Still Learning & Understanding...

Since A Thomas Jefferson Education has so many layers to it, I find myself on a daily basis understanding more and more about it. Slowly I'm beginning to see how it works and where I need to adjust our home.

Recently I've come to see that I am still being too "scheduled", too "structured". It's just so hard to come from a "conveyor belt" back ground and not do the "conveyor belt" methods!  But I'm getting there...slow and steady!  By the time the twins are in Love of Learning Stage, I'm hopeful I'll have it all figured out!  :)

I'm starting to see the progress my children are making and I'm so pleased with that. And since I'm able to see their progress, I'm beginning to understand how simple things, like learning how to cook, to sew, to play with siblings, to play by yourself, to serve those around you, etc., etc., are all a major part of a wonderful Leadership Education!  I'm beginning to see it's not all "book smarts", in fact, that's a very tiny part, it's more about being a well-rounded individual in all areas of our lives. It's more about understanding the past so that we can have a brighter future. It's more about finding joy within our home & family so that the world can't steal it from us. It's all about the "eternal perspective", not just the here-and now...not just the "no-child-left-behind"....not just the "test scores".  

Ahhhhh...I'm getting it...I really am!!  :)

I'm so so so grateful for this education in our home. I only wish I could find someone in our area who was instituting the same education in their home...but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed!!

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Wonderful Blog Post abt TJEd...

This is a wonderful blog post about an LDS mother who has been using TJEd in her home for the last 10yrs!  If you want to see another mother's point of view...check it out!  :)

http://www.latter-dayhomeschooling.com/2011/11/what-is-thomas-jefferson-education.html


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The "Learners Closet"

One of the important tools in a TJEd family is the closet. In our home, we call it the "Learners Closet".

The special closet should be located within the family room area, if possible. Ours is just outside of our family room by a couple feet so it's still extremely convenient for the kids to access it. The items in the closet should be sorted by "phases". The Core Phase items should be on the lowest shelves and the Love of Learning Phase items should be on the upper shelves. That way the Core kids somewhat look forward to being "big enough" to get into the Love of Learning stuff as they stare at the higher shelves.

The closet should be filled with tons of educational toys/games and should only be accessed during "learning hours", which in our house is 10am-4pm. At four o'clock, the door is closed and the items within it are, for the most part, off limits. It keeps the items within the closet as "things to look forward to", which then helps the kids not to lose interest in them.

Some of the items in our Learners Closet are...

Core Phase: different types of blocks, Legos, puzzles, Leap Pad, animals, foods, tent, learning games...lots & lots of items for imaginary play!
Love of Learning Phase:  Love of Learners can use any item from Core Phase along with additional learning games (Monopoly, Boggle, Which Way USA, etc), flash cards, white boards, educational puzzles, WrapUps, play money, arts, crafts, math items, etc.


Here's a picture of our current "Learners Closet"...

It's not fully finished yet but I keep finding wonderful things to add to it. I believe within the next year, I should have it where I'd like it.  I'd like to have things such as....Lincoln Logs, more educational games, a "vehicles" tub, a "puppets" tub, and Tinker Toys (hopefully Santa will bring some of these items). In the perfect world, I'll also get that top shelf cleaned off and have that level full of Love of Learner's stuff as well!!  I can't wait!!

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Let's Read and Find Out Science

One of the best things I've came across by borrowing books from the local library is the "Let's Read and Find Out" science books. They come in levels 1 & 2 and are filled with lots of facts and fun experiments.

I initially had borrowed the "Volcanoes" book from this series from the library. I decided after reading it the first time that I wanted my own copy for our "Learners Book Shelf". I went on Amazon, of course, and found that there are MANY MANY books in this series!!

I ended up purchasing lots of these wonderful books instead of just the one I had initially went on there for. I did stay with the same author, which was Franklyn M Branley, but the series has several other authors. Now that we have all of Branley's books, I'm going to be branching out into the others.

I absolutely love how they use basic words and phrases to explain not so basic subjects. Both Hannah and Gabe love listening to me read these books. And my favorite part are the simple, fun experiments we can do directly after reading the book. I love to see the "ah-ha" moments on their faces as they connect what I had just read to what they're currently seeing. The "Oh I get it" look appears on their faces!!  Priceless!!

Needless to say, the kids will be getting several more of these for Chirstmas. I highly recommend these to EVERY mother out there...whether you're a homeschool family or not, these should be on your families book shelf!!

Check them out...you won't regret it!!!

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White Boards

I absolutely LOVE dry erase white boards and so do my kids!!

Since we are learning about our wonderful Nation's geography and our world around us, I invested in a white board that has the map of the U. S. on one side and a map of all the continents & oceans on the other.

The board is 11" x 16" and is very durable. Here's a pic of what each side looks like...

I purchased others as well, such as, "skeletal system", "division", "periodic table", "telling time", "basic place value" & "advanced place value". There are still several others that I want to invest in as each of the kids grow older.

I believe these whiteboards will last a long time and are a great tool for our TJEd home!

Here's the link if you're interested...
http://dryerase.com/


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Spanish

One of Hannah's goals from her current Six Month Goals is to begin learning Spanish. I have found several fun tools to help her with this goal. I have decided to give them to her as part of her birthday gifts, since knowledge is one of the greatest gifts!  I know she's gonna love them and I honestly believe that they will motivate her to "love to learn".

The products are...

Spanish BINGO! 

I purchased the "States BINGO" by this same company (which covers all the states, their capitals, their nicknames, & a fun fact about the state) and our family LOVES it!!  I think it's amazing how my 5yr old is picking up on the facts right along with his older sister.  I'm sure the same thing will happen when we start playing Spanish BINGO. It's amazing how many facts kids will pick up when they think they're just playing a game and having fun!!

