Over the Easter weekend, we decided to have calm family time and play some games. One of my old, old games is Bargain Hunter. The game came out in the 1980s just as credit cards were becoming increasingly popular. Does anyone remember the old bulky metal credit card imprint sliding machines? You know the ones where they would take your credit card place it in the machine put the carbon copy receipt on top and swish, swish and then the credit card number would be imprinted on the receipt for the charge.

Well, this game has a plastic version of that machine. The idea with Bargain Hunter was the first person who bought all 17 or so items on a shopping list with no debt won. Of course there are typical expenses that sap your cash such as visits to the auto mechanic and doctor. As we played the game, our daughter was faced with a challenge of either waiting to buy an item or charging the item and paying 10% interest.

Her immediate reaction was that she was going to charge the item but when we pointed out that for that $300 item she would have to pay $30 interest every time she passed payday, she reanalyzed her options.

She said she thought interest could only be given for savings accounts. We had a homeschool teaching moment as we proceeded to explain how many people end up in serious debt because of the very high interest rates and that if you don’t have the money to buy something then you probably shouldn’t.

My husband explained how there are only a couple times when borrowing money makes sense. One case when borrowing is justified is if you are buying a tangible appreciable asset such as a house or when you need cash flow to build a business. Of course, these examples also included lessons on borrowing only what you can afford and not just what someone says is ok for you to borrow. We talked about the folks who are in a bind now because they chose variable interest rate loans, what variable interest rates are and how to address this problem.

Once she realized that interest could be charged for borrowed money and how it worked, a very bright bulb went off in (and over) her head. In the end, she won with all the items purchased, no debt and an economics lesson taught one-on-one.

No, I’m not talking about dressing up like a cooked pig. And I’m not talking about being the life of a party, as in hamming it up. I’m talking about Amateur Radio, of course!

HAM is another name for Amateur Radio operators and my husband has been a HAM since he was 11. Yup, you read that right. He has been encouraging me for years, even while we dated, to become a HAM too.

Amateur Radio is a form of communication that has been around for over 100 years. In order to use the radio bands dedicated to Amateur Radio you must take a test, pass it, and get a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Amateur Radio is a hobby that can be used to help people in times of crisis and emergency, such as Hurricane Katrina. In fact, a local HAM where we live helped save some stranded people from Hurricane Katrina. She did this while in her home in the north AND while being blind. During Sept. 11 when all the cellphones became inoperable, HAMS were able to provide communications. Amateur Radio can also be used to pass messages, teach about the science of electronics, help in the community, prepare for emergencies, and for plain old talking.

Off and on for 10 years, I struggled with some of the aspects of electronics and, while I thought Amateur Radio was interesting, I figured in case of an emergency I had my husband to bail us out. BUT…when my husband decided to teach a HAM radio class, I realized this whole HAM thing was going to come to a head!

We decided that our daughter, at age 8, might be a little too young for his class and that he would teach her one-on-one. Soon, we heard of a fellow homeschooler in our group who got his Amateur Radio license when he was just 6! Yes, you read THAT correctly. I thought my husband was brilliant at age 11 but now I was staring at a 6 year-old each week that had his license. There is nothing like a 4’ reality check to make you realize that if a 6 year-old could get his license then either this whole licensing by the FCC could not possibly be that hard or I really was seriously electronically challenged.

And so my daughter and I became HAM radio students together. What an experience! My husband would teach something and I would harken back to my school days and insist that I needed to know and understand every single part of what he was explaining immediately, even if the explanation was in the coming paragraphs. Meanwhile, my daughter would patiently watch as I tried to get the concepts. After awhile my excessive questions become irritating to her because she wanted to move forward and not keep repeating the same things for my benefit.

Our local HAM radio club teaches a Technician class (a type of FCC Amateur Radio license which was our goal) and we decided it might be best for us to take this three-week class. So, we went and in between classes we studied. We made flash cards and my daughter and I would quiz each other.

