Odinist Homeschooling

Dr. Mikes Math Games for Kids

2011-01-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Math is my favorite subject. I love teaching it and I love seeing the "flash" in our children's eyes when they "get it". Fridays are our Math game day.

I thought I would share a cool link to games for all ages.

http://www.dr-mikes-math-games-for-kids.com/index.html

We played this game today:

The Arithmetic Math Game

http://www.dr-mikes-math-games-for-kids.com/arithmetic-math-game.html

It is a little long. I suggest modifying it to eliminate fractions, unless it is something you are working on with your child. We did it with fractions and Hakon started to lose interest. So note to self--no fractions unless we are learning fractions in our book.

I hope you enjoy it and it helps your children grow a love of math.

FFF
Hyndla

A Whole Year has passed....

2011-01-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

And what a year!

So many things have gone on...I have another daughter in college, a son on the varsity wrestling team in 9th grade and winning! We are still plugging along on educating our youngest three...this year the Renaissance.

Everyone is growing and thriving.

Stay tuned for a re-ignition of our Odinist Homeschooling Blogspot!

FFF
Hyndla

December??!!

2009-11-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe tomorrow is December! Where did the year go? Things have been so busy here.

This year I have been working full time and homeschooling...it has been exhausting and time consuming, hence I have been scarce online, but it has also been rewarding. Although I am not here during the early morning and early afternoon, our older girls have really stepped up. Everyone gets their school work done and I have popped home once and a while. I always find a quiet home with studious children working away on their subjects. We have scaled way back on some things, but have still remained true to our Classical education...and it is paying off.

Erika who has fought her way through Augustine's Confessions and a few books of the Bible--which has been tortuous, but also very educational--is writing a paper on "Sin and Moral Relativism." Quite a task, but her consultant, who is a published writer is very excited. She is getting gritty with persuasive writing, which is integral to the rhetoric stage. She has made amazing strides in her understanding of complex subjects. It may seem odd for an Odinist to study such a subject, but she has communicated just how glad she is an Odinist and how crazy Christianity is to her. It really has given her the opportunity to undertake a detached study of a subject that has torn our Folk apart spiritually. At any rate, it has sparked some great conversations.

Gunnar who has been devouring books as of late, has really jumped both feet into History. Again, really delving into the Medieval era and how christianity impacted our people and destroyed our cultural and spiritual foundation. He has been reading up on some modern history. He is really taking off with Math too. Since this is probably my last year educating him at home since he is trying to get into a Math and Science Magnet High School offered here in Vancouver, we have been really hitting the math books hard and he has really risen to the challenge.

Hakon has really taken off too. He has been really been developing his love of building and creating. He loves to build something out of virtually nothing. It is great. Also, I pushed him in his math and he has, like his brother, risen to the challenge.

Thora has not homeschooled any classes this year. She has decided to take all her classes at Clark. She is doing some amazingly beautiful art. She has been perusing schools...did you know that UCLA is the 7th ranked school for art in the country! I thought that was cool since it isn't an art school. She has really been working to find an art focused college that has a strong foreign language department. She has 3 years of French and 2 college semesters. She loves it. Right now she is taking Spanish since they didn't have the next class in their foreign language series available. She is quite proficient. Anyway, she is on the hunt for a college that has everything for her in one spot...lol.

Astrid has become quite an adult. She is finishing up her AA in pursuit of a degree in either language or history. Both she loves, but she is still up in the air. She is getting ready to get her own apartment. How fast they grow up. She is so responsible and adult-like. I am very proud of her. :)

My baby girls are growing with both having a birthday. Freydis is now 5....5!!!!! I can't believe it. A kindergartner...she has been writing more and more. I am thinking of starting "The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading" or whatever the name is :D. She knows her ABCs and has been working on the sounds, but very casually.

Sigrun..my big three year old...3! She is a doll face that is our snuggle bug. Nothing particularly educational except she is pretty good at her ABCs and loves Muzzy :).

Well that is an update on our educational adventure. Our family goal is to get out of debt and me home by September when I will only have the girls and Hakon at home. We have been winning in our finances, so it is only a matter of time till we are free.

