What are we doing for homeschool?

• I have an old friend who started asking me some questions lately about how I do things. I've been so grateful! It reminded me why I started this blog in the first place. Perhaps people have questions about what I do and want to know more... So, I'm grateful to my friend for getting me writing them down for some type of public (or at least for me to refer back to when others ask). 

  
  

  Question #1 - What homeschool curriculum do you use?

  
  

    I think the best book I have read which really helped me lay a foundation was A Thomas Jefferson Education: A Home Companion. They help you really identify what your motives are and desires for schooling. Once you do that, choosing a curriculum seems easier because you have something to bounce it against. I just started another great book available from Deseret Book called: "Increase in Learning" by David A. Bednar. It's helped me find a greater purpose in teaching my children, and that teaching them HOW is just as important (or more so) than WHAT. Neither books are light reads - they really make you think! I'm grateful now though that I took the time to go through them and solidify WHY I'm doing this and what God wants for family (as a unit) and my children (individually). Just know that none of your learning about different curriculums will go to waist. Your daughters may each need something different, so the more you learn, the better prepared you'll be to provide that for them. I try to focus on the foundational homeschool ideals separate from the current needs of each child and it seems a little easier to digest.

  
    For preschool this year we are using some ideas from www.confessionsofaslackermom.com AND www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com They're both free (or free in parts) and have plenty of what you need. I think the best thing for us has just been giving our kids opportunities to explore and ask questions and do random science projects when they're curious. Library story time is great, and so is having a regular time to read to your kids everyday. It goes far! I try to just pick some books at the library every time we go of things they've showed an interest in. Then, I let them choose some of their own (they're surprisingly good pickers!!) You're probably already doing all (or at least some) of these things anyway - you're so thoughtful in your mothering!!
  Next year, when we start kindergarten, we are going to use this program http://latterdaylearning.org/the-family-school-lds-homeschool-curriculum/ - I love it because
  1. It teaches "whole truth".
  2. I love that it causes children to ACT on what they're learning.
  3. It teaches them how to reason and relate for themselves (to discover truth on a personal level).
  4. I can teach one lesson to all of my children, instead of having to battle multiple curriculum for different grade leaves.
  
   I'm still in the process of choosing a math and language curriculum, but for this K4 (early kindergarten) year for Cadence, I think I'll do the book "Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons".

ABC's for Preschool

 We've been running an unstructured pre-school during my son's 2nd year. I'd point out letters, shapes, numbers, and colors to him. I'd describe things and ask him to "see if you can find _____". My husband and I decided that he should have a little more "formal" schooling this year.
 Formal schooling to us does not mean he sits down at a desk everyday at a certain time to do "school". It means that WE are more structured as parents. It means we have educational goals set for him and we look for fun ways to accomplish them.
 One of the umbrella goals we have this year is pre-reading. I decided to check on his alphabet understanding. We do a letter a week. These are some of the activities that we usually include:
1. Coloring page - At the beginning of the week coloring with mommy. We point out the letter and try to think of other things that might start with that letter. We might add more of our own pictures or write more words. Then, he hangs it on the fridge (we're collecting them in a folder for a book at the end). (There are a TON of these online - just google "ABC book" or "Alphabet Coloring Pages")
2. Books - We read books about characters that have that letter for their first name (Arthur, Berenstein Bears, Clifford, etc. - I'm compiling a list as we go). We also point out the letter in other books we read. He usually takes initiative to do this.
3. Go on an "A" hunt - We draw or color the letter on some small quarter-size sheets of paper (both lower and upper case). This is mostly for reference as we walk around the house. Then, we chant "We're going on an __ hunt, We're going on a __ hunt, Let's find some ___". When he finds one, we tape the letter page to the letter he found and leave them up through the week.
4. Practice writing the letter. Honestly, sometimes this happens, sometimes it doesn't. He's got a writing book from Priddy Books that he likes to take out occasionally. Usually he'll go through more than one letter in a day.
5. Practical Use. Sometimes we do fun activities with letters (in addition to the fun ones listed above). I may have Cadence make a story on crayola.com, we send letters to family far away, or he may type an email to Grandma. This has been a fun way for him to use his letter identification in a practical way and develop stronger relationships with friends and family.

I'm not focusing so much this time around on letter sounds. We're focusing mostly on letter recognition & finding them in words. He's already started to "spell" on his own, even though he may not know what he's spelling. It's been still pretty casual, but it feels good to know what goals we have and are working toward.

It's Conference Time!

 I love General Conference! It's a great time to feel renewed and received personal revelation as we listen to prophets and apostles! We have felt around the last couple of conferences, trying to create an atmosphere that would help us get the most out of these 5 sessions of conference.
 This year, I've been feeling around more for ideas and traditions that help children get more out of conference. I've started a "notebook" of sites and ideas I found helpful in my search.

