Week 5: It's Not Just the Kids Who Learn Things!

Do you know what a comma spice is? I do, now. I have a Master's Degree. I wrote more research papers during high school, undergrad, and grad school than I can count; but I honestly had no idea what a comma splice was. I remember Dr. J, one of my graduate professors, writing it on many of my papers. I really had no idea what it meant. I did not ask either. Why? I went to a good high school. I studied grammar. I was supposed to know what it was! So, I attempted to fix them by rewriting the whole sentence. Little did I know how easy the fix was if I had just asked!

Last week the lessons in our Rod and Staff English book were about different kinds of sentences and sentence errors - compound sentences, compound subjects/predicates, fragments, run-on, and the dreaded comma spice!

In case you answered "no" to my first question, a comma splice is the joining of two sentences into a compound sentence with only a comma. You need a conjunction to go with that comma. Simple right? Here is an example:

          Comma Spice: Aidan made cookies, Lilly decorated them.
          Correct: Aidan made cookies, and Lilly decorated them.

That is only one of many things I learned last week. I learned some history, some astronomy, and some geography too. Not everything I learn is academic in nature. I learn to be more flexible everyday. I learn how to meet the needs of my kids. I learn better how to meet my needs for rest and recharging while still caring for my children.

I learned that Matthew can be entertained by acing cards!

Homeschool is not School at Home.

Lilly has struggled with reading and writing. She writes letters backwards. She reverses letters as she reads. She tires quickly when we work on reading. Last week she asked for one of Aidan's cursive worksheets. She has been very artistic since she first learned to hold a crayon, so I gave her a cursive work sheet.  I taught her to sign her name as well as a few of her favorite words. She loves to write in cursive! I would not have tried to teach a 6 year old cursive because that is not what I did in school.

I am learning more and more how to step out of the mindset that things must be done the way they are done in schools. Just when I think I have overcome that mindset - my kids prove that it is still deeply ingrained in my thought processes.

I am Easily Distracted

I plan. Our entire school year is planned in an online planner. I plan crock pot or quick meals for our busy days. We have chore charts. We still always seem to be struggling and fighting to get it all done.

I put my phone and the computer away last week. I don't usually answer phone calls during school, but I will answer a text or check Facebook. Last week I did not. I checked first thing in the morning, and I checked after dinner. There were a few other times I checked Facebook when I was stuck in the car, etc. We were so efficient! We had free time. I was not distracted.

We also kept the TV off for most of the day, and I took the kids out of the house so there would be less computer time.

Everyone Needs Rewards, Even Mom...Especially Mom

I take away computer time. I take away toys. I take away TV time. I send them outside. I send them to their rooms. These are my methods for getting school done. Last Monday was a breeze. It was the best and easiest day of homeschooling we have ever had! We were done with EVERYTHING by 11:30. We had not rushed through anything. We started a little early, and the kids worked hard.

I made a spontaneous decision that we should have a picnic and play at the park. Then we went to the library, the kids favorite place to go. Tuesday and Wednesday went just as smoothly. It was a great week. The rewards they earned by being efficient made an impression.

The time outside, sitting in the sun and watching my children play helped me recharge. We were all happy. I hope to give them more rewards that are not things, but time. Time with me and time doing the things they enjoy. That is the best motivator.

Lilly at Marshmallow Madness

Week 4: Discovering Learning Styles

We just wrapped up our fourth week! We are 1/9 of the way through our school year! Getting through the first month is usually the hardest. We are establishing a schedule, learning our routine, and getting used to our new books. We have started all of our subjects at this point and, so far, we are enjoying them all.

This week has been a week of learning about Lilly. I have posted  before about teaching Lilly to read, you can see it here. I have tried so many things with her. It seems like we always take two steps forward and one step back. I have found things that seem to work, but then it's like she forgets everything she learned.; or if she is tired, she just can't focus to do it.

I know she learns well and retains a lot when I read to her, and when we talk through things. Aidan does as well. That has made science, history, geography, Bible, and literature easy to teach. I read and we talk. Both kids retain well. I can use cds for Latin and the kids remember what they hear. Even Matthew has started singing Song School Latin with us! Lilly is also able to memorize math facts and Bible verses if we say them aloud together. She can use manipulatives to show understanding on math concepts.

Our real struggle has been finding a method that works for her for reading. I think I have finally found a combination of programs that works. I won't really know until we have been at it a little longer, but I am hopeful! I needed only one book to teach Aidan to read, but Lilly needs a multi sensory method. She needs to hear, see, touch, and manipulate the letters and words with her hands.

