Reason #362 - REAL tests

We love our homeschooling journey. I love our time together as a family. I love the closeness I feel to my kids, and that they have with each other. We love the freedom to come and go as we please and study what our passions and interests dictate. But none of this is any academic measurement of success.

As a homeschooler, I have seen first hand that standardized tests are no better measurement of academic understanding either. We "follow" (swerve in and out of) a k12 curriculum for science and history and I have noticed as I help my kids through them that sometimes the tests fail to ask about concepts that have been my kids' favorites, and other times, they ask questions with one confusing word that might demonstrate to any teacher not paying attention that the concept has been missed, when it's only a poorly written question that is the problem. So if tests are no good for measuring, neither are grades which are made up of tests and scores.

So I've wondered if there was some intermediate measurement that would work before my kids ultimately enter the workforce where the market will pay them what they think their skill and store of knowledge is worth. Found a GREAT measuring concept in one of my most influential books,  John Holt's How Children Fail.

"I feel I understand something if I can do some, at least, of the following: 1) state it in my own words; 2)give examples of it; 3) recognize it in various guises and circumstances; 4) see connections between it and other facts or ideas; 5) make use of it in various ways; 6) foresee some of it's consequences; 7) state its opposite or converse. This list is only a beginning...."

Yay! I've tried to describe this idea before as knowledge my kids "own." Holt calls it "real learning as opposed to apparent learning."

Holt says schools fail to make a distinction. "According to many of them, if you can say that 7X8=56, you know all there is to know about that particular fact.... The only difference between the mathematician and the child is that the mathematician carries around in his head many more such facts. So to make children into mathematicians all we have to do is train them, condition them, until they can say many such facts. Teach them to say everything that Einstein knew, and hey, presto! another Einstein!"

He contrasts this viewpoint with the following: "A child who has really learned something can use it, and does use it. It is connected with reality in his mind, therefore he can make other connections between it and reality when the chance comes. A piece of unreal learning has no hooks on it; it can't be attached to anything, it is of no use to the learner."

I suppose my challenge now will be to continue the knowledge journey with this clearer vision in mind. Of course, joining the knowledge journey is the best way to make sure it's happening. The lives, games, imaginations, conversations of my kids will all reveal what knowledge and understanding is really theirs. But I was glad to read a fuller picture of what I'm looking and going for!

Reason # 281 - Individualized Learning Schedule

Thought I'd share here some thoughts I recorded a year or so ago. Here they are:

Thoreau said, "The life which men praise and regard as successful is but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of others."

My non-reading 5 yr old just said, "Arthur is our silent King. Nunnies are his passion."

(Arthur is the new baby in our home. "Nunnies" is our family word for nursing.)

Can it be said that the language skill that is required of 5 yr olds in the schools is but one kind? I'm not suggesting that illiteracy is a good life-long condition. Nor am I suggesting that one can't both read and be creatively expressive. I AM saying this is yet another reason why I'm glad I homeschool: I can enjoy and encourage the strengths my children DO exhibit without fretting about the ones they haven't mastered, yet.

In school she would be "behind." In our home she can be the girl who makes us laugh with the outrageous things she says. She can be our family's poet laureate. And when she begins to read, and begins to spell correctly (she spells all day after her own fashion), she'll really have something to tell the world.

"The standards and benchmarks and skill sets the schools praise are but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of others?" 

Reason #384: Prolonged Pretending

I remember pretending as a child. Do you? For me, that is huge because without these memories of what I was imagining, I'd hardly remember childhood at all. I remember things like the contents of my own dress-up box. There were chiffon curtains, dresses my mom had made for herself in high school, a bassinet skirt. I loved being a pioneer and a princess best. Interestingly, I was always a troubled princess. I was orphaned, or I was running away from beastly parents and my bike was my horse. Or I was being made to clean like Cinderella. In fact, I probably WAS being made to clean. But when I pretended I was being MADE to clean, the task didn't seem so bad.

In fact, I had games like that for boring tests at school. I lived in some future world where everything life-like was artificial and, though I was a child, it was my job to sit at a desk and do dull paperwork, just as I imagined adults do. Come to think of it, that isn't too far off reality either.

