Learning about politics and truth in the Media

 My poor children! This is the third Presidential election of their lives... and it is the ugliest, most awful thing I have ever seen in my many long years of life.  But they are learning a lot about 'Truth" and the American Media.  Indeed, I think that they are better about checking sources and verifying information than many of those who have the right to vote in this election.  Indeed, from what I can tell, it is the youth vote that is amongst the best educated... which may be why certain Political factions are doing their best to stop that vote. My eldest, who is male and 15, asked "Why is it that they think 18 is oldest enough to be a soldier but not old enough to vote or drink?" I have no good answer for that.  I can only hope that the outcome of this election is such that my sons and the children of this country -- whatever their color, religion or sexual orientation -- is not made to suffer for the bad choices of their elders.

Catching up the days

February 5, 2016

Yesterday was a full sort of day: Jason had his first driving lesson, Xander had a wonderful adventure, and I found out I have pneumonia...

It is hard to believe that Jason will be 15 in March. To me, he is still my baby, my little boy, the child whose soul shone out through his beautiful blue eyes.

I miss him. But I am fascinated by this young man whom he is becoming.

I am interested to see what he does. He is infinitely creative and insightful.

I will always love my baby.

My love for my growing son knows no bounds.

Go forth, young prince. The World awaits you. Do wonderful things.

And know: You can always come home.

Teaching the teacher

May 14, 2016

The longer that I am at the 'teaching' game, the more I learn. My teachers? My students.

I have learned that other people learn differently than I do.

I have learned that trying to 'force' learning into a pattern that is comfortable to me will result in struggles and tears -- from both me and from my students.

I have learned that learning happens -- even when I don't notice it. (and that the lessons learned are not always the lessons intended!)

I have learned that 'intelligence' is not the same as 'experience'. The first is a natural state. The latter is gained through time.  That being the case, I have learned to RESPECT my students' even while I seek to guide them with my experience.

I have learned that the best teaching needs to be adaptable, molding itself to the situations that will, invariably, arise when students become enamored of the learning process. Students, it turns out, are often their own best teacher.

I have learned that if I TRUST the process, my students LEARN and the learning is joyous.

There are lessons which are harder to learn -- sometimes I think it is because I, myself, am still struggling with those lessons: Self-discipline in doing those daily tasks that can seem so arduous when the sun shines after the rain. Sometimes I gather up my students and we run out into that sun and revel in the joy of simply being.

And then, we return, refreshed and emboldened to begin again.

And again.

And again.

Yes. There are times when I have to 're-learn' lessons. And in learning that about myself, I am taught to be more patient with my students experiencing the same process. Learning does not end.  And some lessons need to be repeated.  And that, as they say, is life.

The gentle art of teaching Grammar

The longer I am involved in this complicated dance called life, the more I am coming to appreciate 'the gentle approach' to things.  It is all too easy to let the stresses of life, and the apparent demands of time tie your stomach, heart and head into knots. But that does no one any good. And for the homeschooler -- or as we prefer to be called, 'Home Scholars', it is can have a devastating effect on not only us but on our children and on the whole idea of who we are and what we do.

Which brings me to the question of Grammar... did you just shudder? Many people do. Grammar is the step-child of Language Arts, the subject shoved in the closet then dragged out kicking and screaming and forced down people's throats when they are the least receptive. All too often, grammar is taught 'out of sequence', as if it weren't an integral part of language and yet, grammar is the skeleton on which language is built. One does not exist without the other.

Charlotte Mason, the doyenne of late 19th century British education, understood this relationship. Up to grade four, Charlotte Mason encouraged teachers to focus on developing children's appreciation of the beauty of language through recitation, copywork, and narration. Through hearing and reading, through being immersed in the works of Great writers, children absorb the basics of their language much as they learned to speak by listening and imitating when they were babies.  Children, after all, are born learners. Beginning in grade four, however, the teacher  begins to introduce the parts of speech, one small piece at a time. To reinforce these lessons, the teacher provides the children with passages and, working with them, helps them parse (identify the parts of speech) and analyze the sections she indicates.