I started the year with Explode the Code and All About Spelling 1. We used the phonogram cards and an app on my phone to memorize all the sounds a letter can make. After 2 weeks she knew them all. She actually knew most of the sounds, but we needed to work on the letters that made 2-4 sounds. (That is Step 1 in the program.)

Now we are working on hearing sounds in words (step 2). She is great with hearing and identifying the first sound, and she can separate the sounds on her own. She is struggling with hearing the last sound in words. So we are working on that.

I decided we needed more drill, more practice. She would not, however, sit for me and drill, and I don't have all day to sit with her. We would both go crazy anyway! So I signed up for a free trial of Reading Eggs. She loves it! She has advanced from Map 2 to Map 5 or 6 in only 5 days. She would play all day if I let her! She is feeling more confident, and she begged to read to me last night. We pulled out a Bob Book and she sounded out the first few pages very easily. She got tired fast, so we stopped. I was so proud of her, and she was excited!

I am thrilled to have found something that seems to be working!

Now for our funny of the week. We were studying the Emancipation Proclamation. We read about Lincoln discussing the proclamation with his cabinet. Lilly looked at me with a look that said, "He was crazy!" And then she said, as she glanced at our kitchen cabinets, "He discussed it with his CABINET?!?!" I love when kids take things so literally. We followed up with a short civics lesson. Now she knows that he did not talk to his kitchen cabinets.

We had a productive and busy week. The only thing we were unable to do was our astronomy lab. It requires going outside on a clear night to look at the stars and draw pictures. If has been cloudy and rainy! If we get a clear night this weekend we will be outside to look at the stars!

Week 3 - Staying Flexible!

Last week was week three of 4th and 1st grade. It did not go at all according to plan!

Monday was great, Tuesday was great. Wednesday and Thursday, Lilly slept until 1 and I had some studio work to do. We did history, timeline, geography, and science on their assigned days, but Lilly did not do any of the planned reading or math. I downloaded a flash card app on my phone. She did spend a little while each day doing math drills. She did all of the 1s, 2s, and 3s.

Friday, Lilly had a sleepover. She slept in again and we got a little work done, but she was too excited about her party!

Saturday we picked Lilly up at 9:30, ran a couple of errands, came home for lunch, took Aidan to auditions, picked Aidan up, went to the library, and had leftovers for dinner. We made it to bed a little earlier than normal because we were exhausted!

Today, Sunday, we actually made it to morning church service! Then we had to stop at the library to get something Lilly left, we had lunch, Lilly and Daddy went fishing, then Lilly went to her second birthday party of the weekend! We had to stop at the grocery store for a few things, we had dinner and now we are heading to bed!

It has been a busy crazy week! I have had to adapt our school schedule and push some lessons back. I am so happy I found a planner that will just tell me what to do tomorrow. If we did not get to it last week, it will show up on next week's schedule.

Next week, we will do it all! Maybe. If we don't, it will be okay. It has taken 4 years for me to really get used to that idea. I still struggle sometimes, but I know we will finish what we need to by the end of the school year and if not - we will just finish it next year! Flexibility is great; it takes some getting used to but it yields some amazing results!

She may not have finished all of her school work for the week;

but she did some great artwork!

Making Connections: A Week in Review - (August 25-29, 2014)

This week started out rough! We had a great time at Mema and Papa's house visiting with Nini and Marty. The kids and I spent two nights and Jonathan came up for dinner on Sunday night.

We did not get home until noon on Monday and I had a lot of prep work to get done for a staff meeting. Everyone was exhausted, so school did not really happen. Aidan did his math because it was a series of Kahn Academy videos and practice problems. Lilly slept. She woke up from her late nap with a fever of 103! Dinner and bed for everyone was about all I could handle!

Tuesday we all slept in, we did most of Monday and Tuesdays work. It was rough! It was really only a couple of hours of school work, but getting the kids to focus was a problem. We stopped before we got to do science, which means they missed out on the really fun stuff.

Wednesday we picked up with science first and my attempt at making school fun failed! I tried to do a fun science demonstration. You stick your hand in ice water, then you take it out and coat it in butter, lard, margarine - something to imitate blubber. Then you put your hand back in the water. Your hand should not be as cold. Well, it failed. I gave the kids rubber gloves that were way too big and they were not at all interested in coating their hands in butter. I did get this great picture of Lilly sticking her hand in the water!

