Okay. I've officially began my second book - the book about the life of Heath Ledger. Last night at work, I just got the strongest feeling I should begin it. And everything is really falling into place. I'm submitting interview requests and searching for a publisher. If I cannot find a publisher, I will self-publish. I truly feel this is something I am supposed to do.
I honestly do not know why I am supposed to do this. I used to write for several country music publications, interviewed a lot of the country singers - everyone from Brad Paisley and Mark Wills to Charley Pride and Doc Watson. I even interviewed Eddie Rabbit a couple of months before he passed away. I'm not sure why I should write about Heath Ledger. Sure, I am a fan of his work. He was a great, great actor. Not everyone knows this, but I had a dream about him two days before he passed away. I'm not sure what the dream meant, or why I dreamed it; but I do know it was very instrumental in me undertaking this writing project. There were also two other people in my dream, another man and a woman (the woman was very upset in my dream). Maybe this will help me uncover who these two people were. However, my real purpose in writing this book is simply to honor Mr. Ledger's memory and his work, to show his human side, and to say thank you. I would appreciate any prayers for me as I work on this project. I know it will take a lot of time and dedication.
Kandy
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
College Assignment over Philosophy of Education
I thought you all might like to see the assignment I just finished for my teaching class about my philosophy of education. I've copied and pasted it from my college discussion board.
As the unschooling mom of two boys, I would have to say the philosophy of education that resembles mine the most is progressive education. When I first began homeschooling Taliesin, I was not that familiar with what progressive education is - other than through passing statements about the Progressive Education Movement in my high school history. With what I did learn about, I assumed this educational philosophy led to uneducated students - those who graduated from high school and could not read or write. I have to say that observing and working with my sons and other children changed my mind. When we first began homeschooling Taliesin, I tried a very traditional, perennial, essential apprach. Those structured days often ended with Taliesin upset and me frustrated. That's when I discovered Home Education Magazine at the public library. Although a secular magazine, I was intrigued by what it called child-directed learning. I did more and more research. I slowly began giving Taliesin choices over how and what he wanted to learn. The more choices I gave, the more he flourished and learned. Then I discovered John Holt, the educator who coined the phrase unschooling. He began to make me think in different ways about education. I read in his first book How Children Fail about his observations from his own teaching experiences that children are sometimes too afraid to learn. He writes,
"The other day I decided to talk to the other section about what happens when you don't understand what is going on... I said, 'What do you think, what goes through your mind, when the teacher asks you a question and you don't know the answer?' It was a bombshell. Instantly a paralyzed silence fell on the room. Everyone stared at me with what I have learned to recognize as a tense expression. For a long time there wasn't a sound. Finally Ben, who is bolder than most, broke the tension, and also answered my question, by saying in a loud voice, 'Gulp!' He spoke for everyone... I was flabbergasted - to find this in a school which people think of as progressive; which does its best not to put pressure on little children; which does not give marks in the lower grades; which tries to keep children from feeling tht they're in some kind of a race. I asked them why they felt gulpish. They said they were afraid of failing, afraid of being kept back, afraid of being called stupid, afraid of feeling themselves stupid. Stupid. Why is it such a deadly insult to these children, almost the worst thing they can think of to call each other? Where do they learn this?" (How Children Fail, John Holt, pages 38-39).
Then I read his other books, such as How Children Learn and Instead of Education, in which he wrote, "The idea that everything important must be learned in school is very new. Until quite recently, most people understood very well that while some things might be learned best in school, others could be learned as well or better out of school and many could not be learned in school at all. They would have laughed at the idea that all knowledge and wisdom be found or put in classrooms and books. Even now, most of the people who think everything must be learned in school did not themselves learn there most of what they know" (Instead of Education, John Holt, page 10). I joined online discussion boards and chatted with unschooling parents. I researched Montessori schools, where children are encouraged to learn rather than feeling forced to. Perhaps, most importantly, I saw the results in my own sons. Taliesin went from not wanting to "do school" to learning and loving it. There are stories on my website, http://awalkintheparkunschoolinggroup.bravehost.com, and my blog, http://unschoolermom.blogspot.com/, about how Taliesin has thrived in a more progressive learning environment.
Perhaps the biggest criticism that I have found about the progressive movement is that is is rooted in relativism and and pragmatism. John Dewey was a well-known atheist. However, I learned many years ago that we do not have to agree with someone's beliefs in order to agree with some of their non-religious theories. I do not agree with Nathaniel Hawthorne's transcendental beliefs, but I love his literature and often find nuggets of truth within his works. Many argue that we are told in the Bible to train our children. While I do agree with this 100%, I also look to God, who is the ultimate Parent. God created us with free will. He gives us choices. He allows us to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. This is also what I allow my children. I do not want my sons to believe it is wrong to fail. They will get a wrong answer sometimes. They will not always succeed. They will not always come in first place. There will be things that they try that they will ultimately fail in. Such is life. Such is unschooling - learning from real life.