And this is where sentence diagramming comes in...  There are those who despise the practice, those who have heard of it but have no real idea how to do it, and those who have no idea what it is. Simply put, sentence diagramming is a method of breaking sentences down into their component parts which can -- if done properly -- be a lot of fun and can also (believe it or not) help not only with the learning of English grammar but also in the learning of Foreign languages.

Let me explain: When you diagram sentences (and I will offer a list of sites where you can find worksheets, instructions etc on various methods of teaching the process,) have your children use different colored pencils for each part of speech. You (and your child) can use any color you choose. Verbs could be red and nouns could be blue, adjectives green, and adverbs orange. Varying the color helps reinforce the difference between the parts of the sentence. It also makes the process (and the sentences) more interesting.

                         Janice          |     danced
                           \ l                     \g
                             \i                      \r
                               \t                      \a   
                                \t                       \c
                                  \l                       \e
                                    \e                      \f
                                                               \u
                                                                 \l
                                                                   \l
                                                                     \y

[If your child is artistically inclined, the lines do not have to be straight (smile). A diagrammed sentence can become a work of art.]

Here is a list of Websites that provide worksheets and direction on diagramming:

Articles on Diagramming:

To Diagram or not diagram

Reflections on theLost art of Diagramming Sentences

How to teach sentence diagramming: 

Assorted links on Diagramming:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/one_pager1.htm

http://drb.lifestreamcenter.net/Lessons/TS/diagram.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Diagram-Sentences

https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/diagram_gram00.html

https://www.wisc-online.com/learn/humanities/linguistics/wcn8207/diagramming-sentences

http://www.bcswan.net/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=22773

http://www.german-latin-english.com/basicdiagrams.htm

https://www.brainpop.com/english/grammar/diagrammingsentences/preview.weml

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/englishhomework/ss/diagram.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/01/diagram-sentence-grammar_n_5908462.html

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/diagramming-sentences.html

http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/diagramming-sentences.html

http://www.k12reader.com/subject/grammar/sentence-structure/diagramming-sentences/

http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/diagram.htm

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/langling/e360k/handouts/diagrams/diagram_basics/basics.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_UPtWByhmI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTsEiVjViiI


As the child becomes more comfortable with the names of the parts of speech, playing MadLibs can help reinforce both the grammar and vocabulary.

If, as Charlotte Mason suggests, your child has already begun to study another language, the process of learning the parts of speech will 'cross pollinate.'  The lessons learned in English will help in the process of learning the other language and the lessons being learned in French, Latin, German or Spanish will reinforce the lessons being learned in English.

Sentence diagramming is, of course, only one way to approach the question of teaching grammar. If you are a follower of the Charlotte Mason, you can use Karen Anderola's reprint of Charlotte Mason's own text Simply Grammar: An Illustrated Primer or you may wish to take a look at Simply Charlotte Mason's Hearing and Reading, Telling and Writing: A Charlotte Mason Language Arts Handbook. The first book is very much a beginner book, a gentle book.  If you are looking for something rather more challenging, consider Michael Clay Thompson's series which can be found at Royal Fireworks. The books teach diagramming as a part of the process but begins, as Charlotte Mason, by teaching parts of speech as part of language.

Whatever path you and your child choose, grammar should be something gentle, and kindly, something that comes as a part of learning/reading/hearing the language.  Reading, speaking, hearing, and writing language beautifully will go a long way to helping your child learn grammar. And as they get older? Writing beautifully... and writing beautifully... and writing beautifully...

Where learning happens

I liked the movie,  "Big Hero 6" but then, I am a sucker for sob stories. The children though... they had a different perspective. Coming out the movie, all the way home in the car and on into the morning, the litany went something like this:

"Seriously, can you believe the mistakes they made?"

" Yeah -- where were the Electro-Magnets? I remember reading about them in that book on Tesla." 

I interject: "Well, but there were those little boxes on the wheels?"

"Those little boxes were just there for show, they weren't electro-magnets and there was no source of electricity anywhere on the bike!"