Thursday Lilly continued to sleep off the last of her cold. She did not wake until 1pm! I had to leave at 3:30 so she got another break from school.

But Friday! Friday made up for all of the bad days this week! It made it all worth it! It was a day of making connections and watching lightbulbs go off. Some of those lightbulbs had to shine through some surly attitudes, but I saw them!

First - we finished up our study on the world's biomes. (If you want to see what we did for science this past year, you can find the posts here at Sandbox to Socrates. There are a few more that will go up once a month for the rest of the year.) As we looked at the Wetland habitats we came across a funny little animal called the axolotl. The kids were excited because this was one of the weird animals they talked about in VBS this summer, and we had seen one at the zoo! They love this funny looking little creature!

Second,  as we studied the Wetlands further we came across the term delta. Aidan remembered the Nile Delta from our ancient history studies. He also happened to cover the letter Delta in his Greek this week. Finally, on Friday, we were covering the Jewish religion in our geography/world religions study. We read about the Jewish captivity in Egypt and were able to find Egypt on a map by looking for - guess what? The Nile Delta! They love how it all interweaves so neatly, even if they don't say it. You can see it in their faces!

Third, this week for geography we studied Israel, its location, climate, history, and people. I included the section from our World Religions book on Judaism in this week's studies. We read about Abraham and Moses. For AWANAS, Lilly is studying the story of Moses and working on a long Bible verse to go with the story. For our history timeline, today was the Exodus! We are also working our way through the Narnia books and that has included some discussion of World War II. Today, Aidan and I talked a little bit about the Holocaust. It is a tough subject, but I think we had a nice introduction to the topic and we will be ready to talk about it in more detail as we study World War II later this year. I did not plan for any of this to overlap so neatly! I just love that it did!

Finally, through gritted teeth and frustration that I was making her do something she "knows," Lilly was able to do all of her addition facts from memory! Up until now we had been relying heavily on our manipulatives and pictures in her book. She would not look at me because she was mad about having to recite them, but she did them all without counting!! Math and reading are hard for her, she is my artistic child. Today was HUGE!

Our bad week turned out to be pretty amazing. This is one of those weeks when we really see the benefits of homeschooling. The kids got to spend that extra 12 hours with their Aunt and Uncle, then we caught up on sleep, and we could still do a little schoolwork, even with sickies. In addition, knowing everything they are studying allows me to help them make these connections, which in turn helps cement things in their brains. Sometimes I work hard to plan them and make them work, but I love it when they just happen!

Our First Week of 4th Grade and 1st Grade! (Aug 18-22, 2014)

So, I am a little late with this post. We had our first week of school last week. It has been a whirlwind of a weekend though! My sister was in town and I had to get paperwork in order for the first day of classes at the studio, hire a new teacher, make sure everyone knew their schedules, and prepare for a staff meeting! It's been crazy!

Anyway, back to our first week of school. We finished everything I had planned! Need I say more? That really is quite an accomplishment! (Really, we even did a little extra work. I know, I know - now I am bragging! I'll stop!) We took first day of school pictures. I thought we would get a cute picture on the dome in the back yard. You can see how that turned out.

Our attempt at a fun first day of school picture...they were a mess!

First day of 1st grade.

Monday started out great! I woke my sleepy head, Lilly, up by blasting the Veggie Tales song "Billy Joe McGuffery" through the whole house. I love this song! All of the kids loved it and we had a dance party as we played it a few times. After breakfast we did math, science, history, a president report, Latin, Greek, English grammar, literature, and art. I was so proud of my hard working kiddos!

He would not let me take his picture! He kept making faces!

Tuesday we started the day with a playdate at the splash pad. The kids had fun, and I had a nice visit with friends I had not seen in a few months. It was great! I did totally fail at taking pictures though. We were all too busy having fun. Aidan finished all of his work when we got home. Lilly and I did short school, she is no good for school work in the afternoon. We ended the day with our first FLL meeting. Aidan cannot wait to start programming a robot!

Wednesday and Thursday were just normal school days. They were smooth sailing.

Friday, I attempted something new. We packed up school and went to the library. We waited for Lilly to wake up and so we got there late. Everyone brought their preschoolers after morning preK was over. It was not the quiet, relaxed environment I was looking forward to. Plus, I failed to be sure that my box of school goodies would fit in the stroller - it didn't. This made everything more difficult. I had to lug the heavy box in and trust Aidan to push the stroller with the Matthew.

The kids enjoyed the change of scenery. Matthew played with the trains and puzzles. Aidan and Lilly found a pile of books and movies. I found a few good books as well.

