The Ridenhour House of Horror

I have mentioned from time to time that my husband is a writer. He tends to like topics that lean toward the macabre, especially as they pertain to classic monsters such as vampires, zombies, werewolves, and ghosts. This love of the dark comes from his mother, by the way, who had a tradition of staying up late with then 12-year old Jamie watching old monster movies on a Friday night. Funny how something like that can turn creepy into strangely comforting.

The creative team of “Cornerboys” and “House of the Yaga.” From left to right: Kevin Smith, Jamie Ridenhour, Ali LaRock.

Anyhoo, Jamie’s spine-tingling creativity really comes to life (or rises up from the grave) every October. He’s normally quite booked for the month, giving talks on the vampire tradition, reading original ghost stories, performing songs about dead men, etc. It’s all rather charming. On Friday night, the fam went over to the Bismarck Downtown Artist Coop for a screening of two collaborative short films called “Cornerboys” and “House of the Yaga.” He wrote and read the pieces, family friend Ali LaRock created the amazing artwork, and Jamie’s childhood friend Kevin Smith wrote and recorded the atmospheric music. These films are the first two of a planned trilogy of sorts (though the stories are unconnected).

I’m sharing them here as a gift to my readers and friends, offered in the Halloween spirit of good fun and creativity. Perhaps you will enjoy them simply as films with exciting thrills and chills. Or maybe you could use them with your kids/students to explore folklore traditions, storytelling, narrative, and/or poetic form. Or discuss the possibilities and strengths of creative collaboration. If you have a music lover, really turn it up and discuss how the sounds reflect and/or foreshadow the films’ events (if you really want to hear all the layers and whispers, try hooking up your computer to your stereo speakers). Want other ideas? Let me know in the comments section of this post; last year, “Cornerboys” was used as a focus of study in a high school in France, and Jamie can talk to you about how you can use films like this as a part of your curriculum.

However you enjoy them, don’t forget the popcorn. Happy Halloween!

If that wasn’t enough for you, Jamie also had a short ghost story called “Singing By the Fire” released on Pseudopod on October 5th. You can listen to it here. And if you want even more, go on over to his website.

Engaging in Summer Creativity

Eva and her friend Leah selling their creative duct tape art in the front yard, along with lemonade and homemade brownies.

I thought about naming this post “Engaging Kids in Summer Creativity,” since this blog is primarily about raising and educating kids intentionally, but why should they get all the fun? I want in too. Summer is the perfect time for kids and parents alike to flex creative muscles and explore things you may not have time for during the busy school year. And of course there’s all that sage advice about practicing what you preach, etc. If you want kids to make healthy choices, then you have to model that good behavior. But really, I just want in. And you should too.

So that’s Rule Number One in the Ridenhour Creativity Engagement Rule Book. If you want to engage your kids, find room in your own life to engage in some kind of creative endeavor. Do this activity with your child, or alongside, or even separate, but make time for it. You don’t have to be a painter or a musician. Maybe you like gardening. Or scrapbooking. Or cooking. Or maybe you just like to take walks in the neighborhood (and yes, I would argue that being a part of creativity too, depending on how you experience it). Whatever you find fulfilling.

Rule Number Two: Facilitate activity brainstorming without telling your child what to do. If a child is bored, and the parents are quick to give a solution, then the child never learns how to deal with the boredom themselves. Learning how to come up with ideas is an essential part of the creative process. This doesn’t mean you can’t be involved; grab your nearest white board (you have several handy, yes?) and announce a Creative Brainstorming Session. Then both of you can write ideas on the board. This kind of activity trains your child how to address their own boredom. Seeing all those options will help too. Perhaps they’ll even want to keep the list to refer back too. For many years, our family has set out a list of summer goals each May. Popular items on the list include bike rides, picnics, and game playing. Husband-Jamie always has “writing time” (he’s a novelist) on the list. Ian has “play lots of music.” I usually have exercise (I’m terrible at follow-through on that one) and gardening. And Eva often lists sleepovers and lego time. You get the idea. We keep the list visible all summer, referring back, checking things off, and adding new stuff.

Rule Number Three: Provide free time. I’m all for camps – they expose kids to a wide variety of activities, ideas, and other kids, and they are especially helpful for dual-income families. However, if the child is enrolled in camps with no break, she will never have the opportunity to pursue her own ideas and activities. There are countless studies and blogs and opinion columns about the hyper-scheduling of today’s children. I’m not going to go there, but I do think balance is key.

