Christmas Fun

This year we didn't do a lot of schoolwork that pertains to Christmas.

But we did make gifts for our friends & family.

These are Jessica's ornaments. Jessica is my more precise & detail oriented of the 3.

She is also my right-hander so that may have something to do with it.

These are David's. I was surprised at how well he did with them.

Although at the end, he rushed through them a little.

 

Here's Jamie's. She is very creative & likes the bling.

She had specific ones made for specific people.

We also did some cooking for school. This is a new recipe we tried this year. It was a big hit. It is Mint Chocolate Cookie Crunch. You can try the recipe here. It was very easy with only 4 ingredients.

We also made peppermint chocolate covered marshmallows. We got this recipe from our friend Wendy. It is very easy. Take dipping chocolate & melt it. You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips with a little Crisco melted into them. Next crush candy canes into little pieces. Dip marshmallows into the chocolate & then into the crushed candy cane pieces. We used toothpicks to make it easier. It was a little messy but the kids had so much fun and can't wait to do more baking next Christmas.

 

 

 

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Milestones

I started this school year with no motivation. I was really struggling as the end of last year was hard. David was struggling with basic addition & Jessica was struggling with phonics. Both had hit walls in their comprehension. I was so frustrated by May that I had kind of given up on both in these areas. I knew they could learn it. I just doubted I could teach them.

I think this is where having a teaching degree & knowing the public school scope & sequence has hurt me in teaching my kids. Both had reached the point we were told they should be able to do this work & were behind compared to public school.

Finally, in September we started school. We usually started in July, but none of us were ready for that. After a few weeks of frustration over math, something clicked in David's head & he started flying through it. Tomorrow he will finish his Math U See Alpha book! I'm so proud of him & his excitement to finish it & start Beta.

When we started phonics with Jessica this year, it just clicked. We started doing 4 lessons a day. She was so excited to read more & more words. Tomorrow, Jessica will finish her phonics book. I'm so proud of her. She was just beaming today when she read 2 syllable words like picnic & number.

I share this with you all not just because I'm proud of my kids. I am sharing it so you will know that sometimes kids don't follow the timetable public education has set up. Sometimes it takes them longer. But they will learn! God has made each child unique & when their brain is ready, they will amaze you with how fast they pick up what they were previously struggling with. So please don't let it get you or your kids down. Focus on something else for awhile & then come back occasionally to the problem area to see if they are ready for it.

Homeschooling is hard enough with all the pressures from the outside world. Don't put even more pressure on yourself. Remember why you are doing this! God created each child unique & just because some government says "this is where your child should be" doesn't mean that's where they should be! Work at your child's level! And remember 1 child may be a whiz at math & then the next may struggle. Don't compare them. Remind them they are unique & maybe point out other areas that the struggling child outshines his sibling.

I hope this helps someone as you walk this homeschool journey! God bless you all!

Thanksgiving

This year, we decided that since Hubby was home all week we would do a "family" Thanksgiving meal on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the kids planned our meal. Our meal would consist of Turkey, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, rolls, fresh veggies & noodles. We then went to the store. The kids found a turkey, rolls, veggies & stuff to make noodles. We tried to get them to pay for it but conveniently they had left their money at home. ;-)

On Tuesday, we put the turkey in the sink to defrost. Jessica liked playing in the water. After lunch, we put the turkey in a bag to roast. Then the kids got busy peeling potatoes while Dad boiled noodles. Jamie lasted the longest at peeling potatoes. David helped Dad put beef in with the noodles.

Soon the food was all done & while Dad & I plated the food, the kids set the table. Our "family" prepared meal was delicious & it was fun working together.

Sorry I don't have pictures but we were having such a great time that I didn't even think about pulling out the camera.

Socialization

One of the things I've heard over the years as we homeschool is "What about Socialization?" I say, "What about it?"

I've watched my kids as they grow up & truly see nothing wrong with my kids in the social area. My kids are polite. They have no fear of speaking with others. They know how to properly talk to adults. Although they do slip up from time to time as we all do.

I've seen them make friends with any child they see, even the child other kids ignore. It doesn't matter to my kids if the child is their age, younger or older. If you are a kid, they are going to try to engage you. I see so many kids who go to public school that will only "socialize" with kids their age. I've seen them ignore my kids because they are younger.

I've also seen how any child who is different is treated by public school kids. These kids are either shunned or made fun of. I've never seen my kids do this to anyone. I've only seen them treat others kindly.

As I sit here at a public playground watching my kids play, I see them engaging others, playing & having fun with any & every child who will play with them. I have seen them shunned by kids their own age because they are playing with kids younger than them. I've also seen my kids shunned because they refuse to be mean or hateful to others or break the rules.

