Blowin' Paint Bubbles

We are working on a Bubblogy Lapbook this summer. One of the projects is Blowing Paint Bubbles and making prints with them onto paper for an art project. We did this project today. Edward loved doing this project. We even did a bigger painting that wont be in our lapbook.

Our Bubble Print Postcard for our lapbook (the large painting and the other bubble print for the lapbook are also on the table)

Our Bubble Paint Solution

The other Bubble Print for the Lapbook

It Might Be Hit and Miss

Edward will be starting school next Tuesday, we have a full fall ahead of us with 8 weeks of Tap Dancing Lessons, Homeschool Bowling League, 15 weeks of Kindermusik Class (this is 1 of 2 semesters that he will be taking this school year...next year will be his last year and then it will be some sort of musical instrument lessons...these classes will help him to make a very educated decision as to what instrument interests him the most), Homeschool Co-op Classes (2 of which I am teaching), Church, 6 weeks of Soccer and not to mention school lessons. With all these activities, my computer time is going to be very limited. I will try my best to keep up with everyone but Edward, his education and social activities take place over computer time. He will be my soul focus for the next 43 weeks. Of course I will be posting here as much as I can about Edward activities, homeschooling adventures, and life in general to keep you all up to date the best I can.
We are also off this weekend for one last mini family vacation. Have a beautiful Labor day Weekend with your family and loved ones.

Another Thompson Family Update

I just noticed that it has been 15 days since I have blogged....like others I use my blog to communicate with family and friends who live a great distance from us and are unable to share in our daily lives. I also use it as a way to keep record of our lives. I plan to print out my entries and make keep them for Edward to share with his children and their children.

We have been very busy this month preparing for the upcoming school year. Edward will be starting Kindergarten in just a few more weeks. Public School officially started here (also in OK and TX) last Thursday. I think that it is just to hot out and still to summery for kids to be cooped up in a class room. We will start our school year the day after Labor Day. Edward is looking forward to school. We will be using Sonlight this year for our curriculum, along with Horizon's Health (K), Math-U-See (primer), Character First (series 1), and A Reason For Handwriting (K). We will also be learning some Spanish this year using Teach Me Spanish CD. Next semester we will be learning some French using the same series. Then I plan for him to learn Hebrew the first semester of 1st grade. We aren't learning to write any of these languages yet, just what they sound like in familiar childrens songs. When Edward gets to 3rd Grade we will use the Rosetta Stone Homeschool Series to learn these languages more in depth. We will also be working on America Sign Langauge this year too. We are also going to be using Tatras to an extent to learn to read, this is also known as Vertical Phonics. I have heard good things about this. Thank you Renee for showing me this program...you are always so kind to share.

Edward starts Kindermusik Young Child 1 tomorrow. He starts Homeschool Bowling League on the 4th of Sept (he rocked during summer league...he bowled a high game scratch of 105, a high series of 196 and his game average was 81...he was 2nd highest in game average and in high series, would have been in high game scratch if he would have just bowled a 107 or better game. Not bad if you ask me). This will be our last year for summer bowling league. Next summer he and I will go bowling once a week together. He will be moving up that fall to the Batnam's League which is sanctioned and doesn't allow bumpers. We will be working during the summer to get use to bowling without bumpers, with out the distractions or pressure of being on a league. Plus there were somethings that I saw during summer league that I just don't want Edward to be around or see. I think a break will do us good and we will see about doing a summer league in 2010.

Our Homeschool Co-op starts on Sept 5th. I will be teaching 2 classes this semester. A Arts and Crafts Class for Pre-K to 2nd grade and an A to Z Animal Science Class (this is a curriculum that is through our local zoo) for K to 2nd grade. My Arts and Craft class is only 6 weeks long. The A to Z Animal Science Class is actually 2 semesters long, so I will teach that class all school year long. I am looking forward to it.

I just have to share what we are having for dinner tonight....stuffed head of tenderloin (as seen on one of Edward's Favorite Food Network Shows; Good Eats), this is stuffed with crumbled blue cheese....Kirk's mouth has been watering ever since he saw the show so I thought I would fix it for him. We will also be having Parsley and Chive Mashed Potatoes, Broccoliflower and Purple Cauliflower (we haven't had either of these so I thought they would be fun to try), butter and egg dinner rolls, and for desert petite strawberry shortcakes. Is your mouth watering yet? I will have to let you know how this dinner turns out. One night I also plan to make Swedish Potato Balls (Kroppkakor) for Kirk. His mom's parents use to make them when she was a kid and he remembers eating them when he would go to visit them. He has been talking about them. I also have Swedish on my side of the family, I think it would be great for Edward to taste some Swedish style foods. There a Swedish Community here in Kansas (Lindsborg....aka Little Sweden) that has a Swedish Festival (Svensk Hyllningsfest) once a year, I am hoping we will be able to go in either 2009 or 2011 (it's only done every uneven year). It is in Mid-October.