For three weeks, I learned more about amps, ohms, currents, voltage, antennae, etc. than I ever cared to know in my life. I made my husband swear that if we got our license we would HAVE to use it and not just for emergencies. I figured if we used it for different HAM events, contests or public service activities then we wouldn’t lose what we learned.

Soon, the test day arrived. We came with our pencils and other required documents and took our test. Needless to say, we both passed our test and got our license. I’m KB1NQN and our daughter is KB1NQO, simply because of the order they graded our tests.

Within a couple days of our daughter getting her license she marched in the Memorial Day Parade with her Brownie troop. She took her HAM radio and checked in with us several times along the parade route. She enjoyed her independence and I enjoyed being able to check in on her all while relaxing along the parade route.

While this was a great opportunity to learn about electronics, it was a good learning experience for all of us. We worked together as a family to learn about a hobby that we could all participate in while becoming prepared should an emergency occur.

Since we got our licenses we have participated in many different activities. I would encourage you to get your HAM license. To learn more about Amateur Radio and clubs near you visit the American Amateur Radio Relay League at http:www.arrl.org/. Who knows when you might be in the middle of an emergency and you could be the one that makes a lifesaving contact?

Part of the requirements to adopt from Ukraine is the judge wants to see proof that you have a residency. So, if you rent you need to show proof of a lease and if you own your home they want to see a notarized copy of the deed to your home.

Enter another homeschool lesson. My daughter and I set out to our town clerk to obtain several copies of the deed to our home because we are hoping to adopt a sibling pair and need the copies for the dossiers. (And an extra copy should anyone lose a copy of the deed.)

I expected that we would walk in to the town clerk’s office, request the information, they would pull the book, copy it, notarize it and then we would pay and be done. What a surprise when the clerk told us to go to the vault and look it up ourselves. Huh?

The look of dumbfoundedness on my face must have been pretty clear because the clerk then proceeded to explain the steps. I took a deep breath and realized I was going to experience this homeschool lesson first hand, side-by-side with my daughter.

So, walked into the vault and found a locked area that contained all of our town’s vital statistics, such as the births, deaths and marriages. As we looked in awe at books dated back to the 1800s, I could tell this was going to turn out to be a pretty cool experience.

As most parents know, I could have completed the task in a record 10 minutes but realized that this would be a great hands-on learning opportunity for our daughter and quickly determined she needed to perform the task. (Did I mention I had no clue how to do this search?)

We located a large book that listed all the home owners in town. Our daughter looked up our last name, first name and street and identified the book that our deed was located in. We then walked around the vault a couple times as we tried to orient ourselves with how the books were arranged. Once we figured out the order, our daughter quickly located the book volume that contained our deed and then found the pages of our deed. Wow!

In a short period of time she had found the deed to our home and a new interest was seriously sparked. We proceeded to copy the deed, have it notarized and pay for the copies. Throughout this part of the process, she kept asking if we could go back in the vault. Through several questions she realized that we could go back and search our home’s previous owners, see how much they had paid for it and so on.

As our daughter asked questions, the clerks could overhear our conversation. Soon one of them offered some information on how to do title searches in the vault and I realized there was a serious field trip opportunity here. I learned that Town Clerk does field trips for the local kids to the vault and explains the clerk’s job, the records and other interesting facts. So, what would any self-respecting mom, specifically a homeschool mom, do but realize that we need another field trip to the town clerk’s office with some friends.

Don’t underestimate your local town resources. Children can learn about the history of their town and home. They can learn about economics and inflation as they identify home prices over the years, legal documents as they see how deeds are written and notarized, how to do research and of course, communication by asking for help from the clerks. This unplanned errand turned into a great educational experience.

Alright, if you’re like most folks, by now you are getting tired of the mudslinging that you are witnessing courtesy of every politician that wants your vote in November. The next couple weeks will only get worse with the upcoming elections. But every time you hear a radio political campaign ad, or see one on television or in print do you just gloss over it? Do your eyes glaze and you start daydreaming you are in Bermuda? Do you wish it would all end sooner than later? Or, do you see this an awesome opportunity for homeschooling?

