Reason #173 for Homeschooling my Chickens.

In the other gardens,
and all up the vale
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail.

Pleasant summer over
and all the summer flowers.
The red fire blazes,
the grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons,
something bright in all.
Flowers in the summer,
fires in the fall.

Robert Louis Stevenson.

I have to constantly remind myself of the life I want to give my children.
A different life. 

A "free-range" life.
My "chickens".

And don't be threatened.  
I am not judging what you have chosen for your kids.
Really, I'm not.
God has given you and your husband wisdom for your children.
We must all humbly seek it.

It's sad that I have to write that.

I want freedom for my kids.
Before a life that weighs them down.

Responsibilities.  
Yes, they have a-lot.
A lot.
They keep living creatures alive for crying out loud.
And some think I am too hard on them.

I am.

And then, I am not. 

And sometimes (I am ashamed to say)
They strive to live up to my demands.

But this is a small example of what I want for them.

Freedom.

Freedom when an autumn day beckons to pack up the books and bring them to the firepit.

Freedom to gather leaves and just BE with nature while others sit at desks.

How many of us know how to "just be"?  
 
Freedom to interact with siblings instead of being apart all day long.
Freedom to smell the smoke. 
Freedom to feel the rain come in.
Freedom to learn about how not to get burned.
Freedom to play "games" with the owl in the tree.
Freedom to figure out where he has flown to by listening to his "whoo-whoo."
Freedom to sing out loud.  Bless the Lord oh my Soul, oh My Soul...
Freedom to pray together at random.  For Daddy, for Africa, for our friends who don't know Jesus...

I don't mean to say that others don't have these freedoms.
But this is how we roll.

And we love it. 

Kiss your babies.
It will all be gone so soon.

Angela
Parisienne Farmgirl

Common Core? Common Bore.

Whole Heart School is now in session.

The baby is three weeks and a half weeks old now so I figured we'd better get started on school.  I didn't spend any time with the kids keeping things fresh in their minds during this summer as I intended (aside from reading with the big boy) - but hey, I was fat, hot, miserable... pregnant.  We are brushing up on reading, carrying, borrowing, multiplying, and just plain paying attention!  It's really amazing what a couple months more of maturity does to a child!!  It's been THREE days and they are like little SPONGES and just catching on SO quick, PRAISE GOD!  We are going to have a great year (by the Grace of God).  Our studies will include the second half of the Old Testament, ancient Greece and map reading.  Math, science (the systems of the body, astronomy and an in-depth bee study to get ready for our farm bees next spring).  English, creative writing.  We will also be learning French (in a more formal fashion than before), cursive (which many people have told me their kids aren't learning in school anymore), typing, piano, violin and studying musical composers and artists... Degas, Van Gogh, Rockwell... Chopin and Handel to name a few.  (I will post my posters again if you would like).  I won't be throwing up every ten minutes this year so I am thinking it's going to be an amazing.  I look forward to Christmas break to access how we are doing and what the kids have learned.  We have decided to spend our mornings doing farm chores, mom's Turbo Fire work outs, errands, baking and being a family and to school in the afternoon while it's quite and the little ones are sleeping.  GENIUS!!!

Lately I keep seeing these two words:
"Common Core" on the Internet.

I can't tell if I am bored with it or a bit concerned.

Homeschooling is huge for me.  That and homebirth.  What I mean is, the minute we loose our rights to do these two things with our children.  Well... fricken' forget it.  To me, that's about as bad as it can get.   It's off to hide in Appalachia if you know what I mean.

So many people give me grief about these two passions of mine... grief or "concern".  Like, What if your baby dies... How will your kids be socialized?  Don't you need a break from them?  And my favorite, Are you going to Homeschool all the way through highschool? As if I am going to (and that's the plan so far) well, as if that would be a bad thing.  I mean come on, generally speaking, have you SEEN what's coming out of public high schools lately?  I don't want my kids to turn into that.  I don't want my kids around that.  Please, don't read me the riot act how your kids and your public school are different... I know... that's why I said GENERALLY SPEAKING.  Not every kid is going to be stupid or go off the deep end and turn into a twerking, texting, twit.  But, like I said, I just don't want my kids around it.  (Come on, twerking, texting twit?  THAT was funny.)

