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Elizabeth
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Real Learning
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What are some of your New Year's Resolutions for learning in your home this year? Let's inspire each other and invigorate our home education programmes! This isn't to take away from the great thread on general resolutions taking place at Fireside Chat.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JSchaaf
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I resolve to move toward a more CM atmosphere at home-
including:
1. nature study (haven't been on a nature walk since June)
2. picture/artist study
3. more classical music played at home and in the car
4. teatime with a read-aloud rather than a snack in front of the TV
5. Less TV
6. Handicrafts-I have to find something I can teach and do with the girls
For me-I recently purchased CM's six volume set. I'm going to try and read it all this year-but not quite sure if that's feasible. Maybe I'll start a separate post about that.
Very interested in hearing other's plans and resolutions.
Jennifer
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Tina P.
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I resolved to spend more positive, happy times with my children all around. We're working HARD on math and spelling this year. But we're going to have fun learning time together, as well. Table time is going to be installed in the mornings, but it is *not* going to exceed lunchtime.
I resolved to FOCUS on my children ~ on their needs, their interests, and their learning styles. We're studying ancient Egypt. We're also studying the Civil War era. Frankly, I've never liked to read oodles about one era and then plod through history in order. Why should my kids want to do that?
I resolved to listen to my kids better (though I must say, my daughter can narrate a 150-page book for days on end!  ) and say more encouraging, rather than discouraging things.
I resolved to pay more needed attention to my littlies. Somewhere between schooling, diaper changing, feeding, cooking, sorting, washing, folding, resorting, cleaning, vacuuming, rooting out those inevitable smells  and putting to bed, I'm going to play and learn with them.
And this one's for you, MacBeth. I resolved to *like* doing science with my kids. Notice, I didn't say love it, I'll just try to like it.  It's just so darned messy!
I'll write all my other resolutions on the Fireside Chat board.
God bless,
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
Mary's Muse
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JennGM
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JSchaaf wrote:
| For me-I recently purchased CM's six volume set. I'm going to try and read it all this year-but not quite sure if that's feasible. Maybe I'll start a separate post about that. |
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I would like to hear your feedback on reading those volumes.
Love your resolutions!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Genevieve
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I resolve to
1) set aside time to actively observe my children.
2) do some of the activities in MacBeth's backyard nature section
3) play with my children
4) be less of a perfectionist 
I'm sure there are more... but then I won't get the above done.
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Genevieve
The Good Within
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Mary G
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I resolve to:
- remember that during school time (8-noon) and (3-5p.m.) my kids are my first priority; housework and other work must come secondary
- avoid twaddly textbooks and use only living books
- incorporate picture study, composer study and nature study into every week (this resolution is my WATERLOO!)
- shift from workbook-style math to living math -- Anno's books, card games, tangrams, etc
- incorporate real living -- prepping dinner, chores, cuddle time -- into our daily curriculum (now, I tend to do it all myself as it's faster and easier....)
Thanks Elizabeth for adding this "twist" to the usual resolution list -- it made me really think about my teaching of my kids....
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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amyable
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Great ideas so far!
I also need to resolve to spend more time observing my children (and playing with them, enjoying w/o an ulterior motive). And...
*decide what to do about my oldest. There are definite "issues" going on (memory? I'm not sure...but she has to learn something 100 different ways, arguing about it all the while, before it sticks) I need to decide whether I think it's just developmental and she's a late bloomer so BACK OFF or whether she'd be best served by some sort of evaluation.
*dh has started the girls on composer study every night by playing a different classical tape. I'd like to do something similar by printing out the work of a famous artist to hang in the kitchen for an ongoing picture study. I'd like to incorporate this "sneaky" method of schooling into more things if I could figure out what! Which leads me to...
*try a little more unschooling, but make sure I'm doing enough "strewing". Right now when I say we are unschooling, most days it just means we didn't get to school time because life got in the way and I was busy!
*find what interests my second born. She is advanced but really lost in our schooling because my oldests needs so much attention when we are working on anything.
*so I guess I need to resolve to figure out how to give all my girls the attention they need to learn. Yikes. Does anyone have a 36 hour day they'd like to sell me??
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Amy
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The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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JennGM
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As my ds isn't "school-age" yet, many of our learning resolutions revolve me doing research and planning!
*To continue reading materials and make firmer plans for our impending Real Learning time. Read more of Maria Montessori, Charlotte Mason, on Classical Education, etc.
*Plan, get materials, and implement a home atrium with Moira's albums.
*Remember to create a musical atmosphere in the house.
*Continue research on buying a piano so can have one by March. Then resume playing! I miss it  and more exposure for ds.
*Research Suzuki violin lessons for ds in area.
*Piggybacking my resolution to be more thrifty, continue our reading and introducing books and artists, but utilize the library more. Make regular library visits!
*Nature study for my wee one...more outside time.
*Learn to nature journal, become more familiar with art mediums, then work with ds with more arts and crafts time.
*Be more organized to provide time for ds to do things on his own or with Mommy. In that vein, be more patient!
*More in the kitchen cooking with ds.
*Our big goal this year is potty training...that seems like Real Learning to me!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Cheryl
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There are great ideas posted. Thanks.
My plan is to spend more time doing things with my preschoolers.
I'm also trying to keep it simple with planning. I tend to go overboard too much and my kids are still very young.
I want to go outside everyday.
I'm trying to figure out a way to make the Saxon Math 1 lessons really short.
More read-aloud times during the day!
