Reading with the Scriptures

I think reading is at the top of the list if every homeschooling parent. There are different views on when is best but it is definitely put as something that is important.

There are so many different programs to choose from and different ways to approach reading. So many different methods and ways to entice different learners.

For us I wait until each boys tells me that they want to learn how to read and we start there. I have one child who really took his time and was a slow reader, I have one who taught himself to read, and one that used a reading program.

But they all took off and have become really good readers once they started reading the scriptures. We have always done family scripture reading, so this wasn't a new thing but as the boys got more interested in reading we would hand them the scriptures and have them read out loud.

For hundreds of  years children have been learning to read out of the scriptures. There were no fancy programs to access a reading level, no stars to mark off, and no nonsense words to try to navigate. Now a days there is so much to choose from it can be a hard choice to know what is right.

Back Story....

When Steve was at DLI in California {Language school for the military} our Stake President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints told all the soldiers that if they read the Scriptures in their designated language that they were to learn for the military, that they would learn it faster. I watched many men go from struggling in a language to passing and even excelling by following that counsel.

Fast forward to today.... I still feel that the counsel that was give still applies... only we are not learning a foreign language in our house {yet} we are just trying to read English.

Once each of the boys had a basic grasp of reading, they would each pick up the scriptures and there reading skills would take off. I know the comprehension is not all the way there, I mean it's the word of God and not Dr. Seuss. But they are able to understand the basic stories and are learning who the prophets are. They are reading something that is worth wild and will help them grow and learn. Sometime I sit with them and have them read to me, other times it is on their own.

If you have a struggling reader it might seem like to big of a challenge to bring out the Scriptures when they are having a hard time on "easy" words but I know that they will do well with it. So many of the words in the scriptures repeat themselves that soon your child will start to recognize what it is. {think... "And it came to pass" "Savior" "Lord" "pray" ect.} And honestly... these are words that I want my children to be familiar with.

Code of Conduct

I am so blessed to be part of a great support for homeschoolers in my area. I have met some really wonderful women who will be my friends for years to come. I know that even after I move I will still have contact with many of the women that I have met through the homeschool group that I am in.

This is a big group and it has many branches for different things. If you just want to be involved with field trips you can do that and nothing more. It's the same thing if you just want to be a part of the Science Fair, or Spelling Bee. There is even a great Co-op, that you can be a part of if you want to.

My thing is the "Statement of Faith" it is not something that I agree with. I respect it and I understand why it is written the way that it is but I can't put my name to something if I don't agree with it.

The group I am with is a Christian group and they encompass most of the Christian's beliefs, everyone from Catholic, and Protestant to Baptist.

I too am Christian.

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My views on certain topics are a bit different from other Christians.

With in my Co-op if you want to teach a class you have to sign the Statement of Faith... I can't do that so I can't teach. {do you see where I am going with this??}

I am a good person, and I feel like most of the women that I know would trust me with their children, many I have had over to my house.

And yet I can't teach because my signature is not on a piece of paper. I respect these women to much to force my beliefs on them and definitely not onto their children. But what does math or geography have to do with religion?

I know you are asking... "well.... why don't you just start your own group?"

Good question!! I am. But not until we move. We are not here in Florida permanently and I didn't want to start something that I couldn't see though.

And when I do start my own co-op {still thinking of a good name so any suggestions would be great!} I am going to have families sign a "Code of Conduct". Mainly for modesty and behavior.

I want people to know that they are welcome and can fully participate without regard to religion. I would hope... as most homeschoolers are... that everyone would be respectful of everyone and what they believe. But, I am not going to turn away someone who can teach a math class just because they believe something different than I do.

I may not put my 5 year old into a class that is learning about the Torah, that's not what we believe, but if that mom {or dad} knows how to make science fun and interesting for my child, I will be the first one signed up.

I think having a "Statement of Faith" that is so strict on the rules of what people have to believe to be a part of something, possibly without meaning too {I hope} ... turns away many good people who want want to be involved and have a strong support system with out having to have their belief system put into question.

{if you have any question on what I believe, and why it contradicts the "Statement of Faith" please leave a comment or you can email me at peachylg{@}yahoo{dot}com. You can also find more information here}

Boundaries

One thing that I have learned with homeschooling is the need to set boundaries. Some people who don't understand what homeschooling is about think that I'm at home all day and that it's an easy drop off for kids or that I just add them in the mix with mine.

While I love being able to be helpful to others, I have had to learn to say no on many occasions because my family comes first, and just like families who send their children to school, we are schooling here and working hard. {whether or not it looks like it}

Here are some things that I did to set better boundaries for myself and for my family.

*I will always help in an emergency. You have to take one kid to ER, bring me the others. Things happen and I am at home and will gladly take extra kids if something happens. A hair appointment, lunch date with the husband, or even a trip to the dentist that you forgot to schedule child care for is NOT an emergency {the whole "Failure to prepare on your part does not make an emergency on my part"} I am not a drop of service because you forgot to find someone to watch your children.

