Homeschool Doubts

Originally posted on homschlr4ever-loveandlunchmoney

 
We all have them.

Am I doing the right thing? Are my kids progressing? Will they make it into college? Am I ruining their lives?

My answers are: yes, yes, yes, I would do that whether we homeschooled or not, right.

Actually, my kids love being homeschooled as do most others that we know. Sometimes, my older son Pete will reminisce about those glorious years he spent in school.

Well actually that one glorious year he spent in school - kindergarten. But none of it pertains to the schooling, just the social aspects.

He remembers how the other kids used to fuss over who would sit next to him at lunch, who would hang out with him at recess, and who was his girlfriend. Oh, the six year old drama.

Now, he spends every lunch sitting next to Mom and little brother, RePete. He spends “recess” doing his own thing or playing with Mom or RePete until the school kids come home or we setup a get-together with others homeschooled friends, and while neither RePete or Mom is up for the girlfriend gig, he still has co-op so the prospects are still there.

I was going to interview my boys for this post, but it wasn't all that exciting.

My question was, “What do you like about homeschooling?”

 

Repete, age 8, said he liked that it didn't take very long so he had lots of time to play, he loves his co-op and friends, and math (??).

Pete, age 12, stated that he gets to stay home with his family, no waiting on other kids to finish so he can be done and do his own thing, and his friends and co-op.

What about all that awesome teaching I do? I jest. I'm just happy they are happy. And learning. And well-adjusted. And so far, neither child has yelled at me for ruining their life.

~R

Busy, busy, busy

I have so many things I want to do and am spending many minutes a day thinking about how to do it all.

I'm starting to plan for our school next year.  My seedlings are growing fast and I need to get the containers together for planting.  We've got regular doctor visits on the calendar and speech appointments.  Soccer is about to consume our lives again.  And on and on.

Pete and I are going to be extras in a cool tv show - FBI: Crimnal Pursuit: Investigation Discovery.

Should be a lot of fun.  I originally sent the info for him to be an extra and the guy sent me a reply asking if I'd like to be one too since I have to be on set anyway.  I said sure, why not and that's how that happened.

I'm carrying my iPhone with me to get pics of the set for Pete's scrapbook that I plan to make one day...along with all the other scrapbooks I plan to make one day.

But I'll have to wait to post any pictures until after the show airs. 

Now back to being busy.

~R

To Play or Not To Play

Originally posted on Homeschlr4ever/Love and Lunch Money

I always wanted to play the piano. When I was seven, my after school babysitter let me play around on her piano and even taught me how to play the theme from The Young and the Restless, one of her favorite stories. I still remember most of it.

Then we moved, my parents divorced and everything went to hell. My mom couldn't afford piano lessons and I don't even think the thought crossed her mind. And in school, I chose art, so I didn't have time for band class.

Now I'm 42 and still want to learn and I've decided to sign my boys up instead. Living vicariously through others and all that. Neither of them seems particularly enthused, although neither threw themselves down on the floor in a tantrum either, and I'm not normally one to force the issue, but I think it'll be a good thing for them in the end. They'll thank me later, right? *chirp chirp*

Anyway, there's plenty to document the good effects music has on us. I think the lessons will teach discipline through practice, empathy for Mom's inner ear canal,cooperation through working one on one with an instructor and accomplishment when they pound out that first song.

Someone tell me I'm right. These decisions are always so difficult and my husband is no help and by that I mean, he isn't agreeing with me 100 percent.

I said to him, Aren't you excited that I finally signed them up for piano lessons?

Him: Um, not really.

Me: What do you mean, not really? Don't you think they SHOULD take the lessons. You said yourself that piano was the best instrument to learn. From there all the others would be easy.

Him: I think piano lessons are good but you can't force them to take the lessons. I mean, they have to practice an hour a day. They won't even practice drums for me and they want to play drums. Are you going to make sure they do it?

Me: You bet your booty, I will.

Him: Then it sounds good to me.

I knew he'd come around to my way of thinking.