"And what metal was she using?"

"What about Wasabi's laser hands?"

"I know, Lasers use heat to cut through things. There is NO WAY that he could've been cutting through those micro-bots effectively."

"What I want to know is how come, if the 'Silent Sparrow' gate was open and so powerful, didn't everything just get sucked in BEFORE the heroes got out?"

"And why the name?"

"It looked like something out of 'MockingJay'..." Snickers fill the car.

I threw back - "Maybe that was the point?"

"Bad point." was the response.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because 'Mockingjay' is cliché"

and off they go again...

Now, I don't know about you but when I was a 10 year old I didn't analyze movies based on the quality of their science and their literary merit. Yet that is exactly what happens when my homeschooled children watch movies. In their world, EVERYTHING is grist for the mill. Movies, it turns out, are the jumping off point for all sorts of explorations.

                In the case of 'Big Hero 6", my youngest has taken off on an exploration of Electro-magnets and lasers. He was already fascinated by the topic -- has been since he first encountered the story of Nicolai Tesla and his displacement in history by Thomas Alva Edison.  Something about Tesla's story and ideas sparked the creative spirit in my child and he immediately began 'creating' his own inventions.  Luckily for him (and for me!), Xander's father is a real Scientist and is able to help him 'think through' the scientific process.  Learning to follow the scientific process has been the hardest piece for my imaginative child yet because he has the focused attention of an adult mentor and his own interest, he is willing to learn it.

My eldest," The Theorist", is looking at the more literary aspects of the film.  Both he and his friend, James, have already torn the 'Hunger Games' book apart in order to create a 'Hunger Games' Minecraft map.*  (Ah ha! Using Minecraft for the purpose of homeschooling! The secret to that, however, is not imposing your own ideas on the child but allowing the child to create the assignment... which is not always an easy thing to do. There is an overwhelming temptation 'give'  the child a project. That never works.) It never occurred to me that the idea of creating a game would be the impetus of the reading and analysis of a book yet that is precisely what happened. And the analysis of the book was breathtakingly complete (and savage).   They analyzed it not only on the level necessary for the creation of a 3D game world but also in terms of the characters and the relationships that the author had created, something entirely unrelated to the game. And they then followed the book analysis up with watching and analyzing the film.

And we are back to the movies.

Once upon a time, I taught history at the University level . Every year, one of my most popular assignments was one related to the movies. I would have the students pick a modern film that was based on an historic event or legend. After they had watched the film (Ex. Kevin Costner's Robinhood),  I helped the students find high quality historical books on their topic (J.C. Holt's 'Robin Hood').  They read up on the topic then went back and re-watched the film. And having done this, they wrote papers about their experiences. What they saw, what they thought, what they learned.  Without exception, the students all agreed that they became 'aware' of film as fiction in a way they had not been before. Suddenly they were more analytical, more skeptical about what they were watching. Instead of being passive consumers of visual material, they were actively engaged, questioning what they were watching, sometimes to the frustration of their comrades . (Laugh). They also became aware of the ways in which history was used to shape people's opinions and ideas. 

History came alive for them.

Without meaning to do so, it seems I have passed on to my children the need to be actively engaged with film.  They do not just watch and accept what they see. They question, they challenge, and when they don't know the answers, or when something seems odd to them, they research. They have also learned that movies are NOT the same as the book -- something that I considered a critical piece of information. (Too many times I had University students who assumed that having seen a movie 'based' on a book they didn't need to read the book, a serious mistake.) 

As homeschoolers, we recognize that every experience is a learning experience. Watching movies offers the opportunity to discuss science, math, history, literature and philosophy. One can learn foreign languages through movies and use movies as guideposts for the creation of maps, both computer and physical. (Try creating a salt dough map of some world shown in a movie, for example.) Even television, which we rarely watch, can offer learning opportunities. (Mythbusters is a favorite since  brings their father into the equation. He has serious issues with the way the experiments are done. Jamie and Adam are FX men, not scientists. They do not necessarily apply rigorous scientific methodology. And the boys love having the chance to watch the show and then discussing it with their father.) 