I remember lamenting to my mother that my friends weren't fun anymore because they had grown out of pretending. (I guess they weren't up for fastening a bassinet skirt around their waists, loading up a plastic toboggan with other dress-ups, snacks, and maybe a little brother, and trekking "west" across the soccer field to the promised land anymore.) Then my mother did something that makes the top 5 list of kind things she did for me (that I noticed and can remember) as a child: she surprised me by inviting a good friend over that had moved across town who hadn't yet forgotten how to pretend.

Somehow I've grown up into an adult whose pretender is mostly broken. Yes, I wear a princess dress to the Renaissance Faire, yes, I volunteered at a historical re-enactment site just to get the pioneer dress and house to hang out in, but it's not the same as it was when I was a child. I think I know, am too aware, that everyone else's pretender is broken too.

My girls have not yet grown into that awareness. (Maybe it's dawning on my oldest boy.... Sad.) Anyway, my older daughter, around Christmas time, was listening to The Nutcraker and swirling and whirling and so very gracefully performing for me. And I was an enchanted audience, I must say. Then she suddenly paused the performance to ask, "Mom, are you imagining what I'm imagining?" (I wasn't, but was happy to hear what it was she was imagining - that she was surrounded by a swirling corps de ballet - and add her vision to my enjoyment.)

Her question, however, reveals that her imaginings are almost so real that anyone could see them. Such power! Perhaps because I remember those days, perhaps because I lament, and even remember lamenting their loss, this power of imagination is something we reverence (as much as we can, but perhaps not as much as we should) around here. I can't help but feel, when I see my girls deep into worlds and scenarios of their own creation, that some very important work is going on. Work not to be interrupted.

Emerson, in his essay titled "The American Scholar," wrote, "Genius looks forward; the eyes of man are set in his forehead, not his hind head; man hopes; genius creates."

And, "Whatever talent may be, if the man create not, the pure efflux of the Deity is not his; cinders and smoke there may be, but not yet flame."

Finally, "The soul active sees absolute truth; and utters truth, or creates. In it's essence it is progression."

Though I don't fully understand the work of imagination, I get that it is real creation. Do I worry from time to time that in this subject or that, my kids may be "behind" their peers? Yes. But I'm in no hurry to fill their minds too soon with "facts" that I separate them from the genius that they already posses. That would be merely trading in a higher progression for a baser one. And though I can't say that I am giving my kids the most rigorous academic education going, I will say that I am giving them their childhood. And that feels like important work too.

Reason # 1 - SOCIALIZATION!

What!?! Did you read that right? So many view the issue of socialization as THE reason NOT to homeschool.

Whether you believe the socialization concern is a myth, as this article suggests (quoted here for your convenience:  ...tests typically evaluate four areas: cooperation, assertiveness, empathy, and self-control. Researchers found that homeschooled children score higher on socialization tests than children attending public or private schools. A technical paper summarizing these studies was published in the technical journal, "Home School Researcher," in 2006 by Richard G. Medlin, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Stetson University.) or you think there is something to the statement, "Homeschooled kids are weird and annoying," (that article here), it IS a topic that comes up in most pro and most con homeschooling discussions.

When that concern arises in conversations I'm a part of, I always want to respond with, "Well, how nice for you that in your public school experience, everyone got along and no one felt awkward or like an outsider." However, I usually fear my smug sarcasm will give offense, and so generally state more blandly that, no matter the school system, odd-ball parents produce odd-ball offspring. It seems everyone can agree to that. Maybe they are looking at MY kids and thinking, "Amen!"

But I digress. In my last post I mentioned moms from two clubs, our Culture Club and Science Club. I thought I'd put the socialization question - at least as measured by opportunity - to rest by sharing just where in the process of homeschooling, my kids get all those chances for peer interaction. (I've edited this from a post on my local yahoo homeschooling group.)

When we began our homeschooling journey, like many, I joined a yahoo group where I hoped to find activities to learn and interact with other homeschoolers. Much to my dismay, so many of the things going on on that list were full. I felt I'd come to the table too late. I felt like the kid at recess again, not chosen to play because the game was "full."

