Less-Creative Homeschool Moms UNITE!

[Catwoman]

He hated the map pages for SoTW and did the least amount possible.

 

I remember trying to use those. That was during my earlier days, when I was still trying to be Creative Mom.

 

We ditched the map and activity pages pretty early on. Ds wasn't learning anything from them, anyway, and he has never been big on busywork. He liked looking at the maps, but thought the whole coloring thing was a waste of time.

[cin]

I am sooooooooo not creative. I made 3 people. That is the extent of my craftiness and creativity. My 5yo asked me to teach her by using crafts. I thought about selling her. I could not have possibly produced a crafty child. My older two want to produce a play. I almost had a heart attack. I know they're going to ask me to help create a set. I can't even draw stick people!

 

Now, I think some extras are nice. Of course my idea of "extras" is "write a paper about xxxx" or "let's watch a YouTube video/documentary about that." if my kids want to make a model of a plant cell, I give them the tools and step away. I don't do crafts.

 

I didn't even do that! My kids were created by someone else! And that truly indicates my creativity!!!!!! We do whatever the textbook tells us to do. we are doing a lapbook, sort of, for science this year. We do not do experiments because of my sensory child. They are taking writing and lit through the co-op because I can have them read it, and I can ask them who the characters are, but analyzing it is just beyond me. Unless I have a list of questions. Heck, I sometimes have trouble with sentences for spelling words. :001_huh:

 

Write it out in black and white. Or I get befuddled.

[Catwoman]

I'm a sort-of creative mom. I try not to have much busy work, but when my kids get posters assigned to them as homework from their classes I get all excited. They have to remind me it is their project - not mine. Hmph.

 

Spoil-sports. Have they no respect for your creative needs??? :tongue_smilie:

[Catwoman]

...We do the school stuff, get it out of the way, and then do the things we really want to do.

 

My kids craft, sew, cook, etc. But when I try to incorporate that in a "fun" way into our school work, it just becomes work. It doesn't make school fun for us. So it remains what we do for fun.

 

 

We're the same way. My ds likes to cook and he likes artistic stuff, but when it's part of the school day, it makes the day drag on forever and it feels like work to us, too. Also, if the artsy stuff is in the middle of the school day, wish me luck when I try to get ds back to doing something like Algebra. :eek:

 

Of course, perhaps I could incorporate some sort of decoupage or stained glass art project into his Algebra class, and everything would be just fine... ;)

[Jackie in NE]

I am the least creative person on the planet.

 

I do not to crafts. I do not lapbook. Shudder.

 

I'd seriously rather clean all the toilets in the house than do a lapbook.

 

This. I've never even considered doing a lapbook. My oldest dd is very creative, and very interested in everything. It was easier to get creative with her.... she appreciated all my feeble attempts.

 

The next 3 dc, not so much. Lots of blank looks and "are we done yet?" comments. They just are not as curious. It kind of makes schooling a chore. They also don't have very good retention of material.

 

The other day, they were all staring at me blankly as I "presented" a history lesson. I broke into an impromptu skit, involving all of them. They laughed. They remembered. It exhausted me. I just haven't got it in me, iykwim. Hopefully it won't damage them too much. ;)

[Hoot]

I think -- as do my kids -- that learning IS fun. Not always, not every day, not every subject, but mostly so. And it's the hands-on stuff that brings it alive and makes it that way.

 

See, I'm one who doesn't think that way at all. I think learning is fun. I LOVE it! But I would rather read, take notes, and write a report than all that hands-on stuff. For me, it just doesn't click. I guess that's the beauty of homeschooling, we can all learn and teach in a way that makes sense to us.

[RanchGirl]

At 12, for science class, I would prefer for them to be doing experiments.

 

:iagree: Sounds like a bunch of time wasting when there could be serious science learning happening. I love crafts for the younger ages, but I am so happy to be in the middle school phase where we can start to really get down to business! I'm all for notebooking in history, poems in English, and even will go so far as to take pictures of the experiments to put in the add to the lab write-ups, but not in place of the more intellectual learning that my kids are ready for.

