Aprendemos Academy

Lot’s of good stuff today.  more after the jump

session #1 Blogging for Dummies:

• http://myhomesweethomeonline.net/blogging.html
• blognosh.com?
• http://www.blissfullydomestic.com/2008/08/how-to-get-more.html – how to get more comments.
• http://b-nn.com/ffnetwork-info/ – join a blogroll
• http://homeschoolblogawards.com
• http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home

Session #2 Mystery of History

• History is the story of God revealing Himself to man.
• Kids need a big picture of what they’re learning.
• Know peoples lives rather then events.
• One way we can appreciate Gods hand in history is to learn it in sequence. IE: the greeks were planning olymipcs while Jonah in the whale. chronological approach is great!
• Do so from a Christian world view
• History is the cord that holds the jewels together.
• www.themysteryofhistory.com
• peoples lives and their character can change the course of history
• this is awesome. I love the integration of Biblical events and ancient history. Tut lived only 100yrs after Joshua & Jericho. Ruth & Naomi @ the same time as the Trojan Horse! It’s awesome!

Session #3: Homeschool & follow your dream!

• Guilt about what we should be doing for our families keeps us from following our dreams.
• where are your time stealers? ID them! Tv? Computer? what?
• one woman took down her blog 4 taking 2 much time from kids. Limit your computer time!! Set a timer!!!! keep puter time to a min.
• quiet time with God doesn’t need to look the same to everyone. quick prayers, a few Bible verses, and Praise & worship music r good options. maybe while cooking.
• to find more time, STAY FOCUSED!! move the computer out of the room where you homeschool. My kids deserve my attention. HS is for HS, blogging is for blogging.
• What is your hs goal? and what is your dream or career goal
• r u morning or night person
• dreams don’t have to be a career goal. an be self improvment (ie exercise)
• have a consistent quiet time.
• Now Make Time!
• you may be called to give up your dream for a season.
• Share your dream and needs with your family.
• Pray!
• http://ginaconroy.com/ginablog/wordpress

Check this out: http://www.shespeaksconference.blogspot.com/

Session #4: Setting Goals for your Homeschool

• Do you know what you want to accomplish?
• “Without vision, the people perish” so do homeschoolers.
• Take a long term view instead of focusing on the bad day we’re having now.
• Goal is the educate the child the way God wants you to. Each child needs something different from you.
• we need to know our children and see what direction they are being called in.
• Parenting is push and pull. Push them out of the nest, teach them lifeskills, preparing them to be on their own. Pull, stand along side and show them what they can be. “train up a child” means this Push idea.
• Help my kids to be what God wants them to be. IE: ADHD can be turned into a benefit, not hindrance that it is treated as in public school.
• at least until 7 & 8, do everything, even if it’s not your strong suit. You never know when you kid will be gifted in something you’re not.
• figure out their gift, and pursue it.
• each kid has diff needs & may need diff curriculum. Dont get lost in something that doesn’t fit ur kids.
• Girls: need to be prepared for whatever. not everyone is called to marry, & ur timing, is not God’s timing. Don’t limit her!
• Sit down, and make a list of what you want your kids to leave home with. then break those things down by age, and decide what to add when. Spirtually, Academics, & lifeskills.
• where do you spend most of your time in your homeschool? don’t forego all else for academics
• kids in school are spoonfed, and not taught the way we teach them @ home.
• mentor is someone who stands alongside and does things with the child until they get it. We need to Mentor our kids.
• four stages.. show them, let them help, they do it with your help, they do it alone
• curriculum goals are different from academic goals. curric. are spec. by x week he will do x. Acad. focus on weakness. goals r not the same for each kid.
• Don’t forget character building skills!
• Pray about it.
• Id your kids gifts and weaknesses.
• Where is God really working in your child?
• talk to your kids about what goals they want to achieve. but you are still the parent. (but prolly not b4 age 9 or 10, depends on your kid.)
• it’s important to know where your going.
• Pray with DH that you will both be able to ID the gifts they have, and that you will be able to ID their weaknesses and find loving ways to steer them in the right direction.
• you may not see “gifts” in kids, but you will see interests. btw, being organized is a gift. Interests can lead to gifts later. Check into MAPS and COMPASSES. Myers-Briggs (http://www.myersbriggs.org/) for 15 and up. or DISC. check out Cynthia Tobias’ book – The Way They Learn (http://www.applest.com/books.asp)
• little kids (5 -7 ish) just need to be with you. once they’re older, start looking for gifts & interests.
• Read aloud, novels etc. talk with them about what you’ve read. (hunting for a child’s heart http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Childs-Heart-Gladys-Hunt/dp/0310242460 ) tip: try reading a story, then give everyone one chance to ask a question, then answer a question.

I’m done for a while. I’ll be back and add to this post during the 6pm session on Boys.

Session #8: Teaching boys & other children who would rather be building forts all day

• Leonard Sax? Why Gender Matters. read the book! whygendermatters.com
• most boys do not actually hear as well as girls. handle stress & pain diff also. girls hear things 10x softer then boys.
• boys brains are different. men use dominant hemi. to listen to audio book, women use both.
• Music helps preemies gain weights faster – only true for girls! boys didn’t get the same effect!
• Boys can make little noises that annoy others and they don’t even hear it themselves.
• If I couldn’t hear the teacher, I’d leave. Make sure he can hear you!
• Vision: they see things differently. girls process color & texture faster then boys. Boys track speed & motion better.
• Girls draw nouns. Boys draw verbs, usually in one color. Don’t undermine his art! Don’t deconstruct and insist on doing it your way! and don’t slight him by prefering hers over his.
• affects writing. girls use nouns & adjc. boys use verbs adverbs. say 2 a boy “add more detail?” not thanks. “add more action?” Awesome that’d be kuel!
• learning can b stressful. fight o flight. only true 4 male animals. females can get to a higher stress threshold b4 reacting. homonal cycles mess up research. males use sympathtic reation. Females use parasympatheic – rest & regroup.
• standing and walking may help boys think! xplains why geekboy circles the room constantly while talking!
• optimal temp for boys 2 learn is 68-69. for girls is 74-75
• Pain. cause increas of bloodlfow to cortex of males. decrease in females. makes sense. women need to forget pain so we will keep havin kids. boys need to hurt themselves sometimes. makes them think better.
• buy this here! – http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/index.php?q=product/teaching-boys-amp-other-children-who-would-rather-make-forts-all-day
• four forms of relevancy

• 1. intrinsic relevancy. ie: fascinated with knives and swords. even if never see one, will make their own pretend. – allow them to pursue interests, will result in better learning.
• 2. Inpisred relavancy – someone around gets enthused
• 3. contrived – make it a game. here’s a hard thing to do when u suceed you get this. fail, punish. make sure their is a fail side, or it will be a bidding war to see how high they can push the reward. but beware the too much negative. do not want the “I’ll just go eat worms and die” thinking.
• 4.enforced relavancy – do this or else. Avoid this one at all costs!
• Boys respond to motivation different. r more responive to physical rewards. Girls tend to be motivated by positive peer presure and verbal affirmetion
• Read the 5 love languages. children express and crave love differntly from adults
• Yes it is possible to train boy to lengthen attn. span. try karate of martial arts.