Autumn

Still unschooling, still loving it.

Here's what unschooling has looked like over the past month:

• Going to a Not-Back-to School teen homeschool picnic on the beach
• Learning and trying to master the soprano ukulele
• A new interest (and a whole lot of research) in digital animation
• A day spent at the Museum of the City of New York and Times Square
• Really enjoying the Life of Fred high school language arts series books and paragraph editing workbooks.  
• A day spent playing dodge ball and laser tag ending with a sleepover
• The almost daily routine of W thanking me for homeschooling him (lol)
• A new tenor ukulele
• Hanging out at Dave & Buster's with his friends
• Researching nutrition and whole-food living
• A new interest (and a whole lot of research) in music editing

Life is more fun than ever lately.  W is probably the most happy and content person I know.  He's been doing the dishes, keeping his room clean, reading a lot, doing his workbooks, and enjoying his life so much.  He usually gets this way, feeling all grateful and satisfied when he see other kids having to go off to school in September.

He's been doing a lot, including starting to take public transportation by himself.  His sisters were 14 when they were taking the trains and buses alone, so he's right in line with that.  We just got his student Metrocards last week, too.  He met a friend at the Rockefeller Plaza Nintendo store and they took a train and bus to Brooklyn.  He's my last baby and it's hard letting go.  Independence and maturity go hand-in-hand with homeschooling, so I'm not worried.

J has been assisting her choreographer all summer, teaching weekly classes at a dance studio, and performing.  A new up-and-coming artist saw her dance on her choreographer's Instagram and asked him if she could be his background dancer at a showcase in Manhattan.  What an amazing opportunity!  She performed with this artist a couple of weeks later at the Highline Ballroom down in Chelsea.  Move-in day at AMDA is this week and we're getting ready.  It's her second year and she's so excited.  This should be a very interesting year for her.

Science, Weapons, and Weather

My homeschool groups are so active and I'm seeing so many amazing classes and trips for teens.  It's so great to see how many homeschoolers in this age group are out there.  Just within the last few months I've seen classes being given for pottery, creative writing, tennis, philosophy, science lab, robotics, debate, string theory, non-fiction writing, drawing, psychology, glass working, comedy improv, ethics, American history, chemistry, digital photography, chess, cooking, ancient civilizations, rhetoric, fencing, video production, song writing, and a ton more.  Plus list upon list of classes for teens (homeschooled or otherwise) given at various museums, galleries, labs, theaters, and parks.  The choices are almost overwhelming (in a good way).  We may not get to very many of them, but knowing they're there is great.  I love my city.

We made a visit to the NY Hall of Science last week.  We haven't been there in so long.  Now that I'm back at my old job, I (we) have the corporate membership to everything again.  They redid the place.  The lower level is all maker, DIY, and lab stuff now.  They have better hours than they used to, too.

Two great homeschool group trips were held this week.  In the first, we were part of a wonderful class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It was on weapons used throughout the world from the Sumerians and Assyrians to World War I.  Our instructor is a homeschool mom and also a college professor of history.  You can tell by the way she put everything together (the handout, the tour, the topics) and by the way she spoke that she truly loves history.  Anything becomes so much more engaging when taught by a person so passionate about it.

Met Museum

The other trip this week was to the National Weather Service at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.  This is the office where all of the weather alerts, warnings, and advisories come from.  They are in constant contact with the mayor, schools chancellor, and all the major local tv and radio stations.  They are present for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Years Eve in Times Square and for events at Met Life Stadium.  We discussed so many things about weather, including the upcoming snow storms, the major hurricanes our area had, and the recent tornado watches.  We got to see the main area where several people were monitoring a number of computers, televisions, barometric pressure-readers, and satellites, and clocks (set to "z-time").  Our guide was a meteorologist who also does outreach.

National Weather Service at the Brookhaven National Lab

National Weather Service

Homeland Security

I can't say enough good things about the field trip W and our homeschool group went on the other day.  It was to Federal Plaza in downtown Manhattan to learn all about the Dept. of Homeland Security.  They created a beautiful outreach program for us - as we were their first "school" group visiting ever.  First we got to hear about a couple of agents' "day in the life".  A PowerPoint presentation on the department's history and current goings on was next.  Each slide was so incredibly fascinating.  We learned about terrorism, border patrol, drug smuggling, human trafficking, customs and immigration, TSA, cyber crimes, counterfeiting and property rights, and so much more.

Two federal agents from JFK Airport came in with their German Shepherds to talk about the K9 unit there.  The dogs sniff out drugs and currency.   They did a demonstration for us, too.  The dogs are very well cared for and loved and will only work for that one agent - who gets the dog while the dog is still in training school.  Various dogs are used and they are found at all the international airports.

Then a FEMA agent came in to discuss what they do and he brought a whole team of FEMA Corps volunteers in with him.  FEMA Corps is a group of 18-24 year-olds who spend 10 months traveling around the country together to help with emergency preparedness.  Some kids were taking a year off between high school and college and this earns them some credits and scholarship money.  Other kids already graduated college and were in FEMA Corps to gain work skills and figure out what they want to do.  One guy was an EMT, a few deal with the social media part, all have CPR training, all do some office work, etc.  These 10 kids comprised one team, but there are dozens of teams around the country.

Every topic was so interesting.  The kids asked so many intelligent, mature questions that the presentation started to head into its 5th hour.  I've never seen 13 & 14 y/os so enthralled by anything like this.  The agents seemed very impressed by how smart and well-behaved these kids were.  Our group of 6 teens and parents (so happy we could sit in!) are so grateful to the Department for having us and teaching us so many things we never realized.