Kandy Crosby-Hastings
As the unschooling mom of two boys, I would have to say the philosophy of education that resembles mine the most is progressive education. When I first began homeschooling Taliesin, I was not that familiar with what progressive education is - other than through passing statements about the Progressive Education Movement in my high school history. With what I did learn about, I assumed this educational philosophy led to uneducated students - those who graduated from high school and could not read or write. I have to say that observing and working with my sons and other children changed my mind. When we first began homeschooling Taliesin, I tried a very traditional, perennial, essential apprach. Those structured days often ended with Taliesin upset and me frustrated. That's when I discovered Home Education Magazine at the public library. Although a secular magazine, I was intrigued by what it called child-directed learning. I did more and more research. I slowly began giving Taliesin choices over how and what he wanted to learn. The more choices I gave, the more he flourished and learned. Then I discovered John Holt, the educator who coined the phrase unschooling. He began to make me think in different ways about education. I read in his first book How Children Fail about his observations from his own teaching experiences that children are sometimes too afraid to learn. He writes,
"The other day I decided to talk to the other section about what happens when you don't understand what is going on... I said, 'What do you think, what goes through your mind, when the teacher asks you a question and you don't know the answer?' It was a bombshell. Instantly a paralyzed silence fell on the room. Everyone stared at me with what I have learned to recognize as a tense expression. For a long time there wasn't a sound. Finally Ben, who is bolder than most, broke the tension, and also answered my question, by saying in a loud voice, 'Gulp!' He spoke for everyone... I was flabbergasted - to find this in a school which people think of as progressive; which does its best not to put pressure on little children; which does not give marks in the lower grades; which tries to keep children from feeling tht they're in some kind of a race. I asked them why they felt gulpish. They said they were afraid of failing, afraid of being kept back, afraid of being called stupid, afraid of feeling themselves stupid. Stupid. Why is it such a deadly insult to these children, almost the worst thing they can think of to call each other? Where do they learn this?" (How Children Fail, John Holt, pages 38-39).
Then I read his other books, such as How Children Learn and Instead of Education, in which he wrote, "The idea that everything important must be learned in school is very new. Until quite recently, most people understood very well that while some things might be learned best in school, others could be learned as well or better out of school and many could not be learned in school at all. They would have laughed at the idea that all knowledge and wisdom be found or put in classrooms and books. Even now, most of the people who think everything must be learned in school did not themselves learn there most of what they know" (Instead of Education, John Holt, page 10). I joined online discussion boards and chatted with unschooling parents. I researched Montessori schools, where children are encouraged to learn rather than feeling forced to. Perhaps, most importantly, I saw the results in my own sons. Taliesin went from not wanting to "do school" to learning and loving it. There are stories on my website, http://awalkintheparkunschoolinggroup.bravehost.com, and my blog, http://unschoolermom.blogspot.com/, about how Taliesin has thrived in a more progressive learning environment.
Perhaps the biggest criticism that I have found about the progressive movement is that is is rooted in relativism and and pragmatism. John Dewey was a well-known atheist. However, I learned many years ago that we do not have to agree with someone's beliefs in order to agree with some of their non-religious theories. I do not agree with Nathaniel Hawthorne's transcendental beliefs, but I love his literature and often find nuggets of truth within his works. Many argue that we are told in the Bible to train our children. While I do agree with this 100%, I also look to God, who is the ultimate Parent. God created us with free will. He gives us choices. He allows us to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. This is also what I allow my children. I do not want my sons to believe it is wrong to fail. They will get a wrong answer sometimes. They will not always succeed. They will not always come in first place. There will be things that they try that they will ultimately fail in. Such is life. Such is unschooling - learning from real life.
Kandy Crosby-Hastings
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Traditional School Day...or not
This morning, Taliesin woke up wanting to do worksheets. When I asked them this morning what they wanted to do for school, Taliesin told me, "I want to go downstairs (to the schoolroom) and work on my Spider Man worksheets. So that's what we did. It's amazing that he's never done an addition worksheet before - we've added and subtracted in non-traditional ways like dropping cereal in one bowl and then changing it to another and adding (then subtracting by eating), adding toy cars on different levels of his toy car transporters, reading books that add and subtract pictures, etc. - but we've never done an addition worksheet before. But he didn't miss one of the problems. I guess that just goes to show that following the child's lead works! They are able to switch back and forth between non-traditional and traditional methods of education and learn both ways - whichever way interests them that day. We also did our flag salute this morning and our day of the week and weather chart. And Taliesin reviewed early telling time concepts with a toy, plastic clock and Nathanael reviewed number recognition and counting with the same.
Then it was off to building with Legos. I love Legos. They really do teach early math concepts in a fun way. They're also great for kids learning their colors and learning to count - not to mention hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills. After that, Taliesin and Nathanael were off and playing with whatever caught their fancy - toy cars, toy dishes, playing like the floor under the kitchen table was a fort, then a bedroom where they pretended to sleep.
Lastly, we read some Rugrats books. I've, personally, never been a fan of Rugrats. But anything can be turned into a lesson - both moral and educational.
Who knows what's next in our traditional... or not... school day? We'll see where Taliesin's and Nathanael's imagination and creativity take them.
Kandy
Then it was off to building with Legos. I love Legos. They really do teach early math concepts in a fun way. They're also great for kids learning their colors and learning to count - not to mention hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills. After that, Taliesin and Nathanael were off and playing with whatever caught their fancy - toy cars, toy dishes, playing like the floor under the kitchen table was a fort, then a bedroom where they pretended to sleep.