If you are like me, you seize the opportunity for some good old political analysis. I know it sounds weird, but as a Political Science major I always find this time period fascinating. So, besides enjoying food, geography, history and cultures I also happen to enjoy politics. For some this might seem like the height of absurdity but politics is as much about life as any other subject. In fact, politics determines in many ways how you live your life since politics affects the laws that govern you. In addition, politics at its core is about people, compromises and communication.

If you understand the U.S. Constitution, then you can analyze the campaign promises and discuss whether what they are promising is even feasible. When an ad attacks the incumbents voting record you could check out the voting record of the candidate. Perhaps there was some pork in the bill and that is why they voted against it.

Heck, you can have great discussions with a child of any age. What is pork when it comes to legislation? Is it really a pig? What is a candidate? How do they become one? What is a party primary? Why is there a convention? What is a third party candidate? How does one become an incumbent?

For younger children you could just point out the yard signs and analyze the colors. Which ones grab your attention more? Why? Do they tell you anything about the person running for office?

As they get older you could have a discussion about what it means to be a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, Socialist and Communist. Give examples of where each party stands on issues they understand and that are age appropriate. For example, they will grasp topics such as the environment, local issues such as libraries, and whether they support the family.

For older kids, you can ask them to read an article or two about the campaigns each day. Perhaps assign or recommend that they follow a particular campaign for about 6 weeks. Ask questions and see if they can figure out the answers. Kids are very resourceful.

There are many ways political campaign ads can be incorporated into learning about government, politics, communication, advertising, writing, reading, critical thinking, analysis, statistics, debate skills, campaigning strategies, and much more.

So, next time you see a political campaign ad don’t tune out. Engage your child. Don’t underestimate your child. They get more than you can imagine. And you will get something too. The opportunity to become a better informed voter while teaching your child.

Living in an age of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and the American Automobile Association (AAA) people rarely pull out maps, plan a route on their own and use a map to get to their destination. And now with unlimited calling for phones it is not uncommon to call your destination and get directions. Yet, knowing how to read a map and locate one’s way in the world are not just skills that are useful but necessary. Let’s face it, the last time I checked there was no GPS for the mall map. Just kidding!

Our daughter enjoys learning about maps, geography and practicing her map skills. While she can always practice her skills with a workbook, what better way to utilize her map skills than to guide us to our vacation destination. Vacation, you say? Yes. Now, I do have to admit that allowing an eight year-old to map out a route, plan turn-by-turn directions and then navigate you will most likely take you longer. This requires patience on your part, guidance for your child and time. There is no doubt a GPS or AAA map could quickly guide you to a highway or at least the most direct route much more efficiently. Yet, how would this really help your child?

So, it was with this attitude that my husband and I invited our daughter to determine what route we would use to get to our vacation destination. This homeschool lesson is definitely one that is wise to employ during vacation as it can take longer for both the planning and execution versus if you just drove to your destination. Our normal 1 ½ hour trip took almost 2 hours and the route planning took an additional ½ hour.

After she highlighted which route we would take she wrote out turn-by-turn directions. She even estimated the number of miles it would take for us to arrive. As we jumped from one route to another we took in the colorful autumn scenery. She confidently directed my husband turn-by-turn, while she learned the difference between junction, highway, route and street signs.

This real-world homeschool opportunity is not difficult but it is unique. Think about it. How many children do you know get to guide their parents anywhere? How many children get to use their map skills in real life? Not many. And yet, if they did, if children had a real reason to learn to read a map, wouldn’t they?

All-in-all our map skills maven did a great job. We arrived at our destination relaxed and ready for a vacation. She was able to modify her directions as needed and practiced her communication, math, writing and map reading skills. We discussed the importance of being able to read a map and stay focused when traveling so that you arrive where you want and not in Kalamazoo. And her reward, and ours, was not a check mark on her paper or a letter grade it was an actual vacation! Not bad, I have to say.