Hail!
FFF
Hyndla

Saxon Geometry

2009-08-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

After having to use mediocre Geometry math textbooks and lame public school materials, Saxon has finally come out with a Geometry textbook. I may be slow on the uptake, but I just found out after hunting for Geometry texts for Erika this year.

I am ecstatic! Finally! Our Saxon collection is complete!

Check out: http://tinyurl.com/lo79dy

This the cost from the publisher, but you can get it on Amazon or a different supplier (there are tons out there just google it!) for around $80 without shipping.

FFF
Hyndla

What Have Your Kids Been Reading?

2009-08-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hail All!

So what have your kids been reading?

We have reading hour during the day in the late afternoon and Library Day once a week...which is today!

Erika- I am so proud of her, she has been reading the books she couldn't get to over the school year. Aristophanes and Sophocles :).

Thora- I have forgotten, she reads so many. She loves those Victorian Era books from authors like Emily Bronte, Jane Austen, etc... EDIT: So I forgot all about the Angela Barret books..she is an illustrator for children's stories, mostly Grimms Fairy Tales. Thora just bought three of her books. Angela is an AWESOME illustrator. The lil girls love the books too. Keeps them captivated with rich art work and vivid stories. This is one of the books Thora bought:
http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Beast-Max-Eilenberg/dp/0763631604
and...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/184362298X/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V4SWH8/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Beautiful!

Gunnar- Not much really. He read a book about Abraham Lincoln, a sniper, books about jiu jitsu, judo, etc... LOL...such a jock :) OH Ya, Harry Potter.

Hakon- Tons of animal books...he has really been interested in science.

My lil ladies, Princesses...tons of princesses and fairies. They pick out books every time we are at the library. I must say they found the most awesome author...

Elsa Beskow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsa_Beskow

Her books are unbelievably rich in content and illustration. Every page pulls you into the Swedish countryside, sea, glen, you name it. We brought ever book home that was at the library and each story was beautiful. She is very much the Beatrix Potter of Sweden.

Even our oldest children loved the stories and illustrations.

So...any cool finds this summer?

FFF
Hyndla

Biology and the Metzger Garden

2009-06-12T10:12:00.001-07:00

This year with Science we did biology, and one just can't skip the family garden in biology!

Our books:
7th grade: Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia
4th grade: The Natural World by Lisa Watts

Reference: Square Foot Gardening
Lasagna Gardening

Our procedure:

4th grade:
Read, Narrate, Sketch, Experiment

7th grade:
Read, Outline, Sketch, Experiment

Our garden was just one 'experiments' of many, but it was the ongoing one, still in progress. Here is a slide show of some of our lettuce, our first harvest of the season :).

The younger girls just hung out and observed nature in an unschooling fashion. Just letting their natural energy flow. Freydis and I did a Charming of the Plough Blot for the gardens before they were planted. We galdored Fehu, and I believe that the energy raised has made our garden quite successful.

The boys have been tending the garden the most with watering, weeding, catching snakes :)

Ahhh....the natural world...

Just a little peak at our work:

Hail our Holy Mother Jorth!
FFF
Hyndla

Foreign Language Suggestions

2009-05-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

So for a possible upcoming trip to a certain South American location, our family is learning Spanish...yep I said it.....Never thought in a million years I would say it, but yes...Spanish. Asrekyr already knows tons of Spanish because he grew up in Rowland Heights...a non suburb, suburb...ahem....where as I was from total suburbia So Cal....LOL...OC! So I don't know a lick of it. He teases me...."What kind of Californian are you!" I guess there is nothing like telling off a Mexican in their own language..... Anyway....

Astrid has already had 4 years of Latin and 2 years of Spanish, so she is a great resource, but we need instruction, so I got this cute series for the girls (really all of us) which is called Kids love Spanish.

It is by two sisters that are from So Cal who grew up learning Spanish, probably because they had a Mexican Nanny , but it looks as though they run some kind of charter school and all the kids are not...Mexican, except one and a few other "tokens". Weird. Or Not. LOL

Our girls love it. The ladies look like Folk, they can relate with the kids and it is colorful, clear and fun. I recommend it to anyone having 2-5 yos wanting to learn Spanish.

