Homeschooling Adventures: Feb 2013

We were off and running full speed in our homeschooling adventures.  We may have been moving and having to transition but we didn't let that stop us from learning!

February was a big month for our homeschooling adventures!

It was our second month.. and the kids were starting to get used to the schedule - even liking it and not complaining! (Thank you Jesus!)

We had packed away some books that we really weren't able to read.. until now!  What a joy it is to see your children be able to read a book without help - and Blaze is now reading chapter books!! 

Someone sent me this picture and I had it blown up and then posted it above my desk.  Sometimes we really need a reminder about just how important our job is as a mother.  Some days I get up and wonder why I chose homeschooling or why I chose to stay at home with these children since the day they were born.  There are days that I question my abilities as a teacher, a chef, a maid, a nurse, a mentor, and everything else we as mothers have to be.  But then, something little for most happens like my son scrapes his knee or one of them learns to read a word they never have before, or they get a 100 on their paper and the excitement in their eyes leaves them happy the rest of the day, and I realize that this is what I was made for.  This is what is best for my children.  Nobody is going to love them nor educate them better than me. I wholeheartedly believe that choosing homeschooling was the right thing for my family and I still stand behind that now.  The proof is in the pudding!



This month, Landon Ace Jackson, has learned short and long vowel sounds completely.  This was one thing he seemed to struggle with in school.  We have done research on bullying as he was bullied while at his former school.  He has learned about Jesus and shown interest in the bible so we have started reading it every night as well.  He has mastered addition and subtraction and we are starting multiplication.  We are working on cause and effect and he seems to grasp the idea, but needs more work to really master this.  His grades has been very good for the most part and he is now an honor roll student.  He has done exceptionally well with his behavior, sitting still, not talking while I am talking, and following simple and complex directions.  He found his interest in the weather so we worked on things such as tornadoes, rain, clouds, and the sun.  We have also been graphing the differences of the moon.  He loves homeschooling and seems to mention not going back to public school at least once a week! 

This month, Colton Blaze Jackson, has learned more about synonyms and anonyms. He has learned more about cause and effect and also differences of opinion.  He dove right in to the bible and seemed the most interested in the new testament especially Revelations.  His favorite thing to do during our homeschool time is tutor his brother.  Ace says that Blaze is his second favorite teacher - behind mom of course!  We have continued his learning about the life cycles of plants and animals like what he was learning at public school before he left.  He had already planned on doing a science experiment and had already turned in his syllabus so we decided to go ahead and finish it as well!  We did our experiment on which Nissan vehicle gets the best gas mileage!  I may let Blaze do a future guest post on this blog to talk about what he learned - and what this means for his future!  We picked right back up on long division and multiplication and we finished up learning the multiplication tables through 12.  He started reading chapter books and also the bible every night.  His favorite thing to do at night is read to his little brother, Ace, and this seems to help both of them with their reading and comprehension skills.  Blaze has done wonderfully in homeschool so far and is also now an honor roll student!  Way to go Blazey!! 

We were trying to find some fun ideas for snack time and something that the kids would find creative but also could grab on their own and we found these adorable butterfly snacks (pictured above).  We made 28 so that each child would have one snack bag per day for 2 weeks.  When they are at "school", they are allowed one snack and one lunch.  Sometimes if we get into something deep enough where we go over our time, I will choose to grab a quick snack or play a movie pertaining to what we learn during dinner.  DJ (their father for those who do not know) has also jumped into homeschooling!  He is now doing their physical education and jumping into History when we find something of interest to all of us!  He was so skeptical at first about the whole homeschool process (post on that to come) so to see him come around has made me so happy!  I think, in time, everyone of my family and friends who first thought homeschool was wrong or weird will join the bandwagon of homeschool lovers and see why I pushed and believed so much in this process!



So, As I finish this post I had to post the picture above.  Two years ago when I first even thought of homeschooling, I had a severe misconception of what it was all about - and now I am finding out that many who have not seen it firsthand or have not done their research believe these lies as well.  I have seen teachers, family members, friends, etc. not believe that this is what is in the best interest for my children.  They do not believe in the homeschool process or that a child can learn as much at home as they can in public school.  I feel that cannot be farther from the truth!  But, this picture tells the story of what society thinks of homeschooling and how it effects everyone along the way.  Our neighbors think its weird that their kids are at school and our kids are not.  They ask what reason our kids are sometimes out playing before school is out or how they learn in a short time frame each day.  Well, first of all we are not outside just playing, we are actually learning.  Everything is a learning process when you are in homeschool.  Even our grocery store trips become a learning experience!  As for the short time frame,  I teach two kids instead of thirty and that leaves alot of time to learn without it taking a full 6 hour school day.  We still learn at least 3.5 hours each day, but many days we end up discussing things or finding interesting things on the internet and some days, we are 8 hours in and realize we are way over time!  Today's society seems to think that we are either hillbillies or crazy religious, that we make our own clothes and soap, and that we do not use technology or watch television.  This could not be further from the truth!  I do not believe that I have to do it all to be successful as a mother, wife, or homeschool teacher, and we use alot of technology to learn different things at different times.  Don't be so quick to judge just because we took our kids out of public school,  Look at some of the horrible things going on in today's schools and you will see why! I can tell you firsthand that the public school system still does not support parents who choose to remove their children from their schools.  I have seen this in our situation on more that one occasion.  They seem to think that they are better equipped to teach my children than I am and I will tell you, that is a huge misconception on the school's part.  As a mother who has been home with her children since the day they were born, nobody knows them or their way of thinking better than me!  And then there are your friends and family who think you are crazy or that you are making a big mistake!  I had family members tell me I was being lazy, that I was making a poor decision, and even so far as that they wanted to call the school board and report me because my kids deserved an education!  Well, Yes, I cannot agree with that enough, but what I disagree with is how they are to be educated.  In my first post I discussed the straw that broke the camel's back for our family but it is happening all over the world.  I can say two words to help you understand one main reason my childen are at home today - Sandy Hook!  When your children are terrified of school or have to walk beside an armed officer to get into the building, this leads the children to feel unsafe and therefore prohibits them from learning to the best of their ability anyway!  My kids belong with and to me and I am teaching them to the best of my ability with the help of our wonderful umbrella school.  I believe in this process and I look forward to continuing this for years to come. 

I truly hope that this blog sheds light and opens more minds to the possibility that if I can do it, anyone can do it.  I am here to help and to answer questions for anyone who is thinking about homeschooling and what is best for their family.  I believe this is right and nobody so far has been able to persuade me otherwise.  Thank you so much for coming here and reading my blog and helping me to make my homeschooling dreams come true!