[Hoot]

I think, like another poster mentioned, that this will appeal and work well for some kids. Obviously, though, that will mean that others don't learn that well or enjoy it. I think the happy medium would be offering the students a choice in how they present their work. "You may write a #page paper, #words minimum OR You may write a #minute song about the subject, draw a picture, sculpt a model, choreograph an interpretive dance...." ;)

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

This is one of the things DS13 loves about Streams of Civilization. The activities for each chapter are not simply, answer these comprehension questions. Instead, there are maybe 6 or 10 choices for each chapter. Some are research and write a report, while others are a bit more hands-on. He loves the choices and feels like he has a bit more control. I know this is something you can do with any curriculum, but having those choices already laid out is very helpful.

[Catwoman]

:iagree: Sounds like a bunch of time wasting when there could be serious science learning happening.

 

:iagree:

 

That's what I think, too. Fortunately, I'm thinking of this as more of a socialization-and-classroom-experience kind of thing for ds, so the science part is relatively unimportant to me. We'll still do our regular science course at home, and this will just be an add-on.

 

For all I know, all of the woo-woo stuff may end up comprising only a tiny part of the class. It's what was emphasized in the class description, but maybe that was just to make it sound like it would be fun, and the kids will end up learning a lot of "real" information in addition to the fluffy stuff.

 

I just hope the other kids turn out to be nice and that ds will enjoy the experience.

[shanvan]

Here's the story:

 

Ds12 will be participating in a small group homeschool science class organized by a mom I don't know too well, but she seems very nice.

 

As part of the class, the kids will be writing and producing a play about something relating to the science they're learning in class. They will also be doing some sciency crafts. Additionally, they will be writing poems and stories about this particular area of science, and performing them for the parents on the last day of class.

 

Here's my issue:

 

I feel like a complete slug.

 

I'm not one of the Creative Moms.

 

I'm not even one of the Sort Of Creative Moms.

 

I would never think to have my kid write a poem about science. I wouldn't have him write a poem except when it was assigned as part of an English class, unless he suddenly developed a great interest in poetry. (I should add that I really do not see that happening.)

 

It would not even occur to me that perhaps this sort of thing might be a good idea. I wouldn't have him writing science stories or plays or catchy little science songs, or whatever.

 

We don't lapbook. We don't notebook. We don't journal.

 

There is never any haiku involved.

 

Here are my questions:

 

Does this make me a horrible mom? I work with ds12 on his schoolwork. I really enjoy teaching my ds. We have a great time together, and I try to make his schoolwork as much fun as I can, but we don't do the whole crafty, rabbit trail, let's-put-on-a-show thing. We do the schoolwork because it has to get done, and then ds can explore the things that really interest him. (Hint: Writing poems is not one of those things. :tongue_smilie: He loves making up stories, but not about school-related stuff!)

 

Am I the only mom who thinks some of this "extra stuff" is overkill? I mean, if your kid loves a particular subject or topic, I'm all for going more deeply into it, but what about the subjects he just tolerates, or those that he seriously dislikes? Do you still do the stupid timeline??? Do you have to have a pot-luck lunch with recipes related to your Topic of Choice? Does your kid have to write a song that includes all of his spelling words for the week, and then perform it at some sort of Family Talent Show Night?

 

Because really, I admire the moms who are creative enough to come up with all of those ideas. But I'm not one of them, and I'm finding it harder and harder to relate to the moms who are like that. I secretly wonder if they look at me like I'm some sort of Homeschool Teacher Poster Mom for the Hideously Boring and Unimaginative.

 

So tell me the truth -- which one are you? Creative & Innovative Homeschool Mom, or Not So Much?

 

 

I haven't read the other replies.....

 

Well...I can be creative & innovative at times. I have struggled with many of my creative ideas over the years. I can come up with all kinds of neat, interesting projects if I want to. Finding the time and energy to complete them while other work that needs to be done gets short changed just doesn't appeal to me.

