Mail from...Oklahoma

I've talked a lot about creating lessons from the random things my kids sometimes happen to be interested in.  (see motorcycle sidecar racing and underwater worlds for examples).  This week we put a little twist on that theme-this time it was something random that I happened to be interested in.

It started while I was reading  Into the West: The Story of It's People.  The book's not that great, but it did talk a little bit about the Oklahoma Land Grab and that piqued my interest.

I found some great information on the Oklahoma Historical Society website and this clip from the movie "Far and Away."  (I ended up checking this movie out at our library-not for the kids, of course-and really enjoyed watching it.)

Source: youtube.com via Michelle on Pinterest

After talking about the Native Americans in Oklahoma, and a little bit about homesteading, I helped my boys participate in their own land grab.  They had to decide what to take with them...

Clothes, toys, books, and snacks.

I wanted them to think carefully about what they'd need in the wilderness, but when I turned around they'd emptied their entire dressers into their sleds and filled their shoes with nuts.  It was a good time to just smile and let them be.

Next they had to think about their mode of transportation...one sled has a string on it, so that worked perfectly.  We had to transfer supplies from the second sled into something a little more manageable...

I put 6 land "markers" in the yard...

...and then it was a race to see who could collect the most "land"...

My teenage neighbor came out at about the time as this video and looked at us very strangely.  It's like he's never seen kids running around with sleds and coolers full of clothes and snacks before...

My kids loved the running around part of this lesson, 

and it was so rewarding to share with them something that was intriguing to me.  

What was the last spontaneous lesson

 you and your kids shared?

You thought I forgot, didn't you?

The Oklahoma state bird is the Scissor-tailed Fly Catcher.

I'll bet you've never seen one of those!

Counting the Days to Christmas

Beck is 1000% too interested in toys and presents this year so I've been looking for a really good way to focus his mind on what's more important at the holiday times.  There are sooooo many great ideas floating around right now, but this is the one that finally clicked for me...

Each day Sarah at Confessions of a Slacker Mom is putting together a song, a scripture, and an activity to share as a family and help get everybody's mind back on the center of Christmas, Jesus Christ.  

Please don't be scared off by the Mormon title.  The activities will be fun and uplifting for everyone.  Last night we sang "Away In A Manger" and read verses in the book of Luke.  Tonight the song is "O Come All Ye Faithful" with a reading in Malachi and a coloring page.  

If you've been looking for something to help add special meaning to your family's Christmas celebrating, hop over and look at "The 24 Days of Mormon Christmas."  (And while you're there, check out Sarah's Walk Beside Me preschool curriculum)

What is your family doing to focus on Christ this Christmas?

Education Mirroring Life

We did do a full school session today-math, letters, cut and paste; the first time this week...but then Beck asked if we could learn about motorcycle sidecars for school.  Resisting all my natural instincts to squash his joy and excitement, I cautiously said yes and then got to work figuring out how this lesson would come together.

You see, he got this new toy at our local thrift store today.   We made an agreement that he could have it if he didn't "be mean to Peyton" the whole time we were there.  He was the quietest boy he's ever been!  As soon as we'd paid for it, the whole story changed; his imagination for sidecars has not taken a moment's break!

For the lesson we talked a little bit about how the sidecar changes a solo motorcycle.  For example, 3 wheels instead of 2 and easier to balance but harder to steer.  Find a lot of great information here.

We loved these unique sidecars...

After looking around online, I discovered the sport of Motorcycle Sidecar Racing.  Absolutely insane!  Yet the first thing Beck told his dad about it was that our whole family was going to get motorcycle sidecars and then do motorcycle sidecar racing!!!

The great news is the sidecar race circuit comes to our local racetrack.  The bad news is we just missed the races and won't be able to see them here for another year.  Beck says that will be plenty of time to practice.  I guess I hope I get to be the driver...

Today's Teaching Your Children Joy activity:

Create an obstacle course and practice balancing, climbing, & flexibility

The Inspiration

"The preschool years are not the time to teach reading or math.  We should use life's most impressionable years to teach life's most important lesson-how to be happy!"

-Linda and Richard Eyre

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My husband and two little boys once went to the grocery store and came back with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  They made me close my eyes so I would be surprised.  When I looked at my husband in gratitude he shook his head and told me our 4-year-old had asked to buy them.  He thought they would make me happy and then I wouldn't get frustrated with him anymore.  

Being a mother has not come easy to me.  I lose my patience and lose my temper.  I overreact and criticize.  I watch my husband being goofy and attentive and slap myself on the forehead thinking, "Argh, that's the way I need to be!" It is time to step back from the busyness I've created in my life and make my four little boys one of my highest priorities.

  

When my oldest was younger we participated in an unofficial Joy School where parents prepared and taught lessons and activities for their preschool-age children.  It was a wonderful experience for all of us.  At the start of new school years everyone I knew asked if I would be putting him into preschool. With very little question, I decided not to enroll him into a structured preschool class.  There would be decades of structured school environments ahead and I wanted to give him the chance to simply be a kid for as long as he can be. 

One of the mothers from our class wanted to start an actual preschool.  Her focus was going to be heavy on learning to read, teaching math skills, learning foreign language words, and other extremely school-centric lessons.  While my oldest loved letters and learning, I didn't feel like he needed to feel pressured to learn those things so soon.  It was hard to say no, but I'm still proud for sticking up for what was right for my boys.

And so, this is how we got started on our homeschooling journey:

Using the quiet of afternoon naptime with younger siblings I focused on precious life skills kids need to always find optimism in life.  The purpose of this blog is to share how we continue working towards that goal each day.  Starting out, that looked like this:

• Use the book Teaching Your Children Joy by the Eyres as our base.  Packed full of activities and divided into 13 sections, we worked on an activity a day, making our way through the book at laid-back pace.  Occasionally we supplemented activities from other books and websites as well.
• Working through a variety of preschool curriculum workbooks, but with a fun, low-pressure pace.  Some phonics, some math patterns and counting, a lot of motorskills activities.
• Art, playtime, games, and more.  A wonderful opportunity for me to get down to children's level and play without interruption.  The kids need that, but I need it, too.  
• Storytime.  My husband and I both love to read.  It touches me deeply that our boys show such an intense love for books and stories.  Their creativity and imaginations are strong and I want to continue building a connection between a story on a page and the way that they play. 

I want to always see my boys smiling and happy.  I want them to not feel like they have to shower me with flowers so I will be nice to them (although that's not such a bad life-lesson, is it ladies?).

It has been 4 years since we started out on this journey, with many ups and downs, but our decision to homeschool is solidified each day. There's a lot to tell since those early days, but my guiding principles are still the same...

 We have precious little time to show our children they are the center of our lives,

 to be close to them and to build the confidence they will need

 in the future to find happiness within themselves.

Look for joy in what they are doing every single day!

Want to learn more about Teaching Your Children Joy?