Our next favorite is....of course...MUZZY! We have been using the German one for years (now because where we are visiting that is a common spoken language ) We have the French and the Spanish one (which is having trouble working). We have so much fun with it, I suggest it for everyone. I have a blast with it.

Finally, Lyric Language Spanish, it is awesome. It is all songs, but very catchy and it teaches all the proper grammar and usage. We had the cd many moons ago for Astrid when she was little and she still remembers the songs. We now have the DVD AND CD and the DVD ROCKS. It is a sing-a-long with both english and spanish words. I REALLY like it and it is right up there with Kids love Spanish, but for older kids. AND the main family is Folk, which is easy for the kids to relate to and non distracting.

Next is Rosetta Stone. It is ok. I don't like the overtly multicultural brainwashing. Also, all the "Western" languages are multicultural, but the "Eastern" strictly Asiatic representations.....hmmm..... Think China had a hand in that? The teaching in it is good so far, but when a learning program has political subliminal messaging that is contrary to your beliefs, it is down right distracting and makes it MORE difficult to use.

Another don't...well don't if you are a visual learner. It is a cd set called Spanish Complete by VocabuLearn: Language Power. The whole thing is English word and spanish word. No rhyme or reason. I don't really get it...lol....I guess I am used to organized teaching first you learn the ABCs, family words, etc...Not this one. Only thing that is good is the pronunciation, so repeating them constantly is helpful there. If you are auditory...like Asrekyr...it will be more for you. :)

There are two websites that excellent foreign language resources: edhelper.com and enchantedlearning.com . For kids that is. We have printed off worksheets and laminated all their flash cards. These are membership sites, but only $20 a year each...very cheap as far as curriculum goes.

Ok enough blathering...stay tuned...I will be posting more info on curriculum and what works and what doesn't.

BTW...Thank you Frithwulf (an Odinic Sister in Cordoba, Argentina), you have been a huge help...she has answered all my naggy stupid questions about her country :D!

FFF
Hyndla

2009-03-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Square Root Day!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090303/ap_on_fe_st/odd_square_root_day

Today is a special day that only happens 9 times in a century.

For Odinist's this is extra special since it is the square root of our most sacred number---9.

Hail the Nine Worlds!
Hail the Nine Waves that beget Heimdall!
Hail the Valknot!
Hail the Triskle!
Hail Odin, Vili, Ve!
Hail the Norns!

And last but not least,
Hail Faith, Folk and Family!
Hyndla OR

Global Warming Presentation

2009-02-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

Erika and I were lucky to catch a free presentation on Global Warming put on by our local library. It was quite a fiesty match of wits between those that believe in Global Warming, and those that believe it is a hoax. We are part of the latter.

Erika attends an alternative school here in Vancouver. She is taking Science and Algebra. In her Science class the teach played "An Inconvenient Truth" to purport that Global Warming is a reality. This movie by Al Gore is a travesty of lies and half truths as well as not having barely any scientific merit. I was appauled that the *Science Teacher* was teaching Al Gores theory as truth and science. So we decided that we would put together a written piece that relied on real science. It also, dispelled the myths that Al Gore was peddling as truth.

Part of her paper was this presentation. Erika sat in the front row and was able to hear and see all the evidence presented by both sides of the issue. Afterwards she commented on holes in the Global Warming theory. She also questioned some of the logic behind the arguments and the premises on which the theory relied. For instance, the climate record on which the global warming alarmists rely is only from 1975, although there is a 100 year record. Also, that the representative from Washington state kept connecting Global Warming to the ability to collect revenue from the residents of Washington State. We also were able to talk to a gentleman from the Cascade Policy Institute (http://www.cascadepolicy.org/), and he directed us to some free information. He also gave us kudos for our research into a hotly contested subject.

In the end, Erika was thrilled to go and see the debate first hand. Although we have "made up our minds", it is still important to hear the other side of the debate.

She turned in her controversial report and got an "A". Her teacher told her that it was well written and she was very strong in her opinion. :) Hopefully we educated her teacher a bit on the opposing view.

