Celebrating the Beauty of the Seasons Through Poetry
We are learning about the four seasons this week and while it’s a new concept for the boys, it’s old news for Alex. We encorporated our seasons theme into English today by writing poems about each season. I found some great season senses poem sheets at www.enchantedlearning.com and printed them for Alex. I seriously love that website! She not only exercised her creativity, but also practiced her penmenship and spelling. I love her poems!
Alex's Season Senses Poem
Poetry is a treat for the senses. Not only is it fun to read most of the time, but it’s also a unique and powerful way to express oneself. My children love it when I read them poems by their favorite poet, Shel Silverstein. I remember enjoying “Where the Sidewalk Ends” as a child and loving it too.
For Alex, writing her own poetry was a challenging task earlier this year. It took lots of practice and a bit of prodding, but she’s gotten better and better at thinking outside the box. Her poetry offers me glimpses of how her mind works and I plan on keeping her poems forever. I’m glad my mother kept mine!
Spring Poem
Winter Poem
Fall Poem
Summer Poem
So, I evidentially didn’t catch all the spelling mistakes, but that’s part of the cute-factor, right? It’s a good example of where she is right now. I love watching her learn and grow and hope she continues to love poetry for the rest of her life.
I think that most of us love poetry from infancy, even if you don’t realize it. What baby doesn’t love lullabies or nursery rhymes? Mine all did (and do!). Those are all examples of poetry. Poetry soothes us with its rhythm. Its steady pace and predictable repitition speak to a child’s soul.
As we grow older, our definition of poetry changes and grows. Its words can be used in any combination to express your hopes, fears, dreams, and deepest emotions. I find that I can express myself best in free-form poetry when I really need to get it all out. I did not enjoy studying poetry in college and stopped enjoying it for a while, but rekindled my love affair once I had children.
Poetry can be used to teach anything. The rhythm and flow of the words make things easier to remember. Poems introduce us to new concepts and vocabulary. They can be used to soothe a child and lull them to a peaceful slumber. They speak to our hearts and excite our emotions. A peom is wonderful to write because there is not wrong way to do so. Poetry speaks to our souls.
What does poetry mean to you?
I’m Dreaming of A British Christmas
Our school theme this week was one close to my heart: Christmas in the United Kingdom. I love everything British and was thrilled to share this joy with the kids. There’s no better way I can think of to get into the Christmas spirit than Father Christmas, ancient carols, Yule Logs, and some Charles Dickens. No journey through Christmas Around the World would be complete without some time in Jolly Old England.
Alex and I learned all about British symbols of Christmas like holly, ivy, and the Christingle, as well as symbols we’re more familiar with like the Christmas tree, cross, and stars. We read Charles Dickens’ short story “The Christmas Tree” and made up stories about our own ornaments and delved into an old-time favorite, “A Christmas Carol.” We also watched the Disney version and worked on study questions. She learned a good deal about British history and can easily locate the UK on a map and point out its major features. You’d be surprised how many awesome videos there are on You-Tube about British Christmas customs and history!
Alexandria really enjoyed comparing and contrasting Father Christmas and Santa Clause. We both learned a lot about how Christmas has morphed and changed over the centuries. We listened to British Christmas Carols and read “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Alex commemorated everything she learned in her Christmas Lap Book. It’s getting thicker and more interesting by the day and I think she’ll really enjoy looking back on it years from now. To finish our week, we prepared a great traditional British feast complete with a yule log. Yum! We also made a Christingle, a traditional British decoration full of symbolism.
Alex's Christingle
Evidentially quite popular in the UK, a Christingle is a symbol of the Christian faith and of Christmas. The orange represents the earth and the candle represents Christ, the light of the world. The four stakes represent the four seasons and the raisins represent the fruit of the earth. The red ribbon represents Christ’s blood, which he shed to save mankind. Not only did we have all the supplies on hand, but the Christingle offered a perfect opportunity to talk about the deeper meanings of the holidays and to broach the concept of symbolism. Alex was so proud of her Christingle! It served as a festive centerpiece until she plucked out the raisin sticks and ate the fruits! (For more information on the Christingle, check out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/content/articles/2007/12/05/christingle_feature.shtml).