So... I started some myself. (And most of them are now "full." I've come to understand full doesn't mean "too cool for more," but simply "no room physically for more.") Anyway, I hope this inspires you to begin your own and enjoy many of the wonderful educational opportunities we do! It takes surprisingly little ambition or organization, lest you fear you aren't up to the task. Trust me: if I can do it, anyone can!

What we do/have done:

Homeschoolers art class - we found an art teacher who works in the public schools and follows that sort of curriculum, as well as offered instruction from her home. She was delighted to learn she could teach during school hours and organized a class just for us homeschoolers!

Science Club - we started this for my son for something to do with boys his age. I'm not very science minded, so we found a tutor which each family pays $5/class to teach/design lessons/content/run experiments/etc. (We found our first tutor on a website, and the next by sending a job description to applicable clubs at the local university.)

Biography Club - We meet once a month at the library at 10:30 to discuss biographical figures. I started this for my daughter who's favorite part of history is dressing up like the women we'd learn about - now she will have a context to share what she has learned, and so often I find, when you provide a context for why it matters, your learning is enhanced.

Culture Club - my family's all time favorite! I started this because a similar club where we'd moved from that studied the countries of the world was full. Our club here meets once a month to share with club members about the culture of our choice. (We've done countries, but we've also done ancient civilizations, and fun kid choices like Ninjas and Vikings. My kids love this because we get to imagine, dress-up, play, try new food, party with friends. I love it because it is reading, writing, public speaking, history, geography, and social studies all rolled into one very fun adventure.)

Homeschool Choir - Hard to beat getting to perform classics like Les Mis and Fiddler on the Roof AND voice training for so little cost! An amazing local homeschooling mom runs this choir from fall to Christmas.

Fancy Nancy - A dear friend (whom we met through Culture Club) started this for her girl. It's a club based on the Fancy Nancy books. They read, write, and go on "Fancy" field trips. 

Rock Club - this is another one I didn't start, nor could I have. It's our local Rock and Gem Club run by amazing rock hounds. They meet once a month at the library to talk rocks. They also organize rock hounding trips. The folks there are awesome mentor-types and are excited about the young kids that are taking up their passion.

Field Trip Co-op - this resides on another yahoo group. We love it! We've been to an historical re-enactment venue, an apple orchard, a fish hatchery, and a ballet rehearsal, to mention only those we could make!

Hiking Club - this was one we participated in before we moved and it was led by a mom who was familiar with local hikes. We met twice a month when the weather was warm and hiked all over. I'd start one here, but I don't know where to go.

We haven't participated in, but know of a homeschool martial arts class and a homeschool gymnastics class, and I've heard great things. 

And there is probably a lot I'm leaving out. Not to mention what there WILL be whenever anyone wants to take the reigns and run with an idea! I'm sure as my own kids tastes and interests change, I'll come up with other ideas and throw them out to the list. Leave a comment to share what you have found or created as fun and engaging learning and SOCIALIZATION opportunities for your kids! If you build it, they will come! :)

Our "World Block Party," and how to organize your own

Our family loves studying other cultures, times, and people. This past Earth Day I wanted to give my own kids the "big picture" of those aspects of the world right now. So I organized a "World Block Party."

Claiming I organized it all by my distracted little self is quite a stretch. In reality, I pulled moms from our Culture Club and Science Club to help out. Really, they MADE the event.

Anyway, here is what I wrote about it, after the fact, hoping to make the paper. (It didn't... but my blog is just as good, right!?)

     "Nearly 150 people came together for the World Block Party held at the Whittier Center on Monday at 11am. The event, held on Earth Day, featured games and activities highlighting the demographics of the world's population.
Steffanie Casperson, event organizer, said, "Our family enjoys learning about languages, cultures, and countries all year round. Earth Day seemed like a fun occasion to put all our learning together into a giant snap shot of sorts and see what the world is like, right now."

The World Block Party activities included international music, dancing, games, and a reenactment of the word's population as if it were a village of 100 people. Mollie Anderson of Millville checked her children out of school to attend. "I felt like we learned so much. Everyone - moms, older kids, younger kids. I felt it was a great way to enhance what they learn about in school."

