Okay, this is an odd question I think. Today was a busy day for me, and I just couldn't check on my boys as often as I like- so I planned a "Movie Day". The boys watched the old "Shaggy Dog", and even did a craft during it- they glued popcorn on an outline of a corn cob. Goofy, but I think more popcorn went in their mouthes than on the project! (My boys are 11, 9 and 6). They did some reading after the movie, as the two older boys were starting new books and really wanted to get into them. After lunch we went to choir class at a Christian school, and then oldest DS went to his piano lesson (while I did a beginners lesson at home with the other two). Tonight the youngest two have helped me make dinner while oldest DS is at football practice, and then later they have some chores to do (guinea pig cage, etc). SOOOO, would you count this as a school day in your calendar? For me, every day (Sat and Sun included) is a school day because we are always working/discussing something. But I need to list 180 actual school days for our state. Just asking opinions- thanks for sharing. momandteacherx3
If it were me recording my day I'd say all we got done was music.That's the only real learning the boys got, going by your description of having a Movie Day. We also need 180 days here, and if it were my record I wouldn't count this as a full day.
You listed Reading - about how much time ? Choir piano lesson Football- which could be counted towards P.E. Practical Skills -Home Ec. Cooking , chores. It sounds like it could be half a school day to me. It depends on how your state is requiring you to record the time. I think that practical activities, such as the music lessons, sports, and home skills like cooking, cleaning etc.that you mentioned are important and should be counted. A childs education would be unbalanced without these types of activities.
I agree with Sherry. If they completed the popcorn project this could be used for arts and crafts. You do have PE covered as well as music. Sometimes for us math also includes cooking and baking if we are using measurements and leaning to read recipes. So if your children learned to add with measuring cups then this could be used as math. We do work from the books but sometimes our days also consist of hands on. Depending on the amount of time and how indepth they got into the projects would probably depend on how you count it as well as what your state requires.
The cooking could be health (nutrition, if you discussed it) or math related as well as home ec. Really, it sounds like you accomplished more than some kids do in a classroom :roll:
Have to agree with this! When I was in middle school, we got to pick a "club" that we would go to at the end of the day. They would line up tables, and you would have to get to the table and get a ticket for the club you wanted. Almost everyone wanted movie club, so it was a mad dash to that table. Glad I didn't make it in, I met my hubby in dot club. But we got the chance to watch movies on a regular basis in public school! And guess how many people that got into reading club actually read?
I overlooked the popcorn craft. Yes, I agree with Emma's#1fan. A craft could be Arts and Crafts. I believe hands on activities, such as cooking,sports,games,gardening, various types of chores, puzzles, etc. are much better for their mental development than just bookwork and workbooks. If I had to choose one or the other it would be the activites. You will actually be better able to function in real life due to the problem solving skills and nueron connections made in your brain due to these hands on activities than you will if you only do "bookwork". People that overemphasize workbooks and textbooks and neglect physical acitivities are depriving their children of important opportunities for mental and physical development that will not happen with just bookwork.
This is exactly why I'm thankful we don't live in a state where I'm forced to make decisions like this! Yes, you had a school day. I spent three days at the County Fair with my girls, and I doubt the Powers That Be would consider THAT school, but they WERE learning and showing what it was they learned. I believe strongly iin homeschooling, NOT schooling at home!
Jackie, there was a day when our school system excused kids to participate in the 4-H Fair. They stopped doing that some time ago, but while I was in the system kids were allowed to miss for the fair if they participated in it.
We do fair the next county over. We live fairly close to the county line, and the group we do it with is a homeschool 4-H group. The county that has the fair does cancel school for the most part. Most schools shut on Monday, and several shut on Tuesdays, too, though one of the dads who teaches said that his district planned meetings all day for the teachers. I'm told also that individual kids can get excused if they have projects, etc. on other fair days. But if the school is closed on those days, it is counted into their school calendar as an "off" day, and they have to make it up later. I simply don't worry about it, nor do I feel the government has any right to tell me what I can or cannot count.
I think you did a good school day. Thats the joy of homeschooling, learning happens in the world and at home, not just behind a desk with books and work pages.
Thank you all for your input. Six years into this and I still find myself trying to cater to the public school mindset! It may not have been conventional, but it was a fun day for them. For cooking dinner, my six yr old had to get me 1/4 stick of butter, 1/3 cup of flour, and tell me when the milk reached 3/4 of a cup. Then he scooped out 1/2 cup each of frozen peas and corn, and counted out 12 baby carrots. I would consider that a hands-on math class! Thanks again, momandteacherx3
See? Math! Try doing weights vs volume next time you cook with them. Being a soapmaker, I've found that this is very important stuff...different oils have different weights, so a cup of one isn't the same as a cup of another (and that figures into how much lye to use.) For the kids, it may be interesting or not how a cup of one fluid doesn't always weigh the same as a cup of another :roll:
Yep, you do!!! LOL!!! I think sometimes you're more of a school-at-home person. But if that works with you, then go for it!
I was talking to Kathe one time and she said I don't have the homeschool methodology down. That's okay. Jeanne will get a thorough education and that's all that matters.
That, Becky, is something I have no doubt about! I know absolutely that you'll make sure of that! (Besides, she'll need it when she becomes President!)
The lady we are riding with to the Zoo Field trip today does Scool at Home. She has a wall that is set up like her classrooms were when she was a teacher and on lone desk facing it and she stands up there and gives lectures and stuff. But she uses close to the same curriculum as I do. I sent Sami over there for school one day because I was having a rotten day. Sami was funny. My Friend said Sami kept interrupting to tell her friend all the answers and later Sami told me... "He does easy school!" :roll: Really the approach isn't important IMO just so the kids still love to learn and got an education when it's all said and done. As For attendance... I agree with Daniel's mom. When I was in middle school we had EVERY friday.. An hour of "Clubs" after lunch followed by movies and popcorn. Not even educational movies.. I remember one was the Princess Bride and a couple were R rated and my mom sent note to school that I wasn't allowed to watch them! Fridays still counted as a full day. I spent many a "Club hour" sitting with friend in the Band room watching my friend play with a lighter and talking. *real educational!*
Sounds like a school day to me, but with a special activity, I would have kids write about thier day and what they learned.. do they keep journals? I am trying to get mine into thiers, there isone that came with the SOS program so I gave questions to answer for Johnny's yesterday. We actually have gone to the movies every year but this, the first day of school. This year my mom died the first day of school so the kids understood we had to wait, we changed it to 15 th, and I had to be at Ladies Retreat, so the kids had a day off. We used to call it a half day, Movie day, so that we would hand out set up school stuff then go to movies, just because we could! I think we need to focus on that Home Schooling, is different in that we teach more with a wider variety of subjects and available things to use. When we cook, that is home ec, if I make the clean thier rooms I can call it that as well! Because they are learning sorting and organizing if they were in K, or 1st it could be math as well! ( I took ece in college so have some of thier ideas in my head as to how to fit it into a curric as what subject.)
