One Family's Decision

First off, great topic! Also, I like that everyone tells how it was their own family decision... not that everyone who reads this home schools in the official sense. And in our case, we even, at present, use the public school.

It seems that the two before me had it a bit easier in this decision process. Maybe not. Maybe they have only shared a little. However, my struggle was more than just questions and, in fact, was brought about with serious emotional battles. Not to say that education is emotional (though for some it can be) but rather the steps to making our decision were agonizing!

We, too, did the research. We, too, asked all the questions and then some. We even tracked down individuals who went through various schoolings who were like our children (gifted - at least so far). Let me back up just a minute... when our first was born, we both were in favor of Home Schooling mostly because of our realization that society's standards were far below our own. However, as my husband finished schooling to become a teacher, he saw many of the good sides of public school. Let's face it, there is no perfect educational environment for all children. But rather, there is a perfect (or near perfect) solution for each child. This opened a window for me to explore the various schooling options. However, my husband made another realization which set him fully on public school. That was: the more children we had, the less of my time I could devote to teaching them and giving them each that individual time... let alone the house work.

When Gabi taught herself to read in one week (when given the resources), I knew that public school would not be the answer. We had (just before this) moved to a small town where she would have been 1 of 4 students in her class. She would have been able to have a special instruction with her teacher (larger classes don't allow for this because of the time demands on the teacher). However, our school was told they could no longer have a kindergarten class and that those students would be bused 8 minutes away to be combined with another group. This happened after we had registered her... and discovered that kindergarten screening had nothing to do with reading, coloring, speech, math, names, addresses, etc.

Two weeks into the school year, we are told we needed to consider skipping our daughter. The only real answer academically, yet putting her with kids (we're talking up to two grades) who are bigger than her... and she is small for her age. This is when the struggle and unease went into full blown crisis... for lack of a better word.

Her school and teachers are trying to work with her. However, she's missing part of one class to get another or not having a class at all one day because it doesn't work with her normal class schedule. Thus the downside to a small district comes into play.

In the end, through much prayer and much divine guidance (helping us find the information and the people to talk with), we have decided to home school. As the next two children have already shown these same signs of giftedness (and one a little more so), this decision, for now, is for all our children. But because Gabi was already in school, we decided to let her choose whether to start in January or in September. She chose September. But, when she's home, she continues to demand to be taught (something she's done since birth) and the others have already begun.

That is our journey... but the following are our reasons (in no particular order):

1. Gifted children do not get the support in public schools that other children do because of laws that won't allow teachers to fully accommodate them. Even gifted plans do not begin before 2nd grade and typically not until at least 3rd grade. Even those plans are limited by law.

2. ATTITUDE! When my children are home (including Gabi) the dynamic is loving. They try to be nice (but they are siblings) and they are more helpful. The words they use are in keeping with gospel standards. And the way they say them as well. When Gabi is in school for 1.5 weeks, her attitude drops. She's a different, mean, rude, and bossy child. It only gets worse as the time goes on. When school is not in session, transitioning back to her normal self takes two or three days. But having her back is great!

3. Gospel Study. Gabi loves to read her scriptures. But finding the time to do it is difficult when she is in school. When she comes home, she only wants "free time" because she's tired of the schedule. And I don't have the time to sit with her and help her understand because it's the late afternoon when kids are screaming and hungry as I try to get dinner ready.

4. Language. We have been studying ASL since Gabi was a baby. This is not offered in school. And, in a small district, neither is Spanish which we want to expose our children to because this is the language my husband teaches, and used on his mission.

5. FAMILY TIME! Gabi is one of the lucky ones as far as time away from home for public school. She's the last one picked up and the third one dropped off. She's gone 7 hours a day. When she has homework, then her afternoon is gone. Then it's dinner time. Then it's bedtime. No room for an occassional stay up late night for the family to spend time together.

6. LEARNING IS FUN! Since birth, my children have felt learning to be fun! They are eager to learn. They want to excel. But we've always allowed them to learn what they want, when they want. We encourage and allow them to read when they want to. Right now, in school, Gabi HAS to read whenever the rest of the class is doing something that is too easy for her. That's, as she put it, "almost all the time" She had learned to hate reading. She wouldn't even pick up a book to read for herself, let alone to her brothers or sister. She wants to learn about volcanoes, dinosaurs, stars, write a book... things that most kindergarteners don't get to do. (They did help her make a volcano, but that was all)

7. Values and Principles. Children are impressionable... for good or bad. My husband held the theory that putting them out in the world at five was like a vaccination. Let them hear and see from the other kids while we could still correct them at home. This works for some people. However, there is no harm in providing a secure environment to teach these things as the primary example for them. As one lady put it (and I'm paraphrasing), it's not that home schooling parents do it any better than public schooling parents. Rather, they just have more time to re-enforce good principles.

