We are a week into our homeschooling adventure. My children chose to start the year early, even though I was more reluctant... but I said "hey why not?"
The girls are adapting surprisingly well, enjoying the leisure of learning vs the deadlines and anxiety that once were the norm. I've even began to see changes in myself as a parent!
Thoughts on curriculum
The girls are both loving our history curriculum. Notgrass-America the Beautiful. So much so, they decided to take it upon themselves and make a 3ft long timeline of events as the textbook reveals more of what happened during certain periods of time. They also asked to read further than I assigned in the book "Famous Amos" that is part of the Notgrass curriculum literature aspect. Thats right. Asking to do more work!
For science, as we learn about plant cells, fungus and the 5 kindoms. We have gone on scavenger hunts looking for a variety of plants, animals and insects. (Im quite proud that I kept my cool, even though insects make me want to head for the hills. Creepy, crawly is not in wheel house)
For math, I chose Teaching Textbooks, which based on reviews can be about a year behind traditional schools. So I decided to use math6 for my 5th grader and Algebra1 for my 7th grader.
TT curriculums offer cd roms (this program doesn't require internet) with lectures, practice questions and tests.
It also has characters to keep children engaged (my girls find it hilarious when the characters dance....Its all about the little things I guess lol) this program will also show you how they got to the answer, should your child be unsure....One of the best features for me personally is, its all self grading. To help you as the parent keep track of their progress. So far my kids have had no complaints, which is great considering math has a way of being a bit more dry than some other subjects.
Changes
So far this week we have worked at our desks in the school room, sat in oversized "comfy chairs" (as my kids call them.) While we took turns reading our literature book aloud. We have layed a blanket out in a field as we worked out of our math books, gone on adventures as we discovered plants, trees and animals. We have relaxed and learned. Something that once seemed to go together like oil and water.
The right decision for us
As the week nears its end, I have gained a new sense of calm and a new sense of patience I so desperately needed. My children have been smiling and laughing, truly enjoying eachothers company.
In one short week we are already starting to gain a new found closeness. Even more than before, if that was even possible. Lol
For example, last night my daughter spilled an entire bottle of red nail polish on my beige carpet. Which normally would bring out a mom voice, that I immediately regret as it pours out of my mouth. However, my new sense of calm just guided me over to her as I reassured her that accidents happen, and we cleaned it up.
That goes to say, nail polish is off limits for the next week! And the challenge of getting nail polish out of carpet is not for the faint of heart!!! It took me 30 minutes of scrubbing Cinderella style, lots of chemicals and my new found patience. But in the end, my livingroom went from looking like a murder scene, to nothing ever happend!
Happy
Now who knows if its the homeschooling thats bringing our family closer and more relaxed, or maybe just the "no pressure" environment. Not to mention all my prayers asking for guidance. But whatever it is, we are happy! And I can't help but wonder why we didn't do this sooner!
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