As a child I remember learning about money two ways. One was the formal way at school. We would sit at our desk, pull out our book and look at a page with pictures of the fronts and backs of coins and bills. Then we would do math problems with the pictures of the money for classwork or homework.

Now, as a child I saw several problems with this method of learning about money. First, it was not realistic because all the money was flat as a pancake on the page. Second, I could not get a real sense of the size of the money because I literally could not get my fingers wrapped around the money. Third, I had no real world context in which I could use my skills. Fourth, let’s be honest about this one, it wasn’t my money so who really cared if I got the answer right?

Thankfully, my mother had a creative way to teach money to me that made it very real, very fast. Whenever we would go to a store, while I was learning about money, she would pay a little bit more and get change. Then, while we were still in the store, she would put the coins in my hands and tell me that if I could figure out the exact amount of the change on the first try then I could keep it. Whoa! For a kid, that was one very cool deal.

While I definitely grasp that schools might not be able to implement this idea this is definitely something that parents can do on their own. My mother succeeded in allowing me to use real money so that I could wrap my fingers around them and relate their size and texture to this subject. She gave me a real world context and she succeeded in making me care about getting the right answer. After all, we were now talking about what could be MY money.

Some of you might not agree with this method so I encourage you to think back to when you were trying to learn a skill, maybe cooking. Remember how reading about cooking was never the same as once you got to practice what you read in the kitchen? Learning about money is no different.

During that time period, I probably earned less than $10 but it cemented in my mind how to count money correctly and why it was an important lesson to learn. And frankly, it was fun!

Garlic shots, garlic marinated beef on a stick, garlic bread knots, garlic chocolate chip chocolate cookies, garlic mushrooms, garlic jelly, garlic oils, garlic dips, garlic chocolate candy bars, garlic burgers, garlic ice cream, garlic popcorn and the delectable garlic dipped in chocolate fondue. So, did you figure out what they all have in common? Well, yes you are correct, they are all food items, one of my favorite things to experiment with, but that is not what I am referring to.

Have you figured it out? If you said, GARLIC then you would be on to something. Recently, we attended the annual Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY and we tried everything just mentioned! We first heard about this festival from some family that lives in the area. So, we decided that we had to investigate this festival dedicated to garlic. Now, I am sure if you are unfamiliar with this website/blog you may be asking yourself what does a garlic festival have to do with homeschooling?

Well, besides the experimenting with many different items made with garlic we learned that there are many different types of garlic. Seriously, until you have tried the white German, red German, red Italian, and French garlic, among others, you have not experimented or explored garlic. Science could easily be incorporated in this learning opportunity and we did include some science in this opportunity.

Of course, one could learn about the economic impact of such an event on a community. By exploring and researching the event, one could learn how the money is used in the community, how the event came about, who contributes to the event and so on.

Then there is the fact that while experimenting with all the food one could learn how to be daring by having a positive attitude and approaching the whole experience as an adventure. While at the garlic festival we had a couple other opportunities to experiment with other foods, venison and alligator gumbo. While our daughter is generally daring with a positive attitude, the venison and alligator somewhat taxed her patience with experimenting. Although, I must say, she did enjoy telling all her friends how she had eaten alligator the next day and seeing their face!

While all of those are great things one could learn from going to a garlic festival, the thing we all took away from the event was just how creative and daring the individuals were who developed some of the garlic uses. After all, can you imagine being the one to come up with the idea to stick garlic in a perfectly good chocolate bar? I mean honestly, what did the friends of this person say? What would your spouse say if you said you came up with a new dessert, garlic cloves dipped in chocolate fondue? Could you keep a straight face if your friend said they had just made some garlic ice cream to add to their pie?

Yet someone came up with each of those ideas. Even if the recipes were passed on from generation to generation, there was someone who was willing to experiment, possibly be laughed at or ridiculed, make mistakes and then try again. Those are amazing lessons and after all isn’t that what learning is all about?

