Our homeschooling adventure.

[specsaregood]

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

BFranklin is big around these parts, good one. I'll add that to his list.

It was actually pretty fun because we played memorization games like "I'm going on a trip and I'm bringing x, y, and z." You keep adding to the list and have to memorize the list as it gest longer.

We play that game on our dog walks pretty regularly.

Also, I wish I had had the multiplication tables up to 20 drilled into me. Being able to do mental math is a huge advantage in business.

I might have to expand his. He knows up to 12x12 real well, even though the schools only do 10x10 nowadays. But as an american, you really should know up to 12x12 at least due to the imperial system.

 

[Goldhedge]

"Paint with the paint, not with the brush"

Dad told me that when I was 'pushing' paint on the kitchen wall.

Point is there is only so much paint in the brush. I was trying to 'make it go farther' instead of just dipping into the paint can and putting it on the wall. Same with a roller. Thicker paint application is better because if you get stingy... you'll 'see it' thin spots after it dries (and have to reapply).

 

[specsaregood]

Also, my kid is really enjoying this new youtube channel, "Botany for Kids"

He actually requested to watch it this morning, I guess thats what happens when you have an episode on moss that explodes.

 

[specsaregood]

Adding to the botany. The kid learned how to properly dig holes and how to plant shrubs and trees, and how to read a PH meter.
Put 10 evergreen huckleberry shrubs into the ground and 2 chestnut trees.

Cut down a whole bunch of small pine trees, which we are going to strip and build a fort in the side yard with.

edit: As supplemental schooling, the kid learned how to tie a reef knot and a bowline knot today. Later this week will be a hitch knot.

 

[specsaregood]

Kid has been learning some cool stuff for calculating squares in math. Stuff I never learned. Damn if i wouldn't have just done them the hard way.

eg:
15x15 = (10x20) + 25
14x16 = (15x15) - 1
16x16 = (15x15) + 15 + 16
14x14 = (15x15) - 15 - 14

 

[hammerhead]

Kid has been learning some cool stuff for calculating squares in math. Stuff I never learned. Damn if i wouldn't have just done them the hard way.

eg:
15x15 = (10x20) + 25
14x16 = (15x15) - 1
16x16 = (15x15) + 15 + 16
14x14 = (15x15) - 15 - 14

That used to come so easy to me. Now I stop and think which really messed up the process.

 

[MrLucky]

I drive my wife crazy when we go shopping. If she has to add up something like,
$6.99
$4.99
$8.99
She'll do it the long way. I keep telling her to just round up the values to $7+$5+$9, add them up and then subtract $0.03. I usually get punched in the shoulder after that. My shoulder has a few bruises by the time we get home.

 

[Goldbrix]

I drive my wife crazy when we go shopping. If she has to add up something like,
$6.99
$4.99
$8.99
She'll do it the long way. I keep telling her to just round up the values to $7+$5+$9, add them up and then subtract $0.03. I usually get punched in the shoulder after that. My shoulder has a few bruises by the time we get home.

Mine won't even talk to me about things like that, what is 25% -40% off ? She'll ask the kids and I'll beat them to the answer too.
Growing up in grandpa's grocery store if you don't learn anything else you'll learn and sharpen Math skills.

 

[mnmom]

It was a bitter sweet moment here. My son's acceptance letter from the community college arrived for pseo. He has a couple placement tests to take and he will be starting September with cybersecurity classes. He did get a full time acceptance so he should graduate with his associates same time as HS.

He also just passed his drivers test. Id like this getting older thing to slow down just a bit. On a positive note he didnt complain when i asked him to pickup milk on his way home.

 

[specsaregood]

It was a bitter sweet moment here. My son's acceptance letter from the community college arrived for pseo. He has a couple placement tests to take and he will be starting September with cybersecurity classes. He did get a full time acceptance so he should graduate with his associates same time as HS.

That is great. I took a handful of CC classes when I was in public school high school. And I think back about how I should have taken more of them than my horrible AP classes in HS.

He also just passed his drivers test. Id like this getting older thing to slow down just a bit. On a positive note he didnt complain when i asked him to pickup milk on his way home.

