randomness and a homeschooling book to look up

+plus magazine <--magazine about math=refreshing
formulary
how to build an octagonal frame. This is one of those things that my brain twitches about when I'm doing really boring things (like pacing aisles asking 'can I help you?' and can't really do anything 'in real life' about it... I need a miter box to make it in reality. Eh, we probably have one around here somewhere? I want to look further into roof trusses as well... they intrigue me but also scare me in the 'really big thing I can't get done myself' sort of way.

I came home to find Esme asleep in her bed covered in blocks. There were even blocks inside her socks.... ?? We have a strange strange child. She is still napping, so I am wandering around in my own studies and browsing.

I was also looking for a map of the U.S. for her - a puzzle maybe. I think there is a placemat at WalMart I'll go look for another day. She saw me looking something up on Google maps the other day and asked questions about what it was and was interested with the idea that people live here, and it takes sunrise-to-sunset to drive in a car that far.

homeschool rambling
We will not need to file any paperwork for a few more years if we do choose to homeschool. It will be nice to have enough information in hand to go ahead if we choose or see what the local school district can offer, if anything. Thinking about other science and learning experiments to put to use at a later date. Mark and I have discussed some basic science experiments with kitchen items and growing bean sprouts in jars over the winter. Yesterday afternoon I read part of a book called 'Homeschooling for Excellence' by Colfax. It was reccommended by a Memphis area homeschool advocate I had emailed. I was impressed by it and hope to get it from a library or used bookstore. Unlike many other homeschooling books it did not start out with a religious mission statement. The author's point of view (from the introduction only) was that the homeschool environment was not primarily for the adults to control what the child learns/doesn't learn but instead to provide an environment that caters to the child's natural tendencies, established communication and shared experiences while providing some direction. It also acknowledged that there will be successes and failures, and that these are learning experiences for everyone involved. The adults are encouraged to choose a breadth of subjects and curriculum based not on 'grade-level lists' but instead relating to what the child shows interest in, what questions are asked and encouraging related experiences that are readily available (farm/woods/city/museums/library).