Spanish Flashcards

I LOVE flashcards!! I think we have a set for almost every subject. Flashcards are so easy to use and it's amazing how many ways they can be used. The reason I chose this set of Spanish Flashcards is because they have the English/Spanish on one side and the picture on the other, allowing the child to guess then turn it over to see if they got it right. There are several sets that have the picture & the answer on the same side....not sure how you can memorize something with the answer's right there.

Spanish WrapsUps!

I purchased the "US States" WrapUps a little while back and Hannah really likes using them. I was THRILLED when I found that they also made Spanish WrapUps!!!  YIPPEE!!!  I know she'll dive right into these as soon as she gets them! The downfall?  Tapes?!?  Do they still make those??  Obviously they do!! 

 

I also invested in several computer programs for Beginning Spanish. I got a really good deal on all of them on Amazon.com.  I purchased all basic Spanish programs, which Gabe should be able to do shortly. If he's interested in learning Spanish, they'll be available for him as well.

I can't wait for Hannah's birthday!  I can't wait to see her reaction!!  I'll make sure I post a pic of  the big moment. It makes me so happy to see how Hannah is truly beginning to love to learn!  She enjoys gaining knowledge on subjects lots of subjects, especially the goals she's chosen for herself.

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A Vacation Can Be Educational

We went on a long-awaited vacation to visit some friends in Texas for about 3 weeks. While we were there, we tried to have a few "educational trips" for the kids.

Some people may say that a "vacation" isn't necessarily educational but I say....it can be!!  I love the fact that you can be having fun and learning at the same time!! 

Since I was alone in Texas with all four kids (without my husband), I did chose to keep it pretty low-key but we still managed to have a few outings.  If my husband would have been with me, I'm sure we would have added a couple more.

Our first educational outing....The Woodland's Children Museum!  I had been there a few years ago when they were located in The Woodland's Mall. The new location is in a strip mall and it was only about 1/5 of the size it used to be. I was really bummed but the kids still seemed to have a good time.

Gabe chillin' in his "Fireman" outfit. He loves to dress up...especially when he gets to pretend he's putting out a fire!

This was a fun little place to play. The whole pit was filled with cut up tire material. Gabe was in heaven with all the trucks!

The twinners liked playing in them as well. It took them a little while to get used to the feel of the pieces but they ended up having lots of fun!

The Children's Museum was definitely not for Hannah's age group but she was a good sport about it. Her and I had a fun game of Giant Checkers, which she liked. She also liked seeing the babies toddle around the "toddlers" area. She's such a wonderful big sister and an amazing young woman!

In the "toddler" area, there were some really nifty toys available, as you can see, even Hannah was trying them out. I really liked these magnet boards! I did some research when I got back to my friend's house and found the website. The site was AMAZING!!! I've already ordered several things off of it. I posted the link just prior to this post.

Our next outing....The USS Texas!!  This was my little 5yr old boys DREAM field trip!! He got to sit by several HUGE guns and pretend he was shooting them. We don't have toy guns in our home so I had to explain that these guns were real. That they were used in both WWI & WWII. Even though my little guy was entranced by them, I wanted to educate him on what they were designed for(killing/defending) and how important they are to have to maintain our freedoms that we have in this country!

The USS Texas!!  It was HUGE!!! And it got HOT...we were in Houston!!! 

It has a lot of history to offer to those who are willing to take the time and learn.

My little gunner...I had mixed feelings about him sitting up there BUT I know he has a huge interest in the military so I allowed him hands-on. He was able to turn the base around,while riding on it, which he thought was so cook,  and then raise or lower the gun to aim wherever he was pretending to shoot. 

Here's Hannah on a similar gun. She liked it, as well, but not nearly as much as Gabe!

I loved how they had many plaques around the ship with information on them. It was like a real life history book!! I loved reading them to the children. I was hoping they'd have a great book to purchase for our "Learners Book Shelf" but they didn't. I think I may go on Amazon and see if there's one out there. The stories of this battleship are amazing and I'd love to continue revisiting it's history.

They also had a great film that the kids really enjoyed, but once again, they didn't offer it

in their gift shop!! A major bummer!!

Hannah had a wonderful opportunity to learn how to sew while in Texas. She went to a church meeting with my friend's daughter, and thus had the opportunity to sew her own apron. My friend helped her with it (because she wanted it to be a surprise for me) and I have to say, Hannah did a terrific job!!  She's such an amazing example to me!!

Hannah showin' off her apron!  She's definitely got some talent in the sewing department...unlike her mother!  I try to sew at least twice a year, just to keep my basic skills still intact but I have to admit, it's not my cup of tea. I find it stressful (my unpicking tool becomes my best friend) until it's all finished....then it all seems worth it, when I see the finished project.

Our last outing was to the Houston Zoo...always a educational field trip!!  Houston has an AMAZING zoo. When we move back there (keeping my fingers crossed), I'm sure we'll become members so we can return multiple times because it's just so huge, it's almost impossible to see it all in one visit.

Here's Hannah with her new friend...they seemed to have an instant bond!

When I found out they allowed people to feed the giraffes, I jumped at the opportunity! The kids thought it was great and I'd never been so close to giraffes before. It was awesome!!

I absolutely LOVED how this Zoo had plaques all over the place with educational information on them. And what I liked even more, was that I kept noticing Hannah stopping to read them. I can see that she's beginning to understand that it's not about just coming and "seeing" the animals, it's also about coming and "learning" about the animals. I felt more than willing to see less animals, if it meant to stop and allow her to read about the one we were presently seeing. I can definitely see how a TJEd education is changing her in the most wonderful way!

So there you have it...our "educational outings" in a nutshell. I'm so grateful for my understanding that an education usually isn't gained from work books but from life experiences, mentors, and classics!!!  I see the growth in my children and in myself...and I'm LOVING it!!

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A Wonderful Online Site...

Just found a wonderful online site for buying educational tools. Most of the items I'd get from here I'd put into my "Learners Closet".  I haven't yet talked about our closet but I will do a post about it when I get back from vacation!

Hope you enjoy this site....

