and I was able to even locate them after several Army moves!

Here were some fun riddles that I found to share with the girls from my dusty old file:

And, of course, poetry must be integrated, too:

When you combine that with some dinosaur reading, some dinosaur crafts, some dinosaur math, some dinosaur writing, and some dinosaur phonics, and, then, you climb aboard a dinosaur train and have a dino-picnic, you have yourself a "DINO-RIFFIC" week in the works. 

But, let's rewind a few weeks into the summer months amidst a crazy Army transition from Arizona to Iowa when dinosaur schema was activated!  If you have ever had the privilege of trekking along Route 66 through Holbrook, Arizona, in the blazing hot heat, you may have seen a mirage, or perhaps the Wigwam Motel, or even better....this dinosaur:

When you are five or under, and you see this gigantic creature outside of the car window standing in the middle of the desert, you start to ponder these things called dinosaurs.  Instead of the repeated question of, "Are we there YET?!" my husband and I began to hear, "Are those dinosaurs REAL?"  Interest was peeked. Then, once we arrived in Nebraska, the girls got to go to the Durham Western Heritage Museum in Omaha to see the infamous T-Rex named "Sue." Ask Clare about Sue, and she'll likely say, "She was 'scwary,' and she drowned." Ask Brynn, and she'll likely tell you how she giggled when she read this sign all on her own:

http://www.durhammuseum.org/experience/exhibits/temporary/exhibit-details.aspx?ID=80

Digging for dinosaur bones.

Elle explores a dinosaur puzzle.

Sue was definitely a big hit, but I am not so sure whether the girls liked Sue more or the soda fountain at the old train station.  

Dinosaur?

 Ice Cream?

Hmmm.....it's a toss up!  Regardless, the girls were learning more and more about dinosaurs which was laying the foundation for our next family excursion to Morrill Hall in Lincoln, Nebraska.  

http://museum.unl.edu/index.html

While at Morrill Hall, the girls got to explore even more dinosaurs and participate in some interactive paleontology exhibits.  Being a paleontologist and digging for "bones" was definitely a highlight of the trip for the girls.  

So, with Route 66, the Durham Western Heritage Museum, Morrill Hall, and children's literature, the girls were definitely familiar with dinosaurs.  Dinosaurs may not have ranked as high on the interest list as princesses for Brynn, and they weren't quite as cool as rocks for Clare, but, nonetheless, the girls knew about these creatures that roamed the Earth years ago, so the groundwork was laid for our next thematic week!  Children are not going to be passionate about EVERY topic that gets introduced, but exposure to the topic is still important and the challenge for the educator to engage learning despite lack of interest is still fun!  

Since I couldn't make dinosaurs into princesses, and I couldn't add dinosaurs to Clare's rock collection, I had to be creative.  The main goal of the week was to help the girls understand that, despite the story of dinosaurs conveyed in so many textbooks and picture books, dinosaurs were on Noah's Ark.  This ideology may challenge your own personal beliefs, but if you do the Biblical research, "contrary to popular belief (but according to God's Word), mankind would have coexisted with the dinosaurs" ("Mystery of History," 27).  I utilized this resource frequently throughout our thematic week, too:

http://www.creationministries.org/store_item.aspx?id=115

Yes, "The dinosaurs went marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah...the dinosaurs went marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah,...the little one stopped to tie his shoe (OK...that didn't happen), but they all went marching down...to the ark, to get out of the rain, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!"

We looked at several picture books of the story of Noah's Ark and several drawings, but something was always missing on the big boat...DINOSAURS!  Each of the girls has a learning journal that she has been keeping since the age of two, and for this particular concept, we added an entry to their journals where they were to add the dinosaurs to a traditional picture of Noah's Ark.  This was an activity that was differentiated, so Brynn had a little bit more challenging work and reading to do than Clare.  Here are Brynn's journal pages:

And, here is Clare's journal entry.

Remember how I mentioned that I needed to strive to make this topic exciting for the girls since the topic of dinosaurs was not exactly something that they were passionate about?  Well, we made Brachiosaurus hats, and if you let Brynn make something pink and allow her to wear it with her dance leotard before her first dance class, much like the dinosaurs were ON the ark, Brynn was ON BOARD, too!  Here she is with her PINK Brachiosaurus hat and her PINK leotard.  Who knows...maybe the Brachiosaurus was pink!!

Clare LOVES her rock collection, and she has toted her rock box all over the United States with us.  So, to entice her, we did some counting with an egg carton where we put dinosaur eggs (her rocks) into the carton as we counted the specified number that was labeled on the carton.  

Oh, Clare was LOVING this!  Look at all of those shiny dinosaur eggs (rocks)!