Keeping Busy

W just got back from a trip to Washington DC with one of his best friends and his family.  He had a blast and took a lot of pictures.  His friend founded an animal charity and was in DC to be on a local news broadcast.  W really enjoyed being in the TV studio and getting to watch how everything works.  They got to see the White House and the Washington Monument as well.

Parkour has been going really well.  W is in a weekly class with other teens (and some younger kids).  He has a lot of fun and loves the whole idea of what parkour is.  It's his 2nd or 3rd year going.  Speaking of teens, a bunch of homeschooled teens are starting to get together every week at a different venue.  Last week they hung out for hours at Dave & Buster's and they went to an indoor trampoline place this week  A few weeks ago they did a fundraiser/Halloween party for the animal charity at a local roller skating rink/arcade.  I love that there are so many NY teenagers homeschooling.  W has a really great group of friends.

B, W, and I went to a high school open house last week.  W has no intention of attending high school, but he wanted to satisfy his curiosity about what it was.  We went to the morning open house - while school was in session - to get a good idea of the school day.  He had no shyness asking questions about their math curriculum (lol) and they seemed pretty surprised at his interest.  Then we went on a tour of the building.  Less than half-way through W was ready to leave.  The kids were loud and show-offy in the hallways when they changed classes, the classrooms were small and dark, and he found out the day is really long (7:20am to after 4pm).  He was totally unimpressed and it solidified his decision to continue homeschooling.  I think the only thing he liked was that they have a personal chef who provides a really varied menu and salad bar for the kids.  We finished the morning having a wonderful brunch at IHOP.

J met up with her choreographer and assisted him at a dance studio in New Jersey for 2 days last weekend.  She's so happy to be going to college in NYC so she can continue to assist-teach and still see all her friends (and us!) whenever she wants.  She also landed a part-time job in a retail store near her dorm!  It's her first retail job and they gave her the hours she asked for.  K did not like the Upper East Side salon, and subsequently got a new job at a salon the West Village.  She is so much happier here and I'm proud of her for not settling and for staying on the lookout for something more ideal.

Getting Back Out There

W, J, and I went back to the American Museum of Natural History last week.  We haven't been there in a couple of years so I decided it would be a good idea to see it again.  My sister and my 3-year-old niece came, too.  It was my niece's first time riding the subway.  Before we went in, we had a nice lunch at Shake Shack on Columbus Avenue.  J always eats at Shake Shack, but it was the first time for the rest of us.  I'll admit, it was a damn good burger.

At the museum, we more or less just zipped through a bit of the first floor and most of the 4th floor (dinosaurs) before spending most of the time in the Discovery Center.  I remember how much my kids loved it when they were little.  I'm happy to say that my niece loved it just as much.  She put on goggles and dug for bones, was fascinated with little clear blocks of various insects, built a totem pole, saw the live Madagascar hissing cockroaches, and really loved the nesting Matryoshka dolls. 

The W 77th Street side

My beautiful niece

 Today we went with the homeschool group to the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport, Long Island.  We'd gone here years ago with J - W was to little to have paid any attention.  It was such a beautiful day out today for it.  We walked around the grounds and saw the Vanderbilt collection of safari animals, bugs, butterflies, sea creatures, and trophies. Our tour guide was a very knowledgeable and funny guy.  He made everything a lot more interesting.  I don't remember having a tour last time.  The planetarium had a wonderful show on the life cycle of stars.  It's a new building - just put up 2 years ago in place of the old one they'd used for 30 years.  We all enjoyed it very much. W hung with his friends.  It was nice to see these awesome homeschooled teens pay attention and have genuine interest in the exhibits.  It's great that there are so many new homeschooling teens this year, too.

The Long Island Sound is in the background

Fall and AMNH

Fall puts me is such a good mood.  The weather is finally getting colder, the leaves are turning all sorts of awesome colors, and the new school year is nicely underway for both W and J.

W was part of a homeschool group trip to the American Museum of Natural History.  This one was on how certain skulls have changed through time.  They discussed and studied male and female chimp and gorilla skulls, along with Lucy (Australopithecus), Neanderthal, and Homo Sapiens skulls.  The kids measured, observed, and wrote for almost an hour.  The 3 instructors were great and I think the kids learned a lot.  After the class, we got a tour of the Human Origins area.

A closet of skulls...  Muahahahaha

Worksheet to log in findings

J and I have been extremely busy with college applications.  She and B went to a huge college fair at the Jacob Javitz center in Manhattan.  J enjoyed the chance to speak with students and faculty of where she's interested in going.  She's got her list of schools and now comes all the fun stuff.

I've enjoyed the once a month posting, but I miss being able to post when the mood strikes.  So it's back to being random.  Oh and watch out, I've discovered the Blogger app...

June 2013

W went on a wonderful trip out to the Brookhaven National Lab again.  This one was a 3-hour "Engineering Challenge".  There were about twenty-five 11-15 y/os in the class.  In groups of 3 they had to construct a column made only of cardboard and tape that both lightweight and strong.  The efficiency formula is E = load/weight.  Most kids made some sort of triangle shape, some made rectangles, some hexagons and octagons.  The instructor used an "Instron" device - a kind of crushing machine that measures the strength of something based on the load pushing down on it.  Another challenge was to make a structure (truss) using longerons, batten tubes, and string.

