It's a new year

Well, actually we're well into this year, but a new school year is upon us again! I am an excited, nervous, unprepared yet prepared mess! I will have one middle schooler & 3 elementary schoolers if you want to look at it like that and all have mixed emotions about this homeschool year. We didn't get anything done during the summer as I planned b/c we had summer guests, but we had tons of fun so I guess that'll have to do. We have planned plenty of trips this school year so I am seriously looking forward to it! Anyway, just wanted to drop a line & say good luck to all of the homeschooling families out there!!!!

Summer, Summer, Summer Time!

So it is summer and our home is crazy busy right now. We have two summer guests for my son so, there are 3 boys & 3 girls...Woo Hoo! I actually like even numbers.lol. I've found an inexpensive curriculum for the cool kids next school session which will start after the guest are gone and I've become a part of 2 more homeschool groups so, all is well with us right now. On another note I am loving this FL weather! everyday is a swim day! 

Our work space

Here's a shot of our homeschool work area. Our day is not exclusive to this area, but it's fun to have an area in case we needed it....wish we had a whole room that I could decorate, but that's another story altogether!

It's official

🎊🎉 we are officially homeschooling! After a series of things happening at the school, we figured it was best to just put this adventure into the hands of God and dive on in! This is our first official day and it's been quite peaceful! The kids seem happy :-)

Spring cleaning

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Proverbs 3:5 NIV)

As we prepare to begin homeschooling, it has occurred to me that we have a lot of unnecessary things! So today we are clearing out and organizing. 

It's been harder to maintain my organizational OCD since I began having children, but it still lurks in the back of my mind waiting for the chance to go on an organizing bender, 😊 

The children have been really receptive to helping me prepare...I love these cool munchkins.

On another note, I ran into one of the first people that we met when we moved here and as we were talking I said, "we're transitioning to homeschooling." She looks at me all serious and goes, "we are too, I pulled him out of school last week." I know many people believe that things happen just to happen, but I believe that God has a hand in EVERYTHING (always for our good)! We exchanged numbers and plan on getting the kids together during this journey and it was definitely confirmation that we're on the right path!

As I prepare for this spring cleaning, I am reminded that it isn't always confined to your home. Maybe you need to clean out fear, doubt, stress, etc. I have definitely been made aware of my own fears and have decided that it's time to clean them out, get rid of 'em, and throw them away! 

Are we homeschooling today?

Lamentations 3:27 "And it is best to learn this patience in our youth"

Now that the children are aware of the fact that they'll be homeschooled next school term every morning greets me with an, "are we homeschooling today" from one of the younger children. Although, I would love to take them out now I made an agreement with my husband to let them finish out the year since they've already started....something about them not becoming quitters in the future ::eye roll::: seriously though, there are only a few months left so, why not? 

I must admit that I am enjoying this phase immensely! I have completed a month of planning and feel great to have a map. Though I'm positive that we will not strictly follow the plan or any plan for that matter, it still feels great to have one in place....I'm a planner by nature though! Over time I've learned to be flexible b/c as we all know, life doesn't go as planned! This has become quite a learning experience and I'm looking forward to learning even more!💋

Wobbling to class

"6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

As I watched the cool babies scurry to class this morning [we make it to school right on time-not a minute before or after] I realized that I may miss the baby's wobble to class...it is so extremely cute! It's that walk/run that kids have that says "I have not a care in the world." 

Her teacher stands at the door and waves her in so, I figure that I could recreate this moment in our homeschool....send everybody outside to run back in as I wave from the door! Ha! 

We allowed the cool kids to choose whether they wanted to begin homeschooling now or next school term and the consensus has been next school term which Is ok since cool kid #1 is in the 5th grade.....wouldn't want him to miss those awesome end of the year parties :-)

Preparations are going smoothly. I got my  teacher's planner from scholastic in the mail yesterday. I am pretty positive that we're going to start with an eclectic style, i got another book case for $15- talk about exciting news! Lastly, I have almost all of the material that I need. I found an awesome globe that I have on a big wish list on cool dad's desk! Now, I'm looking for a curriculum to use...there are sooooooo many to choose from!

Happy New Year!

"I am the good Shepard. The good Shepard lays down his life for the sheep" John 10:11

It's been about 5 years since my last post...time flies! So much has happened over these past few years. After homeschooling for a year, I decided to let my children go to public elementary school because of insecurities on my part. They were only around peers at church & sports, was that enough "socialization"? were they learning as much as they would in school? Etc.

I remember praying around this time that God would allow us to become missionaries abroad & receiving a word that my children are my mission. Hmm. What does that mean? Ironically, my pastor preached a sermon shortly after on how for many of us, our mission work is in our homes, communities, or our Jobs. 

The school was good. It had christian programs that reinforced what they were receiving at home & at church, a mothers prayer group, etc. I was content, but would still have an occasional urge to go back to homeschooling....I guess home really is where the heart is!

<<< fast forward to now>>>

We moved & and I think that I finally understand that word/message from a few years ago! My children are my mission & now more than ever I see the need for them to learn in a non-traditional setting. 

