Field Trip

We had the opportunity to visit a local sand and gravel pit recently with our homeschool co-op. They had a miniature sized version of the real thing perfect for the kids to play with and learn what each section does before seeing the real thing.

We learned how the dirt is scooped up, deposited onto a conveyor belt that takes it to a sifter, washes them, and then separates the rocks and the sand onto their own conveyor belts which drops them into piles.

It was neat to see some of their antique machines and that most of them still work!

I found the whole process rather fascinating and the kids enjoyed it too.

Enjoying the Ride: Our Homeschool Adventure So Far

Do you remember this post? Well, it took me almost all summer but I jumped on the homeschool train. After two months, I'm now 100% sure it was the right choice for us.

I was really unsure about actually doing it because I have never seen myself as the homeschooling type and it just wasn't something I wanted to do. Not to mention the kids can be really stubborn about taking directions and learning from me. I wasn't sure how I would be able to teach two completely different kids in different grades with an extremely curious and active toddler in the mix too. And let's not forget that I have a deployed husband and this mama gets zero breaks to be alone.

After going back and forth, weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go for it. After all, I can always change my mind if it isn't working. There were just a few reasons that really pushed me to my decision. For one, our public school system we live in is not one where I want my children to be. Two, come winter, I absolutely do not want to be driving my kids to school every day to the next closest public school in the snow. No, thank you! And three, when Gabe comes home for his R&R or when we want to visit family, we do not have to plan anything around the school's vacation days.

I then researched a few different homeschool curriculums but nothing stood out as the one I wanted to follow. The kids are still really young so I headed out to the book store and bought oodles of workbooks for Alena (2nd grade) and Christian (K and 1st grade).

Christian just barely missed the cutoff for Kindergarten last year and is ready for 1st grade. His writing needs some work before that though. He's breezing through the Kindergarten books so I have no problem moving him up to 1st grade early (I'm guessing after the new year). That's one of my favorite perks of homeschooling! He has his moments where he is just so sloooow. But for the most part, Christian does his work without hassle. He just likes to talk and talk and wiggle around which increases the amount of time it takes to finish.

Alena has surprised me the most. She has always been the most stubborn when it comes to me showing her how to do anything. She would fight me so much until I either gave up or we were both nearly in tears. She has her days of resisting but does rather well for the most part.  

On top of learning at home, we participate in a homeschool co-op one day a week. They had several classes for their grade/age group to choose from and they chose Insects, Sports, and Art. There are around 10 families that attend so not too big and we all really love it.

The kids are enjoying the experience and doing better than I expected. Christian does especially well with not disturbing Alena and I when she is doing her schooling for the day. Alena likes to hang around and "help" Christian with his work. In other words, she hovers over his shoulder to give him answers or prove how she is smarter than him. We're working on her being better about that though.

I try to schedule our lessons around Noah's nap time (usually 2 hours long) so that we can do it uninterrupted. There are plenty of days where that doesn't happen and we just have to work around that. Thankfully, he is pretty good at entertaining himself. Sometimes I sit at the table or we sit together on the couch while I nurse Noah. We just make the best of the situation and do what we can.

All in all, we are embracing being a homeschool family. I really do love the freedom it brings to our day and how I don't have to drive anyone to school! Honestly, I never expected this much less to enjoy it, but I do. WE do. I would like to encourage anyone who is on the fence about whether to homeschool or not to give it a try. Jump in and enjoy the ride!

The Great Debate

Homeschool vs non homeschool. It's a pretty hot topic right now in the education world. There are so many options out there to choose from regarding the education of your children. I grew up going to the same tiny public school from kindergarten on through graduation and enjoyed it. And because of that positive experience, I wanted the same for my kids. So that brings us to the great debate...

There were several local schools here that we had considered and we chose a small charter school with great teachers and that had a small school feel to it. Alena has done very well there and we love her first grade teacher because she saw how smart Alena was and is actually doing some individualized/extra teaching for her (she has Alena doing 3rd grade spelling AND math work).

BUT with this sudden move and the fact that we will be going with just one month of school left, I didn't want to enroll Alena in a school for such a short time. Especially with everything that is going on; her daddy going overseas, we move across the country, all these life changing things. So I don't want to add more stress in her life. I have already spoke with her teacher and she assured me Alena would have no problem going into second grade come this fall. Christian's teachers have also let us know many times that he is WAY ready for kindergarten.

So what am I getting at? I will be getting a sort of curriculum for Alena from her teacher so I can work with her at home. Basically, homeschooling for that last month. And it got me thinking...

Can I do this? Can I actually teach my children? Kids learn stuff from their parents all the time but really learning; that's a whole new ball game. That would mean I'm responsible for so much more. Science, History, Math, English, all those subjects! It's intimidating. Not to mention that Alena is not one who likes to take any sort of teaching or directions from me. We butt heads so much! And Christian is your typical can't hold still rough and rowdy boy so that would be a challenge on my patience for sure.

We'll be living with my parents for the duration of Gabe's deployment. I'm not a big fan of the school district that they live in. The kids would end up riding the bus every day (unless I drive them which I do now and do not enjoy it) totaling about two hours. Add in the six hours they would be at school and almost their entire day is taken up by school. The next closest school district is the one I grew up in. While I love the idea that they would be in the same classrooms I sat in 20+ years ago, (Eek, I'm getting old!) I would be shuttling them to and from school every day. Driving every day is something I am trying to avoid. I do it now for two different schools (Alena and Christian do not go to the same school; it's unavoidable) and it puts not only myself but Noah in the car an extra 3 times a day. Almost every day I'm either waking Noah up from naps or he ends up falling asleep in the car because of drop offs and pick ups and I think parents can understand the frustration that comes with that. Not mention that it leaves me with a lot less time to get stuff done. Driving them to and from school in Ohio would be an even greater pain when you mix in the fact that the distance would be three times more than here in Arizona making time in the car also that much more. Driving is just not an option I will consider at this point.

As of now, I'm seeing a lot of positives for homeschooling. Yes, there are some negatives too (can we say mommy's gonna need a break and a drink?!). Alena is already doing third grade work when she's only in first. Christian's teachers how told us how far above kindergarten he is already. Homeschooling would give us the opportunity to continue on this advanced pace. It also allows us to visit the in laws without having to wait for a school break. And let's not forget that when Gabe has his R&R, they will not be missing school OR miss spending time with their daddy.

What I'm getting around to with this novel of a post is that I think for this upcoming school year, homeschooling is our best option. That's not to say that the following year they will go back to public school or we'll be homeschooling again. I don't know what will happen. We're just going to take things one day at a time and I'm going to do LOTS of praying for patience and sanity. And coffee. :)

I never actually thought I would homeschool. Just like I never thought I would breastfeed until two years or that I would have a home birth, or do many of the other parenting decisions we all face differently than I first thought. Isn't that how life and parenting goes though? You always think you know how things will go but we actually don't. And believe me, this decision surprises me probably more so than anyone else.

And the life changes just keep coming...