Rookie Year

Here we are at the end of the first year of homeschooling. I felt it was a success since Ruby is wanting to continue it this fall. I'm thankful for how the year went. I was really nervous about giving her a sub-par education, yet excited to see how this year would unfold. 

I had quite the learning curve being a newbie as far as curriculum and learning the dynamics of our family rhythm. 

I was concerned that homeschooling would feel like a ball and chain. My fear would be that I couldn't be the teacher that she needed. But instead it's the opposite. I knew when I needed to push her and when I needed to back off or when we needed to change it up a bit and make it more interesting to her. 

  Ruby has grown leaps and bounds this year but she isn't alone. I've been getting my own education. I have not only learned academically but personally through this journey. I have a feeling that there is a lot more of this to come.

I didn't know where to start with a curriculum. I was overwhelmed.

What I quickly learned is that homeschooling curriculum is EVERYWHERE. In fact, there is so many different curriculum that it was paralyzing at first.

If you're considering homeschooling, don't be discouraged by this. So many people are willing to help and if you have questions I can do my best to answer them.

It's easy for me to get caught up feeling pressure to have the balance of homeschooling and home life be up to my expectations.

Some of the best advise I got was "Keep It Fun! You're at a beautiful place. Just keep it fun!"

This year was all about keeping it simple and rolling with it.

It's natural for that pressure to set in if I don't watch it. There is a fine line between moving in the right direction and being overboard.

 I have to remind myself that she's just in kindergarten. To let go of the fear that we won't finish her curriculum, I need to keep in mind that the girl does better with a break here and there. And the bottom line is to cultivate her heart, not necessarily her school work.

Boredom isn't a bad thing, huh?! That's when creativity sets in.

Finding our family rhythm has been extremely important in this process.

 I've had to learn to surrender what the ideal homeschooling day will look like, understanding that there is an ebb and flow of the day.

 Knowing some days we'd get more done then others. Some days I had to throw in the towel, sit on the couch, watch movies, and soak up the kids as they are. Some days we'll work on the weekends and some weeks we barely do anything. Most days she'll knocks out some serious work.  Some days we'll head out of town and she'll work in the car. Some days we'll head to Starbucks and realize that it's a mistake to try to get any learning done there!

Therein lies the freedom of homeschooling. 

Hands down, the most positive thing that happened through this school year is how Ruby's and my relationship has grown.  It's been beautiful. 

Yes, we've had plenty moments that tested my patience, but... 

...an overwhelming amount of joy has come from teaching her. I love that I can create a curriculum unique to her, based on what is she's interested in and/or what I want her to learn.

Typically our school day was 10:30-2:00 pm with 50 breaks! OK, not 50 breaks...maybe 35!

That alone has tested my patience more than anything. But she works better knowing if she gets so much done then she can go swing for five minutes or get herself some strawberries.

She did Classical Conversations (CC) this year and will do it again next year. It's a God centered program with a supportive community.  What a incredible program.

They memorize timeline,
 History Sentence
Latin
Geography
English
Math
Fine Arts

 I can not say enough about this program. She's been done with CC for a month now and I hear her say how much she misses doing it.

Geography, folks!

The geography with CC has been so impressive! By 4th or 5th grade she should be able to draw a map of the globe by memory.

The other day she was watching Popular Mechanics for kids, They were interviewing a couple from Goergeville, Quebec. Ruby says, "That's in Canada!"

She has taken on the roll of teaching the boys. I didn't have a curriculum for them this year. They are learning the numbers and letters. She was trying to teach them how to read and she asked me, "How did you teach me to read? These boys aren't getting it!" 

She worked on math, language arts, handwriting/cursive and copy work out of the Bible. (and, of course, TONS of reading.)

 My goal is to make it fun; especially reading! I don't want it to be a chore. We tell her that reading takes her places. It's been fun hearing about all the places she went that day!

She made a card for our neighbor. It ended up being her copy work for that day. 

Then there is the principle, aka daddy. He is smitten for her. She has him wrapped around her finger and she knows that in a drop of a hat he will be there is she needs him.

You know you're a homeschooler if a field trip is to the grocery store, guitar store or park!

So many sweet moments are spent around the table. Even better with Minnie Mouse ears on!

Here are a few different presentations that she did:

She memorized Exodus 20:1-17
 1 Peter 3:4 

Her favorite Bible hero was Moses.