We had so much fun learning about Christmas in England this week. This unit could easily go on for a month! Alas, it’s time to move on and journey to another country. Next week… Sweden! Does anyone have a crown of candles for our Lucia, or Queen of Light?
Our Yule Log!
Merry Christmas!
Hooked on Learning to Read! Products We Love!
6-Year-Old Alex Has Completed Her 2nd Grade Reading Program!
Learning to read well is one of the most important things a child can do. It’s the basic building block of a child’s education, one that they’ll use throughout the rest of their life. Children who read well tend to do better in school than those who struggle. Reading helps us in our careers and gives us great pleasure as well.
Learning phonics is a time-proven method to learning to read, and in our home we LOVE Hooked on Phonics‘ Learn to Read program! We’ve tried lots of different programs over the years, and this is by far the best! It’s a bit expensive, but totally worth the cost.
My oldest, Alex, is a natural reader. She basically taught herself to read at the age of 3. Yep, 3. We’ve always been a family of avid readers, but she just picked it up! She knew numerous sightwords and was reading basic books by the time she was in preschool. By kindergarten, she was reading chapter books. To make sure she was familiar with all the rules of phonics, we delved into Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Second Grade this school year. Alex flew through the program and loved it. It was a good review and made her an even more confident reader.
My 5-year-old son, Ethan, learns much differently than Alex. He’s bright, but is very easily frustrated. He’s been familiar with his letters and letter sounds for quite some time and I figured it was time to move on. Learn to Read Kindergarten was perfect for him. The DVD is bright, colorful, and musical. The books are engaging. The program was perfect: watch a short show on each new concept, practice reading the same words in the book, then read an accompanying story or book with the same words (and previous words). Ethan learned very quickly. As he learned, his confidence built. We also picked up Bob books at the library to reinforce reading skills. Ethan finished Hooked on Phonics Kindergarten last month and is now going through it a second time just to make sure we got it all the first time. He’s reading everything now!
Derek learned his letters and letter sounds using Learn to Read Pre-K. He still asks to watch his “Learn to Read” frequently and labels letters wherever we go. He really liked the sticker-reinforcement. His learning style is different from the first two kids. Derek will do anything for a good prize! 
If you’re looking for something to help your child become a stronger reader, you really should give this program a try. We have nothing but praise for all 4 grades of the Learn to Read program. Hooked on Phonics, thank you for making my kids great readers!
Learn to Read Pre-K Complete: http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Read-Pre-K-Complete-Exclusive/dp/1604991771/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b
Learn to Read Kindergarten Complete: http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Read-Kindergarten-Complete-Exclusive/dp/160499178X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316656152&sr=8-1
Learn to Read First Grade Complete: http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Read-First-Grade-Complete/dp/1604991798/ref=pd_sim_b2
Learn to Read Second Grade Complete: http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Read-Second-Grade-Complete/dp/1604991801/ref=pd_sim_b2
Hieroglyphs, Mummies, and Timeless Mysteries- Studying History Does Not Have to be Boring!
- Alex Shows Off Her Egypt Lap Book
Studying history doesn’t have to be boring. It doesn’t have to be irrelevant or consist of difficult-to-understand facts. Social studies makes up one of our favorite times of the day. We LOVE studying history. How on earth does one get a 6-year-old to love history? Let me tell you a little secret.
When we first started our school year, I began with Lifepac’s Social Studies and Geography series. We found ourselves dreading social studies. The series was boring, overly simplistic, and didn’t teach much actual history. We are Christian, but this curriculum was so religious it even turned me off from it. This is when I decided to create my own history curriculum. Pre-packaged curriculum just wasn’t doing the trick. It was time for some creative improvisation! With a little experimentation and a lot of determination, here’s what works for us:
“The Story of the World: Volume 1- Ancient Times” by Susan Wise Bauer is currently taking us on a journey from the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor. I’ve read critiques on this series where people don’t like its storytelling presentation, but this is actually what we like most. Bauer brings history alive beautifully. It’s easy for young children to understand, keeps their attention, and is a perfect stepping stone to more in-depth material. This is not a text book. Rather, it’s a bunch of stories and myths written for a child’s comprehension level. We love it!
