Making Science Cool This Year!

I am SO excited about our new book Sweetie bought me today while we were at Joseph-Beth bookstore! We originally went in to window shop, but I warned Sweetie that I don't DO window shopping. In my opinion it's a waste of time and it only makes me have to repent! LOL!



Anyway, back to our new book. It's The Usborne Big Book of Experiments and I know the kids are going to have so much fun this year with Science using this. They LOVE doing experiments. Sweetie's even excited about it, which is a good thing because there are certain things I'd rather just play with than build, namely the Electricity and Magnets section. That sounds like a guy's area, doesn't it?



I think we'll take one topic a week and learn a little and then do the correlating experiment(s). There are 42 topics with experiments and they all use very common household products. The sections headings are...



-The World Around You

-Testing Your Body

-Electricity and Magnets

-The Natural World

-Light and Dark

-Pushing and Pulling



Watch for pictures and stories soon!

"If I Had Only Known..."

Today's Back To Homeschooling topic is 'If I Had Only Known'...What have you learned on your homeschooling journey? What would you/did you change? This is an opportunity to encourage others who are just starting out or who are struggling with issues that seem unsolvable. It is also a perfect opportunity to tell us about one of those days made you want to throw in the towel. A funny story? Perfect!




The number one most important thing I have learned on this journey called homeschooling is that our children are only little once, and for such a short amount of time. There is a difference between 'teaching' and 'training' our children. Yes, there are many things they have to be taught...how to add, read, spell, ect., but just as important is training their hearts, hence the name of my blog.



If we only tell our children "do this" and "don't do that" yet we fail to explain to them WHY they should or should not do things, then they never really understand how life works, why we treat others the way we do, why we don't do things that go against God's will. All they know is that mom and dad said "Don't". Without the 'why', their little hearts go untrained.



For example, if we just tell them, "Don't hit your little brother" then they may or may not do it again without any thought. But if we instead say, "Honey, we can't hit little Jimmy because it hurts him. How would YOU feel if someone hit you? It would hurt, wouldn't it? And you wouldn't like it very much either, huh? Well, that's how Jimmy feels too, so let's not hit him anymore, ok? 'Cause we don't want to hurt him. He's just a little guy and it's your job as his big brother to take care of him and protect him!"



Yes, it takes more time to respond to our children this way, but it is SO worth it. Training their hearts when they are little is what will make them into the adults they will some day be. It will determine how they treat other people and if their training has been done with firm Biblical standards, then it will also play a huge roal in their walk with the Lord for the rest of their lives.



I've learned that we don't have to replicate 'school' at 'home' and shove tons and tons of information at them. Life is not about filling a bucket. Buckets eventually, when filled with too much, simply can't hold everything and if filled too full won't be able to hold any more. And sometimes there's leaks in a bucket. That's not what we want for our children. Instead, we want to light a fire! We want to make learning fun and enjoyable when possible and instill a love of learning in our children. When you light a fire it starts out small until it is fed the proper ingredients (fuel and oxygen). It then grows and grows until it's big and hot and able to continue growing on it's own!



To light the fire of learning in our children we provide them with all kinds of opportunities to learn while also having fun, and sometimes... they even learn on their own! (Gasp!) We use lots of good, living books, puzzles, games, field trips, movies etc. We don't follow a strict boxed curriculum where we have to finish a certain amount of work in a certain amount of time. We follow their natural learning rate, meaning, when they 'get it' we move on to the next thing and not until then. We take nature walks and go to the park and the lake. We read out under the trees and take picnics. We play games and watch good movies and learn and laugh and grow and make memories and simply enjoy life.



Have I ever wanted to 'throw in the towel'? Honestly, no. Sure, there have been frustrating days when no matter what I do Baby Girl doesn't understand a new math concept or I can't get a book read because the boys are just too squirmy and loud. But in total and complete honesty, I KNOW that our children are so much better off here at home than in public school and I've never once considered sending them. Now, there have been days where I've THREATENED to do it, but I never really would.



I think keeping a fun and laid back approach with our schooling has helped keep me happy with homeschooling. If I had something telling me that we needed to do 'X' in 'X' amount of time I think I'd get overwhelmed and eventually behind, which would stress me out. After a while of that I can see myself wanting to just throw my hands up and quit.



