We just finished our first FULL year of homeschooling. I am currently working on grades right now so we are all very excited that we are officially on summer break. I thought I would share some pictures and also just a few of my thoughts on homeschooling now that I have done it long enough to have some "likes" and "dislikes".
On the first day of school I put together little baskets with all of their school supplies in them. They woke that morning, got ready for school, and then Michael took them to breakfast. When they "arrived" at school their baskets were out and we spent the morning going over some classroom rules and doing some fun activities. One thing I will change fore next year is the organization of their supplies and I will buy ALOT more of them. We go through pencils like crazy.
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| Our Classrom |
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| The kids baskets |
Many days they will sit together and do their work.
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| "Stop copying me!" (Oh yes, they bicker...they are still siblings.) |
And sometimes they get so goofy...
That they get split up.
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Luna takes her school very seriously so she needs quiet most days.
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| And Bear is such a goofball that he needs quiet most days too. |
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Homeschooling is one the hardest and most rewarding things I have ever done. It took me a while to get on board (10 years to be exact). I was petrified at the thought for years because I really believed that I couldn't do it. We have some really hard days and some great days. Most days I am exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. But at the end of the day it is worth every minute. We are learning so much about each other and about ourselves.
It is not all work around here though. We have so much time to have fun. Because the class is so small and they have very individual attention it does not take us near the amount of time to get all of our work done so we have more time to play and explore.
We have had many opportunities to go on field trips. We went to American Village at Thanksgiving and Christmas for their historical programs. They are wonderful and very entertaining. We go the park and on nature walks at least once a week. And we even had the opportunity to go to Belize on a mission trip this year with Luna and Bear.
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| American Village |
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| Oak Mountain for nature walks |
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Belize
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The children also had time to pursue many of their own interests in their free time. Luna learned how to make polymer clay figures and sold them at Christmas time to her friends to raise money for her mission trip to Belize.
She also made cakes and cupcakes for her Aunt Mimi and Tots birthday parties.
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| Bella learned how to make Polymer Clay figures |
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| Aunt Mimi's beach theme cupcakes |
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Tot's Cinderella Princess Birthday Party Theme
Tot's discovered her love for cooking like the rest of them and loves to help me make pancakes for breakfast. |
We love being together (most days). It is a joy to be able to watch my children grow up. I love being able to have so many opportunities to teach them about life and God, as well as teach them their academics.
