I ended up purchasing the Brave Writer products The Writer's Jungle and Jot it Down. I also purchased the Arrow guide for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Brave Writer is quite impressive. It is not a curriculum but a language rich lifestyle.
The neat thing about Brave Writer is that we were pretty much already living the lifestyle. We read a lot, write a lot, make homemade books, send mail, keep journals, have movie nights, etc. We have also always used narration, dictation, and copywork. New ideas such as Tuesday Teatime and Freewrite Fridays have been introduced with instant success and the focus on ideas instead of grammar, punctuation, mechanics, etc. is a welcome relief. The kids LOVE the suggested projects and have already planned a "good enough" Fall Harvest Party. They made an activity and supply list, created invitations, and mailed them to friends.
The lifestyle fits right into our unschoolish yet rhythmic days. Nothing forced, everything a joy.
Oh! And one other thing. The Arrow books are not all written by ancient white Christian authors! There are even black people on some of the covers! What a revelation! That good books can be written by non-white authors and feature non-white main characters! Some of the books were even written in this century! Two of the books, Bud, Not Buddy and Esperanza Rising I read with the Radiant Rabbit Reader book club that I led back when I was a Children's Librarian for the city. It's so refreshing to find a homeschool reading list that is not stuck in the past. I mean the past is fine and dandy, but the present needs a little recognition too folks.
A couple quotes from the creator of Brave Writer, Julie Bogart:
"Give your kids a language-rich environment where reading literature, poetry and the newspaper is an ordinary occurrence, where movie viewing includes discussions, where read-alouds are opportunities not just to follow the hungry plot line but a chance to notice the skill and craft of a master writer. These experiences do more to form writers than all the workbooks and writing programs combined."
"Guard their enjoyment of writing. If you succeed in keeping them interested and willing, you'll have given them a wonderful gift."
How do I guard the kids' enjoyment of writing?
Naia was giving puppet shows at the library and her audience was cracking up. Her older sister, of all people, came to me and said "Naia gives the best puppet shows! They are so funny!" Naia, of course, was beaming with pride, smiling from ear to ear, and wanted to give more and more puppet shows. The positive reaction was like a drug and she was addicted. When we arrived home I told her she should write out some dialog on paper. She wrote a short story. The story was such a hit that she added another chapter! And guess what? The second chapter ended with a cliffhanger! She is brilliant. I told her I wanted more! I needed more!
I sold our grammar curriculum from last year that Eaden so dreaded and used the money to buy a copy of Harry Potter (and the Brave Writer Arrow guide) for our read aloud. We also sold some other old tortuous curriculum and used the money to buy notebooks and fun gel pens for our journal time.
We LOVE what we do!
_________________________________________
News alert!!! I was up before the kids and able to listen to a podcast in my bed while drinking coffee!!!
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2017/09/18/brave-writer-podcast-season-3-with-susan-wise-bauer/
This was a quite satisfying podcast (whether you homeschool or not by the way). I love the ending when Julie Bogart asks Bauer how one might become part of a more "inclusive, fearless, brave academic journey." Yes! That is what we want!
Brave Writer blog posts to check out as well.
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2013/06/22/the-secret-to-happy-homeschooling-is/
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2014/03/13/the-misunderstood-child-led-learning-model/
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2017/05/11/how-sweet-it-is/
______________________________________
None of his siblings would play with him (that's why I gave birth to them for goodness sake)! I got you Mirek!
Sending out our invitation for the "good enough" Fall Harvest Party we are hosting next week. This is a Brave Writer project. The girls are most excited. They plan to make fall slime, pumpkin play-dough, bake treats, have an apple tasting and judging, pumpkin relay races, homemade goody bags, and more.
Poppy Seed Cake for our first Tuesday Teatime! Tuesday Teatime is a Brave Writer weekly occurrence where we bake a choice treat, set the table, light candles, sip a special beverage, and read poetry together. The kids LOVE it!
Eaden wanted pancakes for breakfast, but it was not pancake Saturday so I told her to get to work...and she did. Hallelujah!
We found a kitten! It meandered into our yard and has not left since. We call her Cloud. My parents have decided to sponsor her (buy food and get her fixed). We cannot let her inside but she seems happy on the back porch.
An arts and crafts day creation.
The kids read ALL OF THE TIME! We have one library day a week, but we usually end up going about three times. And I'm not sure why the TV says I was listening to Christmas music. Weird.
The kids making brownies for our second Tuesday Teatime.