Now, that's now saying anything bad about any particular curriculum. Everyone has to do what they feel is right for them and their family. I'm just telling you OUR experience and what works best for US.



My children are smart and learning lots of things and having fun doing it. Are they where their public schooled friends are? I have no idea, and I really don't care. How many of us LOVED learning and going to school TO LEARN NEW THINGS after say about 3rd grade? How much did we retain of what we learned? How much did we really LEARN and master while in school? How many familiy memories did we make during our school years? I want different for my children, and that's why I love having them here with me.

Getting out there...

Today's topic is "Getting Out There" and we're to talk about "extra-curricular activities, community involvement, volunteering, sports teams, music lessons, making sure your kids have opportunities to be social, co-ops, etc., etc., etc..."



The one thing I hate the most, as I'm sure most all homeschoolers do, is being asked the blasted question about socialization. UGH! GIVE...ME...A...BREAK! All people have to do is say one thing to any of my children and they will be able to tell right away that our children have not been 'held hostage' with no social interaction. In fact, they'll probably be sorry they got them talking because they will have a hard time getting them to stop!



Fear not, well-meaning (or not) friends and family. Our kids are not lacking any social interaction. Here are just some of the outside activities our kids have been involved in over the years.



First and foremost, there are 15 grandchildren on Sweetie's side of the family and all of them (except the oldest) live right here in our town. All but the two oldest attend the same church and Sunday School! Their ages you ask? 11 (girl), 8 (girl), 8 (boy), 7 (boy), 7 (boy), 7 (boy), 6 (boy), 5 (girl), 5 (girl), 4 (girl), 4 (girl), 4 (girl), 2 (boy). Holidays, especially Christmas, at Papaw and Granny's is very fun... and VERY busy!



We are a church-going family, so naturally they have all been in Sunday School ever since they were wee little babies. They've also been part of (or still are involved in) Children's Church, youth choir, Bible School, singing at the nursing home, and Keepers At Home through our church.



A few years ago the boys played Wee Ball and Coach Pitch baseball. For the past two years they have played Upward Basketball while the girls did Upward Cheerleading. Baby Girl has also done gymnastics and hopes to do so again soon.



Just this past week the boys started football practice. This is a new adventure for all of us and we're very excited about it. Handsome will be playing Jr. Tackle and Reece Cup will be playing Flag Football. So far, they both LOVE it! I can already tell that I'm going to be one of those loud cheering football mommas! *blush* Both girls will also be cheering again. This is through the Optimist club and they're playing with mostly public schooled kids and doing great. Doesn't bother them one bit!



Just this past January Baby Girl auditioned for her first public play (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe) at the local high school and was one of 30 (out of 90!) that got a part! She did great and made so many great friends. They were together 4 days a week for two hours at a time for three months and then everyday, all day long the week of the performances. She hopes to try out again for the next play when the time comes.



All of our children have been in our church's Christmas and Easter plays, which involve singing, acting, and reading Scripture and all love it and have done great. In fact, baby girl has had a leading role in our last two plays (and no, I'm not the director...LOL).



We were part of a homeschool co-op for a couple of weeks a few years ago, but because Princess was little and cried the entire two hours both weeks, we decided to wait until the next semester to re-join. Unfortunately the co-op had disbanded by then. We now get together with a group of homeschoolers to do different things throughout the year.



And that, in a nutshell, is what we do to make sure our kids are well-socialized. Phew!

"How do you homeschool?"

Today's Back to Homeschool Week question is "How Do You Homeschool?"



Well, that's a great question! I can't wait to read other's responses to that one.



We are what's considered 'Eclectic' homeschoolers. What does it mean to be eclectic? According to the World Book Dictionary, 'eclectic' means "selecting and using what seems best from various sources, systems or schools of thought."



We've never used a 'boxed' curriculum where all subjects come from one source. While one curriculum may be great for English, their Science may be as boring and dry as the Sahara (speaking from personal experience here). So years ago I wrote down all the subjects I felt we needed to be covering and then took them one by one and researched each until I found the one I felt 'fit' our children. As we add or try new things I do the same. Some things I thought were a 'fit' turned out not to be and we had to go searching again, but for the most part, I believe we have found just the right fit for each subject thus far.