Bauer’s series includes a plethora of books, workbooks and activities, and even a test book. So far we have only the first volume. It works very well as part of a classical education. Ideally, educators cover one book a year from grades 1-4, then go into much more detail in middle school. I LOVE this approach to history. It teaches kids that history is a flowing story of human ideas, constructs, and events. I didn’t learn this approach until college, and I remember it felt like someone had pulled off blinders. The “little bit here, little bit there” approach to history never worked to me. I didn’t make the connections as to how everything fits together. Instead, history can be taught as a continuous timeline of interrelated events. That is the approach Bauer follows and the one I want for my avid little learners. For more information about “The Story of the World,” check out: http://www.amazon.com/Story-World-History-Classical-Earliest/dp/1933339012/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315432927&sr=8-2.
We made a giant timeline and are slowly filling it in, from the dinosaurs to the present (for perspective). We read a bit out of “The Story of the World,” then turn to other texts to learn more. We did a great big unit study on Egypt this summer. We began by reading applicable chapters in “The Story of the World.” Next, we began working on creating a Lap Book. Here’s an amazing resource for creating Lap Books with your children: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php
To thoroughly study and enjoy learning about Ancient Egypt, we used these great printable resources: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ancient_egypt.php.
We printed scores of mini-books to color and fill in, checked out at least a dozen books on Ancient Egypt from the library, and had an amazing time learning. Print out the mini-books that interest your child, put together some related lessons, and watch your child create a book they’ll be really proud of. Alex glued her mini-books to construction paper and decorated them with coloring and stickers. We did simple internet searches for coloring pages and found some great corresponding pictures to decorate with oil pastels and markers. I glued lined paper to the blank pages so she could write about things she learned. We stapled the pages inside a report folder.
One of our favorite projects was neatly writing our names using Egyptian hieroglyphs. It’s gorgeous! To put the hieroglyphs in context, we checked out some Egyptian Art at the Cummer Museum too. This was a simple way to bring history alive and make it relevant to modern life. Hands-on learning is what it’s all about!
Another fun activity during our Egypt Unit was checking out age-appropriate chapter-book mysteries set in Ancient Egypt. There are quite a few to choose from. We also enjoyed picture books about Egypt. One of our much-read favorites was “Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile” by Tomie dePaola.
We have progressed through history and began Ancient Greece this week. We’ve checked out a bunch of new books and printed our mini-books from http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ancient_greece.php. There are also some great power-point lessons at http://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/AncientGreece.html. Do you want to join us for a Toga party?
There are simply so many awesome, interactive ways to teach your child about the wonders of human history. If your kids are bored with the curriculum they’re using, try something else. Make your lessons more hands-on and visual. Consider how your child learns best and plan your lessons from there. It’s okay to experiment! Something that works well for one family might not suit your kids at all. History does not have to consist of dull, dry facts. It’s colorful and exciting. It’s relevant and engaging. A dynamic written history is one major things that separates us from other living beings.
What do you do to make history come alive for your children? What are your favorite programs and texts?
We Completely Recommend "The Story of the World"!
A Small Sample of the Lap Book
Ten Apples Up On Top! This Week’s Pre-School Theme: Apples!
Derek is Excited For This Week's Theme!
Our pre-school/ kindergarten theme this week is apples. Don’t apples make you think of Fall? Crisp Red Delicious apples fresh from Washington, cool air, and sweaters put me in the Autumn mood. We won’t be wearing sweaters any time soon in Florida, but we will be learning a lot about different types of apples, apple trees, plant growth, harvest, and more.
A fun and challenging part about teaching multiple grade levels is incorporating different ability-levels into a common theme that everyone can enjoy. Here are our goals for today:
Tuesday
THEME: Apples
Circle Discussion: Apple Trees
-Types of apples (red, yellow, green) (Red Delicious, Fuji, McIntosh, Cameo, Rome Beauty, etc)
-Apples have been around since ancient times
-Apple trees grow in orchards and ripen in the fall; Apple trees may live more than 100 years
-Read about harvest and plant growth from “What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know “
-An apple tree may live for more than one hundred years, but a mature tree revisits the same seasonal cycle year after year. In summer tiny buds appear on the branches. The buds develop and grow a protective covering in the fall. During the winter the buds are dormant, protected from the cold by a fuzzy coat. In the spring buds explode into green leaves and little flower buds appear. Insects pollinate the apples flowers, which give way to developing apples. Every apple contains seeds that can begin the process again. Use the poster to reinforce these concepts (From Scholastic website).