I had promised a trip to the YMCA to swim. It was a good thing I called first - the pool is closed for a couple of weeks! I had one very disappointed fish named Lilly.

Not everything went as planned, but schoolwork happened with little to no fighting. I know that not every week will be so smooth, but I am thankful for such a great start to the year! Now on to week two!

Field Trip! Science Museum Oklahoma!

We took a field trip to the Omniplex almost every year from 1st to 12th grade. It was fun, but eventually we had done everything. There was nothing new and it was not as much fun as it had been.

When Aidan was 4 or 5, we took him to the The Oklahoma Science Museum (new name for the Omniplex) and it was the same as it had been the last time I went with school. Aidan loved it, it was all new to him, but we did not go back for a while.

Last year, we purchased a family pass to SMO because they had started adding new exhibits and there were some fun things for the kids to play with. We went almost weekly for the first two months. Then we went once or twice a month. We have been less in the last few months, but our pass has been a great investment! Every time we go, there is something new!

Our trip today was no disappointment. We started in a play area for the kids. Last time we went, these "roller coaster" pieces were not out and the kids were very disappointed. Today, they were in a bigger, more open space and they set up some great tracks to roll the balls down.

A series of new displays let kids experiment with the principles electricity and air.

The new Tinkering Garage lets kids take things apart or build with circuit blocks. Aidan dismantled a cell phone, a remote, and a drill. Then both kids built circuits with light bulbs, buzzers, fans, batteries, and switches. We spent most of our time here!

Matthew loved putting together tubes for golf balls to roll through. 

We also watched the science show - lots of explosions! We rode the Segway and we played in the shadow box. 

I love playing with the kids at the science museum and I cannot wait to see all the new displays they were making room for! There was construction going on in at least 3 areas. Everytime they have opened something new, it has been great. We are excited!

Free Kindle Books!

I am always looking for new books on education to read. I have read everything our library has on home education and a few on general education theory. I have been reading and studying homeschooling for 5 years now. I still learn something new from every book I read. I gain new inspiration with each book. This is the time of year that I need a few new books to get me ready to start the new year. I decided to search the Amazon.com free Kindle library for some new reading today. Here is what I found:

Education in The Home, The Kindergarten, and The Primary School by Elizabeth P. Peabody

The Montessori Method Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in 'The Children's Houses' with Additions and Revisions by the Author 

and

Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook

by Maria Montessori
School Options: Discover your options for schooling your kids (Them Kids Book 2)by Them Kids

And for some fun classic reading:

The War of the Worldsby HG Wells

Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories, Popular Education, Decembrists, Moral Talesby Leo Tolstoy

I am excited to start reading through this list. They are all downloaded to my Kindle and ready to go! I hope you find something interesting!

Budget Friendly Homeschooling

There are a multitude of ways to homeschool on a tight budget. I have found list after list of free education websites. I have even used some of them as a part of our school:

Xtra Math

Star Fall

Typing Web

Teach Your Monster to Read

Homeschool Share

Khan Academy

I have found all of these sites to be great supplements to our school work. They are great for busy days or days when I am sick and I just cannot get to everything with the kids. For our homeschool, we need more than free websites. How can you purchase all of that curriculum on a tight budget? It takes work, patience, and planning.

First, you have to decide what you want. This can be a daunting task. What curriculum will work for your child? Assuming you have decided, then you start to shop. I usually start at Rainbow Resource. They have great prices for everything I have looked at and if you order enough at once, you get free shipping!

After I check Rainbow Resource, I check Amazon.com. I have found books I wanted for literature free or very cheap on my Kindle. I have also made several great purchases of used books through the Market Place. EBay has also been great for a few deals. But my best deals have come out of extreme preplanning!

After extensive research, I decided on the grammar, science, and math programs I wanted for my oldest. I knew I wanted to use them for several years. I found a bundle of 4 levels of the grammar program I selected. I purchased four years worth of grammar for less than the price of one year new. When they arrived, all but one book was like new! 

We began using a science program that I loved! I purchased the first year new at convention and received a discount and free shipping (convention is a great place to shop if you want new!) While exploring one day, we came across a garage sale of a homeschooling family. They were selling 3 semesters' worth of the next levels of our science program! I purchased them all for $25 total (Savings of close to $100)! 

I love the Core Knowledge Group's series What Your.....Needs to Know. When all of the Borders stores closed, I found 4 years worth for a couple of dollars each!