Learning happens everywhere all the time. 

______________________________________

*I should note that the map is James's baby. Jason was helping James work on it. Jason had already read the 'Hunger Games' books because he was curious about the hoopla over the book. When James decided to make the map, he had not read the book. Jason suggested that James read the book so that he would have a better sense of the story, then Jason went back and re-read the book so that he could help with the creation and analysis of the map.

Entomology -- For the Young Scientist

If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.

E. O. Wilson

When he was four, my youngest wanted to be a Paleontologist -- most especially after he visited the T-Rex museum in Tucson, AZ.

 (It has moved to a new location. You can find information about it here: http://www.trexmuseum.org/ ) Curiously, though, as he got bigger, his ambitions scaled down. From dreaming of being a scientist who studied the largest creatures to ever roam the Earth, he has now, at 10, turned his interest to some of the smallest, bugs.  His current focus is on Ants. He loves ants. In his words, "If man weren't around, Ants would've been the great civilization builders! They have slaves, cities, and farms. They even wage war." 

Entomology is his current passion -- he lectures anyone willing to listen on the subject and, as I have learned (sometimes painfully) through my years homeschooling this child, it is best to facilitate his explorations rather than to try an force my own expectations upon him. He is very much interested in being 'the one in charge' and when allowed to lead the way in his own education, will explore a subject to death. With that in mind, I have done some 'exploring' on my own and compiled a collection of resources for him to investigate as a 'starting point'. (He has already hit up the library staff at our local library for help. Laugh. They know him well and are wonderful in their willingness to help.) Just in case there is anyone out there with children who are equally fascinated in the little creatures of the world, I thought I would share this collection of resources.

Books:

(Most of these are for older readers but there are a few, like the Magic School Bus book, for the younger set. There are also a few books in here that are included purely for fun.)

Kingdom of Ants: José Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History in the New World

by Edward O. Wilson and José M. Gómez Durán

Letters to a Young Scientist 

by Edward O. Wilson

National Geographic Readers: Ants

by Melissa Stewart

The Fascinating World of Ants

by Angels Julivert and Marcel Socias Studios

Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration
by Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson

The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct

by Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson

Ants At Work: How An Insect Society Is Organize 
by Deborah Gordon

Time For Kids: Ants! (Time for Kids Science Scoops)

Jul 26, 2005

by Editors of TIME For Kids

Adventures among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillion
by Mark W. Moffett

Prisoner of the Ant People (Choose Your Own Adventure #10)

by R. A. Montgomery (purely for fun!)

Gets Ants in It's Pants : A Book about Ants (Magic School Bus)
by Joanna Cole and John Speirs

Evil Queen Tut and the Great Ant Pyramids (The Zack Files, No. 16)

by Dan Greenburg and Jack E. Davis (Again, Purely for fun)

Bees, Wasps, and Ants: The Indispensable Role of Hymenoptera in Gardens

by Eric Grissell

Web Links:

http://insected.arizona.edu/lessons.htm

http://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Formicidae.html

http://www.greatschools.org/students/activities/1535-learning-about-ants.gs

http://www.classbrain.com/artmovies/publish/article_20.shtml

All about Ants: http://sites.infowest.com/life/

http://www.insects.org/

http://www.pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/ants/

Life Cycle of an Ant Colony: http://askabiologist.asu.edu/ant-colony-life-cycle

AntArk: http://antark.net/ant-life/ant-life-cycle/

Ant Lesson Plans: http://www.lessoncorner.com/Science/Zoology/Arthropods/Insects/Ants

BUGS! (K-5): http://www.dickblick.com/lessonplans/bugs/

Lesson Plans by age: http://iitc.tamu.edu/lesson_plans.html

What Foods... (5-7): https://www.teachervision.com/biology/lesson-plan/63833.html

Red Imported Fire Ants: http://www.cfaitc.org/lessonplans/?details=RIFA

Food for an ant: http://www.themeunits.com/food_fit_for_an_ant.pdf

Games:

http://www.freeonlinegames.com/game/ants-colonies

http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games4/gameindex/ants.htm

http://www.antzzz.org/

Videos:

