So now it is day 5 of the Ultimate Blog challenge. I decided to blog today about how I choose what we use for our homeschool. Go to any homechool convention, browse any homeschool curriculum site, talk to any homeschoolers and you will get numerous ideas and differing opinions on what to use. Some people use a box curriculum - meaning they get all their material from one company (hence the name box - because it typically comes in one box if they order it and have it delivered). Others use all online resources. Still others are called unschoolers - meaning they let children lead the learning by what the children are interested in. Still others choose to use textbooks provided by their school district. Some go through umbrella programs where all the material is provided for the parent and possibly even a teacher/tutor is provided to grade the work and do the planning for the child.
However, none of those options really fit my style. When we first started homeschooling, as I stated in a previous post, we joined a homeschooling group comprised of military moms. This meant we had people from a variety of states who had been homeschooling for a long time between them. I have to say thanks to those ladies! They were an invaluable resource for me.
One lady told me that if we went to a homeschool convention, never buy anything on the first day and this has proved to be one of the best tips I ever got. Another lady brought up the book, "Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Picks". This is my favorite book and the one I most recommend to people just beginning their journey in homeschooling or that maybe are struggling with what they are using. This book helps you create a philosophy of education, determine your teaching style along with your child or children's learning style. But then it goes one step farther - Cathy Duffy actually breaks down all types of curriculum by learning and teaching styles so you can have a good fit. And she does this well!!!! I had the privilege of meeting and talking with Cathy Duffy several years ago at a homeschool convention. She is as amazing in person as she came across in her book.
Also, I listen to what other moms have to say. I have created a vast network of online friends that I can turn to when I have a question. And most of the time, they don't steer me wrong. Finally I evaluate our materials based on our needs and what is working with that child. So on more than one occasion I have thrown out my ideas of what I wanted to use in favor of starting over. Sometimes retreating and regrouping is the right course of action. Other times, it is beneficial to just put something up for a period of time. Then when the child comes back to it, the choice works fine. Other times, it may just take adapting the choice to fit the child (such as not doing as many problems or not following the exact schedule.
Choosing curriculum is one of my favorite and most dreaded parts of homeschooling. We try each year to attend at least two homeschool conventions, so we can physically touch the materials and get to talk with vendors and other homeschooling families about our choices.
I always begin by making lists for each child of the subjects they will be doing and the materials I plan on using or need to purchase. Then my husband and I take the first day of the convention to just walk up and down all the aisles. We choose conventions that are either in the state we live or that we know have a wide variety of vendors. We have the lists of what we need, so we know what we are looking for and possibly what vendors will have those items. Then we go back to our hotel room that evening and have a frank discussion of what we saw. Stay tuned tomorrow when I will continue my discussion of how we choose homeschool curriculum.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Saturday, October 4, 2014
How we entered the world of Homeschooling
So as I said before, I was going to share how we got into the world of homeschooling. Once again, God has a sense of humor. You see my husband, prior to us beginning homeschooling, was totally against the idea. He felt like children needed to be in classrooms in public schools. I often hear people express that same opinion. Moreover, I hear people say that children can become socialized while being homeschooled. But I beg to differ. I caution people to never say, "I could/would not ever do something/" Because immediately that sets someone up to have to have their words thrown back in their face.
Our son went to two different public schools for grades kindergarten thru 5th. The first one he attended kindergarten through 2nd. Then we moved from one home to a home on a military installation. So he did 3rd and 4th there and began 5th. However, he was placed in a classroom with a teacher that was completely the wrong person to be teaching him. Because it was a small school on an air station., we did not have a lot of options. This teacher made it impossible for us to leave him in the school. The school had a full-time nurse who was at the school full-time. On the morning in question, she was there. My son had health issues that it would take us until 2013 to get diagnosed (took that long for symptoms to get bad enough for us to want to put our son through endoscopies). We knew he had heath concerns and this particular day, I knew he did not feel good. But I asked him to try to hold out until lunch. However, the teacher took it upon herself to determine that my son was faking as a result of forgetting to bring the spelling words he was forced to select on the second week of school instead of the teacher providing the list of words to the students. She ended up yelling at me, not a good start for a conversation about my son. She told me I could do what I wanted to with my son - so I took him home. I knew my son was sick so what other choice would I make.