While we have all heard of many people who were willing to fail and try again, the garlic festival offers a unique perspective on this lesson. So, the next time you are afraid to shake things up, try something different, or make a mistake reconsider and remember the garlic festival.

To learn more about the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival visit: http://www.hvgf.org/

Kids love beans. Uncooked that is! Younger children love playing with them because of the sounds they make, their color and the way they feel. This is a great way for developing gross motor skills, manipulation and creativity.

When our daughter was younger she was thrilled whenever I would give her a pot of uncooked beans, a spoon, plastic measuring cup, and a couple bowls or pots. She would spend a good half hour just scooping and pouring them between the pots. They have been included in her pretend restaurant.

For less than a few dollars, beans are a great tool in learning, especially when they are purchased in bulk. They can of course be used for creativity as in imagining the child is cooking but take a moment and think of other uses for this protein?

For younger children they can scoop beans from one pot to a bowl and develop their gross motor skills. As they get older and use a spoon they can develop their hand-eye coordination. If they are given a decent size funnel they can even practice using both of their hands to scoop and hold a funnel.

Pictures can be created used different beans and colors for a collage. The beans can be used as an impetus for hearing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

As the children get older they can be used as a math manipulative for counting, sorting, and doing math. Beans can easily be measured by weight. And different colored beans can be used to create a graph.

Different beans can be incorporated into a lesson on different forms of protein. They can be used for home economics by the children when they learn how to cook beans, incorporate them in different recipes and so on. They could even create a bean cookbook with their own recipes, which would then incorporate writing, math and creativity.

For older children, beans can be used as an aid in teaching about different food lifestyles such as vegetarians. They can also be used to learn about different cultures that utilize beans in their diet such as Mexico. There is, of course, the science experiment with growing beans and identifying their parts. Children can learn about the process of picking beans and the countries where different beans grow as part of social studies.

As with the lowly cardboard box, don’t discount the creative and learning opportunities that are presented by such a simple food, the bean. If you have other ideas of how beans can be incorporated into learning please comment below.

Our daughter regularly spends time in creative play. One of the things she enjoys doing is running a pretend restaurant. She created a menu to hand out to her patrons. I offered that we could create menus on the computer if she wanted and she quickly took me up on the offer.

We worked together to design the menu, write the selections, prices and even included pictures. Afterwards, we laminated them using clear contact paper and cut them accordingly. She really enjoyed making them and still uses them in her pretend restaurant.

Recently, she decided to create a family breakfast menu. This time she figured out all of our breakfast options. She designed the cover with our family’s name and titled it “Breakfast Menu”. Then she listed all our drink options, food selections and options for how we wanted our food prepared. Yes, it is quite detailed and she developed it all on her own. We can even decide what number we want our toast heated to for crunchiness. Even condiment selections and spreads, such as butter, jelly or Nutella, were included.

Finally, she folded the menu in half so that there were several pages in a booklet form. She even bound the pages together with yarn. Now, every morning we can select from one of many options. Often times we can even place our orders with her. She runs a real breakfast restaurant in our kitchen and we get to be the lucky recipients of a delectable breakfast prepared just so.

What began as creative play developed into an exciting project, which she initiated. She utilized her design and creativity skills, spelling, penmanship, and writing skills as she described all of our selections. In running her restaurant she learned about maintaining the food stock and often reminds me when we are running low on breakfast items. She also has learned about time management as she sets out to prepare several items at once and finally she has learned about presentation. Breakfast has been delicious and we have never had soggy cereal or burnt toast. Hmmm, maybe that’s why my husband and I like our daughter’s restaurant so much!

What did you do with the box that you recently received at home? Ever wonder what happens to all the boxes at the stores and grocery stores? When was the last time you used a box? Was it for moving or storage? If you are like most adults, you overlook the measly cardboard box. After all, once it serves its purpose what use is it?

