Home school update (with pics at the end)
So we've just completed our fifth week of home schooling. Honestly, I can't believe it's been that long already. It's gone by so fast. I'm super busy and it's a ton of work, but I love it. And I'm nowhere near as stressed out as I was when T was in public school. Some days we go late and some days we get to end early. We're still figuring out what works best for us, but we've definitely learned that flexibility is key.
T is happier, more relaxed, and for the first time in a year and a half, loves school. He wakes up almost every day excited to start learning. I work really hard to tailor the lessons toward his learning style to keep him interested. Often times, I combine multiple subjects into one activity. For example, in history we're learning about the American Revolution. So sometimes we'll combine history with language arts/writing, art, and even science. Whenever we go for walks or bike rides on the nature trail (especially when we bring the camera), it counts as gym, science, and art. This week has been really fun on there because the ducks and geese and making their nests and I've been able to teach T about what they're doing and why. One day, we stopped at a lookout area for a break and this old guy offered to show T the fish in the pond. He dropped bits of granola in the water and the fish swarmed. He taught T what kind of fish they were and talked about art (he's a local artist) and even a bit of science.
I've found that while for some things, the more formal/traditional way works best, for the most part, the eclectic approach has the maximum affect for T. Plus it's more fun. We do as many hands-on, real-life application things as possible. We've already had two field trips and I've got 3 more planned for the next few weeks.
My best friend, who home schools her three kids, and I swap resources and ideas back and forth which has helped make the transition easier. The first few weeks were harder because for many of the subjects, I was trying to figure out what he's already learned and what he hasn't. Next year, I'm sure will be easier in that respect because we'll be starting fresh at the beginning of the year.
Every day, it just gets confirmed to me that we made the right decision. I've been able to keep a closer eye on T's diabetes and fine tune things as needed. On days when his blood sugar just refuses to cooperate, I've been so grateful for the flexibility home school gives us to adjust our schedule/work to accommodate his needs. And even though we are most definitely out of the honeymoon phase, I still don't regret our decision. Sometimes I wish I had a bit more free time, but overall, I'm happier than I've been in a long time. Plus, I get to learn a lot too. Some things I'd forgotten and others I see in a new light. For example, poetry. We're studying poetry this month for language arts because it's national poetry month. I'll confess that poetry really isn't my thing. Sure, there's some I do enjoy, but for the most part, I just don't get it. And writing it? Eek. I suck. But as I've checked books out from the library on writing poetry in hopes that they'd teach me how to teach T, I've seen it in a new light. I even dared to try writing free verse for the first time ever earlier this week. Maybe I'll even get the courage to share it. ;)
One of the coolest things about home school is the things you get to do for fun that also count as school. Last weekend, we took a family trip to Albany for the Children's Book Festival and counted it as a field trip. It was so much fun. We all really enjoyed ourselves. T had a blast seeing the writers and illustrators of some of his favorite picture books. He loved getting to talk to them and ask questions. He got his picture taken with several of them, and we even bought a few books for him so they could get signed.
So that's pretty much what I've been up to these past 5 weeks. I guess I'll end with a few pictures we took on the nature trail last week and a few from the book festival (not too many though, since there aren't too many without T).
jbknowles and me
John Steven Gurney teaching the kids to draw cartoons
T is happier, more relaxed, and for the first time in a year and a half, loves school. He wakes up almost every day excited to start learning. I work really hard to tailor the lessons toward his learning style to keep him interested. Often times, I combine multiple subjects into one activity. For example, in history we're learning about the American Revolution. So sometimes we'll combine history with language arts/writing, art, and even science. Whenever we go for walks or bike rides on the nature trail (especially when we bring the camera), it counts as gym, science, and art. This week has been really fun on there because the ducks and geese and making their nests and I've been able to teach T about what they're doing and why. One day, we stopped at a lookout area for a break and this old guy offered to show T the fish in the pond. He dropped bits of granola in the water and the fish swarmed. He taught T what kind of fish they were and talked about art (he's a local artist) and even a bit of science.
I've found that while for some things, the more formal/traditional way works best, for the most part, the eclectic approach has the maximum affect for T. Plus it's more fun. We do as many hands-on, real-life application things as possible. We've already had two field trips and I've got 3 more planned for the next few weeks.
My best friend, who home schools her three kids, and I swap resources and ideas back and forth which has helped make the transition easier. The first few weeks were harder because for many of the subjects, I was trying to figure out what he's already learned and what he hasn't. Next year, I'm sure will be easier in that respect because we'll be starting fresh at the beginning of the year.
Every day, it just gets confirmed to me that we made the right decision. I've been able to keep a closer eye on T's diabetes and fine tune things as needed. On days when his blood sugar just refuses to cooperate, I've been so grateful for the flexibility home school gives us to adjust our schedule/work to accommodate his needs. And even though we are most definitely out of the honeymoon phase, I still don't regret our decision. Sometimes I wish I had a bit more free time, but overall, I'm happier than I've been in a long time. Plus, I get to learn a lot too. Some things I'd forgotten and others I see in a new light. For example, poetry. We're studying poetry this month for language arts because it's national poetry month. I'll confess that poetry really isn't my thing. Sure, there's some I do enjoy, but for the most part, I just don't get it. And writing it? Eek. I suck. But as I've checked books out from the library on writing poetry in hopes that they'd teach me how to teach T, I've seen it in a new light. I even dared to try writing free verse for the first time ever earlier this week. Maybe I'll even get the courage to share it. ;)
One of the coolest things about home school is the things you get to do for fun that also count as school. Last weekend, we took a family trip to Albany for the Children's Book Festival and counted it as a field trip. It was so much fun. We all really enjoyed ourselves. T had a blast seeing the writers and illustrators of some of his favorite picture books. He loved getting to talk to them and ask questions. He got his picture taken with several of them, and we even bought a few books for him so they could get signed.
So that's pretty much what I've been up to these past 5 weeks. I guess I'll end with a few pictures we took on the nature trail last week and a few from the book festival (not too many though, since there aren't too many without T).
jbknowles and me
John Steven Gurney teaching the kids to draw cartoons