The Power to Bring Heather's Homeschool to a Screeching Halt.....

Normally, naptime is our cue to get schooling.  At least it was in the old days, when Zach napped every day. 

Now it is more often a sign he stayed up too late the night before, or a sign we've had a horrendous day waiting on the over-tired antics to play themselves out into sleep.

Today it is a fevered repose as a certain little boy tries to fight a raging fever.  Forty-five minutes after the first Motrin dose and he's at 103*F. 

He goes to the doctor tomorrow at 11:20 our time, and we'd appreciate your prayers for him between now and then.

Meanwhile, school's canceled until further notice.  A worried momma does not make a very good teacher, and even though we have a sub in the family, she's a little too far away to do me any good right now.

****UPDATE: PLEASE PRAY FOR ZACHARY****

When I first took his temperature at 2:00 pm, it was 102. 4*F; I gave him motrin (ibuprofen) and checked again 45 minutes later; it was 103*.  I thought his squirming the first time had messed up the reading, so I waited 30 minutes and checked again, to make sure the fever really was heading in the right direction. 

Friends, as of right now, 3:20, his temperature is up to 103.7* F. I am dosing him with Tylenol as we speak, and wiping him with a lukewarm washcloth to try and cool him down. I will recheck his temperature in another 30 minutes; if he hits 104* we will take him in NOW to the Pronto Soccoro (urgent care).

PLEASE PRAY his temperature starts to DROP rather than keeps increasing. He also has a cough, runny nose, and 2 days ago had a strange rash we thought was a reaction to his cough medicine. The medicine was stopped, the rash is gone, but we will report all of these symptoms to the doctor. Please pray for my baby; I've not yet, in 12 years of parenting, had a child with a rapidly increasing fever like this *after* receiving fever meds. Especially not motrin, which around our house is known as the Fever Eradicator.

Homeschooling Heather Style

I thought I'd take a break from my many ramblings and musings, and from my Brazil posts, to have a homeschooling day on the blog. I'm sitting downstairs, listening to the boys play in "Legoland Brazil: Timmy's Room" and enjoying the relative peace & quiet that happens when all 3 boys are actively engaged in imaginative play, and no one is fighting. Peaceful, whether or not it is actually quiet. I love it.

Then I glanced at the clock and realized it is 11:30 almost, and we've not started school yet.  Which, honestly, is totally normal for us, but a lot of my homeschooling friends back home, or my non-homeschooling friends wherever they live, would find that absolutely appalling. So I thought I'd share about what homeschooling looks like here.  "Here" being at my house, without regard of geographical location.

Because we are night owls, and my boys all wake up at different times in the morning, we don't start school until after lunch most days. This allows me to do my chores and things in the morning -- dishes, laundry, exercise, and email/blog surfing. Not in that order at all. This also allows the boys to wake up, have some fun free time, and some quality Sibling Bonding Time, which I think is pretty important, so I hate to interrupt it when it happens.

Around the time I start getting hungry, I let the boys know that after I eat, we'll do school. This signals to them that they have 30 or so minutes to wrap up whatever they're doing at the time, grab a snack or lunch (we do self-serve lunches around here....) and be ready when I call them.  I read while I eat, usually a bit from the Bible and then maybe some from whatever book I'm reading as well. If I find that the boys need a bit more time to finish up their play, I will read a tad longer and tell them "fifteen minutes" so they know I mean "finish up."  Of course, I'll also do that if I'm on a particularly good chapter of whatever I'm reading, but don't tell the boys that....

Then we Do School. By this time it is usually one o'clock or so, sometimes later. Since Quentin does not get home these days until 6:30 or so, we have plenty of time, and we've found that school at this point in the afternoon is the perfect Boredom Buster for the longer days* we have here. 

Our school day is not a long one. The boys each start with Math; I explain the lesson/concept to one, he starts on the exercise and I explain the new concept to the other. Caleb generally finishes math first, so he moves right to Handwriting while I remain available to help Timmy if anything is giving him trouble. Now that he's learning ratios, and area of a triangle, and things like that, he sometimes needs help.  Caleb goes straight to Bible when he's finished with his Handwriting, and he often reads ahead. He moves from the dining room/school room table to the couch to do his Bible reading, and though he has a Bible broken down by dates, he often reads several days worth at once.