 

But, the longer I homeschool (and I taught for 4 years in public school) the less I even want to do the 'creative' stuff. I've found that many of the more creative activities are extremely time consuming and energy zapping (for me). Mostly, I don't think the payoff for the material learned vs time spent make those activities worthwhile. I like to include some occasionally for variety, but if, and only if, the time spent on the crafty, creative, or innovative activity is going to result in some deeper understanding or more learning than time spent doing something else that may not be as innovative. Hope I'm making sense. There must be a certain level of educational value, or no way am I going to spend my time and energy on it. Now, if Dc can handle it completely independent of me, great, that's something I'd consider.

 

When I was still teaching there were several teachers who constantly did very cute crafts with their classes. The halls outside their rooms were lined with them. It *looked* like their kids had been busy accomplishing something. In a way they were, but mostly what they produced did not help them meet any goals in content areas. They were really just cutesy crafts. And, I would imagine, for some kids it was torture completing them.

 

Ds would rather write an essay than make a lap book. After doing some with Dd, I'm almost in complete agreement.

 

So, no, I don't think you are a bad mom or teacher. Yes, I think some of it is overkill. But, I don't think the creative types are bad either, but they might end up spending more time to accomplish the same amount of learning. If they enjoy it, I think it's great. Around here we have too many interests, too little time, so I am careful about time consuming projects.

[angela in ohio]

I would never think to have my kid write a poem about science. I wouldn't have him write a poem except when it was assigned as part of an English class, unless he suddenly developed a great interest in poetry. (I should add that I really do not see that happening.)

 

It would not even occur to me that perhaps this sort of thing might be a good idea. I wouldn't have him writing science stories or plays or catchy little science songs, or whatever.

 

You know, there are two possible reasons for this. ;)

 

I see no benefit to writing a play about science. This is a perfect reason we avoid most homeschool activities: somehow there is always drama involved (from parents and students, but that's another story. ;)) What is the homeschool obsession with drama? I truly don't understand. Do mostly moms who did theater in school homeschool, or is it the thing people worry their dc will miss by homeschooling? I remember when Mary Pride did an article about the homeschool obsession with the arts and drama so it's not just me noticing it.

 

I'm going to generalize here, but I think the reason you get poetry and drama and singing in homeschooling groups so much is that there are mostly moms doing it. And then you get boys who dislike homeschooling. And we wonder why. :D (Big generalization, don't bother posting about your boy who loves poetry.)

Edited September 10, 2012 by angela in ohio

[Myeightkiddies]

I'm not creative either. I have craft projects that I work on personally, but I research them well first.

 

For me, I get ideas from the forums here and on Pinterest. Doing those two things really help because most of the stuff would never occur to me otherwise.

[angela in ohio]

When I was still teaching there were several teachers who constantly did very cute crafts with their classes. The halls outside their rooms were lined with them. It *looked* like their kids had been busy accomplishing something. In a way they were, but mostly what they produced did not help them meet any goals in content areas. They were really just cutesy crafts. And, I would imagine, for some kids it was torture completing them.

 

This. I want to cry every time I see a homeschooler beating herself up because she doesn't do all the cutesy projects she sees on other peoples blogs. But almost every IRL homeschooler I know who does those things is sacrificing other things for the giant amount of time spent.

 

We shouldn't feel burdened by seeing a *new* idea, because sometimes it just isn't a *good* idea.

[justamouse]

This. I want to cry every time I see a homeschooler beating herself up because she doesn't do all the cutesy projects she sees on other peoples blogs. But almost every IRL homeschooler I know who does those things is sacrificing other things for the giant amount of time spent.

 

We shouldn't feel burdened by seeing a *new* idea, because sometimes it just isn't a *good* idea.

 

:iagree:

 

Seriously, the older ways get the learning done. If they have learned well, it will naturally come out, without ordering a play with a Greek Chorus about it. Though perhaps they will do that on their own, if they so wish.

 

You can MAKE a kid own it, or they can own it and live it.

[Hoot]

 

 

When I was still teaching there were several teachers who constantly did very cute crafts with their classes. The halls outside their rooms were lined with them. It *looked* like their kids had been busy accomplishing something. In a way they were, but mostly what they produced did not help them meet any goals in content areas. They were really just cutesy crafts. And, I would imagine, for some kids it was torture completing them.

