Month: October 2010

Appreciating the value of natural learning

Just a really quick post today. I’m not going to flesh it out or even over-think it but I wonder…

Do we (students and parents) more fully appreciate the value of natural learning once we have experienced the force feeding of academics? In fact, is it a prerequisite to fully appreciating the beauty of natural learning?

When we first started the home based learning journey, we started with a school-at-home approach. That is what I knew so I tried to reproduce it. As is often par for the course, I started studying educational philosophies and learned about unschooling and natural learning. As I learned concepts and heard ideas I shared them with the girls. They embraced the notion of Natural Learning very well and to this day are still self directed, natural learners.

We decided not to use the same approach with the boys, allowing them the freedom to learn naturally, preferring to focus more heavily on training their character and life skills. We knew there would come a time when academics would need to become of greater importance- we weren’t dissing it, rather trying to balance it in a wholistic way. I’ll admit, it wasn’t (or isn’t) an easy task to teach the boys self direction or self discipline. Even at their ages, it is constant. Periodically I raise the bar with regard to their academic requirements. Just recently I have been motivated to raise the bar much higher, to the extent that the workload is quite confronting for them.

They boys grew up with natural learning and unschooling being a part of their lives. This rigorous season of academics is something new to them. You might think they are bucking against it, but they aren’t. Not at all. In fact, Master J and I had a great discussion recently on the human brain and its capabilities. We spoke about how we learn and how revision is so important. Bearing in mind that most young people change their minds about career choices (as they should- it’s all part of learning about new interests and discovering new experiences) he exclaimed that he might want to be a doctor! Previously he has shied away from things requiring so much academic disciplne because he didn’t think he was able to achieve. But I’ve changed a few things in the home and this change in attitude and thought has been one of the results. (I hope it continues!)

Getting back to my point… Master J has had a lightbulb moment! He says that he can see the value in delight-directed education and the value of academics and trying hard. Prior to this season, he hasn’t really appreciated his [natural learning/unschooling] childhood to this extent… I wonder if it is because he has also experienced the rigors of academic study.

What do you think? What is your experience?

In But Not Of

Be in it but not of it.

It is 10min long but grab a cuppa and be prepared!

Internet Reading

Two weeks down… four weeks left! Till what? Till my man comes back home. He’s been away on a work exercise… and we all miss him terribly.

My internet reading for the week has led me only to a few places, but these sites were too good to not mention. I haven’t been doing much blog reading at all so these are just ones that I’ve stumbled across. In case you haven’t noticed I’ve done a little house/blog redecorating. Yes, some readers could be forgiven for thinking that I change my design as often as I clean the kitchen but it’s not true. I redecorate my blog more often! 😀 But I like this. I’m happy with it and will stay with it awhile.

Ria (an Aussie living in the UK) writes about “First came love, and then came marriage“. It’s not a pleasant topic but Ria managed to articulate thoughts that I’ve had for a few years yet been unable to write. *~ It seems as though Ria has deleted or unpublished this post. ~*

DanisDelights has written a blog post on The Power of Kindness.

CrossExamined.org looks like a great site… one that I haven’t fully read or exhasuted yet. I’ll get back to this site when I’m home from hospital.

Downloadable guide to family worship is worth a read.

Tim’s wife, Aileen writes to women on Challies.com. (NOTE: Not for little people’s eyes)

Also on Callies dot com is a wonderful article about ‘Solomon on Social Media’. You really should check it out. It’s great.

If Solomon were alive today and we were to ask him how we are to relate to one another in this digital world, if we were to ask him how we can honor God in our use of all these social media available to us today, here is how he might respond.

And here’s one to share with the children – a sound clip on Biblical Prosperity Teaching for Kids

When God addresses children directly in Ephesians 6, He gives them an amazing incentive for obedience. Here’s the deal: If you honor and obey your parents, you’ll enjoy a long, fruitful life.

