I just have to laugh!

I was reading an article the other day http://www.wired.com/business/2013/10/free-thinkers/2/ and I started doubting my move to a more Charlotte Mason-style approach with my 13yo son, especially since he's been starting to not like doing some of the readings. I wondered about what to do: Should I just read orally the ones he doesn't like? Do I need to make sure to have more research/interests-oriented exploration tied in with the readings? Do I need to just go back to mostly unschooling him? What do free schools do with kids who would just play on electronics all day, every day, for years on end? (And what would he do in a school like Sudbury Valley? Actually, he'd probably make a friend who was more adventurous in his interests and get motivated that way.)

I had the thought come of working with him to figure out what to do. So, I asked him, "If I let you choose whatever you wanted to do for school work, what would you do?" He sat there a couple of seconds and then said, "Whatever you give me to do."

LOL.

*sigh*

So, I will venture forth with what we've been doing and try to incorporate more things we haven't been doing, like nature study.

My Son Now Has an iPod Touch

My son turned 13 last week. His request since last year has been to have an iPod Touch for his birthday. Since his sister got one for her 13th birthday, we acquiesced and got him one.

That has meant hours and hours of his playing on it and adding free apps and texting with his cousins (a couple have iPod Touches and one has an iPhone) and then, upon getting a $15 iTunes gift card as part of a gift on Saturday, I'm guessing he has added in some apps he has to pay for. We'll see how well he manages his funds!

He is not a self-regulator for fun electronics, so I've finally had to start putting some limits. Going all out for a few days is okay, but at some point, reality needs to be lived. ;)

That said, if anybody has some great educational apps recommendations that a 13yo would enjoy, fire away! :D

2 Hours of Work Is Apparently a Lot

I think my son did 2 hours of assigned work this morning. It might not have even been that much. It might have only been 1.5 hours. I can't remember at what time he got up. Here is what he got done:

*I read Matthew 4 to him and we talked a bit about it (I admit it, while the Charlotte Mason approach would be to just have him narrate, there are certain things that seem too important to just leave to his narration!)
*a page of division practice
*copywork: very simple (Demain, c'est ma fête de treize ans. J'ai vraiment hâte!)
*read a grammar lesson and do one page of grammar work (not much to it, to be honest)
*read the next chapter in Our Island Story
*read the French poem "Le Corbeau et le renard"

He was practically moaning by the end of it. Even said, even though the readings were fine the other times, that he wasn't really interested in Our Island Story and didn't see why he had to read about it (and complained about how "long" yesterday's reading about ancient Egypt was). I see different factors in this finding the amount of work difficult:

1) We had a busy day yesterday and he is visibly tired today. Tiredness = grumpiness.
2) I'm not alternating the type of work enough (I see now I have the poem right after the history reading.
3) I haven't yet included enough "extras" that would pique his interest more (like science; gah, I need to pick something and thinking that if he's balking right now with the amount of reading, perhaps more reading is not a good choice for the time being. I quickly grabbed a TOPS science unit we have but decided it's not a good fit for him; he needs something more complicated, in-depth, although the pH testing might interest him).

I said to him, after he complained about the "11 pages of reading" (it's below his reading level, was only 9 pages and each page is not that full) from the ancients book yesterday and there being a LOT of information in it, that he was going to be in high school soon and would have a lot more he would have to read at a time. He said he could read that much, he just didn't like it. lol. But, since he's having a hard time narrating much shorter things, I probably should have given him a shorter amount to process.

Regardless, this is all still progress. He has adapted rather well to having requirements, except for how long they take up of his morning. (No, he has never expressed an interest in school and is always worried when he thinks I've said something about him having to go to school. I can't imagine how he would handle it!)

Help Stop the Ban on Homeschooling in the Netherlands

I received the following email. Please read and pass this information around!

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: "Rippy and Graham Dusseldorp"
Date: Sep 21, 2013 7:12 AM
Subject: Please Help Stop the Ban on Homeschooling in the Netherlands

Dear all,

We in the Netherlands could really use some international help right now. In July, the State Secretary of Education declared that he will be abolishing home education in the Netherlands.

The Dutch homeschooling community is doing everything in our power to prevent this. But our community is tiny. There are only 429 homeschooled children out of a population of approximately 2.4 million children. 

We need your help.

Please sign this online petition designed for the international community (both children and parents can sign): https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-ban-on-home-education-in-the-netherlands

If you can spread the petition and this message far and wide, it would be most appreciated. Please cross post on as many homeschooling lists as possible. Please post it on Facebook and Twitter and anywhere else you think may be helpful.

Thank you so much for your support.

Rippy (fellow Canadian, life long Oilers fan, married to a Dutchman) on behalf of homeschoolers in the Netherlands

The longer version of our personal story is here: http://leidenhomelearners.wordpress.com