We reached the decision to homeschool after much time in prayer, looking @ pros & cons for our family circumstances, and LOTS of FAITH!
The fact that this is becoming a reality for our family RIGHT NOW, THIS year, is crazy to me. Not because I always dreamed of homeschooling & longed for the days where I had the opportunity to do so. No. In fact, the complete opposite! You know how they say, "Never say never"? Well, *gulp*, I'm pretty sure, at some point in my life, I uttered these words..."I would never homeschool." But at some point, about a year or so ago, I began to think differently...that maybe, at some point in the not-so-near future, it might be something we'd consider. You know, like YEARS down the road so I'm not anywhere near having to make a decision about it. But I found myself dropping the idea of homeschooling into conversation here & there. Then, when I met strangers that homeschooled, I'd ask them what curriculum they use, what they like about homeschooling, just investigating it a bit.
As I look back on those conversations & encounters, I know that God was softening my heart to the idea. Because this summer, something that started as a quiet whisper & a 'I'm just thinking about it' soon became a burning desire that couldn't be ignored. I continued to be in prayer about it, talked with a few important people about the idea (mainly Eric & my momma, but some others too!), read & researched about it, and waited. Kory was actually super-pumped about the idea of being homeschooled. Once we mentioned it, she went on & on about 'IF we homeschool this...', 'IF we homeschool that...' Her enthusiasm excited me! She has a love of learning that I want to nurture. I pray she never loses that love & I pray that we don't let her down in her search for knowledge.
So today, in pj's & crazy hair, on a Friday, before her public school would start, we 'began' homeschooling.
Kip wanted to 'do school' to, & did so well with the times Kory needed my attention & leaving Kory alone to work. That's going to be the hardest part of all of this I think...when sissy is around, Kip wants to play, play, play. Annnndddd...he gets *kinda* (read REALLY) jealous when the attention is focussed on Kory, not him.
Soon after beginning & doing just a little letter 'work' (games), Kip was done with school & wanted to do some 'farm work'. Which was perfectly fine! :)
When Kory finished her lessons, she was sad school was over for the day. She's gone on & on all day about how much she LOVES HOMESCHOOL!!
If you feel so inclined, please be in prayer for our family as we embark on this journey!
Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. (Psalm 127:3 NIV)
Good for you! I had no idea that you were going to homeschool...but I think that your decision is awesome!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura! I hope your school year is great! Looks like you're getting settled into your new school and team nicely. Those kinder babies are in for a treat with you as their teacher :)
DeleteGood job Momma! I'm going to start some preschool curriculum with Reagan this year. It's been on my heart lately too. What do you use? I'm thinking about using the toddler curriculum on kidsparkz.com
ReplyDeleteI've heard of that but haven't looked at it yet. I'm not necessarily doing anything set. He plays different apps on the iPad, we read together, and he has some "fun" quiet (supposed to be anyway!) activities I pull out just for him while Kory is working. He's going to be going to a MDO program 1 day/week, so I'll probably just go along with whatever their theme/letter is each week/month and incorporate some activities, discussion, and books that support what they're doing. For Kory, I became really overwhelmed with what curriculum to choose and didn't want to invest in some that ended up not working for us. It was creating too much stress for me, so I was so thankful to find Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool. It's completely online & FREE :) I thought it would be a good way for us to ease into this without creating too much stress. She's an excellent self-guided learner. She does her core subjects independently with help from me when needed, then we're doing history and Bible study together. I don't know that we'll stick with this curriculum for the whole year, but we're giving it a try to get us going. I'll be adding in 'extra' lessons & activities here and there for hands-on experience.
DeletePart of the reason it was so hard for me to decide what curriculum to use is because I wasn't starting her from the beginning. If I was starting all of my kids home schooling from Kinder/1st, I think I really like the Classical Education method and My Father's World Curriculum.
If you're feeling it's on your heart to home school, be in prayer about it. I know it's not for everyone, but if you feel the nudge, it's probably for you & your family. :) I read a blog that said, "Not everyone feels the call to home school, but if you do, obey it." (that's paraphrased)
Whether you home school or not, Reagan is a blessed little girl to have you as her momma and she'll always be learning from the great example you set for her! :)
Sorry for the novel!! You know me...a lady of many words! ha! :)