Lastly, we read some Rugrats books. I've, personally, never been a fan of Rugrats. But anything can be turned into a lesson - both moral and educational.
Who knows what's next in our traditional... or not... school day? We'll see where Taliesin's and Nathanael's imagination and creativity take them.
Kandy
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Subway's discrimination
Did anyone hear about Subway's discrimination? Here's the website to find out more:
http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/kids/contest.aspx
This homeschooling mom will be forwarding this to as many people as possible and contacting the Subway corporation on Tuesday.
Kandy
http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/kids/contest.aspx
This homeschooling mom will be forwarding this to as many people as possible and contacting the Subway corporation on Tuesday.
Kandy
Friday, May 23, 2008
Cleaning carpets, educational theories
This evening, Taliesin and Nathanael enjoyed helping me shampoo our living room carpets. Taliesin told me, "I'm a good helper." I told him he definitely is. It looks pretty good. I really like this carpet, it's the kind that's like a plush, but it's not. It's more like strings or thin rope. It's cream color, but it has grays and blacks varigated throughout it. Doesn't show much of the dirt, which is nice with a three year old, a five year old, two dogs, five cats, and two adults living here. There was a magic marker line that I kept hidden with a table - courtesy of Nathanael. It came up. And there was a purple stain from where a popcicle melted. It came right up as well. And at least Taliesin and Nathanael enjoyed helping. That's one of the most important thing - after all, such is unschooling. :^)
Speaking of schooling (or the lack thereof), I have been responding to many of the posts for this week's college assignment. This week, we all had to read an article from a professional journal on the subject of diversity in the classroom and post the essay on our class discussion board. I chose to do mine on a topic that I think is a good start for reforming schools - equity schools. Equity schools combine traditional and progressive education tactics to reach students in need - either students from low income households, students of color, students whose first language is not English, etc. The article mentioned that the goal is for all schools to eventually follow this teaching pattern. Wouldn't that be a positive change - with schools the way they are now, focused on testing in mathematics and reading while ignoring creative subjects such as music and art? I have had one response to my original posting. There seems to be one other student who is seeing the beauty of allowing children to follow their interests. Her essay was written on the subject of literacy - and a new program that some teachers have instigated to encourage children to read more and more proficiently. Some teachers are allowing their students to pick books (readers) that are written about topics that interest them for their reading in the classroom. I think that is also a good start - children learn so much more by following their own interests. I think many of the other students are more in the mode of public school thinking more than homeschool thinking. But, then, most of them are studying to be teachers in either public or private schools. So that is to be expected. They probably think I'm from Mars when I write about child-directed learning and progressive education; but my hope is that it will spark some good discussion.
Speaking of college, I think while Taliesin and Nathanael are downstairs eating pizza and watching Dumbo, waiting for the carpet upstairs to dry; I shall do some of my reading assignment and take my last quiz for the week once Kelsey gets home from work.
Kandy
Speaking of schooling (or the lack thereof), I have been responding to many of the posts for this week's college assignment. This week, we all had to read an article from a professional journal on the subject of diversity in the classroom and post the essay on our class discussion board. I chose to do mine on a topic that I think is a good start for reforming schools - equity schools. Equity schools combine traditional and progressive education tactics to reach students in need - either students from low income households, students of color, students whose first language is not English, etc. The article mentioned that the goal is for all schools to eventually follow this teaching pattern. Wouldn't that be a positive change - with schools the way they are now, focused on testing in mathematics and reading while ignoring creative subjects such as music and art? I have had one response to my original posting. There seems to be one other student who is seeing the beauty of allowing children to follow their interests. Her essay was written on the subject of literacy - and a new program that some teachers have instigated to encourage children to read more and more proficiently. Some teachers are allowing their students to pick books (readers) that are written about topics that interest them for their reading in the classroom. I think that is also a good start - children learn so much more by following their own interests. I think many of the other students are more in the mode of public school thinking more than homeschool thinking. But, then, most of them are studying to be teachers in either public or private schools. So that is to be expected. They probably think I'm from Mars when I write about child-directed learning and progressive education; but my hope is that it will spark some good discussion.
Speaking of college, I think while Taliesin and Nathanael are downstairs eating pizza and watching Dumbo, waiting for the carpet upstairs to dry; I shall do some of my reading assignment and take my last quiz for the week once Kelsey gets home from work.
Kandy
Thursday, May 22, 2008
College Yearbook
My college yearbook came today! I love it! I love reading about what's going on at Liberty! I definitely have lots of school spirit - both for my college and Taliesin's and Nathanael's school! I love it that they included us distance learning students as well! I think I'll take it to work and show it to people there tonight. (Maybe they'll understand why I'm so excited about college that way). :^)
Kandy
Kandy
Monday, May 19, 2008
Prince Caspian
I think I have a movie to add to my favorites list. Tonight, Kelsey and I went to see Prince Caspian. I don't think I've cried this hard during a movie since The Passion of the Christ. The message of totally relying on God really spoke to me. (Is it any wonder that when I read a short devotional tonight, the Passage spoke about trusting God totally?) Here lately, I've been upset because I feel like an outsider a lot. But, to quote loosely Prince Caspian, "Can't you come alone?" ... to God, that is. We will feel like outsiders sometimes. That's okay. Sometimes others will not see Jesus standing there. We need to trust Him.
