Creative Homeschool Exerience

Been a While Sorry

I have been missing in action again. Sorry about that...again lol.... Well our car is still in the shop so hubby has been having to take me places in my mom's truck, which is a stick and I don't know how to drive a stick. Poor has been taking me places when he should be home asleep since he works midnights. He does it all without much complaint. What a good hubby I have.

Life has been busy since after the holidays. Once we get in the homeschooling mode it just seems to make our day's go so much faster. The boy's are doing well though. My youngest I am learning is a Kinesthetic learner. He loves to be moving and talking a lot LOL. When he say's his ABC's he has to be moving. He will walk in circles while saying them. While it may make me a bit dizzy I let him do it. Seems to help him learn better. I am really glad we are homeschooling him because I think in school he would be labeled ADHD because he does like to move around so much. He is also a very social butterfly LOL. If he is in a roomful of people he has to the center of attention. He will do anything to get people to notice him. But when it's just one on one instruction he will pay attention and do what he is supposed to do. In his own way anyway. I don't think the public school would accept the way he is. He is far from ADHD. He may be hyper at times and more energetic then some kids but when he wants to concentrate he can and does.

My older son is between a visual and auditory learner. If he sees or hears something he can understand it almost immediately. I once explained what multiplication was to him and he understood it right away and can multiply simple numbers like by 5's and 2 and 3's. This wasn't even when we were doing any school work. I just told him what it was and he got it right away! Also if he sees how something looks he is able to learn it quickly too. He totally amazes me on how much he picks up. Last year 1/2 way through Kindergarten I had to buy first grade curriculum because it got to easy for him. Looks like I will have to do it again this year. Especially with the math. I have had to skip over some lessons for him because it was just repetitive things that he already knows and he was getting board with. Now for Phonic he is doing well but I want to get through the Saxton 1 book before moving him ahead on that. Just don't want to miss anything important on it.

I think it's going to be a challenge to teach two kids that are so different from each other learning wise. But since I have done some with my youngest while teaching my oldest this year I think we can handle it. I just need to find some more active teaching with my youngest. Amazing how two brothers who come from the same mom and dad are so different from each other. One is laid back and reserved and is a real thinker (oldest) while the other one is energetic, loud, demands attention and loves to move around. Yet even though they are so different they get along really well. People often ask me how I can have my kids home all day long and not go crazy. First of all I love having my kids around. They make me smile and proud. Second it's not like they fight a lot. I won't lie and say they never fight but not as often as I thought they would. I know my brother and I were six years apart and we fought all the time. Now I wonder if it's because I was in public school and with him being so young we just never connected? But now we do get along great. Go figure LOL. So how is everyone else doing?

He's 5, Iditarod, and Love of God

Well today was official my baby turned five years old. I feel a little sad. Only because the boy's seem to grow faster and faster with each passing year. But I am loving to see who they are becoming along the journey. My birthday boy was so excited to turn five LOL. He told everyone he saw that he was five years old LOL. He would stick out his arm as far as he could reach and splay his five fingers and proudly announce to anyone that would listen, or make people listen with his loud voice lol, "I am five years old!" He was also excited that his daddy shared the same birthday!

After my baby blew out his candle was a number 5 candle) he kept saying where's daddy's candles? So I looked and found a three candle and we didn't have a one candle so I just used a regular birthday candle and made hubby blow them out LOL!! When I load them up on my computer and resize them I will try and post them.

Well I have been talking to a friend of mine who I just met about four or five months back, who just started homeschooling this year. And she was doing a study on the Iditarod race. For those who don't know it's the dog sledding race in Alaska. I thought it sounded cool so I decided to do that with my oldest when we start up school again on Monday. She also told me about a yahoo group where they are doing this and you get to pick a racer and follow them along in the race. This happens in March. But I am looking forward to doing this. I think the boy's would love it. My youngest might not understand a lot of it but he will get something out of it too. If anyone wants to learn more about it . You can go to this website Iditarod History it is really neat!! I haven't finished reading up on all of it yet but I will get to it. I need to find a wall map of it so my oldest can map out the progress of our racer. I am not sure of all the details of it just yet but I will learn more from my friend when we go over to her house on the 12th.

The boy's and I also went to the library today to return some books and to get more. I was impressed my oldest usually doesn't really pick out books for him to read but today he did!! I so hope he picks up my love of reading. I just love to pick up a book and read. If I didn't have kids I tell you I would have my nose in a book all day long LOL. It's a good thing I have the boy's though so they can keep me active and interested in other things LOL. I also picked up some books on Ancient Egypt and dinosaurs. Two of the things he wanted to learn about. We will see what we get too LOL. With the dinosaurs I am going to have to review the books and edit out the parts we don't agree with. All though I have explained to him that a lot of scientist think dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. It's funny to any time he hears on TV or reads something that has that in there he will point out. No it wasn't millions of years ago LOL.

