Book Character Dress Up Day

One of the things Izzy said she would miss about public school was the random dress up days through out the year.  Easily solved!  We brainstormed ideas and then assigned a few days each month to a 'dress up' day.  Things like pink, princess, crazy hair, backwards, and pajama day were top of the list.  This week it was "Dress like a Book Character Day".  I told the girls I wasn't going to make anything special, so they had to get creative on their own, but that I would help them with finishing touches.  Here is what they came up with this morning!

Lili was Emily from her favorite book Emily's Dance Class- basically a ballerina bunny.

Izzy was Whiskers from Whiskers the Lonely Kitten.  She has enjoyed this series of chapter books.

They did it all on their own except for the makeup for the nose and whiskers and I helped Izzy with her tail.  What a fun way to do school today!

What is your favorite book character or who would you dress up like?

Me?  I'd totally rock an Amelia Bedelia outfit if I had more time :)

Head over to the Hip Homeschool Mom's blogroll for more great homeschool and homemaking ideas!

10 Unexpected Benefits to Homeschooling!

While we have many reasons (see part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) for choosing to homeschool after two years in the public school system, here are 10 unexpected benefits to homeschooling we have discovered after 1 month into our new way of learning.

1)  No fundraisers!  I am so thankful to not have to say no to my pleading eyes daughter who wants to win one of the 'prizes' for selling or collecting the most books, magazines, pledges, etc.  I am so thankful to not feel pressured into giving more and more money to school.  We were bombarded with 4 fundraisers within the first 3 weeks of school last year.

2)  No buying an extra pair of gym shoes that hardly gets worn and usually gets lost at some point for gym class!

3)  Snack Freedom!  No worries about having nut, peanut butter, milk, egg, sugar free anything for snacks and lunches!

4)  No more book orders!  My kids love books.  I love books.  We have a huge collection of books from my teaching days.  But, I am a garage sale/goodwill kind of book shopper.  I also love the library. The temptation for any of us to buy beautiful new books from those newsprint flyers once a month was hard on the heart!

5)  I'll be honest that I love having my oldest at home because she can be such a huge help.  Shopping has become easier with her there to push the cart or play pat-a-cake with baby while I grab what we need.  She is also able to keep an eye on things at home if I need to make a phone call.  She loves being a helper and so it is neat to see her nurturing skills develop.

6)  Izzy can make her sisters laugh like no one else can.  I missed the giggles coming from her and Lili's room when she at school last year.  Let's face it, I'm not nearly as fun as she is in my 3 year old's eyes.  I love hearing the laughter in my house all day long!

7) NO HOMEWORK!!!!! Oh the tears, trials, frustrations of trying to help your child get through an hour or two of homework every night after they are tired of 7 hours of "learning" and just want to play. Oh how hard it was to help her when the homework was filled with "fuzzy math" concepts and writing personal narratives on topics she had no background on (ie: she had to write a 5 sentence + paragraph on how bullying is bad for school- poor girl loves everyone and is well loved, had no idea what bullying was and why it was always being pushed at school).  I love the freedom of being able have pedagogy that fits her learning style and to take breaks when we need to.

8)  We have oodles of family within a 10 mile radius.  I'd say one of Izzy's favorite parts of being homeschooled is getting to spend more time with her Grandparents and cousins.  She loves family and now she doesn't have to miss out on Tuesday lunches or getting to be babysat by grandma when mommy has a meeting.  It is good for her soul.

9)  School is no longer the rock in the jar (follow link on great illustration on fitting things in our lives) we must work around to fit everything else in our life.  School no longer dictates our schedule, bedtimes, diet, after school activities, vacations, and more.  Our focus is now on learning through life (though we do thrive on structure and schedule here, it is not something that dictates or defines us).  I had no idea how much time and effort it took to do 'school' and how much it influenced my time.

10)  This is more of anticipated hope and prediction but I'm thinking I'm going to really like homeschool so I'm not constantly reminding my daughter to bring home lost lunch boxes, coats, gloves, shoes, folders, etc.  Especially come winter, it will be nice to have all of our winter gear in place when we need it, not left in our cubby or stranded in a lost and found.  Stuff is home, where it belongs :)

I linked up to other great lists for List it Tuesday at www.manylittleblessings.com and www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com!

Lamenting

Today is the first day of school for most in Michigan. The past week I have found myself dealing with small waves of mourning and questioning our decision to homeschool.

I saw parents and students flock 'our' elementary school eager for meeting teachers and touring the new improvements to the building.