Literacy Activities: Read “10 Apples Up On Top,” Tracing A’s for Derek, A-word Word Search for Ethan. The Letter of the week is A.
Songs and Fingerplays: Apple Theme
All Around The Apple Tree
Sung to: “Mulberry Bush”
Here we go round the apple tree, the apple tree, the apple tree
Here we go around the apple tree
On a frosty morning.
This is the way we climb the ladder
-pick the apples
-wash the apples
-peel the apples
-cook the apples
Ten Red Apples
(Both hands high) Ten red apples grow on a tree
(Dangle one hand and then the other) Five for you and five for me.
(Shake body) Let us shake the tree just so
(Hands fall) And ten red apples will fall below
(Count ea. finger) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.
Apple Poem
Apples big,
Apples small.
Guess what?
I like them all.
Art: Color Apple Tree Pictures
Number Sense: Workbooks and IXL.com
Large Motor Skills: “Apple Picking” and “Apple Balancing Fun”
For apple picking, see dramatic play.
Apple Balancing Fun: Balance beanbags on head to simulate apple balancing from book “Ten Apples Up On Top.” This can be done in circle time.
Fine Motor Development: Writing/ Tracing- See art and literacy sections
Dramatic Play: Pretend Farm
Pretend Apple Picking:
Wake Up! We’re going apple picking today! (Yawn, stretch, pretend to hope out of bed)
Let’s drive to the farm. (Pretend to steer car).
Get your basket. (Pretend to get basket).
Wow! Look at all the apples! Let’s pick some! (Pick apples off tree)
Put them in your basket. (Bend down, place in basket)
These apples are really high! Let’s climb! (Pretend to climb tree)
Wow! Our basket is really full! (Pretend to lift heavy basket)
Let’s pay for our apples. (Pretend to give money).
Let’s drive home, that was fun! (Pretend to steer car).
Science and Discovery: Learn About Apple Trees and Farms (circle time)
As you can see, many of these important developmental goals overlap. We should have a really fun day ahead of us. Later this week, we look forward to some apple tasting experiments and baking an apple pie. This week will be a blast!
What are some of your favorite Fall learning activities?
Oui, s’il vous plait! The Joys and Challenges of Raising Bilingual Children
Alex Practices Her Days of the Week in French
According to the August 15, 2011 copy of Newsweek Magazine, learning new languages may be the brain’s true “super-food.” We all know that kid’s brains grow rapidly, especially before the age of five, and that they quickly absorb what’s going on around them and learn new vocabulary and concepts daily. The earlier you introduce your children to a foreign language, the easier it will be for them to pick up that language’s unique sounds.
We introduced Alexandria to French this summer and it has gone phenomenally well. We began with the French alphabet and moved on to colors and numbers. There are so many awesome, visual, hands-on tools out there for learning languages! You Tube has proved invaluable for finding kids videos in French. We also love McGraw Hill’s “French For Kids” program. The songs and lessons are short and fun and Alex sings them frequently outside of class. We have worksheets, music CDs, and lots of books in French, French-language programs, and flashcards on the iPad too. We carry on practice conversations between dolls and stuffed animals (yep, high excitement there) and role play greetings, shopping, going to restaurants, etc. Learning a new language is a blast! There’s really no separation between play and learning in our house. Why should learning be a chore?
I had pretty low expectations when we began. I expected that we’d work on colors for a month, then move on to greetings and such. It would be a very lengthy process and eventually … years down the line perhaps… Alex would be able to hold a French conversation. However, something unexpected happened. Alex picked up the new words and greetings really, really quickly. Sometimes I swear she’s known this stuff her whole life! She hears something once or twice and it forever sticks in her amazing little mind. She practices her new French skills morning, noon, and night. She can’t wait to move on and learn more! She loves to quiz herself on the iPad and test her skills. Because of the success of our language time, we moved it up in our daily schedule. At first we practiced a few afternoons a week. Now, French is our first formal subject of the school day.
