Metropolitan Mama

dear kayla and liv, you are my music

December 28, 2011 By Stephanie 13 Comments

first guitar dear kayla and liv, you are my music Music is, in many ways, a foreign language. It takes skill and practice to learn it – to dream it, to feel the tones and rhythms in your blood.

I never took instrument or voice lessons as a child. Even so, my childhood was not without music. I heard the leaves rustling, the birds twittering, the classical greats as I leapt across dance floors, the pounding of my heart at soccer games, and the sweet soprano of my mom’s voice as she strummed her guitar.

I don’t know what the future holds for my little girls – if they will embrace singing or art or science or rock-climbing. But I do know I want to open doors so that they can see the possibilities. To give them the chance to try.

To look inside themselves and see what music they find there.

future singer dear kayla and liv, you are my music hand drum by hohner kids dear kayla and liv, you are my music my first acoustic guitar hohner kids dear kayla and liv, you are my music

Hohner Kids recently sent us their beautiful My First Acoustic Guitar (~$50) and a Hand Drum (~$10). The guitar is adorably-sized – perfect for little fingers (ages 4+). It’s a miniature version of the real thing. The drum is super fun too – with nice tones for exploring and creating music.

* Hohner Kids also offers a variety of other musical instruments: cymbals, accordions, maracas, harmonicas, etc.

Filed Under: Family, Homeschooling, product review Tagged With: first guitar, hand drum, hohner kids, my first acoustic guitar

DVDs for Preschoolers (our entire collection)

July 29, 2011 By Stephanie 31 Comments

For a long time, we didn’t own any kids DVDs at all. Now that we’re spending a fair amount of time on the road, we’ve begun slowly adding to our collection. (We don’t own a TV, but we do have portable DVD players).

Tim & I are very cognizant about the power of media to shape our children’s minds and hearts. We strive to select movies that are positive, uplifting, well-done, and, if possible, educational. Because our girls are 2 and 4, we always stick to G-rated films. Movies that fit all our criteria are surprisingly hard to find.

Here’s our ENTIRE kids DVD collection (and a brief synopsis of how I feel about each one).

Colors, Shapes, & Counting by Rock N Learn. Geared for ages 2-5, this simple DVD features simple songs, rhymes, and games to help teach the concepts. It may not be at the pinnacle of creativity, but I’m certain our girls are picking up on the principles. It’s fun to hear them counting along in the back seat. I look forward to trying other films by this company. Their Science & Social Studies series looks especially fascinating!

Spanish For Kids by My Desi Guru. We have a combo pack that includes Simplewords and Numbers & Colours. Again, the DVDs are a bit slow-paced (not the same as watching a feature-length film), but they do a fantastic job of teaching basic vocabulary. Tim & I are learning right along with the girls. “El culumpio” (swing) and “la leche” (milk) have become regular words around our house.

Your Baby Can Read. Created by Dr. Robert Titzer, this DVD system purports to instruct little ones in reading…using a word memorization technique. Essentially, sight words are held up flash-card-style and then there is a quick video that shows the word in-action. There are also simple songs to help solidify the learning. I actually am pretty fond of the no-frills format, but my 4-year-old sometimes gets a little restless.

Character Builders. The 8-DVD set is part of the broader Alpha Omega Horizons preschool curriculum. Tim & I go absolutely crazy with the narrator’s voice (can’t stand it). We’ve almost considered giving them away for that reason alone, but we don’t because the girls enjoy them. Besides, we like the concepts presented in the films: obedience, patience, responsibility, politeness, etc.

Sweetpea Beauty: A lesson about True Beauty. This VeggieTales tale is my 2-year-old’s favorite – probably because it’s about princesses. She goes tip-toeing around the house, saying, “I princess.” Fortunately, the message in the film is that true beauty comes from within. Quick Aside: I sometimes worry that my 4-year-old will pick up on the message that girls with glasses are unattractive since the main heroine in one of the stories is self-concious about them. Interestingly, she’s not a fan of this movie.

Anne of Green Gables: The Collection. This is my favorite movie of all-time and I’m happy to report that my girls now share a deep sense of appreciation for it. The casting is perfect and the script is hilarious, heartwarming, and heartwrenching all at the same time. I haven’t read the books aloud to my girls yet, but it’s on my list for bedtime read-alouds. P.S. We don’t watch the 3rd film – too intense for little ones (plus, I’m not a fan of it).

Disney classics. We have three: Robin Hood, Beauty & the Beast, and Gnomeo & Juliet. The first two are favorites of mine. The music! The characters! The quality! The third one? I’m not enchanted by it.

What movies are in YOUR preschool DVD collection? Tell me the good & the bad.

Also – Have you used any DVDs to help teach foreign language?

* Rock N Learn, My Desi Guru, and Disney sent me copies for review purposes.

