sweet thing(s)

first day(s) of school

Tuesday, last week:  Asa about to head off for his first day of Grade 2 and Lee staying home for his first day of Grade 5.  yes, we are homeschooling again!  (just Lee)  Maxine is still in her jammies because her first day of kindergarten !! was later in the week due to a staggered entry.

Thursday, last week:  Maxine's first day of junior kindergarten!!!  Don't let her serious expression fool you.  This kid was EXCITED for school to start!!  

(i got to go with her on the first day- so much fun!!  is this not the classic kindergarten shot?)

she loves it- and I'm not surprised as she is an insanely social creature.   every day she wakes up asking "Is it school today Mama?"  (she goes 2.5 days a week so unfortunately she is disappointed more often than not...)

big kids and big changes.

big changes: back to school

i am filled with mixed emotions today- after homeschooling for 2 of the last 3 years, Lee is going to school this year and Asa is starting grade 1. 

(Asa is standing to the side so you can see his new backpack)

this was a very very hard decision.  the boys really wanted to keep homeschooling.  While this past year of homeschooling was really wonderful i needed a break from it.  admitting that i can't do everything (or rather don't want to make the necessary sacrifices in order to do everything) was very hard for me, and then it was (and is) hard not to feel guilty about making this decision.   

i am sad that this decision has to be so all or nothing (part-time school would be amazing!!).  i will miss our field trip Wednesdays, i will miss the relaxed pace of our days and the feeling that we had a lot of time to do what we wanted, and mostly i will miss the boys when they are away.  i'm sad that Lee will no longer be able to read and play piano for large chunks of time each day and that the brothers won't be together all day.  I also still have some serious doubts about the merits of school in general as it exists today (i just started reading Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey by the author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling -a book that heavily influenced our decision to homeschool). 

however,  the relentlessness of it all was difficult.  everyone keeps asking me 'what are you going to do with all your time now?'  the very boring answer is 'everything i already do, just with much lower stress and chaos levels!'

one the positive side, both boys were very excited this morning and headed off happily.  Asa has tons of friends at our local neighbourhood school and Lee is excited by the challenge of a new school and a class full of his peers.  (Lee is hoping for a 'first name teacher'- not sure that will happen but we'll see- interesting that he makes that distinction and it means something to him).  I will have time with my girl and time to myself and i won't have to bring everyone with me grocery shopping.

i keep thinking of it as a journey- i have a feeling we're not done with homeschooling- but the road we're on has led us here and it's the right place to be.

field trip Wednesday: a movie!

after gymnastics, the library, and the healthfood store, we went to see How to Train Your Dragon.   Lee's next research topic is dragons, so the timing is perfect- plus, it looked cute.  it had been over a year since the big kids went to the movie theatre and it was Maxine's first movie!  a good time was had by all-

which reminds me- my three favourite family movies:

The Black Stallion (1979), Fly Away Home (1996), (these two are both sad in the beginning- beware) and The World's Fastest Indian (2005).

what are your favourite family movies?

field trip Wednesday: Fort York

yesterday we visited Fort York- a Toronto historical site just a few miles from our house and never before visited.  Lee and I have been reading Canadian history this year (from The Story of Canada -a great book) and just finished reading about The War of 1812, so it was a perfect time to go. 

Fort York was established in 1793, when Canada was a British colony, to defend Toronto Bay against the threat of American invaders.  The new United States wanted to expand northward, to occupy all of North America.  During the War of 1812, the Americans did invade Canada.  One battle took place at Fort York: seriously outnumbered, the British retreated and blew up their own store of gunpowder, killing 250 American soldiers.  The Americans took control of the town of York (now Toronto) and burned the government buildings.  (The Americans found the ceremonial wig worn by the Speaker of the Assembly, and reported the 'scalp' as an example of British barbarity)  In 1814, the British retaliated by invading Washington and burning the White House!

we had so much fun!  we were pretty much the only people there, and this guide spent a long time talking with us.  he even got out his bayonet and attached it to the end of his musket to show the kids "how to really scare the enemy."  (as if on cue, Maxine burst into tears.) 

the site has some period furnished buildings, including soldiers' barracks and officers' barracks with a working kitchen.  here's Lee checking out a soldier's storage box:

this bunk would have slept 8 soldiers- over 30 people sleeping and eating in a room, including wives and children if they had any.