Something else happened… the other kids started participating as well. First, Ethan surprised the heck out of me by joining us one lesson and singing the French alphabet. It turns out he’d picked up a lot of what we’d been doing just by listening. Yesterday he surprised me again during math, counting out his math problems in French and then repeating them in English! Another surprise was when Derek, age 3, grabbed his toy microphone and belted out the French alphabet during Circle Time. Was this really happening? It was a mother’s dream come true. My 3-year-old is learning French just by hearing us speak the language. How cool is that? He can count to 10 in both English and French as well. Did I drill it into his head? Nope, not at all. He simply picked it up.
Raising bilingual kids is increasingly important in today’s global world. Children in Europe learn multiple languages in school. Kids in China are learning English from a young age! I want my kids to be part of this trend. Why start with French, you may ask? I speak passable French. I took it in high school and lived in the South of France for a time. Am I an expert? Heck, no. It’s fun to refresh the old French skills, though, and sing along with the kids. I’d like them to learn several languages during their school years. French seemed like the natural place to start for me because I’m familiar with the language and am a closet francophile (meaning I love everything French).
In a few years, we’ll introduce Spanish or Chinese. Until then, I look forward to many more French conversations with my kids. I look forward to seeing that look of pride on their accomplished faces when they successfully remember new words and carry on a successful conversation. I look forward to taking them to a French-speaking country in a few years and experiencing the wonders of discovery with them. I love the adventure and the challenge of it all.
Feeding little brains is so much fun.
Newsweek—“Why It’s Smart to Be Bilingual” http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/08/07/why-it-s-smart-to-be-bilingual.html
Here’s an interesting link about raising bilingual kids: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/language/teaching-second-language/
Here’s another interesting article: http://www.omniglot.com/language/articles/bilingualkids1.htm
One last resource! http://www.multilingualchildren.org/
What Does a Typical Homeschool Day Look Like?
Science Experiment Time!
People have wildly different ideas about what a typical homeschool day looks like and there’s a good reason for this. No two homeschool days are just alike, and homeschooling families teach in vastly different ways. When I started researching homeschooling, I found that reading about how other home educators filled their days was extremely helpful. To make it simple, I’ll just list Alexandria’s activities since she’s the only one officially of school age. Here’s what first grade looks like on an average Monday in the Melville home:
8:00-9:00- Free play time
9:00-9:15- Memory Work
School starts with Classical Conversations memory work. I put the CD in the X-box and Alex dances while she practices Week 3′s new memory work. We also have them printed out on cards. This week she’s memorizing the names of the Greek and Roman gods (history), Latin noun endings 1st declension (Latin), the parts of an animal cell (science), the parts of the Hebrew Empire (geography, prepositions al-at (grammar), and counting by 5’s and 6’s.
We love the Classical Conversations memory work. Some weeks are harder than others, but Alex loves learning new things and proudly recites them. We review the CD in the car too and she still tells me the facts she learned weeks ago. The purpose is to help her develop knowledge pegs from which to further her education as she progresses through school. When’s it’s all set to music, it’s hard not to memorize the “songs” and have fun!
9:15-9:30: Piano practice.
9:30-10:00: French
Today we completed Unit Two of our French for Kids program, learning to answer questions with “oui” or “non” and then advancing to using “j’aime” and “je n’aime pas” to answer questions. The CD is fun to listen to and the workbook is bright and colorful.
Next, Alex practiced her French color flashcards we made a few weeks ago. She has them absolutely mastered now and is very proud of herself. We finished up with lots of time to spare, so we brought out the iPad. She spent the rest of French time reviewing the alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, and body parts in French on the iPad. I’m loving her ever-expanding French vocabulary!
10:00-10:40- English (phonics, writing, spelling, reading).
Alex began this period by working on her new spelling words, writing each word four times on her worksheet. We’ll review them lightly throughout the week and then test on Friday.
For Phonics, we use Horizons Phonics and Reading. Today we covered Lessons 27 and 28 and their accompanying reading comprehension material. Next she watched Hooked on Phonics Second Grade Lesson 8 on DVD and read the accompanying workbook material. This lesson ended with her reading “The Puppy Look,” which was quite wordy and challenging. She did awesome.
10:45-11:15- Story Circle
This is a fun time where we explore books, songs, nursery rhymes, and music. Circle time! All of the kids take part. They each choose books and we form a circle on the living room carpet. We put some fun, light music on and read each child’s selection. Today we read “The Ants Come Marching,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” and “Oliver.”
