Quantum Leap Learning?

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to ignite." Plutarch

I was talking to my older brother about how surprised we were that my lil 5 y/o boy learned how to read on his own in three weeks' time with our erratic schedule at school. I remember spending barely 3 weeks with him, 30 minutes a day, just orally reciting the alphabets and their corresponding sounds and in no time he started reading phonetically and with good comprehension.
  
Happy for what he has heard, my brother said, "that's quantum leap learning..." What's that again? quantum leap learning? I kept repeating those words to myself a few more times. I was reminded of the 80's TV series that my siblings and I used to watch which starred Scott Bacula. But that's a totally different story.

I googled a bit about quantum leap learning and here's what the internet says it is:
"quantum leap, a noun, an abrupt change, sudden increase, or dramatic advance" Thanks! Merriam Webster!

My brother explains, "that should be quantum leap learning because he learned how to read in no time without having to go through the different stages or levels of reading." At that point, I tried enumerating what I thought we did as parents to prepare him for reading:

• two years ago, right after he turned 3 y/o, we purchased a pre-kinder reading curriculum that had a music CD of the alphabet in it, a few activity books and some alphabet flashcards

• we stuck all the alphabet flashcards on our kitchen wall and had lil boy sing-along with the music CD from time to time, we didn't care if it made our kitchen wall look ugly

• we'd let the alphabet music CD play the whole day while we go about our household chores

• a year later, lil boy decided he doesn't want to listen to this CD anymore, but instead, he would just sing it a capella whenever he's in the mood

•  plus there were books, a lot of books that we purchased from the thrift store, here in the Philippines, we call  it BOOKSALE, so, we were able to set up this mini library for our kids where they could just grab any book they want to read according to their many interests 

• we weren't subscribed to cable TV, so that their source of entertainment would be from watching "pre-approved by us" DVD's

• there would be a lot of animated reading time with Dad and Mom, at bedtime, at wake up time before we start our day; and because Mom had always been around with her two young learners, QUANTITY time has proven to be  an advantage over QUALITY time

• All these must have contributed to my lil boy's quantum leap learning. Or perhaps, for whatever my husband and I have unknowingly inputted at our lil boy's journey on learning how to read, we must have done the right thing. 

We're now very close to the end of another homeschool year. The next year of January 2012 marks our 7th year in the business of home-educating our own kids and counting. Thank God for this milestone that every member of this lil household is already reading and by His grace far from being ignoramus (smiles for over-reacting). 

Why I Should Consider Buying Rose Quilts?

Here are a  few good reasons:

• DURABILITY     The fabric materials that they use are sourced from the US, Japan, and the Philippines. A finished product underwent meticulous QC, it's a combination of machine and hand sewing, appliques, the works. Safe to say, they're HANDCRAFTED to perfection. A bed cover, queen or king with 2 pillow cases, would take 2-3 weeks to finish.

This is our Honeymoon Quilt of 12 years, a wedding gift made especially for us by one of my dearest friends, Rina. No repair has been made ever since we used it over a decade ago. Here, you see that Rina's creation is still in good shape.

Rina and I

I just thought that this wonderful work of art was worth the posting, tattered and all, LOL! The oldest in my collection, "she's" still a beauty at almost 15 y/o. It was a birthday gift to me by another dear friend of mine, Debbie, who's actually the one who influenced me into sewing quilts and of course, HOMESCHOOLING...I remember Debbie and I used tons of quilting pins to bind the ruffles that would go around the pocket for the pillow. I realized that placing the pins in the right order can make or break a lovely project. And boy, had I poked my fingers with pins many, many times!

I'd never forget the day Debbie showed me these fabulous collection of fabrics she had from the U.S. and asked me to choose the material I like as backing for a "Quillow" project she wanted to create with me. A QUILLOW is a word combination for QUILT and PILLOW in ONE. A simple quilted blankie that folds into a pillow; best for traveling, sleep-overs, camping...it is so flexible especially with kids, they can stick their cold feet in the pocket.