* I don't take phone calls from anyone except the husband. Everyone else I let go to voicemail. I'll listen to the message and then decide if I need to call them back. Even family. Most people know my schedule so I usually don't get phone calls in the morning when we school. But the time is for the kids and not for me to chit-chat with friends.

*There is a double standard.... I'm sorry but for me there is. I will more readily watch another homeschooler during the week than I will public school kids of the same age. I can ask the mom to pack some work for their kid to do and I know that it will get done. Or if we are working on a science project or listening to a book I know that they are going to jump right in with us. I have had bad experiences trying to keep other kids out of the toys while the boys are trying to finish their math. Yes we are relaxed but we have to get stuff done as well.

*My time is valuable, I am learning that I can say "if you want to drop something off you need to do it at this time." I can't be waiting around all day for you. I know that things come up, but I am not switching around our routine or the baby's nap for unnecessary reasons.

*Putting notes on the door for the neighbor kids does work. We started school a little early do to some random breaks that we are taking {moving, and the baby}. I couldn't have the neighbors coming by and breaking up our routine. A note on the door let every one know what was going on and I didn't have to answer the door 400 times a day.

There are always exceptions to the rules and sometimes I am to do things out of the what I normally would do. But these are the rules I try to follow, it makes it easier for me and for others to know where I stand.

Where we school

Now that we are getting ready to move and all of my hard work is getting put away {...sigh...} I thought I would show you {or help me remember} what the area were we school looks like.

All the different places homeschools learn is as different as each family. Some have a dedicated school room, others just use the kitchen table or couch to school. Some are super organized and have everything labeled and color coded. {my dream!} and others not so much.

I'll be honest, I like snooping looking at other people's houses. I love seeing how things are set up and how they make living and schooling work. So for those that also like to snoop around, here you go.

For us, the boys' room is really large and we are able to have the 4 beds, toys and school stuff in their room. It actually all fits and when it's clean it looks really good.... only that doesn't happen as much as I would like.

So first off.... to make me feel better this is what it did look like in the not to distant past. We had a long table that the boys worked at and everything was just put together as best as we could.

Here you can see the three beds, Benji's is on the other side {oh.... those poor blinds have seen better days!}

So here is what I did..... First off... we got desks for the boys. They were poking each other. Why... well because they could I suppose. Having desks means they can be as close or as far as I need them to be. They each have their own space for their things and their project and stuff. {and I got them at the place where school things from the public schools go to die for $10 a piece!}

I turned the long table and put it up against the wall, that gave me a workable area but it's still out of the way.

The shelves stayed the same just cleaned up a bit and I labeled every thing as best as I could. It really does look so pretty. The area between the table and the book shelves has a rug on the floor, so it's a little better to sit right there are look at books.

There are two book shelves, one has all of our school books or reference or school what ever on it

the other has all the other reading books on it. It looks like such a small amount compared to other homeschoolers, but I will rotate the books so there is always a fresh batch {there is 3 boxes of books under Tim's bed} and... I have known since we got here that we would be moving so I have tried really hard to refrain from buying to many books.

Another find from the public school grave yard...This is just a place for extra stuff that I have that I don't know what to do with... I'll put it to better use once we get set up after we move.

Here is a long shot of the area. I think it turned out really great. It works perfect for us. The desks are pushed back at the end of the day so there is more room to bring out the toys and everything has a place. I would like to say that everything is always put back but... sad to say it is not.

Do you want to let me come peek at your school area now??? {Please}

Stop and Look

There is something to be said about just letting kids observe what they see. {in case you can't see it Tommy is looking at caterpillar on the table} I'll let the pictures do the talking.

I love how intense he is watching the caterpillar, and his expression says so much.

Convention: Classes

I'm so excited!! My convention cataloge came in the mail!

I wasn't able to go to the Homeschool Convention {FPEA} last year because my beautiful sister was getting married and while I am so happy that she picked a weekend that I could go I was sad because I was missing something else that I really wanted to go too.

But that is now in the past and here we are... the dates are blocked off, steve took the time off from the clinic to watch the boys... the tickets are bought and the room reserved.

Now I am new to this but I am getting ready. I want to share some tips with you to make your day{s} at Convention great and productive.

Before I start I need to let you know that I will usually fall for anything. Really I am the best to play practical jokes on because I totally fall for it! So when people say that "this is the BEST curriculum" I usually beleive them. But I am learning that I need to stay focused on what I know is best for MY kids and go with that. I get so excited, and then I get really overwhelmed and then I just shut down. Convention is just 3 day... I don't have time to shut down, I need to be with it and ready!

Ok, so here are some helps for you....

