Why I Love Homeschool: A List

-I get to work in my pajamas if I want to.
-The kids can go to school in their pajamas.
-I don't have to rush my kids out the door; we have time to snuggle in the mornings and enjoy our breakfast.
-I can take a snow day whenever I want one.
-My relationship with my kids improves every day.
-I'm learning so much.
-No evening homework.
-My kids love being together.
-We create our own curriculum.
-No government agendas.
-Pledge of Allegiance.
-We have prayer and scriptures in school.
-The kids are learning at their own speeds.
-The kids LOVE school.
-Field trips.
-I know what my kids are doing all day.
-It's so FULFILLING!

Smooth Sailing

I should be careful writing this because I may just jinx myself.  Our school routine has been so smooth and successful during the last few weeks.  We have so many things we're curious about and our kidschool learning is carrying over to dinnertime.  We're learning about the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, more about the solar system, and about John Deere tractors.  Logan is taking off with his reading.  I told him that Heavenly Father would help him learn to read if he spent some time in the scriptures, so he decided that he needed to read a verse out of the Book of Mormon every day!  After two weeks of that, his reading has improved tenfold.  I am so impressed with his faith and diligence!  Now when I find him with his nose in a book, he's often reading it!  He's also dying to learn math.  Jim showed him how to calculate his tithing the other day, and Logan worked diligently at it for more than 30 min.  He has SO many mathematical questions.  I'm thinking it's time to get some math curriculum.  

I've been studying the French Revolution (unwittingly) through my love of old novels.  Because Jim loves American History, we're making some connections!  We've been comparing the two revolutions, and I feel like I've finally learned something about history!  It's really interesting to see the very distinct differences between the two.  The French were fighting for freedom from aristocratic rule, but at least in the beginning those leading the revolution were really just seeking their own power.  That was not the case with the Americans.  George Washington really just wanted to go home to his farm!  I don't have a thorough understanding yet (especially about Napoleon), but I have enough of an interest now that I'm seeking more information.  Jim is always disappointed when I can't share his enthusiasm for history, so I think he's really pleased that I'm finding some excitement in talking about it.  I'm rather excited that I've discovered an avenue for studying something I've always struggled with.  Now I just need a bunch of good novels that cover American history.  Hmm...  I'm also finding myself excited about the solar system (I've never cared about that either) thanks to Logan.  I wonder what the purpose is of each of these planets?  Why have these giant balls of gas out there?  What are they going to become?  What is really in the center of Jupiter? 

Anyway, I'm feeling good about our progress lately.  Kidschool has been SO MUCH FUN...for all of us.  And I am thoroughly loving that I don't have to prepare lesson plans or grade worksheets.  I'm still trusting the process and it's working!  Learning is fun and inspiring!  Who knew?

Have You Probed Your Paradigm Lately?

Here's a good, short explanation about our public school system, and an opportunity to rethink some things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Trust The Process

This is a phrase that I keep hearing in the TJEd world, and I've come to use it myself.  So much of the time I worry that I'm not doing enough, and sometimes I stress about the way the world around me measures the progress of a child.  I do school very differently than the public schools and even than other homeschoolers!  Then I have to remind myself that I have different goals than the world around me, than the school system, and even other parents.  Then I trust the process (the TJEd process that its) and relax.   

I was thinking about this last night and also thinking about how my kids 'measure up'.  I know the latter doesn't matter, but somehow it makes me feel better at times.  Of course, it also makes me feel worse at times.

In any case I was marveling at Logan.  He's my oldest and the only one who is officially 'school age'.  He's the one I feel pressured about right now.  Yet we don't spend hours a day doing academic work.  We spent maybe 15 min. a day on the same kind of work other kids his age are doing at school, but without pressure or requirement.  Then we play or work or get curious together, and HE'S LEARNING!  Wow!  It's so true that if you leave a child to himself, provide the right environment, and be there for him when he wants to learn that he will!

This kid is starting to read just like other kids his age.  He's picking up books on his own and sounding out the words.  It's still somewhat laborious, but he gets faster every day.  I'm only working with him on it for 10-15 minutes a day, and lately it hasn't been every day.  He writes on his own willingly when it comes time to respond to a penpal letter, and he walks around sounding out words in his head and trying to spell them.  It always cracks me up when he sounds out abbreviations phonetically, "Mom, what does abf mean?"  He can count as high as he wants to go without getting stuck and we've NEVER tried to teach him numbers.  He's occasionally asked questions about how to count and we've answered him.  He can add small numbers without ever having looked at a math book or a worksheet.  He can cut, glue, and color in the lines (when he wants to), as well, but I don't care.  He was bound to figure that out.  As for Kindergarten skills, he's right on target.  Thinking about that made me feel a little better, but in the same thought I recognized that it wasn't what mattered.  My goal is not skills, it's knowledge!  Skills usually accompany knowledge, but knowledge doesn't always accompany skills.

Then I started thinking about other ways my boy uses his brain.  He's discovered that our encyclopedias are a source of information.  He actually tells me that he 'needs some information' before heading to that shelf.  Then he finds the book that has the same first letter sound as the word he wants to look up and brings it to me.  I'll find the reference for him, and then he wants me to read it to him!  These aren't children's encyclopedias, by the way.  I read, he questions, and if I'm not feeling too lazy, we often delve into the subject using our other encyclopedias and other available tools.

Something else he does is pick out books from the non-fiction section of the library.  He knows more about space, dinosaurs, volcanoes, and submarines than I do.  The memory of a child is amazing!   He's taken an interest lately in the presidential race because Jim talks about it so much, and he has a candidate he would vote for if he could!  He also tells others to vote for that candidate.  He was very excited to go with us to the caucus recently. 

He's been working on a project recently in our basement.  We bought a small kitchen appliance from Goodwill (I think I've mentioned this) for him to take apart.  He took it apart in minutes.  Then several weeks later, having forgotten how the several gears in it were placed, he put it back together by himself.  He's getting pretty handy with a screwdriver and I wouldn't exactly call his knowledge of mechanics typical for a five year old.

Those thoughts are what really made me relax and trust the process.  So far, I feel like know I'm doing what he needs (because a mom has a right to know), and so far it hasn't been difficult at all.  In fact, I'm confident it's been a lot easier than getting up and rushing out the door every morning, and then coercing him to finish his worksheets in the evenings after long tiring days at school.  I'm certain he's learning as much, if not more too.  

P.S. I looked down just now, and discovered that he's trying to read a medical book.  It doesn't even have pictures!