Educational Plans May 27, 2008

In order to comply with Nevada Law, when we submit our Notice of Intent to Homeschool, we also have to submit an educational plan.  So, with a great deal of information taken from Rebecca Rupp’s Home Learning Year by Year, I’ve completed the plans for the boys.  I know this is much more detail than the school district requires, but this also serves as a great guide for me.  Anyway, I thought I’d post them, in case anyone was interested. 

 education-plan-kindergarten1     education-plan-2nd-grade

I also went to Barnes and Noble today and ordered Rebecca’s book.  Should be in next week.  I’m pretty excited.  Thank you to Erin for finding it for me!  What a blessing this book has turned out to be! 

Another great treasure! May 27, 2008

I just love the DI!  I try to go every couple of weeks or so, just to see if I can find any treasures.  I went again today, and like last time, found a ton of Living Scripture workbooks!  This time, I got 57!  Can you believe that?!  I think I’ve got to have nearly all of the New Testament and Hero Classics now!  These things are so full of learning resources.  What a find!  I’m also using these to create Sunday Folders for the kids.  I also got for $.50 each, a book about the Gettysburg Address and a book about questions about animals, called I Wonder Why Camels Have Humps.  Yeah!  I love bargains.  I’m definitely going to have to check out the little used book stores in the libraries, like Erin suggested! 

Our First Project May 20, 2008

The boys were really antsy yesterday, so I decided to give them their first official homeschool assignment.  I had them each pick out a book, read it, and then do something to report to me what the book was about.  It could have been anything from a written summary to an art project to acting it out.  I just wanted them to get their creative juices flowing and also see what kind of comprehension and retention they have. 

So, I read to Gavin and Logan read on his own, but only part of the book.  I thought it was interesting how Gavin picked an actual story, while Logan chose a non-fiction book.  He’s always liked those best.  Anyway, Gavin wanted to do an art project for his, so I got him started with that.  Logan had written about what he read, but when I told him that Gavin was making something and he could too, he decided to do that as well.  All in all, it turned out really well, and everyone had a great time with it.  Here’s their books and projects: 

Gavin: 

   

Logan: 

Our Classroom May 20, 2008

In my last post, I said I would put up pictures of our classroom, so here they are.  The kids are really loving this space.  We are using our spare bedroom, which is working out really well.  (It’s also used for storing food, crafts, laundry detergent, diapers, toilet paper, and paper towels.  It’s a multi-function room.) 

Here’s the room, before getting it ready. 

     

     

So, it was pretty messy, and kind of our catch all room. 

But, now, I think the change is remarkable! 

   

    

We got it all done in just a couple days, with the help of Grandma and the kiddos. 

Progress and Rewards May 15, 2008

Well, I’m doing much better now.  I think I’m over my Yikes moment, for now.  I’m sure there will be more in the future.  As I’ve read, I’ve come to discover that homeschooling takes some getting used to and some trial and error.  I have every confidence that we will be able to make things work out well.  I’ve started already, with some small things with the kids, and so far so good.  We’ve also got our classroom all ready.  That was a lot of work, but it was actually really fun to do.  The kids helped a bit with it too, as well as Grandma.  I’ll have some pictures of it up in a day or two.  And, a special thank you goes out to my friend Erin, who discovered two amazing books that outline and detail grade by grade curriculum and expectations.  Hooray!

Also, this week I’ve discovered the rewards of telling people that you are a homeschool teacher.  First I went to Learning Is Fun.  When the sweet lady asked me if I was on their mailing list, I replied that I wasn’t, but should be since I was going to be homeschooling four kiddos.  So, when I told them that, they not only put me on their list, but also gave me some teacher magazines, but also some of the coupons teachers get to hand out to their students to get a prize at Learning Is Fun.  Then, when I took our calendar over to OfficeMax to get laminated, I was asked if I was a teacher, and I told them I was a homeschool teacher.  Then, they gave me their teacher discount and reward card.  So, that’s pretty cool.  These stores are now on my newly created list of homeschool friendly businesses. 

