Ok, Ladies, it is time to get on this blog and give some feedback! Our first Vintage homeschool gathering on the 13th was great--at least I thought it went well, and people seemed to enjoy themselves. So! Who is up for another gathering this Monday, which is when we are to start our Old School Mondays? I would like to know how many kids I should plan for, since I have a fun counting craft in mind that I might need to pick up some more stuff for. So, if you know you are coming, would you please post a comment or email me? Thanks!
Please see the older post for the details of time, place, etc.
NEW DETAIL: If you plan on joining us for these school times, please put together a "Monday Box" for your child. (Siblings can share, but you will of course want to modify the amounts of things in your box accordingly) Your Monday Box should have the following:
--scissors
--tape
--glue stick (preferrably NOT bottled glue, just to keep down the potential mess in the gym)
--2 pencils and sharpener (or you make sure they are sharp)
--eraser
--ruler would be great
--tablet of plain white paper
--some basic colors (marker, colored pencil, crayon, you choose--at least the primaries and black)
Anyone think of anything else we should have every week to be ready for a multitude of activites? A shoebox or one of those clear zippered binder organizers would work--just so that when we get together all the kids are ready to participate in what we do. Does this sound good?
Also, I have a question about how we want to get the word out about these homeschool events. We have quite a few moms who might want to attend who are not linked to this blog--do we keep this blog's postings semi-private for just us, or do we give out the blog address to other interested moms so they can know what will be happening? Might be an encouragement and blessing to the greater Vintage/Santa Cruz communities, but this is not my blog, so you all (Ali!) let me know your vision for this space and let me know what you think is best (and offer ideas). Thanks!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Update on Vintage Homeschool Days
Hello ladies,
After spending $80 yesterday on supplies for projects we are doing this week (did not have enough notice on some of them to get Ocean Grove to pay for them--bummer!), it occurred to me that when we get together to do crafts on Old School Mondays, we should all be prepared to chip in and help the hosting mom with the cost of whatever craft stuff she brought. So, I thought one dollar per child participating each time we do a craft. Does that sound fair? This would be strictly voluntary--not like, where is your dollar or your child cannot participate--but a way to help keep this going without a financial burden on whichever mom is hosting. Sound good? So if at all possible, please bring $1 for each kid who wants to make a Valentine's mailbox on Friday. Thank you!
Also, I wanted to suggest a donation for each Musical Monday Morning: one canned good per family. We will thus be benefitting a local charity when we get together for school!
Let me know what you all think about this.
Hey, and I hope you are all inviting people to join us Fri! : )
After spending $80 yesterday on supplies for projects we are doing this week (did not have enough notice on some of them to get Ocean Grove to pay for them--bummer!), it occurred to me that when we get together to do crafts on Old School Mondays, we should all be prepared to chip in and help the hosting mom with the cost of whatever craft stuff she brought. So, I thought one dollar per child participating each time we do a craft. Does that sound fair? This would be strictly voluntary--not like, where is your dollar or your child cannot participate--but a way to help keep this going without a financial burden on whichever mom is hosting. Sound good? So if at all possible, please bring $1 for each kid who wants to make a Valentine's mailbox on Friday. Thank you!
Also, I wanted to suggest a donation for each Musical Monday Morning: one canned good per family. We will thus be benefitting a local charity when we get together for school!
Let me know what you all think about this.
Hey, and I hope you are all inviting people to join us Fri! : )
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Please bring your Box Tops for Education!
Hello moms,
Meredith's school is collecting Box Tops for Education symbols, and the classroom that collects the most will earn a pizza party. Would you please look around your house and save any of those symbols you see, cut them off, and bring them to the Valentine's Day party? Thanks!
We usually find them on Chex cereals, Cheerios, Kleenex boxes, and Huggies diaper boxes. Please ask your friends to collect them too! Even if you don't give them to us, each symbol is worth 10 cents to a school, so please encourage those you know to collect them and pass them on to friends with kids, to donate to a school. : )
Meredith's school is collecting Box Tops for Education symbols, and the classroom that collects the most will earn a pizza party. Would you please look around your house and save any of those symbols you see, cut them off, and bring them to the Valentine's Day party? Thanks!
