We decided to homeschool for many reasons. But mostly because it works for us!
a.The kids are learning and responding to me well.
b. I feel both confidence and joy in getting to be their teacher day to day.
When those 2 statements aren't true for at least 70% of the time, then it will be time to reevaluate and consider all the other wonderful options out there for education. We will take it year by year and see where the Lord leads.
But for now...We are Homeschoolers..... and this is what that secret little world looks like for us:
1. Structure at Home
The Core of our curriculum comes from My Father's World: Kindergarten. I chose it because the Bible is woven into each unit, quality literature is used and it is rich with active learning experiences. I can also easily tweak some parts of it and let my preschooler join in too.
Two days a week, we spend about 1.5 hours going through this curriculum with our "Mommy School Drawers." Each boy gets 5 drawers each containing a task to complete.(see above center photo of the colorful rolling drawer cart) It could be a worksheet, a learning game, or a fun activity from the curriculum. I fill the drawers in the evenings after the kids go to bed and the next morning they come running out like it is Christmas morning, "It's Mommy School day!! Let's go peek in our drawers to see what she put in them this time!!" The drawers help keep me accountable to sit and have structured time until each task is finished. They also give the kids a sense of excitement and ownership of their activities.
The other two days a week, I have started doing "workbook" mornings. Some of the books he really enjoys and others...well not so much. But he is learning discipline and focus by completing something "boring.". (Sounds like college prep to me!) But really, it only takes like 15 minutes a day to complete his "assignment".
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| Table Time |
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| Dissolving experiment |
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| 50 ft long chalk Dinosaur! |
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| Cuissenarie rods-an integral part of the curriculum |
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| playdough dinos |
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| Our Ant Farm (only lasted a week!) |
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| Liquid to Solid Ice experiment |
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| Sorting (unsolicited!) |
2. Time in a Classroom
This year my Kinder will be attending a Private Part time School geared toward homeschoolers. Two afternoons a week, (after his workbook mornings) he will go for a 3-4 hours to give him a chance to learn in a classroom setting (and give Mommy a break!). He'll have a group of 8-10 other Kindergartners that he will get to learn beside as he participates in Science and Social Studies, Music, PE, Spanish, Computer, Art. We will also get to participate in fun family events like pumpkin carving parties, and nativity Christmas pageants.I am really looking forward to being a part of this homeschool community.
My preschooler is very excited to get to attend Zoo Preschool this year for the first time.He'll do once a week during an afternoon while big brother is at school. He'll get to go for zoo hikes, have animal visitors in the classroom, play at center time,have class holiday parties and become a little zoologist. It is a such a fun program!
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| First Day! |
3. Exploring our City
What would I do without the cultural richness of Fort Worth!? I am a spoiled rotten homeschooler living here! This list may seem long and we certainly don't make it to everything all the time. But this just gives you a taste of the places we have available at our fingertips!
We can learn about Art during Monthly programs for children at the Kimbell and Modern Art Museums. Learn about botany and biology during monthly programs at the BRIT and the Botanical Gardens. And learn zoology at every zoo visit we make.
We can learn about literature and learn to love reading by visiting our local library often and leaving with arm fulls of books. We can learn about science through hands on play at the Fort Worth Science Museum. Learn to follow rules while we play soccer at a local park where take a part in Soccer Shots.
We can learn about culture and geography as we volunteer to help with the International Student ministry at TCU.
And for sure, we will learn about God, His Word, and His people from some stellar teachers at church
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| Sensory Table at the BRIT |
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| Soccer Shots! |
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| Zoo Train |
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| Amon Carter Museum |
4. Playtime
Even with all the activities listed above, the rest of our "homeschool world" is still a huge chunk of just unscheduled playtime. Legos, blocks, legos, blocks...and occasionally a few other toys! Digging in the dirt. Finding creatures in the yard. Reading books. Going to the Park. Taking Nature walks on our beloved Trails. Riding Bikes, Watching tv shows..sometimes educational..(and sometimes not-I ain't gonna lie!) Holiday celebrations. Family vacations we take. All of these are just natural opportunities to learn how to interact with each other, and about the world around them. For us, homeschool is hard to separate from everyday life-really it should be called Life-school!
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| And Special Guest Readers! |
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