Homeschooling

We are back in the swing of homeschooling this year and so far, things are going great! Kendall is finishing up first grade work and should have it completed by the first of December. She is so bright and grasps concepts so well! We are using a wide variety of curriculum--Rod and Staff Math, Sequential Spelling, First Language Lessons, Bob Jones Science, Stories of the World, and Getting Started with Latin. Our curriculum varies because I already had a few things here (Math and Stories of the World) then had a friend let me use some things she wasn't using. We have settled into a nice routine (for the most part) and usually have all our school work finished up by lunchtime. We use Friday as our "catch-up" day, just in case we get behind during the week, so usually it is a much lighter load than the previous days. I am attending a Bible Study at our church on Tuesday mornings, so on those days, I send her with several things she can work independently. She almost always finishes her work up quickly, then goes into the nursery and plays with the little kids. Kendall is really an easy student to teach. My biggest problem is keeping her focused on her work, because she gets distracted really easily by Arden and Barrett.

We are involved in the co-op again this year and I think it's going to be a great year. We were able to go see the animals at the fair with some of our homeschool friends a week or so ago, and now that the weather is cooling off a bit, have started back to our weekly park play dates. A few other field trips are already planned, and we have monthly co-op meetings in the works with classes that will begin in October. The co-op classes weren't offered last year, and we are really excited about this opportunity! Kendall is also taking dance again this year--on two different days--so we are keeping the road hot! I am not complaining, as I prayed so much this summer about more social outlets for her and it seems the Lord is providing those in abundance. 

Kendall still reads anything she can get her hands on. Of course books are her favorite and we frequent the library OFTEN, but I catch her reading EVERYTHING. Just the other night, she said, "Did you know if you swallow toothpaste, you would have to call poison control?" Yeah...she was reading the back of the toothpaste tube! The biggest thing with Kendall's avid reading is trying to find content appropriate books for her, as her reading ability surpasses what her little mind needs to know sometimes. She has several series she loves (Ivy and Bean, The Boxcar Children, some fairy series, a few of the American Girl books, Piper Reed...just to name a few off the top of my head!) but some of those are shorter series that she has finished rather quickly. I usually look up book lists on Pinterest, search our online card catalog, and put about 10 books on hold for her, just to make our library trip a bit more manageable. 

I am also doing a very loose preschool with Arden this year. Arden needed a little structure to her day and this has really helped a lot. She LOVES it and tells everyone "I do preschool at home!" We usually have a theme, letter, and number for the week and a shape and color for the month.  We usually do a couple of activities in each category daily. (When I say a couple, I mean our activity might be to sing a song or talk about words that start with the letter of the week. It is really NOT a big deal. Just something to make her feel included in our school routine.) She is a great little student, too, although VERY different from Kendall. (Arden knows lots of things, but she doesn't like for you to know she knows.) Arden especially loves to glue things and any activity that involves scissors. 

A lot of people ask us how long we plan to homeschool. That is a good question! We will always take it a year at a time. Right now, we know this is exactly what God wants for our family. We love being intricately involved in what they are learning and doing. We love the flexibility of homeschooling (note the picture of Kendall hanging from a tree, as she and I were doing her language arts lesson that day!) and the different opportunities it provides. I'm not going to pretend like it is super easy and we never have difficulties because we certainly do (see crazy face picture) but I am learning to depend on the Lord in a way I never have before.