Well, at least around here, it does.
For this homeschooling family, warm weather means the opportunity to get outside and do all of those messy science experiments you haven't wanted to tackle inside the house. This past week, we decided to break out the science kit and have some bubble fun.
My son received this science kit from little labs, and while we haven't done all the experiments, we like what we've seen so far. I am always on the search for science activities that use items normally found in the household. No one wants to buy a bunch of equipment that will only get used once or twice!
As we mixed up the bubble solution, we discussed why and how bubbles are able to keep their shape. Then we headed outside to start blowing. The kit came with both a straw and a wand, but with three kids, we needed extra supplies. My oldest went off in search of items that would hold the solution long enough to blow a bubble. That is what I truly love about homeschooling. As the "teacher," I provide the basic information and then let their imaginations take over.
Then the fun truly began. Tired of blowing bubbles, my son wanted to invent something that would do it for him, so he filled his rocket launcher up with solution. We learned that may not blow huge bubbles, but it did make a pretty cool bubbly, foamy volcano effect!
Whether or not you homeschool, experiments like these are a great way to activate and captivate your child's brain. My three spent hours coming up with various ways to make bubbles until they finally ran out of solution. Being physically involved in the academic experience, no matter what the subject, is one of many blessings homeschooling has brought to our family.
Montpelier, the home of our fourth president and Father of the Constitution, James Madison, held its first annual homeschool day on April 1, 2013.
That day also happened to be my oldest child's tenth birthday, but she is a history fanatic, much like her mother. I packed all three children up and off we headed to Orange, Va. I know, I know, you are questioning my sanity for heading out alone to an historic home with a ten, six, and two year old. If you are going to undertake a trip like this without another adult, a homeschool day provides your best chance of success. As long as your children are polite and well-behaved (which they should be the majority of the time any way), no one will mind your two year old spouting out half-discernible words during the tour. Most of the other people have already lived through it themselves or will soon.
My wish was to be there for the first tour (after all, we had a full birthday schedule ahead of us), but anyone with children will know about the best laid plans. We still did fairly well, arriving with time to tour the gallery before watching a short film and still making the third tour of the day. My oldest insisted on reading every label in the gallery and learned quite a bit. My six-year-old just wanted to look at the military drum and the lock of Madison's hair. We all discussed the walking cane that belonged to Thomas Jefferson, was bequeathed to Madison, then returned in Madison's will to Jefferson's oldest grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph.
The film was of an appropriate length to keep the older children's attention without running too long. It was informative without having the brow-beating political correctness that accompanies so many of these selections. There were quite a few adult chuckles in the room when the serious discussion of the importance of our nation's Constitution concluded with a photo of a president we all know would like to rip that document to shreds.
Our tour of the mansion was interesting and pleasant. My two-year-old babbled a few times, but she answered the guide with "thank yous" and "okays" as we left each room, which made our whole group laugh. Our guide was very knowledgeable and talked about various aspects of Madison's life as well as different family members. The DuPonts were also given their due credit for keeping the house from falling into complete ruin. My only suggestion would be to allow the children time to ask questions. I understand this was Montpelier's first homeschooling day, so let me tell them a fact about homeschoolers - they love to ask questions!
Once we spilled out upon the back lawn, staff had prepared all kinds of fun activities for the kids to try. There were colonial games, from the physically active hoop to the mentally challenging chess. Children could sit and read various books under the shade of a large, old tree. Many little ones enjoyed climbing the framing of the slave dwellings while their parents read the descriptions of slave life to them.
After the children tired of those options, we went to stroll through the DuPont formal gardens. Let me be honest: I had to talk the kids into this, because they were ready to hit the gift shop. They were reticent about the prospect . . . until we entered the gardens. By this point, my youngest was in the stroller because my back couldn't handle carrying her any longer after holding her for the entire house tour. When I saw the garden was terraced, I thought we would have to forgo exploring because of the stroller. Imagine my surprise when the older two were disappointed! So, little one sat in her stroller, happily eating Goldfish crackers while her siblings found "hidden" paths. I think the biggest source of excitement was the fact they got to be out from under momma's watchful eye for a few minutes. The setting was perfect: I could hear their laughter while they experienced that thrilling feeling of being on their own for a little while.
After our fun in the garden, we did manage a brief visit to the gift shop before leaving the grounds of Montpelier. All-in-all, I considered the trip to be both an academic and entertainment success. The children enjoyed the experience and were able to tell their father things they learned about Mr. Madison, his family, and our country. We will definitely be returning . . . in fact, we had such a wonderful time we plan on visiting again before the next Homeschool Day!