We usually find them on Chex cereals, Cheerios, Kleenex boxes, and Huggies diaper boxes. Please ask your friends to collect them too! Even if you don't give them to us, each symbol is worth 10 cents to a school, so please encourage those you know to collect them and pass them on to friends with kids, to donate to a school. : )
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Please Mark Your Calendars
(for some odd reason I found myself saying the title, as I typed, as if I were that famous wrestling announcer saying "Now, let's get ready to rumble!" Is this a Freudian thing representing the choreographed bloody mayhem I expect to ensue when we get all our kids together in the church gym? Yikes!)
Please get on your calendars for every month between now and May the bi-monthly Vintage Homeschool Gym Morning! (Still need catchier names for these events--anyone?)
Second Monday morning of every month, from 10-11: Monday Morning Music!
--each time we will do different activities having to do with music, rhythm, dance, etc. I do not expect we will take more than an hour, but the gym will be reserved until 1:00 if any moms want to hang out and let the kids play afterwards.
Fourth Monday morning of every month, from 10-1: Old School Mondays!
--spelling bee
--snack/lunch time
--get-em-movin' game
--recitations
--group sharing
--mini-lesson/craft
(not in that order)
Huzzah! I will get this rolling, but will greatly appreciate any moms who want to come forth and take over even just one aspect of one month's gathering. For example, maybe you are studying snakes with your kids at home, and find a great, no-fuss snake project that you think would be great for a range of kids to do--you can volunteer to host the mini-lesson/craft for one morning. Or maybe you know how to play an instrument and would like to lead a sing-along for the kids on a music Monday morning--great! I am particularly hoping some moms feel like hosting the get-em-movin' game some mornings, since I can come up with great ideas, but after leading the whole morning, will probably not have the energy to lead. I will do so, though! Just letting you all know in advance the areas where I will be weakest and where your involvement will be most appreciated. Oh, and sweeping the floor after we are done would be something else we could share doing. It is all up for grabs, and the more moms who host the more fun for everyone!
Ok, let's see what else you need to know for Old School Mondays:
--Bring lunch/snack for your own child.
--Have your kids wear comfy clothes and shoes they can run in
--Please be present with your child the entire time, unless you make specific arrangements with one of the moms present to be responsible for your child for you. And please be prepared to help your child with the activities throughout the day, esp. the craft--the volunteer moms will not be able to help everyone!
--The hosting mom (most likely me) is not a teacher, per se, and will NOT be disciplining your children, so please intervene if your child is not all that interested in what we are doing and is distracting others
--We will all do the activities together at the same time. So if Johnny does not want to participate in one part, that is fine, but he should be sitting quietly with his mommy and not running around.
--Please bring friends! (As long as you will be responsible for the extra kids you bring, or bring their mommy too)
--Come when you want, leave when you want--we will have fun with whomever shows up. : )
--Our lessons, recitations, etc. may have Christian content! Esp. feel free to use the recitation time for your child to share a Bible verse he/she has learned.
(Any more guidelines we should have? Please suggest them in the comments!)
Pretty much the same guidelines for Monday Morning Music (Morning Music Mondays?), esp. those about moms being present, about keeping your own child involved and not distracting others, and about Christian content. I can't wait to teach your kids our ABC version that spells out the Gospel! : )
SO, our first Old School Monday will be Feb. 23. Our first MMM will NOT be this month--we will start this whole adventure off with the Valentine's party on the 13th, so see the previous posting for that. Our first MMM will be Mar 23.
So excited! Please give me comments so I know you read this post!
Please get on your calendars for every month between now and May the bi-monthly Vintage Homeschool Gym Morning! (Still need catchier names for these events--anyone?)
Second Monday morning of every month, from 10-11: Monday Morning Music!
--each time we will do different activities having to do with music, rhythm, dance, etc. I do not expect we will take more than an hour, but the gym will be reserved until 1:00 if any moms want to hang out and let the kids play afterwards.
Fourth Monday morning of every month, from 10-1: Old School Mondays!
--spelling bee
--snack/lunch time
--get-em-movin' game
--recitations
--group sharing
--mini-lesson/craft
(not in that order)
Huzzah! I will get this rolling, but will greatly appreciate any moms who want to come forth and take over even just one aspect of one month's gathering. For example, maybe you are studying snakes with your kids at home, and find a great, no-fuss snake project that you think would be great for a range of kids to do--you can volunteer to host the mini-lesson/craft for one morning. Or maybe you know how to play an instrument and would like to lead a sing-along for the kids on a music Monday morning--great! I am particularly hoping some moms feel like hosting the get-em-movin' game some mornings, since I can come up with great ideas, but after leading the whole morning, will probably not have the energy to lead. I will do so, though! Just letting you all know in advance the areas where I will be weakest and where your involvement will be most appreciated. Oh, and sweeping the floor after we are done would be something else we could share doing. It is all up for grabs, and the more moms who host the more fun for everyone!
