Curriculum Choices for 2012/2013

Well, first, I am having a hard time keeping with my school year begins in August 2012 and ends in June of 2013. I am even already forgetting what grades my kids are in. LOL. I just do not care about grades per say, or about school years in the public school sense. I think it’s all dumb. Why should we stop learning? My kids need all the extra practice and help they need, and besides, if school is fun, why should we stop learning?

So, this is my plan for now and the upcoming year.

Currently, my oldest is 10 and she is considered 4th grade (going into 5th grade), but she is using 2nd grade Horizons Math. When she finishes her Horizons book, she will move onto Math U See Gamma. I hope this change will be revolutionary for her, so we will see how it goes. I have read up on Math U See, but I am not sure how it will be for her.

My second daughter who is 9 and right now is considered 3rd grade (going into 4th), is also using 2nd grade Horizons Math. When she finishes her book, we will move onto Teaching Textbooks 3. I decided the two girls need to use different math because they kept comparing themselves to each other and it was making for some rough interactions.

My son who is 8 and in 2nd grade (going into 3rd) is right now finishing up 1st grade Horizons Math. We were considering him also using Teaching Textbooks 3, but I need to have him take the test for it first.

Our main curriculum is Paths of Exploration by Trailguide for Learning. We have already started using it and I have to say, it is amazing! I cannot say enough about the change in the atmosphere in our school. We have had fun discussing history and I love how it covers every subject except math. The kids are having so much fun and are actually learning!

We are also using All About Spelling. I am confident in this program, though I will be honest, I am still trying to figure out how it works. I will get back to you on this one.

For my 6 year old who is finishing up Kindergarten, we will continue using Hooked on Phonics, but the first grade level. We are currently using Horizons K Math, and we will move onto Horizons 1st grade math after. We also will be using Five in A Row, which we have already been using some.

As for my little learner, she is interested, but not absorbing. I really do not want to push her yet. So for now, she can listen in on Five in a row and then in the fall, I will begin a letter of the week activities with her. We had started some, but like I said, she hasn’t really absorbed much. Plus, we have used the preschool Hoooked on Phonics some and she sits in on the 6 year olds Kindergarten videos as well. I am relaxed as far as early learning and don’t think children should be pushed hard until 1st grade, honestly.

One last thing, we are using the Light for the Trail supplement with Paths of Exploration. I like it very much, and so far it has been really good scriptures for memorization. We also are reading the Egermeier’s Bible Story Book, and working our way through a bible study book called, What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers. I think it all works together well. You can never have too much bible.

So, this is our current curriculum round up!

So, you are thinking about homeschooling? Part Two…

What homeschooling means to me and to my children….

This is harder then I thought it was going to be to write out. I am still developing this definition of homeschooling for our household. So that’s the first thing I am going to say to you that I learned right away. Homeschooling is defined differently per household. One thing I have found to be almost uniform if you are going to make homeschooling work for you and your family is that you have to make learning a lifestyle, not something you sit down and do for 2 hours a day. Follow inspiration brought on by a single question asked by your kids. Teach them how to find out answers for themselves. For instance, one night we were sitting at the table early on when we first started homeschooling. We were eating dinner. Someone asked if the Tiger was the largest cat. We didn’t know the answer, so we jumped up after dinner and began seeking the answers on the internet. And this turned into many hours of learning for our kids over the weeks to come. We found that Audrey has a huge fascination with large cats. Grace has an obsession with horses. Elijah loves pirates (And thinks it would make a good career when he gets older, lol). You discover so many things about your kids when you follow their questions.

I am NOT an unschooler at all. We do not follow our children where ever the wind blows today, but we do allow a certain amount of natural curiousity to guide us in their free time reading, etc.

