Sennika knows how to divide with remainders because of me and Gavin knows how to borrow while subtracting because of me. Leland can write his name and count because of me. As their teacher, it is humbling to think about this. Instead of because of me...maybe in spite of me is a better description. :) Either way, our children are learning things and three years into homeschool, it is fun to see the direct results of my daily effort.
FAQ: Homeschool
Why do we homeschool?
Sennika attending public school was positive for us. She has a wonderful teacher at a fabulous school and reported herself as "popular." She did well in school and was one of the smartest kids in her class. Many turn to homeschool after a negative experience. That wasn't the case for our family. In the past 5 or so years, we have learned to be more open minded. We had heard extremely positive things about homeschooling and wanted to give it an honest try before we decided whether it would be a good fit for our family or not. We actually almost homeschooled for Kindergarten, but I felt too overwhelmed about finding curriculum and wasn't sure what I would teach. After our first year being a great success, here is why we plan for the foreseeable future to continue to homeschool:
1. We love the benefits of feeding hunger for knowledge. Because our schedule is flexible, we can tailor activities, field trips, or research to the children's interests, even if they are ahead for what they "should" be studying for their age. A huge benefit for Gavin falls into this vein. His birthday would have meant he would have been in preschool for another year, but instead I offered Kindergarten work and he devoured it. He is technically a year ahead on his grade level for his age. He is such a bright kid and would have been bored academically. It has been a blast to dive deeper on subjects that are important to us without restriction.
The flip side is true too. Although we haven't experienced actual delays, Homeschool can be a great option for children behind in any subject. Sennika could keep up, but really struggled with the Saxon math approach in Kindergarten. It just did not resonate with how she thinks math through and she trudged through it. I will never forget the day in 1st grade that Singapore math "clicked" for her. She giggled and clapped her hands to finally have figured out a way to do her math that made sense to her more than just going through the motions of the steps. Homeschool can give the opportunity to catch up on delays or offer a different approach to learning that may better stick with the child.
2. Another huge benefit to us is the free time is gives us as a family together and also the children themselves. There is no homework and our school day is usually plus or minus 3 hours a day. That is it. That frees up our evenings and weekends as a family and onceschool and chores are done lends to free time for the kids. For our family, time to explore, enjoy, and create...time to just be... and is precious to us and we fiercely protect the simplicity by which we live. We would much rather see our children have a strong core of education with plenty of time to play than jump through the hoops to regurgitate information or to pass test. Like our life philosophies, we want it to be meaningful and feel that homeschool supports that. Our children learning how to learn and that is exciting to us.
3. A fun benefit is that the little ones learn faster. All of the children are exposed to the learning material as I am teaching an older child. Shipton is already recognizing the Alphabet. Let me clarify before that sounds outrageous...he sees letters and says "A, E." (That is how he refers to the Alphabet). That has been amazing to watch my 15-month-old pick up on that without any direct teaching from anybody. We research, have field trips, and read together, plus the day-to-day school work that the little ones overhear or read over our shoulders all add up to lots of learning happening without doubling our efforts or time.
4. Other factors to mention include: no common core, controversial topics introduced and discussed in a context of truth, we decide what we are learning, positive school environment, less crowds at parks/museums/or vacation sites, and plenty of sleep to name a few (at this age they are still waking up when they wake up, but we will introduce a set schedule when they are a little older).
The only downside I have encountered over the past three years is to me. Don't get me wrong, I have many benefits, especially like sleeping in later than I otherwise would and I don't live in the car like some of my friends seem to in order to get everyone everywhere on time. I love that I get to be a big part of my children's day and that because of that I soak them up more. I do recognize, however, that my day would be different with two in all day school and Leland attending a preschool. I have learned to take time for myself each day to care for my own physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. With that skill in mind, it's such a small con compared to all the pros for our children and family.
What is a typical day like?
MWF we have our curriculum days.
Sennika: Language arts, handwriting (cursive this year), journal, Math (singapore)
Gavin: Phonics (Explode the Code), Math (Singapore), reading, handwriting, journal
Leland: Phonics (Explode the Code), Math (Singapore), reading, handwriting, journal
T field trip or research, art projects
TH History, Science, and we hit the library
Sennika: studying astronomy for Science, and Ancient History
Gavin: My Father's Kingdom for 2nd grade, and the beginning of the world
Leland: My Father's Kingdom for K, and American History
What do we teach?