Kandy
Kandy
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Recycle, recycle, recycle
My sister told me a cute story about Taliesin tonight. Apparently when I was at work tonight, he wanted some spaghetti-ohs. My sister asked him if she should wash out the can to save it for him (we've been doing tons of recycled art). She said Taliesin seriously looked her and told her she should save it, but that his daddy just will not listen to him. Daddy needs to recycle, but he keeps throwing things away. He (daddy) just would not listen to him (Taliesin). :^)
Kandy
Kandy
Schedules or lack thereof
Am I the only one who does not do schedules? I mean, yes, I have to be to work at a certain time. Yes, we do have appointments every now and then. When we have the unschooling group, we set at time for everyone to meet. But am I the only one who does not have a set get up time, a set eating time, a set playing time with boys, a set "school" time with them, a set going to bed time? Taliesin and Nathanael are really enjoying playing with the little girl across the street. Whenever she calls to see if they can play, if I say we have to do something first, she always asks, "What time then?" I feel so bad when I tell her, "I don't know. I'll have to call you." I know most people do set times and do schedules, but it just does not work for us. Is there anyone else out there like us? LOL.
Kandy
Kandy
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Conversations...
Today I took Taliesin and Nathanael to the library, then to the park. When they swing, my sons always like to help me recite the poem "The Swing." This led to the conversation about why the poem calls the earth "brown," when the grass is green. So we talked about all of the different colors mentioned in the poem. This then led Taliesin to ask me, "Why do we live on earth?" I answered, "That's where God created us to be" and recited Genesis 1:1 to him. This prompted him to ask, "Where is Heaven?" I told him Heaven is where God is. He asked, "How do we get to Heaven?" I told him we believe in Jesus. (We've had several conversations about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins - so much so that when Kelsey tossed a box that I wanted for recycled art the other night, Taliesin looked at him and said, "That's why Jesus died on the cross!") He then asked, "Where is Heaven on the map?" I explained that Heaven is not on a map, it's a special place. He insisted, "Heaven is on a map." So I finally told him that I guess we could consider the Bible a map to Heaven. He was satisfied with that....
Kandy
Kandy
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Unschooling Misconceptions
A few months ago, I did a presentation on Christian unschooling at our local homeschooling group meeting. So many people commented that I cleared up a lot of misconceptions about unschooling. It was a nice feeling.
Fast forward to tonight at work. I had an interesting conversation with the manger. Kelsey brought Taliesin and Nathanael into work tonight to order a kid's meal for Taliesin. It was pretty cute. Nathanael wanted to come back to drive-thru to help me. :^) It was a very nice surprise to see my three favorite guys. :^) Anyway, when they left, I asked the manager if he had noticed their t-shirts. They designed them themselves with splotches of t-shirt paint a few days ago. I then wrote each of their names and "A Walk in the Park School" in t-shirt paint on each one of them. He told me he had not noticed. I told him that they had made them in school. He jokingingly asked me what, "Kandy's Recreational School?" I answered, "No, A Walk in the Park School." He then told me that they do not go to school because we unschool. I tried to explain that unschooling is actually just natural learning, child-directed learning, learning by following one's own interests. But the conversation was too short-lived for much explanation. A little while later, I asked my manager if he had ever heard of progressive education. He said he had. I quickly explained it is a lot like unschooling. He said he knows, but that's about as far as the conversation went. I still think there may be some misconceptions even to people that hear on a regular basis what fun learning experiences Taliesin and Nathanael are having. I honestly think it's perfectly natural for people who were public schooled to not understand unschooling. It does take a while to get out of the public school mode of thinking. Even people that are pro-homeschooling (possibly like my manager) sometimes have a hard time wrapping their minds around child-directed learning and differentiating between not learning at all and learning naturally.
Oh, well, regardless of others' opinions, I won't change mine unless God directs me to. I truly believe this is the best way to educate Taliesin and Nathanael. (And it provides some interesting things for me, too).
Kandy
Fast forward to tonight at work. I had an interesting conversation with the manger. Kelsey brought Taliesin and Nathanael into work tonight to order a kid's meal for Taliesin. It was pretty cute. Nathanael wanted to come back to drive-thru to help me. :^) It was a very nice surprise to see my three favorite guys. :^) Anyway, when they left, I asked the manager if he had noticed their t-shirts. They designed them themselves with splotches of t-shirt paint a few days ago. I then wrote each of their names and "A Walk in the Park School" in t-shirt paint on each one of them. He told me he had not noticed. I told him that they had made them in school. He jokingingly asked me what, "Kandy's Recreational School?" I answered, "No, A Walk in the Park School." He then told me that they do not go to school because we unschool. I tried to explain that unschooling is actually just natural learning, child-directed learning, learning by following one's own interests. But the conversation was too short-lived for much explanation. A little while later, I asked my manager if he had ever heard of progressive education. He said he had. I quickly explained it is a lot like unschooling. He said he knows, but that's about as far as the conversation went. I still think there may be some misconceptions even to people that hear on a regular basis what fun learning experiences Taliesin and Nathanael are having. I honestly think it's perfectly natural for people who were public schooled to not understand unschooling. It does take a while to get out of the public school mode of thinking. Even people that are pro-homeschooling (possibly like my manager) sometimes have a hard time wrapping their minds around child-directed learning and differentiating between not learning at all and learning naturally.
