The Teacher's Pet is a Pugalier

I envy you

2011-01-20T20:09:00.002-06:00

After a gut-wrenching mental tug-of-war, we've decided to take a step back from homeschooling. We're not quiting, we are "suspending until further notice". When we decided to homeschool Caleb, he had no diagnosis. We weren't even aware of a lot of his problems. I still feel that I know my child best, and can teach him with understanding and love that no one else can't. But currently, I don't feel equip to deal with his Autism in the school setting. I will learn, but right now, we are just trying to implement strategies into our daily lives to ease the stress for both boys. We feel like we need to focus on generalizing the picture scheduling and the sensory diets before implementing that into curriculum. It has always been our strategy to evaluate each child individually, every year, to make sure we are giving them, academically, what is best. Whether that be homeschool, public school or private school. And right now, for Caleb and Andrew, they have the best resources, and the most intensive help at this pre-school. The school has "structured" classrooms, where they structure their day to suit children on the spectrum. Down the line, after studying and practice, I may be ready to take on homeschooling again, with one or both of the boys. But for now, we feel like this is what is best for them. This choice doesn't mean we'll be any less involved in their educations, and I understand my role as their advocates. They will get what they need to flourish, and we'll make sure of that.

Another major reason we have chosen pre-school for Caleb is his current anxieties about leaving the house have worsened. With picture scheduling, I think we can relieve a lot of the stress, but he needs more consistent exposure in the community. I AM NOT saying that he isn't getting proper socialization, the stereotypical argument against homeschooling. This is a problem rooted in the Autism, transition anxiety. I don't have the means to be out of the house all day with all three of my kids. There's no way I can do that alone with 3 kids 5yrs old and under, 2 on the spectrum and the other is still under 1 yr old. Planning day-trips, every day, or multiple times a week could send me straight to the looney bin (sorry that's not PC).

I would be doing Caleb a true disservice if I played to my pride and ignored my shortcomings in special education... A realization I've had to come to, is that being a good mom, means doing what is best for your child, even if it isn't you, and even if it wasn't part of "the plan."

For more obvious reasons we are sending Andrew to the preschool, he needs more intensive therapy. He is so young. He just turned 3 and I'm not ready to give up both my babies all at once, but that's what will happen Monday. Most Mom's go through the tear-jerking process of sending their kids off to school for the first time, I'm doing it with both boys, all at once. I'm going to be a mess.

Learning your child has Autism triggers a grieving process. And with any grieving process, you are forced to reevaluate your life and your future. It's very hard to accept that our lives will look drastically different now than our "plan" just months ago.

Like I said, this has been a gut-wrenching process and decision for me (and Dave). Many Americans probably won't understand my struggle, as their kids attend day-care or their plan has always been group schooling. But that wasn't our plan. Right now my life consists of hanging out with three of my best friends, all day long. I get to share their lives with them, all the little moments, all the victories, all the teachable moments, all the little joys that I'll miss while they're at school.

To Caleb and Andrew's new teachers, I hope you see what makes them special and appreciate the beauty and sweetness of their quarks, I envy you.

The "A" word

2010-12-16T13:31:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was one of the roughest days of my life. Our suspicions were verified and then some. Many people in our lives aren't in on our "secret." Not that we've made it a secret, we just haven't been openly advertising. Yesterday, both Caleb and Andrew were given labels that will forever change their lives and mine. Our sweet little boy, Andrew was diagnosed with Autism, yep, the "A" word. The one thing no one wanted to believe because he's such a smiley, affectionate little guy. It's not just that he's not talking, it's much greater than that. Older brother Caleb has been diagnosed with an "Autism Spectrum Disorder." Yep, our little boy who can out-read most 1st graders I know. It's not about reading, it's much greater than that. Four months ago, the "A" word wasn't even on our radar for either of the boys, mostly because Autism is so misunderstood, I thought I knew what to look for, but I didn't truly understand it. Statistics dictate that someone you know has Autism, whether diagnosed or not. I encourage everyone to learn more about it, and know that Autism looks different in each child.

So it looks like the direction of this blog might be changing. We still plan to homeschool Caleb, but it's going to look a lot different. Everything in our lives is going to look a lot different.

Andrew (almost 3 yrs old)

Caleb, 5 years old

Sort of an anthem I've adopted (Thanks Becca for sharing):

A little something I whipped UP

2010-10-15T06:41:00.000-05:00

Caleb wanted a Disney Pixar "UP" cake for his 5th birthday. He's been talking about it for months. No pressure of course! Here's what I whipped UP...

