Our Journey to Homeschooling, Part 2

During the summer of 2010, I followed the lead to not enroll Shana in a pre-Kindergarten program.  I had found several, including "Little Lambs of Peace Preschool," but really didn't have peace, ironically, with putting her in that school. 

So, I explored the idea of homeschooling further.  I surrendered to the idea, and even researched different curricula.  I explored and even purchased Sonlight P4/5, and promptly realized that for me it didn't work.  The books were a bit too violent for Shana, and the readings seemed disjointed.  It also comes with way more material than one could do in a year, and I really felt that with my compunction to complete tasks and check things off lists, then I would not really like it myself.  We read New Toes for Tia, and Shana got scared.  I had a friend using this curriculum, so I was able to pass it along to her.

I also stumbled upon "Five in a Row," a literature-based unit study in which one uses a specific book to learn about social studies, language arts, applied math, science, and art.  It is a sweet program, one in which students learn much about the world around them and fall in love with particular books.  The originators even offer a Bible study supplement and a cookbook to accompany the family's lessons.  I was missing a connector, a spine to weave together all the lessons into a cohesive bunch.

Then, I found "Heart of Dakota."  A friend mentioned it to me, and I researched it.  Upon first glance, I didn't understand how scripted it was and decided to forego it in favor of Ambleside Online.  Both of these curricula are based on the precept and principles of Miss Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educator.  I'm not going to do her philosophies justice, but essentionally she believed in the following:

• Informal education for toddlers and preschoolers, waiting for formal education until age 6
• Learning through play and nature studies
• Reading focuses on comprehension, and that is monitored by narration, an essential skill in education
• Short lessons keep students' attention and reinforce skills on a daily basis

Ambleside Online is a wonderful program, but as I went along, I found that I was still missing the cohesiveness I wanted.  In addition, I realized that, though many users of Charlotte Mason's principles, and Charlotte Mason herself, were and are Christians, Bible study and focus on a Christian worldview are still ancillary.  I found that I really didn't like that.  AO also lacked a cohesiveness that I knew I needed.

While both programs still require the parents to choose phonics, math, and handwriting, Heart of Dakota has a program picked out that seems to be challenging and methodical.  It also is Christ-centered, providing the cohesiveness and Biblical focus I sought.  Christ is interwoven into every day's lesson in such a way that the child can form a Biblical worldview without the parent trying to find a way to insert Christ into books that are read.

In the meantime, as all this was occurring from October 2010-December 2010, I was teaching in the Christian school.  More on that in "Our Journey to Homeschooling, Part 3."

Lego Nobility

Shana crafted these Lego characters this morning.  She got these Legos from a friend in a yard sale, and we have been SO HAPPY to have them.  :)  I just love finding out about my kids' abilities like this!  The first one is a dog, the middle one is a princess, and the third one is a My Little Pony.  :)

July 3, 2011 - Lego Nobility by Shana

Unit 6 - Joseph Becomes a Leader

We had SUCH a fun week with Unit 6 (Joseph Becomes a Leader)!  I can tell it's summertime...and I have to admit I've really slacked on the 3R's.  However, we've had some impromptu nature studies, both indoors and out.  It's still moderately warm and overcast in Alaska, so it's not as easy to get out as I had hoped.  Since DD had farm camp last week, we've done a lot of discussions on the farm animals she studied while there (it was a day camp, not sleepaway).
I tell you, I LOVE this curriculum.  It is so easy and well-laid-out, that it flows nicely with the rest of our day.  Right now, we're still trying to figure out when school is best done during this season.  It seems that we spend my son's naptime doing school with my daughter.  I guess that's ok for now, but when we have two guides running, and start doing formal kindergarten (in the fall), I'd like to revisit that.  I often make bread or return phone calls, and find myself doing that kind of thing in the morning.

The best part of our day this week was when I happened to be making tortillas the day we learned that Joseph's brothers came to him from Canaan, asking for food.  The tortilla dough balls became the food that Joseph gave them.  Of course, by that time, we were "done" with school, so I was rolling out the dough at the same time Girlie was playing.  I was happy to see it sink in.  :)

Here's a picture of her with Joseph hidden behind the sticky note.  She did a great job following directions!  Plus, the blueberries in the front are also supposed to be food.  Sorry for the bad resolution; my camera on my phone is not strong, and we can't find our camera!

Farm Camp June 20-24

Last week, Shana attended Farm Camp at Party Ponies and Friends in Wasilla.  Check their link for more details.  It was really small and laid-back, although that didn't mean disorganized.  She had a plan for each animal they would cover each day, and did a good job of finding crafts and hands-on activities for the kids to support the animals they studied.

For instance, on the day they studied horses, they got to take pony rides.  On the day they studied chickens, they had chickens walk with paint on their feet on shirts the kids got to paint and take home.  They also got to study pigs, sheep, and goats, as well as cows, though she only has one.

It has provided fodder for discussion and more study about farm animals and farm life this week.  So, we have actually had school consist of processing what she learned last week.  Daddy's the primary teacher for that, and it's worked out because Kevin's been home this week!