Starcat's Study

Learning to Read

2009-06-16T11:40:00.002-04:00

My daughter Bridget, age 10, is currently learning to read. To those of you more familiar with the schools' timelines for this, that may seem rather late. But as unschoolers, who practice child-led learning and let each child's journey of education unfold naturally, she's right on time. Her time. And that's because she's the one who is motivated to learn.

Of course, she can already read many words and phrases. I've found, with my older child and others in our homeschool group, that self-confidence is very important in learning new skills. Because they can't simply pick up any book of adult level and decipher it immediately, they often think they "can't read," when in fact they have been on the journey of learning words for many years.

Most of the kids in our group "learned to read" (as described by themselves) around age 9. Bridget is on the younger side of the group as a whole, and has been motivated off and on over the past couple of years to actively practice her reading skills. She reads easy-reader books out loud to us, figures out what's going on in the computer games she likes to play, and reads and writes the words she knows in daily life (labelling her artwork, making and signing greeting cards, etc). She is part of our homeschool writing group, and we still read aloud to both kids on a very regular basis, as we have since their birth. She also sees all of the adults in her life reading for pleasure as well as information.

I recently went to a bookstore to run an errand, and Bridget handed me a gift card she had saved from her birthday. She said to get her a book, and to use the rest of the money to get one for myself. Instead, I picked out 5 books for her, going from "step 1" through "step 4" and including a simple chapter book as the fifth one. As her teacher/facilitator, my job as a parent is not to force her to learn, but rather to guide, encourage, and at times, offer challenges. I brought her the books, and offered her the challenge of reading them to me as a way of gaining more reading skill. I didn't know how she'd feel about it (and wasn't attached to the outcome), but she immediately decided it was a wonderful idea, and adopted this as her "summer reading program." She read the Step 1 book to me easily in one sitting, and when she's ready we'll sit down to the second book.

What's wonderful about this way of doing things is that she'll be reading for her own pleasure, at her own pace, and can be proud of having mastered this skill on her own. I'm also thankful that we're surrounded by a loving community of family and friends who haven't pressured Bridget (or me) about her reading progress.

Maybe she'll even end up as a total bookworm, like her Mom. :)

I've upgraded the laptop...

2009-05-29T12:34:00.003-04:00

This one has more memory and storage space.

Though there's a cute new model I'm thinking about...

Shared Joy

2009-05-29T12:23:00.002-04:00

I'm feeling really psyched that my brother is so happy lately! He met a wonderful woman last fall. They are now boyfriend and girlfriend, and planning to live together. She's great! I met her in December, and she's been at family gatherings several times. Last weekend she hosted our monthly family potluck, and we got to meet her Mom. It's very cool to have a new addition to the clan, and to see how much fun they're having together. Here's a picture:

Rampage of Invincibility

2009-04-23T17:47:00.004-04:00

I don't usually watch videos online that much, but this one just has to be shared. My thanks to the women on the RU-LOA list for passing it along and raving about it so that I actually went and clicked on the link this time.

Wow. I can feel the amazing energy coming through, even at the distance of a recorded video. I highly recommend taking the 7 minutes it will take to watch this...and feel the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8rkvEaVrG0&NR=1

Fours

2009-04-21T14:47:00.002-04:00

Sometimes things happen in fours. Even if they're lists of things that I've encountered while reading. Such as:

"Each read-aloud, then, is a language arts lesson, bolstering the four language arts: the art of reading, the art of listening, the art of writing, and the art of speaking."
- Jim Trelease, "The Read-Aloud Handbook"

"The beginner [witch] must develop four basic abilities: relaxation, concentration, visualization, and projection."
- Starhawk, "The Spiral Dance"

The four powers of a magickian:
To know, to will, to dare, to keep silent.

OK, to add a personal touch, four things I'm doing today:
making salsa, finishing a mix CD for a friend, yoga (duh), and cleaning

Hope your day is full of fabulous fours.

