Knox Family: Homeschool co-op

Showing posts with label Homeschool co-op. Show all posts

Friday, November 18, 2011

Bricktown Ballpark

8:10 PM Nicole Knox 1 comment

Today we went on a tour of the Bricktown Ballpark with our homeschool co-op Ignite.

We visited the dugout, the press box, the clubhouse, and the suits.

It was such a neat day for our family.

First Day of Co-op/What should a 4 year old know?

9:33 PM Nicole Knox 3 comments

We had our first day of co-op this week and it was AMAZING!!! We're so blessed to be apart of an amazing homeschool group.

My friend sent me this blog today and I wanted to share it.

What should a 4 year old know?

I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough. “What should a 4 year old know?” she asked.

Most of the answers left me not only saddened but pretty soundly annoyed. One mom posted a laundry list of all of the things her son knew. Counting to 100, planets, how to write his first and last name, and on and on. Others chimed in with how much more their children already knew, some who were only 3. A few posted URL’s to lists of what each age should know. The fewest yet said that each child develops at his own pace and not to worry.

It bothered me greatly to see these mothers responding to a worried mom by adding to her concern, with lists of all the things their children could do that hers couldn’t. We are such a competitive culture that even our preschoolers have become trophies and bragging rights. Childhood shouldn’t be a race.

So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.

1.She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.

2.He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.

3.She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.

4.He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he’ll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.

5.She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous. She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that– way more worthy.

But more important, here’s what parents need to know.

1.That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.

2.That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.

3.That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children “advantages” that we’re giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.

4.That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like legos and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.

5.That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That’s not okay! Our children don’t need Nintendos, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US. They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them.

And now back to those 4 year old skills lists…..

I know it’s human nature to want to know how our children compare to others and to want to make sure we’re doing all we can for them. Here is a list of what children are typically taught or should know by the end of each year of school, starting with preschool.

Since we homeschool, I occasionally print out the lists and check to see if there’s anything glaringly absent in what my kids know. So far there hasn’t been, but I get ideas sometimes for subjects to think up games about or books to check out from the library. Whether you homeschool or not, the lists can be useful to see what kids typically learn each year and can be reassuring that they really are doing fine.

If there are areas where it seems your child is lacking, realize that it’s not an indication of failure for either you or your child. You just haven’t happened to cover that. Kids will learn whatever they’re exposed to, and the idea that they all need to know these 15 things at this precise age is rather silly. Still, if you want him to have those subjects covered then just work it into life and play with the subject and he’ll naturally pick it up. Count to 60 when you’re mixing a cake and he’ll pick up his numbers. Get fun books from the library about space or the alphabet. Experiment with everything from backyard snow to celery stalks in food coloring. It’ll all happen naturally, with much more fun and much less pressure.

My favorite advice about preschoolers is on this site though.

What does a 4 year old need?

Much less than we realize, and much more.

Lovin' Learning

8:12 PM Nicole Knox 1 comment

We are starting school on Monday! I can't believe I get to do this with my kids. Some things we will be doing for "school" is Reading, Five In A Row, Reading, Math-U-See, Reading, Explode The Code, did I mention Reading? We also start co-op on Thursday September 8th. The boys each get to take 3 classes and I get to teach PE again this year.

Nathan- 1st Grade

Zoology: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day
Explore the wonders of the swimming creatures created by God on the fifth day. We’ll dive right in to learning about whales, dolphins, seals, manatees and all kinds of fish and sharks. We’ll also uncover a world of crabby crustaceans, sea snails, octopus, coral, sand dollars and so much more. Come join us as we splash in wonder at God’s designs in the amazing aquatic animals he formed.

PE
PE will be centered around having fun with a variety of games and athletic activities. The kids will enjoy learning new games and skills in a team atmosphere. Kids will be expected to wear appropriate shoes and clothing for indoor and outdoor athletic activities. We are excited to spend another year with your kids!

Jesus Storybook Bible
Join me as we journey through the Jesus Storybook Bible. We will discover that Jesus is at the center of God’s great story and at the center of your story too! There will be fun crafts and activities to help us remember all we will learn

Micah- Kindergarten

Jesus Storybook Bible
Join me as we journey through the Jesus Storybook Bible. We will discover that Jesus is at the center of God’s great story and at the center of your story too! There will be fun crafts and activities to help us remember all we will learn.