The cake board is wrapped in blue wrapping paper with cloud images I printed off the computer. Last, I wrapped it with cellophane wrap.

A little 3D Up action with confetti cake in a 9x13 cake pan.

Crumb coat with whipped icing.

The final product. Not too shabby for my 3rd ever attempt at cake decorating.

I used a mini cupcake pan for the balloons with mini cupcake foils.

Disney-o-lanterns

2010-10-07T07:14:00.000-05:00

In the pumpkiny spirit of Fall, I thought I'd post some jack-o-lantern patterns that I've created and used in the past two years.

Click to download the patterns:
Woody pattern
Buzz pattern
Toy Story Aliens pattern
Lightning McQueen pattern

Also, find some great pumpkin stencils here: Better Homes & Gardens

The "Welcome" pumpkin pattern seen above can be found here.

One by one, hurrah, hurrah!

2010-10-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

You are cordially invited to our ant picnic, we're having mac and cheese with a few ants sprinkled on top. Click here to download picnic pieces and directions to create a picnic of your own.

"Caleb's Ant Picnic"

Raisin ants

Click here to download full size printout

What do ladybugs taste like?

2010-09-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

To accompany our science lesson on ladybugs, we incorporated something tasty. I'm sure there are a variety of buggy cookies you could make, but here are our red spotted friends.

Ladybug Cookies
Materials:
- Sugar cookies-make your own (math lesson!) or we used precut Pillsbury Sugar Cookies, to save on prep time.
- Chocolate Chips
- Red icing (I suggested buying premixed red, using food coloring to get red is very difficult)
- Optional: black licorice for legs and antennae, black gel icing for center line detail

"I think I just ate a bug!"

Marker my words

2010-09-25T18:11:00.004-05:00

Mommy's creation

My 2 1/2 year old and I probably had more fun with this than Caleb did, but at least it got him drawing. Washable Window Markers are the new thing in our house. Caleb wrote his name a few times and enjoyed scribbling with his brother. We have a 5ft by 11ft window in the dining room, which worked as a great canvas for a neighborhood art show. Plus, clean-up was a breeze, and actually Caleb's favorite part- silly boy. I'm hoping that these markers will be yet another vehicle in inspiring Caleb to use his hands more, even if it's scribbling. I plan to take them in the car for long trips. Window crayons are also available.

Caleb writing his name with Washable Window Markers

By the way, we found out today that the markers wash off of skin pretty well too. Oops!

What does green taste like Sophia?

Writing wrong, and righting the wrong

2010-09-23T15:13:00.000-05:00

So, today we struggled all morning with writing during phonics and math, per usual. Caleb is behind on his writing skills for a few reasons. He's always hated coloring of any sort and he doesn't have very strong hand muscles, so it's hard for him to grip the pencil and push down hard enough to make a mark. I've been keeping my eyes and ears open for ideas on how to help him and I think we stumbled upon something today. There is hope!

On a whim, I nixed a subject today and decided to interject something more fun. I dug out our tabletop pocket chart, that I purchased a while back that he hadn't seen. Caleb loves constructing words and these word cards work great for phonics. For example it pairs letters to create the sounds "ch" instead of using separate letters "c" and "h". Overall it just helps with phonics. I got out the pocket chart tent to work on the words when he noticed the back of the tent has a dry erase board on it with pockets under it. At his prompting, we rotated the tent. He told me to spell out a word with our pocket chart cards and he promptly took the dry erase marker and wrote it right out! He wrote faster than I'd ever seen him and with more confidence. We took pictures because that is a major encouragement to him. The fact that the dry erase board is upright and the marker is higher contrast than a pencil were just the things he needed. The tent is stable and at just the right height for him. This activity is a definite repeat!

The pocket chart card set we use is the Smethport- Word Bits Pocket Chart Card Set. It includes a 130 double-sided cards and an activity guide.

Here is some of Caleb's handy work:

"school"

"silly"

All about me, a capsule in time

2010-09-03T18:04:00.001-05:00

We're studying a self-awareness in Health. I couldn't find the worksheets I wanted, so I created a little booklet for Caleb to complete. The book is all about him, a bit of a capsule in time to look back on. Another project that ended up on the fridge. Thought I'd share the files. Caleb's was personalized, but the file attached is ready to be personalized for your own child.