How about you? How do you handle these types of decisions in your homeschooling adventures? Do you wait for your child to ask? Do you take a firm stand as I have and sign them up? Do they hate you forever now? I don't think my heart could  stand that!

~R

Seedlings

I finally got my seeds in dirt.  I couldn't be happier.

 taken with iPhone

The boys and I did an experiment to see what birds are eating in our feeders.  They recognized the sunflower seeds, of course, but not the rest.  The results so far are in the cups behind the seeding tray.  Only one sunflower seed sprouted and the boys are diligent about watering and watching.  It'll be fun when they all flower.

~R

Pre-teen Fun

Having a pre-teen can be a joy and a curse. For my sanity, I'm going to focus on the joy.

Pete has a knack for entertaining.

During math on Thursday, this happened

Pete: Do college students get to use calculators any time they want?

Me: Sure. By then it's assumed that they know all the basics, like 2+2.

Pete: Well of course. That's six. Can I use the calculator today?

Smarty pants.

~R

Homeschooler's Valentine's Day

It's true.  We homeschooler's don't all avoid the holidays. 

As I said before this is RePete's first Valentine's card exchange and probably his last since he'll be 9 next year and too cool for such things.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the exchange.  Several children, including my own, kept checking their bags to see how it was going.  Oh the anticipation.

Ignore the blobs on the photos.  I had to blur out other children.

~R

Valentines

RePete has never been to school.  Ever.  Not even preschool.  A couple of years ago, I had a Valentines party at our home and our kids exchanged goodies.  But he's never experienced the thrill of getting a bag full of Valentines from twenty-something of his closest friends. *snicker*  Not that his life would have a void if he never did, but it's a fun thing and I wanted him to experience it.

AND this may be the last year RePete is not too cool to exchange Valentines with his friends, so I took the initiative and set up a craft table at our co-op today to help him grow out of it with style.

And I did it on crutches. (different story for another time)

I bought several sets of different colored bags, markers and lots and (I thought) lots of stickers.  Do you know how hard it is to find Valentine stickers that boys don't think are too "girly"?  But we made do.

I spent about $30 on stickers.  I thought it was a lot of stickers.  I forgot how much girls like stickers.


I'm used to my boys.  One or two stickers, their name and they're done.  The girls spent lots of time at my table today.  Everything was perfectly decorated and coordinated and beautiful.  Luckily, the foam stickers held out until the very last crafter, but next time I work a craft table, I'll know to bring more.  Much more.


I think we ended up with close to 30 kids who made bags that will be used to collect Valentines from their buddies next week.

I can't wait and I need to remember to take a picture.

~R

Grammartastic

Yesterday, as Pete was reading his grammar assignment, he asked,

"Mom, what does semile and metoffer mean?" ( I used these spellings to try and show the sounds he used.  Syllable emphasis on "mile" and "off")

I cracked up laughing.  He started laughing because I was laughing and then I explained the correct pronunciation.

He was asking about similes and metaphors.

~R

Deer Poop

You know you are a homeschooler when...

Three days ago, BN walked out front and came back in saying that the deer ate all my roses again and pooped on our walkway.

For whatever reason, nobody cleaned up the doo.  And then it just became a curiosity.

The boys and I have been examining the poop every day since.  First, the flies came.  Then the slug.  Then the rain.

Now there's nothing left but grasses of some sort. 

I was certain I'd find roses.

~R

Banned! D=78

I've banned myself from the genealogy sites until after the holidays.  I was on the computer ALL DAY yesterday.  I mean ALL DAY.  It was fun and the discovery was awesome but oh my goodness what in the world?

Anyway, a year's subscription to one of the popular sites was my gift to my mom along with helping her do the research and scan in photos and keep backups of what we find.  So good luck, Mom.  I'll come back around after the new year begins...or later this evening.  Whichever.

In other news I have decided that we can never take another week off from school.  In fact, maybe we need to go at it 7 days a week.  Every time we take a break, it gets harder and harder to get back to the grind.

So much so that I am seriously considering finding an online school so someone else can teach and I can just monitor the progress.  Or maybe I just need meds.  Whichever.