 

:iagree:

I found this to be true when I worked in the school system, also. Most of the time, those cutesy crafts were all completely the same too with absolutely zero creativity. I subbed in a pre-k class at a small Christian school last year, and the teachers would frown at the kids and convey their strong disappointment when a child would color their flamingo anything other than pink or the zebra anything other than black and white. Before they would go off to do their coloring sheet the teacher would say,

"and what color are we going to color our flamingo?"

"Pink!"

"Good"

"Are we going to color it green?"

"NO!"

"Johnny, are we going to color it yellow this time?"

"no"

 

It actually made me angry.

[GWOB]

This. I want to cry every time I see a homeschooler beating herself up because she doesn't do all the cutesy projects she sees on other peoples blogs. But almost every IRL homeschooler I know who does those things is sacrificing other things for the giant amount of time spent.

 

We shouldn't feel burdened by seeing a *new* idea, because sometimes it just isn't a *good* idea.

 

:iagree: I see all these cutesy little games for teaching your kid how to read. I boggles my mind. I somehow managed to teach two kids how to read with a good phonics base and lots of practice. I have another emerging reading who somehow is managing without "fun" games. Those great blog ideas may work for some families and kids, but I have learned to not beat myself up if our family is different.

[Catwoman]

You know, there are two possible reasons for this.

 

:lol: :lol:

 

What is the homeschool obsession with drama? I truly don't understand. Do mostly moms who did theater in school homeschool, or is it the thing people worry their dc will miss by homeschooling? I remember when Mary Pride did an article about the homeschool obsession with the arts and drama so it's not just me noticing it.

 

I'm going to generalize here, but I think the reason you get poetry and drama and singing in homeschooling groups so much is that there are mostly moms doing it. And then you get boys who dislike homeschooling. And we wonder why. :D (Big generalization, don't bother posting about your boy who loves poetry.)

 

:iagree:

 

I have wondered about that, too. Why does every little thing have to be turned into an episode of Great Performances?

 

Seriously, the older ways get the learning done. If they have learned well, it will naturally come out, without ordering a play with a Greek Chorus about it. Though perhaps they will do that on their own, if they so wish.

 

You can MAKE a kid own it, or they can own it and live it.

 

:iagree: That is so true.

 

:iagree:

I subbed in a pre-k class at a small Christian school last year, and the teachers would frown at the kids and convey their strong disappointment when a child would color their flamingo anything other than pink or the zebra anything other than black and white. Before they would go off to do their coloring sheet the teacher would say,

"and what color are we going to color our flamingo?"

"Pink!"

"Good"

"Are we going to color it green?"

"NO!"

"Johnny, are we going to color it yellow this time?"

"no"

 

It actually made me angry.

 

Wow. Way to squelch a kid's creativity right from the start. :glare:

 

What idiots. I could understand if they showed a picture of a real flamingo and a real zebra and asked the kids what color they were, but when it came time to do their projects, wouldn't it have been nicer if the teacher had told the kids to color their projects in any way they thought would look nice?

 

:iagree: I see all these cutesy little games for teaching your kid how to read. I boggles my mind. I somehow managed to teach two kids how to read with a good phonics base and lots of practice.

 

Same here. I think the main purpose of a lot of the cutesy stuff is to sell a lot of cutesy stuff and make money off of unsuspecting parents who worry that they are terrible parents if every last little iota of learning doesn't have a Fun Factor that's off the charts.

 

Let's face it, most of the stuff we "have" to learn, whether for school or for a career, is not fun. It's not interesting. It won't fill our lives with light and joy and happiness. So it seems a little ridiculous to me that we should teach our kids that they can only learn in "fun" ways, or that the world is going to adapt to their particular learning style. Because that's not reality.

