This coming up week in Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to a light work load and a short week. I guess Thanksgiving will be fun, too.
It has been going pretty well, so far. I've lost a little bit of momentum and structure, but I am finding that if I stick to the schedule I made, it works better not only for school, but for freeing up the time that I am not doing school. I have to keep that in mind.
My 6 year old has gotten to the point where she wants to be around more kids her own age more often. We have them in dance class and have her in a homeschool class every week, but it seems we need more.
I know there are a lot of homeschool organizations in the area. I am looking into getting into one. It would be nice to have heads up on all the homeschool activities going on and to know some of the kids the girls know will be there. Having a sort of support when it comes to the "classroom" would be nice, too.
My husband has talked my daughter about sending her to public school. She seemed to like the idea. I am not sure how i feel. I would love to have the time to myself and for her to have time the with other kids. If there was a good program for advanced kids, I think she could benefit from that over having her at home. But, unfortunately, I haven't found anything out here that I am happy with. Then, there is my concern about kids' behavior that is tolerated in public schools I know some are better than other. I just don't like the idea of having to unteach my kids how to act, if that is even possible while being exposed to unwanted behavior all day. I also really enjoy having a flexible schedule, especially with family out of state to visit.
The nice thing is, there is no pressure for making a decision. Homeschooling seems to be working well for now. When something comes along that trips my trigger, we can always give that a go.
We are using Math U See, and it is a great program. It breaks things down to small, really easy to learn bits. Both girls love it.
We get supplies from our school district, but the next level for my daughter suggests a second set of manipulative and a CD of songs. We bought them, and you would have thought it was Christmas when they came. I love seeing my girls excited about school.
We are just about through with our second week of homeschooling, and I have to say that I am pretty happy with how it is going.
Last year, I was new to the whole thing. I had worked in classrooms, before, and have a knack for teaching. But, that is nothing compared with doing it all yourself. Luckily, my district has a great homeschooling program. I would have been lost and don't think I could have done it without them.
This year, we started the whole thing off differently. Wanting the girls to socialize and have some kind of structured environment with other kids, we send them to day camps during the summer. This year, we had all of their day camps at the end of the summer, backing right up to the school year. Having that structure for 2 - 3 weeks before we started school work really helped them gear up for focusing on school, again.
I also decided to try a new schedule. The schedule last year was loose, and it just didn't work as well as the more rigid one for this year. I did incorporate some flexibility, being able to move certain subjects around, but I have dedicated work and break time blocks. The girls know the routine and what to expect. They also know that if they are in mood for a certain subject, they can work on that.