~R

Market Day

Yes, that is the best I can do.

I really need to get hopping on the Christmas ornaments the boys and I are making.  Our homeschool co-op has started a craft fair once a month and for a small donation (determined by the seller), we can have a table to sell wares.  

I thought about selling something myself but everything I make is so laborious.  Take my socks that I knit.  I would have to charge about $100 per pair based on the hours of labor.  What?? I'm a slow knitter...but a good one.  :o)  At a very minimum, they would cost $10 just to cover the yarn.  So not worth it.

My soap takes time to cure and that requires pre-planning.  Not so good with that these days.

I'm just not in the mood to mass produce anything right now, so I decided not to make anything.

Until the fair in October happened.

Someone set paper and markers out on a table for the kids to draw and one of them got the idea to sell their artwork (just like the adults).  RePete drew and sold three works of art.  He made 45 cents.

And the fever set in.

Now both boys want to have something to sell so I decided to help them make the ornaments my mom taught us to make.  They are having fun and I plan to really dress up the table for them.  Pictures to come since our sale won't be until December 1st.

~R

Jesus

Our boys had a music recital today.  Our co-op meets at a local church and the recital was held in the sanctuary.  During a lull, in front of God and everyone,  RePete looked up at the stained glass and said, "Jesus looks lovely in that glass."

All heads turned to see Jesus hanging on the cross.  Ahem.


~R

#10 - I hate school

This was said by Pete a week or so ago and I took it as a personal affront and told him so. 
 
I let him know that I quit a perfectly good job because I wanted to stay home with him and then his brother.  When we realized that our school system wasn't right for us, we pulled him out of school and began homeschooling so that he could be free to be himself.  I spend a lot of money and time searching for just the perfect curricula for them both.  And I spend a lot of time and money driving the two of them around every week, so that they can participate in co-ops, theater, and sports.

He corrected himself by saying it wasn't school he hated, but things that were hard to do in school.  Then he thanked me homeschooling him.

Reason #4,197 why I love that kid.

~R

DonnaYoung.org Schedules

I started keeping our schedule on a form that I found on DonnaYoung.org and it has worked great except that it makes me think in weeks instead of days.  If we have a holiday or an impromptu visit from family or friends and we miss a day of our "week", then I get all discombobulated.

I then have to add that day to the next week but since we can only school four days during the week, it leaves me having to double up or skipping, or moving that last day to the next week and it's like bowling pins falling one after the other.  At some point we knock them all out, but it takes time.  And I'm frazzled.  

And slightly crazy.

I could save myself the frustration by using a weekend day to complete the work or the evening of that missed day, but those times are sacred to us as a family.  And even though I like to consider myself a hip homeschooler and an outside the box thinker, in reality, I like the inside of the box.

So I need to do something else.  I think it will be as simple as erasing the days of the week from the top of the page and just doing the next day.  Technically, I already do that, but seeing that Monday, Tuesday... at the top of the page really makes me crazy when it's Monday and we are doing Thursdays work!

Now where's my whiteout?  Do they even sell it anymore?

~R

Fall

I love this time of year.  I love that the heat will simmer down.  I love that nature turns on the colorvision and I love that school starts.

Even though my kids don't hop on a yellow bus and leave me at home, we do get back into a routine, or more like a rhythm.  Our co-op starts.  Soccer and bowling leagues start.  We participate in homeschool days at local sites and of course we "do school" each day.

We started our bookwork about five weeks ago and this week I decided to take off.  We had a pool party with our co-op today and tomorrow we leave to visit family and I figured we'd just enjoy this last week of summer without school.

That turned out to be a mistake.  My natives are restless and I am so glad this week is over.  It's really put a damper on things having the squabbling start back up.  I've found that keeping them busy prevents most of the fussing.  Bored kids don't have time to fight.

Their future looks to be VERY busy.

~R

Weekly Update - 5/6/11

In my life this week... I've been bored out of my gourd.

In our homeschool this week...Just plugging along.  Should be finished by the end of the month.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...we had our last homeschool PE this week.  It was a field day with goodies at the end.  Lots of fun.


