Why We Love Homeschooling

Homeschool
Today we had a fireman come around to our place to teach us about fire safety.  What a wonderful homeschool moment to have and re-enforced to us why we do what we do.  This all came about because Alex will sometimes be working for his father and needs to know how to put out a fire should one happen where they are working.  Alf has been doing fire courses for the 24 years he worked at the council, however, the rest of us know absolutely nothing about fire extinguishers and what to use and the when and the how. As well as being a fireman, Rob works part time for a hazards and fire training company.  He was saying the fire service doesn't really do teaching anymore, especially to teenagers like we have.  So the children and I had the most amazing opportunity to learn essential fire safety from an expert and learn how to handle an extinguisher and cope with a small fire. I must add here that our new company paid for this as these things aren't free unfortunately.

We learnt about the triangle of fire, and how you need three essential elements for a fire to start; fuel, heat and oxygen. When you take away one of the sides, you can prevent fire starting or stop it.

The children were given a test as well. They learnt about PTASS and extinguishers...

P-pull, T-test, A-aim, S-sweep, S-smother

Our setup out the front of our house, fire tray, gas bottles and different types of extinguisher

Rob lights the fire tray

He has his glove on I notice, a wise fireman, as the flames got really hot really fast

After giving the extinguisher a test, Rob crouches and waves the extinguisher back and forth over the fire.  He said not to spray directly at the flames.

Alex starts his turn as Georgia and I look on.  Alex is using CO2 this time.

 I can say from my experience that the cylinders are heavy and are really loud to use.  Quite an experience I must say.  I have never used one before and learnt so much about them.  Had I had to use one I would have gone about it all wrong.  The children are much richer for the lesson.  Rob was great with them. He said in the 8 years he has been doing training, he's never taught children so he just altered his training to aim at our two.  We are most thankful for that.

 Almost out after about 10 seconds.

 We then used the dry powder extinguisher, which is what Alf bought me for the house.  These are the most commonly used extinguishers for people to use.  It's what you would use in the home, car, garage or boat. 

 Makes a real mess, but beats you house burning down. 

I'm Going To Meet Prince William

We Are Going To Meet Prince William Tomorrow
I am not quite meeting him personally, but I will see him along with about 150,000 other Cantabrians. Christchurch has an Earthquake Memorial Day planned for Friday at 12.30pm.  All businesses and schools will be closed and people are being encouraged to attend the memorial in a large central park in the centre of Christchurch.  When I say centre, it's right next to CBD destroyed in the earthquake. The information for where to go and when is here.  Georgia and I will be going with our lunch and blanket, Alex will not cope with the crowds and noise there, so he will stay at home and watch it on TV.  I have checked the now limited bus timetable to allow us to get there with plenty of time to spare.

         

Resources We Like To Use
I have discovered that there are so many atlas on the market, and it's very hard to choose wisely when trying to purchase on the Internet. Since we have a great curriculum in Trail Guide to World Geography, I wanted an equally good and easy to use atlas for the children to use independently.  I was recommended this particular atlas, which was also on sale at the time.  So it ticked all the boxes. The children's ability to find required information by themselves has definitely improved, with  the pages presenting  information in simple text easy to understand maps.  This is ideal for the intermediate aged child (11-13years old) and even for Alex at 14.

This is my atlas, sort of the big sister to the student atlas.  I keep it in a handy spot, ready to be accessed to discuss any world events occurring, like Japanese tsunamis.  As we host a multitude of foreign students, it's perfect for finding out about their hometowns, especially in vast countries like Brazil and China.  Speaking of students, we are hosting for 6 months, a 19 year old male student from China.  I must say the differences in our cultures are huge (to say the least!).  This is the first time we have hosted someone from China, so it's has been quite interesting seeing someone have to adjust to our western culture.

Who is this on the table the other night while Georgia was catching up on her Geography? Poppy was sound asleep on a chair under the homeschool table, then decided some smoodging was in order.  Work quickly stopped while Georgia and I said hello to Poppy.

Sorry, photos are a bit on the dark side

Recent additions to my resources include.... an incremental lesson based program to help Alex with technical drawing.  Alf will teach Alex from this book, which is an amazing opportunity for him.  As an engineer, he is the perfect person to do this.  Alf has taught Polytechnic trade students in the past, so has some experience behind him.

Have sourced an international cookbook to help us as we "eat" our way around the continents.  As we were interrupted by the earthquake while studying the North American Continent, it has given me some time to purchase this book from here and to work on incorporating these yummy recipes. Will show you how we going in future blogs.  The recipes for The United States and Canada include; fried chicken, corn on the cob, brownies, wild rice maple chicken and blueberry crisp.Yummy!

The Last Week and Some Domestic Dramas

In Our Homeschool

Why is there an American flag in our homeschool?

