Busy October

Let's recap October... It was the busiest month we've had yet!!! Addie can now officially read about 50 words. She is reading simple sentences & can count up to 50 by 1's and 10's. Imagen got her feet wet in typing. She is typing with 90% accuracy, but still only typing about 14WPM. We also carved a pumpkin, and the girls learned that the inside of a pumpkin nothing to be afraid of. We did spend one whole day making halloween arts & crafts. While I'm short on words, I could literally type 10+ paragraphs about everything we covered this month. However, I'm just going to let the pictures show everyone how much fun we had!!!

Francis Beidler Forest / Four Holes Swamp Field Trip

Today we visited Francis Beidler Forest located in Harleyville, SC. Inside the forest is Four Holes Swamp, which is the same swamp we named our homeschool after. It's the largest remaining strand of virgin baldcypress-tupelo gum swamp forest in the world, and it's one of the only two cypress/tupelo swamps in the world. There are tress in this swamp that are over a thousand years old. We first learned that a swamp isn't always wet, and that the amount of rainfall has an effect on the water levels. There wasn't much water for us to see on our visit, perhaps we will go back in the spring when there is more water. Our guide pointed out the dwarf palmetto, and said that when you see them it's an indicator that water was nearby. She said they are often found growing on the dry side of the swamp. On our adventure through the swamp we leaned how to identify a cypress tree vs. a tupelo tree. If you look at the trunk of a tupelo tree it twists upward, while the cypress climbs straight up into the air. We also cracked open a cypress cone to see the seeds inside of it. It's amazing that such giant tress were once such tiny seeds. The cypress trees have projections out of the ground commonly called "knees", and these are a part of the tree's root system. We were surprised to learn that it takes certain conditions for a cypress tree to survive. Too much water can be detrimental to the cypress growth, therefore they are most likely to survive during a dry spring. Cypress seedlings usually cannot withstand more than a month of total submergence. Did you know after cypress trees age they begin to undergo a chemical process that makes the tree resistant to insects & rot? The water in the swamp is actually quite clean, but from looking at it you wouldn't think so. The swamp acts as a natural filter, and filters out sediments and pollution. We took a sample of the water to see just how clear it was. Swamps are most valuable because they help in reduced flooding by acting as a sponge to absorb water. They also provide protection from damage that could be cause by hurricanes by acting as a buffer against storm surge. In other words, swamps slow the water down & act as a holding tank until the water disperses. With all that said, trees & water aren't the only things you'll see in a swamp. Swamps are a unique habitat for all kinds of swamp critters. Snakes, alligators, turtles, and owls... Oh my!!! The swamp is home to a wide variety of wildlife, however during our visit only a few of them showed themselves. We saw only one alligator, a butterfly, a lizard, several turtles, a few caterpillars, a couple of spiders, and we were even lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse of a deer. We didn't see any birds, but we could certainly hear them!!! We were able to see where wild hogs had been rooting around in the ground. We were also very happy that there were not many mosquitos around to bite us. Our trip to the swamp was very educational, and one of the best field trips I've ever been on. Hope you enjoyed the blog, and take a look at the pictures by clicking on them to make the larger!!! To view a slide show of all the photos click the following link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=904nksa.5nl643ru&x=0&y=lzz659&localeid=en_US

Waiting for everyone to get there...

Making friends...

Off we go...

Cypress Tree

Cypress cone broken open to see the seeds...

The Swamp

Imagen, Addie, & Reagan

Reflection of the tree in the water...

Laughing it up...

Isn't nature pretty?

Cypress Knees - part of the root system...

Yours Truly... Me

Imagen shows us how clear the water is underneath the green film...

The girls again...