Debbie and I

My daughter and I so loved this quillow, very soft, very comfy.  I liked it that it was thoughtfully given to me as birthday present where I had to put effort in its creation. 

• AESTHETIC VALUE     No two Rose Quilts items are exactly the same, therefore they're all unique, the patterns, the stitches, etc. So, remember that when you purchase an item, you're the only person on earth who has that kind of design. IT'S LIKE OWNING A PAIR OF LEVI'S JEANS.

• REASONABLY PRICED     Let's compare the market price of  a basic quilted bed cover. I've asked around our local malls and learned that for a set of queen size bed cover with 2 standard size pillow cases prices are from: 
• MALL PRICE   PhP 8,000-10,000, roughly about $190-238 
• ROSE QUILTS PhP 4,000-6,000, roughly about $95-143  
• Note that  in the malls THERE ARE NO PATCHES, NO APPLIQUES, just quilted three layer fabrics. Rose Quilts are more  than that, they all come in colorful patches galore! Talk about value for your money.

• CREATING HEIRLOOMS    My sister who recently bought 2 sets of king-size bed covers happily shares feedback that she now owns heirloom pieces, very durable and yet, won't run out of style.

• CHANGING LIVES    Every time you buy any of Rose Quilts' beautiful pieces, bags, table runners, bed covers and pillow cases, please remember that you're helping some of the women of Baloc in San Pablo City, Laguna to have a decent and safer place to work where they can provide for their families, away  from the toxic and hazardous wastes found at the dump site. Here's a link to Philippine Frontline Ministries: http://www.thefrontline.asia/

• GREAT CONVERSATION PIECE    It's always so easy to engage in a meaningful conversation when you have a piece or two of these quilted patches. But, if  you're like me, my pieces are sporadically placed anywhere at my house like the large pillow case which suddenly became a table runner for one of my coffee tables. One baby quilt I have found its place on my center table where guests stare at and try not  to stain with coffee or tea. Below are some more of Rina's blocks that she gave me a couple of months ago. I told her she should stop spoiling me with her lovely quilts!!! But of course, if Rina were to "back mask" my words, it would be, "keep them coming, Rina!" Laugh out LOUD!

Patches Are Forever Part 2

Who's not loving quilts? 
A quilt is a type of bed cover, traditionally composed of three layers of fiber: a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting. 

“Quilting” refers to the technique of joining at least two fabric layers by stitches or ties. In most cases, two fabric layers surround a middle layer of batting (cotton, polyester, silk, wool or combinations of fibers) which is a lighter, insulating layer.

Patchwork or "pieced work" is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. The larger design is usually based on repeat patterns built up with different colored shapes. These shapes are carefully measured and cut, straight-sided, basic geometric shapes making them easy toe piece together.)                                                                                                Source: Wikipedia

Sadly though, real quilted patchwork had always been a rare find in the Philippines, not even in big malls in Manila. The only ones you can find in big malls are those that are simply machine-quilted three-layer fabrics that you won't be able to buy because of their exorbitant prices! I once saw a queen sized lovely quilt complete with intricate patchwork design during one of our short trips to Taal public market  in Batangas. But what more can you expect from it being the only piece of its kind in the entire country, I suppose? Apart from it being too pricey, the middle layer of batting felt like it was a polyurethane foam sheet that would break apart when washed...much to my dismay.

But God, through His wonderful ways, has answered my prayers, for lovely quilts to be made available for sale here in the Philippines. Yes, Lord! Quilted patches that I can afford, LOL! 

So here they are, being manufactured in the Philippines by no less than my good old friends  from Philippine Frontline Ministries based in San Pablo City, Laguna. But that's not all. Their quilts have stories to tell which I will write in a different blog entry soon. 