Ian’s band Hex Radio performing at the downtown street fair Urban Harvest.

Rule Number Four: Host your child’s friends. Sometimes it’s just easier and more fun to engage in creative activities if you do it with a buddy. Eva recently attended a duct tape art camp (see? I do like camps!), and was instantly hooked. Her friend Leah attended with her and gave Eva a collection of colorful duct tape for her birthday. Now they make creations together, and Eva teaches her other friends how to make stuff too. Ian has several groups of friends that fulfill different creative needs. There is one group who will play Magic the Gathering and other trading card games with him for hours (and hours). Another plays music with him – actually he’s in two kid bands right now. Over the last week, Ian’s band Hex Radio has practically lived at our house rehearsing, gigging, recording, playing, and shooting their first music video (I’ve included it at the bottom of this post). It’s so fun to see all these conglomerations – to hear the excitement in their voices and experience all the wonderful things they come up with.

Rule Number Five: Procure appropriate supplies. This does two things: 1) it provides the practical tools needed for the creative activity, and 2) it validates your child’s interest. It cracks me up after all these years, but when I took Eva out to buy even more duct tape the other day, she kept squeezing my hand and told me how much she appreciated my buying her more. It was so sweet. Ian’s hobby is more expensive – recording equipment and software, composing software, a computer to run it all, drumsticks, etc. – but they are essential to helping him grow as a musician, so for us anyway, they are necessary expenses. Both kids know we value their ideas, because we invest both time and resources to support them.

Rule Number Six: Validate your child’s idea. This goes beyond just buying supplies. If your child takes on a particular project, then treat the process with respect. Is Eva a prodigy duct tape artist? No. Will she be making this art for more than even a few months? Probably not. Is there anything particularly special about the art she’s making? Honestly, not really. It’s cute, but what I’m interested more in is the excitement she has about it. She’s also willing to experiment with it. She started to make a duct tape dress and realized she didn’t have the skills to complete such an advanced project. She took the big panel of tape she made and decided to turn it into a bike pouch. When the straps didn’t work out so well, she began brainstorming on new latching solutions. She’s having a blast, thinking outside the box, enjoying her friends, and just hosted a duct tape art sale in the front yard. Pretty awesome.

Eva selling her books at the mall.

Rule Number Seven: If you can, keep your eye out for opportunities for your child to take their creative project to a more professional level. This may just be having the duct tape art sale on the front lawn (her idea by the way), but it could also be a community event. For example, earlier this month I stumbled across a flyer inviting kids to have a booth for a day at the local mall, selling their wares. I brought the flier home for Eva, who used the opportunity to promote her books (she sold 8 copies!). The reason this step is important is to back up Rule Number Six. When your kids see you believing in them and in their ideas, it’s magic, pure and simple.

What creative endeavors are you and your kids taking on this summer?

And oh, yeah – as promised, here’s Hex Radio’s new music video, “Common Lies.”

Ron Mueck and Authenticity

Yesterday I had the pleasure of walking around the mall of Washington, DC after my conference at Mom Congress 2012 this week. I took the extra day for a little down time and the opportunity to unpack all I had learned and begin thinking about what ideas and plans I was going to bring home. A delightful day. I saw the main monuments that everyone visits while in DC, but I also took time out to enjoy the amazing art exhibits in the National Gallery of Art. I stood nose to nose with works by Raphael, da Vinci, Rembrant, van Eyck and Degas (among others). Every time I turned a corner, I was taken aback anew at the masterpieces I was getting to enjoy, and even photograph.

“The Big Man”

But I will admit, the piece I was most excited about wasn’t one out of the history books. Ron Mueck is a modern artist whom my husband and I discovered on the web a couple of years back. He is a sculptor who plays with scale to bring new perspective to the human experience. I don’t want to go into too much detail about him here; if you’d like to learn more about him (and you should), you should google him. The point is, it has become a life goal to see one of his pieces in person. And, as it turns out, Mueck’s “The Big Man” is owned and currently on display at the Hirschhorn Museum, right there on the Washington mall. I made a beeline. I felt like a kid at Christmas as I roamed the halls searching for him.

I finally found him hiding behind a partial wall in a spacious room that featured large modern canvas works of black and white. It is my understanding that many museums place him like this – tucked behind walls – so that patrons discover him quite unprepared for the experience. If I’m wrong, then well, they should. Because he’s shocking.