Ok, let's see what else you need to know for Old School Mondays:
--Bring lunch/snack for your own child.
--Have your kids wear comfy clothes and shoes they can run in
--Please be present with your child the entire time, unless you make specific arrangements with one of the moms present to be responsible for your child for you. And please be prepared to help your child with the activities throughout the day, esp. the craft--the volunteer moms will not be able to help everyone!
--The hosting mom (most likely me) is not a teacher, per se, and will NOT be disciplining your children, so please intervene if your child is not all that interested in what we are doing and is distracting others
--We will all do the activities together at the same time. So if Johnny does not want to participate in one part, that is fine, but he should be sitting quietly with his mommy and not running around.
--Please bring friends! (As long as you will be responsible for the extra kids you bring, or bring their mommy too)
--Come when you want, leave when you want--we will have fun with whomever shows up. : )
--Our lessons, recitations, etc. may have Christian content! Esp. feel free to use the recitation time for your child to share a Bible verse he/she has learned.
(Any more guidelines we should have? Please suggest them in the comments!)
Pretty much the same guidelines for Monday Morning Music (Morning Music Mondays?), esp. those about moms being present, about keeping your own child involved and not distracting others, and about Christian content. I can't wait to teach your kids our ABC version that spells out the Gospel! : )
SO, our first Old School Monday will be Feb. 23. Our first MMM will NOT be this month--we will start this whole adventure off with the Valentine's party on the 13th, so see the previous posting for that. Our first MMM will be Mar 23.
So excited! Please give me comments so I know you read this post!
1st Vintage Homeschool Gym Day Feb 13!
Ok Ladies, mark your calendars! I am on the ball and making this happen! (Typing cannot convey the wonderment in my voice--this must be something God wants to happen, since I cannot even get my kitchen counter cleaned off this winter, yet somehow I am all energetic about this homeschool ministry at church!)
We will kick off the Spring semester with a Valentine's Party! For this first event, we will meet from 9-11 in the Vintage gym. To fully particpate in the party, please prepare in advance by having your child(ren) make valentines to share with the other kids. I don't know how many kids will be there--maybe we can all RSVP in the comments to this post, and say if we are inviting other families/kids too? I hope to invite some friends! And then if you could also bring some Valentine's ish snack that would be great too. (I am hoping we get more creative than cookies and candy, but if we are not, the kids have plenty of room to run and scream off all the sugar)
We will be making and decorating mailboxes for "delivery" of the valentines we bring (do you remember doing this in elementary school as a kid?!) so please bring a clean shoebox for the mailbox.
Any other special ideas you would like to incorporate into our party? Let us know in the comments!
More Vintage Homeschool events news to follow in a later post. . . now have to get my kindergartener over to her "real" school. ; )
I am so excited, ladies! So sorry you will not be able to join us, Ali. : ( But we will be thinking of you that day!
We will kick off the Spring semester with a Valentine's Party! For this first event, we will meet from 9-11 in the Vintage gym. To fully particpate in the party, please prepare in advance by having your child(ren) make valentines to share with the other kids. I don't know how many kids will be there--maybe we can all RSVP in the comments to this post, and say if we are inviting other families/kids too? I hope to invite some friends! And then if you could also bring some Valentine's ish snack that would be great too. (I am hoping we get more creative than cookies and candy, but if we are not, the kids have plenty of room to run and scream off all the sugar)
We will be making and decorating mailboxes for "delivery" of the valentines we bring (do you remember doing this in elementary school as a kid?!) so please bring a clean shoebox for the mailbox.
Any other special ideas you would like to incorporate into our party? Let us know in the comments!
More Vintage Homeschool events news to follow in a later post. . . now have to get my kindergartener over to her "real" school. ; )
I am so excited, ladies! So sorry you will not be able to join us, Ali. : ( But we will be thinking of you that day!