Education for the Soul

2009-04-11T12:21:00.000-04:00

"Avoid compulsion and let early education be a manner of amusement. Young children learn by games; compulsory education cannot remain in the soul." - Plato

The X-Cats

2009-04-05T20:45:00.000-04:00

New Goals

2009-04-05T15:48:00.005-04:00

I've been doing some introspection and re-membering, and I realized I hadn't written about my goals for this year (2009). I did this last year (click here to see the 2008 post) and found it useful. In fact, I just went back and commented on how I did on each of them.

So, here are the things I am focused on this year:

1. Writing. This is the year to become a published author. The vegan pagan cookbook is finished, as far as content goes, and will be sent out to prospective publishers soon. BlackLion and I will be publishing our core belief kit this spring, and we also plan to finish The Book of Ing. More to come!

2. Yoga. I will continue to focus on and refine my daily yoga practice. I will include more meditation as well. I'd like to try new types of meditation, and attend more yoga workshops and retreats.

3. Drumming. I will practice my drumming regularly, and perhaps take some lessons. I plan to play more gigs as well as play for friends and family.

4. Art. I am going to explore my creativity through various arts. One that I really enjoy is collage. I'd like to try some new forms, too.

5. I'm not sure what to call this one, though it encompasses love, joy and gratitude. I will tune in to the sacredness of everything. I am further exploring my spirituality, and having fun doing so. I will ENJOY life!

Why I couldn't get much done this afternoon...

2009-03-27T22:58:00.001-04:00

A Broader Perspective

2009-03-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

"Political awareness can become a tyranny of its own, not least because it locks us into the issues and perspectives of a particular time. But when we are looking at questions of the sacred, we move beyond time. To create the changes in consciousness needed to transform society at a deep level, we need insights broader that the issues of the moment can provide."
- Starhawk, in The Spiral Dance, 10th anniversary edition

Bartering

2009-03-26T10:28:00.005-04:00

I've always liked the concept of bartering. Even in our money-based economy, people with skills, products or services to share can find their needs met by sharing them with others who may have just the thing they're looking for.

Lately, I've noticed more evidence of people seeking out barter in their lives, and it has made its way into my own experience. A good friend who is a massage therapist has been offering her (delightful!) services at reduced rates to her community members. Recently, she's also offering to barter for massage. Her barter ideas are things she wants to learn about: nutritious cooking, doing Tarot readings, that sort of thing. To me, it sounds like she's not only looking to expand her knowledge, but also to offer massage as a way to encourage the creativity in the community and help it to flourish.

Quester is bartering some of his landscaping expertise and physical strength for a six-week spirituality class that he, BlackLion and I want to attend. Again, it's a good match for everyone. That's when barter is at its best: when it unfolds naturally and all parties are loving what they're receiving, as well as finding joy in the giving.

Newest Family Members

2009-03-16T11:36:00.002-04:00

My brother, who is a dog person, is nevertheless great at finding cats for our family. Yesterday he brought us our newest family members, two kittens. Introducing: Merlin and Percy (Sir Percival)! Yesterday was Kitten Welcoming Day. Here they are in my Mom's lap:

Mystick is not completely happy about them, but he's slowly getting used to their presence. Star is convinced we've brought her two new playmates! Though the kittens are a little intimidated by her size. Right now they are pausing in their brother-to-brother wrestling match to watch Star walking around the living room with a toy.

They slept on my bed, woke me up early to play, and when I fell back asleep and woke up again, they were lying on my pillow snuggled up to my head!

Merlin is a bit more snuggly (Bridget's ideal) and Percy likes to explore (which Tristan is enjoying). They are SO tiny and cute! Welcome kittens!

I Need Some Faith

2009-03-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

Just as the body cannot exist without blood, so the soul needs the matchless and pure strength of faith. - Mahatma Gandhi

A Little Break

2009-02-16T20:27:00.002-05:00

The schools have vacation this week. It does affect us, even as homeschoolers. Primarily because we don't have any sports events this week. Recently we've had a lot of basketball practices, basketball games, and indoor soccer games. I'm glad we're getting a little bit of a break this week, especially since they all seem to happen right at dinner time.

Our real vacation is next week. Our homeschool group, the Maine Wholeschoolers, are headed up to Sugarloaf for a week of skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, and lots of other fun! The kids are really psyched. I'm looking forward to it, too. And seriously, why would we go this week, when the slopes are packed with kids? We'll practically have the place to ourselves.