All About Me Book
Page 1: (Front) Write your name, color a picture of yourself
Page 2: Favorite, color, toy, movie, food
Page 3: Trace your hand
Page 4: A poem
Page 5: Favorite book, best friend, favorite animal, favorite restaurant
Page 6 & 7: (Middle) "God Made Me Unique"
Page 8: Eye color, hair color, how tall, how much you weigh
Page 9: My Family (list or draw family members)
Page 10: Fingerprints (you will need an ink pad)
Page 11: Trace foot
Page 12: (Back) Date
Click here to download the book.

A preview of what the pages look like:

The pages are to be printed on normal 8.5 x 11, letter size paper. In order to properly assemble the book, the paper needs to be printed on both sides. For example pages 2 and 11 are printed on the other side of pages 1 and 12. There are 3 pieces of paper all together. Fold down the center and staple.

Click here to download the book.

It's a dirty job...

2010-09-03T16:27:00.001-05:00

It's a dirty job, but someone's got to play in it!

My son hates to write, color or draw of any sort. He knows his letters in and out, but he just won't write them. I've been looking for ways to work around his fear of the dreaded "pencil". Waaay back when I was in 1st grade, I remember doing this exercise in school, and I remember it because I loved it! This exercise helps reinforce the mechanics of constructing the letters as well as builds hand strength. Here's what we did. I'd love other ideas too!

Shaving Cream Alphabet
Materials needed: a finger and shaving cream (the foam kind, I do not suggest the gel) or whipped cream
Optional materials: alphabet flash cards (for a visual aid)
Directions: Simply learn to write the letters using your finger instead of using a writing utensil. And remember, get messy!

Looking back on my own experience with this project as a child, my 1st grade teacher was a brave woman for having a class full of kids doing this on their desks! We had the luxury of using our kitchen table, next to our kitchen sink!

A splash of color on the first day

2010-09-01T18:36:00.002-05:00

So it's been too long since I've posted, but today was the official start of our journey. Caleb's first day of homeschool, Kindergarten. He had a blast, more than that, he was soooo proud of himself. So proud that he even wanted to call grandma and tell her about his accomplishments. Of course I'm beaming with pride, he tackled all his work today with more confidence than I've ever seen from him. Writing, drawing and any sort of craft has always repelled him in a way I could never understand myself, coming from an art and creative writing background. But today...he had me smiling. As a bonus, I had fun, and I had way more patience than expected. I'm sure this is just a honeymoon stage. I'll enjoy it while it lasts. I'll share the art project we did, it is yours for the using, I created the worksheets myself.

Our First Art Lesson
First we studied some basic primary and secondary color information I found at lessonsnips.com click here to download.
After getting down the basics, he painted his own wheel using the colored worksheet for reference. The finished product is now on display on our Frigidaire (also pictured below).

Painting the Color Wheel Project
Download the colored color wheel guide here
And the blank color wheel to paint or color here
Materials needed: the above handouts, washable paints, kid's paintbrush, craft smock (to stay clean)

I can't container myself!

2010-05-10T16:00:00.001-05:00

So... being honest with myself, we aren't going to do school work in our unfinished basement where we have all the storage options, wall space and cutsie little kid's table to work at. There isn't enough natural or artificial light down there. I'd be kidding myself if I set up shop down there. We have an 11ft wide by 5ft high window in our dining room that lets in a ton of light, so it's settled then. Where the heck am I going to store all our school supplies? There's just a bookcase in there, visible from our couch and I don't want ugly stacks of school supplies cluttering our main living space. So this was my solution:

If you want to steal any of my ideas, I used the following items:

Scout Hang-10 File Folder Bin, Alphabet City

Smead Hanging Folder, Letter, 1/5 Cut Tab, Assorted Colors, 25 per Box

The green bins are from the KASSAT collection from IKEA

Clear adjustable storage bins- KLIS collection from IKEA

Brother PT-80 P-touch Electronic Labeling System

Plastic Side Load Letter Trays (6-Pack)

I'm sure things will change as we actually start school and get more supplies, but a lot of these bins are empty now and waiting to be filled as we go. Please, share your own homeschool storage solutions!

'Kindergarten Cop Out' reaction

2010-05-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

My reaction to this article:
'Kindergarten Cop Out' by Sierra Black

I am all for parents making well informed decisions and choosing either public/private school or homeschool based on that evaluation. But this article really urked me, and borderline infuriated me. I believe this mom is well meaning and honestly wants the best for her child, but she has yet again become a victim of bullying! To put it simply, a child doesn't always know best.

