Chalkboards!

Angel by older students

Today, while Katherine the Great (my daughter) was at choir practice, my husband and I trekked over to Home Depot to investigate supplies for creating chalkboards.  Our homeschool support group is having a Curiosity Class on Tuesday;  topic:  Sidewalk Chalk Art.  The plan is to divide the kids into two groups by age, Kindergarten through twelve years old and teens.  Each group will work together to create a chalk "painting" that will use some basic concepts illustrated by a classic piece of artwork.  For example, the older children may work on learning some of the skills used by Monet in his water lily paintings, while the younger set may work on re-creating a Mondrian with his bright blocks of color.  I do not know exactly what the art teacher has in mind, but she has done some wonderful things with the kids in the past.

Artwork by younger children

To create our chalkboards, King Richard (my husband) purchased five 2'x4' pieces of 1/4" birch plywood and spray painted them with chalkboard paint.  Four of the boards will be used for the group project.  Two boards will be pushed together to create a 4'x4' drawing space.  The fifth board will be cut into smaller pieces so the preschool age kids can doodle on them while their older siblings enjoy their class.  Hopefully, I will have some photos of the finished art projects.

Photos added September 29, 2011.

Favorite Books for Young Children

Back in August 2006, I wrote this post for Gooseberry Lane, my other blog.  Since deciding to create a separate blog for my homeschooling articles, I have been culling through my archived posts.  Tonight, I found this one and thought I would share it here.  Frankly, I just might go back and read some of these books myself.  Seeing the world through a child's eyes makes for a great perspective check once in a while.

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Yesterday evening, my family and I watched Nanny McPhee, a recent film starring Emma Thompson and Colin Firth. Based on the “Nurse Matilda” books by Christianna Brand, which I have never read, the film brought to mind a few books for children that I have read and that my daughter very much enjoyed during her early childhood years. Most of these recommendations are for children ages 3-8, but can be read aloud to those somewhat younger as well. I heartily encourage daily read-aloud time for all families in order to encourage listening skills, to establish the habit of reading, and to instill a love of literature in children. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as we did (and do!).

Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Calico the Wonder Horse by Virginia Lee Burton
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Verdi by Janell Cannon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Come Again, Pelican by Don Freeman
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Little Toot by Hardie Gramatky
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
What Do You Do, Dear? by Sesyle Joslin & Maurice Sendak
What Do You Say, Dear? by Sesyle Joslin & Maurice Sendak
Alphabeasts by Dick King-Smith
Frederick by Leo Lionni
Let’s Make Rabbits by Leo Lionni
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
The Hole Book by Peter Newell
The Slant Book by Peter Newell
Topsys & Turvys by Peter Newell
Topsys & Turvys 2 by Peter Newell
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
Babushka’s Doll by Patricia Polacco
The Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi
Alligators All Around by Maurice Sendak
Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
Pierre by Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Snuggle Piggy and the Magic Blanket by Michele Stepto
Gooseberry Lane by Bethany Tudor
The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber
Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Napping House by Audrey & Don Wood
Piggies by Audrey & Don Wood
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion & Margaret Bloy Graham

Earthquake Study Resources

On August 23, 2011, an earthquake was felt in various locations up and down the east coast of the United States.  In response to that event, I posted this on Gooseberry Lane.  I thought it might be useful to parents whose children are studying earth science...and because I think the seismophone is really cool.

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In light of today's earthquake and aftershocks, some homeschool families may want to examine the subject of plate tectonics in more depth.  Here are some resources that may help:

A Science Odyssey (PBS)
You Try It:  Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker
Earthquake & Tsunami Unit Study & Lapbook
Earth Science:  Plate Movement, Earthquakes
Booklist for Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes
How the Earth Works (high school/college/adult)

and my favorite:  the seismophone at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  Here is a short video of what it does.  Enjoy!

The NOI, HSLDA, & NHELD

Back in June 2007, I responded to a question about the notice of intent procedures in our state on a homeschool loop.  Recently, I noticed that a number of people were linking to that post (located on Gooseberry Lane) and since it pertains more to the purpose of this blog, I decided to post it here.

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For a while now, a debate has taken place amongst homeschoolers in my state about whether a one-page document known as a “notice of intent” should be filed with the public school system. To me, filing this form is not problematic; however, it is voluntary and therein lies the debate: since filing the notice of intent is voluntary (as is participating in a portfolio review at the end of the academic year as part of that filing), why should I comply? Well, one reason is because the attorneys at HSLDA, the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, recommend it. Yet, the attorneys for NHELD, or National Home Education Legal Defense, do not recommend that homeschoolers file a notice of intent. Why the difference?

This question was posted on a homeschool loop yesterday and I responded to the individual who inquired. I thought I would share a portion of that response on Gooseberry Lane:

You probably already understand that the current CT law (10-184) has two components: compulsory education and compulsory attendance. The former component has been around since the 1600's, the latter is more recent. Under the compulsory attendance portion of the law, public school is the default/assumed mode of instruction UNLESS one of two conditions is present:

- the child is a high school graduate OR
- the parent (or person in charge of the child) is able to show that the child is receiving equivalent instruction to what is taught in the public school

Please note that the statute says "able to show," not "required to show" equivalent instruction. Practically speaking, this means that the school authorities should not promulgate a regulation making it mandatory for homeschoolers to demonstrate equivalent instruction; however, it does mean that homeschoolers should be able to demonstrate equivalent instruction if asked.

