Donna's Journey

I have taken it easy this summer as I have worked to heal. Now the summer is ending and our lives have changed. New rhythms are in order. I worked out the logical order in which I wanted to run my day. Click here to see our proposed new schedule:Fall 2010. Notice I kept with large time blocks, because I was structuring the time.

What happens during family work? There are daily needs of a tidy home and some tasks do not need to be done more than weekly or monthly, both inside and outside. We take care of that first. Then I have the home divided into zones. We spend some time each day in deep cleaning and restoring the zone we are working on. Then there is mending, bread baking, sewing, and other domestic tasks. Sometimes these tasks take priority over zones, extending the completion of a zone by several days. This may happen when we are preserving foods, or finishing a major sewing project.

Zones
More on zones– Some zones may take only a few days, others a week or longer. I am not worried with trying to complete it all in a month. While we are working a zone, we clean and fix everything we can. If the paint needs a touch-up repair that is the time to do it. Zone one is the master bedroom and other bedrooms. Our rooms should be inviting retreats that engender rest, contemplation and the release of stress, and not a cave full of clutter. Then comes the storage areas. Seriously, they need a thorough going through on a regular basis. Why store stuff we never use? Seasons change about every ninety days. So, new things go into storage and others come out for use. If I am deep cleaning, I will find things that need to be stored. I do not want storage clogged with over burden. I need to bless someone else with it. Then I can start the rest of the zones with curb appeal and then through the main living areas of the house. The Living room, the kitchen, etc. I like this zone process, as I know that the house gets a thorough once over in a deep way, at least once or twice each season!

Leisure to Learn
Leisure to learn is time for me to inspire, but not require learning. I get to share my passion for learning and introduce my children to new knowledge, experiences, and learning relationships. A great time for reading aloud, Sowing Seeds of Greatness, a once a month circle luncheon, a once a week “Wild Day” nature walk, or a Crazy Day field trip!

Leisure to Learn, Create, and Play
Leisure to learn, create and play is the next category. This is a time where we have more choices. I may team teach a sewing class with my daughter. My son or daughter may choose to read, play with a friend, or create with their hands or minds. I may work on my Princess Academies or Moor House Academy websites, teach classes, create etc.

As we begin using and tweaking the rhythms, I will be posting over on Mahalo, Donna under the label of “8. Donna’s Cottage School.” I do not do it all, all the time. I keep variety withing the regular daily blocks of time. It can be as simple and slow paced as I need it to be. It can become as complex as I permit it to be. The key is, I need to be constantly aware and open to epiphanies within each block. Right now, this mom can hardly wait for school to start again!!!! Let the dance of time begin!

I read the headgates. A headgate is an irrigation diversion device. A way to take water coming along an irrigation canal and divert it for the good purpose of watering a specific area. If left open too long or in the wrong place it can cause more damage than good. My father in law lived at the end of an irrigation canal. Others would open headgates and water when it was his turn, not theirs and he would not get water. That was a disaster to his garden. What about the headgates in our lives. Are some of things getting more diversion to their cause than is wholesome and good? Are other areas of our lives being dried up because the wrong headgates are open? A little thought and pondering can help us come up with a workable plan whereby the right headgates are open, at an optimum time, and for wise duration. The answers will most likely come on our knees to our hearts and minds. No doubt about it, it will cause us to have to make sacrifices of effort and change our paradigm before we are done.

I have been a little hampered in my plans this summer to get the ditches in my life cleaned out so that I can close some headgates and open others. A severe respiratory illness followed by a fall with a brain-stem concussion has slowed me down, quite a bit. I did close some headgates dealing with where I spend my time, by consolidating and rethinking how I could better serve others in the homeschool community online. Especially by doing less, so I can do more in a meaningful way, with less time.

I really think that the first headgates to open or close should be our own personal ones. Then when we have become the change we wish to see (or at least have a good start in that direction), we can prayerfully discuss it with our spouse and consider what headgates are undermining our parenting, our family’s growth, and our and our children’s education.

The up side is that while I have been off my feet recuperating, I have been simplifying my perspective and commitments. While doing so, the stress has dropped significantly and with that the stress induced weight gain has begun to drop, as well. I was so afraid that with over 60 days of not being able to go walking I would balloon. I was so happy to watch the scale move in the other direction!