We totally have “school”, though I do not run a tight ship like a public/private school. We sit at a table together and we have school time. It’s mostly a relaxed atmosphere, though I do try to teach them good writing habits, and good manners. I love unit studies and literature. I do not care for worksheets that don’t involve much writing or require just circling or underlining. I thought I did, because the kids could do it completely independent. I don’t think they learn as much that way. I make them work as independently as I can though. I make them open the dictionary when it is time, but if they get stuck, I help. I don’t run off and do other things. I am involved. I find that they enjoy hands on and stuff that involves some thought. We also incorporate music as much as possible and even getting up and moving to the music. I try hard to not be a stick in the mud.

Some words of wisdom for my first year, Don’t buy too much curriculum. Do not think you are going to love something so much that you buy years worth. I have done this multiple times and found I hated the program or didn’t understand how to use it. I have returned to such curriculum also months later. If you have multiple children, find something that you can do with all of them, but that doesn’t require you putting a lot planning into it. Unless you have the time and desire to spend hours planning. Some people thrive on that. That’s not me. I love reading about different things people are doing and printing stuff up, but I don’t have the time for it. Five kids, 2 cats, 1 dog, and a husband keep me hopping and cleaning up after them all.

Another word of advice, if you aren’t already doing it, start teaching them responsibility and the idea of we all chip in and do chores together to make this home and family run. They may not enjoy it now, but they will thank you when they have a real job some day. Doing everything for them will not help them in the long run. They are now saying that most kids get to college and aren’t equipped for the real world. They are unable to understand why they aren’t instantly successful by 25.

Lastly, did I say this already? ENJOY YOUR CHILDREN, look into their eyes every day, hug them, tell them you love them, pray with them, pray for them, snuggle them on the couch, read them books. LOVE YOUR CHILDREN!

I think that is a good ending for today….

So, you are thinking about homeschooling?

The decision to begin homeschooling is a scary thing. Our minds are so used to the idea of sending our children to a brick and mortar school, keeping them or bringing them home is quite frightening. It means that you, the parents, are completely responsible for your children’s education. My husband during our process of making the decision said that it felt a bit like we were jumping off a cliff. It was that daunting to him. Neither of us took the decision lightly. Here is a list of things I have learned in my first (almost) two years of homeschooling. I think this may be a multi-part series. There is just too much I want to say.

When you decide that yes, this is what you want to do, then I first suggest you start reading about homeschooling. Find some great books, and some great blogs that give you some ideas of what homeschooling is really like.

Here are some suggestions for books to get your started:

Beyond Survival: A Guide to Abundant Life Homeschooling by Diane Wharing

A Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home

Read up on Charlotte Mason style

Books by Linda Dobson (Her website is also called A Parent at the Helm)

Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson

The first year of homeschooling your child will most likely come with some challenges. Actually, I think every year will have it’s challenges. Raising children in general has challenges, and as a parent, it’s our job to overcome those challenges and meet the specific needs of our children. Which brings me to learning about the learning styles of our children.

I admit, I still am not positive about my children’s learning styles. I have read some stuff about learning styles and think I have a good idea, but then they will do something that blows that theory out of the water. I am not even going to attempt to explain the different learning styles as I know that I am not an expert, and there are many experts out there who are there for you to go to for this. But I will make some suggestions about books. “Discover your Child’s Learning Style” is on amazon.com. It looks like it will answer any questions you have. I haven’t personally read it, but I have read some brief descriptions of them in other various books that I am unsure of the tiles of at this moment.

I suggest you start reading now and soaking up as much information as you can about homeschooling. Soon enough you should actually find yourself being encouraged, and even find the inspiration to press on into this journey.

Next installment I will talk about what homeschooling means for me….. and what it means for my children….

Week One of Paths of Exploration…..

So, we are wrapping up week one of Paths of Exploration, and I have to say, I am so glad I bought this curriculum. I wish I could say though that it was an easy week, but it wasn’t, can school really be easy anyway? I don’t think so, but what really made this week difficult was that Becca has been fighting a cold of the runny nose and sore throat variety. One day she screamed literally all day long about the yucky in her throat. I could of pulled my hair out, it was before I knew she was fighting something though. I just couldn’t figure out what the yucky was in her throat, and no drinks were fixing it. Poor girl! Then others began to complain of the sore throat thing and it clicked, oh, yes, yucky must mean a sore throat. That’s the fun part of trying to interpret a three year old language. Abigail also has been a bit of a challenge because of a runny nose and it apparently has made her need more attention. 