I saw families out and about over the weekend, making memories and celebrating the end of summer- as if once the clock struck 8 am this morning all of those fond times will soon be a distant memory.

I hear the eagerness (and relief) in many mom's voices over the thought of some well deserved peace and quiet while their kids were away.

I see the neighborhood children gathering at the end of the driveway with their shiny new shoes and sparkling backpacks, with a little sleep in their eyes, board the bus that will take them to their next 'year' of life.

I have been witness to so much transition and cannot help but lament what we are missing, even though I know its trivial in comparison to what we are gaining. I am sad to miss out on those first day butterflies. It is weird to see empty lunch boxes on the top shelf of my cupboard. I have a strange emptiness not being there for those traditional rites of passage. Playground adventures. New Friends. Donuts with Dad. Muffins with Mom. Fundraisers (ok, maybe not that one!).

With the lament comes fear of judgement. Now my neighbors will know something is different. There is one less little girl at the bus stop. The children are outside playing at 10 am. What if they judge us?

I think in the end it is mourning the known. It is a desire to stay in the zone of what is expected. It is a wish for the safety net of 'what everyone else does'.

Change is not easy (especially when it means 'sacrificing' 6 hours of peace and quiet) and it can require time to go through the grieving process. But, thankfully, I have peace knowing that what is on the other side could be even better than what we are missing out on.

First Day of Homeschool- EVER!

I desired to ease into our first year of homeschooling and provide a couple weeks of review/catch up to get Izzy to needed skill level for curriculum so we started school today! (By law, public schools in Michigan don't start until after Labor Day).  We are only adding a couple subjects at a time so no one is overwhelmed.  Our first day included:
Pictures!

Izzy is 7 years old starting 2nd grade!

Liliana is 3 and doing PreK work!

Baby was napping :) But here was a pic from her first day of 'school'...because she's part of the family and adorable after all!

Lucy is 8 months and SO BIG!

We prayed, read aloud, went over new chore chart, and did Calendar time.
Then we filled out first day of school fun sheets (From the Life in Bloom chic and savvy homeschool planner- free download!!!).

Lili's loves the color green and mac & cheese.

Izzy loves pizza and playing uno.

While Izzy worked on some basic addition facts to get the cobwebs out, Lili worked on coloring the letter A, learned about the color red, and identified/drew circles.

Izzy and I then reviewed place value for math using legos as manipulatives.  Then she independently did the first two days worth of handwriting lessons in A Reason For Handwriting.

Our subjects for our first week are calendar, handwriting, and math.  We were done in less than an hour.  I'm pleased with our first day and the excitement the girls had.  Liliana was sad her first day was 'done'.  Perhaps if the next couple of days go well I will bravely add more subjects at a faster pace.

My heart is happy and full!

Joining in on the student photo blog hop at ihomeschool! 

First Time Homeschooler- 2nd Grade

With our first year of homeschooling fast approaching, I have finally decided on the curriculum we are going to use this year.  I'm hoping these materials will be great tools in helping us be successful in our transition from public school to homeschool, but know that it may require more trial and error to find what works for us.

Izzy just turned 7 and is going into 2nd grade.  She has been at public school for kindergarten and 1st grade.  Her school was a very good one but in a few areas I'm finding her 'behind' for many homeschool curriculums.  She was taught to read with whole word approach so she has very little phonetical understanding.  Her math was 'reformed math' based on common core standards.  Her writing skills were not mastery based so she has become overwhelmed with all the detail of creative writing (ideas, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, powerful words, etc).  However, she is reading fluently at a 3rd grade level.  That being said, here is what we are starting with for the coming school year.

Math-  We will be doing 2-3 weeks of review and basic introduction to concepts such as money identification and counting, fractions, standard measurement, and reading a clock to the 5 minute intervals with online resources and the alternative tests from Christian Light Math 100.  After that we will be working through Christian Light Education Math 200 with a more comprehensive 'calendar' time to review numbers, tally marks, fractions, weather, graphs, etc.  This will also allow Liliana (age 3.5) to interact with us.  I have created my own calendar pages for this.

Reading-  I will be working a combination of Christian Light Education's 2nd Grade Reading and Progeny Press- A New Coat For Anna.  I want to build her comprehension skills with living books that are slightly lower in reading level but also begin to build some of the phonetical skills she had missed earlier.  I hope the pairing on an alternating schedule will work well.  If we like Progeny Press I will chose another book after we complete this one.