None the less, there is much to do, cupboards to go through, much to simplify, and I am yet unable to do those things, yet. Yes, an consider what toys and things to have around for grandchildren, as my youngest child is 11.5 and she is not interested in toys, She is interested in games so we need to consider the game closet. Perhaps a little more focus and pondering I can figure out how I will proceed, in a slow and steady pace. I am healing and I know a lot will happen in the next six weeks.

It is important to consider what headgates are flodding our children and distracting them from growth and development. What headgates are not being opened because the prominence of other headgates that are open. For most of us it is too many possession to maintain and distract us. What if we had to leave and live in a tent for a year, what would we really need and what could we really take?

We do need to help our children understand what is important in life and possessions and self indulgence is not it. If grandparents contribute to the problem and feel that buying love is how it is done, suggest an alternative, a good book, a classic movie (for movie night), tickets to the planetarium, recording their story, recording their voice reading their favorite book (complete with a whistle, jingle of a bell, or some other indication to change the page), tools to build with, sewing tools, cooking tools, etc. Something that fill their need and desire to grow up and develop skills. Swimming lessons. Garden tools or seeds for the kids to develop their own little plot of land. These are things that will endure in their lives longer than any toy. At Chirstmas children can make things instead of thinking that presents come from the store.

During the past two months I have not watched TV or movies. It is in the family room down stairs. Unfortunately, I feel that at least one of my children has had more viewing time than is prudent and that is a headgate that will need to close, not completely, as we do have ability to record worthy shows. Yet, the headgate needs to be closed during work and free time, in order to open the headgates to worthier work and leisure. I really feel that as our new rhythms take shape, more interesting and important things will crowd out the unnecessary kinds and times of TV viewing. However, if new rhythms are not established other ways of wasting or passing the time will creep in that are not so ennobling.

I kind of touched on computers before. We need to spend our precious time very wisely. Computers are an interesting headgate. They can be used to educate the ignorant, free the captive, heal the sick, cloth the naked, etc. or they can be a time suck. There is genealogy that can be done, indexing, correspondence, sharing. How are our computer moments spent? Do we need to close this headgate during times of the day so that the vital and important can flourish in our lives?

I do not think we need to go to a space where there are no toys, tv or computer, but I do think that serious consideration should be given to when those headgates should be open and closed. I also think we need to learn the difference between entertainment/amusement and leisure/recreation. Entertainment and amusement is a distraction and is meant to be so. Leisure is what you choose to do with your free or spare time when not working. Recreation means to rest and restore. It is a time to do things that re- create the vital energy within us. One is passive distraction, the other I see as an active though restful restoration. it could include a daily constitutional (daily physical activity like walking), swimming, playing a board game that causes us to think, gardening, even reading and learning. Yes, reading can fall under either category, it depends on how it is used.

So, yes, I do have headgates on my mind and in my heart. One thing that has come from this healing process, I have become more observant and am beginning to see what headgates need to open and close so that our House of learning and growth can flourish.

Creating momculture so I could save time contacting the ladies in our group did just that. However, it had an unintended consequence- more time on the computer. Withing a few days we had people on both coasts, and Canada in our group. Following the first meeting after momculture was created, questions began appearing on the yahoo group: I live in XYZ and was not able to be at the meeting, could you recap what was covered? I or another member of the group would oblige. We would craft a summary of notes. Then someone would ask a question on a point and discussion would ensue. Of course, this did begin to take time from other things. The volume grew.

I attended some more Thomas Jefferson Education seminars (TJEd) and contemplated opening a small school for moms and children. I started Mentoring Our Own for the people in my Charlotte Mason Study group that had children moving into their teens. We were all talking about TJEd. That same month I started Moor House Academy. We would only meet once a week and I would simply share some things I was doing with my children already. The rest of the program was carried out at home in very natural ways. When I prayed about it, I felt impressed to start a scholar class for my daughter too. I would be reading the classics to discuss with her any way. Right? You know the drill with what happened with Mentoring Our Own. It grew to become a huge group with over 1000 people in the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand.

With Moor House Academy our group was wonderful. I was pursuing 5 Pillar Certification through George Wythe University and decided the school was my project, the books the youth studied were 5 Pillar books and the required colloquia could be carried out with the adults and the youth. Are you tired yet?