Really? You are letting a four year old make one of the biggest decisions in her life right now? Would you trust your child to choose her own doctor? To choose which house you should buy? We are the parents, and for whatever reason someone wants to homeschool their child, they shouldn't be persuaded by a four year old that doesn't have the experience and knowledge to make the best decision.

I think so often in our culture we give our children too much authority over themselves and us. Apparently we don't value wisdom if we are letting our four year olds make final decisions that will completely redefine their childhood. This four year old made her decision based on a classroom pet and curiosity. Going on those instincts can get us all in a lot of trouble. There's that phrase... curiosity killed the cat!

I don't think the mom was right in wanting to homeschool out of fear, but that wasn't the whole story. Her child is obviously very gifted and I believe she would get the most from homeschooling. I'm convinced that this mom is seeking what is in the best interest of her child; too bad she let her child bully her out of a very well informed decision.

Spotlight on Radical Unschooling

2010-04-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

Watch this first from CBS News from 4/20/10:

Being new to the homeschooling scene, all I have to go on is what I have read in books about the Unschooling philosophy along with my own common sense. This is completely my opinion, and I believe everyone has a right to their own.

From where I stand...I think Unschooling, like everything has a spectrum. I think that the families highlighted in the video are definitely on the radical end of the Unschooling philosophy. The wonderful thing about Unschooling in my opinion is that is driven by a passion to learn and its organic nature makes learning fun. This concept should be implemented into every home whether public,private or homschooled on a daily basis. BUT, I think there has to be guidance for children to learn the array of life lessons and academic knowledge they need to succeed in their culture. We are the parents and (presumably) have the wisdom to know what is and isn't good for our children. We are charged with the responsibility to pass that wisdom on to our children, not let them willy nilly do and learn only what they feel like. Our nature is a sinful one that leads us away from what is right, and without guidance from parents and God, our children will flounder on their own. The households outlined in the story don't have structure or rules in their homes. I believe this is bluntly unbiblical. Children are in need of structure and discipline in order to be Christlike.

Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him (Proverbs 13:24).

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

I also disagree with the premiss in the report that other homeschools are just imitating or reenacting the public/private school environment at home. I think as a whole, homeschoolers think more outside the box than that. Again, it is a spectrum. We haven't started putting into practice our homeschooling philosophy yet, but I know it will not look like Unschooling or be a replication of public school. Caleb happens to learn very well in the Traditional style of homeschooling, so that is going to be our starting point. I am planning on and expecting that it will morph into an eclectic style as we move forward based on Caleb's needs and desires. I'd say that our starting philosophy is a combination of the Charlotte Mason philosophy mixed with Traditional, depending on the subject area. Down the line as Caleb's character and interests develop I see us possibly going the route of unit studies, especially when his little brother and sister join into the mix.

I think it is doing a child a disservice to give them complete freedom. I know as a child I would have chosen Mtv (which we weren't allowed to watch) over the history channel any day. If you read the descriptions of the Unschooling philosophy (below), in premiss I don't disagree with it. I do disagree however with how these families have applied it, without discipline and without sufficient guidance. The gem of the philosophy is learning in a natural way. In my opinion, it's just not enough, and definitely not for every family.

Below are just 3 of many homeschool philosophies:

Charlotte Mason Philosophy

Probably the best known of Mason's methods is her use of living books instead of dry, factual textbooks. Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The size of the book does not matter nearly as much as whether it is "alive" and engaging. Textbooks are allowed if they meet that criterion. "Twaddle" refers to books or information that is dumbed down and insults the child's intelligence. Living books should be used with as many subjects as possible.

wikipedia

The Traditional Approach

Is a method of homeschooling in which the curriculum and homework of the student are similar or identical to what would be taught in a public or private school; as one example, the same textbooks used in conventional schools are often used. The school-at-home educational philosophy most closely resembles a conventional, institutional classroom education.

wikipedia

Unschooling

Refers to a range of educational philosophies and practices centered on allowing children to learn through their natural life experiences, including child directed play, game play, household responsibilities, work experience and social interaction, rather than through a more traditional school curriculum. Unschooling encourages exploration of activities led by the children themselves, facilitated by the adults. Unschooling differs from conventional schooling principally in the thesis that standard curricula and conventional grading methods, as well as other features of traditional schooling, are counterproductive to the goal of maximizing the education of each child.

wikipedia

Light Years Behind

2010-04-30T11:07:00.000-05:00

I'm having such a hard time finding good quality Science curriculum for Kindergarten! I have found plenty of books on experiments and nature readers, but nothing comprehensive. Sonlight has one, but it is expensive in my opinion and the reviews aren't so hot on homeschoolreviews.com. I like the idea of Sonlight using a bunch of resources and pulling them together with the teacher's guide, but I'm not sure if it is the right material for us.

