Regroup

     I love homeschooling.  I am fortunate that I have a wonderful support network.  I have my friends from co-op, church, Community Bible Study, family and  friends from my homeschool mom's group.  I also have the support of my incredible husband.  This support system is important.  These people keep me grounded.  Help me to stay the course and throw me a life preserver on days I feel like I am drowning. 
     I love the curriculum that I have chosen.  I blogged about exactly what I am using and why.  However, when it came down to me deciding what to do next year I started to doubt my choices.  Maybe there is something better.  Maybe I am pushing big sister too much.  Maybe I should try x.  While I was in the throws of this doubt my homeschool mom's group had our monthly night out.  The women there listened to me.  They asked questions.  They encouraged me and helped me to realize that I should stick with my plan.  We all have those times of doubt.  We are fortunate that today homeschoolers have so many choices.  You can really find materials that will fit your child.  You don't have to settle.  However, all those choices can get overwhelming and cause you to start doubting.  I think re-evaluating is a good thing.  I can now order next year's curriculum with confidence.
     There are so many things that homeschoolers can do throughout the week.  So many really good things that would be fun learning experiences.  Art classes, gym classes, science day programs...You could be out every day at a different activity.  At the beginning of this school year I had a pretty full schedule.  By Christmas I realized it was too much.  I felt God was telling me to slow down.  So I dropped something I was enjoying and it helped.  As the months have passed I still fell over scheduled.

     Traditionally Monday has been a down day for the girls & me.  It set the tone for the week.  This year I planned activities for Monday.  Well as of today Monday's activities are gone.  It wasn't working.  We need that day.  Big sister is disappointed.  She enjoyed her Monday gym class.  But as the mom I have to make those tough decisions.  I know it is the right decision.  We need to slow down.
     It is so hard when you have to choose between good things and figure out which good thing is right for you and your family.  The homeschool community offers so many good things and as a parent it is my job to sift through and pick what activities are best for us.  It isn't easy.  Sometimes I feel like we are missing out.  But I know that over scheduling is not good and I have to be vigilant about not letting it happen.  I have to be the adult in the situation and sometimes say we need to stop x because it is not working for us.  This isn't always easy, but I have found in life that the right choice is rarely the easy choice.

Strange Breed

     Yes it is true.  Homeschool moms are a strange breed.  We choose to keep our kids home with us instead of sending them off to school.  While other moms are counting down the days until they can send their kids back to school we are busy planning what we are going to be teaching.  We scour catalogs, websites & read information in various forums.  We evaluate and reevaluate what worked and didn't work the previous year.  What is even stranger is we find all this fun and dare I say exciting.
     We love to discuss with others what curriculum we are using and why we chose that curriculum.  We like to share our knowledge and anything we might make to use in school.  I have to say the entire sharing thing is big for teachers in the classroom too.  I always found it flattering when someone liked what I was doing so much that they copied me or asked me for the unit.  Homeschoolers are the same way.  Just check out the blogs & websites of homeschoolers and you will find a enormous amount of free material. It is possible to homeschool and never buy a curriculum.
     In the spirit of our strangeness below is what I choose to use for 1st grade and why. The materials I have  chosen requires quite a bit of student - teacher interaction.  It is not sitting at a table filling out worksheets.  Your child will not be able to work independently for long periods of time.  It requires you to be there and be engaged. 

Horizons Math Grade 1:  I have really enjoyed this curriculum.  I originally chose Horizons because big sister needed more then most kindergarten programs offer.  It is an advanced curriculum that uses a spiral approach.  This means we don't do measurement for a few weeks and then move on to the next topic.  It introduces new information in little bits and gives plenty of time to get it before it introduces something new.  Each lesson covers several different topics.  This has been extremely successful for us.

Shurley English Level 1:  This program has amazed me.  It introduces the parts of speech via jingles.  We review the jingles everyday and practice classifying the words in a sentence.  So far in first grade my girl has learned how to identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs & articles.  I have never experienced a grammar program that is actually enjoyable.  My daughter asks if we can do grammar!