Based on the conversation with the teacher, I went home with my son and called my husband. I said something needed to change. Our other 3 children all attended this school and had wonderful teachers, wonderful classrooms and had all their needs being met. We had three choices - change all the children to a different school, change just Jacob to a different school (which didn't work because we would have to provide transportation and I could not be two places at one time). Or we could just homeschool our oldest. Mentally I had gone through all the possible decisions and investigated homeschooling before I talked to my husband. I knew I was up for the challenge - after all I had been a teacher in a classroom and taken the teacher certification courses. So that part didn't scare me. So I went into the conversation knowing what my decision was going to be. Surprisingly enough he agreed with my choice. Of course we had family members who were skeptical. But in the long run, the majority came around. Less than a month after bringing our son home we saw tremendous changes for the good in him. He started to enjoy being around his family. He started to do better with his schoolwork. Within that first year, my husband became a really staunch advocate of homeschooling.
We became part of a homeschool group, so that plus scouts gave him opportunities to be with others his own age. The next year we brought all the children home and I have to say it has been a tremendous blessing for our family.
Our son went to two different public schools for grades kindergarten thru 5th. The first one he attended kindergarten through 2nd. Then we moved from one home to a home on a military installation. So he did 3rd and 4th there and began 5th. However, he was placed in a classroom with a teacher that was completely the wrong person to be teaching him. Because it was a small school on an air station., we did not have a lot of options. This teacher made it impossible for us to leave him in the school. The school had a full-time nurse who was at the school full-time. On the morning in question, she was there. My son had health issues that it would take us until 2013 to get diagnosed (took that long for symptoms to get bad enough for us to want to put our son through endoscopies). We knew he had heath concerns and this particular day, I knew he did not feel good. But I asked him to try to hold out until lunch. However, the teacher took it upon herself to determine that my son was faking as a result of forgetting to bring the spelling words he was forced to select on the second week of school instead of the teacher providing the list of words to the students. She ended up yelling at me, not a good start for a conversation about my son. She told me I could do what I wanted to with my son - so I took him home. I knew my son was sick so what other choice would I make.
Based on the conversation with the teacher, I went home with my son and called my husband. I said something needed to change. Our other 3 children all attended this school and had wonderful teachers, wonderful classrooms and had all their needs being met. We had three choices - change all the children to a different school, change just Jacob to a different school (which didn't work because we would have to provide transportation and I could not be two places at one time). Or we could just homeschool our oldest. Mentally I had gone through all the possible decisions and investigated homeschooling before I talked to my husband. I knew I was up for the challenge - after all I had been a teacher in a classroom and taken the teacher certification courses. So that part didn't scare me. So I went into the conversation knowing what my decision was going to be. Surprisingly enough he agreed with my choice. Of course we had family members who were skeptical. But in the long run, the majority came around. Less than a month after bringing our son home we saw tremendous changes for the good in him. He started to enjoy being around his family. He started to do better with his schoolwork. Within that first year, my husband became a really staunch advocate of homeschooling.
We became part of a homeschool group, so that plus scouts gave him opportunities to be with others his own age. The next year we brought all the children home and I have to say it has been a tremendous blessing for our family.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Determining my Best Yes!
Right now I am involved in several things simultaneously for different things. One thing I am involved is the Ultimate Blog Challenge. My goal is to do one new post for 31 days. This is day 3 of the challenge. I am also involved in Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study for The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa Terkeurst. This book is all about determining what our "Best Yes" is. We are just completing week 2 of the study and have finished the first 6 chapters of the book. And I have to say I love this book. Lysa has the ability to make me laugh, cry and even relate to everything she is saying. I stop and think. She causes me to want to dive deeper into the study and into God's Word to determine what I really should be doing and how I should be living.
A third thing I am doing is a prayer challenge for my husband along with Darlene Schacht. I have only just begun this challenge, but I love the idea of praying for my husband. This challenge is in celebration of the release of her new book, Messy Beautiful Life: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages. When I signed up for the challenge, Darlene sent some wonderful freebies to help with the challenge including a study guide and a beautiful set of prayer cards. I am still in the midst of getting them printed out and set up the way I want them.
If all that were not enough, we of course still have homeschooling. I still have to feed the family. I still have to clean the house and do laundry. So there is a lot on my plate. A little more than a year ago, I started a website about our family, but have not devoted the time and resources to it that I wanted to so that is one of my goals to complete.
Also, I walked into saying my best yes and that resulted in me starting a new group on Facebook. So I have been working on that including starting to create original content yesterday. I need to create guidelines and welcome documents along with a Member list for the group as well. But I am so excited for the challenge. Not to mention, the ladies that have joined the group seem to be really exciting. So that is what a typical day in my life entails.