Title of this class.... "Let Go Or I'll Break Your Leg: Resolving Conflicts and Restoring Relationships"

Can you guess what we need to work on....

#1 When your catalog comes and you open it do a quick skim of all there is... and there is a lot! Read just the title of the class and if you like it circle it if not leave it... At this point it doesn't matter how many you circle in a session, if it is something you feel you would like/need circle it.

#2 The next day... with a fresh head... go and look to see all that you have circled and read the descriptions. You can read all the descriptions of all the classes but you will probably find that you really have circled the right ones.

#3 Now go and see how many you have in each session that you are wanting to go to. You may find that there is only one in some blocks and others you'll find that you have 4 circled in the same block of time. THAT'S OK!!

#4 Here is the waiting starts... for me I am still a month and a half out from convention so I still have some time. I have all the classes that I want to take circled and ready... but now I will be praying about it. I want to take the classes that will uplift me, that will teach me, and that will give me the knowledge to inspire the boys. I know that doing this last step I will be ready for the classes that are to be taught.

Extras.....
#5 If there is a website look it up, make sure you know who they are and what they are selling....

#6 You can learn a lot by going to the vendor booth as well, so if you miss a class that is taught by a vendor stop by the vendor booth and talk to people there.

#7 If you are going with people see what classes they are going to and share notes... you can't be in two places at once, BUT you can go somewhere and your friend can go to a different place...

This is a great time to feel renewed with homeschooling, to be lifted up and ready to dive back in, remember to make the most of it!

Next up.... VENDORS... and how not to spend thousands of dollars!

Pinterest Finds

Do you Pinterest???

Oh I do and I love it!!

You can always find great ideas there.

I want to share some that I have found.....

This is on my board labeled Writing 

Here are some fun ideas that I found


First Grade Fresh had a great idea about a poster for the "Y" and way it sometimes sounds like 'i' and sometimes like 'e'. Take a look because she has another poster on the same post that would be a good help too.

Here is one from Zeek's Zoo. Its a fun way to show what different writings are. I am going to do this and put it in a binder so I can have the boys do a writing and they can go and see an example of what it is.

 Here is another fun printable  for making words plural. This one is from Inspired in Second

For most of these I am going to put into a writing binder that the boys can look at if they need too. I would love to put things on the walls here but I only have a  limited amount of wall space so into a binder it goes.

These are just a few things from the wonderful world of Pinterest that I love.

Accelerated Achievement

Have you heard of Accelerated Achievement or A2 {A Squared}

When we started thinking about homeschooling A2 is what I found. I bought the demo CD {$4.00} and really liked it. So I bought the A2 curriculum. It was $99.00.

For the $99.00 you don't get just one year you get K-12!! {There is no math and no science, but they are able to direct you to what you need and where to go for these subjects}

A2 follows a very classical education. With the idea that everything can be learned through books and through hands on learning. 

What I liked about it was all the books that are on the CD. Do you want to know how many books... 800!!! Yes, 800 books, and they are the classics!

It starts off with the McGruffy reading. And in 7 volumes it takes you from easy words to passages from Shakespeare. There are also one syllable books for early readers {which I really like}.

There are two versions to the curriculum. The first is the standard version with great quotes by famous people and bible verses to be used as copy work. The second is an LDS version includes what the standard version has along with scriptures from the Book of Mormon, quotes from the prophets and even a missionary prep book

When you buy the A2 curriculum you are part of their family. Paul and Susan Stone are willing and wanting to help you make this curriculum work for you. There is an area on their website where you can send messages but they also give you their HOME phone number!!! How many other curriculum's do that?? How many other creators of curriculum or of any homeschooling products will offer their home phone number?

With all that said, I no longer use this solely. I have found that we are not classical homeschoolers. I have gone a different way, BUT.... I still use the books. {how can I not??? 800 books remember!}

I am glad that I found this program, and it was a great... easy... way to start into homeschooling.

{All opinions are my own. I actually bought the CD and used it. I have not received any compensations for my thoughts or opinions to write this}

Are they Socialized???

I home school. And when I tell people the first thing they look to see my boys to see if my boys look like they are socialized. If they truly new them... they would know that they are probably overly social. I know lots of people have questions about those that home school so I'll try to answer some of the most common ones that I get.

Why did I chose to home school? When we were in Arizona, James was in a Pre-K program. He came home one day and during dinner he told me that he "hated school"  I thought how sad that in pre-k he was having these feelings. So I pulled him out. I talked to a mom that was in my ward and any one else I could about homeschooling. I figured that I couldn't screw up kindergarten so away I went. I did a ton of research and talked to who ever I could. I joined a few Yahoo groups and asked a lot of questions. The thing that really helped make a decision was talking to a friend of my husband. Nathanial was his battle buddy in the army and was deployed with him and he was homeschooled... and he was normal!!