Now,  I have friends with awesome families that I LOVE and greatly respect who have their kids in public school and that's the beauty of the country right now - we can each decide what is best for our families.  I have no desire to be dogmatic about something like education.  However, just like natural/home birth I hope that everyone does their research and knows what is going on in each system and what, if any, alternatives there are.  Some mom's would LOOSE THEIR EVERYLOVIN' MINDS if they taught their own kids.  Trust me - I understand.  I've lost mind many times.  Thankfully Jesus found it for me and brought it back!  It still doesn't stay put too well.

But - this Common Core thing creeps me out.  And so far, from what I have read I am not very impressed.  It seems like another control freak, knee jerk reaction to the disaster that is (GENERALLY SPEAKING) our school system.  It looks like everyone is going to have to jump "how high" to make sure they are all on the same page.  I've read stories of desperate curriculum changes to accommodate what is going to be on the tests.  I've read of horribly low scores on states who are running preliminary tests after making those curriculum changes.  

Supporters say Common Core only tests students in math and English, but critics say school districts will devise curriculum to maximize their students' performance on the national exams, and, in fact, have already begun that measure. And those same critics claim Common Core math standards barely cover basic geometry or second-year algebra and that the classics are all but ignored in English classes.
“The math standard focuses on investigative math, which has been shown to be a disaster,” Glyn Wright, executive director of Eagle Forum, told FoxNews.com. “With the new math standard in the Common Core, there are no longer absolute truths. So 3 times 4 can now equal 11 so long as a student can effectively explain how they reached that answer.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/30/new-age-education-fuzzy-math-and-less-fiction/#ixzz2ednlXvBY

There are some serious questions we need to have answers to-
Whose writing these tests?
What is their background/agenda?
What if it is a disaster?  Will they admit it?

And how does this affect Homeschoolers and our choice of what we teach our kids?  See, I think it's really going to affect us when it comes to college.  For the most part we homeschoolers are teaching our kids differently than a public school education.  Ours is more of a classical education if you will (GENERALLY SPEAKING).  We aren't wasting time teaching about so-called "Global Warming" or whatever palatable name they call it these days.  There's no "Janie has Two Mommies".  We aren't reading "technical writings" as is one of the focuses of Common Core (or so I have read - that schools will focus less on the classics) -- we've already introduced our kids to Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson and Mark Twain.  Critics say the loss of focus on classic literature will hurt children's ability to think critically.  

Yikes.  That's what we need are more kids walking around with an inability to think.
I just want my children to have depth and a wicked (strange pun?) understanding of our faith... to know that there is life beyond an Ipod or Xbox.   And to know how to (lovingly) argue an atheist into a corner.  (The numbers are frightening when you look at how many "Christian" kids leave the faith upon entering university -  that says a lot about their upbringing, the pagan culture of college or BOTH!)

Anyways, what I am saying is, if the whole system "out there" changes then where does that leave homeschoolers who want to apply for college?  NOT that college is a focus in this house.  Don't get me started on how college is not for everyone.  It just seems like this could put a lot of pressure on homeschooling parents to conform in order for kids to be taught what is on the tests.

???

And I can't tell yet if that really concerns me or like most things...
really bores me.

Farm Update with Videos...

'Evening Ladies.

Whew. 

What a month.  

No, I haven't bailed on my wellness series (they will resume again asap) but I have been REALLY sick for the better part of the month.  First we got hit with that ebola-esque flu, then we were well for ten days and then SLAMMED with the chest cold from hell.  Everyone in the family got over theirs in a timely fashion, 'sept for the prego.  By day EIGHT mine had morphed into a painful, painful sinus and ear infection... the doctor I saw actually had pneumonia concerns!  (They still want me to come back to check the wheezing in my lungs).  Yeap, I actually went to the doctor and for the first time since 1997 I am on an antibiotic.  Wow.  I am NEVER sick for more than 36 hours, so to have those two illnesses back to back like that for so many weeks-- well, I thought I was going to die :).

Spring is finally springing on Half-Way Farm.  

La Ferme a Mi-Chemin. 

And we could not be busier.  Or more happy.  Homesteading is definitely becoming a hobby for the entire family.  Joel is finding himself quite the chicken man - he has plans to expand our chicken run and has told me he wants to add to our flock... again.