Though all members of the public were invited, due to the event's scheduling, most school-aged children in attendance were homeschooled.

The World Block Party was sponsored by Utah Online School, which supports homeschooling families by providing public school materials and support, free of charge. Mindee Taylor, teacher of the students in Cache Valley enrolled in Utah Online School said, " I was excited to be a part of such a neat opportunity!  It was a  wonderful activity for kids to learn more about the world around them. " This was UOS's 9th event for local students this year. Others have included performances at the Eccles Theater, parties at the Fun Park, and touring local businesses like Macey's and Texas Roadhouse Grill.

"We were grateful to UOS for being willing to sponsor this event," Casperson said. "I've been wanting to do something like this for years, but the organizational undertaking was huge. Once we had UOS step in to sponsor, it was so easy to find other moms who wanted to help the kids learn about the world in such a physical, hands-on, and memorable way. Lots of people helped, lots came, and I think everyone had fun!""

If you missed OUR World Block Party, no sense suffering any regret! Just host your own. You will need:

10 amazing moms to help, a large venue (gymnasium or somewhere contained but with lots of space) 100 participants holding what we called "Field books" which guided them through our "fields" - education level, language, religion, etc., and any other bonuses you can add in, such as balloon coloring, international music and dancing, etc.

The idea for this event came from a book titled, "If the World Were a Village" which can be purchased here. We chose from the info there which we wanted to "act out," updated the numbers from when the book was published from info we found online, and created the books.

The best way for you to visualize how we "acted out" this village is probably just to read the script I used to move our 100 villagers through the activity. And it seems the best way to share said script with you, for you to use, is to throw it up right here, on my blog! So here you go!

Anyway, we followed this activity (it took about 30 minutes) with other games to round out the event so it could be fun for all.  We had blue balloons to color the continents of the world on. There was a money game where participants moved gold "coins" around on a table to guess the distribution of the world's wealth. On the walls were 10 flags to guess which countries they were and order them in total population of largest down. Or one could walk around and count how many cell phones, computers and cars were posted, representing how many our village of 100 people would have. We also played a slide show showing the possessions of people around the world, had international music playing, and passed out cookies.

As you might imagine, it was not a small undertaking, but giving ALL the help I got, not only was it not so bad, but so much more amazing than anything I might have been able to pull off on my own. Another great reason to homeschool: when there is fun and dynamic learning to be done, you'll never be without great ideas and help to make it happen.

The World Village Game - script

The World Village Game

The world has about 7 billion people living on it right now. That's this number right here. Let's count the zeroes together.7,000,000,000. (Show the number) Wow! 9 zeroes! So in our village of 100 each person is really 70 million people. That is this number right here. (remove 2 zeroes)

Okay! Who is ready to be 70 million people? (get name and volunteer)

If our village today has 100 people, it was a long time ago that the pretend world village had just 1 person. It would have been all the way back at the time of King David we read about in the Bible, about 1000 BCE. (We had a timeline on the wall, made with painting tape, and pictures of the events/peoples/times we mentioned.)

This 70 million people that ______ represents lived and had families and the village grew. So we need more volunteers. As you join our world village, you will be handed a book of papers of what your 70 million people are like, so hang onto it and get ready to follow directions. We'll start using our books right after we have our 100 villagers.

It took our village 500 years to add one more person! So now it's 500 BCE at the time of Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha.

500 years later, at the time of Jesus, we're up to 3 villagers! This is going to take forever!

Wait! We add two people next! 1000 years after Jesus at the time gunpowder was invented in China!

And now we need 3 more villagers 500 years later - putting us at the time of the Aztec Empire. So our village now has 8 people!

Next on our timeline is a beautiful building in India. It's called Taj Mahal. It was finished in 1650, and our imaginary village then would have 10 people.

Now we add 7 people all at once taking us to the time of the French conqueror, Napoleon. That's the year 1800.

Only 100 years later our village jumps from 17 to 32 people - we add 15 villagers for the time when the Wright Brothers figured out air flight!