Artist Trading Card Swap
One of my friends just told me about this nifty idea -- called an Artist Trading Card Swap. Here is the link to the actual post about it. Asia is going to participate if we can find the paper we need to make each card. Swapping art with others around the country/world?!! This is a great opportunity and a neat art bonus!! The only requirement is the children be 4 years old!! ...oh and here are some instructions, etc. You have until Friday (Feb 6th) to sign up! Come join us!! Love Ali & Asia
Friday, January 23, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
a late start....but FUN!!
Hi girls -- we are back home in China, and getting more settled into a routine here. I wanted to let you all know that we started "school" today (Monday, January 19th!! 2009)! I guess its not a typical year for us, but Asia was excited!! Our curriculum was easy to follow - but we didn't get thru all the material for our first day. What I wanted to share tho were some neat tidbits that you might be able to incorporate into your lives too - if you think they might apply.
1. We made a HUGE timeline that spans one wall in our "classroom" with strips of orange paper. We measured out the years (in 500 year chunks) from 4100BC all the way to 2000AD. Many of the books on our reading list this year include stories from people/heroes throughout history - and this was their idea to give the kids a larger perspective/scope to their understanding of how it all fit together. I really like this idea, and I am excited to add to it... also our curriculum comes with 3 pages of printed stickers of each character/hero - but this would be easy to create on your own depending on who you want to add to your timeline. Let me know if you want a list of ours.
2. We put a large Map of the World along the wall - its a blank map that you can write on with erasable markers. On one side is the world, and on the other side is the United States. I love this map!! Here's a LINK where you can find one if you want. We added colored dots for different things: green for places our heroes are from, red for our family, blue for friends. I think this will help them get an idea of how big the world really is - and see how people come from all over to shape our history & world around us. Asia ends up having lots of neat questions too. I think this goes great with "global laundry" too!!
3. We also started a Writing Journal today. Its a blank spiral notebook without any lines/etc. I hope to have Asia write a sentence in it 3 times a week - whatever she wants to write about. She can draw a picture too if she wants. The main purpose is for her to sound out the words on her own - not to spell perfectly. My mother-in-law gave us this idea - and so far Asia really likes it. I help her figure out how many words are in her sentence, and make a line for each word she wants to write. Then I let her go for it! Maybe I can post a picture later so you get a better idea. I think I will also see improvements as the year goes on!
Anyhow, those were just a few things from today that were really fun!! Our classroom looks more learning-friendly after today, and I am excited to add to it as we learn more this year.
Some neat Read-Aloud books we have loved:
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Milly Molly Mandy by Joyce Lankester Brisley
I am sure you could find them at the library too!
love you girls!
Ali
1. We made a HUGE timeline that spans one wall in our "classroom" with strips of orange paper. We measured out the years (in 500 year chunks) from 4100BC all the way to 2000AD. Many of the books on our reading list this year include stories from people/heroes throughout history - and this was their idea to give the kids a larger perspective/scope to their understanding of how it all fit together. I really like this idea, and I am excited to add to it... also our curriculum comes with 3 pages of printed stickers of each character/hero - but this would be easy to create on your own depending on who you want to add to your timeline. Let me know if you want a list of ours.
2. We put a large Map of the World along the wall - its a blank map that you can write on with erasable markers. On one side is the world, and on the other side is the United States. I love this map!! Here's a LINK where you can find one if you want. We added colored dots for different things: green for places our heroes are from, red for our family, blue for friends. I think this will help them get an idea of how big the world really is - and see how people come from all over to shape our history & world around us. Asia ends up having lots of neat questions too. I think this goes great with "global laundry" too!!
3. We also started a Writing Journal today. Its a blank spiral notebook without any lines/etc. I hope to have Asia write a sentence in it 3 times a week - whatever she wants to write about. She can draw a picture too if she wants. The main purpose is for her to sound out the words on her own - not to spell perfectly. My mother-in-law gave us this idea - and so far Asia really likes it. I help her figure out how many words are in her sentence, and make a line for each word she wants to write. Then I let her go for it! Maybe I can post a picture later so you get a better idea. I think I will also see improvements as the year goes on!
Anyhow, those were just a few things from today that were really fun!! Our classroom looks more learning-friendly after today, and I am excited to add to it as we learn more this year.
Some neat Read-Aloud books we have loved:
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Milly Molly Mandy by Joyce Lankester Brisley
I am sure you could find them at the library too!
love you girls!