We are working our way through Trail Guide To World Geography at the moment.  This week is a study of the North American Continent, so Alex has delved into his bedroom and retrieved his second most favourite flag ( what is his favourite? stayed tuned to find out) to inspire us in our work.  This curriculum has been quite successful for us so far and I'm enjoying teaching it as well.  I like the fact that I have printouts for Georgia, who is studying at intermediate level, and Alex who needs the high school printouts.  They can both work away at the same time at the appropriate level. Alex has some trickier questions to answer, so this is making him work harder. At times we  follow the format quite strictly, but we can choose to stop and study some facts in more detail if we want.  And of course, homeschooling allows us the freedom to do this, isn't it great?

We are planning on eating our way through the continents as we study them.  This week, Thursday night will be American Night.  I asked Georgia and Alex what they thought would be typical fare for America? They quickly announced hamburgers and hot dogs! Mmmm, will have to think on that some more.  Perhaps apple pie for dessert and another dish for a main.  Anybody got any ideas? American readers are most welcome to comment here.


In the Garden

After responding to frantic clucking from our girls the other morning, we discovered an injured baby hedgehog in the chicken run.  The chickens were in defensive mode and had attacked the hedgehog. By the time we got there, the poor little thing was crawling along with 2 very obvious broken back legs.  Very very upsetting for us animal lovers and there were tears (from Georgia).  This is the first time we have had to tackle our chickens acting viciously and attacking a predator. Sadly, something I suppose we need to get used to.

You can just see its little broken legs

 

 But look who we heard snuffing noisily around the yard the other night...

Mum & Dad Hedgehog, probably looking for baby hedgehog

Out and About

Alex has started going to rock climbing again.  Through Autism New Zealand, we have access to great outdoor education and amazing people who are understanding and passionate about what they do.  Alex's old Teacher Aide, Dan, is one such person.  Dan is a very special man to us, who has so much time for Alex.  Rock climbing is his thing, so Mondays we are back with the rock climbing group.  We are so blessed because for $8 Alex gets to climb for over an hour and Georgia can climb as well.  How cool is that!

 Alex being challenged by the climbing walls

Daily reminder of  our September earthquake, this is above shops in the inner city suburb of Sydenham

Blessings

Running on empty

Monday 18th October 2010

An unschooling day is called for today.

Georgia has had an exhausting weekend of activities.  It has been about 6 weeks since we have taken over the care of a standardbred chestnut called Spice.  There is a real little community of horse loving girls at the paddock where spice lives and we have slowly been intergating Georgia into it.  A bbq for the girls and their families was held on Friday night, followed by Georgia's first proper sleep over with all these girls. The weekend was then spent at the paddock, mucking out and riding.  Hence a very tired girl today.  We discussed having too much on at the weekend and being too tired come Monday morning.  Mmmmm, I told her one big activity only, like sleepover/riding or mucking out/taking horses swimming at the Waimakairi River.

So, we listen to an audio book, CHERUB CLASS A, by Robert Muchamore...

When Cherub kids go under cover, they can

 succeed in infiltrating criminal organisations that

have eluded MI5 and the police for years.

James Adams is on his biggest mission yet,

to nail Europe's most powerful cocaine dealer.

He'll need all his specialist training if he's going

to bring down the man at the top.

The reason for CHERUB'S existence is simple: adults

never suspect that children are spying on them.

For official purposes,

these children don't exist.

A story not for the younger set.  Written along the lines of Tomorrow When The War Began, I am pleased I can listen at the same time, just to monitor and discuss the adult themes involved, like drugs particularly.  So Georgia draws as we listen, I potter in the kitchen.

Out to the garden we go to tidy last of leeks.  I have noticed some are starting to go to seed.  Over the winter Georgia has been thinning out the carrots, so time to finally pick some.

We have been doing science in the garden, discussing the planting we did over the weekend, checking over the chickens, sorting out seed raising trays and watering them.

Off to secondhand bookshop to exchange big pile of horse books, come home with smaller pile of Star Trek books to read.  Library day as well.  Off to art class at 5pm.  All very tired by end of day.

These books took my fancy and couldn't resist getting them.  Homeschooling and purchasing books is so expensive, anytime I can get handy secondhand stuff I jump to it.  However I still have to stick to my budget.

Mmmm, these also took my fancy, Georgia is studying reptiles next up in Zoology 1, lovely illustrated herb book (really informative for someone like me just starting out) and another dictionary.  I love nice old dictionaries, especially Collins ones. This dictionary is massive and will be very handy. Trying really hard to get the kids to use a dictionary to look words up in (like we learnt) instead of going online.  I can forward one of my other ones on to my sister now, as she was telling me the other day how she wanted a nice old one like mine.

One day old chicks with very protective mother hen.  They live at the farm where Spice the horse is kept.  This mother hen has been sitting for about 3 weeks on her eggs.  These are the only ones that hatched.