Brookhaven National Lab

A design engineer from a different building came in to the class and spoke to the kids.  While the other kids were working, he spoke to W's group.  He shook the kids' hands while introducing himself and then talked to the kids about engineering - really listening to them, their ideas, input, future plans, etc.  He treated them with respect, he listened to them, and in turn, the kids responded eagerly and maturely.  I would never witness that kind of mutual respect from a public or private middle school.  Why don't schools understand that??  This is a main reason why we homeschool.  My son gets to experience everything in the real world, with real people, learning real skills.  I'll never understand the artificial nothing-like-the-real-world hot mess called middle school (and many high schools, too, btw).

W had his final class at the Tanglewood Nature Preserve.  This one was on Paleontology.  The instructor was great with the kids.  He was like a big kid himself and very into the subject.  He passed around casts of big fossils and deer and horse bones.  As usual, the kids were interested and engaged.  At the end of the class they sectioned off a big dirt area with string and popsicle sticks to make a grid.  1 to 3 kids dug in each section and unearthed various bones.  They measured, sketched, and described what they found.  What a fun class!  I can't wait to do more of these in the fall.

Digging for bones at Tanglewood

Also this month, W went to this cool art class at the CW Post campus of Long Island University.  This was a 2 hour class (middle-high school level) about color, contrast, focal points, and theme.  The kids discussed many pieces of art from a local artist and then drew similar pieces themselves.

CW Post Art Class  (photo credit: CB)

The highlight of the month for me was seeing W in his theater group's original play.  It was a teen drama all about, well, teen drama.  W knew all his lines and he really does have a knack for acting.  He did get stressed out about the show.  For a month he was terrified he'd forget his lines.  He got more comfortable with it around the final week when there were lots of extra rehearsals.  I'm not sure if he wants to continue acting, but I'm so proud that he gave it a try and faced his fear.

Other things W did this month include going to our homeschool group's annual End of No School Picnic, getting an iPhone, and playing lots of soccer in the park.  I'm so looking forward to many many more fun things this summer!

We are also getting ready for our summer academic schedule.  Year-round just works better for us, but the summer months are definitely lighter.  So, we've decided on doing 3 days/week (MWF), 2 subjects a day.  It will look like this:

Mon:  Math, History
Wed:  Math, Science
Fri:   Math, English

And since I won't be working outside the home anymore, we can get out and explore/experience the city (and surrounding areas) some more.  I want to see how we do with the 2 formal subjects a day thing.  I'd like to maybe continue doing that in the fall, 5 days/week.  It doesn't look like much until you see how it's only a part of an entire curriculum, which includes field trips, documentaries, homeschool group classes, basketball, parkour, CCD, scouts, consumer math, personal finance, computer technology (gaming, coding, creating, and online courses), typing, film-making, agriculture (gardening, composting), engineering, public speaking, health, nature study, art/crafts, music, map/ dictionary/ library/ and research skills, etc.  I love homeschooling.

Ok, the final decisions have been made.  The curriculum we are going with for 7th grade is:
Literature:  Lightning Lit 7
Math:  Saxon Algebra 1/2
History:  K12 Human Odyssey 1
Geography:  World Physical Geography (Runkle)
Science:  Apologia General Science

I wanted to bring something else up.  Ever since W got his diagnosis last summer of dyslexia and processing issues from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine neuropsych research dept, I have changed the way we do academics.  It seems that now (in only a year) he can read fluidly with hardly any pauses (and those pauses are only on one or 2 unfamiliar large words), he can write neatly, and I see no problems with his processing speed in any area.  I don't think anyone would even guess he has a learning disability if they saw him today.  The difference between where he was at age 11 to where he is now at age 12 is like night and day.  He is now more than a grade level ahead in reading!  The diagnosis spurred me to change a lot of things.  I pretty much met him where he was, yet pushed him at the same time.  We used various methods and tools but no formal dyslexia programs at all.  At least 90% of his reading/writing/learning issues have disappeared.  Any thoughts?

4th Quarterly, Annual Assessment, and Letter of Intent for 7th grade mailed.

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J's junior choreography project was absolutely breathtaking.  One of the teachers explained to the audience that this is the first real school performance for most of them (although some have been in the annual musical or the annual Rising Stars talent show) - it's the first time they really "let them out" to show what they can do.  I can't stress enough how talented these kids are.  There are about 60 junior dance majors and there were 21 different dances in the showcase.  One was better than the next.  Now comes senior year where there are even more opportunities and performances.  I can't believe my baby girl is a senior already.

Here's what else J has been doing this month:

• She danced at the Alvin Ailey Theater for a pretty well-known choreographer's birthday showcase gala.  She was put front and center of his all-star hip-hop team. I wish I could have gone to see her, but I had work and this only came up the week before.  Luckily, B went.  He said she was beyond fierce, lol.   
• She was called in for a last-minute rehearsal for a show at B.B. Kings Blues Club in Times Square.  She performed as a back-up dancer for Wyclef Jean and Waka Flocka Flame!  I am still amazed at how quickly this came about.  She and several other dancers were sent a video of the dance and were expected to know it before coming to rehearsal, so they could just run it over and over.  The day of the show, Wyclef met with all the kids, introducing himself, and right before the show J got a picture with Waka.  B went to this show, too (I had to  work again..AARGHHH).  There's no way he'd miss his baby girl dance, lol.  I'm really glad one of us was there to see her.
• She and some friends went to see Maroon 5 perform on the Today show.  They got on line at 3:30am at Rockefeller Plaza...in the rain.  
• She got some beautiful new headshots taken.  
• She finished all her school finals and Regent exams.
• She and B went to see Shaping Sound at the Beacon Theater.