8. FAMILY UNITY! The more time my children spend together, the more friendly they are to each other. They call each other their best friends. They play together, learn together, teach together, and love together. This family unity is of great importance to me. Knowing that our family is forever, I want us to WANT to be together, instead of feeling STUCK with each other.


9. My selfish reason...INDIVIDUAL TIME WITH MY KIDS! I know that sounds ridiculous... mother of four, home schooling all, dad works full time and more... but really, it's my selfish reason. I use to envy my husband because whenever a child would get "one-on-one" time, it was with him. I wanted that too. I wanted to build those relationships like that as well. When we started really home schooling, I noticed that the children stopped fighting over who got my time and attention. They were willing to let me work with each one separately. They learned to take turns with me... knowing that they would also get a turn. We build a separate and individual relationship in addition to working on our formal education.

So, that's it... in a not so little nut shell. But, with all that being said. I must admit that if the opportunity were to ever arise for me to give my children an education that I could not duplicate and which would be wholesome and good, then I would not hesitate to do it. Even if this meant moving, or public school, or exchange, or whatever.

My reason

Thanks for bringing this topic up...My reasons are well kinda selfish at first...My big girl is just 3yrs old. I already feel like so much of her life has gone by (her life with me) and as much as I wouldn't put her in daycare and miss out on her growing up, I have no desire to send her away to school for 6-8 hrs a day and allow them to see her growing/learning and I miss being a primary educator (and learner, as I wholeheartedly believe she will teach me as much as I teach her). I am not ready to miss her. I am not ready for someone else to decide for my daughter what will be important for her to learn and what wont. I am not ready for her to learn her values from conversations at school (or peers). I am not ready for her to be told she is not smart in the way they measure it.
On the other hand I am ready for her to love being with her family. I am ready for her to excel in learning and actually believe it is fun, instead of a dreadful thing to be nervous about (TEST). I am ready for her to grow in her understanding and appreciation of the world. I am ready to watch my baby grow, learn, fall and pick her self back up, struggle and succeed. I am ready to watch her teach her younger siblings some of the things she has learned without thinking they are too young or not in her "grade" so they wont get it. I am ready to watch my daughter learn values based on our faith in God, His Son, as well as faith in our fellow men (seeing the best in others).
I am her mother. I know her better than anyone. And atleast with my oldest, she is a spitting image of me (in personality and learning) and when I think about how different my view of education would have been had I been HS, well lets just say it would not have taken me till College (lucky I even made it too college) to learn that educating myself could be fun. It cost alot of money to learn that simple lesson.
I am not perfect. There are days when I am outta sorts and her education suffers abit. I dont even know how to teach certain subjects (like geometry) as I myself still do not understand what my teachers were trying to teach me. We will learn together. There will be many moments when she gets it before me and can learn it even better by having to teach her poor old mom something.
We tend to forget that public schools have not been around that long. They are an experiment too.The thing that has been around the longest is homeschooling. Whether in family units or co-op type situations. And then even when public schools came around, towns were smaller. Students of all ages met in the same room. Classes were much much smaller. Teachers usually lived with a local family or where already part of the community, so teachers knew their students better and were better able to tailor their education to them and their particular goals.
The closest we will ever get to 'school' will be a Montessori type situation. They are typically not as long of a day, less structured, and geared towards individual learning. If we are ever living around one and can afford it (as it cosy Way more than HS)then we will see if any of our children our interested in trying it out. It would still never replace them being educated at home, I would just supplement what they are getting at school or help fill in the blanks if any exist.
As for the much looked forward bus ride. Still have not figured out about that. Maybe I can 'borrow' one sometime or take her on a field trip in one.
I mean, really, I rode the bus...it is not all it is cracked up to be. Some of my worst peer experiences happened on that thing.
I am excited about learning with my children. It keeps me busy and my mind active. I really can't see anything she will be missing out on.
I am thankful for a husband who supports this decision (even though he excelled in a school environment). He himself wishes he had been HS.
I look forward to our family growing closer together in this crazy world because of our time HS'ing.