Do I have a teaching degree? Nope. But I didn't need one when I taught the boys how to talk and use the potty. I am learning a lot right a long with the boys. When they ask a question that I can't answer right away we look it up. We find out what we can about the things they want to know.

Do I really think I know everything to teach? Oh, heavens no. Even with James in second grade I am learning right along with him. I have many friends who are teaching higher grades than I am. I ask a lot of questions and I bounce a lot of ideas off of them. One thing that I have noticed about the homeschooling community is that people are always willing to share and help. Honestly I don't remember anything that I learned from high school Chemistry {do you??} so when we come to that point I will either relearn it with the boys or I'll find someone or a curriculum that can teach it to them.

What about being social? Have you met my children? We are out and about all the time. On Wednesdays we go to the park for a playgroup. {it's nice for me too! I get to have some adult conversation} Then on Friday we go to a Co-op. Different mom's teach different subjects. There is even a PE class that they take. James is taking violin, Tommy does piano and I seem to be the hang out for all the neighbor kids every day. They are very social.

Is it all about religion? I wouldn't say "all about" but yes, we do a lot of scripture study. The boys are currently memorizing all 13 Articles of Faith {yup... even Tim} We will move on to the Scripture Mastery List scriptures once the AoF are memorized. We are learning the primary songs and we read from the Friend We start the day with a devotional and anytime I can talk about the gospel I do. When we are learning about Ashurbanipal who was King of Nineveh, we also talk about Jonah who was commanded of the Lord to go and preach to the people at the same time. The gospel is a big part of our life, not just on Sunday, but every day.


Do you have a curriculum? I have started using the Critical Thinking Company and I love it! It gives me enough to know that we are progressing, but leaves things open enough to do what we like. We use the program Math U See for math and we are doing The Story of the World for history. I probe the boys for things that they are interested in and we go from there. Previous to this I did just pull together a simple curriculum that worked for us, but Benji is so busy now I wasn't having time to get everything done that I needed to do.

What time are you done? We start our day at 9:00 and we usually end about 12:00-12:30. There are only 3 of them so a lesson on nouns and verbs takes only 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes. I'm not one to kick a dead horse so if the boys get it we move on. When we are done the day is theirs. If I have had a doddler the afternoon is the time to finish any left over work.

What do I do with Tim and Benjamin? Tim is with us for our devotional and for our group learning {history, science, social studies} After that he is free to play or color. Most times he want's to "do school" with us so I have a workbook to give to him. He is learning how to read so we focus on that and on his handwriting. We all work together so even when the boys are doing their work Tim is in the room with us. Benji is just there with us. We work around him as best we can. The boys are a great sport to give up their desk if he is squawking to much. He is getting better at sitting a playing with things for short times but most of time he is just into everything!

Are my kids sheltered? Oh, probably. I'm sure as much as your 8, 7, and 5 year olds are. Just because they don't go to school doesn't mean they are complete oblivious to the world. StarWars is their favorite movie and the play Pokemon every day. I do monitor what they watch on TV... how much time they play on the computer and video games... and who their friends are. But to me that is just good parenting and I'm not going to apologize for that.

Are my kids shy since they don't go to school? Have you met my children. I have one that has no personal boundaries, and another that will talk your ear off. My kids are far from shy.  Some kids who go to school are shy some aren't, going or not going to school doesn't make kids shy.

Are we happy all day every day? No! We have our days of tears and days where I have one doing school work until 5:00 and others yelling at each other. I do have to say that most days are really good, and we get through our day pretty quickly, but we do have our days.

Do I homeschool my kids because they are brilliant? Well like any mom I think they are brilliant, but if I were to have them tested I'm sure they would be like any kid that has strengths and weaknesses. They have their talents and I try to nurture those and help them grow.

Do I push my kids academically? Yes I do. Tommy is reading on a 4th grade level... do you really think I'm going to school him at a kindergarten level?  But there are things that they struggle with. If they are not ready for something... usually in math, we wait. I have had to pull math completely out for a week or two and then come back to it. James just gets stuck so rather than more drills we just backed off for a week and then picked it up again. After that he usually gets it and it click so we moved on.

I love homeschooling the boys. I know it's not for everybody, but it's definitely for us. If anyone has any other questions please feel free to ask me.

Book Review

I just got done reading this book to the boys, and they {and I} loved it. It was really interesting to read about the life of Paul Revere. The Many Rides of Paul Revere by James Cross Giblin


"Paul Revere is commonly remembered in the Longfellow legend of his Midnight Ride before the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. In this bright, informative biography, Giblin follows Revere's life from his humble beginnings as a French immigrant's son to his work as a silversmith and a horse messenger amid the mounting pressures of revolution. In precise, accessible prose, Giblin chronicles Revere's daring acts -- both the famous and the overlooked. Along the way, he portrays a brave, compassionate, multitalented American patriot."
During lunch time I'll get the boys their lunch and then settle down as well to read a little. We grabbed this book from the library and it was a great choice. Paul Revere did so many great things beyond just the "Midnight Ride" that we read about by Henry Longfellow. Paul was trusted to ride many times to warn the colonists about the British invading our shores. He was an expert silver smith, and a trusted friend. He was friends with some powerful men.