much better to be an officer, with your own bed and bear skin on the wall:

one building was a museum of weapons, uniforms, and other military items, including period instruments (fifes, drums, bugles, a serpent, and bagpipes)  One really cool display let you listen to examples of period music played with these instruments, as well as the different bugle calls that led the cavalry. (here's a site where you can listen if you are interested)  Another interesting thing we learned is why the some of the wooden buildings (see the picture at the top of this post) were built with the top slightly bigger than the bottom: there were vertical 'loopholes' (slats to shoot out of) in the floor so no one could hide in the blind spot next to the first floor walls.  (think old westerns- one guy pressed up against the wall while another unsuspecting guy walks through the door)

(check out the tail- Asa= "a leopard hockey player wearing sunglasses")

i have always loved history (can you tell?!) as does my dad.  maybe it runs in the family.  i love exposing the kids to the wonders of the past in such a tangible way.

we had a great day-  here's to a new generation of historians! 

trust

i believe that children learn when they are ready.  each will master what he needs to learn when the desire is there.  that said, it is hard to remember this sometimes! 

one area that has always been a niggling worry is Lee's writing.  Lee has always preferred reading and speaking over writing.  he found writing frustrating, i believe, because it was too slow: his brain was faster than his hand.  when he did write, he wrote less than he actually wanted to express because it was so painful and boring.  my sister (hi Mar!) is a Grade 1 teacher and she has always been a bit concerned that he doesn't write enough.  i have to say, i was a little anxious.  i have had to actively stop myself from forcing him to write, to get through this thing that is difficult. 

BUT we could see how much he was learning and and thriving so i backed off.  we often do math orally or sometimes i write the answers for him so he can clip along at his natural pace.  he has done a few written reports but the written word has not been our focus.  in our homeschool adventures we have done lots of reading and talking!

so imagine my surprise the other day when we all sat down with our sketchbooks to draw, and instead of a drawing, out came this written explanation of the binary system!

 

(if you are interested, it starts with 'in fact' and then goes back up to the top of the page)

i think that drawing helped him become better at writing, and also his music theory work has helped immensely (his teacher insists each note and scale must be written JUST SO).  Or maybe he was just waiting until he had something to say!

i guess his 'time' for writing has arrived! 

field trip Wednesday: Monday morning jazz

(or, Bears Who Love Jazz)

we had our field trip early this week.  every Monday morning, Ellington's Cafe has live jazz.  the whole family went with our friend/next door neighbour/Asa's godfather, Grahame. 

it was especially good to have Lee see some live music because he spends so much time playing piano every day.  

homeschooling note:  we require Lee to do a minimum practice every day (scales, exercises, and songs for his weekly lesson), but he often plays for hours a day above and beyond that for his own pleasure (pop songs, especially the Beatles, writing his own songs, etc).   he also does a formal music theory lesson with his piano teacher every week.  Piano has evolved into his main homeschool activity- which is wonderful because he loves it and we see how much he is learning, musically and otherwise.  one day he played for 7 hours (with a break for lunch!)

field trip Wednesday: Kensington Market

 
(one of my favourite Toronto landmarks- see the kitty up on the chair?)

after our gymnastics class, we headed to Kensington Market so i could go to the health food store.  i know, lame field trip- i think i mentioned my present level of minimalism around here.  we did go to the library and read a ton of books as well, so no one was complaining.  

i discovered something great-  the little yellow monkey and his brother absolutely love Jamaican chicken roti.  it's my favourite 'street' food. "Mom!  Can you make this at home sometime??!!"  yum!! 

field trip Wednesday: Pop Art at the AGO

Fat Tuesday, or breakfast for dinner

i love how things come together:  we have been reading Canadian history and are up to the mid-18th Century expulsion (by the British) of the French colonists from Acadia (the present day Maritime provinces).  Many of the Acadians ended up in Louisiana and were the ancestors of present day Cajuns.  Lee has also been listening to a lot of blues and some zydeco music.  and since today was Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras, the last day before the beginning of Lent) we did a little Cajun day around here. 

we watched some youtube videos of Mardi Gras celebrations and some to get a sense of the the fantastic Cajun dialect.  (this guy is especially good).  we also read this book Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood which is a lot of fun. 

we danced to some Dr. John and Professor Longhair and ate pancakes and sausage for dinner (the traditional dinner for Fat Tuesday- to use up all the meat and fat you're going to give up for Lent- I'm all for a little religious appropriation if you can have breakfast for dinner)(is this a particular Canadian way to celebrate Fat Tuesday?  I don't remember this from my years growing up in the US)

yum.