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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Kathryn UK
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This year I'm planning to:
* spend lots more time on science
* do more art
* get a good routine going with more one-on-one time for each dd
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Kathryn
Dh Michael,  Rachel(3/95) Hannah(8/98) Naomi(6/06)  (11/07)
The Bookworm
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Willa
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My resolution is to focus on each child's particular needs and brainstorm and pray about ways to help them and "strew" opportunities. I've been trying to do this focusing every bedtime when I am saying my prayers, and then try to jot down possible plans and ideas in the morning.
Also, to keep the learning lines open in the family -- be open to learn from them, and keep myself open to sharing my interests and learning path with my kids..... for some reason, this is difficult for me!
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Willa
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Tina P.
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Pray tell, what exactly is "strewing"? Encouraging learning by having books and manipulatives available and out in the open?
Just curious...Tina
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
Mary's Muse
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Willa
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Tina P. wrote:
Pray tell, what exactly is "strewing"? Encouraging learning by having books and manipulatives available and out in the open?
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Yes, that's it.
Here's some more details:
Strewing
More Strewing
Organized Strewing
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AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Sarah
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-Read aloud every day-something to the olders, at least one picture book/story to the youngers.
-more science
-more art-both viewing and creating
-more singing
-P.E.--sons *want* to "get in shape"--lovingly helping them to accomplish that (we don't have weight issues, but the boys want to be stronger )
-completing projects that need the final touch from mom (i.e. helping them finish their lapbooks, or do the final stapling, gluing, etc. I have a habit of piling and the kids never see the final products of their work)
-actually putting their work in plastic sheets (which I have tons of)in their notebooks as keepsakes instead of piling.
-Getting out into nature, even if its just around the block which seems all I can accomplish at the moment! Not beating myself down about nature study, since we aren't able right now to venture far off the path, so to speak. We have lots to learn close to home and I need to remember that!
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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guitarnan
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Better P. E. for my son, who is battling both extra weight and laziness (obviously inherited from Yours Truly)
Guitar lessons for my daughter (I am the teacher)
A peaceful, calm pre-move spring (usually I am the Possessed Banshee Mom from Beyond the Grave when I am getting ready to move, but this just won't work this time!)
Better prayer time - we have not done so well on this during the last year - and an improved prayer board, because my daughter takes the posting of intentions job very seriously and then they fall off. (She made a painted cardboard prayer board where we could post all our prayer intentions, but the post-its I bought don't stick well to the IKEA paint we used.)
More exercise for Mom...I need to feel better about my own self and need more energy to do everything else around here...I'm sure it will make me a better learning facilitator, and will set a good example for my son.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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tracym
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We are going to work toward having a more postiive attitude for all. More fun, more focus on family-much less yelling, fighting.
I hope to do outside nature walks with the kids. This is something I think they would all enjoy. I know we have a stream we walk to alot in summer but haven't much since then.
Outside PE time is a must also(I also have a ds struggling with weight). But just the effects of going outside are great for all!
I would like to do music/art appreciation but need to start out slow as I don't know much myself in either area.
I would love to do a lapbook for the first time with them also. I am thinking maybe something with the Olympics coming up next month.
My ds(8) also struggles alot with schooling-so being more patient with him and not forgetting about my eager 6 year old dd who is easy to get pushed aside at times! And also including the 4 yr. old and baby!
Mostly just enjoying our time together and appreciating that we are able to homeschool!
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MaryM
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-I will second the resolution to keep my focus on school during school time. I get so distracted and unfocused when I try to do something else as well.
-To actually get my dd into piano lessons which we have been saying we would do for months.
-To really plant gardens this spring and do activities a la Sharon Lovejoy's books - Hollyhock Days, Sunflower Houses, and Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots. The gardens have sat barren (well actually full of weeds!) for years as I never get to it in time then it's too late to plant.
-Like Sarah, I need to see the projects through the finishing stage. And then I would like to figure out some ways/places to display their work and projects more prominently.
-To start having tea-time.
Tina P. wrote:
| I resolved to *like* doing science with my kids. Notice, I didn't say love it, I'll just try to like it. It's just so darned messy! |
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It's funny as I never really thought about science being messy (biology major here). Isn't it funny how certain subjects are to different people. Since the "messy" science really seems to fall more in chemical and some biological science (like the dissections and such) maybe you could focus more on the many other aspects of science that don't necessarily have that messy component like physical science (forces, motion, magnetism, electricity, light, sound) and earth science (astronomy, geology, meteorology, oceanography) or bio/life science like botany and ecology. Maybe that would help you "like it" more. I did think it was interesting that so many people here have listed increases in science and nature study as part of their resolutions.
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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momwise
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MaryM wrote:
| -To really plant gardens this spring and do activities a la Sharon Lovejoy's books - Hollyhock Days, Sunflower Houses, and Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots. The gardens have sat barren (well actually full of weeds!) for years as I never get to it in time then it's too late to plant |
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We could do that as a field trip to my house Really though........this is one of my resolutions also and I resolve to actually empty out my composter on that garden.
Oh!! and remember to check MacBeth's post on gourds
I also resolve to actually take nature walks and not just check out books about them. Ditto for art projects.
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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Mary G
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momwise wrote:
I also resolve to actually take nature walks and not just check out books about them. Ditto for art projects. |
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Now that's one I have to add to my list....
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
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guitarnan
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Tina,
If the messy part is holding you back from science experiments, what about having Science Day...where you do experiments and science activities all day long? We do this with art because I dislike the mess, and because most art activities take a long time to complete. If we do art all afternoon, I have only one cleanup to worry about and we get everything done. I realized I tend to schedule science at the end of the day for the same reason.
If you completed two or three experiments/activities in one day, you wouldn't have to do science as often...you'd still cover all the material...and you'd have less cleanup.
HTH,
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Real Resolutions
