A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Five Day Blog Hop

Art tells a Story

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I originally wrote this post in April of 2015 as part of a blog hop.   I am making some adaptations as it’s now more than 4 years later.

Learning how to create art in my household took some figuring, it was harder than I thought to have my lad do art with me.  Real life art for us has always needed to involve a story.  Let me expand upon that, maybe your children are the same.  🙂  Maybe they too, need to see how art tells a story.

I don’t know about you but I have a creative child.   He draws, writes, story tells and creates.   He plays minecraft and creates these little worlds that are very specific in their purpose.  “DAD!   Don’t do that in this world.   That’s not supposed to happen!”   This is a frequent cry in the afternoon.  He still plays minecraft and when he plays with his friends it’s in worlds he has created with a story line in mind.  Wouldn’t it be fun mom to live in an ice world where you need to stay within ___ feet of heat in order to survive?  Imagine how hard it would be to find or create resources!

It’s rather fascinating at times with what he creates.  One of my desires it to  create more often with my child.  Therefore, I would come up with marvelous ideas that I think might tickle his fancy.

Any thoughts on how often I am successful?

Well…absolutely NONE!  I’ve needed to realize this truth:  If I can’t sell the art as a way to tell a story, we have no art.  No story no art.  It’s just the way it rolls. 

Art Tells a Story

Finding the Story

If I can find a story, I can create the art with my lad. Not finding the story means going through the art form without actually doing art.  It has no significance for him, and therefore is a meaningless exercise.  Finding the story… even if it’s from a poem… and Voila!   We have art.

In the found these marvellous books at the library called “imagine a day”.   I would read the poem of the day to my lad.  I read it without showing him the picture.  I’d cover up the page as much as I could so I wouldn’t be influenced.  We would then each sit down and draw a picture of what the story told us. We had SO MUCH fun with these books.   When we were done we would compare our pictures with the picture in the book.  Sometimes we were quite similar to the book and to each other and other times we had good discussions on what we did and why. It was such a fun time together learning, thinking, and drawing together, letting our imaginations soar.

Art Tells a Story

An example of finding the story

Another example would be the day we worked with doing a fresca.   Here I didn’t stop to think and merely followed the instructions given. Draw lines of colour to  get used to drawing with fresca.  I was met with a complaining child “what’s the point of this mom?”  Then I turned it into a story.  What do you think might happen if we did a boat that would capsize?   How about we have a clan cat hunting for a mouse?   Suddenly my story-telling lad was full of ideas and colours he could use.

Imagine a day when art tells a story

It’s taken us time to learn something really important.  Art is story. It’s not always a readily seen story, but it always tells a story of some sort. The colours, depth, humour, lighting, solemnity, shading etc… it all tells a story. 

Use the story to create the art, let the art tell the story.   

I was recently watching a glass-blowing competition and one of the participants always had to come up with a reason, or a story, for any piece that she did.  Did she want to tell the story of her first ever cupcake, or tell of the struggle of women in the glass-blowing world, or the lost child.  What story could she tell through her glass work? This was her focus.  She did some amazing pieces. 🙂

So tell me something, how do you do art in your homeschool?   Do your children happily engage in any art opportunities that you offer them? Or are they more like my creative one… needing a story freeing them up to explore?

blog hop

Hey!  Follow The crew through this Annual Not Going Back to School homeschool blog hop!  Links of participants below

CREW @ Homeschool Review Crew – 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog Hop  
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses – ABC of Homeschooling
Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag – Adding Fun to Your Homeschool Day
Erin @ For Him and My Family – Large Family Homeschooling 
Lori @ At Home Where Life Happens – Learning Life Skills
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling – Homeschooling the High School Years
Monique D. @ Early Learning Mom – Homeschooling With Autism
Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range – 5 Days of Upper Grades Homeschooling
Abby @ Making Room 4 One More – Time Management for Homeschool Moms 
Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool – 5 Days of Homeschool Questions
Amy @ the WRITE Balance – Year-Round Schooling 
Annette @ A Net in Time – Homeschooling. 
Betty @ Lets Get Real – Homeschooling High School 
Cassandra @ My Blessed Mess – Eclectic Homeschooling

Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase – Roadschooling with a Teenager