What do we do to create a reverent atmosphere?
 1. Dress your best. We stay at home most of conference, but we still dress up. Doing so helps our children (and us) recognize that it is still a sacred and special occasion (though I wear my most comfortable church dress and don't put shoes on)
 2. We clean the house. Then I'm not worried about it through conference.
 3. Set the stage. We set up Austin's big computer monitor from work in the living room, and rearrange the furniture so it's most comfortable for watching a long period of time.
 4. Keep meals simple. We try to have a good size breakfast and then snack or simple meals through the day.
 5. Take naps! I still let the kids take their regular nap times, a luxury we don't get on regular Sunday's for church. However, with the whole weekend adding to 8 total hours of church for them, I don't feel we can afford to let them not nap for two days. They seem much happier and get more out of the experience.
 6. In the past, we've let Cadence play, as long as he's in the conference room, and we make sure he's sitting for prayers, sings the songs with us, and stops to listen to the prophets speak. Now that he's 2 1/2, we're ready to move to more of the ideas below (though I haven't quite chosen what we'll do).

More ideas on preparing children for conference check out these links:


1. Oopsey Daisy (Ideas for Tots)
2. Family Home Evening Planner (Ideas for Toddlers and Preschoolers)
3. Deseret Book (Free Conference Packet Download)
4. Mormon Momma (a TON of Ideas)
5. SugarDoodle (another link list to a TON of ideas)
  - My Favorite - Conference Baggies
6. Official Church Website (Ideas from the April 2009 Ensign)
7. Prepared LDS Family (Conference Activity Notebook)

Homeschool: The Search Begins

Homeschool, to me, really just means more options. I can put my child in a variety of programs. I control the curriculum. I get to tailor the needs to each child. I get to say when they go on vacation, or if they need a sick day. I just love being able to use my agency as a mommy in their schooling.

Though Cadence is only 2 1/2, after it weighing on my mind the last couple weeks, I've decided to start the long research project of deciding what to do for his schooling. The truth it, it doesn't start the August after he turns 5 years old. I need to help prepare him for whatever we're going to do now. I regretted not preparing until the 3rd trimester for his birth, thinking I'd get to anxious. We won't be making that mistake with home school.

So here is the beginning notebook.

School's/Curriculum I'm looking into (please comment if you have others you think I may be interested in):

American Heritage (Home & Distance Education)
Benjamin Franklin Homeschool Academy
Montessori Schools
Montessori Homeschool
A Beka

Whatever we do, I plan for it to be at home at least until the 3rd grade. It seems like more schools to "at home" options than I realized. This is just the start list. I'm sure there will be PLENTY of revisions before the final decision. I'm hoping that by educating myself about lots of options now, I can save some work when each new child goes to school, as I'm sure they'll each have different needs. If you have thoughts or experience with any of these, I'd love to hear about it!

Beat the Heat with Summer Reading

This blog for me is an opportunity to record my favorite sites, topics, ideas, and adventures as a mother and homemaker. It makes for easy access when I forget something and makes it easier for me to share my thoughts (not having to repeat it ten times or write 3 emails of the same information). Lately, I've had so many things to post about! I admit that while the two's can be terrible, it's a budding time of learning for mommy and toddler! Now that I have two children, the new learning seems to happen everyday (and the growing pains at least once a week if you know what I mean).
Looking over my list, I realized how silly it will be for me to post in the fall about summer reading. So, while you may not be able to take advantage of all of the ideas below (because half of the summer is over), at least it will be a resource and idea bank for next year's summer reading. Enjoy!

Even Bath Time is Educational

Toys R Us a cute little birthday club. Your child can come into the store and get a free balloon and they give you a free $3 to use in the store (plus more, but that's all Cade and I cared about). While there is not a whole lot worthwhile that's $3, I told myself that if I got something about $6 it would at least a half off!


So in March, (though Cade's bday is in January, we didn't end up getting there until the $3 almost expired) Cade and I wandered the store and finally scored this fun little item - soap crayons!

Playdough

I was so excited to try playdough with my two-year-old! I cooked it up using the traditional recipe and he even helped me dye it. That was about as far as it went! I LOVED coloring it, but thinks it feels "yucky". So mommy always has to roll it out and he just presses in the shapes. I suppose I don't mind so much. It ends up being some good one-on-one homeschooling time. I bought a HUGE set of different cookie cutters that included letters and numbers. Currently, his favorite is "x".
It's fun to watch him explore and learn. His favorite color right now is black. His does a great job counting to three (four if I encourage him), and his favorite shape remains a star (though he is getting good at identifying the others).

Actually LEARNING in church?!