What have we been up to lately? Reading, making Valentines and collages, playing on the computer, playing in the snow, ice skating, cooking. Lots of fun stuff. Bridget had a friend over, and they decorated a birthday cake. It came out great! Here's the photo:

Bridget and Her Girls

2009-01-30T15:53:00.002-05:00

...at her 10th birthday party.

Waiting for the Boredom

2009-01-29T19:02:00.002-05:00

Since I took over with the kids' homeschooling, I've been practicing "radical unschooling." The basic idea is that all kids want to learn and explore their interests, and if you just let them go with the flow, they'll find out all that they need.

Part of it is relaxing enough to *really* let them do their own thing, even if they just seem to want to play computer games and go sledding and watch movies. I mean, we do things together like read aloud to them and go to various events, but here I'm talking about their unstructured time.

So I've been waiting patiently to see what will unfold. I've been providing materials that they mention an interest in, and giving ideas of stuff that we could do.

Last night, after a very snowy day, Bridget asked if she could read to me. I said "sure," and she mentioned she had a boring day and was sick of computer games. She practiced her reading by reading to me, then reading to herself in her room (which I know because she asked me about a few words). This morning, I offered to help her with writing practice as well. She was psyched, and her first journal entry was a list of goals.

Her goals are based on the ones I have written up on my white board: art, drumming, writing, love, and reading (the last one is her own; mine says yoga). She did a big art project with Sash today, and some knitting. She is playing computer right now, while her brother's at basketball, but I'm sure we'll be reading together later this evening. I love it when a plan comes together! :)

Spotlight on Yoga

2009-01-20T21:45:00.002-05:00

So, my brother tells me I'm a terrible blogger, and I guess he's right. That is, because I've neglected this poor site so much! But life goes on, and so now I'm here to tell a little about it.

My Dad had a heart attack on Christmas Eve, followed by triple bypass surgery, and has been in the hospital ever since. He suffered several complications, and it took a while for him to even get out of the ICU. He's doing much better now, and should be coming home soon. Our family has, understandably, been under a lot of stress. For me, yoga has helped.

I'd been doing yoga regularly (4-6 times per week) from late July through early December, then for various reasons I'd stopped. Starting with the new year, my dear friend LM and I decided to do yoga together once a week (rather than attending a weekly class together as we'd been doing). We're also undertaking a study of the founding texts of yoga, Hinduism and Buddhism, and have committed to a daily practice which includes certain poses, meditations and breathing techniques that we decide on each week.

How is it going? Fabulous! I'm really enjoying devoting 45 to 60 minutes to yoga and meditation each and every day. Since we began on January 5th, there has only been one day when I didn't make time to practice. It's great exercise, and helps me to de-stress and center myself. I'm really thankful for yoga!

Huzzah!

2008-12-09T22:29:00.003-05:00

Our wonderful old feline friend and companion, Huzzah Rastasoftafurrianpurrian, has left the Earth plane and gone on to the hunting grounds of the Summerlands. He was 18 years old, born on July 1, 1990. Huzzah died on Sunday, December 7, 2008, at home surrounded by his family. He was a playful, loving, caring cat, adored by everyone who met him. We'll miss him. We're glad he got to eat turkey for Thanksgiving and lie under the Christmas tree before he left, and that he won't have to endure another winter (his elderly joints didn't like the cold). Huzzah had a joyful effect on many people. He was a beautiful yellow tiger cat with very soft fur and a loud purr.

He got his name when he was just a tiny kitten. He was the runt of the litter, and since he couldn't get the first round of milk at mealtime, he decided to explore the house instead. He emerged from our friend's bedroom, came down the hall, and greeted the group of humans hanging out in the living room with an exuberant "mew!" Some of our friends had recently come back from a renaissance faire, and they said "he's saying Huzzah!" And so the name stuck.

Huzzah got his loud purr from his dad, who was named Tech for his penchant for climbing or sitting on the computer keyboard. His mom's name was Ramblin' Rose.

