The Genius Academy

Digital Native!

Being in that sort of industry, Stuart has an expression for all things technical and computerish (which is a real word - I said so!).  Apparently our children are "Digital Natives".  In fact, I am one of the original natives.  Having grown up with computers from a fairly young child.  My whole adult life I have used computers and they are so much a part of my life and my upbringing that I suppose I am a "native". 

So what are you if you are not a "native"?  You're an "immigrant" of course!  I am sure my parents would not be insulted if I called them digital immigrants.  They have had to adapt to and embrace this technology.  Some immigrants manage better than others but that is for a different discussion!

What is my point?  Well, we have an issue in this house.  I may be a native, but I don't live and breath technology.  Actually, I only really want it if it is useful and otherwise I can take it or leave it.  My lovely husband is native through and through.  He lives and breathes technology.  He grew up with a Spectrum and moved on with every new model.  He learnt because of his passion and now he has a good job because of it.  I am a book person.  I even print out ebooks, much to everyone's amusement.

His children are native through and through.  They have MP3 players which they know how to load (!?) and they would happily spend all day glued to some screen or another.  I think they should be reading or playing outside or doing something else (anything else actually!). 

Stuart and I have hit the first major disagreement in our homeschooling.  We won't fall out over it or anything, but it needs sorting.  He thinks they should be allowed to absorb themselves and learn by play.  I think they should have limited access and controlled use.  That blasted thing sits in the corner all day calling the kids with it's bright colours and flashing lights;  it's internet world and games galore.  Since the new model arrived, it has been impossible to get them to think about anything else.  Every spare second is spent on there, when they used to be reading or playing etc.

I suppose my question is how do we come to some sort of compromise?  How do you all govern how much time your kids use the computer for?

If for instance your son climbs over the back wall of the garden, which he knows he shouldn't do.  If he falls into stinging nettles and then slips on his bum splat into a cow pat, then would you add insult to injury by disciplining him?

No, we wouldn't either!  We might struggle to be as sympathetic as we might be though!

Playdough

We are shutting up "school" for the summer here.  Just as the weather gets bad!  We are packing away our book work and will be concentrating on more experience based learning.  Packing the books away may look like the learning stops but children never stop learning - well they don't in this house!!  If I leave well alone, they are busy all the time doing something.  We are just swapping one type of learning for another.

So what have we been up to?  I was planning on a quiet week because I was so tired and I managed to pick up a really nasty cold.  The kids have been fiddling about painting and baking, catching crayfish and generally enjoying the sun.  A rounders group seems to have started up which looks like being a fun regular outing.  I didn't score a rounder but I did hit the ball and was not run out which I consider a success!  Some members of the group were starting to take things really seriously! :-)

Mum and Dad came over to help me sort out the kitchen and put up shelves which was a blessing.  Little jobs that have taken a year to finish are done!  They also brought a bed over for Evie and we sorted out the girls' bedroom again!  We emptied out all the drawers and sorted through everything.  There was yet another bag for the bin.  Finally, I think they may have a room that they can keep tidy.  We'll see!

Now I am looking forward to a summer holiday in the caravan and some downtime. Just time to hang out with friends and time to catch up on those little things that I don't have time to do other times.  Does this sound a bit optimistic?  It does to me too!!

What does Mum do when she is exhausted and home educating?  Switch to emergency measures, that's what!  The house is deteriorating, school work is being done in a very half hearted manner (to be generous!) and despite a run to the shops there is no food in the house.  I bought a load of salad in a healthy fit, but I am not sure the kids will be happy to live on salad!

SO I need to take emergency measures before it all goes horribly wrong.  Here's the plan:

• Stop schooling for a week.  Sounds crazy doesn't it but I need a rest and the kids are not learning much right now.

• Order supermarket shopping on the internet.  I know it isn't very ECO, but I need food and a trip around the supermarket/farm shop/food establishment with the kids will be the end of me. 

• Take time to clean the house.  Not relaxing I know but the house is terrible and there is no way I can relax in the middle of this.  There are 5 of us so if we split out the chores, we can get it done.

• Get more exercise.  Sounds crazy but if I stay in the house all day then I will go crazy.  There just happens to be some friends meeting up today for  a run around. 
  

• Take my lovely friends up on offers to help.  Just a chat and a cuppa and the world seems a brighter place.