Yikes! May 13, 2008

I had a bit of an anxiety attack the other day, as I realized the ginormous task ahead of me.  I’ve been researching and researching, and I still don’t know everything I need to teach the kids.  So, I started to really freak out and felt entirely overwhelmed.  I guess it just hit me, all of a sudden.  Math won’t be a problem, we’ve already picked out a math program we are going to use.  However, that’s the only thing that has been decided.  What am I going to do about reading?  My friend, Amy, who is also going to be homeschooling, is suppose to get Hooked on Phonics for us to use from her mom, but that hasn’t happened yet.  I think that will be a good program to use, and is pretty well proved.  But, what about spelling, language arts, science, art, music? I think my big problem is that I don’t know exactly what should be taught at what grade level.  I’ve got some information from the school district as to their math and reading guidelines, but I need more.  I think that what I need to to is contact some other homeschoolers, and see how they do it.  I guess this is a good lesson for me to remember that I don’t have to have all the answers and information at once, and that I need to take a deep breath. 

Placement Tests May 7, 2008

Well, I gave the boys math placement tests today, just to see where they are at.  Gavin tested right on the line between Kindergarten and 1st grade, and Logan tested at a 2nd grade level.   It was very interesting to see how they did, and what they already knew.  I got the tests from the Saxon Homeschool site, and they were very well done.  I’ve gotten a few things now from Saxon Homeschool, and I’m awaiting their sampler K-3 math book.  I really think that we are going to go with them for our math program.  Their stuff seems really comprehensive and well put together.  I’ve had multiple recommendations for them, too.  I’m very anxious to see their sampler. 

Best Book I’ve Found, So Far May 5, 2008

I found this book online, somewhere, called Homeschool Your Child for Free.  So, I went and checked it out from the library, and wow, is it a wealth of information.  It’s full of lots of great ideas from the author, as well as other parents.  The bulk of the book is spent on listing different websites, broken down by category, with descriptions of the sites.  This has been exceedingly helpful to me, especially as I look for lesson ideas.  She’s got the book separated into sections, including resource sections like curriculum and education essentials, and then into subject sections like language, math, social studies, etc.  It was published back in 2000, so some of the websites are no good now, but most are.  Also, I just read something from the author where she said she is now working on a new edition of the book.  I was planning on going out and buying this book, but I think I’ll wait until the new one comes out. 

Today’s Exciting Find May 5, 2008

Today I went to DI and found a great treasure for our classroom!  There were tons of coloring and activity books from Living Scriptures.  Gavin and I sorted through them all for the ones that didn’t have any coloring in them, and managed to get 20!  We’ve got books from their Animated Hero Classics, Church History, Book of Mormon, New Testament, and Old Testament.  I couldn’t believe it, and for only $.50 each!  These will be a great resource for us to use as I teach various subjects, not just history and religion.  I plan on copying the pages as we use them, so that we can keep using them for a long time.  (And, I checked and the publisher says it’s ok to copy for personal or classroom use.)  The kids were pretty excited about these too. 

Here We Go! May 2, 2008

Hello everyone! 

I’ve started this blog to chronicle our family’s journey as we begin to homeschool.  A little about my family and me.  I’m the mom of four amazing children.  I’ve got one that will be going into 2nd grade, one going into kindergarten, and two littler ones.  Dad provides wonderfully for us and goes to work while I stay home.  I am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Naturally I want the very best for my kids, and that doesn’t stop with their education.  I’ve been sorely disappointed in our school district here.  It wasn’t good when I went through it, and it’s gotten exponentially worse in the last 20 years.  While my oldest son, who is in 1st grade now, has been blessed with two magnificent teachers, he still isn’t getting the kind of education I would like for him.  Don’t get me wrong; those teachers are doing the best they can with what they’ve got, and I don’t fault them for the insufficient education.  The problem lies in the public education system as a whole.  It’s fatally flawed, and overly left wing.  I think some of the things being taught in public schools are absurd and definitely NOT what I want my children learning.  So, we’ve made the decision to homeschool our children.  I think it is going to work out so much better for them. 

Coincidentally, I found out one of my very best friends is also planning to homeschool her 3 kids.  So, we’ve been bouncing ideas off each other, and being great supports to each other also.  We’ve decided to work together a little bit and we are pretty like minded on the type of education that we want for our kiddos.  It’s been great, also to have someone else to sift through the endless amount of information.  I’ve also been getting some invaluable information from a sweet homeschooling mom of 4 at Church. 

Although I am a bit overwhelmed at the task ahead of me, I know that with the Lord and my family working together, we can do it!  There are just so many possibilities and opportunities available, I have to say that I am really very excited!  What could be better?!  This truly will be the journey of a lifetime!