It's raining quilts, Hallelujah! It's raining quilts, amen!
Left to right: That's Moi - Gemma, Rhoda Lynn, Rhoda, Rolly, Rina, Noriel, and Rowena 

These are my friends from The Philippine Frontline based in San Pablo City. We've made a lot of wonderful memories together from 1994-1997 when I joined this anointed Team serving in the Lord's ministry, they're more like a family to me. It was through The Philippine Frontline that I was first introduced to homeschooling. And in fact, the lovely lady standing next to me, Rhoda Lynn Pessina Dayo, used to be one of the homeschooled kids that I taught there. Her Mom, in red shirt, is Rowena Pessina, my mentor in the faith, and the brainchild of this Quilt Project which aims to give livelihood to the less fortunate women living at the Baloc Dumpsite area in San Pablo City. So, when you buy a piece or two of their quality quilts, you know you've helped these women bring rice and food at their table.   Here are some more of our photos together. I'll be writing about their advocacy, or shall I say OUR advocacy  in a different post in the days to come. But first, please click this link to their website: 

http://www.thefrontline.asia/pfm-news/68-pfm-fmc/187-fwc-baloc.html

                                                                                        

 Meet GAB! the real Gab! She's so adorable and sweetest of them all...Rhoda Lynn's babe...and everyone else's for that matter...

Thank you so much that you've reached this far, scrolling all the way down here, LOL! So, this is where your blogger blogs, where there's peace and quiet. I must tell you that getting the right kind of quilt is critical in creating a post that will generate a traffic swarm from across the universe, LOL, again...

Find Patches Are Forever Part 1 Here

Meet Gab And Jill

I'd like to share a few of the short story books that I wrote for my kids many years ago. Back when they were small and I would have the liberty to pick out what to teach them from home. I drew my inspiration writing these short stories based from our daily mundane activities which transpired around our kitchen or school table. I took value from them by coming up with a list of vocabularies that would describe what ever we were doing at the moment. The list of vocabularies served as anchor to our stories.

I found this approach very useful in instilling love for reading in them at an early age as they found the stories relatable. Little by little they learned to read phonetically as they decoded the sound of each letter and blended them into words. 

While we filled our family library with a collection of colorful illustrated story books through time, I also felt it was necessary to come up with a set of our very own early readers' compilation of short stories without the pictures. I wanted for them to patiently learn how to blend the sounds of the letters as they were also encouraged to think imaginatively. 

My stories were open-ended so we can always enjoy a rich discussion after each reading time. I would let them decide how they would want our story to have a good ending. This became a useful supplement to my kids' reading and comprehension. So, teaching reading to our kids can be so much fun and engaging.

My lil "Nancy Drew"

My daughter was 3 yrs old when she started reading phonetically and when she reached age 4, she was already reading these books to me herself. We knew we have an early reader. Now she's hooked on reading the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories and would love to someday publish her own magazine for girls!

My son started reading these books a few weeks ago. I thought it was a thrill watching him as he read our own lil family stories. Knowing that he is a highly tactile and a kinesthetic learner, I would give him more time to read through a story as he acts out the characters as he pleases. Now, would that be a problem by me? Not at all, because by doing so, that's when I'd be able to gauge his reading comprehension. He is five years old. And I could care less if he struggled blending some words. It's music to my ears. 

One of his favorites is "Gab and Jill." The first time he read it, he puts his book down and asked..."Mom , is Gab and Jill, Ate and I?"

Note:  ( Ate - pronounced Uh-teh, Tagalog word, a title used to address a female sibling as a sign of respect)

Looking back, these story books have been very valuable to  me as I used them to teach  my  children  how to read.    Our memories    built  around  these  reading materials are so precious that I wanted to share them with you today.

Here are the links to my books. You may download and print them, it's FREE!!!