A hyperrealist, Mueck creates pieces that provide a rare chance to experience the rawness of humanity. I stared at The Big Man (who is scaled perhaps two or three times the size of a normal human) for about 20 minutes, examining everything from the broken toenail and cramped toes to the veins and age spots that dotted his skin, to the moisture on his lips and the incredible intensity of his eyes. There is nothing softened, tucked, or photoshopped here; he is not beautiful, yet he is exquisite. He is a perfect combination of the sacred and profane if you will. Like life. Like all of us.

Which brings me to authenticity. Sometimes people comment that they are amazed by how perfect our homeschooling life seems to be. This makes me laugh, because of course I blog about the highlights. I don’t like to complain a whole lot myself, and I like to protect the true vulnerabilities of my children. I have no problem telling you what they do, but I’m more guarded in sharing the details about who they are, especially the unfavorable bits. My DC host Amber asked me about this last night, and suggested that perhaps a more complete experience is more beautiful in its wholeness. Like The Big Man.

While all of this has been happening to me in DC, on Monday my kids carried out a day full of 25 minute presentations at Marketplace for Kids, an entrepreneurial fair for grades three through six. As former participants who have pursued their projects beyond the fair (Ian with his trading card game Animal Attack, and Eva with her books), they were invited to talk to kids in hopes to inspire them to do the same. Now, you might think that for my seasoned public speakers, this was no big deal; it would be a walk in the park for them. But this was not how it went down.

This was the first time the kids had presented together, so the experience was new. In their first Marketplace session, I was in a Mom Congress session. Here are the texts that husband Jamie and I exchanged:

Jamie: “1st presentation just started. Ian’s killing it.”

5 minutes later: “Eva’s up now. Not doing so well.”

Me: “Give her time. She’ll warm up as long as she doesn’t break down.”

Jamie, 10 minutes later: “Ok, breakdown. Ian’s doing this one alone.”

Me: “Sadness.”

Jamie, about 40 minutes later: “Now she’s kicking ass during the third presentation. This child.”

My kids are both intense. They are, you might say, turned up to 11. But this means that lots of things are turned up to 11, and for Eva, this includes emotional sensitivity. She is a powerfully strong young woman, and experiences powerfully strong emotions. She is learning at a young age how to cope with feelings and thoughts big enough to bring a grown person to their knees. It floors me.

This is what happened: Eva floundered through the first presentation, and the Q&A bombed. Jamie made a couple of suggestions afterwards, and while Ian found confidence in this, Eva felt crushed and panicked at the thought of doing more presentations; she kind of fell apart. Ian covered both portions of the second session, talking about both his and Eva’s projects. After calming down, Eva and Jamie rejoined the session but stayed in the back of the room. However, one of the kids had questions about Eva’s books that Ian couldn’t answer. Feeling safe and unpressured, Eva felt renewed, and voluntarily rejoined Ian to finish that Q&A. Jamie said the final three sessions were amazing. Both kids were confident and articulate, the presentations were well-paced, and the Q&A lively.

And this is the authentic experience. Homeschooling my kids is an amazing process, full of joy and learning and pleasant surprises. It’s also exhausting and often lonely, especially for me. Dealing with the intensity of not one but two children 24/7 takes a profound amount of energy, and I’ll be frank with you: I haven’t had it in me to give it my best these past few months. But I’m leaving DC refreshed and renewed with a notebook full of ideas and plans. And summer’s around the corner.

And oh yeah, while I was gone, we bought a house in the downtown area, and we’re all very excited about that. Another page is turning….

Here’s more on The Big Man:

In Defense of Messes

Over the past couple of weeks of blogging silence (have you missed me?), our family has been working hard to get our house prepared for selling. It went up on the market yesterday, and we’re all frankly exhausted. We’ve repaired and painted, carpet shampooed and sorted. We’ve donated something like 200 books and three trunk-loads of outgrown toys and clothes, shipped off 50 pounds of old VHS tapes, photos, and negatives for recycling, trucked off all our sorted plastics, cans, paper etc., and sold a couple of items too. We have been dealing with our stuff.

I love passing on items that no longer have use or meaning. It’s been an extremely satisfying process to simplify and clean up our household. But this is, of course, not the title of this post. I specifically titled it “In Defense of Messes.”

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love a clean house. I’m not a fan of clutter, and in fact can get very testy when it  gets out of hand. However, I have tried to keep an open mind about certain areas in the house, namely the Lego and art areas. We keep out two card tables at all times in our Lego space, and though we own a dozen neat little plastic sorting bins in which to store all those colorful treasures, they are normally almost empty, preferring instead to share all their contents with the tables and floor. This is continual battle between me and the kids, and I usually lose.

