I can hardly believe that the school year is almost over - four more days to go! This year we've seen some firsts with our homeschooling. It actually started at the end of last year's schooling. I told our son that he was getting to a point in his education where we really needed to choose a curriculum that we could stick with through high school so that we wouldn't miss anything important. I think he very much appreciated being included in that decision. We chose AOP's LifePacs for Language Arts, History & Geography, and Science, Horizons Math, Horizons Health, and Ariel Ministries' Come & See for Bible (I'll be sharing more about this at a later date).
With that decision I knew that I was going to have to keep better records. So another first was that this past school year I used forms to keep track of everything. The reason that this was my first year of using forms even though we've been homeschooling for eight years now is because our state doesn't require any sort of record keeping, although they do suggest it. Each year we do have to send in a form stating our intent to homeschool for the year, but that's it.
I wanted to be able to have everything planned out, see our schedule, and be able to show our son his grades. I'm very glad that I decided to do this! It really helped both of us stay motivated and not feel overwhelmed by things.
The forms that I use can be found at DonnaYoung.org. This is a fabulous site with free forms for homeschooling and just about anything else you can think of. If you're thinking about using forms for your schooling, if you need to use forms but don't relish the idea of making your own, or if you just like looking at free stuff, this site is for you! In addition to the forms she also has instructions and suggestions for using them.
Another first for us was that we made it through our math curriculum this year without any, what's the word I'm looking for? Let's use fussing! Four or five years ago we had a very bad experience with a math curriculum and it's taken our son this long to get over it. I can actually say with confidence that our son isn't math-phobic anymore!
This year was also the first time that we took a regular school year to go through the curriculum. Previously our son would speed through things as fast as he could because he just loves learning. Two years ago I calculated how long it would have taken him to get through twelfth grade at the rate he was going and he would have been done at thirteen. My husband and I didn't feel that that was either healthy or necessary so we helped him slow things down a bit and really begin to enjoy the journey.
While we're both looking forward to having lots of fun this summer, we're both looking forward to next school year, too. It's a real blessing to know that our decision to homeschool was really the right thing to do!
Visit Living Waters Homeschool
Visit UnderTheShadowOfHisWing
Visit LAKrueger's Books
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Importance Of Routine
One thing that I've learned over our years of homeschooling is the importance of routine. Routine is good for anybody, but it is especially important for gifted kids (and adults). Every year at this time, when we're about done with our regular school year and looking at our precious weeks of summer, I start thinking about our routine.
During the school year we have two learning sessions per day - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. One summer we just threw caution to the wind and played and lazed all day. After a couple of weeks I knew I was in trouble, so I tried implementing some sort of schedule for our days. It was so-so. Then when school started again that fall it took a good month to get back into the swing of things. This year I have a plan.
For our summer program we are going to maintain our two learning sessions, but instead of our regular school stuff, we'll be having fun, fun, fun! That's the plan anyway. I even have it charted out for the whole summer! There's art, bubblology (the science of bubbles), learning about pendulums, making a worm farm, even tie-dye. I'm hoping that by keeping to our regularly scheduled times when September rolls around again we can ease on in to school without too much fuss. Hey, I can dream, can't I?
While in my dreams summer is a peaceful, relaxing time, in reality it is the time for me to get all my ducks in a row for next schoolyear. Fortunately I have some of them lined up already, but there are still a few that need to be taken care of. I'm hoping that between all the fun and relaxing I'll be able to get those things done so that I won't have to worry about them in September. Here's hoping!
Visit Living Waters Homeschool
Visit UnderTheShadowOfHisWing
Visit LAKrueger's Books
During the school year we have two learning sessions per day - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. One summer we just threw caution to the wind and played and lazed all day. After a couple of weeks I knew I was in trouble, so I tried implementing some sort of schedule for our days. It was so-so. Then when school started again that fall it took a good month to get back into the swing of things. This year I have a plan.
For our summer program we are going to maintain our two learning sessions, but instead of our regular school stuff, we'll be having fun, fun, fun! That's the plan anyway. I even have it charted out for the whole summer! There's art, bubblology (the science of bubbles), learning about pendulums, making a worm farm, even tie-dye. I'm hoping that by keeping to our regularly scheduled times when September rolls around again we can ease on in to school without too much fuss. Hey, I can dream, can't I?
While in my dreams summer is a peaceful, relaxing time, in reality it is the time for me to get all my ducks in a row for next schoolyear. Fortunately I have some of them lined up already, but there are still a few that need to be taken care of. I'm hoping that between all the fun and relaxing I'll be able to get those things done so that I won't have to worry about them in September. Here's hoping!