Brynn got to read Dinorella, A Prehistoric Fairy Tale which immediately brought a smile to her face when she realized that the story was adapted from none other than the beloved CINDERELLA!

                            
Then, all of the girls went aboard the Dinosaur Train:

While aboard the train and going for a ride around the block, I told the girls that I thought some dinosaurs had come to visit us in our home while we were out.  Pragmatic Clare piped up immediately and with much attitude, "Yeah, only that is not even possible, MOM, because dinosaurs don't live anymore."

Brynn was happy to discover the prints BIG and small all across the floor.

Clare was still very skeptical.

We read Where's My Teddy by Jez Alborough, and I modified our Math lesson once again to fit our theme for the week.  We compared dinosaur foot print sizes rather than compare human body heights (as was suggested for the Everyday Math lesson).  The girls had to find objects around the house that were smaller than the BIG dinosaur print and BIGGER than the BIG dinosaur print, draw the objects, and, then, chart them on our dry erase board.  Then, they had to do the same for the little dinosaur print.  Clare did not need to find or draw as many objects as Brynn, and Elle just had fun when she saw the sticky notes come out.  Here is Brynn sticking up her pictures on the chart.

 Elle is very excited about sticking paper wherever she can!

Here was the finished chart!

Teacher Brynn is explaining her pictures to us all.

Clare is thinking really hard about her drawings before she explains what she found, and did Elle find a mechanical pencil?  Uh oh.....

Brynn is the oldest and has the biggest dino print!  Clare is younger and has the smaller dino print!

It's time for a dino-riffic picnic with dinosaur eggs (Rice Krispie Treats) for dessert!

Picnic time!

Using our dinosaur egg chalk (thank goodness for extra chalk left over from Easter) to write our letter "D!"

Even Elle got in on the sidewalk chalk action!

Working on the letter "D!"

And, to tie it all together, our memory Bible verse for the week even started with "D!"  "Do not be anxious about anything..." (Philippians 4:6).

SO, how does a dinosaur visit Household Schmidt? Does she stomp through the door?  Does she throw a great fit?  Does she leave her dino prints all over the floor?  Does she let out a ROAR?  Does she find food and beg for more?  NO-she waltzes in with a tutu on and a grin.  She pirouttes about and doesn't even pout!  She's excited to learn and to grow each day, and she's ecstatic because she gets to do it all through play!

When Things Don't Go As Planned

"Plan early, plan twice..." -sigh- My husband's mantra rings true again today, but let's begin this post on a happy note and reflect first on yesterday.  Yesterday ran smoothly.  Yesterday, I actually thought to myself, "We're getting this homeschooling thing down.  This is working!"  Yesterday, I marked off each and every task in the lesson plan book, and we were even finished EARLY!  Yesterday, I should have known that tomorrow might be different, but I am a planner, and I had the tomorrow all planned.  Surely, it would work out.  "Plan early, plan twice..."

Today was definitely different.  It was a day filled with interruptions from every direction:

1.  Doctor appointment for Baby #4
2.  Unexpected phone calls
3.  Emergency run to Wal-Mart for toilet paper. You laugh at the priority of this amidst homeschooling, but in a household with four girls (one of whom is pregnant), a dwindling supply of toilet paper is, as the little girls would say, "a 'mergency!"  Yes....one of those girls is not yet potty-trained, but she thinks she's ready, and her most favorite part in toilet-training-preparedness is toilet-paper-unrolling.  She doesn't want M&Ms for attempting to go potty.  She wants toilet paper and the privilege of unwrapping it!  It makes her GLOW!  It makes her BEAM!  It makes momma frown. I need a toilet paper conservation motto.  With glue at our house, the motto is "Just a dot...not a lot." With toilet paper....hmmmm...."Save some trees...just a few pieces, please?" or "Don't use too much before you flush." I'm working on it.
4.  Door bells ringing
5.  More phone calls
6.  Sibling rivalry
7.  Nap refusal
8.  More diaper changes
9.  More potty training attempts
10.  More toilet paper squares removed
11.  It's time for dinner?!?!?  WHAT?!?  We haven't gotten to Unit Studies, and UNIT STUDIES IS IN THE LESSON PLANS!!  "Plan early...plan twice."

From my days in the classroom, I thankfully have the understanding that there are times when lesson plans just go amuck.  There are definitely weeks when well-intentioned plans just do not pan out, when arrows get drawn from one day to the next, when teachable moments are more of a priority than anything in the "real" curriculum, and today was one of those days at Household Schmidt.  Learning still happened.  Little people were still taken care of and loved.  Emergencies were handled.  Problems were solved.  I didn't get too frazzled, and tomorrow is all planned...even if I have to plan twice!