I’ve been reading about (which usually means reading and not doing) raw foods with Ani Phyo. I want to try the Coconut Cake with Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce and Cashew Kream which you can see in the video to the right. I’m not a raw foodist… not by a long shot. However I find that I really need to focus on it in order to improve my diet and consume more fruit and veggies. Without this focus I will simply eat nothing but grain, carbs and starch. (Ohhh, but they’re soo yummy!) Doesn’t this Cauliflower Mash & Mushroom Gravy sound divine to you?

I’m on the lookout for a vegetable spiralizer as can be seen here. I’m keen to try a raw Angel Hair type Pasta with Marina Sauce which uses zucchini as its [counterfeit] pasta. C’mon, most of you know my surname. We’re Italian… there is no way at all that I can truly call spiralled zucchini pasta, but I’ll give it a go for the health of my family. I mean, call it anything else but pasta? What an insult. I am a very good pasta and pasta sauce cook. It’s one of the very few things that I do well in the kitchen. So I like it. But let’s get one thing straight. Zucchini is not and never will be pasta.

Homeschool Phony

I am a homeschool phony.

Or rather that was how I felt. About five years ago one of my daughters approached me and asked THAT question. You know the one… that one question that can evoke more emotions than I care to count: hurt, fear, anger, sadness, a sense of betrayal…
Boom. Boom. Boom.

How could such a question come from MY child’s mouth? Surely if she understood how much sacrificed, how much I’ve invested into her she wouldn’t be able to ask THAT question. Surely?

But she did. And not once. Not twice. Repeatedly.

You know the question, don’t you? I’m sure I’m not the only one who used to dread it.

“Can I go to school”?

How can those five little words carry so much weight?

[I wouldn’t have minded so much if it were my decision (remember me- the control freak?) but.. but.. but..that’s another story for another time]

So to cut a long story short, this beloved daughter eventually trooped off to school. It’s been a few years now and I’ve had lots of time to ponder why my reaction was so deeply emotive. There is no one reason. It’s not that simple. It is enough to say that along with the fear, anger and hurt were also issues of pride. Oh my, what would people say? Would they be shocked? Surprised? Would they look sideways with that knowing glance that shouts, “I knew it wouldn’t last”? Oh dear, what would other homeschoolers think? Have we let the homeschooling community down?

A few years later and I can honestly say that only some of my initial feelings were valid. Most of them were selfish and sinful. And God has been revealing them to me- showing me the ways in which I tried to camouflage and hide them. But they can’t be hidden from God. And honestly, we do nobody any favours when we try… least of the very parents that we often want to help the most.

Fast forward a few years and here I sit… still homeschooling my younger two children (The eldest has graduated. She is now 19). I am so thankful for the opportunity to be at home with my children and to have contributed to the AussieHomeschool community. I love homeschooling! I believe in it! Can you tell? However, there are so many myths that surround homeschooling. I don’t mean the average, run-of-the-mill myths that society believes. I mean the myths that we (as homeschoolers) buy into. We buy into them because we want what we believe it will deliver. And, like many people who invest greatly into something, we will work hard to justify that investment. But in doing so we can hurt each other by perpetuating the myths. It has to stop. We have to stop. We’re hurting our own.

As a parent with a child who has been to school I have seen all kinds of parents. Most parents I have met all have one thing in common. They all want the best for their children! But school parents have one thing that we (as homeschool parents) do not. One thing that we can learn from. They are not afraid to share the turmoils. They don’t seem to be afraid of other parents. They don’t have an overwhelming sense of judgment and condemnation from their fellow parents. I envy that.

As I have shared about my teen’s rebellion and difficulties I have had many others share with me privately. And let me tell you, there are heaps of Christian, homeschool parents who are going through similar things with their teens but they are scared to speak it out loud. They often thank me for doing so… but they fear the condemnation and sense of judgment and it prevents them from sharing about it! How sad is this? How wrong is this?

Not everyone travels a rocky path with their teen. My 19yo daughter transitioned from childhood to puberty to adulthood with only a few potholes along the way. She has fully accepted Christ as her Lord and Saviour and is a lifelong learner. My two boys? Ask me again in a few years. 😉 However, I know that everyone’s journey is different and that’s the way it should be. There is no one right way to homeschool. There is no one perfect example of a homeschool student. It’s a myth. One of many.