We also visited BN's parents this past weekend and the boys got to hunt for shark's teeth with their grandma.  It's one of our favorite things to do when we visit.

My favorite thing this week was...Got to hang around horses and breathe country air.

What's working/not working for us...lack of social activity. 

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...getting ready for the homeschool convention.  I normally order my books online, but always like to go and see what's available.  I always take a price list with me and if the booth has it for cheaper, then I buy it there.  This year I'm planning to take BN and the boys so they can see what it is all about.  I think when they see and know what I have to wade through in order to pick the very best books for them, they have a better understanding.

~R

Weekly Update - 4/22/11

In my life this week...I rejoined the Y.  We've been Y members off and on for the past 11 years.  I think it'll last this time because the boys are older and are more interested in going.  The daycare is great but they've been too big for that for a while now, even though the age limit is 8.  RePete is very excited that at 7, he's old enough to go to the game room.  And Pete actually likes to work out sometimes.  So I'm hoping that I can get my workouts done during the day since the boys will be occupied rather than having to go at other times at which I am prone to fail.

In our homeschool this week...Just a normal week here.  No theater on Wednesday and no co-op on Thursday. Ahhh!  I feel relaxation coming my way.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...We have no plans to go anywhere or see anyone.  I like it.

My favorite thing this week was...Wow, this is getting redundant but I enjoyed the peace and quiet.  The stress of getting from here to there has been removed and I'm feeling calmer.

What's working/not working for us...We are switching theater groups.  The one Pete has been attending is quite a drive for us.  It also was a class added in at the request of homeschoolers.  As such, it has been treated like a step-child.  There is no promoting, the sets don't match our plays.  The other classes all do a version of the same play.  For example, the winter theme was Winnie the Pooh.  Each of the evening and Saturday classes all did this play and tailored it to the ages of the students. The set was painted with trees and honeybees. Our homeschool kids meet on Wed morning and our play was The Fisherman and His Wife.  Um, not quite the same theme here.  But we pay the same price per class, meet just as long and the kids work just as hard.  In fact, our kids actually memorize their lines.  Go figure.  So, we've decided to move Pete out of this class and luckily, through friends, we've found closer theater groups that fit the bill.  Looking forward to giving Pete the limelight he deserves.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...Both boys will attend camp this summer.  Pete is scheduled for a two week theater camp and Pete will do two weeks at gymnastics.  I have a lot of thinking to do about what I will do for two weeks.  Oh the possibilities.

~R

and then it was almost May

This month has escaped me.  First, my grandmother was ill and the doctors released her to hospice care, so we all gathered in NC.

Then, two weeks later, my dad dialed 911 and was taken in for emergency surgery.  My sister and I gathered our youngins and headed back to NC to check on him and make sure he was recovering.  He  has been recovering extremely well.

The next week, the doctors called to say my grandmother would be passing soon.  I couldn't make this trip, but the boys and I stopped in to visit her last week when we visited my dad and I'm glad we did.  She passed away on Saturday.  Love you, Grandma.

****************************************************

Repete had a game on Saturday and he scored two goals.  He gets so much joy from playing soccer.  He smiles the entire time.

Saturday evening, with the threat of impending tornados, the boys participated in our homeschool co-op variety show.  They both sang with their individual music classes.  And while I knew that RePete was learning recorder in his music class, I had no idea that he knew Three Blind Mice and Mary Had a Little Lamb.  What?

And Pete!  He played drums.  BN has given him a few lessons here at home, but Pete always complains that he is bored and just wants to play the drumset.  (nevermind all the rudimentary learning that comes before that)  But in his class he's been drumming to his own beat and he's good!  He played the set during the recital.

The film teacher also showed bits and pieces of the kids' work in between live performances and Pete definitely has a knack for film-making.  Really good stuff.

Those boys amaze me everyday.

~R

Weekly Update - 4/8/11

In my life this week...I'm grateful for my husband.  He provides for us and encourages us.

