Gearing Up For a New School Year...

Some of our friends have begun their
formal 2009-10 school year already.
We have not.

We are certainly marking many things
on our log books as our daily life
lends itself to learning, but as of
yet we have not begun the Accounting
curriculum or the American History, etc.

Chelsea can be found on the computer
working on French sporadically. Not
at my direction but out of her own
interest.

Mikey is getting eight weeks of horticulture
through his Internship at Longwood Gardens.

Jonathan can be found perfecting his art
with a friend who majored in graphic arts
in a trade school last year. Just for fun
they have done ink drawings, watercolor and
sketching.

However, my mind is turning to the days when
we will gather in the living room discussing
the merits of a republic over socialism or a
dictatorship.
How God made our various body parts in just
the right ways as we study anatomy.
Reading aloud a piece of literature which
captivates and inspires.

You know,this kind of time with the kids
will be done after this year.
Mikey and Jonathan will graduate
leaving Chelsea and I on our own
for her last three years.

So, I intend to cherish our time this year.
To pack in as much about God, His goodness
and Seeking His will as is possible to do
without making the kids too crazy. This is
the lesson I most wish to get across to the
boys as they head into manhood and the
responsibilities that brings.

It is happening.
I see it daily.

Praying for wisdom and strength as we
have a very eventful year ahead.

Becky K.

P.S. A Partial Curriculum List:

John MacArthur - The Truth War
BJU Press - The American Republic
W. Cleon Skousen - A Miracle that Changed the World- A 5,000 Year Leap
A Beka - America, Land That I Love

Alan L. Gillen - Body By Design
I. Edward Alcamo - Anatomy Coloring Workbook

Alpha Omega - Accounting I

Rosetta Stone - French

Again, this is a partial list of this year's curriculum
but we will use these resources to gain an understanding
of the subjects studied.

eBay and I Are Bonding!

O.k., admittedly I am sick and tired of
posting items for sale. It would be so
much better to just make a huge post and
sell all of our items in one grouping.

While that would save time.
It really wouldn't be the best way to
go about selling the many, many things
we have collected over the past couple
of years.

If you are interested in seeing what I
have listed so far...go to View Sellers Other Items
on this page.
You will find that on the right under
"Ask a Question".

I have much, much more to list.
The photos are taken but for now
I am headed to plant more pretties
in the flower garden.

Toodles!

Becky K.

What God Is Teaching Me About Educating My Kids

Why do we parents who are educating our children at home, hold up government schools as the gold standard to be copied? I am speaking about a different thing than following your states requirements. I mean why do we try to copy their way of teaching or their class offerings?

I learned recently that the higher math and sciences that most people struggle with were added to the curriculum in the 50's and 60's when the United States was competing with the then Soviet Union in the space race. Before that they weren't a regular part of the public school curriculum. I am not saying that it is bad for kids to be challenged in education, but just that we need to free ourselves from their pattern and see what works for our own kids and where they are headed.

The most important thing in educating our children is to teach them to love to learn. We do not need to fret over what curriculum to use - we need to seek the Lord for each child and ask Him to show us who each child is and what they need. He created them, He will show you.

You may have a student headed for college, but don't limit them to the government norms. Let them find their niche. You may have students who are not headed for college and this is where you can truly be creative with their education! What are they interested in? What passions do they have? This is your chance to let them take their interests as far as they want!

The most important thing to accomplish during this time is to walk along side them and disciple them in the things of the Lord and encourage them to walk with God themselves.

Freedom is what I found this year after 15 years of homeschooling!

Summer is Here!!!

Learning never stops!

We are gardening, cooking,
should be cleaning...

We are reading, studying God's Word,
preparing for fun Field Trips.

I am tutoring a neighbor boy...so it
looks a lot like the rest of the school
year around here. That is just the way
we like it!

Our evaluations were great.
The kids are moving into a new
stage of life and learning but
it is good for all of us.