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/home/home.jsp


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Allowance & Chores

A very important part of a TJEd home is to teach your children not only the love of learning, but also the love of working. They need to be able to enjoy working and to find a sense of worth by completing a task that has been assigned to them.

Every home does their "chore system" differently but I thought I would share mine in case you are looking for a different point of view.

Allowance:

In our house, the kids don't "earn" allowance...they don't get paid "per chore completed". We feel strongly that the kids should be helping around the house because they are a member of the family, not because they want to earn some money. We want to teach them that the reason we do things for others (our family, in this situation) is because we love them, not to get something in return.

I began searching the scriptures to find some guidance. I prayed for quite a while about the subject because I did feel so strongly about "helping out because you are a member of this family". I decided to analyze how our Father in Heaven blesses us and did some research on the subject. I found that the Lord has blessings already waiting for us, blessings he wants to give us, blessings because he loves us. I then realized that the Lord usually withholds blessings, instead of giving blessings. I found that to be very interesting....He has blessings he's going to give us but then has to withhold some due to our choices. This was just what I needed to more fully understand and it became the basis of our "chore & allowance" system.

I dedicated one family night to this subject and found that the kids easily understood why I had decided to take this different approach. I explained to the kids that they would each get a certain amount of money per week (varying by age) and they were expected to help out where needed, do their duties, be kind to one another, not have a bad attitude and obey. I explained that we, as their parents, really wanted them to receive all the money (aka: blessings) we had waiting for them. But it was up to them if they received it all because some could be withheld if they were having problems in any of the areas I listed above.  I explained that they were not getting a "reward" for a certain act but it was a "blessing" we wanted to give them for overall good behavior.

When we do have to withhold money, we talk with the child about why and try and help them see how they can alter their choices to ensure they are able to receive all we have planned to give them.

Chores:

So in our family the "daily chore" system really doesn't work. They do have a "duty" that they are expected to complete whenever it's needed.  Hannah's duty is dishes, so it's an all of the time type of thing. Gabe's duty is feeding and watering the cats whenever it's needed.

Instead of doing "daily chores" we decided to do "Monday Morning Cleaners". Every Monday morning the kids know they have certain duties to complete. Both kids need to "clean" their room (not just straighten), they have to "clean" their playroom (not just straighten), Hannah vacuums & dusts the entire house, and Gabe cleans the upstairs bathroom.  Their duties are to be completed before lunch. After lunch we usually make a special treat, like brownies or cookies as a fun reward for a clean, pleasant home.

I feel my kids are much more focused when they are expected to "really" clean only once a week. For some reason, it doesn't feel so daunting to them like it would if I spread the duties throughout the week.  During the rest of the week, we just randomly tidy things up as needed.


I truly believe that having a responsibility in the home is very important to children. They begin to realize how needed they are in the family and gain that much-needed self confidence.

We are definitely still working toward the "love of work" with both of them, but I think they are making progress and so is their mother...yes, I'm still learning how to "love" work...it's interesting how much I'm growing in that area as I travel down my "Love of Learning" path  :)

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Thirteen Colonies Craft

Since we are studying the United States, I decided to also focus on The Thirteen Original Colonies.

I found a really fun and useful craft for the kids that's centered around The Thirteen Colonies.  It also focuses on the Postal Abbreviations, which is another area we are currently focusing on. Hannah really has a love for history and is really enjoying learning about our wonderful nation!

As you can see, each circle represents one of the 13 Colonies. When we make it through the first 13 states, I'll move onto other states that followed. Those circles will be alternating, red & white, which will symbolize the stripes on the flag.

On the back of each circle, the kids can write some facts about the state they learned about. By the end, Hannah will have a wonderful set of flashcards to help her remember the facts about each state. Gabe likes to just draw pictures of what he learned, which is wonderful. Sometimes he's present for the "Let's learn about a state" time and sometimes he chooses to go play. He was there for Delaware, as you can see, but decided to go play airplanes for Pennsylvania.  I always ask him if he'd like to join us and usually he does but there are times when the imaginary roar of an airplane is just too tempting!!  :)

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The Family Tree

I chose our family's genealogy as an area of discussion over the next six months. The kids are really excited about the subject, which makes me so happy!!  I LOVE family history and I'm hopeful to encourage my children to have that same love.

The project I came up with was to talk about two of our family members a week. After we learn about someone, we then add their leaf to our "Family Tree".  Hopefully, by the end of the six months, our tree will be beautiful and full.  This is a great project for Gabe, since he is still in Core Phase.

A little while back, I realized that Hannah, who does know all of our current family members, didn't know how we all fit together. One day she asked who my grandfather (who's dead) was married to. I gave her the "great grandma...of course" answer, thinking she just hadn't thought the question through. Then she looked at me with confused eyes and said, "I thought she was married to Uncle George!". I had to explain that "Uncle George" is actually great grandma's son...NOT husband.

We then went over other various family members explaining how each family fit into our "family tree". Hannah seemed thrilled at all of the new information, or more precisely, the new connections. I could see her drawing lines from one family member to the next, like a big connect-the-dots, inside her head.

It was this incident that helped me understand that family history is not only those who have gone before us but also those who are still among us.

I am so looking forward to talking about our family members, past and present, and I hope my children gain a love for not only "family" but for every "family member".

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The Phases of Learning

There are several phases in A Thomas Jefferson Education. Each phase has a possible age range but since everyone is different, the ages always vary. For that purpose, I will only be listing the phases and not approximate ages to go with them.

The Phases of Learning, by Oliver DeMille, in a nutshell...

Core Phase: During Core Phase work times and play times are scheduled, with children allowed to choose their own subjects of play during play time. As they get older, play includes reading, math and other subjects that students choose to engage for fun.

Love of Learning Phase:  the student might choose a structure of 1 or 2 or 3 hours a day of set study time; it is important that the student choose it, and that the mentor help the student learn accountability for his choice.