Loyal, a favourite

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Today is Friday Favourites and we are supposed to talk about the things that we love in our homeschool… books, traditions, curriculum and the like.   Well sorry, it’s NOT going to happen!  🙂  For that past I DO NOT KNOW how long, every single Friday I take part in a Five Minute Friday link up.   We get a word, and we talk about it for five minutes.  I used to time myself to the dot and stop but I don’t do that anymore.  I have a running clock in my head now.  (at least that’s what I tell myself!)    Grinning. 

blue flower with word LOYAL

Anyways, today’s word in Loyal.  I’ll see if I can somehow tie it in to schooling okay?  🙂  I almost always do a poem, though sometimes I digress.   Today I need to let my heart sing, so poetry it is. 

Loyal, a poem. 

Faithful
One who holds the faith
Can be counted on

Devoted
You know their heart
Emotion sits waiting.

Constant
Day to day, hour by hour
Minute by Minute.

Steadfast
Clip Clop, Step by Step
Ever holding, ever forward motion
Stand the line

Reliable
You know they will be there
Steady as a clock

Trustworthy
Respect in leaps and bounds
Knowing the job will be done

Dedicated
Bending over, reaching down
Time taken to show
The Cross

Unchanging
Well, not in this schoolroom
Love holds constant though.

Unwavering
Logic, think, use your brain
Nice job, thinking it through
Praise

Unswerving
The path before,
Light the way, Show it, This way.
No side trails leading backwards.

True
Speak it, Live it, show it
Teach it, show how to argue it.
Listen for it always.

Loyal
Remain at your side
Standing firm
Looking ahead
Remembering yesterday
STAY.

 

If you want to read the rest of my five blog hops posts, Follow the links!

Dear Frantic One.
Exploring Canadian History through Field Trips. 
Easy and Hard how-to’s of homeschooling. 
What are you thankful for?

Join in visiting some of the crew, you can start here:

Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool
Angie @ Run Ran Family Adventures & Learning
Annette @ A Net in Time
Ashley @ Gift of Chaos
Betty @ Let’s Get Real
Brenda @ Counting Pinecones
Carol @ Home Sweet Life
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures
Lori @ At Home: where life happens
Margaret @ Creative Madness Mama
Marla @ Jump Into Genius
Meredith @ Powerline Productions: Being World Changers/Raising World Changers
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Missica @ Through The Open Window
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling



Easy and hard how-to’s of homeschooling

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The topic for today’s Blog Hop post is Work it Wednesday, the question facing is us this: How do we make it work?  Whether it’s electives or finding what our children want to learn about, to finding inexpensive school supplies, figuring out high school or whatever.  The bottom line is this: How do we make it work?

The how to's of homeschooling easy and hard text.

Well, quite frankly, one day at a time.  There’s no other way to do it. 

Friendships

This summer I made a goal that I didn’t tell my fellows about.  I wanted my lad to be able to spend every week with a friend, or a perhaps hoped to be friend.    Other than two weeks of summer I succeeded (and I’ve only next week to figure out if I can yet and if so.. it will only be ONE week of summer)!   One friend a week since the middle of June.  I was delighted.  And SO was the lad!   Good eh?    Sometimes the lad doesn’t get to see his friends as much as he would like since we are generally about 40-60 minutes away from anyone!

The side-advantage that I hadn’t thought about was… every week this summer bar one, every time the lad visited with a friend, so did I!  🙂   WOOT WOOT!  Friendships are good, in person is cool and has the benefits of shared laughter the rings across a room.    On-line friendships are good too as they bring out another side of a person eh?

Electives:

I don’t really know how we add these in to be honest, they just seem to pop in.  I think part of it is, is that we don’t have the same schedule every single day.   I give the lad a schedule at the beginning of the month saying “this needs to be done three days a week, this twice, this once, this everyday” and let him run with it.  If he sees something he wants to learn it just kinda happens.  He’s a huge youtube lad and he’s been teaching himself physics lately so life happens.  When something pops up that he really wants to learn and something can be replaced that we do and it’s no biggie, we replace.  My goal is.. is he learning?  Does he know how to learn?   Can he learn from more than videos?  Does he know how to double check facts if needed?  Then what does it matter what he’s learning, as long as he’s learning!

If he needs help he needs to ask for it.  Sometimes we start something and it’s a bust, so I have him persevere until everyone knows it a bust OR I find something better.   And other times we start something and it’s such an inspiration it takes over our world for a while.  It’s all good as it’s all just learning. 