The other area I try to be lenient about is the space in which Eva makes art. We keep a vinyl scrap down on the carpet, and Eva at all times ensures that the space is cheerfully cluttered up with paints and felt, ribbons and markers, paper and gems (and who knows what else). Again, from time to time I work with her to clean it up, but for the most part, I try to look away. The kids use these two areas more than any other room in the house. They are constantly building new scenes and ships with their Legos and creating pictures and other amazing little art pieces with all the materials left scattered around.

This is what it looks like now, after we prepared the house for selling:

The immaculate (and uninspiring) Lego and art areas.

The splattered vinyl is stowed away, as are the Lego tables and all bazillion Lego pieces. Paint brushes and markers and paint and clay and felt, etc., all put in their proper tubs. Result: clean space with ZERO activity. There is no building happening, no art being created. Eva said she didn’t like living in a house this clean. I laughed and asked her if that’s because she hated cleaning, and she said “no, it’s because I don’t feel like I can DO anything!”

So true. An essential part of the creative process is having materials laying out, cluttered around, waiting to be picked up and put together in new combinations. Our classroom space is a one huge never-ending project, and the one safe place for materials to be ever at the ready and not in their neat little homes. It’s been a good reminder to me that creativity is a messy business, and we all look forward to getting into a new house where we can once again tinker and invent and get a little dirty.

 

Out-of-the-Box Learning with 10-Year-Old Artist and Poet Isabella Taylor: The Parents’ Perspective

Sherri and Cesar with Isabella, 2010

This is the second portion of a two-part post exploring the creative education of Isabella Taylor, a 10-year old poet, artist, and fashion designer. In this installment, Isabella’s parents, Sherri and Cesar Taylor, talk about raising and educating their daughter. To read my interview with Isabella, click here. To learn more about Isabella in her own words, check out her blog and her fashion design website. And now, with further adieu, welcome Sherri and Cesar!

Isabella has intense interests and talents. Can you talk a little about this?

Isabella had expressed an interest in painting from a very early age. She has always been fascinated with color and pattern. When she was only three she began to paint. Over the years, we have tried to provide her with opportunities to explore her desire to create things. She expressed an interest to design clothing and we signed her up for a sewing camp. We have been providing opportunities in her areas of interest.

Why do you homeschool? What are the advantages and disadvantages, particular to Isabella’s needs?

We decided to homeschool Isabella to meet her educational needs and allow time for her creative endeavors. It has always been our opinion that school is about learning and learning is fun, but somewhere along the way it became apparent this was not happening. She began to lose interest in reading and not enjoy school. We found the best way for us to provide a more captivating education was to homeschool her. This way we could provide higher academic content in a shorter time period freeing up her schedule to pursue her creative interests.

Early on we read Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness by Edward Hallowell which had a profound effect on us. We learned that adult happiness is a skill learned during childhood.  By homeschooling, we are trying to provide more opportunities for this discovery process that will keep her in a state of “flow.”

The advantages of homeschooling for us are numerous. The disadvantage of homeschooling is that it is very resource intensive for us as a family. Her education is more than a full time job for us, although a very rewarding one!

Isabella's portrait of her father

I know you travel a lot – all over the world. How do these experiences add to Isabella’s education?

Learning experientially is clearly more effective for Isabella. Beyond learning about history, we believe learning about cultures on a first-hand basis teaches you that your reality or circumstances are only microcosm of a larger universe. She has learned that there are other ways and other people with other points of view.

Your daughter is talented in many avenues. How have you known what opportunities to offer Isabella? In other words, how have you known what talents to nurture?

Early on our philosophy was to expose her to a wide variety of activities. She chose some and abandoned others. Isabella let us know what her interests were and she pursued them in depth. Harp lessons lasted 3 months, yet piano and violin lessons continue today. Painting, designing clothes and writing poetry are her real passions. She has a real deep burning need to make things, and we try to nurture this.

Isabella has been featured in art shows, she has published many of her writings in professional publications, and she is now preparing to release a fashion line. These are all very “adult” activities. Can you talk about the benefits of providing these types of opportunities?

These activities progressed into serious endeavors, as she became more proficient in them. We don’t think of them as adult activities, we simply try to instill in her that she can do anything and everything she sets her mind to.

Isabella models one of her fashion designs

Talk about your various roles as parent/teacher/mentor/manager.

