My Kids Need to Be Around Other Kids. A Socialization Ramble.

It's amazing how much conversation can be made by just mentioning that you are homeschooling your kids. Since Marco is getting older, people frequently ask me why he isn't at school. Actually, they ask him! "Shouldn't you be in school? What grade are you in?" At first, Marco never knew what to say, but now it seems like he's getting used to the questions. He always answers "I do school at home." Of course, that always opens a new bag of questions, mainly geared towards me.

Since we've made the decision to homeschool and since I've come to meet more and more moms, the whole socialization thing keeps coming up. What a myth and wrong use of vocabulary! My latest common comment is, "I couldn't homeschool. My kids need to be around other kids. He needs that socialization." Ackk! Does that mean that that my kids don't need to be around other kids or socialize with others? Of course they do! And they do!

I don't ask people for reasons why they don't homeschool, yet it seems like they are very adamant about defending their choice about sending their kids to school. It's OK...really. I don't want a list of why you send your kids to school. Yes, I understand that you could never do that. Fine, you want your kids around lots of other kids all the time. OK, you don't have the patience. You really don't have to convince me because I know that every family makes the choices that are right for them.

Sometimes I wonder if they carry on these conversations because they think I'm making the wrong choice. It really doesn't matter either way. The point is that yes, my kids love being around other kids and just because I homeschool them doesn't mean that they are being isolated at home. And socialized? Well, socialization by definition is simply a process of learning interpersonal and interactional skills that are in conformity to the value's of society. Do I think my kids actually need to go to school to learn this? Of course not! What could another 5 year old possibly teach my kid about being socialized? If you ask me, it's the adults in the child's life that really teach these values to their kids.

"Yes, but you are keeping them from learning how to handle things in the real world." I'm afraid to say that in the real world, you don't interact with people that are solely your age. I am really not interested in having my kids mold into what a big group of kids thinks is right. For now, I just want them to be "socialized" enough to be around all kinds of people...not just other kids their age. I want them to learn the real values of a society...not the values found within the culture of young kids and teens.

So please...don't assume that because I keep my kids at home, they are completely unaware of how to behave, follow rules, listen, and even conform to the norm. Don't assume that because I keep them at home they don't need to be around other kids. And please, spare me the list of why you don't homeschool. It really is OK (and come to think about it...I don't care)!

**This ramble is brought to you thanks to the recent outpour of similar comments made to me by strangers.

Our Garden Revisited.

It's been fun tending to a garden with the kids and they are amazed at how our vegetables have grown. Planting a garden is probably one of the best outdoor projects for kids ever! It teaches patience and responsibility. Once harvest time comes around, everyone is so excited to finally taste the fruits of their labor! Luckily, we didn't have to wait long for that to happen. Our lettuce has been growing so fast that we've been able to feast on many salads. The kids are so proud of their vegetables that they eat them like candy. If I would have known that growing a garden helps kids eat more veggies, I probably would have done it a long time ago!

For anyone just starting out, I highly recommend the Square Foot Gardening method. It's easy and has high yields. We haven't had to pick out any weeds out of gardens yet! We also don't have to use a whole packet of seeds to get something growing, so it's a good idea to partner up with someone else and do some seed swapping. There are so many good ideas in that book! It makes row gardening seem like a thing of the past. Our smaller box isn't even on the ground, so it could be considered somewhat like container gardening. The larger box is still not completely planted and has about 8 squares left empty. But overall, I think it's a good beginning to our first year gardening with the kids.

Here is our larger box. Many of the veggies here were just recently planted due to the late frost. Hopefuly the plants will take off growing soon!

This is the smaller box by the fence. Things are growing here faster than I ever imagined! Our broccoli, however, is being attacked by fruit worms (as you can see the damaged leaves) and we are working on an
organic solution.

Our New Pets.

It's so much fun to surprise the kids with something new. As we were shopping yesterday, I decided to buy them their first pets. Now the last thing I need right now is a pet that requires lots of attention and looking after, so I decided on Beta Fish! The kids were so excited when we brought them home! Marco immediately named his fish "Vampire" (although I'm not sure why), and Isabella is still deciding on a name...she's switched from "Princess" to "Deeno Dino."

We'll see how long the fascination lasts, but for the mean time the fish are looking nice on our piano. Maybe it will be a motivator when we start our piano lessons!