School Supplies?

Well frankly  this is SO not an issue.  When my mom’s church closed down about 7 years now????  Anyways, they had a TON of paper, pencils, scissors and stuff that needed to be moved out.  Guess where it moved to?  In fact we had so much stuff given to us that the town day care, other churches and some homeschooling friends benefitted.  We still have paper, pencil crayons and scissors.   Last year I finally said to a gal “you need stickers for your Sunday School?  SURE I have tons.. and now I have WAY less stickers and her Sunday School saved money.  I LOVE THAT STUFF.  I’ve also benefited from people throwing out stuff and I just happen to be in the right place at the right time. It’s nice to get stuff for free and then keeping what we need (or sometimes just covet) and then passing the rest on…it’s a great thing to do.  🙂

What is most difficult?

I think the hardest thing I have at being consistent with is devotions together with the lad.  I’m doing pretty good on my own (YAY GOD), but with the lad it’s harder.  Part of it is that we eat when we’re hungry in this house.  This means that just because I’m hungry and have made a meal doesn’t mean that anyone else is hungry.  We don’t always eat together so having “meal-time devotions” like how I grew up doesn’t happen all that often.  I’m starting to, at 730, to draw the lad aside and say “let’s do our Heidelberg”.  It’s end of the day, usually we’ve all eaten by then and we’re starting to wind down for the day.  This doesn’t always happen, as I said, we’re starting this.  I think once summer is over and we get a student in for the semester this will add some regularity to our day and then devotions will happen more frequently eh?  At least I hope so.  🙂   I know I don’t want to do what some homeschooling families do and add it as a requirement to homeschooling days/lessons.  I want it to be a natural part of life. 

back to school blog hop

Some names to start you off

Jennifer @ Dear Homeschooler
Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Karen @ Tots and Me…Growing Up Together
Kelly @ Hope in the Chaos
Kellyann @ Walking Home …
Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase
Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Laura @ Four Little Penguins
Linda @ Apron Strings & other things
Nicole @ Bless Their Hearts Mom
Patti @ Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy
Rebekah @ There Will Be a $5 Charge For Whining
Rodna @ Training Children up for Christ
Stacy @ A Homemakers Heart
Tess @ Circling Through This Life
Wendy @ Life at Rossmont
Yvie @ Gypsy Road



Exploring Canadian History Through Field Trips

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Welcome to day two of the Back to School Blog hop, today we’ll be talking about Exploring Canadian History Through Field Trips.   You may remember yesterday that I gave encouragement to the parent concerned about readiness for the beginning of the new school year.  Since today’s topic is Take a Look Tuesday I thought it would be fun to look at Canadian History …both that which I’d like to see some day and those we’ve already accomplished.

trees over path, text exploring Canadian History through Field Trips

One of the places I would love to visit is Casa Loma in Toronto.  I had hoped to go this year, but buying our house put a different spin on our finances. I did find this video that gives me a bit of a taste.

Earlier this year we visited the Radar Museum. This is a good look back at the use of radar on Canadian soil during the wars and beyond.
secrets of radar museum, London, ON

Another place I’d like to visit is Fort Henry.  Up in Kingston, this Fort does reenactments and apparently has a overnight stay you can do as well.

I am thinking that it would be as interesting to visit as it was to see Fort York.  Seeing and learning history by visiting actual places of history brings a new dimension you know? Better than reading about it in a book. 🙂
Posing in guard houses at Fort York

We took a trip this past year up to Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  That was a great trip, learning about a part of history we don’t often hear much about.

our field trip to uncle Tom's Cabin

One of my goals that I am hoping to achieve at the end of September this year is to go to Ottawa to visit my brother and his wife, as well as to tour the Parliament building, the War Museum and other such places. I am really hoping we can make that happen! If my sweetheart can take a Friday off to go camping with the lad, and then take another four days mid-week to do the Ottawa tour… it would be good. 🙂 I do need to talk to him more about this and work things out with my sis-in-law (who has given us an open invitation).

Visiting Joseph Schneider Haus is always a place I like to visit, bringing the lad here when the currants were ready was just plain fun.  🙂   We learned much and enjoyed a good snack as well.

