Sunday, September 27, 2009

More of the same

More School: Obama Would Curtail Summer Vacation

Sigh. More of the same with regards to public education. I get that it's a response to the ever-elongating American work week but I do not think more classroom hours = children more prepared for life. We need to teach more efficiently, to plan lessons and units of study with more thought and ingenuity. Our education needs to more process-oriented. So many of our children will likely be working in jobs that don't even exist now. We need to focus on teaching them to learn and adapt instead of just memorizing sets of facts we think are important today (and may be meaningless by the time they get to college).

Obama says American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe.


First of all, I question this "disadvantage." Not that I don't think it exists, but I wonder how we have arrived at this conclusion and what the testing process really is. Many other nations have strictly tiered school systems where only the best and brightest get to even sit for exams.

Secondly, what is being tested? The ability to regurgitate math facts of the understanding of math? I would really like to know.

Regardless, the disadvantage we see in test scores is not about the number of hours spent learning, but the process of learning.

I've been in the public school classrooms. The classes, the materials, the textbooks are tremendously boring and structured. There is no room for enthusiasm and individual interest is quashed at nearly every turn. I do not blame teachers---I have loved almost every teacher my children have had. And I have felt their frustration. I volunteered in classes---there was overcrowding and a lack of support for dealing with children who learn differently than the bulk of the students. The goal is to get the checklist covered and to get as many kids to digest the facts that have been deemed Important (ie, on the test). I have heard from teachers how this was so not what they signed up for when they went into education. And I have seen dedicated and passionate teachers leave for this reason---move on to alternative education or adult education (which, wow---there is some GREAT stuff going on there---THAT should be our model!!) or leave teaching altogether.


On the other hand....lol I'm a gemini, I always have to look at the other hand.
The economy is tough. There are not many two-parent families that can live off one income and there are a lot of single parent families. This means there's a lot of need for childcare and a longer school day could be really helpful. If a longer school day meant more down time, less homework and a little room to do something more interesting or innovative, well maybe that's worth it. For my family, I already felt like 30 hours a week was about 15 hours too many. I missed the kids, they missed each other and it was just too hectic a lifestyle for us. I realize, though, that we are in the minority there and the American lifestyle is about Keeping Busy. I'm not a fan of that, but it does seem to work for a lot of families. Read more "More of the same..."

Monday, September 21, 2009

Happy Mabon!

Ok, it's here. Autumn is upon us, people. And it's time to celebrate.

This is the start of the dark season, but it's not a time to dread (repeat ad nauseum, sufferers of seasonal affective disorder!). It's a time to eat, to collect and prepare for the coming months. We should harvest all the things we have been growing, start changing them to last us through to Ostara. We have Samhain, Yule and Brigid's Day to look forward to and save for!

I'll be celebrating tomorrow with another day with my college bff who is visiting. My husband and children are away at the House of the Mouse until Friday so we are chilling all by ourselves. There is shopping and general merriment. :) Tomorrow, her sister will be joining us for dinner and an evening of drinks and joy.

How are you welcoming the new season? Read more "Happy Mabon!..."

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

This week's learnings & haps

Ok, the Time Life series on The Maya (narrated by Sam Waterston!) was a bust but everything else is going pretty well this week.

Emma had 2 baby teeth pulled yesterday and then Rob took the kids to their auditions for Hansel and Gretel. They said it went well.

The girls really enjoyed last week's lessons on flower reproduction so we continued a bit with that today. We had picked up some wilted flowers from the lovely florist at the grocery store yesterday. Today, we dissected carnations, roses and gerber daisies. We identified the parts and talked about the reproductive process again. The girls used colored pencils and pastels to draw what they saw. We used the last of the white roses and carnations to play with color----we put them in small vases with water and food coloring. We already have some newly blue and pink flowers. I'll try and get pics up soon.

I attended Parents Orientation for Keystone today. It was about an hour long and generally informative. They have these online parent meetings every month and it looks like they will be generally useful things.

The kids are all cleaning their rooms. They leave for Disney on Sunday and I've got company coming so we'll need their rooms clean and ready. I'll save sheet changing and bed making for Sunday night, but the rest needs to be done by Friday. We have a very busy Sunday and their flight it at O'dark thirty Sunday morning.

Wow, this has been a rather boring blog. Yeah, sorry. Read more "This week's learnings & haps..."

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Science, Unit 1, Week 2: Classification and Vertebrates

This week, we'll be going over some general information about classifying living things. We will focus on vertebrates, as that's what the girls have requested.

We'll start by reading through our science textbook for a quick overview of classification. I'm hoping to get to the library Monday or Tuesday to see if they have any cool picture books about classification. Charlotte will have a couple of workbook pages to complete on vertebrate/invertebrate and I'll pick out some of the textbook discussion questions for Emma. I've got a lesson plan from an elementary school in AZ that we can use as well (it's a little dry but there are some good charts). When needed, we'll take a book break with some videos:

Series of videos on animal classification at How Stuff Works.


Bill Nye on Invertebrates



Then comes this fabulousness:



We'll finish the week with this game calledClassifying Critters over at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Read more "Science, Unit 1, Week 2: Classification and Vertebrates..."

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Welcoming Autumn

Autumn (and winter) are going to come whether I get my shit together and welcome them or not. Yes, I am dreading the loss of sunlight and outside time and, omg, beach weather but the seasons change and these things must ebb and flow and the best I can do is lean into the wind and enjoy the lusciousness of harvest time.

