2013-2014 Curriculum

We are starting school next week!  I am so excited about this school year.  If you are interested in why we are homeschooling click here and to see my homeschool room click here.  When I first decided to homeschool, I was overwhelmed with all the choices with curriculum.   I read about the different homeschooling options and really like the Charlotte Mason method.  However, this method is definitely less “structured” then I would like.  I feel with it being my first year, I was wanting to develop a planned, yet loosely structured day.  I wanted to be able to go with the flow, yet also have everything thought out, so I wasn’t scrambling around gathering materials.  

My main curriculum Hearts Of Dakota: Bigger Hearts for his Glory , Drawn Into the Heart Of Reading and for extra science, Earth Science.

I came across this website, Monarch Room and immediately knew this was what I was looking for.  She used a curriculum called Hearts of Dakota.  It is a planned, boxed curriculum, but using many of Charlotte Mason’s principals.  I liked the idea of having a plan and checklist my first year, to keep me on my toes.  Tara did an excellent job preparing and organizing her curriculum and I will just say I basically followed her method to a T.  I found so many resources on the HOD:BiggerHearts For His Glory Facebook page.  Science notebooking pages, poetry books, timeline sheets, supply lists, everything you need to start your year off smoothly with HOD. 

Bigger Hearts for his Glory, provides guided instruction for history, geography, language arts, storytime, bible, science, poetry and lite activities in art, music and math.  Math, English and reading suggestions are offered, or you can choose your own.  We will be doing Hearts of Dakota, Drawn Into The Heart Of Reading  program and I went ahead and purchased all the books we will be aiming to read for the year.  I organized them by unit and who would be reading them and what genre they cover.  

 All of the history and science books needed for BHFHG are gathered and placed together too.  I have filled this little Ikea cart, with all these books so they stay in one place and I have the ability to move them around the house if needed.  I also placed all the books the boys will be reading in here along with my teaching guides.  

For math we will be using Teaching Textbooks 5 for my 9 year old and supplementing with IXL for both boys.  My younger son will be using a variety of books in the photo below. 

Instead of using the Rod and Staff English books HOD recommends I will be using the below books for grammar, writing, vocabulary and spelling for the boys.   I also purchased composition books, for dictation, spelling (not shown) and poetry.  I do not plan on pushing my 7 year old hard on the writing, spelling or cursive, those are for my 9 year old. 

Along with a weekly co-op (for earth science, astronomy and art), swim /PE class and karate, the boys will be taking Suzuki piano lessons and be involved in Awanas and scouting.  We will also be working on social and life skills each week along with health.  

I have also set aside time each week for a Nature study or field-trip of some sort.  I have packed bags with trail guides, magnify glasses, bug catchers, notebooks, sketch pads and field guides for fun outdoor adventures.  

I found many of these How To Draw books at Goodwill and have time set aside for my oldest to work his way through these.  

For myself I have prepped by reading lots of books and really getting some routines and home organization systems in place.  These are a few of my favorite reads.  

And of course, what homeschool mother doesn't have a good binder, keeping track of lessons plans, calenders and planning tools and the proper documents for a successful school year.  I purchased the teaching planner from Tsh at Simple Mom, it was only $4.00!! I have a link on my side panel to purchase.  My HOD: Bigger Hearts for his Glory Planner, is very much like Tara's at the Monarch Room.....seriously, Tara was the biggest lifesaver for me in regards to planning.  Girl, I need to take you out to dinner as a thank you!!

So that is it.  I am sure I over planned and purchased more curriculum then we can sanely get through in a year, but I feel very prepared and organized for the year ahead and in my book that is a way better feeling then confused and overwhelmed to start. 

We are off to have some last few days of summer fun!  Each kid gets to plan all the activities for a day, where we go, what we eat, the whole bit.  We also have a fun and exciting "field-trip" coming up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for that!   Enjoy the rest of your summer.  

My Homeschool Room

I have had the most fun preparing for the school year.  This will be our first year homeschooling and if you are interested in why, then read this post.  In the next week, I will be sharing our curriculum choices and more on how I over prepared for the up coming year. I was fortunate to have an office we could easily turn into our main learning space.  I really anticipate schoolwork happening all over the house, but at least everything is organized and all in one place.  If you want to see my office space before, you can check it out here. 

The timeline, I purchased here.  The lined up pictures under it are my American history figures that  correspond with my  history curriculum  (Hearts of Dakota, Bigger Hearts for His Glory) which I found on, The Monarch Room.  The rolling file cart, is solely dedicated to homeschool papers. 

