I’d like to share a homeschooling reflection with you guys. You know that classic scene from The Wizard of Oz? The one where Dorothy first sets foot in Oz, with Toto in her arms? With awe, she looks around at her new and fantastic surroundings and says, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Well, that famous quote has been running through my mind often these last few weeks. We might not be in Oz, but things are starting to look a little funny around here.
Funny in what way, you wonder? Let me give you some examples.
The other night before dinner, I heard Seuss singing, “One life, one chance, one ticket to the big dance…” Now, it’s not unusual that my child would be singing a little Kenny Chesney, what’s unusual is what came next. Seamlessly, he made the Kenny song flow into an entirely different song, “Vale, vale time to go. Time to go vale. It’s the end of the day and it’s time to say vale, vale time to goooo!”
It’s unusual that my three-year-old is singing both Kenny Chesney and LATIN.
We’ve been having some interesting conversations.
 Me: “Whatcha guys doing over there?” T: “Linda died. We’re making her into a mummy.” Leo: “Yeah! And putting her in a sarcophagus!” |
 Leo made this craft while we were on vacation and he exclaimed, “I know! It can be one of those sacred chickens from the Punic War!!” |
My six-year-old has decided to learn cursive. His idea, not mine.
For the first time, Leo raided my bookshelf. He happily devoured The Neverending Story over the course of a few days, with no one insinuating that while he might be reading the book, he certainly couldn’t be comprehending the book.
There are science experiments happening all over the place! I have suggested a few of them, but science is also happening without my involvement.
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He did this himself, on a Sunday morning no less! |
 “Beer is safer than water” He later explained to me that, in Ancient Egypt, beer was considered safer than water as “it killed the microbes.” |
 This note says “I love you” in Viking runes. |
 Leo made Papa a birthday card in Greek and Cuneiform. A few days later, Leo received a response from Papa in Cuneiform, which he happily deciphered. |
There is an awful lot of writing going on in our house. It’s happening on its own, happily, and without drama.
 My favorite is “Guackamole and Carrot” |
 Leo is participating in the junior version of NaNoWriMo this month! His novel is based on a picture he drew that was called Night of the Blue Moon. |
Also, there’s a growing pile of textbooks that we’ve actually finished already. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t recall ever finishing those books that I lugged to and from school each day.
 We are on our second textbook for Science, World History, and Math. In November. |
Over the years, I have noticed that the child who learns quickly is adventurous. She’s ready to run risks. She approaches life with arms outspread. She wants to take it all in. She still has the desire of the very young child to make sense out of things. She’s not concerned with concealing her ignorance or protecting herself. She’s ready to expose herself to disappointment and defeat. She has a certain confidence. She expects to make sense out of things sooner or later. She has a kind of trust.
[…] Even though I know that this decision is the absolute right choice for Leo, and even though I am amazed - on a daily basis- by what he is learning, and even though we are often having a lot of fun with the process, I still worry sometimes. […]