(my mom got the kids these plates for Christmas.  cute, eh?  handmade in Vermont -my home state)

guest blogger: Lee

Hi, as you all know I am today's guest blogger, LEE.  I am going to tell you about the time I made Mug corn syrup, vinegar, catsup, lemon juice, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, instant decaf coffee, dish soap, vegetable oil and milk beer.

Here I am making it.

Here it is fizzing up.

I wanted to find the density of certain liquids of my house so I poured them into a glass.  But I did not  pour them in according to density and they were not drastically different in density, so the only ones that separated were the oil, rubbing alcohol and corn syrup.  Everything else mixed.  I knew that baking soda reacts a little with all liquids so I poured some baking soda in my corn syrup, vinegar, catsup, lemon juice, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, instant decaf coffee, dish soap, vegetable oil and milk beer... and it EXPLODED.  That's all for now- see ya later?                                        

field trip Wednesday: the library

the kids have started taking a homeschoolers gymnastics class on Wednesday mornings- easy to head off from there for an adventure. 

yesterday we visited the best children's library in town and spent a long time reading and browsing.  for many of you, this probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but because we have our library bus we don't often make it to the big branch.  i love libraries!!!

Lee has finished his Egypt research and has chosen a new topic: the Elements of the Periodic Table. 

  A while ago I got him this book: The Periodic Table: Elements with Style!.  he loved it- and it started a whole new interest. 

on a funny note, his grandmother introduced him to this song

and a love affair was born!

yesterday Lee got a big stack of books about the Elements and chemistry in general. 

as i write this, "Mom!  Did you know that scientists think there are only about 25 grams of the element astatine on the entire planet?!!"

i am in awe all over again about how fun learning is when you have the interest. 

field trip Wednesday: the ROM Egyptian collection

when we got tickets to see the King Tut exhibit at the AGO next week, we decided it would fun for Lee to do a report on Ancient Egypt. 

i had in mind that he would choose one aspect of this topic- such as mummies or pyramids.  but the kid seems to have inherited my grand intentions and wants to do ALL of Ancient Egypt. 

homeschool pedagogy note:  i struggled with wanting him to do the traditional research method- i.e. take notes as you read, organize notes into report.  But he wanted to read all the books at once- about 10 books we got gotten from the public library and our local school library- and then just sit down and write it.  my man and i talked it over and decided that until he is more comfortable with writing, we wouldn't 'make' him take notes.  we did have him do an outline first which i think was a really good call.  so he's writing away- starting with what he calls 'Lifestyle'- food and drink, social hierarchy, wardrobe, and pastimes.  i am astounded by what he can remember.  maybe that's the difference- my old brain needs what his young elastic brain doesn't.

so this week we went to see the Egyptian Collection at the ROM while we were on the subject:

when we were at the ROM, he gave me and Asa long lectures (but in a good way) about mummification and the gods of Ancient Egypt.  so cool what you can learn from your kid! 

field trip *Monday*: ice skating

the forecast was great, the kids were excited after their first skating lessons on the weekend, so we did our field trip early this week.  (i think i'm stretching it a bit to call it a 'field trip' really, but we're getting ready for our Christmas Boutique this weekend and we don't have any other outings planned this week) 

this skating rink is amazing- it's right next to the lake and, on a Monday morning, we had it all to ourselves.  being on an expanse of white ice and open sky we were very aware of the low winter sun as it went in and out of the clouds.  

(see Asa on his hands and knees?  he lasted about 5 minutes and tried to convince me he couldn't do it- AFTER i had seen him skate for an hour the day before in his lesson!)

Maxine was on skates for the very first time and she was amazing.  (photo by Lee)

and afterwards we had to get hot dogs as we passed the hot dog stand on our way to the grocery store.

field trip Wednesday: the good old hockey game

the boys went with their dad to a Toronto Marlies game today.  before they left, they listened to this song to get into the mood.  it's the unofficial Canadian anthem.

field trip Wednesday: the Royal Winter Fair

i love love love the Royal Winter Agricultural Fair (and isn't it fun we can live in Canada and go to things that are "Royal")

:: we saw farmers milking cows with velvet-looking fur, and learned that 94% of the milk in Ontario comes from Holsteins

:: we watched the fabulous 'Sheep Shearing Shelleys' shear a sheep (the teenage daughter has been presenting and narrating this demo for at least 6 years now- since she was about 8 maybe? and is such a performer.  they make farming look like a fun family affair)

 

:: we gawked at these prize-winning giant pumpkins

:: the boys raced some mini Nascar RC cars

:: we admired tried out the Japanese tractors, learned about biofuel, and saw the chassis and engine of a big pick-up truck

 

:: we got really excited about dancing and racing dogs

we also--

bought some amazing smoked trout from Manitoulin Island; ate some chocolate fudge, perogies and cabbage rolls, and fish and chips; saw some butter sculptures (!!); petted some goats, sheep, and llamas; tasted birch syrup; learned about urban homesteading; and watched some show horses.

finally, to top off a wonderful day, we had cereal and fried eggs for dinner.  

good night!

field trip Wednesday: Calder show at the AGO

this week we saw:

Alexander Calder: The Paris Years 1926–1933.  this show features the twentieth century’s most celebrated and influential sculptor.