 I put all my teachers manuals and everyday books we will be using in this blue caddy from IKEA.  I had it shipped, so I didn't have to drive 3 hours to my nearest store.  I can easily move it from room to room and all the books the boys will be reading this year are organized by week and all together!  Yay, no searching for items last minute or worrying about late fees at the library. 

 

 The canvas wrapped map I found at Hobby Lobby.  The bunting I made with vintage flashcards, I found at Goodwill.

The colorful scrappy bunting is from The Pleated Poppy. And my sweet little embroidered sampler can be purchased at the most adorable shop, The Hope Homemade, they have the cutest stamped necklaces too.  

 

 On the wall, lined up, is a new chore management system I am trying.  I am doing things a little different, then the book suggests, but the main idea comes from the book, Managers Of Their Chores.  The striped bins I purchased from Pottery Barn, many years ago.  I found the printables at random places online.



 

Well, that's it!  We are starting school in a couple weeks.  I hope all my planning helps things get off to a smooth start. If you are interested in seeing our curriculum click here. If you are interested in reading how our first year of schooling went click here.

 

Why I Am Pulling My Boys Out Of Public School To Homeschool

Since I made the decision to homeschool, I am always interested to know why others do it too.   I thought you all may be interested to know the back story, to what lead me down this path.  A path, if you asked me a year ago, I would have never believed I would be taking. 

About a year ago at this time, I briefly entertained homeschooling my middle son.  You can read his story here.  I did not spend any time researching it; I just mentioned it and pretty much received less than supportive feedback, from those closest to me.  I am one that needs a lot of encouragement, as you can read about here on my Flagpage (a personality test ).    So I scrapped the idea quickly, secretly I felt relieved, because the thought of homeschooling overwhelmed me.  

Funny, how God’s timing is EVERYTHING.  Fast forward one year and I can’t wait for the school year to start.  I feel in my heart this is what I’m supposed to do.  In the past, I have always felt uneasy when someone would say, “I feel God wants me to do this,” or “I prayed about it and God, lead me down this path.”  I was always amazed at the confidence they had, to say God actually wanted them to do something.  I realized now, what that feeling must have been.  The more I prepare for the homeschool year, the more natural this lifestyle feels to me.  I have never had such a peaceful, calm feeling about such a major life decision before.  I have often felt self-doubt and worry with major life decisions, because I fear in the what if’s.  But with this, I feel so much more peace, then worry.  

Last year, my boys were in Kindergarten and 3rd grade.  I loved their school.  The teachers and staff were wonderful.  My son's kindergarten teacher and IEP team were top notch, the main issue I had, was my son is very advanced in reading and mathematics to the point he was very disinterested in much of the school day.  He would ask questions like, "Why do I have to do this math sheet, if I already know all the answers in my head?"  He also became very aware of the fact that his teachers wrote down every positive or negative move he made.  His focus every day, became if he was a "good boy or a bad boy”.  One day, I picked him up and he was in tears, because it was written down on the negative sheet, that he only ate the turkey in his sandwich and threw out the bread, he didn't understand, why that made him a "bad boy."  I agreed; I bet half those kids, don't eat their lunch.   

 Another day, my son, was trying to talk to an older student and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.  The older student, turned around and told my son, if he touches him again he will have his Dad kill him.  I happened to walked up upon this situation and saw the confused look on my sons face.  He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "I did everything right when I was trying to talk to that boy why would he say that to me?"  I did speak with the staff and the boy and his parents were talked to and he had to apologize, but I couldn't shake the feeling, that despite the great school and staff, each day I was sending my son to school, his heart and character was being shaped and molded and it felt my responsibility to shape his heart, not leave it to his peers and teachers.

I also realized around this time, that my son’s school label of “educational Autism” would follow him as long as he was in the public school.  I started feeling; this was the main characteristic that the school focused on with my son.  He was highly intelligent,  sweet natured and funny, yet every day the focus was “Autism.”   A label he was given at age 5, would stay with him and be the first thing teachers would find out about him, regardless of what doctors and psychologists outside of the school district thought.  

My older son, on the other hand, I felt was struggling with reading and math.  I went to his teachers several times asking for advice and I got the same reaction from them all, "in standardize tests he was in the average range, so he was fine."  I honestly felt like, because he didn’t have a label of special education or gifted to focus on, they were not required to offer extra help or work.  We however, struggled nightly with homework and it began to be the part of the day we all dreaded.  I suddenly, realized I was giving away my children the best part of the day.  I was sending them off, in the morning, happy and sweet and got them home in the late afternoon, crabby and tired.  The more I tried to supplement and work extra with my struggling reader the more he protested.  It was an exhausting cycle.  