We still need almost 70 more villagers. We'll add 4 in 50 years. In the early 1950’s was when Dr. Seuss wrote Horton Hears a Who. And now in 1980, when Mt. St Helens errupted, and around the time many of your parents were born, we're almost double that! We need 28 more villagers bringing us to 64.

Finally, we're going to jump forward just 33 years and add our last 36 villagers and we are ready to learn about the people of the earth, right now!

Remember, each of our 100 villagers is 70 million people! Where do they all live!? Well, let's find out.

Everyone look at the book you were handed. On the very front is a paper with a number 1 on it. See what color of paper your number 1 is on and go stand by the big colored paper an adult is holding up that matches your paper. In other words, if you have a light green 1, go stand by the light green 1. If you have a red 1, stand by the red 1.

This is about where the villagers are from. Look down at your feet. (on the floor we had mapped out the world, again in painters tape) Do you see what continent you are on? Lets have everyone who doesn't have a light green number 1 sit down right where you are. I have 61 Asians standing. 61 of our villagers are from Asia. How do you fit? Asia is a little crowded. Thanks Asian villagers, please sit down now.

And let's have the Africans stand up. That's all my villagers with a pink number 1. There are 14 people from Africa in our village!

Now let's have the villagers with a gold number 1 stand up. (Africans, sit down). We have 11 Europeans in our village.

Next we come to Latin and S. America. That's my dark green's. 8 villagers are from Latin and S. America.

In North America, where all of us really live, there are only 5 villagers! Let's have my blues stand.

Last, way out in Australia and the islands around it we have one villager, red.

Okay, now everyone on your feet and turn your number one to the back and look at the next paper with a number 2. Find the adult that is holding up a number 2 that matches your number 2 and go stand by them.

These are the languages spoken in our village. If you knew 8 languages you would still only be able to communicate with about HALF of the people in our village! Let's have the reds stand up. These are our 15 Mandarin Chinese speakers. Blues - these are our 9 English speakers. 8 dark greens - these speak Hindi - a language spoken in India. 7 with a cream number 2 - these speak Spanish. Gold - 4 Arabic speaking villagers. Light Green - 3 Russians. Purple - 3 Portugese speakers from Portugal and Brazil. And 3 orange - these are from Bangladesh, they speak Bengali! Now imagine you speak all these 8 languages: Mandarin, English, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Portugese, and Bengali. Let's have my white number 2's stand. These 48 villagers would be all the villagers you STILL wouldn't be able to communicate with! They speak French, Italian, German, Swahili  and all the other languages in the world!

Let's move on to your number 3. We'll find out what all the villagers DO! Find your number 3 that matches in color. One group is much bigger than another. My big group, the light greens, are the adults in the village. There are 74. The smaller group are the smaller folks - the kids! There are only 26 kids in the village!

Now everyone sit down where you are with your group, kids with kids, adults with adults, and we'll find out what the adults do for work- though 4 don't have a job. If you have a red number 3, stand. These 28 adults work in agriculture - they are farmers, they raise animals, jobs like that. Now let's have my blue 3's stand. These 14 adults work in industry - they make things. Like cars, or cell phones, or can openers. Or buildings or roads, or lay the wire for electricity. Last let's have my green 3's stand. These 28 adults work in services. They sell things, or they design websites, or cut your hair - jobs like that.

Now everyone, find your 4 and stand with your matching color. This BIG group reads. There are 86 villagers who can read. But 14 don't. Now everyone sit. I have 7 red 4's. If your 4 is in red, will you stand. These 7 villagers are the number who have a secondary education - the number who have gone to college or a trade school beyond their basic education. And we have one blue 4. This villager is our only villager with a college degree.

Now let's find out about the beliefs of our villagers. Everyone find your 5 and stand with your matching color. First, let's have the light greens stand. These 33 villagers are Christian. Now our orange 5's. The village has 20 people who believe in the religion Islam. Light Purple- 13 people in our village are Hindus. Cream - 6 villagers are Buddhists. Dark Green - the village has 12 people who aren't really religious. Pink - 2 villagers don't believe in God at all or are Atheists. And my last 14 reds. 14 villagers belong to other faiths we haven't mentioned.

