Homeschool Weekly Spotlight: Wilhemina

[Wilhemina]

I hope its okay to take it upon myself to do this. When my name first came up in the rotation it was the week Hurricane Rita hit my home and we were evacuated for 2 weeks. I didn't have regular internet access during that time, but we sure did some fun and interesting things - might have been an interesting hsing time to record!

I just love these threads, so I didn't want to miss my chance before dc#3 comes along in a few weeks.

What are your kids ages and pseudonyms?
Ann, turned 7 in Oct.
Catherine, turns 4 today.

How long have you been homeschooling? Is there a story behind it? Ann went to pre-school, but has never been to *school-school.* (If I had it to do over again, we wouldn't do pre-school either, but at the time it was a compromise with dh who harbored serious reservations about hsing.)
In a nutshell, from the "tell us your story" thread:
[URL=http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=1306233&highlight=Luis#post130623 3[/URL]

Does your homeschool have a name or a mission statement?
Hearts Delight Homeschool. I wrote out a mission statement when dh and I were making the final decision not to kindy, I'll try to find it!

What is your general homeschooling philosophy?
Have fun, learn by doing, follow your interests and instincts. READ, READ, READ!

Do you use a curriculum?Not a purchased one. When I was a teacher I came to understand that *curriculum* truly means what actually takes place in the learning setting. So sure, we have a curriculum - one that draws on so many resources I can't start to list them.

Do you or your children have any special interests or hobbies that influence your homeschooling? We all love to read and spend lots of time reading aloud (Ann is not a proficient reader yet). Ann has a great interest and talent in arts and crafts. She is expecially taken with sewing and has completed a number of cool projects. Both girls love to cook and help in the kitchen pretty much daily, but once a week Ann prepares a recipe she has selected and shopped for. Catherine's special interests? Making a mess???

What is your typical daily routine? weekly routine?
Loose Daily routine:
1. Morning begins with hot chocolate (Red Raspberry Tea for pg. mom) and an extended read aloud session.
2. Next is breakfast and any *school* work I've planned, or work on ongoing projects, or games, play, or...
3. I like to run any errands before lunch.
4. Lunch is a nice time for an interesting chat about the work of art we are currently studying in art appreciation, the chapter book we are currently reading, or... then we have another extended read aloud time before our
5. Rest time. We spend @45 minutes each doing her own thing quietly and independently. I really try not to use this time for chores.
6. Afternoon outside, depending on weather - right now they are enjoying their new birthday scooters. This week may be different as the roofers are here and I expect them to leave nails/mess in the yard.
6. Often at 4 p.m. the girls like to watch Kim Possible, then Cyberchase.
7. Evening routing - they help with dinner or play, then set the table. Baths, games/movie/read aloud/play with dh before bed.

Weekly routine: Monday- grocery day - I almost always have a fun *lesson* at the grocery store for the girls. Wednesday - I run a pre-school story time at the local library in the morning. Thursday - storytime at the downtown library and Catherine has a standing playdate in the afternoon. Friday - Ann has a standing playdate in the afternoon. Soccer season is over, so our Saturdays are free! Sunday - church (we're UU Christians)

Monthly: 4-H once a month, book club (Ann) once a month, hs group meetings at least monthly. Pre-natal appointments in Houston (overnight visit with Nana and Grandaddy)

Do you have any special methods/tips for planning? household organization? storage? record keeping?Although my heart leans toward unschooling, my head won't let me leave all that teacher training behind! So every Monday morning I fill out my plan for the week on a sheet I devised. It is simple and only a guideline for me. On 8.5x11 paper, the top half lists "lessons and activities" with space to write in a date. That's where I note what I would like each girl to do that week. I make sure we hit reading/writing, math, science, and art appreciation. I don't think the girls see the lessons this way - it's just for me. The bottom half of the paper is divided into thirds: "read aloud highlights," "hands on and field trips," and "notes." It helps me remember how many cool things we do (I like the reassurance).

