Rhythms

/ Ms Oh Waily / Leave a comment

Thought bubbleDay three of our more formal style of learning has gone well.  After everyone had eaten and dressed for the day we arranged ourselves in our makeshift schoolroom, also known as the living room, in order to hear the next story in our Classical literature journey.

I am deliberately approaching this in a gentle, easing in kind of way.  The last thing I want to do is go in heavy handed and make learning a chore instead of a joy.  So our “school” days pretty much consist of a reading from the Ancient literature, doing a bunch of drawings about the story, completing a small sheet of handwriting to help tidy up her letter formation, a snack and then whatever they want to do after that.

Not too strenuous I think.

Today Miss Oh also asked if we could play her number games, Zingo 1-2-3 and the large number cards, so we added that in too.  I really like the Zingo option as it teaches recognition of both quantity, written number and symbol in a fun format.  We even ventured into the addition side of the cards and Miss Oh did fine.
The fact that the small plastic numbers can be used to set up other mathematical operations is an added bonus.

So today’s lesson for me?

A gradual introduction of a gentle daily school rhythm is working for us already.
That shouldn’t be a surprise really, but I had visions of a more unschooling/free range style.  I’m quite intrigued to see where setting a rhythm up will take us.

Do you have any rhythms with your children that you would swear by?

Phan Ku

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As I mentioned yesterday, we have started working through some creation stories, Bursting From The Hen’s Egg and Spider Ananse Finds Something.

The first of these is about Phan Ku and comes from China.  We went over this a couple of times yesterday, and Miss Oh struggled to concentrate on the story enough to be able to relate back the events in her own words.  So after leaving it overnight we had another, relaxed, morning of revisiting this story.  I chose to work more on getting her to draw Phan Ku, which she did.

Here are the three sheets she produced about this story.  The first is the sheet provided, and includes a section where you can write things your child tells you they remember or like about the work.  Or, if they are writing on their own, where they can write about the story.
Above that you can see a square to allow for illustration, which Miss Oh enjoyed doing.  She described all the aspects as she drew them – Phan Ku’s horns, tusks, his chisel and his breath (that’s the funny little dotted line on the left and around the bottom of his chisel).  The image in the middle is one she did yesterday of Phan Ku.  And the one on the right is the Egg with Phan Ku inside the small squiggles that are the egg cracking and the squiggly lines around the egg is the “bursting out” that is happening.

Phan Ku

So I think tomorrow we will move on to Spider Ananse and do the same for that story.  We will be following our own schedule for working through the suggested curriculum, but that’s just fine by me.  After all, that is one of the main points of choosing to homeschool – working at the kids’ pace.

Some things I’ve learned today:

– we will try to work at the table until her concentration level is good enough to work wherever.
– we will work specifically on her handwriting from now on rather than just letting her write as and when she wants.  But only in short bursts.
– Master Oh can work quite happily with the Montessori apps on the iPad while Miss Oh is listening or drawing.  An hour should be possible.
– I am very impatient at the moment and that was coming out in my approach to “teaching” this lesson.   I learned my own lesson yesterday.

So tomorrow we will move ourselves into the creation stories of Africa.  I can’t wait to see what sort of spider Ananse will turn out to be when he’s drawn.  And I will relax about what to expect Miss Oh to be capable of doing from now on.

Remind me – whose learning journey is this again?

Classical Education – First Steps

/ Ms Oh Waily / 2 Comments


Well, we are going to dip our toes into the waters of a Classical Education this week.
With the help and assistance of the Ancients downloadable curriculum from Classical House of Learning we are starting off with a variety of Creation Myths/Stories.

So today we read about Phan Ku* and Ananse.  A giant with horns and tusks, and a wily spider.

I will need my patience hat on, that much is clear.  Due to the recent sickness we seem to have lost our ability to concentrate following on from a super dose of television watching / recovery.  Thankfully, in a roundabout sort of way, I am unable to source the suggested reading book for the second week so we will perhaps just take a bit longer going through more than the myths/stories suggested.

I can also see that doing this may be difficult with a three year old fidgeting away next to us.  The problem is – he will not want to be excluded, and I am doubtful of any meaningful distraction too.  Oh well, no one said this journey was an easy one.  My intelligence and versatility will surely be tested.

So what Creation stories have you read to your children?

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* It’s quite interesting to see the differences between the version in our library book and the wikipedia entry.  I’m sure my eyes would spin up into the back of my head if I tried to reconcile all the variations.  🙂

Classical Education

/ Ms Oh Waily / 1 Comment

I’ve always been interested in the idea of my children coming to know the classical world and gaining an understanding of where our cultures originate from.  That is most probably down to the prehistorian/anthropologist in me.
So when this nice link to a pre-planned curriculum of classical education came across my Facebook groups (thanks to Darnia) I went along for a look.

I really liked the fact that so much of the basic legwork had been done for me.
I really appreciated that I wouldn’t necessarily need to go and hunt out good children’s versions of many classics.  In fact, looking through the book lists made me realise just how little I was aware of the children’s versions of stories and classical literature that I personally only first learned about when I was in my late teens as a university student.

I’m hooked.  As part of our eclectic learning style I am going to try and incorporate some of this into our days.  I don’t intend it to be onerous and I am hopeful that by making it relate to other things, like geography and the current Olympic games, that it will be taken on board and enjoyed by both Miss and Master Oh Waily*.

Have you looked into a Classical Education for your children?   If so, what appealed or what put you off?

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* there is very little chance of reading to one without the other wanting to be involved, especially as there are activities to do with each piece of reading.

Resources – Language

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I am starting to pull together as many resources for my little homeschool as I can find.  When I have a reasonably sized list of options in most general learning areas I will put them up here as a page for my own reference, and anyone who comes to visit too.