THE FLOCKS-

Four weeks ago we added to our already 15 chickens by purchasing 5 Black Australorps and 2 Spitzhaubens (a "rare" breed).  That was during our round with the flu and as much as we wanted to go the following week for another round of chicks (Blue Cochins!) we could not muster the energy to make the drive.

Then as we were recovering and still a little shaky we got the call that 37 Red Ranger chicks (for meat) were waiting for us at the post office.  The fun and to-do list never ends.

THE CROPS-

The Half-Way Potager is in full swing - Back to Eden style.  Yesterday, despite my lack of lung capacity we laid down a ton of newspaper and Joel made 6 or 7 trips for mulch to dress the garden.  We found a free pile in the town we live outside of so we will be pillaging that at needed.  I haven't made official measurements but with my rough guessing it looks like we have about well over2,000 square feet of garden.  Five plots in the potager, plus the surrounding beds for edible flowers, decorative gourds, sunflowers, and healing herbs - a huge strawberry patch out back, a large plot way out back for sweet corn, popcorn, green beans, lima beans and pinto beans and a neighboring plot back there for watermelon, squash, cantaloupe, etc.

Yeah.  We are trying to grow a TON of food.

THE FARMYARD DAIRY-

We are also working with a goat breeder (Nigerian Dwarf) and are happy to announce that our goats were born two weeks ago.  A boy and a girl.  We will be picking them up around the end of June.  Their names... in true Parisienne Farmgirl fashion will be "Coco" and "Valentino".  We really wanted to find a doe that was "in milk" but we have decided to start with babies (and buy a fresh doe along the way if she presents herself).  I LONG to make cheese.  Come on, homemade Chevre???  Does it get better than that?

THE SWEET LIFE-

As far as "Half-Way Honey" we were a little bummed to put the beekeeping on the backburner til next spring but common sense has to prevail SOMEWHERE.  I don't think they make beekeeper getups in "my size".  But we can't WAIT to have some hives - we have the perfect spot - so perfect in fact that it looks a little naked already without them sitting there.

THE FAMILY-

The children love it here.  They have more responsibilities than ever.  But that is OK.  We are closer as a family than we have ever been.  I don't know why, I never thought we weren't close... but we are closer now.  Joel is happier than he has ever been in his whole life - even with the HUGE work load we are both experiencing.  I see this longing in him to "homestead" full time.  I think he would become a chicken farmer with a CSA on the side if he could.  But, this is "Half-Way Farm" and we are getting our feet as WET as possible before we move on the big farm someday.

As far as "styling" the house is... OK.  It looks farmy and chic and I haven't devoted a ton of time to styling it.  I was too depressed (as mentioned) this winter and now, all I care about is the gardens.  But I have don't some darn cute things that I will share as soon as I have a rainy day to keep me indoors.

The grounds still look a little "farm ghetto" as we call it.  The barn has these hideous, chipping garage doors, the fence still needs to be painted - I mean, sometimes rust is stylish but not in this case.  Again, we have made some cute additions to distract from the fact that really, it's just an old, neglected rental farm.  As soon as I get some annuals... hanging baskets, etc.  that will REALLY help.

All in good time.

It's very hard for me to sleep at night - my wheels spin so fast and so furious.  It's all so exciting.

Oh, and to top it off.  My midwife bumped up my due date to August 10th. WOOT-WOOT!

Considering I was 11 days early with the last one I could, in theory, have only 11 more weeks to go.

Oh-my-goodness.

I need a farm-hand.

Here are a couple corny videos of the kids, still week with the flu, getting our meat birds at the post office.  It's all such an adventure.  I PRAISE GOD they aren't sitting in school all day.

Oh, BTW - Forget schooling on the farm past about April 15th.  What a joke.  There is just too much to do.  Now I know.  They will have book reports all summer and will learn a heck of a lot when we butcher those chickens, harvest that food and tend to those baby goats.

The SchoolBarn, Something I will Miss

I am starting to really get emotional about the house.

Each room holds a million memories.  

Tiny voices.

Tiny cries.

Big dreams.