 

Reality is that we need to teach our kids to function within all of the learning styles so they can live in the real world, where people won't always coddle them. Someday, when your kid gets a job and is told that he has to prepare next year's budget for their department at work, his boss probably won't be particularly amenable to his suggestion that he's not that comfortable with sitting at the computer and putting all of those facts and figures on paper, so he would prefer to perform a series of musical one-act plays about it, instead.

[Hoot]

Someday, when your kid gets a job and is told that he has to prepare next year's budget for their department at work, his boss probably won't be particularly amenable to his suggestion that he's not that comfortable with sitting at the computer and putting all of those facts and figures on paper, so he would prefer to perform a series of musical one-act plays about it, instead.

 

The thought of that makes me :lol:.

 

Then again though, as an adult, there is at least the possibility of changing your career if you don't enjoy a certain type of work.

[Belacqua]

Someday, when your kid gets a job and is told that he has to prepare next year's budget for their department at work, his boss probably won't be particularly amenable to his suggestion that he's not that comfortable with sitting at the computer and putting all of those facts and figures on paper, so he would prefer to perform a series of musical one-act plays about it, instead.

 

Heh. Then again, there was this guy...

[Catwoman]

Heh. Then again, there was this guy...

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Very clever!!!

[Mimm]

My kids adore all the crafty, artsy, hands on projects that we do. And I try to cram as many is as possible. I wish I was better at it. My kids would probably love the science class described in the OP.

 

BUT I do NOT think this is required to be a good or effective homeschooler! In fact, many times I feel that these projects are taking up time that we could probably spend more efficiently. :)

 

I think homeschoolers are obsessed with the arts because we see the arts being cut from public schools so much. And many of us simply consider it fun.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Not creative. Don't like creative. They don't like creative. We save creative for fun and school for school.

[Mommyfaithe]

We might crawl in a hole and never come out if we had to write a poem about science!

 

Maybe a limerick. Maybe.

 

 

But not as part of formal assignments, and it would probably end up related to poop, or farts, or his wrinkley twins.....because everything does.

 

We do some notebooking type stuff, because he likes to draw, and can work on that while I read to him, or while listen to audio. It is super super simple though and usually just some sheets I printed out with various sized squares and lines in different configurations. Then we 3 hole punch and put the sheet

s in his binder.

 

 

We don't act anything out, but I do read in exaggerated voices to emphasize tone/emphasis/plot point.

 

 

I see that those projects can have some value in remembering material, or applying it, but I also see that they could potentially become a huge time suck, that would be better spent actually learning science, which is pretty darn interesting in itself.

 

If I want something creative, I am more apt to ask him to create a model using found objects/ clay, or to illustrate a concept.

Yep....this is us....not big on the time-suck factor. My kids are really creative....heck, they made a Lego guillotine today:D...but I like them to own their own creativity, not act out mine...kwim?

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

[shanvan]

Yep....this is us....not big on the time-suck factor. My kids are really creative....heck, they made a Lego guillotine today:D...but I like them to own their own creativity, not act out mine...kwim?

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

Why is it that you can say so well in couple of sentences what I take three paragraphs (or more!) to explain?

[Mommyfaithe]

Why is it that you can say so well in couple of sentences what I take three paragraphs (or more!) to explain?

 

I am always in a rush??? :D

 

I like your paragraphs though! :001_smile:

[WTMCassandra]

There is never any haiku involved.

 

:lol::lol::lol: That is soooo me!

 

Homeschool Teacher Poster Mom for the Hideously Boring and Unimaginative.

 

Perfect! I always say I'm a charter member of the No Fun Moms club.

 

I am TOTALLY with you on this!

[stripe]

I am sooooooooo not creative. I made 3 people. That is the extent of my craftiness and creativity.

 

:lol:

 

My mom is always admiringly saying how "creative" I am, and I honestly have no idea what she is talking about.

 

I have seen the blogs with the cute laminated things and the complicated manipulatives and all the gear. Not me. I was blessed BIG TIME....I bought a copy of Reading Reflex used from a homeschooling mom who sent me everything all made up. The little cards were all cut out and organized. This huge package instead of a simple book. That's how I managed to get that done. I swear I am so boring.