What Is Your Reason?

I've been thinking alot about this lately and thought this was an appropriate place to think it out.
Some of my children would flunk in PS and some of them would thrive. Therefore, I have core reasons that are applicable to all five as well as individual reasons. Ill write about a few of each.
I have been homeschooling for almost seven years now. Throughout the years, I have seen myself change and evolve as a parent and as a teacher....always seeking to balance the two.
When we first moved here, Caleb was five, had been to a great preschool in Utah and was excited about riding the bus. He was unaware of the struggle that we were having concerning his education. I had been thinking about HS since he was born. But like everyone, I struggled with the typical questions. Can I give him what he needs? Do I have what it takes? Will it ruin or strengthen our relationship? Will he be missing out? What about all of the good things about PS? Will I be able to adequatley prepare him for mission/college/life out in the big world? My resources are limited, what about exposing him to things I know nothing about? What if he misses his calling in life because he never found out what he really enjoys? What if he falls behind....everyone will say "it's because he is homeschooled." (As if that never happens in PS.) What will my inlaws think? We live in a sheltered community, isn't homeschooling going to make that worse? What am I going to do when he gets smarter than me? Will he resent me when he is grown-up? And many, many more. I've thought about them all. Every good parent has asked themselves similar questions based on the decisions they make for their own children.
Innitialy, the bases of my decision was as simple as this: I didn't think he was ready for all day kindergarten, and I certainly wasn't ready for him to be away from home for eight hours every day. I don't mean "not ready" from an academic standpoint....he was doing all the normal stuff (and then some.) I was afraid that he wouldn't get the stimulation he needed. I was afraid that he would be bored and turned off to learning, which is my BIGGEST fear. I feel like the PS system has a conveyor belt way of "processing" students and I didn't feel like Caleb was ready to fit into their mold. Which we all know, if they don't fit, they don't succeed. I feel this way even today. Caleb is not a "traditional learner." Maybe that's because I believe so strongly in "child innitiated learning," so much of the time he learns what he wants to learn. Currently his interests are birds of prey, ancient Egypt, skiing, Legos, (well, that one is constant) the human body and algebra. We will persue these subjects until he has had enough, moved on or loses interest....whatever you want to call it. I'm not sure he would be permitted to learn this way in PS. I apply this same technique to each of my children. They are individuals. I am a firm believer that if they learn it (meaning anything) when they want to learn it, they retain it. For example, each of my children learned to read at different ages. One was six, the next one was five, the third has just recently learned to read (also six) and the fourth one is four and learning to read. (we use the book "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lesons"). I have taught them all when they asked to learn. I don't believe in dumbing them down and I don't believe in pushing them too hard. It is a tricky balance that I feel only a mother can acheive. At home, there are no learning standards, pressure to succeed or the government looking over our shoulder. We learn in freedom.
I understand that Lauren will eventually plateau and be even with her peers. Just because she learns to read at age four doesn't mean that she will always be ahead of her game. I've read all the studies. However....that does NOT mean I should hold her back (or dumb her down) if she is currently thrilled about being empowered to read! Learning is fun and exiting. Many of us have developed a resentment toward learning because we went through the PS system. And many of us have had to wait until we are adults to learn how enjoyable learning really is. Think about how much further ahead we would all be if we were never taught that learning was uncool, boring or nerdy. Now.....I know that not everyone had the same, rotten experience in PS that I had. I also know that things have "changed" (for better or worse, depending on who you ask).
At this pont in my career as a homeschooling Mom, my reasons are different. I am still evolving and have much to learn. I really enjoy it, they really enjoy it, it is working for us, the Lord has let me know that this is the right thing for our family and at this point there is no reason to change course.
Just to be fair and objective, we revisit this decision every year, with every child. It also helps me feel less intimidated if I remind myself that we are doing this one year at a time.
The first year was the hardest, second was better. Now we are in a "groove" and I feel like I have a pretty good handle on our educational persuits. The Lord has blessed us so much and continues to do so.
We will carry on.
So tell me.....What is your reason?
KKS