I scour the books at the library book sale to see what I can buy to supplement or build courses with. I have a collection of books on events of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars in America. I have a large collection of cultural geography books for kids and a good selection of science books of various topics. I could check similar books out when we reach the subjects/topics, but I tend to run up library fines. The book sale saves me a significant amount in library fines!

A member of our homeschool group was selling the second year of our history curriculum a year before I would need it. I knew what I needed and how much it would cost new, so I bought it a year in advance.

I was only able to purchase these great deals because I had planned for the full grammar stage from the beginning. I found good deals at off purchase times - this saved me money and spread out my purchases. Rather than spending all of my curriculum money at one time, I spent a little here and a little there. It has made curriculum purchases much less painful.

I have already begun planning for logic and rhetoric stage. I have a general idea of what I want to use and am collecting items as I find them for free or cheap. My bookshelves are busting at the seams, but I am okay with that.

What if we don't like a curriculum choice and I have bought several years worth of books in advance? That is okay! I have not spent enough on most of these things to be worried about it. Plus, I can always resell them. I did this with the first grammar program I purchased. I bought one year, used. We tried it for a week and we were miserable! I sold it online and made back the money I spent on it. There will always be a homeschool family who loves the program you hate. You just have to find them!

Plan ahead and shop smart and you can have the curriculum you really want without spending a fortune! As my cousin Jama always says, "Prior planning prevents poor performance." Or in this case - significant savings!

Plans for the Year

I love to see what everyone has planned for the new school year! It is so much fun to look at how many different curricula combinations are out there, but it is also nice to see that some families are doing similar things to us. Even though I know that I have made good choices for our family and for each child's needs, it is validating to see that someone else feels the same way. That said, for those who want to know, this is what we will be doing starting on August 4!

Aidan: 4th Grade

Rod and Staff English 4
Spelling Plus (4th and 5th Grade Lists) with Dictation and Homophones
IEW: Following Narnia
McGuffey's Eclectic Readers
Latina Christiana II
Memoria Press' Greek Alphabet Book
SM Primary Mathematics, Standards Edition 5B, 6A, and maybe 6B

*We will also continue typing and cursive practice.

Lilly: 1st Grade
All About Spelling 1
McGuffey's Eclectic Readers
Bob Books
Explode the Code
Song School Latin
SM Primary Mathematics, Standards Edition 1A and 1B
Life of Fred

Together:
Finish our study of the world's biomes (learn all about that here.)
RS4K Astronomy PreLevel 1
RS4K Biology PreLevel 1/Level 1
Story of the World Volume 4
Memoria Press Geography 1

I plan to be more purposeful with bedtime reading time this year. We have always just let the kids pick from the 100s of books we have in the house and we usually end up reading the same book for weeks! This month it has been Food Hates You Too, which is a great little book of silly poems - but reading it over and over gets old!

Bedtime reading is going to be a part of "school." My husband is on board with reading more classic literature to the kids at bedtime so I have made a list of books I want to finish this year.

I really had no idea where to start! I have lists of good literature for kids, some is broken down by age and others by subject. I have a house full of wonderful literature, I just could not narrow it down to a manageable number for a year of school! My solution was to look at what various companies suggest for each grade. I love everything I have tried from Memoria Press, so I looked there first. I pulled a couple books from the 1st grade list and a couple from the 4th grade list. Some I just knew I wanted to be sure we got to this year. We have already started The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe because good literature just can't wait until the first day of school!

Literature Selections:
Beatrix Potter's Tales of Peter Rabbit and Friends
The Courage of Sara Noble
Charlotte's Web
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair

If we finish all of these selections, I have a list ready for next year too!

What are some of your favorite literature selections for elementary aged kids?

Home Ec - It's Not Just for Girls

The school I attended did not offer home ec, many schools have cut this all important class from their budgets and schedules to focus on testing. These skills are just as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic; maybe even more so! This is an important focus of our home school and our home life.

My son is almost 9. He can make biscuits, pancakes, cookies, brownies, mac and cheese, muffins, Ramen Noodles, a can of soup, chicken nuggets, a PBJ sandwich, and much more. He can sweep, mop, wash dishes and scrub a toilet. Today, he learned to hand and machine sew. 

Why are these skills important? Why does my son need to learn to cook and sew? I know there are families that don't find these skill important for their boys to learn, but there are many wonderful benefits to teaching life skills to boys and girls.

I am encouraging entrepreneurship in my children. They want to earn money. We don't give allowances, but our kids have managed to earn and save enough money to purchase a few things that they really wanted. By teaching my son to sew, he can make new things to sell. He is very careful and meticulous when making things, as he improves, he will be able to create high quality items.

