E.B. White said, "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."
Although, I believe that truly being joyful will actually improve things. So, there's the solution. Have a lovely day!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Learning to Read
My daughter Bridget, age 10, is currently learning to read. To those of you more familiar with the schools' timelines for this, that may seem rather late. But as unschoolers, who practice child-led learning and let each child's journey of education unfold naturally, she's right on time. Her time. And that's because she's the one who is motivated to learn.
Of course, she can already read many words and phrases. I've found, with my older child and others in our homeschool group, that self-confidence is very important in learning new skills. Because they can't simply pick up any book of adult level and decipher it immediately, they often think they "can't read," when in fact they have been on the journey of learning words for many years.
Most of the kids in our group "learned to read" (as described by themselves) around age 9. Bridget is on the younger side of the group as a whole, and has been motivated off and on over the past couple of years to actively practice her reading skills. She reads easy-reader books out loud to us, figures out what's going on in the computer games she likes to play, and reads and writes the words she knows in daily life (labelling her artwork, making and signing greeting cards, etc). She is part of our homeschool writing group, and we still read aloud to both kids on a very regular basis, as we have since their birth. She also sees all of the adults in her life reading for pleasure as well as information.
I recently went to a bookstore to run an errand, and Bridget handed me a gift card she had saved from her birthday. She said to get her a book, and to use the rest of the money to get one for myself. Instead, I picked out 5 books for her, going from "step 1" through "step 4" and including a simple chapter book as the fifth one. As her teacher/facilitator, my job as a parent is not to force her to learn, but rather to guide, encourage, and at times, offer challenges. I brought her the books, and offered her the challenge of reading them to me as a way of gaining more reading skill. I didn't know how she'd feel about it (and wasn't attached to the outcome), but she immediately decided it was a wonderful idea, and adopted this as her "summer reading program." She read the Step 1 book to me easily in one sitting, and when she's ready we'll sit down to the second book.
What's wonderful about this way of doing things is that she'll be reading for her own pleasure, at her own pace, and can be proud of having mastered this skill on her own. I'm also thankful that we're surrounded by a loving community of family and friends who haven't pressured Bridget (or me) about her reading progress.
Maybe she'll even end up as a total bookworm, like her Mom. :)
Of course, she can already read many words and phrases. I've found, with my older child and others in our homeschool group, that self-confidence is very important in learning new skills. Because they can't simply pick up any book of adult level and decipher it immediately, they often think they "can't read," when in fact they have been on the journey of learning words for many years.
Most of the kids in our group "learned to read" (as described by themselves) around age 9. Bridget is on the younger side of the group as a whole, and has been motivated off and on over the past couple of years to actively practice her reading skills. She reads easy-reader books out loud to us, figures out what's going on in the computer games she likes to play, and reads and writes the words she knows in daily life (labelling her artwork, making and signing greeting cards, etc). She is part of our homeschool writing group, and we still read aloud to both kids on a very regular basis, as we have since their birth. She also sees all of the adults in her life reading for pleasure as well as information.
I recently went to a bookstore to run an errand, and Bridget handed me a gift card she had saved from her birthday. She said to get her a book, and to use the rest of the money to get one for myself. Instead, I picked out 5 books for her, going from "step 1" through "step 4" and including a simple chapter book as the fifth one. As her teacher/facilitator, my job as a parent is not to force her to learn, but rather to guide, encourage, and at times, offer challenges. I brought her the books, and offered her the challenge of reading them to me as a way of gaining more reading skill. I didn't know how she'd feel about it (and wasn't attached to the outcome), but she immediately decided it was a wonderful idea, and adopted this as her "summer reading program." She read the Step 1 book to me easily in one sitting, and when she's ready we'll sit down to the second book.
What's wonderful about this way of doing things is that she'll be reading for her own pleasure, at her own pace, and can be proud of having mastered this skill on her own. I'm also thankful that we're surrounded by a loving community of family and friends who haven't pressured Bridget (or me) about her reading progress.
Maybe she'll even end up as a total bookworm, like her Mom. :)
Friday, May 29, 2009
I've upgraded the laptop...
This one has more memory and storage space.
Though there's a cute new model I'm thinking about...
Though there's a cute new model I'm thinking about...
