Homeschoolers Hike Indiana Dunes State Park

Summertime homeschooling is not just about catching up and working ahead in reading, math, and spelling, it is also about exploring creation around us.

What most people see at Indiana Dunes

One great thing about state parks over other campgrounds is that we have found ourselves with a really good interpretive naturalist who can give a good presentation.  It helps to go exploring in an intentional way.  Over last week's Memorial Day weekend at Indiana Dunes State Park, we went on a naturalist-led hike an learned these things about our favorite state park and surrounding area:

What campers see at Indiana Dunes
(full disclosure - we are happy campers)

• The Indiana Dunes region has more bio-diversity (meaning more species of plants and animals) than any place in Indiana.
• The Dunes have more bio-diversity than all national parks in the United States except three:  Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, and North Cascades.
• This diversity includes 1400 different plants and 365 different bird species.
• Indiana Dunes is the second state park to be established in Indiana, in 1925.  The first was McCormick's Creek in 1916.
• The Dunes has a Civil War tie in:  after Lincoln's assassination, his funeral train passed not too far south on its way to Illinois.  A pro-slavery group called Knights of the Golden Circle conspired to steal Lincoln's body, bury it in the dunes, and collect ransom.  Unfortunately, they talked about their plans too much in the local taverns and the plot foiled.
• The Knights of the Golden Circle also planned to free prisoners of war held in Northwest Indiana in Northeast Illinois, using the high dunes as a lookout point.  Again, loose lips sunk their ships.
• From 1925 through the 1960s, there was a Governor's Cottage in the park for Indiana's governor to use as a retreat center.  Remains (of the cottage, not the governor) can still be found at the site.

What homeschooling families see at Indiana Dunes
(part of the old Governor's Retreat cottage)

One thing we are doing this summer is accumulating time toward our 2012-2013 school year.  Next post will be a discussion of why we are doing that and how.

Field Trip and Camping, Indiana Dunes, Part 1

For Memorial Day weekend, we took a camping trip to Indiana Dunes State Park.  This is post 1 of 2 about little known interesting facts about the southern shore of Lake Michigan, originally cross-posted from www.jeffhoots.net.

Trevor enjoying Indiana Dunes

For a homeschool project, our 10 year old son Trevor was to gather facts to write a report about a place.  The curriculum suggested encyclopedia research about a city or state.  Instead, we chose to have him interview me about Indiana Dunes State Park.

What is the early history of the Indiana Dunes?  Who discovered it?

American Indians originally lived there.  During the 1600s European colonization era, French fur traders, including one by the name Marquette, traveled and traded extensively in the area.  Northwest Indiana is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Why did people first go there?

Around the turn of the 20th Century, some who lived in Chicago would travel by train to the Indiana Dunes area for hiking, picnicing, nature study, and landscape painting.  At the same time, industry - particularly steel mills - realized that the sand and water made the region ideal for factories and mills.  

How did it become a city or state park?

Industry and nature preservation became a fight for the dunes.  For example, in 1915 Bethlehem Steel destroyed a place called Central Dune.  As the debate intensified, Indiana was fortunately beginning to establish its State Park system.  In 1925, Indiana Dunes State Park was established.  One of the dunes in the park, Mt. Jackson, is named in honor of Governor Jackson, in office at the time the park was established.

What important events have happened there?

"Strength and Beauty along the South Shore
Line", John Rush, 1998 (lithograph), scan of back
cover of "Moonlight in Duneland,"
Indiana University Press,
http://iupress.indiana.edu

Dr. Henry Cowles of the University of Chicago would lead his students to the Dunes area to study the extensive variety of plant life.  This area has more plant species diversity than all but 4 of America's national parks.  This study led to the creation of a new discipline, ecology.  Indiana Dunes is often called the "birthplace of ecology."


What is it like now?


Northwest Indiana is an unusual compromise of industry and nature.  The undisturbed areas are beautiful.  By contrast, steel mills are visible during walks on the beach.  Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established in 1966, setting aside more land for preservation.  Over 1 million visitors come each year, mostly for the beaches.  Little do they know the rich history and natural wonder of the area.  Growing up there, I certainly did not.  It is regrettable that my science teachers failed to capitalize on this opportunity.

In my opinion, the Indiana Dunes area is as valuable as any other state or natural area in the country.

Why Homeschool High School? Part 2 - Priorities

Why Homeschool, particularly high school?  For us, the choice to live the homeschooling lifestyle, including and especially the high school years, is the living out of our family's definition of success and the application of our core values.  Part 1 was about success.  Success is uniquely defined by each family. We define it as "together we discover, nurture, and fulfill God's call on our lives."  This applies to us parents as well as our kids.

Our family has four core values, and our home education direction is, or at least should be, driven by them.  Our core four are Authentic Worship, Loving Relationships, Worthwhile Learning, and Excellent Life Experiences.

Authentic Worship is valuing God first.  "Authentic" is a summary word inspired by what Jesus told a Samaritan woman (an by its recording in John 4:24, He teaches us), "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."  In other words, not only a desire for God, but a desire to know God truly and accurately - sound theology.  "Worship" refers to an attitude of God's supremacy. On Thursdays in the kids' martial arts class, their pledge begins, "Jesus Christ is the supreme master of life.  King of kings.  Lord of lords.  Savior of the world.

Three generations.  As important,
if not more important, than choosing curriculum.

Loving Relationships is valuing one another.  It starts with our immediate family, extends out to our extended family, to friends, community, and so forth.  As anybody who has ever been in a family could attest, this is hard work.  If it wasn't work, we wouldn't need to intentionally value it.