If the student won’t choose it, you haven’t inspired him yet—get to work. Don’t fall back into requiring. Pay the price to inspire, and trust the process–it’s the only way to get the result of the student owning their role as a self-educator.

Scholar Phase:  By the early Scholar Phase a student will likely be studying 6-8 hours a day on topics of their deepest interest.

Depth Phase: the student increases the structured time and goes into more depth.


In our household, we have one Core Phase child, Gabriel, and soon there will be two more when the twinners get a little bit older. We also have two in Love of Learning Phase. One is our 10yr old girl, Hannah, and the other is her 37yr old mother...me!  I grew up on the conveyor belt and so I am now finally getting to learn what "I WANT" to learn!  :) 

Since Core Phase and Love of Learning Phase are the phases that we are currently in, in our household, I'm going to give a little deeper explanation of those phases. If you have children (or yourself) who you feel are in a different phase, please just refer to Oliver DeMille's "Leadership Education-The Phases of Learning" book. There's a link on the main page of this blog.

Phases as taught by Oliver DeMille, Leadership Education-The Phases of Learning:

Core Phase: 

Core Phase is a basis of a life.  A good Core Phase naturally provides the foundation for a good life, a great Core Phase for a great life, and so on. Core Phase is also a basis of an education. It is the basis of a family, and it's generations. It is the basis of society's culture, politics, economy, art, law, government, etc. It is, in short, the foundation of a person--who he or she is and what he or she can and will become. The foundation itself must be solid. During Core Phase, we lay the foundation for all learning and service in the child's life. The "curriculum" is simply:

• right and wrong
• good and bad
• true and false
• relationships
• family values, especially spiritual culture
• family identity, including family history and mission
• family routines and responsibilities
• accountability
• the value and love of work and play

Always remember that during these phases, children learn more by what we are and the environment and feelings that surround them than through the explicit teachings or activities we provide.

Love of Learning Phase:  Love of Learning naturally follows the establishment of a solid core. During the Love of Learning Phase, the student falls deeply in love with learning, studying, knowing and learning even more. If a person is forced in pressured formal schooling or assignments during this phase, she can develop a hate of learning attitude or even just a dislike of studying.

Ideally, however, each young person has the opportunity to freely fall in love with the joys of learning and to experience first-hand how wonderful learning can be. These are the years when children dabble with learning, getting to know "what's out there." If they have come from the Core Phase in good order they are usually fearless, feel almost everything will be interesting and believe they will be able to do whatever they set their minds to.

Love of Learning "curriculum"...

• Example, environment, opportunities, work, play, study, projects, field trips, the library, family room, inspiring parent, mentors, guidance, the bookshelf, mornings, afternoons, evenings, Summers, Winters, exploring, freedom, fun, personal attention, younger siblings, older siblings, mom, dad, grandparents, questions, and discussions.

There are 55 ingredients for Core and Love of Learning Phase. I will list them here but I will not go into what each of them mean. I will have future posts that will go over what each of them are and how I'm applying them in my home. They are...

1. Sundays
2. Weeks
3. Mornings
4. Kidschool
5. The Bean-Counter Game
6. The Six Month Purge
7. The Six Month "No"
8. The Six Month Inventory
9. The Annual Project
10. The Annual Break
11. Afternoons
12. Evenings
13. Winters
14. Summers
15. The Weekly Club
16. The Binder
17. The Field Trip
18. The Library Trip
19. The Bookshelf
20. The Closet
21. The Family Room
22. The Entertainment Room
23. The Donation Box
24. The Storage Box
25. The Weekly Lesson
26. The Safety Kids Class
27. The Mom School
28. The Computer
29. The Kitchen Table
30. The Cleaning Time
31. The Academic "No"
32. The Discipline "No"
33. The Yard
34. The Evening Reading List
35. The Chores
36. The Grandparent Mentoring
37. Teaching The Model
38. The Central Classic
39. The Awakening
40. The Interruption "Yes"
41. The Stateswoman
42. The Core Reading List
43. The Degree Program
44. The Formal Ball
45. The Assignment
46. The Mission
47. The Friend
48. The Core Phase Curriculum
49. The Love of Learners Curriculum
50. Spring if for Science
51. Fall is for Beginnings
52. The Subscription
53. The Dinner Meal
54. The Discipline "Yes"
55. The Academic "Yes"

Once you add and apply each of these ingredients, your home will be transformed into a wonderfully functioning TJEd home. We have added many of these but still have several more to go. I can't wait to get them all added!!

I want to clearly state that A Thomas Jefferson Education is not just for the kids, it's for the entire family. It's NOT a curriculum, it's A WAY OF LIFE! 



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The Seven Keys to Great Teaching

There are seven areas that I focus on while I am mentoring my kids. They seem very simple but they are of great importance when it comes to A Thomas Jefferson Education.

Allow me to quote Oliver DeMille....

There are seven principles of successful education; when they are applied, learning occurs. When they are ignored or rejected, the quantity and quality of education decreases. Whatever the student’s individual interests or learning styles, these principles apply.

And whatever your role in education—home, public, private, higher education or corporate training—the application of any and eventually all of the seven keys will significantly improve your effectiveness and success.

1. Classics, not textbooks:  Great ideas are most effectively learned directly from the greatest thinkers, historians, artists, philosophers and prophets, and their original works. Great works inspire greatness, just as mediocre or poor works usually inspire mediocre and poor achievement.

This first key means that in pursuit of a transformational education, in preference to second- or third-generation interpretations, we study original sources — the intellectual and creative works of the world’s great thinkers, artists, scientists, etc., in the form they were produced.

2. Mentors, not Professors:  The professor/expert tells the students, invites them to conform to certain ideas and standards, and grades or otherwise rewards/punishes them for their various levels of conformity.

In contrast, the mentor finds out the student’s goals, interests, talents, weaknesses, strengths and purpose, and then helps him develop and carry out a plan to prepare for his unique mission.

