What to do with K?

Wow... two posts in two days. You'd think I actually have time to write! Not quite, but the kids are surprisingly playing quietly in the basement before heading upstairs for the daily prep work of leaving the house. Bible study is over for the summer, but our weekly play date with a good friend has been reinstated. I'm so ready for it!

Anyway, I thought I'd blog about K this week since I often only talk about school as relating to J, because he's the oldest. I've been flipping back and forth on what to do with her come the fall and even into next year. She and D both have November birthdays so they'll be "older" for their grade and part of me would like to start them on the earlier side of education rather than the later. But I also know that Classical Education really wants the teacher to wait until the child is closer to 6 to begin formal instruction. That's so hard for me as I really want to get into the daily rhythm of school with all 3, but please, give me a break! I have a 5, 3, and 1year old. I need to slow down!

K is a quick learner, much like J, yet she's so different from him, too. I imagine D will be that much more different from either of them! For the fall, I have purchased a Creation base workbook that takes preschoolers through basic skills. I think I'll use that while continuing to read read read to the kids. They love to have me read to them and more often that not, lately, K gets lost in the mix! I read to D because his books are short and simple (love baby books), and I read to J because I have a curriculum to follow for school. K kind of gets thrown in with the two boys instead of having separate time with Mommy for her.

I used to be so diligent about having 20-30 minutes of reading time for each child, but it's been lost in the shuffle of life right now. For the summer, I'll have to get back on that schedule because I can see her bored with D's books and uninterested in the boyish books that J reads, as well as the weight of words versus illustrations in J's books! It'll work out in the end, and I know that I need to focus more on character issues and heart time with the kids than just filling them with knowledge.

Yes, it's exhausting to think about, but at the same time, I become exhilarated when I think of the learning to come and how to do it all unto the glory of God! Have a great Tuesday!

Blessings!

On my way out of town

I've been waiting for several months for this week, and it's so refreshing to know that I only have to wait one more day! Ben and I leave tomorrow morning for Cincinnati for the Midwest Homeschooling Conference. The sessions start Thursday night and last through Saturday evening, and we are pumped. The speaker topics are just amazing, and it seems like I want to be in 3 or 4 places at one time, plus I want time to roam the convention floor to see all of the vendors! It's incredible to have this opportunity at the beginning of our homeschooling journey. We're very thankful for my parents who will be watching our 3 kids while we're gone; we've equally as thankful for good friends who are housing us while we're in Cincinnati; and we're amazingly thankful for awesome friends who are traveling with us to share in this experience. God's blessings are so evident in this trip.

Five years ago, I would have never thought we'd be where we are today. Ben and I had talked about school options for our then one month old (and subsequent children) and homeschool was never ruled out, but it wasn't the frontrunner. And now, all other options seem to pale in comparison for us as we begin this journey. Lately, friends and family have been asking us if this decision to school at home is for "the long haul" or just a couple of years. I answer them with the year-by-year approach. Every year we'll evaluate where the kids are and how they're handling things. I don't think I see us putting the kids in public school so I'm comfortable with the homeschool for a long time option. This conference will provide an excellent resource for us to see other families who have gone before us. How exciting!

Not only is the conference a blessing, the time that Ben and I will have together as a couple is an added bonus. 5 days without children and researching/studying/educating ourselves in homeschooling will be great for our relationship. We're also excited to spend the time with good friends, both coming with us and those hosting us. These families, for us, represent a common bond and give us encouragement as we tow the road ahead.

Well, Bible study this morning, last minute shopping after lunch, and packing this afternoon... phew, busy day ahead! Please pray for us as we travel and that we would have open hearts to what the Lord wants to teach us as we go.

Blessings!

And away we go... soon!

Ahhh, the sound of "nothing" is in the air. It must be naptime. Tuesday is a day off from school for us, but it is busy nonetheless. We go to Bible study at church and then lunch with a friend either at her house or our house and then home for naps. It is such a blessing to me and to the kids, but it makes for tired kiddos at naptime. I'm a tired mama, too, but after my blog, I need to start prepping for dinner. Anyway... on to today's topic.