Do I have any regrets about stopping my children's home education? No. I believe that everything happens for a reason & in that time I've learned a lot, created bonds with people that have become my biggest supporters & others who have been homeschooling forever, & most importantly I've grown in my faith enough to say, "Lord, you're in the lead" and truly mean it! These entries will be a journal of my family's transition back into homeschooling. May they be encouragement to others! 

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Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, For in thee do i put my trust"

I haven't posted in awhile but i'll be starting again, starting with today! We have done so much since the last time that i've posted and our home school experience has become more faith based b/c i realize that when you love the Lord, you love him in everything that you do!

We began hooked on phinics for reading at the beginning of the year and the children have continued to excel in math. I'll be updating with photos very soon. Thanks for reading and God bless!

Learning through Rhyme

Word list

1. Fish- the pet
   
2. Disneyland- The place that they traveled to
   
3. Log- An object in the story
   
4. River- Fish' first home
   
5. Bird- Who they met
   
6. Dog- The owner of the pet
   
7. Black- The color of the owner's fur
   

   
    

The objective is to make a rhyming story from a list of words that the children have picked out. You ask, "What rhymes with fish?" and then choose a rhyming word that the kids have said that best fits within the story. The kids and I have had tons of fun with this activity!

 

 

 

 

Dog's pet fish

 

 

In a Deep, Deep river lived a fish

That was suddenly caught by a girl named Trish

 

Next to Trish on a big log

Sat her pet fluffy black dog

 

Trish Gave Dog the Fish as a pet

Dog loved the fish so much that he made him a home on the family's deck

 

When the family went on a trip in the van

They took fish along to Disneyland

 

At Disneyland they met a big bird

That fell in love with Dog's curly fur

 

Dog introduced Bird to all of his friends

Even his best friend, a dog named Ben!

 

The End

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!

I Have many pictures that I've taken from previous assignments that I've yet to upload which I think should be contributed to the "it's around the holidays" lazy bug! Hopefully I'll get them up soon but for now I would like to say from my family to yours, Have a blessed Christmas!

Teaching letter sounds

A game that has proven effective in teaching my oldest two children letter sounds has been "hide it" (I got the idea from a home school blog on family forum). The object of the game is to find a hidden object that starts with whatever letter the parent has called out. For example (if you've hidden a ball, bat, car, and doll) you would say, find the object that starts with the letter "D" and whoever brings the doll gets a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins! Although, the game seems fun it has really helped the children recognize letter sounds.

Unique place for shapes

This activity wasn't quite for my homeschooler but it was excellent for my preschoolers. What better way to teach a 20 something month old child her shapes than carving a pumpkin?

Counting with leaves

I'll be the first to admit that not only is homeschooling beneficial to the child but it also gives the parent a second shot at childhood (maybe not but after you get over the initial stress of wanting everything to be perfect, it can become a stress reliever)…….I do have my own paint set and pack of crayons though! Teaching a child in kindergarten and keeping the attention of the preschoolers has proven difficult at times but it has also given me the opportunity to be as creative as possible. The fall has brought with it many "creative" learning opportunities that have been fun and educational for each of the children.

Fun with leaves- (math)

1. The children and I gathered as many fallen leaves of different colors that we could find. We bought them inside and put them into piles by color. After all of the leaves were in a pile I explained the rule of addition and made math problems for my kindergartener. Ex. One red leaf + One yellow leaf= 2 leaves
   
2. (For the preschooler) Simply counting the leaves proved to be fun and educational for my preschoolers
   

Fun with leaves- (art)

1. After we were done with math we used our leaves to make art. Here is a picture of our "leaf" art:

How we document

Currently i am not using a curriculum. I have found that i'm leaning more towards a mixture of the eclectic and traditional methods of homeschooling. I make my lesson plans based on this knowledge and we use workbooks for subjects such as reading and math. For documentation of our lessons, I have a three ring binder and each Sunday I plan out the lessons for that particular week and update it in excel. Here's a look at our "documentation" book:

It's official

I'm late in starting a blog as we officially became a homeschooled family in september but as most sahm/homeschooled parents know, time is something that you just don't have in the beginning! Our journey has been exciting so far and i feel great knowing that my child is recieving an adequate education in the comfort of his own home! There were so many things that led to me choosing homeschool but mainly that i'd wanted to homeschool from the start but tried traditional school because my husband was against homeschool (which he now loves since i had to just go with my gut after our son's school had a "lockdown"). My advice for any family who is considering homeschool as an option would be to just go for it! It never hurts to try and only YOU know what's truly best for your child. My husband was against it in the beginning because he felt as if i was keeping our son from the social benefits of school but he now realizes that our child is still a social butterfly even without traditional school (although i still have him involved in extracurricular activities) and homeschool has helped to get my younger children more involved in academics. It has been a blessing thus far and i expect it to continue to be! This blog will be used for support purposes for families hoping to homeschool or that are homeschooling and also as a source of educational ideas that i have tried with my children. Please enjoy reading and stop by as often as you'd like!