Parents and teachers who apply the Seven Keys can be an effective part of the mentoring of a student in the early phases of learning, and help prepare the individual to fully take advantage of the influence of later mentors that will be formative for continued development and achievement.

3. Inspire, not Require:  None of the keys is as highly celebrated and as poorly applied as this one. This is perhaps the least understood and least practiced of the Seven Keys. It is probably the single most important element of Leadership Education.

There are really only two ways to teach—you can inspire the student to voluntarily and enthusiastically choose to do the hard work necessary to get a great education, or you can attempt to require it of them.

Instead of asking, “what can I do to make these students perform?” the great teacher says, “I haven’t yet become truly inspirational. What do I need to do so that these students will want to do the hard work to get a superb education?”

4. Structure Time, not Content:  Great mentors help their students establish and follow a consistent schedule, but they don’t micromanage the content.

Of course, this principle is applied differently at different levels of student development...

Phases of Learning: There are 4 phases of learning: Core Phase, Love of Learning Phase, Scholar Phase, and Depth Phase. I will talk about these phases in my next post.

5. Quality, not Conformity: With the student feeling inspired and working hard to get a great education, the mentor should give appropriate feedback and help.

But the feedback should ideally not take the form of common “grading”, but rather personalized feedback, commenting on the particular strengths of a work, including clarity of expression, original thought, technical precision, correlation of principles and ideas, effectiveness of argumentation or other reader appeal, etc.

These are clearly directed toward the evaluation of a written work, but similar concepts can be adapted for feedback on other products of a student’s scholarly efforts, be they organizational, artistic, personal, interpersonal, innovative, etc. Great teachers and schools reward quality–quality work and quality performance.

6.Simplicity, not Complexity: The more complex the curriculum, the more reliant the student becomes on experts, and the more likely the student is to get caught up in the Requirement/Conformity trap.

This leads to effective follower training, but is more a socialization technique than an educational method.

Education means the ability to think, independently and creatively, and the skill of applying one’s knowledge in dealing with people and situations in the real world.

Great teachers train great thinkers, and great leaders, by keeping it simple: students study the greatest minds and characters in history in every field, write about and discuss what is learned in numerous settings, and apply what is learned in various ways under the tutelage of a mentor.

7. YOU, not Them: If you think these principles are about improving your child’s or student’s education, you will never have the power to inspire them to do the hard work of self-education.

Focus on your education, and invite them along for the ride.

Read the classics in all fields, find mentors who inspire and demand quality, structure your days to include study time for yourself, and become a person who inspires great education.

A parent or teacher doesn’t have to be an “expert” to inspire great education (the classics provide the expertise), but he does have to be setting the example.

So there you have it, the Seven Keys... what I'm trying to accomplish in my home on a daily basis.  I find it hard some days to stay off  "the conveyor belt" but when I find myself "on the conveyor best", I get off as quickly as I can. It can be so hard to break away from what you've always known, even if you know it's not what's best for you. We are such creatures of habit and tend to find our wheels back in the same old ruts.

Slowly but surely I'm getting there. I'm understanding more and more that I can't educate my children....they have to educate themselves!!

Knowledge truly is Freedom....true knowledge...Liber! 

Liber (Latin): the root word in Library and Liberty!!  Without Liber there is no true education nor true liberty!!

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Our Symbols

After teaching my kids that the flag was the symbol for our nation and what it symbolized, we talked about what our symbols would look like if we each had one. Then Hannah and I sat down (Gabe by this point has tuned out and was playing airplanes...like always) and created a drawing of what our symbol would look like. Then we both took turns trying to guess what the other's symbol represented. I was amazed at some of Hannah's choices of symbols. I figured out all but the boat. But I was more amazed that Hannah figured out what my symbol meant, except for the anchor. She's one smart cookie and she knows her mommy well!

Here are our symbols. Can you guess what they mean?

Hannah's symbol

My symbol

When Greg got home from work, Hannah showed him what we had been up to that day. She got him to try and guess what our "symbols" represented. It was somewhat humorous to hear what he thought they meant. After hearing their true meanings, Greg decided he wanted to make one as well. He felt inspired by our symbols and wanted one of his own.

I'm actually tempted to do a replica of my symbol since this one was done in a matter of minutes with colored pencils. I'd like to create an actual piece of art that I could possibly frame.  Maybe I'll add that to my next "Six Month Goals"!  :)

<3

Roses & Potatoes

My kids love to do art projects. I decided that every Tuesday we would complete an "Arts & Crafts" project. I've done some searching on the Internet and in some children's magazines and found some wonderful ideas!
While we were learning about our National Anthem and the symbolism of our flag, we also learned about our National Bird, the Bald Eagle, and our National Emblem, the Rose. After learning about the rose, the kids had a chance to make tissue paper roses. It was lots of fun and when Daddy got home, he had a beautiful bouquet waiting for him on his desk!  :)

Hannah's rose

Another project we had fun with was "Potato Painting" shirts. The kids got to be creative artists by using potatoes. I cut different shapes in raw potatoes then they used them as stamps to apply paint to their shirts. Hannah was a very dedicated artist (Love of Learner) while Gabe (Core Phase) applied a couple of "tornadoes" (go figure), out of the triangle shaped potato, and debris, out of the square potato, then began playing with his airplanes again. I ended up adding Gabe's name to the bottom of his shirt because he asked me to.  If I were to do this over again, I would have definitely purchased a shirt for myself so I could have taken part in the creative process!

My kids showing off their new creations!

Kids love to access their creative side, and fun projects that they can wear, are a wonderful way to have them gain pride in their work.

Helpful Links:

• Tissue Paper Flowers Link~http://crafts.kaboose.com/flower2.html
• Potato Painting info~ Parents Magazine-I believe it was the July issue

<3

Our Field Trip to Mt. Rainier

Our first field trip for this six month period was to the awe-inspiring Mount Rainier!!