Writing- I think I'm the most excited about this curriculum, so I hope I'm not disappointed!  We will be using WriteShop Primary B.  My goal is to take steps back with Izzy's writing, focusing on one area at a time to hopefully get her to enjoy writing again.  Our public school homework writing assignments were filled with tears on both of our parts.  We will also be reading more living books and having real life experiences that will give her more to find inspiration from instead of topics such as bullying she kept getting in 1st grade.

Science and Social Studies- I will not be emphasizing these subjects the first couple of months as we make our transition into homeschooling, but when we can, will will use Abeka's basic science and social study readers Enjoying God's World and Our America.  Once we gain traction and confidence, I hope to do more of a unit study or lapbook approach with these subjects.

Bible- I desire to involve all of our kids in the same Bible curriculum at some point.  Right now their ages are 7, 3, and 7 months so for now we are just going to be highlighting stories through the bible and putting them on a timeline.  I will be using Jesus Storybook Bible and online resources for inspiration for crafts and activities.  This subject will be relaxed, but important to the environment of our homeschool.  I will also be using Have You Filled a Bucket Today? as part of our character education and home management.  I want to build encouragement in my kids and the importance of 'building each other up'.

Handwriting- I want to build Izzy's consistency and confidence in her handwriting in order to help with fluidity in her writing assignments.  I'm going to use A Reason For Handwriting B.  I feel it will give her adequate practice without bogging her down with too many dictations or copywork at this stage.

Art- My girls love crafts and projects but I want to build a foundation in art appreciation and understanding.  So, we will be going through this book to start with.  I hope it will be fun and low key.

We will also be doing ballet or tap and the occasional open gym at the local gymnastics company.  Let me know if you found success (or problems) with any of my choices.  Each child is a unique person made by God and will learn and find success in different ways.  I just hope this is a good starting point.

*I'm participating in the blog hop at www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com*

Why Homeschool? Part 3

Every parent aches with the desire for their kids to reach their God-given potential.  We want to see them succeed in life, wherever it takes them.  Their talents and skills are uniquely ordained but often need to be fostered in order for them to come to full fruition.

As a trained teacher myself, I understand first hand the immense responsibility and even unfair expectation on any given teacher for them to shepherd 25 little children through a 9 month school year and have each one of them reach their fullest potential for the time.  Teachers face an uphill battle of administration, politics, learning styles, cookie cutter curriculum, hands on parents, hands off parents, behavior issues, incessant labels, IEP's, and often underpaid and appreciated as they attempt to help their class of little learners prepare for the next stage in life.

It is our belief that our children will have a higher rate of success in reaching their potential if their unique personalities, skills, talents, desires, and intrigues are fostered in an intentional environment at home.

This came about after many nights of frustrating math homework and writing assignments were done at the kitchen table.  Yearning to simply master 2+3, Izzy was paralyzed by confusing conceptualization techniques to 'help' her understand why 2+3=5.  Instead of building fluency of each writing step at a time (sentence structure, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, details, etc) she was stifled in her creativity out of fear of what to focus on and to do it right.  We realized our first grader's potential would not be met under these conditions.  She was not designed to learn this way and it is our God given responsibility (and joy) to help her find what works best for her.

Even if just for the next year we help build confidence on her educational journey towards becoming the woman God has designed her to be, I will consider it a success.

Why Homeschool?
Part 1
Part 2

Why Homeschool? Part 1

In an earlier post I mentioned how the plethora of good options made the decision to homeschool for the 2013-2014 school year a hard one.  I'd like to explain our reasons for making this decision, but first a disclaimer.  Every family has to make their own decision of what works best for them.  Our reasons may not be other's reasons to choose homeschooling.  There are great reasons to send children to public or private schools.  We have people in our sphere of influence who advocate for a variety of school options.  I respect each family's privilege to choose the educational path that works best for them.  I'm also aware that while we are making this decision for this coming year, we may change our minds.  My goal is to share our hearts where they are at now, not predicting where they might be in 2,5,10 years.

So, why homeschool?

#1- Intentional Influence

#2- Biblical Command

#3- Reaching Potential

#4- Common Core and the Federal Government

I'll write a little post on each of these eventually, but today I'll touch on #1.

About 10-12 months ago, I felt that God was leading me to a word that would transform every facet of my life.  The word was INTENTIONAL.  Perhaps He was trying to correct my lack of household organization, teaching me to not fly by the seat of my pants so much, or to simply be more on purpose with where He has me on each day.  It has seemed that ever since that word was brought to mind, the word has creeped into other aspects.  A recent parenting book (perhaps the best I've read) called Intentional Parenting offered great insight of what it meant to avoid auto-pilot as a mom, wife, and child of God.  My husband and I planned our vacations and times away with goals in mind so that activities, choices, and decisions would help us reach our desired outcome.