Take the time to learn something new
about a long interesting subject this
summer. What might it be for you?

I am learning a new Web Site Program.
Challenging for this brain but I think the
end result for our church web site will be
worth it.

Happy Learning to you and yours~

Becky K. and Family

P.S. I would have put these photos into the
text of the post but my Chelsea just brought
me the best looking blueberry pancakes...I am
going to press publish and eat these instead.
((Smiles)) and ((hugs)) to you.

Evaluations are Approaching

In Pennsylvania we are required to
have an independent evaluator go over
samples of the work completed for the
school year. His or Her responsibility
is to verify that State Requirements
have been met.

They will check for the proper number
of days completed, that any testing needed
has been completed and that each child has
made progress.

This has often been a stressful time for
me as I consider it more of an evaluation
of the job I have done than that of the
children.

Every year our evaluators, we have two,
are very complimentary and stress that
I should relax.

Maybe this year!

This Cracked me Up!

We were sitting on the couch
doing math. Chelsea was using
me for moral support.

Math is not her thing...as it
is not mine.

We were doing a review of
Order of Operations.

I like this particular exercise
because they have to pay attention
and get to review all of the basics
in nearly every problem.

However, apparently it was almost
too much for poor Chelsea.

She suddenly blurted out,
"Someday I am going to need
counseling after this math!"

I lost it in a fit of giggles!

Oh, the drama!

Keeping it Real

One of the things I have learned about teaching our children is that the more they can do in "real life" as opposed to an artificial classroom setting the happier they are and the more they learn.

This doesn't always translate well to the outside world that considers school to be several hours a day behind a desk.

It is much more common for our school day to have a limited amount of "formal" school time and much more conversation, debate, projects, activities, caring for family members, helping in the neighborhood, investigating things each one is interested in, following Daddy around the garage, and so much more. Learning is endless...our biggest challenge was learning to recognize the value of real life lessons.

When our children are young there is a certain amount of copy work and structured learning that absolutely must happen to lay the ground work for teaching them to learn. As High School students this type of learning is reduced to math, English and spelling, as it relates to the disciplines of sitting down to school.

History, Science, Geography, Computer Lab, Keyboarding, Home Ec, Phys Ed and Civics are most often caught as we read great books, work on a dirt bike, help Mom make dinner, write a blog, learn to use a photo editing program just for fun, watch those favorite shows such as Myth Busters or Netflix DVD's on a specific subject. It is always great to tie our History and Bible together and really get a feel for how the many stories we have learned all of these years fit into the known World History of the time.

We find ourselves making time to spend with friends for skating, bowling, movies, English Country Balls, Bible Study, riding dirt bike, rocketry, playing capture the flag...and so much more.

Each of these things has something valuable to offer the entire homeschool experience.

Mikey is often found outside with his garden or plotting and planning for a friend who has requested his design service...that is when he is not at work learning about business, taking care of customers, keeping a store stocked and other valuable lessons you gain in a work environment.

Our homeschool certainly looks different than it did when the kids were in elementary grades but I wouldn't change a thing.

When I find a resistant reader finishing a book because a friend recommended it...and it is non-fiction and has a great message or another son listens to a short message on the radio and comments on a subject that most kids his age wouldn't care about in the least there is that little sigh...a sigh that says these are the real learning times.

I document them as the valuable school time that they are.

This post is overly simplistic but hopefully you catch the intent.

Homeschool must be practical.
We must adjust and use the real world to prepare our
children to be adults out there.

They need to learn how to learn more than they need to
have statistics and facts shoved in their brains for memorization
for a test. These things tend to just fall back out after the
test is completed anyway.

This may be the hardest way to homeschool.
I say that because it is much easier to feel we
have "done school" when we have processed through
workbooks and texts.

It is harder to quantify a year's worth of work when
it is made up of thoughtful conversations, books read
for fun, projects and caring, added responsibilities.

But it is a worthwhile endeavor!