I've also had my kids upset because some other child is getting teased or picked on. I've seen them step up and tell the teaser to back off & act right. I've seen them befriend the teased child. I'm not trying to brag on my children or make it seem like my kids always do the right thing. They don't, they're kids. But most of the time they do.

What makes the difference? I truly believe it is because most of their time is NOT spent with their peers. Most of their time is spent with family. They are learning to interact with all people, just not those few in their age range. They are getting to see on a daily basis how adults & older children interact. They see examples of love and kindness. They are being taught the right ways to interact & not seeing the wrong way to act every day.

I'm so blessed to be able to "socialize" my children the correct, godly way at home.

Apple Works

Last Monday we went to Apple Works with my parents.

Jessica was the only one who would pose in the cut-outs they had.

Here's my Dad & the kids checking out the water. I don't think they saw any fish.

Here's a close up of them. I think Jamie looks a lot like my Dad here.

Here's Mom, Jessica & David on the little deck they had over the water.

David & Jessica enjoyed seeing the bee-hive. Jamie would not go anywhere near it.

 

 

They had a learning center all about the bees and the Apple trees.

They also had a learning center about the trees & how they need the bees.

The kids enjoyed the large slide made from field drainage tile.

Here Jamie is trying to find her way out of the bamboo maze.

Here the kids are swinging on the rope swings inside the barn.

Next the kids fed the goats & the pony.

Jamie even enjoyed feeding the goats.

This was a beautiful area of the pond. I love the fall colors & the reflection in the water.

Here's David right before we left with his honey! He was so excited to get fresh Honey! Hope you enjoyed spying on us as we enjoyed our field trip.

 

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More than Academics

So much of the time, we are pushed into thinking that learning is all about "school work". We are told that kids need to spend 6+ hours a day at school plus 2-5 hours at night doing homework! I fall into this way of thinking sometimes too. But I know that learning is more than just academics. Many times it's our experiences & our hands on activities that teach us the most. Last week my kids spent some time at my parents' house doing some hands on stuff!

Jessica helped blow the pine needles off Mamaw & Papaw's driveway so we wouldn't track them into the house.

Here David is helping Papaw tear out a closet. David is unscrewing a board from the wall. My parents were tearing out a little closet so they could have a bigger one built.

 Jessica is helping Mamaw by sweeping up trash in the garage.

Now Jamie is blowing the pine needles off the driveway.

David is removing nails from boards so they can be put on the burn pile at the barn.

Jessica is taking a time out & hugging Tuffy. This tomcat loves Jessica & will let her carry him around like a baby. It's amazing because he won't let anyone else baby him like that.

Jamie is checking all the boards in the wall to make sure all the nails have been pulled.

Jessica is picking up wallboard & stacking it neatly by the wall. She was a big helper.

Then the kids helped Mamaw rake leaves.

Then Mamaw let them have some fun. Notice the cat at the edge of the leaves. She scampered when Jamie almost jumped on top of her.

They had a leaf fight.

They threw leaves in the air. It was fun getting them out of Jessica's hair.

Then they tried to bury David.

 Overall, they had a great day & learned a lot by helping Mamaw & Papaw. Sometimes learning is about more than academics! It's about learning skills, helping others & accomplishing things that build your mind & your character.

 

Quick Update

Homeschooling is going ok. I've been very fatigued lately & have just been diagnosed with sleep apnea. So homeschooling has been a little rough but we have been getting it done! Hoping that once I start using my C-pap I will start feeling better & having more energy.

One exciting update is that yesterday David asked to do math first! After that lesson, he said that he was ready for his test. Today he took his test & zoomed through it & got a B!!! He has been answering math fact questions all day. I finally figured out that he needs to have the problems put into a "word problem" not just a fact. If he sees 9 - 7 = ____ he just stares. But if I (or he) says "You have 9 cookies & you give 7 to Jamison, how many do you have left?" Then he can answer it quickly. I'm not sure what learning style that is, but I am so thrilled that we are getting math to click for him.

Other than that, things are going ok with school. Hopefully we will get a new podcast up soon. It has been crazy with Hubby traveling so much lately.

Another Crazy Week

Last week Hubby was home. We actually managed to get school work done every day on a fairly regular schedule. It was nice having Hubby help me by teaching math.

This week is another crazy week. Hubby doesn't leave for the airport until 4pm. Knowing how disruptive it is until he leaves, we have NOT started school yet today. School will start after 4pm today. I'm hoping they will focus & get done quickly. Probably not...