I love learning about the early men and women who graced this great land of ours. I also love going deeper than just the common stories that we hear, these are men and women who lived and then died on this great land of ours.

Let it Rain

We had a rainy day. So rather than dive into the school work that day we watched a movie and did some art. Today was something different.

I gave each of the boys some cardstock and washable markers

We each drew a picture

We put our pictures out in the rain and let it do the work.

They turned out pretty cool. It gave it a nice watercolor effect.

 I really like the way Benji's turned out.

Next time you are pulling out the art box think of a new way to use the stuff.

Valentine Flowers

I'm sure many of us got flowers for Valentine's. What sweet spouses we all have!

As my flowers were starting to pass rather than to throw them away we cut them open.

We looked at all the different parts of a flower and pointed them all out.

We looked to see how the flowers are different and how they are the same.

I look forward to the next time Steve gets me flowers!! I'm thinking tulips and roses..... those would be fun to pull apart and cut open.... be lovely sitting on my counter.

Littlest learner.

Benji is a great addition to our family! And I love having a baby around. The boys... well... they love him too but -  he has been pushing them out of their desks so he has a place to work. They are not sitting on the floor so he doesn't thing he should either.

I had him in his high chair for a while, which was fine for about 4 days but her realized that once he was up he lost the freedom to get down when he wanted... I was ok with that, he had other ideas and told me so.

I remembered that I had this little blue table, and one lone chair to go with it.

Now Benji has his own place to work, and sit, and spread out. He will look at books for a while and then color, and then drive the brothers crazy, before starting all over with his book.

I think the little ones pick up quickly. Benji knows are routine, and just wants to be a part of that. If the brothers are working on something, he feels like he needs to as well. They all have their own spots, so he needs one too.

So for your smallest ones let them feel like they have a space to do their "school work". It's nothing formal, but let them have a space that is not in the way of the other kids, {and so they are not in his way either} and let them feel like they are a part of the group rather than to be shooed away because they get into things.

And in true boy fashion, it is starting with Dinosaurs.




{After I took this picture Benji found something better to do and emptied my cabinets... I guess you can't win them all}

Question of the Week

What is the worst/funniest/oddest question or statement that you have heard about homeschoolers?
{I had no intention of this turning into a post on Socialization.. but that seemed to be the theme here} 

This is a funny question! I have overheard people say things (that didn't know I was homeschooling) about how people do it so they can shelter their kids from the world or they can't let their kids go out in the world. I disagree of course because I am not sheltering my kids from the world, I am teaching my kids about the world myself while I am there to answer their questions. But, I think the thing people warn me the most about homeschooling is that my kids aren't going to be socialized. I disagree with that as well...
~Kris S.

The question made by my sons former teacher: "What will happen when he enters the real world?"
Seriously? Just because a child is homeschooled, it doesn't mean they are completely sheltered from "the real world".

Another statement was "Homeschooled people (or their parents) are just lazy."
~Noah C.

"Are they socialized?"
~Shannon E. 


People have said to us as were out shopping. "I guess you don't get to socialize with other kids'? All three of us will look at each other and laugh. We don't bother to answer them.
~Elizabeth F.

I found these that were funny so I thought I would share them 





The music on this one is annoying, so turn it down, but the comments are real.





I think I'll do a post on socialization {as if it hasn't already been done to death :) }

Next weeks question is. Is Art a part of your day/week, or is it something that sometimes get forgotten?

B is for....

Marcy over at Ben and Me has started a new bloggy link up. This is something that I can do because I can plan for and know what is coming rather than having to wait for a topic.

This week it is B

And for me... B is for BOYS!!!

Homeschooling all boys is well... CRAZY all the time. The really don't often sit. So usually have to find creative ways to get the things done that we need. I will have one boy stand on a wobble board while I read to them. We have desks, but one boy would rather sit on top of the desk rather than at the desk. These are things that I know they would not be able to do in public school, and yet they are excelling because I can play up their strengths and allow them to be wiggly boys.

I also have them outside a lot. Honestly.... it is not supervised play.... or even directed play... most of the time when they come in showers are required and then I have to clean out the tub because of all the dirt and mud that has accumulated on them. But I like it like that. I like watching them figure out how there body works with out be dictated to. I like watching them work together to dig a hole, {and fill it up with water}, and then to move on to the next great idea.

I know all boys are different but my boys love so deeply. I treasure this. I know that in the years to come the love that I get to have all to myself will go to another wonderful woman. And while I know that is the way it is to be I will be sad when those kisses and hugs are not all mine.

