Almost 7 Weeks of Quarantine

How have we been quarantined for almost 7 weeks?

Working from home: Today, I updated my school’s website, checked into my Google Classroom, communicated with parents to remind them about the deadline to order yearbooks, emailed my rep at the yearbook company that we are trying to get verbal permission in lieu of photo releases we don’t have, made a couple of changes in the yearbook including changing one of the two instances of ‘incredible’ to ‘fantastic,’ emailed our Chromebook vendor to get a quote for 72 more devices, filled out and emailed my preference form for next year to my principal, etc.

While working from home: I made my family pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and made myself a sink full of dishes to wash.

Homeschooling: Read about the statues on Easter Island, read a passage in Matthew, listened to Gemma recite her favorite Lewis Carroll poem (Brother & Sister) about a brother who wants to cook his sister in an Irish stew, read about how the tilt of the Earth and our moon and the distance we are from the sun make life on Earth possible, practiced piano 20 minutes, did Spelling Assistant (spelling app on Kindle), read Spanish with Daddy, forgot to do typing practice - oops, did a few problems in Life of Fred Algebra.

Miscellanies: I let Gemma play the Brilliant app on my phone first thing in the morning, and watch two new Science Ninja videos. We played Catan together; Gemma got upset that I put the robber on her forest. We watched a Numberphile video about Klein bottles. I made a frozen Trader Joe’s lasagna for dinner. I ordered Mrs. Meyers geranium-scented cleaning products, as well as a 100 count glow stick ultimate party pack.

Coronavirus Homeschooling

Today I went to the school where I teach to help with Chromebook distribution. This was our third attempt to get devices out to every student. Teachers are trying to teach remotely, while completing district trainings via webinar about how to teach remotely.

While the school district in which I live has announced that school will be closed for the rest of this school year, as have several other districts in California, the school district next door (the district in which I teach) has not made it official.

At home, I'm trying to teach elementary school children as their Computer Lab teacher, which one would think would be the easiest subject to teach via computer, but it's not. So far, only 11 students have enrolled in my Google Classroom. (I'm supposed to have four classes of 5th graders this quarter.) I'm also trying to finish the school yearbook, complete daily online trainings, provide daily online resources to parents, and email teachers and parents about various Chromebook/email/password/program issues they're having. I'm doing this from my "home office," which is a space between the clothes hamper and the hot water heater in what is basically the mud-room of our apartment. I'm also doing this while homeschooling my own child because, well, we all do that now.

But we were homeschoolers before Corona.

In talking to "schooler" parents, the thing that resonates with me most is that these "sudden homeschoolers" are being made to be managers of their children, as opposed to co-learners. One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that I get to learn with Gemma.

The past couple of days, we've learned so many things.

Here are three:

• Marco Polo. We find places mentioned in our atlas, and search images. This week, we searched Zhangye and discovered China's Rainbow Mountains. That led to the question of why the mountains look the way they do, which led to me looking up and reading aloud an article about the mineralogical processes that give the mountains their beauty.
• Lewis Carroll's epic poem The Hunting of the Snark, one section per day, for eight days. It's a nonsense poem, but according to the trusty source Wikipedia, Carroll agreed with the interpretation that the poem was an allegory for the search for happiness.
• The Tempest. We're reading one scene per week, and have just read the part where Ferdinand and Miranda profess their love for each other, while Prospero looks on, knowing that all is going according to his plan.

Should I Continue Having My Child Read To Me Daily?

Your 6 year old can read. You’ve been having him or her read to you aloud daily from a popular series of leveled readers. You’re thinking you could drop this from your schedule. After all, your child reads independently daily, choosing books like Frog and Toad. They can read, and they do read, so you’re done, right?

No. 

It’s a good idea to have your 6 year old (or 7, or 8, or 9 year old) continue to read aloud to you daily.

You don’t have to use specific readers, even if evvveryone else is using them. (Is evvveryone else reeeally using them? Um, no.) 