Joseph Schneider Haus
Anyways, that’s enough for today.  I hope you enjoyed this brief stop in’s at places we’ve been and places we’d like to go.  Wouldn’t you like to come join us?

back to school blog hop

This post is part of the Back to School blog hop from the Homeschool Review Crew.  Please visit others of the crew won’t you?

Christine @ Christine Howard
Christy @ The Simple Homemaker
Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag
Debra @ Footprints in the Butter
Diana @ Homeschool Review
Felicia @ Homeschool 4 Life
Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning
Jeniffer @ Thou Shall Not Whine
Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life
Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures
Lori @ At Home: where life happens
Margaret @ Creative Madness Mama
Marla @ Jump Into Genius
Meredith @ Powerline Productions: Being World Changers/Raising World Changers
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Missica @ Through The Open Window
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling



Dear Frantic One

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Welcome to the Homeschool Review Crew’s Summer Blog hop.  In this blog hop you will find five days of encouragement as we head back to school.  You’ll see our overall topics posted in the image.  I’m going to be working this day by day so it will be a surprise eh!  🙂   Some of the topics I have no clear leading on and others I have an idea in the works but sometimes, those ideas go in directions different than what I plan.   Let’s walk through this week together, do some good reading, and be encouraged.  Day One is about encouragement for the school year.

back to school blog hop

I write today’s post quite honestly with me in mind.  My thinking is that if I am feeling a certain way, others will be as well as God’s word tells us that there is nothing new under the sun.

Right now I am feeling a bit frantic.  My son has a goal in mind for what he wants to learn about with this schooling this year.  He wants to learn about the great wars and he wants to make it as all inclusive as he can.  So he will learn geography, science, art, music etc all around the idea of the the wars and their time periods. Not only that, he’d very much like to study how Canada was involved in the wars.  So that’s where I am at, and here’s what I want someone who’s been there done that to say to me.

woman looking over lake, text dear frantic one

Dear Frantic One

Calm yourself.  This is your child you are schooling.  Do you think he’s going to freak out if you don’t have everything organized or if you have to delay for a day or two as you catch your breath before you dig in?  Did you raise your child to fret or to think schooling is more important than people?

Calm yourself, talk to your child.  Do they envision a certain way for their schooling to happen?  For instance, do they want research projects or papers to write?   Does he envision art projects or science experiments?  Would videos and making a report on them fill their desire to know more?   Can you work around the desire to not have to write things down by focusing on narration or hands-on efforts?

Calm yourself, think about what you have. Do you have create a whole program?  Are there things you have at hand that will do the job?   Can you tweak what others have done to make something that will suit your child better?

Calm yourself, do you have to have all the answers for September  4th (or whatever day you start)?   Are you going to go all in right from the start or will you ease your way slowly in?  Is a delay going to ruin your entire year or can you work a bit more five days throughout the year if you aren’t quite ready yet?

Calm yourself, if you are a person of faith, have you taken the time to talk to God?  Have you committed your day and year to him?  Have you discussed your plans with him?

Calm yourself, have you talked with your partner   Have you talked about your  worries?   Have you listened to advice?  Sought his/her help?

Calm yourself and remind yourself, this is something YOU can do.  Just take your time, grab your moments, and figure it out.  You can do it!   One small step at a time and before you know the whole year will be over.  A child to teach, experiences to share, and life to live well.  🙂 

Some of the participants:

Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool
Angie @ Run Ran Family Adventures & Learning
Annette @ A Net in Time
Ashley @ Gift of Chaos
Brenda @ Counting Pinecones
Carol @ Home Sweet Life
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Christine @ Christine Howard

Nicole @ Bless Their Hearts Mom
Patti @ Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy
Rebekah @ There Will Be a $5 Charge For Whining
Rodna @ Training Children up for Christ
Stacy @ A Homemakers Heart
Wendy @ Life at Rossmont
Yvie @ Gypsy Road



Things I love – Co-op

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Today is the last day of the homeschool review crew’s 5 day blog hop.  I hope you’ve had fun, I know I’ve read some fascinating posts from other members, and some that are just plain fun.

Today I thought I’d talk about a love that happens twice a year for six weeks at a time. Co-op classes with our Homeschool Group.

