Tentative End-of-2009 Schedule

Below is our tentative schedule leading up to our December 7th-11th Christmastime in Disneyland vacation. Because of our lack of time, we will be learning "in chunks" rather than in the original segmented units. Before this, we never attempted to turn a Disneyland vacation into a unit study as Aidyn is quite familiar with most of the subjects, but this curriculum was originally constructed for someone else as a collaborative, fun activity to enjoy together. Despite the other party's choice to drop out of the activity, I wanted to continue it, if anything for sheer fun and to teach Aidyn to turn potentially negative things into positives and to follow through. It has, at times, been dispiriting to do certain things/go certain places minus our other party whom we adore, but it has also been an opportunity to create more joy within our family.

October 22nd- Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne author unit
October 25th- Fantasyland
November 1st- Tomorrowland
November 8th- Sunshine Plaza/California
November 15th- Hollywood Backlot
November 22nd- A bug's land
November 29th- Paradise Pier
December 7th- Disneyland!

The remainder of the year will be spent doing Christmas and winter related units, and I intend to introduce a Christmas novella, perhaps A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

A Pirate's Life for Us

Yesterday afternoon, Aidyn and I sang, clapped, and danced to a slew of pirate-themed songs including the well-known "Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me" as well as several random buccaneer ballads. During our session, we talked about pirates, walking down the plank, and the ride at Disneyland. Aidyn remembered all the quirks from the ride. He commented, "Mama, 'member that dog that has the keys?" I nodded and replied, "Yeah, and the prisoners are stuck in that jail cell. What do they shake at the dog to try to get him to bring the keys?" Aidyn's face lit up, "A bone! But he didn't want that bone." I laughed, "You're right; that dog was too smart for them!"

Afterward, we even went so far as to pretend the bed was a boat and below was the threat of the cold ocean and a hungry alligator. Aidyn promptly corrected me and said, "No, it was a crocodile!" We had fun pretending and Aidyn got a kick "teaching" me some things!

I found a way to intertwine my own studies with Aidyn in a way that he seemed to enjoy. I had pages of Shakespearean sonnet sequences to read, so I found a comfy spot in the living room and proceeded to read them aloud. At times, Aidyn listened to the rhythms of my voice and fluidity of the poetry. Other times I assumed he was not listening but, surprisingly, he would remark on a funny or strange word that I said. I've never been shy to read "grown-up" material to Aidyn (the first book he heard was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a newborn), but I haven't been doing it as much as I would like. I think he has the attention span to hear some chapter books now, so I would like to select one that he'd enjoy. I would also like to continue reading aloud poems/stories that may not particularly be on his radar (like Mr. Shakespeare) just yet.

In the evening, David and Aidyn snuggled up on the couch and read The Ghost-Eye Tree which is becoming a favorite in this household. Recently, I learned that someone made a short film based rather closely on the story. I need to make a note to myself to look into that.

After the spooky tale, Aidyn elected to watch WALL-E, and his dad and I sat with him for an interactive viewing. To others he would seem like one of those annoying movie patrons that ack a zillion questions while the film is playing, but I see it as an opportunity to have conversations with him. During one scene after WALL-E was caught in the flurry of action aboard the Axiom and had make-up put on him, Aidyn asked, "Where did his make-up go?" realizing that he had never actually taken it off, yet his face appeared normal again. "I don't know..." I said, in wonder. "Nobody took it off..." Aidyn remarked, "and now it's gone." I had never actually noticed that, but Aidyn caught on to the continuity error.
Still, I'm not sure if there was a scene showing the removal of make-up; however, I'm pleased that Aidyn can recognize what appears to be continuity errors and shows curiousity if events are unexplained.

Also during this week, we have been playing jazz music daily. Our living room often feels like the French Market in New Orleans Sqaure (audibly, anyways) and makes me wish we were strolling alongside the beautiful trinket shops.