This week's lesson plan sheet:
"lessons and activities"

• both: decorate H (cardboard alphabet letters for a frieze in our kitchen)
• both: new picasso work: "World Festival of Youth and Students for Peace" poster 1951
• both: freezing point of water/salinity experiments - Science Wizardry for Kids paes 43&44
• Ann: record her fantasy/fairytale story she began yesterday (it's as involved as LOTR!!) for future "publication"
• Ann: subtraction in Usborne Sticker Fun book, pages 52-55
• Catherine: Sticker Fun book, odds and evens, pages 20-21
• both: Buzy Bees math game from Usborne Fun With Numbers
• Both: make silly sentences flip books

"read aloud highlights" (so far - this I add to all week)
Wizard of Oz pop-up book (Catherine's b-day present from Nana)
new Big Backyard issue

"hands on and field trips"
Saw "A Christmas Carol" at the Alley Theater in Houston on Saturday.
Ann's recipe this week: Button Cupcakes
grocery store - estimated and compared weights of produce. Collected coupons for elaborate "store" play. (We gave Catherine a toy cash register with a working calculator for her birthday - they LOVE it.)

"NOTES"
*order Xmas craft and card supplies
*research 19th century Texas Christmas celebrations for trip next weekend to Barrington Living History Farm's festival
*find and read more Why the Sea is Salt porquoi(sp?) tales in preparation for book club
*find printmaking activity to mesh with Picasso study

[zonapellucida]

[oceanbaby]

I am so excited you started this back up. I can't wait to hear about your week!

[Wilhemina]

Monday's blog:

Since the roofers were here before 8, I had to deal with them and forgo our morning reading time (though the hot chocolate could not be skipped!). The girls instead played 'puter together. We had breakfast and then they set up their "store" while I made some more business phone calls, etc. Since the hurricane there are lots of insurance people/contractors/etc. to deal with.

They helped me organize the week's menu, Ann selected her recipe, and we completed a grocery list. While at the store, the girls spent some time weighing all our produce, first guessing the weight, and comparing the weights of different selections. They also collected coupons to use at their "store" later.

They helped me with the groceries (I bribed them with play money - $1 for each frozen/refridgerated item they brought to me to put away). Then onto their store. I found MANY wonderful items I simpley HAD to have, and gift wrapping was only $5.00 extra per purchase.

At lunch we talked about the store, then read some books on the couch before "rest" time.

After rest - more store! - then Kim Possible and Cyberchase, after which they cleaned up some toys in the living room and set the table while waiting for the roofers to leave so they could have the driveway and garage for scootering. Catherine did some sticker math pages - not exactly the pages I had planned, but whatever!

After dinner, bath, played store with DH before cleaning up their room, then a few rounds of animal charades. Ever seen a very pregnant woman pretend to be a kangaroo? An alligator?

Read a couple of books at bedtime including Finn McCoul on tape.

[Wilhemina]

Tuesday's blog:

Hot chocolate and Christmas books this morning. I LOVE Christmas time! Got out early for errands including copy center (shrinking the girls' art work to fit in calendars for grandmothers), book store, library (videos were late. : ), and dry cleaners where the girls love to visit with "Miss Mary" the clerk.

Played Scrabble Junior while waiting for lunch to cook. Then discussed our new Picasso work during lunch. As always Ann made some very interesting observations and comparisons (with other works). After lunch we tried to conduct my science demonstration about the how salinity affects the freezing point of water. As usual, we had technical difficulties. But, it was interesting to theorize about what went wrong, and the girls continued the project with their own "experiments." We'll definately try it again, probably tomorrow.

For our afternoon read-aloud, we read half of Holly and Ivy by Rumor Godden, a family Christmas tradition. Then the girls (under some protest) helped with household chores. No time for a rest today, but we enjoyed some music while we worked.

We met some friends at the park where all the kids scootered a bit before coming home to meet Ann's best friend who came for dinner and to watch the new American Girl movie, Felicity. Now they are listening to The Firebird on tape and will hopefully be asleep in minutes!

[Wilhemina]

I suppose there are many reasons why this thread isn't receiving too many responses, but I've decided to go with y'all are too awe struck by the perfection that is Hearts Delight Homeschool to come up with any comments or questions!

[excitedtobeamom]

I know that I am enjoying the thread. I am curious what is on your list of foods for the week. I am always looking for good ideas.