A third thing I am doing is a prayer challenge for my husband along with Darlene Schacht. I have only just begun this challenge, but I love the idea of praying for my husband. This challenge is in celebration of the release of her new book, Messy Beautiful Life: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages. When I signed up for the challenge, Darlene sent some wonderful freebies to help with the challenge including a study guide and a beautiful set of prayer cards. I am still in the midst of getting them printed out and set up the way I want them.
If all that were not enough, we of course still have homeschooling. I still have to feed the family. I still have to clean the house and do laundry. So there is a lot on my plate. A little more than a year ago, I started a website about our family, but have not devoted the time and resources to it that I wanted to so that is one of my goals to complete.
Also, I walked into saying my best yes and that resulted in me starting a new group on Facebook. So I have been working on that including starting to create original content yesterday. I need to create guidelines and welcome documents along with a Member list for the group as well. But I am so excited for the challenge. Not to mention, the ladies that have joined the group seem to be really exciting. So that is what a typical day in my life entails.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Life of a Mom of 4 - Day 2 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge
So I am participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and today I want to talk about life for me as the mom of 4. I am a wife and a mother. I also homeschool our 4 children. Obviously I have held the title of wife longer than mother or homeschooler. Life is never dull being the wife of a military service member, nor is it dull with 4 children in the house.
Our oldest turned 18 back in June. He has been our interesting child. Since the day he was born, he has never let us have a dull moment. From breaking our crib to driving our van into a fence at 4 years old (although our 2nd son was his cohort in crime for that little excursion). He keeps life exciting. He is the protector of his little sister and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He is the reason we got into homeschooling in the first place. At 18 he still gives me tons of hugs and kisses along with saying he loves me. He even does this in front of his friends (much to the friends' dismay and the friends' mothers disappointment that their sons don't).
Then along came number 2. He's my one that arrived in the world before nurses or doctor were ready - or even the aunt who was my coach. He has a smile that lights up a room. Although he quietly goes around stirring up trouble and leaving excitement in his wake. I quickly learned to find him when things happened at our house. This was also the child that at 2 years old assisted in the great minivan fence fiasco. He is also an Eagle Scout and was the youngest scout in our troop at that time to have earned the rank. He sets goals and achieves them! He and his older brother earned their ranks of Eagle Scout on the same day and we had one fantastic Eagle ceremony, where their younger brother served as Master of Ceremonies.
Then came number 3 who took anything we might have thought we learned from 1 and 2 and made us throw it out the window. This child had no fear - I repeat no fear! He would jump into pools even if mom and dad were on the other side of the pool. Because he knew we would race to the other side to get him. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg, he went up and down the ropes area for kids and race down the slides only to jump up and race back to the top - sure that Daddy would catch back up with him before he reached the point where the attendants might make him stop. And this was all because Mom couldn't keep up seeing how she was about 7 months pregnant at the time. He's had the most stitches of our children- approximately 7 sets with the majority being in his head within a one year period. We quickly discovered the only thing wrong was motor skill issues. Fortunately we were able to take him to an amazing physical therapy office in NC. He was the only one to fracture a bone and other adventures as well.
Then along came his cohort in crime. They are the dynamic duo and the Bobbsey Twins and quite a few other things rolled in one. Our little girl quietly entered the scene and took everything in. She moved with stealthiness that is hard to come by. She is defended by her three big brothers. She grew up with three brothers plus being surrounded by loads of boys thanks to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. She has no fear either. Anything the boys can do, I assure you she will say she can do better. She is my little doll. She is my sunshine.
So needless to say, my life is never boring they keep me on my toes and I love every minute of it. Often people tell me, "Oh I couldn't homeschool my children". Well I say don't say you will never do something, because God has an amazing sense of humor. So you might be surprised what you find yourself doing. And #blogboost - 2 days down and 29 days to go!
Our oldest turned 18 back in June. He has been our interesting child. Since the day he was born, he has never let us have a dull moment. From breaking our crib to driving our van into a fence at 4 years old (although our 2nd son was his cohort in crime for that little excursion). He keeps life exciting. He is the protector of his little sister and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He is the reason we got into homeschooling in the first place. At 18 he still gives me tons of hugs and kisses along with saying he loves me. He even does this in front of his friends (much to the friends' dismay and the friends' mothers disappointment that their sons don't).