 Mt Rainier

It was THEE PERFECT field trip for Gabe since he seems to have an obsession with any natural disaster. His latest birthday cake was actually a volcano and HE LOVED IT!!!

First we went to Crystal Mountain and took the gondola ride up the mountain, which was so beautiful. I was sad that we couldn't see Mt. Rainier until we got to the top of the mountain but I still really enjoyed it.

View from the gondola...and believe me, this picture doesn't do it justice!

Hannah checking out the view from the gondola.

Once out of the gondola, the view was simply amazing!! Not only could we see Mt Rainier, which is HUGE, but we could also see Mt. Adams and Mt. Saint Helen. 

Mt Adams

We ate at the diner on the top of the mountain, which boasted about being the highest restaurant in the US...very cool.  

Hannah at the "highest restaurant in the US" table overlooking Mt Rainier

There were adorable little chipmunks that would take food right out of our hands and there were also an overabundance of ladybugs. I never thought I could become annoyed by ladybugs BUT I was wrong!

Our little chipmunk friend

Our little annoying ladybug friends

I love this picture of Emma and Greg.
How can a girl not be thrilled when she's visiting Mt. Rainier?!?

The whole family in front of Mt. Rainier!

After coming back down on the gondola, we proceeded to our next stop, which was the Paradise Inn and Visitors Center, which I thought was very educational and a very nice facility. The 20 minute video we watched, while there, was chuck full of great facts about Mt. Rainier and it had the kids freaked out it was going to explode while we were driving home.  The kids thought it was cool to get to play with some snow that still hadn't melted beside the visitors center.

Me and my kids at Paradise Visitors Center with the majestic Mt. Rainier behind us!

We plan to redo this field trip when the twinners are a bit older, maybe next Spring, because we'd love to go on the hiking trials that they have for families to enjoy. The scenery was breathtaking and being so close to such an enormous active volcano was quite an experience. I would definitely recommend this to any family wanting a "one day get-away"!!

Helpful links:

• Paradise Visitors Center: http://www.rainiervisitorguide.com/visitorcenters.html
• Crystal Mountain Gondola Rides: http://www.crystalmountainresort.com/Summer-Activities/Scenic-Gondola-Rides

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A Patriotic Submersion

One of the topics I have chosen to focus on during this Fall Six Month period, is our wonderful nation, the good old United States of America!!  I am very passionate about this subject and I can't wait to share my love for my country with my children!!  :)
During my Six Month Planning Session, I found a strong pull to focus my attention on the USA. I decided to do several different things...

• Focus on the geography of our Nation.  Help the children learn where each of the states are located in the US and what their capitals are. I already had a wonderful floor puzzle of the USA by Melissa & Doug, which the kids really enjoy, so I knew it would be one of my focus tools. I also invested in a terrific book by National Geographic, entitled "Our Fifty States". It's over 230 pages of facts and pictures of each state. I got a great deal on a brand new hardbound copy for only $18 including shipping from Barnes & Noble. I chose to purchase the book, instead of borrowing something from the library, because I knew I'd continue to use it as each of my children move into the "Love of Learning" stage.  I also invested in a board game entitled "Which Way USA?". It will be a fun way to learn facts about each of our wonderful United States!

• Focus on the founding of our Nation.  I know that the Lord is the original founder of our Nation and as I teach my children how our Nation came to be, I will ensure to focus on God's hand in the process. I will encourage the kids to learn many patriotic songs that gladly acknowledge the Lord's hand in the birth and preservation of our country. We began with the National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, and will continue through many other inspiring and wonderful songs. Since we began with our National Anthem, I purchased a book on Francis Scott Key (Childhood of Famous Americans), which I will be reading to my children. If we are to understand what our wonderful Nation stands for, we must understand those who created it!

• Focus on the Presidents of the United States.  I have purchased a floor puzzle about all the Presidents of the United States. I also invested in flashcards and dry erase tools that will help with their memorization. I am also planning on purchasing a book that will give details of each president, both personal and political, to read to my kids. I have not yet found the right one but I will let you know when I do!  :)

 Floor puzzle by Melissa & Doug

As one of my motivational tools, I created a poster board sized United States Flag. I had the kids help color in the red stripes, as I read to them concerning the meaning of the symbols on the flag. I'm hanging the flag up and after learning about a state, the kids will be able to put a star on the flag with that state's postal abbreviation on it (we're learning those as well)!  The kids are really excited about being able to build the flag and I'm hopeful they will always remember that each star represents one of our wonderful states!

 Here's my little guy coloring the Red stripes that represent the blood of those who have died

or will die defending our beloved country!

Here's an example of what it will look like with some stars on the flag.

The kids really liked the puffy, glittery stars.

It's so important, as a mentor to your children, to share your passions with them and my love for God and Country is most important. I hope they cannot only see the love I have for our Nation but can also feel the overwhelming gratitude I have for those who made it possible!

<3

"6 Months" is BIG in a TJEd Home

The term "Six months" is a very important part of a TJEd home. It important to revisit many areas of our home often so that a wonderful learning environment can be maintained.

Every six months...

• ...we do our "Six Month Purge", which is when I go through the house and get rid of excess stuff. At this time I also go through all of our books, movies, music, etc., to ensure that they are all "classics" in my point of view. Do they have good values, morals, teachings? Are they quality items that should be allowed to fill our home & life?  This is an area where I'm constantly working on because I'm a "keeper". I love to keep stuff, especially if I feel it has sentimental value. I will be doing another Six Month Purge within the next few weeks so I'm hoping for at least 5-6 bags of donation items.
• ...we do our "Six Month Goals", these are the areas of personal study that we'd like to focus on for the next six months. Each of us have a special binder that we keep our "Six Month Goals" in and we review them every morning during our Family Planning Meeting. Here are some of my current goals that I'm presently working on....Reading the Spanish Book of Mormon (this will obviously roll over into the next set of Six Month Goals), taking an online photography class,  reading at least 7 classic books, write at least once a week in my journal, and working on the book I'm trying to write.  I try to schedule myself personal time during the day to work on some of these areas but I'm finding the best time is in the morning before the kids are awake.
• ...I do our "Six Month Schedule", which gives me an overview of what I'd like for us, as a family, to accomplish within the next six months. It includes areas such as my vision for the year, our family project, the subjects I'd like to teach on, our field trips, a list of the books we'd like to read as a family, arts & craft ideas, things to cut out (every life can get too busy if we aren't willing to cut things out), service project ideas, etc. I love brainstorming and see what fun things I can come up with to do with the kids. I'll share some on later posts  :)
• ...I do our "Six Month Inventory", which is where I analyze the books on the "Learners Bookshelf", see what school supplies I have, double check the items I have in the "Learners Closet", and figure out what needs to be replenished or purchased for upcoming topics of study.