People always look at me strange or confused when I tell them I can't wait for my son to be old enough to drive. As soon as I was able to do so, my parents offloaded all kinds of errands to us kids and they got chauffeurs. We might just have to move to another state so he can drive at 16 until the 17 required here.

 

[Goldhedge]

A few ideas to think about...

These sort of stare you right in the face....

 

[specsaregood]

A few ideas to think about...

In our old house, my office had floor to ceiling whiteboard on every wall. Kid learned his numbers, alphabet, multiplication table, sums, minecraft commands, all kinds stuff that was written on that wall for years. I gotta find the time to put up the whiteboard walls in our new office.

 

[Goldhedge]

 

[Voodoo]

A few ideas to think about...

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These sort of stare you right in the face....


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Are we just going to ignore the remainder on that 3? I'm not sure what 3.00159... time means.

 

[hammerhead]

That's awesome.

I heard that some schools had removed analog clocks because kids didn't know how to read them.

 

[specsaregood]

Kid aced his math test today. Now he is assembling our new compost tumbler by himself.

For those in the audience that want to tease their brain today, enjoy one of the test questions:

 

[WQFTruckster]

yeah, he says he wants a pickup when he is old enough to drive. I'm noodling on the idea of getting him a beater pickup when he is 15 and telling him it is his when he gets his license as long as he fixes it up. I rebuilt a mustang when I was 14 with my dad and it was memorable.

Also was looking at go kart kits the other day as a project we could work on...

Just stumbled on your thread. I like your style. Your son is a very lucky kid.

When I was 13 I spent a summer with my grandfather while my parents renovated a house we were trying to sell in a different state. He had a two story woodshop that he had built entirely by himself and had pretty much every tool imaginable. I got it in my head that I wanted to build a go kart, and he offered to buy all the parts. We mail ordered a set of DIY plans from a Northern Hydraulics catalog, and got all the pieces. I measured and cut all of the frame pieces from 1" square steel tubing by hand with a hack saw. We took all the pieces over to a friend of his who had a welder and he helped me get it welded together. It was a great project and fostered my love of all things mechanical. That was a very happy and memorable time in my life and I learned a lot of valuable skills. The go kart still lives in his barn, and still gets used from time to time when family kids are there. No telling how many miles I put on that thing.

 

[hammerhead]

Kid aced his math test today. Now he is assembling our new compost tumbler by himself.

For those in the audience that want to tease their brain today, enjoy one of the test questions:

Lets see if I gots them mafs skills

70x70=4900
- 3300
1600

Don't know how to arrive at the area squared but it = 40
Multiply that by the 4 sides for an answer of 160.

 

[specsaregood]

Kid is watching videos and taking notes on how to train dogs for "scent training" and tracking. He plans on training our collies to be trackers.

 

[specsaregood]

Had my kid read that booby trap article from:

Great article on making and setting booby traps in and around your home!

https://www.skilledsurvival.com/homemade-booby-traps-protect-home/ Homemade Booby Traps: Enter At Your Own Risk By SS Contributor 52 Comments A survivalist homemade booby trap is a device intended to automatically detect, scare, injure or kill. To protect your homestead from unsuspecting...

www.goldismoney2.com

He had to pick 3 traps to learn about and then teach me how to make them and explain how they worked. He loved it.
When it got to free time, he spent the next couple hours inventing/building booby traps in his roblox world/game.

Tomorrow we build a display box for his moms 7" record collection for Mother's Day. He already did all the measuring and planning on grid paper today.

 

[specsaregood]

Tomorrow we build a display box for his moms 7" record collection for Mother's Day. He already did all the measuring and planning on grid paper today.

Well we didnt have time for the box build yet; but we did get the mother's day cards done.
hand drawn, colored, then edited digitally via paint.net (great free application), then formatted to print on standard 8.5x11 card stock and folded in half to write inside.

 

[Goldhedge]

Something that coordinates the mind/hand connection is technical drawing.

