"Mama, what comes after 'In fourteen hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue'?"

"Mama, what comes after 'In fourteen hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue'?"

In fourteen hundred ninety two

Columbus sailed the ocean blue

The Taino people he did invade

And established the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

------

I'm just about finished with an incredible book called, "Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years."  It was originally part of my son's 4th grade curriculum and I was planning to begin covering this material back in October, in conjunction with the national holiday of "Columbus Day."

 

However, I changed my mind about the time to introduce this material to my son after reading the first few chapters of this book, which is actually a teacher’s guide for elementary and middle school history.  I’ve decided not to participate in any celebration of Columbus after reading this.  I was also inspired to pen this poem. 

At first, I only taught my son the first paragraph, because he would always ask me… “What comes after –In fourteen hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue?”  I invented the following 2 lines myself, but decided to write more as I was moved to after reading this book.

-----------------

In fourteen hundred ninety two

Columbus sailed the ocean blue

The Taino people he did invade

And established the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

3 million Taino sailed to Spain for the new enterprise

But slavery proved to be a business unwise

Not enough profit in slaves could keep Columbus fed

Because most of the Taino’s just ended up dead

Back over the ocean blue Columbus sailed

To take up trading gold, since slavery failed

No longer known to history as an invader and slaver

Columbus' new moniker was transatlantic “trader”

So in exchange for corn, potato and gold in great big lumps

Europe exported pertussis, measles, the pox and mumps

Columbus becomes a hero for evangelizing the “Indian”

While the Caribs, Seminole and Taino people are relegated to oblivion

A true American patriot leaves her children this legacy

to teach a balanced history of America, not hypocrisy

For the next 500 years of Americans lucky to call this country their place of birth

Ask the question: What did Columbus really do to the indigenous people known as Keepers of the Earth.

---------------

"Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold."  - Christopher Columbus

I can’t help but have a confusion of feelings about rediscovering the history of the Americas through this book.  I’m proud to be an American, and hold many American ideals, but I also feel guilty, and angry.   I feel guilty, not because I sympathize with the Europeans back in 1492, but because I so readily accepted the “Columbus as Hero” myth taught me as a child.  Then, I feel angry, that my education on this subject was short-changed.  It almost feels like I was taught a lie, by virtue of the fact that so much was omitted.

I’m so glad to have the opportunity, not only to learn this now, but to be able to teach my children what I missed out on.  I don’t want to preach anti- European history, or Indigenous people centrism, but I do want to give my children that history is perspective, and that there are many perspectives to learn about.

Prior generations in America learned hubris, imperialism and exclusion ideology from glorifying the actions of Columbus and reinforcing those attitudes in the Columbus myth history.  If a more complete history of the Americas are taught to our children, they will discover the Chippewa, the Hualapai, the Navaho, the Souix, the Osceola, the Seminole, the Taino, and all that we can learn from them.

Perhaps the hubris of war and imperialism that seems to be the hallmark of America from the perspective of the rest of world can be changed in the coming generations.  Perhaps my generation and my children’s will begin to turn the tide of sentiment. The indigenous people of this country were known as “Keepers of the Earth.”  Not only is learning from them a good idea, but may well mean our very future.

Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years

The Polar Express at the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, AZ

*Originally contributed in 2010

The Polar Express at the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, AZ

I thought I'd share some on our recent trip to Williams, Arizona to ride The Polar Express, a special train ride available only during the Holidays at the Grand Canyon Railway.  I came upon a brochure of this on a stop-over at Kingman, AZ on the way to Chicago with my sisters last September.  After some research online, I decided to take the boys on it this year.

I went ahead and purchased the package deal, which includes 1 night stay at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, dinner buffet, ticket to train ride and breakfast buffet for the next morning.  You save about 20% by getting the package, plus any discounts you can apply from Triple AAA.

We arrived in Williams very early on the day of the ride, so we made a quick trip up to the South Rim.  We were able to drive up, take pictures, shop a little and visit the Yavapai Grand Canyon Museum to soak in some Geologic History.  We got back into Williams just after check-in at 4pm and had just enough time to throw on our PJ's and get to the dinner buffet at 5:00.

The dinner selection is a little weak for discerning adult diners, but extremely kid friendly.  Tons of mac-n-cheese, fries, chicken strips, etc.  You can have wine and beer, but it's not included in the regular buffet menu price of $25 per person.  We decided that next year, we would skip this dinner buffet and patronize one of the local steakhouses instead.  The famous one in Williams is Rod's Steakhouse.  I guess we've been spoiled by buffets in Vegas as we did not feel the buffet was worth the hefty price tag.  Don't eat too much dessert at dinner, because you get hot chocolate and cookies on the train.