 

My daughter is begging me to do crafts with her so I think I will have to make her happy this year! Ha

[shanvan]

:lol:

My daughter is begging me to do crafts with her so I think I will have to make her happy this year! Ha

 

Oh no! That's how I got sucked into the whole lapbook thing for Dd. I'm thinking the TOG lapbook kits need to get misplaced. Those things seem to drag on forever.

 

Maybe I can bargin with her and promise to continue reading Pride & Prejudice out loud if she drops the lapbook idea. Gotta squelch that craftiness young or else they end up like the glue gun ladies selling crafts at fairs. (No offense. I actually own a glue gun myself, even though I can't remember why.) :tongue_smilie:

[Hoot]

Yep....this is us....not big on the time-suck factor. My kids are really creative....heck, they made a Lego guillotine today:D...but I like them to own their own creativity, not act out mine...kwim?

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

Oh my gosh, THIS!!!!! DS does all sorts of creative things but NOT the kinds of cutesy stuff that you would find on Pinterest or in crafty curriculums.

[stripe]

Oh no! That's how I got sucked into the whole lapbook thing for Dd. I'm thinking the TOG lapbook kits need to get misplaced. Those things seem to drag on forever.

 

Maybe I can bargin with her and promise to continue reading Pride & Prejudice out loud if she drops the lapbook idea. Gotta squelch that craftiness young or else they end up like the glue gun ladies selling crafts at fairs. (No offense. I actually own a glue gun myself, even though I can't remember why.) :tongue_smilie:

 

No lapbooks for her. She likes to draw and paint and fold origami.

 

I have a hot glue gun! I got it when I was about 14 and I've never needed to buy a replacement baggie of glue sticks. But I do use it every once in a while to fix stuff.

[shanvan]

No lapbooks for her. She likes to draw and paint and fold origami.

 

I have a hot glue gun! I got it when I was about 14 and I've never needed to buy a replacement baggie of glue sticks. But I do use it every once in a while to fix stuff.

 

Now I remember why! I hot glued the fringe back onto one of the heavy sun blocking shades that hang in one of the hottest windows of the house. My bag of glue sticks is still fairly full too.

 

I'm going to talk to Dd about some drawings and paintings instead of the lapbooks. You have given me courage.

[Catwoman]

Oh no! That's how I got sucked into the whole lapbook thing for Dd. I'm thinking the TOG lapbook kits need to get misplaced.

 

Yup. You've gotta nip it in the bud. :D

 

And forget about those pesky read-alouds and buy the audiobooks. That way, you can sit and listen, too, or if you're clever about it, you might even be able to sneak in a nice little nap. :tongue_smilie:

[GWOB]

:lol:

 

My mom is always admiringly saying how "creative" I am, and I honestly have no idea what she is talking about.

 

I have seen the blogs with the cute laminated things and the complicated manipulatives and all the gear. Not me. I was blessed BIG TIME....I bought a copy of Reading Reflex used from a homeschooling mom who sent me everything all made up. The little cards were all cut out and organized. This huge package instead of a simple book. That's how I managed to get that done. I swear I am so boring.

 

My daughter is begging me to do crafts with her so I think I will have to make her happy this year! Ha

 

Now, I will happily admit that if I had male equipment, laminating things would make said male equipment, ahem, stand at attention. Does it make me crafty if laminating things excites me?

Edited September 11, 2012 by wendilouwho

[GWOB]

Oh no! That's how I got sucked into the whole lapbook thing for Dd. I'm thinking the TOG lapbook kits need to get misplaced. Those things seem to drag on forever.

 

Maybe I can bargin with her and promise to continue reading Pride & Prejudice out loud if she drops the lapbook idea. Gotta squelch that craftiness young or else they end up like the glue gun ladies selling crafts at fairs. (No offense. I actually own a glue gun myself, even though I can't remember why.) :tongue_smilie:

 

I now puffy heart you! I know I have a glue gun here somewhere. Just don't ask me to find/use that bad boy.