I'm Going to Make This Place Your Home...Exploring the World from a Midwestern Home

The world is an astounding place, the variety of cultures fascinating, the lessons learned from others around the world intriguing.  Having lived in a foreign country for three years, I have an appreciation for the unfamiliar.  Stepping outside of one's comfort zone as an adult gives one a true understanding of what children experience on a daily basis in their own cultures.  Can you imagine being a newborn, opening your eyes for the first time, glancing around, and seeing nothing of the womb that you have called "home" for quite some time?  Can you imagine being a baby trying all of the new foods that are introduced to you for the first time?  Can you imagine being a toddler expected to understand the world's complexities, having everyone telling you to hurry all the time, and, yet, still trying to comprehend how to make all things work with your tiny little hands?

Our little Clare does not let us rush her.  She takes life at her pace, and I admire her for it.  If you tell Clare to walk quicker, she'll reply, "My little legs don't go that fast!"  If you tell her to finish up an art project, she'll let you know that your time-frame for creativity is not going to stifle her imagination.  If you try to wake her up in the morning, she'll reply boldly, "I am just TOO sleepy to get up now."  The list goes on....and on....and on....and rather than pull my hair out in exasperation, I have just tried to embrace her pace and see the world from her perspective.  Shouldn't we all do that?  Try to see the world from others' perspectives?  Immerse ourselves in remote places to experience life from new vantage points?  Hence, my determination to teach our children about the world from a little home in the Midwest.

So, already this school year, in fourteen short days, we have traveled to China, Ohio, Paris, and back in time to the Ice Age.  We've marked our journey on maps, kept track of our progress on timelines, made a HUGE world seem smaller through technology, allowed literature and illustrations to transport us to different times and places, and stepped outside of the comfort zone of our own home (which for Clare, a TRUE homebody, is a BIG step) to explore.  Through it all, we have challenged ourselves to experience and embrace unfamiliarity.  Two fingers in her mouth and a twirl left standing in her hair, Clare will still inquire, "When can we just go home?"  To which I reply, "Hold onto me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road, and although this wave is stringing us along, just know you're not alone, 'cause I'm going to make this place your home" ("Home," Phillip Phillips).

Our journey in just fourteen days:

After reading The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese, we went to a pond to feed the ducks.

Really, we ended up feeding A LOT of fish!

Journeying together as sisters.

Culminating our week of learning about China by eating Chinese food!  The chopsticks were a HUGE hit!

Recording our history lessons on a timeline.

Logging Paris, France, on the world map.  Notice Clare in the background with those two fingers in her mouth.  She must be thinking, "Oh, no....another journey!  Can't we just stay home?"

Finger painting the French flag.  Elle joins in by eating animal crackers.  It was the perfect place for her at the time...locked in the high chair and away from all finger painting aspirations.  The walls could still be Elle's palette.  We didn't need French flags all over the walls.

French flags to coincide with the story, Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans.

And Elle is still happily exploring the world by eating one exotic animal cracker at a time and being her typical silly self.

When learning about France, one MUST have French pastries!  It really is a MUST, so twenty minutes down the road, we found an authentic French bakery and cafe.  Who would have thought?  It was a little bit of fabulousness right here in the Midwest!

Standing by the eiffel tower with our box of pastries and our Perrier bubble water!

We're in France!  (OK...we're really still in the Midwest, but we have great imaginations and chocolate croissants in a box to go!  What could be better?)

Clare's face says it all!  She was not too fond of the Perrier sparkling water.

Brynn didn't really care for it either.

But, Elle.....

Elle wanted MORE!

Our little bit of fabulousness to take home!  Mmmm....yes, there are chocolate croissants in that box, and I LOVE chocolate croissants!

Getting ready to make our sugar-wafer Eiffel towers.

When I tucked Clare into bed on this day, she said that the highlight of her day was making her Eiffel tower and EATING it!  Look at that cute smile!

Our Germany-born girl wanted a chocolate Eiffel tower.  This chocolate-fanatic-momma can't really blame her!

Add a dollop of ice cream, and you have quite the amazingly edible Eiffel tower treat!  I think that the girls had their weekly intake of sugar in one sitting.

Reminding Brynn of her time in Pairs, France, as a baby with Grandpa Northrop.

Baby Brynn and Daddy in Paris, France!

Brynn appreciating artwork in Paris, France, at such a young age.

Heading back in time to the Ice Age!

Elle's all ready to go, too!

And, where's Clare you inquire?  Well....Clare doesn't like winter gear, so she let us know that the Ice Age wasn't a place in time for her.  To which I replied, "Hold onto me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road, and although this wave is stringing us along, just know you're not alone, 'cause I'm going to make this place your home" ("Home," Phillip Phillips).