At 3:00 every day we all clean the house for 30 minutes. It is amazing how shiny our humble abode gets when 5 people (the oldest four kids and I) clean for this short period of time. It's a life saver. At 3:30, it's me time! Here is what 3:30 in bed looks like!
In other news, as you can see, I have a real down comforter! My aunt gave it to me. I feel like a pampered, spoiled, trust fund baby. It's quite luxurious.
I have coffee in bed in the morning, beer in bed in the afternoon, and purple cows (vanilla ice cream and grape juice) in bed at night. Holy shit! My life!
We have a math day (yes one day of math!), history/geography day, arts and crafts day, science day, movie day, and game day. On our arts and crafts day last week, we made puppets.
Taven bought this model car with his own money. It was actually a worthy purchase. He loves following Lego directions and building and this is fairly similar. The pieces are good quality as well.
He was fascinated with the project and is saving up for his next car.
Everyone is excited for journal time because who doesn't love 50 new colors of gel pens and washi tape?! Excuse the mess.
_________________________________________
Now that I am not on Facebook or Instagram, I have been wondering...
if I don't share something, did it happen?
I have also been wondering...
if I have a picture of a moment, was I really and truly present?
Some pictureless moments from my week:
~Setting: Reading next to Taven in bed.
Taven: "Mommy what does scallywag mean?"
Me: "I think it's a pirate word. Use it in a sentence."
Taven: "The lily livered scallywag walked the plank."
~Storytime with Mirek and Lela in my bed at night reading my mom's (and Mirek's) favorite book Giants Come in Different Sizes.
~Reading a story Eaden wrote and trying to focus on the good ideas and not the fact that there are no periods when she says "I like to put periods in when I rewrite it." Oh whew. Okay. (And she did).
~We watched Harry and the Henderson's for movie night. This is a movie I loved and watched many times as a kid. It is rated PG (not that I really care) and I didn't remember the movie that well. So after the family hits Harry with their car the little boy says "holy shit!" and Mirek repeats "holy shit!" Everyone laughs and the kid says "holy shit" again! Mirek says "holy shit!" again...of course.
~Reading with Taven in bed (our own books) while the rain falls outside. He is my reading buddy.
~Reading The Green Bath to Mirek and Lela while they take a bath (as requested by Mirek). Lela would later lay about 10 turds in the bath water.
~Setting: The kids are licking the bowls from the brownies we made.
Naia: "Can't raw eggs make you sick?"
Me: "Yes. But it's fine."
Naia: "We could get sick."
Eaden: "Well she didn't say die, just sick. So let's keep licking!"
~Naia singing song lyrics that are supposed to say "I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier" but mistaking them for "I wanna drink from the sugarless tea, from the sugarless tea."
_________________________________
I think finding joy in simple pleasures is the key to happiness. Letting go of social media and replacing that gargantuan swath of time with drinking, journaling, and reflection is such a healthy habit for me. Yep. I said it. Drinking is healthy. It will stick this time. I have been doing very well cultivating habits that have made life a bit more enjoyable and stress free.
__________________________________
I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was pretty funny.
Ain't that the truth!?
_____________________________________
So for no apparent reason except that it is what I am reading, I am going to leave you with some philosophy to ponder. I am very grateful to have such peace, time, and space in my life to ruminate on more than my immediate needs.
Have you ever read the book Sophie's World? I don't know when I read it for the first time, maybe 10 years ago, but I got it off the shelf the other day and went back to look at what I underlined and read the little notes I made. I think I will reread it in its entirety soon. Here are some snippets:
"At some point something must have come from nothing."
"Where did space come from? It was possible that space had always existed, in which case she [Sophie] would not also need to figure out where it came from. But could anything have always existed? Something deep down inside her protested at the idea. Surely everything that exists must have had a beginning? But if space had come from something else, then that something else must also have come from something...At some point, something must have come from nothing. But was that possible? Wasn't that just as impossible as the world had always existed? They had learned at school that God created the world. Sophie tried to console herself with the thought that this was probably the best solution to the whole problem. But then she started to think again. She could accept that God had created space, but what about God himself? Had he created himself out of nothing? Again there was something deep down inside her that protested. Even though God could create all kinds of things, he could hardly create himself before he had a 'self' to create with."
"It seems as if in the process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world...For various reasons most people get so caught up in everyday affairs that their astonishment at the world gets pushed into the background...I will not allow you, of all people, to join the ranks of the apathetic and the indifferent. I want you to have an inquiring mind."
"...Once again she was struck by the incredible wonder of the world."