Caleb is very much a visual learner, and he thrives on workbooks, textbooks and videos. I'm excited to do some hands on experiments too, but I'm really looking for a text that pulls all the science elements together in some way; even if it is just a teachers guide. The topics I really want to cover this year are insects, plants, weather, magnets (possibly), and creation. I want to go in depth with insects (doing an ant farm, butterfly kit & possibly a tadpole to frog kit). I've already ordered: My, Oh My--A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library), The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow, On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) and Inside an Ant Colony (Rookie Read-About Science)

I'm still looking at The World God Made, Christian Liberty Nature Reader, and Simple and Fun Science Simplified but I'm not sold yet. I really want to get my hands on them, hopefully at the conference this June.

There seems to be a huge lacking in Science curriculum for Kindergarten. I get that they are pretty young for anything in-depth, but I was surprised at the lack of options.

I'd love some feedback, what did you do with your Kindergarteners?

The stats

2010-04-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

I tend to be on the analytical side, I wanted to find statistics on academic performance that backed what my heart was telling me to do. This is by no means comprehensive or the most up to date, but it's what's out there...

This study is facinating and conclusive: Home School Legal Defense Association Study

According to this report, homeschoolers outscore their peers on standardized tests. Even more interesting, this achievement is not dependent upon:

their parent's of level education,
teacher certification,
the amount of money spent,
the level of government oversight,
gender, or
race.

Other stats found at http://home-school.lovetoknow.com/Statistics_on_Homeschooling_in_the_United_States:

Children who have been homeschooled all of their lives outperformed those in a traditional school environment
Eighth grade students who have been homeschooled for at least one year scored in the 59th percentile
Eighth grade students who have been homeschooled for two years or more scored between the 86th and 92nd percentile

The following information was published by SAT and the ACT High School Profile Reports:

In a 1991 test, scores reported by the Stanford Achievement Test, showed that homeschooler's composite scores were 18 to 28 points above their public school counterparts.

In 1998, graduating homeschoolers had an average score of 22.8 out of a possible 36 on the ACT. The national average was 21.0.

Did you know that academic rates are higher in families with three or more children in two parent households with only one parent in the labor force?

I bit the bullet

2010-04-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

Our 4 year old, Caleb is supposed to be entering Pre-school this fall, his birthday is only weeks away from the public school's "cut-off" date. He turns 5 in October, and would be one of the oldest in his class. But since we're homeschooling, we're going to be starting him in Kindergarten this fall instead. He is already reading 3 and 4 letter words and from my research, is waaay past preschool curriculum. He would have to be learning below his level for another year and a half before he could be challenged in that area. This is one of the main contributing factors for us deciding on homeschool. According to the public school in our town, they won't let him test into Kindergarten and aren't willing to work with us at all until he is of the age of compulsory attendance. Yeah, can you believe it!

Soooo.....
I bit the bullet and ordered my first official homeschooling curriculum. After extensive research I just ordered:
Horizons: Kindergarten Math
Horizons: P.E.
Horizons: Health
Explode the Code books 1& 2

I'm waiting for the NICHE conference to decide on our science, history/social studies and bible curriculum. I'm excited to page through curriculum there, but didn't want the daunting task of finding all subjects while I'm there. I've really utilized Kathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum as well as her website to decide which Math and Phonics curricula we'll use. Another great review site is homeschoolreviews.com.

I have a few items on our "possible curriculum" list. I'd love any feedback!
Science:
Simple and Fun Science Simplified, K-2

The World God Made
AIMS Education Foundation Books

Christian Liberty: Nature Reader

History/Social Studies:
The Mystery of History
The American People & Nation

Bible:
Egermeier's Bible Story Book
Family-Time Bible in Pictures
Studying God's Word A: Bible

A Newbie's review of "Mommy, Teach Me!"

2010-04-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

Mommy, Teach Me! By Barbara Curtis
Back in the fall of 2008, this book planted a seed, it fostered an excitement about teaching my children and seeing their young minds blossom. I highly recommend this for the newbie. I think I'd consider myself an advanced newbie right now, just as far as book knowledge on homeschooling."Mommy, Teach Me!" is truly inspiring.