I also consider 'other' things part of our schooling as well, whereas others may not see it that way. If we go to the park to feed ducks and play, that's family time together, we pick out the male and female ducks, we take the time to watch their webbed feet paddling under the water, we watch them preen their feathers, and whatever else may present itself. We play a lot of board and card games. There's LOTS of learning there! When our boys go with dad to the high school football camp Daddy helps with, they learn how to work hard and help others by getting water for the players, going after stray balls, etc. Going to sing at the nursing home with our church group? Pricesless learning. And I can't tell you how much they (we) have learned from different TV programs and movies (GASP!). Oh, and chores. Shoot, do I need to say any more?!



Our kids are also involved in sports... basketball, football, baseball, cheerleading, and gymnastics are the ones we've tried so far. Organized sports provide so many great learning opportunities.



And THAT'S how we homeschool. It's just a natural, normal part of our daily lives. We 'school' around 'life', we don't live and plan our lives around school. Life IS constant learning!

"What led to your decision to homeschool?"

Monday's question in the 'Back To Homeschooling Week' activity was "What led to your decision to homeschool?" Below is our story, and please be sure to take a few minutes and join us in the fun. I'd love to hear about YOUR story too!



I think it's wonderful that some parents know that they're going to homeschool from the time that their oldest child is still in diapers. I wish that would have been how it was for us. But, it wasn't.



I don't think I've ever shared our story of how we became homeschoolers with my cyber-girlfriends, so I guess nows the perfect time.



When our oldest was still only four, we knew the time was coming to decide where to send her to school. You see, we never even thought about homeschooling. We didn't even know anything about it. So I went down to the elementary school and got the papers to sign her up for pre-school. She went through the mandatory testing day and scored very highly in everything they had her do. I was so proud!



But each day, while driving to work, my husband passed a local Christian school and just felt led to send her there. So, that's what we did. It was by no means cheap, that's for sure! And we really couldn't afford it, but somehow we made it work. Baby girl started there for her K-4 year. (What is it with pushing our babies to start school so early anyway? Sheesh. If I had it to do all over again...)



Anyway, she really enjoyed herself and did well. Then came Kindergarten. We again sent her to the Christian school and I was home with a 2 year old, a 1 year old, and I was pregnant with our youngest daughter. Everything was fine... until the baby came in January.



The Christian school is a 15-minute drive from our home, so I was getting out twice a day with 4 children ages 5, 2, 1, and a nursing newborn, in the winter time, twice a day for a MINIMUM of 30-45 minutes each time. Now, YOU tell ME how hard that was?



At the same time, Baby Girl's teachers were telling us that she was "the smartest one in the class" and "she already knows everything we're teaching" and "she really should be in first grade". That got us to thinking.



We're dishing out about $200 a month that we really can't afford to send her somewhere where she's not learning anything? And I have to bundle everyone up and get out in the cold twice a day with all these little ones just to take her to these expensive babysitters?



I must back up a bit here for sake of the story. For a couple years before this, Sweetie and I would sit around the pool at his aunt's house during their yearly family reunion and talk with his cousin's wife who homeschooled their children. I really enjoyed talking with her, and she never pushed homeschooling. She would just mention it casually here and there during our conversations. We did notice, however, that their children were just the most polite children we had ever been around!



I also have a sister-in-law that had homeschooled her children for their Kindergarten year and she loved it. She had told me once that you would never regret doing Kindergarten because it was so much fun.



At the time, these conversations didn't really stick with me, but now they were all coming back to my mind as we contemplated what to do with Baby Girl. We KNEW getting out in the cold with the babies was growing old very quickly. We KNEW Baby Girl wasn't learning anything new. We KNEW that we sure could use that $200 a month somewhere else more beneficial. We also knew that it was the second semester of the school year and we really didn't want to change schools then. And we REALLY knew that we weren't ready to send her to public school.



So, where did that leave us? I did go to school to be a teacher, even though I didn't finish. I did have some experience with teaching little ones after all the years I had taught Sunday and Bible School. This WAS our own little girl we were talking about here, and no one loved her and wanted to see her excel more than us. And we DID pay for all those Abeka books she was using so they'd be coming home with her. Besides, Sweetie's cousin and my sister-in-law had talked so much about homeschooling... and it WAS already into the second semester. It'd only be for a few short months....