I think we have our Friday Freewrite topic for next week! Take'n em to church! Freedom Seven style!
The neat thing about Brave Writer is that we were pretty much already living the lifestyle. We read a lot, write a lot, make homemade books, send mail, keep journals, have movie nights, etc. We have also always used narration, dictation, and copywork. New ideas such as Tuesday Teatime and Freewrite Fridays have been introduced with instant success and the focus on ideas instead of grammar, punctuation, mechanics, etc. is a welcome relief. The kids LOVE the suggested projects and have already planned a "good enough" Fall Harvest Party. They made an activity and supply list, created invitations, and mailed them to friends.
The lifestyle fits right into our unschoolish yet rhythmic days. Nothing forced, everything a joy.
Oh! And one other thing. The Arrow books are not all written by ancient white Christian authors! There are even black people on some of the covers! What a revelation! That good books can be written by non-white authors and feature non-white main characters! Some of the books were even written in this century! Two of the books, Bud, Not Buddy and Esperanza Rising I read with the Radiant Rabbit Reader book club that I led back when I was a Children's Librarian for the city. It's so refreshing to find a homeschool reading list that is not stuck in the past. I mean the past is fine and dandy, but the present needs a little recognition too folks.
A couple quotes from the creator of Brave Writer, Julie Bogart:
"Give your kids a language-rich environment where reading literature, poetry and the newspaper is an ordinary occurrence, where movie viewing includes discussions, where read-alouds are opportunities not just to follow the hungry plot line but a chance to notice the skill and craft of a master writer. These experiences do more to form writers than all the workbooks and writing programs combined."
"Guard their enjoyment of writing. If you succeed in keeping them interested and willing, you'll have given them a wonderful gift."
How do I guard the kids' enjoyment of writing?
Naia was giving puppet shows at the library and her audience was cracking up. Her older sister, of all people, came to me and said "Naia gives the best puppet shows! They are so funny!" Naia, of course, was beaming with pride, smiling from ear to ear, and wanted to give more and more puppet shows. The positive reaction was like a drug and she was addicted. When we arrived home I told her she should write out some dialog on paper. She wrote a short story. The story was such a hit that she added another chapter! And guess what? The second chapter ended with a cliffhanger! She is brilliant. I told her I wanted more! I needed more!
I sold our grammar curriculum from last year that Eaden so dreaded and used the money to buy a copy of Harry Potter (and the Brave Writer Arrow guide) for our read aloud. We also sold some other old tortuous curriculum and used the money to buy notebooks and fun gel pens for our journal time.
We LOVE what we do!
_________________________________________
News alert!!! I was up before the kids and able to listen to a podcast in my bed while drinking coffee!!!
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2017/09/18/brave-writer-podcast-season-3-with-susan-wise-bauer/
This was a quite satisfying podcast (whether you homeschool or not by the way). I love the ending when Julie Bogart asks Bauer how one might become part of a more "inclusive, fearless, brave academic journey." Yes! That is what we want!
Brave Writer blog posts to check out as well.
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2013/06/22/the-secret-to-happy-homeschooling-is/
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2014/03/13/the-misunderstood-child-led-learning-model/
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2017/05/11/how-sweet-it-is/
______________________________________
None of his siblings would play with him (that's why I gave birth to them for goodness sake)! I got you Mirek!
Sending out our invitation for the "good enough" Fall Harvest Party we are hosting next week. This is a Brave Writer project. The girls are most excited. They plan to make fall slime, pumpkin play-dough, bake treats, have an apple tasting and judging, pumpkin relay races, homemade goody bags, and more.
Poppy Seed Cake for our first Tuesday Teatime! Tuesday Teatime is a Brave Writer weekly occurrence where we bake a choice treat, set the table, light candles, sip a special beverage, and read poetry together. The kids LOVE it!
Eaden wanted pancakes for breakfast, but it was not pancake Saturday so I told her to get to work...and she did. Hallelujah!
We found a kitten! It meandered into our yard and has not left since. We call her Cloud. My parents have decided to sponsor her (buy food and get her fixed). We cannot let her inside but she seems happy on the back porch.
An arts and crafts day creation.
The kids read ALL OF THE TIME! We have one library day a week, but we usually end up going about three times. And I'm not sure why the TV says I was listening to Christmas music. Weird.
The kids making brownies for our second Tuesday Teatime.
At 3:00 every day we all clean the house for 30 minutes. It is amazing how shiny our humble abode gets when 5 people (the oldest four kids and I) clean for this short period of time. It's a life saver. At 3:30, it's me time! Here is what 3:30 in bed looks like!