Ali
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Lisa Proposes. . . a Monthly Vintage School Day!
Okay, moms, here is the idea:
Once a month, preferrably at the end, we gather at Vintage in the gym (or classrooms, if we get the green light) for learning, games, stress management and structured educational mayhem! The idea I have is based upon the old time one-room schoolhouse model, so all ages of kids could participate. Here is what it might look like:
--a planned theme for that day, with appropriate activities, say a book/mini-lesson and hands-on activity/craft. Moms can take turns volunteering with this, but it is my idea so I will be glad to do it if no one else does. : )
BENEFIT: you can check off school for that day if you want! Group learning! Your child learning to respond to teachers other than yourself!
--circle/sharing time, where each child (and mom) can share with the group one thing he/she has completed or learned that month.
BENEFIT: built-in incentive (for both mom and kids) to buckle down and finish that project that is getting dragged out a little too long. Kids get to share their accomplishments. Moms get to be inspired by other moms and encouraged by each small success.
--an old-fashioned spelling bee! we all work from the same spelling list and when we gather had a spelling showdown, where the kids all line up and we start with the easy words and everyone gets three misses before they have to sit down.
BENEFIT: spelling is worked into the month, kids are excited to practice words knowing they will need to know them to do well in the game
--recitations! each child shares something from memory or reading--a scripture verse, a poem, a short story he/she wrote.
BENEFIT: practice speaking in front of a supportive group, memory skills, helping your child know by heart something you decide belongs there. ; )
--at least one planned game (I would love it if moms took turns planning and leading this one--not my strength, although I have lots of ideas)
BENEFIT: P.E.! learning group dynamics, following rules, improve gross motor/coordination, good for the body and spirit!
And we would structure this so that the sitting and speaking and activities are nicely balanced. And of course there should be some unstructured playtime in there too! Maybe combined with a snack time while moms chat?
ANY homeschooling family would be welcome! (chance to share the love with the greater Santa Cruz area homeschoolers) No child would be forced to participate in any of the activities--or, shall we say, such forcing would be up to the teacher mom of that particular child. BUT we would expect everyone to come ready to participate in the overall spirit of the gathering, so the other kids are not distracted from their learning experience.
I am imagining the whole thing would take at least 3 hours--more with snack and free play, probably. We could structure the morning too so that moms could know what they would miss if they came late, or left early, and plan accordingly if they could not/did not want to be there the whole time. (3 hours seems long, but it will fly by!)
I spoke with Lee Purkey and we have his blessing. So now, please post your feedback here as to what YOU think of the idea. Since at this point it is my idea, I will take full ownership of it and will gladly get it all going--in Feb if at least a few of you are interested. But if anyone has ideas for tweaking the gathering, please do let me know. I do suggest that if anyone wants to make changes to the overall plan, then she should be willing to implement them. Sound fair? : ) I know not everyone will get excited about the things that excite me! But at least this plan is a start!
And somebody please help me with a name for the gathering!
Becky and I had talked about having an "old-school" Valentine's Day party, so we could have our first one that day next month, and then have the next one at the end of March. (It does not have to be at the end of the month, but that works really well for the way my brain works, esp. if trying to finish projects for sharing time)
I look forward to hearing what you think!
Lisa
Once a month, preferrably at the end, we gather at Vintage in the gym (or classrooms, if we get the green light) for learning, games, stress management and structured educational mayhem! The idea I have is based upon the old time one-room schoolhouse model, so all ages of kids could participate. Here is what it might look like:
--a planned theme for that day, with appropriate activities, say a book/mini-lesson and hands-on activity/craft. Moms can take turns volunteering with this, but it is my idea so I will be glad to do it if no one else does. : )
BENEFIT: you can check off school for that day if you want! Group learning! Your child learning to respond to teachers other than yourself!
--circle/sharing time, where each child (and mom) can share with the group one thing he/she has completed or learned that month.
BENEFIT: built-in incentive (for both mom and kids) to buckle down and finish that project that is getting dragged out a little too long. Kids get to share their accomplishments. Moms get to be inspired by other moms and encouraged by each small success.
--an old-fashioned spelling bee! we all work from the same spelling list and when we gather had a spelling showdown, where the kids all line up and we start with the easy words and everyone gets three misses before they have to sit down.