After dinner, we got to the platform at the Depot at 6:00 and they boarded us at 6:15.  The seating is all assigned and you can make special requests to sit on a particular rail car (A thru O) or sit next to friends/family members.  The railcars were built in the 1920's, and have been beautifully restored, but not modernized.  So the seats are a bit narrow and the windows are heavy wood frames.

The train ride is just magical.  The atmosphere is positively charged with the excited squeals and laughter of children.  I think even the scroogiest heart will be melted by the wide-eyed anticipation on every child's face.  I myself could not help but get all caught up in it!  It really starts when you step out on the platform and take in the scenery.  Everything is lit up.  There are carols played over speakers that add to the atmosphere and everyone is dressed in cozy flannel pajamas.

Then, you hear the train whistle from the distance and look up to see the bright single headlight approach.  In years past, they used a gigantic steam engine that filled the platform with mist as it came in.  These days, it is the eco-friendly, vegetable oil powered engine that pulls the train.  Still, it does not fail to impress.  As the engine rolls past, the railcars appear and from the windows wave men and women dressed in white chefs coats and hats.  Everyone on the platform just cheers and cheers at the sight!

After the train comes to a stop, a dozen or so conductors come off the train onto the platform.  They are dressed in the exact same costume as the conductor on The Polar Express movie, complete with hand held lamp.  They greet the riders on the platform and manage to wrangle everyone into the right lines while taking pictures with children.

On the train, it is toasty, so we shed all our coats and get settled for the ride.  Once the train leaves the depot and the town, it is pitch black out the windows.  This adds to the mystery and magic of the ride.  The train rattles and sways to curves on the track and we all try to guess how fast we are moving.  Every so often, the darkness is interrupted by homes along the countryside that are lit up with Christmas lights.

On the ride, the chefs entertain the children and sing carols.  We also get chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate to wash it all down.  If your child does not like chocolate (like my son, Harpo), you may want to pack a juice box and a snack.  I brought a small backpack with diapers, wipes, juice boxes and crackers, and of course the necessary motion sickness gear that always accompanies my children. There's no room for a stroller and you really won't need one.  Thankfully, no one threw up on this ride!

I won't give away too much of the rest of the ride, as I believe you need to experience it for yourself and I could not begin to capture it here in this written note.  I hope you have the opportunity to take this train some time.  Even if you don't have kids to take, it's a wonderfully romantic trip for a couple.  Dress up in cozy pajamas and join in on the fun.

We spent that night at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel.  The hotel is only 2 stories and gets sold out quickly, especially on weekends.  Although a beautiful hotel and located conveniently in the same courtyard as the train depot, it is old and smells a bit musty.  They use sheet layers on the beds instead of bed spreads, so they're just as modern as regular hotels, but the bathrooms and carpets are really dated and tend to give off that musty smell.

I think next time, we'll stay at the nearby Marriott Fairfield.  It's only a category 2 for hotel points and was just built in 2006.  It's close enough to the train depot (less than a mile).  I recommend the breakfast buffet at the Grand Canyon Cafe (also located in the same courtyard as the hotel and train depot).  However, it is pricey at $25 per person (kids and adults, under 2 eats free).  Next time, we'll opt for dinner at the local hot spots, one of them being, Rod's Steakhouse in the town proper.

Here is the link to the site:

http://www.thetrain.com/polar-express-5679.html

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Answer to Poll Question: Of these four things, Lender, Borrower, Loan or Collateral, which is considered the "Asset?"

Correct Answer: LOAN

In the modern banking system (Fractional Reserve Lending), the Loan exists only when all three of the others (lender, borrower and collateral) come together. All three create the entity we know of as the Loan. It is considered an asset for 2 main reasons:

1) Of the four things, the Loan is the ONLY thing banks will buy and sell and trade with other banks.

2) Origination of Loans causes the total supply of money in circulation to expand. The total debt within an economy is exactly the amount of money in circulation within it.

If you are interested in reading more a further explanation is attached below.

Thank you for participating in our informal poll on Facebook. We're working on collaboration with local businesses and government to include a greater amount of financial literacy into classrooms - primarily within the subject of US history in elementary and high school. As a part of an ongoing project, this poll served to illustrate the common misconception that "collateral" is considered the asset in our Modern Monetary System.