Visit Living Waters Homeschool
Visit UnderTheShadowOfHisWing
Visit LAKrueger's Books
Friday, March 21, 2008
Craziness in California
So what else is new, right? Speaking as someone who was born and raised in southern California I would like to say that I am very glad we now live elsewhere. The recent court decision involving a parent's right to homeschool their children is just amazing to me - amazingly stupid.
This morning I saw a report about it on Fox News. I had heard about it before this morning, but one of the comments made by a woman with an organization to help protect children really shocked me. She said (I'm paraphrasing here) that judges need to have the ability to demand that children are put in either public or private schools if the children are in danger. She also mentioned that there are 500,000 children who have been identified as being "in danger" in homeschool situations. Who these children are, she didn't say. But after the report I realized that what she seemed to be saying inbetween the lines is that children who attend public or private schools are not in danger. I never realized that this was the case, but am so very happy to hear that children who attend public and private schools, and their families, apparently live in Shangrila!
Are there problems in some homeschool families? Yes. Are there problems in some public/private school families? Yes. Should these children be helped? Of course! But I have yet to hear anyone say that all children in public or private schools should be homeschooled when something terrible happens to a child - or because of a child - who is in public or private school. Remember Columbine? And if you really want to be realistic, there does seem to be more problems with children in public schools than with those who are homeschooled.
If you follow the logic that is apparently being used in California you might come to some interesting conclusions. Alcohol would be outlawed because of those who abuse it and subsequently injure others. Tobacco would be outlawed because of the harm done to the smoker and to those around them. In fact, we wouldn't really have to think at all as the government would think for us, telling us what we should and shouldn't do because we really can't figure that out for ourselves. Wait a minute! Maybe that's why they want all the children in public schools - so that they can be conditioned to have the government think for them. Hmmmm.... I just wonder.
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
This morning I saw a report about it on Fox News. I had heard about it before this morning, but one of the comments made by a woman with an organization to help protect children really shocked me. She said (I'm paraphrasing here) that judges need to have the ability to demand that children are put in either public or private schools if the children are in danger. She also mentioned that there are 500,000 children who have been identified as being "in danger" in homeschool situations. Who these children are, she didn't say. But after the report I realized that what she seemed to be saying inbetween the lines is that children who attend public or private schools are not in danger. I never realized that this was the case, but am so very happy to hear that children who attend public and private schools, and their families, apparently live in Shangrila!
Are there problems in some homeschool families? Yes. Are there problems in some public/private school families? Yes. Should these children be helped? Of course! But I have yet to hear anyone say that all children in public or private schools should be homeschooled when something terrible happens to a child - or because of a child - who is in public or private school. Remember Columbine? And if you really want to be realistic, there does seem to be more problems with children in public schools than with those who are homeschooled.
If you follow the logic that is apparently being used in California you might come to some interesting conclusions. Alcohol would be outlawed because of those who abuse it and subsequently injure others. Tobacco would be outlawed because of the harm done to the smoker and to those around them. In fact, we wouldn't really have to think at all as the government would think for us, telling us what we should and shouldn't do because we really can't figure that out for ourselves. Wait a minute! Maybe that's why they want all the children in public schools - so that they can be conditioned to have the government think for them. Hmmmm.... I just wonder.
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Learning to be Messy
It's funny. Sometimes I don't know who learns more in the course of a day - me or our son. Take this morning for instance. It was time for art and a review of the primary and secondary colors. I know that he knows those like the back of his hand, but I wanted him to get painting. You see, our son is one of those kids who never liked getting dirty.
I remember his first birthday. We gave him a cupcake, took off his shirt, and let him go for it. But he didn't. He poked at it, but never really got messy with it. He really has gotten better with getting messy. Now I'm the one who has to loosen up a bit.
I guess I was spoiled by his innate neatness. But now I know that it's really good for him to get messy so I have to let him. It's not like there's anything that can't be cleaned up - our son included. It's amazing what the Lord will use to teach us more about ourselves and to help us over our little hurdles so that we can be free - and be messy!
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
I remember his first birthday. We gave him a cupcake, took off his shirt, and let him go for it. But he didn't. He poked at it, but never really got messy with it. He really has gotten better with getting messy. Now I'm the one who has to loosen up a bit.
I guess I was spoiled by his innate neatness. But now I know that it's really good for him to get messy so I have to let him. It's not like there's anything that can't be cleaned up - our son included. It's amazing what the Lord will use to teach us more about ourselves and to help us over our little hurdles so that we can be free - and be messy!
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Life!