BENEFIT: spelling is worked into the month, kids are excited to practice words knowing they will need to know them to do well in the game
--recitations! each child shares something from memory or reading--a scripture verse, a poem, a short story he/she wrote.
BENEFIT: practice speaking in front of a supportive group, memory skills, helping your child know by heart something you decide belongs there. ; )
--at least one planned game (I would love it if moms took turns planning and leading this one--not my strength, although I have lots of ideas)
BENEFIT: P.E.! learning group dynamics, following rules, improve gross motor/coordination, good for the body and spirit!
And we would structure this so that the sitting and speaking and activities are nicely balanced. And of course there should be some unstructured playtime in there too! Maybe combined with a snack time while moms chat?
ANY homeschooling family would be welcome! (chance to share the love with the greater Santa Cruz area homeschoolers) No child would be forced to participate in any of the activities--or, shall we say, such forcing would be up to the teacher mom of that particular child. BUT we would expect everyone to come ready to participate in the overall spirit of the gathering, so the other kids are not distracted from their learning experience.
I am imagining the whole thing would take at least 3 hours--more with snack and free play, probably. We could structure the morning too so that moms could know what they would miss if they came late, or left early, and plan accordingly if they could not/did not want to be there the whole time. (3 hours seems long, but it will fly by!)
I spoke with Lee Purkey and we have his blessing. So now, please post your feedback here as to what YOU think of the idea. Since at this point it is my idea, I will take full ownership of it and will gladly get it all going--in Feb if at least a few of you are interested. But if anyone has ideas for tweaking the gathering, please do let me know. I do suggest that if anyone wants to make changes to the overall plan, then she should be willing to implement them. Sound fair? : ) I know not everyone will get excited about the things that excite me! But at least this plan is a start!
And somebody please help me with a name for the gathering!
Becky and I had talked about having an "old-school" Valentine's Day party, so we could have our first one that day next month, and then have the next one at the end of March. (It does not have to be at the end of the month, but that works really well for the way my brain works, esp. if trying to finish projects for sharing time)
I look forward to hearing what you think!
Lisa
i will survive
just a little humor and encouragement from other homeschool moms. : )
The song repeats itself, so you only need to listen to the first half to get a good chuckle for the day!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Global Laundry
Hi Everybody!
I hope you are all doing well as we plunge into the new year. If you are like us, sometimes you think you are getting the hang of this homeschooling thing and other days you feel like everybody else MUST be doing much better than you are. We definitely have our share of ups and downs, but I think that's normal. Anyway, I am offering you the fruit of one of our good days from sometime before Christmas. If I've already gone on and on about this with you, please ignore the following. It was one of those wonderful things that just "happened" and took on a life of its own! We've "played" it twice now, with Katie and Claire leading the way both times. Here's how it goes:
1. Wait til' you've got a load of laundry to fold AND it's time to do school. Don't panic! You can do both at once! Start with a colorful children's atlas on hand if you have one, or a globe.
2. As you sort the laundry, have your little helper(s) find the tag and read where each item was made.
3. Together, locate each country you discover in the atlas or on the globe.
4. Make a stack for each country, labeled with a sticky note. If you have a little bit of room, lay out the stacks according to their general geographic location (Honduras is down there by the coffee table, China over by the television, etc.)
(You could just stop here and have done a great geography lesson... but here are some things we did that further incorporated social studies, writing practice, math, map reading, and responsible shopping).
5. We tallied up the final count for each country represented, and made a graph (math skill!) with a sticker representing each item of laundry. This makes a great visual of each country's representation in your load of clothes and towels. (Pakistan came out ahead in our first round).
6. I shared with Katie and Claire some parts of a magazine article i had just been reading on fair labor practices and responsible buying (Relevant Magazine 10/08). I can't find it online or I would share it with you. But you don't need an article to discuss the basic idea with your kids.
7. We then chose one company/location to investigate online, which was Fruit of the Loom in Honduras. (This is where they make the girls' My Little Pony underwear and Daddy’s T shirts ). We found out that they’ve closed the factory in Honduras because workers wanted to form a union, and now the entire community is suffering because of the loss of jobs.
