I am planning a protective hedge on our property.  The purpose of this hedge is many fold:

• Create a protective area for our small livestock (chickens and rabbits)
• Create a santuary for birds
• Create windshield

We lock our chickens up at night, but during the day we let them free range.  Occasionally, our neighbors dog will head over for some lunch.  We have tried scaring them off with a shotgun, but they don’t seem to remember for long.  We have contimplated actually shooting at the dog, but I would feel horrible about that.  Then again, I feel horrible when I catch the dog red-handed killing our chickens. 

 My long term solution is to provide a protective hedge around the primary area that they range.  

I have also picked out the shrubs we would use.

• Silver Buffaloberry.  Thorny.  Provides an excellent protection for birds.  Fruit highly prized for making jelly.
• Nanking Cherry.  Shrub producing edible fruit - tasting like a tart cherry.  Also often used in making jelly.  I’m just not sure if this will be dense enough to keep the neighbor dogs out???
• ChokeCherry.  I was considering the chokecherry until I read on wikipedia that it is toxic to horses!  Yikes.  Could it be true?
• Common Lilac.  I LOVE lilac bushes.  Need I say more?
• Woods Rose.  Beautiful.  Thorny.  Need I say more? 

The kids had fun getting involved in this as well.  They helped me measure the perimeter and do the math required to calculate how many seeds we will need to order.

So, we have been on our land for almost a year now - and have decided to ease into the country life with small animals first….  chickens and rabbits.  We figure if we can care for those for a year or two, maybe we can graduate to a pig or some sheep. 

So, here we are with these chickens. 

We have been enjoying a healthy supply of eggs.  I decided a few days ago, to leave eggs in one of the nests….  just to see what happens.  One of our Columbian Wyandottes spent the entire day yesterday on that nest.   But, then last night she got off her nest to roost.  Today, she is right back on the nest.

•  Is she thinking about going broody, or simply taking a really, really long time to lay?
• What about all the eggs in the nest?  Will they go bad now?  They were warm all day yesterday. 
• Isn’t there some sort of check-your-eggs test?

Sort.  Evaluate.  Label.  Divide.  This is the process our children are subject to as they enter the educational system.

• First - kids are sorted by age.

• Then - they are tested or in some other way evaluated.  Do he know how to read like a 6 year old should?  Does she know the math that an 8 year old should?

• Inevidably, they are labeled at this point.  “He is a delayed reader.”  “She is hyperactive.” 

• And finally, kids are sorted again according to ability level and any other label that has been applied.

Now, I understand the need for schools to organize kids in some way.  What I take issue with is the idea that all kids should develop at the same rate.  A child MUST start learning to read at the age of 5, or they are doomed to failure for life.  Why, if you can’t learn to read - you can’t learn anything, right? (more on this later).   A child MUST learn addition at 6, multiplication at 7, and fractions at 8.   Must all 26 years old’s get married and all 28 year old’s have a baby?  Of course not.  Adults spend their time doing a variety of activities and with people of varying ages.   This is the natural way to exist.  

Learning occurs most effectively when two things have taken place for a child.

1. The child has developed an interest in that area.

2. The child is ready.  <–  This is determined mostly by interest, never by age.

 When we decide that a 5 year old needs to be reading, we begin spending time each day in reading lessons.  If that child is not ready yet, the result is frustration at best and a low self-esteem at worse.   Make no mistake, it is the low self-esteem that WILL set a child up for failure in school.   Failing to read at age 6 has NOTHING to do with future success.   A common argument made by teachers is that all learning is based on what we learn in books - and so a child must learn to read if they will learn anything else.  This is in fact true if the premise that all learning must occur from books is true.   However, this premise is NOT true.  A child can learn from a variety of sources - until they decide they are ready to read.  

If one is faced with a child that is not ready to read - but is of the age that ‘the system’ has decided they should be reading - there are two choices:

1. Spend hours upon hours in reading lessons - getting no where fast and driving the child’s self-esteem down.

2. Spend the time in areas of interest - learning about the world.

Studies show a child learning to read at the age of  10 (or so) spend a very small fraction of time learning the skill then a child at the age of 5.  Within a year of learning to read, older kids have caught up with or surpassed their early-reader counterparts.    But, the older readers have spent much more time pursuing knowledge in other areas (they had a lot more time because they were not bogged down in all those reading lessons) and they often do not have the low-self esteem problems.  One of my 3 kids learned to read at an older age.  Here is the story.