World's Largest Ant Colony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLHAdwxLD-I

Inside the Colony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n0SkIGARuo

Ant Colony Raids another: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YaihAtnC4

Lord of the Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKbj3ZDmvdU

Amazing Facts about Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8sl8AE418o

Malaysian Exploding Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfM5YkQ2WsU

Weaver Ants build Bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4uv27nSaH4

Magic School Bus: Ants in Pants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHR55UanM_o

AntCanada (Source for Ant Colonies): http://antscanada.com/ant-videos

TED talk on Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUu1kXT7tXE

If You Keep an Ant Farm:

http://www.nationaljewish.org/getattachment/professionals/education/academic-training/summer-research-science-educators/lesson-plans/pdf-SuRP-Ant-Colony-Lesson-Plan.pdf.aspx

                          Docendo discimus
                                              (Latin "by teaching, we learn")
                                       Seneca the Younger
                                        (c. 4 BC – 65 AD)
 

This quote from the Latin Stoic Philosopher, Seneca, has special meaning for those of us who teach at home. Unlike teachers in public and private schools, homeschool educators do not have the luxury of teaching only a single grade (unless they are the parent of a single child) a single subject. The most common situation involves multiple children at multiple stages with multiple interests and abilities studying a wide variety of topics (depending on what is required by state in which one lives.) To be able to do this requires a certain determination -- not patience so much, though my friends who do not homeschool always assume that that virtue is one I must have in abundance. (For the record, I do NOT! Grin.) -- and a willingness to learn. Yes, you read that last word correctly. The one who teaches must be willing to learn.

LEARN.

Think about it.

How many of us -- even those who have gone 'all the way' through Grad school -- are REALLY prepared to teach EVERY subject at EVERY grade level to children of different ages with different interests and attention spans? I can't think of one. Some, in fact a growing number, of homeschoolers, are ex-teachers. They come to the experience with a tool kit which those who were not "taught to teach" might envy but even they are not necessarily prepared for the totality of the challenge. Most of us fake it at one time or another. And those of us who are really committed and wish to survive, seek out help and learning opportunities.

Those opportunities have increased in the years that I have been homeschooling. As the number of homeschoolers has grown, so too have the number of "how to" webinars, seminars, convention meetings, books, audio recordings, self help and Facebook groups. But in the end, the only one who can DO the work is the learner -- the parent, the teacher.

So... where does 'by teaching, we learn' come in?
Well, I cannot answer for other people but for me, the answer is very simple:

Every time I assign something (or think about assigning something) to my children, I prepare by learning about it first myself. That means I 'pre-read' the books I assign (Oh, I cannot TELL you how many books I have REJECTED as a result of this particular practice!) and I test out practical experiments whenever possible...

Whenever possible... That phrase can come back to bite you.

Sometimes you can't prepare.

Sometimes you have to dive in.

Sometimes the mistakes are your teachers... and often, the mistakes you make in FRONT of your children and HOW you handle those mistakes are the BEST lesson of all.

Sometimes your CHILDREN will know the subject better than you do and THEY will teach YOU about it... and THAT can be the best lesson of all.

As they teach, you learn, and they, all unknowing, reinforce their own knowledge.

And you? You are teaching them HOW to behave as a student.

You are showing them HOW to handle making mistakes.

You are demonstrating the value of persistence, of perseverance.

And they are experiencing the joy of sharing knowledge with someone who is really interested.

They are teaching us HOW to teach them by how they teach us.

So many lessons.

So little time.

They grow so fast.

By Teaching, We learn.

And I have learned that one is never too old to experience surprise and wonder.

 

 



Minecraft teaching -- Black Friday and Cyber Monday.excitement

If you have read any of my previous posts -- away back in the past -- you will know that I am one of those people who sees a benefit to the use of Minecraft, the sandbox game, in education. In the time since I wrote my last post, there has been a veritable explosion of educational products related to Minecraft. Amongst these products are servers which are actually devoted to using Minecraft to teach. I thought, given that it is "that" time of year, that I would share the two that I am most familiar with -- along with any special deals they might have. (I do not gain any personal benefit nor can I speak to the actual utility of these sites. I know people whose children have gained a lot from them, however. I suspect it is a matter of what you put into it...)