So, we prayed. I KNEW what I wanted to do, but I asked God to give Sweetie the answer (I didn't tell Sweetie this) so I would know that it was Him and not me making the decision.



And one day, all of a sudden, as he was walking out the door to go to work, he stopped and looked at me and said, "Well, are you ready to start teaching?" And that was that!



As much as I had loved everyone at the Christian school Baby Girl was at, I was shocked and just a bit hurt at their response to our decision. When I had menioned to her teacher and aide that it was hard on me getting out with the babies and that we were praying about homeschooling, I was told how crazy I was and how they would NEVER do that and how I wouldn't like it and that I'd lose my mind... yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, little did they know that they were only adding fuel to the fire! LOL! In February, we pulled her out and began this wonderful journey that has provided us with more precioius memories than we would have ever had if they were gone away from us every day.



And that's how we became homeschoolers. And 5 1/2 years later we love it even more than we did when we first started (now that we know what we're doing!).

Back To Homeschool Week

Our new school year starts next Monday, the 13th, and Randi over at I Have To Say had a wonderful idea to help all of us get back into the swing of things. I can see this being a lot of help to new homeschoolers, as well as very interesting to read for veterans as well.



I'm already a day behind (story of my life), so I'll answer the first two questions for the week today.



I love reading about other's homeschooling journey, so be sure to take a few minutes to join us!

The Start of a New School Year

Our new school year will begin Monday, August 13th. I love the beginning of a new school year. Everything feels so fresh and new and exciting!



This year we will be using the Time Travelers History Study Series by Homeschool in the Woods, who also make the History Through The Ages timeline figures, which we will also be using. I am SO EXCITED about diving into the Time Travelers series... it looks like SO much fun! What a great way to learn about early American history!



As a go-along with our Time Travelers studies and our American history timeline we will also be using TruthQuest History-American History for Young Students I and II and good, living book suggestions from All Through The Ages. I can't wait!!



As with every year that we've homeschooled (we're going on 6!), we'll be using Five in a Row as well as Beyond Five in a Row. We LOVE FIAR and can't imagine ever schooling without it! I'm so excited to visit some of our favorites again with our youngest while moving on to new ones with our oldest!



For math we have always used Math U See and will continue to do so. Again, love it, love it, love it.



For English we use Rod & Staff. We just started using this last year with Baby Girl and we really like it, so we'll be sticking with it.



We only have one more non-reader left, and with her I will be using the same thing I did with the others, Reading Made Easy. The name speaks for itself. It really is very easy to use and has turned out some great readers here.



Also for our youngest we will be using Handwriting Without Tears just like we have with all the others. And since the older three know how to write, I'm planning on just having them do some copywork to practice and fine-tune their writing skills. If anyone knows of some good copywork sites or books, please let me know.



And for science, well, I've never really found exactly what I feel 'fits' for our family, so for our three youngest I'm going to do what I should have done a LONG time ago and just go with the science that's in Five in a Row! There's so much there, and it's fun stuff too! My only concern is our oldest who has never really done a whole lot of science (my fault). I have somewhat of a plan I'd like to try to stick to just to make sure Baby Girl has a general knowledge of things before she hits high school in a few short years (GASP!). I'm using the 'God's Design' curriculum from Answers in Genesis as a sort of guideline. I'd like to take a bit from the curriculum while checking out books from the library that go along with the topic we're learning about and maybe find some fun experiments for some hands-on learning to go along with it too. For example, we'll start with God's Design for Heaven and Earth-Our Planet Earth, which covers origins and glaciers, rocks and minerals, mountains and movement, and water and erosion. Instead of following the curriculm exactly, I'd like to find a bunch of books about, say, glaciers and read all we can about them, do an experiment or two and then move on to rocks and minerals and do the same. Sounds fun and fairly easy, aye?



EDITING TO ADD: We'll also be using this book for some science fun this year!

The three oldest will be learning how to type using Typing Tutor 10, but that's more 'fun' for them than actualy learning, and we play lots of games that have 'hidden learning' in them, so we'll be doing that as well. Geography is learned through books and maps and whatever else may come up throughout the year.



And that's pretty much our year. I'd love to hear about your plans for the upcoming school year. If you've blogged about it, please leave me a comment so I can go check it out. That's how I've found so many wonderful things we have used in our homeschooling journey.