The older ones struggled a bit with their new curriculum as it put new demands on them. Good demands, but new all the same, and they weren’t as willing to bite as I hoped. We are getting through it, and they are learning brand new things and I cannot wait for more of the journey to unfold. 

Copywork is one of our biggest challenges. I don’t get it, though, because it seems simple enough to me…. you copy what is written by writing it exactly the same. For some reason my kids just do not understand that concept. It doesn’t rattle me though, I just explain it again, and ask them to kindly do it again. There were some tears today though because one of the lines in the poem they were copying kind of split a sentence and they wanted to move that section to the sentence. Every single one of them. I was impressed that they understood that it should according to sentence structure go with the rest, but this is a poem and we write it out as it is written.  

Christopher Columbus is turning out so far to be pretty exciting. We can’t wait to see what happens next in his journey!

It was one of those days………

Chaos ensued from the moment I woke up. I didn’t get up until after 8, and I woke up with a headache. I stumbled downstairs to make coffee, take some tylenol, and turn on a worship song to hopefully get me started for the day. Unfortunately, it just went down hill from there. The kids wanted to goof off more then do school. Someone forgot to flush the toilet, and the dog decided to eat out of the toilet. (YUCK!) The kids were making little effort to produce quality work or to pay attention. My throat was throbbing by lunch time. My head too. We got lunch in us, and back to work, still not much luck getting their attention, but we managed to get it done. Abigail even read me two books. Then I laid on the couch and rested for a little bit, hoping to get my head to stop hurting. Then I oversaw the cleaning up of rooms, and then sent the kids outside to play. We came inside to make dinner, and then while the meatloaf and potatoes baked, I rested again. Woke up for a little bit, and fell back asleep. I woke up to my husband fixing dinner plates, and I stumbled out to help him. Really praying and hoping for a better day tomorrow. I pray the kids are more focused, that I wake up headache free, and that we smile more. Now that would be nice.

I am thankful for a husband who isn’t too selfish to pitch in when I need him to. His love is amazing to me sometimes. I love him.

Why I love homesschooling

Why I love homesschooling

A couple weeks ago, I went to Meijer, and I found these cute little lady bug bug jars. Just like these ones found at New egg.  I thought they were so cute, and I knew my little bug collectors would enjoy them. My kids are constantly asking me for glass jars for their bugs, but I hate the idea of them dragging around glass jars into the court yard and possibly breaking it and then having to worry that one of my neighbors kids might get cut or something. So, I bought these cute little lady bug bug jars. The kids right away set out in the yard to find and investigate some bugs. They immediately began collecting tent worms, which are kind of like caterpillars, and are everywhere outside right now. It was amazing watching them take care of them. The kids found the little worms some leaves to eat, and they cleaned out their jars when they pooped a lot. Then one day, we woke up to find the tent worms had turned into cocoons. So, now we are awaiting their transformation. This has been huge science lessons that they are teaching themselves. They have sought the information out for themselves by finding their books about moths and butterflies and are so excited. The lessons they are teaching themselves are sticking and my kids are truly learning all by themselves. 

Homeschooling has had it’s ups and downs for us. It was a hard adjustment to having my kids home all the time. Yet, I now can’t imagine it any other way. Even the kids have changed their attitudes and have decided that homeschooling isn’t quite so bad. It sure helped the neighbors told them they are so lucky to homeschool, and that they wish they could too. Amazing!

Five Minute friday…..

Community.

This means the art of knowing others and being known by others.

This is what my heart sincerely longs for. Sometimes I am lacking, at least in a present physical form, though not in an online form. Online is simply not the same as having a group in which you belong to that you see on a regular basis.

I lack this in many forms; family, friends, and church.

This word conjures up other words, like rejection, hurting, grieving, support, love, friendship, and intimacy.

In a perfect world, I would find this soon.