The Lake

Field Trip to the SCSU Planetarium & James Brown Exhibit

Today we took a field trip to South Carolina State University. After everyone arrived, we rounded up all the kids for a group picture. Our first stop was the planetarium, where we watched two presentations. The first show was called "Field Trip to the Moon", where we virtually left the earth & went up into outer space. On our trip to the moon, we saw meteors & stars. Upon landing on the moon, we looked around to find that there is no water, no plant life, or other life forms on the moon. We also learned that the moon has a side that never faces the earth, and it's called "the far side of the moon". Did you know that there are mountains on the moon, but they are much larger than the ones on earth??? The next presentation was called "Cosmic Collisions". It explained what happens when things like meteors & planets collide in outer space. We learned about galaxies, solar wind, magnetic fields, and even what causes the aurora borealis. Finally, we watched a music video that showed James Brown singing his song titled "Gravity"!!! Did you know James Brown loved astronomy??? We were then led on a tour of the James Brown Exhibit, which also included a telescope that belonged to the Godfather of Soul. During our tour, we were able to learn about James Brown, and see many pictures of his travels, family, and of course the man himself. On display were several of the clothing/outfits/shoes that he wore. Shocking, but true... Some of the things that were found in his home such as hygienic & hair care items were put on display!!! Shampoo bottles, etc, etc... Yep, it's amazing what will end up on display after your death if you're famous!!! But with that being said, I think that it helped to show that James Brown was a person just like everyone else. One of my personal favorites was the hand written sheet music that was found in a trunk of his after his death. It's now framed & is hanging on the wall above the drums & keyboard that were items of his. Another item I thought was quite interesting was the vase with cotton in it... Most people would display flowers in a vase inside their home, but not James Brown... He had a vase filled with stalks of real cotton!!! I thought it was rather creative, and I think I'm gonna go pick me some cotton to put on my table for a fall decoration now!!! Other items, a kerosene heater, a robe that was ripped when he was wrestled to the ground by police when they were called to his home for a dispute between him & his wife, and even the outfit he wore for his last concert/performance??? Don't hold me to that, but that's what the tour guide told us!!! Well, that's a recap of our field trip to South Carolina State University. Interesting & Fun!!! I think I will list this as a Science & Arts field trip. Enjoy the pictures from today!!! I wish I could have taken more pictures, but they had signs requesting no photography or videography. The pics I got, didn't come out so great...

*correction, i don't know if the vase with cotton was actually in his home or if it was supposed to be symbolic of something???*

Imagen working hard to combine those subjects & predicates, while Addie learns to recognize & complete the patterns.

Click on it to make it bigger...

Two Weeks & Counting

So, I've officially been homeschooling for about two weeks... Jeez, what was I thinking??? Nah, let me stop before you all end up thinking I've gotten myself into something I shouldn't have!!! We are having a blast, and Imagen has already asked if I could homeschool her next year too. I told her we needed to get through with this year first. We have had our challenges though! Upon first thought, I thought I would have them all sit around the table. After all, Addie & Reagan just might learn something if they listened in on Imagen's history or science lesson. *laughs* Boy was I wrong!!! No wonder kindergarten is only a half day!!! I guess the younger they are, the shorter their attention spans.

I soon realized that if I was ever going to get anything accomplished, I'd have to teach them separately. Reagan doesn't understand why she has to be quiet & Addie doesn't have a clue what rounding numbers is all about. Every time I would ask Addie to identify the shape/number/letter, Imagen would blurt out the answer. Next thing you know, Addie is crying because Imagen won't let her answer the questions. So, why make them suffer??? It was evident that I had no choice but to teach them separately. Now Addie doesn't have to cry because Imagen won't let her have a turn. Imagen doesn't have to keep telling Reagan to stop trying to color on her paper, and Reagan well she doesn't have to get in trouble for interrupting me every five minutes. So it all works out!!!

I discovered *breaks* are a must!!! You know it's time for a break when they start staring off into space, or when you have to start telling them to sit up in the chair & pay attention. You can keep requesting their attention, but you're not gonna get it. And if you keep teaching the lesson anyway, they're most likely not going to remember anything you said. It's the classic example of... "it's going in one ear & out the other". But after a short break, they're always ready to go again!

I've found that I have more success if I get the "easy" subjects done first. When I say easy, I'm talking about the subjects that can be covered in the shortest amount of time, or the ones that your child considers easy! If you start with the subjects that require a lot of time & energy, the kids will get burnt out & want to quit for the day. And when that happens, you can forget about trying to get them to hang in there for another hour. For instance, I can cover spelling, handwriting & math in about an hour with Imagen. Yet reading, science, & history require a little bit more discussion, thus requiring more time. I've noticed that if I get the first three out the way, Imagen seems to perform better than when I reverse the order.