And what you have your child read to you doesn’t have to be long. You can make a lot of headway with short, consistent lessons.

You can have your child read aloud to you from any subject area. In fact, it’s a good idea - a better idea - to have your child read aloud from books in different subject areas, and by different authors, so your child can see a wider variety of words in print and get help from you with how to attack them.

You want to be able to assess what your reader needs next, the next right thing, and by having him or her just read to himself you’re not able to do that. 

Frog and Toad books are wonderful (we have them all), but you need to hear your child read text that increases in complexity over time, text with multisyllabic words, suffixes, sentence variety, etc. Buddy reading is great for this. You read a sentence, your child reads a sentence. Or you can do it any number of ways, the emphasis not being “I’m quizzing you,” but “we’re reading as a team.”

Gemma and I buddy-read her history chapter Monday. Gemma is 8, and has been reading independently for a few years, but she doesn’t love Ambleside Online’s choice of history books. She prefers a well-researched novel that allows the reader to get lost in an individual historical figure’s world. 

Today, we buddy-read This Country of Ours. While Gemma can read chapter books, she can read them because she likes them. If she listens to an Ambleside Online history book, she doesn’t seem to pay as close attention to it as I’d like. I’m sometimes wrong. Recently, I thought she hadn’t been paying attention to a reading, but three days later, when I said, “I don’t think you were listening when Daddy read the previous chapter,” she told back a paragraph from that chapter almost word for word. (Yes, I apologized.)

One of the benefits of buddy reading is that a young reader can get help pronouncing words they understand in context, but don’t use in everyday speech. For example, my 8 year old doesn’t throw around the adjectives “autocratic,” “despotic,” and “tyrannical.” 

Thankfully.

App Schooling

I recently listened to a podcast episode in which the hosts talked about app schooling. The podcast was Homeschool Unrefined, and in this particular episode, moms Maren and Angela discussed using screens in their homeschools.

There was one particular moment that stuck out to me, and that was when Maren and Angela mentioned that one benefit to having children use apps is that moms are then freed up to do other things, things other than teacher things. Administrator things, maintenance and operations things, cafeteria manager things.

Homeschool moms, you run your own schools. Classroom teachers don’t do that. Classroom teachers have principals, office managers, cafeteria staff, custodians, recess, lunch away from their students.

It’s unreasonable for you to believe you should be teaching and running a school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Classroom teachers don’t do that. We also give students work they can do independently. We use that time to work with an individual child, work with a small group, grade, fill out paperwork needed ASAP by administrators, mediate conflicts, console or give pep talks to individual students, prep materials for a hands-on lesson.

Sometimes that independent work time is screen time.

You aren’t failing as a mom if you have your child use an app.

Lost Library Book

I just paid $32.45 to replace a lost library book, and I feel great.

The book was The Lego Adventure Book: Vol. 3, and I’ve looked in all the places it should be, as well as some places it shouldn’t.

I thought about buying a copy on Amazon, because the book is $6 cheaper than the price the library gave me. I would have had to wait for the book to arrive, stress out about whether or not the delivery person was going to go against my delivery instructions and leave it on my porch as a target of opportunity, drive the book to the library, and pay for the processing charge of $7.50.

So I just paid for the book. 

It’s only the second book I’ve ever had to replace. (The first was War and Peace, which I still haven’t finished, but after finding the book I thought was lost, I’m now the owner of my very own copy. I can let it sit on my shelf as a reminder of both my failed attempt at reading a Russian literary classic and my failure at being the type of person who is so organized she couldn’t possibly lose a library book. I, on the other hand, am the type of person who can evidently lose something the size of a microwave.)

My point is $66 is a small price for access to all of the books we’ve borrowed over the past (let’s say) 6 years. That’s less than $1 per month.

And check this out (no pun intended): if I find the Lego book at any time during the next year, I can take it into the library for a refund of the price of the book! No one told me that when I lost War and Peace, so I’m not sure if that’s always been the policy, or if it’s new. Either way, I feel so much better about the book no longer being something I’ll never locate, but a thing I might get to find.