So, why isn’t collateral considered an asset anymore?

By definition, collateral is encumbered and therefore of no “exchange” value to the borrower. Similarly, collateral is not an asset to the bank because they are deriving no “use value” from it (the house, car or boat is not in their direct possession and they are not using it, living in it or driving it on a regular basis).

The truth is, that those of you who answered, "collateral" would have been correct if the year was 1912 or earlier. School textbooks used to have a course in monetary theory that reflected the financial system in place in the U.S. At that time, a bank’s charter prevented it from selling loans to other banks – as such an act was deemed to be a breach in the original lender-borrower contract. That all changed in 1914 with the passing of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson. Once this law was enacted, the restriction was lifted and debt became the primary method of money creation, making the Loan the asset. Textbooks were not updated to reflect this change.

Simply put, in 1913, the creation of money transferred from government to central banks, and the process of increasing or decreasing the total supply of money in circulation was accomplished by creating debt. The debt or total of all the Loans in force = the total supply of money in circulation. Without the loans, there would be no money in the economy.

For example: You cut down a tree in your backyard and carved out a chair out of the wood. You then took the chair to the bank and mortgaged it for $100 cash. Your hand-made chair is appraised by the bank, and is determined to be worth about $100 to the highest bidder. The bank draws up a piece of paper, commonly referred to as a "note." On it, the bank spells out the terms of the loan. The moment you sign the bottom line, $100 is added to the total money supply in circulation in the economy. The bank hands you $100 cash at 10% interest. At the end of the loan, you would have paid a total of $110.

During the life of your loan, also known as the “term,” the bank may also charge you a periodic interest rate, which you have to pay on a monthly or yearly basis. If you fail to make a payment, the bank will go to your house, take your chair and sell it at auction to get the $100 back. If you faithfully make all the payments, at the end of 10 years, the bank will have received a total of $110 plus the periodic payments you made for the life of the loan. If your loan term was for 10 years at 10% per anum, you will have paid the bank a total of $210.*

The bank makes money in 3 ways from the creation of a Loan.

1) Interest payments: During that 10 years, the bank has taken your interest payments (made in cash by you) and re-loaned that cash to other borrowers using the same method.

2) Selling the Loan: At any point during the term of your loan, the bank can sell your promise to pay $10 a year for 10 years to another bank for a lump sum of money. For example. Your loan with bank A is sold to bank B for $90. Bank A now doesn’t have to wait 9 years for the $90 and can immediately re-lend to other borrowers. In the meantime, bank B can brag to shareholders that it made a $120 profit on the purchase of your promise to pay, because bank B will now receive your principal and interest payments every year for 10 years.

3) Credit Default Swaps: the bank makes money from the sale of its stocks and bonds. The most controversial of the profit methods because CDS’s are done “off the books.” No formal documentation is made that can be reviewed by shareholders or the SEC. Bank A and bank B agree to back each other up in case of defaults of their respective borrowers. This arrangement allows rating agencies to rate a bank’s financial performance within an exchange (bonds) or value based on performance (stock price).

Only the Loan allows banks to profit in this way, making it the most important “Asset” in modern banking. Again, as soon as the chair becomes collateral for an agreement between a lender and a borrower, the chair transfers any exchange value it once had as an unencumbered piece of property to the newly created Loan, which is exchanged over and over again reaping profits all the way. When all four things are present, Lender, Borrower, Loan and Collateral, the only one of the four that has exchange value is the Loan, making IT the Asset. As the new saying goes, “Debt makes the world go ‘round!”

So, while the answer, “collateral” was the most prevalent, it is also almost 100 years out of date. However, don’t despair, because once you have paid your loan back to the bank at the end of 10 years, the loan document is destroyed and your chair is “free and clear.” At this point it does indeed become YOUR asset. But remember, if you ever put your chair up for collateral again, it is no longer an asset.

Thanks again for participating. I welcome any questions or feedback.

* For those of you who noticed...

How can a total of $210 be paid to the bank if only $100 was put into circulation by the creation of the Loan in the first place? Where does the other $110 come from?

Warning: The answer is what economist refer to as "The Red Pill."

"You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. " - Morpheus from The Matrix

Teaching with TV and Movies

Following is my review of TV Shows, Movies and DVDs that my kids watch for entertainment and education. For them, there is really no difference, but I can usually find plenty of teachable moments when watching these shows with them or discussing them afterwards.

