As I said in my last post I am in a rut. I am taking steps to dig myself out. The first step was taken yesterday. One of my fellow homeschool moms told me about a co-op at a local YMCA for the kids, so we decided to check it out.
It was just what we needed. The kids get PE, exercise, swimming lessons, Spanish and art. The price is great and it gives them some much needed time with other homeschool kids and me time to just be. We will start in a week and a half, the kids can't wait.
We have tried several activities with ps kids and almost all have turned out not for us. My kids and I just don't have that much in common with most of the ps kids. I especially have a hard time with them spending too much time with children who have no respect for adults, especially their parents. And don't get me wrong, I know that not all homeschool children are perfect. It has just been our experience that the home school children that we spend time with are very respectful and my kids have more positive experiences when they are with them.
Since this is our first full year of home I am constantly tweaking our curriculum and learning experiences to fit my children's needs. That is one of the reasons I love homeschool so much.
TT is thriving in math thanks to Math U See. I do worry when I look at the standards and see what the state says he should be doing. They think a child should master so much at one time. But I will keep doing what I am because I know it is what is best for TT.
He is also enjoying English with Rod and Staff. I may change my curriculum next year. I would like to focus on review of the parts of speech and more writing, but we will wait until next year to change.
The morning work that I assign him each morning has been very effective. He does handwriting, math, and journal writing every morning. I also add some Language Arts when I feel like it. The books I use are from the local book stores and discount stores. They are great to review basic skills.
The bug jar incentive program I started after Christmas has been very effective also with TT. I believe he needs to work towards a goal. Maybe it is from being in ps too long. I use those simple sticker pages with 20 blanks that have rooms for stickers. I used the bug jars because I had some left over from my classroom. I allow the kids to choose their reward to work towards. I write it on the page and then they earn bugs by getting good grades on assignments, completing chores, etc. TT decided he wanted to go out to lunch with me to our favorite Sushi place. Poogie wants to go out to lunch at TGI Friday's. It has been a lot of fun watching their jars fill up.
Poogie doesn't really need any incentive to learn she just loves doing it. I am so glad I started homeschooling her so early.
Any who, I've got to run to the library.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Help, I've fallen in a rut and can't get out!
That pretty much sums up our homeschool right now. The weather has not been very nice to say the least and we have all had the crud and therefore been locked up in this house way too long.
I have been planning and doing my lessons like always but I just haven't been finding any joy in teaching nor learning with the kids. We really enjoy the Charlotte Mason type learning we have been doing, but I can't commit fully to it.
You see when I decided to homeschool I planned on doing it for the long run. My hubby and I decided at that time that there wasn't anything that could make us put our children back into the pubic school system in our area. I felt relaxed. It was nice to know that I didn't have to shove skills down my children's throats that they weren't ready to learn just because the state says they are.
Now that relaxed feeling is gone. In its place is the worry of having to put them back in school and go back to work. It tends to be the answer in our family when things get a little tough. It's not that I am against working. I do miss teaching sometimes. However, my real concern in my children, not a classroom full of students. It was a nightmare when they were in school and I don't want to relive it.
Plus, I found out from my homeschool group that a bill in the House right now that would require homeschoolers to have to take the state assessment tests. These are one of the reasons I disliked teaching so much. This bill would make homeschoolers have to teach to the state and national standards like the public schools. Thus, the stress would return.
I do review the state standards for both of my children and make sure that we are touching upon them, but I do not fret if I try and they are not ready for a particular skill at that time. I just make a note to try again at another time. I just want to teach my children in a way in which they are not just memorizing facts but actually learning about the world and how to apply what they learn in it. Public schools do not promote this. Ug! I could go on and on.
What I am really trying to say is that I want to use a more relaxed method like Charlotte Mason, but I cannot do that when I am constantly faced with the idea that I may have to place my kids back in school. My son is my greatest worry because he struggles so much with math and even though he is making great progress with Math U See, public schools use Saxon and he cannot handle it. I fear what would happen to him at this time if he had to return to public school. He had such a horrible time before, and it has took a year to get him back on track.
I just hope and pray that we are able to keep homeschooling, it is what works for us.
I have been planning and doing my lessons like always but I just haven't been finding any joy in teaching nor learning with the kids. We really enjoy the Charlotte Mason type learning we have been doing, but I can't commit fully to it.
You see when I decided to homeschool I planned on doing it for the long run. My hubby and I decided at that time that there wasn't anything that could make us put our children back into the pubic school system in our area. I felt relaxed. It was nice to know that I didn't have to shove skills down my children's throats that they weren't ready to learn just because the state says they are.
Now that relaxed feeling is gone. In its place is the worry of having to put them back in school and go back to work. It tends to be the answer in our family when things get a little tough. It's not that I am against working. I do miss teaching sometimes. However, my real concern in my children, not a classroom full of students. It was a nightmare when they were in school and I don't want to relive it.
Plus, I found out from my homeschool group that a bill in the House right now that would require homeschoolers to have to take the state assessment tests. These are one of the reasons I disliked teaching so much. This bill would make homeschoolers have to teach to the state and national standards like the public schools. Thus, the stress would return.
I do review the state standards for both of my children and make sure that we are touching upon them, but I do not fret if I try and they are not ready for a particular skill at that time. I just make a note to try again at another time. I just want to teach my children in a way in which they are not just memorizing facts but actually learning about the world and how to apply what they learn in it. Public schools do not promote this. Ug! I could go on and on.
What I am really trying to say is that I want to use a more relaxed method like Charlotte Mason, but I cannot do that when I am constantly faced with the idea that I may have to place my kids back in school. My son is my greatest worry because he struggles so much with math and even though he is making great progress with Math U See, public schools use Saxon and he cannot handle it. I fear what would happen to him at this time if he had to return to public school. He had such a horrible time before, and it has took a year to get him back on track.
I just hope and pray that we are able to keep homeschooling, it is what works for us.
Friday, February 15, 2008
I ROCK!
At least that is how I feel when I play my kids PS2 game Sing Star. Poogie got the game for Christmas and I hadn't really gave it alot of thought. We got it out the other night just to play around with and I got hooked.
The greatest part about the game is that I have always been told that I can't sing. But according to the game I can sing quite well. It judges you on your ability to hit the notes correctly and according to the game I can SING! Now whether thats true or not I'm not sure, but it sure is fun.
My hubby and I have battled it out to some of our favorite tunes. In fact the whole family has spent hours laughing and having fun with this game. Maybe I am too hard on TT about all the time he spends on the video game?? Nah.
The greatest part about the game is that I have always been told that I can't sing. But according to the game I can sing quite well. It judges you on your ability to hit the notes correctly and according to the game I can SING! Now whether thats true or not I'm not sure, but it sure is fun.
My hubby and I have battled it out to some of our favorite tunes. In fact the whole family has spent hours laughing and having fun with this game. Maybe I am too hard on TT about all the time he spends on the video game?? Nah.
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