At some point, he may live on his own. If he can sew, he can reattach buttons, fix a hem, or hem a pair of pants to fit properly. Doing these small things can be a money saver for any family.

We eat fairly healthy. When he goes to college or moves into an apartment, I want him to be able to continue eating well. I don't want him to rely on fast food. It drains on financial and physical health.

I think that it is important for a young man to be able to help with the household chores, including cooking when he gets married. Even if he marries a woman who wants to be a stay at home mom, - who wants to raise kids and keep house and maybe even homeschool. There are times when a husband needs to be able to cook. People get sick. If his new wife gets sick, he needs to be able to care for her and any children they may have. After the birth of a child he will need to be able to help. 

Plus, it is just plain fun to cook together! The kids are growing up watching Jonathan and I cook together. We watch cooking shows and try new recipes out all the time. We harvest food from the garden and experiment with it. I love sharing the kitchen with my husband! I am so blessed by my husband's willingness and ability to help in the kitchen and with the house work. I want a future daughter-in-law to have that same blessing.

This goes both ways too. Lilly is learning all the household chores, she also works in the garden, and will learn to mow when she is old enough. I love to mow, I find it relaxing. It is also another great way that my kids can earn money as they get older. I don't want my kids to be reliant on an employer. If they choose to get a job, I want it to be that - a choice. 

Life skills that were traditionally taught in home ec are not passed on to all kids by there parents, with the loss of that class in school there are kids who will have to learn all of these skills the hard way once they are on their own. I want my kids to be prepared for any path they choose - college, self-employment, managing a home, or finding and keeping a job. 

Ask Me

Prior to beginning this homeschool journey I did a lot of research. I wanted to be sure I did it right (I have come to learn that there is no right, what works for one child may not work for another and that is the beauty of home education.) I came across lists of questions that homeschoolers are asked, things that concern the general public about homeschoolers, things they think will cause the children pain and distress later in life. I know many homeschoolers who have been asked:

Can you do that?

Are you qualified to teach?

How do you get your child to listen to you all day?

How do they learn to stand in line, raise their hand, take turns, share, sit at a desk all day, etc?

How can they pass the state tests?

How will they meet boys/girls?

What about prom, football games?

What about college?

And the big one: What about socialization?

I have been homeschooling for 4 years and I have never been asked any of these questions! Come on, ask me! I spent a full year researching homeschooling before we began, I continued all through our first year. I read every book I could get my hands on. I joined a fabulous support group, I have attended 3 conventions and a parent practicum; I am ready to answer you!

I don’t know why I don’t get asked these questions. I have been asked “why?” But my answer is usually the short version, “It works better with our hectic schedule.” People usually leave it at that. On the occasion that someone has more questions, I love to talk about homeschooling.

Homeschooling our kids has been the best parenting decision my husband and I have made. This has been confirmed to us over and over again through many events and “aha” moments over the last 4 years. I want to share my joy! So ask me!

Can you do that?

Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states! And yes, I am capable. I enjoy teaching. I have been teaching my kids in some way since the day they were born.

How are you qualified to teach?

I successfully finished a masters degree. Yes, it was in theatre, but I am confident in my ability to teach elementary school subjects like math and science. Besides, I don’t have to know everything. There is so much wonderful curriculum to choose from. School teachers have books they teach out of, that is what I do, too.

How do you get your child to listen to you all day?

Discipline. They listen as well as they always have. School is just a part of our lives, there is not much division. We eat breakfast, we do some school work, we eat lunch, we finish our schoolwork, then we play. Sometimes we just read, but we read from history and science books as well as picture books and novels.

How do they learn to stand in line, raise their hand, take turns, share, sit at a desk all day, etc?

We go to the grocery store, they stand in line with me there. Raising your hand does not take years of practice to learn. They take turns with each other all day.  They share with each other. Why should my 6 and 8 year olds be trained to sit at a desk all day? That is not the life I want for them as adults. Mom and dad don’t work at desks all day, my kids don’t see that as normal. It is also not developmentally appropriate for young children to sit all day. Both of my kids are kinesthetic learners (as are many young children, especially boys!) - they recall more if they are moving or doing something with their hands. We have done handstands during history, cartwheels during science, and rolled across the floor during math! I often read to my daughter while she cleans her room.

How can they pass the state tests?

They don’t have to. They are not public school students. They do not have to pass anyone’s tests. I decide when they have met the requirements to complete a grade.