I wanted it to be a real licensed school. However, I found that they would have to inspect my home. That instant it became a cyber school. I had tons of calls and hours on the phone. My son said, mom, you need a website so you do not have to repeat yourself to death. That day a father came to my home and offered to set up and host a website. That he has done for eight years! It took me months to articulate and set up a website. Each week there was at least one night I did not go to bed. Wanting to meet family needs, I often worked late into the night. Each week after class I would go home and post what we had learned and the home program for the week. Soon I wanted to be free of this weekly ritual. I wanted to create learning guides anyone could use, anyone could customize and a resource list to plug into it. By 2004 I had achieved that and made access free.

By July 2006, I earned my 5 Pillar Certification (I think I was the 9th or 10th to do so). I also had asked four women to help co-moderate my two yahoo groups. In July 2006, I announced the closure of discussion on Mentoring Our Own which had reached 800 people and took a lot of time. I needed more time with my family. The previous two years were hard on my health. With certification done, with the school greatly simplified, and the work of moderating off my plate, life was simplifying. Would I let it?

You might ask, “What happened to the Heart of the Home?” Exactly!

Continued in the next post…

I had a huge stained glass project I felt drawn to create. I had nowhere but the dining table and all the glass and supplies came from donations. It took two months to create and assemble. At first, the drawing sat on the table and I was afraid to cut the glass. A friend offered me safety glass door to practice on. It would not cut. I thought I was nuts to have such a scheme. Then a thought came to me. Compare the thickness of the glass to stained glass. It was several times thicker. I got a piece of stained glass and it cut so easy. By the early weeks of December I left it completely alone as it had been fully distracting me. We ate Thanksgiving and Christmas standing and most meals in shifts at the counter. We have since remodeled the kitchen and could easily all eat at a portable table.

After Christmas I was determined to have the work and school done each day before I touched the project. Life simplified and we settled into the rhythms. The children chose to hover around me as I worked on the glass. Soon they were wanting to learn and do with me. I would let the eight and ten year old practice on scraps and they willingly worked as apprentices helping keep the dining room shop clean. My older daughter learned every step of the process.

After the glass project was completed in January, life rhythms held lean and steady from January through the fall. Chores were still a distraction. The heart of the home and the health of the family life was gaining strength.

In July, Julia and I were Invited to attend a Face to Face With Greatness three day seminar in Cedar City.

I had a local CM study group going again. We all just shared what we were doing on a specific subject, so it was pretty low stress, except for the monthly contact to remind people of the meeting. I opened a Momculture yahoo group to keep group members notified of meetings and to reduce time needed to contact them.

Continued in the next post…

We moved to Utah. The kids were placed in school. Chores still continued. We tried to regain some sense of rhythm. It was not long before we were back in the homeschool scene. We had fewer distractions for a while. I was introduced to the ideas of Charlotte Mason and we settled into a slower pace. Yet, chores were still there, a continual bane, definitely something I constantly worked to fix. Music lessons were added, violin for my oldest daughter and piano for the next daughter. My mother died young of an unknown terminal illness. Another baby joined our family and now we had six.

I still did not get it and life got more complicated. I had church callings and I started a CM study group. Then we added baby and now we had seven. I was not young anymore, I was 43.5 years old. Then a series of family crisis’ hit. My baby was only a few months old and my husband suffered a heart attack.

We moved into survival mode. Minimal maintenance. I took a lot off my plate and focused on the family. Routines and Rhythms were simple. But the stupid chores that had distracted us for years were held onto like some pharmaceutical addiction. God provided even when my husband could not. I will not enumerate the miracles here. My oldest was on a mission by now. His brother had graduated from BYU at 19 and was working to pay off college debt so he could go out too. The second leaving before the first returned. At this point there were no music lessons or outside activities except church related. Chores, walks, meals together, family devotions, read alouds, consistency prevailed.

Interestingly, when health of the body or the home is in crisis we move back to the basics!

Continued on in the next post.

A mother’s love comes through her nurture and is the heart of the home.

That is why it is so hard on the family when mother is distracted, whether through choices of preoccupation, cares of the world, or even through ill health. Distractions, choices, and health issues are all part of life. I feel it is important to realize this and consider the impact of these distractions and how they can be dealt with or in many cases prevented from destabilizing the home.

Amazingly if routines are solidly moving forward and some crisis takes mom out of the picture even for a short time, soon everything can be running on minimum maintenance. If mom has been distracted for some time the family may already be running on minimum maintenance and illness or other stresses of life can wreak havock on the home. Yes, family members will try to keep up in survival mode, but eventually even the best of husbands and children can slip into complacency.

