While we were talking about the Rosicrucian Museum afterwards, Peter pondered why the Egyptians had such an evolved religious philosophy, but hardly anything else. Well, perhaps it’s because the only real solid record that still existed by the time we were curious about them was writings on tomb walls. But it made me think why…
Category: Education
Zen Garden Escape
One public school ritual I have come to loathe is the last-minute-of-summer posting of class rosters. And this year I had a particular chip on my shoulder, knowing my son’s marvelous learning capabilities under my private guidance, and having hung out with a crowd actively opposed to government-controlled schooling. The last minute posting is just…
Reading Program Bonanzas
Before this summer, I had never signed my children up for any summer reading program, because it seemed like a drag to have to keep track of one’s reading. But this summer, I knew Neil would be reading a lot because I was homeschooling him, and Kelly, well, we all know how much Kelly loves…
Are You As Smart as a Fifth Grader?
So, Peter got involved with our American Revolution studies and volunteered to set up a game of Jeopardy, with all questions related to American Revolution, as per the excellent text we’d used. Shiaw-Ling was our scorekeeper and the categories Peter set up were ones like “Four Letter Words” (where the answer was a four-letter word…
No Blood for Tea
As part of my summer homeschooling curriculum, I had Neil write a speech. The date was December 1, 1776, one of the darkest periods for American revolutionaries, and as a colonist, he had to make a speech to his fellow colonists to either continue fighting for American independence (the patriot argument), or whether to throw…
Fine Arts Public School
Neil spent four entire school days rehearsing and performing in his school’s Fifth Grade Musical. This was on top of several days he spent a few months earlier preparing for the Fourth Grade Musical, as well as several weeks of music classes putting together the multicultural dance performance “Kids in Motion,” not to mention the…
Homeschooling the American Revolution, So Far
As I wrote earlier, I set up a summer school for Neil after being so disappointed with his fourth grade education. One of the subjects we’re covering is the American Revolution. So far, via a book I borrowed from the library, we’ve covered history from the Boston Massacre and the Intolerable Acts through Concord and…
My Medieval Garden
I did a very daring thing yesterday: I dug up a patch of dirt behind our spa and planted vegetables. If plants were people, I’d be in jail for all the plants that have died in my neglectful, inept care. If I brought every plant that has died on my watch back to OSH, I’d…
Rubbish!
The Cornell Waste Management Institutue, in its most recent attempt to tell me where the bogus statistic they published came from, pointed me to William Rathje, an anthropologist/archeologist who’s excavated landfills and studied the waste disposal habits of Americans. He hasn’t responded to my email inquiries yet, but at this point, it’s not that important:…
Poolside Summer School
My blogging has been light lately because my mind’s been on putting together an educational curriculum for Neil (and to a certain extent, Kelly as well) this summer. It’s no secret that I’ve been disappointed in his teacher this year, and I think in some ways he’s fallen behind milestones he achieved in third grade….