FFF
Hyndla OR

Classical Method-The closing

2008-11-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Personal Note

Our Family uses the Classical method via The Well Trained Mind by Jesse Wise and Susan Wise-Bauer. This Mother and Daughter teamed up to produce an excellent book that gives a combination of inspiration and step-by-step guide to Classical education. The above (very brief) overview of Classical education is result of our practical use of this method and understanding of those parts that are not yet used. We have found many positive results. For instance, the children are quickly grasping complex ideas and communicating them in their simple, yet rich, terms. It is fascinating to see that kind of understanding in an 8-year-old; or to simply be questioned (sometimes endlessly) about everything. Although we did have this to an extent, but there has been a marked improvement. One thing that we have experienced is the difficulty in finding material that was not heavily Christianized. This is wonderful for those of us that are Christians, but for those of us that are not, it is rather frustrating. My hope is that the more Odinist's and non Christians that use this method will build a body of work that future home educators will be able to utilize. Acorn Hollow is diligently working on just that idea!

“Education is not the filling of a vassel, but the igniting of a flame!” ~ Socrates

Hyndla OR

Works Cited/ Reference:

Wise-Bauer, Susan and Wise, Jessie; 1999. The Well Trained Mind .W. W. Norton & Company; New York. ISBN: 0-393-04752-0

www.welltrainedmind.com

Classical Method Part 2

2008-11-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Logic

The Logic Stage is exactly as it sounds, about logic! This stage begins with Fifth and finishes with Eighth Grade. During this stage of development, the young mind can now take the facts that they have learned and start using the rules of logic to make deductions, answer questions, and dissect facts. The logical child now starts to question the facts that he or she has learned. For instance, why did the Egyptian Empire fade away? Why did the Egyptians build pyramids? This is a vast change from the Grammar stage where the child was merely taught: Who were the Egyptians? This is also the stage where formal logic is taught. Logic is about analysis of structure and validity of information. The skills of logical analysis build upon the foundation of facts learned in the Grammar Stage. Although the child is still in the elementary stages of analysis, again, the beauty of Classical Education is the systematic and methodical building of a completed K-12 education, so the child is being taught to think logically a piece at a time to further prepare them for his or her next developmental progression into the ability to create arguments based on facts and logic: The Rhetoric Stage.

Rhetoric

It is absurd to hold that a man should be ashamed of the inability to defend himself with his limbs, but not ashamed of an inability to defend himself with speech and reason; for the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs.
~Aristotle, Rhetoric

The young adult has been taught the facts of life, the logical way to interpret them, and now will be taught how to use the gift of speech to present them. Typically this stage starts in Ninth Grade and ends with Twelfth Grade. This is when the young adult will start research, analysis, and presentation of information. All subjects will encompass this process. This stage of young adults life is marked by self-expression. As many know, the teenager is all a bustle about expressing his or herself in anyway possible. Aristotle goes on to say:

“…all men attempt to discuss statements and to maintain them, to defend themselves and to attack others. Ordinary people do this either at random, or through practice and from acquired habit.”

(Wise-Bauer, p. 452)

The Rhetoric Stage strives “to make success in speech a matter of skill and practice, not accident.” (Wise-Bauer, p. 452) The Rhetoric student will use all the skills gained up to this point to further master the ability to present ideas, facts, and studies of all subjects. This stage is about the finished product of a long study. Instead of simply learning about Da Vinci, or why he did what he did, the Rhetoric student will read, discuss, debate and present a complete study of this historical figure. The Rhetoric Stage not only completes the Trivium, but also prepares the child/young adult for partaking the Great Conversation.

The Great Conversation is the understanding, analyzing, and understanding of ideas of the past that have created the world we live in now. The goals of Odinist’s should include having our children a part of the Great Conversation. Do we not want our children to have a keen understanding of history, philosophy, and mathematics then to also be able to communicate these ideas appropriately through oral and written communication? Classical education provides the means to awaken the intelligence that resides within our children already. Furthermore, the Classical method considers the natural way children learn: systematically, slowly, and thoroughly.

