Well … I guess you can say I haven’t had time to blog …
We have completed the first 3 weeks of school. For those that don’t know SC homeschooling guidelines, here’s a quick overview: 180 Days of school; you must keep a daily record of what you have covered; you must teach math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. You must also belong to an accountability group. We belong to VBHE - www.vine-branches.org
We are VERY typical of homeschoolers – we go above and beyond these basics. We really have a heart for our children to learn. (I say this because most blogs I have read don’t speak highly of homeschoolers.)
So … we have 4 children and 3 are school age and one preschooler … so you can bet our day is very busy … very crazy .. lots to get covered … and it’s not always “pretty and fluffy”. I love my kids being homeschooled but that doesn’t mean that I love everyday of homeschooling. It’s my job. I take it seriously but it’s not glamorous. I’m not one of the moms off of “Leave it to Beaver”. I’m very focused and I try to teach my kids from a different view point than they would get anywhere else and in an environment where they are safe and loved.
Here is were we are so far:
The youngest is 2 and he is working on his language skills, colors, and counting to 5.
My 5 year old is loving school … so much that I have to beg her to stop. She wants to do school all the time. She follows me around the house with a book in hand begging to do the next page, read the next story, or write the next thing. It’s really quiet funny. She was only a baby when we started homeschooling so … getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, and getting straight to school work is all she has ever known. She is so proud that she has finally “graduated” into school work with her siblings. She is reading, counting, and writing with so much enthusiasm that it blesses me tremendously.
My 4th grader is a different story. She loves to give me a hard time about even the simplest of assignments. Her favorite technique – stalling – it does not work. Nothing else can happen in our house until school work is done. That means no computer, no wii, no chatting with friends, nothing! Her list for each day includes (but is not limited to) reading, writing, Easy Grammar and Daily Grams, Saxon math, latin, IEW writing, Wordly Wise, dictation, and Classical Conversations (CC) memory work (this includes history, science, math, grammar, geography). We belong to a CC group and LOVE IT!!! The memory work is hard but we have been totally blessed by it. My 2 oldest made Memory Master last year! Having a great “timeline” memorized has been wonderful for our entire family. My 5 year participates too and it amazes me how much she remembers.
My 7th grader has moved from CC Foundations to their Challenge A program. We are loving it. He has a great accountability from other adults and classmates and it is challenging him to do things we haven’t done before and he is really enjoying it. The program is designed to teach kids “how to learn” and each year things get harder and dig a little deeper. His classes include: Saxon Math, Clear Reasoning, Latin, IEW Writing, Science, and Geography.
Well… that’s what goes on in our house … it’s not always fun but … it really is most days!
I’ll try to do better keep the blog updated. Now that we have found our “rhythm” and we are making great progress … blogging should be easier.
