Are you there Blog? It's me, Joanne!

Yes, I've been errant in my blogging. My last entry was the end of October.  After which, Lauren received her first 'report card'.  This report card, written by our Spring Leaves' facilitator, Julie, was so beautiful.  Really, it was! It made me so grateful to be homeschooling, and for the supportive Pender Island homeschooling community.  The report card was a thoughtful and detailed synopsis of Lauren's personality, learning style, interests, activities, as well as my observations and comments. I am thankful to Julie for taking the time to get to know and understand my daughter so well, and for continuing to provide thoughtful input and enthusiasm for our kids.

Since the end of October, our homeschooling steam train came to a screeching halt. Well, not totally true, but a series of events stopped our happy schooling 'routine' that we were developing.  In November, the kids took turns getting sick, they got better, then I got sick. Really sick. I was down for 3 weeks with major sinus infection followed by a month of serious bronchitis.  Also, Matthew is having MAJOR digestion issues, and potty training.  This alone is very disruptive and emotionally draining.

By mid December we were getting back on our feet in this house- just in time for the holiday season.  Even with living on little Pender Island, it becomes a very busy time of year for our family.

Despite the bumpy ride during the past couple of months, we were doing many activities that would fall under many learning categories. It just was more random, and followed the flow of what we faced each day (another benefit of homeschooling, is that it allows for learning organically, and following the family flow).

Lauren spent 5 days with her grandparents who live on South Pender Island.  A welcomed relief to me, seeing how horrible I was feeling.  They took on the role of homeschooling Grandparents with great enthusiasm! The school week was filled with activities, and Lauren was sent home with my mom and dad's careful notes. It was very touching. So I will summarize Dave and Audrey's notes below:

• Went for walks. 
• Watched and followed ditch water, underneath road culverts, and followed it down driveway, toward the beach, and found a creek which flowed over the midden bank, and onto the beach.
• Sewed and ironed. Lauren insisted she do EVERYTHING to complete a christmas present she made for her mommy. Made an apron. She selected fabrics, cut out from a pattern, and learned to sew on sewing machine. 
• Identified a handful of pebbles from the beach using identification guide (i.e., basalt, sandstone, granite), and collected beach glass
• Lauren asked questions: why are there white bubbles in the ocean, near the shore?
• Observations: Lauren observed objects far away seem small
• made muffins
• Walk with her Papa- took the bird book for bird identification (not sure the specifics of the outing, but this is something Lauren has enjoyed in the past).
• solitaire on the computer (she doesn't need help, and really enjoys the game)
• Papa's geography lesson (Equator, continents, oceans, etc. using one of those light up spinning globes)
• Lauren picked a book out of their library. It was a book I was given as a kid. A beautiful pop-up book on Life, and how it begins. So Lauren got a lesson on the birds and bees! This book is a stunning 3-D display of the insides of a uterus, the egg, sperm, complete with pull tabs to make things swim, move and wiggle. Pictures of a fetus at different stages of growth, etc... She came home excited to tell me all about her uterus, and her eggs, and so on. We've talked about this before, it is no big deal here, but this was the first time she showed excitement about it.
• Many other books- about whales, and dinosaurs
• did some Math- adding and subtraction
• Tree identification. Knew many on the walk, but learned red alder for the first time.

I know, hire those grandparents, right?  Yay, Audrey and Dave!

December was a flurry of crafting events.  I decided to make all my Christmas gifts this year, except for the childrens'.   So Lauren crafted and sewed along side me.   Her previous sewing lessons with her Grammie prepared her well for her deciding to sew a patchwork pillow. She picked fabrics, cut out squares, pinned, sewed and ironed everything herself.  Don't touch Mom, I CAN DO IT!! As I was hovering nervously as she pressed her foot down on the sewing pedal and the machine zipped along...

 

... And then she made a pillow for her Papa's reading chair.  This time with a message:

 

More Christmas crafting... collaged christmas cards made from old cards, paper mache lanterns for the New Year's Eve Lantern Fest... Family craft night at the school (made christmas crackers- see photo below...), baked and decorated cookies...

 (note the hats we made at school!)

Walks were sporadic, but squeezed them in. Really they do us wonders...

 a rare glimpse of sun. We stopped to soak it in.

 trudging home. Exhausted after the hike.

We recognized Hannukah this year again. We dusted off the minorah, and lit the candles every evening. David leads us in traditional songs or blessings. We did one traditional meal (I went on-line and did research for recipes!).  We made latkes, applesauce, challah bread, and baked fish.  David has a rather complicated past when it comes to how he was raised, and the impact (many negative) religion played on his childhood, and continues to impact our lives through difficult dialogue with my in-laws.  So when he shares with his wife and kids, he treads carefully in these waters, picking and choosing what he thinks is good for the children.  I welcome it wholeheartedly.   Anything that brings family together, for good food, creates harmony and love, and lasting memories I'm all for.  In our house, the lights of the minorah glow alongside the twinkle of the Christmas tree lights.  To me it is magical.  I believe there is beauty in most religions, and while I'm attracted to them all, we follow none in particular.  No offense to my parents, but I was raised with no religion but I sought it out wherever I went. Even sent myself to various churches as a kid.  Pretty amazing on their part for supporting this!!  I grew up thinking 'kosher' was just a type of dill pickle.  It surprised no one that I majored in anthropology in university.  My point being, is this: it is important to me that my children have a global perspective on the world's cultures and religions.  I suppose the holidays is a good excuse for us to explore this. I can't wait to take them to pow wows, and other such rich displays of spirituality meets art, and culture.  What fun this will be.

 A number of x-mas gifts were 'homeschooly' including a microscope, a space projector thingy, story-book making kit, books (including the Little House series we are enjoying), and art stuff.

Matthew and Lauren have taken to putting on 'shows'. This one below is a skating show (we saw Disney on Ice in November).  I anticipate we will be  heading to Victoria for some skating trips soon.  Violin continues, with Lauren's new and larger sized instrument.

 

The last couple of days Lauren has been spending hours creating her fairy tale (a story making kit).  She is insisting on using small caps. So far it is a story about Bella the Butterfly looking for a friend...

 planning stage

 the creating and writing begins!

With the New Year, comes a fresh start for the Grenonas.   Getting back on track, not that I think we really fell off... just more scattered than I like to be, too many distractions, too much illness, commitments, etc...  Looking forward to longer days, and spring blossoms.

Wishing you all a Happy 2010!