When Timothy finishes Math, he moves on to Language Arts. He has 2 main workbooks that he uses: Grammar Ace (once/week) and Wordly Wise (4x/week).  He absolutely LOVES his Wordly Wise vocabulary work, so he moves to that with no problem. Depending on the timing of things, where Caleb is in his schedule, I then sit with Caleb and read his History to him, and we discuss what we've read. Right now he is going through a book about people groups who do not have the Bible translated into their language, as well as a book on Missionary Stories -- brief accounts of the happenings in the lives of various famous missionaries. 

Generally, Timothy finishes up his Language Arts while I'm working on History with Caleb; Timmy then reads his Bible while he waits.  Once I'm done with Caleb's History, Caleb goes upstairs and does his daily reading and then I do Timothy's History with him. Timmy is learning about Japan right now. Once we are done with that, he does his daily reading, and that's it. We're done with school.

We catch science on weekends or evenings, very informally thus far. I have a science curriculum waiting to be started that we'll start in our new year in February, but this year we've done various mini unit studies -- kittens being born and how they grow, caterpillars becoming butterflies, ocean life, etc. 

Both boys get further Language Arts through informal writing "assignments" -- usually of their own creation. Both boys are working on creative writing, writing stories for me. Caleb keeps a journal and writes stories. Timothy writes stories, cartoons & is recording a cast of characters for a game he & Caleb invented. I correct the spelling and grammar on these informal exercises, and Caleb will start formal grammar/language arts next year.  He also has a Spelling program, though we use it sporadically. They both write really well just from exposure to great literature, and we do have "read aloud" time during the day many days, or at bedtime or whenever.

The challenging part of our day is incorporating Zach. I have a few preschool workbooks for him, trying to get him ready to listen & follow directions, and just get used to "doing school" with us at school time. He is growing accustomed to this, and most days will sit and color or work a puzzle while we do school, after he's done an exercise or two in his workbook.

We deal with many interruptions, though, and juggling the needs of 3 students of such different ages/levels can be tricky, but most of the time we all enjoy it. The boys love being done with school in two hours time or so, and tailoring their learning to their interests, and I love the flexibility that homeschooling offers us. Definitely a win-win for our household.

How the Portuguese is Going....

I've mentioned that my Avon Lady, Bible Study Leader, Neighbor, Friend Louci has agreed to teach the big boys Portuguese, and thought it's about time for an update on how that's going.

Louci is truly a dear lady, and I'm grateful to have met her. As one who does not believe in accidents, I truly believe she was sent to us on purpose, and I'm really, really glad that we were seen fit to receive the blessing of meeting Louci. I hope that we can be a blessing to her as well.

The boys had their 3rd lesson yesterday, right after the birth of the kitties. To say they were distracted would be an understatement, but Louci handled it beautifully, fully understanding the excitement of small children welcoming small animals into their family.

She is a very capable teacher, and as she is also a Christian, she begins each class with a short prayer; she is teaching the boys to pray in Portuguese, which I think is a good thing. She is having them memorize a prayer, which is not my preferred method, but for the meantime, I think it is okay.

She then works through the day's lesson, progressing at whatever rate suits that boy. She teaches them separately, which is new for us and I think very beneficial for the boys. The Artist can no longer coast through class on The Writer's coat tails, and The Writer is no longer bothered by The Artist's distractability during class. Each of them can now progress at his own rate, moving through as few or as many pages as he is able to absorb in a single hour. It's really wonderful.

Louci also tailors the content to fit each boy, delving deeper into more complicated conversation with The Writer than she does with The Artist, as his age, maturity, and willingness to learn allow. Her patience is tremendous, particularly with The Artist. He is not a bad student, not disrespectful or slow or defiant, but his mind wanders and he is easily distracted; it is hard for him to focus for so long on one thing. Louci does not mind this, and works quite well with him. I could not have asked for a better teacher for him.