In other news, as you can see, I have a real down comforter! My aunt gave it to me. I feel like a pampered, spoiled, trust fund baby. It's quite luxurious.
I have coffee in bed in the morning, beer in bed in the afternoon, and purple cows (vanilla ice cream and grape juice) in bed at night. Holy shit! My life!
We have a math day (yes one day of math!), history/geography day, arts and crafts day, science day, movie day, and game day. On our arts and crafts day last week, we made puppets.
Taven bought this model car with his own money. It was actually a worthy purchase. He loves following Lego directions and building and this is fairly similar. The pieces are good quality as well.
He was fascinated with the project and is saving up for his next car.
Everyone is excited for journal time because who doesn't love 50 new colors of gel pens and washi tape?! Excuse the mess.
_________________________________________
Now that I am not on Facebook or Instagram, I have been wondering...
if I don't share something, did it happen?
I have also been wondering...
if I have a picture of a moment, was I really and truly present?
Some pictureless moments from my week:
~Setting: Reading next to Taven in bed.
Taven: "Mommy what does scallywag mean?"
Me: "I think it's a pirate word. Use it in a sentence."
Taven: "The lily livered scallywag walked the plank."
~Storytime with Mirek and Lela in my bed at night reading my mom's (and Mirek's) favorite book Giants Come in Different Sizes.
~Reading a story Eaden wrote and trying to focus on the good ideas and not the fact that there are no periods when she says "I like to put periods in when I rewrite it." Oh whew. Okay. (And she did).
~We watched Harry and the Henderson's for movie night. This is a movie I loved and watched many times as a kid. It is rated PG (not that I really care) and I didn't remember the movie that well. So after the family hits Harry with their car the little boy says "holy shit!" and Mirek repeats "holy shit!" Everyone laughs and the kid says "holy shit" again! Mirek says "holy shit!" again...of course.
~Reading with Taven in bed (our own books) while the rain falls outside. He is my reading buddy.
~Reading The Green Bath to Mirek and Lela while they take a bath (as requested by Mirek). Lela would later lay about 10 turds in the bath water.
~Setting: The kids are licking the bowls from the brownies we made.
Naia: "Can't raw eggs make you sick?"
Me: "Yes. But it's fine."
Naia: "We could get sick."
Eaden: "Well she didn't say die, just sick. So let's keep licking!"
~Naia singing song lyrics that are supposed to say "I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier" but mistaking them for "I wanna drink from the sugarless tea, from the sugarless tea."
_________________________________
I think finding joy in simple pleasures is the key to happiness. Letting go of social media and replacing that gargantuan swath of time with drinking, journaling, and reflection is such a healthy habit for me. Yep. I said it. Drinking is healthy. It will stick this time. I have been doing very well cultivating habits that have made life a bit more enjoyable and stress free.
__________________________________
I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was pretty funny.
Ain't that the truth!?
_____________________________________
So for no apparent reason except that it is what I am reading, I am going to leave you with some philosophy to ponder. I am very grateful to have such peace, time, and space in my life to ruminate on more than my immediate needs.
Have you ever read the book Sophie's World? I don't know when I read it for the first time, maybe 10 years ago, but I got it off the shelf the other day and went back to look at what I underlined and read the little notes I made. I think I will reread it in its entirety soon. Here are some snippets:
"At some point something must have come from nothing."
"Where did space come from? It was possible that space had always existed, in which case she [Sophie] would not also need to figure out where it came from. But could anything have always existed? Something deep down inside her protested at the idea. Surely everything that exists must have had a beginning? But if space had come from something else, then that something else must also have come from something...At some point, something must have come from nothing. But was that possible? Wasn't that just as impossible as the world had always existed? They had learned at school that God created the world. Sophie tried to console herself with the thought that this was probably the best solution to the whole problem. But then she started to think again. She could accept that God had created space, but what about God himself? Had he created himself out of nothing? Again there was something deep down inside her that protested. Even though God could create all kinds of things, he could hardly create himself before he had a 'self' to create with."
"It seems as if in the process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world...For various reasons most people get so caught up in everyday affairs that their astonishment at the world gets pushed into the background...I will not allow you, of all people, to join the ranks of the apathetic and the indifferent. I want you to have an inquiring mind."
"...Once again she was struck by the incredible wonder of the world."
I think we have our Friday Freewrite topic for next week! Take'n em to church! Freedom Seven style!
No comments:
Post a Comment