I thought I'd review a few of the books I've been studying on my journey to decide to homeschool. My approach to book reviews is going to be more about how the book effected me personally, not necessarily a comprehensive review.

This was the first homeschoolingish book I read. In the fall of 2008 I bought this book with the intention of learning how I could prepare my son for school (at that time I presumed it to be public school). I'm glad I was mistaken in its content. The subtitle is "Preparing Your Preschool Child for a Lifetime of Learning," but what it did for me was to prepare me and inform/convict me of my responsibility for my child's education. This was probably the first real step in the decision to homeschool. As I got into the book I started taking note of quotes that struck a cord with me. At this time in my life, self-doubt was taking a front-row seat when it came to homeschooling. Here are some of the gems I extracted from the text:

“Confidence doesn’t mean we do the job perfectly but that we have faith and are willing to do it to the best of our ability.”

“God did not give us a spirit of fear, only the assurance that love is greater than our insecurities, that in him we find our strength.”

“Often when we pick up a new idea, it becomes a source of discouragement as we start to measure ourselves against an impossible standard.”

What I gathered from the book is that as a mom, I am my child's best teacher, whether I have a degree in Education or not. I've known my child since birth (obviously!). I taught him to talk, walk, and potty trained him, just to name a few. The teaching instinct is in us as humans and as mothers especially. No one can love my child and care for his well-being more than me. I know my child's learning style because I spend time with him and observe him, for so many hours a day. In the public/private school system, by the time the teacher can get a glimpse of how my child ticks, he's off to the next grade to start over with another teacher. I love her quote, "Since every child has the potential to learn, every parent has the potential to teach." This really sums up Barbara's viewpoint in "Mommy, Teach Me!"

Looking back, this is really one of the best starter books for introducing the idea of homeschooling to first-timers. It laid out the basics of the positive effects homeschooling can have on your child. It very much focuses on the positives, verses some books that just use their pages to bash the public school system. Although criticism is necessary to any system trying to better itself, it has its place and it's not in this book.

Add a link to my blog

2010-04-22T12:42:00.000-05:00

Link to my blog! http://angelkisis.webs.com/ad_banner.jpg

What is a Pugalier?

2010-04-22T09:05:00.000-05:00

Our first math lesson:
Pug + St. Charles Cavalier Spaniel= Pugalier.
Jack just turned 1 and you could say he's the school mascot.

My official coming out

2010-04-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

So, this is my official coming out. I am... going to homeschool my kids. I have been reluctant to commit, mostly because it is so counterculture and I really don’t want to face all the outside skepticism that comes along with the decision. This reluctance to commit stems from my own weakness, and I understand that if I venture to do this solely on my own, I will fail. I believe that with God’s help, this experience will be successful and fulfilling for both of us.

The intention of this blog is to post our hopefully weekly activities related to homeschooling. The creation of this blog is not to prove myself to anyone nor to brag (I’m going to assume we are going to have some achievements!), but to have a yearbook or portfolio for us to look at and celebrate. It also serves the purpose to keep friends and family in the loop so they can enjoy the experience too. Hopefully our triumphs and mistakes will challenge other homeschoolers as well.

To answer the question everyone asks or wants to ask, but doesn’t... WHY HOMESCHOOL? We (when I say “we” I mean this is 100% a joint decision between me and Dave to homeschool) created this list to bring clarity to our decision. These points can answer your questions as well as serve as a reminder to myself “why” during the trials. After a years worth of research and prayer (I have a library full of “reasons to homeschool” books) we have come to the conclusion to homeschool because:

- We want to be the main influencing source in our child’s life and that requires the majority of his time spent with us. We want our children to be positively socialized. This is a continuation of our beliefs that has led to me being a stay-at-home mom.

- We want to give him a tailored education that suits his specific needs and desires in order to instill a love of learning for a lifetime.

- We believe that God calls us to be responsible for the education of our children, and we feel that this is how we can best fulfill that call.

- We want to give him an education that integrates learning about God, and his purpose on earth. The goal is to raise him into a Godly man of integrity.

- We appreciate homeschooling's flexible schedule which is conducive to Dave’s changing work schedule.

- And lastly because we have the freedom to do so.

There is a particular verse that has inspired us in this endeavor:
Romans 12:2 (New American Standard Bible)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.