When Mama Comes to Town

We took off the last ten days while my mother was visiting. Today is her last full day here, and tomorrow, we will take her to the airport to go home again. We did lots of stuff while she was here:

We went to Strasbourg in the Alsace Region of France. 

carousel built in 1900

We visited two concentration camps: Dachau and Flossenburg:

leaving a note on the wall

contemplating the pyramid of ashes

We visited a local chocolate factory and a local castle ruins.

such a cool candy shop!

We went to Rothenburg, Germany, on the Romantic Road.

watching animated figures at the Kathe Wohlfahrt store

And we went to Oktoberfest in Munich!!!

My VERY first German beer. The only beer I've ever liked. 

Second Time's the Charm

The first time we tried a homeschool co-op, we were stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado. I found a co-op located quite some distance from home. It sounded promising though, with weekly classes, a dance troupe, music lessons, and a large member base. So, for a couple of weeks, we journeyed to this group. 

They met in a church. 

I knew these were very, very religious homeschoolers. Most homeschoolers are. I could live that. 

What I didn't know is that they began each day with not only the pledge to the American flag, but also the pledge to the Christian flag (did you know there was such a thing? I didn't.) and the pledge to the Bible. They all put their hands on this huge Bible and, in the same rhythm as the Pledge of Allegiance, they swore their dedication to it. 

Whatever. It's not what we do, but I respect them and what they do, and there is so much this group offers. Dance troupe! Classes! Friends!

After all the pledging, the kids led each other in a morning devotion while the moms had what they called "mom time." 

Uh oh. 

We all stood in a circle and held hands. I knew that prayer was coming. Prayer that differed from my beliefs. No big deal. Dance troupe! Classes! Friends!

What came next (this was week two) shocked me into reality. 

They started speaking in tongues. 

This is a real thing that really happens! It's not just for those crazy televangelists! Real people do this! At first, I thought my ears weren't working right. But they went on with their "lelelele sha la la LAY lah mosh kee toh" while I squinty-eye peeked at them. I didn't make a scene. We even stayed until co-op was through for the day. 

But we never went back. 

And for a long time, I swore off homeschool groups. Crazy long-skirt wearing evangelicals scared me away. 

___________________________________________________

We tried another co-op recently. And we love it. 

Sure, the majority of the members homeschool for religious reasons. But they are warm. And nice. And quiet. And accepting. 

And they have classes and friends. 

MIning for chocolate chip "gems"

Today, we started geology class. Tuna loved every minute of the crystal formations and the mining for "gems" in her chocolate chip cookie. 

Second time's the charm. We found a co-op without the bat shit crazy. 

So if you're searching for kindred spirits in a world of weird, keep looking. They're out there. You just have to go mining for them. 

Our Learning Room

Sometimes we have one. Sometimes we don't. Right now, we have a lovely learning room with gorgeous windows and lighting. It's so comfy in there. We both enjoy it. Here's a peak at what it looks like (after we're done with it for the day):

Bay did this chalk pastel last year. 

Our school room doubles as a guest bedroom. It also makes a great place to snuggle up and read. 

We always have an audience. 

One Mom. Two Kids. One Public School. One Home. One Foot in Each World.

I often feel like I have a foot in two worlds: the world of being a public school parent, and the world of being a homeschooling parent. They are so very different. They have different languages, different cultures, different ideals. I often feel like we don't quite fit in one world or the other, because while we're fully committed to both of our children getting the best of what they need, we're not fully committed to one method of education over the other. My homeschool peers don't want to hear about my public school mom life, and my public school peers don't know the first thing about my homeschool mom life. It's a strange place to be. 


My Bay (who made the decision, with her dad and I helping, to attend public high school) is a cheerleader. It's been a great experience for her. It keeps her crazy-busy, but she loves it. We all went to her first home game, homecoming week, to support her and watch her cheer. The football was the side show for us. Our eyes were on our daughter. 