Rather then age, learning should occur according to readiness and interest.  “Subjects” can be set up in levels….  then each child in a school can go through the levels in each subject at his/her own pace.  7 year olds can and should learn with 12 year olds. 

Or, of course, a child can homeschool!  This is part of the series, What’s Wrong with Education.

When I first started knitting, I was not very adventuresome. Anything beyond a scarf was…. well…. almost too overwhelming to consider. Anything with more then 2 needles was absolutely unthinkable. I happily knitted away for a couple of years, but then scarfs started to get boring. About a year ago, I figured out that it was time for me to start knitting “real” items… items other then realllly long rectangles… you know… hats, socks. Maybe it was the forced smiles I received at Christmas when people opened their scarfs. You mean giving a different color of the same scarf year after year is not welcome?

So, I started on a sock. I knitted with my four needles in a round. I was pretty excited to be knitting something really cool like a sock. I even got the heel done.

knit sock

But, then I quit. My half-finished sock sat in the basket mocking me. I had simply lost my enthusiasm. In fact, I didn’t do any knitting at all for a few months.
Finally, the sock caught my eye and I picked it up. I was going to force myself to finish that sock so that I could be an accomplished knitter… so that I could have a completed sock in my bag of scarfs. (It would have to go in the bag - because I was pretty sure that there was no way I would ever be able to complete the second sock in the pair!)

I sat in my comphy chair in front of the window. I got a whole two rounds done before I took a break and looked out the window. One more round. Look out the window. One more stitch. Start playing with my 1/2 finished sock. Could it be a puppet? Five more stitches. Then I boing the sock across my lap like Tigger’s tail. Two more stitches. Can I balance it on my head?

Okay - Time to admit that something has gone wrong here.

I just didn’t like the sock; the pattern. It is not a sock I would wear and enjoy. And with such a monumental item like my very first knitted sock, shouldn’t it be something I will enjoy wearing?

I contimplated pulling out the sock for about half an hour - as I peared through it like a telescope. It represented hours of work over the last six months. With a tug, I could unravel the entire thing in a minute. Should I really be so distructive to my own work?

I put the sock back on my lap and looked at it. I just didn’t like it. So I took a deep breath, pulled out the needles, and yanked on the yarn.

Tear It Out

It felt good! Rather then unraveling my work - I was giving myself a ball of yarn and an empty set of needles for a new sock. A sock I will enjoy wearing.

Happy knitting!

When asked the question, “Why do you Homeschool” or “Should I consider Homeschooling” my answer is often long and a little soapboxy.   I never really go into all the reasons when asked that question, but I thought I would write about it here, for the people who actually want to know the answer!

It is a two part answer, really….  The first is - - - What is wrong with our educational system?  The second is….   How homeschooling effects our lifestyle and our family time.

This will actaully be a series of posts, broken down as follows:

What is wrong with our educational system?

• Socialization
• Grade Levels
• Tests and Grades
• Attitude about Failure
• Bells

 And finally - The Homeschooling lifestyle.

 Enjoy!

On our trip to Mexico, the kids started getting a little homesick by week 3.  We had one day in particular where everything just felt bad and wrong to them.  They needed a good dose of gratitude.

I decided that it was time to bring them into my gratitude ritual; 5 things you are grateful for at the end of each day.  At first - they struggled - as I knew they would.  But by the time we got to about number 3, they had warmed up to the process.

Then, these profound words came out of Travelin’ Beth’s mouth

“It feels selfish for me to say, but I feel fortunate.  We have seen so many poor people here.”

We talked about why she felt selfish saying that.  In the end, we agreed that it would actually be selfish knowing you are fortunate but not doing anything about it….  and understanding that you are fortunate is the first step to giving back.

Gratituding with my family is a ritual I will continue.

We had a donkey on our property - he belongs to someone else, but boards here. I don’t know his real name, but we have affectionately called him Eeyore.

It had been a few years since I have watched or read Winnie the Pooh. When my kids were younger, the 100 acre woods was a favorite place to visit. But other then a few favorite sayings “My spelling is wobbly” that have remained in the household Winnie the Pooh had not been a part of our lives…. until Eeyore showed up on our property.

