Intuitive Math Skills Question

During my sabbatical the kids have picked up monopoly. Part of the reason we started playing was because I thought it would interest them in math. Interestingly, Ethan's math skills have really picked up and he is able to quickly add up large numbers in order to dish out the necessary payments (or help his younger brother pay up) but he isn't necessarily that fast at doing the traditional math addition with carrying numbers etc on paper. I wondered if anyone else is having that experience where their child is good at math or something else intuitively or in their head, but they aren't really into the normal approach that we learn in school.
It kind of goes along with the whole idea we get from school (it's not taught directly, but we still learn it) that you can't learn anything unless someone teaches you how. Why not just learn how to add in your head rather than having a teacher show you an approach that requires a paper? Just looking for your thoughts.

Learning to Fly

There is a wondeful part of the book "The Magician's Nephew" where Strawberry, the horse that pulls the hansom, gets turned into a flying horse. Let me share the excerpt here:

"My dear," said Aslan to the Horse, "would you like to be a winged horse?"
You should have seen how the Horse shook its mane and how its nostrils widened, and the little tap it gave the ground with one back hoof. Clearly it would very much like to be a winged horse. But it only said:
"If you wish Aslan--if you really mean--I don't know why it should be me--I'm not a very clever horse."
"Be winged. Be the father of all flying horses," roared Aslan in a voice that shook the ground. "Your name is Fledge."

Can you see how Aslan is offering Fledge this great blessing that Fledge wants more than anything, but Fledge just can't seem to believe that he is worthy of it? He sees himself as a cart horse and it is hard to imagine himself as anything else.
Aren't we a lot like Fledge sometimes. Maybe someone told us through a grade or a comment that we weren't good at math and we believed them. Maybe we think that we are a fat person, or a poor person, or not popular, or beautiful, or spiritual, and then God offers us an incredible blessing and we say, "I don't know why it should be me--I'm not a very [insert negative belief] person." Why shouldn't it be you?
I love what Marianne Williamson had to say about this:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

So the next time you think that you're not worthy of some great blessing in your life, and your feeling like Stawberry. Stop rationalizing yourself out of the blessing, and simply answer "yes" and become what God wants you to be.

Faith!!!

We thought this scripture was very appropriate for our newborn:
"Remember that without faith you can do nothing"
--D&C 8:10

Mahna Mahna

One more Muppets Classic and a great example of the pressures of conformity. Mahna Mahna!

Danny Boy -- Muppets Style

Need a good laugh? Enjoy this trio of the Muppet Chef, Beaker, and Animal singing Danny Boy. Hillarious!

Is Homeschooling the Only Way???

It can be tempting to treat homeschooling like a religious movement and declare that this is the only way. I believe that there are many paths that people can follow that will lead to having children that can lead lives filled with contribution and happiness.
The truth is that even within homeschooling there are many different approaches. Are you homeschooling for religious or education reasons or both? How hands off are you going to be? What curriculum will you use or will you use any at all?
I think we have to remember that ultimately nearly every parent wants the best for their child and is working toward that. Some believe that the best way (or the only way that they could handle right now) is to send their child to public school. Others opt for private or charter schools. Others decide to teach their kids at home, and still others (like us) decide to see what their kids are interested in and then go along for the ride. While we can share our reasons for homeschooling, it is extremely important that we show respect toward those that have chosen a different path, because they love their kids just as much and are working just as hard (or maybe even harder with nightly homework) to help their kids succeed.
Just a thought.

Introduction

I thought it would be worthwhile to provide a quick introduction to our family and how we got homeschooling.
My wife is Jeanette and I am Matt. She is a stay at home Mom and I work as an electrical engineer. Our kids are Ethan (8), Ammon(5), Elise(3), and Faith(3 weeks). We live on a couple of acres in Oregon and have a really wonderful life.
My wife started homeschooling when she was about 7 years old. Her parents read a lot of John Holt and his influence combined with a really bad second grade teacher made it relatively easy for them to start Jeanette homeschooling. It was really rather new back then, and as a result Jeanette is one of the few homeschooling parents we know that was homeschooled as a child. It seems like most first generation homeschooling parents are excited to homeschool but at the same time are scared that they're going to somehow mess things up for their children as adults by taking them out of the mainstream education/socialization system. Jeanette is an example of a nice normal adult who happened to be homeschooled as well, which is calming to those fears homeschooling parents have.
I reluctantly agreed to homeschooling when we were engaged because I liked her so much. I was like the boyfriend that joined the church to get the girl, but when I saw the fruits of homeschooling I became truly converted.
I think the key turning point for me was when I discovered that Ethan was reading faster than me and with great reading comprehension. I expected my kids to eventually overtake me in some areas, but I'm a big reader and I guess I never expected that an 8 year old would be an even better one. It really hit me how effective homeschooling can be. Especially when parents get out of the way and let their kids pursue their passions.
We probably follow an unschool approach more than anything but we've also been influenced by a Thomas Jefferson Education written by Oliver Demille. There is also a great community of homeschoolers where we live which has been a great influence on us as well.
Hopefully this has provided you some background on where we're coming from. Thanks for coming to our blog and we hope you return often.