A room that we will never be able to duplicate is "The Schoolbarn".  The Schoolbarn is part of our unqiue, attached garage.  It's a 2.5 car garage.  One stall is the original carriage house, I imagine and the other 1.5 was added in the 30's.  It's right off the kitchen... just a step down.  It has wood floors, walls and ceiling and about 3 years ago we cleaned it out, painted everything, including the back of the garage door (with chalkboard paint) and made it... "The SchoolBarn."

We love it.

I never wanted to be the Momma with homeschooling crap stewn all over the dining room or kitchen so it has worked perfect for us. (Truth be told I NEVER wanted to Homeschool until I had a major change of heart). There is a heat vent for the winter and in nicer weather we open the door and school in the fresh air.

It is so unique and so wonderful.  It gives the kids a sense of "going to school" and yet I can go around the corner and re-heat my coffee in the kitchen without skipping a beat. 

We gave our school the name "Whole Heart School"  (for loving the Lord with our whole heart) and we will take that name with us... but I doubt there will ever be another 

"Schoolbarn".

And I will cry pretty hard in a couple weeks when we hold our last class in it.

First day of the 2012 school year.

School - en plein air

I absolutely love teaching the kids - it's the hardest thing I have ever done, but I love it.

Whole Heart School is in Session! Artists We are Studying this Year!

Well, we did it.

We are back "on schedule".

Gone are the wild indian days.

This house no longer runs like a scene from Dances with Wolves...

It's more like

Master and Commander

(Running like a tight ship... well, as best I can with all the stress of find a home, packing, moving....)

Mom and Dad are breathing a collective sigh of relief - and so are the kids, as children always function better with structure.

This year, following off ideas from Simply Charlotte Mason, we will be studying 6 different artists:

 Claude Monet (though we studied him last year)

Maxfield Parish

Mary Cassett  - LOVE her mother and children paintings!!!!

Georges Seurat

Carl Larsson

&

P. Buckley Moss

I am VERY excited to teach my children ART!   "Humanities" ... I feel... it is so important to learn history, art, music... culture.  I want my children to grow up to be interesting people, with a depth of knowledge about what has come before them and and understanding of what may be on the horizon.  

I know it's fun for "Homeschooling Mom's" to find resources and since I know many follow the ideas on Simply Charlotte Mason.com I thought I would share with you these posters that I made for our classroom.  I designed them in Mac Pages, had them printed and laminated so I could use them again in 6 years (which is how we will study... learning some now at this age and again when they are older).

 

We will read books about these artists, visit the Chicago or Milwaukee Art Museums and do our own works of art inspired by the artist's technique and medium.

Each child has a stack of canvases 

and a jar of paint brushes ready to go.

I will share their work as the year progresses.

I am also considering the timing

 of the artists and when we study them.

For example, Maxfield Parish's work is so colorful, we are starting with him so we can take advantage of painting the Midwest fall colors.  In the winter we will study P. Buckley Moss as many of her works include snow... in the Spring we will study Seurat, visit the Art Institute to see La Grand Jatte (I believe it is still in Chicago?  It's been ages since I've seen it)  in person and paint at a local park on a pleasant afternoon. 

 And so on...

Please feel free to use these. 

 If you prefer, I can email you the PDF.  

I am really busy with the magazine right now,

 but I try to respond to each email I receive in a timely fashion.

 

What are you studying this year?

Isn't is awesome and HUMBLING 

to be able to teach our children????????

PS, I'd be happy to make a quarter of the $75,000 the Chicago teachers are whining about!

Holding ON!!!!

Wow.

My plate is so full it has spilled out onto the table, over the edge and out onto the floor.

Thank you Jesus and Turbo Fire I haven't lost my mind... yet.

Houston... it looks like we have an offer.

To Do:

Moving Sale

Finish Christmas magazine

Finish Curriculum planning

Start school

Baby Boys first birthday

Film Macaron DVD

Start packing

Not to mention the most intense month of the Turbo Fire schedule yet begins on the 31st.

Oh Yeah... Lest I forget...

FIND A PLACE TO LIVE!!!!! 

Don't panic.

I saw this on Anne Lorys (Fiona and Twig) Facebook page (she found it on "Buckle Up Bitches"... sorry) and let me say... it resonated.

This is EXACTLY HOW I FEEL!!!!

 

I may be a little scarce the next couple weeks. 