Oh, well, regardless of others' opinions, I won't change mine unless God directs me to. I truly believe this is the best way to educate Taliesin and Nathanael. (And it provides some interesting things for me, too).
Kandy
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Pizza Day
Today was finally our pizza day for the unschooling group. We've been planning this for like two months now, but everytime we planned, something would stop it. The kids had lots of fun. We made our own pizzas, and while they cooled, we went to CiCi's and ate pizza there. Then the kids were able to take their homemade pizzas home to eat and share for supper.
The past two days have really been busy for us - we took Taliesin and Nathanael and a neighbor girl to the park a few blocks away yesterday. And we met our new neighbors. We found out the mom next door is planning to homeschool her two children. And she's from Panama, her little girl is bilingual. So they are going to help Taliesin with his Spanish. He's very excited. He started taking a Spanish class from the local homeschooling co-op; but the class was cancelled the second semester due to lack of participation. He was pretty upset with that. He really enjoyed the hands-on games and activities that they did. We've been continuing it at home since then. But he's very excited that the little girl next door, who is just a year younger than he is, speaks Spanish, and he wants to learn even more now!
One thing I've noticed with Taliesin is that sometimes his curious and talkative ways seem to push away some other kids. Taliesin is so inquisitive. He loves observing nature and asking questions about why things happen. Some kids love it. He has a few really good friends, and he makes new friends a lot. Like yesterday with the little girl next door. They really hit it off. But other kids just seem to look at him like "Are you from another planet?" He enjoys pointing out the simple things in life - a flower blooming, a baby bird, or a rolly polly bug. He loves being a "daddy" to his stuffed toys, but still enjoys rough and tumble little boy play. I think sometimes other kids just find his personality different. They don't really care about the things he cares about. Sometimes it upsets him, but most of the time, he just goes right on. I hope he never loses that sensitivity and caring. Nathanael, right now, seems to become friends with everyone. He also has interests like Taliesin's, but, maybe because he's only three, the other kids really don't seem to mind. I really noticed that today with the unschooling group. The other kids seemed to bond together, but Taliesin was more of an outsider. They still played with him and were not mean to him at all. They're great kids, and I'm happy we've met them and are able to be involved in activities with them. It's a great learning experience for all of them. But Taliesin doesn't really "fit in" with them as much. Not that that's a bad thing, I guess. We all have people that we fit in with better than others.
I guess maybe I noticed more today because I have been having some of the same feelings about myself lately. I'm a very social person. But I have noticed here lately that some of the people that I socialize with - especially at work - seem to have become uninterested in what I feel is important. I think a lot of it is because I'm very immersed in my college right now. I'm very excited over what I'm doing in my college, but most others are not. I try not to talk about it a lot to them; but it really does make me feel like an outsider.
Anyway, today was a great day, nonetheless. All of the kids had fun, which is really when real learning takes place!
Kandy
The past two days have really been busy for us - we took Taliesin and Nathanael and a neighbor girl to the park a few blocks away yesterday. And we met our new neighbors. We found out the mom next door is planning to homeschool her two children. And she's from Panama, her little girl is bilingual. So they are going to help Taliesin with his Spanish. He's very excited. He started taking a Spanish class from the local homeschooling co-op; but the class was cancelled the second semester due to lack of participation. He was pretty upset with that. He really enjoyed the hands-on games and activities that they did. We've been continuing it at home since then. But he's very excited that the little girl next door, who is just a year younger than he is, speaks Spanish, and he wants to learn even more now!
One thing I've noticed with Taliesin is that sometimes his curious and talkative ways seem to push away some other kids. Taliesin is so inquisitive. He loves observing nature and asking questions about why things happen. Some kids love it. He has a few really good friends, and he makes new friends a lot. Like yesterday with the little girl next door. They really hit it off. But other kids just seem to look at him like "Are you from another planet?" He enjoys pointing out the simple things in life - a flower blooming, a baby bird, or a rolly polly bug. He loves being a "daddy" to his stuffed toys, but still enjoys rough and tumble little boy play. I think sometimes other kids just find his personality different. They don't really care about the things he cares about. Sometimes it upsets him, but most of the time, he just goes right on. I hope he never loses that sensitivity and caring. Nathanael, right now, seems to become friends with everyone. He also has interests like Taliesin's, but, maybe because he's only three, the other kids really don't seem to mind. I really noticed that today with the unschooling group. The other kids seemed to bond together, but Taliesin was more of an outsider. They still played with him and were not mean to him at all. They're great kids, and I'm happy we've met them and are able to be involved in activities with them. It's a great learning experience for all of them. But Taliesin doesn't really "fit in" with them as much. Not that that's a bad thing, I guess. We all have people that we fit in with better than others.