The parents in us are the ones that have to get her up and make sure she goes to bed on time. She doesn’t need much nagging. We are not so much teachers but tutors. We find ourselves helping her with understanding material that is she is studying. We mentor her in life skills such as honesty, dedication and pursuing her dreams. We don’t think of ourselves as managers, but we try to make sure her well- being is protected.

Talk about your use of technology and social media, etc. in Isabella’s education.

Isabella uses a variety of educational technology – online courses, blogging, and facebook. Social media has provided educational experiences for her through comments received from other artists and poets. She is able to get insight into her work and continue to progress that way. Through her online classes she has been able to connect with like minded kids as well. There is such a wealth of material out there.

You are raising and educating a child with extraordinary gifts; what have you learned in your experiences that could useful to all kids, no matter their interests or abilities?

Yes, Isabella is gifted. We have believed in her and supported her, and we try to instill in her that same belief in herself. Sadly, we feel that this is not the case for all children. This belief and support is far more important than innate talent or educational opportunities.

What would you like to see change about the public school system? And, what would the public school system have to look like in order for children like Isabella to have their needs met there?

Isabella has not been part of the public school system but we have – and the public school system worked for us, just as homeschooling is working for Isabella. I think it is a matter of personal preference. However, it is our opinion that public education should focus on retention of outstanding teachers and incentives for such individuals should be made possible. Testing should be de-emphasized. Gifted children can be easily lost in systems where they are not identified. Their needs are different. They may be misconstrued as underachievers if they are bored. We would love to see more emphasis on learning and less on testing. We also feel that class size is an issue in today’s public schools.

Out-of-the-Box Learning with 10-Year-Old Artist and Poet Isabella Taylor

Isabella at work in her studio

This week, I am proud as punch to introduce you to Isabella Taylor, a young power-house of energy and creativity. She serves as a wonderful example of what is possible when we offer quality, intensive, real-life learning that is infused with student ownership and mixed with a hefty dose of the arts. Last month I posed some questions to her exploring her unique education and pursuits. I will offer her bio first, followed by our interview. Be sure to check out her blog and her fashion design website. Later this week I will share her story from her parents’ perspective. Stay tuned!

Introducing Isabella!

Isabella Taylor Bio

Isabella Taylor is 10 years old and lives in Austin, Texas with her Mom, Dad and dog, Star. She is honored to be a member of Mensa and a Davidson Youth Scholar. Currently, she feels privileged to partake in an unconventional education that her parents customized for her needs and interests. She attends a local private high school for some classes, participates in online courses and has private tutors at her home while drawing on the expertise of her father and mother. Her family travels extensively with her because they feel through these experiences; the reach of a living classroom is that much deeper.

She is a ferocious reader and adores painting, writing poetry and designing clothes in her spare time. She has had the opportunity to perform her poetry on local TV and other venues. Isabella has held two successful art shows in Austin, TX. She has written two books of poetry and a short novel during National Novel Writing Month. Isabella feels privileged to be a poetry editor and staff writer for Amazing Kids! Magazine and a board advisory member for Creative Kids Magazine. She has won numerous national and international poetry, art and fashion awards. Isabella looks forward to pursuing all of her creative outlets. She is especially excited about the launch of her new fashion label, Isabella Rose Fashions.

Interview

Working on her self-portrait

Isabella, you used to attend a brick and mortar school, then you homeschooled, and now you’re doing a wider range, including some online classes, some homeschool, and some brick and mortar. Can you talk about these experiences? How do you feel about the various modes of learning? What are your favorites, and what hasn’t worked, and why?

I did go to a private school for five years before stepping into homeschooling. What I like the most about homeschooling is the variety of ways to learn. I take online classes, have private tutors, attend a private high school for some of my classes and just work on my own. For me, this is the ultimate way to learn, and if something is not working, I can change it. It is great to have a lot of flexibility so I can spend more time on painting, designing clothes and writing poems.

I imagine a lot of people will want to know how you have time to pursue all the amazing art you do and keep up with more traditional school subjects like math, history, and science. Can you talk about that?

I have more time to work on my creative activities since I am not in school the entire day. I try to get my academic classes done in the morning and then I have every afternoon to pursue my passions. My schedule is blocked so I only have certain subjects once or twice a week. Friday is my day to catch up on anything that I need to or work on a painting or sew.

Completed self portrait

How much in charge do you feel of your own education? Do you help make your own goals? How much control do you have in what you study?