Rest of the week should be fairly normal days in that we can get school done in the morning. But, we start Word of Life this week so that always adds an interesting dynamic to our week. I'd also like to go visit my Mamaw one afternoon this week.

Towards the end of the week, I need to start prepping 7 days of school work for the kids. David will be going to Hubby's parents & the girls so my parents next week. So comes the challenge of giving them work they can do that won't need too much "teaching" from me. The kids will be at their grandparents for 9 days as I travel with Hubby.

Just another crazy week in our unique homeschool! How's your week looking??

Laid Back Homeschooling

"Every homeschool is unique!" I've said this many, many times in the past, but this year I'm reminded that our homeschool is more unique than most. We are very, very laid back in our homeschooling. I would say we are closer to unschooling than traditional school. Although I can't quite bring myself to let go of choosing curriculum & having a plan for the year. 

I think if Hubby had a regular job with a consistent schedule then our homeschooling would have a consistent schedule. Instead Hubby travels a lot & had different work schedule every week. I could stick to a consistent schedule & fit family time in around it but that kind of defeats the whole purpose of homeschooling for us. So, this means our school schedule has to be very flexible. 

Due to our flexible schedule, we decided to mix & match our curriculum rather than pick an all in one. We use a lot of Critical Thinking Company books for our language arts. We are using Analytical Grammar & Saxon phonics also. For math we use Math-U-See. For science we are using God's Design for Science which I love & for history we use The Mystery of History. For Bible, we use a devotional called "Sword Fighting". We have a weekly verse to memorize & scripture passages each day that build on that verse. We also do Word of Life Quiet Times.

For reading, we read lots of library books as well as our own collection of books. I try to have 1 or 2 books that we are reading aloud as a family. If kids can read, they can learn anything! I want to teach my kids how to research. If they can do research, then they can find out anything they need to know. 

I also try to incorporate basic living skills into our school. We learn how to cook, do laundry, clean house, plant a garden, use a computer & other skills that are useful in every day life. We try to give the kids lots of time with their grandparents so they can learn from them. I truly believe kids learn more from being around adults, as well as younger & older kids, than just being with kids their own age.

Since hubby travels a lot, we try to go with him when we are able. We've been able to see places we would never see. We've been to the ocean, Washington D.C. & other places. I try to do unit studies about the places we visit & we make notebooks that are great reminders of where we've been. 

Today we had a fairly normal type school day. We sat at the table & did our language arts, math & writing. Last week we did more reading & less of everything else. Next week will probably be heavily normal schoolwork but following week will be very laid back. So you never know what our day will look like.

What does your day look like? Is it consistent from day to day or is it constantly changing like our day?? I'd love to hear about it!

First weeks of homeschool

We started school last week. Here is our first day of school picture. You can tell we haven't started school work yet as they are all smiling! ;-)

 

 Last week we painted planets & put them together for our solar system project that we didn't get finished in the spring. The kids really enjoyed that which was a good reminder to me that I need to have them do more hands on projects.

 Here Jamie is working on her pre-algebra homework. She is flying through math. It won't be long before she is farther along than I am.

Here Jessica is working on the computer. She loves doing Jump Start First grade along with other computer programs.

Here is David playing Math Blasters.  I love that they have fun games to help them with their math facts. They are playing games & not really realizing they are learning.

Overall school is going pretty good. We have even managed to get school in every day despite the fact that Hubby is home this week. He has been a great help to me by taking over the math teaching. David is actually doing better in math than I planned so I've had to tweak my schedule. Jessica is doing phonics at twice the rate I planned also. I love it when my kids do better than I thought they would.

I'm finding also that I may not have planned enough for my oldest. Although, we haven't kicked in with Science & History yet. I plan on having her write Science & History papers each week so soon she shall have more than enough to do.

We have two obstacles to homeschooling that I'm seeing right now. The first is my health. My fibromyalgia has been flaring a lot recently. I've been very achy & have had a lot of headaches. Most of this is weather related but some is stress related. When I don't feel good, I'm tempted to slack on school. I have to really push myself some days to get school work done & keep a positive attitude.

The second obstacle is with David. He has somehow gotten it in his head that he is stupid. He's first impulse when given any new assignment is to say "I can't do this!" I know he is very smart. I just have to figure out how to convince him of this. He dreads doing school work & sometimes makes me dread it too. I'm trying to make things fun & interactive for him, but somethings you just have to do that aren't exciting & fun.

Glad you stuck with my long tirade on how our first few weeks of school are going. I can't wait to hear how all of you are doing with homeschool!