Think of the heart of the body.
The Healthy Heart: When it is well rested, properly nourished, and regularly exercised the heart is healthy and can carry out its vital duties with miraculous rhythmic consistency. A healthy heart has a slow pace, and can rise to a faster pace during brief episodes of need, and then returns to its normal pace without damage.
The Unhealthy Heart: is often not well rested, properly nourished, or regularly exercised. The unhealthy heart may still carry out its duties but may struggle to do so. It has to work harder to do the same work and tends to run faster more often, and when a crisis happens this heart can fail in many of its duties. Over time this heart suffers from disease and may wear out long before its time, then just stop. Yes, hearts can be replaced, but the replacement heart and the system it goes in will never be as healthy as a healthy heart in its original system.

Think now on mothers as the heart of the home. This mother in particular. When I was a young mother with three little children, they had a healthy mother. We had a healthy family. Family life was a consistent rhythm and slow paced. There was much nurturing going on. Dishes, laundry, vacuuming, tidying, yard care and so forth happened in a regular rhythm with the children. Nurturing happened through daily (very very consistently): family scripture time, afternoon walks, afternoon snuggles as I read to my children until they dozed off into nap land, family meals around the table together, evening walks as a family, family prayer, snuggles and stories at bed time, followed by mom singing her children to sleep. There were also enriching visits to the mountains, to museums, to the zoo, and travel as a family.

Then I was introduced to the factory concept of chores and teaching children responsibility through chores. What I did not realize at the time was that working with them everyday was the natural way children had learned to work, throughout history. At the time my children were 3.5 , 5.5, and 7.5 years old. I will have to say that was a very unwise distraction. My children were doing fine working along side of me. Had I continued as I had originally started they would have done far better. We had a healthy home and a healthy rhythm. I was transformed from nurturer into a task master, believing I was helping my children. First we started with pegs to keep track of their progress. Then because they were young and no longer working by my side they felt isolated and began to resent and avoid work. There were many missed opportunities for teaching moments. Chore lists grew longer, allowances (another word for bribe and also another distraction), nagging, and consequences. Life drug out and became complicated. This weakened not strengthened our home. The home is not a factory and children are not to be managed like employees. Crisis came and routines were interrupted further.

One distraction after another soon came. Girls Scouts, Boy scouts, piano lessons (for a 6 year old), soccer, swimming, and the list goes on. During all this mom ran an Artist Group for mothers once a month and had several intense church callings in succession. Home school was added too. Life got crazier and crazier and soon a fourth child and then a fifth were added to the family. There was no rest for momma now. We had a large desk calendar and a color for each person to keep track of life. How unnatural! This became an unhealthy home pattern for years.

Another post to follow…

This is my response to a question asked by a friend on the yahoo group TJEDMUSE…

Dear, you are not alone. I read your letter and this is a struggle for many modern urbanites. Bear in mind, I am speaking generally about what I see and hear from mothers, and this may or may not apply to you.

> Time Management was a skill I did not learn as a youth due to a dysfunctional home (no one there really to teach me how to do it). I still struggle with it a lot. But I know that I am what I am because of my parents and it is my fault if I stay that way, so I am trying to improve in this area. But because I struggle with it, so do my kids.

Once upon a time, the demands of agrarian life imposed rhythms on us. People had to arise early to feed animals and care for them. Simple tasks such as bathing took time to draw the water from the well and heat. Laundry was taken to a stream and beat clean. Wood had to be cut and stacked or it would not be there when we needed it. In order to have a clean home and necessities provided on the Sabbath, the week got systematized. Monday wash day, Tuesday ironing day, Wednesday mending day…

Now we:

* Have hot and cold running water at the twist of a knob. We do not even need to wait to fill a tub, we can be showered, dried and dressed, before a tub can be filled
* Few of us have animals to care for, outside of house pets
* We can throw in a laundry load, pop dinner into the oven, and while those electronic slaves work, we can spend time with our family even head to the store if we need to, or perhaps read to a child
* Many fabrics are wash and wear, not needing ironing
* Many of us have gas or electric heat, it is run by a slave called a thermostat. For many of us there is no need to chop wood, except for ambiance.

What is the result? If there are no compelling reasons to structure one’s life, we tend to default and live by mood. Our great grand parents, more likely than not lived by rhythm rather than mood.