Note: I have one son (age 6) in regular curriculum with Global Village School and one son (age 8) on unschooling or life-learning curriculum. For more information, please email me.

This probably makes me a bit different from most homeschooling parents out there in that I have integrated a great deal more TV/Movies in my children's education. However, I do feel that parents should take the time to watch these shows and decide for themselves what value they have to educate as well as entertain their children.

Not all cartoons are junk and not all educational shows are snoozers. I happen to really like SpongeBob Squarepants. If one can look past the silly plot lines, you will find some very interesting, and often highly principled characters. SpongeBob himself, although naive at times, has a strong work ethic, is extremely caring and empathetic and unconventionally intelligent. All characteristics that are desirable in people and ones in which I am not hesitant for my children to learn and emulate.

So here is a small list of some shows we've included in our learning life. Harpo is 8 and has been very receptive to learning story structure and process as well as character analysis. Although that sounds like a boring English class in 9th grade, when the subject matter is a source of interest and entertainment, then learning can happen - easily and happily. SpongeBob and Patrick can do just as well as job as Shakespeare and Molier in teaching "exposition, climax, denouement, and resolution."

Mythbusters
Harpo's favorite show that is all about the adventures of a group of engineers and scientists that set out to prove or disprove myths of all types. For example, during “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel, the Mythbusters dedicated their shows to exploring shark myths. They attempted to find the best way to evade sharks by testing out punching, releasing pepper juice in the water, and other techniques. They also try to recreate scenes from movies involving sharks to see if these things could be done in real life.

Man-Made
A show about extreme machines and the engineering that is involved in building and maintaining them. Shows feature tugboats the size of football fields, tunnel diggers, draw bridges and dams.

Naked Science
A Science variety show that covers geology, space, pre-history and zoology. The episode on Super-continent, Pangea is one that Harpo will watch over and over.

Disaster Lab
There have only been a handful of episodes. This show depicts the effects of different types of forces on people and property. Although slightly violent in nature, the simulations are done with crash test dummies or using stick forms in illustration. The show will end with safety lessons, emergency education and prevention techniques.

Warriors (History Channel)
Host, Terry Schappert, travels the world to explore ancient cultures and their warriors and weapons. He is a trained martial artist and stuntman and will demonstrate ancient fighting techniques after first interviewing experts. This was a great show to bring our reading to life. We read the “You Wouldn’t Want To…” series of books that featured the life of Mayan priests, early American revolutionaries, builders of the Great Wall, etc. After reading, “You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Mayan Soothsayer!” we watched Terry demonstrate the use of Mayan double-edged fighting sticks. Many of the rituals and terms we read in the book were on the show.

How It’s Made (Science Channel & TLC)
This is a wonderful 30-minute variety show on the methods of manufacturing of many different items. The variety of items they feature is amazing. They cover everything from potato chips to chainsaws and plastic furniture. The boys find this very interesting and will often share the manufacturing methods they learn about with their friends and relatives. Zeppo likes to tell people how stackable potato chips are made!

Yo Gabba Gabba! (Noggin)
Nice variety show that integrates the study of sciences with music in a kids’ variety show. Sometimes a bit juvenile for Justin, but still entertaining. They get the most out of the safety oriented shows. I particularly like the show about learning what to do if you are lost and how to ask for help.

Between the Lions (PBS)
This is an old-time favorite of the family. The lion family lives and works in a library and will read many books and bring them to life. I like the way the books are presented because they are read in their entirety and are captioned with the words highlighted as it is read. Then many of the words in the books are featured and focused on with singing about them and exploring their sound components.

Bill Nye, the Science Guy (PBS)
Very entertaining variety show starring, Bill Nye. The boys relate well to his off-beat and silly sense of humor. His love of science is infectious. On one of the episodes, Bill visited the Aquarium of the Pacific, which we also frequent. The boys were so excited and will relate “This is where Bill saw the sting ray, etc…” when we visit the aquarium.

Truth or Scare (Discovery Kids)
This is another great show, but only 3-4 episodes have aired so far that they keep playing over and over. This show takes otherwise scary subjects, like the Loch Ness Monster, Wolfman, or Haunted Houses and applies logic, history and science, thereby “de-spookifying” or demystifying them.

Grossology (Discovery Kids)
This one is a typical cartoon show, but it features kids with powers that are linked to different bodily functions. Amidst the hilarity, there is real science and biology that is taught.

The Future is Wild (Discovery Kids)
A young girl from 10,000 in the future comes back in time to find a home for the human race. She visits different time periods in the geological timeline history of Earth and explores the environment.