Gab and Jill

Unit 7 Story With Vocabulary

Unit 8 Story With Vocabulary

Unit 9 Story With Vocabulary

Unit 10 Story With Vocabulary

Left Thumb Up for "b"...Right Thumb up for "d"

This is a storybook I wrote about 7 years ago for our then unica hija, 4 year old Bethany. I wrote this book primarily to fill the need to have a set of non-illustrated story books to stimulate her imagination. I was intentional in teaching  her to read phonetically; decoding the sounds of every letter; blending them together to form words. 

It was totally the opposite during my time because I remember learning to read by memorization (like most of us parents did) with the help of picture books. I thought that bookstores these days have a plethora of picture books that use heavy illustrations from cover to cover so that kids have become overly stimulated visually, leaving no room for creating imagination. 

When I wrote this collection of short stories, apart from my daughter, I had a lil boy in mind. I envisioned him sitting next to his big sister and I while we do school at our kitchen table. But that had been yrs ago, and that boy came into flesh a year after I wrote the book. I'd asked myself if this is how it feels when you're able to live your dream. I thought of God's faithfulness to us thru the years. These are tough times but He has provided for our every need. He had been gracious for giving us the opportunity to teach our kids ourselves and to be able to have that freedom to choose the materials to teach them. 

I watched my son as he read his storybook phonetically. He was having a lil problem remembering which one is the "b" and which one is the "d." So, I had him do the left thumb up for the "b" and  the right thumb up for the "d." Problem solved.

My girl loves creating lapbook projects to showcase what she learned for the entire quarter. This would be her output project in Civics that we will compile in a portfolio to be submitted for evaluation and review to our homeschool provider in Manila.

Here are the links to my books should you want to sample them for FREE. Enjoy! 

Gab and Jill

Unit 7 Story With Vocabulary

Unit 8 Story With Vocabulary

Unit 9 Story With Vocabulary

Unit 10 Story With Vocabulary

Learning from Your Child One Page at a Time

For this Science lesson, instead of telling my boy to color, which he despised lately, I told him to just circle the pictures that showed how to take care of one's body.

BOY: Teacher, DONE!

MOM: Hmmmm...Can you explain why you think reading, like what this lil boy in the picture is doing, showed taking care of one's body?

BOY: What, Mommmyyy? He's taking care of his body.

MOM: Well, you did ok on all the pictures, but I'm just wondering how and why you think reading can also be a way of taking good care of your body as you would take a shower or brush your teeth or eat good food ?

(Mom was trying her best not to say "You're wrong" right away for her son's debatable answer)

BOY: Mommmmyyyy, right Daddy always tells us to read books because it will protect our brain? We needed to take care of our brain too. Right, Mommmyyy? Reading protects your brain...it also makes you smart too. Daddy always says that.

MOM: Oh, I see...I see...

BOY: I told you so.

These two photos above are sample pages of what you can see inside my girl's notebook in World History. She reads Mystery of  History Vol. 2. At the end of every lesson, she would usually narrate to me what she learned and discovered on her reading time. I would act as a student listening to my "Teacher" telling me a story, oftentimes, verbatim. I'm still in the process of learning the art of "not interrupting" while my child articulates her ideas.  Photo 1 shows men wearing plaid Scottish skirts while photo 2 shows young Marco Polo with specks of cinnamon powder around him.

Yes, we've moved out from our old schoolroom to this new spot at our kitchen. Moving out from our old school space was the next best thing to do to accommodate a pre-schooler boy that's highly tactile and kinesthetic; a boy who can't sit still, a  boy who kept asking for a  water break every 3mins, a boy 

 who needs to be strategically seated near the pantry for when he had to do his counting drill with manipulatives like MnM's, Kisses, Fruitloops, Cornflakes...

As Easy as ABC... Garlic Spaghetti...

Almost 2 decades ago, an Italian missionary friend of mine cooked for me a what she called "classic Italian comfort food" that's as easy as ABC to prepare and yet delightfully delicious and tasted expensive. I mean, to this day, remembering her kindness, cooking for a sick friend that I was, that really meant so much.