Our Eeyore was just like the Eeore from the story. His head hung low - and he was never in a hurry to get anywhere. I used to watch him in the mornings - before my household got too loud. I never put too much thought into watching him and what he did for me…. until I read a description in Pencil Dancing : New Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit about Cow Brain and Race Horse Brain.

Cow Brain is the take-your-time-observe-everything-enjoy-yourself lifestyle. Race Horse Brain is goal and productivity driven. If you spend too much time in Cow Brain Mode you will never get anything done. If you spend too much time in Race Horse brain, you will become the most dull person on the block - turning your creative life to dust.

Now, for confession time.

My name is Homestead Mama and I am a workaholic.

I am a complete and total Race Horse brain. I have been known to have tunnel vision and completely miss the life that is happening all around me. I have a big fat gaping hole where my creative life should be. I realize now that watching Eeyore gave me a few minutes of Cow Brain time.

Eeyore died while we were away on our trip. He lived a long life - 22 years - but the farm is a little gloomier these days - without our gloomy Eeyore. But he taught me a lesson that I will carry on. I need more Cow Brain time.

Thank you Eeyore - and Goodbye

Eyore

The next carnival is up!  About Homeschooling is our gracious host. 

Check it out!

http://homeschooling.about.com/b/2008/02/05/carnival-of-homeschooling-acrostic-edition.htm

 Copper canyon is, and has been for centuries, home to the Tarahumara Indian Tribe.  The Tarahumara have managed to keep their way of life largely in tact through the centuries.   Of course, they have been touched in some ways by the western world, but they still largely dress in their traditional clothing.  Many continue to live off the land and some still live in caves.   Rebozo’s are still used to cover heads and to carry babies on their backs.

We visited a few different Tarahumara communities near Creel.  One was a family of twelve, eight lived in a cave and four (brother’s and their wives) lived in one room homes built just below the cave.  Other caves in the area were used to pin up the animals (chickens, goats, pigs) at night.  The other community consisted of half a dozen homes spread over about 100 acres.  There was an old mission (with San Ignacio de Loyola at the alter), a cemetery and a community center.  

As I stood overlooking the valley of mushrooms (there were rocks shaped like mushrooms) I could see people selling homemade crafts to tourists, hauling wood in a wheelbarrow, strolling across a field, herding sheep.  It was a beautifully tranquil place.

The crafts made by the Tarahumara were stunning and inspiring; baskets woven from pine needles, pottery, jewelry, rebozo’s.

There is some disagreement amongst us about the quality of life of the Tarahumara Indians.  Some feel badly for them.  They are poor - evidenced by the children peddling crafts to tourists and asking for “un peso” if you do not buy from them.  We say 2 children with a fever,  laying on mom’s lap as she works on a craft.

Other’s in the party felt that they are fortunate to have a culture that is still largly in tact and respected.  “Poor” is only applicable if “money” is applicable in your culture.  The Tarahumara are still living off the land.  Indeed, as we stood atop the canyon, we were able to see Indian trails traversing the canyon below us.  In fact, far below, we were able to see and hear a man herding his goats along a trail.   Yes, a small percentage seemed hungry, and of course that is sad.  However, a majority of the people we saw were actually plump!

The Tarahumara are not totally immune to western influence.  When the Jesuits introduced Jesus to the indigenous people of the land in the 1800’s the Tarahumara integrated Him into their existing beliefs.  He became an addition rather than a replacement.   While some of the men work the land or herd animals, others take a bus to the neighboring town to work.  Many of the women sell their handmade crafts to tourists. 

It was a wonderful experience to get to know the Tarahumara people - if only just for a few days. 

I took my Ecological Footprint today.  I am using up twice my fair share.  If everyone lived like me, we would need 2.2 planets.

 On the otherhand, I scored a “10″ while the average American score is 24. 

It is shocking.

What else can I do? 

The “worst” area in my score was in Food.  I scored 4.2 there.  Next were Shelter and Goods/Services each coming in at 2.7

The biggest impact I can have now is to buy locally more often (seems challenging in my new town) and cut back on what I consume.

Do me a favor.  Take a moment to take the quiz.  Then blog about it…. and comment here.  What can you do to improve your impact?

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