Do you REALLY think a two-year-old can learn something about God during church? It seems so often we just bring stuff to entertain them (don't get me wrong - I'm a Disney fan too!) so that we can focus on what is being said and feel some sort of spiritual inspiration.
Just the other day I thought, "this just isn't working". Cadence has very few "quiet" toys, so he was getting bored pretty fast. Plus, I learned the majority of "quiet" things we usually do together at home, so he always expected me to help "entertain him" - which leaves both of us not receiving any spiritual upliftment! If we sit near other kids it is a disaster because they're either having a great time with lots of loud laughter, or fighting over toys with lots of loud frustration.
The answer to my original question is: YES! They don't go to nursery (our 18 month to 3 year old class in our church) to just play with toys and be babysat while mom and dad learn the gospel. They go there to learn about God. We have a BLESSED nursery leader in our stake, who has spent so much time magnifying her calling by making books and other manipulative toys that are cheap, yet still gospel centered. She buys stuff from the local thrift store, uses old church magazines, and re-crafts Christmas cards. She has INSPIRED me! Here are some of "my" creations:

Schools Kill Creativity

Some more videos/thoughts on education (with a little humor)

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com
Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution

Thanks Meggan for sharing!

Halloween Grinch

I have affectionately named myself the "Halloween Grinch". Here are all small things that bug me about this "holiday":

1. I don't want to spend money on a costume my child will wear once.
2. I'm not very creative or even comfortable dressing up (nor can I make a costume creatively for cheap...I've tried).
3. I REALLY don't want my child eating a whole bunch of candy and getting sick with all of the other trick-or-treaters (who put halloween at the beginning of flu season anyway..or is that what STARTS flu season...?).
4. I don't like being scared, scary movies, being afraid, etc.
5. Honestly, what are we "celebrating" anyway? Nothing! Though it's not longer really considered a "pagan" holiday, it still has it's origins in one (which is why some religions don't celebrate it at all).
6. It's a really UNSAFE holiday. Ever since I was small I always feel scared on Halloween night, even if I'm not going outside. Who knows what crazy person will show up at your door, or even at your church party (seriously...I've heard stories).

That being said, I somehow feel "sad" I'm missing out on all the excitement of this time of year. Who's not getting a pumpkin and picking a cute costume, right? Yet, "missing out" is not a real reason for me to want to "celebrate" Halloween (just like the excitement of the first day of school with all of the pictures and cute new outfits alone can't justify me sending my children to public school).

While I still decide what to do here are some ideas I've recently read/heard (please comment with any ideas you may have):

Education Options

Some may think I'm a little too hasty, but Austin & I have already decided to "home-school" our children. There are LOTS of reasons for choosing this, but here are just a couple:

1. Content. This means a couple of things including (but not limited too) a more quality education, specific to their interests, including God & real truth. The last is the most important to me. God is an all-knowing, loving Heavenly Father & any truth we gain comes from Him. How can we take Him out of learning? I hate political correctness, especially at times when it means my children can't be told that God really did create the world. "That's one theory" they say. In my home, I don't have to worry about being politically correct by disguising the truth. In addition, I think the gospel can be integrated into so many more subjects and I am excited to accomplish that through home school. (Ex: Number 1 on my mind: Constitution was inspired by God, so what does He have to say about it?)

President Obama's speech to students

Especially after a particular video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcPA1ysSbw (actually NOT created by Obama) shown in an American Fork school, Utah was a little nervous about why President Obama wanted to talk with the nation's school age children, so much so that some parents declined to give their children permission to watch it and there were alternative educational activities provided for those students. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-a-National-Address-to-Americas-Schoolchildren/)
I have to admit, I was a little nervous as well. Nervous he was going to try to push his own agenda. But I was pleasantly surprised. Though I am not a big fan on Barack Obama, he does have the gift of speech (or the person who writes his speeches does). He is very charismatic and whether we like it or not, he is good at convincing people. I found the subject of this speech - America's youth trying their hardest in school - was a great place for our President to use that talent! I think it was an inspiring speech and I hope the students remember it.
I hope also that the teachers and especially the parents remember it. There is so much blame now at who is to fault for the education of American children. I think parents need to take more responsibility. However, I love how the President addressed the importance of each students responsibility, not only to the country... but to himself, despite the choices of adults around him. It's sad we've come to a place in the country where someone has to say "despite" a parent. Shouldn't parents want the best for their children? Of course they SHOULD, but many do not.
Check out the speech and tell me what you think. Hardly any liberal tint or pushing of his own agendas. A little promoting himself, but I'm hoping more than inspiring kids to become a fan of our President, it inspires them to become the best THEY CAN BE!! It's what we need in this country (and I pray that our parents take a little lesson as well and remember that the future of this country is in the daycare center where they left them and they have some changes to make too! But that's a topic for another post).