Nim's Island: Homeschooling and Castaways

Have you read Nim's Island by Wendy Orr? We are currently listening to the story on CD having watched and enjoyed the movie. My sons are already well aware of the differences between book and movie versions of stories: Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Water Horse all come to mind. In each case, the book and the movie often shared only superficial resemblances. It has, therefore, become our habit, to read the book first (usually) before seeing the film. In this case, we are doing things a bit backwards. It has not harmed the tale, though. There are certain distinct liberties that the film version takes with the story but the two stories manage to run parallel to one another rather than being in conflict.

At any rate,Nim's Island, though at first it brings to mind all those 18th century castaway novels (The Swiss Family Robinson , Robinson Crusoe) is more in line with another classic -- and favorite book in our house,Pippi Longstocking . Both Pippi and Nim are 'castaways' -- separated from their father by the sea. In Pippi's case, of course, she is castaway in a very strange world, that of 'civilization', a place which includes public school and proper tea parties. Nim, on the other hand, is a more proper castaway. She is stranded, if you wish to see it that way, on an island by herself. Both girls use their wits -- and very creative wits at that -- to deal with 'the bad guys' who come around and threaten their idyllic existences. But, of course, this existence is not entirely idyllic for both girls desperately miss their fathers, the only parent they have truly known.

Another similarity between Pippi and Nim is that both girls are 'home' schooled with their father's teaching them what they deem important for the girls' survival. These skills are not in the ordinary way: both girls are very talented in understanding the languages of animals and have a fine sense of the sea and of island living. They know how to make what they need from whatever is around them and because of their rather unusual educations, are not at all afraid to try something 'new'. Indeed, to them 'new' is not really even a concept. They create as they go, as naturally as they breathe. The image presented of 'home' schooling in these stories is quirky, perhaps, but hopeful. It seems to imply that if we provide our children with the freedom to learn and breathe and create, if we do not try to make them fit their thinking into a box, they will grow and learn and be thinking and intelligent beings capable of handling incredible challenges because that is what they have been prepared, in some sense, to do.

Now I have sons -- and one might think that they would not readily identify with female heroines but this has not been the case. Both Pippi and Nim, brave and bold and creative heroines, are also the embodiment of childhood.  There is an almost genderless quality to the energy that they exude -- an adventurous and inventive excitement to their stories that draws the reader/listener in.  No matter that you are a boy or an adult, Nim and Pippi speak to something deep inside and their successes and their fears are readily recognized

Sigh - the Perils of Motherhood, and memories of being a kid

Okay, today I suck at being a mom. I blame it on the snow. Yes, to the great, everlasting delight of my children, it snowed. No. Wait. What am I saying? It snowed? It is STILL snowing. It keeps teasing us. Light sprinkles, heavier falls, tapering off, a momentary cessation and then it begins all over again... and that is why I suck at this whole mothering thing. I bet you are lost. Bet you can't figure out what in heaven's name I am on about, hmm? I will explain:

I started the day with the best of intentions -- I was working on (1)another post on the pitiful state of our country's protection of fundamental rights and human courtesies (i.e. the whole mess with T.S.A) and (2)math problems for several Co-ops. I also dragged my sons off to a doctor's appointment and on a shopping excursion for proper winter gear. (You would be justified in asking why I had left the latter until now, in the face of a looming winter storm. All I can say is... ummmm?) We did succeed in securing winter coats, boots, socks hats and gloves for the boys and for Dad. By the time all of that was accomplished, we were all tired and the boys were getting truly desperate to be home and out in the wintry whiteness. "Mom,' they pleaded, 'if we don't get home soon, it'll all be gone!' Driving into a blizzard, on slick icy roads, feeling the wheels slip and skid beneath me, I was rather doubtful about this but I was in general agreement about the need to be home so I left the argument alone.

Most of the return journey was uneventful... until we got to our own little lane, that is. As I began to slow to make the turn onto our private road, the brakes locked up. The mini van cursed protestingly and slid painfully to a halt about a foot beyond the road. I backed us up. Luckily there was no one to dispute my right to do so. Then I turned the van and realized with a sinking heart that the road to our house was comprised of two hills and several turns. We slid gracefully down the first hill, swanning to the right with little effort and my sons were very pleased with the ride. Then we reached the second, longer hill, the one with wooded areas on either side and I said a private little prayer to whomever it is who keeps me going. We started down. The silver beast locked its brakes in protest against the ice and squealed in rage. The back wheels spun a bit and I adjusted the steering wheel, trying to baby the grumpy van into keeping us on the road just a bit more. Then we were on level ground and heading toward the house. Thank you, thank you, whomever you are! The boys, oblivious to their mother's nerves, begged to be allowed to jump from the moving car, to run over icy ground, through snow and ice back to the house. Their mother, not ready to surrender completely to insanity, insisted on stopping the car. Here, however, I began my slide into failure -- with a car packed to the gills with winter clothing, I allowed my lightly dressed sons to leap from the car (they were in tee shirts, jeans, cotton socks and rubber wading boots) and run through 32 degree weather, snow pelting their red faces while snow balls, collected in frozen fingers, hit retreating backs.