Memorization and Recitation. A List.

We have finally made a list of material to be memorized for the year! Our goals are lofty, but if we get through half of our list, we will be happy. I've included poetry, prayers, and verses from the bible. You will find that some are in Spanish and others in Latin. We are planning on having a small poetic recital every 6 weeks or so. Thanks to all the people who helped guide me towards good books (WTMboards)! At the bottom of the list, you'll find some great poetry books I came across to help me compile the list.

1. A Thought, Robert Louis Stevenson
2. Happy Thought, Robert Louis Stevenson
3. How Doth the Little Crocodile, Lewis Carroll
4. Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll
5. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost
6. The Purple Cow
7. Good and Bad Children, Robert Louis Stevenson
8. Cucu Cucu, Spanish nursery rhyme
9. El Patio de Mi Casa, Spanish nursery rhyme
10. El Barquito Chiquitito, Spanish nursery rhyme
11. Various Mother Goose Rhymes
12. Padre Nuestro
13. Ave Maria
14. Angel de Dios
15. Pater Noster
16. Gloria Patri
17. Angele Dei
18. Requiem Aeternam
19. Anima Christi
20. Signum Crucis

I'll probably be adding or even taking away some of these...all depending on how we do. I will keep this list updated as we go along. If you are interested in looking at some good poetry books for children, try these.

• A Child's Garden of Verses, Robert Louis Stevenson
• Honey for a Child's Heart
• When We Were Very Young, A.A. Milne
• Now We Are Six, A.A. Milne

The List Never Ends!

It's coming close the weekend and another week has passed that I have failed some of my home organization and improvement projects. Our hallway bathroom stands half finished with only part of the wallpaper being down. We have been planning on painting it for a while now and redoing the lights, fixtures, and flooring. Although we have all the things we need to actually get the project done, the bathroom sits there in practically the same state. All I have to say in my defense is that I hate wallpaper and just the thought of finishing taking down the last of it is driving me crazy!

Our basement is another story. Although it's really already finished, we still need to carpet the stairs and finish the full bath. But since we need to call the plumber to do all that stuff and the carpet guy, we are just putting it off until we can get ourselves together to actually finish painting the staircase walls. Another thing on our to-do list!! As for the functionality of the room...it's working out well. It serves as our playroom and schoolroom. I'll have to post pictures of it in the future since I know many of your homeschoolers are always looking for ideas for your own schoolrooms.

As for the organizational matters of the home...I'm working on it. I would ideally like to get the upstairs bedrooms a little better decorated and organized before the baby arrives. Luckily, I don't have much to decorate since the rooms are pretty much done. Just a few more pictures and shelves to go in the kids' room, some new curtains, and a closet system for my room. Not too bad for the top floor. The kitchen, dining room, and living room are well taken care of. Besides needing some serious new flooring in the kitchen, the organizational matters are done. Now if I could only get my housework and schooling down.

It amazing how much you can actually do to a home. I'm happy with ours, although I know there are some other major improvements we have planned for the future. For now, I just want to get that darned bathroom done.

Preschool Curriculum *Update 3/15/08*

I have updated this list due to changes we have made to our curriculum. I am no longer planning on using Phonics Pathways for phonics or Who Am I? for religion. In wanting to keep things simple, I'm doing mostly read alouds and prayer memorization for religion and keeping with ETC for phonics (for the moment).

Math

Saxon K is really great for this age because its lessons are fully integrated with manipulatives. There's lots of use of graphs, counters, linking cubes, etc.; so buying the manipulative set is a must!

Phonics

We are starting out with the primers to the Explode the Code series. Although the letters and sounds of the alphabet are already known, these books help solidify that knowledge and make the transition to reading smoother.

Religion

The Beginners Bible is an all-time favorite read! We do this daily at bedtime and sometimes during free reading time. The perfect bible for children 3-6!!

The early years are full of play and fun. Because there is an older child doing school, many times Isabella will sit in and participate (this is especially true during science!). Reading time is always done together and I allow plenty of music time and art (gluing, painting, coloring, etc.). The important thing is not to burn your little one out before they actually really start school!

My Little Mess Maker.

My camera is taking funny pictures, but here is my little man making a mess on the table. Kids.