Cows, Sheep, and ... Bunnies!

Always something exciting going on at the schoolhouse ranch. A couple weeks ago, we discovered a nest of Wren eggs, and we've been researching and following their growth. The cows and sheep have been making their way over to our pasture and have been busy eating. They always migrate over together in a large herd and leave the same way. There are a few calves too.

Today, as I was tending to our garden after school was over, Violet was squatting down in front of the garden and excitedly called out, "A bunny! There's a bunny!" Thinking I misunderstood her, I casually walked over, and to my surprise, there was indeed a baby rabbit hiding behind a pallet! After lots of oooohs and awwwws, Mr. Steve noticed there were more burrowed under their nest (which we thought was trash that accumulated in the garden bed). There were five in all! The children (and Ms. Andrea) had the hardest time restraining themselves from touching/trying to pick them up, but we knew we had to because of mama rabbit. We don't want her to think we are predators.

Now for a collective, "Awwwww!"

Beekeeping Field Trip

We took a group field trip to learn about beekeeping with the Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association. What a wonderful treat to meet the beekeepers and learn all about their work. The children located the Queen Bee in a hive, learned how beekeepers gear up, how honey is made, the importance and benefits of bees, and made their own beeswax candles! Special thanks for the WCABA for sharing their knowledge with us all!

 

Spring is here!

Happy Spring!

Our days are getting warmer, our gardens are blooming, and there's always something exciting to be found at the schoolhouse, especially during the Spring season. Last Monday, I went outside to check the propane meter and was surprised when I lifted the lid to find this!

 

Today, I checked in again.

 

 
 



We will have to be very careful to not disturb or upset Mama bird. She wasn't around when we checked in today, and we'll keep a safe distance to not distress her. How old do you think they are? A couple days old? A few hours old? It will be exciting to watch them grow.

(Even though we're not as active here on the blog, we're still around and as busy as ever, so if you want to keep up with our happenings, feel free to visit our facebook page  which has [a bit] more frequent updates!)

 

Men in the Classroom

In a field that is predominantly female, finding men in elementary school classrooms is a rarity. That's why when I'm asked if a father can come in to do the assisting shift for their family, or simply spend the day with us, I say, "Please do!"

Fathers in schools provide positive male role models in a setting that often lacks them. The effect of having a man in a classroom is powerful. When a guy comes in to read or do a special project, the impact is exponentially greater than when the females do it, partly because of the novelty factor, but also because the male energy they bring in offers such a nice balance.

Mudpie Play

It's always so interesting to watch children and their play while outdoors. Last year, our group was smaller, and the children seemed to move around together in one tribe throughout the yard. This year, they're older, our group is a bit larger, and we've noticed tribes within the tribe. Mainly, the girl tribe and boy tribe. Not always, but moreso than last year.

But if there is something that guarantees to bring the boys and girls together during play, it's been the mudpie kitchen.
















Sidewalk chalk, a mortar and water = homemade tattoos.
They come up with this all on their own.







Giving the mamas tattoos.

Helloooo!

Hello world!

Yes, we're still around.

Promise we haven't forgetten about those that are curious about the happenings of our little schoolhouse.

We've been busy having fun, learning, creating, and exploring. For more up to date snippets, feel free to visit our new facebook page, and hit "like" to receive our updates.

It won't take the place of our blog, but you'll probably hear more from us there--it's oh, so much easier to do an update on facebook with a few taps on the screen on our iphones ;)

Not to fret, we'll be back here soon!

Inspiring Reflections from a Parent-Assistant

When Michelle, our most recent parent-assistant, came out of the atelier one morning, she said to me, "I'm getting resistance from the children. They are not into this activity at all!" I've followed Lori Pickert's blog for years, had just ordered her book, Project Based Homeschooling, and was about halfway through with it at that point...and the first thing that came to my mind was, "because you chose the project, not them." Michelle had one of those "a-ha" moments, went back in the atelier, and this is the beauty that unfolded afterwards.
::
 
My time at the school house has always been inspiring. Who wouldn’t be inspired being in that creative environment immersed in love? However, today things happened on a whole other level and I caught a glimpse of how wonderfully amazing learning can be.