When the car was parked, I played Mom briefly, insisting that they help me unload. And briefly, only too briefly, the lure of the 'new' enticed them into wearing the coats, boots, and winter gloves. Jason, the elder, dug out an old plastic tabogen, and practiced surfing the drive way. He spent more time falling off of it than actually riding it so I suggested he move it to the raised mound between our property and that of our neighbor next door. Though the ride was better in some sense, Jason decided that the driveway was better. The mysteries of boyhood continue to elude me.

After awhile, the boys came in -- watched a bit of 'Fawlty Towers', did some school work (Piano practice, reading, math and art), drank Hot cider and then... and here is where I fell completely off the wagon... went back out to play. They went back out in short sleeved shirts, jeans, winter gloves and boots... and no coats. The youngest was wearing his hat but don't be confused. With Xander the hat is a fashion statement, not an article of warmth. I was muttering darkly about having gone to the trouble and the expense of procuring warm winter garments for them and Xander, very gently, patted my arm and explained 'They are very lovely, mommy. And we did wear them. But if we don't hurry the snow will go away and I don't really like being so bulky.' Big brown eyes blinked up at me. I looked at him and at his elder brother's sterner, rather less conciliatory face and remembered how it felt to be a child in bulky winter coats... with the snow, that  precious whiteness, that first precious whiteness right outside the door. So I opened the door and let them go. Really, what else could I do? "If you love something, let it go...' Bless you, my children. Have fun. Life is precious and Time is short. Go live, go laugh, go play. I love you.

The right to travel freely

Yep, I am back up on my soapbox... really, we need to institute that here in the United States, I think. I saw the practice, while living in England. Have you? If you have not, you should. A person has a soap box, or other sturdily constructed box, which he/she carries to a public location. The box is then placed upon the ground and the individual mounts the box and begins to declaim upon a topic of his or her choice. The box defines a sacred space, a space where, for a brief time, the speaker becomes Cicero or one of the other orators of times past. Audiences crowd about, drawn like flies to honey. Arguments arise, inevitably but this is an expected part of the process. Electronic soapboxes, though useful in that they can reach a large audience quickly, lack the visceral effect of a direct face to face oratory.

Soap box oratory was most often, at least in the 19th and early 20th century (its heyday), political and my current topic -- Pat downs, digital scanners and airport security -- seems to be falling increasingly into that realm. Issues of Constitutional rights -- the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 14th rights -- have all been mentioned in my previous postings. Then there is the issue of Interstate commerce:

CASE #3: "The right to travel is a part of the liberty of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment." Kent v. Dulles, 357 US 116, 125.

CASE #4: "The right to travel is a well-established common right that does not owe its existence to the federal government. It is recognized by the courts as a natural right."Schactman v. Dulles 96 App DC 287, 225 F2d 938, at 941.

Divergent Thinking...

RSA Animate – Changing Education Paradigms Ah, here is a brilliant video, a speech by Sir Ken Robinson which explores the changing paradigms of Enducation. What do we expect of education? What do we mean when we say the word?  What sort of people are we seeking to create? -- one of his most cogent comments is 'we are getting our children through education by anesthetizing them'... 'we put them through schools in batches'... Yippee! He is talking in favor of homeschooling, believe it or not. He is talking about teaching children as individuals, valuing them as people, teaching to their strengths and valuing them for who they are. Yippee!!!!

A Better Answer to Airport Security?

