Why I Chose Homeschooling

I started to write the whole saga of what led me to decide to homeschool. It was very very long. This was not an impulse decision. I have been thinking on and off about it long before school was even an option. Every time I got a book about homeschooling from the library I would ponder it some more.

I finally reached my breaking point this year. Hanachan is still stagnating in second grade when she tests well into fourth grade levels on everything. It's taken them a year but her school has finally developed criteria for grade acceleration because of my insistence on it for her. They will most likely not be accelerating her, but I'm not sure because I still haven't gotten a definitive answer. Aki is bored bored bored and actually started backsliding in his reading at one point. ET is old enough and has all the skills he needs but is not emotionally ready to start full-day Kindergarten. Red-shirting him is not an option, he'd be reading chapter books by the time he started school.

Going to the school to talk about Hanachan felt like a part time job as it was, I can't imagine doing the same thing for all of my kids. I know our principal is very busy. Our school is quite large and I feel selfish taking so much of his time. Plus, because the school is so large they have pretty rigid requirements on what is taught at each grade level.

It all boils down to this: schools can only teach to a narrow spectrum of students. If your child does not fall within the parameters of "normal" for their grade, they will be bored and/or frustrated. Schools and teachers have a very difficult job and our government and parents don't make it any easier.

I know that my kids can have an education tailored to their educational needs and styles at home. I have no guarantees of that from school.

Curse of the Mummy!

The Discovery Times Square Exposition is showing a King Tut exhibit from now until January 2011. Even though it is relatively close, we haven't been to NYC yet. This seems to me to be a really good excuse to go.

I've read several books about King Tut and ancient Egypt to the kids the last few days. We're learning about the Egyptian gods, kings and mummies. I want to print out some pictures of various Egyptian gods that they will be able to look for while we are at the exhibit. There is also a website with science, art and writing curricula to go with the exhibit.

It's kind of gross, but the kids have also enjoyed Discovery Kids mummy making game. The kids have already put their own potato "kings" in salt to mummify them. I'll post pictures and instructions if they turn out.

This seems to me to be a great way to start our study of history this summer. Any suggestions of other things we can do?

Best Science Songs Ever

My family has been listening to these since my oldest was a wee one and they are so much fun.

Singing Science Records

Someone who grew up listening to these LP's found them in his parents basement and posted them online as MP3's. They are sputnik era songs that have great lyrics. If you have ever heard the They Might Be Giants version you might recognize, Why Does the Sun Shine?.

I think hearing a toddler talking about gravity and the sun being a mass of incandescent gas is just about the best thing ever. They've learned how far away the sun is, 93 million miles; and how big the earth is, 25,000 miles around. As my kids have gotten older they've asked questions about things that are mentioned in the songs initiating science discussions.

Ballad of Sir Isaac Newton (I promise, I'm not making these up!)

E-lec-tri-city

Kinetic and Potential Energy

What's Inside Our Earth

These are a few of my personal favorites. I could list about a dozen more, but I won't.

Well worth a listen.