This has been the best part of learning for me. I have a lot of say in my education and my schedule. I own it. I sit down with my parents and discuss what I think I should tackle each semester and then we make a plan. I know that there are certain core subjects that are not up for negotiation, but the content or how I want to learn it is. That makes a huge difference to me. I feel like I learn differently sometimes and need to learn a topic in a nontraditional way.

What have your parents done for you to help you pursue your creative passions?

Since my parents are not artists nor do they sew or write poetry for that matter, they have put me in touch with people that can. My Mom takes me to the art store to get supplies or fabric stores to look at fabric. My Dad always supports my creative undertakings too. I am really lucky because they listen to what I want to do even though it is quite foreign to them. When I told them I wanted to learn to sew to make my own clothes, they really took me seriously and signed me up for a sewing camp.

Isabella modeling one of her summer designs

Talk about your upcoming fashion line. What has that experience been like? What are you learning from this? Are you just doing the design work, or are you involved in the business end as well? When and where will people be able to buy your clothes?

Of course, I am super excited about my new fashion line. I have learned so much about design and production. My parents handle the money part, but I am learning what things cost to produce. It has been a very involved process. I am hands-on with the fit model in my designs. It has been a slow but very fun experience so far. It takes a lot of time to start a clothing line. Some of my clothes will be for sale soon, but I am going back to the drawing board to revamp my Spring line again and bring it out fully for 2013. There were certain things that I needed to add and fix. It really is an ongoing process. I hope to have my clothes available online and in a few small specialty boutiques to start with.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Thank you for including me and my family for an interview on your fantastic blog!!!

The Fullness of Spring

The first blooms of the season.

Lately we’ve moved away from our more traditional school scenario to embrace the busyness of the spring season. We’ve moved upstairs and typically work in the den and dining room, using our patio door as our white board. Stacks of books and piles markers are beginning to clutter up the ends of our couches, piano bench and dining room sideboard. Our class schedule has morphed into a list of daily objectives – more like a to-do list than a course outline.

I’ve had to back off of blogging to keep up with the kids and ensure that the family retains some sense of balance while we’re off to all our separate activities. Such is the way of life – ebb and flow.

Ian’s new band Hex Radio is already taking off – they have a gig next week at the high school, and they’ve been selected to open for Hairball (self-proclaimed “Bombastic Celebration of Arena Rock”) in June at the Civic Center. Not bad for a group that’s only performed together one time. I had to break down and get Ian a texting plan so he could keep up with all the rehearsal scheduling, etc. He’s also begun working with the middle school concert band on his composition “After the Storm.” He’s busy altering scores this morning.

Eva spoke at another Career Day for 6th graders and both kids have been asked to offer 25 minute presentations at Marketplace for Kids (an entrepreneurial fair coming up in May). Though Ian is forever the extrovert and ready to go, Eva has decided she’s had enough for now. She’ll skip on Marketplace and instead focus on her book release; she’s feeling the need for simplicity these days, and I get that. Sometimes you just want to play with your legos and be a kid, you know? Again – it’s all about balance and adjusting and readjusting. And adjusting again.

This week we are excited to host poet Erin Keane, who is in town to share her excellent and eccentric book of circus-based poetry, Death-Defying Acts. My husband Jamie has coordinated the event, which will include a poetry slam and a reading at the local artist co-op; the artists have created and filled their gallery with artwork based on her poems. We will even have circus-themed cupcakes. It should be a wonderful evening.

Though the kids won’t be able to attend the readings themselves this time (due to late nights or their own activity conflicts), we love bringing poets and writers into our home. Jamie, having a job that allows him to coordinate these fantastic events, has brought in many wonderful artists and thinkers over the last several years. We’ve hosted editors, musicians, composers, poets, writers, and (though Jamie didn’t coordinate this one) even a Buddhist monk who was in town to create a sand mandala over the course of several days. Each occasion is an eye opener for the kids. It’s good to be around people with passionate ideas and creative hearts. It’s good to be around people from such different backgrounds and experiences. And it’s good to see first-hand what is possible in the arts and humanities, especially since this is what our kids want to pursue.

While Erin is here, the kids will still be doing their own stuff; Ian has Science Olympiad regionals this Thursday, followed by a Hex Radio rehearsal. The poetry is a little on the mature side for Eva to attend, but we still plan on stopping by the artist co-op reading at the beginning simply to experience the feel of something so wonderful – all that art, and all those beautiful words. All that celebration of the lovely and strange.