It's going to be a wonderful summer!  

May 2013

I have decided to streamline my posts.  Now that the kids are older and only W is homeschooled  I'd like to try posting just once a month.  So here we are at the end of May 2013.

I already mentioned that W took a wonderful nanotechnology class at the beginning of May.  He also took 3 classes with our homeschool group at the Tanglewood Nature Preserve in Long Island.  The first class was "Forensics".  The kids learned about fingerprints, footprints, DNA, dental imprints, and piecing together a crime scene.

Fingerprints

The second class was called, "Math in the Natural World".  Fibonacci numbers, bilateral and radial symmetry, and the reasons for the various shapes & patterns found in nature were actively discussed.  The instructor took them out on the nature trail to see these things up close.  Examples of these cool math patterns were found in beehives, skunk cabbage, ferns, trees, and insects.

Another month of science classes was completed at the Science Museum of Long Island.   So far he's had classes on:  microscopes, lights/lenses/lasers, types of  rocks/minerals, constellations, and more.   They always do part of the class outdoors with a nice walk around the woods.  W's class has about 8 kids who are all 11 to 15 years old.  One class he especially enjoyed was dissecting owl pellets.  He had done this a few years ago, but he's older now with a different perspective and understanding.

W's find in the owl pellet

A new activity W thought would be fun is parkour.   He's taking weekly classes now.   He is learning how to jump, flip, roll, and tumble on, through, and over various objects.  There are a lot of gymnastics and coordination moves involved.  He loves it.  The instructors are masters at parkour and so amazing to watch.

About a week ago, B took W to a NY Mets game.  They go together once or twice a season.  Citifield is so close to our home.  I dropped them off at the 7 train and picked them up a few hours later.  W has so much fun at these games because there's always something there for the kids to do and he comes home with some cool free stuff.

W getting ready for a dunk-tank pitch

Theater class is going very well.  I think it's the best money we've ever spent.  His reading confidence is through the roof.  Everyone in his teen groups is so friendly and supportive.  W was so worried about his reading - all the mono-/dialogues, memorization, and cold readings, but now, he looks forward to getting picked to read something.  He even requests to read.  I love this class.  I can't wait to see their big performance next month.  

CCD classes are over - his last class of this season was May 19.  He has one more year (7th grade) and then W makes his sacrament of Confirmation in the fall (or winter, maybe) of 8th grade.  He's been going to this class with the same kids since he was 2.  The new season starts at the end of September.


We are making good progress with the academics.  We will be on a semi-full schedule over the summer, so I figure we'll be done with math, spelling, and vocabulary sometime in autumn.  That's when I'm thinking about trying AoPS PreAlgebra... but we do love Saxon.  I'm still up in the air about choosing Saxon 8/7 or AoPS.   Well, we still have a few months to decide.  We have already started our 7th grade science and history programs, so we'll just continue with those.  W has also recently expressed an interest in Latin, rather than Spanish, so we are going to try it out.  I did some research and looked at tons of reviews and samples and finally settled on a program called, "Latin's Not So Tough".  It wasn't until after choosing that program that I noticed that they call themselves "the Saxon Math of Latin curriculums".  That might be why I was drawn to it.  I plan on starting with Level 2, which starts off with a review of level 1 (the alphabet and pronunciations).   Not sure if he'll enjoy it, but it will certainly help him with reading and vocabulary.

J said the shoot for the music video was great.  I dropped her off at 9:30am and they finally finished at around 11pm.  They did her hair and makeup - her hair was kept long and straight and her makeup was dark and almost goth-like.  She had a blast.  They even provided the kids with lunch and dinner.  Even though J hasn't had a lot of training in hip-hop, she has really come into it on her own.  I love watching her dance.  I can't wait to see this video.

She was also in another competition this month.  She is so enjoying the freedom of being an independent.  Nothing is holding her back.  She choreographed another solo (jazz) and just finished 2 days before the competition.  She's using a new studio and renting space as she needs it.  It's fantastic and it's a beautiful space.  She got a Platinum award for BOTH her solos and a "unique style" award for her new one.  One judge told her he could watch her dance all day and another said she loved the simplicity of her costume (a pretty little soft pink dress she just picked up the day before at Forever 21 for $13).  It was wonderful that J got all the recorded judges comment on a thumb drive.  Several of her friends came to cheer and support her - and there were a lot of kids there she knew from school or other studios.  There was no stress, no worries, and I can happily say that competitions have become fun and exciting again - just like they used to be years ago.

K finished up her internship in Manhattan this month and started a new job.  It's still part-time, but she's making more in 1 week here than she did in over a month at her other part-time job.  Now that her money situation is where she wants it (for now), she can focus more on getting her career off the ground.  She has an entrepreneurial mind and once she's determined, she can do anything.  But for now, she's putting away 3/4 of her money for a new (used) car.  

The Start of May

W went to a wonderful class at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island last week.  It was a 2-hour class for ages 11+ on Nanotechnology.  The idea is that materials at the nanoscale, measured in billionths of a meter, behave differently than at the macroscale.  Through several experiments, the kids could tell that nanotechnology is important in future products and technology.  One experiment involved exploding a film canister with alka-seltzer.  They also made a diamond molecule out of connectors and used a solar-panel and an LED to make light.  W really liked that class.  The instructor was great  - she kept his interest for the whole 2 hours.