In our homeschool this week...We've finished week 24 in our folders.  I love being able to close a folder and know we've accomplished part of our homeschooling goals.  It's always nice to check off lists.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...We have been in theater rehearsals all week.  It really disrupts our routines.  Dinner has been a disaster all week and since we don't like to eat out often, my body is begging for mercy.  I definitely feel it when we eat out too much.  

Today we participated in a Homeschool Day in Historic Isle of Wight, VA.  The area is not far from us and though things historical are typically boring for the boys, they sort of enjoyed today.  :o)

We toured St. Luke's Church (circa 1632) and its beautiful gothic architecture, visited the IOW Museum, became enthralled with Boykin's Tavern and got our energy out at Fort Boykin's Historical Park (Fort).  

I really love it when a) the docents understand and accept that they have willingly invited children into an historic place and b) invests time in them.  At the Boykins Tavern we first encountered the docent that scolded and ranted about not touching and then towards the end, we met a woman who not only knew that boys would want to see the innards of the seven-day grandfather clock but who then sat down on the benches, invited them over and filled them with images of life during the time period of the tavern.  I have never seen my boys more attentive and filled with questions.  She really made them think.  She was a special lady and I made sure she knew it.  The other one, eh, not so much.

My favorite thing this week was...the few precious moments we've been home.  And the fact that Pete actually said, " I love this math."  Gasp!  We finished our units on decimals and fractions and I really felt like he needed some good review since I'll be skipping him into 7th grade math next year.  We found Math Minutes (5th gr) at Barnes and Noble and it is excellent for our purposes.

What's working/not working for us...RePete's math.  We've used a combo of Math Mammoth (1st) and MUS Alpha and he's not crazy about either method.  So I've been printing free worksheets off the internet to continue covering skills I know he needs to master this year.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...I can't believe I am saying this, but after investing time and dollars in...drum roll please...Saxon, Right Start Math, Singapore, Math U See, and Math Mammoth, we are coming back full circle to Saxon.  It just covers the materials best for my kids.  They both prefer me teaching over watching videos and feel like they don't comprehend it enough to read it themselves and self-teach, and Saxon fits this style the best.  So there we go.  I've eaten all the words I said about Saxon and will be purchasing next year's materials soon.  I'll also be skipping Pete ahead to 7th grade math since 6th and 7th are basically the same, we want him in Algebra by 8th grade and he can handle it.

~R

My First Weekly Journal

In my life this week...We spent time with family that I hadn't seen in a few years and a few that the boys had never met.

In our homeschool this week...Due to all the traveling and visiting, we decided to make this week our spring break.  Love the flexibility of homeschooling.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...We traveled to North Carolina.  My grandmother isn't doing so well and I wanted to make sure the boys got to see her one more time, just in case.  Sadly, it does seem we don't get down there unless someone is ailing or departed.  I'd like to work on this.

Pete got to see a cousin he hadn't seen since they were this big.  

Pete (left) with his cousin and my aunt and uncle.

We also attended our weekly co-op and are sad that we only have two weeks remaining in the semester.

My favorite thing this week was... The pride RePete felt when he was cavity-free and able to have his picture taken for the "Smile Club" at the dentist yesterday.  Poor little fella has had such a hard time with his baby teeth but thankfully his adult teeth are beautiful and healthy.

What's working/not working for us...I switched gears last week after some friends and I chatted at our monthly WTM meeting.  I've decided to get back on course with Writing With Ease.  I believe in the process but having to convince my boys that it is best has been hard.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...Looking forward to finishing our school year and gearing for the next.  Spending a lot of time thinking about how I want our next year to look.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...I'd like to share a quote from Our Life in Words.  The post is in my feed but not on her blog so I can't link.  The post was on critical and higher order thinking and something I strive to teach to my boys.  I would have loved to have been in that class with that teacher.

When I was in high school, I clearly remember Mrs. Leahy saying, "You can do the work and answer the questions and get an A.  Or, you can read the work and think about it and form your own opinions and conclusions and challenge ideas and be an interesting person who goes places." 

~R