Then along came number 2. He's my one that arrived in the world before nurses or doctor were ready - or even the aunt who was my coach. He has a smile that lights up a room. Although he quietly goes around stirring up trouble and leaving excitement in his wake. I quickly learned to find him when things happened at our house. This was also the child that at 2 years old assisted in the great minivan fence fiasco. He is also an Eagle Scout and was the youngest scout in our troop at that time to have earned the rank. He sets goals and achieves them! He and his older brother earned their ranks of Eagle Scout on the same day and we had one fantastic Eagle ceremony, where their younger brother served as Master of Ceremonies.
Then came number 3 who took anything we might have thought we learned from 1 and 2 and made us throw it out the window. This child had no fear - I repeat no fear! He would jump into pools even if mom and dad were on the other side of the pool. Because he knew we would race to the other side to get him. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg, he went up and down the ropes area for kids and race down the slides only to jump up and race back to the top - sure that Daddy would catch back up with him before he reached the point where the attendants might make him stop. And this was all because Mom couldn't keep up seeing how she was about 7 months pregnant at the time. He's had the most stitches of our children- approximately 7 sets with the majority being in his head within a one year period. We quickly discovered the only thing wrong was motor skill issues. Fortunately we were able to take him to an amazing physical therapy office in NC. He was the only one to fracture a bone and other adventures as well.
Then along came his cohort in crime. They are the dynamic duo and the Bobbsey Twins and quite a few other things rolled in one. Our little girl quietly entered the scene and took everything in. She moved with stealthiness that is hard to come by. She is defended by her three big brothers. She grew up with three brothers plus being surrounded by loads of boys thanks to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. She has no fear either. Anything the boys can do, I assure you she will say she can do better. She is my little doll. She is my sunshine.
So needless to say, my life is never boring they keep me on my toes and I love every minute of it. Often people tell me, "Oh I couldn't homeschool my children". Well I say don't say you will never do something, because God has an amazing sense of humor. So you might be surprised what you find yourself doing. And #blogboost - 2 days down and 29 days to go!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Life, Moving and Homeschooling
So like most years, we started our homeschool year back in the middle of July. We had stopped a little bit earlier than normal because we moved from one house to another. This meant all of our homeschool materials had to be packed up. So the idea was for the most important items to be placed either in the rooms where needed them; where we wanted them or where they could most easily be accessed. Also all boxes were to be clearly labeled with what was inside and who the items belonged to or what rooms the items belonged to - i.e. kitchen, oldest son, daughter, my mom and so forth. However this did not happen with us having our 3 teenage sons, one pre-teen daughter and some of children's friends.
Don't get me wrong, they packed really well. However, they failed miserably at labeling. So now we are a couple of months into our school year, and many items I need are missing - meaning buried beyond a mountain of stuff or otherwise hidden.
Also the moment I say, "Where is such and such - I know person A packed it". I get the answer of, "I didn't pack that and I have no clue where it might be."
Now top that off with a husband in the military and things get more interesting. He has had two trips to take to other states. Both of them allowed me the opportunity to go with him since he was authorized to drive. So that meant 6 days we were going to be out of the house.
I don't know if you homeschool or not, or even have children - but the combination of the cat being away (me - the enforcer of all rules and grandmother in the house since my mom lives with us) means the mice will really play. The mice playing interferes with schoolwork getting done. So I need to make a plan to get everyone caught up, on schedule, and on pace. Stay tuned for our continuing saga.
Don't get me wrong, they packed really well. However, they failed miserably at labeling. So now we are a couple of months into our school year, and many items I need are missing - meaning buried beyond a mountain of stuff or otherwise hidden.
Also the moment I say, "Where is such and such - I know person A packed it". I get the answer of, "I didn't pack that and I have no clue where it might be."
Now top that off with a husband in the military and things get more interesting. He has had two trips to take to other states. Both of them allowed me the opportunity to go with him since he was authorized to drive. So that meant 6 days we were going to be out of the house.
I don't know if you homeschool or not, or even have children - but the combination of the cat being away (me - the enforcer of all rules and grandmother in the house since my mom lives with us) means the mice will really play. The mice playing interferes with schoolwork getting done. So I need to make a plan to get everyone caught up, on schedule, and on pace. Stay tuned for our continuing saga.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Why I love my Online Bible Study
So instead of talking about homeschooling or my family today, I want to take a minute to invite you to join in the next Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study. You can visit the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study page to sign up. The study begins on September 22nd and the book is fantastic! While real life might be crazy, this Bible Study won't be. You can follow along on the blog for daily posts or if you prefer you can participate in a Facebook Study Live for a different kind of experience.