Boys are funny creatures, on the surface they can be hard to figure out, but if you take a step back and just take the time to watch them and hear them you will learn so much.

Fun with Letters

I found these little foam blocks at Target in the dollar section.

At first I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the blocks. I had a couple of ideas but I wasn't set on anything.

Well... Tim is learning how to read and I was going to just make him some cards with letters on it, and let him play with that.

I thought that these would be better.

I put a letter on each block and let him have it.

I made a worksheet with a bunch of words on it and had Tim trace over the words and build them with the blocks.

I also had Tim build his own words and write them down.

I like them because they are big and easy to hold onto for small hands.... and they don't get crinkled like paper. They are really sturdy and will hold up well over lots of use.

Question of the Week

What advice do you have for those that are new to homeschooling?

Take time to create at least one positive, meaningful moment with each child per day, even if it only takes a minute or two. Let those moments fill up your "bank" so that on the hard days when you question what you are doing, you have that bank of positive moments to draw on to remind yourself why you are homeschooling: your relationship with your child. It can serve to motivate you to keep going through the hard stuff or adjustments, because it always gets better, with time. Making time for meaningful moments also helps the kids to respond better to what you want them to do later, since they have had that little bit of time with you to just feel loved and valued, with no strings attached.
~Eve E.

 {I really like Eve's answer!!!!}

I say remember why you are homeschooling. During the hard times remember that you did this for the best interest of your child. Remember that your child is an individual, and that  what works for one may not work for all. And most of all remember to have Joy in the Journey!
~Me


{Next week's Question..... What is the worst/funniest/oddest question or statement that you have heard about homeschoolers??}

Hand-eye Coordination

Many kids will claim that video games will help with their hand-eye coordination. While that may be true there are other ways to learn that.

When we were on vacation there was a games area and there was a fuse-ball table that the boys really liked. I stayed and played a couple games with them.

I was watching the boys as they were playing I was watching them, and noticed that this would be hand-eye coordination at it's finest. They were talking and laughing {and trash-talking} with each other. And there hands were working! They had to turn the little men the right direction at just the right time.

Pulling, pushing, turning.

Have you played fuse-ball lately? Next time you get a chance challenge the kids to see who has better hand-eye coordination.

Active Math

I have 4 boys.... but you know that. I also have crazy most days.... but I'm sure you also knew that too.

So I most days I have to find something active. I have come up with different ideas to keep them moving and like other moms I like to sneak in some learning.

I found these great big dice at Target in the DOLLAR section!!! {I love it when I get a great deal!} Then I made some cards one pile says to "Add" and and the other pile tells them to do an exercise.

So the game goes like this. The boys roll the dice and add up the numbers. Then they pick a card and add that many more.

**Dice roll is a 2 and a 5.... 7. Then they pick up a card "Add 8" ...15.**

Then they pick up an exercise card  and do that many. Some of the things on the cards are Sit-ups, Ball lifts, Jumping Jacks, Jump on one foot, Your Choice and the boy's favorite... Pick one for the brothers to do.

I will do this on rainy days or days when they are really wild. {I will also fold laundry while they play... I am all about multi-tasking} We will go a couple rounds or until laundry is folded.

Question of the Week

Reading??? How have you taught {or how are you teaching} your kids to read? Did you use a program? Did you just read to your child and he/she picked it up? Do you drill sight words or do you work more phonetically.

What worked for us is reading the Book of Mormon every morning. it's true, it does improve reading skills. I also have a book here that does daily lessons.
~Kandie Walter


I teach phonics along with some sight words. I use a bunch of different resources. I do a letter of the week curriculum in Pre-K and Kindergarten. I LOVE the Sound Box books by Jane Belk Moncure. They are loaded with easy to read CVC words along with all the required sight words. I also use a lot of worksheets I have found from all over the internet that teach the rules of our crazy language.I love Starfall. {My child} goes on there everyday.
~Shannon E. 


With my preschool we learn the letters and their sounds. I don't worry about teaching the 2 sounds of C & G but I do teach about the "vowel club" and how they are the cool club cause they have 2 sounds. Once they know their letters and sounds we move in to word families and emergent readers. The kids get such a kick out of sounding out and reading. So there is some sight words though like THE, IN, A, AN, etc... If they are ready for reading it happens quick.
~Angela H.


With {one of my children} I used "teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons". {The other} learned to read on his own.
~Kim F.


Buy the book "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons!" It is amazing!!! {My child} never wanted to put it down and {My other child} just started & is loving it! It really works! ~Shannon R.

I used the online programs Headsprout and Starfall, the book "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and I currently use All About Spelling. We have always read to {our child} and still do. He is a dyslexic child who is reading well and comprehending what he reads.
 ~Kelly O. 