This week also meant another milestone for us: Bay's first homecoming dance. Isn't she the most lovely freshman ever?

Bay and her date

I lead two lives when I have two children learning so very differently. I have to speak the language of homeschool: nature study, co-ops, lesson planners, and curriculum, and I have to speak the language of public school: Common Core, parent handbook, booster club, cheer squad, home game, concessions, seminar. 

And while this will remain primarily a homeschooling blog, I will have occasion to write about being a public school mom, too, from time to time. Tuna, thus far, wants to follow in her sister's footsteps and return to public school for high school. May this maiden voyage with Bay pave the way. 

Cool stuff we do after we learn cool stuff

I agonized over an appropriate title for this post. Ridiculous, I know. Especially when you read the title I chose. 

Something Tuna enjoys doing is extending a learning experience from a book or video into a hands-on activity. We tend to have at least one or two of these activities every week. 

Doing cool stuff after learning cool stuff doesn't have to be time-consuming or difficult or expensive. Here are a few things we've done recently:

We read about the Franks, and the beginnings of Paris. We read about the fleur de lis, and what it stands for. Then we made a fleur de lis stamp...

...and we sewed a cape, and stamped the cape...

...and now, Tuna has a royal cape to wear! 

We read about the Maori warriors of New Zealand. Then, we painted Tuna's face in a design typical of the Maori, and she got all theatrical on me, striking this pose (and others). 

We read about medieval Japan, China, and Korea. Then, Tuna single-handedly prepared a Japanese 3-course meal for her family, complete with a chop stick lesson.

Most of the activities we try take under an hour, with the rare exception here and there (we're in the process of creating imaginary islands which will take us a couple of months to finish, for example.)

I can't imagine "doing school" without these incredible projects. They reinforce concepts. They promote bonding. And they meet our primary goal for anything in life: they're fun. 

I get my ideas from the internet. I seldom have to come up with something on my own. There's always a tutorial available. Google and Pinterest are my BFFs. Seriously. Try searching for "hands-on homeschool activities ___ grade" and see how many hits you get. Tons. My usual formula is homeschool hands-on ___" (insert desired lesson: Paris. London. Grammar. Human Body)

There are parents out there not doing fun stuff with their kids. There are parents who think school needs to be regimented, strict, and hard. This is not the case. My Tuna retains so much more information when her hands are involved, when the lesson is brought to life. I will continue having fun with my girl for life. 

Tonight, we're going to our first bonfire ever, in celebration of homecoming week at the high school where Bay attends. She's a cheerleader, Bay, and she's leading the march to the bonfire. It's my first homecoming week: I never attended any of my school's festivities. Tomorrow, we're going on a field trip to an outdoor "living history" museum that depicts life in Germany in the middle ages. How cool is that?! Bay gets to come, too, since there's no school. Then, we get to go watch Bay cheer at her first home game. Oh, she's also singing the national anthem. I'm so excited, and so proud, of both of my daughters. 

Go forth and make stuff with your kids. It's rewarding in so many ways. 

Interpretive Nature Walk: Grafenwoehr, Germany

Today, we went to a homeschool group field trip to the Grafenwoehr nature trail. We were guided by two well-informed, German (English-speaking) women who made the hike a fabulous learning experience. 

Our guides were wonderful. So knowledgeable about the wildlife in the area and very much in tune with what the kids needed. Lots of hands-on, lots of demonstration, lots of patience and kindness. We had a great time. 

The guides gave all the kids little canvas bags to fill with specimens from trees on the hike, which they all pulled out toward the end to discuss and compare. 

We saw some cool plants we've never seen before, like this neat "jelly" mushroom. 

Tuna enjoyed the time with the other homeschool kids. 

Deadly mushrooms!

Our homeschool group has a lot of activities planned for this school year. We'll pick and choose which ones to attend. Today whetted our appetite for more, though. We had a great time, and learned a bit, too!