About this same time, an overseas job opportunity became a possibility for our family.  We spent about a week researching being an expat and had decided that if my husband pursued the job, we would homeschool, so we could have the freedom to travel.  For the first time, I started researching homeschooling and loved what I read.  The individually tailored education, the freedom from the school calendar and the quality, unhurried time spent with our kids, was what particularly stood out to us as appealing. 

As we found out more about the overseas position, my husband decided he was not interested in applying for it.  I will admit, I was disappointed, but as the weeks would pass, I realized I was more disappointed in the homeschooling aspect.  I thought, there is no way, my husband will agree to homeschool in the US, when, we have a great school down the road.  I underestimated God’s timing in this.  

Two weeks later, my middle son had his first evaluation with the National Association of Childhood Development.  During the consult, the evaluator looked at me and my husband and said, "your son, is very bright and would do wonderfully if you homeschooled, have you ever thought doing this?"  We both looked at each other and I grinned.  I had definitely thought of that and was more than willing to take it on, my hubby was a little more leery, but having the support of the NACD, he was willing to give it a try. 

We went home in agreement, that our middle son would finish the year in public school half days, spending the mornings at home with me homeschooling and the afternoons at public school.  The following year, I would teach him at home.  I came home and researched what homeschooling resources were available in our town and was amazed at all there was to offer.  Co-op classes, gym classes, music and sports teams, as well as a huge homeschooling community.  It felt like a private school, very tailored to meet your child's needs, not some secluded lifestyle.   I had no worries of socializing my kids, in fact, I felt like it would be easy to over schedule them, with all the opportunities available.  I felt confident and so at peace with this decision.  

A few weeks went by and my husband came to me and asked if I had given any thought to keeping my older son at home too.   Now, teaching one kid I felt I could handle, but two, that kind of scared me.  I prayed about it and once I started thinking about it more,  I knew he would benefit from the one on one teaching too.   We spoke with him about it and he was very interested and excited about it. We were all on the same page and excited about this new chapter in our lives. 

As time went on and we told family and friends, I was given so much support and encouragement.  It turns out two of my kid’s physician’s home school and raved about the positive effects it has had on their families. I also found families in our neighborhood and close friends who felt the same way.  

I went to my first home school conference and realized that my stereotype of homeschool families was totally incorrect.  The face of homeschooling has expanded from how it looked 25 years ago and after reading this article, 18 Reasons Doctors and Lawyers Homeschool Their Children, not only was I excited about this new lifestyle, my husband was too. 

We are excited about the freedom this lifestyle will allow for us to travel and individually tailor our children’s education.  Both of my boys are very hands on learners and will benefit from the more relaxed laid back schedule.  I laughed when I read this article about why Apple and Google executives spend big bucks to send their kids to private schools that emphasize free and creative play.  After reading about this private school, it sounds exactly like the type of homeschool I want to create, but it won’t cost, $24,000 a year for each of my kids.  

So, in a nutshell, that is why I am taking the plunge and homeschooling.  I am taking it one year at a time.  I may, at some point, send one or both back to public or private school.  But for next year, this is our plan.  My 3 year old, will be going to preschool twice a week at a church, for playtime with her 2 besties and to free up more time for me to work with the boys.  

I completely understand and appreciate everyone's choice for schooling and feel it is one of the great things about living in the United States, we have the freedom to choose, what fits our family best. 

Do you homeschool and have a blog?  If so, I would love it if you leave your site info in the comments section, I am always looking for ideas and inspiration.  

God answered my prayer 5 min after praying......seriously!

About 7 years ago I had come across a bible verse that I read and thought of as a great prayer for my children.  I wrote it on a piece of paper and placed it on my fridge.   Shortly after, we moved and I accidentally left that piece of paper on my fridge.  Over the years I thought about that verse and couldn't for the life of me remember what it was.  I remembered bits and pieces of the verse, but not where it was located, or long phrases of it, more of the general idea about what it was saying.   I have searched for it many times and have never come across it again.

In preparation to home school my children, I have been reading many books about the subject and one author recommended writing a mission statement for your family.  This made me think about that bible verse I had found many years ago, it went along perfectly with educating your children. 

