Posted in Homeschool

I have been tagged by Joni, so here goes…

1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed: 

Things We Wish We’d Known by Bill and Diana Waring

2. One resource you wouldn’t be without: 

A Globe…and had to add…the internet

3. One resource you wish you had never bought: 

The book Help for the Harried Homeschooler…just didn’t think it was all that helpful.

4. One resource you enjoyed last year: 

Handwriting without Tears wooden letter pieces…we actually just made some out of cardstock.

5. One resource you will be using this year:

Sonlight K Instructor Guides

6. One resource you would like to buy: 

A microscope

7. One resource you wish existed: 

More time!!!!

8. One homeschooling catalog you enjoy reading: 

The Sonlight Catolog of course

9.  One homeschooling website you visit regularly:

 The Sonlight Forums

Tag 5 other homeschoolers:

LoneStarMama

Kateyz

Peekershaz

Homeschooling6

zeph317

Posted in Homeschool

I have been reading this book sporatically, I checked it out from the library, and I think it will be worth checking out again.  It is basically 30 homeschool families sharing a day in their life with you.  It has been encouraging to know that there are others that don't have everything down pat, and also encouraging to hear new ideas from others.  I thought that I would quickly post our typical day, if there is such a thing.

8:00  I hear Stephanie talking to herself in her room and think I should probably get up.

8:30 Sarah and Hannah come in and wake me up.

9:00 We finally get set down to breakfast after we are somewhat dressed, diapers are changed, etc.  ( I am normally not dressed)

9:30  Sarah and Hannah unload the dishwasher, I get dressed and ready, after the dishwasher is unloaded we brush teeth and comb hair.

10:00  If it isn't scortching, we go outside for a while, otherwise, the girls play inside, I get a few more chores done like laundry, paying bills, or something else.

11:00  We try to clean up toys and do some more chores (laundry, make beds)

11:30  Read Aloud time

12-12:30 Lunch

1:00  Steph naps, Sarah and Hannah get some more read alouds or catch up on chores

1:30  Hannah naps, I read aloud to Sarah and listen to her read

2:00 We all nap (or I check email, blog, pay bills, then nap)

4:00  I hear Stephanie playing and think I should get up

4:30  Sarah and Hannah wake me up and we have a snack

5:00  We start getting dinner ready and the girls play by themselves

6:00  Girls do some writing on her magna-doodle, or do workbooks/coloring at the table

7:00  Dinner

7:30  I clean up while Dad plays with girls sometimes outside again.

8:30  Get ready for bed and read aloud to Stephanie

9:00  Read Aloud to Sarah and Hannah

9:30  Bed-time Sarah and Hannah can read by themselves for 30 min, I get to read

10:00 Lights out for girls, I am still reading.

10-midnight, my bedtime

Well writing it out helps me see some of the ruts that I have developed, such as Stephanie consistently plays by herself for 30 min before I get out of bed, and we seem to spend a lot of time doing chores, even though you normally can't tell by the way the house looks.

The schedule is really flexible, especially during the summer when we are gone for something almost every day.  It seems that when we are gone we spend less time doing chores, but the same amount of time at everything else, no wonder my kids love to get out of the house, maybe we could change that up a bit.

I would love to hear about everyone elses schedule, and hope this was a little encouraging in one way or another.

Posted in Homeschool

I took Sarah to the Art Museum tonight on a "date", which we try to do weekly, that way they each get a date with one of us every month.  The best part of the trip was probably the trolley ride to get there, which she was thrilled about.  I could have spent half the night there, but Sarah looked at art for about an hour and was worn out.  I think she enjoyed what she saw, and she remembered some of the painters from her book A Child's Book of Art.  She recognized that Picasso painted one painting she had never seen, I was pretty excited about that.  She really enjoyed portraits, too, but I think it is too much to take in at once.  I think she would enjoy it more if we did some background study of a particular artist or period and then went to look at those pieces.  But as it is, it was a good visit, but I think it will probably be a year or so before we go back.