Things I like - co-op classes

That’s my boy there you know?   Grinning away.  Having fun playing Ants.   He’s the biggest boy in class and it was funny watching him, letting himself get caught.  And these skinny kids would try to move him.  He thought it was a hoot!  🙂

Our co-op is set up that all the age levels get a phys ed time.  Time to run around and let off steam and have fun playing with youth the same age.   When I teach gym I do my best to NOT do gym the way I was raised playing volleyball or basketball.  But having fun playing games and tag and getting to know one another.   The youth seem to like the format which is the best thing.

Each co-op has their own way of doing things you know?   Ours says the year you join, have fun, help out with a couple of classes and get to know some of the folks around you.  The second year and thereafter, teach a class and then help in a class.  What to teach?  Whatever you want.  I’ve helped in art classes, geography, history, science and others.

I’ve seen moms come in with busy boxes, dolls and various unit studies.

I tend to teach art or science classes.   Introducing the children to the fun of exploring the world. 

 

This year I decided to teach two classes as I despise .. well okay, perhaps not despise.  But I dislike helping in a class where I’m just sitting around doing my own thing, being a wasted body in a room.    I’d rather do something.  So this year I said the heck with helping, let me teach a second class. 

I have two children in my doll making class and we are just having a lot of fun together.  They wanted to make a doll they could sew so we needed to revamp class ideas a bit.  But they are having fun and learning and that’s the good thing eh?    I have 15 children in my gym class.  I started with 12 but sometimes life changes and kids can’t handle one class so they move to another.  It’s no mattering to me as long as they listen and have fun.

Why do I like co-op classes?  

Ah.. cause my boy loves them eh?  Seriously.  It’s good to connect with other moms (and dads) and to spend time talking and listening.  But mostly, it’s because my boy has such fun there.  I don’t know what he’ll do when he ages out of them.  He’ll be quite sad I think.  It’s hard living so far away from the homeschool group, hard to get together and be involved eh?  And a lad needs friends.  Here…here he can connect with friends for a few hours every week and afterwards sometimes too. So co-op is a good thing for both us.  Stretches me a bit, gives me some connection, but also the lad, it’s so good for the lad.



Things I Love – Book Bag

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I know it doesn’t look like much hanging there.   It’s just a simple bag, a bag that holds books.   You might ask then, why is it a thing I love?  You already know how I love my kitchen hacks. 

Oh… I love it because it means independence!

YES!  Independence.

The Things I love - book bag

You see, it’s one of my aims.  To raise a boy who will be independent in his thinking.  Not having to cling to me or my opinions, or the opinions of his dad, his friends or others.  One who is secure in his own thinking and able to defend it full well.

How does a simple book bag pull into that?

Well.. I (yes ME) would NOT organize my educational life into a bag.  It is simply something I wouldn’t do. I like to organize things onto shelves and/or spots on the floor or on a table. 

My lad tested my way out and you know what?   

HE DISCARDED IT!  Imagine that!

My lad decided that my methods didn’t work for him.

Along the way it caused him some consternation.   He didn’t know why my methods didn’t work for him. The understanding wasn’t there for why my methods created frustration that wheeled up inside of him.  All he knew is that it simply wasn’t working for him, having books on shelves, or organized in a pile neatly on the floor. 

I let him work it through, letting him know when he chose a method if it didn’t work for me (like a messy pile in front of the door). Encouraging him to figure out a method that worked for his unique style and then one day he got it!  No tidy boxes or separated areas on a bookshelf.  No placing on a table or on the floor under a desk.  Everything nice and neatly piled in his bag. 

Things I love - book bag

His explanation:

His explanation “I don’t have to think about where things are mom.  I know it’s all there OR it’s on the computer.   Just two spots and I don’t have to go anywhere else to look.   I can hang it up at night or put it in my room if I want to start as soon as I wake up. “

It’s a simple thing.

A remarkable thing.

AND I LOVE IT.   This fostering of independence is a good thing. A growing in the small things, and over time, seeing them in the bigger things.   Not always an easy decision or choice, and sometimes growth is seen easiest in the small things.  As he matures I see this independence in other ways… in differences of opinions on what is important in a bible passage, in the joy of reading non-fiction, in the subjects that fascinate him, in his demand to know more and think more and choose more.   It’s a lovely thing indeed. 

Tell me then my readers….. how do your children show independence in a way that YOU love?   Even in the simple small things. How do you let them foster that needed growth?