During or at the end of class (she's begun having this time in the middle for The Artist, which I was going to suggest but she did on her own), she sings with the boys. She is teaching them common praise songs in Portuguese, and helping them to learn the words & melodies. I think that perhaps her motive here is partly to get them comfortable enough with the language that they might come with me to Bible Study (it is a family small group), but I'm not sure. Or perhaps just to get them comfortable enough that they won't mind attending church. Maybe she just enjoys singing praises to our Lord, and wants to encourage that in the boys. Whatever it is, I don't mind. The songs are fun, so far they are songs we know in English, and the boys seem to enjoy it as well.

The materials she is using are very practical, much more so than waht they were doing before. She spends much time in conversation, gently correcting pronunciation and grammar, but only enough so that they don't make embarrassing errors. She was quick to teach them to be careful of casado and cansado, the first meaning married and the latter meaning tired. I did not share with her my years-ago mistake with just those same two words, but I smiled to know that my boys will be spared such an embarrassing slip-up.

The boys do grumble about class, but half-heartedly, in a manner that says "I don't like adding new things and new work and being stretched a bit out of my comfort zone" rather than "this class is utterly terrible and I cannot believe you are making me do it." I think given a few more weeks, the grumbling will stop and they'll relax into the new routine. Already it's slowing down, which I find promising.

I really can't express just how glad I am that Louci found us; she's already blessed our family in so many ways. She is a treasure, and I hope we can show her that we consider her as such.

What My Kids Are Learning....

Since everyone in the US is in "Back to School" mode, I thought I'd at least participate with a "What the kids are learning" post. We school along the Brazilian school calendar, from Feb to Nov, with our summer break in Dec/Jan (southern hemisphere, ya know...). As such, we're approaching the end of our school year, not the beginning, but we are expecting a shipment or two of school supplies soon, thanks to the Grandmas back home. Fun times those will be, opening those boxes! We all love new school supplies.

So, what are the boys learning this year?

They are learning about people around the world who don't know about Jesus or the One True God.

They are learning about people around the world who might know about Jesus, but don't yet have the Bible translated into their language.

The Writer is learning about fractions, and percents, and performing complex word problems with same. You know, Sue sold 2/3 of her muffins in the morning, and 1/4 of the remainder in the afternoon, and then had 36 muffins left over; how many did she have to start with. Serious stuff.

The Artist is learning to multiply and divide, and is amazed that the one is just the reverse of the other. Glad he enjoys it.

The Adventurer is learning to count. For real this time. He understands numbers pretty well, and knows at a glance if there are 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of us at the table. But ask him to count a line of shoes and he counts 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 4, 10, 14. He is finally asking me to help him sort that out, and so I'm doing my best.

They boys are all learning what signs to look for to tell if your pregnant kitty is going to deliver soon. Nothing like lessons from real life, huh? Haven't I mentioned yet that we're expecting (kittens, I mean)?

The big boys are learning Portuguese, thanks to dear, sweet Louci. The Adventurer is learning to hide upstairs whenever she comes over. I am learning that Portuguese Class Time is my most productive time of day, because all the boys stay occupied and out from under foot.

The Writer is learning, and sometimes The Artist sneaks in a listen, about US/Japan relations in the time of the Shogun, and how steam ships were a scary looking thing back then.

The Artist is learning about God's faithfulness to His people, thanks to a great book "Missionary Stories with the Millers."

The Adventurer is learning that sometimes Mom is right when she says things like "Don't do that, you might get hurt." So far he's learned that "falling off" the bunkbed ladder to the bean bag below might hurt your back if you fall wrong. And he's learned that jumping from the rolling chair to the non-rolling chair, and back again, might send you crashing forehead first into the hard, tile floor below. No lasting injuries, but hopefully lasting lessons.

They are all learning to return their new pencils to the proper place, not spread them out across hundreds of hiding places in the house, never to be found again. 'Cause Mom does not like losing brand new pencils.

I hope the boys are learning that Mom enjoys school time with them, and play time with them, and that family is the most important thing. I can see they are learning to help each other, to interact with all age groups, to take care of little ones or weak ones, to give respect to older ones, and to get along with people, no matter the differences between them.

In short, they are learning plenty of things that will help them be successful, Godly young men one day. At least, that is my prayer.

What are your kids learning?

A New Schedule

Remember my sweet Avon Lady + Bible Study Leader + Portuguese Teacher? Well, Louci comes today for her first lesson with the boys, and so we are trying out a new schedule to accomodate things.