Calder spent his formative years hitting the streets of Paris with a creation that has to be seen to be believed — a magical miniature circus.

Featuring more than 100 works, this exhibition tells the story of Calder’s artistic trajectory — from his early sketches of circus folk in New York and the small wire sculptures he created in Paris to early examples of his famous mobiles. The focal point of the exhibition is Calder’s Circus, a miniature three-dimensional circus that Calder created between 1926 and 1931 and then performed internationally for decades, garnering the attention of the Paris art scene and introducing him to artists whose friendship and influence would change his life and work forever, including Mondrian, Miró and Man Ray.

this was a particularly good show for kids as it was very whimsical. 

here's a snippet of the documentary we watched at the museum that shows Calder performing his circus:

there weren't too many of his fabulous mobiles, but there were a lot of wire head sculptures that the kids really dug.

Lee made a wire head sculpture today- of Samuel de Champlain.  we have been learning about early Canadian history and European explorers.  I SWEAR i had nothing to do with his choice of figures.  i thought he'd just do a generic 'guy.'  this choice was particularly funny to me because often, in school, teachers combine art with other subjects ("choose a figure from history to make a portrait of...") but this was completely from Lee.  he used these pictures as he worked:

i helped him a bit by holding his sculpture as he worked, and helped him twist the wire where it joined to other pieces but the rest was all him.  and, wow, i was blown away by his 3D rendering.  he had it all worked out in his head before he started and he was very pleased with how it turned out.

 

my boy with his arm around Samuel de Champlain!

field trip Wednesday: St-Marie-Among-The-Hurons

On wednesday this week we drove 2 hours north of Toronto to Georgian Bay to visit the oldest European settlement in Ontario. 

St-Marie-Among-The-Hurons was a French Jesuit mission established in 1639 to convert the Wendat (Huron) people to Christianity.  in 1649, the French fled and burned their settlement as they were about to be taken over by the Iroquois (the enemies of the Wendat people.)  The settlement was excavated and reconstructed in the 1950s.  We were with a homeschooling school trip (homeschoolers sometimes  band together to get group rates like school groups do) and participated in a full-day program of activities and a tour.

It was fascinating to learn both about European life and Native American life in the time period.  the guides were dressed as Jesuits, French workers and Native people and were extremely well-versed in the life and times of the 17th Century. 

it was grey and cold and rainy, but we still had a fantastic day.  i was a bit nervous about driving that far for a field trip, but the kids really enjoyed it and, i think, got a lot out of it.  they got to make clay good luck figures, play lacrosse, try out some 17th century tools, and learn about Native children's games.  we learned about the customs and beliefs of both Native and French people and how they compared and contrasted in the way they built their homes, prepared food, dressed, worshiped, and lived.

here are some photos from the day:

 

my bookworm

he read the entire way through the grocery store and didn't even notice as i snapped his picture.

the homeschooling this year is going really well (you may remember, last year we 'took a break' and Lee went to school for the rest of Grade 2- more on that here). 

my man and i rethought some of our goals and our methods and revised the plan in a way that works better for everyone, and also Lee knows now what regular school is like so he has a much better attitude about homeschooling!

Piano has become a big part of his curriculum:  his lesson is now an hour a week and includes theory, and he practices for a big chunk and does his "pencil work" (theory) every day.  his dad gives him math problems (fun high-level geometry and algebra) and we are still using JUMP math for basic skills.  Lee is also using this website to learn to type.  i am amazed at how fast/ how much his young brain can absorb this new skill.  he reads a lot (mostly adventure or mystery novels) and we have been doing a lot of reading and research together about early Canadian history. 

people have commented that they have never seen Lee so happy.  I would have to agree. 

