Homeschool Mami's World

I just discovered a wonderful series of picture books at the library while browsing the shelves: The Warlord Books by Virginia Walton Pilegard, illustrated by Nicolas Debon. So far we have read the Warlord's Puzzle, the Warlord's Kites and the Warlord's Beads. We will soon be borrowing the other titles. They are set in feudal China and highlight Chinese culture and provide a suggestion for an activity based on the story. All three of my children, aged 4-7, love these books! Why have I never heard of them before?

Homeschool Mami

The Carnival of Homeschooling--Lucky Week 13 is up at Why Homeschool. Be sure to check it out. My post about Learning to read is there among the 13 categories. I look forward to reading all the posts later today.

Homeschool Mami

My oldest daughter taught herself to read when she was four. The only claim I have to success as her teacher is that I read to her day after day after day. When she was a toddler she used to pick up Reader's Digests and carefully flip through them page by page. When she was 17 months old my son was born, and while I was nursing him I would read her story after story after story. He liked to eat, so story time was frequent. Now at seven years old, to call her a voracious reader would be an understatement.

My son has always enjoyed listening to stories, which of course began during those nursing sessions. Since he turned five without teaching himself to read, I was thrilled at the idea that I could "teach" him to read. However, he wasn't the least bit interested in workbooks or phonics readers, so instead we would casually talk about the sounds letters made and we would read and read. Some of the first sight words he recognized came from the onomotapoeia in Dr. Seuss books

There is nothing like a good MOO or CRASH to get the attention of a budding reader. We read alphabet books and I pointed out the sounds that letter make in combination as an interesting word would appear in a book. My son turns 6 in May and he has started to read independently, seemingly overnight. Again, much as I would like to take credit, it really feels like all I did was model reading and he did the rest. I think that most of what we learn in life is "caught" rather than "taught" anyway.

And so, I look at my 4 year old girl who is eager to catch up to her older siblings I think that before long she, like her sister and brother, will be reading without my having taught them this skill. It is my love of reading and ideas, I think, that has taught these children, so much more than any worksheets, or formal lessons ever could.

Homeschool Mami

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." William A. Ward

Thanks for the quote to Latina Liz. She is one of my favorite non-homeschooling bloggers.

Homeschool Mami

I am very excited to have discovered the homeschooling blog of trilingual homeschoolers in the 12th Carnival of Homeschooling. That is, as they say in my hometown, wicked cool!

There are more great entries that I will read later.

Homeschool Mami

The 12th Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Phat Mommy. My post, Art of homeschool is among the entries. I'm off to read the many other entries.

Homeschool Mami

Check out this funny link to a comic!

Homeschool Mami

We have now become aware of the possibility of arranging the entire human environment as a work of art, as a teaching machine designed to maximize perception and to make everyday learning a process of discovery.
--Marshall McLuhan

Creating an environment in which learning can flourish is a work of art. Whatever tools you choose--whether a curriculum notebook, a highly structured schedule of activities and field trips, or a freeform let's see what happens today attitude, there needs to be attention paid to the big picture. What are my children perceiving in their environment? How can I teach them to be more attentive to the lessons all around them? How can I be find ways to enrich the world around them?

Modeling behavior is the quickest way to teach someone. Am I learning all the time? What does the textbook of my life teach them? Do they observe me paying attention to my spirituality? Do they see me reading my bible and praying? Do they see me paying attention to my health and working out? Do they see me ready to forgive them and ask for forgiveness? Do they see me reading a novel from the library just for fun or do they see me spending more time in front of the television? How do my husband and I relate to one another and to them? Is our family a bigger priority than our things?

Each day is a fresh start. What promise and possibility does this day hold? Is it merely a day of filling in the blanks, finishing chores, running errands and checking off to do lists? Or is this a chance to shape the future and create memories? What are my children thinking about? What do their questions teach me about them? How can I help them make connections between new information and old?

Routine, discipline, time management, curriculum, reading lists and how to guides all have their place, but teaching your children, has more to do with the community you are building within your family than it does with exactly what information you are teaching them. That is both the privilege and the responsibility of keeping your children at home.

Homeschool Mami

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.

--Benjamin Franklin

Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, especially in Worcester. I actually am Irish (even if I do have a Hispanic last name now.) But the wearin' of the green is a local must whether your ancestors left Eire during the Potato Famine or not.

Every year we always catch the traditional St. Patrick's Day Parade down Park Avenue. This year it's Sunday, March 12, beginning at noon. There are lots of floats, Irish dancing girls, bands, local politicians and the random karate studio represented. It's very small town, very Worcester, and we wouldn't miss it for anything!

Of course all of this green-tinted revelry, as fun as it is, is quite a bit removed from that actual history behind St. Patrick. For a good link that explains the true story behind the man that the holiday celebrates check out Meet Saint Patrick and these links to more sites about him.

One of my favorite songs of all time is attributed to Saint Patrick. Click here for all the lyrics and a midi file to hear the tune. The first stanza is possibly my favorite:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Homeschool Mami

March is a month full of celebration and Spring is around the corner---we hope. Check out these memorable days in March according to Mom Sense.

March 3
I Want You to Be Happy Day

March 5
Babysitter Safety Day

March 11
Johnny Appleseed Day

March 17
St. Patrick's Day

March 20-26
National Bubble Week:

And since it's March 3, Happy I Want You to Be Happy Day to you.

Homeschool Mami

For you local readers: Nancy Chang is a great place to eat--healthy, yummy, moderately priced Chinese food and a great atmosphere. We just took Little Star there to celebrate her 4th birthday and we had a great time.

Homeschool Mami