8. I printed out an unlabeled map of the Eastern Hemisphere and one of the Americas, one for each daughter. http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/world.html The girls each made legends for their maps, designating a color for each country, and then filled in each country represented in our laundry. It's so educational (for me too!) to figure out which country is which. Could you find Cambodia on an unlabeled map? I couldn't either. Now I can! (Ali, you don't count!)
9. We have agreed that the next time we play Global Laundry, we will find a recipe and cook the "winning" country's cuisine for dinner :) There would probably be a zillion ways to become better aquainted with the people and places that produce your family's clothes -- and build an understanding of how interconnected our world really is. We have a great book by DK called Children Just Like Me about kids around the world that really fascinates Katie and Claire, and this is a great investigative tool!
Save the maps, charts and sticky notes, and put them in a Global Laundry folder. Next time, see how many more countries you can color in. Make a new chart and compare it to the last one(s). It really is amazing to see how many different nationalities have a hand in making the things we wear and use ... and disconcerting to wonder how many of them are underpaid or under-aged.
Anyway, I encourage you to try some form of Global Laundry . . . and the best part is, it evolved on a day when I was feeling so discouraged and disorganized and dis-everything, and it felt like God just wanted to give us a boost. I love those occasional days when school feels natural and easy and full of curiosity... and the laundry gets done at the same time!
I hope you are all doing well as we plunge into the new year. If you are like us, sometimes you think you are getting the hang of this homeschooling thing and other days you feel like everybody else MUST be doing much better than you are. We definitely have our share of ups and downs, but I think that's normal. Anyway, I am offering you the fruit of one of our good days from sometime before Christmas. If I've already gone on and on about this with you, please ignore the following. It was one of those wonderful things that just "happened" and took on a life of its own! We've "played" it twice now, with Katie and Claire leading the way both times. Here's how it goes:
1. Wait til' you've got a load of laundry to fold AND it's time to do school. Don't panic! You can do both at once! Start with a colorful children's atlas on hand if you have one, or a globe.
2. As you sort the laundry, have your little helper(s) find the tag and read where each item was made.
3. Together, locate each country you discover in the atlas or on the globe.
4. Make a stack for each country, labeled with a sticky note. If you have a little bit of room, lay out the stacks according to their general geographic location (Honduras is down there by the coffee table, China over by the television, etc.)
(You could just stop here and have done a great geography lesson... but here are some things we did that further incorporated social studies, writing practice, math, map reading, and responsible shopping).
5. We tallied up the final count for each country represented, and made a graph (math skill!) with a sticker representing each item of laundry. This makes a great visual of each country's representation in your load of clothes and towels. (Pakistan came out ahead in our first round).
6. I shared with Katie and Claire some parts of a magazine article i had just been reading on fair labor practices and responsible buying (Relevant Magazine 10/08). I can't find it online or I would share it with you. But you don't need an article to discuss the basic idea with your kids.
7. We then chose one company/location to investigate online, which was Fruit of the Loom in Honduras. (This is where they make the girls' My Little Pony underwear and Daddy’s T shirts ). We found out that they’ve closed the factory in Honduras because workers wanted to form a union, and now the entire community is suffering because of the loss of jobs.
8. I printed out an unlabeled map of the Eastern Hemisphere and one of the Americas, one for each daughter. http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/world.html The girls each made legends for their maps, designating a color for each country, and then filled in each country represented in our laundry. It's so educational (for me too!) to figure out which country is which. Could you find Cambodia on an unlabeled map? I couldn't either. Now I can! (Ali, you don't count!)
9. We have agreed that the next time we play Global Laundry, we will find a recipe and cook the "winning" country's cuisine for dinner :) There would probably be a zillion ways to become better aquainted with the people and places that produce your family's clothes -- and build an understanding of how interconnected our world really is. We have a great book by DK called Children Just Like Me about kids around the world that really fascinates Katie and Claire, and this is a great investigative tool!
Save the maps, charts and sticky notes, and put them in a Global Laundry folder. Next time, see how many more countries you can color in. Make a new chart and compare it to the last one(s). It really is amazing to see how many different nationalities have a hand in making the things we wear and use ... and disconcerting to wonder how many of them are underpaid or under-aged.
Anyway, I encourage you to try some form of Global Laundry . . . and the best part is, it evolved on a day when I was feeling so discouraged and disorganized and dis-everything, and it felt like God just wanted to give us a boost. I love those occasional days when school feels natural and easy and full of curiosity... and the laundry gets done at the same time!
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