To the Bus! (The Magic School Bus, that is!)
Calling all curious young scientists! Let’s take chances, get messy and make mistakes as we join Ms. Frizzle and her class on a new adventure each week and learn about God’s wonderful creation! In addition to a book/video we’ll do activities and experiments related to the week’s topic.

Games Games Games!
Come play with us! We’ll play with toys, do puzzles, and do indoor and outdoor games. Some indoor games will include Uno, Bingo, War, and Go Fish. Some outdoor games will be soccer, Red Light Green Light, Follow the Leader and Tag.

Here are somethings we will be doing during the day.

8:00am- Breakfast, Mommy Responsibilities, Play

8:30am- Learnin' How to Be Like Jesus

9:00am- Fun with Math; Fun with Letters

9:30am- Play, Responsibilities

10:00am- Snack

10:15am- Lovin' Learning~unit study, Five In A Row, art, Science, or cooking

11:15am- Play

12:00pm- Lunch

12:30pm- Read with mommy, Puzzles with mommy, cooking with mommy, or games with mommy

1:00pm- Naps; Quiet time~ books, coloring, movie

2:30pm- Snack; Play

5:00pm- Dinner

6:00pm- Play; Read; Bath

7:30pm-Bed

Pumpkin Patch

9:43 PM Nicole Knox No comments

We went to the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch with our homeschool co-op and had an amazing time.

The boys loved jumping on the hay.

So did daddy!!!

My sweet friend Deleise that started our co-op.

Roasting hot dogs by the fire with daddy and friends.

and marshmallows

They loved climbing on this tree.

The swing was so fun!

We stopped by Pops after to get drinks.

Micah is 4!!!!

8:14 PM Nicole Knox 1 comment

Micah turned 4 on September 24th! We went to the Express Clydesdale's Ranch with our homeschool co-op in the morning.

We even watch a cow give birth to her baby.

We had an amazing time looking at everything.

Micah had a few friends over that night for a birthday party. He was on cloud 9 opening gifts.

Daddy would help him read all his cards.

Micah wanted me to make pink cupcakes=)

I sure love my sweet Micah.

1st day of co-op 2010/2011

8:02 PM Nicole Knox 2 comments

Family breakfast at ihop for our first day of co-op!

Nathan 5 1/2 Micah 4 in two weeks.

I love that I get to hang out with these sweet kids all day.

The whole family!

Morning announcements at co-op

We went and had some awesome dessert to celebrate our first day of co-op!!!

Our homeschool co-op is going to be so fun this year! The boys are getting to take a lot of fun classes. We had a wonderful first day.

Micah is in PreK-Kindergarten classes

Ignite Recreation with Jessica
This is the place to get all those wiggles and giggles out. We will be playing a lot of fun games, indoor and outdoor. We’ll also enjoy the playground when the weather is beautiful. Come join us, you’re bound to have a great time!

Music Exploration with Donna
Join us as we discover a variety of aspects of music! We will learn about pitch and different types of songs, play musical games and learn rhythm basics. We will explore movement and expression using objects such as bean bags, rhythm sticks and scarfs. We will learn how instruments work and even make several of our own throughout the year! You won’t want to miss it!

Science Through the Year with Jemma
Inquiry-based and easy-to-follow activities to help students develop positive attitudes toward science. We will cover the areas of physical, earth, and life science as well as health with science questions & facts as well as experiments.

Nathan is in 1st-2nd grade classes

Globe Trotters with Jennifer
Wanted: 1st and 2nd grade explorers to join a 28 week around-the-world geography adventure. Through books, maps, crafts, activities and more we’ll learn about distant lands and the people who live there.

PE with Nicole and Kelsey
We will focus on hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, and following instructions. Every learning time will require athletic shoes.

Gardening with Jenny
Join us as we learn all about the fun of gardening and the joy of making something grow! We will spend time learning about different types of plants and bugs.We’ll learn about planning and planting gardens (vegetable, herbs, and flowers). We’ll do fun gardening projects such as planting seeds, building miniature greenhouses and possibly a little landscaping

I get to teach 3 PE classes again this year to 1st-2nd graders, 3rd-5th graders, and middle school/high school students.

Sweet baby Abigail gets to hang out with all her sweet baby friends.