It is different with Sebastian gone, we all miss him so much. Thank you all for the well wishes and condolences. It has taken some getting use too. So far Bear and Storm seem to be dealing with it well.

We are off here over Labor Day weekend for a mini family vacation in Nevada. Pray everyone comes home in one piece and no one tries to amputate any of their body parts.

We wanted to wish Happy Birthday to Jim, Mom T (Kirk's Mom), Oma Du (my Grandma), Paige (our beautiful neice), and Charlene, who all have birthdays in August. Also Happy Anniversary to my brother and his wife.

For those praying for us, please remember that Kirk goes at the end of next month to see the Urologist. Will keep you posted.

Just Attended My First Homeschool Convention

Wooooo whoooo!! I went to my first homeschool convention this past weekend. I was unable to attend any of the workshops but that is okay because I was able to buy them on CD to listen to at my convenience. I can not wait to get started on that...I have 21 of them to listen 2 plus to others that I bought at a speakers booth on some subjects not covered at the convention. I was able to see so many products and pick the things that look right for us to use this year. Edward is now officially signed up to use the Sonlight K curriculum. Just purchased it. We are also going to be using Math U See (Edward is already begging to start this and I think we will), Character First, A Reason for Handwriting and A Reason for Spelling. I bought the newcomer on the Sonlight so the items I don't intend to use, I will be selling next year at the used book fair that our co-op puts on. I just had to share. Next year I plan to go both days and attend the workshops, Edward will be old enough to attend Adventures In Character that they have for 6 to 12 yr olds at the convention.
A Side note, Edward just started up his Summer Bowling League today. He is doing awesome. He got a 69 and a 74 today, that included 1 spare and a couple of very close other ones.

Why Is It????

Why is it that as soon as people hear the words "We Homeschool", they look at you like you are an alien from outer space? They instantaneously judge you and think you are a weirdo for wanting to homeschool. I hear comments all the time like "He wont be socialized", "What about College?", "Won't he miss out on the "normal" things", "How will he make friends his age", "Why don't you cut the apron strings and let him go to real life school?" and so many more. Yes, he is socialized probably far better than most kids his age. He is able to interact with people of all ages, not just children his age. Yes, he can and will go to college. Homeschool Children get High School Credits and Diploma's just like those who attend public and private schools. And guess what, they get to have a real graduation too. "Normal" things, not quite sure what is meant by this statement but if it means do I want my son going to school every day having his back pack checked and sent through a metal detector just to get into the school building...then NO I don't want him to go through those "Normal" things. If by "Normal" things, they mean introduced to drugs, bullies and peer pressure by 4 yrs old, then NO I don't want those "Normal" things for him either. If "Normal" things means having lables slapped on him by adults who are suppose to their to guide them through the most important time of their life, then NO I don't want that for him either. Now please don't get me wrong, not all public and private schools are bad, there are great ones out there ( I do feel that the public school system as a whole though is in great need of a major over haul). Not saying that there aren't any locally either, just saying that I choose to educate my son at home....where he isn't just learning Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, he is learning about God (no I don't believe that it is the churches place either to be responsible to "educate" my son in Christianity....where in the Bible does that say that....it is us, as their parents, responsibility souly to do that....church is a corner stone in that foundation of Christianity that you are helping your child build), Family Foundations, Good Ethics, A adventurous love for learning, Freedom to learn what they want and how they want, Freedom to learn they way they want (and if necessary, in a way that is souly individualized for them and their learning style), and most of all being Loved and Guided by a adult who truly loves and cares for them and their what their future will hold for them. As for making friends his own age, he has plenty of them through Homeschool Co-op, Kindermusik, Bowling League, Monart, Church and various other activities we do with him. It's not like we have him locked up in the house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yes, I am well aware of the fact that some homeschool families are very strict about interaction and so forth. But do not judge me and the fact that I choose to homeschool, based on them. Just like I don't children who are public or privately schooled, to be hellions, rebels, wild uncontrollable children. I know some great children who are in public school as I speak. I love them for who they are not how they are educated. We have just educated ourselves, looked at all the options, prayed about where and what God had in store for us in the means of Education and went where He led us. I live in a country where this is a FREEDOM, it is My CHOICE not that of those around me. This is a FREEDOM I am grateful for each and every day. I do not take this FREEDOM light and neither does any of the homeschooling families I personally know. Each of us have chosen to homeschool because that is what God has called us to do for our children and our families. As for "cutting the apron strings" I think I just answered that question. My son, is not going to be any less of a man when he grows up because he was homeschooled by his Mom, I pray that homeschooling him will make him that much better of a Man and a stronger Christian.