All though we haven't really done school since just before Christmas I have been keeping up on Bible study with them since I bought the new Devotional Bible book for them last week. They are short so I have to expand and have him talk about them more but I like it. I am so proud of the boy's and their love of God. Jesus loves the little children and you can really see it in the boy's. Always reminding us to pray at the table and my oldest will witness to others about God. I remember one time someone was saying God made the earth in seven days and my oldest said well actually in six because the seventh day he rested LOL. He is my little logical child LOL. Not much gets passed him LOL. He loves to learn about God and is always so full of questions and wonder. Sometimes though I truly believe he may know more about God then I do. Having the boy's have really led me to God and I am loving seeing God in my children everyday!! What a blessing I have in my two boy's. Even my youngest will make sure we pray and tell God he loves him!! I believe in us homeschooling not only are the boy's learning but so are hubby and I through our kids!! I am so glad we can homeschool!!

Not As Busy and Reflections

    Even though we had a busy day today I didn't feel as rushed as I thought I would. Got up with the boy's at 7:15 am and then got them fed and what not and ready to go and left the house around 9:30am to go to the Laundromat to do the laundry and while we were there we did most of school there. My oldest did his math so he zoomed right through it and I had him do his spelling words and write me two sentences using a word from him spelling list for each sentences. It was more for practice on his penmanship then on the spelling words themselves. I need to work more on that with him.

    While my older son worked on that my younger son (per his request LOL) did his own little work on the letter B. Writing (tracing it) and we worked on the sound it makes. He loves tracing the letters and when we are at home he is too funny. He goes to the chalk board and writes out letters he knows and "teaches" me LOL. "Ok mom what is this letter?" So I have to tell him what letter it is and then he responds with, "Good job." LOL I know I posted about it before but cant' help it, it's too cute LOL.

    I was really surprised on them actually doing their work. Usually if there around other people or kids. (well there was only one little 2 year old there LOL) they want to be doing other things other than school work. But they did it without too much complaint.

    Well after laundry we got home around 12:30pm and put that away and worked on a few more lessons and then it was time to go to their play date with one of the newer members a MOMS Club. The boy's had a great time. The mom's son is actually right in the middle of my boy's. My oldest will be 7 in March and my youngest will be five Jan 3. The mom's son just turned six last month. But, they played wonderfully and I got to hang out with another mom and not worry. Her son is public schooled but he is a good kid. Of course his mom seems very involved to so I think that helps. She had said they had considered homeschooling but she didn't think she could do it. I told her it really isn't as bad as people think it will be.

    Granted the first year is a bit hard because you are still learning but the second year to me so far seems more smooth. I think with each year it will be better and better. Oh I know we will have struggles but I already feel more confident this year then the last. I am not trying to "do it all" like I was last year. Much more calm lol.

    Anyway back to my day LOL. We got home again just after 6:00pm and I got the boy's dinner and read them a story did our prayer (we do the Lords prayer at night) and they got themselves ready for bed and they got to watch a little TV and at 8pm had them turn it off and get to bed. They pretty much have had this same routine since they were little. I think it helps them having the routine. Helps them know what is coming next and helps to calm them down when they know it's bed time.

    Tomorrow we are going to the elderly Nun home to give them the kids Christmas cards they made. The MOMS Club kids I mean. I am a bit excited about it because I know too well like I said in my previous post that the elderly sometimes get ignored. I am not looking for thanks or anything but I want to show my boy's that by doing simple things they can show great love. I want the to see what God wants of them and how just a simple act of kindness can do so much. I pray I can show that to my kids. I so want them to be Godly men when they grow up and so far I see that in them everyday. They are both very giving children and people seemed to be so amazed on just how giving they are. Our family is truely blessed. I just wish that for every family. Yeah can you tell I am feeling the Christmas spirit? Thank you Jesus for coming to save us all and I so can't wait to celebrate your miraculous birth!!

Ugh

    Was going to blog about my six year old and I doing his volcano lesson today (we made a volcano model and made it erupt LOL) but I saw an article that I decided I wanted to discuss on here. You see I am a bit nosey LOL so I went and subscribed to this this thing called Great Schools a while back just to see the schools in my area do and find out what's going on and what not. Well this doesn't have to do with my area but thought I would discuss this.

    Over at Bill's Blog "Bill Jackson GreatSchools Founder and President on helping parents choose , support and improve K-12 schools." did an article called "How to Improve a Low Performing School." It’s talking about Charter Schools and how they are improving things for “low performing community‘s.”