Since we currently school in the afternoon, starting around 3 and finishing around 5, and since Louci will come Tues/Thurs from 4:30 to 6:30, we need to tweak our schedule a bit. I mean, the kids can't be finishing up history and listening to Portuguese grammar at the same time, now can they?

So, on Portuguese days at least, we'll school from 11 to 1, or thereabouts. That will give everyone time in the morning to have their wake up period and finish the morning routine, and still give plenty of time in the afternoon for a break between lessons. The kids would be worthless going from an intense math lesson straight into Portuguese grammar, so the tweak in the schedule is totally necessary.

Which is why I got up early, did my cleaning, got the house ready, and am now, at this very moment, a quarter of the way through the morning's school schedule. The bathrooms are clean, the dishes are done, the main areas of the house are picked up and neat, I've had my Wii Fit time and my shower, and the day is rolling along smoothly.

I mean, I wouldn't goof the new schedule on the very first day, would I? Would I???

Well, I didn't mean to, let's put it that way. I intended for my morning to go as I just described, only, well, I got up very early (6:45....) and then when Quentin left for work (8:00), Zach asked me to play in his room. So I did. Only it involved lying down in his bed to watch him play, since he took over my part anyway. And the next thing I remember is Zach asking me for cereal, and it was 10:15. Apparently I fell asleep.

So I jumped out of bed, fixed Zach's cereal, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the front bathroom, and....oh, wait....I already confessed that I didn't do all that, didn't I? Oops.

What really happened is this: I stumbled out of bed, fixed his cereal, kicked Timmy off the computer and sat down to check my blogs. Not "my blogs" as in the ones I write, 'cause there's only this one, but "my blogs" as in, your blogs, the blogs I read. I got all caught up, and started this post, and a few interruptions later, here I am finishing my post and now, at 11:32, we will finally start school. And I'll clean during the "break" between school and Portuguese.

I'll even clean a little extra, because a bored 4 year old, with no adult awake, makes a large mess of toys in the living room. I hate to think what it would look like if Timmy hadn't woken up when he did. He very helpfully corraled Zach and played computer games while Zach watched. Love that helpful boy; I'm so glad to have a responsible pre-teen in the house who takes charge when I fall down on the job.

Now, where did that boy run off to? Doesn't he know it's time for school?? (and, by "time for school, I do mean that it is now officially 38 minutes past our planned start time....)

The Bats are Back, and Better Than Ever!

Back on the blog, that is!

We enjoy watching the bats each night, and have gotten rather familiar with their routine. They first start appearing at our feeders around 6:30 p.m., with a period of pretty great activity between 7 and 8, but only at one feeder -- the one below the tree, pictured below -- at that time.





if you enlarge this photo (click it to enlarge) you will be able to see the bat's tongue, a thin red line from his mouth to the flower! Very cool!!!

Not until 10 or so do they start hitting the two feeders by our back door, and the activity level from that point on is pretty high. We've seen up to 7 at one time, but counting them is really difficult because of how fast they are, and because we only watch one feeder at a time.



three at once...



two at a time...note the detail in the wing on the lower bat

With the number and duration of their evening, the bats who visit us manage to drain the three feeders by morning, thus drinking more in a night than the hummingbirds and other birds do in a day. We now "top off" the feeders in the evening for the bats, if the hummingbirds have made a significant dent in the water level, and of course then we refill them in the morning for the birds. We go through quite a bit of sugar this way, making sugar water twice daily for three feeders!

on approach...


holding on for a nice, long drink....





We never tire of watching the bats, our own personal nature show! This beats Discovery Channel any day, I think!

I was a Guest Author!

A fellow homeschool mom from the Sonlight forums started a series on Organizing the HomeSchool. She asked for volunteers to answer a written interview, and of course me & my big mouth jumped right in. That was in the few days I was hiding out on SL while Quentin was gone.

Today, my interview is posted on her site as a "featured article" titled:
Homeschooling Your Way: Adjusting as You Go

Check it out! She's got a neat little series going, and lots of the articles were helpful. Just click the link up above and it will take you right to her page and my very informative (read: slightly long) article.

I've never Guest Blogged before, so I thought I'd better share it here with my regular readers. I know you wouldn't want to miss any of my wise words......right????