I guess maybe I noticed more today because I have been having some of the same feelings about myself lately. I'm a very social person. But I have noticed here lately that some of the people that I socialize with - especially at work - seem to have become uninterested in what I feel is important. I think a lot of it is because I'm very immersed in my college right now. I'm very excited over what I'm doing in my college, but most others are not. I try not to talk about it a lot to them; but it really does make me feel like an outsider.
Anyway, today was a great day, nonetheless. All of the kids had fun, which is really when real learning takes place!
Kandy
Monday, May 12, 2008
Fun Day
Today was such a fun day for Taliesin and Nathanael. First they made a house out of our living room couch and gathered stuffed toys to live in their house. LOL. Then we made t-shirts. Taliesin globbed some paint on one of his and said it was Noah's Flood. Then on another, he dotted it, then spread it and smashed it. It almost looks tie-dyed. Nathanael just had fun spreading paint all over his. :^) After that, we made some recycled art projects for Taliesin's 4-H. His creativity always amazes me. Today he made a train station out of a lid to a cardboard box, cans, and a drink carrier from a fast food place. Then he made railroad tracks out of Q-tips and a train out of a small box and Q-tips. He also made a crane out of boxes and ribbon and some kind of a big gas tank out of cans. I haven't figured out that one yet, but I'm sure he'll explain it to me. After that, we invited our little neighbor girl from across the street to come over and play. The played hopscotch, blew bubbles, played in the dirt, and jumped on the trampoline. Then we all went to the park after Kelsey came home from work. After that, I gave our neighbor a guitar lesson. Taliesin and Nathanael are both asleep right now - late naps, definitely, but they worked and played hard today. :^)
Now on to my college assignment while I have some time to myself.
Kandy
Now on to my college assignment while I have some time to myself.
Kandy
Movies...
My cousin has the coolest MySpace page! I was just looking at it again. One of the things she has is her list of favorite movies. My blog will never be as great as hers, but I thought it would be fun to list mine, too. If anyone wants to take me up on this and list theirs, I'd love to read them!
Top 10 Favorites:
10. The Village - Kelsey tells me this movie is boring, but I don't think so. I think it's deep - theologically. We cannot run from our own nature.
9. Sweeny Todd - gotta love this movie. What's not to love? Johnny Depp is fabulous as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. And I love the message - revenge doesn't pay.
8. Queen of the Damned - my all-time favorite vampire movie. And I love vampire movies. I thought Stuart Townsend made an excellent LaStat (better than Tom Cruise, in my opinion).
7. The Passion of the Christ - in my opinion the best movie on the life of Christ. This one made me cry. My favorite scene is the beginning one - when Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemene and Satan as the snake coils around His feet in a moment of temptation. Then, calling to mind the first Messianic prophecy in Genesis, Jesus crushes the head of the snake. Wow! So powerful!
6. Signs - I was pregnant with Taliesin when I first saw this movie. There were so many emotions (and hormones) running through me at that time, I cried at the end when Mel Gibson's character decided to go back to being a priest. I still love the deep meaning of this movie!
5. Stigmata - this is the movie that got Kelsey and I together. We watched this movie together at his apartment, and he kissed me when he dropped me off at home.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - although my least favorite of the Pirate movies, it's still on my list.
3. The Order - in my opinion, Heath Ledger's best movie, although it wasn't a blockbuster. I could watch this movie over and over. Heath was fabulous in this, as in all of his movies that I've seen; but I think this one revealed a lot about his own character. He always reminded me of a spiritual seeker, like his character in the movie. And now that I just finished studying the Caroligian Renaissance of Charlemagne's time era in my college history class, I love this movie even more - with how it plays on history!
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - the one that started it out - and made me a Pirate fan. Strange thing is, I didn't think it looked that good. I didn't even really want to see it. Kelsey bought the DVD when it came out, and I was hooked!
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - I LOVE this movie! What else can I say? It's great!
Top 10 Favorites:
10. The Village - Kelsey tells me this movie is boring, but I don't think so. I think it's deep - theologically. We cannot run from our own nature.
9. Sweeny Todd - gotta love this movie. What's not to love? Johnny Depp is fabulous as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. And I love the message - revenge doesn't pay.
8. Queen of the Damned - my all-time favorite vampire movie. And I love vampire movies. I thought Stuart Townsend made an excellent LaStat (better than Tom Cruise, in my opinion).
7. The Passion of the Christ - in my opinion the best movie on the life of Christ. This one made me cry. My favorite scene is the beginning one - when Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemene and Satan as the snake coils around His feet in a moment of temptation. Then, calling to mind the first Messianic prophecy in Genesis, Jesus crushes the head of the snake. Wow! So powerful!
6. Signs - I was pregnant with Taliesin when I first saw this movie. There were so many emotions (and hormones) running through me at that time, I cried at the end when Mel Gibson's character decided to go back to being a priest. I still love the deep meaning of this movie!
5. Stigmata - this is the movie that got Kelsey and I together. We watched this movie together at his apartment, and he kissed me when he dropped me off at home.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - although my least favorite of the Pirate movies, it's still on my list.
3. The Order - in my opinion, Heath Ledger's best movie, although it wasn't a blockbuster. I could watch this movie over and over. Heath was fabulous in this, as in all of his movies that I've seen; but I think this one revealed a lot about his own character. He always reminded me of a spiritual seeker, like his character in the movie. And now that I just finished studying the Caroligian Renaissance of Charlemagne's time era in my college history class, I love this movie even more - with how it plays on history!