Psych (USA Network)
This is a wonderful series about, Shawn, a young man with exceptional observation skills. He has “unconventional” intelligence in that he has a deep sense of empathy and a very keen eye for details. In the series he makes a living by pretending to be a psychic working for the Santa Barbara police department. Harpo relates well to Shawn and loves to watch his unique genius in action fooling everyone around him into thinking he has supernatural powers. Although this is a show for adults, the depiction of crimes in the stories are not so violent that Harpo can’t watch.


MOVIES/DVDs
Supercroc (National Geographic Special)

Prehistoric Planet (BBC/Discovery Kids Special Series)

Prehistoric Park (BBC Series)

Walking with Monsters – Life Before Dinosaurs (BBC Series)

Walking with Cavemen (BBC Series)

Chased by Dinosaurs (BBC Series)

Chased by Sea Monsters (BBC Series)
These dinosaur and pre history DVDs are Harpo's favorites. He has watched them all several times. He also reads the companion books I have bought for the BBC series. The books are large coffee-table type books with colorful pictures and many charts and graphs comparing the creatures to modern day animals. He loves the books so much he sleeps with them in the way other children sleeps with teddy bears and blankets.

The Universe (History Channel Mini-Series)
This series features some of the most popular physicists talking about the known universe as well as speculating on some of the most modern and controversial theories. Harpo's favorite is the episode on Jupiter’s moons and Zeppo loves the episode about black holes.

Stealing Lincoln’s Body (History Channel)
This special was a good mix of documentary style interviews with historians and dramatized re-enactment of events following Lincoln’s assassination. This first aired in February, but the boys were not interested in it until recently.
The Link (History Channel Special)
This special features a newly discovered set of fossils. The creature is unlike any other before discovered and has been speculated to be the evolutionary link between lemurs and apes.

Clash of the Gods: Hercules (History Channel Special)
This series is another brilliantly produced show mixing interviews with experts and computer generated scenes of the Gods, humans and mythical creatures. The boys are engrossed in the stories and love to listen to me and their father read from our Greek Myths books. The books are too boring for them to read on their own (because of the small print and no pictures), but make for great bed-time reading. At first I feared that the themes would be too adult, but we’ve been able to maneuver past the more adult situations and focused on the adventure and courage aspects of the stories.

Tax Reform (The Capitalist Plan Infiltrates The Middle Class)

The quote below is taken from The President's Advisory Panel on Tax Reform," published in 2005:

"Only people can bear the burden of taxation. While corporations do remit tax 
payments to the federal government, the economic burden of the corporate income tax can fall only on people – specifically, shareholders, employees, or customers. " (Final Report, Chapter 3, Page 34, Paragraph 1)

The significance of the above is that we (people) should be aware that the Capitalist system that we perpetuate in this country will never share the burden of taxation with corporations - no matter what guise of Democracy we vote into office. This, the holy mantra of Capitalism, prevails.

Thus the increasing importance of growing the unskilled, working class that will serve as the perpetual source of tax revenue. No child left behind to escape the burden of taxation. The biggest threat to this system is an aware, educated, critical citizenry.

http://taxreformpanel.gov/final-report/

New School Year (2008)

* This was originally distributed to my family in 2008 *

Dear Family,

Since it has been so hard to get everyone together in one place, I want you to have this letter in advance of Harpo and Zeppo's new home school year. It will summarize the academic themes, projects and activities we will be engaged in, the objectives for Harpo and Zeppo as well as specific areas and activities that we will NOT be doing in order to better balance their skills and academic levels for their ages.

To preface the following, I have just completed several teleconferences, email exchanges, and research with teachers at Global Village School. Together we have evaluated the boys on their LEARNING STYLES. These, along with results from homeschooling with Justin last year have given us a perspective of the boys that will lets us present to/teach them in a way that is fun, encouraging, non-stressful and allows for maximum retention and skill building.

I will post the “Learning Style Profile” for each Harpo and Zeppo. Knowing their style is helpful in your engagement with each of them so that it is compatible and complimentary to the curriculum and teaching style that I employ with them each day. Additionally, there are specific activities that we should stop doing with Harpo and Zeppo as it comes potentially in conflict with objectives for the following school year.

Themes for this year are:

California History, The Earth, Our Traditions, Music, Spy-Training, and Stories of Our Childhood

Activities & Projects: Visit the California Missions, make models of things in Nature, visit worship places of different religions, movies, songs, and games

The basic “School Day” for Justin & AJ will generally be the following:

Morning: 15 mins to 30 mins of “Circle Time”

(More detail on Curriculum that I will post)

Day: Majority of day will be Creative/Active Play.

