my experience

It's obvious that I'm super excited about this whole homeschooling adventure that we are embarking upon. However I want to be sensitive to those who have not chosen this way of life. Do not allow my excitement and fervor in this adventure cause you to feel you need to defend how you have chosen to school your children. I am not sharing my excitement to disuade anyone off the path they have chosen!

I liken it to my cloth-diapering experience. I LOVED cloth diapering. I talked about it a lot and shared a lot of knowledge w/ many friends and wished more people felt the same as I did. However I never wanted to "put it upon" anyone else or make them feel that they were doing their children or the environment a disservice by not "being like me". I feel the same way about homeschooling. I'm excited about it and so I'm going to talk about it a lot - honestly hoping to encourage others to look into it for themselves. BUT in the end a persons decision to homeschool or not is their own and I do not look down upon anyone because they have made a different decision than I have.

So if that is you my friend keep coming back to my blog and read about my experience remembering that it is what it is: my experience!

For additional reading on education (whether in a home atmosphere or classroom) check out For The Children's Sake (Foundations of Education For Home And School) by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. I'm only on Chapter 2 but I am finding it a wonderful read so far - I believe it would benefit both the parent who wishes to homeschool, the parent who hasn't decided and the parent who has chosen a public or private education.

Teacher Mommy

Teacher Mommy what are we going to do next? Asked Ellie tonight. It's been so fun! Tomorrow is the end of our first week of "school". She has had such a fun time learning. Mon and Tues I taught her during the boys naps. On Wednesday we had friends over until 2:30 so I had her take her rest first and then we did our lesson. Today we got home from errands and a swim date at 3pm ... Mommy was exhausted so I put both kids in their rooms and we all crashed until 5. After dinner Ellie and I did her lesson together. It was so fun and she was so excited to do each activity! The best part for me is not being stuck to a set time. I like how flexible schooling can be!

On another note, I am really treasuring this time with Elizabeth. As we took a shower tonight, I held her in my arms while the water poured down on us and I really felt like I have the potential right now to really draw near to my little girl and develop a relationship that will get us through any rocky times we may have ahead. She looks up to me right now and as much as I can I want to learn to love, cherish, admonish, train and teach while learning to not exasperate and frustrate her. I know that I can be harsh instead of firm & loving at times and I'm asking the Lord to keep that part of me in check.

This new season we are in is amazing!!

My Father's World

Last week I transformed a corner of my diningroom (which had been my sewing area) into a schooling/sewing area. Elizabeth's desk is one that my dad refurbished for her 3rd birthday. I have most everything set so that we have room for her schooling AND I still have a place for my sewing ... should I ever choose to finish a project!

After a Homeschool convention this past July I had decided I really wanted to check out My Father's World curriculum for Ellie. I had initially thought that I would begin next year when she was 4 years old. But then my friend Janet gave me the unused curriculum that she had! I was super excited as I opened it up a couple of weeks ago to take a look. It seemed to fit my style just perfectly. I am one who needs a plan - anyone who has lived w/ me for any amount of time knows that about me! I really feel like this curriculum is the right fit for me!

That being said as I read through the material for kindergarten l I realized that Elizabeth could do the work that was given and if I waited a year she would just "outgrow" it! It is geared toward 5 and 6 year olds as well as "mature" 4 year olds. Elizabeth is not quite 4 years old but I really felt like she was "ready". Plus she won't stop talking about wanting to go to school ... thinking that I needed to send her somewhere for that to be accomplished. When we set up the "school" area and told Ellie what it was for she immediately stopped talking about needing to "go" anywhere for school and has been super excited (and asking me almost everyday about when we could start)!

The plan was to start on September 1st but last night after some consideration I decided that there was nothing holding me back to start sooner ... so today during Josiah and Jonathan's (the boy I watch) naps I did her first lesson with her. She LOVED it! She is further ahead than I thought so I think that the first 10 days are going to be a breeze. We are starting out by going over the creation ... day 1 was today. For the first 7 days we will read a passage in Genesis corresponding w/ that day of creation, cut out and color the # that goes with that day, focus on the ABCs, create a "creation book" and learn some new songs. Days 8 - 10 are review days, however I'm not sure we'll need to do them or not. She went through the lesson so quickly today and was very upset when it was done ... in fact, she cried. She may need something a bit more challenging by day 8 - so we'll see!

Taking the "plunge"

It was a decision that was made in my heart before my children were even born. I have always wanted to be a mom, always wanted to stay at home with them but never felt like I was up for the challenge of "schooling" them. However by the time they were born I knew that I didn't want to send them to traditional school ... that I wanted something different for them than what I was given - specifically in regards to public education.

I've watched my dear friends Debbie Sanders and Carrie Smyth take "the plunge" into homeschooling. I've also been greatly influenced by the Noce family, whom I met while working at a camp in Colorado 11 years ago. Through the Noce's I saw children that were well-adjusted, well-socialized and ahead of their game in terms of schooling. By watching them I saw that it was something that really could be done ... if done rightly!

Two years ago my friend, Janet, told me about a school in the area that I could be apart of (if accepted) and have access to a whole network of families doing the same thing. We looked into in this past Fall and in the first part of 2010 we interviewed with them and were accepted! It'll be 2 years before Elizabeth officially starts kindergarten but over these next two years I'll be able to connect with other pre-schooling moms AND be apart of any activities available for their age - concerts, field-trips, etc.

One of the moms I've already connected with has 3 children - the oldest two being 5 and 2. She is also new to our school and our kids have really hit it off! I'm looking forward to seeing how the Lord might lead us to do some of our schooling together (we have the same curriculum for kindergarten - which I'll address in another entry) and will both be starting it this Fall w/ our oldest children.