This one is hard for me because I am just starting reading. But, so far we are just sounding out words together. My daughter enjoys writing notes to everyone, so we do that every day and she sounds out the words she wants to say. She also really enjoys reading over my shoulder while I'm on the computer and sounding out everything I read or type ;)

~Kris S.

Next Question.... What advice do you give to anyone starting out homeschooling?

My Good For Nothing

"What are you good for my brave little man?

Answer that question for me if you can-

You with your fingers white as a nun-

You with your ringlets as bright as the sun.

All the day long with your busy contriving,

Into all mischief and fun you are driving;

See if you wise little noodle can tell,

What are you good for? Now ponder it well."

Over the carpet the dear little feet

Came with a patter to climb on my seat.

Two merry eyes full of frolic and glee,

Under their lashes looked up unto me;

Two little hands pressing soft on my face,

Drew me down close in a loving embrace;

Two rosy lips gave an answer so true;

"Good to love you momma, good to love you."

~Emily Huntington Miller

Lessons Pathways

Lessons Pathway is a FREE K-5 curriculum, and teaching resource help.

It use to be something you pay for but now it is free. The website is broken down into "Pathways" for each grade and subject. There are 36 lessons in each subject. {that's a lesson a week for a whole school year}

The subjects they cover are Science {K-5}, History {K-5}, Reading and Phonics {K-2}, Math {K-5} Language Arts {K-5}, and Field Trips. {the field trips give links to different states and what can be done in that state along with things to see}

For the core subjects everything builds on each other. There are ideas and activities. There are worksheets, and links to blogs and hands on activities. HERE is an example of a history lesson.

There is an area so you can plan your year for each of your children, to help you stay organized if you want to change up the way they have it. Or... if you are like me and need everything you can use to keep your lessons straight.

Lessons Pathways does a really good job on keeping up with their links so you will find very few broken links, there is also a place where you can review each lesson is at the bottom.

I have used Lesson Pathways and like it each time I come back to it. I will usually use it for a while and get busy and forget about it, but each time I come back to it I am pleasantly surprised.

You can use Lesson Pathways as your Core Curriculum or as a great supplement. If you want/need to homeschool for free, I feel that this is the best way to go.

Question of the Week

What do you consider "Core" subjects {besides Reading, Writing, and Math} that need to be done every day/week?

Spelling
~Charity J.

Bible, Science, History/Social Studies!
~Jamie F. 


History/Social Studies and Science for sure.
~James L.


Scriptures, history, science daily or at least 3ish times a week and music is a big one at or house...that ones daily
~SheriDawn N. 


Literature, History, Science, and Bible. I teach one per day in Kindergarten and then when they get to 1st grade we do one small lesson daily.
~Shannon E.


Science, history, geography. 
~Jenni T.


Clean the house? Lunch/home ec.
~EmilieAn K.


PLAY DATES!! then religion, then literature, history and science.
~HolleeAn V.


Bible, History, Science and Literature. 
~Beth M.

We do scripture study every day. James and Tommy do a personal scripture study {because they are readers} and then we do something together. I do History twice a week and Science twice a week with those taking up most of our day. Because James and Tommy both play instruments there is practicing every day. And then there is lots of play!!
~Me


Next week's Question is.... Reading??? How have you {or how are you} taught your kids to read? Did you use a program? Did you just read to your child and he/she picked it up? Do you drill sight words or do you work more phonetically.

Desks

All home schoolers have different ways of setting up there school room.

Some sit at the kitchen table.

Some just stay on the floor or will climb into bed

We have desks.

We did have a table that was working really well.... until the boys realized that they could touch each other.

We were sitting at the table one day and I was making some copies and I hear Tommy giggling and I hear James telling him to stop poking him. Then I hear Tim telling him to stop poking him. Then Tommy was testing how far he could blow a piece of paper... into his brothers. Then he needed to stretch his legs... into his brothers.

So we had to do something.

We do a lot in the living room and on the floor. We don't do a whole lot at the desks but we do need to have a place to do our writing and a few things.

It's nice that they all have their own space now and the touching has come down to a minimum.  {you can't get away from it totally...}

Where do you homeschool??

I think I failed....

You know hind sight is always.... ok mostly 20/20.  And as I look back over the past two and a half years there was so many things I wish I would have done. There were things that I wish people would have told me....

I was a lot harder on James that I should have been. I thought I knew what I was doing, and here I was pushing him harder than he was ready. James is smart and he was in kindergarten too, and he was just curious about everything. I think we did some fun things.... I remember we did the story of the 3 Billy Goats Gruff... and that was fun. But I just didn't get it.

I was trying to hard to prove to everyone that I had "normal" kids with a "normal" school day. I wanted to prove to my family and friends that my boys were getting everything that they needed.

I pushed to hard.

I expected to much.

He was only 5.

Schooling should be fun. It should be go-with-the-flow. It should be learning at it's best.