So!

There's an awesome thread over at mdc about making Autumn Altars. Perfect! This gives me an opportunity to declutter, go through the harvest decor, get creative and focus on the things I love about Autumn. Tonight I decorated a couple of white pillar candles for the space. Here they are, with my bewbs for background:

Photo 67

Tomorrow I plan to declutter the altar spaces in the kitchen and living room and set up seasonal altars. I'll pull out the harvest decorations and get them sorted. I will only keep and display what I love. The rest I will box up and bring to my coworker who works at a domestic violence shelter during the day. She helps set women up in apartments. Many of the women there have no holiday decorations, since they often left with nothing but their children and whatever clothes they could grab.

I also made a Wecoming Autumn playlist. It's a work in progress.

I want to get a month of menus going so as we start all the extra curricular stuff, we'll have something to count on each night. This is such a wonderful time of year for cooking and eating! Sweet potatoes and squash and stews and baked macaroni & cheese and roasted root vegetables. Yum!

Money troubles should be easing up very shortly. I have faith that we can put some of that anxiety away for a bit.

Oh, the dude just brought me a pumpkin martini. Goddess Bless Autumn. Read more "Welcoming Autumn..."

Social Studies Lesson Plans & Resources

Migration to Ancient America

Ancient America on KidsPast


Ancient Predators in Beringia
video from Nat Geo

Wiki Beringia page

Texts:
What Your 3rd Grader... pages 120-122
Build Our Nation text book page 36
American Indian (Nat Geo text) pages 29-33




Week 2: The Maya, Aztecs and Incas

What Your 5th Grader... pages 107-116
Build Our Nation pages 40-43 and 48-51

Scholastic's lesson plans on Ancient America

Videos from NeoK12 Read more "Social Studies Lesson Plans & Resources..."

Saturday, September 5, 2009

TGI 3 day weekend

We all have sleepover-hangover here at Casa McFarm. Jules had 2 friends sleep over last night. People are cranky. We need caffeine, greasy food and naps. :)

Some things I stumbled upon this week.

People of Walmart (It's a website, google it. I'm not linking it.)
I think this site is both classist and racist. I'm no fan of Wal*Mart to be sure, but I really dislike this kind of nasty picking on people. Not that I haven't done something similar IRL with friends, but somehow it seems grosser in written form. Plus, there is a shitload of fat-hate on there. Ick

Tip Junkie September Really great check list for stuff that might need to be on your September to do list!

Now do this! You give it a list, it tells you to do it!

Sex without orgasms, on purpose Yeah, I don't know. If the underlying assumptions she makes are actually true, polyamory makes a lot more sense than no-orgasm sex. Read more "TGI 3 day weekend..."

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Season's Change

It's September.


I'm not very happy about that. Generally, I welcome the change of seasons, the start of a new academic year, the coming of harvest time. But last year's battle with seasonal depression was so ugly, so rough that I find myself mired in anxiety about the upcoming fall/winter time. I am "should-ing" all over myself. I should have gotten my blood work done, gotten a doctor, started researching meds, worked on moving the toxins out of my diet, etc etc etc. Boy, is that a dark road to the self-fulfilling prophecy of insecurity and depression! Whee!

I do want to be proactive and there is still time. So, without further ado, here's a list of things I'd like to work on to insulate myself and give a med-free winter one more shot:


1. Increase spiritual practice
I want to do ritual or yoga or meditation on a daily basis, more if needed. I am sifting through and trying out different guided meditation podcasts. I would like to incorporate a morning ritual or prayer from my Pagan Home Management binder. I used to do this, with a short yoga flow routine and I really enjoyed it. I bet I can get at least Charlotte on board.

2. Vitamins
I want to incorporate a daily multivitamin and EmergenC. Rob does this in the morning, before he even has coffee. I can do it too, surely.

3. Vitamin D
This may be my big deficiency each winter. I do try and get my face out there in the sun, but it's hard. So, a vitamin D supplement and a light box or maybe even tanning. I still need to do research on these things.

4. Move!
Yoga, walking, bellydancing, whatever. But it needs to be regular and often.

5. Keep the emotional toxin intake low
There were some relationships dragging me down last winter. I'm generally pretty cutthroat about keeping negative people outside my circle, but it's harder when I'm weakened by depression or anxiety. I need to keep on top of this as proactively as possible.

6. Keep the nutritional toxin intake low
I'd like to learn how to cook Japanese food. This sounds like a great way to replace some of the wheat and dairy in my current food intake.

7. Weekly splurge
Spa night, a manicure, a date, fancy martini night, out to dinner with my mama. Whatever. I want to make sure to have something special and decadent to look forward to every single week.

8. Sex
And a lot of it.

9. Art
Yarn arts, paper arts, crafting, writing, whatever. But staying connected to my creative side is pretty important. There is also, I hear, some sort of endorphin released when doing something repetitive like knitting.

Anyone else with grand ideas? Read more "Season's Change..."

Japan!

I've got some kids obsessed with Anime and Japanamation and, well, all things Japanese. And I was thinking of putting together some lessons on Japanese cooking and culture and language, as sort of an educational Before to some video game playing parties for the teen/pre-teen set.

And then I found Cooking With Dog. Omg, new fav show.

Bento box episode:


More bento goodness at LJ.

And then my friend Forte turned me on to the Cookbook over at Kids Web Japan.

Anyone else have great resources for some mini lessons on Japan and Japanese culture and cooking? Read more "Japan!..."
 

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