I usually do my "six month" items every Spring and Fall, which works wonderfully for our family....just as summer's winding down and our "outdoor activities" become somewhat less, and then again when it feels like a new season in life is beginning and the desire for change seems to fill the air.

I'm really excited to share some of the ideas from my "Six Month Schedule" so I'll be posting on that really soon!!

<3

The Schedule

A good schedule is as important in your life as good food and water. If you don't use your time wisely, than you'll be missing out on opportunities in this life that you would have otherwise experienced.

Recently, I sat down with the kids, mainly Hannah since Gabe is still in Core Phase, and we figured out a daily plan to help her accomplish the things she's striving for in her education. We had already done a 6 month plan a while back, so her goals had already been set and she was already working on them. By helping her make a "plan" or schedule, it will help her stay on task. Hannah was really excited about what we came up with.

Now, just because I have helped her schedule her "time", does not in any way mean I have made her schedule her "content". She is in charge of her education and I am mentoring her every step of the way. I offer suggestions and give logical explanation for my opinion then I leave it up to her to make the choice. You'd be amazed how when a youth is given the ability to chose for herself, how inspired she can become. The choices are hers. She has to claim ownership for them. She feels a higher sense of commitment to them and feels a deeper sense of regret when she has let something slide. It's such a wonderful concept...."Teach them correct principles then let them govern themselves".

Here's what Hannah came up with for her first day of "planned" learning...

10am~ Math (we use ALEKS, which I feel is a WONDERFUL system. We were using it prior to finding TJEd and I was thrilled to see that they suggested it as well).
10:30am~ Family Reading Time (This was already planned on my schedule so she marked her schedule to coincide)
11:00am~ Hannah & Mom Time (this is where I specifically help her in areas she'd like help with or if there's a certain area I'd like to instruct her on)
11:30am~ "Wednesday Writers" (we set aside an amount of time each Wednesday to actually write letters or cards to others) & Journaling
12:00 Lunch
1:00pm~ "Learner Time"  (this is when she has free time to study however she'd like. It could include reading, using items from our "Learners Closet", or even watching a video on a certain subject).
2:00pm~ Read Classic: Anne of Green Gables
3:00pm~Faith in God (which is a program designed for young girls Hannah's age that our church has in place)
3:30pm~Dictation

Each day of the week she covers different subjects that will help her attain her "Six Month Goals". So, on Friday, her schedule will be different than this example. Also, we sit down every morning for a quick "Planning Meeting" and this is when I get to tell her the things I need to get done, like "family reading time" or "Arts & Crafts" etc, and she gets to tell me the items she'd like to accomplish. By the end of the Planning Meeting, we already have a map of how our day will happen. Sometimes things pop up that aren't on the schedule, which happens a lot with baby twins, but I explain to her that it's just a guide and that we strive to fulfill it but some days we won't.

My schedule for that same day was as follows...

10am~ "Gabe Time" (this is when I work with Gabe on certain topics that he's learning, such as the alphabet, numbers, letters, sight words, etc)
10:30am~ Reading Time (we initially had only a half hour allotted for reading but we quickly moved it to a full hour)
11:00am~ "Hannah Time"
11:30am~ "Wednesday Writers" & Journals
12:00~ Lunch
1:00pm~ Individual Chore (I have five chores that I have specifically schedule on a certain day during the week)
2:00pm~ Classic Reading-Pride and Prejudice
3:00pm~ Spanish B.O.M. (I have begun reading a book of scriptures in Spanish, with my trusty dictionary and the English version for reference. I've REALLY enjoyed doing this thus far. I haven't gotten far AT ALL but even if I get through one paragraph, it's so worth it!!)


I have found that since we have items that we'd like to accomplish daily, weekly and every six months, and that we have them scheduled, it has helped us ensure that we are heading in toward our goals without losing any of the precious "minutes" that the Lord has allotted us!

Celeste <3

What Would You Do With $1440?

What would you do with $1440?  How would you spend it? What would you have to show for it?

What if you received $1440 a month? How would you spend it? What would you have to show for it?

What if you received $1440 a week? Would you be spending it differently? Would you have something different to show for it?

Now, what if you received $1440 a day and you had to spend it each day, or you'd lose it. You'd continue receiving the same $1440 each day for the rest of your life. Everyone in your family received the same $1440... how would you spend it now? What would you have to show for it? What would they have to show for it?

Well, each of us don't necessarily get $1440 a day BUT we do get 1440 minutes each day, which are of greater worth than money. These minutes can be used as we see fit. If we don't use them, we don't get them back but luckily we get a fresh 1440 each day.

How do you use your time? And what do you got to show for?

This was part of a lesson at our church services a while back. It really spoke to me and I began thinking about how I use my time and if I'm using it in the best way possible. Then Hannah leaned over to me and said that this is an area she needs to improve on because she didn't think she was using her "minutes wisely". I found her ability to recognize area of weakness in herself wonderful!  My little girl is growing up!!

That's when I decided to really focus on our schedules and find areas where I could improve them.

I will talk about "The Schedule" on my next post.