So, with that in mind:

1) The first and, perhaps best known, is Skrafty: http://whenyouriseup.com/

    They have a special going right now: I wanted to remind you all about the SKrafty Black 
    Friday weekend sale which ends on Sunday night at midnight!  Have you been wanting 
    to add some SKrafty classes to your homeschool? Now is the time since we have a nice
    discount for you today. ALL classes are 20% off with the code BLACKFRIDAY.

2) http://minecrafthomeschool.com/
    
    From their page: 

                       Benefits of Minecraft Homeschool

• Learning is FUN! Students are assigned weekly lessons that include online videos, informational websites, and Minecraft assignments to apply their learning.
• Teamwork is required! Students must learn to work together and respect each others space to maximize results.
• Technology is here to stay! Typing, TeamSpeak servers, Minecraft servers and understanding the basic workings of the server/client relationship are side effects of living in a Minecraft world.
• Fits Your Schedule – You can study, perform tasks, and work with classmates on your own schedule. Each week we expect you to do the out of game work first, and then login to the server to perform the week’s in-game tasks.

 Both of these servers have been up and running for quite awhile. They have been providing services and have been, to the best of my knowledge, been quite satisfactory in their provision of those services... so if you don't feel quite up to being in charge of Minecraft education just yet, these servers may offer you an attractive alternative.

Learning to live in a Minecraft world -- the next lesson

Hello again!

Yep, I am back. And if you are reading this, you have survived your first nights in a survival type Minecraft world and are beginning to explore and bh uild your own home. If you have friends or children who are Crafters, you may have seen images or Youtube videos like this one of the amazing structures that have been built... (Keep in mind, the work in this video was done by 10 people working together over a period of months -- 10 experienced Crafters and some of the most respected builders in all of the Minecraft community at that.) I show you this video only so that you have a sense of the possible...

I found the following Reddit list: The Gigantic Guide for Building. While many of these are images, some of them lead to Youtube videos or to discussions/wikis about how the various structures  were constructed.

Though I have yet to try this myself, I have found something called the Minecraft Structure Planner -- a companion program for Minecraft that allows you to plan out your buildings... It looks interesting and as of the writing of this post, it is free though the author is open to donations...

And then there is Minecraft Building Tips --- a page that even has BLUEPRINTS! It is a new site so there are only a few so far but it looks promising and you can sign up for his newsletter so you can find out when he adds new blueprints to the page.

If you want to build a castle, look HERE for a Castle Building Guide. For other structures that might need a rounded look, you can find a circle chart HERE.

I know -- there is so much more to learn and the more you learn, the more you discover you NEED to learn -- but isn't that the way of life after all? So I will leave you to explore this newest facet of Minecraft. Enjoy and if you have specific questions, let me know. Until the next time -- Have fun!

Learning to play and build in Minecraft -- help for the beginning Crafter

Dear Minecraft Beginner,

I hope that this record of my own explorations in the exciting new worlds of Minecraft will help you with yours... so, let's go explore!

So -- last time I left you with some Youtube videos and a few definitions. This time I will give you a few basic crafting recipes and something neat I discovered for those interested in building cool buildings. (I admit, I am a closet architect at heart ;)

We will begin with the assumption that the world on which you are playing is set to Survival, Adventure, or Hardcore. Monsters may be turned on or not. There are several different modes within such worlds: Peaceful (Monsters, if on, will not attack), Easy, Normal, and Hard. Monsters, by the way, are not all bad. Besides the fact that it is fun to battle monsters, when you kill a monsters -- Zombies, Creepers, Gasts, Skeletons, Endermen, spiders etc -- there is always the possibility that they might drop something valuable. Spiders drop spidersilk, for example. As you become more experienced in the game, you will discover that people actually deliberately spawn and even 'train' monsters to work for them...