[running wild]

Wilhemina;

Thanks for sharing your homeschooling lives with us. I'm enjoying your thread and am glad you started the Weekly Spotlight up again.

BTW--It does seem as though Hearts Delight Homeschool is pretty darn perfect! (Starting everyday with Hot Chocolate sounds pretty darn good to me.) Perhaps if you ask some questions, you'd get more responses...but in the meantime, please keep posting.

[7kiddosmom]

:

[Pealette]

I'm checking in everyday! I'd wondered what had happened to the spotlight, I enjoy them.

Thanks!!

[eminer]

Originally Posted by Wilhemina

I suppose there are many reasons why this thread isn't receiving too many responses, but I've decided to go with y'all are too awe struck by the perfection that is Hearts Delight Homeschool to come up with any comments or questions!

Actually, yes, that was pretty much why, in my case! Yesterday I was reading your blog to dh and saying, wow, I want to be more like her...especially with the hot chocolate. I also love the idea of rest time, as you described it. May I please borrow some of you organization?

My questions:

- I'd love to hear your mission statement, if you've found it.
- Who came up with the idea of doing the salinity experiments, and how?

[rainbowmum]

I love these threads and the insight you get on others lives.
Oh and I have a question (or two).
WRT read aloud - is it you reading aloud to them? And will it always be a chance for you to read aloud to them or do you plan on your children reading aloud at some point? Also do you read long stories aand a bit each day? or short ones? How do you decide which story to read?
Do your kids always come and listen? Are they playing in the same room or fully focussed on the story?
Sorry for all the questions. I think I may introduce a read aloud so wondered how it worked!!!

[BoobyJuice]

As much as I love our foot loose lifestyle, I really am in awe of such organization. We don't do the same things twice in a year. I'm reading and learning.

[Wilhemina]

oooh, questions!

(Starting everyday with Hot Chocolate sounds pretty darn good to me.)

We just fell into this some how. I think perhaps it was initially to help me wean them from t.v. in the mornings. I'm not anti t.v., but it is a love-hate relationship for me. It seemed like if the boob tube went on the a.m. it was always unpleasant to turn it off and begin DOING something. Now it just doen't go on until the p.m. and then there is a clear cut off time. (News comes on after Cyberchase and they certainly don't want to watch that .)

I am curious what is on your list of foods for the week.

My menu only includes dinners. I keep a grocery list on the 'puter that includes all the regular stuff we might need for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. This week:
Monday - easy Mu Shu (sp?) chicken with cabbage
Tuesday - spinach tamales (frozen) with spanish rice and refried beans
Wednesday - veggie enchiladas (one of dh's favorites)
Thursday - potato and spinach soup
Friday - veggie soup (no recipe - just extras from the week with a few cans and frozen veggies)

I also have a section for "extras" and "weekend", that includes Ann's button cupcake recipe and hot wassail for the weekend - other than that the weekend is fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants.

- I'd love to hear your mission statement, if you've found it.

I haven't found it. I did find some other good stuff, though so I'm glad I looked! I'm sure I didn't throw it away, so maybe I'll find it yet.

- Who came up with the idea of doing the salinity experiments, and how?

One was in the back of Family Fun magazine this month, and I thought it looked fun. When I looked for more info about it, I found the same experiment alongside another in our Science Wizardry for Kids (Barrons), so there you go. I have never known my dds to turn me down when I suggest, "let's do a science experiment."

WRT read aloud - is it you reading aloud to them? And will it always be a chance for you to read aloud to them or do you plan on your children reading aloud at some point? Also do you read long stories aand a bit each day? or short ones? How do you decide which story to read?
Do your kids always come and listen? Are they playing in the same room or fully focussed on the story?

Yes, I read aloud. If Ann is up to it she will read 1 phonics reader, but oh she resists this! Occassionally Catherine will *read* (from memory and with clues from the illustrations) a favorite picture book to us. I can sure see some of our time morphing into taking turns reading aloud, but I suspect they will always want me to read some.

Almost exclusively the girls choose what I read, but I sometimes offer a suggestion. We read a combination of picture books and chapter books, fiction and non-fiction. We recently finished The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I swear if I could have held up they would have listened to the whole book in one sitting!