J is looking so forward to summer.  The music video she is in is shooting next weekend (finally!) and she just got a 285 out of 300 at a dance competition last weekend.  She is competing again in a few weeks as an independent and will be choreographing yet another solo for it.  Over the next few weeks she will be figuring out studio practice time (she has several options for various studio to use) and costume.  Her Junior Project for school is also coming along nicely.  She finished the choreography and just needs to practice practice practice.  We get to view all of the junior class's routines in June.  I can't wait.

W and I are speeding through Saxon 76.  We love the book, but I can see how some families hate it.  There are a LOT of practice problems.  Each chapter has you do a 60-100 problem basic arithmetic drill, then about 10 problems they call "mental math", then you go over the 2-3-page new lesson, then do about 10 problems solidifying that new lesson, then 30 problems that are a mix of the last 10-15 lessons (the spiral).  Whew.  W and I are getting a bit worn out with all of that, so now we only do the new lesson, the 10 practice problems, and maybe 10-15 from the spiral.  It's because of that spiral that W has gotten so good at math and remembers everything, so I don't want to cut out too much of it.  I'll just pick and choose the examples he should do.  We'll move through the book much quicker this way and he'll still retain his love of math.  Any kind of busywork/tedium will kill a love of learning so quickly.  It has to be strategically planned to have the intended effect, but keep the kids engaged at the same time.  Thankfully, we are able to do that!

At theater class last week, W did a lot of cold readings.  He called me when the class was over and was so proud of himself.  He did it and wasn't even that nervous.  He said he hardly stumbled at all.  The other kids and the teachers complimented him on his delivery, too.  This is just what he needs to build his confidence and believe he is great reader.  He has come so far in only a few years - from even last summer!  He's like a different kid.  I am so grateful to be able to homeschool.

Some More Science...

The past 2 weeks of  homeschool group science classes have been great.  I think W is learning a lot.  This week his group was all about lights and lenses.  He's also happy to reconnect with friends he hasn't seen in a few years.  It's interesting to see a new dynamic where they have moved out of being little kids and into being teens and almost-teens.  I'm not seeing the exploring, running, and manhunt games W would partake in endlessly.  This interaction is more subdued and they mainly stand around together chatting.  There's some silliness, some more consciousness about how they look, and a lot more communication.  I like it - it's very cool to watch (from a long distance away, of course, lol).

At the science class

The week was also full of academics.  In science we did an experiment that explained about variables and how an egg floats in salt water.  I notice that a lot of the science experiments we do are pretty simple, but now W is at an age where it's more than just fun to do.  He gets it and writes out nice lab reports (on paper! - but if he'd rather use the white board sometimes, then I'll just take a picture, lol). Math was more stuff with decimals, percents, and fractions, grammar was verbs' present & past tense and present & past participles.  

W is doing lots of out-loud reading at his theater class.  His confidence is growing and thankfully, he's not as self-conscious as he used to be.  Having to "cold read" and memorize for this class is fun and doesn't seem like a chore.  I can't wait to see him in the June performance.  

Wow, this school year is almost over already.

Science Classes

It's springtime, and we're getting our science on in full force.  W has 1-2 classes each week at various places from now until June.   The other day's class was all about the microscope.  The kids put in a slide, manipulated the knobs and powers to adjust focus, and drew what they saw.  They also learned what all the parts of the microscope are called, labeling them on their worksheets.  This was a nice 90-minute class of all 6th-graders and up.  Several of W's friends were in the class as well.  He said he enjoyed it and is looking forward to next week.

W and the microscope

Academics are going well.  Saxon math is great - he is still doing the problems on his white board and it goes so fast.  I love the Saxon spiral with all the review.  W retains the math so much better and is so confident zipping through it.  He's doing lots of decimals, fractions, and percents now.  Sequential Spelling:  this is his favorite.  I write it, he reads it (twice), and every day is a test where he writes the words on the whiteboard.  I realize I only need the teacher guide, rather than any of the student books.  I'll remember that for 7th grade.  His test is on 25 words and he rarely gets any wrong.  This is a spiral program, too.  Every day's list of words are variations of the previous words with a few new ones thrown in.  Some are really simple, like "bats" and others are more difficult, like "splitting" - and both are in the same word list.  It works amazingly well for him.  I'm glad, too, because I keep researching his type of dyslexia and Sequential Spelling seems like the best program for him.  The more I research, the more specific a label I can get.  Dyslexia - Visual Dyslexia - Orthographic Dyslexia - Orthographic Dyslexia/Orthographic Processing Difficulties.  A label helps me find what others have done and various things I can try.

W is also doing very well with Wordly Wise 6 vocabulary.  I had no idea.  He remembers word meanings after one read-through and gets everything correct in the workbook.  I hate that I underestimate what he knows.  Today he read an entire 2-page passage out loud.  He read quickly with hardly any stumbles and had full comprehension.  It was wonderful.  Hake Grammar 6 we just zip through a couple of chapters a week.  He finds it easy, so he neither loves it nor hates it.  It's just there.

Right now he's getting his writing in with History, Science, and Poetry.  With the former 2 he jots things down as we read.  He is keeping a history timeline and is using the student book in science again.  With the Evan-Moor poetry workbook he writes out the answers to the comprehension questions.

New things are going on with my job.  I think I prayed too hard that I wouldn't have to work evenings anymore.  The idea was to switch my shift to the morning (8am-12pm) so W will be able to go back to scouts and start basketball or soccer - all of which include weekday evenings.  Instead, I'm getting laid off in 3 months - along with 120 other people.  It seems my entire department is relocating to North Carolina and Albany.  I'm checking around for other part-time morning work, but my company isn't hiring part-timers anymore, even though it would be an internal move.  If I don't get something else within the next 3 months, I'll be fine with my nice severance package.  I've been there for 7 years.  I love my job.  It will be sad come July, but hey, I'll have my evenings free.