Package

Well my package from RainbowResources has arrived. I got up early this morning just to look through the workbooks ordered. I can already tell that Liliana and I will love the Rod & Staff Bible stories (preschool age) package. It comes with like 6-7 books covering different skills, as well as an actual bible story for the parent to read with the child each day (and a page to color that goes along with each story). It is meant to educate and teach values, a good combo in my mind. I believe the pack cost 18.00 or so for the whole set one would need with a pre-k child.
I also ordered a fun card game that I would recommend. It is called "Sequence Rummy". It is flash card size deck of cards that you have to put in the right sequence, you can also play rummy with it once you are a little older child. It was like $2.00.
They threw in one of their catalogs, which took up half of the shipping box it is so huge. Do not know when I will have time to look through that but am excited to have it around for reference.
Anyway, I am just excited about playing (learning) with my child.

Music To Enrich Young Ones

Hey, I meant to tell everyone of another wonderful gift our children (Beth and Peter) received for their birthdays a couple of weeks ago. For anyone who is interested in various styles of music, but with a wonderful kid twist, you'll like these!

Jazz For Kids put out by Verve Records which has all jazz but done with songs like "Old McDonald" and "Aint Nobody Here But us Chickens"

World Playground put out by Putumayo Kids which brings you music from such countries as Senegal, Greece, Israel, Congo, and many more. This one even comes with the words to all the songs.

Anyway, lots of fun... lots of cultural diversity ...and the kids love them!

Pattern Blocks

We now have a set of pattern blocks (thanks to a birthday present for one of the kids). We also have a set of the pattern shape cards for grades 2-6. Our children are not that old yet, but even Jeremy could do the easier ones. Gabi liked to work with the ones that are just the full outline, all white inside. And we challenged Beth to use only certain colors (not the colors shown - having already figured out that it would work with the new colors)! She loved this, as she's our little puzzler. We also challenged the kids to make certain shapes, seeing how many of one design they could create.

We've not really sat down to use them for actual math related concepts... at least not in teaching format... but we'll get there. Right now they are just having fun.

Need A Little Insight

So I'm getting ready to order some things... figured I better be prepared to keep kids learning and busy while down at my Dad's when the fated call comes. As I was looking at stuff, though, I realized I don't know anything about where to really begin with young (and I mean barely school age and not even school age) kids with science, social studies and geography.

Now don't get me wrong, certainly we've done some things here and there as life has presented, but I've never really thought about this part of the structure. It's so easy at this point to just focus on the reading, writing, and math (the seemingly more obvious things) Any suggestions?

Another Resource

Hmmmm. I may say more when it's not 5:00 a.m. I have been up since 3:00 a.m. and I am quite convinced this is not conducive to learning...my brain needs sleep. Anyway, I wanted to let you know of another resource: http://www.discountschoolsupply.com
I learned of the site through my creative arts class and the company has top quality materials for a reasonable price and you can buy in bulk if you want...which is what I recommend.

Educational Toys!

Let me just say I love educational toys! I mean the ones that really get the kids to think and they have fun at the same time!

We just recieved a new one (these kinds of toys are big gifts around here) and thought we'd share a little. It's a matching game by kidz delight. It's called "Explore the Earth". It looks kind of like a toddler's CD player with disks. But, it has pictures of kids from different places around the world. Each disk has picture of something: ie...instruments, clothes, food, etc They press a buttton and the CD spins, stopping so that only one picture is seen through the window. They ask who (wears, plays, etc) the item (naming the item) and the kids get two chances to get it right. If they do, they press the button and continue play. If they get it wrong after two times, then it tells them who is was. It's great for my kids. They love it! And I love that it gives a little exposure to other counties!

While I'm here, I want to mention that we have a traditional memory game which is faces around the world. They love that more than any other memory game. We also use a floor puzzle map of the United States. Candy Land and Candy Castle are great for colors and shapes. Cranium games are great for interactive (acting, drawing, modeling and brain power). We also love Izzy (for brain twisting) and Quiddler (for spelling fun).

A Guide

There are always the questions "Where to begin? And where do I go next?" running around in my head. I'm sure many of you feel the same way! Especially if you are homeschooling, or planning to homeschool, but I also go through this with my oldest who is, at present, in public school. Education is not something I just leave to the school alone because I know my child best and I don't have the same demands or restrictions that the school and teachers do. Also because my child loves to learn and, honestly, can't handle not learning (or doing) something.

