Friday roundup

(Technically, it's Saturday.  Whatever)

Whew.  T-ball is done.  It was a great season and DS1 did very well.  Fun while it lasted, but we are glad it is over.  We've been doing school light this week, slowly, not rushing, just having fun.  VBS is next week, then school (for real) starts the next week.

I have focus more on intentional parenting, discipline issues (mama's laying down the law!), and character traits this week.  In some ways, it's been a hard week.  In other ways, it's been a good week.  We are working hard to foster good relationships between brothers.  It's hard to teach a 5 and 2 year old about respect when all they do is fight, fight, fight some days!

I've finally developed an organization system, thanks to my fellow homeschooling buddy Christy.  While we are trying to incorporate as much hands-on as this non-crafty first year teacher can stomach, we have a lot of paper.  Handwriting, math, science workbook to go along with the hands-on, country/flag coloring sheets to go along with our World Atlas/countries studies...it was a lot of piles on my china cabinet!  I now have 3 binders.  One labeled "Kindergarten not complete" and inside holds dividers for each subject with the workbook pages I tore out and 3 hole punched.  Each math chapter is paper clipped together so I can easily grab one at a time.  (Math is the only one more than one or two pages.)  To prepare for the week, I pull out what papers I need and stick them in the "Current kindergarten" binder.  As the week progresses, any paperwork goes into a "done" drawer, then filed in the "Completed kindergarten" binder every week or so.  The Completed Kindergarten binder isn't categorized by subjects, but rather by month.  Activities that we do that are not papers get written down on a weekly journal sheet and filed.  So far, so good.

With VBS being next week and still having our usual library programs, school will be light.  Calendar, book reading, a short reading lesson, and perhaps a bit of math a day.  1 hour, tops.  I need to keep reminding myself that kindergarten is fun and not stress about it.  Tag-a-long DS2 enjoys calendar time and book reading also, but then it's an all out war to keep him from destroying the room/escaping/whatever for the rest of school time.  He is a child that truly needs 100% supervision 100% of his waking hours!

Finding our summer groove

We are smack in the midst of summer, finally. My goal has been to not squelch the summer fun while still managing to accomplish school work at the same time. Really, it's summer fun school with a bit of seat work every day. I need the routine just as much as J, so we are both getting used to a schedule of sorts. For the summer, my goal is for school time to happen right after breakfast. We can usually knock out calendar time, a reading lesson, math, and handwriting in about 45 minutes with a few wiggle breaks. Then the boys have some free play time while I run through the shower, and we still have about 2 hours left until lunch. After lunch is read aloud time and whatever else we dream up.

Of course, this is working around t-ball, summer library programs, park trips, bike rides with friends, time in the sprinkler, and all the other fun summer stuff. None of us enjoy being HOT HOT HOT so we try to either hang out in water or indoors during the hottest parts of the days.

I am also nailing down plans for kindergarten. We are going to try a 4 day week from July to May with a bit of time off around Christmas. That gives us plenty of days scheduled to complete our plans and plenty of built in time off. And realizing that July is just a bit per 2 weeks away has me excited and ready to go!

Panic

I haven't blogged much here because it's been freaking me out.  Completely and totally.  I have been absolutely stressing out over school plans for the next few years.  To the point of tears.

I know what I want to do, I know the direction I want our family learning to take...but yet, after spending time reading The Forum, I freaked out.  Is it enough?  Other people do more, or take another direction.  How do I know what to supplement, and with what.  I tend to get caught up in "keeping up" with everyone else's expectations...which kind of defeats homeschooling.

We will be a MFW family starting next year, in first grade.  My biggest stress has been deciding to do their first grade program then or this coming fall, for K.  J already knows their kindergarten level stuff and in theory could do their first grade program, but I had a vision of what I wanted kindergarten to be like, and a full first grade program didn't really fit in.

Seriously, stressing to the point of panic over the last few weeks.  Full blown panic.

I was discussing this panic feeling this morning with 2 friends who are also homeschool moms, both of whom just finished their first year of homeschooling.  Their advice - once you know (or think you know) what works for your family...stop.  Just stop reading the forums.  Stop reading the blogs.  Stop comparing.  Enjoy what is now, and let tomorrow take care of itself.  Just. Stop.

That's a tall order for me.  Reading the forums and researching countless curriculums is what brought me to our current kindergarten plan.  It's what led me to MFW.  I do have a deep, inner peace about MFW, but the panic of "what else is out there, is this enough?" fights to gain control daily.  Let Go.  Let God.  Step by Step.

