Homeschooling

While I fully intend on catching up with some summer photos...beach, Ava's birthday party, and some milestones...I also can't help but fill you in on the biggest event around here.

Back in the early summer, we decided to home school our children.  We've been thinking and praying on this decision for over a year, and after facing all of our concerns, fears, hopes, and excitements, we've made the decision. 

 It feels so very good to simply know this is the right thing for us.  We felt so very pulled and led in this direction, but we kept taking different fears to God, and He continued to put people and His Word in our paths to put our fears to rest.

We realize not everyone will understand or agree with us, but that's okay.  The idea that we can travel to historical places to see the history, that we could cook authentic recipes, and share experiences in learning together as a family...that excites me beyond measure.  And we are thrilled to share more spiritual food with the kids...knowing that He will only bless our family for spending time with Him.

Here's some highlights over our summer of learning together.  I had taken a break from formal learning time, so we had more relaxed fun together, and we started Grayson's pre-school in August.



Back in July, he started asking lots of questions about volcanoes, and I told him I really didn't know that much.  We headed to the library and checked out a couple 40 page books...and read them over and over.  That week, we built a volcano with play dough, and used baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring to create an eruption.  You can see the tray is filled with our mixture, and that is because we had to do it again, and again, and again.  One of his favorite parts of the summer.

sorting and organizing (something Grayson likes to do naturally...pretty sure he rearranged some decor on the shelves "that was out of order, mommy," in Hobby Lobby!)

We don't do it every single week, but Ava joins in for some "tot schooling."  She LOVES having her own time to play and explore.  It's also a teaching time for Grayson, to teach him how to patiently instruct Ava.  As he (and she) get older, it is equally their responsibility to spur one another on, and to share knowledge with each other.

She LOVES to stack, put items in and out different containers, and loves her wooden shape sorter.  She's actually getting better at it...she started to put the correct shapes together yesterday.  So cute to see.

She also LOVES taking blocks from the jar and slamming them into the clangy metal bowl.  I, however, do not love this activity.

:-)

Grayson loves her school because it's all super easy for him, and he loves to pretend he's the teacher for her.

He got this great sandwich stacking game for his birthday this year, and it's awesome.  He puts the bread gloves on and there are different games we play. 

His favorite (other than making a giant sandwich with every piece on it)....we spread the pieces all over the playroom,  and he picks a card that shows him a sandwich.  We time him and he gets to race around the room and make the sandwich, never taking the gloves off.  Talk about active learning.

Here's Grayson's preschool center that changes out every week.

We use Raising Rock Stars Preschool Curriculum, and LOVE IT!  Our school board has the main curriculum components up where Grayson can see it...his memory verse, letter, number, and sight word being the central parts.  He has lots of supporting activities that coordinate: finger puppets, a song, a practical application sheet ("I can obey by..."), vocabulary cards that begin with his letter, some spiritual vocabulary cards that focus on words and phrases from the Bible that begin with his letter, and an easy reader that he gets to read to me. 

Then there are activities we do that go along with our verse....cutting, taping, tracing, writing letters, a weekly craft.  We also add in activities, especially focusing around the letter and around some early math and spatial learning.  We have all kinds of fun games and activities to do as we learn.

I was SO proud of this!  Grayson doesn't really love to draw or color, and so I've never really seen him spend much time creating art....I was SO proud of all those apples he drew on the tree.  We really strive to combine his learning, and make it more practical for everyday living.  Like this sheet, he drew apples on the tree, and had to count how many were on...the next day we added another sheet and he added the previous apples with the new. 

And we do plenty of simple, fun crafts that go along with the season, or sometimes they're random...but they're always fun.  He did this fall tree by himself!

Part of the beauty of school at home is incorporating it into our everyday life....so we include it on play dates with friends, while I'm cooking supper, or while we watch something on tv. 

Being a part of this process is already humbling me, and pointing me to God's grace to get me through some days.  We are SO excited to go on this journey, no matter how long we travel, and we know we will learn something from it. 

:-)