Filed Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: counting dvd, dvds for preschoolers, educational dvds for preschoolers, g-rated dvds, spanish for kids dvd

Are we homeschooling yet?

May 4, 2011 By Stephanie 31 Comments

writing a letter to her pen pal

“Are you homeschooling them yet?“

We are asked that question often as we travel from state-to-state.

At first, I wavered in my answer, “Well, they’re still young (ages 2 & 4). We do some school activities with them…“

The real answer though is THIS:

We read stacks of books every day – with dramatic voices, with time for questions and answers.
We talk about trees, animals, and rocks as we hike on new trails.
We linger at libraries and listen to street performers.
We go behind-the-scenes at important historical places.
We interact with people of different ages, races, & socioeconomic backgrounds.
We volunteer at and tour non-profit organizations 2-4 days out of every single week.
Our girls listen as we ask questions like “What do you attribute to homelessness among our veterans?” and “What do you think the solution is for childhood poverty in our country?“
We try new churches of different denominations. Last week, we went to a church where people wore headcoverings, had beards, and had a big feast with wine + dancing (like from the movies). Before that, we went to a Salvation Army church.
We bake cookies and count teaspoons, cups, and eggs.
We are learning US geography. (I actually know where all the states and most of the major cities are now!)
Our 4-year-old has a pen pal.
We visit with sick children, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
We sample new foods and flavors.
We see people in dozens of careers – as they go about their days.

In short, our girls are seeing the world at work. They are hearing conversations that usually happen away from children’s ears – conversations about business, politics, social issues, and money.

Last night as I was tucking our 4-year-old into bed, she whispered, “What organization are we going to tomorrow?” I told her and she smiled back, “And what else are we going to do tomorrow?” I pause, “Lots of wonderful things. I love you. Good night…and don’t you dare wake up your sister.” ;)

So – YES. I say it with confidence now, “Yes, we are definitely homeschooling.”

Filed Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: homeschooling, homeschooling on-the-road, real world schooling, roadschooling, unschooling

Most curriculums are too curriculum-y for me

January 2, 2011 By Stephanie 48 Comments

sitting on suitcases Most curriculums are too curriculum y for me

We’ll be roadschooling this year.

Yesterday, I made a list of the things I want to teach my girls:

A-Z
1-100
Famous People
Holidays
Manners
Money
Geography
Anatomy and Hygiene
Nutrition and Fitness
How to Call 911
Stranger Danger
Spanish, French, or Chinese (an intimidating task for this monolingual mama)

mother daughter talk Most curriculums are too curriculum y for me I don’t have a curriculum picked out or anything like that. Most curriculums are too curriculum-y for me – dot the i, cross the t.

Besides, I’m always trying to figure out how to teach them the more important things too. Like how to LOVE learning, how to ask good questions, how to enjoy good books, and how to be brave for great causes. I want them to have the knowledge that they are uniquely beautiful, highly capable, and intimately loved. I want them to have compassion for people and confidence in their ideas. I hope that they will learn how to be discerning about how they spend their time and WHO they spend it with.

I am keenly aware that it all begins with who I am, what they see in ME – when no one else is around.

Often, I feel inadequate (I AM inadequate).

Yet deep in my heart, I know that this is my calling. I am their mother. They are my children. We are learning together…(making mistakes together too). This is the school of LIFE. No desk-sitting necessary.

Are your children multilingual? If so, where did they learn (or where are they learning) other languages?

If you homeschool, do you use a curriculum (which one)? If not, what lesson planning books or resources do you use?

Filed Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: homeschool curriculums, multilingual children, roadschooling, teach kids the most important things

Schooling Plans

August 2, 2010 By Stephanie 126 Comments

kindergarten workbooks Schooling Plans She’ll be 4 in September (FOUR! – There goes my heart thump-THUMPing again).

Thus, the Question is becoming more common. Will she go to Public? Private? Charter? Which school will we choose?

The quick answer is that we plan to homeschool for the early elementary years (and, perhaps, beyond).

The long answer is too long for this post because we have thoughtfully considered our options and we have a myriad of reasons for homeschooling – social, mental, emotional, physical, spiritual reasons. They are reasons that make the decision right for our family in this season of our lives.

Actually, the truth is that we are homeschooling already. Actually, it might be more like unschooling (or whatever term you want to use). Tim and I primarily teach our girls through play and everyday interaction.

We’re big believers in “the world is our classroom” kinds of instruction – especially for the younger grades. Why not learn fractions while baking shortbread cookies? Why not sit under a big tree and read a mystery book? Why not talk about the solar system, while laying outside under the stars by a campfire?

giant kindergarten value bundle Schooling Plans You’ve probably guessed that we aren’t using a formal curriculum. That may change in the future, but – for now – we’re happy with this laid-back approach.

That said, sometimes we’ll set aside twenty minutes or so for “school time” and our 3-year-old is thrilled when we do!

