Out and About

Since my kiddos are still young, getting out there has mostly involved playing with other children. We meet with a Mommy and Me group at a local church once a week. It is mostly geared toward little ones, but there is one other homeschool family with an older child who attends occasionally. I like that it is fairly casual, and no one bats an eye when you mention homeschooling (or baby wearing, or cloth-diapering, or...oh wait, that's another topic for another day!).

We also go to the local YMCA twice a week. Not because I love to work out--I wish that was it!--but rather, I work there. Praise the Lord, I am able to take the kiddos with me. They love the different toys, games, and activities there, and they get to be around different children every time we go. Our kids also attend Y sports as we can afford it. They have participated in t-ball, and would like to try soccer and ballet.

We will begin attending our first co-op at the end of this month. I'm hoping that it will be a good experience for all of us. I'm not exactly for sure how it will all work out, but I think that our oldest two will enjoy learning and meeting a new group of friends. They are little social butterflies, so I'm sure they will have a great time. I would like to meet more homeschooling moms there, and possibly get some more ideas for fun "out and about times."

We also want to have a few educational field trips this school year. At the top of my husband's list is visiting Homosassa Springs and the Crayola Factory. I would like to go to the local zoo, as well as the St. Louis Zoo and Science Center (both of which are free!). We are pretty flexible, though, and love to travel, so we are open to just about any possiblities. And I think our kids will be happy with any place we decide to go, as long as it's not Home Depot or Target!

The Methods to Our Madness

We have been informally homeschooling since our children were born. We talk to them, read to them, play with them. We make it a point to answer their questions and give them active roles in our day-to-day lives.

As required by our lovely state, we are just beginning our first year of formal homeschooling. We plan to continue on as we have been, with the addition of a portion of "table-time" during the day. During this time we'll focus on phonics, handwriting, and mathematics. I'll have to get used to keeping more detailed records to compile into a portfolio.

I'm not sold on any one curriculum just yet, so I have compiled an eclectic list of materials.

For reading instruction: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, various Easy Readers from the library, homemade flashcards (upper/lowercase letters, consonant blends/digraphs, Dolch sight words).

For handwriting instructions: Alphabet worksheets, paper, pencils, easel, dry erase markers, Magnadoodle, workbooks from Sam's for variety.

Mathematics: Games from Family Math, bucket of various dice, different types of counters (beans, plastic animals--from the $1 bin at Target, shells, pebbles).

We will also be learning about science and history as we have in the past: through reading books of interest and through play. Only now we will be calling it 'research' and 'experimentation'. And we have plenty of paints and a new-to-us book, Mudworks, for our 'visual arts' portion of the day. We also intend to join our local co-op (but more on that tomorrow).

All subjects are loosely guided by our state's educational standards, What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know, Homeschooling: The Early Years, and what strikes our fancy at the moment.

This all sounds so loosey-goosey, well, because it is. At least at this point. We are going to see what works, what doesn't, and adjust accordingly. Ahhh...the beauty of homeschooling!

Our Choice

I think this pretty well sums it up:

1. I have a degree in education, so I know how to teach. I can't imagine a better teacher for my children than myself. Of course, that is not because I'm the best teacher ever--although I'm hoping they'll eventually think that! But rather, I know my children so well, and have their best interests and God's will in mind for them each step of the way. I can tailor lessons to each child's specific abilities and learning styles.



2. I've taught in public and private schools and was not impressed by the politics of mass-produced education.



3. Teaching also led me to appreciate homeschooling's ability to maintain a 3:1 student/teacher ratio. Much better than the 30:1 I experienced as a teacher.



4. We have the means to travel for free to many cool places. When the baby is a little bit older, we plan to make 'field trips far and wide' an integral part of our homeschooling.



5. Homeschooling allows a more flexible schedule. My husband has a constantly varying schedule, and homeschooling allows our kiddos a chance to spend time with daddy. It allows daddy an opportunity to participate in our schooling activities to a greater degree.



6. Although my husband struggles with the 'socialization issue,' I see homeschooling as a way to offer our children more natural and controlled (if necessary) interactions. As a teacher I saw a fair share of bullying and bad attitudes being overlooked by adults, even in a Christian school. I must say, this is *not* the primary reason we homeschool. I don't expect to shelter our children. But I don't want a majority of their time spent in a peer-to-peer culture.



7. We cherish the ability to bring God back into the classroom. I want to teach our children that God is the center of all, that He offers unwavering Truth and Wisdom (yes, with capitals).
   
   According to The Barna Update:
   
   Citing the findings from a just-completed national survey of 2033 adults that showed only 4% of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision-making. ...Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life. We're often more concerned with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance.
   
   I desperately want our children to be set apart, and be okay with being set apart. Nothing would please me more than to raise and educate them to see everything through a biblical lens.



8. Most importantly, we feel that God has called us to homeschool, that He has put this desire in our hearts. I pray that He will 'open the eyes of our hearts' to seek His will throughout our schooling days.

A New Beginning

I started this blog last year, with a different blog name and a somewhat different perspective. Then, our oldest was still 4, so I had a year ahead of me to play with curriculum, to experiment with routines. Little did I know that our world would be upset by jobs, house renovations, and an unexpected move. Sadly, we didn't accomplish much of what I had intended.

So, this is our new beginning. We are somewhat settled in our new house, and I've sent out the official "intent to homeschool" letter. Although we are not using a formal, packaged curriculum, I do have the books and materials I need to start kindergarten with our daughter. I'll also be using the same materials with our son who is 4.

I'm excited to be back in homeschooling mode! To celebrate, I plan on participating in Back to Homeschool Week over at Randi's place. Monday's theme is "What led to your decision to homeschool?" I'm looking forward to seeing others' perspectives during this coming week, as well as sharing my own.