All About Spelling Level 1:  I was blown away the first time I saw this material.  I have a masters degree in Literacy so this is really my field of expertise.  This program is the best of the best.  The methods are based on Orton-Gillingham which is one of the best methods for teaching reading.  It will work well for all children including those with special needs.  It utilizes oral, verbal & tactile learning styles.  Many people find they can complete more then 1 level each year.  I have chosen to not do this since we already have so much that we are doing and I don't want to rush through. 
A Reason for Science Level A:  I have been so impressed by this curriculum.  The fact that I was able to order a box that included everything I needed to do the experiments was awesome.  I knew I wouldn't get the experiments done if I had to first collect the materials.  This makes it easy for me.  It doesn't take much time to complete the lessons and it is fun. I supplement the material with Magic School Bus and books on the topic we are studying. 
Alpha Omega Life Pac History and Geography 2nd grade:  We did the 1st grade one in kindergarten.  We read and discuss the information together.  I supplement this with books on the topic.  We have liked it, but I wouldn't want to do all subject matters in this format.  I also supplement it with a Map Skills for Today Book 2 by Weekly Reader.  I love maps and have passed down this love to my girl. 
Horizons Reading & Phonics K & Explode the Code Books 1 & 2:  I like this Reading & Phonics program, but I felt it was moving too fast.  So I did not finish the book 4 last year.  Instead we are finishing it this year.  We have also completed Explode the Code books 1 & 2.  I started the year doing Explode the Code and once we finished those we started doing book 4 of Horizons.  These in combination with All About Spelling have been effective.  She has also been reading Frog & Toad and Dick and Jane.
Primary Analogies 1:  I don't think it is ever to early too introduce logic to children.  This helps children become flexible with their knowledge.  I am not looking for my daughter to be a robot that spits back information, but someone that can use the knowledge she has to evaluate and assess new information.  We even completed a logic book in Kindergarten called Lollipop Logic that she really liked.
Horizons Health 1:  Once again Horizons does a good job of presenting the material in a very age appropriate manner.  This is not a curriculum that will take all year to complete.  I am currently teaching History & Geography.  Once we complete that then we will do Health. 
Community Bible Study:  We attend CBS on Tuesdays.  This study includes homework that has to be completed before we go each week.   Big girl and I are studying the same scripture.  Of course her homework is age appropriate.  CBS is a wonderful program that both my girls have been in since the time they were infants.  I am amazed at the amount of bible knowledge my big girl has acquired because of this wonderful program.  I have chosen to use this in lieu of any other bible curriculum.  
**We completed Primary Analogies and after we finished that we began our Map Skills book.      
     Completing all this takes us about 2- 2 1/2 hours a day. We do PE at a local gym and we attend a co-op on Fridays.  All of these things makes for a well-rounded education for my girls.
     I have planned out what I believe we will be doing through 5th grade, but my plan is flexible.  Many of the things I have listed we will continue with a few exceptions like history and reading.  In History we will study regions of the US next year and then start Homeschool in the Woods Time Traveler curriculum.  In reading we will start novel units next year since that is the what I taught for many years and I already have numerous materials assembled. 
     So what about you.  Is there anything you use that you really love?  I'd love to hear about it! 

Why I chose to blog anonymously

     I have been wanting to start a blog for quite a while.  I finally decided that if I did this I would want it to be anonymous so I would be completely honest in what I wrote.  No, I don't plan on saying mean things about others or admitting to some deep dark secrets.  I just don't want who I am to stop me from giving my honest opinion on things that might be controversial.  People who know me best will easily be able to identify this as my blog.  However, those that are just acquaintances probably won't be able to pick up on my identity. 
   I have provided some information in my profile about me, but let me take a moment to introduce myself a little better.  I am a born again Christian.  That doesn't mean I am perfect.  It does mean that Jesus Christ is my Lord & Savior.  I attempt to live my life in a way that is pleasing to Him.  However, I stumble daily.
   Politically I am a conservative.  No that doesn't automatically mean I am sold out to the Republican Party. I do tend to vote Republican, because those candidates are the ones most closely aligned with me politically.
    I am pro-life.  Yes, that means I believe abortion is wrong.  It is murder, plain and simple.  That does not mean that I condemn women who have had abortions.  I have stood by friends who have made that choice.  I told them I didn't agree with their choice, but I was there for them emotionally & physically.  I don't have to agree with everything someone chooses to do in order to be his/her friend.  
     I have chosen to homeschool my children.  This decision was made long before I married and had children.  I made the decision while I was teaching.  I saw so much as a public school teacher, independent school teacher, & overseas as a homeschool teacher that I decided when I had children I would want to homeschool.  The reasons I chose to homeschool are plentiful & I am sure many will be voiced as I blog.  However, that doesn't mean I think only horrible parents send their children to public schools.  Or that every child should be homeschooled.  That is a very personal decision that needs to be agreed to by both parents.  It is a huge commitment & I never would have attempted it if my husband was not 100% on board with the decision.
     Lastly I will list a few other things that I believe and that are often controversial.  I believe that spanking, when done correctly is not abuse but an acceptable means of discipline.  I believe marriage as defined by God is between a man & a woman.  Anything else is not acceptable to me, because the Bible is clear in stating it is not acceptable to God.  I believe it is okay for an adult to have an alcoholic beverage. I do not think it is okay to get drunk.  There are many scriptures that state drunkenness is not acceptable.  
   I look forward to this journey and hope you will enjoy reading my blog.  Please let me know your thoughts and if I need to clarify anything I may say.