Reason #7

If you feel like just doing art, you can.  We did four art lessons today on symmetry.  We painted, colored, cut, glued, and had a lot of fun.  Some days we get carried away in math or read lots of stories.  It is fun to focus in to a subject when you are in the mood, or to have an eclectic palette of subjects on other days!

Crazy Fall Time

Reason #7

This time of year is crazy for us.  So many activities going on that we want to enjoy with multiple ages of children.  Our day from 2:00 on included: 3 piano lessons, a soccer game, football practice, dinner, Family Night.........hardly time to breathe.  But......we already had 5 good hours of down time together doing school, so we don't feel like didn't see each other.  I got to labor over phonics with one son, hold kittens with my little girl, give spelling tests to two sons, do some pre-writing with one, some water color painting with another.  We had a good day, even as busy as it was.  

Homeschooling gives me the chance to have a lot of time with my kids.  It also allows us to participate in a lot of extra-curricular activities without losing all of our family time.  I like it.

Time

One thing you don't get much when your children are doing an ONLINE Virtual School, is personal computer time..................mom is last in line for the computer : )

Reason #6

I can't believe how much I am learning!

Today I can recite to you the four types of clouds.

I also can break words into syllables.

I know the history of the Mona Lisa.

I found out that I still can do algebra pretty well.

I love singing "bunny bunny hop hop" to the first Suzuki twinkle.

And most parents think they need to know all of this BEFORE they can start schooling their children.  But really, you get to have the learning adventure together!

I love quiet.

It is the evening, and I just need some quiet time.  

Every mom needs it, and deserves it.  We had a very busy, getting things done, piano lesson started, type of Monday. 

And now I just want to BE STILL.  Thank goodness for a husband who lets me take a quiet moment by myself, even if it is just at the dining room table :)

Tears of Joy

I cried today. Do you remember how exciting it was watching your baby take his first steps, teetering and tottering, falling down, and getting back up? Well, you should try being there when your child learns to read. It is amazing.

My first grade son is having a hard time breaking through the "learning to read" wall. Both of my other boys quickly learned to read while in kindergarten, succeeding with all of the typical book methods. They caught on quickly, and progressed quickly. And then I started teaching this one to read. It hasn't happened yet after a long kindergarten year.  He learns in a completely different way than they did and do.  I have found myself reading books about learning styles and trying all kinds of new ways to help him read.  He definitely fits into the "doer" kinesthetic type of learner.  Sitting still he can have trouble counting to 15, but spinning in a circle he can count to 100 beautifully.  It has been a journey for us........already.  It is hardest to teach those who learn differently than you do yourself.  I am definitely a visual and auditory learner.  This is foreign territory for me.  Who knew that teaching my children would teach me so much?  All of this even led me to drop the curriculum that I had been doing successfully for 4 years and jump into WAVA, Washington Virtual Academy, with all of my children.  What did I have to lose, my old ways weren't working.

Well, today the lights began clicking, the synapses started snapping, and HE WAS READING WORDS.  The joy in his eyes was beyond description.  The tears in my eyes were obvious.  And I must mention that the PhonicsWorks program from k12 is awesome, an answer to my prayers.  He gets to touch, feel, move, and hear the letters.  It is just what he needed.

And I would not have traded this experience for anything.

We survived!

First day of school, and we survived. Very pleasantly, in fact.

I used to teach 4th grade once upon a time. After the first day of school, I went to bed at 6:00. It is just plain exhausting to get a new school year on its feet, set up routines, and help the kids know the routines. Ask any teacher, the first month of school is grueling, and then it gets a lot better and EASIER.

So..........you can't expect it to be much better when educating your own at home, but it is a much smaller class size! That is a positive.

Everyone was very excited to start the day, and very exhausted when it was over. But, we made it.........and we will be back at it tomorrow morning.

School Starts Tomorrow

Well, the kids are sound asleep.

School starts tomorrow. We had a barbecue tonight with 3 other families that have decided to educate their children at home. What fun it was to visit and play. I get used to being the one who is doing things "differently." But it sure is nice to have some friends to discuss things with, brainstorm with, laugh at ourselves with, and just someone else who understands.

I feel strengthened to start the new school year.

Reason #5

Reason #5--Time to do what we want to do, when we want to do it.

Today, we decided to make stepping stones. We had a kit of supplies that we have been storing for quite awhile, waiting for just the perfect day. Today turned out to be the day. We don't like to be bored. I can't wait for these lovely stepping stones to grace the walkway to our yard gate!

