New around here: Hello!

[Manhattan_Mom]

I've been a mostly lurking member for a few years.  Just wanted to say hi.  

 

I have two boys, 5 and 3.  They will attend public school here in NYC (the oldest is special needs - Aspie - and is in a special program, the youngest seems to be gifted so we're trying for a specialized program for him for next fall). 

 

I homeschool in the afternoons.  They boys do a few extracurriculars too, karate at the local Y and a children's chorus.  

 

I made a dedicated classroom in April and we've gotten into a great rhythm since then.  I'm not sure what kind of homeschooler I am.. we're not following a program.  We are working, slowly, very slowly, through Euclid's Elements.  After a long slog (and not a few tears), they can create and label any diagram among the first five proofs in book 1 using compass and a straightedge (not from memory).  We've gotten to a point where I can say things like, "OK, center your compass on C, length CB and use the arc technique to find point D and build an equilateral triangle on CB." Or "Using hash marks, show me that the base angles of the isosceles triangle are equa, using a double hash, show me the angles under the base are equal."  And they do can it.  We don't really 'do' proofs, though I do have them write out the facts of the propositions (e.g. CB = BF).  I tried having them use colors instead of writing facts, but it more of a distraction than anything. I do use color chalk as a visual aid in my blackboard models.

 

I gave us less than a 50% chance of sticking with Euclid but we seemed have traction now.  The kids mostly gripe about working but once a week or so, one or the other gets totally into the zone and you can begin to picture where this is all leading.  Once my 5yo said, "I did a good job today because you make me practice."  That one sentence keeps me going.  

 

So Euclid is our mainstay (20-40 mins per day, every day), and we also are reading through the World in Ancient Times series (Oxford University Press) currently the Near Eastern World (Mesopotamia) book, with some literary supplements (e.g. Ludmilla Zeaman trilogy about Gilgamesh).  My trick here is to ensnare them with "picnics" on our living room floor.  I spread out a tempting array of pistacho nuts, cranberries, and sometime the Big Gun (strawberry popsicle), and they sit, munch and listen to me read.  I punctuate the reading with questions to see if they are following.  We do about a chapter per day this way.  15-30 mins per day.  It took me FOREVER and a lot of research to find that OUP series and it is absolutely PERFECT.  Expensive (even used).  Worth every penny.  So well done.  Just the right level for them (ok, maybe a bit challenging.. here, have another cranberry...).

 

I'm not looking to add anything else at the moment.  I tried a few other things: a comic-drawing lab, a 'tour' of science via a popular primer called "Science Matters" (Hazen and Trefil), figure drawing..  I would like to do Latin in a few years, once they can fluently read and write English.  I could probably teach my 3yo to read but I'm thinking, why push it?  We do a lot of classroom work already.  I work mornings and their nanny supervises about 20 minutes of worksheet work on letters and numbers every morning on top of my classroom time with them.  It's a lot, but it is spaced out and we do lots of legos and playing with dirt too.

 

I'm writing to see what people think of what we're doing.  If there are other, complementary things I should be doing, pitfalls we may encounter (especially blending homeschooling and traditional school), comments -- any feedback really.  

 

I'll close by sharing a story.  We were in North Carolina for vacation a few weeks ago and we visited this wonderful place called the Bascom Visual Arts Center in Highlands which has a stunning gallery and a ceramics studio in a converted barn.  In we walk and immediately the boys are captivated by a potter, a woman in her 60s perhaps, working at her craft.  My eldest approaches her and pipes up: "The potter's wheel was invented in Mesopotamia."  Without missing a beat, the woman looks me in the eye, smiles and says, "Homeschooler?"  I nodded.  

 

I think that was the moment when she, in the role of the Wizard of Oz, gave me my homeschooling heart, brains and most importantly, my courage.  

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Welcome! :seeya:

[abba12]

Welcome. You might find a little more support for what you're doing in the Afterschooling subforum. I find afterschooling and homeschooling are quite different lifestyles and attitudes much of the time.

 

Euclid's Elements looks like quite a work for a 5 & 3 year old! How do you use it with them?

 

I suppose the only way you can judge your homeschool is by looking at what goals you have for it, what your purpose for doing it is. I can't offer suggestions for what you should do without knowing that, since your children also attend school, so there is nothing that you 'need' to cover, like grammar or whatever. There's a million things which I might think would be cool to cover, but afterschooling limits the time available to you, a lot.

 

Welcome to the board!

[Manhattan_Mom]

 

Euclid's Elements looks like quite a work for a 5 & 3 year old! How do you use it with them?

 

I can give a concrete example.  When we study Book I. Proposition 2., which is a construction proof (on a given point, generate a line of a given length), for example, I draw the entire diagram on the blackboard.  When they come into the classroom, they will find a line and a point on their page, they must label the resulting three points and are then required to create the complete diagram autonomously with me calling out the steps ("project line DB to E and like DA to F, then center compas on B length BC, swing and cut your new line DE length length BC.")  I will have used pink chalk on line BC so I'll point out that the new line BG is "pinky" too.  In the way we work through the proof.  I've recently introduced having them write out all of the facts of the proof (for example, which angles are equal) in addition to producing the diagram.  My eldest pointed out excitedly that the sign for an angle (∠) is like a hieroglyphic. 

 

As for notion that I'm not a 'real' homeschooler because my children attend school perspective, as I explained, my eldest is special needs.  He needs support (social development intervention, push-in OT, speech therapy) that homeschooling cannot provide. I would be doing him a great disservice keeping him home.  I'm like you: I take full responsibility for my children's education.  I was seeking a little connection with others in reaching out on this board.  But if my posting here offends people, if my 'lifestyle' and 'attitude' are 'quite different' from what this board expects, well, I guess I should be off.  I'm doing my best with the hand I've been dealt.