Why We Choose To Homeschool Edward

I have been having some difficulties with people not understanding why we are choosing to homeschool our son. There are so many reasons and I find it hard to verbalize the reasons to them correctly, so I thought that maybe if I wrote about it it would help me to be able to get the reasons across correctly. Of course there is the freedom of being able to worship and learn about God. Teaching Edward the TRUE reasons why this country was founded. School is in no way like it was when I was in the education system (not saying it was the greatest then either) and it defiantly is nothing like it was back when our parents and grandparents went to school. School has become an institutional setting. It is a proven fact that children who are homeschooled are more socialized than those who attend a public (and sometimes Private) school setting. Children are made to act like as the teacher thinks all children should act, there is no room for individualized personalities....you risk your child being slapped with a label if they don't conform to the way their teacher(s) feel that a child should be. Children in public school are required to sit still for hours on end at desks, they are not allowed to move, talk or do the things that come natural to a child. I know that schools have lots of great programs for advanced learns and if the teacher is really on top of things they might catch one or two who are struggling in reading or writing. But there are those students who might be so great at math but wonderfully smart at science. This student is usually overlooked, instead of working on the child's strengths and helping them with their struggles they are just shuffled into the mix. Yes there are some good school districts but you have to realize that ME ME ME is the structure of ALL public school systems. A child's individual interests are not used as a way to help make learning more interesting and fun for them because so many children are shoved together into one classroom that it is hard to individualize their learning behaviors let alone their interests. Homeschool tends to be more hands on, individualized to each child. Yes even if there is more than one or two children being taught by one person (even when they are of different ages. I wont even go into the fact that public school is dangerous to our children in so many ways. God didn't make children, let alone people, to all fit into one "cookie cutter mold". We are all different and unique, we all learn in different matters and to make school the best for our children their learning situations need to be individualized for each child. Homeschooling allows us to do that. My son does not lack for socialization, he is able to socialized daily with everyone from the elderly to babies. He is able to learn according to his unique learning behaviors (some people learn by sight, others by doing, others by repetition and so forth) that God has given to him, he is able to incorporate his interests into his learning situations so that it makes learning more interesting to him. He is able to go to locations and see things (daily if we choose) that teach him how things work, are made and so forth. He is able to learn history right were it happened, if we want to take him to those locations. We are able to educate him during the time of the day that is best for him, when he is alert and able to grasp concepts. We are able to go at his pace not a pace that is made to accommodate the average child in the room (therefore those ahead of the average learn are forced to lag behind in their learning experiences unless they are able to meet the requirements for advanced learning classes. Those who struggle and are unable to grasp a certain concept of the subject being taught them are forced to struggle and usually lag behind the rest of those in their class...which causes them to stand out to the other children and they are usually ridiculed by their peers for being slow or having less than average grades. Yes there are special education classes for the slowest of learners but once again you have to meet the requirements for those classes that have been set forth by the public school system. So those that don't quite meet these requirements for advanced classes or special ed classes are forced to learn at the pace of the average learner in their class(es).) I will force myself not to get on my soapbox about recesses being shortened in lots of public school and in some place done away with all together, no more music and art classes, PE being done away with in some schools, and my favorite of all right now.....free constructive play time being taken away from Kindergartners when it is one of the most important aspects of their education at that age. Kindergartners are now forced to sit for long periods at desks and learn like the older children. In case you were unaware Kindergarten is now being considered the new FIRST GRADE. SAD is all I will say about all these topics, sad for our children, sad for our society. I wouldn't doubt that if in a few years if Preschool was considered the new FIRST GRADE and 3 & 4 yrs olds were required to sit for hours on end doing paper work and being drilled with facts. Our government through our public school systems are slowly taking away our children's only chance at CHILDHOOD. So Preschoolers will be required to do hours of homework after they come home from a long day at school, cutting out all chances for playing. SAD SAD SAD!!!!! I hope that this has given some insight as to why we have chosen to educate our son at home and not through the public school system. Please note that I do realize that for some the public school system is the only option, but please be your child(ren)s advocate.....stand up for what you want your child(ren)s learning experience(s) to be. You know your child(ren) better than any teacher ever could, you know their learning behaviors, where they excel and where they struggle. Be their voice when educators choose not to listen. This is not to say that there aren't awesome educators out there but you have to remember sometimes their hands too are tied by the government and the public school system.
I have a personal quote that I think says it best: As Homeschoolers, we are not limited by where and what books might teach us, or what a building can provide for learning experiences and materials. The World is our teaching resource....our learning palette, we learn from it by seeing, hearing, touching, and hands on experiencing it personally.~Desiree Thompson 9/6/07