This video makes my point well. There are countries all over the world who do their job so much better than we do for so much less money WITHOUT denying the innocent their civil rights. Only the suspicious are questioned. The security expert says -- and this is critical 'We must hire 'QUALIFIED' people.' Hey! There is a concept for you!' Everyone is interviewed -- not body scanned. Not patted down. There is no direct invasion of privacy. I have been through these interviews. The people who did them were polite. The questions were not invasive. Technology cannot stop these problems. People can. We should know by now that throwing money at the problem and reducing freedoms is not the answer. Come on people! One of the things that has made America great is our ability as a nation to learn from the experiences of other countries and peoples. There is a wealth of experience out there -- the North Irish, the British, the Isrealis... They handle airport security without the sort of invasion that TSA and Homeland security are insisting are necessary and have done for a long time. They do it without the expense and with a great deal more success. What we need is qualified people and THAT is the problem to which TSA and Homeland Security will not admit. They want these fancy machines -- which by the way RETAIN the images they take despite promises to the contrary -- as a way of distracting the Public from the reality that the people who are supposedly protecting us are incapable of doing so -- they are not qualified, properly trained, etc. It is time that the American people DEMANDED that our rights and freedoms be respected and that, instead of throwing money at problems, companies whose job it is to protect us DO their job, TRAIN their people and SERVE as they are mandated to do. Guess what folks -- they are supposed to work for US!

And yes, I want my children to enjoy flying on airplanes, traveling across this wonderful world of ours. So, what do you say, shall we take it back? This is our country -- we need to remember that.

A Definition of Terrorism

I am not about to try to define... well, actually, I am. First, though, I am going to provide you, my readers, with a link to an article that spends a good deal of time and energy on the subject:The Definition of Terrorism, by Charles Ruby,was written after September 11th. In this article, Mr. Ruby addresses the question of what precisely is meant by the term 'Terrorism' -- and it turns out that this is not as simple a question as one might assumption. 'The use of terror as a means of coercion' is the most straightforward definition. It is, however, not the only possible definition as the article demonstrates.

It turns out that, in any discussion, the first and most important step should be to define terms.  If one does not do this, one will quickly encounter problems. A discussion in which participants are all using their own undisclosed definitions will quickly devolve into a shouting match with frustrated individuals unable to understand why the other side doesn't understand the 'simplest' thing! So, with that in mind, I will state that, for my purposes, in the previous blog, Terrorism is defined as 'the instilling of a state of fear/terror in an alien population for the purpose of disrupting political/civil/economic processes through the use of apparently random and senseless acts of violence.'

Now... what a nice tidy definition that is! And how truly effective it was. We are all so terrified that we forget that more people were killed in auto accidents than in the Twin Towers collapse. That, however, was huge and -- best of all -- played and replayed on all the television stations. Oh, what a Media Fest!! Indeed, if one were into conspiracy theories one might almost think that they had engineered the whole thing. At any rate, the media certainly made hay while the sun shone. They milked the subject and are still milking it, scaring Americans as best they can.

Of course, they knew that we were susceptible to this sort of thing... does anyone remember 'War of the Worlds'? That wasn't even real... and it was Radio, for heavens sake! You don't remember? Here is another link for you: http://www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk/war_worlds_orson_welles_mercury.htm Orson Welles, in his wonderful voice, read H.G. Well's novella for Radio theater audiences in the United States. Repeatedly, through out the broad cast, Welles told audiences that this was a story, a fiction but somehow, people missed that part. A mass hysteria gripped a whole section of the country as people fled what they thought was an alien invasion. And are we so different now? In the name of 'safety' we are willing to surrender liberties for which our ancestors fought and fled and died.

I am not going on about this simply as a philosophical exercise. I am concerned because of my sons. My husband and I were discussing the difference between our own childhoods -- messy, dirty, and rather dangerous -- and those of today's children, and I have been reading 'Free Range Kids'. Combine those two events with the mess at the airports and suddenly I am seeing a cultural phenomenon, one that bothers me deeply. We are a culture steeped, it seems, in fear... fear of everything. Is this really how we want to live? Is this living at all? The answer, it would seem to me, is no. I did not give birth to my children to watch them hide from absolutely everything, to have them cringe at the smallest cut, to panic at the sight of a knife or a fire or a smidgen of dirt. And I do not want them to grow up in a world where the police are the enemy, where airports boast armed guards at every entrance and exit and where everyone, EVERYONE, including children, is assumed to be a terrorist in the making. I want to live in 'the land of the free and the home of the brave' and if that means that the land is a little more dangerous then so be it. Bring on the danger. Isn't that part of being brave? Isn't that part of the price of freedom? I would rather have the danger -- and the freedom -- than the security at the cost of choice.