And now, I'm scared!

J graduated from preschool last week. He's spent the last 2 years at a local church preschool attending a few days a week. He has loved it and it's been fun to watch him develop friendships.

And for as much as I've waited for this day...I'm scared out of my mind today! This is one of those "what was I thinking?" moments, for sure.

I have certainly selected WAY TO MUCH to do for kindergarten, I'm afraid.  We are working on the basics, handwriting, math, and phonics instruction daily.  I recently had a friend loan me FIAR and I've spent some time this afternoon looking it over.  I like it!  Especially considering the tag-along who will be 3 in the fall.  It will probably be over his head, but I think he will like the stories.  So...I think I'm going to do FIAR, possibly 2 days a week, then our Intro to Science the other 2 days a week.

Overloaded much? :). I am sure that I will settle down, relax, and just enjoy it!

Thick skin

Just as I've grown a thicker skin and become used to comments related to our family (adoption/race), I expect to hear lots of homeschooling comments also.

It's that time of year when preschool wraps up and kindergarten looms ahead.  DS1 has been in a church based preschool for 2 years, so at pick up time, talk naturally turns toward kindergarten for the moms.  I stay quiet unless specifically asked, and yesterday I was asked how roundup went for DS1. After I said that we didn't do roundup and were homeschooling, I got the "oh".  It was an "oh" of disapproval.

And I didn't care one bit. (which is PROGRESS for me!)

Recently, a tball mom friend and I were talking. We each have boys that are the same age.  Kindergarten came up, and I shared our hosed school plans...and she seemed envious! She said that she didn't want her son gone at school all day and wished she could homeschool too...I'm sure I will hear a lot of that too!

The great curriculum decision

Oh, Sonlight, how you draw me in like a moth to a flame. (except for your price!) And as much as I love the way it looks, studying IG's and samples out the wazoo have shown me that it is not for us.

MFW...lovely MFW.  While I wanted to love you for kindergarten...I don't. I can't.  It's not what a kid who has 2 years of preschool under his belt needs.  But for first grade, however...hmmm.  Strongly considering it.

We are lightly schooling throughout the summer, both for my benefit as a newbie, and to get DS1 into the routine of seatwork.  Preschool officially is over next week for him, and we usually don't do more than reading books on preschool days.  Days without preschool, however, we have school.

For now, and my plan for the summer, is this: we start with our Jesus Storybook Bible and a devotional from His Mighty Warrior: A Treasure Map From Your King.  After that, we tackle the hardest first, so it's phonics.  We are taking a break from OPGTR right now and using Progressive Phonics instead.  DS1 enjoys the little stories and it's easier for him, which is the confidence booster he needs.  I'm not that much of a fan of them yet, but they are simple and he can participate in reading a story.  He's not a natural reader and it takes a lot of work for him to sound out CVC words. (He's also a young 5, so no biggie)  He LOVES to do handwriting, and is actually better at it than I thought.  We are using ARFH-K and each time we learn a new letter, there is an animal picture to color, then gets hung on the wall.  Math is Singapore Essential Math (although will probably change to CLE math next year), and that seems to be going pretty decent.  I thought he was more math-oriented that he is, so I've had to adjust my expectations of math.  And hey, it's kindergarten.  It's fine.  (And part of the reason we are homeschooling - for him to learn at his pace.)

I am one of the ones that believe that anything other than the 3 R's in K is icing on the cake; however, I want him exposed to more.  So starting in the fall we are working on Elemental Science: Intro 2 days/week and working on basic geography and a beginner National Geographic Atlas 2 days/week.  The other day of the week will be library/play/field trip/watch a movie/whatever day.

I also have FIAR to throw into the mix if I get bored.  And booklists.  By fall, DS2 will be 3 (he's a fall birthday) and he is VERY busy and learning also.  I need to start coming up how to keep him from leveling the house and starting on basic pre-k work.

Welcome to Providence

Providence: (noun) Divine guidance or care, God as the guide of mankind.

Since deciding to homeschool and feeling that it is where God wants me right now, I've wanted to come up with a name for our little school. An official name isn't required by our state, but it was just something I wanted to do. I've thought and thought about scripture verses, incorporating our street name or last name, etc. All the usual stuff. finally, it came to me.

Providence.

Ad oh, how it fits our family perfectly. It was through God's providence that our kids were born into their first families. Providence that cared for them, protected them. Providence that led us to them. Providence that had me working a full time job for a decade to be able to stay home and homeschool now.

Providence.