Wetlands

After doing some serious hibernating for the last few months we decided to get back into doing some group classes.  This week W went to a great class at the Alley Pond Environmental Center on Wetlands.  There were about 8 middle/high school aged kids there - all intently focused and fully participating.  I can imagine the nonsense these people have to go through with chatty, unfocused school kids who are just happy to get out of their building for a few hours.  A group of homeschoolers must be so refreshing for them.  The class was all about marshes and the various plants and animals that inhabit them.  The kids tested the brackish water in the creek:  temperature, pH level, turbidity, and oxygen levels.  W really enjoyed the class (the instructor was fantastic) and was happy to be with friends he hasn't seen in a while.

Inside the APEC classroom

Info on how to test the creek water

Out on the marsh

Academics:
Math:  (Saxon) Angles & lines, multiplying & reducing fractions.  Review of percent, measurement, multiples, mixed numbers, average, GCF, perimeter, diameter/radius
English:  (Hake) Future tense, capitalization in sentences, "I", and poetry, & irregular plural nouns.  Review of sentence types, compound nouns, simple subjects, verb phrases, vocabulary words, abstract & concrete nouns, possessives, fragments & run-ons, past/present tense.  (Seq Spelling) Days 13-16.  (Wordsmith Apprentice)  Introduction to writing
History:  (Story of Mankind) Hieroglyphics
Science:  APEC field trip:  Wetland Ecology & Water Testing,  (Apologia) The Scientific Method

And I just have to throw one more of these out there:

50 reasons why NYC is the greatest city in the world

Brooklyn Bridge Park

This week we went back to Brooklyn Bridge Park for another class on seining in the East River.  The water was so pretty with soft, rolling waves - perfect for wading in.  We seined in the spring and now we wanted to see what we'd find in the fall.  The instructors told us different species are there in different seasons. The kids and adults pulled the nets in about a dozen times.  Every time, all the kids would run over and try to see anything alive.  It was fun.  Some of the animals we found were cone jellies, silver something (can't remember the name), blue crabs, and sea squirts.

Hauled in from the East River

Academics this week:
Saxon Math 7/6 (variables & order of operations), Channel One News (W likes it better than CNN Student news), Prince Caspian readaloud w/narration (ch. 1.), Silent reading (W's book of choice.  At this point I don't care what it is as long as he's reading.  So, Diary of a Wimpy Kid it is.), Spelling Skills 5 (definitions, grouping), Simply Grammar (subject/predicate), & The Everything American History Book w/narration (Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, Spanish conquistadors).

Solar Power!

We met up with the homeschool group on Friday at Solar1 (a green energy center).  The kids learned about sustainability and renewable energy.  The Solar1 building is cozy and is powered fully by solar energy - the whole roof is paneled.  The kids all sat around a table while watching a slide-show with one of the instructors explaining various types of energy and how they're used.  The kids asked and answered a lot of questions and worked in groups figuring out in what time period certain energy sources were used.  Then they each got to make their own solar-powered car.  These were great and went so fast.  They raced each other and figured out how to short-circuit the wires so it won't run and how to switch the circuits so it goes backwards.  W loved it and I'm sure he learned so much.  We were right on the East River and it was beautiful.

Discussing energy sources

W's solar-powered car

Right outside Solar1

This week's academics went very well.  W helped me tweak our schedule and we had a nice flow all week.  Each day, we watched and discussed CNN Student News, he did a few pages of Saxon Math, I read something to him and he gave a spoken or written narration, he did 1 lesson in one of the language arts workbooks (spelling, grammar, vocabulary, etc), he read a book silently for 20 minutes or so (right now it's a bio of Thomas Edison).  And Friday was a field trip.  Throughout the week, W did some science and cooking experiments, watched a few documentaries, did plenty of artwork, played basketball, tag, and X-box with friends on the block, and went to choir (he may have a solo this session!).

I took W and K out for our annual start of fall breakfast.  This time it was at IHOP.  I hadn't been there in at least 8 years.  I forgot how great it is.   J danced in a street fair on Sunday with the whole studio company.  Several hundred people came over to watch!  It was a nice set of their best stuff from last season.  This season is well under way with lots of new choreography.  I think I'm hearing that the first competition will be before the end of the year!

Finance & The Fed

This week's fabulous double field trip was to the Museum of American Finance for a class on Banking in America, then we got to go on a tour of the NY Federal Reserve.

The class on banking was so informative.  The instructor talked about the history of money (in colonial America up to present times), recessions, depressions, stocks, loans, mortgages, foreclosures, Bernanke, bailouts, how banks earn profits, and the purpose of the Federal Reserve.  The kids, as usual, were very engaged, asked and answered lots of questions, and even the parents got a lot out of it.

The whiteboard in the banking class

A couple of blocks away is the NY Federal Reserve.  I love the whole Wall Street/Financial District area.  The narrow streets are full of cafes, historical landmarks, and beautiful architecture everywhere you look. "The Fed" is where a lot of new money is made (literally) and where US monetary policy is implemented.  We took an elevator down to the vault which lies 80 feet below street level (and 50 feet below sea level).  It's underneath the bedrock of Manhattan.  This vault holds over $500 billion in gold - more than 90% belonging to other countries.  The security is amazing.  There are cameras everywhere, a 90-ton steel cylinder door to the vault room, and a different person is needed to open each of the 3 locks with both a key and a combination.  We got to go through the open cylinder door to the vault room and we saw stacks of gold bars (each one weighing over 20 lbs, and at around $1600 per ounce right now, they're worth about $600,000 each).  Btw, if the cylinder closed and locked us in, there's enough air to last 72 hours.