I am still learning and things are much better. There are some things that we do at our desks but most of the things that we do are sitting on the couch together. Rotating boys that are sitting on my lap.

If there is any advice I can give is to focus on your family. Keep your blinders on when the negativity comes, and remember why you are doing this.

Kindergarten is a fun age, an age where paint is required every day. Where mess is almost always on the menu. And where happy kids are outside and looking at mud and bugs and leaves. Don't stress about kindergarten, keep it fun and upbeat.

I now have a 2nd grader, 1st grader, a kindergartner.... and one who is in the grade of "getting into everything". I know that I will continue to learn with the boys, we will have our highs... and our lows. And as we come upon those stumbling blocks we will try to go around... or over... but if we hit them we will learn from it.

For all those that are new to homeschooling.... ENJOY IT!!!! Don't stress to much. If you have a Kindergartner or a 9th grader... enjoy the journey of homeschooling.

Science Time

I have this science book and L.O.V.E. it!!!

James is really into chemistry right now. And this book does a really good job in breaking down the Periodic Table. There are fun poems that help the boys remember what things do.

There are experiments for each element group and most of them I have everything I need {ie: no extra trips to the store}

All of the science experiments are done on a basic level, but there are suggestion if you want to amp it up for a science fair project.

There is a lot of humor in the book and so on days that we don't do experiments the boys still like it when I read it to them.

You can find this book at Amazon for about $11.00.

If you are wanting something for basic Chemistry this is it. It's a great intro to a subject that can seem boring on the top but is really quite exciting when you throw in some experiments that make the elements make sense.

{all opinions are my own. I actually bought this book and use it and love it. I have not received any compensation for my review of this book}

Question of the Week

Our first Question of the week was: Do you start your school day in the morning, in the afternoon, a little all day long, or are you schedule free?


I don't have a schedule. It doesn't matter to me what time of day we start school. The kids know that they can not watch TV or play until some schoolwork has begun. They each have a binder full of schoolwork to get finished before the day is done. I don't even worry anymore about what order it gets done as long as it gets done.
~Shannon E. 

I home school in the morning, after breakfast. That way I still get my own free time in the afternoon when the little guy takes his nap. But, a few times a week we will do an art project of some sort and we will do that after lunch when the baby is napping.
~Kris S.

We homeschool in the morning. My guys don't do well trying to school in the afternoon. We are just better focused in morning. We have a really good schedule and the boys know what is expected of them. But because we don't school in the afternoon doesn't mean that there isn't learning.
~Me

Next week's question...

We all know that the "Core" subjects{reading, writing, math} are important, but what other subjects essential for your family? {ie music, geography, science ect.}

Classical Conversations

A friend of mine is the local director to a group called Classical Conversations. {CC}

Classical Conversations "combines classical learning with biblical world views"

It is based off of the method from Susan Wise-Bauer, and her book the The Well Trained Mind.

It has three levels the Foundations K-6, the Essentials 4-6, and the Challenge 7-12.

I went and checked it out and talked to my friend and others who were in the program. It is set up to meet as a group once a week and learn from the teacher, and then you take what you have learned home and expound upon it the rest of the week.

There is a lot of memorization in the Foundations class, and then as you get older you start learning why you have memorized those facts.

I actually like the idea and the way it is brought out. It's like when you are little and you know the song of "Ring Around the Roses" but you really have no idea what the song is about or why it was written. You just like to sing it because it's fun. As you get older you come to learn the story behind it. The whys to it. Why you are putting flowers in your pocket and why you are falling down. CC is the same type of concept.

CC is also Christian based and as a Christian I don't have a problem with that, but they use the New World Translation of the Bible... at least the local group here did, and I use the King James Version in my home, and there is a big difference.

It is also really expensive, and we could not afford it. There are some that supplement by being a teacher, because the teachers are paid, but they require that the teachers sign a "statement of faith" and because my religious views are different, I can't put my name to something that I don't believe.

After looking at this program I think it is a great program for those that want to follow after The Well Trained Mind, and would like the structure that CC brings, however it was not for us.

{all thoughts and opinions are my own and I have not received any compensation for this post}

$7 and a Screw Driver

I was at the thrift store picking up some last minute things for our costumes for Halloween, and I found a VCR for $7. I bought it and brought it home.

For the next hour and half {after I had to explain what a VCR is to the boys} took it apart piece by piece. They had a great time, and I only had to help loosen a couple screws.

This is a great idea for anyone with kids that are fascinated at taking things apart. Buy a bunch of stuff and let them have at it. Kids are so curious about how things work and the inner parts of things. For your older kids let them see if they can put it back together and get it to work again.

You don't need to buy anything to expensive... just what ever you can pick up that the thrift store will do.

You may want to pick something up for each kid. The boys did good taking turns but next time I will get them their own piece of equipment to take apart.