We're almost to the end. 2 more to go! Now find your number 6 color and group. These groups are about food. My smallest group has 16 people (the florescent greens) - they sometimes get enough to eat, but sometimes they don't. My 24 blues do get enough to eat. And the biggest group - the golds - these are our 60 villagers that are always hungry.

Finally to 7. Stand with your color. This big group of light greens, these are the 78 villagers who have electricity, though many only use it when it's dark outside. That means there are 22 villagers who don't have electricity, those are my pinks.

Of course, only back a few hundred years to the time of Napoleon none of the villagers then would have had electricity. But there were fewer villagers then than all the villagers without electricity now! (Who is ready to be done representing 70 million people! It's a big job, but you did great!) The world and it's people have come a long way! It's fun to think about people all around the world and what kinds of lives they live. We are blessed to live where we are! And it's fun to think about how fast things have changed for the world village since even your parents have been alive. Think of how different the world village will be when you are telling your kids about it!

Thanks for playing this game with us!

Filling the Holidays with Family Values and Traditions

I love teaching my family with fun and engaging traditions. In a recent post I mentioned performing traditions tied into the holidays. I thought I'd share here a few more traditions of of ours. 

Beginning with Halloween, we have one evening before Oct 31 where we dress up as our favorite religious hero and play, "Guess who I am." The Monday just before Oct 31 we carve our pumpkins, turn off the lights, and while looking at the glow of the candle inside recite the scripture from the bible about being the light of the world. And after trick-or-treating, the kids leave a sacrifice of a portion of their candy for the Great Pumpkin who brings gifts in exchange. 

They haven't, but maybe the Pilgrims will one day bring gifts for Thanksgiving.... But for Thanksgiving we perform an original family play (I think I value dressing up and performing!) complete with a script, sets, and lots of bows at the end. And we try to spend the month of Nov in service to the community.

For Christmas, my husband and I wanted to de-emphasize Santa, so the "haul" is modest (our  gift receiving is spread out over the year, as you will see). Santa brings a gift. But the wise men do too, each bringing one a gift for vocation/education, family, and religious.

New Years Eve we stay up late reading our family journal from the year just passing and laugh about the crazy things we did and marvel at the time flying by. Then we have a sleep-over under the Christmas tree. (Could the Chinese Zodiac animal bring another gift on Chinese New Year?...)

For Valentines, I organize a family dance. I miss the idea that dances aren't just for adolescents. So my kids know The Electric Slide, the Chicken Dance, the Bunny Hop, the Limbo, and Cotton-Eyed Joe. Oh, and Cupid brings a gift.

So do the Leprechauns  And we have a treasure hunt because who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? The kids prepare their own impromptu Irish themed skit while I set it up. And we eat Irish food, though I don't know that we have any Irish in us....

We have an Easter Bunny that hides eggs Saturday morning. So on Easter Sunday I can give the kids gifts of a religious nature, and we do a religious egg hunt. This year, I had each of the kids chose 3 eggs to fill with something that could symbolize Jesus. After we found the eggs and opened them, the kids explained why they had chosen that symbol. It was fascinating to see the depth and variety of their understanding.

We're in search of good Solstice traditions because I think the symbolism of the sun in relation to the earth, and the cycle of seasons has great lessons for my kids. We've tried things with the fire pit, and disco dancing with glow-in-the-dark gear. Fun.... Still thinking. (If you have any ideas, leave a comment below.)

Earth Day, like all other holidays, has it's own agenda, value system, and aim. I'm less interested in that as I am in what I'd like to use Earth Day to teach my kids. (When we want to learn about the rest of that, we'll participate in what is already offered in the community.) This past year, I wanted my kids to learn about the people of Earth on Earth Day. Where do they live? How common is our way of life on Earth now? We study different cultures and history all year. I wanted Earth Day to be the big picture right now. (To that end, I organized - with a lot of help - an Earth Day Block Party. I hope it was fun and memorable to everyone who came - yes, fun is one of our family's main values.)

Anyway, I hope your family finds many reasons to celebrate! I love homeschooling because doing the things that strengthen families - having meaningful traditions and having fun together - seem such a part of life!