A little free verse poetry

Free verse poetry.  Why not?


Energy


Machines

Our bodies run on the fuel of our dinners

And lunches

And linners we have after lunch but early

And I want my kids to be lean

And seen

And my hunches

Tell me they are going to be okay

And have that mad energy


http://tinyurl.com/ediew1energy

Sick Days

Keith was sick this weekend. That always makes for a fun time with the family! But the funny thing was – on Friday he was adamant about going to school. He couldn’t hardly keep his eyes open, but he wanted to go to school. And when I told him no, that he was too sick and couldn’t go, he started crying.


At least he was crying about wanting to do something good, and not about the newest LEGO toy or something! So I took ten minutes talking to him about it, and what he can do at home, and how I’d bring him his work and all of those things. I don’t think he was 100% convinced, but at least he wasn’t as upset.

All in a days work!

http://wp.me/pKRIJ-59

Home School Public School

I have a wonderfully unique situation where I have been fortunate enough to teach my own kids for the last 6 years, while at the same time they were allowed a semi "normal" public school experience too.  This has left me with a knowledge and confidence in where my children's education is at, and where it's going, that most parents don't have the luxury of.

It's because of this that I understand the importance of parental education.  I think public school is a great thing, and I also trust and respect the choice to eduate your children at home if you so choose.  But I really think it's important to have MULTIPLE points of education in your child's life.

The kids who aren't home schooled still need to be SCHOOLED at HOME when they come back at the end of the day.  Those are some of the best times to educate, just by talking to them about the world and explaining WHY or WHO or WHAT or WHEN.

Home school is great for that, but don't underestimate the importance of other people in your kids' lives.  Since I know I still have a lot to learn from other people, I can't expect that I alone will be able to fill the entirety of my children's knowledge.

So, as if you didn't have enough to do already, make sure you Talk to your kids, and give them experiences with different people.  It'll be worth it in the long run.

http://www.misteredie1.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/Education-is-important

Top 4 ways to get the kids ready in the morning

I know my kids are the only ones who are slow movers in the morning, but maybe a few people will get a little info out of this. :)

When my kids get up, I've got a whiner, a slugger, a sneaker, and a mover. 

1 - The whiner complains about everything.  "Do we HAVE to take a shower again?"  - like the answer is going to be different this time, when it's been "yes" every time for the last 4 years.  My way to motivate them is to give them EXTRA activites whenever they whine about it.  This has proven effective 50% of the time, most of the time.

2 - The slugger moves at a snails pace (ala a slug).  When one is already dressed, ate, and ready to go, they've barely started wiping the sleep from their eyes.  The strategy for them is simple - leave them one day.  If they're not ready for school, leave without them (of course, mom is still home.  And mom has to give them LOTS of chores on that day).  This was pretty effective.  Repeat about every few months.

3- The Sneaker tries to get away with things.  They'll try and slink off and hide somewhere and lay down, or cut corners by not taking a shower when they should.  I give praise and extra sugar on the cereal to the others, who are still visible, when this happens.  Surefire way for them to stick around more next time, just waiting for the praise.  And the sugar.

4 - The mover is great.  They move all around, getting ready and not complaining, and always doing what they're supposed to.  The funny thing is - not every kid keeps the same role each day.  Sometimes one is the mover, sometimes they're the sneaker.  It's a revolving door.  So with the mover, I just tell them they're doing a great job.  This always makes them smile.  And gives them a reason to try to stay "the mover" the next day as well.

Here's to mornings!

go to http://www.mredie.com/ for teaching tips and tricks, and follow @misteredie on twitter

Art is life

We have a sculpture in town that was commissioned around a year or so ago, that is of a train conductor waiting for the train.  He's looking at his watch and he's got a little dog beside him, waiting patiently.  It's really great, and a wonderful addition to an already colorful and artistic town.

I gave the kids a challenge to try and draw the sculpure.  I gave them some pictures I took, and tried to get them to caputre the essence of the sculpture in a 2D format.  They did a really great job, and Kassy in particular took a real effort at getting the lines and shading right.

I know I couldn't have done that when I was a kid.  I had no idea what good art was, and how in the world you could produce it if I wanted to.  I think the kids have more talent than me!  But I also think it comes from talking to them about it.  We'll walk by the sculpure, and I'll point out a few details, or "wow, look at how detailed the lines are on his jacket" or things of that nature.  It's all about the talking I think.  It's all about conversing with them at their level, but at the same time raising their level on a daily basis.

Who knew that running your mouth was a good parenting technique?

Check out http://www.mredie.com/ for more on drawing techniques, and how to incorporate them into your homeschool or away school class!

Working hard!

Sent from my BlackBerry� smartphone powered by Inland Cellular