I have found something that, in looking over, I really like. It's not actually a homeschooling or even a local curricumlum. I wanted something more on level with my own child, but mostly something to guide me. This does that, although we'll be working at various levels with it, so mostly I'm using it as a guide.

It's from a private school in Chile (yes, Chile the country). However, this school teaches a US Education and is the place where the ambassadors' children attend school (as well as local Chileans and Americans). I'm providing a link for anyone who wants to take a look. You will need to click on the corresponding age group to get the run down. They start with age 3 and go through 12th grade. Click on Academic and then any of the "schools" listed. Scroll down to find the list you want.

NIDO

We are not alone

So I was at the library today. I go every Thursday for storytime and to check out new movies and books. For movies, we usually pick out a few educational ones and a few fun ones (like she is watching snow white right now (which she has never seen) but we also picked one up about tunnels (for kids) and we occasionally pick up signing ones etc...) For books, the same goes. I have been picking up some Rookie Readers. i highly recommend these for early reading. They have the words on one page and the picture on another, which is so helpful for beginners. If both the words and the pic are on the same page the child ignores the words, but when seperated (the the words are printed bigger as well) then a child can look at each word while it is being said and then look at the picture to go along with what they just read. I also have been checking out sound books. There are certain letters Liliana has a hard time with (like "R" and "CH"), so I check out the R and CH book in this one series they have here. So for CH it will read like this, "Chad checks his bedroom for checkers" or something like that and show a picture to correspond. So she repeats after me while we read it.
Now while there today I ran into another mom. I recognized her as she is also there often. it never fails that if i wear my sling people want to know where I got it and want one (it is called, The Sling Set and is sold online only). So after chatting with her about that I overheard her telling someone she homeschools. So I asked her about it. She has a 7yr. old, 5yr twins, 3yr old and a baby on the way. She had her oldest in private school (cost $2,500/yr, which really isnt too bad compared to others) and decided she didnt like what her sweet child was changing into at school (started being meaner to her siblings, bad language, etc...) so she started to homeschool. She says for all 4 children she spends $500/yr in homeschooling supplies and said she could do it cheaper if she had to. She gave me some websites where she has found her material(s). I have not even looked at the sites yet but thought I would post them here as well.

My Father's World
Rainbow Resource Center

Learning Languages

Language is a huge part of our lives. Without it, we would be lonely and frustrated. But there is no real universal language, so we embark upon the wonders of the language we are most familiar with. In our family, that would be English. However, verbal language takes longer to fully develop than many of us mothers might enjoy. I, especially, find it difficult to wait for my child to communicate without screaming without words!

I had some ASL experience as a teenager and through college, and with that knowledge and the few books I had, I started my children on sign language early on. When I say early on, I mean around 4 or 5 months, having shown them several even sooner than that. It was easy for them to pick up, and very soon we had a way to communicate the necessities!

My children love sign language, so we've continued their education in this. However, my "textbooks" and "dictionaries" could only do so much...and even they were missing lots of specific words -- namely, foods -- so we looked into several different signing programs for children. We settled on, and love, "Signing Time!" It's definitely geared to young children, they love it, and with the music, it not only teaches them signs but manners and kindness and goodness in life. It's also on PBS, so check your local PBS station for times!

The downside, if you could call it that, is that it's mostly media (DVD or VHS). This is also great, though, since the visual signing is much easier to understand and pick up then trying to "read" the signing books.

They also have books, CDs and flashcards. I'm excited about the flashcards for on the go and when we're not wanting the media involvement. Right now there are only 4 packs, but I did contact them and they will be making the rest (a pack for each DVD) after they finish filming series two.

If you go to their website, scroll down to the bottom for links to activities and print offs. Most of their site is store, so if you don't want to be tempted to buy anything, don't visit! :)

Our family is not just sticking with English and ASL, though. My husband is fluent in and teaches Spanish. Therefore, we are also teaching our children Spanish (and me as well!). I'm not sure what we'll be using to help when he's not around to encourage the practice, but as we find things we like, we'll share them with you. For now, we've taught the children many of the words through "I Spy" games, basic conversation starters, bi-lingual and completely Spanish books, jingles he uses at school, and some Church Primary Songs.

We hope to open the way to many possibilities for our children to be able to communicate with many people!

Music Appreciation With Movement

Today is Music appreciation day... for us. We listen to a lot of music, sing a lot of songs, and make up our own songs all the time. But today is different. Today we are listening to a different style of music, moving to it, and using instruments to add to it.