There are many uses for a box beyond moving, storage or shipping. A simple box can become an imaginary car, train, sled or ship. It can be used for a table or desk when flipped over. This can then be used for the purpose of an imaginary restaurant, dining room table, or grocery store counter. Larger boxes can be used for huts or tents. Most boxes just get crushed once they serve their purpose so why not ask for a box to bring home. If you are looking for a larger box, check appliance stores.

While the main learning experience will be the use of your child’s creativity and imagination, many other lessons can be incorporated. If your child is very young you could ask them to tell you a story using their box as a car, for example. You could record their story or transcribe it and help them create a book. Then you could read the story they wrote.

If the child is older you could ask them to write a story with a beginning such as: “One day, I sat in a box which magically became ….” Now, spelling, creativity, writing, and English can be incorporated. Another option might be to set up a grocery store using the box. Let the child practice selling items and making change with real money. This allows them to practice communication skills, math and entrepreneurship.

For older children you could invite them to decorate the box and collect cans for the homeless shelter or treats for the troops overseas. In these situations, they get to use many skills while learning the following: - Communication and persuasion skills can be developed while doing the collecting. - Math can be used for weighing and measuring so that packing can be done properly. - Geography can be used to locate the place to which the box will be shipped. - Current events as to what is going on in that part of the world and why the box is needed there. - Good citizenship can be learned by helping their fellow man. - If they drop off the box to a homeless shelter or food pantry, they can learn about how one can be in poverty, organizations that help individuals who are in poverty, whether it is the government’s responsibility to get people out of poverty, and other ways to help.

So, the next time you see a measly box bring it home for your kids. You will be amazed at the fun and learning that can take place for less than a $1.00.

If you have others ideas of how a box can be used be sure to click on comments and share your ideas!

Our grocery store has in-store childcare. Yes, you read that correctly. But unlike some parents who want a reprieve from their children or their children who want a reprieve from their parents, our family regularly uses the grocery store for educational endeavors. Let’s face it the grocery store is a great place to learn.

One subject that can easily be taught is math. When our daughter was just learning to add multiple numbers and numbers past 100, we introduced her to the idea of rounding numbers. We practiced with different dollar amounts and rounding them up or down to the nearest dollar. So, the $1.59 of apples rounded to $2.00 and so on.

With this understanding of rounding, we set off for the grocery store. With a pencil, pad of paper and small clip board in hand, our daughter set out to determine our approximate bill for the groceries. Now, I will admit I could have done all the grocery shopping in about one hour, including paying and getting the groceries bagged, but what a real world opportunity would our daughter have missed.

So, instead of one hour total, it took almost two hours our first time around. As the cashier rang up our order, our daughter paid close attention to the amounts and the final total. She was very excited once we reviewed the receipt and found that she was within a couple dollars of the final total. I was excited because she found a real world reason for learning math and I stayed within my budget.

Since that first time, she has rounded many more of our orders. She has become so efficient at this that we can get through our entire grocery shopping experience within a little over an hour.

As she tackled several digit numbers she became more precise in the adding. She now adds multiple digit numbers, without rounding, and aims for an accurate subtotal, without the use of a calculator. She does a great job and is very helpful with keeping us on track for our grocery budget.

As she progresses with her math, she will be able to utilize multiplication and division. So, the next time you want to teach math, don’t have your child do a worksheet take some time and teach them using the real world. In the end, not only are they getting some time with you and practicing their math skills but they are also learning a life skill and that is staying within a budget!

Alright, maybe the millions of dollars is overkill but it never hurt one to dream! The checkbook, yes YOUR checkbook, is a great homeschool resource. I can hear you now. “What? I don’t want my kid to know how much money is in our checkbook.” Well, that is the beauty of checkbook math; they get to see the reality and responsibility of financial life.

When our daughter was beginning to learn multiple digit numbers, it seemed ridiculous for me to give her a worksheet when she had a life lesson sitting in front of her in the form of our family checkbook. This experience began with our monthly checkbook statement.