 But yes, I am working on the Branding/Blogging class.

If you need me and are privy to my phone number, give me a ring or shoot me an email- ---be patient :)

Love you girls!

Looks like my farm could be right around the corner!

Now, if I could just find it!

Whole Heart School - A $44 Education?

Today was our first day of school.

We tinkered with it a bit last year, just a few times, but today was the real deal.

"WHOLE HEART SCHOOL"

I have read a lot about Homeschooling.  A lot about Public Schools.  A lot about Private Schools.  We chose Homeschooling based on some very moral convictions, a genuine concern over comprises made in the average Christian family, the stats of children that leave the faith once they reach their late teens ... and out of a desire for our children to receive more of a classical education.  I'm not going into this with rose colored glasses.  As wonderful as it is going to be it's going to be difficult.  Not for them, for me.

Think about it.  I have to educate my children.  I have to teach them to read.  I have to teach them theology.  I have to learn to keep their attention...  There won't be that coveted  6,7,8 hours of Mom time a day... OH!  The things that I could get done.  

But it's not about me is it?

And so, this morning at 9:00 we rang the bell, said the pledge, The Lords Prayer and started school.

We are using the Charlotte Mason philosophy of schooling.  

There will be NO un-schooling in this house.  The education will be classical in the sense that we will use living books when ever we can as opposed to text books but not classical in the sense that some employ the "trivium."

I was going to invest in a Phonics curriculum but... call me cheap, call me rebellious, I thought I would just hit the Target dollar aisle instead.  I was going to pay about $10 for a writing pad on a website that I really respect but why do that when I could get one on clearance at Target?  I was going to get flash cards from this same website but why would I do that when I could get them from the Target dollar aisle?  All in all, I purchased phonics books, flash cards of all kinds, scissors, colored paper, counting cubes, math magnets, quality letter writing booklets both upper and lowercase, Pre-k workbooks for LeeLee, glue sticks markers... everything we need in addition to our "living books" at home or the library for a mere $44.
Now, if I get to December and Aidan can't write a lick or read a word it was a bad decision but I think it's going to be OK.  I don't think the Target dollar aisle will hurt for Kindergarten.  Forty four dollars for back to school.
Can't.  Beat.  That.

We are almost done with the "School Barn", it was once my side of the garage, and before that an old carriage shed or something.  The floor is wood, the ceiling is wood, the walls are wood, there are two windows as before the garage addition it was the outside wall.  Thus the affectionate term "School Barn".  It is really a charming little space.  It has a heat vent and everything.  And to stay connected to the outdoors we can simply open the garage door and school in the fresh air.  It is unbelievable ideal.  I never wanted to be the Mom with the schoolbooks spread all over the dining room table.  Sadly, I am just too uptight for that so I consider us very blessed to have this space to learn.

And I am feeling pretty daunted.  It may sound corny but I am REALLY feeling like a Momma now.  We have a real schedule.  Structure.  I feel there is a lot to live up to.  I've got lots of memories of my Mom having it all together... at least in my eyes as a child.   But beyond the school barn, I am feeling really blessed.  Forget feeling.  I KNOW I am really blessed.
 For tomorrow I GET to do it all over again!!!!

Only 2.5 but thrilled to be at her brother's side learning.

Dapper Dan!  

Whole Heart School

I've got a lot I want to say about Homeschooling, but I know it's going to offend some, and I am willing to risk that but I do want to say it "just so."  It's probably going to be a huge post and I don't want to ramble.  I want to write about Christian teens leaving the faith, the treatment of boys in our society, good teachers and crappy textbooks...

Now that Aidan is 3 months shy of 5 we have begun to do a little schooling and I find my convictions growing stronger than ever.  The entire thing is amazing and for now, I will share our most recent experiences... opinions to follow in a subsequent post...

Yesterday was incredible.

Watching these children learn is out of this world.
Yesterday I suppose you could say the lessons were: phonics, time tellings, French, Bible, American history, science and theology.
We are learning the alphabet, focusing on phonics.  Aidan is DESPERATE to learn to read. At first I was so daunted... how in the world can you teach someone to read?  Can it really happen?  But, we are taking it slow and he AND Amélie are starting to remember the sounds the letters make.  Honestly, the process is fascinating.
He loves to try to tell time and I think he will grasp that completely pretty soon too.  We have two little time telling books with clocks and hands that move - Thomas the Train and Peter Rabbit.  They love to move those hands and of course they are learning their numbers at the same time.  In English and au francais.  (My French is so poor I have to teach them what I can!)