We are currently using a DVD we were given called "Animusic a computer animation video album". Its is a collection of digital music put together with animation of instruments. In other words, the instruments are designed to play themselves or to allow nature to play them, all done in computer animation.

This is a differnt style of music than is normal for my children, and it also has great range of movement rhythms. They are dancing around, bouncing around, swaying, bending, jumping, reaching, and mimicking the instruments.

It's a fun way to explore a little music and their bodies, but it's also a great way to get them to move inside when the weather isn't the best, or they're a little on the sick side (Gabi started the day sick today and ended up home from school, but is feeling quite a bit better now).

This could also be done with any other music. Even creating a mixer of various speeds and styles of music for them to listen and move to would accomplish the same thing.

The Adventure of Reading

We have a reading time every day. Some days it's only me reading to the kids. When we do that, we're working on comprehension because I'll ask them questions like "how do you think (fill in the blank) feels?" or "where did (fill in the blank) go?" Other times each child gets a chance to read to me.

Gabi reads her chapter books, a chapter at a time. Sometimes she reads them on her own for silent reading and then tells me everything she can about the chapter. (I've read the book ahead of time so I can direct her with questions that make her stop and think). Other times, she reads the chapter aloud to me or her Dad. This allows us to make sure she's pronouncing her words correctily when she reads and gives us an opportunity to correct them and explain certain "exceptions to the rules" of which there are a lot.

Beth typically reads the easy readers, any level up through 4, by herself and to her brothers. When she reads with me (which is at least three times a week), she reads one page and I read another. She is also reading chapter books this way. We talk about what is happening as we go along. This has helped her to not get frustrated and to comprehend what she's reading.

Jeremy is in the "memorize" stage. This is a good stage, as it helps with visual recognition. Usually I read him a short book several times. I point to the words along the way. Then he usually takes the book from me and points to the words and says the "memorized" story back to me. Again, we talk about what is happening, how people feel, etc to help him learn to find these things as he reads.

Peter, well, we just read whatever he wants us too right now. He's not quite one, so the exposure is the most important part.

A couple of problems that we've found, which are normal, for early readers. The first is that they read far beyond their ability to comprehend. Thus all the work on comprehension. Second, finding books at their level but also appropriate for their age and interests is very difficult. We've been wandering around this for over a year now, but we've found with a parent reading side by side, that we can guide them through understanding concepts that are a little out of their familiar zone. Be careful, though, because if it's too far away from what they can imagine, then they won't get it. This happened with Gabi and the "Boxcar Children" series. When it happened, we gave it up and moved on to something else.

If your child is just starting to put letters together or learning the letter sounds, both Starfall and PBS (SuperWhy and Between the Lions) are good for interactive help on this.

Good Luck

Sites to Try Out

Thought you might be interested in this site I came across. I was looking for science projects and activities to do with toddlers and found this site which seems to have some of that and more. Let me know what you think. I'll be checking it out further over the next couple of weeks.

http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/

Also, some other sites I've found along the way I think might be worth checking out.

http://members.tripod.com/~Patricia_F/mathscience.html
http://www.kidport.com/
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Lesson_Plans/
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/
http://www.teach-nology.com/
http://www.ngdir.ir/SiteLinks/Kids/html/g0001.htm

Some Things We Did With What We Had

There are lots of things we've done over the years, but I won't mention them all. Many may come up on their own simply because we've still got children from baby up. But, I did want to share what did today.

I recently discovered that Jeremy, although knowing his alphabet and what most of the letter sounds are, does not recognize his letters out of sequence. So, we have several toys around our house with the alphabet. With one, it's magnets, I picked a random one and asked him what it was. If he got it right, he got to use that magnet. If it was wrong, it went back in the bucket. In either case, we said the correct letter, the sound and something that began with that letter. The other thing we did was to use letter blocks. I'd take one out at random and tell him the letter, the sounds and the two pictures that went with it. He repeated each and then was given the block to add to a tower.

During this time, Beth had a bunch of letters that stick together (a game from The Learning Center). She used that to practice spelling her words.

Next we got out some little rocks (the kinds you can buy in the craft section of the store for vases or such). We have three colors. First we sorted (a group things since this skills is already known for each). Then I put out a simple pattern for Jeremy and a complex pattern for Beth. They completed their patterns.