Our daughter was learning how to read several digit numbers. So, one day when I went to balance the checkbook I invited her to assist me with doing some adult work. She was excited to participate in such an important activity. While this definitely took longer than if I had just done it myself, it was an excellent opportunity for her to see why she needed to learn how to read numbers.

I had her read the date and the amount of the check or debit card purchase. As she went through the list, I checked them off on the checkbook register. We had fun as she worked her way through the numbers and she got a kick out of freaking me out when she would say the number wrong. It usually would go something like, “One thousand five hundred ninety-nine”. My response always included wide eyes as I would say, “What?” Then we would look at it again and thankfully it would just be $150.99. Whew!

While she definitely got a periodic kick out of the shock factor when she read the number wrong, she quickly learned how reading and writing a number correctly was critical to being fiscally responsible.

As we worked we talked about what certain purchases were for, and whether they were important or if it was a waste of money. This was a great way for her to analyze the needs versus wants of our family and to see the effects of those needs and wants.

Once we balanced the checkbook she beamed with pride as she realized that she had assisted our family to function that month. It was a great opportunity for her to learn her numbers, how money was spent and analyze the effects of those decisions.

Checkbooks are a great resource. You can incorporate multiple digit math, how to reconcile a bank statement, graphs of how money is spent, what a budget is and how to write one. In addition, they get a better understanding that money does not grow on that proverbial tree!

By using a checkbook to teach math you are also teaching a life skill!

Officially, they are Rocky Balboa from the movie Rocky, Julius Ceaser as in the Roman Emperor and Teddy Roosevelt as in our 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Unofficially, it’s Rocky, Julius and Teddy and they are our dogs the subjects of a most interesting scientific experiment perpetrated by our daughter this summer.

Rocky is a Black Lab/Sheltie mix. I know we’ve heard it all before. “A Sheltie and Lab mix? Isn’t there a size difference there?” Yes, it would appear so. Julius thinks he is the king of the house. Think the Taco Bell Chihuahua meets the most finicky cat you have ever met. He loves to sun himself outside or in a sunroom. Then there is Teddy. What can you say about Teddy. He is a Pomeranian who is far too cute and very, very, very rambunctious. (He just recently turned one and is always bouncing.)

The running joke is that Rocky is smart and wise, while Julius. Geez, what can you say about Julius. His is finicky and well, he isn’t the brightest bulb in the bunch but he is affectionate and very protective. Teddy on the other hand has simple goals; live life to the fullest, play until he is exhausted, investigate everything and pick on Rocky and Julius just for fun.

One day recently, our daughter kept trying to corral one dog at a time into the sunroom. She would shut the door talk with them for about 5 minutes, open the door, release the dog and go in search of the next one. Shortly thereafter she proudly showed me a chart that she had created.

Apparently, in what some might call “boredom” she decided to test their intelligence and speed. She covered each dog with a blanket and offered a treat outside to see who would get out the fastest. (Julius lost that one miserably since he loves blankets and heat.) She also put a treat under the blanket to see which one would get it out first. She put a treat under a bowl to see which one would figure out how to get to the treat first and then did one other test.

She measured their time in seconds, recorded the results, totaled their times and declared that Teddy was the fastest and smartest of the three of them. Rocky came in second and well, no surprise, Julius came in last. Her results confirmed what we all had long suspected.

She enjoyed showing her Dad the chart over dinner and explaining each of the results and how she had to coax Julius out. This dog science which was instigated by her was creative, a good opportunity to practice math, formulate a hypothesis, test it, and present her results. She got to work with the dogs and learn that each dog had different abilities and interests, even when food was involved.

It was fun to see her develop her own experiment based on her curiosity while she learned about the different breeds of dogs and how they respond. Sometimes “boredom” allows the mind to wander and figure out the answer to, “I wonder what would happen if….?” Thank goodness she had the time to experiment and explore. Some of the most amazing discoveries in the world have happened when someone not only asked questions but had the time to figure out the answers!