Next, we cracked open “What Your Preschooler Needs to Know” (Derek’s favorite) and practiced singing some favorite nursery rhymes. We got out the drums, maracas, and other small instruments and each child had a blast playing and singing. Then, each got to choose one to perform for everyone else. The others gave lots of applause. When they got to “Ring around the Rosie” they all held hands and skipped around the carpet (besides the baby of course) and keeled over with laughter.
11:15-12:00- Math!
Alex chose to do math via Time4Learning.com today. She has a choice between that and our Horizons Curriculum every day. We love Time4Learning.com because the lessons are so engaging. It’s an awesome supplement. Today she finished her section on fractions and entirely completed a new section on the principles of addition and subtraction. She finished up just in time for lunch.
12:00-1:00- Lunch and play time
1:00-2:00- Social Studies
The little kids go down for naps at 1, so that gives Alex and I lots of one-on-one time. We curled up in the chaise lounge and cracked open The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. This is another text we absolutely love. Year one covers Ancient Times, from the earliest nomads to the last Roman Emperor. We love the easy-to-read-aloud stories that bring history alive in fun and interesting ways. Today we read about Ancient Africa (Ancient Peoples of West Africa, Anansi and Turtle, Anansi and the Make-Believe Food), The Middle Kingdom of Egypt (Egypt Invades Nubia, The Hyksos Invade Egypt), and The New Kingdom of Egypt (The General and the Woman Pharaoh, Amenhotep and King Tut). Since we did an in-depth unit study on Ancient Egypt in July, Alex loved this section and enjoyed hearing stories about some of the Pharaohs we studied. King Tut is her definite favorite.
2:00-2:30- Science
Today we did an experiment about making air do work. We got a plastic sailboat and a long plastic bin, which we filled with water. How could she make the boat move without touching it? Alex experimented by blowing the sailboat to move it across the water. She wanted to find out if it would move faster if she blew it harder and how it would sail if she loaded it up with a little doll and then later some coins. How many coins could we load into the boat and still make it float? How many pennies? How many nickels? We did an accompanying worksheet and also recorded all of our observations.
2:30-3:00- Alex’s Free Learning Time
Alex and Derek are still busily playing with the bin of water. It has become an entirely different experiment now. They’re seeing what floats and what doesn’t float and roaring with laughter. They’re all wet and the table is a disaster, but it’s awesome to watch and they’re really learning so much! I’ll let them continue as long as they like (until they lose interest or I need to set the table for dinner, whichever comes first .
Today was an awesome and productive day. Some days we accomplish less, some days more. Some days we have outings, other days are purely academic. The best part is that while we do meet my pre-set goals each week, how we reach those goals is largely child directed. If Alex is totally into piano, I let her extend her practice time. If we’re on a unit study, she could spend hours on a project if she so desires (like Egypt! ). We just shift things around a bit, and it all works out well. We are having so much fun and Alex is learning more than I ever thought possible.
Our New Adventure: Homeschooling!
Kitchen Science!
School starts in Duval County next week and I’m nervous. Why? It’s not because of early morning bus drop-offs or conflicting schedules. It’s not because of intense homework loads or childcare issues. I’m nervous for an entirely different but great reason. We began homeschooling our 4 children this summer and love it. It just seems so much more real now that they won’t be joining their classmates in the bus-line! This fall marks our official début as a family of homeschoolers.
We happened upon homeschooling this spring as a last-ditch effort to turn our son’s behavior around. Ethan has social anxiety disorder, among other things, and was placed into the local public school‘s “mixed abilities” preschool class to help him overcome his difficulties. After six months in school, he was a changed child… and unfortunately not in a good way. Rather than improving, my normally docile son had become aggressive. He hit and kicked his teachers when asked to do simple things he didn’t like to do. His temper tantrums were out of control. I was being called at home because of behavioral issues several times a week. Not only that, the boy who was so confident in naming his letters, colors, and shapes suddenly couldn’t seem to name any of them anymore. The boy who had been in speech therapy for so long was becoming extremely difficult to understand when he spoke, perhaps because he was modeling his speech after other severely handicapped classmates (I’m not sure exactly the reason). Finally, in mid-spring, the problem hit a terrible peak. I was driving home one afternoon when I got a call from a familiar number: the office. The problem was not so expected. Ethan had been put in time out for throwing a tantrum and had started an electric fire by sticking something into an uncovered outlet. The fire had been quickly put out and no one else was hurt, but Ethan had burned his arm quite badly and I needed to pick him up right away.
