Creation and other things...

During the first 7 days of school... We reviewed the alphabet. (Oliver was just a little BORED.) We learned about the 7 days of Creation. And learned about the history of the Bible. We talked about how the Bible hasn't always been a book. We learned how it was copied onto scrolls. We made Pottery Jars and mini scrolls. He had some math review about patterns and we have been gaining an understanding of addition and subtraction with our number lines. We did a really fun project in art where we had a grid and they had to copy the line drawing that was in the grid. They loved that and wanted more to do. We memorized Proverbs 9:10 and sent a copy of it in the mail to Gram and Pawpaw. We had our Exploration day where we spend the day outside! We learned about ants. Where they live. The 3 different types of ants. The stages of development. And how the colony works. We have been making great use of my busy bag collection. I may do another post on those later. :) I am figuring out that the schedule doesn't need to rule my day. While I want to be disciplined in our efforts, I can't let me need for control to squeeze out the opportunities that the Holy Spirit sees fit to teach us all a lesson. For example, when we studied ants, we were talking about the exoskeleton and I knew the kids were restless. But I felt like that this was a great time to learn about the armor of God. So to Ephesians we went. We also had our first piano lesson with Mrs. Livengood this week. The boys are ecstatic! I am thankful for another teaching adult in their lives so that they can practice their manners and obedience outside of "mom". I am so thankful for the prayers of so many people. I hadn't realized the challenge that homeschooling would provide. It is a work in progress. I suffer from trying to put TOO much into the curriculum. Perfectionist at work I suppose. But we are enjoying our days. And I am loving the slower pace that our days are taking on. It is inspiring me to slow way down. Less photo sessions. No more tv. Read more. Play more. And less time on the internet. Slow down and enjoy every moment of our days... even when I am ready to pull my hair out because Eliza is crying, Liam needs his bottom wiped, and someone let cat out, while Oliver is getting the mail in his underwear and the phone is ringing and my coffee is getting cold... enjoy it.

It isn't easy...

Going into this whole she-bang, I thought,"This is gonna be great! We will do school work and cuddle and there will be rainbows and gumdrops everyday!" WAKE UP CALL! First day of school photos.

We start everyday with our calendar and number of the day. We usually follow a schedule similar to this: calendar/#of the day Bible Reading Math Science History Art It is a loose and general schedule. When we do science, we don't do history. And we read books together... in my bed. So nice! :)

The truth is... it has been challenging. Not because my children aren't smart. Not because my children aren't well behaved. Not because I am not skilled enough to be effective. It has been challenging because I have watched how God is molding me through this experience. I stumbled upon a blog that was very uplifting for me in my time of need. Confessions of a Homeschooler had a very convicting and comforting table about Super Mom vs. Abiding Mom. I try to be super mom. I try to be super everything. And I nearly break my neck trying to perfect at all of it. God's grace has smacked me right square in the face this week. I am not good enough. I will never be good enough. And best of all, He doesn't call me to be good enough. He just calls me to be His child. I don't have to earn His love. So, to sum up our first few days... I would say that I am learning way more than I am teaching. God is so good to me. :)

Before we begin...

Welcome to our journey... it should be interesting. If not interesting, entertaining at the least. So, hold onto hope for that I suppose. I figured I would start this blog by showing you around our learning space. When I first ventured into the arena of homeschooling I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into. At first, I thought that I would basically take everything that I had experienced in my years at public school and translate that into my home. Brick and mortar school in my 1950's ranch (with original windows!). After reading some books [For The Children's Sake -McCaulay and a few others] I came to realize that I wanted a different school experience for my children. I wanted more than memorizing math facts and reading Dick and Jane books. I wanted to instill into them a love of learning. A love that was unique to their individual traits and learning styles. A love that inspires them to seek out education even when playing. A love that will last...

I chose My Father's World curriculum based on it's Bible foundation and Charlotte Mason roots. I like that as opposed to reading just children's books, they will be reading the Word. I have added a few things into the mix, including: letter writing to friends and family, visitations to the nursing home monthly, cooking class, and "home team" (we work together on the chores for the home). These are in coordination with our weekly "Exploration" days, art class, reading, writing, math, science, and history. It seems like a lot, but I anticipate finishing our school work by noonish most days. I hope. :)

It was important that the space was easily accessible for the kids, pleasant to the eyes and effective with storage. We picked this stand up at Lowes. I think it is the perfect solution.

My desk I picked up at a yard sale for $7. I was initally going to paint it. But, it is laminate and I didn't want to invest all the time and money into it just to potentially have it chip within a week. So, it stays in its 1970's disco self.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out what we are up to. I hope to update this blog on a weekly basis. I think it will help hold me accountable. ;)