Posted in Homeschool
Well, here I am again at the pc
. I just can not seem to stay away. No really I was up doing some school related planning (looks like time opened up for me tonight). I know I said in my last post I wondered how in the world to do it, well I guess you just make the time. I had a talk with all the children last night. you know, one of those talks that seem to need going over about every six months. That is after mom has let it go and let it go and let it go. Well you get the point. Anyway, they have a new schedule...again.To be honest it is an old schedule with new reinforcement. So this is how it goes. There is actually a bed time now, for all of them. 9 pm. They will go to bed and read and at 10...lights out. Big schedule huh?
Well I have to start somewhere.
There are a few differences now to the way we do things. These changes have occurred over the last few weeks.The older boys ( my 15 yr old and his friend that I school also) are now in a program that involves going to a ranch on Mon-Wed. Mon and Tuesdays are Life skills days and Wednesday (depending on their behavior) they ride the horses. They go to the work program on Thursday and Friday and they school here in the afternoon/evenings only on Tues-Friday. I have also switched their curriculum from Alpha Omega SOS to School of Tomorrow Paces. I used these with my oldest (in the 9th grade right now) for all of his 6th grade year and he was happy to get back to them. So we will see how things go from here for them.
My daughter and my 11 yr old son have both started piano/keyboard lessons right here at home. Can I play? Not at all. We are trying an online program for now until I can afford/find a local instructor. We also started a new bible study I downloaded from the Keys for Kids website. This is how we are going to start our day. In the Word! I often get sidetracked and forget the number on reason I want to homeschool. Teach them first and foremost about God and His way for us.
I have decided to focus on ( other than the Bible) math and spelling with my daughter. She really struggles with both of these subjects. She's a great reader and loves to write. I do worry a bit about her math because we have gone over certain area's many, many times and she is not retaining the information. Maybe I am not teaching it well enough, I mean ya know I am not a certified teacher
like some people, in some states, mainly to the west, think I should be in order to teach my children. Ok- won't go there .Anyway, today we started a multiplication lapbook ( of course I will post pics when it is completed). I know she should have most of these down her being 10 yrs old but like I said, there is a struggle in math. I got the idea from another blog I found. She loved doing it
. Her enthusiasm and interest really jumps to another level when we do hands on like lapbooking. She loves things to do with nature, animals ( of any kind), drawing, journaling, cutting, pasting, coloring, painting and such. She collects insects (dead ones)
. I know that's gross but she keeps them all categorized and in a box, glued to cardboard. She loves to catch lizards. I mean she just about has a fit ( nearly in tears) if she sees one and can not get to it. She literally searches for them and can spot one quicker than I can blink sometimes 
. She realizes that she has to let them go in order for them to live. This of course is after "losing" many lizards to our house cats or the poor things just dying from being taken out of their natural habitat.Now when it comes to trying to keep her focused in a workbook/worksheet is like torture. She daydreams, spins in the chair, plays with her pencil, stares into space or talks about anything and everything.
So why am I saying all this? I guess I am hoping for some feedback here
. I know that she has a learning style that suits her. I want to cater to that, as well as my other children. I am not sure of how to do that other than what I am trying now. I love getting suggestions from you ladies out there that have been where I am, or maybe you are there now and have found a way that will work for you and are willing to share some insight. I know there isn't a perfect way to homeschool but I also know that there are those that have been able to reach into their children and help them bring out the very best of what is in them.
Well now that I have rambled on again tonight, I will stop there. I need to be off to bed. Sorry about the whining in last nights post. I need to not blog when I am so tired. Oh yea, I think I read that somewhere on blogging tips back when I first started here. LOL, Guess I didn't retain it very well.LOL
Be blessed,
Stacy
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