I bet you thought I disappeared for good. Nope! Just been busy with life! It's really not hard to have happen - especially when you're homeschooling a gifted child.
One thing that I've come to see as a constant in our homeschooling journey (it's been about seven years now) is change. If you've read the history of our homeschool on the website you know what I mean. We've been through a number of schooling methods and curricula, all in an attempt to keep up with the ever changing needs of our highly gifted son. Just last week we made another one of those changes.
In talking with those who don't homeschool, they just don't understand why I go to the lengths I do when it comes to schooling our son. First of all I look at it as a privilege and not as the arduous task that they seem to think it is. Well, some days it does feel rather overwhelming, but that's okay. All I have to do is think about what our son would be facing if he were in public school. It wouldn't be pretty. Just thinking about it makes me thank the Lord that we have the honor of being able to teach our son at home.
So this is the second week of our newest schedule and things are actually going much better than I had hoped. Not that I thought things would be bad, but you never know exactly how "change" is going to be taken. This time, at least, it was embraced and for that I am very thankful. When I think about the fact that by law our son will need to be actively educated for the next nine years I take every success as a huge bit of encouragement and lock it away for later when things might get a little bumpy. But for now I'm just trying to enjoy each day that I have with our son as I watch him grow and learn. I really couldn't ask for anything more!
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
One thing that I've come to see as a constant in our homeschooling journey (it's been about seven years now) is change. If you've read the history of our homeschool on the website you know what I mean. We've been through a number of schooling methods and curricula, all in an attempt to keep up with the ever changing needs of our highly gifted son. Just last week we made another one of those changes.
In talking with those who don't homeschool, they just don't understand why I go to the lengths I do when it comes to schooling our son. First of all I look at it as a privilege and not as the arduous task that they seem to think it is. Well, some days it does feel rather overwhelming, but that's okay. All I have to do is think about what our son would be facing if he were in public school. It wouldn't be pretty. Just thinking about it makes me thank the Lord that we have the honor of being able to teach our son at home.
So this is the second week of our newest schedule and things are actually going much better than I had hoped. Not that I thought things would be bad, but you never know exactly how "change" is going to be taken. This time, at least, it was embraced and for that I am very thankful. When I think about the fact that by law our son will need to be actively educated for the next nine years I take every success as a huge bit of encouragement and lock it away for later when things might get a little bumpy. But for now I'm just trying to enjoy each day that I have with our son as I watch him grow and learn. I really couldn't ask for anything more!
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
Sunday, October 7, 2007
What Now?
When we began reading information on gifted children things really started to fall into place for us. We had gotten to a point of being tired almost all of the time. It seemed that every waking moment was spent trying to keep our son challenged. After we began reading about gifted kids we understood why we were tired all of the time and why it seemed as though we were the parents of three boys instead of only one.
Virtually all gifted children have extra energy. For some (like me) that energy is focused inward and the thought life becomes very vivid. I remember when I was in school how I was bored to tears, but I’d sit and behave in class because my mind was busy “elsewhere.” Our son’s energy, however, is focused outward. He can and does sit for hours if he is interested and engaged in what he’s doing, but if he’s not, he starts looking like a runaway super bouncy ball. The funny thing is, that even when he gets like that and needs to get his “monkey” energy out, he’s listening to every word you say.
At this point in our son’s education, I was becoming rather nervous. I now realized that we were dealing with a highly gifted child and that he truly required being challenged or he would get bored and we’d all be sorry. So I turned to eBay and ordered a full first grade curriculum. When it arrived I traipsed upstairs with the books and my notebook. I began mapping out our school year. While I was doing this our son came up for a visit.
“What’cha doin’?”
“Your new school books are here and I’m trying to get organized.”
“Oh! Science!”
He grabbed the science book and read it cover to cover three days in a row. So much for my planning! At that time I really had nothing to model our homeschooling on besides my public school experience. During those three days I knew that something was going to have to change. I went into fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mode.
I began looking on the internet for information about different style of homeschooling and was amazed at what I found. There were many, many different ways to teach at home, and not all of them looked like public school at home. I was starting to feel a little encouraged.
One thing that I knew we needed was a way to teach without spending big bucks on a full year’s curriculum every eight weeks or so. So we decided to give the Charlotte Mason method a try. This worked well for a while. Our local library became our home away from home. Our son and I would curl up with a good book and learn about all sorts of things. But our son isn’t one to sit still for too long day after day. We needed something a little more hands-on and since I wasn’t terribly experienced at the whole homeschooling thing yet, I went back to the internet for help. It was then that we first heard about The Weaver curriculum – a curriculum that is designed for multi-children households, but perfect for a single child who spans several grade levels. We made the switch and were in for some fun!