Crunch Time

Summer is my FREE time to do as many projects, or as little as I want to, time. It usually ends up being the first--cramming more than should be crammed into a 3 month period time. Some may say it is my own fault--choosing to keep my children home for school. This is true. I take full responsibility for the choice :)

So as my last week of personal project free time comes to a close, I have a few things I still want to finish----deep clean of bedrooms, a quilt that has been waiting on me, the SCHOOL ROOM, a birthday party, organizing my closet, etc. etc. etc.

And then it is time for school. No more 8 hour days of quilting, tiling, gardening. But that is OK. Vacation time will come around once again. Time to set back into a schedule, piano lessons, learning, soccer practice, cub scouts, field trips. I like these kind of days too. It is just sad to say goodbye to my good friend, SUMMER. I love summer, and I know I will see her again next year!

Reason #4

The School Room

Some people like to have school at the kitchen table, but I LOVE having a school room. I love hanging up maps, alphabets, calendars, bulletin boards, and all of that fun stuff. I love buying school supplies at very low prices once per year to stock the shelves. I love desks and pencil boxes and name tags. I guess I like "playing school."

Because really, we have done school at the kitchen table and it can go just as well.

Recently we are working on our new school room. Our current one is in a bedroom, but we just converted the front half of our garage to a room. The door is gone, new wall up--even with a big picture window in it. I can't wait to have school in there. And yes, some ulterior motives may be lurking such as--having my own quilting/crafting/project room. Every mom needs a place where her projects can be always in progress without having to clear them for dinner to be served! But having a school room is really fun for me. It is fun for the kids too. I like there to be some boundaries between school behavior and home and playing behavior. They know what is expected when we head to "school." I also LOVE to have a place to contain the mess of learning. Learning is messy, just face that fact if you are going to educate at home. Of course, it seeps out to the kitchen, the table, and other places---but at least the majority is contained away from our entryway!

So.........we are on the count down until school, and I still have a lot of taping, texturing, painting, tiling, and finishing to do in that school room!!!!! On my way.

Reason #3

I want my children to be weird. lol

It is a myth that "homeschooled" children are weird. Yes, it is true that some people who homeschool their children are weird, but have you looked around at the public school? I see "weird" people every day. And they might think the same when looking my way. Children are primarily socialized by their parents. As much as we would like to blame others for our children's "weirdness," it probably comes back to us :) So at least it is my own fault if I ruin my children!

Children educated at home can be beautifully socialized. Sitting in a classroom of 30 other students each day isn't what does it. It is being involved in their community, cub scouts, soccer, ballet, going to the store, talking with adults, library visits, having friends over, going to friends' houses, church activities and services, being a part of a family, and oh so much more. This can happen whether your child is in public school, or school at home. It is through living life. When homeschooling, you may be able to enrich their life even more just because the quantity of hours opens up so many windows of opportunity! 40 more hours with them each week! (which can be scary too----but worth it!)

I know socialization is a huge fear for parents that are humoring the idea of "homeschooling." Will my children be normal? Will they have friends? Will we become social recluses? Just remember, public school for the masses hasn't been around that long. Generations and generations of "normal" people have been educated at home, privately tutored, etc. etc.

Your children will be normal. They will spend their quantity of hours not only learning and gaining an amazing education, but building deep relationships with you and their siblings. When else do we have to learn how to live together as a family? And I mean REALLY live together, not just cross paths by sleeping under the same roof!

Summer is Ending

It was 45 degrees when I went out running this morning instead of the typical 60......summer is ending! I do not want it to end. I really am NOT ready for school to start.

Reason #2

I hate public school---NOPE, that's not it.  I really actually like public school.  I went to public school.  I enjoyed my public school experience.  I graduated valedictorian in a small town and even graduated magna cum laude from college.  So that just isn't it.

Public schools are needed.  Everyone needs to be educated, and that is a great option.  I am just excited that there are multiple options for everyone.  I love having my kids at home.  We play it by ear year to year.  This is our 6th year of school at home.  None of my children have gone to public school---but I keep the offer open.

We just love to have our life schedule centered around our family, instead of our family centered around the school schedule.  It really does free you up more than you think.

Reason #1

I love my kids.

As all parents do, I love my kids and want the best for them.  I even like being around them.  In their 14 hours of awake time, I want to have the higher percentage of influence.  And even though we school here at home, this is still a battle.  There is football practice, piano lessons, cub scouts, friends' houses, swim team, soccer, etc. etc. etc.  I am so glad to have a chunk of focused hours where I can actually focus on my kids---not the laundry, or dishes, or phone calls, or community committees, etc.