Down memory lane, here's what she did: 

1.     took a left-over pasta spaghetti from the fridge

2.     melted butter in a pan with a little drizzle of olive oil and stirred in the left-over pasta noodles

3.     got a medium-sized red tomato...pomodoro ehh...poked it with her finger on its base and sort of squeezed it with her bare hand so that the juice really oozed out as she threw it in the pasta while stirring

5.     cracked the egg directly in the pasta, stirring it well, turned off the heat

6.     plated for me...the poor hand-beaten pomodoro seated nicely on the center of the plate above the hill of my pasta grandiose, peppered...

The lesson I learned that day was invaluable; there's nothing like being cooked for by a dear friend especially when you're sick, it's like taking a paracetamol without the bitter taste; as a Filipino, trying to cook Italian, I sometimes over complicate things, and oftentimes it stemmed from my own insecurity and the feeling of intimidation because it's a foreign dish; and last, good pasta always come al dente, which literally meant with bite to your teeth in Italian.

My kids could tell if your pasta is good or the otherwise. 

Just days ago, we decided to have a quiet family dinner at one of the so-called Italian fine dining restaurants from our local neighborhood. We loved the location. We loved it that there was just us eating at dinner time on a Sunday evening while we "people-watched" the families flocking to the big mall across the street. We loved the ambiance, the soft lighting and the sweet music being played in the air. 

The servers were nice. We thought it was going to be a perfect night until our pasta was served. It was overcooked, stale, it tasted like it was thawed from long storage...how disappointing. So my kids, knowing that the money that went to pay for that dinner had been hard-earned, managed to finish their plates with occasional look of dismay on their faces. At length, we discussed over dinner what not to order in Filipino restaurants claiming to serve Italian. We concluded that if we wanted authentic Italian pasta, it's either we invite a true blue Italian cook to come over at our house or just D-I-O, Do-It-OURSELVES!    

Melancholic and Grateful

Melancholic - adjective; disposed to or affected with melancholy; gloomy

Grateful - adjective; warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful               

source: dictionary.com

  

Euy and I learned two big words at school earlier this day that we thought were worth discussing together.

SCENARIO. Euy took a short quiz on vocabulary and got a score of 9 points out of 10 and was complaining about one word she had a hard time figuring out. She was given four word choices and was supposed to pick out the best word that would complete the sentence. This quiz was about knowing the meaning of words through context clues, no dictionaries allowed. She was a bit exasperated that although she found the quiz easy, this one word got in the way of her getting a perfect score. So we discussed THE word "melancholic." Her quiz says, "The girl was still___________ after recovering from her previous illness." "But Mom, they're not making any sense," Euy argued, putting blame on the book. "I never felt "melancholic" after getting sick. I've never felt "melancholic" before. I've always felt active and energetic after  getting sick. I don't think Noah ever got "melancholic" either."

I suddenly realized at this point that because my two kids actually have never had any major kind of sickness before apart from common colds and flu, she can't relate to the word. My quick response to her was that "Eeyore" was an example of a "melancholic" gloomy person. Her face lighted up. "If you've seen people that were sick for a long time, they get "melancholic" while recovering. I know what you're thinking, 'cause you and your lil brother never really got sick that bad, right?" "Uh, huh." I see a happy face.

What a blessing it has been for our family that since I decided years ago to make a career out of homeschooling them😀we've been reaping the benefits from that decision even if realistically speaking it has not always been easy. My daughter and I agreed that because we've been schooling at home, the danger of contacting diseases from crowded places has not been a problem. I get to cook healthy but simple food for them on a daily basis. And since it's the rainy season once again, we are kept dry while the learning never stops even when there's a stormy weather outside. We can always look out from our window and learn while observing. 

I liked our conversation.

Now,having said all that...how about being "GRATEFUL" for having homeschooled for six years and raising kids that don't have to know exactly how it feels to be "melancholic?"