I was labeling my posts all the same so that you could get the drift of my daily themes, but it's too confusing to have the same name over and over, so I've done away with it. (just in case you were wondering)

I've been receiving e-mails lately about one of the biggest events that I'll ever attend, and I'm so excited that I decided to blog about it today. April 7-11, Ben and I will be attending a HUGE homeschool conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. We'll be driving there with great friends of ours, withOUT children. Roadtrip... can I still call it that even though we're all in our mid to late 30s? It feels so "young!"

Big name speakers will be there to talk about homeschooling, curriculum, raising children, teens, toddlers, babies, math, reading, writing, classical education, lapbooks; you name it. I just received the schedule of speakers, and the topics are amazing. I don't know how I'm going to choose, but choose I must. Besides all of the speakers, we will be able to read curriculum and shop the vendor floor which can save us money on supplies for next year. Plus, part of the entertainment is seeing a live show with Christian comedien, Tim Hawkins. Pumped up!

And yet with all of these positives, I think of two things that are even more exciting. One... Ben will be attending this event with me. Usually, I am the one who does the research, hears the speakers, looks at curriculum and then forms a synopsis to share with him. We are united in wanting to homeschool the kids, but I'm definitely the one who handles most of the nuts and bolts. We will both have the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, split our time and "report" what we learn, and just have fun together without the kids around. Since we're not planning a vacation this year, we can enjoy this time away.

Two... seeing that I'm so thrilled for April to be here, I can safely say that I feel as though God is confirming in my soul the decision we've made to homeschool. Sometimes I wonder if I can do it... sure the early years aren't quite so overwhelming as the later years, and we are going to take it one year at a time. But, still, just the thought of educating the kids can be quite stressful. I rarely, though, feel as though this is not our calling. To be so jazzed about an event really puts my mind at rest in terms of wondering if this is the right thing to do. It is... for now. And that's what God calls me to do... surrender DAILY to His will for my life.

Blessings!

Preschool, in review

My student is ill today so it's been a quiet day on the schooling front. Actually, truth be told, we take Tuesdays off to play with homeschooling friends who live across the street from us. Alas, a day off allows me to ponder where we are in this journey of homeschooling that has just begun.

I'll limit today's post to curriculum we use and to the ever-present question as to why we have decided to homeschool. The easy answer first: we use, mostly, Sonlight Curriculum's core program of P4/5. The books are all selected for me, and the plans are arranged into easy, daily reading lessons. To round out all of the reading that I do to J, I've added How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Math-U-See Primer book, A Reason for Handwriting, and various Bible devotions and stories. It's been a fun year as J can now read (the book claims to have the kids reading at the 2nd grade level by the end of the book - not sure about that), skip count by 2s, 5s, 10s, and can do simple addition as well as tally marks. His writing is mostly legible if not a little large, and he loves the Bible stories and memorizing Scripture as a part of our AWANA Cubbies ministry at church. Yes, he's doing well. Next year, we will be doing Kindegarten using Veritas Press's curriculum which tailors lessons to more of a classical education bent. Enough about his abilities...

We're proud of him in all that he's learning, but for us, the most important facet of his education is his character. I would rather raise children who might be considered normal/average/able in educational ability but have an "above average" heart for reaching people for Christ and who display the kind of character that honors God.

Do I condemn public education? No. Do I think it's wrong if people (even Christians) send their kids to school? Not at all. Do I think that private Christian schools aren't good enough? Nope. It's really an individual choice for each family, and the decision has to prayerfully be put before the Lord several times. I never thought we'd homeschool. Ben comes from a family of public school teachers; my Mom taught in public schools; I taught in a private and public school! Truly, this decision to school at home was made based on the Lord's leading. Believe me, even now, some days the yellow school bus looks mighty tempting :)

We believe that we can offer our kids the best education that they'll need for the goals that we have laid out for our family. We are a family who seeks to live honestly and seek Truth in all that we do. We value logic and standing in defense of our faith. Through prayer and our schooling efforts, we hope to give our children a sound education, both in the necessities as well as in their ability to stand firm in a world growing darker by the minute.

There's the long version - it's my blog; I can take the time! I welcome your questions and comments. Quite simply, we homeschool because God has called us to it; it's out of obedience. An adventure awaits!

Blessings!