Not everyone wants to share their journey. I get that. But I am a sharer. I love to share. But I have wrestled with sharing my journey as it affects more than just me. It affects the child and all the others in the family as well. I’m not about to start going into graphic details. No one needs details… I just want to be honest about our ups and down of the homeschooling journey (and the parenting journey). I don’t want to wear a mask or a protective, flame-retardant suit. Then again, I’m not about to be stark naked either- after all, this is a public blog open to all.

So there you have it. For a few years I felt like a homeschool phony. It truly knocked my confidence. But a few things have happened since the beginning but since learning that many of my previous beliefs were ‘homeschool myths’ I don’t feel like a phony anymore. I am free.

Day One of Three~ Juice Fast

Today was the first day of my three day juice fast. As you might remember, I had a flu for over four weeks and even now I still have a cough that I cannot shake. It’s driving me nuts but I am thankful to be better, at least.

We’ve been enjoying fresh veggie and fruit juice again ever since we splashed out and purchased a new juicer. Previously we owned a Breville Juice Fountain. Golly, that thing is a pain to clean.

The positive points about it are:

Can juice whole fruits or at least large pieces of fruit
Its fast

The negatives are:

Painful to clean
Messy
Loud – very loud
Looks clunky
Inferior juicing method which yields a lower quality juice meaning that it is best consumed immediately.
Cannot do wheatgrass and other leaves.

Now we have a Masticating Juicer.

What’s the difference? Basically there are three types of juicers: Centrifugal, Masticating and Triturating juicers. I’ll leave you to do your own research if you want to know the differences. Alternative, if anyone really wants me to outline those differences just leave a comment and ask.

I like my Masticating Compact. It’s special. However, there are a few downsides to these types of machines, which I’ll list here.

Negatives

Produce needs to be in smaller pices
It is slow. It takes me nearly 20min to extract 2 litres of juice.

But the benefits of this juicer and others like it are:

It’s fairly compact and a little easier to clean than the Breville.
It is quieter than the Breville.
it is cleaner than the Breville. Less mess all over the place!
Superior quality of the juice. It gently crushes and squeezes the produce which generates minimal friction heat. The higher the friction heat the more nutrients are destroyed. The Compact gives up to 60% more nutrients than say, the Breville.
It yields more juice, which is more bang for my buck! I think it has something to do with the extraction process but this juicer gives me a greater quantity of juice.
Because of the process used, the juice remains more stable. I keep the juice in a sealed tupperware container for 2 days, if it lasts that long.
It does lots of other things too! I just haven’t bothered with all that yet.
It juices wheatgrass, celery leaves, sprouts and spinach.
It makes nut butters, pasta and sausages! (Think back to an episode of MasterChef where they used a Compact)

Why juice and not green smoothies? They are very different and have different benefits. After being sick for over a month I need to give my body as many nutrients as it can get while resting my digestive system. Not everyone agrees with the different theories behind juicing vs. green smoothies but from my knowledge of the digestive process it makes sense to juice for healing.

What did I drink on Day One? Yesterday afternoon I made a juice containing, Carrot, Green Apple, Cucumber, Ginger and Celery which I drank for breakfast and lunch today. I also drank filtered water and had two cups of green tea. After lunch I made another batch of juice, this time with: Carrot, Beetroot, Watermelon and Apple.

I always try to have more veggies than fruit- to a ratio of approximately 60% veggies to 40% fruit… less fruit if I can stomach it. When I use strong veggies like Spinach or Beetroot I find I need a little more fruit whereas when I use a lot of Carrot and Celery I can get away with less fruit.

How I managed today: I don’t usually feel hungry. When I do I simply have a cup of tea and I that satisfies me for a few hours. That’s part of the problem though as I don’t eat properly and so suffer many deficiencies. But today I was hungry although I think it was all in my head. What is worse is the throbbing headache that I’ve had since lunchtime. It’s caffeine related so don’t feel sorry for me. Otherwise, I’m good.