How will they meet boys/girls?

They are 6 and 8. They have friends in our support group, at church, and at their extracurricular activities. When they are old enough to date and they are interested, they will find kids their age through these same activities. I am not concerned; again, they are just 6 and 8.

What about prom, football games?

Homeschool groups have proms and other activities for teens. In our area, there are homeschool sports teams. They have ample opportunities to see friends play sports; but honestly, they would rather watch a musical (just like mom and dad.)

What about college?

Homeschool students are admitted to college all the time. Some colleges even search out homeschool students. I know a handful who are headed off to college this fall.

What about socialization?

My kids have an amazing relationship with their family. The kids are best friends. They play together all the time. They are not subject to peer pressure, they are unique and I love that they don’t feel the need to hide who they are.

They spend time with people of all ages. Only in school are you forced to remain in an environment with people of your own age in a situation you may not like or feel safe in. As adults, if we dislike a work environment we can quit and find a new job. We make friends based on interests, and we are in situations with people of all ages allowing us to learn from those who are more experienced. Kids in school are not allowed this freedom. My kids have a lot of friends, all these friendships have been created through activities. They have common interests, not common ages.

They live life with their parents. They learn to socialize by example. Their example is from grown adults, interacting in a mature manner (most of the time) not from their peers who are also learning how to socialize.

Be confident in your choice to homeschool, be prepared to answer any question someone asks and maybe you won’t ever be asked! My mom always prepares for rain because then, it won’t rain. I guess the same is true of homeschooling. Prepare to answer anyone's questions, and no one will ask you.

Teaching Lilly to Read

I have not blogged in a while, I get busy and forget. I keep thinking I will do better; but I prefer to write when I have something great to write about. Today, I do.

I was not going to home school my kids. My kids were going to attend public school, maybe private school; but I did not have any confidence in my ability to home school! At 18 months Aidan starting tracing his letters. Then around 2 1/2 he was making grocery lists. He would ask how to spell something, I would say the letters and he would write them. At 4, he wanted to read. A friend gave me Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, we went through 50 lessons and he was reading on his own. This was totally normal, right? All kids are this easy!

The time came to enroll Aidan in school and he missed the cut off for Kindergarten, but he was reading and knew all his addition facts. So, we decided to keep him home. Homeschooling was easy!

I know now, that it was God's plan for me to home school my children. He gave me an advanced, easy to teach child so that I would have the confidence that I could do it. (I have had many confirmations of this fact in the last 3 years.) Then he gave me Lilly. She has been ornery since the beginning which makes it hard to know what she knows.

My favorite example was doing colors with her at 2 years old. I asked her to point to the red block with about 5 blocks in front of her. She moved her finger around and then stopped for a second over the red block, turned her head to look at me, and pointed to a different block without looking. She also refused to talk until she was 3. She COULD talk, she would say a word and then cover her mouth and resume pointing to what she wanted.

Fast forward to 4 years old. We had been singing our ABCs since birth, she can sing a lot of songs but she cannot sing her ABCs! Once I heard her count to 10, but we usually got "1 2 3 4 5 6 7-11." Yeah, I know, too many Icees! BUT she wants to learn to read. I can do this, I taught Aidan, no big deal! WRONG! We tried for a month with no progress. We dropped it for 6 months, kept looking at letters and reading great books together. We tried again, nothing but frustration for both of us.

At 5, I started reading Charlotte Mason's original homeschooling series. She lays out a beautiful method for teaching reading. We tried and we made some progress. She read me a book! Then she read a couple of Bob Books. Then we tried 100 Easy Lessons again, to learn some more phonics. It was like she hit a wall. So we stopped with all phonics lessons. We went back to the Bob Books and a more Charlotte Mason-type method; we are slowly, slowly learning to read.

Her ornery personality still causes some problems; yesterday she read half a book with no trouble, today she read out of the same book with the same words and she seemed to struggle A LOT. She was never looking at the book! She was just guessing words without even looking!

So what have I learned? I have learned to be flexible. I have learned to be patient. I have learned to listen to my kids. I have learned that what is right for one child is not always right for the other. And most importantly I have learned that what I am comfortable teaching is not always going to be the best method for my kids to learn by, and that is tough!

Lilly's Birthday and Spring Break!

Lilly turned 4 on February 22nd. She had a great time eating dinner with Mema and Papa...but she really loved opening her presents. As you can see, the pile of gifts was as tall as she was. She now has all of the Hello Kitty clothing any little girl needs!