I received the April/May 2013 issue of Working Mother magazine in the mail today. I am not quite sure why I started getting this in the first place, as I know I do not fit the publication's definition of their title. Oh, sure, I homeschool my three children, keep the household going, and sell handmade things on etsy, but this magazine caters to those mothers who hold employment outside the home. I often just toss the magazine into the pile the kids may cut up for artwork. Today, I decided to read it, and boy, did I learn quite a bit.
First, I do not want to argue about who has a harder job: stay at home mothers, working moms, or single parents. If you are a mother, you work, period. I have friends who meet all different "motherhood" criteria, and each one of them works every single day, in one capacity or another. The reason I actually bothered to read this issue was because I thought it might have some insightful tips on how to juggle all of my various hats - even though I'm not a "Working Mother."
The first page to which I flipped had an article that caught my eye because the title was "Kids, Birds, and Bees." I had the whole puberty conversation with my older daughter (then nine years old, now ten) just a few months ago. Thanks to her maturity and the assistance of American Girl's The Caring and Keeping of You, the conversation was a success. She asked several appropriate questions and has initiated some talks since then. So, when I saw the piece in Working Mother, I thought it was perfect timing, especially with the first subheading reading "Time it right."
Well, according to Tammy Tucker, DO, I am almost two years too late! This physician wrote to speak with your child " - usually around age 8 . . . Set aside time to chat, so you're not competing with an episode of Good Luck, Charlie" (17). The first problem I see with this statement . . . an eight-year-old should not be watching this show! We previewed this Disney production before letting our kids watch it, and thank goodness we did. It is full of sexual references and innuendo. Of course, that helps me understand the good doctor a bit better - if this is what you are choosing to allow your children to watch, maybe you better go ahead and have the sex talk before your child ends up with a Charlie of her own.
That brings me to my second point. I know plenty of critics will say that children are becoming sexually active at a young age, so they need "the talk" sooner. I would respectfully interject that if we paid more attention to what our kids are watching, reading, and playing on the Xbox, then we would not be explaining intercourse to our babies before they are emotionally ready to handle the topic. What about the things they hear from their peers, you say? Be more selective concerning with whom your children play. I know it requires a lot more work on your part - you need to know the other parents, step out into the yard occasionally and listen to what the children are saying, and have conversation with your kids about their playtime - but that is the commitment you are supposed to make when you are a parent, no matter what road led to you becoming one. Also, even if you have talked about puberty and sex with your child, remind them that not all children have that conversation with their parents at the same time. In other words, when you go out to play, have fun. You do not need to quiz little Johnny or Susie on the birds and the bees. My oldest, having two younger siblings, knew how a baby came out (although not how it was made) much earlier than most of her friends, yet she did not go shouting all the details on the playground, precisely because she had been taught about appropriate conversation.
As for the rest of the magazine, it was mostly word choice and language usage that jumped out at me. I came away feeling as if this publication's unstated purpose is to create a division between different classifications of "mothers" and to ignore fathers as equal helpmates. For instance, on an article about military families, the subtitle reads, "The men who serve in our armed forces make enormous sacrifices - and so do their working-mom spouses back home" (49.) I do not want anyone to misunderstand me, so let me make this clear: ALL military families make enormous sacrifices to keep the rest of us safe. THANK YOU for all that you do. Military spouses (husband, wife, working-outside-home, stay-at-home, working-inside-home, homeschooling, etc) deal with situations and emotions that most of us can never understand. No matter what their occupation, a military spouse in a two-parent household may be fearing for their significant other while keeping up a brave front for their children. Single parents who are deployed have to worry if their child/ren is/are happy and feel loved staying with relatives or friends. I know that the military spouses do an excellent job of providing support for one another. I would like to suggest that the rest of us be just as supportive to our military families, no matter what the "employment" status. Thank a veteran, active service member, and their family the next time you see them. Trust me, it will make your heart happy.
The one other statement in this issue I felt I must mention concerned solutions to problems often presented by "working" mothers to Carol Evans, President of Working Mother Media. Problem number one talked about being overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done when the mother arrives home from her outside employment. (Let me just say that I, too, become overwhelmed, and I am home most days, doing what, for me, is my greatest work.) Ms. Evans response to the question was "Train your husband to take responsibility for housework by giving up control" (100). Now, I agree with the idea behind this statement - women need to not be so obsessive about how the housework gets done, as long as it is finished. However, "train?" Seriously? My husband is not Fido, although Lassie would be helpful some days. I learned long ago that if I ask my husband to do something, he is usually quite willing. It never was a case of him not wanting to help; rather, it was as if all the messes were invisible to him. If I tried to train him to do things my way, we would have divorced years ago.
Now that you have suffered through all my opinions, please let me say this. I truly believe in live and let live. Many of the ideas espoused in Working Mother do not work for our family or the way in which we want our children to be raised. If the magazine works for you and helps you to be a better parent, then by all means, read it. Meanwhile, if it still arrives in our mailbox, it will be going into the cut-for-art-projects pile.