Classical Method Part 1

2008-11-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

For generations up to the Industrial Revolution, children were educated according to the Trivium of the Classical method. This method was credited for creating such leaders as George Washington and philosophers such as Aristotle. It is hoped that each Odinist family can use this method to enhance their own educational methods!

What is the Classical Method?

In a nutshell, the Classical Method is the way children learn through their various stages of development. Instead of forcing a child to look at History logically in second grade, the Trivium teaches that a child in the second grade is when you teach the “grammar” of history or to say it another way, the trivium during second grade is concerned with teaching facts. It is a very simple method that yields terrific results.

What is the Trivium?

The trivium consists of the Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric stages of development. The Poll Parrot Stage has been included in recent years. People from birth to adulthood have a certain pattern of learning, which is reflected in this Trivium.

Poll-Parrot

Has one ever noticed that toddlers love to hear the same story (especially rhyming ones) repeatedly? This is in essence what the “Poll Parrot” stage of learning is about. Preschoolers love to imitate and learn well through imitation, repetition, and memorization. This stage a parent should encourage memorization through imitation and repetition. Consider, for instance, a four-year-old and Dr. Seuss. The child has the parent read the stories over and over again, he/she then imitate the parent reading while reciting the story from memory. Parents feel that this is tedious, but the preschooler absolutely loves it and is, in fact, learning! This is also where the timeless phrase: “Garbage in, Garbage out” comes into play. The beauty of Classical Education is that its method takes into consideration this unique learning phase and chooses to capitalize on it by filling the child’s mind with language, music, art, history, etc… The parent can give the child a valuable beginning in education. This understanding of the young mind help prepare the parroting preschooler for the “only the facts” primary schooler.

Grammar

Usually what comes to mind when a one thinks of Grammar is nouns, verbs, sentence structure, etc… Actually it is the Grammar of life and education that the child is learning. First through Fourth grade is considered the Grammar Stage. Think of this stage as the facts stage. The child is learning the foundational facts that support all subjects. It is vital in this stage that the child learns the fundamentals of life: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, or the three R’s. Although science, history, art, music, etc… are also a part of education, they are given the backseat to the foundations of learning. It may again be tedious education, but the Grammar stage student loves the facts and wants to learn the facts of life. Just as a journalist has to gather all the facts to give a fair and balanced report on a subject, so to does the student need the grammar of subjects to later understand them. Finally, the Grammar Stage mind can in Fourth Grade start the study of Latin. Up until about 50 years ago in public schools, Latin was a required subject in High School. For whatever reason, now Latin only resides in the curriculum of choice private schools. Latin makes the Logical mind think more efficiently. The child is not learning a new language, but a more systematic, logical way to analyze information. Fourth grade is the gateway into the Logic Stage where the foundation of facts and beginning of logic based thinking prepares for the next stage: Logic Stage.

Direction of this Blog

2008-11-18T07:59:00.001-08:00

Home Education thought is about as diverse as the people that find themselves taking over their children's education. Although I have tried many a theory, my favorite thus far, and the one I have spent the longest using, is the Classical Method. Why? What is it? In the coming Blogs, I am going to educating people on what the Classical Method is. I hope people will give this method some serious thought. It can be used on a part time basis. I also would like to continue discussion on it via the Acorn Hollow Home Educators.

I hope our Folk will enjoy this method of learning and can utilize it in their homes.

FFF
Hyndla

Welcome!

2008-11-15T08:39:00.001-08:00

As we are quickly approaching the post industrial age, our children have a fierce struggle ahead of them. They will be looked to lead our people, care for our aged Folk, and build a new civilization out of the ashes from our decades, nay...centuries of destruction we have allowed to happen. I firmly believe that we MUST provide our children with THE best education as a supplement or complete substitute to/of what they are receiving via the State.

I have heard over these many years as an activist about how the time will come when we have to make hard choices.... They are here.

This Blog will provide parents with hope...you CAN home educate your children.....It only takes:

Courage
Truth
Honor
Fidelity
Discipline
Hospitality
Industriousness
Self-reliance
Perseverance

And most of all Self Sacrifice....

Are we Odinists? Change has come, let us work it in our favor!

FFF
Hyndla