So... when you first arrive in a world:

Your first job is to collect wood. You can do this with your hands.
You need wood so that you can make tools that will allow you to collect stone and coal.
You need coal so that you can make torches
You need torches because monsters spawn in the dark. If you build a house without a light source, monsters will spawn inside your house....
To make tools, you need crafting recipes. SO... here are the basic craft recipes that you will need:

Crafting recipes: ( Not needed if you in Creative mode):
When you click on the letter E, you will open up a box with four boxes:

When you put wood into one block, you will end up with wood planks.
Turn all your wood into planks.
When you put one set of planks into two squares (one a top the other) you will get 4 sticks. You will need these to make torches and tools. Put these into your inventory.
Put one set of planks into each of the 4 boxes and you will create a Crafting Table

With a Crafting Table you can now make Tools:
To make an ax you put two sticks in two lower middle squares, then 3 planks in the upper 3 corner squares.
  (The ax allows you to chop wood faster)
To make a pickax, you put two sticks in the two lower middle square and 3 planks across the top squares.
  (The pickax allows you to mine stone and minerals like coal)
If you put one plank in each square around the outside, you will create a chest where you store your stuff.
If you put one stone block in each square around the outside, you will create a furnace in which you can cook food and smelt glass etc.
To make a torch, you place one stick in the lower square, and one piece of coal above the stick.

The link above has many more crafting recipes for you to explore. But this, I think, is enough to get you started. Have fun!

HELP! For Moms (and Dads) who want to play Minecraft with their kids...

This post is for you -- you brave spirits who, for the love of your children have into the wild and woolly world of Zombies, Creepers, Skeletons, and Endermen. In this world of Minecraft, your children are far more experienced in surviving and prospering. This post will point you toward sources on the web which should assist you in getting through your first and moving forward.

The first thing to understand is that Minecraft comes in two main formats -- Vanilla Minecraft and Minecraft which has been 'modded' by Bukkit pluggins.  

Next -- Minecraft has four gamemodes -- Adventure, Creative, Hardcore, and Survival.   The two most commonly played are Creative and survival. Clear and simple explanations of these four modes can be found HERE.  The Minecraft Wiki provides a little more detail about this. This particular Gameplay wiki provides a table of the various qualities the pertain to each of the various gamemodes.

The mode of the particular world you are playing on will be listed in the title when you first enter in. That mode is selected by the creator of that world whether that creator is you or someone else. The good news is that you can CHANGE that gamemode if necessary -- you can see how to do so on THIS Youtube Video.

If you choose to play to play your initial game of Minecraft on a survival world (and you will find, oh innocent ones, that most Children will start their parents on survival worlds -- which, I admit, can be a lot of fun, once you figure out how to survive them!) the most important thing to know is how to survive your first night. There are many, many stories told of people who built themselves tiny dirt rooms and hid the night therein -- only to discover a hard Minecraft truth... Monsters love to spawn in the dark! So... to help you out, I have dug up a few guides to surviving your first night... and here they are:

How-to-survive-your-first-night-in-Minecraft-in-only 11 steps 

minecraft-worlds-ultimate-survival-guide-part-1

minecraft-starter-guide-extra-survival-tips/

These guides progress from simples -- only 11 steps -- to more complex (The last one, for example, presumes that you have created your own world.) I will leave you now to explore your first night for in Minecraft, as in so much of life, the best learning occurs through doing. I will return for another episode with new ideas and suggestions on what you might want to try in this wonderful and amazing world/game of Minecraft. Welcome and have fun, my fellow crafters!

Minecraft Creativity

                      Minecraft and Creativity -- the wonder of the game.