I purchase the grade-level kits from LoveToLearn.net and supplement as needed. When I researched each individual subject, I found great reviews. After 3 years with this curriculum, we are very happy with it too. We also read, read, read both to the kids and the kids to us. The most recent books we have read together are Betsy, Tacy, The Chronicles of Narnia series, and Hellen Keller. We usually get through a chapter book every week or two. Sennika is the biggest bookworm and has recently devoured the Disney Fairies chapter books. We also offer a big dose of Science. All of the kids love National Geographics. They enjoy the kid versions, but actually prefer the adult programs. We own many programs and watch others online or borrow from the library. They also like Bill Nye the Science Guy and it's fun to hear Leland use words such as "momentum" in reference to his swinging motion on the swing, etc. :) The kids also adore museums. We have yet to find a museum they haven't been absolutely thrilled about.
What about when they get older?
We will explore our options when they are closer to Jr. High and High school aged; however, a GED and college education is important to us. There are so many options for homeschool and we are excited to see continued options unfold in the future. We are confident we can find a good fit for each child. We are hopeful that our children will even begin college education courses early, but will support their desires and interests.What is a snapshot of where they are at academically right now?
All three children are at their grade levels or advanced. Sennika, as mentioned, likes reading the most. She reads books that I read in Jr. High! I remember literally reading a chapter book most days. I would get my homework done at school or on the bus so I could read all night once my chores were done. This is Sennika. Reading like she does has given her a wonderful vocabulary and the confidence to use it in context. Although she reads a lot, she has struggled with spelling. I didn't realize how ridiculous our language is until coaxing her with spelling. She was taught to spell phonetically in Kindergarten and as she has gotten older, has struggled when her phonetic spelling makes more sense to both of us. This year it has been exciting to see her spelling take off. It seems to be a combination of maturity and also a fabulous Language Arts curriculum. She passes most of her spelling words off the first spelling test now. In addition to reading well (and actually quite pleasant to listen to as she reads), she has grown leaps and bounds with math. It is by far her favorite, but she enjoys tackling challenging problems. Right now we are about 1/4 in to our school year and she has recently learned to multiply large numbers (not just regurgitating times tables any more) and also division with remainders. As mentioned, she is learning cursive this year, which she has really enjoyed. It has given her reason to slow down and write surprisingly more legibly. She loves making the letters fancy and is starting to form her own handwriting style. From an education standpoint, the 3 R's are the bread and butter to our children's education. If they can learn to do that well, the rest comes with exposure and exploration. Sennika is well on her way!
Gavin has begun to read with inflection this year and that has been fun to watch it unfolding. In the previous two years of teaching him, reading was really not of interest to him, but he could usually accurately produce the sounds. Even Shipton was beginning to pick up on the rhythmic monotone of his reading by mimicking the "eh, eh, eh" sounds, so this has been music to our ears! He still occasionally grumbles and would prefer other endeavors over sitting down to a good book, which is normal for his age and boyish desires. He is reading at a 2nd grade level and we are overjoyed for him. He is beginning to see the advantages to being able to spell what Mark and I try to keep secret by spelling across the room to each other and also enjoys being able to read signs and billboards. As mentioned, he is a whiz at math and has kept up easily with 2nd grade level. He recently learned how to borrow during subtraction and how to carry in addition. Most of his math problems he is able to count on his fingers and keep track of it all, then blurts out the answer after a few moments of silent math. His handwriting is extremely neat. This has been one difference I haven't been sure if it is his nature or that he learned at home under my watchful eye, but he is careful to keep the letters their proper height and lowercase below the dotted lines, etc. Gavin also loves Science and figured out how and why things work. He loves when we research and gets so excited to add more information to his growing knowledge about the world around him.
If we had sent Leland to public school, we would have felt most comfortable with him doing another year of preschool. He would have made the cut off by a few weeks. With homeschool it has been a perfect middle ground to introduce Kindergarten curriculum, yet back off or keep moving forward based on his abilities and interests. He has a preschool workbook that he enjoys. Many of the activities or things he already knows such as writing letter, patterns, shapes, etc, but he still enjoys the review. He is in the beginning stages of reading and can read most 3 letter words and other simple words. It has been darling to watch his confidence grow and see how he reads with his whole heart. He can write most lowercase letter, but still has a few of the more difficult one yet to master such as "y" and "e" needs a bit more practice. He has started to write on lined paper and has fun keeping the letters where they should be. His favorite things to journal about is his magic mice, because he recently learned how to spell the word "rat." He learned how to write and count to 100 this year. I am curious to see if he will continue keep up with the K math as our school year progresses. Aside from serious academics, he loves to color, cut, and glue, which I feel are just as, if not, more important school skills for his age. :)
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