Celeste <3

Why TJEd?

When I first started homeschooling, I used several different curriculum, trying to find which would work best for our family. After a few months, I knew I still wasn't where I was suppose to be. I could tell that the Lord was trying to lead me in a different direction but I just didn't know which way to move. I began wondering if I was suppose to put the kids back into public school. I prayed concerning that decision and it came back as a definite "no". So, I went back to searching and pondering and praying for direction.

Then one morning, I noticed a friend of mine, from where I had used to live, had commented on Facebook. She usually doesn't comment much so it surprised me. As I read her comment, it just hit me..."She homeschools her little girls!"  I made a promise to myself that I would send her a message as soon as I fed my baby twinners their breakfast and ask her what was working for her and if she had any suggestions.

It was probably about 10 minutes later (maybe less), when I glanced over my shoulder and saw that someone had sent me a message on Facebook. I clicked on it to see who it was. And I kid you not...it was that same friend. I was in awe because we had never send messages to each other before.

I proceeded to open her message and literally about fell off my chair as I read her words. She explained to me that she had just got back from a Homeschool conference and that while she was there, she kept feeling that the things she was learning, she needed to share with me. So, that was what she did. She simply told me the situation she had experienced and then told me what she felt I needed to share, then ended it with the "if you need this, great, if not, just ignore it" kind of thing.

It would be a total lie to say that I didn't feel the Spirit strongly as I read her words. I knew that the Lord had inspired her to tell me about TJEd. He used her to answer my prayers and I'm so so grateful.

In the beginning, I had done some basic research into TJEd, but hadn't read the books myself. I had read what others thought of the books and how they instituted it and I could see some value in what they were doing but I still didn't "get it". I didn't fully understand what TJEd was about. I like telling people who ask about TJEd that just listening to me talk about the books, would be like me telling you about my favorite movie (that you haven't seen personally)...you just won't fully understand; it just wouldn't be complete knowledge.

Needless to say, I went out that day and purchased three TJEd books. I began reading them and instantly found the peace I had been looking for. The Lord had guided my path and had inspired a friend to be His hands, if you will, to answer my prayers.

It was a wonderful experience that strengthened my testimony of not only TJEd but also the love my Savior has for my children. He knows what my children's missions are in this life and He knows that they'll need A Thomas Jefferson Education to achieve them.

Celeste <3

A Valuable "Keeper"

When I first began homeschooling, I chose to use a lot of Charlotte Mason's ideas, which I did enjoy. Once I was led to TJEd, I decided to only keep the "dictation" idea for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc. We have a wonderful book with a collection of short, meaningful passages from mostly classics, that Hannah has to write in both print and cursive. It has not only helped her spelling but it has drastically helped her penmanship. Her cursive is beautiful, especially for a 10 yr old.

Every week she gets a new passage to work on. Together, we read the page and talk about the lesson it is trying to teach us. We have wonderful talks this way and it truly has opened up many areas of interest for her.

I feel that it is a valuable part of our homeschooling so I thought I'd pass it along.

Here's the link. If you click on it, the page will give you a brief description about the process and how it helps the child in their schooling.

http://simplycharlottemason.com/2010/10/13/copywork-transcription-dictation-language-arts-part-7/

Celeste <3

Preparing for Fall

I thought this was a good video on how to go about preparing for the Fall 6 month plan. I am just sitting down to do the same for our family and it was nice to see how someone else went about doing it  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksoHV2Jau6c&feature=player_embedded

What About Their Social Life?

As I stated in my last post, many people are worried about my children's "social life".  This is not an area where I wasted even a minute of my time because I truly believe that it's blown WAY out of proportion.

First of all, my children have lots of interaction with people outside of our family. They have friends within our neighborhood. They spend lots of time at church or participating in church activities. Plus, when they are in groups or clubs or activities outside our home, they get plenty of "social time".

My thought on this is...Do I really want my kids to be "socialized" in the public school system? And this is why this question is important. What type of social ideas come out of the public school system? A lot of them I try each and every day to shield my children from in the first place. Why would I want to immerse them in values that I don't support, such as...

• thinking they have to look a certain way or wear certain clothing to be accepted?
• thinking that you can only play and be friends with kids that are your own age, race, religion, background, popularity?
• or the "I'm gonna tear you down so I can build myself up" outlook that literally fills our public school system?

Believe me, the list could go on and on, and I wouldn't want my children to pick up on ANY of those negative social ideas that flow freely from the public school system. It's hard enough to shield them from such negative values from within the home without subjecting them to it for 6 hrs a day, 5 days a week.

I believe, as parents, the survival of our families and the delicate spirits of our children depend on us doing what we can to shield them from these dangers.

Now, with that being said, it's also just as important to ensure that my children get quality outside interaction with people of all ages, backgrounds, races, etc (because it can be just as damaging to a child to keep them from outside interaction completely). And since I'm the one allowing or not allowing the interaction, I can ensure that the "social ideas" exchanged are those that I support and feel comfortable with.

This is an area that I know I've made the best decision for my children. Right now they have quality friends with values and standards similar to theirs. What I want is for my children to learn to be confident and to feel comfortable around people of all ages. I want them to know that being kind to everyone, no matter their outer appearance, is what's important in this life. I want them to gain confidence in their abilities by their successes and not by other's failures. I want them to have an Christ-centered environment to spend their day in. I want them to feel blessed when they get to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. I want their lives to be full of prayer and not feel ashamed for being a believer. I want my children to be each other's best friends and I want them to look to me for quality mentoring. I feel I'm now providing that environment for them.

I'll end with a quote from "A Thomas Jefferson Education"...

"Homeschool is uniquely designed to be a wonderful place to socialize children and youth--with their peers and in interaction with adults. With a little planning, the right kind of socialization can be one of the real strengths of homeschool.... Homeschool is natural to socializing future leaders who don't feel compelled to follow the crowd or bend to social pressure, but who do feel at ease with others and work well in society."