Trapeze

The flying trapeze. Why would I suggest this to Gemma? 

Because it’s there. Because it’s close. We live within walking distance to a trapeze. This is literally our backyard swing set.

Because I want to spread the whole feast.

Because I want to go back to work next week and not look back at this week with regret. We could have stayed home.

Because I want her to know she belongs in the room.

Watching her was inspiring to me. She was the only child in a group of adults. She learned to clip the ropes to her harness, and she climbed up that very tall ladder. She flew. I don’t think I could have done that, just jumped. It’s so high.

But she knew she was safe. She knows she’s safe. She said she just looked out at the view, marveling at its beauty. 

PVC Pipe Rocket Launchers

For directions on making these rocket launchers and paper rockets, click here.

We made 3 trips to Lowe’s...

My stepdad cut the PVC pipe with his circular saw (and a lot of expertise!).

Putting the pieces together is easy, but making sure you’re buying the right pieces in the first place, and cutting the pipe are not. I couldn’t have done those things without his help.

KiwiCo’s Tinkercrate

For Christmas, we got Gemma a subscription to KiwiCo’s Tinkercrate. 

I had seen ads for it and heard people say they loved it, but I wasn’t sold until I saw one of the 5th graders at the school where I teach, walking around with the claw machine he built. 

I grilled him about what he thought of the Tinkercrate boxes. Did he like them? How many had he done? Could he complete them by himself? Were they too easy?

He’d done three and had enjoyed them all. He said he could do them on his own, but that they weren’t too easy. They were “just right.” That was exactly what I was looking for.

I found a promotional code that made it possible to get a 6 month subscription for about $13 per box, so the price point was right. 

I liked that KiwiCo could ship the first box to one address (Grandma’s house, so it could go under the Christmas tree), and the rest of the boxes to a second address (our house). 

I also liked that EVERYTHING for her first project (a spin-art machine) came in the box. The only thing Gemma needed was a pair of scissors to trim the transistors. I also thought it was very cool that the project used the box as part of the design.

I wouldn’t have tried KiwiCo if I hadn’t had the promotional code. There are just too many subscription services on the market right now, and it’s difficult to gauge if a product will be a good fit for your child without getting to see the product up close and talking to a child who has used the product. I’m really happy with my purchase (the gift was a hit!), and I’m excited to see what projects come in future boxes.

December 23, 2019

Today, we are working on a puzzle, went to see Frozen 2, did a chapter in Life of Fred: Algebra, and practiced piano. 

One of our Christmas traditions is doing a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle together. This year’s puzzle is Cobble Hill’s “Yellow” in “The Rainbow Project” puzzle series. We’ve also done green, blue, and black & white. We only just realized that all of the puzzles form one long puzzle. The yellow puzzle is orangey-yellow on the left side and greenish-yellow on the right side, because it goes between “Orange” and “Green.”

Regarding the plot of Frozen 2, I found this article interesting:

https://www.popdust.com/disney-frozen-ii-indigenous-people-2641411635.html

We’re currently in Chapter 6 of Life of Fred: Algebra. I would love to finish this book by the end of next summer, and while I think that’s doable, it’s going to mean that I have to remember to do math. There’s no rush. Gemma’s “ahead” of where she “needs” to be. I could not do math with her for a couple of years, and she would still be where she “needs” to be. But it’s nice and neat and tidy to do a math book per year, isn’t it? There’s something that feels good about it. So, maybe we’ll complete algebra in August, or maybe we’ll take all of 2020. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Just thoughts.

I’m liking having Gemma track her piano practice with tiny Candyland stickers. It’s helping her see what she has and has not done. The visual means that it’s not me telling her to practice, it’s her piece of paper - and it’s difficult to argue with a piece of paper.😉

Magic Flute

Yesterday, we went to the LA Opera’s production of The Magic Flute. I’d seen it before, about four years ago I think, and was so blown away by the way it fused the opera with silent film - such a bizarre juxtaposition, right? And that’s why it was so magical. After the show, three of the singers came out and signed autographs, and the singer playing Monostatos even brought out his prosthetic ears to pass around.