Games & Sunday Baking

This weekend David and I have been taking advantage of learning opportunities as we are still pretty consumed with post-surgery stuff. Yesterday while David and I were up in the wee hours of the morning, sipping coffee and playing a game of "Star Wars Duels," Aidyn climbed up on his chair, showing interest to join our game. So the next round, we added him in. He elected to be Darth Vader, and I explained game rules as we played. He learned (and reviewed) how to roll the die, move his piece the selected amount of squares, hold cards, draw cards, and engage in cooperate game play. In the end, he was able to defeat Count Dooku (Daddy's character), but did not quite have the skills to defeat Obi Wan Kenobi (Mama's character). So he practiced a victory and a loss which I feel is important for him to learn. David is not quite the world's most modest winner or even-tempered loser, so we try to teach Aidyn the qualities of good sportsmanship.

Later, David and Aidyn stole away to read Olivia's Pirate Party and talked about shapes, colors, and the content of the reading.

This morning, Aidyn played Associate Baker as we baked homemade Ghiradelli chocolate-cranberry wild oatmeal cookies. He helped pour ingredients, combine ingredients with the electric mixer, taste the chocolate chip (ya know, just to be sure they were good), and made himself an audience to the baking cookies in the warm stove.

Later we plan on "doing school" by working on his tracing book and possibly making some theme-related crafts.

Arts, Crafts, and Spooks

Learning this week has been scattered and opportunistic. Due to David's very recent shoulder surgery, life has been a bit full, leaving little room for purposeful activities. However, Aidyn has been filling in pages of his Halloween coloring books with splashes of color. Yesterday Aidyn and I did a painting craft. I traced and cut out Halloween shapes such as a jack o' lantern, crescent moon, pumpkins, and a ghost. Then I taped them in place on a piece of construction paper. Aidyn then painted the shapes, taking great strides to color outside the lines. When he finished, I peeled the pictures off, and we were left with the outlines to a wonderful Halloween scene!

Today while I was away at work, David and Aidyn worked on more pages in his tracing book. He's progressed to fun zigzag patterns, sideway arches that resemble C's and 3's, and entertainingly complex trails for characters to wind down. When I got home, they showed off Aidyn's penmanship skills. Later Aidyn and I rushed to the library to restock for our new unit: New Orleans Square. We brought back a load of books concerning ghosts, pirates, and assorted Halloween themes. Aidyn then spent a good deal of time playing on the playground with a group of boys and girls. To help Daddy feel less cooped up, Aidyn and I encouraged him to go on an evening walk with us. We walked down to the park, stopped several times to listen to birds and smell the pine trees, and swung Aidyn on the swings.

After we got home and cozy, Aidyn and I took in some quirky Halloween poems from the book In the Witch's Kitchen. Then we read a spooky story entitled The Ghost-Eye Tree which sublimely captivated Aidyn. We were able to talk about spooky trees, the way things can seem scary, bravery, sibling relationships, and nighttime.

Halloween Fun Day/ Indoor Campout

Today, the family had a total play day. Upon returning home from work, Aidyn and I dug through his super-huge Halloween bucket o' fun. We donned impressively hideous fake teeth and showed Grandma and Daddy. Then we blew up a whoopie cushion (and hilariously expended it!) numerous times and nearly died laughing. Also we made these cute little masks, one of which was a wolfman and the other was a witch. He also put on a pair of Groucho Marx glasses complete with bulbous nose and bushy mustache and eyebrows. He stomped around and declared, "I'm a man now!" I am so glad that Aidyn now immerses himself in Halloween-excitement. This is the second year that he has independently requested his costume (this year, despite it not being anywhere in stores, he has chosen to be the evil Emperor Zurg!). Last year, he was able to say, "Trick or Treat," but shyness often got the better of him. This year, according to Aidyn, he's ready to not only say, "Trick or Treat," but also, "thank you," to every single treat-giver.

Later in the afternoon when I was deep into Shakespearean poetry, David and Aidyn made a fort out of sheets, pillows, chairs (for added height and dimension), and our two couches. They camped out in the living room and were up to all sorts of shenanigans for the remainder of the day.