Beth also worked on math doing simple addition. Using the rocks again, she grouped out each number given, then combined them to see how many they made.

In each case, we worked only until they were tired of that particular activity.

Just before dinner, we looked up the nutritional value of the food items we had used in making dinner. This not only helped them to see which things their bodies need, but it got them excited and willing to eat some of the foods they normally complain about.

Some sites we like (though not used today) are: starfall.com, littlefingers.com, pbs.org (especially Arthur for the nutrition stuff and for SuperWhy for reading comprehension).

Why This Blog? - Educating The Whole Child

First I think it's important to note that education takes many forms. Education is a whole person, all life experience. That being said, it is also important to note that no matter how you formally educate your children, the primary responsibility still belongs to the parents. So, although this blog may seem geared entirely to homeschooling, the reality is that any of these things can be done as a supplement to any other form of education, even the traditional public schooling.

From the time our children are born, we are teaching them skills and knowledge which will enable them to be better people and able to function within the world. I often think back to a remark one mother said to me which was "You're a homeschooler. Whether or not you do it officially, you are already a homeschooler." She went on to say that taking the time to work with my children shows in what they have been able to learn for real life as well as brains. I want to add that all homes, all locations, all vacations, etc are homeschool environments in this particular view of homeschooling. It is not that they are traditional homeschools by societies standards, but rather that they are places which foster learning and growth.

It's also important to recognize that we ought to wisely use the resources available to us, no matter which type of education we decide is right for our children. This includes mentors, teachers, schools, clubs, sports, reliable and wholesome internet sources, libraries, churches, etc. Though we should not over schedule or over burden our children and our families, these resources are available and can assistant and help with the learning process and should not be overlooked.

With this in mind, we've created this blog as a place to share ideas about educating the whole child. We welcome your input and your experiences in regards to education. We hope that all may benefit from the educational link we're starting.

So far with liliana...

Well. There are many things about home schooling that I am looking forward to.
Right now with liliana this is what we do. She will be 3 in a month. She earns computer time everyday (the most she spends on the computer is 1hr, it is more like 30 mins.) and we have 5 sites (so far) that we like and she can use. So she has her own desktop on the computer so that while on it she cannot destroy any programs or hard drive stuff, she can only access these 5 programs (all internet based). She uses starfall (which she enjoys but is getting bored with), PBS kids (she 'plays' the curious george games having to do with memorizing, addition, and recognition skills), Discover kids (she plays matching games, and watches Bindi the Jungle girl go out with dolphins, crocs, etc...), I also use the Time for Kids site (I print off worksheets geared toward her level (they have k-8) and lesson plans for various subjects that give me facts to share with her, actvities to reinforce the facts and projects to do, etc...) She participates in a playgoup once a week for a few hrs. where each mom takes a turn teaching a mini-lesson and facilitating the kids (3 yr olds) through a craft (sometimes fun, sometimes edible). There are some things she used to do before I got pregnant and lost more brain cells. She remembers doing 'cards' with me and still ask if we can do them, even though it has been a year since her last time. I make her reading cards where the letters are big enough to where she can read them (the print in books is just to small for little kids' vision level) and we have math cards (where she learns how to recognize quantity, instead of having to count one at a time). Both of these skills are important to me and I want to get her math/reading cards started up again.It just takes more of my time to get them ready for the week (it only take 15mins/day to go through them with her). So that is where we are. Well we are also still teaching her more signs, which she would learn more of if we showed her more. She was given a signing movie for christmas from her grandparents and already has that memorized from watching it 3 times. Sometimes we check out signing books from the library that she goes through with jacob (as it is, jacob cannot put her in her bed at night and shut the door without standing in the doorway and systmatically going through a series of 5 signs that are her favorite (hippo,airplane,ilove you, kangaroo, and something else, I cant remember) but she will just fall apart if he tries to shut her door without doing her signs.
Our education goals for liliana for this year include learning how to read (on her own), math skills (addition,subtration,greater than,lesser than), learning how to put a sentence together with just signs, and learning whatever facts she finds interesting (all of the 'why' questions that have already started) (like why did heavenly father put the moon in the sky?)
I would appreciate any help with all of this. It really does take several people to educate a child.
As for Mattie, by the end of the year we would like her to have learned several communication signs, and social skills) I cant believe I will have a one year old by the end of the year...
so that is where we are.