This morning, I woke up and immediately thought about it and tried researching it again, but came up with nothing.  I said a prayer and asked God to help me find it again.  After that I went and picked up my iPhone to read my daily bible verse  and message from the You Version app.  I am signed up for several bible studies and try and read at least one daily.  Today I clicked on the Parenting By Design study.  This is what I read for today June 2: 

DISCERNMENT

Paul's prayer for the Philippians could easily be our prayer for our kids. Who doesn't want their children to abound in knowledge and insight and be pure and blameless, making decisions that reflect God's righteousness? How will you help them reach those lofty goals?

One way is to give your kids more choices and opportunities to learn from hands-on experience. Good decision making isn't learned overnight. Your kids may have to make some poor choices along the way before they will know how to make good ones. Obviously, you won't give them just any choice because they should only be given choices you are willing for them to make. But the opportunities to give significant choices are endless.

Practice with little choices for little kids and more expanded choices as kids mature. Walk beside them as they get their hands dirty. Enjoy the process!

Kids who are encouraged to make lots of appropriate choices gain knowledge, insight, and discernment.

My heart started beating faster and I got chills, I knew as soon as I clicked on the selected bible verse that went along with this message,  the verse I had been searching for was going to be presented before my eyes.  These words were a perfect description about the verse I had remembered and was perfectly tied into my same ideas about homeschooling.  This is what I read:

I pray that your love will grow more and more.  And let it be based on knowledge and understanding.  Then  you will be able to know what is best.  You will be pure and without blame until the day Christ returns.  You will be filled with the fruit of right living produced by Jesus Christ.  All of those things bringing glory and praise to God.    Philippians 1:9-11

 This was the verse,  the one I had prayed for God to reveal to me not more then 5 minutes before!  I ran to get my bible and flipped to that verse and found it marked in my bible. 

How cool is that!  I ran and told my son what had happened and he was like, "wow, God answered that quick."  Then I called my husband, who was out of town and he was amazed too.

God is listening and nothing is too small for him. After that experience, there is no way I will be forgetting that verse again! 

When life is unfair, tell your kids you have been there too.

I am finding as a parent one of the toughest lessons to teach my kids is that sometimes life is just unfair.   The birthday party invitations don't always come, friends sometimes disappoint or hurt our feelings and things just don't go like we had planned.   Even as an adult, it still stings when I find out I wasn't invited to an event or I feel betrayed by a friend.  How am I supposed to explain to my kids, something I don't fully understand myself?

With social media we now have the opportunity to see in the everyday lives of almost anyone we have come in contact with.  I forgot what it was like to wonder about people....you know how you used think to yourself about what someone from high school or college was doing....now you just type their name in Facebook and you are seeing their kids, where they vacationed and maybe even what they ate for dinner.  Little is left to the imagination....we can easily choose to "post" the good things in our lives and leave out the yucky stuff.  We are left with a skewed since of reality. 

I can't imagine growing up like this.  As a tween and teen being exposed to every detail in your "friends" life must be hard.  It was hard enough when I was growing up and feeling jealously over someone's new outfit or car when they turned 16 or trip to the mall or a sleepover I wasn't invited too. For that moment, when you found out you weren't included it stung, but home was a safe haven.  No comparing,  no jealously, out of site, out of mind.  Now with social media, we invite the green eye monster in every time we log on. How do kids grow up like this and it not effect their self esteem and perception on life?   I cringe when I think about how kids must feel on a daily basis with so much knowledge of what their friends are doing. Be sure and have that discussion with them, that life may not be as grand as their friends present it to be. 

My kids are young, no social media for them, but still when my oldest came home from school the other day, talking about a birthday party he wasn't invited too, it hurt.  I struggled to find words of wisdom for him....because I have felt the same way too, even as an adult. Feeling left out hurts and that is what I told him.   I continued to tell him a story of a recent time I was left out and how it made me feel crummy all day.  My son looked at me with surprise, that as an adult, my feelings could still be hurt.  I think he see's me in a different light now, more human.  Let's not forgot to tell our kids we have been there, it's always comforting to know you are not alone.

Moving around has been hard, it takes a long time to build solid, good friendships and everywhere we move, others already have that foundation we are trying to establish.  It's hard to be the new kid or the new mama on the block.  And when your family is unique, it's even harder.  You take it more personally.

I encourage you to embrace new families.  It's hard to move around and not have friends and family already established.  It's hard to see kids whizzing by your house on bikes and not stopping to include your kids.  Encourage your kids to get to know the new kid in town, invite the mom out for coffee.  If you have never moved to a new town, you don't understand how hard it can be to feel a part of the community. Let's be sure and teach our kids that kindness counts.  Make that first step as parents and model kindness to your children.