Homeschool Triumphs

Between generous sharing of various colds and viruses, trying to sleep train a very strong willed baby and getting in gear for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years holidays I feel as though my head is spinning.
I wanted to take note of some triumphs I've seen recently. The relationship aspect of homeschooling is so amazing to watch. My older kids are closer to each other (although the bickering is not completely gone) and they adore the baby. It is heartwarming to see them take care of him and dote on him. Hopefully they won't spoil him completely!
The major triumph I saw today was in Charles. We started using Writing Strands 3 with him several weeks ago and although we have not been consistent with that book there has been a revolution. When faced with a writing assignment Charles cheered. He was happy about it. He asked if he could write more than he was assigned! This is such a triumph in a child who after a year of the pressure in public school from an unbending second grade teacher would not write. He would shut down and begin saying things like, "I'm stupid," and "Everyone thinks I'm not smart," when asked to write even a sentence.
Other updates are:
Kaity still enjoys worksheets, coloring and just sitting there to "do school." She will even ask to do school on weekends! Sometimes, though, she and I conflict about so many things. She is strong willed child number one. My dear friend, Cheri, told me to stick to my guns. That's what I've been doing. I'm hoping to see results soon. Sometimes it gets very wearing to try and outlast her stubborn will! I pray that this will be used to God's glory and that she will learn to be yielded to Him above all. Charles is just beginning to show the emotional turmoil that is pre-pubescence! Oh my! I am not at all ready for that! The baby is crawling and pulling up to standing on everything, but has not figured out how to go back down to the ground after getting up. He gets around so fast now and he loves to crawl into the nasty, disgusting, hairy, dirty dog kennel that our boxer uses. You should hear the happy little baby noises he makes when he gets in there when I'm not looking. Yuck. I'm thinking of permanently attaching a broom to my hands so that I can keep the floors relatively clean for my little crawler. Hubby says a little dirt will only make him stronger! Seriously, I love the dog, but does anyone want a boxer? :)

Growing Good Writers

I just finished listening to the speech given by Andrew Pudewa for Heart of the Matter's Online Conference. The conference was a few weeks ago, but the registration fee included MP3s of all the speakers. I am slowly but surely making my way through the speakers and feel that this one may just have revolutionized my homeschooling approach.
Mr. Pudewa is the director for the Institute for Excellence in Writing. I will be researching this program more fully, but there are a few points that his presentation brought up that feel like amazing "ah-ha" moments for me!! There have been a few moments (too few, probably) that I have felt God's immediate nudge, directing me in this homeschooling adventure. I am convinced that I need to slow down more and seek that direction more often. This is one of those nudges! To sum up Mr. Pudewa's points that I will be thinking about and probably posting about in more depth:

-Reading aloud to children in large quantities and increasingly complex quality is the best way to help them develop sophisticated language. When children hear good literature read to them their comprehension increases as well. They develop a resource from which to draw when they are communicating and writing. They will be able to use more sophisticated language when they have a better resource. (He pointed out that many children only have the language they hear in media as their primary resource for language used for communication and writing.) 2 hours a day of reading aloud would not be too much!

-The other way to build their resource is for them to memorize: poetry, scripture and speeches. He said that it is vital to memorize and to continue to review the memorized pieces.

This is a link to his article that contains most of the presentation that I listened to today.

I am left thinking that I have been drifting toward "busy work" and leaving off some essential things that are easier. i.e. "Do this worksheet," instead of really focusing on learning something. I am going to really examine our routine, our day, and see how we can fit in more reading aloud. I did not realize the importance of memorization. Now that I have heard why it is important I am asking myself if I can muster up the diligence to memorize and require my students to memorize! I will be seeking God's grace and strength for that one!
It seems I am constantly discovering ways in which I need more diligence!