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
Virtually all gifted children have extra energy. For some (like me) that energy is focused inward and the thought life becomes very vivid. I remember when I was in school how I was bored to tears, but I’d sit and behave in class because my mind was busy “elsewhere.” Our son’s energy, however, is focused outward. He can and does sit for hours if he is interested and engaged in what he’s doing, but if he’s not, he starts looking like a runaway super bouncy ball. The funny thing is, that even when he gets like that and needs to get his “monkey” energy out, he’s listening to every word you say.
At this point in our son’s education, I was becoming rather nervous. I now realized that we were dealing with a highly gifted child and that he truly required being challenged or he would get bored and we’d all be sorry. So I turned to eBay and ordered a full first grade curriculum. When it arrived I traipsed upstairs with the books and my notebook. I began mapping out our school year. While I was doing this our son came up for a visit.
“What’cha doin’?”
“Your new school books are here and I’m trying to get organized.”
“Oh! Science!”
He grabbed the science book and read it cover to cover three days in a row. So much for my planning! At that time I really had nothing to model our homeschooling on besides my public school experience. During those three days I knew that something was going to have to change. I went into fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mode.
I began looking on the internet for information about different style of homeschooling and was amazed at what I found. There were many, many different ways to teach at home, and not all of them looked like public school at home. I was starting to feel a little encouraged.
One thing that I knew we needed was a way to teach without spending big bucks on a full year’s curriculum every eight weeks or so. So we decided to give the Charlotte Mason method a try. This worked well for a while. Our local library became our home away from home. Our son and I would curl up with a good book and learn about all sorts of things. But our son isn’t one to sit still for too long day after day. We needed something a little more hands-on and since I wasn’t terribly experienced at the whole homeschooling thing yet, I went back to the internet for help. It was then that we first heard about The Weaver curriculum – a curriculum that is designed for multi-children households, but perfect for a single child who spans several grade levels. We made the switch and were in for some fun!
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Kindergarten in a Flash
As I said last time, after our son devoured his full year of pre-school a very short amount of time, I purchased a full year’s kindergarten curriculum. There were worksheets for him to use, and I knew that I could find lots of interesting things on the internet that could supplement what we would be studying. When the curriculum arrived we were both rather excited.
Up until this time, everything that I had read about children our son’s age was that their attention spans were about 15 – 20 minutes and that a child shouldn’t be expected to go beyond that point. Unfortunately, our son hadn’t read any of that and was quite unaware that he was supposed to last that length of time. Our first day of kindergarten was quite interesting for both of us. Our son loved the curriculum and wanted to look at all of it right then. I explained that we would take it in order and, disappointed though he was, he acquiesced. We got through the first lesson. I started to wrap things up for the day, but our son had other plans.
“More, Mama! Do more!”
“Honey, we’re done for today.”
“No! Do more!”
Well, what can you say to an eager learner? I rolled up my sleeves and we ploughed on, and on, and on! After three hours I told our son that we needed to stop for the day.
“No, Mama! More!”
“No, no more for today.”
“Mama, please!”
“Mama needs a break, Sweetie.”
At this our son gave me the once over, rolled his eyes in disgust as if to say, “Wimp,” and he toddled out of the room. It was then that I knew that we were in for quite a time. After another six weeks and the completion of the kindergarten curriculum, I was about at my wits end. It was then that I started reading up on gifted children, and my eyes were opened.
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
Up until this time, everything that I had read about children our son’s age was that their attention spans were about 15 – 20 minutes and that a child shouldn’t be expected to go beyond that point. Unfortunately, our son hadn’t read any of that and was quite unaware that he was supposed to last that length of time. Our first day of kindergarten was quite interesting for both of us. Our son loved the curriculum and wanted to look at all of it right then. I explained that we would take it in order and, disappointed though he was, he acquiesced. We got through the first lesson. I started to wrap things up for the day, but our son had other plans.
“More, Mama! Do more!”
“Honey, we’re done for today.”
“No! Do more!”
Well, what can you say to an eager learner? I rolled up my sleeves and we ploughed on, and on, and on! After three hours I told our son that we needed to stop for the day.
“No, Mama! More!”
“No, no more for today.”
“Mama, please!”
“Mama needs a break, Sweetie.”
At this our son gave me the once over, rolled his eyes in disgust as if to say, “Wimp,” and he toddled out of the room. It was then that I knew that we were in for quite a time. After another six weeks and the completion of the kindergarten curriculum, I was about at my wits end. It was then that I started reading up on gifted children, and my eyes were opened.
Back to Living Waters Homeschool
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