I remember struggling through geometry in 9th grade. Pulling my toe nails out would have been an easier experience for me. That entire year, I could not figure out why and where I would ever use geometry in my life. I had witnessed my parents over the years and had not once witnessed them use geometry. I struggled through the geometry proofs as I constantly tried to understand their purpose. After all, it was clear to me that a triangle was a triangle, why did I have to prove it?

So, you can imagine my surprise when I got married and shortly thereafter, I witnessed my husband use geometry to figure out how many shingles we needed for our garage roof! My approach would have been to buy more than I thought I needed and return the extras. Instead in my 20s, I finally learned how geometry could be useful.

Our daughter has wanted an outdoor playhouse for awhile. This was going to be a Dad and Daughter project! After trying to decide between a kit or building the playhouse from the ground up, my daughter and husband decided to purchase a playhouse kit. My daughter invited me to assist them in the building and I happily obliged. Of course, my approach was to follow the directions and just go! My husband took a different approach that involved a measuring tape and calculator.

We carefully laid out the cinderblocks. Our daughter brought out the T-square and they measured each side down to the corners. Then they used a level to make sure the floor was even. As I stood waiting for the next assignment and our daughter to bring back another tool, my husband declared that he wanted to teach her some geometry. In what I could only describe as a flash from a horror flick, I was transported back to 9th grade.

Could it be that our daughter at the age of 8 was going to be learning about geometry? Could it be that I would witness the use of geometry twice in my adult life, when I had never seen it used as a child? I quickly corrected my thinking realizing that if I approached this with a negative attitude, it would affect our daughter’s willingness to learn. And, to be honest, if my husband could see a geometry learning opportunity in a playhouse she so desperately wanted, he was wise to seize the opportunity and her attention.

So, I watched quietly as they re-measured the foundation sides. Then I watched as he explained, as they looked at the playhouse foundation, the explanation of the Pythagorean Theorem. While he did not officially tell her the theorem’s name, she was introduced to the idea that in a right triangle the square root of the sum of the squares of the measures of the legs equals the hypotenuse. She was also introduced to the purpose of the square root button on the calculator.

Once they figured out that the hypotenuse was supposed to be 8’ 6”, they measured the foundation and confirmed that it was laid correctly. Interestingly, not only did I learn something but I watched as my daughter began her introduction to geometry with a positive attitude, excitement and ability to understand the basics of this topic.

I am sure that the playhouse foundation example will be used when that theorem is formally introduced, perhaps in her playhouse with her Dad scrunched up in there teaching more geometry!

If you have a basement you know that this additional space can be a blessing or a gigantic black hole of clutter. After many years of having one section or another of our basement resemble the black hole, we began a serious cleaning process almost three years ago. That process was a huge step forward when we moved into another home. The basement moved down on our list of what needed to be organized in our home. Then last fall water infiltrated our basement, much to our dismay.

Needless to say, our goal for this summer was to finally organize our basement and to make it functional. Thankfully, this presented a superb opportunity for homeschooling. As we planned how to layout the different areas for everything from amateur radio to art and workbenches to a washing machine, we began by measuring the basement. Our daughter assisted with the measurements and figuring out what size area rugs would work in the space. This worked well since she had recently been learning about measurements and had practiced measuring different parts of our dogs.

When it came time to determining the layout of the basement, we each came up with a plan. Each had their benefits and challenges. While it would have been much easier to simply make a decision leaving out our daughter, we listened patiently as she presented several different detailed plans over the weeks.

Again, this was a great homeschool opportunity. Not only did the layout include design skills, interpreting the family’s needs, and measurements but it required serious skills to communicate why that design was the best. After all, each of us felt our plan was the solution.

Well, we finished our basement this weekend (finally!) and the design we went with was our daughter’s final plan with one minor flip-flop of two items. Quite an impressive result and homeschool opportunity!