I've learned that just when you think you can't, you can!!! Yep, yep... After about a week and a half, I began to wonder if Addie had ADD, dyslexia, or some kind of other learning disability. Don't get me wrong, she's very smart when it comes to certain things. For instance, she has exceptional memorization skills. She can memorize song lyrics after hearing a song only once or twice. At times, I have thought Addie was a musical genius. But next thing I know, Addie can't count objects. She was able to recite the numbers 1 through 10 in perfect order every time while staring at the ceiling, looking at me, or dancing in circles. But what she couldn't do was count objects. I could put crayons, blocks, or even spoons in front of her, but ask her to count them & she couldn't. I would show her how to count by pointing to the objects & saying the number. You would think after a few days anyone would start to pick up on what they are supposed to do, but Addie wasn't catching on. I never realized teaching someone to count could be so hard. I tried to explain to her that when counting objects, it was just like when she'd look at the ceiling and count 1 through 10. But every time she tried to count objects, she would say random numbers like 1, 2, 4, 10. When she would mess up, I'd tell her to stop looking at the objects, look at me, and count 1 through 10. She would immediately count 1 through 10 in perfect order. It was very frustrating & I began to doubt myself. Suddenly, out of no where we had a break through. A light bulb went off somewhere, or God answered my prayer. Addie had finally learned to count objects!!! :)

So, would I recommend homeschooling to anyone??? It's definitely not for everyone, and it requires a ton of patience & discipline. I would probably say, give it a try... What have you got to lose??? And besides, you never know what you can do until you try!!! I have gained a new respect for the teachers that somehow manage to teach 30 kids at once, yet I'm thankful for what I've learned about my children while homeschooling them. I hate to admit it, but in only 2 weeks time I've come to realize that my children are a lot smarter than I ever gave them credit for. I didn't look down on my children specifically, I just never realized what kids their age are capable of. WOW!!! I'm utterly amazed at how fast they catch on, and very surprised at how much they already know that I didn't realize they did.

Finally, I would like to say that it's so important to sit down & talk with someone. No matter what their age is, everyone needs to feel that their thoughts & opinions are appreciated. So just pick someone you haven't really talked to & ask them about something or anything for that matter. One question can change a lot. I suppose I haven't always taken up time with each one of my children individually. I've always done things with them all together, but not on an individual basis. We can all watch movies together, or blow bubbles together... But I've found that individual interaction allows us to grow beyond ourselves. Working with each of my children separately has not only strengthened our relationships, but helped me to see the things I've never noticed before. I never realized that an 8 year old was capable of holding such an intellectual conversation. I think maybe my kids think I hung the moon... Well, not really!!! But I've been taking advantage of the fact that they now believe I know every thing, and now believe anything I tell them. *laughs* Don't worry, I'm not that cruel... I'm am so thankful that they've started talking to me & asking questions like never before. In a way, I almost feel like there was a wall between us, or maybe they were in a shell. But whatever happened, I'm happy to see this side of them!!!

Back To School Party

Tonight we attended the "Back To School Pizza Party" at the Orangeburg Spray Park. It was hosted by our homeschool support group, and there was a great turn out. I was actually quite surprised at how many people were there. I knew there were other homeschoolers in the area, but I didn't realize there were that many!!! Anyhow, I was super excited to see one of my closest friends that I've known for quite some time. It was great to have someone to talk with while the kids totally ditched me to go play in the water. If Nikki hadn't been there, I think I might have cried from the rejection. *laughs* Just kidding!!! It tickled me pink to see that they were having a blast, and that they were making friends so quickly. Even Reagan had found someone her age to play with!!! :) When she wasn't skipping all over the place, she was playing her little friend. Imagen & Addie were stuck to each other like glue, laughing it up. Hmmm... Wonder why they don't get along like that at home??? I'm thinking we should do this more often. I was delighted to find out that there were a couple of families there from my hometown, yet surprised I didn't know them. Perhaps, the small town I'm from isn't so small anymore!!! Maybe in the future I'll get to know some of them. Well, the only regret I have is that I didn't take a single picture!!! I know, I know... So not like me... I was honestly a little scared too. I know some people are funny about other people taking pictures of their kids, and I didn't see not one person with a camera out there. It was definitely a night I'll remember forever. I just wish I had a picture of the girls grinning from ear to ear, because I hadn't seen them smiling like that in quite some time.

Naming Our Homeschool

It's a requirement that you name your homeschool... I research every major decision I have to make, and what I found was interesting. I learned that most people often name their school by sticking their last name in front of academy or homeschool. However, Davis Academy or Davis Homeschool didn't suite my fancy. Other people get creative and come up with really unique names for their homeschool. Yet, some people choose to name their school after a president or some other famous person, place, or thing. After reading a few articles, I found that there are a lot of reasons people should really think about what they are naming their homeschool. Three main reasons that stuck out to me are... Number 1 - It's the name that will be listed on your child's transcripts, their permanent school records. So if you homeschool until graduation, your homeschool name will be on their college application. Not saying I'm going to be homeschooling that long, but still... Number 2 - When someone asks your child what school they go too, they can give a name. Then all the "homeschool haters" don't have to curl their nose up & make an arrogant face at your child when they're told quote "I'm homeschooled". This way, it saves a lot of explanations & dirty looks. Not that we ever had that problem to begin with, but I know there are people out there that don't think homeschool is good enough. Number 3 - You get to pick your own name, mascot, school colors or whatever else you can think of!!! HELLO!!! Does that not sound like fun, or what???

