Field Trip to Studio Grow

Studio Grow in Berkeley was the Contra Costa Homeschool meetup's first field trip. It was a rainy day so the place was extra busy. Helen and Amy and Heather and their kids made it out and we enjoyed watcheing our kids run wild in their building.


Music time was my favorite. They had a talented singer and guitarist who led the kids in a bunch of fun songs sung in both Spanish and English.

My husband brought home some dry ice to play with.

Things to do with dry ice:
- put in in water
- watch it bubble and smoke
- make howling ghost noises over the smoke
- wave your hands and blow at the smoke
- color the water
- put things in to see if they float or sink
- put in baking soda to see if it "explodes" (it didn't)
- touch the freezing glass bowl

fun fun

Creative Kids

Our creative kids group was fun today. We painted a tent to celebrate Native American Heritage month.



Thank you all who came out and made this a fun time.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

This is great!! Listen to it when you have a few minutes.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66

In the kitchen

We cook together everyday. The kids and I. Well Rocky hangs out on the floor and gobbles up what we drop ( no Rocky is not our dog, he's my into everything 10 month old). The kids love it, and I'm learning to love it. I always secretly question my choice in deciding to homeschool because, well, I'm just not the most patient mom around. I'm learning though, I'm stirring and kneading and baking my way to being a more relaxed mom. My kids love pulling up a chair to stand on, pouring ingredients, getting their hands dirty. I want them to love creating, to know where their food comes from, and to smell and feel the formation of a meal. Every time we make something there comes a moment where I have a quick chat with myself. It goes something like this. "It's OK, it's just flour and egg, her hair is washable, don't freak", or "breathe Heather, we have more milk, it was an accident, and Rocky is having fun splashing around in it now, BREATH, don't snap!!" I know I'm slightly uptight, like I said I'm working on it. The joy I get from watching my kids smile and get so excited is worth it for me. Yesterday we all stood around a garbage can and shucked corn for some corn chowder. They were amazed at the silky hair and took the husks outside to play with. Tonight it will be homemade pizza, always a favorite. Cook with your kids, I promise you there are lessons to be learned and fun to be had.

Signs of Fall

We've been going on our "good morning" or "good night" walks sporadically. Yesterday on our afternoon walk we looked for and collected signs of fall. There were plenty of "signs" of the change in season, though we were all sweaty by the end of the walk, Summer letting us know it's still around.

Kitchen Chemistry

These are the magical creations that my 4 year old served up for dessert last night...each one prepared meticulously and especially tailored for each guest. Watching her work at this, I was reminded of one of the many, many, many reasons for our schooling at home. Why not?! It is so much fun!!
~Helen

Here we are!!

Ahhh, look at our little group, it warms my heart to see it growing every week. This week Marina led us in a paper cutting craft. I think we were blown away with the amazing cutouts Marina was cranking out. There were little crowns and dogs, paper lanterns, and flowers. Little pictures with delicate water and small white moons. The kids loved creating and I loved seeing what creation Marina was going to make next. We welcomed Susan and her two sweet boys to our group. I'm looking forward to next week.

Nature: The Great Teacher

Early on my son Jack showed a very strong and clear connection with nature. As a baby I would pace back and forth in our little apartment with him as he cried endlessly, exhausting every method I could think of for consoling him. One day I stepped out the front door with him and he was calmed instantly. I would spend my days walking all around my neighborhood, pushing him in his stroller as he happily drooled and gazed at everything around him. As he has gotten older he has become "friends" with the little harlequin bugs in our back yard. He holds them and lets them crawl up and down his arms. He loves flowers and all sorts of creatures. I ran into a friend at the park today. A former teacher and now tutor. She advised me I should be teaching Jack his numbers and letters and making sure he knows his address because "at this age a 5 year old needs to be learning independence" huh? really? I thought. For me that is maybe the last thing I want Jack to be learning right now. I'm glad his head is getting filled up with the things he loves, the bugs and flowers and trees. I'll wait till he's a little older for lessons in independence.

Our first post

I'm so excited to introduce you all to the Contra Costa County Homeschool Meetup blog. This will be a place where we can share about our lives as we homeschool our children. I for one need all the support I can get, I'm new to homeschooling and really don't have much of a clue to what I'm doing. I do know that I'm excited about being my kids teacher, about watching them as their little minds unfold. Helen (the organizer of this meetup) and myself (the assistant organizer) are excited about this blog and about all the wonderful people we are going to meet through the community Meetup group. Thanks for visiting, please come back as we keep you posted on our lives as we homeschool.

(post by Heather)