Just One Of Those Moments

Every once in awhile the boys say or do something that just reaffirms my love of homeschooling. We had one of those moments yesterday. It wasn't ground breaking or anything but it touched my heart. I am a firm believer in kids having the chance to just be kids. Far too many public schools are cutting out recess time and P.E. and replacing it with more seat work. And then everyone wonders why so many boys (and girls) are diagnosed with "ADHD". Now don't get me wrong, ADHD is a very real problem for some children but my personal belief is that MANY of those diagnosed with it are actually just very active children who need more time to be active. We place our children in classrooms and tell them to be quiet, sit still and listen for long periods of time. Many of them just can't do it! And to be honest, neither can I! I remember my college days. Although I was listening I was also usually doodling, jiggling my foot or knee, making lists of things I needed to get done, etc. Yet we do not allow that behavior from our children in the public school classroom. I know this because I was a public school teacher. I do not for one moment blame the teachers. They are in an impossible situation. They have a large number of children in their class, many of which are at different learning levels. They are mandated by the state to cover a certain set of grade specific standards. On top of that, they need to make special provisions for those children who are above or below those standards. They also have to teach in a way that meets the learning style of each student in the room. Beyond this, they must play the roll of mother, nurse, counselor, judge, secretary, etc., etc., etc,. And when they leave the classroom at the end of the day, many of them go home to grade papers, prepare for the next day's lessons, make phone calls to parents, etc. If you think a teacher's day ends at 3 pm you are sadly mistaken. But I digress.

During our school day, I give my boys ample opportunity to take breaks and play. Sometimes they just need to take a 5 minute break. My 5 year old has pretty much done a year's worth of Kindergarten curriculum 5 minutes at a time. But that is OK! He is reading, adding numbers, writing sentences. He knows a number of phonetic rules and how to apply them. He knows what a period and question mark is and when to use them. I am happy with his progress. But I have no doubt that had I enrolled him in a kindergarten class he would have driven his teacher batty!

Yesterday, during one of our "recess" breaks, the kids went outside to play and run. They pulled the baseball bag out with plans to play catch with each other. The last baseball game of the season was about a week ago and the temperature was in the triple digits. I brought my umbrella with me to shade me from the sun. At the end of the game, I closed my umbrella and slipped it into the ball bag along with the bats and gloves. It was still in there when the boys pulled out the bag and they discovered it. There is something magical about an umbrella when you live in the desert. I suppose it is because they so seldom see or use one that when they do get their hands on one they are excited. They pulled the umbrella out and took turns using it to shade themselves. Within moments Little Man discovered that if he ran while holding the umbrella it caught the wind and slowed him down. He shared his discovery with Muffin Man and they proceeded to have races across the lawn with and without the umbrella. They also tried running with the umbrella open in front of them and found that that did not slow them down. They came in to get my timer and they clocked each other while running with and without the umbrella. I was aware of what they were doing and allowed the play to continue. After a bit I went out and asked them what they were up to. Little Man promptly explained what they had discovered. Wind resistance! A discussion of wind resistance, the design of cars and such to reduce wind resistance, and how it feels when you put your hand out the window of a moving car followed. This was true science in action. And the best part is that they discovered it all by themselves. Had they been in public school, they would have never had the chance to discover this the way they did and they most certainly would have NEVER been allowed to run with an umbrella. LOL!

I love giving my boys the chance to explore things on their own. I love being able to go to the computer multiple times per day to look up the answers to complex questions that they ask, or to show them photos of something that sparks their interest. I love being able to include in our curriculum things that genuinely interest them! In a nutshell, I love home schooling my children. I love every minute of time spent with them, even the rough ones. I wouldn't trade the opportunity to do this for anything and I am ever thankful for the choice that I have and my husband who works so hard to make it possible.

I have included two pictures that I snapped of the boys discovering wind resistance.
Enjoy!