Shared Joy
I'm feeling really psyched that my brother is so happy lately! He met a wonderful woman last fall. They are now boyfriend and girlfriend, and planning to live together. She's great! I met her in December, and she's been at family gatherings several times. Last weekend she hosted our monthly family potluck, and we got to meet her Mom. It's very cool to have a new addition to the clan, and to see how much fun they're having together. Here's a picture:
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Rampage of Invincibility
I don't usually watch videos online that much, but this one just has to be shared. My thanks to the women on the RU-LOA list for passing it along and raving about it so that I actually went and clicked on the link this time.
Wow. I can feel the amazing energy coming through, even at the distance of a recorded video. I highly recommend taking the 7 minutes it will take to watch this...and feel the results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8rkvEaVrG0&NR=1
Wow. I can feel the amazing energy coming through, even at the distance of a recorded video. I highly recommend taking the 7 minutes it will take to watch this...and feel the results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8rkvEaVrG0&NR=1
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Fours
Sometimes things happen in fours. Even if they're lists of things that I've encountered while reading. Such as:
"Each read-aloud, then, is a language arts lesson, bolstering the four language arts: the art of reading, the art of listening, the art of writing, and the art of speaking."
- Jim Trelease, "The Read-Aloud Handbook"
"The beginner [witch] must develop four basic abilities: relaxation, concentration, visualization, and projection."
- Starhawk, "The Spiral Dance"
The four powers of a magickian:
To know, to will, to dare, to keep silent.
OK, to add a personal touch, four things I'm doing today:
making salsa, finishing a mix CD for a friend, yoga (duh), and cleaning
Hope your day is full of fabulous fours.
"Each read-aloud, then, is a language arts lesson, bolstering the four language arts: the art of reading, the art of listening, the art of writing, and the art of speaking."
- Jim Trelease, "The Read-Aloud Handbook"
"The beginner [witch] must develop four basic abilities: relaxation, concentration, visualization, and projection."
- Starhawk, "The Spiral Dance"
The four powers of a magickian:
To know, to will, to dare, to keep silent.
OK, to add a personal touch, four things I'm doing today:
making salsa, finishing a mix CD for a friend, yoga (duh), and cleaning
Hope your day is full of fabulous fours.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Education for the Soul
"Avoid compulsion and let early education be a manner of amusement. Young children learn by games; compulsory education cannot remain in the soul." - Plato
Sunday, April 05, 2009
New Goals
I've been doing some introspection and re-membering, and I realized I hadn't written about my goals for this year (2009). I did this last year (click here to see the 2008 post) and found it useful. In fact, I just went back and commented on how I did on each of them.
So, here are the things I am focused on this year:
1. Writing. This is the year to become a published author. The vegan pagan cookbook is finished, as far as content goes, and will be sent out to prospective publishers soon. BlackLion and I will be publishing our core belief kit this spring, and we also plan to finish The Book of Ing. More to come!
2. Yoga. I will continue to focus on and refine my daily yoga practice. I will include more meditation as well. I'd like to try new types of meditation, and attend more yoga workshops and retreats.
3. Drumming. I will practice my drumming regularly, and perhaps take some lessons. I plan to play more gigs as well as play for friends and family.
4. Art. I am going to explore my creativity through various arts. One that I really enjoy is collage. I'd like to try some new forms, too.
5. I'm not sure what to call this one, though it encompasses love, joy and gratitude. I will tune in to the sacredness of everything. I am further exploring my spirituality, and having fun doing so. I will ENJOY life!
So, here are the things I am focused on this year:
1. Writing. This is the year to become a published author. The vegan pagan cookbook is finished, as far as content goes, and will be sent out to prospective publishers soon. BlackLion and I will be publishing our core belief kit this spring, and we also plan to finish The Book of Ing. More to come!
2. Yoga. I will continue to focus on and refine my daily yoga practice. I will include more meditation as well. I'd like to try new types of meditation, and attend more yoga workshops and retreats.
3. Drumming. I will practice my drumming regularly, and perhaps take some lessons. I plan to play more gigs as well as play for friends and family.
4. Art. I am going to explore my creativity through various arts. One that I really enjoy is collage. I'd like to try some new forms, too.
5. I'm not sure what to call this one, though it encompasses love, joy and gratitude. I will tune in to the sacredness of everything. I am further exploring my spirituality, and having fun doing so. I will ENJOY life!
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