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - the one that started it out - and made me a Pirate fan. Strange thing is, I didn't think it looked that good. I didn't even really want to see it. Kelsey bought the DVD when it came out, and I was hooked!
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - I LOVE this movie! What else can I say? It's great!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there!
We didn't make it to church this morning. Taliesin is just getting over yet another ear infection. I think his allergies have been bothering him more because we've been doing so much "schooling" or unschooling, depending on the viewpoint, outside - gardening, planting flowers, playing outside with their toy construction equipment, park days, reading outside, walks, etc. And a couple of days ago, I fell in Hobby Lobby's parking lot and hurt my foot. I had to work last night and do again tonight. Last night, it was pretty swollen and very, very sore after work. So I'm trying to stay off of it as much as I can today before work.
Kelsey, Taliesin, and Nathanael got me a pretty St. Francis statue for the flower garden for Mother's Day. I love St. Francis statues. I'm not Catholic, but I love St. Francis and St. Patrick. If I were Catholic, I guess I'd have to have two patron saints. LOL.
Anyway, hope everyone has a good Mother's Day!
Kandy
We didn't make it to church this morning. Taliesin is just getting over yet another ear infection. I think his allergies have been bothering him more because we've been doing so much "schooling" or unschooling, depending on the viewpoint, outside - gardening, planting flowers, playing outside with their toy construction equipment, park days, reading outside, walks, etc. And a couple of days ago, I fell in Hobby Lobby's parking lot and hurt my foot. I had to work last night and do again tonight. Last night, it was pretty swollen and very, very sore after work. So I'm trying to stay off of it as much as I can today before work.
Kelsey, Taliesin, and Nathanael got me a pretty St. Francis statue for the flower garden for Mother's Day. I love St. Francis statues. I'm not Catholic, but I love St. Francis and St. Patrick. If I were Catholic, I guess I'd have to have two patron saints. LOL.
Anyway, hope everyone has a good Mother's Day!
Kandy
Friday, May 9, 2008
Finals Finally Finalized
Well, my finals are finally finished for this eight weeks of college. I ended up with a B average in both classes. Not the A I was hoping for, but it could be worse, I guess. Now next week, I start my first education class. I'm excited. I've looked ahead. I'm looking forward to week five, in which I get to say which teaching philosophy fits me best. Maybe I'll have a chance to quote John Holt in my answer. :^) This first week, I've already answered the discussion board question. It asked what my experience is working with children, what my goals are for taking this course, etc. I had to answer honestly. I'm working on this course to start my education credits in case there are any changes in homeschooling laws in the near or distant future (like with the Presidential elections). I'll see what they say. :^)
Kandy
Kandy
Thursday, May 8, 2008
More on the Spanking Issue...
This is such a hot topic to debate. I sometimes dislike discussing it on the unschooling lists. There are good people on both sides of the debate, and I definitely do not want to offend anyone. But I wanted to post here in case anyone would like to take up the debate here. I have heard arguments that many people feel it is okay to discipline their children by spanking with an object. I have likened that to slavery in the South. Slave owners felt it was their right to own slaves, often based on a misinterpretation of Scripture. Just like today, people feel it is their right to discipline "with a rod," based on what many believe is a misinterpretation of Scripture. I cannot see the difference between making slavery illegal and making hitting children with an object illegal. Just an idea if anyone is interested in taking me up on this. :^)
Kandy
Kandy
When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
Most people know I have a fondness for the poem "When You Thought I Wasn't Looking." Yesterday, my five-year old taught me that. When we go someplace that my sons are not allowed to explore with their hands, I tell them, "These things are nice to look at, but we do not touch." Yesterday, my sons were building with their Legos. My five-year old made a castle and told me, "Mom, this is to look at, not to touch." :^)
Kandy
Kandy
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Wow! What Opinions Come...
If anyone has been following the spanking legislation in California, there are some obvious passionate feelings from those who believe it is okay to spank a child with an object. I'm having a debate on one of the unschooling discussion boards about this. Some are able to simply state their opinions. Others feel it is their duty to try to change the other person's. I, personally, like to hear both sides of the debate. I have tried to have those who are against the legislation explain to me why. The way I see it is it is illegal for a husband to hit his wife, for an employer to hit an employee, for a prison guard to hit an prisoner - why is a child any different? But the only answer I can seem to get is the limit this would be against parental rights, would be government control, and spanking is a form of discipline. I wish I could get some straight answers.
Kandy
Kandy
Monday, May 5, 2008
Disturbing Trend in Parental Rights
Anyone who knows me knows I stand up for the rights of parents. But I think this is taking parental rights to an extreme. In the state of California, there is a law in process that would make spanking a child with an object illegal. Many parents are saying it is against their parental rights to not be able to discipline their children by using an object - a folded newspaper, a rod, at paddle, whatever. I do not think this particular law is taking away parental rights. There are so many other ways to discipline children without causing them extreme physical pain! I definitely hope this law passes!