I see this lack of structure as a result of our society devaluing the core phase. Children from dysfunctional homes (what is normal? My daughter jokingly says, “I’ve seeeeen neeermal and it ain’t pretty!”) and children raised by caregivers in daycare, as well as, children whose parents were raised that way, are more likely to have these time structuring issues. Why? Simply because those situations are places where children are cared for, protected, and entertained, and less likely where they are engaged in a routine.

I see moms struggle to maintain a home and to home educate. When they are working on their home, they feel guilty because their children are being neglected. When they are focusing on school and the house is a mess, they feel guilty. I often see this with public schooled families, as well. Trying to make family and career work is a juggling act for many. Throw in a home business and you have an earthquake! There are solutions.

One thing to remember is that you can do it all, just not all at the same time. I believe that it is the structure of day in and day out family rhythms that provide the structuring of the time, that later academic success is built on. I call it the Ecclesiastes Approach, “1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Yes, I feel you need flexibility to follow epiphanies, yet, after all is said and done, structure prepares the scholar! We often refer to different areas of study as disciplines.

I feel that if a child is engaged in life rhythms in their core phase (pre and early school years) that they will have the habitudes of mind to engage in the love of learning, and sky rocket into a diligent young scholar. Nowhere do I see this more than in family work, done by rhythm. A parent working with a child is likely to finish the task, and do so diligently. Day in and day out, week after week, month after month, year after year- an example of diligence and finishing being a goal, rings loud and clear. The child learns from example and that adults finish. The same goes for quality. I do not think of adults doing a slipshod job when working with children. I really feel that doing family work by rhythm helps discipline the mind.

Too often, I see homes run by mood, where the child does not feel like doing this or that, as it is too much effort compared to the alternative of being entertained. Or the parent only cleans when it becomes too overwhelming. I have also watched as parents in exasperation throw up their hands and send their kids to school to “get structure,” so they will actually get something done academically. What they do not realize is that the same things that lead to school success are the very same things that can lead to success in the home. Charlotte Mason spoke of education being “an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” I really feel if the atmosphere of the home is chaotic and by mood, it does not usually yield diligent and disciplined minds. I am not talking about a rigid mind. I feel that somehow the atmosphere of a disciplined life somehow disciplines the mind for thinking.

Many bright students, who qualified for college got there, only to waste their time, distracted by the endless array of distraction and activities, and end up either quitting or failing. A youth who has lived a disciplined life is more likely to rely on rhythms that have served them. I see the lack of self discipline, and the lack of study skills, shows. I find it hard to believe that a youth that has never studied more than an hour, our even four, would somehow be transformed into a diligent scholar the moment the parents leave him at the university door step.

> I’d love to get some input from those of you who feel you have a handle on structuring both your time and your kid’s time and how you teach them to manage their time.

I have fought through some of these issues myself. I have watched these tendencies in myself and among my own. I have also seen what family work and rhythms can produce in my home and family. I feel this is why it is so valuable to revisit and reevaluate all engagements that impede the structure and rhythms of a home. I know the toll that running a family business can take on home life. These few things can go a long way:
* Check the Pulse by self evaluating and counseling with the Lord- helps us see what needs to go, what needs to stay
* Counsel with spouse and family
* Adjusting and working towards rhythms that are ideal for your family is important.
This is dynamic and needs to be revisited often. Running a home is huge. Home education is huge. To combine them it helps to develop a discipline of personal and family rhythms. Throw in a home business or other demanding activities (or distractions) and you can get by for a while, but sooner or later you will need to consider the orchestration.

A simple structure is best. I do not believe in over structure or planning every minute. We all need margins in our life for epiphanies to be more abundant.

Life no longer gives us rhythms. We get to choose them. They are not prison bars, but rather like a default setting that we do unless something important causes us to do something else. Then when the important passes, we pick up our rhythm where we left off. If our present default is not working, perhaps it is time to revisit it. If our children lack structure in their studies, ask ourselves how we have prepared them to have a well disciplined mind. I believe that helping our children have structure in their lives, is part of sowing seeds of greatness in them.

It is time to check the pulse here! A great activity for Sunday.

> Our home has gone back to the Daily Dozen and Simple Things lists. They have helped us get on track…Now that my son is nearing High school, my question is this: I let him chose his topics of study, and the books we use, how much direction or assistance do you give?