So, I began writing my ideas down! I knew that I wanted something that would look professional on paper, and something that was meaningful. We are from a rural area. Most people call it the country, a small town, one of those places where if you blink while driving through you'll miss it, etc... I thought about some things that are associated with the country. We all love the big oak trees, and the forest/woods. We love the ponds, and all the wildlife. Hmmmm, I guess I'm off to a good start??? Immediately, I thought the oak tree would look really nice on some stationary with our homeschool name. I played around with the word oak for a bit. I came up with Oak Grove Academy, and several other names too. But... would you believe that every name I thought of, someone else had already used it? Yep there's a Seven Oaks Shopping Center, and a White Oak Middle School, and so many others. I wanted something unique, and a name that wasn't already taken. Then it hit me... GIVE UP! So, I did... And then I thought, what about naming it after a swamp??? I have always been fascinated with swamps, and love walking through one every chance I get. I used to live on Willow Swamp Road, and thought Willow Swamp Academy would be a great name for our homeschool. But since I research everything... I found out that Willow Swamp is not even a swamp. Willow Swamp is actually a stream. And you won't find any willow trees growing in a swamp, instead you'll find giant cypress & tupelo trees growing there. I was determined that if I was going to name our homeschool after a swamp, it would have to be an actual swamp.

After searching and searching, I finally decided to name our homeschool Four Holes Swamp Academy. Four Holes Swamp is located in Francis Beidler Forest, and is a major tributary of the Edisto River. And as you know, the Edisto River flows through the Edisto Gardens in Orangeburg!!! I have spent a lot of time sitting beside the Edisto River, and that's where some major thinking time was spent. Four Holes Swamp was definitely the swamp I wanted to name my homeschool after. So, there you have it... Our homeschool is named... FOUR HOLES SWAMP ACADEMY. We are still trying to decide on a mascot. Addie wants us to be the Alligators, while Imagen wants us to be the Owls. Come to think of it, when I was in elementary school... we were the OWLS. Our school colors are black & dark green. Oh yeah, I'm still working on a mission statement. Please leave a comment below to let us know what you think of the name we came up with!!!

To Homeschool Or Not???

So, here we are... School is just around the corner!!! Do we enroll in a private school??? That would be nice, but where would we get the money for that??? Public school??? Ugh, do I have too??? I've done my research & experienced first hand the public schools in South Carolina. It doesn't look like things are going to get better any time soon. Are there any other options??? Hey, wait... I have a friend that's been homeschooling her kids!!! Could I homeschool my children??? Hmmm, I wonder what that would be like... I don't have a college degree, so could I even teach my kids??? How will they make friends??? Want they miss out on the field trips & school parties??? So much to consider...

After much thought, I came to the conclusion homeschooling was the right choice. The first step was making sure I did things legally. I joined a homeschool membership accountability association. They will make sure I'm doing what's required to homeschool my children in the state of South Carolina. Next, I had to find the curriculum. I researched the pros & cons for nearly a month before deciding which curriculum to go with. I also read my fair share of blogs & message boards to see what others had to say about curriculum that had used it firsthand. There are sooo many choices, and in the end I believe I choose the best one for my children. Finally, I joined a local homeschool support group. The group I joined plans field trips, school parties, a spelling bee & even a science fair. Hooray!!! My children will still have the opportunity to interact with other children their age, and hopefully make some friends too.

So why did I choose homeschooling??? Most importantly, I wanted to teach my children what I feel is important. I want to instill the morals and values that are becoming quite scarce & hard to come by these days. I want my children to be educated without being subjected to peer pressure on a daily basis. I don't want them to adopt the prejudices that can exist in private and public school settings. Homeschooling will give me the freedom to teach the things I want, while excluding the things I deem as inappropriate or unnecessary. I can even teach additional subjects that might not be taught in a traditional school setting. Of course, I do realize that I cannot always protect my children. When they get older, they are the ones that will be making the decisions. After all, the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands. All I can do is put them on the right path. In the end, I hope I will have taught them to recognize right from wrong, and to appreciate the diversities of others.