[One Day At A Time]

I am sooooooooo not creative. I made 3 people. That is the extent of my craftiness and creativity. My 5yo asked me to teach her by using crafts. I thought about selling her. I could not have possibly produced a crafty child. My older two want to produce a play. I almost had a heart attack. I know they're going to ask me to help create a set. I can't even draw stick people!

 

Now, I think some extras are nice. Of course my idea of "extras" is "write a paper about xxxx" or "let's watch a YouTube video/documentary about that." if my kids want to make a model of a plant cell, I give them the tools and step away. I don't do crafts.

 

:iagree:

Thank God... I'm not the only one!!

[Hoot]

And forget about those pesky read-alouds and buy the audiobooks. That way, you can sit and listen, too, or if you're clever about it, you might even be able to sneak in a nice little nap. :tongue_smilie:

 

Preach it! :D

[LaxMom]

Not so much, here. Sure, I knit and sew. From patterns. I follow directions. Ok.

 

But "write a <genre> about something <very general topic>"? Fate.worse.than.death. I can write, but I need to have something to say. I can't come up with something to say so I can write a poem/drama/haiku.

 

I cannot even say how ecstatic I was when I read Susan's thoughts this year -WTM or WWSkill, I can't remember... Or maybe it was the WWS video, even - that everybody needs expository writing, but creative writing should be reserved for those so inclined. <queue choir of angels> (and then I noticed in the video that her books all have spine tags and thought that was so clever I had to tag and organize our books. I love that Susan. She's clever and sensible.)

[cin]

Yup. You've gotta nip it in the bud. :D

 

And forget about those pesky read-alouds and buy the audiobooks. That way, you can sit and listen, too, or if you're clever about it, you might even be able to sneak in a nice little nap. :tongue_smilie:

 

I HATE reading aloud. But I'm really good at it. But I HATE it! I read science and history 3-4/wk and that's it. I'm suppose to be reading Paddle to the Sea and Tree in the Trail. In fact, we're halfway through both, and then they just fell off the radar. Part of the problem is my ADD. I know that. But I do not like reading aloud.

[LaxMom]

Oh! Ack! Read-alouds. I hate that, too. Not that it's not a worthy pursuit, I just don't like to read aloud. And my kids aren't so crazy about hearing read-alouds, either. We all love audiobooks, though.

[Parrothead]

*runs over to join the group* Pant, pant.

 

I'm here. I belong to this group. Crafty stuff is beyond me. I need complete and explicit instructions. I can't even see something at Michael's and go home and copy it. If I try it looks like something a 5-year old does.

[Soror]

*runs over to join the group* Pant, pant.

 

I'm here. I belong to this group. Crafty stuff is beyond me. I need complete and explicit instructions. I can't even see something at Michael's and go home and copy it. If I try it looks like something a 5-year old does.

 

LOL, me too, although I still occasionally try. It is too bad for my frugal side but making things myself doesn't turn out well.

[shanvan]

Yup. You've gotta nip it in the bud. :D

 

And forget about those pesky read-alouds and buy the audiobooks. That way, you can sit and listen, too, or if you're clever about it, you might even be able to sneak in a nice little nap. :tongue_smilie:

 

Well, I actually like read alouds, but I prefer them in the evening after dinner and some time to myself. I don't like them as much during the school day. (See my Pride & Prejudice thread) They help me relax. Though I find my voice gets tired faster than it did in the past. Dc don't seem to appreciate audio books and will beg me to do the reading if I try to use audio instead.

[Catwoman]

Oh! Ack! Read-alouds. I hate that, too. Not that it's not a worthy pursuit, I just don't like to read aloud. And my kids aren't so crazy about hearing read-alouds, either. We all love audiobooks, though.

 

Same here. If I read aloud, my ds expects all the bells and whistles -- sound effects, different voices for each character, etc. It's fine if it's a short story or something, but trying to read entire novels is awful for me. We both like the audiobooks -- and even then, my ds will often suggest that he just read the book to himself, because it's quicker.