Digital body scans, pat down searches, and the success of terrorism

They have won. Come on, folks, admit it. The Terrorists have won. They have succeeded in turning us against ourselves. We are now so scared that we are breaking our own rules -- eroding the protections that our fore fathers and mothers fought so hard to secure, that our own soldiers are currently fighting so hard to protect. What am I talking about? Don't you know? Hmmm... you haven't been to the airport lately, have you? Or have you read the news?

T.S.A. and the mis-named 'Department of Homeland Security' have instituted, for their viewing pleasure, full body digital scans in airports near you. And if you object to that invasion (not to mention being subjected to less than healthy doses of low level radiation) you are welcome to submit to an even more invasive personal body pat down... the type normally reserve for suspected criminals. And there you have it. The terrorists have won.

You don't understand? Let me clarify. Once upon a time there was a country where, although it was not EXPLICITLY stated, it was accepted that a person was innocent until proven guilty. This idea ( Latin:Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat) was an idea first suggested by a french cardinal and jurist,Johannes Monachus. He had this strange idea that most people were not criminals...

Ah, you say. Yes, you say. Now... think about it. When you put EVERY SINGLE PERSON, old and young, through a body scan or pat down, what are you presuming? Innocence? I think not. But, okay... most people say, for a little added peace of mind, I am willing to give up a little bit of my privacy. But you see, this is a slippery slope. We gave up a little bit, and then a little more.

I remember as a child, when folks could walk you to your gate and wait with you. There were no security checks, no guards. We carried on or did not carry on, sissors or nail clippers. No one thought anything of it. Shoe laces in shoes? So what? When did that start to change? First with international flights ... no walking people to the gate. Then, no sissors -- my mom was REALLY unhappy when they took (and lost) her bandage sissors. (They had promised to mail them to her. So much for that. I imagine that those sissors are still floating around a USPS office somewhere, all these years later.) And now? My sons have never been to an airport where there aren't guards and scanners, where you are only allowed 1 oz bottles of innocuous liquids and even some of those may be suspect. I remember watching an 'expert' on one of those 'talk' shows -- I rarely, if ever watch Television -- there is little on that I want to watch but this was shortly after 9-11 (and isn't it scary that that is short hand now-a-days? I can write the date and expect that everyone reading it will know what I mean... shiver) and for some reason, I had the television on. This expert was talking about the new mania regarding shoelaces. He was disgusted. His comment, not particularly PC, was nonetheless cogent. He said 'Look, the people who are terrorists don't need fancy stuff, the sort of stuff that would be picked up in a scan. They are skilled at making do. Forget high tech gadgets. Forget special treatment. Live life. Yes, there are scary people out there but there have ALWAYS been scary people out there. They only win if we let them scare us into changing the way we live.'

Well guess what folks... they have won.

There are two premises which have been completely and totally over thrown by the current body scan/body search/ property search hysteria at the airports:

I.  the aforementioned 'presumption of innocence' -- not specifically mentioned in the Constitution but implied in the 5th, 6th and 14th amendments(No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws)  to the Constitution. The same idea appears in:

A. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 11, which states: Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in apublic trial at which they have had all the guarantees necessary for their defense."

B. "The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe which says (art. 6.2): "Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law". This convention has been adopted by treaty and is binding on all Council of Europe members. Currently (and in any foreseeable expansion of the EU) every country member of the European Union is also member to the Council of Europe, so this stands for EU members as a matter of course. Nevertheless, this assertion is iterated verbatim in Article 48 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union."

II. The Right to Privacy: Again, not explicitly stated in the Constitution and as such constantly in a state of threat as various and sundry Political entities seek to limit personal freedoms while extending corporate control. Nonetheless, the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment once again come to the Fore (Thank you, Mr. Jefferson):

Amendment IV
(Pivacy of the Person and Possessions)
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

It would seem to me, though I may be something of a radical, that we as a people have been ridiculously patient with the continual erosion of our right to privacy. We have accepted the invasion of our bodies and our possessions in the name of security and what has that invasion done for us? Are we more secure? Are we happier? I do not see it. What I see, and I have been traveling by plane, train, and automobile since before I could walk, is an increase in stress and unhappiness, in fear, and anger, and insecurity. The terrorists really didn't have to do much to push us over the edge. We were teetering on the precipice already. 9-11 was the last straw. I am not sure when the slide began. Did it start when MLK was assassinated? With Malcolm X? With JFK or Bobby? With so much hatred inside our country, did we really NEED to look for someone outside to set us against ourselves?

We have met the enemy and them is us. The terrorists have won. And if you don't like it? What will you do? What will you do....

