It's not every day that I have a great idea for a school project....
But this one worked, so I'd like to share it.
I told my kids they were going to create photo essays.
The subject was spring. The photos were entirely up to them.
They took the job seriously.
They were detectives and photographers.
They went about it thoughtfully and patiently.
We had two weeks of great conversations about nature, weather, the sun,
plant DNA, animal behavior, and all sorts of related science.
They started these conversations. They asked the questions.
I limited my advice to only once gently suggesting a shot of daffodils.
I needn't have bothered.
They're much too independent to take suggestions from me.
After downloading about 400 photos for each of them,
I started to feel like I was really looking through their eyes.
Their sense of beauty captivated me.
I thought to myself, "I love my kids!"
Their photo essays are posted on their blogs (here and here)
so now they each have a record of their favorite shots.
And now I have a record of it, too.
(and P.S. - none of these photos of theirs had any photoshop editing!)
Isn't spring wonderful?
Hi Miss T!
ReplyDeleteThank you for being my guest commentator!
I love spring and those pictures are beautiful.
Sincerely,
Brianne (USA)
Hello Miss T!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for being my guest commentator (:
Those pictures are very good and that was a great idea!
Sincerely,
Jaycee (USA)
Hi Miss T,
ReplyDeleteThank you veryy much for being my guest commentator!
The pictures you have are very beautifull! i love spring and summer they are the best time of year!! (:
Sincerely,
Maddy (USA)
Hey Mrs. Tatiana,
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for being my guest commenter, and leaving your posts on my blog. So.. THANK YOU! Ok got to go. Bye! -... -.-- .
From,
Neji (USA)
This post was really cool! I love photography so this was a neat post to look at. I am one of your students for the blogging challenge. Thanks for being my guest commenter.
ReplyDeletehi mrs. tatiana,
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for being my guest commentator. i love the pictures of spring! it really makes me miss all the nice days!!
From,
Matthew B (USA)
Hi Miss T,
ReplyDeleteThanks for being my guest commentator.
Those pictures are very pretty, and i love spring(:
Sincerely,
TaLeah (USA)
hey, I am one of your blogging students. I am looking forward to the challenge. I wrestle golf and play soccer. I also enjoy long walks in the park. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteHey ,I am one of your blogging students and is looking forward to the challenge. I am fourteen and live in Nebraska hah not a very exciting state.
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for your comments everyone! It's so fun to have new people visit your blog, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing what you'll all be blogging about in the next few weeks. See you on your blogs!
Ms. Tatiana
WOW WOW WOW you gotta love when you assign something and they just do it and do it so well! Such beautiful pictures I can never obtain. Did the kids use a regular point and shoot to get these gorgeous photos or do you have a fancy camera that they know how to operate. I am totally camera handicapped but I'm inspired! Thank you for sharing this on the hands on carnival. I hope to see you there again next month.
ReplyDeleteYes, a simple old (and I do mean several years old, been dropped a few times and the lense is slightly scratched) camera. They only know how to use the automatic setting, but they did figure out the close-up feature (it's just an off/on button).
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words!
Just beautiful! You have some serious photographers on your hands. I love the way that you stepped out of the way and let them do the learning.
ReplyDeleteRing true,
Nancy
Tatiana,
ReplyDeleteThat was a great assignment! Really nice photography. What a beautiful spring you all are having; yes, it is wonderful. :)
Hi Tatiana, my children and I liked your essay so much that my children are working on one now.
ReplyDeleteI am new to your blog, what is the blog challenge? My children have blogs and I am wanting them to write on them more.
Hi Traci! Thanks for your kind words! The blogging challenge is for students around the world to participate in blogging activities together. Many of the students are just starting their blogs but even if your kids have been at it awhile, the challenge is great for finding other students to connect with. They're four weeks into the challenge already, but you can involve your kids however you like. Just checking out the student lists can be a fun activity.
ReplyDeleteHope to see you back here again! I'm headed to your blog now!
Tatiana
Dear Mrs. Tatiana,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Victoria and I am Miriam' mom. Firstly, thank you for all the wonderful comments you leave on Miriam's blog. She loves getting feedback. I was looking through your blog and I am really impressed by all the interesting posts you have created. This one really caught my eye. What a great idea. I also can't believe your kids took those photos. They look professionally done. Yes, spring is beautiful and they did a lovely job capturing it. My favorite is the clouds.
Best,
Victoria
P.S. I love your name. It the same name as my mom's, but we abbreviate by calling her Tanya.
Hi Victoria!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words! Tanya is the Russian abbreviation for Tatiana. (I get called that, too, sometimes!)
I was born in the Ukraine, but came to the United States when I was a baby. Are you also from that region?
DeleteI love what you are doing with your children. The way you home school is very inspiring. I have been considering homeschooling but haven't made that leap yet. I work from home and don't think that I would have enough time to do both. Maybe next school year I will try it with the oldest child.
Best,
Victoria
Hi Victoria,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry the comment color is hard to read (the yellow text)...trying to solve the problem.
I was actually born in Kansas, not Ukraine; I have Polish and Czech ancestors, among other nationalities. I did live in Ukraine for about two years, though! I really really enjoyed my time there and hope to go back with my family sometime. I was in Kharkov mostly, so we spoke Russian, but I did hear a lot of Ukrainian in Kiev during my time there. Do you speak both languages?
Homeschooling is not an easy thing, but I find it much less stressful than our other schooling options. It has been fantastic for our family and helps my kids reach their individual potential, which makes me very happy!
Good luck to you and your kids!
Dear Tatiana,
ReplyDeleteSad to say, but you probably know more about Ukraine than I do. I came to the United States as a baby from the Ukraine and have never been back (although my parents have). I speak Russian, although not very well. When I was in college, I took a semester of Russian language and learned to read and write, but I have since forgotten most of what I learned. I would really like to go for a visit and hope to be able to soon.
The more I think about homeschooling the more I want to do it. Can you please share with me which program you use if any? Being that I am not a teacher, I would prefer to follow a curriculum. Is there a program you would recommend?
Thank you,
Victoria
Hi again, Victoria,
DeleteSorry for my slow response. I've been thinking how I'd describe our homeschooling program, and I guess you'd have to call it eclectic. I have never purchased a full curriculum for any subject. We use a lot of classical approaches (written about by Susan Wise Bauer) but we also mix in a lot of our own things. The only set curriculum I actually use is for math and with that we use the internet: khanacademy.org and ixl.com. An online search gives me a yearly detailed list of what each grade's learning standards are. I use it to put together a plan and ideas for projects for each of my kids.
If you're interested in starting up, you could look into what hybrid options are available around you. If you are in Southern California like us, for example, there are some charter schools that will assist you in gathering your materials (and paying for them) and even offer classes one or more days a week. A lot of my friends have loved having that assistance.
Good luck to you! And feel free to email me, too, if you have other questions!
Tatiana
worldstaracademy@yahoo.com