Fun Rainy Day Activities
These are some of the things Taliesin and Nathanael thought of doing on this rainy, cool day:
1. Read The Cat in the Hat
2. Read Bird Children poetry
3. Play board games
4. Build with Legos
5. Watch Thomas and the Magic Railroad DVD
6. Read Thoms the Tank Engine poetry
7. Play with toy trains
8. Change our weather sign to rainy
9. Watch the birds eating from the birdfeeders
10. Study weather books, particularly ones on rain and cumulus clouds
11. Talk about how the rain is helping our gardens to grow
Kandy
1. Read The Cat in the Hat
2. Read Bird Children poetry
3. Play board games
4. Build with Legos
5. Watch Thomas and the Magic Railroad DVD
6. Read Thoms the Tank Engine poetry
7. Play with toy trains
8. Change our weather sign to rainy
9. Watch the birds eating from the birdfeeders
10. Study weather books, particularly ones on rain and cumulus clouds
11. Talk about how the rain is helping our gardens to grow
Kandy
Saturday, May 3, 2008
May Day, Talent Show, and More...
The past few days have been a blur. On Thursday, Taliesin and Nathanael had so much fun making and delivering May baskets for May Day. We went to seven of our neighbors. They thought it was so funny to ring the doorbell and then run!
The past couple of days, most of our school has been preparing for Taliesin's talent show at church. He decided he wanted to put mandolin music to the book Amanda and the Magic Garden. He had a blast deciding where the music should be soft and where it should be bold and exciting. And he even painted a big picture of the giant vegetables in Amanda's garden. That was a part of the talent for the show, too. Tonight was the big night. Taliesin has never been one to do things in front of people. He does not like to have a big deal made out of things. So I wasn't sure how he would do. I'm glad the church had the contest downstairs in the fellowship hall and that there were a few others ahead of us. That made the setting a lot more intimate than the church sanctuary, and Taliesin was able to see that it was okay to go on the stage and do something in front of people. He did such a good job! He was a little nervous at first. He wanted to play the C chord and couldn't remember exactly what the fingering was. When I showed him, his hand was so tight on the neck of the mandolin. He loosened up a lot, though, once I started reading the story and he could use his imagination in music again. :^) He's definitely my creative boy! I love watching him use his imagination.
All of the entrants tonight were really great. I enjoyed it a lot! I'm glad we were able to be a part of it! I even got in on the action a little and played a short version of "Cripple Creek" in between acts. Do you know how long it's been since I've had the chance to play the mandolin? It was so much fun! I want to find out if there is still a jam session here in Salina. I used to go to that a lot when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. I really think Taliesin and Nathanael would love it! It would give Taliesin the chance to listen to other musicians and play along. And Nathanael loves music of any kind. He recently won a Red Grammer CD from the art center. He loves listening to it and dancing. He keeps perfect time. I wish I had his timing!
Well, next week is my last week of my Theology 202 and European History courses for college. I love both of these courses a lot! They have really expanded my knowledge! I'm not really looking foward to them ending, and I'm definitely not looking forward to finals next week. Midterms and finals are the two parts of college I really get stressed about. Right now, there is just so little time to study for them. But I'll do my best. That's all I can do. I usually do a lot better on them than I think I will. That's always a plus. :^)
Speaking of studying, I need to get back into history.
Kandy
The past couple of days, most of our school has been preparing for Taliesin's talent show at church. He decided he wanted to put mandolin music to the book Amanda and the Magic Garden. He had a blast deciding where the music should be soft and where it should be bold and exciting. And he even painted a big picture of the giant vegetables in Amanda's garden. That was a part of the talent for the show, too. Tonight was the big night. Taliesin has never been one to do things in front of people. He does not like to have a big deal made out of things. So I wasn't sure how he would do. I'm glad the church had the contest downstairs in the fellowship hall and that there were a few others ahead of us. That made the setting a lot more intimate than the church sanctuary, and Taliesin was able to see that it was okay to go on the stage and do something in front of people. He did such a good job! He was a little nervous at first. He wanted to play the C chord and couldn't remember exactly what the fingering was. When I showed him, his hand was so tight on the neck of the mandolin. He loosened up a lot, though, once I started reading the story and he could use his imagination in music again. :^) He's definitely my creative boy! I love watching him use his imagination.
All of the entrants tonight were really great. I enjoyed it a lot! I'm glad we were able to be a part of it! I even got in on the action a little and played a short version of "Cripple Creek" in between acts. Do you know how long it's been since I've had the chance to play the mandolin? It was so much fun! I want to find out if there is still a jam session here in Salina. I used to go to that a lot when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. I really think Taliesin and Nathanael would love it! It would give Taliesin the chance to listen to other musicians and play along. And Nathanael loves music of any kind. He recently won a Red Grammer CD from the art center. He loves listening to it and dancing. He keeps perfect time. I wish I had his timing!
Well, next week is my last week of my Theology 202 and European History courses for college. I love both of these courses a lot! They have really expanded my knowledge! I'm not really looking foward to them ending, and I'm definitely not looking forward to finals next week. Midterms and finals are the two parts of college I really get stressed about. Right now, there is just so little time to study for them. But I'll do my best. That's all I can do. I usually do a lot better on them than I think I will. That's always a plus. :^)
Speaking of studying, I need to get back into history.
Kandy
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