Worthwhile Learning includes the curriculum, such as deciding on a math textbook.  It could also include co-op (when two or more families combine resources - such as scheduled field trips or sharing teaching responsibilities) activities, sports programs, music lessons, and the like.  Notice that we place this as #3 on the list.  Knowing how to read & write, add & subtract, synthesize history & current events and other academics are important, but only as part of a whole.

Excellent Life Experiences are what makes learning worthwhile.  This is where a field trip, a camping trip, a family reunion, a movie night, a day at the swimming pool with friends, even having friends, all come together and create a life worth living.

Proverbs 9:10 explains that, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."  Wisdom can be defined as "skillful living."  We believe, and challenge you to consider, that God's truth be the foundation under everything.  If skillful living is to be found through God, and public schools are not allowed to teach about God, how can a public school student learn to live skillfully?

What about you?  Do you know why you do what you do?  If you are a parent, do you have strategies and values to guide you in your most important decisions?  If you are a student, do you know why you are doing what you are?

The Joy of Summer

Me, Little League, Summer, 1981.
I was in the starting lineup by then.

When I was 14, the batter in front of me was intentionally walked, loading the bases.  This meant that the other team believed I was an easy out, more so than my teammate.

Here's the setting:  Little League, Senior Division, Woodland Park, Portage, Indiana, Summer, 1980.  Late in the game, runners on 2nd and 3rd bases.  One batter in front of me, I'm on deck.  I suddenly realize that the batter in front of me is getting an "intentional walk," meaning that the other team's catcher stands up straight (instead of crouching per usual), extends his catcher's mitt outside the strike zone, and the pitcher misses four times on purpose.  The purpose of an intentional walk is to avoid the risk of the batter getting a hit and the runners on base scoring.  Instead, the team wants to pitch to the next batter who is more likely to make an out.

I'm the batter likely to make an out.  Fortunately, or not so fortunately, rules in force at that time required all players to have one at bat per game and play in the field at least three innings.  My team was stuck with me, one of the subs who "sat the bench" hadn't gotten a hit yet all season.  I step up to the plate and hear the courteous, if not skeptical, cheers of encouragement.  The first pitch happens to be outside the strike zone for ball one.  Same for the second pitch, ball two.  If that happens two more times, I get a walk and a run scores because all bases have runners and they would all move up.  I conclude that the pitcher doesn't want to risk ball three so he will pitch an easy one right in the middle of the strike zone.

He did, I swung, and got a hit over the third baseman's head into left field, a run scored, I pumped my fist, and somehow found myself on first base.  A joy of summer.

Summer Vacation 2011

When I think of Summer Vacation (words capitalized because they are important), I think of joy, fun, freedom, no school, warm days, playing, friends, swimming, pretty much getting to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.  I played tennis, rode my bicycle, went to the beach, hung out with friends.  I had a newspaper delivery route job, so I'd get up in the morning, work, and have the rest of the day to myself.  The freedom was multiplied because my Mom was a teacher, and she was free too, and was not afraid to express how happy she was about it.

Part of my vision as a homeschooling family is that we enjoy the gift that is Summer Vacation.  Today, I still revere this time as special and desire my family to think so too.  I suppose you could call me an "Advocate for Summer Vacation."  That is a challenge because I don't have a three month vacation, I'm still slugging it out in the marketplace, but we have weekends, abundant daylight after work, holidays, vacation days.  I'm call that a blessing and I'm having high hopes for another memorable season.

Still enjoying summers with my Mom

As I write this, our family has just finished school day 180.  Summer Vacation is here!  On the other hand, the homeschooling freedom we enjoy means the journey from school books to back yards and swimsuits is short.  The journey is also blurred because we have some math, spelling, and reading to do.  I wonder what the kids think of Summer Vacation?  I'll ask them this weekend.  Then I'll give them the assignment to enjoy these moments, September will be here before you know it.  This Summer has a special twist to it because Ryan transitions into a bona fide High School Freshman when Summer becomes Autumn.  He is 14 now, just like I was once.  Gotta get him "off the bench" and outside.

Dear reader, the assignment is the same for you.  Will you enjoy your Summer Vacation again this year?

Giodorno's Pizza, Chicago

Next Fall's Freshman Curriculum is In the House!

Thanks to Alpha Omega Publications 20% off sale in April, we got motivated to order the last pieces of the curriculum puzzle needed for Ryan to officially start high school (or, rather, High School) this fall.






Here's the expected starting lineup:

• Language Arts:  Alpha Omega Lifepac
• History and Geography:  Alpha Omega Lifepac
• Science:  Apologia Biology
• Math:  Algebra, Math-U-See (already in process, so we will move up to Geometry during the year)
• Latin:  Getting Started with Latin - Armfield Academic Press - www.armfieldacademicpress.com
• Literature as assigned
• Physical Education:  Weekly martial arts lessons through the Gospel Martial Arts Union
• Bible and Christian Instruction:  College Park Church Youth Group (with parents assuming responsibility and accountability, of course)

Getting Started with Latin

One observation from the above list is that we've found ourselves taking an eclectic approach.  We use Alpha Omega, Sonlight, Math-U-See, and Apologia, among other sources.  We also rely on our church, even our Youth Group (someday I will write an essay in defense of church Youth Groups).  Our eclectic plan comes from eight years of trial and error, finding what works and what doesn't work.  We are still trying and erroring.  What works for one does not for another.  What works for one today may not work tomorrow.

It is a fun accomplishment to finish a school year.  We are looking forward to celebrating the end of 8th grade for Ryan, 6th for Grace, and 4th for Trevor.  Summer will come and go quickly, and even if we plan on a lot of fun, and some summer school.  The next school year will come before we know it.  We're getting ready now.  Are you getting ready?  What are your plans?