I have been involved with Proverbs 31 Ministries OBS (Online Bible Study) for about a year and a half now. I started off just doing the study and being in a Facebook Small group for Let.It.Go. by Karen Ehman. I absolutely fell in love with the study. I love that I don't have to be at a certain place at a certain time every week. In my Facebook small group or with the Study Blog, I can interact on my time around my schedule. But every time I visit the study page or the Facebook Small group I am tremendously blessed.
Back in the spring, I took a leap and decided to volunteer as a Facebook Small group leader. I helped lead our group for the study for the Limitless Life by Derwin Gray. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I can't wait for this study to begin. Over the next few weeks, you can expect to see more posts from me regarding #TheBestYes!
So if you are looking for a Bible Study that gives you flexibility I invite you to take a look and to join us for #TheBestYes!
I have been involved with Proverbs 31 Ministries OBS (Online Bible Study) for about a year and a half now. I started off just doing the study and being in a Facebook Small group for Let.It.Go. by Karen Ehman. I absolutely fell in love with the study. I love that I don't have to be at a certain place at a certain time every week. In my Facebook small group or with the Study Blog, I can interact on my time around my schedule. But every time I visit the study page or the Facebook Small group I am tremendously blessed.
Back in the spring, I took a leap and decided to volunteer as a Facebook Small group leader. I helped lead our group for the study for the Limitless Life by Derwin Gray. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I can't wait for this study to begin. Over the next few weeks, you can expect to see more posts from me regarding #TheBestYes!
So if you are looking for a Bible Study that gives you flexibility I invite you to take a look and to join us for #TheBestYes!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
It's been a while
So it has been a while since I posted. Life has been moving right along. We are getting settled into our new home. Everyone seems to really be enjoying themselves. School is still going on at a reduced level. However, this time next week, we will be back at full force doing all subjects. We still need to add Literature, IEW-SICC, Latin. Art and Music to our day along with our Wisdom Books. So Monday morning will begin that.
Our family labored on Labor Day Weekend. We put up corn, beets, tomatoes, peppers, and worked on getting pickles done. The pickles will get put up today. I will try to post photos later.
This weekend Dennis will be attending a change of command ceremony. The children will be working on school.
I will spend most of the weekend planning school materials and getting ready for the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies new Bible Study - "The Best Yes" by Lysa Terkeurst. I am really looking forward to this study. It has been nice to take the summer off, but I am ready to get back into things. In two weeks, Dennis will be preaching at the Salvation Army Corps. I am looking forward to hearing him speak.
On August 22nd, Dennis and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. We spent the day together. We went to Carlisle, PA to get his DA photo done. We ate lunch at the Macaroni Grill in Harrisburg, PA. From there we went to the outlets at Hershey. We took a ride through the Hershey Resort Campground. We really want to take our family camping there. Then we came back through Selinsgrove and spent some time looking around at some stores. We found a refrigerator we fell in love with. Then we went to the Outback Steakhouse in State College. The service was not as good as we would have wanted. But the food was pretty good. One of the most enjoyable parts of the ride was seeing the countryside and all the Amish farms/people/buggies. Well I guess that is enough for now.
Our family labored on Labor Day Weekend. We put up corn, beets, tomatoes, peppers, and worked on getting pickles done. The pickles will get put up today. I will try to post photos later.
This weekend Dennis will be attending a change of command ceremony. The children will be working on school.
I will spend most of the weekend planning school materials and getting ready for the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies new Bible Study - "The Best Yes" by Lysa Terkeurst. I am really looking forward to this study. It has been nice to take the summer off, but I am ready to get back into things. In two weeks, Dennis will be preaching at the Salvation Army Corps. I am looking forward to hearing him speak.
On August 22nd, Dennis and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. We spent the day together. We went to Carlisle, PA to get his DA photo done. We ate lunch at the Macaroni Grill in Harrisburg, PA. From there we went to the outlets at Hershey. We took a ride through the Hershey Resort Campground. We really want to take our family camping there. Then we came back through Selinsgrove and spent some time looking around at some stores. We found a refrigerator we fell in love with. Then we went to the Outback Steakhouse in State College. The service was not as good as we would have wanted. But the food was pretty good. One of the most enjoyable parts of the ride was seeing the countryside and all the Amish farms/people/buggies. Well I guess that is enough for now.
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