I will, no doubt, be replicating lists found online in groups that I belong to as well as adding in my own found materials and sources.  If any of you, who may be more experienced in the homeschool world, wish to offer up suggestions that would be most welcome.  There is great value in helping newcomers (to any venture) gain a steady footing right at the start.  While learning as you go has its merits, having some foundations to start you off does too.

I am starting with the online world.  In this household we have started to use Reading Eggs in order to encourage Miss Oh Waily to take more interest in her letters and words.  She loves technology of all sorts and has shown little interest in the “real” letters – both the home made moveable type and the sandpaper letters – that we have.  So I turned to technology to encourage her interest without her noticing.  And it is beginning to work.  She is showing signs of wanting to try to read books now. Previously she would have been happy just to listen or read from memory.

So, this coming week I am going to be working on creating the language section of my resources page.  If you wish to contribute suggestions, that would be wonderful.  If you wish to contribute suggestions for learning second, third or more languages, that would be most excellent too.

The Forms

/ Ms Oh Waily / 2 Comments

Well, with a little less than a month to go before Miss Oh Waily turns five I couldn’t contain myself anymore.  I sent an email off to the local Ministry of Education office and requested the forms needed to apply for an exemption certificate.

Now, before you nice local homeschoolers jump into the comments section…
Yes, I know that I do not have to apply until shortly before her 6th birthday.  Quite why we cannot get it over and done with at the same time that other children are heading off for their first day in the school system I’m not quite sure.  Fine, the legislation is clear that they need to be in school from 6 years old, but since the “norm” is to head off there at 5 it seems a shame that the same transition cannot be given to homeschoolers too.

Anyway, my reason for getting the forms so ridiculously early (a whole year, more or less) is to understand what I will be needing to fill out.  Listening in on the conversations online about gaining exemptions I have been wondering if there was going to be a daunting and unwelcoming overtone to the paperwork, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  The accompanying letter was extremely civil and welcoming.  The form itself is brief and will present no challenge.  Now I just need to sit down and spend the next year working out exactly what I shall be saying to the Ministry officials and how we will demonstrate our capability and intention to teach our children at least as well and as regularly as the school system.

I am grateful to have joined the local network support group and a couple of online, Facebook, groups as well.  I’m sure, when the time comes, that I will be able to count on the support and advice of many experienced homeschoolers.  In the meantime I think our first year of unofficial homeschooling will be spent with me working out just what we are going to do, and how we are going to do it.  Then the tricky part – get it down on paper in an easy to understand way that truly reflects our family.

Wish me luck, I can see that getting this bit sorted in my head and from there on to the paperwork is going to be something of a lengthy work in progress.

How easy (or hard) did you find it to file your exemption application?   What made the difference, do you think, to getting your vision across clearly?

I Love You

/ Ms Oh Waily / 4 Comments

I was amazed and touched this morning.  My darling little girl, who loves all forms of touch technology, woke up last and helped herself to my iPhone from next to the bed*.  This helping herself to my iPhone isn’t that unusual, but she brought it through from the bedroom and wanted to show me a video.

I have no idea who showed her how to work the video, or the self-video functions on the phone.  I barely know how to, frankly.   The video that follows is her own creation, out of the blue and with no adult prodding or suggestion.

I’ve named the video I Love You**.   And it’s days like today and videos like this that remind me of just how much I love my children, even when they are cranky.

I hope you enjoy the video, it’s just a smidgen over a minute long.

And, for the record, there is a second video.  For her Dad.  The song is much the same, but the camera work is improved as she is obviously more awake by the second time around.

What has your little one done lately that makes you smile?

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* she gets to snuggle up and sleep in with Mum when Dad is away for work.
** as this is special to me and it is my precious little girl, please don’t pass the link on, other than recommending this post.  Thanks.

Neighbourhood Walk: Zurich, Switzerland

/ Ms Oh Waily / 1 Comment

As a result of our week long illness I didn’t get to share the last couple of Neighbourhood Walks with you, so here they are.  The first is part of one of the most beautiful countries I have visited, schaeresteipapier‘s neighbourhood in Zurich, Switzerland.
I love the architecture and the most excellent trams.  I think I might have a “thing” about trams and this walk has just proven it to me.  ;-D

You know the drill by now, click the button and enjoy your visit.

 

Winter

/ Ms Oh Waily / Leave a comment

Welcome to the plague house that was formerly known as the Oh Waily household.

The entire family came down with a nasty winter ailment last Thursday and we have been in hibernation and recovery mode ever since.  It did not help our case that Mr Oh Waily had to continue to do work for a couple of days, which meant his cut-glass throat infection didn’t get seen to with antibiotics for a couple of days after it should have been.  He was also away from home so that meant the remaining Oh Wailys slunk their way to the living room sofa and buried themselves under layers of blankets and television in lieu of regular activities.

We are now almost back to normal.  We actually get out of bed and get dressed each day, as opposed to simply move ourselves from one style of bed to another (sofa).  We are now eating, more or less, as normal.  We are now no longer fevered, nor dependent on varying patent remedies in order to maintain the sense of feeling absolutely awful instead of feeling like we are on our deathbed.  We only cough up half a lung each day instead of turning ourselves inside out.  Sadly this nasty cough is most likely to persist for some more time as it seems to be the pattern of this ‘flu-ey thing we have had.

So, to those who have been visiting since the Neighbourhood Walk and have wondered if we really do exist, and if anyone replies to comments, the answer is a resounding Yes !  But only when we are not flat on our backs wondering if becoming vertical again is simply a dream.

That means there should shortly be a reply to anyone who has not received one, I should finally link to the remaining Neighbourhood walks that I fell too ill to do at the time, and normal transmission of our own activities should resume also.

Thank you for your patience.