homeschooling part 2

Let me start by saying that kids are learning even when you think they're not. They are blank canvases completely capable of painting themselves. But it doesn't hurt to let them borrow your paintbrush once in a while.
So my curriculum...after reading, lots and lots of googling, tweaking my budget and going over education goals with my husband (very important to do!), I've come up with our curriculum for next year. Some we've already done before and some we're new to. I'll give you a quick run down of each subject. Keep in mind that my children are pretty young, so most of this doesn't go higher than a 2nd grade level.
Reading: Headsprout. These are interactive "episodes" that last about 20 minutes each. The program adapts to each reader and really keeps kids engaged. It really works for our family. The program is very affordable, can be done from any computer, sends a great progress map and stickers, and you get a multi-kid discount! There are tons of printable books as well as some that they send you. We also do just good old fashion reading. We make weekly library trips, go to story time, and I read to them at least an hour a day. I also try to open discussion about books that we read and I let the children make up their own stories.

Math: Singapore Math. This is the only math program we've ever used. It's superb. The text book and workbook have really great illustrations and don't cram lots of problems on each page. It's also very visual and many of the problems can immediately be applied in the real world. An example would be, "If there are 10 balls and 5 children, divide the balls evenly so each child gets an equal number of balls." The books also give fun activities to do in the home that allow the children to get a better grasp of the concepts by manipulating objects and having fun!
Handwriting: Handwriting Without Tears. This has worked really well for us so far. I highly suggest getting the teacher's guide as well. It has a wealth of information. My children also love using the personal chalkboards to practice on.

Science: I love Usborne books for this. We have First Encyclopedia of Science that I picked up for around $13. This book has "quick links" that can enhance the learning experience by allowing children explore brains, learn more about cells and many other things all online. We also have Usborne Book of Science Activities. (I have all three volumes.) These books are full of experiments that are simple enough for children to do on their own with things found around the house. We also listen to a CD called Here Comes Science by They Might be Giants just about every day. Full of fun science songs. And just so you know, it does have a few involving the Theory of Evolution, but we're Catholic, so we're A-OK with that.
I have more information, I promise! But it will have to wait until next time. I hope I helped anyone new to homeschooling, anyone thinking about homeschooling, or anyone who wants to do something for summer enrichment. Stay tuned for the next post involving social studies and history!

homeschooling part 1

The most common question I get right after, "are all these kids yours?" is "why do you homeschool?" I get asked that when I'm out on errands by other parents who are wondering why my kids are with me and not in school. I get asked that by friends and family. But I've noticed that the people who ask me most are the people who want to give it a shot. So here is my long overdue post about the why's and the how's of homeschooling.

I never thought I would be the homeschooling type. I have a sister with 5 kids that she homeschools, and I always thought she was crazy. But I also noted how her kids were not only smart, but they really loved learning. Still, I never thought it was a possiblity for me. Until we moved to Houston. My husband flew to Houston and had one weekend to find a house. He did great and I love our home, but the first time I drove by the elementary school that we were zoned to, I started crying. The school was so crowded that there were portable buildings all over the place to be used as classrooms. I later heard that one school near us had 13 kindergarten classes coming in the next year! That's 13 classes with around 20 students each just in kindergarten!

Now I'm in no way saying public school is bad. We are blessed that all of our children get a chance to have an education. Nor am I saying that my kids are different than all others and should get special treatment. But since I'm already a stay at home mom with lots of little ones, I thought I should look up alternatives before registering them for public school. (At this point my oldest was entering kindgergarten.) I just didn't feel right sending them off most of the day for 5 days a week to be drowned in a sea of kids. I wanted them to have a small and enjoyable classroom experience.

I sat down one night last July and started googling homeschooling and homeschooling co-ops around Katy, Texas. I was lucky to find an awesome little school called the Curious Mind School. It started out as a homeschool co-op and is now a private school. Liam went to kindergarten here and took some first grade classes as well for two days a week. We did his homework and I taught him a bit the other three days. The school changed up things for a bit for next year, however. Grades K-2 can only attend one day a week as homeschooled children due to the growth of the school and the lack of space and the desire to keep tuition down (which is all fine by me!).