When it came to our schooling decision, God began to work on my heart on how I had the responsibility as my kids mother to be the primary influence in their lives (along with Daddy!).  If you look at the sheer math, we get very little time with our school aged children.  In reality, a handful of adults I barely know along with a room of 20 peers I know even less become the primary influence in my child's life.  I was becoming tired of getting her 'leftovers'.  She would leave our home each morning with a bounce in her step at 8 am.  She would come home tired and drained at almost 4pm.  Then, there was the hour or so of homework each night that we would have to try to do together (uphill battle for a 6 year old who just wanted to play with her sister!).  By 8 pm she was back in bed.  Weekends were helpful, but often she would still be playing 'catch up' from the week.  I want to enjoy my child at her best, not feel discouraged by dealing with her worst.  I know if I had a friend who only saw me from 4-6pm everyday they would think I'm pretty tired, cranky, and lack clean shirts!  It would be a very one dimensional view of who I was. 

In the end, Paul and I want to be the primary influence in our children's life.  We want to enjoy our kids at their best.  We want to discover who they are and who God may be forming them to be.  We don't want a school system dictating so many aspects of our life.  We want to be intentional and we feel that in order to have the highest probability for success, we should educate our children at home.

"Whether he is a mystery or more familiar, our job is to become a student- to seek to understand the work that God began and is faithfully completing in the lives of our children. Our job is to steward that, not change it." p. 18 of Intentional Parenting

When there are many good options

We have been blessed enough to live in a community where there are many great schooling options.  For us (well at least for me) it brought the paradox of choice into play- where too many choices end up paralyzing and confusing the decision maker.

Izzy has spent her first two years of schooling (Kindergarten and 1st) at the local public school.  It has been a great experience overall.  While there have been frustrations along the way, we have been content with the education she has received.  The district is conservative in its values and reflects the deeply rooted convictions of the community.  Families are flocking to the township or driving long distances in school of choice to give their own children a chance of learning in this district.

Within our community there also two great Christian schools and one charter school.  On the surface, all seem to provide a quality educational experience.  We also live in a hub of activity with regards to homeschool connections.  A homeschool building offering classes, co-ops, bookstore, sports teams, musical groups, and more is about 2 miles up the road.  Local churches offer classes for homeschooled children during women's bible study hours and many gymnastics and dance studios offer homeschool classes.

I feel spoiled by the number of good choices for educating our children.  Many are forced into making a decision by lack of options, having to choose the 'best of the worst'.  However, choosing the path to discontinue a 'good' option of public schooling and moving into homeschooling has been a little paralyzing.  How do we choose the 'best' out of all of the good options?  Why would we choose the 'harder' path of homeschool when so many options to outsource this part of parenting are available?

God laid on the heart of Paul and I independently to pursue the path of homeschooling our children.   The choice was overwhelming at times, a spiritual battle.  Many times I was discouraged by the options and wanted to just 'settle' and go back to public schooling.  I had a great idea of what homeschool could look like, but was paralyzed by the 'why' in an environment of too many options.  In time, clarity came and so did a faith that passes the need for having a perfect set of why's and how's.

We have committed to take each year as it comes.  1 year at a time.  We are have our reasons for choosing this path, but in the end it came to trust.  Trust in the Holy Spirit's prompting that this was the right choice for our family.

And so it begins...

Yesterday was the last day of school, not only for our recent 1st grade graduate, but also our last day of public school for the foreseeable future.  Today begins our newest venture- homeschooling.  I decided to start this new blog to chronicle our journey for many reasons.

1) When the going gets tough (and I know there will be bad days) I want to remind myself of WHY we chose this adventure for our family.

2) Perhaps help someone else who is thinking about making the jump to homeschool from public school.  Hopefully they will be able to learn from my mistakes and be encouraged by our (hopeful) successes.

3)  To bring a 'real' example of homeschool to others.  I've been discouraged by the posts and websites of other homeschool moms who look like they have it all together in that perfect pinterest way.  I feel so inadequate to try to 'match' what they have done.  Hopefully my honesty of the highs and lows will encourage other homeschool families.

4)  To chart my growth over time as a wife, mom, teacher, and daughter of the King.  I anticipate God to do a mighty work in our family as we journey to be more intentional as parents, spouses, and a family.

Over the next week or two I will begin outlining our reasons for homeschooling and the decisions we've made thus far.  I hope you join us on this journey.  We will need encouragement, advice, and prayers as we open our hearts and home to more intentional influence through homeschooling.