field trip Wednesday: the ROM and the Wave Deck

yesterday we resumed our weekly field trips with a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum.  of course, we hit the dinosaurs, the knights (armour and weaponry) and the bat cave.  Lee, being the detail man that he is, read on the signage that most of the dinosaurs were "fake!"- that is casts of the fossils.  he was a little indignant.

on the way there and back, the kids collected "subway bubways" (the name Asa gave the transfers you get in the subway station machines).  I always find getting someplace on public transport is half the fun- for the kids at least. 

killing time until the ferry, our last stop was a good long visit to the Wave Deck. 

my camera battery ran out in the very beginning of the day- so here are some dinos, and a picture of the Wave Deck from the summer.

image via

butterfly

about an hour after i took the photo in the last post, i looked at the jar and there she was!  we kept him inside overnight and let her go in the morning.  i was so astounded by this process and grateful for the opportunity to observe Mother nature doing her thing.

wonder and amazement

field trip Wednesday: St Lawrence Market

we walked up to the St. Lawrence Market to get some treats and go to the show at the Market Gallery: Toronto Island Narratives, Past and Present.  admittedly this is of particular interest to us, but i really enjoyed it.  (so did Lee, but Asa said it was the "poopiest field trip ever.  this isn't a SHOW!  it's just some stuff."  But i hope he secretly liked it) 

It was a tribute to the recently deceased keeper of the Island Archives - some great historical photos and artwork inspired by Island history.

field trip Wednesday: Captain John's and Redpath Sugar

destination:  the Redpath Sugar factory and Captain John's restaurant.  Captain John's is a 300 foot long repurposed cruise ship that has been anchored at the foot of Yonge St. since 1975. 

view from the ferry: Redpath is on the far right, and Captain John's is on the far left.

both are on the waterfront, directly across the water from the Island where we live.  it was high time for a visit!

first stop: the 'famous' clam chowder at Capt. John's. 

the ambience was not a disappointment.  picture a cruise ship turned into a restaurant in 1975, with fairly opulent decor, and NOTHING changed since.  it was incredibly shabby and charming.  we met Captain John himself and he invited us to poke around the ship.

Next stop: Redpath Sugar factory.

the Redpath Museum had some visual displays that were fairly dull, if well put together, but an eccentric curator and an excellent video showing how sugar is made right there in the factory. 

next to the grocery store (while not technically part of the field trip, I like to do as much as i can while in the city) where we saw this:

how cool for the boys to see the shelves of sugar right after visiting the factory where it was made! 

2 things happened after our visit that in the education world would probably be called 'lesson extensions' or some term like that in the education world:  we tasted some sugar cane and we made brown sugar.  Both of these things happened completely spontaneously and organically and gave me a few chills about our homelearning process.

while we were in the produce section, Lee exclaimed, "Mom!  They have sugar cane!"  We had to buy some of course, but it was so old that we only managed a few chips away at the inside to get a taste of the cane juice.  But i love that he saw it and recognized it and we could buy it right after our factory visit!

when we got home and were putting away the groceries, Lee asked if we could make some brown sugar.  (i had asked about that at the museum- did you know all brown sugar and 'raw' sugar is processed white sugar with molasses added back into it?  i am going to start saving some serious money on my brown sugar habit.  i have it in tea every day and love to use it in baking)

the boys loved "their" sugar on their oatmeal this morning!

monarch joy

we tried last year to raise a monarch butterfly, with heartbreaking (for me) results, but we decided to try again this.  some of my favourite memories of childhood are finding the caterpillars, taking care of them and setting the butterflies free.  i wanted my kids to witness this amazing transformation.

here is the caterpillar in its 'J hang'- for 12-24 hours before it becomes a chrysalis.

when we woke up Saturday, it had become a chrysalis.  check out the incredible golden spots on the green.  here is a good link if you are interested in raising monarchs.  we learned that the caterpillar actually sheds its striped skin and the chrysalis is underneath.  it is not actually a cocoon at all.  so fascinating!

in about a week the butterfly should emerge from its chrysalis. 

field trip Wednesday

now that we're homeschooling again, we've set aside Wednesdays for 'field trips.' 

Today we went to the Art Gallery of Ontario and checked out the Frank Gehry renovation- gorgeous.

 

image via

little Maxine walked up all 5 flights of these incredible stairs.  we got a family membership and i'm looking forward to returning often.

next- a walk through Chinatown to Kensington Market to pick up some supplies at my favourite health food store and a 'treat'- some pop!

 

i am so used to Asa wearing costumes that i kept thinking, why is everyone smiling and looking at us?  (he was a snow leopard today)  some day soon i'll post about his dress-up habit...