Curriculum Junkie

Okay, I admit it. I am a junkie... a curriculum junkie. I have always been a bibliofool, madly in love with books and so, I suppose it is no particular surprise that when I began homeschooling, I would find a new addiction, a passion for curricula. I am absolutely fascinated with all the STUFF that other folks create. I have copies of the Weaver Curriculum, the KONOS curriculum, the Core Knowledge and Oak Meadows curriculas. I have materials purchased from Public school sales and used book stores. I have memberships to ABCteach and Eduteach and I have had a wonderful time exploring the Discovery, National Geographic and Various Museum educational sites. My poor, long suffering children are my guinea pigs. I try out my jury rigged, tweaked versions of these various programs -- taking some from here, some from there, fixing and clipping and cutting. I have a wonderful time. Sometimes so do they. (Grin)

And all of that was a long winded introduction to my latest dip into yet another curricula... have you heard of Time4learning? Ummm... I have seen it all over the place and have been curious but cautious. Generally I am a bit of a luddite. I love computers, don't get me wrong. I love them. There are some wonderful, terrible things that one can do with them. But... when it comes to learning and to teaching my young boys, I am cautious about how much time I want them spending ON computers. I would generally prefer that they were outside, getting muddy and scraped (yes, scraped... that way they learn that they can survive and how to clean themselves up and get keep going...) and building, exploring, expanding their brains with their own ideas and imaginations. Too many times, it seems to me, computer based learning limits, rather than expands, the range of ideas.

However... I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as an online homeschooling curriculum, a web based afterschool tutorial or an online summer program. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

So... I am going to try. Should be interesting. And, who knows? Maybe it will be another case of cut and paste. Grin. I always did love to cut and paste!

Collective Chain Link Stories

October 27th was 'National Tell a Story Day.' -- And what a wonderful idea that is. The folks over at Currclick are running, for a very short time more, a give away to celebrate this wonderful idea (http://blog.currclick.com/2010/09/telling-stories-blog-hop.html) If you are interested, hop on over and join in the fun there. MEANWHILE, if you are interested, you can also try your hand here. I will start this off then hand it over to my sons... and anyone else who wanders in!

'Once upon a time, a little glass rabbit got irritated by the tap, tap, tapping of rain drops on his burrow ceiling.'

Barm Brack

I lived, all too briefly, in Ireland while attending Gradutate School at University College Dublin. While there I discovered a lovely Irish fruit bread called barm brack -- or, in the Irish, bairin breac. There are a number of variations of this bread -- both yeasted and not. In both sorts, however, it was traditional to hide a 'treasure' in the bread(usually a gold ring) for one lucky individual to find. Around Halloween, 'Tea brack' the unyeast version, made with either black tea or whiskey, was the kind more commonly available -- and how sweet it was! Well, now that it is October, and Halloween is in the air, I thought it would be a lovely thing to teach my sons the making of bairin breac -- and right in line with our lessons in bread making science. Today, then, is the day that we have dedicated to this project.

The first step was to haul out my trusty copy of  Classic Irish Recipes. Then, after collecting supplies and checking that we had everything we needed (a good lesson to teach regardless!) we set to work.

First, we proofed the yeast by placing it and a teaspoon of sugar in lukewarm milk.

Next, we combined the flour, yeast, and milk to make the 'sponge'. This was set to rise.

While the sponge was rising, we combined flour, sugar, fruits and butter.

When the first rising is complete, it is time to combine the sponge with the fruit and flour.                                                  Then comes the first kneading. This is what Jason calls the 'pounding' phase, the phase where one works hardest, kneading for five minutes, combining everything.

Again, the mixture is set to rise, for an hour and a half.When risen, we separate it into three loaves and knead until smooth. Now comes the third and final rise.

When this rise is complete, the bread goes into the oven for half and hour. Once baked, the bread is glazed with sugar and set to dry and cool.

And now? We have Barm Brack! Pictures coming soon:>

Diets

Jason informed me last night (when he came home from soccer practice) that he is putting himself on a diet: No more junk food, no more candy, no more fries or milk products. So today when we went to the grocery store, he came running up to me with a PayDay bar 'Here is an almost healthy candy bar, Mom!' he shouted. 'Peanuts are protein and it is huge so I can share it with my brother!'   Then for lunch he asked for Pizza.   'I thought you were off of milk products for your diet?' I asked.  'After lunch'  he replied. I started to laugh and as we passed a clerk (in Bartells), I told him 'You have discovered one of the basic truths of dieting. Diets always start 'later'!'