Bits and pieces

Yesterday we picked up Romeo from the Ridgehill Animal Hospital.  Little Romeo was a little sore in his privates and was wearing a cone.  We transported him to his foster mom's house in Stamford.  He seemed very happy in his new environment and we are confident she will take good care of him while he heals.  He is such an adorable boy that we are confident that he will find a home soon.

It was a milestone for Claire, the next step in her animal rescue adventure.  She had to introduce herself to her new foster family and explain what her expectations for foster family are. There are forms to be filled out and adoption events to go to.

Afterwards we celebrated at a sandwich restaurant.  While there, we started noticing the art on the walls.  There was an artist who had made a collage of all the names of the towns in Connecticut using letters found on candy wrappers.  "Oh my gosh!  We are going to do that in our art journals!!", they said! And they did. Tristan is doing town names and Claire is doing dog breeds.

It was a joyful day.  We set up an old desktop computer and practiced routing all the cables efficiently.   We cleaned and organized our work spaces. We went to the park.

I have been reading Project-Based Learning by Lori Pickert (a recommendation from Mamak at Frog Creek).  It is so inspiring and I am already implementing some of her many excellent suggestions.  I have been doing a lot of interest led, project based homeschooling during the last couple of years.  I have been quite hands off in my approach, a product of my Montessori background.  Lori suggests that the opposite is required.  The child must maintain ownership of the project at all costs, however the parent needs to be a constant support, skill teacher, obstacle remover, especially as the child develops the ability to work independently and successfully on projects. This is especially true when you have an easily distracted child. Interest alone is not enough.

Today I have been thinking a lot about how lucky my children are to have an education designed to cater to their individual needs.  I read in our town paper that we have over 4,000 students starting school this year.  I am grateful our children aren't required to learn everything required for the standardized testing and that they can delve deeply into their interests.  Living with passion and doing purposeful work has become a way of life in our home.  Project-Based Learning is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to create the perfect environment for independent, interest led projects to occur in their household!


The last chapter in her book is called A Way to Live. Here is a brief taste.

"Children, even when very young, have the capacity for inventive thought and decisive action.   They have worthwhile ideas. They make perceptive connections.  They're individuals from the start: a unique bundle of interests,  talents and preferences.  They have something to contribute.  They want to be part of things.  It is up to us to give them the opportunity to express their creativity, explore widely, and connect with their own meaningful work." --Lori Pickert, Project-Based Homeschooling