Mudspark Life Learning

"Scientific studies conducted by Dr. Leonard Sagan, a medical epidemiologist, ... show that social class, education, life skills, and cohesiveness of family and community are key factors in determining life expectancy. Of all these factors, however, education has shown to be the most important. ... Hope, self-esteem, and education are the most important factors in creating daily health , no matter what our background or the state of our health in the past." Christiane Northrup, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom  p 27 (emphasis in original) Since homeschoolers tend to get a really good education, grow up feeling confident in their skin, and are often a part of a dynamic, diverse, and tight community, by homeschooling, you are benefiting your children's health and life expectancy. On self-esteem: "In addition, several studies have been done to measure homeschoolers’ 'self-concept,' which is the key objective indicator for establishing a child’s se

My kids have never gone to regular school. My daughter spent three miserable days in a preschool till I said "Enough" and never went back. That's it. She's nine now, and her brother is five. Mostly we unschool. But I still find myself needing to shift my thinking away from the schooling mentality. I am getting my teaching license, but through an alternative program so I can teach for a homeschool enrichment program that my kids attend weekly and is offered through the public schools. As most homeschooling moms, I have looked at the local schools' websites to see where my kids might just fit in. I feel that professionally and as a member of society I always have one foot in the schooling door. However, any time I think about teaching full-time in a regular school, or enrolling my kids in school, I quickly come to the same conclusion: Nope. I am fully committed to homeschooling. I love the freedom my kids have to become themselves. I love that more than half of th

We started the day in good spirits. While I took care of some housekeeping the kids began some simple workbook exercises. My son completed his kindergarten pages quickly, easily, and with good cheer. My daughter, who had nine math problems to complete, ended up curled in a tight ball, grunting and screaming at me. Half way through I asked her to go do some jump rope and come back when she was ready to work with me. Then I needed a break. Then I pulled the classic if-you-don't-work-with-me-you-have-to-go-to-school line. I've said it before. But this time, I meant it. I am totally fed up with her melt downs and I am ready to have someone else deal with her. In school she would struggle with anxiety, but she would never behave this way with a teacher. I said - and she heard me - that this was her last chance. I am tired of fighting her about math, writing, goal-setting, and every other little bit. While most of our homeschooling is life learning, reading books, and playing

People who don't homeschool often don't realize there is often very little "home" in homeschooling. We spend a lot of time going and doing. This week we've explored a wetland, gone to see a play, spent hours at gymnastics, gone to a history museum, gone to the library twice, and run to a kid's consignment store to clear out toys. Then when we are home, much of the time is spent on the computer, viewing and interacting with the world. With all that going and doing, plus the high energy of sun and heat, and the lack of our during-the-school-year weekly enrichment program, my kids are actually suffering. They are having trouble sleeping and getting sick. I gave them supplements, rubbed my anxious gymnast's shoulders nightly, instituted nightly epsom salt baths (it does help), and talked about feelings. But it hit me today: the problem is all the going. We've forgotten to ground in home. Grounding in home makes us feel safe, and it's one of the gifts

My nearly-five-year-old son is really, really into Pokemon. He's the kind of learner who goes deeply into something for a long time. When he was a baby, he loved bears. And bugs. As a toddler he discovered trains, and we learned a lot about Thomas' world and real trains. Then it was super heroes, and the world of good and bad, helping people, and team work. His latest obsession is Pokemon. As an eclectic homeschooling mom, I am fascinated to discover what he learns about the world through Pokemon. Lots of online sources will tell you how Pokemon the card game teaches statistics and algebra, but my son is just learning to read, so that level of the Pocket Monster world is not part of ours yet. But by engaging with and encouraging his interest, I see myriad layers of learning going on. Math Pokemon creatures are often combinations of real life creatures, like Bulbasaur, who is a cartoon dinosaur with a bulb on his back. As he evolves, the bulb sprouts into a bud and then an

To introduce your kids to the instruments of the orchestra, here's a simple, multimedia lesson plan that could be used at home or in the classroom. We read Meet the Orchestra by Ann Hayes, Illustrated by Karmen Thompson, aloud, and at each section I played the following links. Play at the beginning: Orchestra tuning up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfSH1ezevjM As you read each section (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, play each) play families: http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/orchestra.asp  Leave this window open. As you read each page, play sound clips of each instrument (also leave this window open): http://www.beginband.com/sndclips.shtml The following are not in the above link, so play these as you come to each instrument.                 Piccolo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzKKg9zv9k4                 Oboe: http://youtu.be/CTo7eU-vSN8?t=9s                 Bassoon: http://youtu.be/s-5FdjENwVg?t=9s                 Bass clari

One thing I love about living in Colorado is that while "real" spring is far from here, we can go play outside on the scattered nice, warm days in February and March. On a whim the kids and I went to Bluff Lake Nature Center. I planned to collect some water if there was any in the wetland, and to start a project of taking a picture in one spot over time to see the changes. Here are some photos from our trip. Our chosen spot to document over the seasons Take a picture of me! We found a tuft of bunny fur and an owl pellet (at least I *think* that's what it is!) We collected a vial of water to look at under the microscope. Tons of raccoon prints down by the water! We watched a DVD yesterday about water ecosystems, so some microscope viewing of our local winter water is in order.

What a gorgeous, simple, and life-affirming book! Highly recommended. A Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian (Houghton Mifflin, 2000) This would be a great companion to any gardening unit, or an inspiration for wood block printing and learning the read or learning letters.

You know what really irks me? Healers like my acupuncturist and chiropractor telling me that I just need to put my kids in school already. I get that parents who send their kids to school just don't understand what my life is like. I get they think it's a little crazy. But they do not need to tell me every single time I go get a treatment that I need to change this part of my life. It's not helpful. I'm working on the courage to say to them next time it comes up: "I'm not going to send my kids to school, so it's not really helpful to keep telling me to do so." That is all.