And just because our lives weren’t full enough, we’ve decided to attempt to move into town. This has been a goal of ours for awhile; we’d like to be closer to community and better able to take advantage of the wonderful goings-on in Bismarck. Though we’ve enjoyed the grand open space, peace, and wildlife of the country, we’re ready for a change and feel that ultimately this move will both simplify and enrich our lives. Wish us luck.

Update on Eva’s Forthcoming Book

This morning I had the lovely opportunity to catch up with a friend in South Carolina via facebook chat. It had been much too long. As we were catching up on home and kids and work, she asked me what we were going to do in school today. I mentioned several items, including photography, and she wanted to know more about it. After sharing it all with her, I decided, “what a great blog post!” And so here I am.

As you may recall, Eva’s forthcoming book The Kinzy Chronicles is a series of short stories about her beloved and bedraggled stuffed koala Kinzy. For this book, Eva decided to use photos of her stuffed animals as illustrations. She’s been building sets to reflect particular scenes, and we’ve studied lighting, depth of field, shutter speed, and forced perspective. It’s been super fun, and I thought I’d share a few of the photographs as a sneak preview.

Here’s the main character, Kinzy, in his cozy abode.

Kinzy, the Koala

Next up is Kinzy piloting the airplane he built himself. He’s off to Australia.

Without giving too much away, the next photo is Kinzy in Australia at the Koala Needs Store. Here he meets the love of his life, Mary Jane (she’s the fluffier one).

Ah, but the plot thickens. The Christmas Bear has kidnapped poor Mary Jane, and taken her to his secret igloo lair in the North Pole! Luckily, Kinzy is there to save the day. Here he has busted out the window of the igloo and is preparing to rescue his lady love.

In the next shot, Eva experimented with forced perspective. We researched this a bit first, of course. She had a giant stuffed moose that she wanted to be more in scale with Kinzy’s diminutive size. We learned that by placing the moose farther back, the two dimension photo would give Eva the proportion she was looking for. Here is the set from the side.

I’m backing up here to show you where Eva sat with the camera.

And here’s the finished shot.

The book should be out by the end of May. We’ll keep you posted!

Making Jabba the Hut Body Pillows and Finding Mental Balance

Eva with her Jabba the Hut body pillow

I just read a blog post in which the author talked about how homeschooling is a lifestyle – it’s not a curriculum or set of courses; it’s your whole life experience. That has definitely proven true for me. I love exploring and learning with my kids, and though I had to alter some of my own life plans to do it, I have no regrets.

But it can be intense at times. The kids and I don’t do this lightly. We have a ton of fun, but we put 110% into our days. This time of year is especially difficult, as we’ve been at it for six months and still can’t quite see the end of the tunnel that is summer.

Last week, you may recall that the kids went on a public speaking frenzy, which was outrageously fun and inspiring. And exhausting. At the end of Friday, Eva, so proud of her accomplishments, also felt wiped out and emotionally drained. Teary, she longed out loud for a week off so that she could just what she wanted to do. I asked her what it was that she wanted to do. She said (in tears), “I want to make a Jabba the Hut body pillow!” You will be impressed that I didn’t even laugh.

Allow me to explain. A couple of weeks ago I brought home The Star Wars Craft Book by Bonnie Burton. Eva had been flipping through it, and set her heart on said body pillow, which is huge, and green, and looks like a giant slug. We had picked up a green fleece blanket at the thrift store for the skin, but really, we hadn’t had time to do any more.

Ian, in the meantime was beginning to buckle under his own stress. He’s forming a new teen band for a March gig, composing a piece for his middle school band to perform (also due in March), and trying to coordinate study times with his Science Olympiad teammates, who have been very busy and difficult to get hold of (regionals are once again, in March). So many big projects, and so much to coordinate. He was feeling overwhelmed.

Eva sewing pillows together for Jabba's innards

We decided to take five. Eva would get her week off so that she could bring her plush monstrosity to life, and Ian would drop everything except for the projects that were feeling so loomy. I bought a bunch of pillows for Jabba’s stuffing and gave Eva some sewing lessons. For Ian, I worked with him to set up a checklist of tasks, complete with a box to indicate when he would do them, and a friendly box that he would check off upon completion. I may not be able to do the tasks for him, but I can organize the heck out of them.

Ian composing his piece for band

And this is where the lifestyle bit comes in, because as you may have noticed, even though we’re “taking the week off,” we’re actually not. And I’m certainly not. Eva found great joy in her Jabba pillow, and Ian is feeling much more on top of things. But I still felt tired and wanted some time just being off duty.