    There is a lot I really disagree with and I will name some now. “First they require many more hours of class time than a typical public school.” Ok since when does spending hours at a desk listening to a teacher and being easily distracted improve anything? Is it just me or is this ridiculous? It also say’s they only take about a month for summer vacation off but do things like field trips and music class and a few other things but still when does a kid get to be a kid? I know a lot of homeschoolers school through the summer. But it’s not eight hours a day and it’s not being made to sit still when there are kids all around them where they would rather be playing. I just don’t get it I guess

    Another thing that bothers me is this statement. “ The Schools’ leaders believe in frequent testing , which, they say, lets them measure what is working and what isn’t, and they use test results to make adjustments to the curriculum as they go.” What does a test really prove? For one you teach a child something and then test them on it and right after the test how much do you want to make a bet they forget what they were supposed to have learned because after the test the teaching isn’t continued and two I know for me when I was in school I could study for hours and still not do well on a test. Why? 1) I was never really taught how to study 2) I would get so nervous about it by the time we took the test I froze and forgot ½ the answers. Not saying I don’t test my boy’s on what they have learned but I don’t put pressure on them to “Pass a test”. And guess what they do well on them. (well maybe not so much my soon to be five year old since I just do verbal test for him not written just yet. But with what he does he does well in.)

    One other thing that bothered me was this. “Third, they make a conscious effort to guide the behavior, and even the values, of their students by teaching what they call character. Using slogans, motivational posters, incentives, encouragements and punishments, the schools direct students in everything from principles of team work and the importance of an optimistic outlook to the nuts and bolts of how to sit in class, where to direct their eyes when a teacher is talking and even how to nod appropriately.”

    Ok so when did schools start teaching our children values? And what values are these? Do we really want teachers and principals teaching our children values and character? Shouldn’t they be learning values from us, the parent’s and character they should be building on their own along with teaching from the parent’s of course. Am I right? Oh and they teach the kids “how to sit in class and where to direct their eyes when a teacher is talking and even how to not appropriately?” So they are programming our children to be robots? I mean it’s one thing to let children know to look in a persons eyes when they are being spoken to but come on this is just ridiculous!! There’s more to it then just that but I really wanted to address those quotes. What do you think?

About Our School

    I thought since this is my first entry I would write about some (not all too many lol) why we started on the road to homeschooling our children. After our oldest son was born we were living in a Neighborhood that I had went to high school in and I really didn’t like the school or what it stood for so I off handedly told my hubby that if we were going to stay here when he got older I would home school him before I would send him to that school.

    Well time went on and we had another son and we ended up moving to another town.  And the boy’s got older. Well it was the summer before my oldest would be entering school.. We were going to send them and then one day during early summer hubby said well how about we home school? I was a little shocked because he had never really said anything about it before. So we talked it over and I went to the library and got just about every book I could find on the subject. I also went online and found out the laws for my state (which is pretty easy no reporting or anything) . I joined some online community’s to talk to other mom’s that home school too since I didn’t know anyone around here that did.

   After all that researching we decided yes we were going to home school. I got some different things bought and some free and began to teach Kindergarten. Before we even really started though he had already learned to count over 100, could add and subtract small numbers and knew all the letters and most of the sounds of the letters. So ½ way through the kindergarten curriculum I had to get more advance stuff for him.

    We are now into our second year of home schooling and I am also working with my youngest too and once again my oldest is catching on really quickly. I am so glad we decided to home school because I honestly believe if we would have sent him he would have become board in school. Because ½ through the kindergarten year in the school my son would have been in I found out from a PS mom that they were still dong letter recognition in class. While my son was reading simple, small books already. They were also not teaching adding or subtraction either. I am not trying to brag (well ok maybe a little but he’s my son I can LOL) but I truly believe he would be board silly in the PS system. Like right now even the math curriculum I have for him I have to skip over some because he is getting board with the repetition. One day we weren’t even doing school I just wanted to see if he could do it. I showed him the basics of adding with carrying over and multiplying with small numbers of course and he caught right on. He won’t even be seven till March and he is doing all this already.

    I don’t want to push too hard and make him hate school but if I see he is in the zone then I do try and teach him a little something more. It’s amazing what he absorbs. He is doing more then I ever did at his age. The one on one time is just making things that much better I think.

   My youngest son I am working on just a little bit of letter recognition (there’s only a few he gets confused with like C and G and a few other’s but not many) and letter sounds. He is catching on pretty quickly too but I don’t want to push him to be like his big brother because he is his own person so I do it at his level. He is a pretty smart kid though too LOL. Right now he’s at an age where he loves doing school work and is always asking me to do more LOL. I try not to give him too much so he doesn’t get sick of it but I try to be encouraging.

    I am hoping to be able to do this all the way through to high school and beyond but I am taking it day by day and as they get older I will let them choose what they want to do but if I do end up putting them in PS they will have to keep their grades up or I will take them right back out. Pray for me that I will continue to do well in our journey of home schooling!