What are his hopes and aspirations for his future? If he is not ready for that yet, talk to him about what interests him now. Take strides to expose him to possibilities. Do you do family reading? Read about interesting people. Look for inspiring current events and articles. They do exist!

If he is interested in an area: What kind of preparations are needed? Where is he now? Let him create a plan to get there. Ask him what he needs from you to assist in that journey. He gets to plan, commit, do and return and report.

> How do you record the progress for transcripts for college?

I created a Personal Scholar portfolio for my young scholars and adult scholars in my cyber cottage school- Moor House Academy. It is a way to set learning goal-getters, make scholar contracts, and track progress. It also includes a process for experiments whether they be natural science, social, or spiritual and this is tied to discovering eternal principles.

For youth about junior high school age, there are scholar projects, as well. These are where one goes in depth and breadth within an area of learning. I have three available:
The Joseph Smith Independent Scholar- This is an where the student designs his own project an an area of interest.
Ezra Taft Benson Constitutional Scholar- Studies in American Government
Gordon B. Hinckley Gospel Scholar- In depth advanced religious studies scholar project.
(Brigham Young Cultured Scholar, Bezaleel Fine Arts Scholar, Eliza R. Snow Literature Scholar, Spencer W. Kimball Shakespearean Scholar, John A. Widtsoe Math-Science Scholar– Coming Soon!)
Each project requires:
* 3- 5 Classic readings or study of classic works related to the topic of study
* Memory work and recitations
* Technical vocabulary related to the area of study
* Attendance at events related to the Young Scholar’s chosen area of study
* Annotated Notes
* A written paper summarizing the project
* A 15-minute live presentation to other youths or families. Which for some would include a recital, one-man show, demonstration, or a lecture sharing what was learned
* Oral Board. For those using my cottage school the oral board is through Moor House Academy

Projects are a great way to go into depth in an area. Projects are great for youth junior high age. However, once they get older they will need a more broad and deep approach.
I would also suggest that they read the following books that demonstrate how youth sought and obtained a broad education for life and how that education served them.
1. Read
- Diary of an a Wandering Man by Louis L’amour
- Carry On Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
- The Real Thomas Jefferson by Andrew Allison
2. Write down 3-10 questions a chapter
3. Lead a colloquia with those questions

Then learn a way to study a subject:
1. Spend an hour or two doing a broad search on a topic of choice, on the internet or at the library
2. Make a time line of the subject
3. List of resources they plan to use
4. Study and annotate at least three resources
5. Prepare a presentation of the subject, create a notebook, or write and article on the subject.

Of course, some people would say just pick a text book on that subject. Textbooks are a survey of a subject but are no substitute for real study. Remember, textbooks are usually created by a committee, those committees usually have agendas and are from a limited, unified perspective. The above method will jump-start you into any subject. This will give the scholar ideas about micro studies, as well. Lets say the macro study was on the US Civil War. In creating the resource list and time line, the student became intrigued by Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Andersonville, or Gettysburg. The micro study could be on any of those. The macro gives breadth, micro brings depth. Sometimes a scholar will be inspired into doing several micro studies, based off the original macro study.

One last thought. No matter what field of interest, I feel that each child that graduates to adult life needs to have certain skills and knowledge for a whole life. Besides having developed character and values, I feel they should have developed the ability to:
* Convey their thoughts through clear writing
* Read, comprehend, question, and discuss ideas and current events
* Use and apply math for daily living, including understanding how statistics can be manipulated
* Act as a citizen- they should know the founding documents of American Government, the history behind them, and have the skills to participate in local to national government- caucuses, city council, school board. They need to understand how to use parliamentary procedure/ Robert’s Rules of Order. I feel that it is pathetic that most youth graduate from American Schools without an understanding of our form of government and how to participate effectively. They are left to feel that all they can do is vote, write letters, and go to protest rallies. Our power as citizens is magnified in the caucuses, city council, and school board meetings.
* Study any subject from macro to micro level
There are other important skills, but I feel these are foundational to them. Whether they decide to go on to a professional degree, go on to be an entrepreneur, work in skilled labor, and/or raise a family, I feel the above skills will serve them well.

