New year, New plans

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Friday, 01 January 2010 at 16:30
Well for the first time the new year has inspired me to make some new plans. Sortof.

Generally speaking I let education flow however it happens to work out, but I do have some concrete goals, and occasionally even plans to achieve them. Right now I I feel there is plenty of learning going on, but in some ways I want to direct the learning toward what I feel is important. I know arrogant of me to think I have any clue what is more important to learn than a curious kid, nevertheless I do.

So with that in mind I find there is not enough real nature, and far too much book nature. I plan to kick my kids out of the house once a week to go learn about nature, from the real thing. How many other parents have to make their kids STOP reading? Alas I do, the boys would read books on lions, tigers and bears (or preferably Lizards,tamarins, and bugs) all day long, but finding any real live nature around here is tough, being the pesticide sprayed suburb, the kids get lazy. Well that and being winter, summer we did much better at studying bugs and toads, then the cold set in. Oh and boys are fast moving scary things to real creatures. So here's to convincing a bug or rodent to hang around long enough for the kids to learn something.

I also find there is far to much math (not really there can never be too much math!), and far to little writing, ok sure the kids do their own things a lot, but for some of the smartest kids I have ever met (not that I am biased or anything being their mother and all) Not a one of them knows how to use capitalization or punctuation correctly! No I take that back, Dude can tell me all sorts of rules for capitalization, he just never bothers to use it. So a weekly letter or story shall be introduced. In order to keep it from being boring, I am going to offer to do some of the writing (ugh did I really just commit to tha!). Figure seeing proper writing is half as important as doing it. Maybe we shall write a play, or group story, or some mad lib style concoction. Would be fun to try if someone would take all that nasty pencil and paper work out. (oh and the spelling! eww)

The last goal is piano lessons. Dude has been asking long enough, I hope to make them happen in 2010. Princess has asked for voice lessons, but I figure learning to play piano, and read sheet music, in addition to the music the church does weekly aught to be enough. (or at least it is affordable)

Other Plans for January:
Music Greig and Sibelus (to coincide with the co-op) as well as Chopin, cause Dude asked for it. Along with anything else we feel like. (somehow classics like Twisted sister keep coming up!)
Artist is Sargent (co-op pick)
Reading: Robin hood, working our way through the history laden AO list, along with I am sure a slew of child picks. Math of course is a pile of miscellaneous worksheets, games, and more games.