I cannot believe how big she is getting. We measured both kids, in two months Lilly had grown 1.5 inches and Aidan had grown 2 inches!!








We went on our first vacation in a couple of years. This was however, our first truly relaxing vacation! We usually go somewhere that is all site-seeing or visiting friends and family. This year we went to the ocean with almost all of Jonathan's siblings. 12 adults and 17 kids may not sound relaxing to everyone, but it meant that our kids were completely entertained, and we all had a little help in the parenting department.

Aidan looking for sea shells at the jetty. This was the best place for finding cool shells!

These sea gulls follow the ferry from the mainland to Galveston Island. The kids were able to feed them off the back of the ferry. They ate out of our hands! It was lots of fun.

Father and son crabbing. We caught several, but only two big enough to keep.

The view from our back porch. See why this was so relaxing!

This Week

This week was the most productive week we have had in a while! I was able to really do a full schedule of school with Aidan AND do some work with Lilly!!

Aidan did math and grammar everyday, we moved onto a new spelling rule and word list, we studied a science chapter, and we covered 3 history chapters! Aidan was excited to work on his history lap book again, I have not had the energy for the extra work and mess.

Lilly also worked on her letter lapbook. We only have 7 letters to go! But the biggest news for Lilly is that she decided it was time to start reading. We started Phonics Pathways this week. She has learned the five short vowel sounds, and 2-3 consonants. I was worried about blending, but the second day we worked on it, she started to get it! Yeah, Lilly!









It has been beautiful, so we played outside some this week. Lilly practiced her gymnastics moves on the swingset rings.

Thursday, we had co-op and the kids had a visit from the fire department. They spoke to the kids about fire safety and brought several trucks with them.










We have had a pretty good week, topped off by a visit from my sister. The kids have missed their Aunt Nini and were so happy to see her! We are looking forward to another great week!

Wildlife Expo!

Today was a GREAT day! I started the day with a quick trip to the library book sale. I picked up several great history books on ancient civilizations to go along with our study of the ancients this year. I found a couple of books on Egypt and Mummies, a few on Greece, and a copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh! We just talked about that story, and now we can read the full version. I came home with a box full of books for only $12!

Next we headed off to the Wildlife Expo, but we passed a few garage sales on the way. I picked up a few more history books and the last in a science series we are using (normally $70 - I paid $20!). The kids found a few toys as well. It was a great day for shopping!

Finally! We made it to the Lazy E Arena and this is what we did:

  Archery!

The kids had to go back and shoot a second time. Jonathan popped the balloon and won a back pack for the kids.

 Learning to cast a fishing line! Lilly hit the target the first few times. (With a little help.)

 Digging for bugs in compost....worms, sow bugs, and much, much more.

Yes...they are petting a skunk!! Don't worry, it can't spray!

Studying the fish of Oklahoma.

 Gooseknocking. 

The point is to knock the head off the geese.

Look at that action shot of Lilly!

 

Giant paddlefish - this one was about 10 years old and 30 pounds. 

They can be up to 135 pounds. The kids both touched it, but there was a string attached to the mouth and the attendant moved it when people touched the fish. Lilly jumped back a few feet!

And she was done!

Aidan's Birthday Week!

We had a lot of fun this week and also managed to accomplish A LOT!! We started the week with a trip to the State Fair of Oklahoma. We took the kids to see Disney's Toy Story on Ice, Aidan held a duck at the Duck Races, we saw some amazing dog tricks, learned about sea lions, walked through a petting zoo, ate Indian Tacos, pizza on a stick, and cotton candy! The kids also went on a bunch of rides and Aidan won a red light-saber at a game booth!

For school, Aidan and I made a deal; If he completed all 5 days worth of work in 4 days, he could have his birthday off. He did successfully complete all of his work, and then some. We are now a few days ahead in math and one day ahead in grammar!

We celebrated this morning with brownies for breakfast, some Mario Kart, and lots of laziness. We will make up for that tomorrow at the Wildlife Expo. Aidan has been looking forward to this for 2 months! Then, on Sunday, we have his birthday party. It is a big week for us!

 Watching Disney on Ice. They LOVED it!!

At the petting zoo - Alpaca, Kangaroo, and Lilly petting a goat!

Aidan getting ready to race his duck!

Letting it go!

He could not stop smiling while he jumped! It was so much fun to watch!

Lilly LOVED Dumbo!

The lighting was awful for pictures, but there is a sea lion on the left and the kids are in the center.