All you need is a straight edge/ruler. A sharp pencil (mechanical is best), an eraser pen, a triangle in 30-60-90 degree angles or 45-90 degree angles. A 'T' square to keep everything square to the left side and some masking tape to keep the paper from moving. If you have a square table (or drawing board?) all the better.

Here are some easy concepts to learn. Never too young to begin this activity. It's best to learn technical drawing by hand before venturing into computer programs that do it without skill.

Technical lettering is another skill to learn.


As an aside:
When I was doing tech work in the schools I was amazed at the different graphical shapes kindergarten kids were expected to know and some did!

As an adult I didn't even know them!

 

[Goldhedge]

Map reading is another skill to learn young. Could use a compass as well and have a treasure hunt in a big park!

 

[Fiat Metaler]

Something that coordinates the mind/hand connection is technical drawing.

All you need is a straight edge/ruler. A sharp pencil (mechanical is best), an eraser pen, a triangle in 30-60-90 degree angles or 45-90 degree angles. A 'T' square to keep everything square to the left side and some masking tape to keep the paper from moving. If you have a square table (or drawing board?) all the better.

Here are some easy concepts to learn. Never too young to begin this activity. It's best to learn technical drawing by hand before venturing into computer programs that do it without skill.

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Technical lettering is another skill to learn.


As an aside:
When I was doing tech work in the schools I was amazed at the different graphical shapes kindergarten kids were expected to know and some did!

As an adult I didn't even know them!

seems like it would be easier to teach the artistic techniques of linear perspective.

 

[mnmom]

Parenting win?

My son spent the night over at a friend's house and they wanted some drinks and snacks. Off they head to kwik trip. Not paying attention to the time they ended up out past curfew. Small town and the officer on duty had nothing to do so he stopped them. The friend was upset crying he was in trouble. My son didn't do much but sit on the curb while the officer called me. Between the phone call and my arrival apparently the officer asked him if he was okay. My son perplexed said he was fine and asked why he wondered. The cop said he didnt seem at all upset and was still being quite courteous to him which isnt the norm. My son said he was homeschooled and always taught to be respectful. Officer laughed and said that explained it. It was always the homeschooled kids who were polite.

 

[Fiat Metaler]

One of the advantages of home schooling is you can teach your kids critical reasoning and judgment rather than just rule following. The reaction of those two kids illustrates the difference. The government school kid has no judgment, and freaks out with the interchange by the police. The home school kid knows that breaking curfew is a very minor offense, has nothing to do with the police, and his reaction is not disproportionate.

 

[specsaregood]

Kid completed his bday card for his mom. Now he is tasked with writing a story or poem to fill it in.

Hallmark cards are at $5 minimum nowdays, fuggedaboutit, the kids handmade cards are better.

 

[the_shootist]

Kid completed his bday card for his mom. Now he is tasked with writing a story or poem to fill it in.

Hallmark cards are at $5 minimum nowdays, fuggedaboutit, the kids handmade cards are better.

Handmade is always best and makes the biggest impression on the recipient, especially Mom's!!

 

[Someone_else]

Now he is tasked with writing a story or poem to fill it in.

It looks like the Loch Ness Monster checking its mailbox.

 

[Avalon]

Kid completed his bday card for his mom. Now he is tasked with writing a story or poem to fill it in.

Hallmark cards are at $5 minimum nowdays, fuggedaboutit, the kids handmade cards are better.

I love the colors!

 

[Goldbrix]

Kid completed his bday card for his mom. Now he is tasked with writing a story or poem to fill it in.

Hallmark cards are at $5 minimum nowdays, fuggedaboutit, the kids handmade cards are better.

I like the way he used the colors.

 

[specsaregood]

I like the way he used the colors.

I love the colors!

Pencil, Ink, Crayons, then filters in paint.net He likes those filters... He likes the copious surrealist art we have around the house and intended something in that style. Of course he got halfway through this one, then started rethinking that he wanted to go with something more realist or impressionist.... And this is what he ended up with.

 

[Goldbrix]

Pencil, Ink, Crayons, then filters in paint.net He likes those filters... He likes the copious surrealist art we have around the house and intended something in that style. Of course he got halfway through this one, then started rethinking that he wanted to go with something more realist or impressionist.... And this is what he ended up with.