[Heather in Neverland]

Our whole family is allergic to crafts. And writing poems. And read-alouds. And lapbooks. And anything that involves paint, scissors, or glue. We tolerate crayons. Barely. Although yesterday my 2yo tried to color the screen of our iPad with her crayons. Is that crafty? :tongue_smilie:

 

 

 

 

.

[Alice]

We do some hands-on projects and I think we’re creative but I think there are a lots of ways to be creative. We aren’t particularly crafty. I don’t do very many crafts with the kids even at an early age because I dont’ enjoy them much but we have a lot of stuff for them to be creative with (Legos, Snap Circuits, Marble Run, paint, chalk, paper, glue, clay, sticks). They do a lot of creative stuff in their free time, but not crafty stuff. Yesterday my middle son made a slingshot from a rubber band and a stick in the back yard. My oldest played with Snap Circuits for hours recently making his own combinations. My youngest changes her clothes hourly in ever increasing creative combinations. :)

 

I also think hands on projects are great. We loved doing the chicken mummy in first grade. We do a lot of hands on science, today we made a lemon battery. I’d consider those creative but not crafty. I also think those projects add to the learning, and aren’t just filler or overkill. I think there is also something to be said for pushing our kids out of their comfort zones. My oldest is an engineer/scientist kind of guy. One of the best projects we’ve ever done was to rewrite the poem The Months from FLL 2 to fit our own year. We worked on it together and he illustrated each page/month. It took about twelve weeks and ended up being something he enjoyed, was proud of and that was a good push out of his comfort zone.

 

What would bother me about the class you describe is that the extra stuff sounds nice and fun but for science it would be so much better to do experiments or other hands on projects/demonstrations. I love theater and I like poetry and I love science but I’m not sure it’s the best use of a classes time to try and write and perform science plays and poems. If you had a kid who thought of that on their own and did it, that would be an awesome overlap of different disciplines. But to require it as a class seems a bit forced to me.

 

For good science poems check out Science Verse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.

[Catwoman]

Although yesterday my 2yo tried to color the screen of our iPad with her crayons. Is that crafty? :tongue_smilie:

 

Absolutely. That definitely counts.

 

It also qualifies for creative points for you, if you managed to get all of the crayon back off of the iPad screen.

 

It's a win-win thing, as far as the whole creativity/crafty thing is concerned. :thumbup:

[NASDAQ]

Um, not so much. I don't own any glue. Or construction paper. And I don't want to.

 

I'd rather just memorise things. School is school and crafts are crafts and the craft stuff has to be done at someone else's house.

[wintermom]

I'm not artistic, I'm not crafty. I don't come up with original ideas so much, but I can take an idea and make it into something my own.

 

I did poems and videos about a science topics with my dc when they were really young. It was fun. Now they make up their own plays and videos.

 

I used to try to think up or find cool craft ideas. My dc were always better at coming up with their own stuff. I just had to provide a variety of materials and they went to it.

 

So, I think I'm slowly learning to plant a seed in my dc, provide materials, and let them go to it. Way better for me and more learning and exciting for them.

[CyndiLJ]

"Time Suck"...I didn't scroll up to see who wrote that to quote it, but I always feel those things are perfectly categorized that way. Sort of like pointless, multiple choice worksheets :tongue_smilie:

 

I am not crafty, I am more the "read and discuss" sort of HS mom. Oh yea, and we use YouTube a ton to illustrate things. We do lapbooks, but only a few of the activities to prove learning of what we have already read. I can't cut straight with a pair of scissors, I can't draw straight, I hate sewing or anything involving thread, material or yarn. We don't "do" poetry or plays. Because, frankly, I find all of the above to be the aforementioned Time Suck.

 

We DO field trips, we DO tons of free reading, we DO watch campaign speeches, we DO interview people.

 

We do NOT DO crafts. Truth is, my kids would like at me like I had totally lost it if I even suggested it. They are kids after my own heart ;-)

 

And yes, even though I think it is sometime a total Time Suck, I still admit to being a teensy weensy bit jealous when I see other cool projects...like Jello Brains or dioramas. But it just ain't us.

 

And really, isn't that the beauty of homeschooling?

 

Cindy