It is my understanding that sometime in the early 1990's, the regulation of homeschoolers and/or the definition of equivalent instruction became an issue. I am not sure why, but it did. At that time, based on discussions between various state homeschool organizations, the state Department of Education, and HSLDA , "equivalent instruction" was agreed to be ASSUMED if a notice of intent was filed with the school district and the follow-on portfolio review was also performed. Because this procedure could not be a requirement, the entire NOI/portfolio review system was written as a guideline and the organizations involved in this agreement promised to encourage their members to comply with the suggested procedure. Any "refusal" by HSLDA to help homeschoolers who do not "comply" with the "suggested" procedure is, most likely, based on the fact that (as Christian attorneys) they gave their word to uphold that original agreement. Also, HSLDA does not necessarily believe that the filing of a notice of intent is setting a negative precedent or giving ground to the government. They do, however, encourage parents to be very careful about setting precedent in their portfolio reviews. Parents should take only one sample of work from each subject listed on the notice of intent. They should not try to show educational progress or try to "wow" the school with Creative Memories albums of fields trips and the like because that is not required or ASSUMED under the law. Engaging in such behavior at a portfolio review may indeed set a precedent that all homeschoolers should arrive with the same items for their end-of-year reviews.

NHELD differs with HSLDA in that the precedent concern is placed at the NOI level, not the portfolio review level. NHELD also believes that if the suggested procedure is voluntary, it is and should be just that --- voluntary. No one should even suggest that homeschoolers need to "comply" with it, nor should homeschoolers be denied specialized legal assistance based on the fact that they did not "comply" with a "suggested" procedure.

My personal position is this: as a Christian, I am supposed to give unto Caesar what is Caesar's. If I file a notice of intent, I am giving the authorities what is ASSUMED to be equivalent instruction under the law (because remember, I am supposed to be able to demonstrate equivalent instruction when asked and, remember, it is the agreement that was made). I am giving the school district a piece of paper; I am not giving them my child. I have intermittently filed notices of intent over the years and have NEVER had so much as a request from them for additional information. I have never even had a portfolio review.

To this I add: …because the school district did not feel it was necessary. Just as it is voluntary for me to comply by filing a notice of intent, it is also voluntary for them to comply by holding a portfolio review.

It has also been my experience, after almost a dozen years of homeschooling, that parents who file a notice of intent have no problems with the school.

A First-Ever Picnic

Today, our homeschool support group had a Back-to-Homeschooling Picnic, a first for us.  We resisted scheduling such an event for many years because it seemed too "public school" and because we had been counseled by several older homeschool leaders to shy away from activities that could be done elsewhere by others, activities that were not predominantly educational.  For example, we were advised not to schedule birthday parties or baby showers because families did that type of thing;  fall picnics were something that churches did on Rally Day;  and Tupperware parties were held by ladies' clubs.  Instead, we were encouraged to focus on activities that homeschool parents could not or would not provide for themselves, like a field trip to a donut factory or a chemistry class for teenagers.  Unfortunately, following that guideline exclusively began to transform our little support group into a miniature school whose focus was academics.  We began to lose sight of nurturing each other and began, instead, to emphasize rules for class content (among other things), which eventually led to disagreements amongst parents.  The result:  a once vibrant homeschool group began to chew itself apart from the inside out until it was in danger of becoming a parched remnant, the dried bones of what it used to be.

As a long-time member of that group and knowing much of its history, I had trouble watching it die such a death, so I did something a bit dictatorial.  I took charge and changed things, not so much because I wanted to be in control (although I do like what I like) and not so much because I crave the leadership spotlight (Lord knows, I hate that!), but because it seemed the other leaders were content to keep doing the same old thing that was so clearly failing.  Now, instead of meeting once a month on Monday nights (a time that conflicted with so many family schedules, it practically guaranteed our demise from lack of participation), I decided that Tuesdays were better;  instead of scheduling project-oriented, heavy preparation meetings, I decided that easy, no-prep park days would be more appealing;  and instead of meeting once a month, I decided that once a week would help more people connect more effectively, helping everyone be more refreshed.  So far, this new model seems to be working.  Our attendance has been increasing and the feedback has been positive, especially from the new families.  I can only pray that such a trend continues.

So, what did we do at our first-ever Back-to-Homeschooling Picnic?  Everyone brought some food to share, plus their own beverage.  We had croquet and kickball available to play.  Happily, one of the more energetic dads took it upon himself to organize a very lively, very successful game of kickball.  We intended to have volleyball as well, but the family with the net had to cancel at the last minute.  Oh, well, maybe next time.  Best of all:  the families in attendance, parents and children alike, were able to chat with their fellow home educators and home educated students in a relaxed environment, something that I have been missing for a long time.

Salem American Heritage Day

Firing the cannon

Last weekend, my daughter and I were given the opportunity to set up a homeschooling information table at Salem American Heritage Day, a new effort by the Town of Salem, CT to celebrate their local history and bring people together.  This year, the theme of the celebration was "Abe Lincoln and the Civil War Come to Salem," a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the war.  As the current coordinator for a homeschool support group whose mission is to enhance home instruction and nurture relationships amongst home educators, this event was a perfect fit for our member families.  It gave them a chance to explore many aspects of the Civil War --- everything from armaments to soldier rations to battlefield surgery to the role of the US Navy in the conflict --- plus it gave me a chance to network with several local librarians and school officials.  The children had an opportunity to pose questions to "President Lincoln" at a press conference and I got to discuss possible homeschool legislation with a Salem School Board member.  We all enjoyed the day, more so for having been able to meet up at our homeschooling table.  Hopefully, we will be given the same opportunity next year.

To see snapshots of the day, check the "Field Trip & Activity Photos" in the sidebar.