               Maybe I never quite grew up. I like Minecraft. Laugh. Maybe I am a dwarf -- I love to dig. Maybe I am living out childhood fantasies about being an architect. I love to build. Maybe I am a geek and a nerd and never quite finished that game of Dungeons and Dragons -- I like killing skeletons with my bow and arrows from the castle walls. But that is not the only reason that I like Minecraft. I like Minecraft because it inspires me and mine, and others around me to create... to create not only in the virtual world of Minecraft itself but OUTSIDE in the real world. People are drawing and crafting, quilting and baking... and I am not talking about the big companies that sell foam swords to kids. I am talking about folks like you and me and our children. It is truly amazing what folks have come up with... and in order to highlight those wonderful creations, I created a facebook page. I would love it if folks came and took a look at some of what people are doing... And if you have something that you or your children have done, please feel free to share! :)

Here is the link: Minecraft Creativity Facebook Page

                       

A Free Thanksgiving Unit Study

A Free Thanksgiving Unit Study using a Charlotte Mason approach

Now I know, at this time of year, you can find these ALL over the internet. Chances are, you have already got at least one.  But when I went looking, the ones I found didn't quite satisfy me. You see, my sons are nine and twelve, both are 'demanding' (to say the least!) when it comes to educational materials and keeping them interested and excited requires not sticking with old and constantly rehashed materials.

So... here is what I have put together. If you find it useful, please let me know :) 

1) We begin by filling out this little KWL diagram... I am always surprised at what my children know. They seem to gather information out of the air...

2) Everyone begins studying Thanksgiving with the Indians and the Pilgrims but when did it actually become an 'American' holiday? --Though George Washington did proclaim November 26 'a day of public thanksgiving and prayer', this did not lead to a national holiday.  It was President Abraham Lincoln who established the holiday on the final Thursday of the month of November as an official holiday on October 3rd, 1863.(This was changed to the second to last Thursday in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt -- who caused quite an uproar when he did so. See Here for that story.)  Here is a link to the speech that he made. As we follow the Charlotte Mason method, my sons and I will be reading and learning this, then using it for recitation, dictation, and copywork. ( I have included copywork for both Lincoln's speech and the Giving Thanks prayer in this Dropbox folder collection.)

3) For Handicrafts I found the following SITE which has some wonderful videos including how to make wreaths, scarecrows, and cards. It also has Thanksgiving recipes if, like mine, your children plan to help cook Thanksgiving day dinner.

4) And speaking of Thanksgiving recipes -- HERE is the site where we are finding some of our favorites. The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has some lovely recipes and my sons are mad about cooking. Cooking is where we get a lot of our math done -- but it also a place to learn how to work cooperatively, as a team. We add Chemistry to our cooking by using the American Chemical Website's Thanksgiving Food and Chemistry

5) For grammar fun, I found the following SITE where kids can create a 'wacky Thanksgiving story' with the various parts of speech.

6) And for those of you with kids into the 'ick' factor -- HERE is a little science to spice up your Thanksgiving... A Buggy Thanksgiving. (Wink!)

7) Of course, history is incorporated throughout this study, but if you want to make this even more 'authentic' for your children, here is a SITE where they can learn the 'jargon' of the Pilgrims. Wouldn't it be fun to speak a little differently on Thanksgiving Day?

8) And, if you want to include truly beautiful Native American element in your Thanksgiving celebration, I recommend these two items:
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Find the classroom guide that accompanies this truly amazing poem/prayer HERE

HERE is another lesson plan for the book from Reading Rainbow.

HERE is the prayer/poem if you cannot get ahold of the book.

HERE is a link to the Scholastic Video of the book.

HERE is a biography of the author along with some interesting information about his tribe. Chief Jake Swamp was a member of the Haudenosaunee Nations, known to most people as the Mohawk Indians. For more on this group of people, look HERE.

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HERE is the author's website. Joseph Bruchac, a member of the Abenaki Tribe (Upper N.Y.), is one of the most prolific authors of Native American literature today.

HERE is a lesson plan related specifically to his 'Circle of Thanks'

HERE is a bibliography of materials on Native American Thanksgivings.

9) And finally, if you feel you need to cover the more traditional Thanksgiving materials, look HERE for information on the 1621 celebration, approached from the perspective of 'becoming an historian'.

So... with more than enough to fill the days between now and Thanksgiving day itself, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends.