Testing Risa

With Kira off to classes during the day, I have a bit of extra time to spend with Marisa.

This morning it was raining. Risa wanted to go out and watch the rain fall. Luckily it is getting cooler so being outside is easier for me. We sat outside for a while watching the rain and looking around.

I took this opportunity to test Risa on her colors. I can now say for certain that she is very clear on all her colors. This isn't the first time I've tested her. I do it pretty frequently. She's really known her colors for a while, but letting her pick out those colors in a natural setting makes it more certain that she's not just following a pattern.

She also counted to 5 for me. This is new. She can now count all the way to 5 all by herself. One more set of requirements that she has accomplished by just paying attention to the world around her...

The Case Against Homeschooling

Edited - Jesse Scaccia contacted me with a complaint about reprinting the entire article here on my page, even though I have given the direct link and the proper credits to her to indicate that I did not write the article.

So --- I removed the article and kept the link.

I still think it is well worth your time to read - and respond - to this particular article that Ms. Scaccia has written. It will do wonders for your amusement factor.


THIS IS A REPRINT OF AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED AT TEACHER, REVISED. I'M PUBLISHING THIS HERE BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF BIAS AND LACK OF INFORMATION IS JUST SO DARN AMUSING. I HOPE YOU ENJOY READING THIS AS MUCH AS I DID.

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The case against homeschooling

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By JESSE SCACCIA

Homeschooling: great for self-aggrandizing, society-phobic mother…… but not quite so good for the kid.

Here are my top ten reasons why homeschooling parents are doing the wrong thing:

Pre-School Classes

Kira started Pre-School classes this past week on Tuesday. Our church has a Georgia Lottery funded Pre-K program. We registered Kira, but she was on a lengthy waiting list. Lucky for us, her number came up.

Now, you may wonder why in the world I would put her in a Pre-School program when I have absolutely no intention of sending her off to school next year. This is a common reaction of my friends and family when I mention that Kira has started classes. The thing is, though, that home schooled does not necessarily mean completely schooled at home. There is a great deal of value to be found in classes that are given outside the home.

Kira's teachers are not using any particular curriculum to accomplish any given goals. They do have standards that they are expected to reach by the end of the school year. However, the teachers are given a great deal of freedom in how they choose to accomplish these goals. With Kira's classes, there is a whole lot of playing going on. This is why I wanted her in classes - to play.

I think play is a very important part of a young child's life. There is so much to be gained from just playing. Right now she is learning to adjust to a new situation. She's learning to make decisions for herself. She's learning the days of the week just by association. She's learning group play and group cooperation because there are 19 other kids in the room. She's also learning that sometimes what you get really is all you get because they serve lunch and if you don't like it, you don't get something different. (I'm not allowed to pack a lunch for her, either.)

This new schedule also gives me some one-on-one time to spend with Marisa. I'm hoping to be able to use that time to focus on some of her early learning skills like I was able to focus with Kira. Marisa is learning to live her days without her big sister around to dictate the way the world goes. Surprisingly, this is a big adjustment for Marisa. She has seemed a bit lost this week without Kira around. I hope that improves pretty quickly...

School Supplies

I did a bit of shopping for school supplies. Here is what I came home with.

Marisa's School Supplies

- 3 different packs of bolts
- 3 different packs of nuts
- 3 different packs of washers
- school box to hold the nuts, bolts, and washers
- crayons, 24 ocunt
- colored pencils
- scissors
- glue
- glue sticks
- markers (broad tips, fine tips)
- 3 ring notebook ( 3" - to start our timeline and mapping book)
- school box to hold the art supplies
- pink milk crate for all the school supplies

Kira's School Supplies

- markers (broad tips, fine tips)
- crayons, 120 count box
- colored pencils
- scissors
- poster boards ( the small ones that come in packs )
- glitter glue (she asked rather hopefully if glitter was "school supplies")
- 3 ring notebook ( 3" - to start our timeline and mapping book)
- school box to hold the art supplies
- pink milk crate for all the school supplies

My School Supplies

- pack of multicolored Bic permanent markers

I already have a huge collection of workbooks that have been amassed over the past few years. Each time I found something that I thought was interesting, I would buy two copies of that workbook so I would have one for each girl. Now, all I have to do is pull out the workbooks and put them in the proper milk crate. Then the girls can decide when they want to work in one of their books. I have no doubt that Kira will be speeding through her workbooks because she adores doing "school work".

School Break

We're going out of town for a few days without the kids, so there won't be any school projects.