Her favorite author was Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Her favorite president was Abraham Lincoln.

She told us about an ancestor. 

Her favorite inventor was Alexander Graham Bell.

Picture of great grandpa in WWII 1945.

One of her presentations was about her great grandpa.

 He told us about his time in WWII and how hard it was when he receive that letter that his whole crew died.

It was incredible to see the emotion flood him all over again and Ruby got to hear it first hand. Sometimes the most important thing that happens in a day isn't followed by a curriculum. This memory won't be forgotten.

 Presentation are anywhere from 3-5 minutes long. After she is done her classmates can ask questions if they want.  It's not only teaching her how to give a presentation but to listen to others give theirs and how to ask appropriate questions.

You could see how much these kids grew from the beginning of the year to the end.

They do a lot of different art and science experiments.

Ruby and her friend singing the presidents song.

I'm thankful I get to teach her to love what is: beautiful, pure, true and right.

Giving her time to read, dream and just be. Cultivating imagination with time to be quiet is such a gift.

The only learning that got done at Starbucks was how not to spill your coffee. EVERYWHERE! And in case you were wondering, it was me that spilled...

Random I know, but I love her natural curls.

"The idea that children need to be around many other youngsters in order to be "socialized" is perhaps the most dangerous and extravagant myth in education and child rearing today."  - Raymond Moore

I surprised myself on how much I enjoy the role of homeschooling.  The relationship I have with my children is so incredibly important to me. Yes, I have days that are hard, my patience runs thin, and I want to start the day over. But there is so much more joy and fulfillment that this hard work produces. 

This has nothing to do with homeschooling and more about keeping her ballet/princess dreams alive. I know that kids influence kids and those dreams can be looked sourly upon by other kiddos. As for now, she's still dressing up and dancing without abandon and I love it!

Studying different kinds of rocks:
 - metamorphic
 -sedimentary
- igneous

History sentence in cursive.

She drew this picture as she was listening to Mozart.

We've been reading through Little House on the Prairie books. We were inspired by Ma, Mary and Laura making a pie for Pa when we got home as a surprise.
So we did the same!

I've noticed that when I give Ruby my full attention she thrives and wants to please. Sometimes this is hard with the balance of the boys but it fills her cup more than anything else.

Before we had children I remember my pastor said, "You can't build character in the fast lane." 

That has always stuck with me.

Tim and I have never been one to want our kids in a ton of stuff.  We don't thrive in being busy all the time running from place to place. We are so thankful for the days we get to have breakfast, lunch and dinner all together.

I know this works well for some families and more power to you. But that's why I think homeschooling is such a good fit for our family. 

I read this the other day and it resonated with me:

"Slow parenting is about bringing balance into the home. Children need to strive and struggle and stretch themselves, but that does not mean childhood should be a race. Slow parents give their children plenty of time and space to explore the work on their own terms."  - Carl Honore

CC classmates and the lovely Mrs. Miller.

She was trying out different instruments.

"Home is the best place for teaching many things. First and most important of which is how to think for one's self." - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Silliness is required at Advocate Academy.

She'll read for hours. So one day I picked various books through her pile. I asked her what these books were about. I flipped through them as she told me and sure enough, she was telling and retaining the story.

When we first started doing cursive she wasn't liking it. We took a break from it. I would take chalk outside and write her name in cursive. I explained how pretty cursive was. She started getting more interested in it. She now signs her name in cursive.

They divide into two teams to see if they remember different areas in Africa,

We used play-dough to place the biggest mountains on each continent.

One thing I've learned is school never really ends. Some things are better learned as real life unfolds. I get questions all day long from her and use those to teach through.

Whether you homeschool or not your kiddos are watching you, learning from you and I'm sure asking you questions. These are the moments that we need to give them our attention.

The way I see it, if we don't listen to them now, how can we expect them to listen to us when they are 13 years old or 18 years old?

While it has been a great year, I'm still learning and will always be a work in progress. I honesty can't take ALL the credit for how this year has gone. Over all the years of praying for this, I feel that God has led us down this path and He has been fully in charge.

These kids are constantly keeping me humble and flexible. I've learned more about God and his grace since having children and even more since homeschooling and taking care of the three years old twins...oh those twins :)

Here's to another year! Lord willing it will be just a fun!