Enter one Knight in Shining Armor. Husband Jamie, observing my downward swing (because I told him about it at length, blesshisheart), swept up the children yesterday, and the needy and aged dog as well and took them away from the house for four consecutive hours, running all the errands I was supposed to do with them. I almost cried when he showed up, smiling and waving, and telling everyone to hop in the car.

I took that blissful opportunity – something I haven’t experienced since last summer in all likelihood – and did many things.

1. I finished a novel I was reading.

2. I quietly put on my coat and got in our battered pickup.

3. I drove to a garden shop and loaded the truck with mulch. I drove back home.

4. Without speaking, I freshened the front gardens with mulch, cut back some perennials, and felt the sun on my face. I paid close attention to my breathing, to the smell of the mulch, the feel of the ground beneath my feet, the texture of the soil, the weight of the garden fork in my hands.

5. I re-stacked the rocks around our small garden pond. I felt each rock as I picked it up, enjoying the warmth, the smells, the amazing lack of sound.

6. I had a lovely visit with our propane service guy who had come out to look at our tank. We talked about homes, neighbors, and family. His wife had passed away three years back, leaving him with three children, ages 2-9. He was not beaten down. He was in fact, a force of joy and chatter, and clearly loved his life and everyone else’s he came across. He changed me a bit, I think.

7. I resolved to perform more random acts of kindness, because it will make me happy.

8. I lit a small fire in the fire pit and let the smoke play with my hair and clothes. I love that smell.

9. I just stood there, smelling the fire, and listening to the hundreds of Canadian geese who were flying by in their annual formations. I watched the geese and the fire and the smoke and smelled and listened and was so deliciously quiet.

My entire four hours was one overarching meditation. When Jamie and the kids and the dog returned, I was quite a new person. I had been growing increasingly testy over the past few weeks, but now I felt calm and recollected.

My life won’t be this full always. Though I wish I had more of these wonderful balancing moments in my life now, I am also aware that our homeschooling and family lifestyle changes with the seasons. There may even be one day when my life feels off-kilter the other way and I long for some of the fullness and noise of my current experience. But for now, I am so thankful for this wonderful afternoon, and this week of restoring balance.

Creativity Day

Yesterday I woke up and felt deep down that the normal school day wasn’t meant to be. So I declared Creativity Day! And there was much rejoicing. I do this from time to time, especially when our hearts are committed to particular projects. Yesterday’s was a justified proclamation; the kids and I all have projects going right now, and what we really want to do is work on those all the time. I felt pretty powerful just naming the day and changing gears like that. So what are we up to?

Ian and his story...

Ian’s still digging his composing work and has several songs in his head. He can’t get them out fast enough, and new tunes keep budging their way into his brain, pushing others aside. Basically, he needs more time to get this stuff down. He’s also been assigned to write a science fiction story; he just finished reading The Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku, and Jamie thought this would be a fabulous way to tie his preferred reading into literature. Ian’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, and he can’t stop writing. So yesterday, that’s what he did: composed – both music and story.

Set #1: Kinzy's house

Eva has finished editing her new book and is now ready to begin the artwork. Her book, Kinzy’s Chronicles, is a series of short stories based on her battered and beloved stuffed koala named Kinzy. She’s decided to stage photographs of the stories using her stuffed animals, and this kind of work also takes dedicated time. Yesterday she began building her sets. You can see from the photograph that things are getting messy around here. Actually, that’s her art area, and it’s always that messy.

I’ve been working on a painting for four months now, and was itching to finish it. Additionally, the kids had sketched out the first piece of their Rube Goldberg project, and the wood had been set aside for several days awaiting the touch of a jigsaw. It was a warm day yesterday. Perfect for all these activities.

My finished painting, started in fall and completed in winter

It’s so important to make this time during the school year. I try to keep Fridays open for these kinds of activities throughout the year, but then there are those times when everyone’s just got the craving for more. Stopping our normal routine and honoring the creative nature in each of us is essential for our personal growth; the activities also clear our minds and refocus us for more structured work later. Not to mention that these activities are no less important than those “structured” ones anyway. Ian’s a musician; Eva’s an author. It’s what we do.

Tomorrow I’ll talk a little about revamping our schedule for the spring to accommodate increasing activities and the kids’ unique learning preferences. And don’t you worry, dear readers. I’ll have some Rube Goldberg updates for you very soon. Be forewarned: they’re not all pretty.