After spending too much time last night researching un-inspired, tired, old Thanksgiving crafts I narrowed it down to a couple options. I presented my “exciting” idea to the 1st group who were apathetic at best but compliant nonetheless. And I am pretty certain a few “important” things were learned as we talked about the cornucopia and made collages of the different foods served at Thanksgiving meals past and present. The next go around I offered this project and was met with the same un-enthusiastic response from the 2nd group of kids, I said “ok, then what do you want to do?” Almost immediately the kids started throwing out ideas of what they wanted.  Here is a quick rundown of what transpired.


Alaira invented a new crocheting technique using toothpicks and yarn which she taught to Sophia and Lola which turned into making clothes like the pilgrims wore. I took that opportunity to introduce the book “A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl” and showed and read to them a few pages about the work they had to do, clothes they wore etc. We chatted about how many clothes were in their (our girls) closets at home today and what they thought the quantity of clothes the Pilgrim girls had. We talked about having to make each piece of clothing by hand with limited materials vs going to the store to buy any hundreds of options. 



Lola, who had discovered the sewing boxes the day before quickly choose to work with those materials again. She threaded the needles and I showed her how to double the thread and tie a knot then we pulled out the buttons and she began to sew them on. She kept building on her idea with more excitement in each new idea that popped up in her head- making a gingerbread girl out of felt then sewing it on to the other felt piece she decorated with buttons. She could not find the brown color felt she wanted so she decided to color the gray piece brown (very resourceful).



Sophia became quickly engaged in the minute details of making a ballerina doll with felt and markers, feathers and pipe cleaners. Liam, pretty much uninterested in the clothes and doll making was watching Alaira with the toothpicks and started tinkering with them. I offered a few suggestions of items he could make relating to the Thanksgiving story and his eyes showed a glint of interest when I suggested a boat. So a boat it was; the Mayflower was what I called it. The same name as the one the 1st pilgrims came over on from England. He then got out the corks and I watched him become completely engaged in building using toothpicks, corks and tape; and more tape. Then everyone thought tape was a good idea for all of their various projects. So I bit my tongue and let the roll dwindle down though I did try to suggest glue a couple times. Gavin saw Liam’s design and quickly decided to begin building his own creation with corks and toothpicks. 



Damon came over and watched for a couple minutes then turned around and pulled out the popsicle sticks and started toying with them. “Hey!” I said, “That reminds me of the houses the Pilgrims had to build.” “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking!” he said excitedly, big smile and bright eyes. Nothing at all like the glazed over look in the eyes of the kids (my own included) who were following my chosen project of the Thanksgiving collage a little while earlier. So I then got a few other books including “The Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy” and opened to pages that showed the houses that were built out of planks they brought from England and rough wood from chopped trees and thatched roofs.







All of this took place in the Atelier, around the light table, me sitting on a stool casually mentioning things about the 1st Thanksgiving and how it related to what they were each working on. 5 girls, 3 boys standing around the table, completely, effortlessly and passionately engaged in their chosen work. The table was stocked full of felt, pipe cleaners, markers, feathers, corks, toothpicks, construction paper, sewing kits, glue, scissors, yarn, popsicle sticks and tape. The Zen of learning unfolded before my eyes. 




Creative thinking, problem-solving, geometry, measurements, math, art, co-operation, sharing, turn-taking, community, support, fine motor coordination, history, listening, pride and accomplishment were all at that table. There was no fighting or resistance, even with only 1 roll of tape! They were working individually, simultaneously yet together on a bigger level of creative energy which flowed easily around the room. One idea would pop up then inspire another, then another. They took quick breaks to look up from their work, just long enough to see a friend’s project, make a contribution to the Thanksgiving conversation or show me or their friend how awesome what they were doing was.

 And it was.

-Michelle

::

Yes. Give them what they need to thrive, and then get out of their way.

(And note to ourselves to pick up more tape. In bulk!)

Project-based learning doesn't have to be all or nothing. It doesn't have to be your entire curriculum (although it could be), so if you're a structured Latin-loving Classicist, or a relaxed unschooler, project-based learning can still be brought in. It should be. Carve out time for your children to do self-chosen project-time. Our role as parents and educators is to be there to offer support, but not do it for them.

Even for those families who don't plan to homeschool long-term, or be a part of our co-op long term, I strongly encourage you to get your hands on this book, read it, and try implementing some of these things at home. Your children will thank you!