I learned so much by teaching Liam just those 3 days a week last year. The experience has really prepared me to be a full time homeschool mom. I will say this. If you decided to homeschool, make sure to make time for yourself! Get babysitters during the week sometimes. Get your husband to look after the kids a couple of night a week and take a break! It's tough being with your kids all the time. I love hanging out with them and teaching them, but I also love myself and my hobbies.

So that's my story of how I ended up as a homeschooling mom. In part 2, I'll talk about my curriculum and hopefully the why part will be more understood. I hope that by showing what I teach my children, people who are thinking about homeschooling will see the great benefits that come with it.

the summer of make and do

It's summer break!!!!!!!!!!!! And it is HOT! Before noon today, the temperature had reached 100 degrees. Can you say UGH?! But there's no reason to let this heat stop us from having an awesome summer! So I've been keeping a running list in my head of things I'd like to do with my family this summer. Of course there will be lots of swimming and playing in the sprinkler, but sometimes that's not feasible for me with little ones who need naps. So let's get started!

1. Ice block of toys: Put a few little toys in a bucket of water and stick it in the freezer. Then let the kids have at it and see what tools they use to free the toys. My kids have had so much fun with this one. We've done it about 5 times in the past 3 days.

2. Big Bubble Wand

3. At Home Theater: We love Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. They're easy for my 6 and 4 year old to read and my 3 year old has them memorized. So we started using them as "scripts". The kids take turns being Gerald, Piggie and any other friend that shows up in the book. Perhaps we'll make masks to go along with each script soon. We're also reading The Hobbit for our big summer read. I'm working on making little hobbit feet and a Smaug costume so we can put on a little play when we're done.

4. Big Draw: big roll of paper + lots of markers = fun! (pictured above)

5. Shadow Puppets from Fairy Tales: I talked about this in my old blog. The kids still love doing it. They now make their own and it's a great way for them to learn Grimm Brother tales or Mother Goose rhymes or Aesop's Fables. Plus we do it inside where the air conditioner is!

6. You-Pick-It Farms: Find your local you-pick-it farm! Blueberry season is coming up here! Yay!

7. Gardening My kids love running to the garden each morning to pick the tomatoes and squash.

8. Build a Robot: My boys have been begging to build a robot. So far all we've done is build a cardboard Wall-E. There are tons of kits out there for a real robot.

9. Make Ice Cream: The fun activity you can eat. I either want to do this or this.

10. Embroidery: Just give them some fabric, floss and a needle and see what they can do. I used to do this all the time as a kid. There are even little kits you can get a craft stores with instructions and all just for wee ones. Or you can just get the kids to doodle on fabric and "trace" it with embroidery floss.

11. Folding clothes while reading: Hmmmm, sounds like a chore doesn't it? Well, we love reading in this house. And we love reading out loud. And it just so happens I have a lot of laundry to do. So we came up with the idea of someone reading aloud while the others are folding clothes. Gives them practice reading and folding!

12. Nature Journal: I got this idea from reading about Charlotte Mason home schooling. Make little journals for each kid and go for a walk. They can either write or draw about what they see.

13. Lemonade Stand: Classic summertime activity!

14. Rockets You can get rocket kits at Hobby Lobby. Most are not that expensive, but all are fun!! Just make sure to find a big open area to launch.

15. Video Games "What?! She said video games!" Yes, yes I did. Because they are fun! Some that I recommend: Wii Party, Mario Kart, New Super Mario Bros, any Legend of Zelda, Mario Party 8. Most of these are multi-player and Legend of Zelda is awesome. Our kids even love our original Nintendo Entertainment System, which you can get on Ebay.

16. Read, Read, Read! Our library started their summer reading program last week. We are so excited about it! You can see if your library has a reading program, or just let the kids peruse the shelves!

I'm sure there are things we won't get to and some things we'll do that aren't on the list. The most important thing is to have FUN, FUN, FUN! And if any of you people out there in internet world have any suggestions to add, please leave them in the comments!

****This post is dedicated to Gabbie and Aiden! Show that babysitter how to have some summer fun right at home!****