Ladies you are welcome. I have been talking about living math for at least a decade. Living Math was part of my Daily Dozen. I first posted and discussed it back in 2001 on my momculture yahoogroup. I must have mentioned it somewhere else, because someone requested to share it with a friend and that started the online discussion. I had started using the Daily Dozen in 1999.
The Daily Dozen was originally:
1. Anchoring – Devotions
2. Duty Calls – Citizenship and Patriotism
3. Currents In Time – Current events
4. It Came To Pass – History
5. Wisdom In Action – Hygiene, Fitness, Nutrition , and Healthy Lifestyles
6. Publish It – Writing
7. Simply Science – Science
8. Math Works – Math
9. Heart Sense – Arts, Cultures, Refinement, Practical Arts
10. Speaking Up – Speech
11. Margins – Time and Resource Management
12. Family Matters – Stewardships, Service, Relationships, Family Council
13. Baker’s Dozen – Anything else we do!

I have since changed it to Math Matters, and Family Work, when I learned about the concept pf family work. I also wanted children to know that math really did matter.

Within Math I further defined it:
Monday: Read from MATHEMATICIANS ARE PEOPLE TOO, or I would read another children’s math classic aloud
Tuesday: Math manipulations. We used beans to visualize what we are doing or a clock, or measurements etc.
Wednesday: They did memory work, memorizing basic facts. I also let them do Math Blaster; it helps them with speed.
Thursday: They did problem solving, where they got to practice what they have learned and memorized. This was done on the white board, chalk board or paper.
Friday: We were out of the house doing shopping. They get to apply their math. I referred to this as living math. We were thinking and applying on our feet without a calculator.
Saturday: Math Narration; they get to explain/demonstrate to dad what they had learned during the week.
Sunday: Was tithing if there was any to figure.

Each area of the daily dozen carried different things to do each day.

> Donna, wow, you do have a lot of art background.

Thank you.

> I appreciate your insights.

Thank you.

>My children are barely 10 and 14 – one LOLer and one transitioning to Project Scholar.

Children around nine often develop a fear of drawing because they can see that their work is not realistic and does not look like what they tried to render. At this point both they and their parents tend to assume they have no talent. Then
parents tend to opt of art appreciation, and skip the practical side.

Truth is that drawing is a way to learn to see and is a skill that can be developed. Yes, for some this seeing comes easier that for others. It is also training the hand to do what the eye sees. I feel that anyone can learn to write. I also feel that anyone that can learn how to write, can learn how to draw. Drawing is also a discipline. Refining it is more a scholar phase thing. From this discipline comes a high sense of quality and follow through.

So, what about core, love of learning, and transition to scholar. Inspire not require of course. I recommend Wild Days: Creating Discovery Journals By Karen Skidmore Rackliffe as a start. I would couple that with Mom going through the following books:
Drawing With Children
More Drawing With Children
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

My strategy is:
1. Exposure to great Artists and their work through Charlotte Mason Style Picture Studies. I created four years+ of lists of artists and their works.

2. Museums, artists’ studios, and Art Fairs/ Exhibits. Expose them to drawing, painting, sculpture, stained and blown glass, printmaking, pottery,murals, architecture and more.

3. Opportunity to explore and experiment with many mediums.

4. Drawing with Children by Mona Brooks, which is to learning to draw, as learning the alphabet is to writing. The book teaches the basics in eight lessons. Do the pre-lesson assignment at the beginning of the book, it helps with our barriers and art fears. My daughter started out with “I can’t do this.” She thought she finished the assignment in a few minutes. I told her that she had 30 minutes and to continue working. As she did her perception of herself and her work began to change. Soon, I heard her mumble, “I like this.”

5. Discovery Journals- “inspire, not require.”

This will give them a good foundation. When included with a variety of exposure to great books, mathematicians, scientists, and more, they will gain a useful foundation and a love of learning.
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What about kids that want to take it further?

A few words to parents of children that gain a passion for art. I look at Jefferson and he drew and annotated almost everyday as he took copious notes in his notebooks. He also played the violin. The arts are vital.

Many parents worry when their children go into the self directed scholar phase. They may complain that all their child does is read. Children who have discovered a love of learning for the arts face the same issues. I have a son-in-law that has developed his art to a high degree and was never encouraged by his own family, in fact, they would tell him to grow up and put his pencils away. My daughter is now encouraging him and it is wonderful to behold.

Interestingly, you cannot go real deep in art without beginning to broaden and gain breadth. Art encompasses math, science, great literature, and more.

I see a book coming on…

Mahalo,
Donna