This was my five minute friday thoughts on community.

Building the Christian Family You Never Had: A Practical Guide for Pioneer Families

God knows the end from the beginning. He knew me before He formed me into my mother’s womb. He formed and fashioned me, creating me exactly how He wanted me. He knew my future then. He saw the choices life would offer me. No part of me hidden from Him. He does not make mistakes.      (Read Psalm 139)

Dustin and I were born to parents who do not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. They do not live christian lives. Yet we both as youth became Christians. We both came from divorced families. We know the pain of  divorce and the challenges of marriage. Yet, we entered into a covenant of marriage with each other. It hasn’t been without cost for either one of us. We are focused, we know that divorce is not an option for us.

I picked up a book in the last year because about 2-3 years ago I realized that we were failing at raising our kids to be christians. I am not sure how it happened, it was like we had all these kids and we were caught up in this whirlwind of caring for their constant needs, we forgot about our own spirituality and theirs. I think it is because we weren’t raised in it, so simply being a christian is daily a new thing for both of us. I am not sure anyone else could understand. It’s just easier to fall back into a carnal worldly mind set because when we were little we didn’t have parents who walked around praying, reading their bibles, going to church, and all the things that Christians do.

So I bought this book, Building the Christian Family You Never Had: A Practical Guide for Pioneer Families, and it has been such an encouragement to me in my journey. I feel like I am paving a path never paved before, and in a sense, I am at least for my family line. I know that as we walk through this uncharted  land, we are not alone, God is with us. He gives us wisdom. He  guides our steps.

Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.

I also know that this walk will be much easier for my kids, and easier for their kids, as we pave  the spiritual path for them. So I am determined to keep going. Pressing on towards the prize.

 

Finding my way back to the heart of God…..

While it isn’t like I truly ran away from God, I did get distracted by the cares of this life. I am sad that this happens often, but glad that my God is faithful and just to forgive me my sins. (1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.)

So today I spent hours worshiping and looking up scriptures on peace. Peace is what I need right now. He is our Prince of Peace. The bible also calls Him the “God of all peace”. So, I am going to share some of the ones that really struck me today. Yes, I have heard them a billion times, but they were refreshing to me when my soul was so dry and empty…. 

Ephesians 2:14, For He himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.

1 Corinthians 14:33, For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 

Romans 16:20, And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 

Isaiah 26:3 and 4, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

2 Thessalonians 3:16, Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. 

 

That last one is my prayer for you and I….. 

When the dark clouds come………….

I have been dealing with episodes of depression since I was a teenager. I have taken meds, but they were short lived. I have seen a counselor but she was weird and I stopped going.

It isn’t that my life is unhappy. I have a loving husband, and 5 beautiful energetic children. I am living my dream life.

I am a christian, as far as I am concerned the sheer fact that I have Jesus on my side is enough to keep my out of depression. I have no explanation to why I still battle it monthly and sometimes for long periods.

It isn’t the kind of depression where I stay in bed. Honestly, I don’t even have that luxury. People need me, I force myself through some days because I am needed. It isn’t always pretty, but we get through. We all survive.

My depression looks like me staying on the computer for long hours, sometimes all day, staring at the contents of facebook. Looking for something, longing for something that will ease the pain of that moment. I have absolutely insane thoughts that I cannot even describe to you, though they are not of hurting anyone, I can assure you of that. It’s usually paranoia and a feeling of being completely unloved, unlikable.

Lately, I have been fighting it again. My house is messy, and it is overwhelming me. The kids are loud and there has been no breaks. Dustin has been working long hours at work and at home. We are not connecting.

And I have been running from the answer. It’s time to shut off facebook, and look inside myself and towards the heavens. God has the power and the ability to wipe it all away… to bring peace to my mind which has no peace, even in the midst of chaos. Time to trust Him with my pain yet again. Time to clear the cobwebs of self destruction I have weaved. Time to put on my armor and fight the one whom the bible makes clear our war is with.

Ephesians 6:12
New King James Version (NKJV)
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.