My reason for doing this is two fold:

1. For my own health

2. I’m also using this time to pray especially for two dear friends and fellow homeschool mums who are struggling with their health. Father God knows who they are so if you’d like to join with me in prayer, that would be fantastic!

There is no doubt in my mind that raw juicing can save your life. I have seen it work miracles.”
Dr. Sandra Cabot

So how about you? Do you juice? How often do you drink fresh juice? Have a favourite recipe you’d like to share?

Monday Meanderings

Here are my links of my meanderings around the Internet this past week. I’m a bit late with this post today as I’ve been out all over the weekend and today. Yes, it’s softball season! Yahoo! and I am so glad.

96 Essential Sites & Blogs for Gifted Homeschoolers

100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart (Free memory verse cards)

Weston A Price Guide to Superfoods

Cyber Hussies from Christian Women Online

Ruth Beechick writes for Homeschool Today.com on all those “How To Start Homeschooling” books.

Author Lenore Skenazy on the 7.30 Report
Do you ever…let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk to school? Make dinner? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free-Range Kid! Free-Rangers believe in helmets, car seats, seat belts — safety!

Helping Your Teen to Connect podcast with Mark Gregston.
Making an effort to talk with your kids is a good start. But unless the conversation eventually comes around to your teenager’s thoughts, passions and goals in life, they’re left feeling disconnected.

11 Rules Your Kids Did Not and Will Not Learn in School at the HomeScholar.

I hope you enjoy some of the links. Do you agree or disagree with any of the opinions expressed in the links?

The control freak returns

As the children wave goodbye to their father a monster returns. The motherly Control Freak.

This is just how you picture me, isn't it?

On Friday I drove my husband… to work! He always jokes that I drive him mad but I only drove him to work 😉

He is part of an exercise that is heading away up north for six weeks. They are driving heavy duty trucks. 76 of them! I wouldn’t want to get stuck behind them on the highway as they have a speed limit of 75km/h. Yesterday the convoy drove for 12 hours and travelled a whopping 450 kms. Glad I’m at home. They are taking one week to get to their destination, 4 weeks there and another week to get home. I hate it when he goes away, I feel like half of me is missing. Plus, he’s getting too old for all this. He enjoys working in his workshop and doing all that he does but the adrenalin rush of these exercises wears a bit thin after the 100th time.

The other day the children and I were discussing the fact that Dad was going away for 6 weeks and I asked them a question.

Me: “You know what it means when dad goes away, don’t you?”

Master J replied, “Yes Mum, it means the house goes into lockdown.”

Hehee, I had to laugh. I can see why he would say that.

When I am responsbile for everything in the home I do things differently to John. Last time he went away for some length of time I wrote about my thorn in the flesh and how I handle (or struggle) with things. I sometimes struggle with law and grace when I have responsibility on my shoulders.

This ‘lockdown’ involves more rules. It’s how I cope. Quite possibly I have control freak tendencies, which is not good. Needing to control everything is not a biblical attitude. When this spills over to wanting to control my children then I am in dangerous waters. I have often thought though, that many homeschool mums are prone to this way of thinking though. Oh I believe it comes from a pure motive – we desire the very best for our children… but that control freak attitude is something that God wants to deal with.

I like to control things. I like to feel like I am in control of my family, of my homeschool. As the children get older, I see that this can lead to some problems if we continue in these thoughts/ attitudes. We cannot and should not control our children’s thoughts. Controlling their environment to the point where we are controlling their attitude is not healthy and does not raise adults. It raises mini children, incapable of truly thinking for themselves but parroting the things they believe we value. Control cannot achieve what we want it to. reaching the heart is a more scary way to go about it. But that means giving up our need to control.

Husbands carry a lot of weight on their shoulders. They bear a lot of responsibility. As a wife it can be easy for me to not recognise this and just keep piling more things on his shoulders. Times like this can show me exactly how much my husband carries and I become really thankful and appreciative of him. I can’t wait till he comes home again.