Great day, great friends, great trip.  W and I loved it.

I also took this picture of Federal Hall, which is the birthplace of American government and where George Washington took his oath as the first president.  It's a standout structure right on Wall Street and is right across the street from the NY Stock Exchange.

Federal Hall

911 Memorial

We went with the homeschool group to the 911 Memorial yesterday.  It's beautiful.  The fact that it was raining made it all so quiet and contemplative and sad.  There are 2 large, square waterfall pools that sink into the ground bordered on all 4 sides with the names of everyone who died that day.  These pools are in the exact place where the towers stood.  All the trees in the memorial were grown near all 3 attack sites in NYC, VA, & PA.  Family and friends placed bouquets of flowers on their loved ones' names.  A few blocks away is the 911 Memorial Preview Site.  It's kind of a gift shop with a lot of memorabilia and photos.

Going to the site hit me harder than I thought it would.  In the early 90s I worked as a temp for several months in one of the towers.  I ate lunch in the Winter Garden and loved walking around the area.  I think a lot of non-NY'ers thought of the World Trade Center as just a huge monument for tourists.  But it was so much more than that.  Such a tremendously sad loss for our country.  There are new buildings in construction now, including the Freedom Tower and a memorial museum.  I'm glad it's taking a long time to create.  It has to be right.

Trinity Church - 300 years old!  It's around the corner from the memorial

One of the new buildings

The South Pool

W at the South Pool and one of the new buildings

Another view of the South Pool

In the 911 Preview Site 

Winding Down the Year

Our last field trip with our wonderful homeschool group was back to Highline Park for a class about native plants.  It was a rainy day, but the Highline was still beautiful and the kids had fun.  We walked almost the whole southern length of the park, stopping to sit at all the underpasses for discussions.  We had 7 or 8 kids (ages 9-13) and they all got booklets describing many of the native plants found all along the Highline.  Looking for and learning about new things is way more fun when you're running around in the rain, lol.  After the class a bunch of us found some (dry) tables and chairs and had a nice picnic lunch together.

Sitting under an archway for a lesson

W went home with one of his best homeschool friends for a sleepover and then headed back to the city with them to hang out at another friend's house.  So what do three 11 year-old boys do when they have the whole day to themselves?  They make movies!

This week we headed into Manhattan again for an all-day acting and improv class for homeschoolers.  W loved it.  The instructor was great with them.  They did a lot of creative stuff in small groups and presented it to the rest of the class.  W met some new homeschooled kids and had such a great time.

It's been a helluva year with the trips and classes we got to be a part of.  We've been to so many places we'd never been to before and seen familiar ones in a brand new light.  I'm so grateful for all of it.

And speaking of grateful, we just got the amazing opportunity to get W officially evaluated for dyslexia.  I hadn't gotten it done sooner because every place and doctor I've called said a basic eval would be at least $1500 and a full one at least $3000.  So, I have just been teaching him as if he does have dyslexia.  Whatever I'm doing seems to be working pretty well, but to know exactly what he has would mean I can tailor things more to his specific issues.  Anyway, we signed up for a full evaluation at the Albert Einstein Medical Center here in NYC.  He will have a complete battery of tests (including an IQ test) done at their cognitive Neurophysiology lab.  We get a full report with clinical feedback and recommendations signed by a psychologist.  If he does have dyslexia, he gets to participate in their brain imaging study (over 3 more visits).  I'm super excited to finally get a diagnostic report and he's looking forward to it because they'll be paying him about $50 a day for his participation.  I pay nothing.

Here's a picture of some of the books we're using for 6th grade in September.  I still have to order Saxon Math and I think I want to try Artistic Pursuits with him.  Day camp starts on Monday already (!) so our academics are officially over.  I have a 6th grade bridge workbook for him to do and I really would like him to do some reading every day, but I'll take anything I can get.  In a month or so, Target and Staples will be having  their big back-to-school sales and I will not miss it this year.  We need so many supplies.

Some of the books for 6th grade

W took the 5th grade CAT-E test on Monday.  Now we're just waiting for the results and I'll mail all our paperwork before the 30th.  I already have the 4th quarterly, annual assessment, and letter of intent all printed up and ready to go.  I even have his 6th grade IHIP completed, but I'll wait til August to send that.


W's show choir recital/concert is Saturday night.  He's doing 2 shows.  The first one starts at 5:30pm and the second one at about 7:15pm.  There will also be kids playing instruments and vocal soloists who take private lessons there.  I think an art presentation as well.  He's so excited to sing in a show!

Friday night is J's big dance recital.  She is in 8 group numbers, the musical theater demo, the closing number, and leading her new baby classes in 2 numbers each (one she has to be on stage with them, the other 3 from the orchestra pit).  As usual, it will be hectic and crazy, but it's what J lives for.  I love it, too, but I'm looking forward to the after party!

J's summer will be all dance once again.  She is doing a 9-week theater jazz & tap workshop and 3 days a week at her studio for contemporary, lyrical, pilates, turns & technique... and more theater jazz & tap.  She'll certainly be keeping busy, but she will get to sleep late and even it all out with lots of beach and pool parties.

Here's to a fabulous summer!