During the first part of his life, we lived in apartments near busy roads, so he was an indoor cat. He loved to play with balls of foil and rolled up juice tabs (the kind that you use to open frozen juice concentrate). He ran and leaped after them, and even fetched them back!

When he was 11, we moved to our current home in the country, back on a lane far from roads, with a big forest as well as open fields. We said it was his "retirement home," and he certainly loved having such a feline-oriented home. He loved to sleep under the lilacs in the front yard, and that's exactly where his final resting place is.

Farewell, Huzzah. We sure do love you.

Our Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T17:58:00.002-05:00

We had a really fun Thanksgiving Day yesterday, and I'm so grateful for my wonderful family and friends! There were 15 of us around the table. We had a delicious meal with foods everyone contributed. Everything was so yummy! ElvenTiger, Mo and my Mom made the table look beautiful, with place cards, flowers and fancy folds to the napkins.

After the first round of cleaning and then dessert, several of us went outside and played touch football, and then a bit of the other kind of football (aka soccer). It was a blast! My brother said he couldn't recall the last time he and I ran around outside and played together. I think it should be a new part of our Thanksgiving tradition!

Later, people chatted, knitted, enjoyed a game of Cosmic Wimpout, and played "Madden 08" football on the computer. We had a fun and mellow evening.

I Never Thought of It That Way

2008-11-20T09:07:00.001-05:00

"You do realize that Abraham and Seth and those guys are probably outlaws?" said Dryst (age 12) this morning. I replied "What, for talking to us?" "Yeah, the very fact that more of them haven't come, proves it. It's probably like, 'don't mess with the Earth people, let them evolve by themselves!'" He's really insightful, this kid. Though somehow this observation makes me love the channeled teachers even more. Go rebel oversouls!

Oh Yes Indeed!

2008-11-19T22:56:00.005-05:00

Just do your best to keep yourself in balance. One of the first things
that causes Energy misalignment, is asking or demanding too much of yourself in terms of time and effort. In other words, you just cannot burn the candle at both ends, so that you are physically tired, and then expect yourself to have a cheerful attitude. So, the rule of thumb has to be: "I'm going to be very, very, very happy, and then do everything I have time to do after that."

- Abraham, through Esther Hicks, Los Angeles, CA, 3/6/05

What to Eat

2008-11-06T12:09:00.000-05:00

"Cravings are going to occur to you. So here's the rule of thumb about eating, or about investing in the stock market, or about anything else: If the impulse comes from a joyous thought that feels good, follow it. If the impulse comes from an uncomfortable thought that felt bad, don't follow it."

- Abraham, through Esther Hicks, Portland, OR, 7/13/02

Time for Contemplation

2008-10-28T14:21:00.002-04:00

"No matter how occupied a man may be, he must snatch at least one hour for study daily."
- The Bratzlaver

Enlightening

2008-10-12T22:32:00.001-04:00

"This is what enlightenment is all about - a deep understanding that there is no problem. Then, with no problem to solve, what will you do? Immediately you start living. You will eat, you will sleep, you will love, you will work, you will have a chit-chat, you will sing, you will dance - what else is there to do?"
- Osho

So Many Projects!

2008-10-06T22:16:00.003-04:00

It must be fall - I'm feeling creative and inspired, and I have so many projects either underway, or in the planning phases.

I've got a few winter holiday (Christmas/Yule/Solstice/New Year's) gifts in mind already that I want to create. I can't mention them here, at the risk of spoiling the surprise.

For writing projects, the Core Belief Kit is still underway, plus I'm working on a chapter for a fiction piece I'm writing with two friends, a personal journal for my character in a role-playing game (based on Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber), and various other articles.

In the garden, we need to finish harvesting, then turn over and mulch the beds. We've got some garlic to put in, too.

With the kids, we're busily in the last couple of weeks of soccer. Plus our usual projects and interests. We got a bunch of new books at a library sale recently. The Maine Wholeschoolers (our unschool support group) will be part of a local art fair later this month.

And in about a week and a half, I'll be headed out for my yoga retreat! Wow, so much exciting stuff happening. Not to mention reading, visits with friends, yoga and more yoga, at least one drum performance for Feline Drummers, and of course the never-ending housework!