Lately, we’ve been making use of the Giant Kindergarten Value Bundle by School Zone. We don’t use the computer software components much (I’m not huge into the whole let-preschooler-play-with-$1,000+laptop thing), but the workbooks and flashcards are lots of fun.

P.S. Check out the Sale section for great deals and/or Like School Zone Publishing Company on Facebook to stay up with the latest product launches.

Where do your kids go to school? If you homeschool, what are your favorite books, blogs, and resources?

WIN IT! One winner will receive a Giant Kindergarten Value Bundle ($89.99) by School Zone. To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, August 10th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* School Zone sent me a sample for review purposes and is also providing 1 bundle for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #95 Amy Delong. Congratulations!

Filed Under: About Me, Giveaways, Homeschooling Tagged With: flashcards, formal curriculum, homeschooling, kindergarten bundle, plan to homeschool, reasons for homeschooling, school time, school zone, school zone publishing company, schooling plans, unschooling, workbooks

There’s a good chance

April 10, 2010 By Stephanie 14 Comments

There’s a good chance that our girls will be excellent readers and writers. They will love books. They will savor words. They will understand the magic and beauty of linguistics.

There’s also a good chance that they will appreciate the outdoors. They’ll love to feel the sun beating down on their backs, to feel the breeze playing with their hair. They will hike and climb and run and bike – their muscles pumping, their lungs at work.

And they will be good with people. They will radiate warmth and compassion. They will be influential, visionary, courageous people who lead the way with their kindness and creativity.

In many regards, they are already all of these things. Pieces of me. Pieces of Tim.

But, lately, I’ve been thinking about how to help cultivate our areas of weakness. How can we teach a foreign language when we don’t have mastery of Chinese, French, or Portugese? How can we encourage musical interest when we are deficient in that area? How can we help them be BETTER and MORE than we are?

I guess it starts through EXPOSURE – giving them opportunities to see others’ strengths. And then, secondarily, by EXAMPLE.

So – I’m striving to find my non-interests, my non-talents…and then to incorporate them into my life. Even just a little.

Yesterday, I turned on the Classical Music station in the car. And we were jammin’ to Bach, with the sun shining through the windows. After a little while, however, my 3-year-old asked to listen to an audio book instead (I told you we love books ’round here).

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How do you cultivate interests/intelligences for your kids that are different than your own?

Filed Under: About Me, Homeschooling Tagged With: appreciating the outdoors, cultivate interests in kids, excellent readers, good with people, there's a good chance

You Asked, I Answer (Part IV)

February 15, 2010 By Stephanie 8 Comments

Here are 3 more questions you asked…and my answers.

Ashleigh asks: How do you keep the love alive in your marriage? You have such an obvious love for your husband, and I want to know how you keep things strong.

Thanks for pointing out our “obvious love,” Ashleigh. We really do have a fun, lively marriage. Sure, we have our moments (like tonight, when he came home THREE hours later than expected from a 4-wheeling adventure…), but – all in all – I can’t imagine living this life beside anyone else. Tim is funny, hard-working, heroic, handsome, and full of heart.

I could write a whole book on this stuff, but let’s see…we keep things strong by:

spending a lot of time together.
talking about anything and everything (our goals, our girls, our dreams, our fears, our friends, etc.).
working side-by-side on business and hobby pursuits.
being sexually intimate regularly.
choosing to only say positive things about each other in public settings (we made a little pact about that back when we were 17).

Oh, and we don’t go on weekly date nights.

———————————————————————————————————-

Marina asks: What do you think of home schooling?

I haven’t written about this much, but I was actually homeschooled through grade 8 and have many positive memories of the experience. I was able to excel academically and also stay very social (through ballet, soccer, volunteering, theater, etc.). By the time I entered high school, I had a pretty solid confidence that helped me navigate those traditionally tumultuous years without too much heartache.

As of right now, we are planning on homeschooling our girls through the early years (at a minimum), but we will reevaluate every year based on our children’s dispositions and aptitudes, where we happen to be living, what our school options are, etc.

———————————————————————————————————–

Lisa asks: What is your favorite food?

I can’t name just one! Salad with lots of toppings. Homemade bread just out of the oven. Fresh-squeezed juice. Dark Chocolate. Perfectly ripe fruit. Cheesecake.

YOUR TURN: How do YOU keep the love alive in your marriage? Are YOU homeschooling…or have you considered it ? What are YOUR favorite foods?

Filed Under: About Me, Homeschooling, marriage Tagged With: favorite foods, keep love alive in marriage, what do you think of homeschooling, you asked i answer

dear kayla and liv, you are my music

DVDs for Preschoolers (our entire collection)

Are we homeschooling yet?

Most curriculums are too curriculum-y for me

Schooling Plans

There’s a good chance

You Asked, I Answer (Part IV)

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