• Quit beating yourself up about what you can't do and get on with what you can (which isn't that much right now).

Oh, and keep staying thankful!

I am struggling to see straight right now.  I am absolutely exhausted.  I think we are all ready for a break.  Me especially.  SO....I need to be thankful.  I need to concentrate on what is good and how I am blessed rather than how I am struggling.  Today I am thankful for (in no particular order):

MY MUM and DAD: bringing dinner and help.
THE AUTOGLASS MAN: who was kind enough to say that we have "polite and well-mannered kids" when I was feeling like I am failing.
The KIDS and STUART: who aren't quite sure what they have done wrong.
and of course MY HEAVENLY FATHER who reminds me

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;  it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

What have we been up to?  WELL...we went to Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetland Trust yesterday and had a brilliant time.  We have been completing a lapbook on birds and we have produced notebooks and started a life list.  We have learnt so much about birds that it is hard to write it all down.   Above all, the children are starting to get really passionate about the subject. 

Yesterday's trip to the WWT was brilliant for showing them the diversity in/of (?) wetland birds.  We met the rarest goose in the world and he tried to eat our lunch.  We had the ducks eating out of our hands.  There was a play park and a boat safari.  We didn't have time for the boat safari.  At the end of the day we decided to get a yearly membership because there was so much to see and we felt we hadn't even seen half of it.  I want to go back with sketch pads and pencils to see what we can draw.

There have been two sessions at the Forest School this week.  Both sessions started at 6am so that they could listen to the early morning bird calls and learn to identify the birds.  They cooked breakfast over a camp fire and ate it together.  The groups were very small so the children had very individual attention.  Callum went to the older group and there were only 3 of them.  He said it was "wicked" which I assume means he enjoyed it!!  When I arrived they were catching Damselflies with a net.  I thought all turquoise Damselflies were the same but they have different markings.  They would have happily spent hours catching the flies and identifying them.

The WWT visit also inspired us to welcome frogs into our garden.  Frogs and toads are apparently the most threatened group in the world.  I am not sure I have this right because I would think wild cats are but maybe not!  We all held a tree frog and had the opportunity to ask lots of questions because it was really quiet.

Daddy is not working much this week so we have been able to take him along too.  It was great for him to be able to come along and of course we enjoyed him being there too!

I came across the "real world" argument again this week.  In a very kind and well meaning way.  The argument goes something along the lines of "you can't wrap your children up in cotton wool.  They have to face the real world at some point."  I assume from this that they are refering to school as the real world and being home with Mum and Dad as some smothering, artificial environment that they will one day rebel over.  Maybe that we will release them onto the "real world" and they will be ill equipped to deal with people being unkind or difficult.  I am not sure quite what our local school of just over 100 pupils would offer in terms of the "real world" but there we are!

I could go on for hours about this and as someone else has said it so much more eloquently than me, I will send you over there instead. Thanks to Momto5Minnies for this!

Whilst we are avoiding the real world, we are off to a bird sanctuary today.  As the rain begins to fall after a week of hot weather!  Coats and wellies on and off we go!

We also have a holiday to plan.  We are off to Scotland again.  I have a mind to give the kids the budget and the guide books and let them plan.  They can allow for outings, ice creams, and big expensive days out.  What they might forget is food, accommodation, and fuel.  We can take this as far as they are interested. 

Level one:  Plan day trips and work out what they will cost for the whole family.

Level two: Use average amounts (given by Mum) for food and fuel and add them in.  Maybe factor in one or two meals out as budget allows.

Level three:  Use more accurate estimates.  For instance, work out the distance between the camp site and the castle and calculate fuel costs etc.

I don't think we will ever get to level three but they do constantly surprise me!  We will of course avoid "real world" application of what we have been learning at home like using maths, geography and history (castles and monuments).  We will definitely not be producing spreadsheets or writing anything down and we won't be learning to use money and  how to budget.  These things are way too "real" for us!  :-)

The kids are asking Daddy questions via webcam when he is sat upstairs!

What happened to those old fashioned things called legs and stairs??

They want me to get involved but I refused. The techies are taking over!

"Your car isn't a Lotus!"

"Yes it is"

"NO, IT'S A FERRARI!"

"It's a LOTUS"

"NO, IT'S A FERRARI"

"MUM, TELL HER IT'S A LOTUS!"

Things are working out better with the younger brother!