(I will set stage to guide the play to cover specific academic subjects each week. Again, detail will be posted)

Afternoon: 30 mins to 1 hour of “Production”

(Series of art projects, worksheets and other activities)

Evening: More Creative/Active Play

Things to Avoid:

Harpo ** No more drilling of math problems! ** Harpo is starting to show anxiety over the constant drilling of math. Instead of more worksheets, we will be reinforcing math concepts through APPLICATION. This will include cooking, age appropriate budgeting and money management, CD-ROM games and Board Games.

Zeppo ** No more arbitrary quizzing! ** Zeppo tends to give “joke” answers to questions you ask him. He plays at getting the answer wrong because of an underlying anxiety about really giving the wrong answer. Instead, we will focus on learning through archetypes during this year. This means telling lots of stories, with fairytales and poems. Then we can use these stories to illustrate values and example to follow in daily life.

At this age, drilling them on details outside of a larger more engaging context risks causing distaste of or anxiety over learning those details, thus rendering them insignificant. When the boys learn by doing and engage in the application of academic concepts in practice, they will effortlessly intuit the rules.

Getting Involved –

The nice thing about homeschooling children this age is that learning comes easily and naturally to them. Because of that, teaching should come easily and naturally. At this age, the boys will learn and gain a tremendous degree of skill just from “hanging out” with adults as we do our daily routine and perform our normal household tasks. So the best way to help with homeschooling and get involved is just to have them help or watch you anytime it is convenient or opportune.

Example: Washing the Car – a variety of academic skill can be learned and applied in this activity. Language Arts can be applied by having Harpo read the instructions on the car wash soap bottle. Math concepts are applied when mixing the soap bucket. Science/Scientific Method is applied in learning the process and steps involved in washing the car. Confidence can be instilled and reinforced by allowing for mistakes and overages. Luckily there is plenty of opportunity to wash cars each week here, so there is ample opportunity to practice all the applications. Skills, patience, confidence and pride in one’s work can be taught and reinforced every time the kids help with car washes.

Games – The curriculum for both boys includes the use of board games and cd-roms. All these games were chosen for specific application of age appropriate academic skills in Math and Reading. In the beginning, the boys may not have the patience or attention span to sit through a whole game, or even long enough to read the instructions on how to play. Over time, the boys will engage in the games and initiate strategies on their own. All is an appropriate part of the brain development process for their age. Anytime that is convenient and opportune for you to play with them is welcome. Play should be free and flexible, letting the boys grow accustomed to the rigors or rules for each game at their own pace over the next few weeks and months.

Following Harpo Lead:

Although Zeppo's Kindergarten curriculum is from the more structured “Oak Meadows Kindergarten Syllabus,” Harpo on the other hand will continue with his “open” curriculum. This means that I am given a very basic foundation of skills to cover and must take Harpo's lead in more detailed or enhanced subjects.

For example, Justin wanted to know how to clone himself. I took this opportunity to embark on a Paper Mache project to create a physical clone of Harpo out of stuffed paper. Complimentary to this, we read books/websites or watch TV shows/DVDs on genetics and DNA. When Harpo is engaged and interested in a subject he has an almost superhuman ability to absorb and retain information.

If Justin expresses an interest in something to you, please let me know and I will pull resources and launch projects to fulfill his curiosity on that subject.

Same-Age Socialization –

To expose the boys to more children their own age, we plan on enrolling them in gymnastics, karate and some kind of team sports like flag football or pee wee baseball.

Socialization is more than just hanging out with kids their own age. A larger part of proper social education is learning to engage people of all ages. This means knowing how to speak to older children and adults in a respectful and proper way, as well as being patient and helpful to children younger than themselves, learning not to interrupt and other basic social skills that we all reinforce in our normal daily engagement with the boys. So, while we want to point out when the boys behave improperly toward you and others, we also want to make sure that we acknowledge when they do behave respectfully, positive reinforcement being a much more effective way to teach and reinforce good behavior.

At this age and at this stage in their education, it is NOT imperative that they are conditioned to follow the same rules of behavior that are required in a conventional school classroom setting. Conformity to this extent will come with maturity and will coincide with our plan to put both boys back into conventional schools around age 9-10 or Fourth Grade.

Thanks for all your love and support!

- Chris