Aidan is very interested in just about everything and since the poor kid listens to Laura Ingraham every day he has an awareness of American History and inquires about what he hears, such as the Presidents so at Target the other week I bought a pack of President flash cards.  Yesterday we talked about George Washington.  They were gobbling it up.  This morning when I told Amélie that we would do some schooling after Momma worked out she said,
"George Washington?"

Hilarious.

 I am of course focusing on Aidan and she is learning thru osmosis.

We read a Bible story and "unpacked" it.  (The story of Samual being called by God), we listen to Mark Driscoll and Aidan has a precious, four year old understanding of Christian Theology.  It's amazing.
I spoke some French to them at breakfast and they watched a couple YouTube French lessosn... really, children are ravenous to learn.  I can't get over how amazing it is to teach them.  What a privilge.

A friend brought over a stack of books in the afternoon... reptiles, planets, technology... I know they don't understand it, they can't even read but you can see their little brains just absorbing what they are looking at.  They sat for 45 minutes on our front porch "reading" these books at lunch time... they were splitting a hamburger as a treat and the only time they spoke was to ask for more ketchup!  Otherwise, there they sat, in the fresh air...
learning.  (I truly believe some of this attention span is because their brains aren't jumbled with Blue Clues and Dora!!!)

After naps we went to my Moms.  We are on our SECOND round of reading the Little House on the Prairie series.  Aidan is obsessed with Laura Ingalls and all things pioneer.  Well digging, hunting, making butter, Indians, Indians and more Indians... on the way to Mom's we were talking about prairie fires, I told Aidan our friends at Na-da Farm burn their prairie... we were chatting away when I saw smoke a mile down the road.  Turns out they were burning the prairie here in town so we pulled over, killed the engine and smelled the smells and listened to the smoke and hiss of the fire... Imagining the terror of Ma and Pa with a wall of fire racing towards their homestead.  I had my camera in my bag!

Aidan loves schooling.  When people ask them if he is in pre-school is looks at them says with pride, "We do Homeschooling!"  It's hilarious.

We call our school "Whole Heart School" because of something Aidan said last year about my Gramma's farm and wanting to live their, "It is my Whole Heart Farm" he said with tears in his eyes (he and his Momma want to live on a farm so bad we can cry at the drop of a hat... post on that is coming)... I thought, what a lovely name for a school after all,
the Bible says "love the Lord your God with your whole heart" and "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

This "homeschooling thing" is going to be such an adventure!!!  I'll share more about my convictions on the subject soon but I just had to share with you about our day...

Heading Out - The Photos

Our Cucumber Cage - made with twigs found in neighborhood garbage piles!  You should have seen me with a saw and my kids in the wagon going house to house last Saturday morning!

The dirt pile is now dug out...what to do, save for flagstone or lay down pea gravel only to have to dig it all out when money for flagstone is available????  Ugh.

Mon petit artist.

I LOVE LEEKS!

This past weekend I emptied the pond, repositioned most of the interior stones, bleached it, scrubbed it - et voila.  Noise to drown out traffic down the road.

Joel and Aidan live for radishes.  French Breakfast is our favorite - go figure.

Onions and Frisée.

My little co-workers.

Splish Splash.  One of these days I am going to make it bigger and instead of bleach to keep it clean I am going to use those natural pool chemicals and on 100 degree days I am going to JUMP IN!

Art in the park.

Well, I crashed myself at nap time but I am throwing up these photos before chickens and I go to the park to play soccer.  They are so excited!

This morning we planted about 8 tomatoes, 17 peppers (all kinds) and some zucchini plus we planted 3 types of cucumbers in our cucumber house and then did some drawing, garden photography and garden work (I get so caught up in the growing of the food that suddenly my flower gardens become weed gardens!!!) - all in the name of "house teaching" which is what Aidan calls, Homeshcooling.

I have no idea what is for dinner but I can tell by looking at our potager that pretty soon the ideas will be over flowing!!!!