 

You asked about my goals.  That'a a good question.  They are more aesthetic than practical.  I want to expose them intensely to beauty that great minds have created throughout history: the beauty of a proof, the beauty of a well-worded question, the beauty of an argument, the beauty of data explained by a theory, the beauty of a play, of paintings, of symphonies.  Perhaps not surprisingly (give how we are approaching math), I also want then to feel comfortable with the primary literature.  I'm chiefly inspired by the Great Book approach (indeed, I'm a graduate of a Great Books undergraduate college here in the US) and the 'great conversation' that has taken place across the arc of recorded time.  I also want enrich my relationship with my children, so we too can participate in that great conversation, in our small way, with one another.

[abba12]

Im sorry if i offended you. I never intended to say you were not a real homeschooler, only that your childrens school attendence effects your lifestyle, due to the hours that takes, and attitudes, as many mums of 3 and 5 year olds here would find the workload of afterschoolers rather too much for their little ones, when they already consider the workload of school alone to be too much. my suggestion of the afterschooling forum came simply from the fact that you have different needs and dynamics to many homeschoolers and they might understand better where you are coming from.

 

Given your goals, you could look at atelier art curriculum. Hope you find some other great ideas here

[Manhattan_Mom]

Im sorry if i offended you. I never intended to say you were not a real homeschooler, only that your childrens school attendence effects your lifestyle, due to the hours that takes, and attitudes, as many mums of 3 and 5 year olds here would find the workload of afterschoolers rather too much for their little ones, when they already consider the workload of school alone to be too much. my suggestion of the afterschooling forum came simply from the fact that you have different needs and dynamics to many homeschoolers and they might understand better where you are coming from.

 

Given your goals, you could look at atelier art curriculum. Hope you find some other great ideas here

 

Thanks for your note.  The problem is that I don't consider what we do to be 'enrichment' which is how many (though all but) afterschoolers frame their efforts.  I guess, given my goals and circumstances... I'm in a camp all my own.

 

Thanks for the art curriculum suggestion.  I may soften up eventually, but for now we're strictly screen-free at home so dvd-based programs are not an option.  Our brief attempt at art class was utilized the classic work by Nicolaides, "The Natural Way to Draw."  The boys, bless their hearts, sat though the entire introduction read aloud, and gave lesson one an earnest go (contour drawings of two apples for 30 mins).  It was I who decided that it was a bit to much and prioritized Euclid and our history-derived-from-archeology readings over art.  As I type this, I'm thinking we may try this reconceived as a weekend activity, with music and inviting friends to join us... a bit of a weekend art fair thing. Hmmm.  ;)

[scrapbabe]

 

As for notion that I'm not a 'real' homeschooler because my children attend school perspective, as I explained, my eldest is special needs. He needs support (social development intervention, push-in OT, speech therapy) that homeschooling cannot provide. I would be doing him a great disservice keeping him home. I'm like you: I take full responsibility for my children's education. I was seeking a little connection with others in reaching out on this board. But if my posting here offends people, if my 'lifestyle' and 'attitude' are 'quite different' from what this board expects, well, I guess I should be off. I'm doing my best with the hand I've been dealt.

.

. First, welcome to the board. Second, I'm not sure why you took offense to the suggestion of checking the after school board. If I have a gifted child I ask questions on the board for parents of gifted children. If I have a high schooler I visit the high school board. You are technically after schooling since your children attend a brick and mortar school so you'll find others in the same boat over there. There might even be others there who don't look at what they're doing as supplemental either. We even have people here who aren't homeschooling at all. I think the poster was trying to help you not judge you. We all check the boards most useful to us and direct others to boards that might be useful to them too. But that doesn't mean you can't post here too. I'm sure you're bound to get help in both places.

Anyway I'm glad you're here. I'm a little intimidated by what you're teaching your kids so I have no feedback on that. I don't think I could tackle Euclid, let alone my kids. But I love your goals! I'm making a note of them.

[lewelma]

Welcome!

 

I definitely think that you should copy this post onto the accelerated learners board. I think that you will get more targeted feedback there. We have a math prof, mathwonk, who loves Euclid's elements and I am sure he would love to see how you are using it. I don't think he visits this board, so won't see you thread. I would suggest you change your subject header slightly to better reflect what kind of answers you seek.

 

See you over there.

 

Ruth in NZ

[Manhattan_Mom]

Thanks for the feedback lewelma and scrapbabe!  I'm sorry I got a bit offended.  Truly.  I feel very, very alone a lot of the time, and I'm just eager to be around a campfire of mother-teachers.  My world is infused with mother-ipad purveyors.

 

I will check out the boards you suggested.  And just PMed mathwonk: thanks for the suggestion!

 

Best wishes to you.

[scrapbabe]

Yeah I think we all feel very alone sometimes, so welcome to the campfire! :)

[helena]

Thanks for the feedback lewelma and scrapbabe!  I'm sorry I got a bit offended.  Truly.  I feel very, very alone a lot of the time, and I'm just eager to be around a campfire of mother-teachers.  My world is infused with mother-ipad purveyors.

 

I will check out the boards you suggested.  And just PMed mathwonk: thanks for the suggestion!

 

Best wishes to you.

Ahh... Come on woman, pull up a chair next to the fire. You're welcome here.  :grouphug: I'm passing you a virtual stick with a (vegan) marshmallow.  :D

[freeindeed]

Welcome! :)