I was in a blind panic and drove across town as quickly as possible. His teacher relayed the story again, including the fact that she couldn’t possibly watch every kid at every moment and stating that it was “both of our faults” this happened. My son could have been killed while in her care. He did know better, but I don’t blame him for being improperly supervised or for his classroom being improperly childproofed. My husband and I had discussed what we should do about his deteriorating behavior for a while now and this sealed the deal. Ethan would be homeschooled. We had a lot of work to do.
I’ll have to admit, I wasn’t particularly thrilled at the prospect of homeschooling Ethan. I didn’t want to deal with his intense issues 24/7. I enjoyed the break from him and his tantrums. Yet, what we were doing wasn’t working. Public school was definitely not the answer.
We plunged into homeschooling head first. The first few weeks were rough, his outrageous behavior getting on my last nerve. Then something miraculous began to happen. Ethan’s outbursts decreased dramatically. He started smiling more. With help from his behaviorist, he began engaging and really enjoying learning. After a few months, most of his troublesome behaviors had vanished. He was learning. He was thriving! He didn’t act out aggressively or cry and scream when things didn’t go exactly his way. The difference was night and day. The Ethan of today is practically unrecognizable from the Ethan of 6 months ago.
When school let out for the summer, I began homeschooling my older daughter Alexandria as well. She’s a very advanced little reader with a passion for learning. She had fun at school, but was always bored out of her mind and getting into trouble for talking. She was the “teacher’s helper” because she was too far advanced. She wasn’t pushed to learn anything further either. This summer we tried something new. I let Alex learn at her own pace. The results were amazing. We did school each morning of the workweek, learning grammar, phonics, math, social studies, science, piano, French, geography, and more. We read hundreds of books and went on lots of great field trips. We made learning fun and challenging and had an absolute blast together. Alexandria exploded academically. Her expanding vocabulary and knowledge base blow me away.
My husband and I had a revelation. We had stumbled upon something big. We did our research and discovered that other homeschooling families were having similar successes. Homeschooling is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to the failing public school system and homeschoolers are thriving. They do as well as or better than their public school peers across the board. According to HSLDA (The Homeschool Legal Defense Association), homeschoolers score in the 85th percentile on national achievement tests while public school students score in the 50th percentile. Colleges are seeking them out. They’re entering the workforce as well-educated, well-rounded, capable, and self-motivated citizens. Was this really an option for us?
We had a ton of questions. How would homeschooling work with my husband’s busy work schedule? How would I juggle teaching and my own writing career? How could I successfully integrate the younger children into the school day? How would our lives change, and were we ready for these changes?
It turns out, it’s super easy to homeschool in the state of Florida. Simply write a letter of intent, send it to the proper office, and you’re set. At the end of the year, have a teacher evaluate a portfolio of your child’s work. We began searching for curriculum and choosing a wide variety of materials. We dove into homeschooling and found out that it was a great match. The children love their school time and we’ve had countless fun, productive, and memorable mornings this summer. We’ve become involved with our local homeschooling community and have made some great new friends. Not only are the children learning more than they ever would in our local public school, but we’ve also become closer as a family. I’ve learned how to enjoy spending time with my children a whole lot more than I used to. The children have learned to enjoy each other’s company more as well.
We’ve discovered that there’s a whole new world out there that doesn’t involve public schooling. I don’t have to worry about music, art, or PE being cut from my daughter’s school. Funding and budget cuts aren’t a problem. I don’t have to worry about bullies or peer pressure (too much anyway). I know who my children’s’ friends are and what their families are like. I can help my children reach their true potential in this amazing day and age. With the internet and a city full of classes and social activities, there’s a wealth of knowledge right at our finger tips.
This is the story of how one busy, bustling military family came to be a family of homeschoolers and the lessons we’ll learn along the way.
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- Homeschool Planning: Back to Homeschool (thehappyhousewife.com)
- Announcing a New Resource Dedicated to Homeschool Fiction (prweb.com)
- Applying College Well : Tips for Homeschoolers (education.com)
- Do Parents Have a Right to Homeschool? (education.com)