Posted in Homeschool

We started the morning with some really nice cuddling time after breakfast.  It has seemed to make all the difference today.  I think the girls needed the attention, and I needed it as well.  I hope this entry can remind me to cuddle more, I am sure I will miss it so much when they are past the cuddling age (whatever that may be).

We also read our Art book, and got more out of it this time than ever before.  I picked out some artists that have multiple works in the book, and then we talked about one picture that the artist painted.  After they seemed to get the idea of that artists' style, we turned to a page that had another painting by that artist, and they guessed which one it was.  They guessed right every time, which made me feel like they really got it.  Sarah is also getting a lot better at guessing the age of paintings based on the amount of 3 demension she can see in the painting, as she says, "Whether or not the people look flat."  If it seems "flat" but a little weird, she guesses that it is recent, which is normally right.  I am so excited to take her to the art museum, which I am hoping to do next month.

Posted in Homeschool

Reading is beginning to go a lot smoother, and Sarah is starting to recognize familiar words.  I guess that is the reason she really needs to practice every day.  Hannah, who is 3, is starting to write her name and become interested in what things spell.  I have a feeling, like most everything else, she will pick up reading pretty easily with Mommy and Big Sister helping her.  It is so much easier to teach her everything, because there is so much she just picks up, and then I just fill in the blanks.  It seems like the oldest is always going to be the guinea pig, but also always going to get the most individual instruction.  Is that how it is for everyone?  My youngest (for the next 2 months anyway) has picked up so much already.  Stephanie is almost 2, and she talked later than the other 2, but when she started talking it was phrases instead of individual words.  She learned to walk the same way.  She walked later than the other two, but didn't start with a step and then two, she just walked across the room one day.  Anyway, lots of rambling, but it is so fascinating to watch the girls learn, and to think that I get to help and encourage them.

Posted in Homeschool

I noticed that last I wrote about the snakes, Sarah still hadn't gotten to hold them.  She has held them almost every day since then.  She is really enjoying them and getting to be very good about her gentleness with them.  Tonight, we got to see them eat for the first time, which was very educational.  Sarah's comment was, "She is stuffing, is that okay?"  Sarah was afraid she would choke, but it was so cool to see the hump make it's way down to the middle of her body.

We also rearranged the oldest girls room and made a quiet reading corner.  I think I might hang a cover over it eventually to make it more private, but right now, it is just their bookshelf, a bean bag, and a small rocking chair.  They like it, but still any other ideas for additions would be welcome.

Posted in Homeschool

Something I have been considering for a while is trying to set up a special place in the house that is a quiet reading place.  My second grade classroom had a hut in the corner that we could go an read in as a treat, and I remember it being a special alone time for me.  I am trying to think of how to set up something here in our limited space that would be inexpensive.  Any ideas are very welcome.

Posted in Homeschool

Sarah, my oldest, has just started reading and writing by decoding.  She doesn't have too many memorized words, but just sounds words out.  She is not very good at concentrating for more than a couple of minutes.  She doesn't want to stop reading when I ask her, but I feel like I am asking her if she wants to stop after every sentence.  It was recommended to me, that I continue having her read (even if just a sentence) every day to help her keep up the skill.  But I am wondering if she wouldn't do better if I just let her do it on her own and ask me when I had questions, because I get frustrated with her spacing off after every sentence.  She spends at least an hour a day looking at books without me, and she askes what things spell while she is doing that.  She has no trouble with attention span when I am not sitting and listening to her.  Isn't that ironic.  Maybe God is trying to teach me patience. 

Posted in Homeschool

Well, I think that the homeschool environment is based more on my enthusiasum, energy and patience than anything else.  I have a friend who did her thesis on the most important factor in a school classroom, and it was hands down the teacher.  So as a teacher I make the biggest difference.  Days like today make me want to crawl back into bed because I don't feel like I have done any good.  I wish there was some sort of patience pill I could take.  I guess it is just going to take one day after another of asking God for help.

I am not a multi-tasker, so I get really frustrated when 4 people are talking to me at once.  How do other one-track minds handle this?

Posted in Homeschool

What a blessing to get to know my girls, and get to teach them about God and life.  I love to learn, and hope that we can create an environment where the girls will love to learn as well.