Highline Park & The Museum of Tolerance

Our homeschool group trip on Wednesday was to Highline Park right in NYC's meatpacking district.  It's an old elevated railway that was turned into a beautiful park.  Cargo trains used to bring produce and meat into the big refrigerator buildings.  The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) is right there as well.  The class was all about the Highline's railway history. It was our first time to Highline Park.  Lucky for us it was also Fleet Week and we got to see dozens of these incredible boats and ships going by.  When the class was over, a few of us went to the Chelsea Market for some lunch.  The Market is real artsy and cool, and it's a total foodie's paradise.

W's class on the Highline

Schooner on the Hudson

On Thursday, we met up with our homeschool group again for a class and tour of the Museum of Tolerance.    We saw films, exhibits, and had great discussions on things like war propaganda, genocide (Holocaust, Rwanda, Sudan, Darfur, Bosnia, etc), communism, Nazis, immigrants, civil rights, gay rights, women's rights, bullying, and terrorism.  The films were shown on clusters of screens built right into the walls of the exhibit.  Our instructor was wonderful.  The kids (and adults!) were fully engaged and asked and answered tons of questions. I can't believe how powerful it was to have everything that's going on in the world shown to you all within 90 minutes.  It makes you want to stand up and scream and do something about it.  Lots to talk about when we got home.

Museum of Tolerance

Academics:
W has started blogging about his field trips.  I figure since we go on so many it would be a good idea to have him write about them.  I've been noticing more and more issues related to his dyslexia.  This has prompted me to increase the amount of time spent on reading, writing, spelling, and grammar.  So, the blog entries are about a paragraph's worth (maybe 5-6 sentences) on where he went, what he remembers, and what he thought about it.   He has also gotten back into doing copywork.  He rewrites 3 sentences related to History, Social Studies, Geography, or Science.  (I create these pages for him taken from books and websites) and we save them in a binder.  Readalouds with narrations have also made a comeback.  Right now we're reading Johnny Tremaine.  2 pages of his spelling workbook and 20 minutes of silent reading are also done daily.  Math is done daily and is focusing on everything prealgebra.  Over the next few years we will keep revisiting multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percents, exponents, rounding, estimating. probability, averages, area, perimeter, circumference, volume, angles, negative numbers, inequalities, order of operations, factoring, square & cubed roots, ratios & proportions, and measurements.  We started using a big 4'x3' blackboard to work out math problems on.  It keeps him more interested and focused and it's a lot more fun.  We're spending a good 1/2 hour a day on math now, but the time just flies by.  I'm happy we have gotten into a nice groove again and I'm really looking forward to September and 6th grade!

East River Ecology

Lots of science going on!  We joined our homeschool group for a couple of great trips exploring the East River.  The first one was on Friday for park ecology at Solar One in Stuyvesant Cove Park.  (Solar One is the City’s first solar-powered “Green Energy, Arts, and Education Center,” inspiring New Yorkers to become environmentally responsible city dwellers).  Our class was a Water Quality Lab where the instructor pulled up water out of the East River and our 5th-8th graders looked at and discussed its physical and chemical properties.  They looked for microorganisms and plankton using test tubes and magnifying glasses and they tested the salt concentration. Then the kids went on a scavenger hunt all around the park looking for various plants and birds.

Retrieving river water with some of the kids

What's in the water?

Scavenger Hunt

Yesterday we headed over to Brooklyn Bridge Park for "Seining the River Wild"!  This class took place on a cute, tucked away little beach right underneath the Manhattan Bridge.  To the right was the Williamsburg Bridge and to the left was the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge. The instructors, a few parents, and some of our 16-y/o homeschoolers put on waders, walked out into the water and dragged a 20-foot seine net through the water to catch various East River species.  These were put into clear gallon containers and identified and described by the staff biologists.  W and a few friends also did some identifying using a NY river species guide book.    They analyzed markings, fin and tail shape, eye placement, appendages, and size to figure out what they were looking at.  In about 8 trips into the water, we found:  

• Spotted Hake 
• Tomcod
• Bay Anchovy
• Pipefish
• European Green Crab
• Asian Shore Crab
• Sea Squirts
• Shore Shrimp
• Seven-spined Bay Shrimp
• Ribbed Mussels
• Oysters
• Sea Lettuce
• Rockweed

Pretty cool, huh?  Everything was then released back into the water.  As we watched them come in with the seines, I'm sure I'm not the only parent who prayed no dismembered heads or feet were pulled in, lol.  After the class, a bunch of us headed over to the park playground for a couple of hours.  It was a beautiful day.

The Beach

Homeschoolers under the Manhattan Bridge

A few river creatures we found

Seining

In academic news...
We have been keeping to the same academic schedule for a while:  2 pages of Spelling Skills Grade 5 (Spelling, Grammar, & Vocabulary), 1-2 pages of Flash Kids Test Prep Math Grade 5 for a nice review (drill?) of concepts, and either History (readings about Colonial Times), Science (anything of interest mainly), or 1 Lesson of DK Language Learner: Spanish.  We usually do 1or 2 field trips each week as well.  W is doing great with this loose schedule and it hasn't really changed in months.  I am slowly trying to increase his writing assignments, though, starting with chapter summaries.  We're currently working on condensing and fine-tuning the thoughts in his head so they come out smoothly on paper.  We're also going to try other writing activities like poems, songs, pen pal letters, letters to celebrities, scripts, etc.  Our main focus will be on mastering the "3 Rs".  Day camp starts in a little over a month and that puts an end to most of the academics for the summer.  I can't believe this school year is almost over.  Life just goes by so fast lately.