Posted in Home School Thoughts

I thought that I had blogged about our year round schooling but I can't find it.  Guess I only thought about it.  Well with the summer fast approaching,  I know a lot of you are winding down for the year.  But, we are just picking back up.  Until last week we were sorta taking it easy as far as school goes.  There just are the blocks of time when there is almost no extra time for school.  I hate when I start being the mom who feels like she is behind and therefore MUST, at all costs, catch up. 

Last year we decided to try school through the summer.  Mostly this was born out of the fact that we had become terribly behind.  Unexpected illness, family visits,  holidays, snowdays, cleaning days, ect.  So out of desperation I had a very grown up conversation with both of my kids.  I very logically explained to them why this was a good idea.  They weren't really opposed to the idea.  But it was important to them that they not appear to be more weird than their friends already thought they were.  Which I explained to them would not be a problem.  Noone even had to know that they were still working in the summer.  They could spend a couple of hours in the morning for schooling and have the rest of the day to enjoy the summer with their friends.  None of the neighbor kids can come out before 3:00 pm anyways.  This has worked very well for us so far. 

Because of this schedule my kids were able to spend a whole month up north with their grandparents.  This is an opportunity that may not ever happen again.  By the time they got back home, we would have started our year already behind.   But because I knew that either way we would be going into the summer I wasn't stressed out about it.  I won't lie and say that I don't ever feel like we aren't going at a fast enough pace. Especially at this time when I hear everyone talking about how they are finishing up.  But I am aware that this is usually the effect of one of two things. 

1.  My concience (Holy Spirit) letting me know that maybe I have become a little too relaxed in our schooling.

2.  My flesh trying to get me to compare myself with others and thus not stay focused on where God would have us.

This has been the best year of homeschooling yet.    And I really think it has a lot to do with the fact that I stopped trying to model after someone elses homeschool methods.  I have confidence in the fact that if allowed, God will direct the path of our homeschooling journey.  And I am not screaming at the kids to finish their work so we can move on because we MUST finish such and such this week so we can move on to the next thing according to schedule.  You know the schedule I made up.   Leaving God out of the schedule making can really be a disaster in the making. 

So we will finish our studies of Ancient Rome through the summer in a relaxed way.  Lots of read alouds outside.  Kalene can finish up her math and science books.  We will continue with reading and maybe do some fun math stuff.  There just is absolutely no pressure to hurry up and finish off the year. 

We will continue to do school around VBS, church camp, retreats, family gatherings, moving (Hopefully!)  and anything else that the Lord would throw our way. 

*Kristie*

P.S.  I am still up at 12:30 trying to download those free gifts from Homeschool Estore.  Ugggg!!!