Encourage him to complete his thought(s) /plan, and make note of what is causing his distraction and sidetracking him from his original train of thought. The notes will inspire his next works.
Enhance his self discipline, and focus.

 

[Fiat Metaler]

It looks like the Loch Ness Monster checking its mailbox.

Yes, on the bottom of the sea floor. and the LNM is trying to mail an apple to his teacher.

 

[hammerhead]

Interested to read what he composes for Mom, understand if you wouldn't publish it though.

Who's riding the board?

 

[MrLucky]

Am I going to see this picture the next time I go to the shrink and he asks "so what do you see in the picture".

 

[specsaregood]

Interested to read what he composes for Mom, understand if you wouldn't publish it though.
Who's riding the board?

As to the surfer, he said "Some random dude."
I didn't get to read it, he sealed it up in the envelope and said "its for mom."
I will give you something special to read though, next post.

 

[specsaregood]

Kid has been working on this for a couple months now, primarily on car rides where we can spin it together and bounce ideas.
Finally finished the near final draft. The plan is to turn it into a parody music video with his friends this summer. He has been learning to use Audacity for music editing.

Inspired/Parody of Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan.


Deep Space Blues (Obi-wan, Big Bad Sith Killa)

Obi-Wan, Big Bad Sith Killa...​

Anakins in the temple
Killin’ all the younglings
Bens in the outer rim
Lookin’ for a general
The Cyborg in a cape
Metal man, Dark prof
He’s gotta bad cough
Wants to cut Ben’s arm off

Look out Sith
its somethin’ you did!
Force knows when
But you’re doing it again.
You better kneel down
on the floor
For your lord Palpatine.
The man in the brown robes
Standing on a mound.
Sayin’, “Its over Anakin,
I’ve got the High Ground!”

Don’t die in a clone war
Watch the lava pour
These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.
Take a swim with Jar-Jar
Get to the Cantina Bar
Better stay away from Ben,
when you’re on Mustafar.

Look out, Sith
Don’t matter what you did.
The path you chose,
Now you face two pros
Now you'll die because you froze
Shoulda stayed in the shadows
But no one knows
You'll meet your bros
You don't need an Iktotchi
To know which way the force goes.

Light Swan, Dark Swan
Learnin’ from the Obi Wan
Poor Anakin
Never had a planakin
Try hard, get charred
She died, he lied
Black Suit, Bad Fruit
Deep Sixed, Get Fixed
Find Your Kids, Get Nixxed

Look out sith
You’re gonna get hit.
By masters, blasters
Natural disasters
Hangin’ around the troopers
Lord by the black hole’s
Looking for a new tool
Don’t follow leaders
Pilot your land speeders

Ah, get born, keep calm
Blue eyes, Jedis
learn to fight
Obsessed, his quest
Try to be a success
Light side, Dark side, all sides
Don’t fret, don’t cry
Ten years a padawan
And they leave you on the lava side.

Obi-Wan, Big Bad Sith Killa...​

 

[Fiat Metaler]

some good ideas on this thread.

Two additional ideas.

1. Not sure if I mentioned it, but employed something called unschooling, which is simply unstructured learning. We did this a lot of different ways. But one that sticks out is my wife would drive to visit her folks 8 hours away several times a year, so she would buy these books on tape. There are a lot availabe at home school conferences. Jim Weiss and History's Mysteries are two names that stand out.

2. In a homeschool environment, motivation can be a challenge. My son responded well to competition. He played chess, and then entered competitions and eventually did quite well. Academically, there are history and geography bees similar to spelling bees, especially for middle and high school aged kids. We figured out that being in homeschooled you were deemed to have won your "school" and got a free bye to compete in a regional tournament. My son did this and won runner-up at our regional and got an invite to the nationals of both the History and Geography bees. He finished roughly 70ths out of 140 if I recall correctly, and I doubt he had ever cracked open a history book.

 

[specsaregood]

Went on a fieldtrip with a homeschool group today at the beach. Bunch of polite, well behaved kids of all ages, genders, and races. No masks in sight.