LACMA Art Projects

We went to LACMA on Sunday. I didn’t realize that they have crafts for kids every Sunday. They also have NexGenLA, program for children 17 and under, which allows them to get into LACMA free. Even better: it gives them a free adult admission, too!

Friday Book Stack

At present, Gemma’s Fridays include Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad, choosing her own Bible reading in her blue Bible, a chapter in Janice Van Cleave’s Food and Nutrition for Every Kid. She’s also reading William Blake poetry this term, and - for this week and next - Two Mighty Rivers (about Thomas Rolfe) for history, instead of This Country of Ours or The Awakening of Europe. She also uses a spelling app, and works on one of four languages (her idea!) either using Duolingo or a TPRS book in the target language.

“Latin exam, Dad. It’s Tuesday.”

- Adam, Blast From the Past

Math: Year 3 Term 2

This is Gemma doing Life of Fred: Algebra on her Spooner Board. In a classroom, she would be told to sit still - IN. A. DESK. But at home, she work while sitting on this, lie down on it, rock, or spin around so fast it makes me dizzy.

Handicrafts: Cross-Stitch

Gemma and I have been working on this cross-stitch cat for most of this year (and, from the look of things, we’ll be working on it most of next year, too). I “assign” her 10 stitches per day, and for every 10 she does, I do 10 (but I usually save mine up and do a week’s worth on the weekend).

History: Two Mighty Rivers

We’re taking a break from our “regularly scheduled programming” in history, to read the sequel to Mari Hanes’ book about Pocahontas. The second book is Two Mighty Rivers, and it tells the story of Thomas Rolfe, the child of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. We just read Chapter 5, in which Thomas, who is living in England, learns that his father has just been killed by Thomas’ Algonquian relatives.

I Don’t Do “Cute Advent”

This is what we’re doing for Advent this year. Calendars. One with chocolate, and one with Lego pieces. There will also be the one they pass out at church, with a Bible verse behind each door. We’ll attend the annual church Advent luncheon and learn the songs for the Christmas pageant. But that’s it. No Jesse Tree. No moving nativity scene figures from one part of the house to the other. Nothing handmade. Nothing that involves me gift-wrapping 24 picture books I don’t want to gift-wrap. Advent is supposed to be about waiting for Christ. It has nothing to do with chocolates or Legos, and waiting for Christ definitely has nothing to do with calendars.

American Indian Arts Marketplace at The Autry

This afternoon, Gemma and I went to the Autry because they were having their annual American Indian Arts Marketplace. We were able to watch a hoop dancing performance, and participate in the workshop portion of the performance. The dancers, father and son, Terry and Michael Goedel, were amazing.

Our Family Halloween Costume

“All the old paintings on the tombs / They do the sand dance don’t you know...”

Apple Pie 2019

I only bake one pie per year, and this is 2019’s pie. (We used the apples from our apple-picking trip to Riley’s Farm in Yucaipa.)

Gemma insisted we “carve” our initials into the top of the pie. (This, by the way, is a pie crust from the freezer section at Trader Joe’s.)

It was delicious.

Gemma’s Written Narrations: Weeks 6 through 9

In case you’re wondering what a child’s first written narrations look like, here are my daughter’s 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th narrations. She’s 8 years old, in “3rd grade.” She does one written narration per week (usually on Mondays - I wanted to make sure they got done early in the week), and she prefers to do them about her geography book: The World by the Fireside. I told her that each narration must be in cursive and must be at least 3 sentences (one sentence per grade level).

This one was not from The World By the Fireside. It was from Our Island Story. “When she died, her dog st-st-stayed with her. Wah😢Sorry I got ‘amotional.’ ”

Below, her narration about The Great Bat was written on another piece of paper, cut out, and glued diagonally (on purpose) because, she said, in all of the books she reads about kids who go to school, there are pages that look like that.