Due to our rapidly progressing schedules, we will be combining several of our preplanned units into land-units. For instance, instead of studying pirates for a week and ghosts for another, we will be studying New Orleans Square as a whole. Today I had the jazz music playing through the house. I plan on cooking some Lousiana-style cuisine, reading books about pirates and ghosts, playing dress-up, creating spooky crafts, and playing pirate games.

Open Road Roam: Big Basin State Park

As a closing to our redwood trees/train unit, we ventured off to Big Basin Redwood State Park near Boulder Creek. We used the long, windy drive to catch up as a family, but as soon as we hit the forest, it was all ooh's and aah's. Immediately exiting our vehicle and stepping out into the wilderness, we were pleasantly greeted by the sweet woodsy aroma and fresh, clean air. We walked up towards the information center like tiny ants amid these gigantic trees. Outside the center, we waited for our guided Redwood Loop Trail Hike to begin. Our wonderful, knowledgeable, avuncular guide took us through a half mile trail, stopping at intervals to explain the majesty of the forest.

When we came to a giant felled tree, Aidyn anxiously volunteered to climb it, per the guide's suggestion. Aidyn and his daddy scaled the tree and ran (seriously!) up the trunk. They must have been about fifteen feet above the ground! Also during our hike, Aidyn explored a "chimney tree" which was basically a hollowed out redwood. When inside, if one looks straight up, a large hole makes the sky beautifully visible. We greeted two important trees in this state park: the Father of the Forest and the Mother of the Forest, appropriately named, I may add.

After our hike came to a close, we browsed the gift shop, store, and connected nature museum. Aidyn adopted a cute, stuffed bear that he named Whitey. We toured the nature museum and learned all kinds of neat trivia about the Redwood Forest. This quintessential-to-homeschooling- type journey reinforced our learning goals and made us desperate to spend a whole week camping out there.

We also attempted a Mystery Spot trip, but alas, we arrived too late. Now we have more reason to go next time!

Sweet Stories and "Monstrous" Talks

Today Aidyn and I read a sweet story called Niccolini's Song which was about a night watchman in a train yard that soothes trains (and others) to sleep with his melodic singing voice. By the end, Aidyn and I both were near slumber not because it was boring, but because it was so calming and lulling.

He then did an additional five pages from his Kumon Tracing book. He's really enjoying the idea of tracing paths and trails. This section of the book actually had him practice zigzags and arches (over and under). How fun! We also worked on holding the pen (or, in this case, marker) the "traditional" way, and Aidyn got the hang of it pretty quickly. He then hung his favorite on the wall.

Later when I was doing work at home (editing a paper for a student), Aidyn quizzically watched what I was doing. He inquired about what I was doing, and I realized that I don't always tell him what his Mama does during the day, and often at home, to make money. So in that little moment, I had the opportunity to say that Mama "helps students put their letters and words together" and "teaches them how to do that just like I teach [Aidyn] how to do it." He was generally pleased and interested in that answer.

It was also reported to me today that Aidyn expressed some neat ideas of which my mom had no idea he knew. They were talking about particular rides at Disneyland and Aidyn asked her if she was scared of the Matterhorn and why.

She responded that she wasn't really "scared" of the ride, but it made her dizzy because it was so fast.

Aidyn retorted back, "Yes, it is scary, Grandma. There's a monster in there." Grandma, interested, replied, "Really? What does he do?"

Aidyn made "monster hands," scrunched up his face, and said, "He jumps out and says, 'Arrrrrr!' He's a Yeti, Grandma."

Surprised at hearing him use that word, she said, "He is?" To which Aidyn, picking up on the surprise and curiousity in her voice, said, "Yes, Grandma, that means he's an abominable snowman."

Grandma reports that she was blown away by that "lesson" from Aidyn. : )

I remember telling him that many months ago and am surprised that he retained that; it's not like I reference abominable snowman every day! That is why I've always chosen to communicate with Aidyn without dumbing down my language. Some people used to lovingly joke with me when I would have long, drawn-out conversations with a six-month-old Aidyn. Even now, I try to explain everything the best that I can for him, ask questions to lead him to express himself, and listen to his thoughts and theories.