They always come and listen. I think I am lucky in that. Even Catherine has, for as long as I remember, had an immense capacity for attending to a story. Somehow I think baby #3 may buck that trend - what will I do in that case? I don't know!

I really am in awe of such organization

Thanks! I don't feel very organized most days.

[Wilhemina]

Wednesday's blog

Catherine got up early, so she and I had an extra long read-aloud time. (She picked Babar books.) When Ann got up she was curious enough about the comic strip I had clipped from the morning's paper to read it herself! I think I finally see her progress and reading skills making more than the tiniest of improvements (knock on wood)!

During and after breakfast the girls helped me organize my story time plan (I run a volunteer pre-school storytime at one of the branch libraries.) Not too "themey" this week - we chose "silly" books including a Numeroff book Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers. That launched our crafty book extension. I printed a dog coloring page from the 'puter and brought crayons, magazines, scissors and glue for the kids to add something silly to it. Catherine added an "herbal foot bath" to her picture and thought that was hilarious! (We have been talking about herbal foot baths because in a couple of weeks we are treating ourselves to a night in a hotel near my birthcenter and the deal we got includes this spa treatment.)

After storytime (and paying my : library fines) we came home and searching for roofing nails in the yard. Lunch was all about what they wanted from Santa, so they dictated Santa letters to me. I had planned to have Ann read her letter after it printed, but she had it decorated and sealed in an envelope before I was through with Catherine's, so I just helped her address the front.

After lunch Ann - well both girls, actually - worked her math sticker pages. Then they wanted to paint (when we gathered craft materials for storytime they found some paint tools they wanted to experiment with). For my sake I made sure that the experience included some print making and we discussed (briefly) our Picasso. I also thought to get out the cardboard "H"s for them to paint while they were at it and we discussed the H sound and words that start with H.

Something inspired me after that, to give them an early bath and run a load of laundry. After they were dry and dressed we had a snack and finished The Story of Holly and Ivy and a picture book or two that Catherine selected. After that they watched a new movie Catherine had just received in the mail as a birthday present (Carebears).

While waiting for dh to get home for dinner, we played cards and a simple game that the girls made (stamped apple prints on large index cards, drew worm on one, lay out the cards and take turns taking 1,2, or 3 cards until you force your opponent to take the worm).

After dinner they played with dh while I took a bath, then we had time for a quick family game of Disney scene-it before bedtime reading.

[knittingmomma]

I am enjoying this - thank you

Warm wishes,
Tonya

[mammastar2]

I am really enjoying this, and getting lots of great ideas and inspiration - thanks!

I'm curious about the art appreciation - can you explain more about how that works?

[mammastar2]

*

[Wilhemina]

Originally Posted by mammastar2

I am really enjoying this, and getting lots of great ideas and inspiration - thanks!

I'm curious about the art appreciation - can you explain more about how that works?

It was an idea I had after reading some Charlotte Mason books. Though, I'm afraid CM would roll over in her grave to see the casual approach we take! Ann LOVES art. When she took a week of art camp at the museum, the education director there told me she was so insightful and inspired when they toured the collection that she could be junior-junior docent.

SO, CM's idea of studying individual works of art seemed a great fit. How it works for us:
Ann and I selected art several calendars on clearance in Jan. Every @6 weeks we pick a new calendar (and thereby artist) to study. We only study one work a week; all week it hangs alone on a magnet board in our living room.

Basically we really study the work, ask each other questions, relate it to other art, literature, etc. and do some art work of our own somehow inspired by that work. We also read about the artist. So far our Picasso study has inspired us to take our double sided (thanks to my dad it's double sided now!) easel downtown to paint a landscape of a statue in a formal park, read about Theseus and the Minotaur, draw each other a'la Picasso, and now explore printmaking. We've also read 2 books about the life of Picasso.

In January we plan to see an original Picasso at the art museum where my folks live. We don't make it there as often as we should since the Children's Museum is practically next door and beckons like a sea siren!

[mammastar2]

I LOVE that idea! Sounds fabulous...I haven't read any Charlotte Mason yet, but however you're interpreting it sounds just right to me.